Smoky Mountain News | July 19, 2023

Tourism dollars fund Jackson capital projects

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Tourism dollars fund Jackson capital projects

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority has selected two projects to be funded with occupancy tax dollars — one in Sylva and one in Dillsboro. Both projects are intended to benefit both residents and tourists alike.

“Although no public tax dollars are used in these projects,” said JCTDA Director Nick Breedlove, “the public will still benefit significantly through these efforts that will strengthen the vibrancy of the community, generate additional room nights and enhance both the resident and visitor experience.”

Under state legislation passed in 2011, tourism development authorities may spend one-third of occupancy tax funds — money generated from the 4% tax levied on overnight visitors to the area — on brickand-mortar capital projects like convention and conference centers, arenas and stadiums, sports facilities, performing arts venues, museums and other attractions, parks, greenways, trails, other placemaking initiatives like streetscapes and public art, wayfinding signs and more. The other twothirds of occupancy tax funds must be used to promote travel and tourism in the county.

This allows a process through which stakeholders in the county can apply for money generated from tourism to fund projects that improve the county for residents and tourists. By funding capital projects, tourism bureaus increase the demand for accommodations, local spending and visitor satisfaction, thereby bringing more money into a county.

JCTDA began developing the application for its Tourism Capital Project Fund in 2020, and last year it allocated $500,000 for the endeavor. However, after receiving no applications during that first round of funding, the application process opened anew on Jan. 1 with $750,000 of funding available. Projects are eligible whether they are owned and operated publicly or by nonprofits, but a one-to-one match is required. Projects must have a total cost of at least $25,000 over the life of the project and a useful life of at least 10 years.

On July 11, Breedlove presented two project applications to the Jackson County Commission.

The Town of Sylva applied for a grant of $367,000 to fund its Bridge Park project. Originally built in 2008, the planned upgrades to the park will include a paved parking lot, as well as bioretention areas that will help filter water and runoff that drain into Scotts Creek. The total cost of the project is estimated at just under $800,000. Last year, the town committed more than $400,000 of American Rescue Plan funds toward the project.

“[Bridge Park] has really become a focal spot for downtown Sylva and Jackson County,” said Breedlove. “As you know, they do free Friday night concerts there; the farmers market is also held there and numerous events from July Fourth to festivals, and throughout the year that park is constantly utilized.”

In addition to cleaning up the waterway and a new parking area, the project will involve a viewing and fishing platform,

handicapped accessible parking spots, an area for food trucks and an entry arch.

“It’s really going to be a nice area for families to come down,” said Breedlove. “There are going to be picnic tables so people can buy lunch downtown or bring a picnic lunch and sit there and just enjoy the river back there.”

The second request came from the Town of Dillsboro, which applied for a $449,000 grant from the JCTDA to permanently reconnect the temporary bridge that DOT constructed while replacing the bridge on Haywood Road. The temporary bridge built in 2021 allowed for an expedited process that cut construction time from three years to nine months by closing the main road instead of reducing lanes and diverting traffic to the temporary bridge.

However, that temporary bridge was the property of DOT and was not intended to be in place longer than the timeline of the project. Now, Dillsboro wants a permanent structure there, in addition to walking paths along the bridge for pedestrian access.

It was the JCTDA board’s opinion that this is a worthwhile project but that it could not fully fund the request, almost 70% of the total project cost. Instead, the board is suggesting funding $125,000, contingent on Dillsboro securing the remainder of the funds for the project.

Total cost of construction and installation for the bridge is estimated at $350,000; the town has also outlined costs for improvements to East and West Hometown Place, new restroom facilities and construction contingencies.

So far, Dillsboro has committed $200,000

to its bridge project. With $125,000 from JCTDA, the town would be under budget by $25,000. Breedlove told commissioners that Dillsboro has a healthy fund balance, above the 8% that is required by law, and if the project is a priority for the town, he suggested they may want to tap into that fund balance for the remaining cost.

The decision to fund under the amount Dillsboro had requested, according to Breedlove, was due to the difficulty of justifying a walking path as something that would bring more visitors and increase spending in the area — a stipulation of the legislation that allows for this type of spending.

“These are tourism dollars that go to projects that hopefully bring in more visitors to spend money at small businesses and support them,” Breedlove said. “Trying to justify people utilizing that for walking and the potential economic impact of that, there are multiple studies about how greenways help the economy and generate revenue in terms of tourism draw. But when we compare the impact of that bridge to say, a Dillsboro water park, for example, it’s significantly disproportionate.”

The JCTDA documented a total of $2,637,438.19 in room occupancy tax collections during the 2021-22 fiscal year. That was well over the $1.99 million collected during the 2020-21 fiscal year, both of which were higher than the last pre-covid year. During the 2018-19 fiscal year, the JCTDA recorded $1.19 million in room occupancy tax collections.

Jackson County Commissioners garnered consensus on both projects and were slated to approve them on July 18.

Champion Credit Union named to list of Great Employers to Work for in North Carolina

Champion Credit Union announced it has been named to the Great Employers to Work for in North Carolina 2023 list by Best Companies Group, a BridgeTower Media Company. Champion Credit Union ranked 5th in the medium company category and was selected based on a detailed survey of its

employees. This year marks the sixth year in a row that the credit union has been named to the list.

Best Companies Group’s annual award program identifies and honors the best places of employment in North Carolina. The ranking is based on an anonymous

employee survey and an analysis of their responses about corporate culture, training and development, salary and benefits, and overall employee satisfaction.

”A supportive, vibrant, and inclusive organizational culture is consistently at the top of our strategic priorities because we

realize its impact on overall success,” said Jake Robinson, President/CEO of Champion Credit Union. “We are blessed to have an exceptional group of employees who care for one another as if they are family. Receiving this distinction is an honor and something we are proud to share with our community.”

Jackson moves forward on opioid recovery

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER

Jackson County Commissioners are set to approve two grant-funded positions aimed at substance use disorder recovery and treatment during a regular meeting this week with little controversy. But a decision on how to deal with the fallout from the opioid epidemic and how to spend opioid settlement money being allocated to Jackson County is anything but certain.

Last year, it was announced that Jackson County, along with other counties in the region, would receive money from a $26 billion settlement after litigation resolved the role of four companies in perpetuating the opioid epidemic. Of the $26 billion sum, 85% will go directly to North Carolina counties and municipalities and 15% will go to the state. Jackson is slated to receive $3 million over the course of 18 installments in as many years, the first of which was received last year.

“It’s over an 18-year period, and it’s not enough money to solve the opioid problem,” said County Manager Don Adams. “This is something that’s going to require not only this funding, but partnerships between multiple organizations to work on for years to come.”

To plan how best to spend the money to address the needs related to the opioid epidemic and substance use disorder recovery in the county, Jackson sought grant funding for a coordinator position that would create a master plan. The county received a Dogwood Health Trust grant to cover the costs of the position.

The grant is worth $368,429 and will cover the temporary planning position, with benefits, over a 24-month period.

“It will coordinate the process of creating an overall master plan regarding Jackson County’s allocation of opioid settlement dollars,” said Adams. “This position is also to work directly with the jail-based position itself.”

The second grant-funded position, which commissioners were set to approve on July 18, is a jail-based substance abuse coordinator. This position will provide coordination of substance abuse recovery program services to people incarcerated in Jackson County, specifically the Medication Assisted Treatment program.

Earlier this year, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received grant funding for a Medication Assisted Treatment program in the county’s detention center. This program provides treatment for alcohol and opioid dependance that combines the use of prescription medication with counseling, peer support and education.

While the Food and Drug Administration has approved different medications to treat Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders, the grant program is approved for Vivitrol. A brand of Naltrexone, Vivitrol is a non-opioid medication that works as an opioid antagonist, blocking the subjective

effects of opioids and reducing cravings in people with alcohol use disorder. It is administered once a month via intramuscular injection. According to Sheriff Doug Farmer, there will be a series of six shots available to those who opt in.

Over the past eight years, five people have died while incarcerated in Jackson County, several of which were drug-related incidents.

According to Adams, these two grantfunded positions — the settlement money coordinator and the jail-based substance abuse coordinator — will work together directly to manage substance abuse recovery efforts in the county.

But the question remains, how will the county spend the measly $3 million it is receiving to deal with the fallout from the opioid epidemic?

On July 11, Jackson County Commissioners discussed communication some of them had received from Representative Mike Clampitt (R-Swain) about a collaborative effort among multiple counties to construct a regional treatment facility.

The Smoky Mountain News previously reported on talks for a regional facility that would involve eight counties pooling opioid settlement funds which would total upward of $22 million.

As talks continue on the topic, Clampitt has begun reaching out to elected officials to garner acceptance for the region-wide facility plan.

“Representative Clampitt and our legislators are trying to work on funding to build one of these facilities in our region, because there is a lack of beds,” said Adams.

Clampitt has offered to hold a meeting with both the Jackson County Commission and Sylva Commission to discuss the plan and provide more information. Several Jackson commissioners expressed hesitancy about a regional facility, especially if it were to be located in Jackson County and said they would need more information before agreeing to move forward.

“I think we owe it to Mike to continue the conversation. I need a lot more information,” said Chairman Mark Letson. “I know there is a lot of opposition to it, but I think we need to follow the process and at least hear it out. It may be that another entity wants it in their region, something that’s more centralized district wide.”

Both Commissioners Todd Bryson and Mark Jones said they had not received any emails on the subject from Clampitt. Adams suggested setting up a joint meeting with the Sylva Commission to hear from Clampitt about the plan.

“In [Clampitt’s] original email, he mentioned that he had already talked to Swain and Macon County, so they’re all in this region together. If he’s going to try to convince us, shouldn’t those other counties that are also going to be affected be included in the meeting?” asked Commissioner John Smith. “To me, it felt like he had

already talked to Macon and Swain and they didn’t want it there so he’s coming to us.”

Commissioners expressed concerns about keeping access to such a facility open to people from the region, rather than those from elsewhere.

“When they’re released, most of the time they’re not provided with transportation back to where they got them from and released here, and that puts additional stress on emergency services, police, that’s my feeling,” said Smith.

“I agree with the chairman, we need a lot more information first before we think about this,” said Commissioner Tom Stribling.

Sylva Mayor David Nestler and Sylva Commissioner Ben Guiney stated their support for a regional facility and urged their fellow commissioners to stay engaged in the process.

“This would be a very critical piece of infrastructure for this town and this county, and very much needed, so I would urge this board to support that in any way they can,” said Nestler. “Write your county commissioners and anybody else to garner some public support for that. There will be a meeting with some more information presented soon, please try to attend that. Be knowledgeable about any development on

that front so we can support it.”

Guiney is an emergency room doctor at Harris Regional Hospital. He cited his experience working in the medical field in Jackson County in voicing his support for the facility, saying that the current lack of a facility increases stress of regular hospital operations.

“I can tell y’all from my perspective in the ER here, that we have holds on a regular basis in the ER. We had someone that was there for six months, just recently we had someone that was in an ER room for four months, a minor actually,” said Guiney. “It’s a serious problem trying to find beds for folks.”

Guiney also mentioned the continuous nature of recovering from substance use disorders and the recurring help that is needed.

“People that successfully become clean from addiction issues, the folks that have made it, the term is ‘in recovery.’ So you’re never really cured, you’re always maintaining your sobriety,” Guiney said. “Getting someone’s substance abuse addressed and working to get them back into a productive member of the community is super important. I can’t say enough how important it is to have something like this.”

A date for the possible joint meeting has not yet been set.

Canton passes industrial development moratorium aimed at Pactiv

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

After closing its paper mill in Canton early last month, Pactiv Evergreen is reportedly now engaged in discussions with potential purchasers or developers about the future of the site. Town leaders, however, haven’t been invited to participate in those discussions — forcing the governing board to take action to ensure it has a seat at the table.

“In the local government toolbox, there are several tools that can be used in situations like this to help be part of the conversation about what is happening inside your city limits. One is eminent domain, for example,” said Mayor Zeb Smathers. “The other is a moratorium.”

Pactiv Evergreen stunned Western North Carolina back in March, when in a series of closeddoor meetings with employees it announced that it would shutter the 115-year-old mill within three months, resulting in the loss of about 1,000 jobs.

Smathers and Haywood County officials weren’t given a heads up, nor was the mayor of an Ohio town where Pactiv also cut jobs. Pactiv didn’t even inform its health insurance provider, initiating a health care coverage crisis for soon-to-be unemployed workers.

Now, with reports that Pactiv is looking to offload the massive 185acre parcel that straddles the Pigeon River, Canton wants to be sure it isn’t again blindsided by the $6 billion multinational corporation.

“I have it on good authority that those conversations are happening, and again, we’ve learned this through secondary parties,” Smathers said. “With this moratorium, we will be part of the conversation.”

On July 13, the Canton Board of Aldermen/women unanimously passed a 365-day moratorium on all development approvals within the light industrial and heavy industrial zoning districts.

“What this does in a specific sense is basically say to Evergreen and to any developer or anyone involved with Evergreen is that the Town of Canton and her citizens are going to be part of this conversation,” Smathers said.

The moratorium only affects industrial zoning categories, and only in two places — the mill campus, and an area north of town in Beaverdam adjacent to and just south of Interstate 40. Currently, there is no industrial development within the moratorium area.

Residential, town center, general commercial, neighborhood commercial and highway commercial district developments remain subject to all normal approval protocols and are not affected by the moratorium.

“It’s very limited,” Smathers said. “This should not prevent or prohibit any small business anywhere outside of those industrial zones from coming out here,” said Smathers. “And also at any given moment,

study the town’s land development practices as a whole, determining what uses are most consistent with the mill campus, which is sandwiched between the revitalized downtown core and nearby residential areas. The ordinance contains a detailed timeline of relevant milestones to keep the study on track.

The moratorium will expire on July 13, 2024, or once the town passes a zoning ordinance amendment that establishes development-appropriate criteria for a permitting process including environmental studies, setbacks, screening and requirements — whichever comes first.

Environmental studies will take on even more importance in light of the repeated violations of U.S. pollution laws that were committed by Pactiv and some of its predecessors over decades.

In addition to the option of eminent domain, the ordinance states that the town’s

Alderman Ralph Hamlett, a Canton native whose father served as the town’s police chief, gave a lengthy speech in support of the moratorium.

“Growing up in Canton, there was a mythology ... speak no evil about the mill. Because, we were told, the livelihood of Canton depends on the mill,” Hamlett said. “The threat was there that if we say too much, the mill’s gonna close. But guess what? The mill closed ... Now, we’re faced with a choice. We’ve learned a lesson about Evergreen closing. Canton is going to outlast the likes of Evergreen. At this point in time, we can think about the safety of our citizenry, we can think about the quality of life for all of us, and we as a board are faced with a choice, the choice of expediency or the choice of doing what is right. As for me, I’m going to do what’s right.”

Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull, who retired from the mill after three decades, said she wanted better for Canton.

“I’m probably the only person in this room who ever worked at the mill, and I’m the union secretary,” Mull said. “We have to do this. We have no choice.”

Carl Cortright, who serves on the town’s planning board, said the moratorium was a pause, not a stop sign.

Rep. Jon Hardister (R-Guilford) was also in attendance at the July 13 meeting, saying he was there to listen, but Hardister asked a number of questions about the site’s intended use as well as the wastewater treatment facility. Hardister currently serves as House majority whip and vice chair of appropriations, but is running for North Carolina Labor Commissioner in 2024.

Like Smathers, Alderwoman Kristina Proctor was also out of town for the meeting, but said she would have voted for the moratorium — which she called bold, responsible and proactive.

for the right situation, we can lift this.”

As passed, the ordinance states that elected officials in Canton have “become concerned that uses which are incompatible with the general business district and nearby residential neighborhoods will nonetheless end up locating there” and that such areas “are no longer suitable for such uses or consistent with the public health and safety of the citizens of the town in Canton.”

One such use that’s been making headlines across the region is cryptocurrency mining operations, which consume tremendous amounts of power and can be quite noisy.

“If any company, such as a Bitcoin mining company — which I would be against — was able to purchase or have control of this project, at that point, our toolbox becomes limited,” Smathers said. “This is a very proactive approach to control the conversation.”

From a larger perspective, town administrators will use the 365-day moratorium to

only other alternatives were to do nothing and allow applications based on zoning regulations that pre-date the mill’s closing by as much as 55 years, or conducting the study while undesirable uses continue to proliferate.

“As we build that hometown of tomorrow, what this does is help us envision what that hometown is going to look like and how we can go about making it a reality,” Smathers said.

Smathers wasn’t present for the July 13 meeting due to family commitments, but the board was just as adamant about the need for the moratorium.

“They [Pactiv Evergreen] have to include us in the process, to make sure that we are protecting the town and by extension all the people and residents in the town, to make sure Evergreen doesn’t act in a negative way,” said Alderman Tim Shepard. “We are probusiness and we want to see the mill property being used, but we also want to make sure it’s not something we have no say in.”

“It signifies our commitment to prioritizing the interests of our town and its citizens in three specific ways,” said Proctor. “Firstly, as a community, we deserve to have a voice in the discussions regarding the future purpose of this property. It is crucial that we are included in the decision-making process, allowing us to contribute our perspectives and insights. Secondly, it is worth noting that the property is situated on a floodplain. Hence, it is imperative that we collaborate to implement effective measures for remediation and enhance its resilience against future flooding events. Lastly, given that the paper mill operated on this site for a century, it is essential to acknowledge that while environmental practices have improved over the past few decades, the complete extent of the environmental situation on the property remains uncertain. Therefore, environmental remediation must be a top priority in order to address any potential environmental challenges.”

Only areas with industrial zoning, denoted on the town’s land use map in purple, will be affected. Town of Canton photo

Swain teens push for youth center

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

Students in rural America already face many of the challenges experienced by their urban cousins — albeit with fewer resources to overcome them — but a group of Swain County teenagers want to change that by asking commissioners for a youth center.

“I feel like it’d be a safe area for kids to go wait for their parents, because not all parents get off of work at the same time as school ends,” said Amber Hinnant, a 15year-old who will be a sophomore at Swain County High School this fall. “It would be a positive atmosphere for teens and others to socialize with their peers.”

Hinnant, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, lives in Birdtown and hopes to major in biochemistry at N.C. State University, fulfilling her dreams of one day becoming a psychiatrist.

Thus far, Hinnant’s managed to avoid the three-headed monster of poverty, crime and drugs that present obstacles to educational attainment for some of America’s school-age children.

“Sometimes they choose to do drugs instead,” she said. “They go down the wrong track.”

According to youth.gov, for every $1 invested in afterschool programs, the community experiences at least $3 in savings by reducing juvenile delinquency and improving academic performance, which

Be heard

Community members will present to county commissioners the results of a survey on establishing a youth center for Bryson City and Swain County students during an upcoming workshop. The meeting is open to the public.

Time: 10 a.m.

Date: Tuesday, Aug. 1

Location: Swain County Administration

Building, 50 Main St, third floor, Bryson City

increases earning potential.

In 2022, only 24% of Swain County students in grades 3 through 8 earned careerand college-ready scores in reading, and only 27% met the mark in math. Less than 80% of high school students graduate on time, far below the state goal of 95%, and 22% of students are considered chronically absent, double the state goal of 11%.

Afterschool programs provide academic support, reduce dropout rates and aid in social and emotional learning while supporting working families by ensuring the safety of their children during those critical afterschool hours when many moms and dads are still on the job.

With the skyrocketing cost of childcare, school holidays and summer break can become nightmarish financial fiascoes for parents who still have to put food on the table.

By most measures, Swain County’s poverty rate isn’t outrageously high — between 15 and 18%. Although it’s above the state average of 14%, it’s nowhere near the top of the list. Bladen County, at 29%, holds that dubious distinction but there’s significant room for improvement across Western North Carolina. Union County’s poverty rate, lowest in the state, is 7%.

“I’d say I’m very lucky. My parents both have good jobs, but I’d say [poverty] is a pretty big problem for the majority of people living here,” said Audrey Zelenka, president of Swain County High School’s student council. “A youth center, in my opinion, would probably help students get different classes that they may not be able to get in school, like different educational opportunities that a school can’t provide.”

Zelenka is a 17-year-old senior-to-be who lives in Greasy Branch, near Lake Fontana. She wants to study public health, which would come in handy for combating the nation’s continuing opioid addiction crisis.

The rural character of the opioid epidemic is readily apparent in Swain County, which in 2021 had one of the highest drug overdose death rates in the west. In 2022, Swain County had one of the highest rates

of drug overdose emergency room visits in the entire state.

A 2022 report by the National Institutes of Health showed that 52% of high school seniors across the country were consuming alcohol, 31% were using some form of cannabis and 27% were vaping nicotine.

“I know the school has had a problem with vaping on campus. I feel like a youth center may be able to provide education for students and kids at a younger level, to help them understand that it’s not cool,” Zelenka said. “It’s not good for you. It’s not good for your health in the future, and it’s an expensive habit.”

The real problem is, there aren’t enough options for Swain County teens, and the ones that are available are either too far, too full or too expensive to help those that need it most.

Max Wilmot is a 16-year-old rising junior from Bryson City. He wants to study law, criminology or forensic science. Like Hinnant and Zelenka, he’s also a member of student council and thinks that when students are unsupervised after school is when the trouble really begins.

“That’s really when kids will show their true colors and try to experiment with different things,” Wilmot said. “And they’ll either learn their lesson from that or continue down a bad path.”

While many of the challenges present for Swain County students aren’t unique, at least one of them is.

This past June, the Smoky Mountain Times reported that due to a variety of factors, Swain County has far more children in the foster care system — some of them for nearly a decade, formerly sleeping in hotel rooms or on air mattresses in conference rooms of county buildings — than surrounding counties do.

That kind of instability makes educational success more difficult. A 2001 report by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy says that children in foster care score 15 to 20% lower on statewide achievement tests than their non-foster peers. Since then, things haven’t improved

More money available to help displaced Evergreen workers

In the latest in a long line of efforts by the Southwestern Commission to help those affected by the Evergreen closure, the U.S. Department of Labor has announced an award of more than $2.5 million to support employment and training services for people in WNC affected by the closure of Pactiv Evergreen’s Canton paper mill and by the

Take the survey

If you’re a resident of Bryson City or Swain County, a group of concerned citizens wants to hear from you about the possibility of establishing an after-school/weekend/nonschool day youth center for local students. Three different surveys are available — one for students, one for parents and one for the community at large. Results will be used during an Aug. 1 presentation to Swain County commissioners.

Students: surveymonkey.com/r/CHSHFYS

Parents: surveymonkey.com/r/CZQSLZD Community: surveymonkey.com/r/CZTGPLH

— a 2020 report by Partners for our Children says that students in foster care meet state standards at less than half the rate of their non-foster peers.

A youth center, advocates say, would help alleviate many of the challenges expressed by Hinnant, Zelenka and Wilmot. Right now, they’re urging Swain County residents to complete one of three surveys — for students, parents and community members — so they can present their findings to the Swain County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 1.

The surveys are tailored to each group and ask questions about what the biggest problems in Swain County are and what a successful youth center might look like.

Wilmot isn’t really concerned with his fate; like many of his peers, he’s staying out of trouble and has a bright future ahead of him, but he worries about those who will come after, like his two younger brothers.

“A youth center would allow students to have a place to go after school and get a more individual approach to their education and just be able to, like, make more connections and friends and keep off of drugs and away from crime,” he said. “If we have one youth center, then I feel like as we use it more, then it can start to expand and then maybe there’s more, and then we just have more of that individual attention to education with the upcoming generation.”

Swain County Schools’ Superintendent Mark Sale did not return a call for comment.

company’s reduction in operations at its Waynesville facility.

Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the award to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Workforce Solutions, is the first increment of a National Dislocated Worker Grant of up to approxi-

mately $7.5 million that will allow the state to provide retraining and skills development for dislocated workers in Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Swain and Transylvania counties.

The funds will be used primarily for occupational skills training (short-term training,

diploma, and degree programs) and on-thejob training. The grant can pay 50% or more of the hourly rate for businesses hiring “dislocated workers.” These contracts are usually three to six months in length and help employers offset the cost of onboarding a new worker.

Any inquiries can be sent to your local NCWorks Career Center.

Amber Hinnant

Max Wilmot

Audrey Zelenka

Farmer focuses on detention, patrol with JCSO

BY KYLE P ERROTTI

N EWS E DITOR

Settling into the role of sheriff is tough for any law enforcement professional, but in Jackson County, Doug Farmer brings a wide range of police experience to the role — experience that has made the transition a bit easier.

Although he’d run for sheriff before, 2022 was Farmer’s first successful bid as he beat out Democrat Rick Buchanan narrowly with 51.9% of the vote.

Farmer came into office after spending years in different facets of law enforcement. He began his career with 11 years at the Macon County Sheriff’s Office where he performed a variety of duties, from patrol to working at the detention center. Following a short stint with the Highlands Police Department, Farmer spent a year in Iraq as a contractor training various law enforcement agencies in that country.

“I worked training law enforcement embedded with military units and helped them set up police stations, monitor logistics and made sure things were going well,” he said. “It was quite the experience.”

In 2010, Farmer went to work for the Sylva Police Department, where he remained until he retired in 2019.

While he does have diverse law enforcement experiences, he said there was still a learning curve early on after he was elected, adding that he thinks he’s over the hump and settling into the job.

“Things have settled down,” he said. “I think we’ve found what you would call our groove or cruising speed.”

Farmer changed up some of his staff upon being sworn in and even let some of the prior command staff go. In fact, the sher-

A slate of new sheriffs

iff’s office doesn’t currently have a chief deputy, which is normally the second in command. Instead, the next highest-ranking members are the captains over patrol, civil process, courthouse security and operations.

“I feel good about where we’re at with that,” Farmer said.

There have been five jail deaths in Jackson County since 2016, and from time to time during that period, individuals have been charged with possessing drugs in the detention center. Last year, the county purchased a body scanner for nearly $150,000 to check for contraband on inmates as they’re processed.

Still, concerns of potential overdoses weigh on Farmer’s mind.

“Sometimes you don’t know if they’ve taken anything prior to coming in, and unless they’re honest with you on the intake and tell you ‘hey, I’ve taken something prior,’ you won’t know,” Farmer said.

Farmer said they have nursing staff that can handle people going through detox and a physician who comes in and checks inmates’ vitals weekly. And for those battling addic-

receiving counseling and education on addiction, those individuals will be treated with Vivitrol, a monthly shot that curbs cravings.

“Folks say it works extremely well for those who may have some form of dependency,” Farmer said. “We’re excited about

points, which has led to drug seizures and DWI charges. In addition, based on requests from property owners in certain areas, he’s had deputies patrol more around businesses that have been targets of property crimes.

Farmer said he has one deputy who focuses on internet and phone scams that target elderly folks. Their main job is education; that deputy presents at venues like senior centers to tell people about the different ways scammers use social media and cell phones to take advantage of others.

Farmer said a big focus is career development for his deputies, which often comes in the form of continuing career education — along with helping to further deputies’ careers, that can also bring new skills to the sheriff’s office.

“We’re trying to bring as much training here to the office and put as many of our people in seats as we can to get them trained up in different things,” he said.

Farmer said the learning curve coming in may have been sharper than he initially thought but added that he feels good about where his office is now.

tion, the jail has instituted a medication assisted treatment program aimed at people addicted to drugs or alcohol. Along with

having the chance to offer that here.”

Several jails around the region have recently remodeled their bathrooms to mitigate the spread of mold. Farmer said he’s done that, and more.

“We’ve repainted the jail, too,” he said.

On the patrol front, the sheriff’s office has added personnel to allow for two deputies to work in the Cashiers area whenever possible, especially during times of increased traffic from visitors.

“We’re just getting inundated with complaints from speeding and reckless driving to road rage incidents there,” Farmer said.

Deputies have also increased license check-

“No matter how much you know about law enforcement when you come into this job, if you’ve never been in the shoes, it’s going to be a lot,” he said. “There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes that people will never see that that you’re responsible for.”

And while the job still presents no shortage of obstacles, Farmer said he likes the challenge.

“It’s good because it keeps you on your toes,” he said. “Sometimes you might have someone leave or you have to make a tough decision. I guess you get that in any profession, but our job is so important that you can’t make many mistakes.”

In North Carolina, the county sheriff is the locally elected leader with the most power and the most responsibility. Not only are they charged with keeping the jail secure, they’re responsible for all civil process, securing the courthouse, fiscal and personnel management, community engagement, government relations at all levels and, of course, the safety and well-being of the people they serve.

It’s a job where experience matters and having an established cohesive staff with a common understanding of a sheriff’s vision is paramount.

Last year, the majority of sheriffs elected in Western North Carolina were brand new to the job and faced not only the everyday challenges and stressors common to that role, but they also had to adjust to the sharp learning curve and decide just what kind of leaders they wanted to be.

In The Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area, there are three sheriffs who have been on the job less than a year. While in many counties in the past, the job of sheriff has gone to a Democrat who beat a Republican in the General Election, this year each sheriff west of Buncombe County is a Republican, and each has a slightly different vision for their office.

SMN spoke with the three new sheriffs in our coverage area. Here’s what they had to say.

Sheriff Doug Farmer

“There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes that people will never see that that you’re responsible for.”

— Sheriff Doug Farmer

Holbrooks follows in father’s footsteps

N EWS E DITOR N

ew sheriffs in North Carolina are bombarded with new information and leadership duties their first year in office, but Macon County Sheriff Brent Holbrooks came into the position with a unique understanding of the job because he’s seen it firsthand — his father, Homer Holbrooks, was sheriff for 16 years.

“Of course there’s been bumps along the way, but for the most part, the transition has been pretty smooth,” Holbrooks said. “Seeing my father in this role since elementary school and how he’s handled situations either from the public or with the employees has gone a long way. And I’ve always lived by his statement to me that it all boils down to how you treat people. Treat everyone the same, and I’ve taken that to heart and tried to apply it my whole life.”

enced people.

“We have been able to hire people from surrounding agencies who are just as qualified, if not more qualified,” he said.

Along with restructuring the command leadership, Holbrooks made a budgetary

Another upcoming change in the county will be the addition of a new SRO. However, this SRO is unlike any other. Beginning next school year, students will see a “floating” K9 who is technically assigned to cover all the county’s schools. In addition to being able to

“I’ve always lived by his statement to me that it all boils down to how you treat people. Treat everyone the same, and I’ve taken that to heart and tried to apply it my whole life.”

— Sheriff Brent Holbrooks

Sheriff Brent Holbrooks

Holbrooks came into the office of sheriff after serving 24 years in law enforcement, most recently as the lieutenant over civil process. He’s also spent over a decade on patrol and with the county SWAT team, as well as some time doing courthouse security. But even with Holbrooks’ range of experience and the benefit of watching his father work, one part of the job has still required patience and a willingness to learn.

“Prior to being the sheriff, I had no experience whatsoever with the budget,” he said. “I think that has been the largest learning curve for me and some of my staff. But with that being said, I’m surrounding myself with folks that are familiar with the budget, and I have a very close relationship with our county manager, Derek Rowland. And he has facilitated things and helped me out extremely well.”

While some new sheriffs around the area made some pretty drastic changes and even let go of several deputies, Holbrooks kept most of his personnel. But he did change the command structure, especially as some of the top brass retired alongside former sheriff Robbie Holland, who served 20 years in that role. However, Holbrooks said he’s been able to fill those voids with some highly experi-

change that he says will help ensure management of resources is above board and efficient. Previously, the sheriff’s office had three accounts, but now there are six.

“I guess you would call it more accountability for each entity within the sheriff’s office,” Holbrooks said. “For instance, it’s now crime prevention, not patrol, because ultimately the patrol guys are out trying to prevent crime, and so they have their own budget. Investigation has their own budget. SROs have their own budget. Detention Center has their own budget. I have my own budget.”

Along with the aforementioned changes, Holbrooks also pointed out that entry to the courthouse is now managed, meaning visitors enter and exit from a controlled area where they can be screened. Previously, the public could use one of several entrances and could essentially bring whatever they wanted into the building.

“Our courthouse is now secured, and that was done right around the first of May,” Holbrooks said. “It’s been great. I’ve had a few folks who’ve kind of fought back on that, but for the most part, the general public and the folks within the courthouse, the employees within the courthouse, they absolutely love the fact that that it’s secured and now they feel safe.”

Boating safety courses available July 26-27

sniff for illegal drugs, the dog will also be able to smell vape cartridges. While nicotine vape cartridges are not illegal to possess, it is against the school district’s policy to have them at school.

Also in the realm of schools and contingent on school board approval, the sheriff’s office wants to head up a hunter safety skills team to give kids who want to compete but may not be interested in playing a sport the chance to take up a new activity.

“Not every student in high school knows how to throw a football or knuckleball or compete in tennis or swimming, so we’re gonna offer a hunter safety skills team,” Holbrooks said.

Although it hasn’t been solidified yet, Holbrooks said they’re also likely going to reimplement the “explorer” program that enables deputies to work with students who show an interest in a career in law enforcement.

“What better way to have young men and women learn the ropes?” Holbrooks said. “We can take kids who are interested, and they have a better chance of being officers who are to our liking.”

Holbrooks said that he’s excited to be in his current leadership role and that he’s excited to continue to grow into that position as he strives to assess and reassess the needs of the community.

“I look forward to continuing to serve,” he said.

City Lights Bookstore and the Jackson County Public Library will host David Joy for the launch of his new book

828/586-9499 • more@citylightsnc.com 3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

serving size : about 50 pages Amount per Serving Calories 0 % Daily Value * Total Fat 0g 0% Regional News 100% Outdoors 100% Arts 100% Entertainment 100% Classifieds 100% Opinion 100% * Percent Weekly values based on Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and Buncombe diets.

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be in the Jackson County Public Library Community Room. TION

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Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences, and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer a boating safety course from 6-9 p.m. July 2627 on the HCC campus in Walnut Building 3300, room 3322. Participants must attend two consecutive evenings to receive their certification.

These courses are offered as a community service and are free of charge. There are no minimum age requirements; however, written exam must be completed without assistance.

Pre-registration is required. Anyone interested in taking a boating safety course must register online in order to attend any session. Course registration may be completed at www.ncwildlife.org.

Wilke transforms HCSO’s vision

BY KYLE P ERROTTI

N EWS E DITOR

It’s been a long road for Bill Wilke to become Haywood County’s sheriff, and now that he’s got the job, he’s made some changes.

Wilke, a Republican, comes to office with a diverse background. While he has plenty of experience in law enforcement and rose to the rank of lieutenant with the Asheville Police Department, he also just recently retired from the Army Reserves as a colonel. Wilke had previously sought the office of sheriff but lost. This goround, he soundly defeated Democrat Larry Bryson by pulling in about 61% of the vote.

The new sheriff said he wants to focus on community policing. Wilke recalled that early in his career with APD, he was a community resource officer in West Asheville. In this role, he got to engage people in the neighborhoods to foster a sense of trust while also learning concerns people had. He said that’s a philosophy he wants to continue to build upon with HCSO.

“My leadership style hasn’t changed; it’s people-centric,” he said. “People have different definitions of leadership, but that’s a big one for me.”

Wilke said another key tenet of his leadership style is to support his people and promote from within.

“I think that’s what’s best for the organization,” he said. “As long as you empower them and give them the tools, they can do well.”

“Making sure that they have the tools, the resources to do what they need to do is crucial,” he added. “And if they don’t work, fine. So that’s kind of a way of looking at it. As sheriff, my responsibility is setting the vision and the strategy for where we want to be in the immediate future, the near future and then the far future, and then build towards that vision.”

Like other new sheriffs around the region, Wilke changed around some personnel early on, including letting eight deputies go. He said it was a matter of making sure he started off with people who were on board with the direction he wanted to take the office.

“It became immediately apparent who understood what our vision was and shared that vision,” he said. “I could see who had a willingness to get behind that, and they did, they picked it up, and they ran with it ... I see a real sense of commitment and passion from those people.”

Harkening back to his own philosophy, Wilke said he wants his deputies to be victim- centered and treat people well, no matter the situation.

“They’re doing that from what I see,” he

said. “I see a real sense of commitment and passion for what they’re doing, and they understand how to treat people. In my view that’s important in public service. I mean anybody, from someone you arrest — maybe the worst criminal — to, you know, a family that’s grieving from a loss. Knowing how to treat people is the key to success.”

Wilke added that he felt it was important to identify people who were ready to take on larger leadership roles.

“You have to identify who has the leadership ability,” he said. “Even in the military you’d see that it wasn’t always about rank. Some are informal leaders who people can look to and go, ‘hey, that’s the guy, one of my team.’ Folks will always follow those people.”

Like his predecessor, Greg Christopher, Wilke takes a faith-based approach to most aspects of his job. Having been a pastor the last several years, Wilke’s personal faith guides his philosophies and ultimately his decisions, including within his job. Christopher frequently discussed how his own faith-based approach to how he handled things in the jail, but Wilke has changed things up a bit. For example, he’s tightened rules around things like contact between an inmate and someone coming in to share the gospel — something as simple as a hug, Wilke said, can make a volunteer and inmate both feel good, but it also creates undue danger.

“A lot of people like volunteering and doing certain things because of how it makes them feel without necessarily considering what it actually does for the other person,”

Wilke said. “It’s not that their intent is wrong, it’s just sometimes we don’t really consider if what we’re doing is helping someone.”

And that philosophy spills into Wilke’s take on the drug crisis facing the region.

“I’ll tell you from a faith perspective … addiction is not a drug problem; it’s a sin problem,” Wilke said. “If you don’t understand the nature of sin, it may just seem like you’re looking for things to make you feel better, but these things don’t fix your heart. In the Christian faith, you know that if you change your heart, the actions will follow.”

It’s well known now that addiction fuels the majority of crime and that as more people have become addicted, the recidivism rate has risen tremendously. Wilke wants to see those numbers go down. While Christopher employed a couple of peer support specialists in the jail, Wilke went in a different direction, turning to his friend Bob Cummings, a pastor who is known for compassion but also tough love.

“Bob loves people,” Wilke said, “but he also understands accountability. We have to bring all these resources — life skills, recovery, housing, employment, financial support — together, but we have to do it in a way that doesn’t enable people to use.”

Wilke said his office is going to help the county create a community advisory panel made up of “serious stakeholders” who can identify where leaders have fallen short in curbing the addiction crisis, although he didn’t yet have too many specific details.

One initiative Wilke has reinstated is the DARE program. While many millennials and Gen Xers may recall that the old iteration of the DARE program was relatively ineffective

and even stoked some kids’ curiosity regarding drugs, Wilke said the new program takes a different approach.

“People all say the old program was kind of a joke,” Wilke said. “What they’ve integrated into this now are social skills for kids that may not have parents at home all the time or have the right guidance. It offers ways to get out of situations that make you feel uncomfortable. If someone’s offering you drugs, it basically gives you an excuse without losing face.”

Just a few weeks ago, the Haywood County Board of Commissioners passed a budget with a property tax increase to fund SROs at every school in the county. Wilke talked about the importance of SROs.

“SROs build relationships between the kids and the deputies,” he said. “When you have that trust relationship, you’re first going to become aware of issues students can have in the home. And they can see things like bullying or kids who are heading down a wrong path.”

Wilke noted that while he’s kept his leadership style steady, there’s still been plenty to learn on the job. But the one thing he believes is paramount is approaching problems with an open mind while also keeping sight of his own values and beliefs.

“You have to always keep your eyes and ears open, and you have to be aware of your own biases,” he said. “You have to listen to

the folks that have been here for a while and understand what’s worked, because you don’t want to change what’s worked. You want to focus on your vision with the foundation of the things that have worked and still capitalize on what you can.”

Sheriff Bill Wilke

“If you don’t understand the nature of sin, it may just seem like you’re looking for things to make you feel better, but these things don’t fix your heart.”

— Sheriff Bill Wilke

Wilke said he wants to have people — from patrol to investigations and everywhere in between — who share his vision for the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office. File photo

Municipal election filing period ends Friday

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

The candidate filing period for November’s municipal elections that opened on July 7 ends this coming Friday, July 21, at noon, and although things are starting to solidify in some races, there have been and may continue to be some surprises.

First among them is Waynesville’s mayoral race, which suddenly got competitive with the filing of retired DEA agent Joey Reece, a Republican. Reece narrowly missed out on an aldermanic seat in 2019 and will run on a ‘law and order’ platform against incumbent Democrat Gary Caldwell.

A number of candidates have signed up to run for Waynesville Town Council against incumbents Chuck Dickson, Jon Feichter, Julia Freeman and Anthony Sutton.

Ronnie Call, William “Tre” Franklin, Kenneth Hollifield and Stephanie Sutton have all filed, as has Peggy Hannah, who was appointed to the town’s planning board almost a year ago.

Feichter and Freeman have yet to file but told The Smoky Mountain News weeks ago that they planned to do so.

In Canton, Adam Hatton has filed to run against incumbent Alderman Ralph Hamlett and Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull. The top two finishers will earn seats.

Clyde’s mayor, Jim Trantham, remains unopposed. Incumbent Alderman John Hemingway has yet to file and said he may not. Dann Jesse, another incumbent alderman, filed on July 18, joining Melinda Parker and Amy Russell.

As with Trantham, no one has yet filed to run against incumbent Maggie Valley Mayor Mike Eveland. Aldermen Phillip and Tammy Wight are up for re-election, although Tammy said she won’t run. Phillip hasn’t yet filed, but two candidates — Eve Barrett and Tim Wise — have.

In Jackson County, incumbent council

member Marcia Almond filed for mayor of Forest Hills after incumbent Mayor Jim Wallace said he wouldn’t. Two council seats, Almond’s and Nilofer Couture’s, are up. Couture has filed, but no one has yet stepped up to run for Almond’s.

Two seats on the Town of Webster Board of Commissioners are up, currently held by Brandon Core and Allen Davis. No one has yet filed.

In Sylva, Guy Phillips is the only candidate yet to file for mayor. Incumbent David Nestler told SMN earlier this month he hadn’t decided on his plans. Commission seats held by Ben Guiney, Greg McPherson and Brad Waldrop are also up. As of press time on July 18, Guiney and Waldrop had filed.

Three seats on the Town of Highlands Board of Commissioners are up this cycle, but one incumbent, Marc Hehn, said he wouldn’t run. Fellow incumbents John Dotson and Brian Stiehler have filed for reelection and will be challenged by Keven Gabbard, Rachel Wilson and Jeff Weller.

Franklin Mayor Jack Horton is thus far the only candidate to file in that race.

Council members Joe Collins, Adam Kimsey and Mike Lewis are all up this year, but only Collins and Lewis have filed.

Things have been quiet so far in Swain County. Bryson City Mayor Tom Sutton is seeking reelection and is the only candidate in that race right now. Alderman Chad Smith has also filed for reelection, but incumbent Heidi Ramsey-Woodard hasn’t. In a separate contest, Alderman Tim Hines’ unexpired term is up, but no candidates have yet filed.

Information in this story was current as of 1:36 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18.

Voters must register by Oct. 13 to participate in the November General Election. Check your registration status by visiting vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup. View the current list of candidates who have filed for municipal offices across the state by visiting ncsbe.gov.

A voter guide for Big Cove Tribal Council

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER

During the General Election Thursday, Sept. 7, Big Cove voters will weigh in on who they want to see represent them on Tribal Council for the first time this year. With only four candidates, the field wasn’t large enough to warrant a primary contest in June.

The seat currently occupied by Teresa McCoy is open, as McCoy is running for the office of vice chief instead of seeking re-election. Richard French, who is currently chairman of Tribal Council, is running for re-election. Perry Shell, who has served nine terms on Council but did not run for re-election in 2021, is hoping to return to the horseshoe.

The remaining two candidates are seeking their first elected office. Venita Wolfe, who serves as secretary of the Big Cove Community Club, is running, as is Carla Neadeau, current chief of the Cherokee Indian Police Department. She was sworn in September 2022, becoming the first female CIPD chief.

The Smoky Mountain News reached out to all four candidates with a series of questions about their qualifications for office, priorities if elected and stance on the issues. Wolfe, Shell and Neadeau all submitted responses. Information about French comes from SMN’s previous reporting and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians website.

PERRY SHELL

Shell, 66, is currently retired after nine terms on Tribal Council. He chairs the Cherokee Historical Association Board of Directors and is a leader of Big Cove Free Labor. Shell is a retired U.S. Army soldier and previously worked as a purchasing manager for Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. He holds a master’s of business administration from Montreat College.

Top priorities if elected: Shell believes it is “imperative” to protect, maintain and preserve Cherokee sovereignty and culture, and to ensure an environment that allows families to raise their children to have a better life than their own. This goal “is and will be the basis of all governmental actions I take as a tribal representative,” he said. Shell also wants to prioritize and focus economic and business opportunities on the Qualla

Boundary while working together to help the less fortunate and giving back to those that “provided the way that got us here.”

Opinion on the proposed constitution: “I support the actions taken by our current council and will contribute to crafting a better constitution,” Shell said.

Path to stabilize and grow tribal finances: Shell would review current investments and projects, perform audits and prioritize projects, cutting or adjusting those that aren’t producing while optimizing those that are. He supports more thorough due diligence on proposed projects.

Ideas to improve economic development and quality of life in Cherokee: Shell wants to focus on economic development at home to provide opportunities to entrepreneurs who are tribal members.

VENITA WOLFE

Wolfe, 47, works as a training and development specialist within the tribe’s Human Resources Department. She completed a master’s in legal studies in indigenous peoples law from the University of Oklahoma in 2022 and previously earned a master’s degree in health education and bachelor’s in political science from the University of New Mexico. She worked as a medical researcher at the university before returning to Cherokee in 2018. Since then, she has taken active roles in the community, serving as secretary of the Big Cove Community Club 2020-present and Community Club Council in 2021. She completed the Remember the Removal Ride this year.

Top three priorities if elected: Wolfe aims to learn the complex tribal government structure, work on economic development and economic sustainability, and continue her own education in Cherokee language, culture and traditional teaching while also supporting programs in these areas.

Opinion on the proposed constitution: Wolfe supports the development of a constitution for the EBCI, which would “provide the political infrastructure that enhances the well-being and autonomy of tribal citizens” while providing a “framework of what tribal citizens value and want to protect coupled with individual rights and the role of the people within our society.” The constitution conversation has been hap-

pening for decades, and “it is time we come together and ratify a constitution that represents and protects our people and governmental structure.”

Path to stabilize and grow tribal finances: Wolfe believes that stabilizing tribal finances and continuing economic development efforts is “critical” to the tribe’s continued prosperity. In 2018, EBCI Tribal Council tasked a planning board to develop the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and Wolfe would support returning to the comprehensive report for review and discussion on what needs to be implemented on the Qualla Boundary to improve economic development, sustainability and quality of life for Cherokee citizens and visitors.

Ideas to improve economic development and quality of life in Cherokee: The development of cultural tourism ties into economic development, Wolfe said. She wants to explore opportunities to instill cultural education in visitors and local families and believes the Cultural District can be expanded on. She said that engaging artists, members and local businesses “would be the steppingstone needed to begin the cultural revolution that could be our niche in the Smokies.”

CARLA NEADEAU

Neadeau has been serving as chief of the CIPD since September 2022 and has been with the department since 2009, serving as a supervisor for three years and a manager for eight years. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and is working on a second master’s degree in criminal law. She also holds an associate’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

Top three priorities if elected: The community, financial stability and language and culture.

Opinion on proposed constitution: Neadeau supports a tribal constitution but wants to take time to ensure it has the right legal language to create a strong grip on fairness and accountability.

Path to stabilize and grow tribal finances: Tight fiscal discipline is needed, and the tribe must look at avenues other than gaming to bring in tribal revenue. The EBCI also needs support from Raleigh and Washington, D.C., with strong lobbyists and strong tribal leadership to help compete with other gambling venues. Neadeau believes the tribe must work with the state to remain the “dominant and prominent gaming venue in North Carolina.” She said that Council members must have the mindset “that you’re here to do a job, put in the hours with legislation to help not only in Cherokee, but in Raleigh and Washington.”

Ideas to improve economic development and quality of life in Cherokee: Achieving this

Hear the candidates

The Cherokee One Feather will host a debate between candidates for Big Cove Tribal Council at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 24, in the multi-purpose room of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Birdtown candidates will follow.

The debates will continue with Cherokee County/Snowbird and Painttown candidates Tuesday, July 25, and Wolfetown and Yellowhill candidates Wednesday, July 26. Vice chief and principal chief candidates will be Thursday, July 27. All debates will start at 5:30 p.m. with the second scheduled debate starting immediately after the first. Due to limited space, seating is reserved for enrolled members. To reserve a seat, bring an enrollment card to The Cherokee One Feather office. Anyone wishing to attend without a ticket may come at 5:15 p.m. the night of the debate, and entrance will be allowed until seats are filled. Contact The One Feather at 828.359.6261. EBCI Communications will livestream debates.

goal will require tight fiscal discipline to get tribal spending under control, ensure public expenditures are restructured to target priorities and encourage inward investment. However, the tribe also needs land, labor and industrial recruitment to support its local economy. Both economic development and gaming are important to help the tribe meet its goals because “we don’t meet other goals without the financial means that they bring us.”

RICHARD FRENCH

French is currently serving his fourth term on Tribal Council and his first as chairman. Prior to being elected, French spent 15 years working for the N.C. Department of Transportation before returning to Cherokee, where he spent 17 years working in various positions with the tribe and its entities.

Opinion on proposed constitution: During Tribal Council discussions on the issue, French has been supportive of the proposed constitution and of letting the people vote on it in referendum. However, this week he voted in favor of a resolution that prevents the vote from happening this year so the draft can be further refined before being considered for adoption. Right now, he said, there doesn’t seem to be sufficient support in the community to pass it. “Let’s get this constitution right like they said so in two or four years, when it comes to that podium right there, you’re going to have over 51% that you need to pass this constitution,” he said during a July 12 discussion.

Perry Shell Venita Wolfe

Pless strips Maggie Valley of development powers

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR

The Haywood County Town of Maggie Valley has lost significant authority to exercise development powers after a bill promoted by its Republican representative passed on the afternoon of July 12 — despite a last-ditch effort for compromise.

A week ago, Pless held a press conference decrying Maggie Valley’s Mayor, Mike Eveland, and two aldermen — John Hinton and Jim Owens — calling them “depraved” in a written statement.

At issue was a 2021 moratorium enacted on new campgrounds, shortly after four RV parks were approved within town limits. The moratorium extended not only to RV parks but also to RV Planned Unit Developments and RV storage facilities.

Pless opposed the moratorium and last week went so far as to offer any property owners who feel that they’ve been unjustly affected by the town’s development decisions a nuclear option: de-annexation from the town.

If enough people took Pless up on his offer, it would impact the town’s bottom line to disastrous effect. Currently, Maggie Valley’s tax rate is 40 cents per $100 in assessed value, but the town has less than 1,700 residents.

De-annexed parcels with existing sewer and water connections could continue to use them by paying slightly higher rates as out-of-town customers, but property owners would no longer pay both county and town property taxes — only county.

That philosophy carries over into another aspect of Pless’ HB 184, which not only disallows Maggie Valley from adopting, extending or renewing any temporary moratoria on development approvals but also prohibits the town from enforcing its rights to its extra-territorial jurisdiction.

Extra-territorial jurisdiction refers to parcels of land outside of municipal boundaries where cities and towns can exercise certain powers like zoning. Residents of ETJs don’t get to vote in municipal elections, thus having no say in how they’re governed by those municipalities, but they’re not on the hook for municipal taxes, either.

Eveland, Hinton and Owens have vehemently opposed Pless’ effort to tie the town’s hands, but two other aldermen, Phillip Wight and his wife, Tammy, have allied themselves with Pless on the issue.

Together, the Wights own the Clarketon Motel, the site of Pless’ earlier press conference, and say the moratorium affects their business.

“I can rent a room to who I want for the rest of my life, but I can’t create a PUD and

have a nice high-end RV park that sells timeshares,” Phillip Wight told The Smoky Mountain News at the press conference.

The bill, however, didn’t exactly sail through its final test.

Pless made a motion for the House to concur with the Senate version of the bill; however, a Buncombe County Democrat, Rep. Eric Ager, rose to ask Pless a question but Pless declined to yield.

When Speaker Tim Moore (RCleveland) pressed Ager on what he wanted, Ager asked for a compromise.

“It seems like there’s an option here to have the community come together and figure out a solution as opposed to just pushing one way or the other,” Ager said. “It

seems like we have a small-town dispute. There’s people on both sides, and I think we could do a much better job of mitigating that dispute.”

Ager also asked for a recorded vote, rather than a voice vote. Pless didn’t respond to any of it, but Moore postponed action on the bill for about 15 minutes until it was again brought for a vote. It passed by a margin of 61-40.

Eveland told The Smoky Mountain News shortly after the vote that he’d sent emails to legislators in Raleigh opposing the bill, and that Ager was one of several who responded favorably.

Now, Maggie Valley will move forward under the restrictions for at least the next four years, unless something changes.

“I guess tomorrow we’ll start to see exactly what this means for us and get with our lawyer to see what we can do,” Eveland said. “I think it’s a blow to the Town of Maggie Valley — the folks that work there and the taxpayers of Maggie Valley. We got voted into office based on what voters wanted done. Pless has made clear we’re being punished for something we did 18 months ago.”

Eveland said the town recently hired a lobbying firm to advocate for its interests in Raleigh.

“Now we have to spend taxpayer money to protect ourselves,” he said. “We’ll just continue to roll on.”

The bill sunsets on Jan. 1, 2028.

Rep. Mark Pless offers a motion on the House floor on July 12. NCGA photo

Council axes constitution, term limit referenda

Convention to continue working on document

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER

After voting unanimously in April to put a proposed constitution on the ballot for approval this year, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council voted 111 Thursday, July 13, to indefinitely postpone the planned referendum.

A WELL-RECEIVED REQUEST

The move came following a discussion during a Reports to Council session Wednesday, July 12. A group of young adults told Tribal Council they were concerned that the document as currently drafted would negatively impact their future and asked for a chance to be involved with shaping the constitution’s final form.

“We have been taught the importance of responsibility, and sometimes that means taking a step back and taking more time and rethinking of new ways of doing things,” said Birdtown community member Avery Maples, 19. “We request that you push pause on a referendum for this constitution and allow more time for more public engagement, more understanding and more legal analysis for the consequences of the most legal document of all of our futures.”

The proposed constitution was submitted by the Cherokee Community Club Council following six years of work by the Cherokee Constitution Committee, including meetings and work sessions open to the public, weekly side-by-side comparisons with the current Charter and Governing Document in The Cherokee One Feather, a two-day Constitution Convention held in March to discuss amendments from members of the public and a mailing of the proposed document to all enrolled members.

However, no formal legal review of the document was performed before its passage. Despite the absence of such an analysis, Tribal Council unanimously approved the resolution within two minutes of it first being read into the record. Nobody from the EBCI Attorney General’s Office spoke on the matter during that session. Weeks later, Attorney General Mike McConnell and Senior Associate Attorney General Hannah Smith attended a meeting of the Constitution Committee and said that there were significant issues with the document that would have harmful consequences if adopted. They recommended rescinding the referendum resolution and replacing it with a series of questions that would amend the Charter, a suggestion that the Constitution Committee and Community Club Council opposed.

“While this is a frustrating thing for us to come now and kind of work against it, I don’t think we’re truly against it,” said Jack Cooper, a recent graduate of Stanford University. “I think it is a conversation of how can we improve it and make it grow and

allow it to become something that … I can be up here fighting for in the future?”

Maples, who is Smith’s daughter, said that in just a week the group gathered 76 signatures on a petition asking Tribal Council to postpone the constitution vote and collaborate with both the Constitution Committee and the Attorney General’s Office “to implement a thorough review process that meets all of the people’s needs, including the next generation’s.”

Despite the contentious nature of constitution discussions since Attorney General Mike McConnell first began voicing his concerns, the conversation July 12 had a positive tone, with all speakers thanking the Constitution Committee for their hard work and expressing optimism that this pause would deliver a document that would be more likely to pass and more effective at safeguarding the tribe’s future. Beloved Woman Carmaleta Monteith, who has been working toward a tribal constitution since the 1990s, said there was “joy in [her] heart” after hearing the tribe’s young people speak.

“These young people have stepped forward, and I’m so proud of them in wanting to be involved,” she said, “because those of you who have been with us at meetings or our Community Club meetings, we just wanted this input.”

COUNCIL’S DECISION

However, the conversation took a different turn during Tribal Council July 13, when McConnell presented a resolution drafted in response to the previous day’s conversation. That resolution sought to rescind not only the April vote putting the proposed constitution on the ballot but also two earlier resolutions, passed in 2021 and 2022, that approved referendum questions asking tribal members to weigh in on consecutive term limits and conversion to staggered, four-year terms for Tribal Council.

McConnell said those resolutions were included in the list of those to be rescinded so that any potential changes to the Charter could be combined into a “more regimented discussion” and reduce the risk of “crossthreading of the issues.”

But Cherokee One Feather Editor Robert Jumper, who had submitted the 2021 and 2022 resolutions, opposed their inclusion on the list of decisions to be rescinded.

“Those were not constitution questions,” he said. “Those were referendum questions

that were put together nearly two years ago to talk about term limits. Not a constitution.”

A resolution that McConnell had introduced in June seeking to rescind the constitution referendum and replace it with four

Stamper. That moved passed with Rose the sole opposing vote.

While the resolution cancels this year’s expected referendum vote, it lays out a path forward for the constitution effort to continue. The resolution directs that one or more

questions amending the Charter would have also rescinded Jumper’s two resolutions — but that, McConnell had said, was due to the possibility of confusion if the constitution, term limits and staggered terms were all on the ballot simultaneously. With the constitution gone, that’s no longer a problem, Jumper said.

“I don’t understand the desire to keep the people from being able to vote on something that nobody has demonstrated any kind of harm it will do to let the people answer that question,” he told Council.

Big Cove Rep. Teresa McCoy was the only member of Council to speak in favor of Jumper’s position, extolling the benefits of sitting out of politics for a term or two and agreeing that Jumper’s resolutions were separate from the constitution question.

“Once again, we’re going to ask our people to come vote for us,” she said. “And if I’m going to ask anyone in this room to support me, then I’m going to trust them to vote on something to me as simple as a term limit.”

Vice Chairman Albert Rose seconded her move to strike the two resolutions from the document, but they were the only two to vote in favor of that move. Immediately afterward Yellowhill Rep. David Wolfe moved to pass McConnell’s resolution with a second from Painttown Rep. Michael

new constitution conventions be held to consider changes to the current draft. Rules and procedures for these conventions will be drafted by a group consisting of two delegates plus one alternate from each of the three branches of government, as well as from Community Club Council and from the population of young tribal members ages 18 to 25. The resolution does not outline how these delegates will be selected.

Convention meetings must be open to the public with quarterly updates on progress provided to Tribal Council. The delegates will be responsible for drafting the constitution, and before submitting it to Tribal Council must cause a legal review to be completed. Funding appropriated in 2019 toward constitutional efforts “shall remain available and may be supplemented by Tribal Council.” The delegates will have the ability to contract with third-party subject matter experts who are not affiliated with the tribe to get input on the document — ensuring that, this time around, any proposed document undergoes a thorough legal review before it’s voted on.

Adopting the constitution would require a 51% voter turnout, a bar most easily met during the chief’s election every four years. Voter turnout was 57.11% during the last chief’s election in 2019

The group of young adults who addressed Tribal Council July 12 stand with Constitution Committee members Ernest Tiger (far right) and Carmaleta Monteith (center). Donated photo

Tribal Council approves referendum for cannabis vote

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER

After a narrow passage in Tribal Council, the September ballot is expected to ask Cherokee voters whether they support legalizing cannabis use for adults 21 and older. A “yes” vote would not automatically make the drug legal but would require Tribal Council to develop legislation regulating the market.

“The states that have cannabis, their people have gone to referendum and overwhelmingly voted it in,” said Big Cove Rep. Teresa McCoy, who submitted the resolution. “Colorado don’t ask anybody for money anymore. From my Council member perspective, I know what’s going on financially here. And we had an opportunity right down here in our own community, that our own people are working at, who understand the medicine, who understand the job. They understand that they can have a career at this. They understand that they’re able to feed their families.”

While nobody around the horseshoe voiced opposition to someday legalizing recreational cannabis use, several had concerns about the wording of the question and the timing of the referendum. Tribal Council had anticipated that the state legis-

and 45.3% during the 2021 election when only Tribal Council and School Board seats were on the ballot.

REACTION FROM THE CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE

Members of the Constitution Committee had mixed feelings about what had just taken place as they gathered outside the Council House after the vote. They were glad to see the young adults’ enthusiasm for the effort and felt postponing the vote was the best way to ensure ultimate success, but they were frustrated with the process over the last few months.

“Our concern was that once in September, if it did not pass, then that would be it,” Monteith said. “Now we have a way forward. And that was the objective.”

Monteith said she wasn’t surprised to find that the document had flaws, as it hadn’t undergone a proper legal review. But had Tribal Council taken more time before passing it initially, that review could have happened, and amendments could have been made ahead of the ballot deadline. Monteith said she’d expected that the original constitution resolution would have been tabled before passage.

The inclusion of Jumper’s resolutions in the list of those to be rescinded was a “tremendous disappointment,” Monteith said. One of the main objections Tribal Council members have voiced to the proposed constitution is that it’s too much all

lature would pass a bill legalizing medical marijuana this year, but it doesn’t appear as if that is going to happen during this session, multiple members said. That delay stymies the tribe’s current medical marijuana enterprise and raises questions about its ability to expand to recreational.

“We had anticipated the dispensary piece to be open based upon the passage of the Compassionate Care Act at the state level,” said Wolfetown Rep. Mike Parker. “That now is going to be pushed to next year at some point.”

Wolfetown Rep. Andrew Oocumma wondered if McCoy’s resolution was the best way for Council to get the information it needs to make an informed decision on the cannabis issue. Because there was no specific proposed legislation tied to the referendum, he said, it was in effect an opinion poll with “yes” and “no” as the only options. He said he’d like more information as to why people feel the way they do, which wouldn’t be captured in election results.

“I want to make sure that the Cherokee people out there have an opportunity to put this in play or not put it in play, but I think the more information we gather from personal opinions and whatnots, I think that would help us lead the charge a little bit

at once, and that it would be better to implement individual changes piecemeal. That’s exactly what Jumper’s resolutions would have done, Monteith said.

“The fact that they have led him on is the problem, and the citizen that had worked and was working with the AG to make sure that it had been vetted legally so that we wouldn’t have this,” she said.

Shannon Swimmer, former clerk of court for the Cherokee Tribal Court and a member of the Constitution Committee, still has questions about what the next chapter of the constitution effort will hold. Recent college grads and current college students are often living in a period of rapid life change — will the young people who expressed such enthusiasm for engaging with the constitution effort stay engaged through the end? And what will the legal review process yield? It’s not uncommon for half of attorneys consulted on any given subject to give one opinion while the other half offer an opposite opinion — thus the reason why courts exist.

The process has dragged on for so long already that waiting years longer to bring the matter to a vote is disheartening, Swimmer said. But the delay could ultimately prove beneficial to the final product.

“It’s frustration, but it’s also a good thing,” she said. “Now all these people are talking about it. All these people are becoming involved. But it’s frustrating that it’s just not happening after this process has been going on for years.”

better,” he said.

Painttown Rep. Mike Stamper pointed out that Tribal Council has had trouble funding the medical portion of its cannabis enterprise and questioned whether the timing was right to consider expanding the market to recreational use.

“I do fear that the immense support to push to get us into a deeper market that we don’t really have the financials to support right now would be overwhelming, and it could cause some fiscal issues down the road,” he said. “So with that in mind, it would be best not to give this question until we’re at a point to where we can financially support a recreational program. Right now

step ahead” in that sector.

Qualla Enterprises General Manager Forrest Parker said that the adult use market has the potential to be enormously successful and that, if its profits were distributed according to the per capita model used by the tribe’s casinos, the distribution “would potentially far exceed year one through five of anything that we’ve ever seen before.”

“The revenue from cannabis as it pertains to the revenue Qualla [Enterprises] brings in is directly tied to the number of people that can legally walk in and buy the product,” he said. “Adult use obviously drives those numbers.”

were just trying to get medical off the ground. I’d like to see where that goes before we proceed any further.”

Yellowhill Rep. T.W. Saunooke said that medical cannabis would be the “soft opening” to get the cannabis enterprise going while the tribe did the backend work necessary to launch the adult use side later. Vice Chairman Albert Rose added that a successful referendum vote would not require immediate expansion into the recreational market but that it would put the tribe “one

The resolution passed with a weighted vote of 57-37. In favor were Chairman Richard French, Snowbird/Cherokee County Reps. Adam Wachacha and Bucky Brown, Birdtown Rep. Boyd Owle, Yellowhill Rep. T.W. Saunooke, McCoy and Rose. Opposed were Yellowhill Rep. David Wolfe, Parker, Oocumma, and Stamper. Painttown Rep. Dike Sneed was absent.

The resolution now goes to Principal Chief Richard Sneed, who under tribal law has 30 days to decide whether to sign it, veto it or allow it to go into effect unsigned. However, the deadline for the EBCI Board of Elections to order ballots for the upcoming election falls inside of that 30-day window. Sneed’s office said he plans to ratify the resolutions ahead of the Board of Elections deadline.

“The states that have cannabis, their people have gone to referendum and overwhelmingly voted it in.”

— Teresa McCoy,

Folkmoot’s 40th is a time to re-assess its future

Folkmoot at 40 is much different than the younger version of itself. But it’s still here, and for that Western North Carolina should be proud. This is a festival that celebrates friendship, understanding and peace, all valuable commodities in a time when rancor and discord are way too common.

The roots of Folkmoot USA — which was first held in 1984 — go back to when Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain, when the culture of many Eastern European countries was being strangled by autocrats who were puppets of the Soviet politburo.

In those heady days of the 1980s when a group from Poland or Romania would travel to Waynesville and dance and sing about their unique customs and history, in some ways it was a slap in the face to dictators who feared these young entertainers would be seduced by the supposed opulence and the singular freedoms enjoyed by those in the U.S. Even after the fall of the Soviet Union, when parts of Europe were adjusting to their new political realities, the allure of traveling to the U.S. for many of these dancers and musicians was apparent.

The interactions between the groups are what always inspired many of us who helped keep the festival going. When you witness first-hand how politics that divide a country’s

Wildlife disappearing from Lake Junaluska

To the Editor:

Since its inception Lake Junaluska has been a beacon and home to some of God’s most beautiful creatures. Normally our lake is full of life. Large egrets, blue spotted herons, buffleheads, ringnecks, mallards, muscovy, mergansers, coots, scaulp and more. But for two years now the lake is all but barren. We are left with some geese, a handful of mallard ducks and a couple cormorants. Only two or three of our swans come out onto the main lake. Without the coots and small ducks that supply their diet we risk losing our majestic bald eagles.

People come here to see the unique beauty and abundance of life. Tourists, bird watchers, wildlife lovers and photographers come here year-round. They stay in our hotels, have retreats, camps and business conventions. All because of our unique, special lake and its wildlife.

The loss of our wildlife began two years ago. After more then a decade of successful use, the feeding stations all around the lake were closed. The swans are now human fed. The other animals have been denied supplemental food. They are being physically barred from food while watching our swans provided food often by hand. Without support the others have left in search of better, reliable food sources.

The swans are not the only beautiful creatures on the lake. The other species are equally God’s creation and have value and worth. We should not be supporting one species while denying all others.

leaders dissolve quickly when, for instance, Russian and French dancers use the same rehearsal space and begin dancing together, or when an Israeli group and Turkish Muslims laugh and cut up together during meals, becoming fast friends in a mere two weeks. There was magic in that.

And the interactions of young people from Western North Carolina with so many of the entertainers was another part of the festival that made it so grand. Many people now approaching middle age still maintain lifelong friendships with people from other countries, thanks to this festival.

I’ve been a Folkmoot fan since I moved here in 1992. I got involved soon after, was on the board of directors for many years and now serve in that capacity once again. It’s been great fun, and my family and many friends have lots of great memories tied to this festival. Folkmoot promotes humanity, supports building bridges rather than fences. It’s motto, “many cultures, one community,” could be a standard for this country. What’s not to like about that?

Times have changed. The festival where a dozen groups of

LETTERS

I contacted N.C. Wildlife. I spoke with two state officials, a local official, a biologist and a migration specialist. They all agreed that handfeeding swans should stop and reopening feed stations could be done safely and wildlife could return in time.

In general there are mixed opinions about utilizing feed stations. There is, however, strong support from wildlife experts when other resources are limited and closure results in loss of wildlife in that area. The feeding stations at Lake Junaluska clearly supported a vast variety of animals now gone.

Some are concerned with animal waste created by these amazing creatures. Yes, wildlife can be messy. Lake Junaluska could provide more consistent landscaping, grass cutting and washing walkways to help manage it.

If we do nothing then our visitors and future generations will no longer be able to see the magic this lake once had (just two or three years ago!) and could have again.

That would truly be heartbreaking.

Speak up for Lake Junaluska wildlife.

Stephanie Wiener Lake Junaluska

Yes, indeed, Thomas Paine!

To the Editor: The indictment of former President Donald J. Trump in the Southern District of Florida on June 8 is only 44 pages long. Yet, it is quite revealing. Read it. Since I am not a lawyer, I make no claim to fully understand-

20 to 30 dancers and musicians from all over the world would stay in Waynesville and travel throughout the region for two weeks will never happen again. It’s become way too expensive, travel arrangements nearly impossible to coordinate, visas difficult to obtain for many, potential financial liabilities always lurking. Tickets are a tough sell as there are so many entertainment options in this culturally-rich region.

And then there was the pandemic, which nearly shuttered the festival. But Folkmoot hung on. There’s still an International Day on July 29 and a Summer Soiree fund-raiser on July 20. These are the two signature events for this year. And there are monthly concerts and shows in the Queen Auditorium. The Folkmoot Friendship Center’s classrooms are brimming with artists and artisans who are making use of the space to create some dynamic work. I would invite anyone who hasn’t visited the center in a while to take a tour.

Folkmoot has turned a corner. I like to tell people that it’s crawling, now, re-learning how to remain relevant. It’s relearning how to stay financially afloat. It’s re-defining itself as a hub for the arts. And it’s hosting some great music and other events. One day in the future, it may soar again as one of this region’s premier festivals. If it’s going to get there, it needs the community’s support. Only time will tell.

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

ing everything it says. But, I plan to watch the case progress through the courts.

I am also currently reading the January 6 Final Report. It is over 600 pages. Read that document to get a clearer view of the conduct of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021.

Through the eyes of a “man on the street” who tried to remain attentive to Trump’s actions/inactions during his presidency, I am not one bit surprised that he has been indicted for mishandling government documents. As a Navy veteran I wonder how active-duty servicemen and women feel about the endangerment that is manifested by Trump’s careless/reckless handling of documents.

Two clouds hang over Trump: What was said between Trump and Putin in Helsinki, and why did Trump try to withhold military aid from Ukraine? Is there any connection between these two questions and the current

documents case?

Let me say here — I have no objection to investigating Trump. Neither do I object to investigating Hunter Biden. Maybe it is time to move on from Hillary Clinton, though. Enough is enough.

Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said, ”If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” These words relate to all investigations.

In a related political matter, it is interesting to listen to Republicans rail about the “unfair” 2020 election that Trump lost while at the same time they gerrymander voting districts across America to gain unfair advantages.

As Thomas Paine said, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” Indeed they do, Mr. Paine.

Dave Waldrop Webster

Editor Scott McLeod

Learning how to have true fun

Acouple weeks ago The Smoky Mountain News hosted its anniversary party. This year we celebrated 24 years. For an independent print publication in the digital age, this is an incredible accomplishment, and I’m proud to be part of the SMN family. The most enjoyable part of these annual soirees is seeing fans and friends of the paper.

I’ve been writing my column in The Smoky Mountain News since Jan. 2016. Back then Scott McLeod was looking for a female columnist and asked if I was interested. I said yes not knowing exactly what I was getting into, but here I am almost eight years later and this column is something I cherish deeply.

With that being said, I go through phases where I wonder if I should give the space to someone else, but then we have the yearly party and I meet readers who feel like they know me personally from reading my column. They tell me how much they look forward to it.

They’ve read about the despair and grief I experienced over the death of my mom and going through a divorce, stories about my boys and my dad, meeting Matthew, the evolution of a blended family, moving multiple times, travel adventures, the publication of my children’s book and many other personal and professional transitions.

I can’t express how much it means when readers reach out in person or through email with kind and insightful thoughts or comments. What these individuals may not know, however, is they mean as much to me as my column means to them. I’m a person who works out my feelings through writing, who sorts through deep-seated emotions by typing on a keyboard, and my SMN column has been a core component of a yearslong healing journey.

At this year’s party, I met one such reader who brought me a book to borrow based on something I’d written about. The book is titled “The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again” by Catherine Price. In a recent column, I wrote about how adults, especially women, have forgotten how to have fun. Many women I know, myself included, are busy bodies, more concerned with being productive than finding joy.

Even before the sweet lady gave me the book, I’d decided this summer was going to be all about slowing down and being more present. I made the commitment to reconnect to my inner child and remember what it felt like to have actual fun. I’m not talking about fake fun which may include scrolling

through social media, binge watching TV or going out for drinks at bars. I’m talking about unadulterated light-hearted fun.

The day after the SMN party, I began reading Price’s book. The author digs into the concept of “true fun.” She conducted a study where she asked a large sample of people to recall a time when they had “so much fun.” After aggregating the data, Price developed a definition of “true fun” to be “the confluence of playfulness, connection and flow.” This type of authentic fun only happens when people are being playful, when they are connecting with someone (or something) else, and when there is a sense of flow which basically means we lose track of time because we’re fully engrossed in an activity.

With Price’s definition of fun on my mind, I sat on our back deck one morning with a cup of coffee and recollected recent experiences when I had true fun. I thought of tubing with the family down the Pigeon River, horseback riding with my youngest son at Smokemont, going to an escape room for one of our kid’s birthdays, visiting a metaphysical shop with two of my girlfriends where we learned about crystals, pendulums and palo santo sticks, paddle boarding and kayaking on the lake, and frolicking around downtown Asheville going to lunch, shopping and visiting antique stores.

There is much more I could share about Price’s book and I’m only part of the way through. It would take multiple columns to relay the many concepts she highlights, but in essence, the hustle bustle mentality of American culture combined with the invention of smartphones makes it extremely challenging to enjoy good old-fashioned fun. We’re distracted by constant notifications, apps, texts, emails and so forth. Additionally, we carry a sense of guilt if we take time away from being productive in order to do something playful and joyful.

The irony is when we allow ourselves to experience true fun, we’re actually more productive and happy in other areas of our lives. If you haven’t had fun in a long time, now’s the time to bring it back into your world or if you’re already good at allowing true fun into your life, kudos to you.

Serendipity has been the theme of my summer thus far. Even before I was given a book about how to have fun, I’d made a pact with myself to do just that. The book has only deepened my commitment and offered riveting information about all the attention thieves in modern society. Again, I want to thank our amazing readers and leave you with this suggestion. Get out there and have some true fun!

(Suzanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist with The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)

Columnist Susanna Shetley

For the love of the music

Local rock, country act wins national award

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR

With a hot sun slowly fading behind the Great Balsam Mountains cradling Waynesville, Outlaw Whiskey hopped onto the stage for a recent performance at Furman’s Burger Bar on the west side of town. Prime real estate for seats is scarce as folks order double cheeseburgers and buckets of cold suds to prepare for the gig at-hand.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s your first show or your thousandth, it’s always a brand-new feel-

Want to go?

The annual Hillbilly Jam will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 21-22 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

The gathering will feature an array of live music, food trucks, arts/crafts vendors, cornhole, car/bike show, TV celebrities and moonshiners. There will be a special appearance by James Hatfield of the original Hatfields & McCoys and Feudshine Bob, owner of Feudshine Spirits & Garage. As well, there will be a “Hatfield & McCoy Tug-Of-War.”

Hitting the stage on Friday, July 21, will be Outlaw Whiskey, Shooting Creek, Shane “The Bubbie Man,” Jeff Anderson, Saddle Tramp and Dirty Grass Soul. On Saturday, July 22, performers will include Tricia Ann Band, Macon County Line, Twisted Trail, All My Rowdy Friends and Joe Lasher & Kaitlyn Baker.

Admission is $10 per day. Children ages 10 and under are free. For more information and/or a full schedule of events, click on thehillbillyjam.com. To learn about Outlaw Whiskey and its upcoming shows, go to facebook.com/owbmusic.com.

ing to walk up on that stage,” said Gerald Scott, guitarist/vocalist for Outlaw Whiskey.

“You look out onto that crowd and it’s like the first time you ever played live. It’s a really good feeling. And when the crowd responds, with the energy going back and forth? It just totally excels past what you thought it may be that night.”

Formed in Haywood County seven years ago, Outlaw Whiskey has emerged as a popular band in Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia. A blend of origi-

nal country and rock songwriting amid a bevy of cover tunes from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and other marquee acts, the essence of the group is musicianship and fellowship.

“[With my songwriting], it’s called the ‘wagon wheel effect,’” Scott said. “You come up with a guitar hook or chorus line for a song and that’s the middle of the wagon wheel, with each verse being one of the wheel spokes

Rickie Hudson (lead guitarist) and Chad Gates (drums/percussion). Fill-in bassists are Jamie Sosbee and Skip Almond. To note, the band’s longtime bassist, Nick Gebbia, passed away last month after a long illness. As well, Holt is currently recovering from recent open-heart surgery, but was still able to get behind the microphone at Furman’s for a powerful rendition of “House of the Rising Sun.”

— the joy of it coming whenever the finished song comes out.”

In March, Outlaw Whiskey was recognized as “Band of the Year” (New Country: 50 & Over Category) by the North America Country Music Association, Int’l (NACMAI). The ensemble accepted its honor at the NACMAI award show at the Country Tonite Theatre in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Last year, Scott took home the NACMAI award for “Songwriter of the Year.”

“We felt like we were walking on cloud nine when we found out we’d won ‘Band of the Year,’” Scott said. “It was a very rewarding experience, especially for all of the guys to win, to walk across the [award show] stage and pick up a piece of crystal with our name on it.”

Alongside Scott, Outlaw Whiskey also includes Mike Holt (lead vocals/guitar),

“With Nick, it was devastating to us. Even though it was expected [with his condition], it’s still unexpected and very sad when it happens,” Scott said. “When we were searching for a bass player [years ago], Nick came in and started playing like he’d been in the band forever. He felt like a glove. Tremendous attitude and cared so much about the music, the live show. It wasn’t a stranger coming [into the band], it was like a lost family member came back.”

And as its live schedule fills up for the summer and the rest of the impending year, Outlaw Whiskey is also currently in the midst of putting together a slew of original material for an upcoming album. For Scott, he’s constantly writing and conjuring deep emotions and memories, with the live show remaining the focus of Outlaw Whiskey and its ultimate intent.

“As long as you leave people with a smile, it’s all worth it — the effort in writing songs, learning songs, preparing for the show, playing the show,” Scott said. “I’ve had people come up and say about songs I’ve written, ‘That hit home, I know where you were coming from.’ For me, whenever you hear that, that’s well-worth the time you put into it.”

“As long as you leave people with a smile, it’s all worth it”

— Gerald Scott

A Clyde resident, Gerald Scott has been playing guitar since he was a child.

Garret K. Woodward photos

Outlaw Whiskey is a popular rock/country band based in Haywood County.

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

HOT PICKS 1

Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” live music series will feature The Jeff Little Trio (Americana) 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 22.

perhaps on our home turf of Western North Carolina.

Hello from Room 312 at the Apres hotel in Whitefish, Montana. Late Sunday morning. High of 91 degrees with low humidity and hot sun high above the desolate Rocky Mountains in this remote part of the lower 48 states.

Out here covering the Under the Big Sky music festival, a massive gathering bringing in some of the biggest names in country and Americana on a 400-acre working ranch. Late-night performances and shenanigans at the local watering holes way past the midnight hour in downtown Whitefish — a small outpost community and beacon for outdoor recreation and spiritual escapism.

Due to extremely expensive flights from Asheville to Whitefish, it was decided that my girlfriend and I would fly into Denver, Colorado, and take a road trip up through Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Buffer both ends of the trip with a couple days of mischief and happenstance. Save money. Create memories together. Book it.

Besides, I deeply enjoy driving, especially in the depths of the West and all its natural, intrinsic beauty.

Endless hours to think about nothing and everything, all while this incredible highdesert landscape unfolds outside of the windshield and soothes my restless nature.

Touching down in Denver, we grabbed the rental car and motored over to my old photographer and cosmic brother-from-another Andrew’s humble abode in Boulder. Nearing sunset, it was a homemade meal of smoked meat and veggies. Hearty laughter and stories retold about the adventures Andrew and I went on across America while documenting music festivals between 2008-11.

Sitting on Andrew’s porch with his wife and my girlfriend, it was a surreal feeling being present in that moment. Flashbacks of being 22 years old and leaving my native Upstate New York in December 2007 to be a rookie reporter at a small newspaper in Eastern Idaho. The hopes and dreams of youth. The eventual outcomes in due time. Keep pushing ahead and someday something will stick.

Skip ahead 16 years and here we all sit in Boulder. Trading tales of our own respective experiences along the journey of life. A couple hours later, say goodbye with meaningful bear hugs and firm handshakes. Plans are already in the works for the next rendezvous,

The first night was spent at an old-school roadside lodging establishment, the Ranger Motel along the Lincoln Highway in Cheyenne, Wyoming. A $77-a-night room with a bathroom that hadn’t been updated since the 1960s. No matter, the water pressure in the shower was superb, as was the greasy-spoon breakfast just down the road at the Luxury Diner the next morning.

Merging onto Interstate 25 North. A barren landscape of grasslands and mounds of ancient rock busting through isolated pockets of earth between Denver and Billings, Montana. Cruise-control at 85 mph. Pointing out spots of interest, which is pretty much any direction you may look towards in Wyoming. The vastness is often overwhelming, the land as flat and uninterrupted as the surface of the moon.

While my girlfriend dozed off in the passenger’s seat, I let my mind drift and wander, as it always does in the midst of a long car ride. The sounds of Miles Davis’ seminal album, “Kind of Blue,” echoing from the stereo, specifically “Blue in Green” and how it has remained part of me since I first heard

2

Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host Trivia Thursdays

6:30 p.m., Heidi Holton (blues/folk) 7 p.m. Friday, July 21.

it through headphones at college in Connecticut, a rainstorm just outside my dorm room window.

Headlights and taillights along I-25 towards I-90 West through the essence of Big Sky Country. Earlier that day, we stopped in Buffalo, Wyoming, to go for a quick hike and find a bite to eat before the final hours to the Dude Rancher Lodge in Billings. Sitting on some rocks along a fast-rushing creek, I reminisced about my long-ago western chapter, when I was a young writer and eager for life to, well, happen in real time.

And there I was, over a decade and a half later, sipping on a cold can of beer watching the free-flowing waters with my significant other in rural Wyoming. So many images and emotions between back then and where the cards have fallen nowadays. Many dreams achieved. Many others slipping through the cracks. To break even is to find

The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host The Jon Cox Band (country/rock) 9 p.m. Saturday, July 22.

3

4

A special production of the musical “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” will grace the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 2022, 27-29 and 2 p.m. July 16, 23 and 30 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

5

Rock/oldies group Dashboard Blue will hit the stage during Concerts On The Creek at 7 p.m. Friday, July 21, at the gazebo in Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.

peace and balance.

That’s life in a nutshell, as we all have come to realize in our own way. The only thing you can (and should) do is shake your head in awe of what was, what is and what’s to come. Sip the can of beer with gusto and gratitude. Acknowledge that mesmerizing river and that beautiful woman perched right next to you. Be grateful that you can be part of that image you’ve now chiseled into the walls of your memory.

The road is long, literally and figuratively, but bountiful to those of pure heart and of curious soul.

Thoughts and sentiments dance across the dashboard en route to Whitefish. Visions of the past, of beloved faces long gone and dearly missed. The legend and lore, the appeal and yearning of the West and everything it represents — freedom through redemption, truth through struggle.

My late grandfather always loved the West, but he never really got the chance to explore it, at least properly. Part of me thinks that’s where my drive and desire to constantly chase after the western horizon with such a reckless abandon originated from and remains within.

And why the sorrowful tunes of Hank Williams hang so heavy and purposely in the depths of my absolute being — “I’m a rollin’ stone, all alone and lost/For a life of sin, I have paid the cost/When I pass by, all the people say/Just another guy on the lost highway.”

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

‘I spent a little time on the mountain, I spent a little time on the hill’

The summit of Big Mountain is 6,817 feet. Garret K. Woodward photo

In search of the muse: Cashiers artisan finds purpose in painting

BY MADI ROSE

S PECIAL TO SMN

From fine-detailed still-lifes that resemble photographs to wispy mountain landscapes, artist David Berger’s approach to painting is one reaching every type of individual. Self-taught, Berger makes his artistic ventures into ones that reflect in his artwork and his everyday life. For the artist, doing what brings him joy and sharing this passion with others drives him to create the expansive paintings he is well known for.

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Berger explains that his struggle with addiction is what led him to find his calling. “I went into a treatment center when I was 31 years old. That’s how I ended up painting.” During this time, he got a job managing a picture frame gallery and crossed paths with a new hire who was enrolled in a painting class. His interest piqued, he joined. During the nine-week course, he found himself becoming obsessed with the art of painting. “More and more, I fell in love with it. I just couldn’t stop.” Soon the artist set up his own studio in his garage where he diligently worked to create his first awe-inspiring works. He began showcasing his work in different exhibitions and galleries and soon his

Smoky Mountain Made

paintings garnered enough attention to make their sale his source of income.

Starting out, the artist was drawn to create hyper-realistic still lifes that included every minute detail. Over time, he felt his gut telling him to search beyond the picturesque works and look towards the world around him. After a commission that requested a Florida landscape, his eyes opened to the endless possibilities of nature paintings. The artist takes inspiration from the area surrounding him in Cashiers with its towering, rushing waterfalls and treelined lakes that shimmer with the sun’s last light. Recently, he has delved into the realm

of animal portraiture, which includes his famous substantial bear paintings. For the subject and style of his paintings, Berger paints what his instincts tell him is right. “It’s intuition over mood… if it hits me. One day it’s like I just go ‘it’s time’, whatever that is, whatever that small voice is that says ‘go.’” This has led a body of work that spans avenues of realism, abstraction, and even a dedicated section of left-handed paintings.

Earlier in his career, most of Berger’s work was promoted at outdoor art shows. The artist has exhibited at well-known outdoor art events, such as the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Miami. For 25 years, he traveled all over the United States showcasing at outdoor venues, but has scaled back recently. “While setting up the Leaf Festival here eight and a half years ago, [I] had a massive heart attack. Almost died.” Since then, the artist has focused on advertising his work in his own venue, Mountain Mist Gallery in Cashiers. Berger opened Mountain Mist in 2011 where he displays his work for sale and where visitors have the opportunity to step inside and watch the painter create sprawling landscapes and highly detailed creatures in his studio. The gallery also houses the work of over 40 different artists ranging across mediums. In this space, works are presented together for customers to observe the beauty and expansiveness of local handmade crafts.

Throughout his life and his time as an artist, Berger has come to realize his purpose

Smoky Mountain Made is a series of articles that focuses attention on the region’s talented visual artists. A project of The Smoky Mountain News, the series was curated by Anna Fariello with sponsorship from the Jackson County Arts Council.

Smoky Mountain News is seeking sponsors to continue this series beyond Jackson County. Contact Anna Fariello at anna.fariello@icloud.com or Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com

in life is pursuing what he loves and sharing his found passion with others. The artist details that one pillar of recovery is sharing goodwill with others. He uses his artistic practice to bring joy to as many people as he comes across. “If you are doing what you love to do, people will feel that and be drawn to you.” He speaks on the importance of making a career choice based on what you’re passionate about over one that makes a substantial amount of money. In return, this will make you happier in your life in the long run. He asserts times of making money will come and go, but knowing he’s in the field of doing what he loves is enough to keep him afloat.

Berger devotes his life to creating works that share a sense of found joy with others. Every day, he follows his instincts on what stylistic venture to pursue to reach out and draw individuals in. For this artist, finding contentment in life is being where you love and with what you love doing. Berger can be contacted through his Cashiers gallery, Mountain Mist Gallery at 828.743.1801, or visit www.mountainmistgallery.com.

David Berger is a longtime painter based in Cashiers. Donated photo

On the beat

• Altered Frequencies (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.342.8014 or alteredfrequencies.net.

• 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.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30 p.m. and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 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 Street. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.

‘Concerts on the Creek’

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.

Rock/oldies group

Dashboard Blue will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, July 21, at the gazebo in Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.

ALSO:

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m., Smooth Goose (rock/jam) July 22 and The Mug Band July 29. 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 Dashboard Blue (pop/oldies) July 21 and Lua Flora (folk/reggae) July 28 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 semi-regular live music on the weekends. 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 Roscoe’s Road Show July 22. 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 Highbeams (Americana) Aug. 3. 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.

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will host Carter Giegerich & Friends (Americana/bluegrass) July 21 and We Three Swing (jazz/swing) July 28 at Town Square on Main Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

• 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 Joe Owens (singer-songwriter) July 20, Whitewater Heathens July 21, Blue Jazz Band July 22, Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriter) July 27 and Darren Nicholson (Americana/bluegrass) July 28. 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/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

• 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.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night with Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday, Open Mic Night every Wednesday 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 semiregular 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 Inspirational Hummingbird 7:30 p.m. July 27. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• 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.

Performing classic hits, Dashboard Blue is a five-piece band based in Asheville with 25 years of professional experience around Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia.

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. There will be food trucks onsite for this event.

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.

‘An Appalachian Evening’

The “An Appalachian Evening” series will continue with a performance by The Jeff Little Trio at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 22, 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 piano rarely plays a prominent part in Appalachian or Americana music and is seldom the lead instrument. Jeff Little is an exception — and a remarkable one. His distinctive two-handed style, much influenced by the mountain flat-picked guitar tradition, is breathtaking in its speed, precision and clarity. In 2014, Little was inducted into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for students grade K-12. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or click on stecoahvalleycenter.com.

Dashboard Blue will play Sylva July 21.

File photo

Jeff Little Trio will play Stecoah July 22.

File photo

On the beat

Chamber music returns to Waynesville

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.

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will host Back Porch Orchestra (Americana) July 22 and Shane Meade & The Sound (indie/soul) July 29 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, Chris Minick (singer-songwriter) July 20, Celtic Road Jam 4 p.m. July 21, The Jon Cox Band (country/rock) 9 p.m. July 22, Neal Morgan (classic rock) July 27, Smashing Mouths (90s covers) July 28 and Celtic Road Jam 4 p.m. July 29. 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 Seth & Sara 6 p.m. Aug. 3. 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 The Annie Moses Band (Americana) July 29. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Tickets start at $20 with priority seating available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.

• Lineside at Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Open to all ages. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) “Summer Music Series” will continue with 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., Heidi Holton (blues/folk) July 21, Smoky Blue Rain

ALSO:

(Americana) July 22,

Woolybooger (blues/folk)

July 28 and A. Lee Edwards

(Americana/folk) July 29. 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.

• Moss Valley (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. Food trucks and beverages available onsite. Bring a lawn chair. Presented by Drake Software.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an “Open Mic w/Frank Lee” Wednesdays, George Ausman (singer-songwriter) July 21, Granny’s Mason Jar

(Americana) July 22, Frank Lee (oldtime/folk) 5 p.m. July 23, Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) July 28, Ron Neill (singersongwriter) July 29 and Heidi Holton (blues/folk) 5 p.m. July 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Music On The River (Cherokee) will host semi-regular live music on the Water Beetle Stage. For more information, go to visitcherokeenc.com and go to the “Events” tab.

• Nantahala Brewing Outpost (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Terry Haughton July 21, TG & The Stoned Rangers July 22, Blue July 28 and Somebody’s Child (Americana) July 29. All shows begin at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. noc.com/events.

• Pickin’ In The Park (Canton) will host Running Wolfe July 21 and Hill Country July 28. Local clogging groups will also be onsite to perform. Shows are 6-9 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.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796.

• Salty’s Dogs Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke w/Russell” every Monday, Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) July 21, Blues Hat July 22, Rene Russell (singersongwriter) July 28 and Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) July 29. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105.

• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” live music series will feature The Jeff Little Trio (Americana) July 22 and Nu-Blue (Americana/roots) July 29. 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 Blackjack Country July 20, The Remnants July 21, Outlaw Whiskey July 22, Karaoke with Lori McDonald July 26, Mountain Gypsy (Americana) July 27, Carolina Freighshakers (classic rock) July 28 and Waynes Buckner & The Shooting Creek Band July 29. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Christina Chandler (singer-songwriter) July 21, Jason Lyles (singer-songwriter) July 22, Shane Meade & The Sound (indie/soul) July 28 and Zorki (singer-songwriter) July 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host Vaden Landers (Americana/folk) 4 p.m. July 30. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to eatrealfoodinc.com.

Jasper String Quartet will play Waynesville July 16 and 30. Donated photo

On the beat

Marianna goes Americana

As part of a summer series of music, the Marianna Black Library will present the traditional music and storytelling of Lee Knight at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 27, at the library in Bryson City.

Raised in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York, Lee became interested in traditional folk music as a young man and soon found himself to be an amateur folklorist.

During college, he became familiar with the music and stories of the Southern Appalachian Mountains, as well as of the

Adirondacks. He wanted to learn the music and stories from traditional sources — people who had them as part of their culture and community for generations.

He also collected songs and stories from other parts of the world, including England, Scotland, Central Asia, Columbia, and the Amazon region of Peru and has recently released his third album, “An Untraditional Journey.”

Knight currently works as a folk singer, storyteller and outdoor leader, performing at concerts, workshops, Elderhostels, festivals, camps and schools. He leads hikes, canoe trips and guides whitewater rafts. He plays various instruments, including the fretless five-string banjo, various guitars, the Appalachian dulcimer, the mouth bow, the Cherokee flute and the Cherokee rattle, as well as the Native American drum.

This program is free and open to the public. The library is located in downtown Bryson City at the corner of Academy and Rector.

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

FACES OF HAYWOOD

“

Imoved to Haywood County in July of 2000, and although spending 22 years in Haywood County Schools, 16 of those in School Administration, I thought I knew Haywood County. However, after joining The Arc of Haywood County in 2022, I have been involved in many Chamber Activities, Issues and Eggs, Tailgating on the Green and most recently Leadership Haywood. Each Chamber activity that I am involved with, I have the opportunity to interact with other leaders from Haywood County to speak about the Mission for The Arc of Haywood and the countless contributions that our clients provide to Haywood County.

Dulcimer group ‘Pic’ & Play’

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

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

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

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

On the street

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

Bryson City community jam

A community jam will be held from 67:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer or anything unplugged is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — spring, summer, fall. This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts. 828.488.3030.

Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling

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.

On the table

Todd Barbee EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE ARC OF HAYWOOD COUNTY

828.456.3021

HaywoodChamber.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 available. For more infor-

mation, 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.

ALSO:

Lee Knight is a popular WNC musician.

File photo

On the stage

‘Unto These Hills’ outdoor drama

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.

ALSO:

• 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, go to smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.

HART presents ‘Cinderella’

A special production of the musical “Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella” will grace the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 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.

‘Cinderella’ hits the HART stage throughout July. File photo

‘Unto These Hills’ is a longtime Cherokee show. File photo

Come out to Lake Junaluska for craft show and sale

The second annual Givens Great Laurels Craft Show and Sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, July 28, in the Givens Great Laurel Community Room at Lake Junaluska. The event will feature pieces from five local residents, including jewelry, wreaths, quilts and photography. All sales are cash only. There will be limited parking, but an attendant will be on site to help.

• “G&LW Wholesale Gem Show” will be held July 27-30 at the Watauga Festival Center on 6295 Sylva Road in Franklin. The trade shows are produced in many major trade centers across the United States for the convenience of wholesale buyers. For over 40 years, G&LW’s multiple show venues have been, and continue to be, a top gem and mineral buyer destination. franklin-chamber.com.

& Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. They welcome photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images at the monthly meetings. For more information, email waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net or follow them on Facebook: Waynesville Photography Club.

Here’s Your Sign...

The second annual craft show will offer a variety of holiday décor, in addition to jewelry, photography and other art. Donated photo

ALSO:

• 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 and glass. 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.

• “Art After Dark” will take place from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, in downtown Waynesville. Each first Friday of the month (May-December), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, live music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors alike. For more information, go to downtownwaynesville.com.

• “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.

• Call for artists and musicians for the “Youth Arts Festival” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Artists needed to demonstrate, as well as musicians to perform. If interested, email chelseamiller@jacksonnc.org or call 828.631.0271.

• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health

Ready for the Gemboree?

The 56th annual Macon County Gemboree will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 28-29 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 30 at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin.

Rough and cut gems, minerals, fine jewelry, supplies, beads, door prizes, dealers, exhibits, demonstrations and more.

Daily admission is $3. Free for ages 12 and under. Sponsored by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and the Macon County Gem & Mineral Society.

For more information, call 828.524.3161 or click on franklin-chamber.com.

• 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 St. 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.

• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, go to dogwoodcrafters.com/classes or call 828.586.2248.

On the shelf

How can the citizenry take back America?

Suppose you believe that climate change is a threat to humanity, but you oppose abortion or that you consider owning a firearm a natural right, but support open borders? Suppose you think the government COVID-19 lockdowns and school closures were dictatorial, but favor unlimited surveillance of Americans via outfits like the FBI for reasons of national security?

Lots of us live comfortably with such apparent political and cultural contradictions. The woman who proudly voted for Joe Biden in 2020 heads off to the gun range once a month for some target practice with her Glock 19. The guy who cast his ballot for Trump would love to see America swept clean of firearms.

This pragmatism offends many of our political elites and their ideological partisans, who seek to divide rather than unite Americans.

In “I, Citizen: A Blueprint for Reclaiming American Self-Government”

(Encounter Press, 2021, 264 pages), Tony Woodlief brings a searchlight to bear on the divisive ideologues working among us to destroy “the reservoir of goodwill that characterized American civil life for generations.”

Encounter Press publishes mostly conservative books of one sort or another, and Woodlief is a self-identified conservative, but in “I, Citizen” he attacks the extremists on both sides of the political spectrum. Near the beginning of the book, he writes that “it’s not ordinary Americans who are bitterly divided into diehard blue and red camps. Our political class certainly is, and it directs roughly 20 percent of American voters who constitute its reliable foot sol-

diers. Most Americans, in contrast, remain tolerant and trusting of one another, and share a great many values.”

As just one of many examples supporting this argument, Woodlief describes a group of men — he’s one of them — who gather “once a month to talk about ideas, books, and notable figures from our shared faith, which is Christianity.” This group is ecumenical both in terms of its faith and its politics. “A couple of our number are libertarian, another is an avowed socialist. Some of us are unashamed Trump supporters, others have despised him since ‘Home Alone 2.’” He adds that these men are “politically engaged, and ideologically aware. We are, in fact, quite political.”

And yet, as he notes, the men enjoy one another’s company. They argue, and tempers sometimes flare, but they remain loyal friends.

“Listening to them is worthwhile,” he writes, then adds: “This is what’s missing among too many of our country’s partisans and political elites. Not loyalty to a government or a party, but loyalty to their fellow citizens. They stopped listening a long time ago.”

Fanning this pyre of polarization are corporate media, certain online news and opinion sites and special interest groups. Opinion polls and focus groups, Woodlief shows, also mold our discussions. All too often they ask questions of respondents that leave little room for nuance or thoughtfulness.

Woodlief also spends some time focused on the failures of Congress over the last decades, its surrender of power to the Oval Office, the judiciary and the federal bureaucracy. This trend often goes unnoticed by ordinary citizens, but it directly impacts them, as the willful surrender of Congressional power diminishes their own standing as citizens. Of the ever-growing

power of the presidency, he writes, “This behavior is to be expected in executives when legislatures abdicate their responsibilities, which Congress has done to a shameful extent. Our presidents have grown accustomed to directing our economy and sending our troops into conflict without Constitutional authorization because the people we elect to represent us in Washington have let them.”

These men and women in Congress are the real representatives of the people, not the president or the Supreme Court. By failing to fulfill their Constitutional duties, by weaking their role in government, they in turn weaken us and our voice in public affairs.

So how do we push back against the divisions that now plague us, and rebuild the idea that we the people and not the government are the real power in this country? Woodlief first recommends turning our attention away from what he calls “the imperial city of Washington D.C.” and focusing on matters much closer to home. He urges us to love and appreciate what we hold in common with our neighbors, to engage in our local communities and strengthen them and to pay attention to local elections. Our state governments, which have long ceded power to the feds, should step up and rightfully and vigorously protest the overreaching of D.C.’s political class.

Interestingly, Woodlief devotes two pages of these recommendations to community newspapers like the one you are reading right now. He praises his own local paper, “an ad-supported weekly that covers my town … Its handful of writers reports on every town-council meeting, as well as county matters.” He concludes by urging us to “support people who are still trying to tell you what’s happening in your own back yard.”

Most important of all, “I, Citizen” reminds us that it is up to us to maintain and protect the benefits and rights of our citizenship, that the rights of this citizenship come with responsibilities and that we are meant, as much as possible, to be in control of our lives. If we fail, “our unique American freedom as citizens to govern ourselves will be lost.

(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.)

An evening of poetry, wine

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) will host an artful evening of poetry with Phillip Shabazz at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville.

Shabazz will share some of his poetic works and take part in a facilitated Q&A session with the public. He has four books in print, including “Flames in the Fire” and “When the Grass was Blue.”

“Everything is a word and words make us who we are,” Shabazz said.

Shabazz is an acclaimed poet, teacher and writer who has been named “one of the most inspiring individuals in the arts” by educators. He has had much success with teaching youth how to express themselves through the art of transforming their personal experiences into meaningful words to share. For more information, click on haywoodarts.org.

Writer Jeff Minick

Carolina Mountain Club celebrates 100 years

CMC birthday party draws a crowd

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR

As temperatures neared 90 degrees on the sunny afternoon of Sunday, July 16, the forested Carolina Mountain Trail offered a shady respite for the 20 people joining Tom Southard for a 2.1-mile hike through the woods of the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.

Southard, a volunteer with 13 years of experience leading walks at the arboretum, stopped frequently to tell the stories of the thousands of plant species responsible for the forest’s green, damp scent and cooling shade. He extolled the unique honey made from the blossoms of sourwood trees like the crookedtrunked specimen growing alongside the trail, discussed how to tell a white oak from a red and explained where the water goes when it flows off the property.

He also told the story of the trail itself, built 30 years ago with the help of Carolina Mountain Club volunteers.

“We’re forever grateful for that,” said Southard.

CELEBRATION OF THE CENTURY

That gratitude is what led the Arboretum to host a once-in-a-lifetime event: CMC’s 100th birthday celebration. Founded on July 16, 1923, CMC has become a leader in spurring volunteerism and use of public

lands. Despite being completely volunteerbased, with no paid staff or headquarters building, the group hosts four to six hikes each week and organizes 10 weekly trail maintenance crews. It is responsible for maintaining nearly 450 miles of trail in the region. While there’s no exact figure as to how many miles of trail the club’s crews have built, it’s safe to say that number is in the hundreds as well.

Another figure reaching into the hundreds? The number of people who came to the celebration. Finding a spot in the arboretum’s large parking lot was nearly impossible

that afternoon.

“I don’t think they’re here for the free ice cream or the free cupcakes or the free cookies,” said CMC President Tom Weaver. “They’re here to help us celebrate our 100 years. The public turned out, which is great.”

During the four-hour event, arboretum volunteers like Southard led 10 guided hikes on three trails while live bluegrass music played at the center of a garden walkway populated by more than two dozen booths, hosted by the many organizations CMC has partnered with through the years. Sawyers demonstrated how to use a cross-cut saw at

the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards booth in the amphitheater and N.C. State Parks gave away freebies ranging from sunglasses to dog waste bag carriers. Friends of the Smokies and Friends of the Mountainsto-Sea Trail shared their mission with attendees while CMC sold books and T-shirts and served handfuls of birthday treats.

WIDENING THE TENT

The 100 years leading up to this celebration included a plethora of accomplishments — the preservation of Max Patch, the building of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the completion of the Appalachian Trail — but also many challenges. CMC has survived the Great Depression, World War II, massive shifts in culture and communication, and the Coronavirus Pandemic.

David Huff, who serves as the club’s ccouncillor for communications, believes CMC’s mix of professionalism and openness is part of its success.

“It’s run like a business in the sense that it’s so well-organized, but also anybody can participate,” he said. “Everyone’s welcome. You don’t have to have any skill set to participate.”

But Weaver doesn’t want to see CMC rest on its proverbial laurels as it starts the journey toward year 200. During the club’s last annual meeting, he challenged members to think about what they can do to bring CMC through the next century, whether that be inviting new people to join F

N.C. Arboretum volunteer Tim Southard explains the difference between white and red oak leaves to his group of hikers. David Huff Creative photo

More than two dozen booths like this one from Conserving Carolina were set up for the Carolina Mountain Club’s birthday celebration. David Huff Creative photo

or contributing to the club’s new endowment fund, which aims to fund CMC’s next 100 years of outreach, trail maintenance and education.

Recognizing that its membership is less diverse than the local population, CMC has also formed a new diversity and inclusion committee to increase the variety in age, race, ethnicity and other demographics on the club’s membership rolls.

As part of those efforts, CMC is hoping to grow its partnership with Latinos Adventuros en las Carolinas, a group that organizes hikes and outdoor adventures designed to make Spanish-speaking people feel at home. The group had a booth at the celebration, and its members composed about half of the 20 hikers Southard led along the Carolina Mountain Trail.

“We didn’t only promote the event as the birthday party, but come so that you can hike,” said Vivianette Ortiz, a leader in the group.

Ortiz, who lives in Gastonia, now spends a lot of time in Western North Carolina. But she hadn’t explored the region much before the Coronavirus Pandemic, when she started discovering trails and learning about hiking. Soon, she saw a need for more support for Latino people interested in the outdoors.

“Where this might come naturally to some people, if you’re coming here from another country, you need guidance,” Ortiz said. “I think that it all starts with the interest to welcome the Latino community outside, and then provide information in Spanish.”

Ortiz was excited that Latinos Adventuros was invited to set up a booth at CMC’s celebration and looks forward to continuing to build a strong relationship with the club. CMC leaders are experts at how to organize a hiking club and the ins and outs of caring for trails — Ortiz is eager to absorb that knowledge into Latinos Adventuros, and CMC is excited to encourage the group’s enthusiasm for stewarding the trails they’ve come to love.

“They’re out on the leading edge, getting their population out into the forest,” Weaver said. “And that’s what we’re trying to do as well.”

MORE TRAILS TO BUILD

CMC has many more projects on its plate as it kicks off its second century.

Through a partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the club will be tearing down and replacing the observation platform at Mount Pisgah, which was built in 1979. Additionally, it’s received final approval from state and federal agencies in North Carolina and Tennessee to take apart the aging and poorly situated 85-year-old Walnut Mountain Shelter, located 7.5 miles north of Max Patch on the Appalachian Trail, and rebuild it as a historical display in Hot Springs. CMC plans to build a new shelter nearby in the coming years.

The club is also making plans to add to its list of

built trails. N.C. State Parks has reached out for input on trail design for the new Pisgah View State Park in Candler, and Weaver thinks it possible CMC could have a hand in building those trails. The club is also collaborating with the Southern Appalachian

Reflecting on the CMC story

BY DANNY B ERNSTEIN C ONTRIBUTING W RITER

If you want to go faster, go by yourself. If you want to go further, go with a group.

— Adapted from an African proverb.

I grew up in large cities where I always walked: to school, to the playground, to the corner store. If it was too far to walk, I took buses and subways. But as an inner-city child, I was lucky enough to be sent to summer “Y” camps — first day camps and then overnight camps where I first hiked and later backpacked.

My husband, Lenny, also grew up in a large city but without the advantage of summer camps. When we settled down in New Jersey with real jobs, we read a small article in the local newspaper about a hiking club. They invited readers to try out a group hike.

“Adults go hiking for fun? Without kids?” We were stunned. But the next Sunday, we showed up and met hikers older than our parents who greeted us with enthusiasm. We had not brought enough warm clothing. We carried too much food and were short on water. These old folks took the hills much faster than us — but we were hooked.

Soon, we adopted a piece of the Appalachian Trail on the New Jersey/New York border. Four times a year, we skipped our weekly hike to clip plants encroaching on the trail, pick up garbage and remove errant branches. On long weekends and vacations, we pursued hiking challenges and hiked the A.T. in sections, finishing in 1998. In the process, we discovered the mountains of Western North Carolina.

In 2001, we left our New Jersey employers and moved to Asheville. I set out to learn about these mountains. What had been an avocation in New Jersey while punching a clock became my vocation when I moved here. The Carolina Mountain Club, which we had already joined and hiked with during earlier house-hunting trips, was an important part of my education.

As CMC’s 100th birthday approached, I knew that its success and longevity was something I wanted to document. The story of CMC is the story of its people: the hikers, trail maintainers, hike schedulers, treasurers, newsletter editors and website designers. To uncover that story, I milked the special collections of Buncombe County and the University of North Carolina Asheville, searched for the old A.T. route in the Smokies, found the private land that we used to walk on, and compared the MST on the road to the current one in the woods. This project was fun, challenging, intriguing and a heck of a lot of work. Unlike most books I’ve written, this one had a real deadline: July 16, 2023, CMC’s 100th anniversary.

Born from a chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club formed in 1920, CMC’s story starts with its launch as an independent club in 1923, making it the oldest hiking club in the Southeast. At the beginning, the club offered one hike each week; now we have at least four to six hikes of various levels a week, year-round.

Highlands Conservancy on trail design for the 343acre Deaverview Mountain property overlooking Asheville. The land trust has signed an option agreement for the land and hopes to turn it into a park.

“We’re looking to put our footprint or our mark on those two projects,” Weaver said.

A new trail – and the structure to ensure it’s maintained — is perhaps the most lasting gift an organization like CMC can give its community. The arboretum’s Carolina Mountain Trail was built three decades ago, before Carroll Kopplinger, who at 93 is CMC’s oldest active member, joined the club in 2001. He served as sweep while Southard led, ensuring none of the 20 hikers got lost or left behind. It’s a job he was well suited for — Kopplinger knows the arboretum trails well.

“I live near here, so a lot of times I just come out here for a 4-5-mile hike, bring my lunch, sit up on the rocking chairs in the arboretum — just relax and sit back and realize how thankful I am,” he said. “How fortunate I am to be here and be able to hike it.”

CMC built much of the A.T. in the South in the 1920s and 1930s. Myron Avery, chairman of the Appalachian Trail Conference Board in the 1930s, came down several times to inspect our section of the A.T., and CMC wanted to make a good impression. In the 1980s, the club started building the Mountains-to-Sea Trail through the Southern Blue Ridge. We are still protecting over 400 miles of trail with trail crews and section maintainers.

The club survived downturns in membership, a shutdown during World War II, the untimely deaths of famous leaders such as George Masa, Art Loeb and Arch Nichols, and another closure during the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2020. In the 1930s, CMC had a membership of about 60; now we’re way over 1,000.

CMC has done much more than organize hikes and build trails. We protected Max Patch from development in the 1980s, spoke out against building the North Shore Road through the most pristine part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 2000s, and are currently partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to implement the new Pisgah-Nantahala Forest Management Plan.

The history of CMC is the history of hiking and land protection in Western North Carolina.

(Danny Bernstein is a hiking guide and author who resides in Asheville. Her newest book, “Carolina Mountain Club: One Hundred Years,” is available at local bookstores and online.)

Danny Bernstein holds up a copy of her book on CMC’s history.

David Huff Creative photo

A young outdoors enthusiast watches sawyers with the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards use a cross-cut saw.

David Huff Creative photo

Smokies to reconstruct Lakeview Drive

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is using nearly $19 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act to reconstruct Lakeview Drive in Bryson City and repair Heintooga Ridge Road on the Haywood/Swain county line this summer.

The work may cause temporary delays traveling Heintooga Ridge Road and will involve a full closure of Lakeview Drive later this summer. Construction dates will be announced over the coming weeks. During the closure, Noland Creek Trail, Lakeshore Trail, Goldmine Loop Trail, Benton MacKaye Trail and Lakeview Drive

Explore the soundscape of nature

Author and biologist David George Haskell will delve into the captivating world of sonic communication and its profound impact on the planet’s evolution and cultural tapestry during a lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 27, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.

The lecture promises to open ears and minds to the diverse symphony of life, drawing concepts from Haskell’s latest book “Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution’s Creativity and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction.” Haskell will explore the intricate web of sonic connections that shape our world and demonstrate how embracing sensory richness can serve as a compass guiding exploration, ethics and

action.

Haskell, who holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University, has garnered international acclaim for his literary prowess and scientific expertise. His critically acclaimed books “The Forest Unseen” and “The Songs of Trees” have earned him numerous accolades, including being named a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

The lecture is offered as part of the free Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, held 6 p.m. Thursdays at the Nature Center through Aug. 10. The July 27 program is sponsored by Rosemary and Bill Stiefel, with a small reception to follow. For a full lecture schedule, visit highlandsbiological.org.

Land trusts work to protect Brushy Mountains

A pair of land trusts has worked together to permanently protect 1,125 acres spanning parts of Wilkes, Alexander and Iredell counties.

The property, protected by Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and Blue Ridge Conservancy, was purchased from private conservationist Tim Sweeney. Sweeney donated a significant portion of the land value after holding it for several years with permanent conservation in mind as the ultimate goal. Project funding support came from Fred Stanback, a frequent conservation donor. The land is located in the eastern Brushy Mountains, a conservation focus for both land trusts. Moving forward, the organizations will work together to steward the property for environmental protection.

Despite cool June, N.C. on pace for fifth-warmest year

On the heels of an unseasonably cool May, based on the average statewide temperature of 71.1F, June finished up as North Carolina’s 13th coolest in 129 years. But as the year reached its midpoint, the story of 2023 thus far is prevailing warmth, according to an analysis from the N.C. State Climate Office.

In June, upper-level troughing over the

eastern U.S. kept the region cooler amid prevailing northerly or northwesterly winds, but this pattern was also responsible for funneling in smoke from the Canadian wildfires. This was the fourth-coolest June on record for Highlands, Marshall and Monroe. However, while average temperatures have generally been 3-4 degrees below normal during May and June, earlier in the year the departures were much greater and above normal — February’s average, for example, was 6.7 degrees above normal. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, N.C. is still on pace for its fifth warmest year on record.

Tunnel will not be accessible from Lakeview Drive. Anyone planning a Decoration Day will still be able to access cemeteries in the area.

The Lakeview Drive project is by far the costlier of the two projects, commanding $15.7 million of the $18.7 million contract awarded to Bryant’s Land and Development Industries of Burnsville. Work will include complete reconstruction of the 6.5-mile road, replacement of all guardrails, construction of ADA-accessible parking spaces, new road signs,

drainage repair and other miscellaneous work.

The Heintooga Ridge Road repairs round out the contract’s remaining $3 million. Work will include roadway patching, crack sealing and an asphalt pavement preservation overlay, and is expected to be complete by September 30.

The Great American Outdoors Act, supported by revenue from energy development, provides funding to make enhancements in national parks and other public lands. The Great American Outdoors Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and other construction funding sources are part of a concerted effort to address the extensive maintenance backlog in national parks.

Lakeview Drive overlooks the Tuckasegee River as it swells toward Fontana Lake. NPS photo

Haskell records sounds in the field.

Weigh in on DuPont’s future

The DuPont State Recreational Forest in Henderson and Transylvania counties is launching a master planning process, with an online survey and an upcoming drop-in session 2:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, July 24, at the Henderson County Public Library, planned to take public input.

The N.C. General Assembly has provided funding to create and implement a Master Recreation Plan. Additionally, Friends of DuPont Forest received $99,000 in grants from the Tourism Development Authorities in Henderson and Transylvania counties to go toward the effort.

The survey is online at surveymonkey.com/r/dsfrmp1.

Ecusta Trail project receives $45 million

An effort to build a 19.4-mile rail trail between Brevard and Hendersonville got a huge boost following the award of more than $45 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Together with $500,000 provided in the 2021 state budget, the grant dollars get the project most of the way to its projected $53.5 million price tag.

The Ecusta Trail is intended to serve as a “multimodal gateway” to the Pisgah National Forest, Blue Ridge Parkway and Qualla Boundary. The N.C. Department of Transportation and U.S. Forest Service have both expressed concerns over visitors parking on the roadway shoulder of national forest lands during heavy traffic, causing erosion and road degradation.

“The Ecusta Trail stands to address these parking, safety and environmental concerns by providing new options for access to Pisgah and the Blue Ridge Parkway,” reads a press release from the City of Brevard.

The $45 million came from two separate grants. In June, the City of Brevard received a $24.5 million RAISE grant, and on July 6 the Federal Highway Administration announced that the city had received an additional $21.4 million from the USDOT’s National Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program.

“This game-changing grant fills a major gap in the funding needed to complete construction of the Ecusta Trail and provides a

tremendous boost towards making the dream a reality,” said Kieran Roe, Executive Director of Conserving Carolina.

“Conserving Carolina is grateful for the leadership of the City of Brevard in pursuing this opportunity and for the strong partnership of organizations and community leaders that came together to develop this successful grant.”

Rep. Chuck Edwards, RHenderson, said the Ecusta Trail has been a priority of his community since he served in the N.C. Senate.

“The long-term benefits will be critical for our economy, and I can’t wait to see the many ways it uplifts Transylvania and Henderson counties,” he said.

President of Friends of the Ecusta Trail Mark Tooley also voiced his excitement and optimism for the trail’s future.

“We are ecstatic about the NSFLTP grant award toward the construction of the Ecusta

Trail,” said Tooley. “After 14 years, from trail conception to the start of construction, the Friends of the Ecusta Trail has been unwavering in their advocacy and support for the trail and its undeniable benefits for our region.”

The City of Brevard is the lead organization for the Transylvania County portion of the trail. NCDOT will administer the grant and collaborate with the city and its partners on the details of how to apply the funds to the project’s engineering and construction. According to a grant application, the project is expected to be complete in early 2028.

An artist rendering shows what the completed trail might look like. Donated photo

Hike Boogerman Trail

Hike through old growth forests, streams and past the historic Palmer house during a trip along the Boogerman Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Saturday, July 29.

Steve Winchester will lead this 7.4-mile loop hike in Cataloochee Valley, meeting at 9 a.m. at the Cataloochee Creek Road Ranger Station and concluding around 3:30 p.m. With an elevation gain of 1,040 feet, the hike is rated moderate to strenuous. Hikers should be prepared to walk through

See bees at the Sylva library

Learn about bees and beekeeping during a program at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 21, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

The Jackson County Beekeepers Association will be there with live bees, contained behind plexiglass, and answers on the ins and outs of what it’s like to keep bees.

Free and co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. The program is part of the Summer Learning Program, which is available for registration at the library’s Youth Services Desk or online at fontanalib.org/summer. 828.586.2016.

Visit the Native Plant Conference

The Cullowhee Native Plant Conference returns to Western Carolina University July 1922, with the public invited to take part in programs offered Saturday, July 22, free of charge.

A plant sale and vendor booths will be set

up 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. In the morning, Brian Jorg will speak on “Restoring a Historic Wetland: Bowyer Farm” at 9:30 a.m. and Mike Berkley will offer a presentation titled “Common and Not So Common Natives for the Home Landscape” at 11:45 a.m.

WCU has hosted the conference for nearly four decades, setting a record with 450 participants registered for this year’s event. The paid conference field trips and workshops are at capacity, with registration closed. The conference is designed to increase interest in and knowledge of native Southeastern plant species in the landscape.

For more information, visit nativeplants.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

small streams, wearing comfortable shoes and bringing lunch, water and weatherappropriate clothing.

The event is part of Haywood Watershed Association’s “Get to Know Your Watershed” series to raise awareness of Haywood County’s natural beauty. It is free for HWA members with a $5 donation suggested for nonmembers. No pets. Space is limited. RSVP to Christine O’Brien at christine@haywoodwaterways.org or 828.476.4

667, ext. 1.

“Grandma Gatewood” re-enactor to dramatize A.T. experience

Actress Anne VanCuren will transform into the first woman to complete the Appalachian Trail during a dramatic re-enactment at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 27, at The Village Green in Cashiers. “Grandma Gatewood,” as she was known, walked the A.T. solo in 1955. During the one-hour monologue, listeners will discover what set Granny’s 2,000-mile journey in motion.

The event is organized as a fundraiser for Friends of Panthertown. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door and $5 for kids under 12. Reserve a spot at panthertown.org/tickets.

Spend ‘golden hour’ with Jim Costa

Western Carolina University biologist and best-selling author Jim Costa will discuss his newest book, “Radical by Nature,” during a special summer “Golden Hour” talk at 6 p.m. Friday, July 21, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville,

The book, an account of the life of famed Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel

Wallace, is based on painstaking research through Wallace’s letters, notebooks and journals. Copies will be available for purchase through Malaprop’s Bookstore for Costa to sign. Afterward, attendees can hang around to enjoy ArborEvenings through 8 p.m., a chance to stroll through the gardens during the evening hours, with food and beverage available for purchase and live music available.

Free with the $20 parking fee, but a $10 donation is suggested for Costa’s talk.

Land navigation course offered

Learn how to stay found with a land navigation course offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at Allens Creek Park in Waynesville.

Course instructor Steve Kuni, who is a trainer for the Haywood County Search and Rescue Volunteers and a former U.S. Army officer, will cover the fundamentals of traditional map and compass land navigation, and apply those fundamentals to navigation with modern cell phones. Sign up at secure.rec1.com/catalog. For more information, contact recreationandparks@haywoodcountync.gov or 828.452.6789.

Balance with the family

Explore the science of balance during Family Night at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Families will work together to explore the science of balance by manipulating the placement of weights on toys, structures and even people. Free and co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. 828.586.2016.

• Sunday - Wednesday

11am - 5pm

Bar open until 6pm

• Thursday - Saturday 11am - 8pm

Dinner Menu begins at 5:00 pm

Experience a Casual, Relaxing Atmosphere

perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch.We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.

Hikers cross a creek on the Boogerman Trail. File photo

Notes from a Plant Nerd

BY ADAM B IGELOW

The plant nerds are coming!

If you find yourself on the campus of Western Carolina University in the summer around the third week of July, you might notice a large and slightly odd group of people walking around. While there are conferences and events all summer long at WCU, during this week you will see groups of people walking around the campus pointing at the ground, looking at the weeds and wildflowers, staring up into trees discussing how they can tell which species it is, tsktsking the mostly exotic plants found throughout the campus, and praising the occasional native plant used in the landscaping.

The plant nerds are coming! The plant nerds are coming!

Every summer for the last 18 years, save for one unnamed yet infamous year when we couldn’t hold the conference, I have attended the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference. This will be my 17th year. This is the largest and oldest native plant conference in the country, and it happens every year right here in the heart of Southern Appalachia, Cullowhee, USA. And this year’s conference, the 39th annual event, looks to be among the largest and most well attended ever in the history of the conference, topping out at over 450 people.

In 1984 the very first Cullowhee Native Plant Conference saw 170 people come to Cullowhee to attend what was initially proposed as a “plant utilization” meeting, an attempt to help increase the use of native plants in the horticulture industry, which was and mostly still is dominated by plants that are native to other parts of the world. With so many beautiful and resilient plants to choose from that evolved in the Southeastern U.S. the founders of the conference, including Cullowhee’s own Dan Pitillo, a retired WCU botany professor, wanted to focus on planting and using native plants in the landscape.

These native plant visionaries decided to not just hold a strictly academic, or single trade type of meeting, but to invite people from a wide range of backgrounds including professors, nursery growers, landscape architects and designers, public garden managers and workers, teachers, native plant enthusiasts and home gardeners — anyone who shared a love and appreciation of native plants — to gather and exchange ideas and information. And they did. And they came back the next year, and the year

after. And it has been going on for most of 40 years ever since.

It is still attended by a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and careers. The conference is often split 50-50 between people who are attending for the very first time and those coming back through multiple years. I have friends that I have made at the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference who have been attending for 30plus years. I’ve become close with fellow plant nerds who live as far west as east Texas, up through Pennsylvania, south to Atlanta and Florida, and east throughout

the piedmont and coastal plain of the Southeast.

And while registration has been closed for some time due to the record-setting attendance, you can still come and check out the conference between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, July 22. We open the last day of the conference up to the general public to attend free of charge. This includes being able to come listen to the final day’s speakers, and access the many vendors who are offering native plant themed art and books — and especially the plant sales.

And what a plant sale it is. Every year we turn the floor of the Ramsey Center, normally a basketball arena, into the largest and best native plant nursery in the south. We invite native plant nurseries from all across the Southeast to come and sell plants. And they do, often bringing their best and sometimes oddest native plants to sell.

So come and check out the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference and see what the buzz is all about. And while you’re at it, go ahead and pencil in the third week of July 2024 to your calendar, and make plans now to attend what will be the 40th anniversary of this incredible conference. You might just keep coming back, year after year. I know I’ll be there. Can’t wait to see you.

(Adam Bigelow lives in Cullowhee and leads weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and offers consultations and private group tours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. bigelownc@gmail.com.)

A group from the 2022 Cullowhee Native Plant Conference takes a field trip to Little Green Mountain in Panthertown Valley. Adam Bigelow photo

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m. to noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.

• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists.

• 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. to 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.

VOLUNTEERS

• 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. to 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.

H EALTH AND WELLNESS

• 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, NC. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information, please call 828.558.4550.

CLUBS AND M EETINGS

• The Blue Ridge EV Club will host “Everything About Electric Vehicles” from 9:30 to 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 Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library Creative Writing Group meets 10:30 a.m. to noon on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

• 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.

AUTHORS AND B OOKS

• 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

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com

Wallace, one of the most famed naturalists of the Victorian age. For more information visit ncarboretum.org.

K IDS AND FAMILIES

• Storytime takes place at 10 a.m. every Tuesday at the Macon County Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Toddler’s Rock takes place at 10 a.m. every Monday at the Macon County Library. Get ready to rock with songs, books, rhymes and playing with instruments. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Culture Talk takes place at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. Travel the world from inside your library. This event features guest speakers and food sampling from the location being discussed. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

A&E

• Givens Great Laurels Craft Show and Sale will take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Community Room at Givens Great Laurels. Featuring pieces from five residents including jewelry, wreaths and photography. Cash only, limited parking, an attendant will be on site to assist.

• Christmas in July, a fundraising concert for Children’s Grief Programs with Haywood Hospice will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 29, at the Wells Event Center. The concert will feature Darren Nicholson, as well as Gary Mehalick, Stephen Feron and Lizzy Ibarra. Ticket donations start at $60.

• The Harry Potter Birthday celebration will take place 11 a.m. to 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 Appalachian mountains 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 29, in downtown Waynesville. For more information visit folkmoot.org.

• 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 to 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.

F OOD AND D RINK

• 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. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m. to 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.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• 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.

• A glassblowing class, “Pumpkin or Paperweight” will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park. Ten spots are available, cost is $60, due at registration. To register for a class, contact the GEP at 828.631.0271.

• “Armor Construction: Gothic Gauntlet,” a class that teaches various techniques involved in constructing armor, will be offered 9 a.m. to 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. to 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.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for

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

their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.

Outdoors

• Evolutionary biologist Barbara Ballentine will deliver a lecture titled “Bird Talk: An Exploration of Avian Communication,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the Highlands Nature Center. For more information visit highalndsbiological.org.

• Learn how to stay found with a land navigation course offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at Allens Creek Park in Waynesville. Sign up at secure.rec1.com/catalog. For more information, contact recreationandparks@haywoodcountync.gov or 828.452.6789.

• 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. Afterward, a panel discussion will give audience members a chance to ask questions about the forest plan and its release. Admission is $12. To buy a ticket or learn more, visit bit.ly/forestplanpremiere. Presented by MountainTrue.

• Explore the science of balance during Family Night at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Families will work together to explore the science of balance by manipulating the placement of weights on toys, structures and even people. Free and co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. 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.

• Smoky Mountain Beekeepers will hold a meeting 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at Mountain Discovery Charter School Apiary where State Bee Inspector Lewis Cauble will demonstrate the sugar shake method of testing a colony for varroa. For more information visit the Smoky Mountain Beekeepers Association.

• Hike Devil’s Courthouse and enjoy 40 minutes of gentle yoga Sunday, July 23, with Haywood County Recreation and Parks. Tara and Steve will guide the 4.2-mile hike, featuring 578 feet of elevation gain. Hike registration is $10. Sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.

• Haywood County Recreation and Parks will lead a hike on Wednesday, July 26, from Lonesome Pine Overlook to Noland Divide in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Vickey and. Phyllis will lead the hike which has an elevation gain of 2.300 feet. Hike registration is $10. Sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.

Market PLACE WNC

Legals

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates:

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

• Free — Lost or found pet ads.

• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*

• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance

Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE

• $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 HardinOct 05 2023, or Administrator 137 Reynolds Dr Canton NC 28716

NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION HAYWOOD COUNTY, NC COURT IN THE MATTER OF C. W. Bolick, minor child FILE NO. 19 JT 91

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4 Car radiator covering 5 Toon pal of Stimpy

6 "The Ice Storm" director

7 Plastic pail or shovel, say

8 Toxin fighters

9 Form a rough

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Answers on 34

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