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CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: After filing bankruptcy twice, running a couple of failed businesses and facing real estate troubles, Waynesville business owner Tandi Haas’ financial woes caught up with her this year. (Page 8)

News Otto man makes living as a “hoarder�. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Paula Deen’s Kitchen in Cherokee closes after racism controversy . . . . . . . 7 Student housing growth puts strain on rural Cullowhee roads . . . . . . . . . . 12 Cashiers Visitor Center budget divides TDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Raleigh lawmakers meddle in Lake Junaluska merger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Waynesville budget in limbo with Junaluska merger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Swain schools must shoulder cost of resource officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Haywood TDA sees increase in lodging tax revenues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sylva to install new recycling receptacles downtown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Jackson shuttles to switch to more efficient, cheaper propane . . . . . . . . . . 23

Opinion U.S. immigration policies in desperate need of change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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A&E Bryson City gospel group celebrates 50 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Outdoors How to fit backpacking into a busy lifestyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

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Carolina University with a degree in public relations, Culpepper decided to not go down the road he studied. He didn’t want to wear a suit everyday, rather he wanted to be his own boss and decide his own fate. Eventually, his father started a marine salvage company in Florida. Culpepper saw an opportunity and moved join the business. “I wanted to wear flip flops to work everyday,” he said. “When I was in Florida, I realized if I took the job seriously I could really make a career out of it.” The business grew, with both father and son evolving in their techniques and talents in making the past come alive again with a modern-day purpose. The searching and salvaging continued, while Culpepper married and started a family of his own. Once children came into the picture, it was time to come back to Macon County and raise them in the mountains. In June 2011, Culpepper began designing and gathering Specializing in architectural salvage, vintage lighting and hardware, Culpepper’s Otto Depot opened this materials for what is now his replica train depot building. The past spring. The newly built structure, constructed with reclaimed materials, is modeled after a railroad property it currently sits on was depot in Oxford, Miss. Garret K. Woodward photo actually once home to the Tallulah Falls railway depot, “Today’s society is a disposable society, though the present day structure is fashand everything that’s made these days is ioned after a depot in Oxford, Miss. crap,” he said. “The items in here are actually “Everybody builds metal buildings today, good because they’re from a time when peoand I don’t like metal buildings,” he said. ple took care in making something. These BY GARRET K. WOODWARD “People tell me all the time, ‘Thank you for aren’t a bunch of conSTAFF WRITER building something cool and different.’” sumer-made goods, it’s One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. With his business coming out of the things made with care “Ever since I was kid, I would take home gates strong, Culpepper doesn’t have a and quality.” all kinds of stuff, all kinds of random, weird moment to sit and enjoy the success. Besides Culpepper rememjunk, and my parents hated it,” David working upwards of 60 hours a week manbers wandering and Culpepper chuckled. “They thought I was ning the store or taking apart old buildings, searching for unique crazy, but when you find something rusty and he also traverses the world looking for the treasures as a kid growinteresting, you bring it home, and I did.” next great item. He’s salvaged cannons from ing up in Franklin. He’d an old Indonesian fort, pieces from Now the owner of Culpepper’s Otto Depot, a business specializing in architecturDavid Culpepper stroll the nearby woods, Bangladesh and materials from seemingly always keeping his eye al salvage, vintage lighting and hardware, every corner of the United States. peeled for a forgotten piece of the past. the 34-year-old leans back in his office chair “I have two passports filled up already,” “Everyone thought I was crazy picking with a smile. Sunshine cascades through he said. “And there have been times overseas up and collecting all these things. I was large plate glass windows into the enormous where I had to follow the sun to make sure called a hoarder even before hoarding was wooden railway depot in Otto, which looms I’m going the right direction so I don’t get cool,” he laughed. tall and majestic alongside U.S 441, just beheaded.” After graduating from college at Western south of Franklin. Gazing out of the store’s front window, a

Turning rust to gold

Smoky Mountain News

July 3-9, 2013

Lifelong collector saves everything … and sells it

large tail from an airplane sticks out of the back of his pickup truck. When asked about the tail, Culpepper said he was driving through the area that day and noticed the hunk of metal sitting on an abandoned property. “I was driving around and almost broke my neck turning around,” he said, smiling. “It was from a plane that wrecked in Andrews years ago. I asked the owner if he wanted to sell it, and he did.” Aiming to sell in bulk and wholesale, Culpepper wants to be the main source of material for interior decorators, designers and builders. It’s about having duel purpose things, which are functional and aesthetically pleasing. “My motto is ‘We supply what catches the eye’ and ‘Stack it deep and sell it cheap,’” he said. “If people are able to make money

“It’s incredible to take something from a ratinfested abandoned home and make it into something beautiful – it’s rewarding.” — David Culpepper

Want to go? Culpepper’s Otto Depot is located at 8214 Georgia Rd., Otto, N.C. 28763. The depot is south of Franklin on U.S. 441. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. 828.524.0495 or www.ottodepot.com.

off of these things, it makes my job easier. I don’t like to be salesman in the suit. If you want something, it’s here, and I’d be happy to help you find it.” So what keeps him going day after day, searching through dirty old house after dirty old house? “It’s incredible to take something from a rat-infested abandoned home and make it into something beautiful – it’s rewarding,” he said. “Walking into this store is refreshing and exhilarating for me. I love coming to work. I have a lot of stuff, and I like it. If you build it, they will come.” 195-08

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here,” said Leeann Bridges, vice president of marketing for Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort. At the entrance of Paula Deen’s Kitchen is a gift shop peddling Deen’s recipe books and cookware. The casino will sell off the last of its Paula Deen goods and then convert the shop into a lounge area, Bridges said. And despite having to revamp the look and feel of

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HURRY, SALE ENDS SAT, JULY 6TH! Paula Deen the former Paula Deen’s Kitchen, the restaurant space is and will remain open. “We don’t anticipate closing at all, especially for this time of year,” Bridges said. “We are very motivated to make everything seamless.” The biggest struggle for Harrah’s will be ensuring that people know the restaurant location is open — albeit not as Paula Deen’s — and are aware of its new motif. “We will have to go out and have a campaign to really support our new restaurant,” Bridges said. Following the decision by Caesar’s, members of the public commented that the casino operator and media are making a mountain out of a molehill. “You have people who are very passionate and who are very supportive of Paula Deen who are not happy with our decision,” Bridges said, adding that some have gone as far as to say they will no longer patronize Harrah’s Cherokee. “Then we have had other people who are supportive of the decision.” Thus far, the casino has not seen a negative or positive change in revenues from Paula Deen’s Kitchen. “We have not seen a drop off or anything like that,” Bridges said.

The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a home school activity program every Thursday from 2 to 3:15 p.m. from August 22 to October 25 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. The 10-week program is open to children ages six to 15. The program will focus on activities to build learning skills. The cost for members of the Waynesville Recreation Center is $27 for a family of four and $2 for each additional child. The non-member cost is $45 for a family of four and $3 for each additional child. 828.456.2030 or recprogramspecialist@townofwaynesville.org

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BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER ook and television personality Paula Deen has gotten into hot butter in recent weeks over allegations of racism, prompting Caesar’s Entertainment to shut the Paula Deen’s Kitchen at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort. Paula Deen Enterprises had an agreement with Caesar’s Entertainment, Harrah’s parent company, to operate Deen-themed restaurants in four Caesar’s locations, including Cherokee. But those restaurants have closed after the 66-year-old Deen admitted to using the N-word in the past. The information came to light because a former female employee has sued Deen and her brother, claiming she was discriminated against when she worked at one of Deen’s restaurants in Georgia. A couple weeks ago, a court deposition from Deen was made public. In the deposition, Deen recalled using the N-word after a black man had robbed the bank she once worked at and held a gun to her head. She later said that she had used it other times as well but did not remember when or how often. Deen did clarify that she doesn’t use the word anymore. “That’s just not a word that we use as time has gone on. Things have changed since the 60s in the South,” Deen said in the deposition. She went on the Today Show last week to apologize and said she is not a racist. Still, Caesar’s has decided to sever ties with Paula Deen Enterprises, as have other companies such as Walmart and the Food Network. “While we appreciate Paula’s sincere apologies for statements she made in her past that she recently disclosed during a deposition given in response to a lawsuit, after thoughtful consideration of their impact, we have mutually decided that it is in the best interests of both parties to part ways at this time,” said Jan Jones Blackhurst, executive vice president of communications and government affairs for Caesars Entertainment, in a news release last week. The restaurant location inside Harrah’s Cherokee Casino will be rebranded. A new menu is currently in the works as is a new name. The untitled eatery will take on a coffee shop appeal and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. “That is the type of thing that we need

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Waynesville on Plott Valley Road. Haas bought the property in an ownerfinanced transaction five years ago, promising to pay $3,000 a month. In the beginning, she paid regularly. But then her payments became spotty, and she fell behind substantially 16 months ago, prompting the former owner to initiate foreclosure. Haas tried to forestall the foreclosure by filing bankruptcy, sometimes used as a last resort to buy time against bill collectors. She even tried a less conventional strategy: asking others to file lawsuits against her. While not obvious on the surface, an outstanding legal claim against her by a third party could complicate and throw a wrench in foreclosure — at least buying Haas time. During that time, brides planning their weddings at Apple Hill Farms found out about Haas’ financial troubles and complained about problems they experienced with her — including not receiving their refundable deposit, lack of communication and breach of contract. Meanwhile, the former property owner has faced an uphill battle trying to foreclose on Haas, who threw up roadblock after roadblock to try to keep Apple Hill. “This woman has put us through hell,” said Debra Consigli, daughter of the former owner. “It has just been a nightmare.” Consigli’s family will walk with a nice chunk of change from Hass, however, plus having reclaimed title to the farm to once again put on the market. Haas sunk nearly $200,000 in to Apple Hill Farms but will be evicted with nothing to show for her investment. The following account of how Haas literally lost the farm is based on interviews and public records.

Tandi Haas Monday sat outside the house she has lived in since 2009 when she purchased Apple Hill Farms. However, she will have to leave when the foreclosure is finalized. Caitlin Bowling photo

Financial woes catch up with Tandi Haas

Smoky Mountain News

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER my Clifton Keely wasn’t asking for much. Being a wedding photographer, she knew how wedding days worked, and what pitfalls to look out for. She didn’t expect the perfect wedding, or dream of making the cover of Southern Living’s bridal edition. She was prepared to overlook a few hiccups — it was, after all, an outdoor wedding in a mountain pasture. But she wasn’t expecting her idyllic countryside wedding at Apple Hill Farms in Waynesville to take so many wrong turns. Her big day was disastrous enough that she sued the owner of the venue and has been on a mission to warn other brides to stay away. Now, Apple Hill Farm’s days of hosting weddings appear to be numbered. Festering financial trouble finally caught 8

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up with owner Tandi Haas last week. Haas lost the property in foreclosure after repeatedly failing to make monthly payments. It’s not the first blemish on Haas’s financial track record, though. In five years, Hass has racked up two bankruptcies, three failed business ventures, real estate troubles, and a trail of people claiming she owes them money, including two lawsuits by people alleging Haas financially wronged them. Despite a protracted fight to stave off the imminent foreclosure, Haas has now not only lost Apple Hill Farms but her livelihood. For three years, Haas staged weddings and receptions in the pasture beside her country farmhouse, billing it as a pictureperfect event venue. She hosted up to 30 events a year — mostly catering to brides with a penchant for countryside quaintness — at the 5-acre property just outside

NO MONEY, MORE PROBLEMS Haas bought Apple Hill Farms on Plott Valley Road in late 2008 for $695,000 from Joan Chapman. Chapman was 70 at the time and had just lost her husband. They’d moved to Waynesville 25 years prior from South Florida after falling in love with the Plott Valley farm. But when her husband died in 2008, Chapman decided to move to California to be closer to her children. Unlike Haas, Chapman did not operate the property as an event venue. Chapman agreed to owner-finance the transaction. Rather than getting a traditional mortgage through a bank and buying the property outright, Haas was supposed to pay Chapman $3,000 a month for 30 months, and then pay a balloon payment before she owned the property outright. “There was no credit check done either, by anyone, which was a big mistake,” Consigli said. There were no problems — until there were. Haas put down a sizeable down payment of $150,000. She made her monthly payments diligently at first, but then her payments became more sporadic. By early 2010, Haas’ payments became random — $750 here, $1,500 there. Some months, the payments didn’t added up to $3,000; other times, she paid more than the

requisite monthly amount. “I might not have been on time all the time, but I paid,” Haas said. Haas had moved to Waynesville from Atlanta in the fall of 2008. She was looking for a new start, as her life wasn’t going well in Atlanta. She was in the middle of what would become a protracted divorce and had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Georgia, according to court documents. In Georgia, at least six different banks claimed Haas owed them money, as well as the Fulton County tax office, the Internal Revenue Service and a smattering of businesses and people, according to the bankruptcy filings. After buying the Plott Valley Road property, Haas began renting her home back in Atlanta to vacationers for a source of income. But her neighbors in Atlanta complained about Haas marketing her home as a vacation rental, claiming it was against zoning regulations, according to Haas. In early 2012, she lost that income when she had to short sell her Atlanta home, she said. With no more rental income to cover her expenses, Haas said she decided to start a wedding venue business at Apple Hill Farms, even though she had no prior experience. “I started Apple Hill Farms because I needed income,” Haas said, who has a school-aged son she provides for.

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

Meanwhile back on the farm, Haas was getting worse and worse about paying on time and in full each month. Consigli took J over dealings with Haas on her mother’s behalf. Consigli made a deal with Haas to switch from a single payment each month to two installments — one due the first of the month and one on the 15th. But payments were still touch and go, Consigli said, adding that Haas always had an excuse when they weren’t on time. “I was just trying to get the monthly payment,” she said. “It was always some big deal or something happened.” Not only was Haas still going through bankruptcy proceedings in Georgia, but she was also divorcing her husband — a reason she listed for not being able to make mortgage payments or, in at least one case, return a bride’s deposit. By 2012, Haas was in a full-on downward spiral — the loss of rental income off her Atlanta home, her divorce, the bankruptcy and the impending foreclosure of Apple Hill Farms. Her world was crashing down. Eva Ritchey, owner of The Trolley Company that briefly rented trolleys to Haas, said Haas was simply a victim of circumstance. “I don’t think it was any lack of effort on her part,” Ritchey said. “It was just that she J didn’t have the funding.” Not all those who crossed paths with Haas are so sympathetic, however.

LIMITED RESOURCESJ Haas blamed a lack of money as the reason Apple Hill Farms and two other business ventures went south. And with a bankruptcy

NO COMPROMISE Haas said that Consigli and Chapman would not give her a chance. “They were mean-spirited. They called me every name in the book,” Haas said. But Consigli said Haas had used all her chances up. “She made a deal not in good faith with my mom,” Consigli said. “She is very good at what she does — lying.” Haas offered Consigli a bulk payment of $60,000 to help catch back up with the mortgage after her divorce went through, but Consigli and Chapman declined. Haas’ divorce has dragged out for years, and after dealing with Haas’ continued excuses as to why she could not pay, Consigli said, they chose not to take the proposition. “We made our decisions to not take the couple ‘pie in the sky’ offers based on her willingness and ability to pay,” Consigli said.

with a solution. “I was trying to stop the foreclosure,” Haas said. “Why wouldn’t I?” In the end, none of Haas’ contingency plans worked out. Consigli and her mom reclaimed the property on June 18. Still Haas wasn’t ready to accept defeat. She continued to claim she was looking for an investor or backer to help her keep Apple Hill Farms. “Someone to carry me for a year,” she said. Haas claimed she “had a lead on an investor” and hoped to keep the property. But that dream never materialized, no big surprise to Consigli. “She is delusional in her mind if she thinks she is going to keep the farm,” Consigli said. The upset bid period has even come and gone now — Haas’ last chance to make a counter offer to keep the property. So Consigli and her mother officially hold the

FINALLY FORECLOSED Apple Hill Farms hosted two weddings this past weekend, just a few days after the property was sold in foreclosure. Caitlin Bowling photo

“I was just trying to get the monthly payment. It was always some big deal or something happened.” — Debra Consigli, daughter of the former owner of Apple Hill Farms

deed to the property once again — after years of a rollercoaster ride with Haas. Yet Haas still thinks she has a chance to keep Apple Hill Farms, and even plans to host an already-booked wedding there on July 13. “It ain’t over til the fat lady sings,” Haas said. Although she reportedly has a back plan, Haas would not go into details, saying she did not want to show her hand. “I have certain actions I am going to be taking,” Haas said, citing debtors protection laws. As of mid-week, Haas had 10 calendar days to legally get off the property — until July 13. But Consigli said she thinks it will be a battle to kick Haas out. “She still says she is not leaving,” Consigli said. Haas echoed that, saying she will have to be forcibly removed of the Plott Valley home.

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Consigli and Chapman proceeded with the foreclosure instead. But they hit a roadblock when Haas filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in North Carolina. “I was hoping that would put a stay on the foreclosure,” Haas said. When her Chapter 13 bankruptcy claim was dismissed, Haas had her sister, a coowner of Apple Hill Farms, file for bankruptcy in Atlanta. Consigli, who lives in Colorado, said she and her mother flew to Asheville and Atlanta to fight the bankruptcy filings, so that they could regain ownership of Apple Hill Farms. She estimated that they paid out about $40,000 during the foreclosure. Haas went as far as to ask a former wedding client with grievances again her to file a lawsuit. While it seems odd, Haas hoped a lien against the property by a third-party would place the foreclosure on the backburner, buying her more time to come up

BOILING BRIDES Although Apple Hill Farms has been in foreclosure since last year, Haas continued to host and book weddings. She said she could not recall how many are on the calendar for this year and next year. But since she said she is still looking for ways to keep the farm, Haas has not cancelled any of the scheduled weddings. “As long as I have possession of the property, I will continue to have my weddings,” Haas said. However, she does not have legal possession of the property anymore, and Consigli has no plans to honor the already scheduled weddings. Her family plans to put the property on the market immediately. As for the security deposits brides have put down for their upcoming weddings, Haas said that she has the money to reimburse them, but she would not say whether it is tucked away in a bank account or buried in a box in the backyard. Haas also said brides-to-be were aware of the foreclosure. “They all know the situation, and they are waiting,” Haas said. However, at least a few brides were in the dark about Haas’ financial situation while they were working with her. Jennifer Kelley of Roxboro planned to wed at Apple Hill Farms this August but became worried. “I hadn’t heard from her in a while and did some research,” Kelley said. Kelley said Haas denied the foreclosure when confronted about it, while Haas claims she told Kelley. When Kelley tried to get her deposit back, Haas instead offered to buy her cake or provide the flowers. The thing Haas won’t do, however, is return the $2,500 Kelley had already paid her. “I can do flowers cheaper,” Haas said. “I am trying to do what I can do, but I can’t shell out the money.” Kelley was not the only bride to come forward. After Consigli filed for foreclosure, she began hearing from brides who had their weddings at Apple Hill Farms or were planning to hold them there later this year. “They all started contacting me and my lawyer. It was really interesting,” Consigli said. “The mothers were like, ‘She really deceived me.’” In fact, another bride sued Haas for breach of contract after holding her wedding at Apple Hill Farms last year. But the experience didn’t start out bad. The brides initially believed it was the dream location for their perfect weddings. “Our first impression when we went the farm was that is it was beautiful; it was peaceful,” said Amy Clifton Keely, a South Carolina wedding photographer who held her rehearsal dinner and wedding at the farm just more than a year ago. “From the start, Tandi was very personable.” Another bride, Jill Talevski of Charlotte,

July 3-9, 2013

According to both Consigli and Haas, she quit making her monthly payments in January 2012. So in September, Consigli and her mother filed foreclosure. Two months later, Haas filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy in North Carolina. Listed among her debtors in the bankruptcy records are BB&T, her sister, the Haywood County Tax Collector, the Internal Revenue Service and of course, Joan Chapman, Apple Hill Farms’ former owner. According to foreclosure filings, Haas was 16 payments behind and owed about $570,000. By now, Haas was supposed to have paid off the sale price on the property in full. The monthly payments weren’t intended to drag on forever. She was supposed to have made a large balloon payment back in 2011 to close out the purchase. But she never came up with the balloon payment. That’s not to say Haas didn’t plunk down a big chunk of change on Apple Hill Farm. She paid Chapman and Consigli at least $197,000 over the course of four years — between her initial $150,000 down payment and monthly checks. Haas admitted that she was not always diligent in her payments but that she tried to make up for it by making a payment in January 2013 — her last payment. Although the foreclosure stated that Haas is 16 months behind on payments, Haas said it was not as bad as it looked. When the foreclosure started, “I was only 9 months behind. I made a payment in January 2013, but they continued with the foreclosure. If I continued to make payments, the money would have gone into a black hole,” Haas said.

“They are going to have to drag me out of here,” Haas said.

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on her financial record, no bank was going to lend Haas money. “I was under-capitalized. I have tried to do it completely on my own,” Haas said. In addition to Apple Hill Farms, Haas tried to start a trolley service that would transport visitors around the greater downtown Waynesville area, but it never went anywhere. It operated for about a month, but Haas did not have enough income to sustain it. She also opened Apple Blossoms, a (shabby chic décor) store on Main Street in Waynesville, but the business is now closed, and a woman who sold items at the store is suing Haas. Wendy Lee Wright said she helped Haas set up the store and found vendors to sell trinkets and furniture at Apple Blossoms. She even sold some of her own merchandise. But Wright said she never got the cut of the profits she was promised, and she has subsequently filed a lawsuit asking for about $1,200 from Haas. “She refused to pay me,” Wright said. “She just thinks that she doesn’t have to pay people.” But Haas contended that she is the one who lost out on Apple Blossoms, partly because she closed the store for two months to help Wright with personal problems. “I don’t owe her a damn dime,” Haas said.

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July 3-9, 2013

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APPLE H ILL, CONTINUED FROM 9 said the same. “We thought it was actually the perfect place for us,” Talevski said. “It seemed like Tandi was really able to meet our needs.” But the fairy tale did not last long, according to both. Keely said she had trouble communicating with Haas and became weary when Apple Hills Farm’s wedding planner, who was supposed to act as a gobetween with brides, left just a month before her wedding. “It was a month before our wedding. We actually had to hire an outside planner,” Keely said. Then, Haas suddenly “became very unprofessional and very argumentative.” According to Keely, Apple Hill Farms was supposed to supply plates for the wedding reception, but they were not up to par. “She brought them to us dirty like two hours before our wedding,” Keely said. The lawsuit that Keely and her husband filed also alleged that Haas only secured one working tap for the parties’ two kegs, did not return some personal and rented items to the family, and the bathrooms provided had no toilet paper, hand soap or lighting. “There are lots and lots of little things,” Keely said. But “If those were isolated incidents, it’s not worth ruining your wedding. It was her general attitude.” Keely also stated that the tables were not set up correctly, and the DJ had to help set up. “We spent a good chunk of money there, and we were happy to do that if it had been a pleasant experience,” she said. Haas disagreed with Keely’s retelling of what happened. Although there was a malfunction with one of the keg taps, Haas denied everything else and said she went above and beyond her agreement with the bride. “I let her use a lot of things that were not in the contract,” Haas said, including her computer. Because of the inconvenience of having to hire their own planner, Haas said she tried to make up for it by offering her free things such as the plates. “I gave her so much free stuff,” Haas said. Haas said it was in fact she who was treated poorly by the family and with condescension. “She treated me like hired help,” Haas said, of the bride’s mother. “I don’t do well

with that.” After the wedding, Haas did not return the couple’s security deposit and said they owed her $900 for various services. In an email conversation with Keely, Haas said she would return the personal and rented items left by the wedding party after the couple paid the additional $900. “I will leave your things in the corncrib once I have received a cashier’s check for the balance that you owe,” Haas wrote. Although she denied Keely’s accusations, when sued, Haas did not appear in a S.C. court to respond to them, and the judge ruled in favor of Keely, saying she and her husband were entitled to nearly $20,000 from Haas. The restitution has not been paid. Unlike Keely, Talevski did not end up getting married at Apple Hill Farms. She had planned to rent the venue for Memorial Day weekend this year for a mini-destination wedding. Her family planned to travel up from Charlotte and her fiancée’s family would come down from Ohio for the event. “It was actually going to be perfect we thought,” Talevski said. However, in December, she heard about a bad experience someone had there. “We got a little bit concerned,” Talevski said, adding that they decided to cancel the reservation at Apple Hill Farms even before they found out about the foreclosure. “It was too big of a risk to pay her any more money.” She contacted Haas, who said she would be willing to refund Talevski’s $4,850 security deposit. “I do not want you to have concerns about your wedding. That would not be fair to you,” Haas wrote in a Dec. 2 email to Talevski. “I will refund your money as promised. However, I will not be able to pay you until January.” Haas said she would not have the money until her divorce went through. It was supposed to end in January, Haas said. However, it is still ongoing. When Talevski did not hear from Haas in January, both she and her fiancée contacted Haas repeatedly about the refund, and conversations grew heated. “All I wanted was my money back as she promised,” Talevski said. Haas said she did not have the money because her divorce negotiations were at an impasse. “That’s unacceptable and preposterous,”

make up for it.” However, not every bride has walked away with a bad taste after dealing with Haas. “We couldn’t have been more happy with the day or Tandi’s help,” said Celeste Selwyn, a Georgia resident whose daughter got married at Apple Hill Farms on June 1. “She certainly lived up to her contract.” Neither Selwyn nor her daughter heard any of the allegations other bridal parties had levied against Haas nor did they know about Haas’ financial struggles. “We had a very good experience. I don’t know about other allegations,” Selwyn said, adding that she was very involved in the planning process and kept “total and thorough account” of “I do not want you to have what was spent. Unlike other families, she concerns about your wedding. received the security deposit That would not be fair to you. I will back. “I experienced none of refund your money as promised. that,” Selwyn said. “Our experience was everything we hoped However, I will not be able to pay it would be.” you until January.” During the interview with Haas, Apple Hill Farms employ— Tandi Haas in a Dec. 2 email to Jill Talevski ee Tina Anderson showed off a couple of the “Thank You” cards Haas has received and said that Haas put food on the table. I hope you can live works hard to prepare for weddings and with yourself.” events. Haas concluded the email by saying she “I wish you would’ve come here on would pay Talevski back, but she has not to Saturday because you would have seen us date. Haas said she did not receive a written running around like chickens with our heads request from the couple asking for their deposit back but was going to give it to them cut off,” Anderson said. “(Haas) is such a perfectionist. She goes above and beyond to before they started a “smear campaign.” “I out of the kindness of my heart tried to be that perfectionist.” Anderson has worked at Apple Hill do that for them,” Haas said. “Why would I Farms since January and said she and Haas be kind to you when all you want to do is have the same philosophy — they will do ruin me?” anything to make the day perfect. Talevski has tried placing complaints on “Our ultimate goal is to make this the wedding websites to warn other brides, only most perfect wedding. Period,” Anderson to have them challenged by Haas and taken said. “I’ve seen Tandi (Haas) go out of her down. The couple was upset with Haas for way to make sure people don’t leave dissatisnot telling them about the foreclosure. fied,” she later added. “That is my worry that other people are Anderson said she is frustrated that since investing their money,” Talevski said. Haas fell into financial trouble, that people started lodging complaints. OT ALL BAD have“Itsuddenly seems like people are coming out of the The strain of going through bankruptcy, woodwork to throw mud,” Anderson said. foreclosure and a divorce affected her wedThere are also several only-positive ding business last year, Haas said. reviews of Apple Hill Farms on the Wedding “Some of the things did slip through the Wire, a niche website where brides can plan cracks last year,” she said. “But I tried to their weddings and search for vendors. Talevski said in a January email. “You have taken advantage of the most sacred time in our life. We have absolutely no credibility in your words or intent.” Haas replied with similar fervor. “You should be ashamed of yourself. I never did anything to hurt you. You never even gave me a chance to let you talk to all the brides that have loved getting married at my home,” Haas wrote. “I told you that I had to wait until I could get money from my divorce to pay you. No other facility owner would have been nearly as kind as me. … You are not just hurting me but my son. I am his sole provider. I work seven days a week to

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WCU neighbors chagrinned by sprawling student apartments — and the cars they bring BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER dam Cartwright walked a thin line on the way back to his home in Cullowhee. He hugged the side of Ledbetter Road, feet on the white paint, and frequently stepping off the pavement onto the scrubby grass if he heard a car approaching. The narrow strip of grass was his only safe harbor, and false sense of security, between the rushing river to his right and the stream of traffic to his left. A logging truck, as wide as its lane, thundered by. “It can be dangerous walking along here,” Cartwright said. “But it’s about the only way I got to get around.” Cartwright doesn’t have a car, so he has to walk from his mobile home in the nearby River Park to the convenience store or the Laundromat in Cullowhee. So the thought of yet another giant student housing complex — injecting a few hundred more students and their vehicles onto Ledbetter Road — concerns him, as it does many in the community. Already, the once-rural road — absent of sidewalks, shoulders and bike lanes — provides the only access to several large housing complexes that serve Western Carolina University students. During the past decade or so, projects like University Suites, the Villas at WCU and the Maples of Cullowhee have sprouted up in the neighborhood. The latest proposed project, Western Carolina Apartments, has already been approved by the Jackson County’s Planning

July 3-9, 2013

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Board. It is looking to add more than 450 additional beds along the busy road in an expansive, sprawling complex outfitted with basketball courts, a swimming pool, a clubhouse and several three-story buildings. While the neighborhood around Ledbetter Road has developed over time, with increasingly larger and higher-end apartment complexes, the road has not kept up. “We’ve seen traffic counts grow a huge amount,” said Scott Baker, the dean of Career Technologies at Southwestern Community College. “There are a lot of near misses.” Baker lives along Ledbetter Road, but the road today is far different than the one he moved onto in 2000. At that time, the River Park trailer park was the largest development, and the road predominantly served single-family dwellings. Nowadays, the road has become a hazard, Baker said. As a cyclist, he feels for the other residents who utilize the dead-end road for non-motorized purposes — the students who decide to walk or bike the half-mile to campus or folks like Cartwright don’t have a choice. They are left with few options except risking it along Ledbetter and hope that the youthful drivers, with a reputation for taking its tight curves a bit too fast, see them in time to react, and heaven forbid, aren’t texting or yakking on their phones. “It’s not that bad unless people speed,” said Ledbetter Road resident Melissa Collier, who lives right near the Maples apartments. “I just wish people would drive slower.”

She said one of the biggest problems is the steep bank on one side of the road, which forces pedestrians to walk with their backs to traffic at times. The situation wouldn’t be so bad if the road wasn’t also riddled with blind curves and fast drivers. Collier said she never walks the road but would consider it if there were a sidewalk. If no improvements are made, traffic on the road is only expected to get worse. The wait time to get through the intersec-

Cat-Tran could be nixed for off-campus students

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER Western Carolina University’s off-campus Cat-Tran may soon go the way of the horse and buggy. What seemed like a good idea in theory — a free shuttle service for students living off campus — is just not popular. Low ridership numbers and rising costs have plagued the program and caused university transportation officials to ask the question: is it worth it? No changes are planned for the upcoming school year. But WCU Police Chief Ernie Hudson, who also oversees CatTran, said he will most likely propose cutting the program the following year if ridership doesn’t pick up. Cat-Tran has two components. One is on-campus shuttle that gives students rides between WCU lecture halls, dorms, labs and other facilities. The other is an off-campus shuttle between main apartments and campus. The off-campus shuttle runs a north and a south loop. In 2012, the Cat-Tran shuttles carried about 365,000 passengers. Of those, just more than 4,000 rode the off-campus routes. “You’re sending a bus up a road to a particular place eight 12 times a day and only getting a few passengers” Hudson said.

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Ledbetter Road is ground zero for a boom in student housing in Cullowhee, but its narrow lanes and lack of a shoulder and sidewalk make it a dangerous route to travel. Andrew Kasper photo

Western Carolina University Transit officials are debating if the not-so-popular off-campus shuttle service is worth keeping. Andrew Kasper photo

“Some buses were actually coming back empty.” The Cat-Tran program is funded through student transportation fees. For the upcoming school year, each student will pay a $96 fee that will go toward funding the shuttle services and other transportation programs through WCU. Of the more than $800,000 in fees collected, the off-campus shuttle consumes about 10 percent of the funds but comes nowhere near providing 10 percent of riders services. Hudson doesn’t think it’s necessarily fair to have all the

tion at the end of Ledbetter Road will nearly double after the apartments are built, according to a traffic study commissioned by the developers of Western Carolina Apartments. The time to get past the stop sign at Monteith Gap Road will jump from about 10 seconds to just under 20 seconds in the morning rush hour. The additional traffic would downgrade the road on the N.C. Department of Transportation’s own grading system from a “B” to a “C.” However,

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students subsidizing a program that is expensive and getting little to no use. Roughly speaking, providing a ride to the oncampus crowd costs about $1. Providing a ride to an off-campus rider costs about $20. “I am a steward of these student fees, so the students expect me to spend their money wisely and to get the most out of every dollar,” Hudson said. “It’s cheaper to run a limo.” He said the buses running off-campus routes would be better utilized running on-campus routes and making that service faster and more convenient. Moreover, running bus routes that return without any passengers somewhat defeats the energy-saving purposes of public transit. Furthermore, most juniors and seniors living off-campus have their own vehicles, Hudson said. And reducing the offcampus routes may only exacerbate the situation. Once the frequency of the shuttle goes beyond every 30 minutes, Hudson believes even fewer students will use it. “You’re 20 years old; you’re living in an apartment four blocks from campus, and you have a car sitting out there,” Hudson said. “Are you going to stand out there for 30 minutes?” He doesn’t seem to think so, and the ridership statistics support his claim. So does WCU junior Savannah Hopper. Despite living in the University Suites Apartments with an off-campus Cat-Tran stop at her front door, Hopper drives the half-mile to campus everyday. “The Cat-Tran doesn’t come at all when I need it,” Hopper said. The cost of a parking pass on campus for the year is $96.

The controversy over Western Carolina Apartments embodies the dilemma the community of Cullowhee as a whole is faced with — a dense university population expanding into what was once an undeveloped rural area. WCU broke enrollment records last fall with 9,600 students. Of those, more than 7,500 were enrolled in at least one Cullowhee-based class. WCU’s on-campus residence halls have a total of 4,000 or so beds — and they were all full. That’s led off-campus developers to swoop in to capture the student market, or steal the market from existing apartments that can’t compete with the high-end amenities newer housing complexes offer. WCU has no plans to build more dorms or housing in the near future — due both to space limitations and budget constraints — making private housing developers the only players in the game. “There is opportunity for off-campus developers to help address that need,” said Sam w Miller, WCU vice chancellor for student affairs.

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“Residence halls are very expensive to build and wouldn’t it be better for the long term to upgrade classrooms and laboratories?” Meanwhile, as off-campus housing expands, alternative transportation in Cullowhee is either non-existent, or not ideal. Just last week, construction began on a sidewalk linking the main campus to the university’s Millennial Campus and its new Health and Human Sciences Building. The hope is that students will now have the option of safely walking the three-fourths of a mile from the main campus along Little Savannah Road, but the sidewalk will stand as one of the few in Cullowhee off campus. “The inside portion of the university has a lot of sidewalks,” N.C. Department of Transportation District Engineer Jonathan Woodard said. “But as it starts to expand out into an area that was more a rural area before, the needs for transportation is expanding with it.” Community members have been pushing for a sidewalk between campus and the old Cullowhee business district. But the DOT, university and community advocates haven’t figured out a solution for who would maintain the stretch of sidewalk beyond the campus limits. The DOT doesn’t want to, nor does the university, and as yet, no other entity has emerged to make it a reality.

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The biggest concern for residents, however, is not the extra 10 seconds at an intersection. It is the safety of the road. Baker and a contingent of Ledbetter residents have voiced their concerns to the county and N.C. DOT over Western Carolina Apartments. “We’re not rioting in the streets against this apartment complex,” Baker said. “We’re just concerned about the traffic.” At the urging of the Cullowhee community, county commissioners are appointing a task force to craft development standards to guide growth in the area. But regulations are a year away at best — too late to help the residents of Ledbetter Road. The group of residents has appeared at public meetings to vocalize their reservations about the future development, sent correspondence to county and state officials, and recently finished a petition to call attention to the road conditions and demand improvements.

Their requests are numerous: a widened roadway, improved curves, an additional guardrail, a lower speed limit, sidewalks and bike lanes. These are all the features the current road lacks. The new development won’t be on the hook for any of the improvements, however, according to DOT’s Woodard. The road was already inadequate; while Carolina West Apartments might make it worse, they can’t be solely responsible for fixing it. “We can’t really ask them to come in and create improvements for a deficiency that was already there,” Woodard said. DOT sometimes requires minor improvements of a developer if their project will disrupt traffic flows, like a turn lane. To see a full slate of upgrades Ledbetter Road will have to beat out other future road projects through DOT’s ranking system, a joint process that considers technical analysis of road needs plus local community input. Although not a perfect system, Woodard said it’s a way to work with the resources available. “There’s a finite amount of funding,” Woodard said. “The intent is to take that funding and spend it on the best projects we can.” Thus far, Ledbetter Road hasn’t made it on the list. But with the new apartments coming as early as fall 2014 and the amount of discontent displayed by Cullowhee residents, Woodard said the DOT is giving the road another look. It will draw up a prototype for improvements to Ledbetter Road and the road it empties onto, Monteith Gap Road. But that doesn’t guarantee it will be selected as one of the top projects in January, when the next cycle of road funding begins.

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the “C” grade is still acceptable by DOT stanydards, said DOT District Engineer Jonathan aWoodard. p “There are a lot of stop sign intersecmtions that have a lot longer wait than that,” nhe said. The developer of the apartment complex ecountered complaints about more traffic by fsuggesting students would ride the WCU shuttle, which stops on Ledbetter Road right in front of the new apartments. However, that theory is likely flawed, based on student participation. The Cat-Tran gets so little use from off-campus students that university transit officials have indicated it may be discontinued.

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Cashiers fights for bigger piece of funding pie

BY ANDREW KASPER ought to have a vote on it. This needs to be STAFF WRITER questioned democratically.” he debate over the Jackson County He was followed by Bob Starkey, a CPA in Tourism Development Authority budg- Cashiers. et was bumped up another notch last “We’ve never heard of an iterative week when dozens of business owners and process where a chairman of a board members of the Cashiers community flood- changes something without a consensus of ed a budget meeting demanding more the board or committee,” Starkey said. money for the Cashiers visitor center. Even Stephanie Edwards, executive direcTheir game plan was to introduce an tor of the Cashiers Area Chamber of amendment to the TDA budget and have an Commerce, showed her frustration over not increase in the visitor center’s funding writ- having the full budget increase she wanted ten back into the budget, after it was taken for the visitor center and being left with an out in a controversial move by authority interim budget instead. Chairman Clifford Meads. “I need the budget for our fiscal year that To show support for the issue, Ken starts on Monday,” Edwards said. “And I Fernandez, a TDA board member and presi- don’t have that.” dent of the Cashiers Area Chamber, called But County Commissioner Vickie Green, upon chamber members to rally at the meet- who is a non-voting member on TDA, said ing. He sees visitor center funding as playing the concerns were overblown and the budga key role in promoting tourism in the area. et delay will actually give the authority the “There’s still a vital role for a visitor cen- time it needs to sort out all its budget issues. ter with eye-to-eye, one-on-one contact,” Counties across North Carolina are adopting Fernandez said. “But we’d like more money interim budgets as the state is slow in getto have more tools to do our job better.” ting out its budget. But when the full house of Cashiers visitor center supporters turned out for “You’re making a mountain out the meeting, expecting to cheer on the center’s budget increase, they of a molehill. This needs to be were disappointed to find out that the amendment couldn’t be introa forward-looking group. duced. Blame making should not be A budgeting technicality prevented any changes from being made part of the discussion now.” until the TDA held a valid public hearing on the budget. Their last — Vickie Green, Jackson commissioner pubic hearing, which is a prerequisite and TDA member to passing a budget, was null and void because a quorum of board members wasn’t present. “You’re making a mountain out of a Instead, an interim budget had to be molehill,” Green said. “This needs to be a passed and another public hearing sched- forward-looking group. Blame making uled in mid-July. Only after that hearing can should not be part of the discussion now.” an amendment be introduced. But the comments of the Cashiers continThat’s when the attendees’ ire was turned gent were not limited to the budget process. on Meads, who was blamed for acting uni- The group had its pitchforks sharpened and laterally and depriving the visitor center of torches blazing. Attendee after attendee critthe full funding increase. Instead of an icized the TDA board on everything from increase of $22,000 first included in the the board’s ongoing branding campaign to draft budget, the Cashiers Visitor Center is the location of its meetings to its marketing slated for an additional $8,000 in the new strategies for the Cashiers area. One person fiscal year. in the crowd even characterized the TDA as Many Cashiers Area Chamber of “government at its worst.” Commerce members still want to see the full Several times, TDA board members tried amount funded. Meads was accused of not to call the meeting to a close, but the comfollowing the proper protocol for budget ments continued. changes when he pushed for a lesser Meads even defended his move to do increase. And more than one Cashiers resi- away with the increases and took responsident at the meeting tried to take him to task bility for making the changes. He characterfor it. ized the extra $22,000 for the visitor center “Who changed the line item?” asked in Cashiers as unwarranted and potentially Rand Soellner, an architect in Cashiers, wasteful. standing up and speaking in front of the And in his defense, Meads claims his crowd. changes were supported by the finance com“I did,” responded Meads. mittee and the majority of the full board. “That is not a valid change,” Soellner However, a confusing and said. “You’re using our tax dollars. You unorthodox budgeting process

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Meads said he is now being used as a scapegoat by the chamber because the funding increases to their visitor center aren’t that popular of an idea across the entire county. Meads, who lives and works in Cashiers in the hospitability business, was also upset that the chamber’s call for action at the last meeting felt somewhat like a personal attack on him. “I made the changes — I’ll take responsibility for that,” Meads said. “But they’re blaming me even though we took it back to the finance committee for discussion and clarification.” However, Hattler argued that the finance committee didn’t exactly achieve clarification but rather was unable to reach an accord. In the meantime, the June 30 budget deadline was approaching. So it was the modified draft, which only gave the visitor center $8,000 in increases, that was sent to the county to be included in the round of budget hearings for the public. A public hearing is a requirement before any public budget is approved. But Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce members were not pleased that the budget being pushed forward did not include the increases they believe their visitor center deserves. Many argue that because of the large amount of overnight room tax generated in the Cashiers area, it deserves to have funding at least equal to the visitor center in Sylva. “Given the significant volume of occupancy taxes generated in the Cashiers Area, the local Chamber’s request for a funding

increase — to the level historically provided for the visitor center in the northern part of the county — is simply a long-overdue,” said Edwards. Before the TDA was formed, the county had two separate tourism promotion boards. One represented the county as a whole and the other represented the Cashiers area. Money collected from a tax on overnight hotel, inn and B&B stays was split between the two entities. Historically, the Cashiers area has collected around 40 percent of the room tax revenue. When the two boards merged the overnight tax was increased from 3 to 4 cents, as part of the process. The money was expected to generate an additional $150,000 to promote tourism in the county. However, many Cashiers business leaders and authority board members representing the area claim it would only be fair to use some of that new revenue for the their visitor center to bring it on par with the one in Sylva. At the center of their discontent is the fact that the Cashiers Visitor Center is slated to receive more than $68,000 from the TDA in the upcoming fiscal year, compared with the $81,000 or so going to the Jackson County Visitor Center located in Sylva that serves the county as a whole. Last year, the Cashiers Visitor Center received $60,000. County Commissioner Mark Jones, who lives in Cashiers and works with Meads at the High Hampton Inn, voiced his reservations about such a large increase for the Cashiers Visitor Center.

He said he has requested a detailed breakdown of what the additional $14,000 or so would be used for and has yet to receive a response. “This money should be going to put heads in beds, period, and not for subsidizing any organizations,” Jones said.

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by the new board has muddied the waters as to who supported what. “It wasn’t just a striking of the pen and giving (the budget) to the board,” Meads said. The issue began to gain momentum weeks ago, as the TDA’s Finance Committee was hashing out the budget for the new fiscal year. An increase of $22,000 for the Cashiers Visitor Center was written into the first draft of the budget. That draft was agreed upon by the fourperson finance committee, according to committee Chairwoman Debbie Hattler, who is also a Cashiers-based business owner. However, when Meads, who is not on the finance committee, took a closer look at the budget they wrote up, he found the $22,000 increase to the visitor center in Cashiers and didn’t like it. He then had $14,000 of the increases to the visitor center written out of the budget — the move that angered the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce. But he contends that the changes were not the unilateral power grab he is being accused of. In fact, the finance committee met three times after Meads erased $14,000 of the visitor center funding increases. Meads said once the increases were brought to the center of discussion, committee members backed his move. He also claims to have the support of the majority of the full board, even though timing problems excluded them from voting on the budget before it was published for a public hearing.

GROWING PAINS Jackson County’s newly formed Tourism Development Authority is experiencing growing pains as it navigates the complexities of following protocol as it drafts its first budget. The first stumbling block came several weeks ago as the finance committee completed its draft of the authorities budget. For most public boards, their budgets follow a progression from finance committee, to the full board for approval, then on to the public hearing before going back to the full board again for possible changes and a final adoptive vote. “That’s the way it should have worked and it didn’t,” said Debbie Hattler, chairwoman of the TDA’s Finance Committee. Hattler took over for the former finance chairman, Russ Seagle, who resigned amid the budget controversy. Instead of the proper process the TDA’s draft budget went straight from a divided finance committee — which never quite agreed on the final product — to public comment, bypassing the full board. That created the uproar when Cashiers Chamber members realized the $22,000 in increases they wanted for their visitor center had been cut to about $8,000 by Meads.

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Lake Junaluska merger temporarily stymied by Raleigh politics

Smoky Mountain News

July 3-9, 2013

Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center and its surrounding neighborhoods are poised to come in to Waynesville's town limits. Lake Junaluska photo BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he merger of Lake Junaluska with the town of Waynesville has yet to get the blessing of state legislators in Raleigh, and time is now running out. “We continue to have hope that it will be taken up,” said Jack Ewing, CEO of Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. “We are cautiously optimistic.” But the merger has hit a stumbling block in Raleigh. It has been stuck in the finance committee of the N.C. House of Representatives for weeks. The origin of the stumbling block isn’t altogether clear, flummoxing even those on the front lines of the bill itself. At times, it has smelled of petty politics,

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nothing more than tit-for-tat political bargaining, retribution, horse-trading, pandering or muscle flexing. At other times, it seemed to come down to the merits and substance of the issue itself — namely whether the merger is tantamount to forced annexation. Leaders with Lake Junaluska and the town of Waynesville have been working the halls of the General Assembly in hopes of assuaging philosophical misgivings over annexation. On the surface, the merger could be mistaken for a forced annexation — an attempt by a town to absorb property into its town limits to grow its property tax base. But that’s not the case, said Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown. “It didn’t come down the pike that way,” Brown said. “The Lake came to us. It was then

and only then that our town said, ‘We will look at whether we want to take them in.’” A merger with Waynesville is viewed as a rescue package of sorts for the 765-home residential community with century-old roots as a summer Methodist retreat. Lake Junaluska is burdened by crumbling infrastructure and is over-extended in the level of services it provides. It offers amenities on par with a bona fide town — water, sewer, police, trash pickup, street maintenance and the like — without actually being a town. The community faced hard choices as it looked to the future: enact huge hikes to its homeowners fees, risk financial insolvency, or flee to the safe harbor of Waynesville. Lake Junaluska leaders and property owners undertook an exhaustive year-long study of the pros and cons and concluded a merger with nearby Waynesville was the best way forward. Lake Junaluska’s leaders have tried to educate state legislators that the merger is not merely masquerading as forced annexation — it is not a wolf in sheep’s clothing, so to speak. “Never has Waynesville been the aggressor trying to annex Lake Junaluska. We came to them in the process,” Ewing said. Ewing said he understands why legislators are asking the questions they are. “They were wanting to make certain what we did was the appropriate process,” Ewing said. Pinning down a prognosis for the merger bill at this point is difficult given the fluctuating political climate in Raleigh, even for those with a front-row seat on the House finance committee meetings. “How to put this …” Brown said when asked about the status of the bill. “We have so many things at play it is hard to ascertain what is going to happen.” Brown said the bill has become a bit of a “political hockey puck.” It is unclear why — and even who — is holding the bill up, and thus knowing the right person to lobby has proven difficult. “I feel like the young man going to ask a girl’s father for her hand in marriage. I can’t

get the appropriate person to ask for her hand,” said Brown, who has used courting and marriage analogies often over the course of merger talks.

A TWISTED ROAD

A legislative bill consecrating the merger already passed the N.C. Senate with flying colors, thanks in large part to the support of Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, who shepherded the bill through the necessary committees and Senate floor votes. The bill then moved to the House of Representatives, where it lacked a clear champion — at least within the prevailing political party. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, has advocated for the bill in the House, but as a Democrat has not yet been able to pull the right strings. That left Davis trying to run the football as best as he could in the House, making a case for the bill with Republicans leaders on the House side. Queen commended Davis for his work fielding the bill. Meanwhile, Rep. Michell Presnell, RBurnsville, has been not exactly been an ally of the merger, at least in its current form. Presnell does not represent Waynesville nor Lake Junaluska, but does represent other parts of Haywood County. She has said she would support the merger if a formal election were held showing it has majority support among residents of Lake Junaluska. Lake Junaluska leaders and the town of Waynesville happily agreed to that stipulation, and the logjam appeared to be broken. Last week, as the bill headed to a vote in the House finance committee, it appeared it would pass with the caveat that a formal referendum on the merger had to be held. But when the House finance committee convened, the previously brokered deal didn’t come to fruition for reasons unknown. “I was looking for that answer myself,” Davis said. The next House finance committee meeting is Tuesday, July 9, when the bill may or may not come up again.

The community faced hard choices as it looked to the future: enact huge hikes to its homeowners fees, risk financial insolvency, or flee to the safe harbor of Waynesville.

Ballot referendum likely in Lake Junaluska merger with Waynesville

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER compromise has been floated in Raleigh that could break the political impasse over the proposed merger of Lake Junaluska with the town of Waynesville. Opponents in the state legislature have indicated they will back down and give the merger their blessing if a formal election is held showing majority support among Junaluska homeowners. “If the legislature wants us to do a referendum, we’ll do a 16 referendum,” said Buddy Young, public works director for

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the 765-home Lake Junaluska residential community. Nearly two-thirds of property owners support a merger, based on the results of a comprehensive survey conducted by mail in March. “I feel confident the referendum would mirror the work that has already been done,” said Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, who has been an advocate for the merger bill. The merger was initially going to take effect this fall. That would be delayed, however, in order to hold a formal vote first. The earliest an election could be held is November, pushing back the effective date of a merger until spring or

summer should the referendum pass. Davis said a referendum would make the merger “palatable” to those still holding out. He has been instrumental in getting the bill this far, first ushering it to passage in the Senate and then lobbying for it in the House of Representatives. But for now, its fate is in limbo. It must clear the House finance committee before it can head to the full House for a vote. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking before the legislature adjourns for the year. There seem to be two likely possibilities at this

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“There would be no hesitancy to have a referendum if that’s what the General Assembly wanted us to do.”

“If this is what the people in Raleigh think is warranted, that is fine with us. We’d be glad to,” echoed Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown. And last but not least, “If they think a referendum is the gold standard we are perfectly happy with that,” said Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville. “The vast majority of residents are in favor of this scenario.” That begs the question: why didn’t Lake Junaluska just hold a formal referendum in the first place? In this case, a survey was actually seen as a better litmus test. In a formal ballot measure, only local residents registered to vote under a Lake Junaluska address could participate in the election. The survey, on the other hand, was sent to every property owner — even part-timers who merely have vacation homes at the lake. “I think the town and Lake Junaluska went overboard trying to canvas all those people,” Davis said. “I think they are to be commended for the approach they took.” More than half the property owners at Lake Junaluska claim a full-time residence elsewhere and wouldn’t be able to vote in a formal election. “It seemed a survey would be the fairest to include everyone,” Ewing said. The merger could see an even wider margin of support in a formal referendum than it did in the survey. Those who live at Lake Junaluska

year-round seem to support the merger in greater numbers. Based on those who spoke up at public meetings on the issue, opponents to the merger predominantly lived elsewhere, while the supporters were predominantly permanent residents of Lake Junaluska. Holding a special referendum would cost several thousand dollars, according to Robert Inman, director of the Haywood County Board of Elections. If a referendum must be held, leaders of Lake Junaluska and the town

contingency plan is in order. For now, the town will operate under the assumption the merger isn’t going to pass. In coming weeks, the town will know for sure, and at that point the board will come back to the table and amend the budget. The addition of Lake Junaluska was more or less a wash for the town finanically. So the town won’t be left with a hole in its budget should the merger fall through. Waynesville planned to spend the extra property tax revenue on 14.5 new positions, including police, firefighters, public works and street department employees, to serve the 765 homes in the Lake Junaluska area. Many of those workers would come from the existing ranks of Lake Junaluska’s own public works department, who would transfer over to the town. But backing out the $650,000 in projected new property taxes aren’t the only budget adjustments the town would have to make, though. Whether the merger goes through affects how much the town gets in trash pick-up fees, water and sewer fees and fire service taxes. The town had also budget for water and sewer line repairs at the lake. “I want to applaud your all’s efforts,” Alderman Wells Greeley told town staff. “I know that took a lot of time and energy.” Meanwhile, the board will sit in limbo until a final decision is made on the merger at the General Assembly. “What happens in Raleigh doesn’t stay in Raleigh. It comes back to Waynesville,” said Mayor Gavin Brown. “Our budget was left a little bit on its ear. We are sort of at the beck and call of the legislature.” News editor Becky Johnson contributed to this story.

of Waynesville have said they want to hold it in November. Inman said he needs to know fairly soon in order to pull off a referendum by then. There are the basic steps of printing ballots, setting up voting booth locations and scheduling an early voting period. But Inman also needs to figure out who would be eligible to vote in the election — namely those registered to vote at an address inside the proposed merger area.

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July 3-9, 2013

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he Waynesville Board of Aldermen rubberstamped a $31.8 million budget Monday, but it may just have to turn right around and approve a new one. Waynesville’s budget assumed a merger with Lake Junaluska would come to pass. If so, it would bring in an extra $650,000 in new property taxes for the town. It would also add more than a dozen new employees to the town’s payroll, from police officers to garbage men, to serve Lake Junaluska’s sizeable residential neighborhoods. But the merger may not happen this year after all due to political hang-ups in the state legislature. And that in turn means Waynesville would have to “radically alter” its budget, according to Town Manager Marcy Onieal. “This doesn’t mean that annexation won’t happen — it’s just unlikely to happen on the schedule we have spent the past year planning for, and we must now adjust our budget accordingly,” Onieal told the town board. If the merger is approved by the General Assembly, then the budget will stay as is. But Oniel is skeptical, noting that “the clock has nearly run out” to get the bill passed before the legislature adjourns for the year. Thus, she believes a

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— Jack Ewing, CEO of Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center

kpolitical juncture — and both entail Junaluska residents heading to the polling booth. - One option is the merger bill passes the yHouse, but with an amendment stipulating that it must first pass muster in a ballot referrendum before taking effect. r The other option is simply delaying a vote ein the House until next year. In that case, nDavis recommends Lake Junaluska pre-empttively hold a referendum anyway so they’ll be armed and ready to go come next year. f Lake Junaluska leaders are, in fact, already -armed with evidence that the majority of property owners support a merger. e Nearly two-thirds of property owners who tresponded to a mail survey conducted in -March supported a merger. The participation rate was high: of 811 esurveys sent out, 492 came back. The 60 perlcent return rate was more than the national voter turnout in last year’s presidential elec”tion. Of those who responded, 65 percent supported a merger. - Given the survey results, Lake Junaluska rleaders aren’t shying away from the prospect of an official vote to gauge — and reaffirm — the support of homeowners for a merger. “We would gladly do that,” said Jack Ewing, the CEO of Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. “There would be no hesitancy to have a referendum if that’s what the General Assembly wanted us to do.”

With merger in limbo, Waynesville budget sent back to the drawing board

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Swain commissioners go back on pledge to fund school resource officers BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER espite rallying around calls for more school resource officers earlier this year, Swain County commissioners will not chip in after all to pay for the new positions as originally promised — leaving the schools to pick up the full tab themselves or lay off the officers. Swain County leaders quickly endorsed a plan to hire two new school resource officers back in January — for its two elementary schools — following a deadly shooting at Newton, Conn. The high school and middle school both already had an existing resource officer. At the time, the county commissioners agreed to pay half the cost of the two new school resource officers starting with the new fiscal year in July. The school system would pick up the other half. But amid budget woes, the county commissioners told school officials that they would not help pay the salaries after all — even though the two officers were already hired. In fact, the county not only pulled the

Andrew Kasper photo

To compensate, Swain County Schools has gotten good at squirreling away money in its fund balance when it can. “We have been good about husbanding our resources. We do the best we can with what we have,” Letandre said. “We think we are going to be OK in terms of what the county provides.” Whether to add more school resource officers has been a recurring topic since the Sandy Hook tragedy. In Haywood County, commissioners flatly told school leaders that the county would have to increase property taxes if the school wanted to hire more resource officers. The school board quickly backed off its request, not wanting to take the blame for a property tax increase and not wanting to pay for the new officers out of its existing budget. In Jackson County, commissioners

Smoky Mountain News

July 3-9, 2013

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plug on its contribution toward the two newly hired resource officers but quit contributing to the salary of the existing two resource officer as well. “The commissioners asked me if we could cut back on the school appropriation,” said Swain County Manager Kevin King. “(School leaders) were not very excited about that. Of course, I wasn’t either.” The annual cost of all four school resource officers is more than $150,000 — an amount the school system will now shell out by itself. “We were going to share those. It looks like we may need to pay for 100 percent of those. We didn’t anticipate that,” said Jan Letandre, finance director for Swain County Schools. While the loss of the school resource officer allocation is a blow, Swain County has never been a big spender when it comes to local school funding. Only 4 percent of the school system’s budget, or $900,000, comes from the county. In Haywood County by comparison, 21 percent of the school system’s budget comes from the county.

The cost-benefit of school resource officers have been a subject of debate this year. Pictured here is Officer Eddie Lowe at Waynesville Middle School.

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agreed to pay for one new resource officer, although the school system had asked for four. In Macon County, the school system requested two additional school resource officers, but county commissioners only approved one. The Swain County commissioners are still in favor of having more school resource officers, but they needed to cut funding for something, King said. “It got down to the wire, and the board didn’t want to raise taxes,” he said. However, the commissioners did vote to increase taxes this fiscal year by 3 cents, raising its property tax rate to 36 cents per $100 of value. The increase is expected to bring in $400,000 in additional tax revenue. But even with the tax increase, the county is cutting $500,000 from its budget — cuts that include the school resource officer contribution.

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Haywood tourism leaders hope to get in the film game BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he Haywood County Tourism Development Authority has unveiled several new strategies and initiatives this year in an effort to become the go-to organization for filmmakers and everyday visitors alike. It’s overall marketing plan for this year calls for the revival of the Haywood County Film Commission. The county had a commission at one time, but it fell by the way side. However, as part of an effort to create entertaining and educational videos about Haywood County to attract tourists, the TDA’s Video Marketing Manager Becky Seymour began working with AdvantageWest, a regional economic development agency, to connect with filmmakers who want to shoot movies in Western North Carolina. But the fate of AdvantageWest is unknown. The N.C. legislature may eliminate the entity and bring all economic development under the state Department of Commerce, so as a preemptive measure, the TDA decided to bring back the Haywood County Film Commission. Should AdvantageWest shut down, Seymour would become the liaison between the county and filmmakers. Along with heading the commission, Seymour will be gathering a list of local professionals (builders, makeup artist, caterers,

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etc.), creating digital profiles clothing, plush animals, of Haywood County locales, books on the outdoors and and crafting film and televiHaywood County, and spesion press kits. If the county cially marked “Homegrown can snag a movie, it could in Haywood” products boost tourism to the area. included in the TDA’s new ad Another new push for the campaign by the same name. tourism agency this year is to One niche tourism segincrease foot traffic in its visitor ment being targeted this year centers. The hope is to get peois road biking. A new ple in the door then “wow” brochure highlighting them with all the great things Haywood as a cycling destinato see and do in the area. That tion was released this year. could lead to longer visits, and As has been the trend for repeat visits in future years. the last several years, the The TDA began taking a authority is continuing to more active role in running visconcentrate on digital maritor centers in the past year — keting and expanding its namely bringing the online presence. Waynesville and Maggie Valley The TDA uses behavioral visitor centers in-house instead targeting such as Google’s Pay of contracting with the cham- John Porter helps tourists plan their trip itinerary and things to do during their Per Click program to adverbers of commerce to run them. stay at the front desk of the downtown Waynesville visitor center. Becky Johnson photo tise different attractions in Now, TDA employees want to Haywood County to people Currently, whoever is working the front based on their interests. If someone is often revamp the visitor centers to act more like desk at a hotel is the first person visitors ask searching bicycling websites or receiving concierge services and include more retail. The authority wants to turn inquiring about where they should go and what they newsletters about biking clubs, an ad showphone calls into actual visits by telling peo- should see. But the TDA wants to reach out to casing the picturesque road bike routes in the ple, “Do you want to plan part of your trip lodging owners and encourage them to send county may pop up and pique the person’s now?” said Jason Dailey, who oversees visitor tourists to the visitor centers. interest. “We have definitely been trying to push center operations. Visitor center volunteers “It’s doing stuff like that where we can would be trained to use the itinerary plan- that a little more,” Dailey said. stalk people online,” said Ashley Rice, the The visitor centers will also start offering TDA’s marketing manager. ning software on visitncsmokies.com.

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July 3-9, 2013

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your friendly, local blue box — smoky mountain news

(LCSW, DCSW, SAP, LCAS, CCS, NASW/NCSAPPB, Clinical Supervisor)

828.648.7111

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July 3-9, 2013

The Festival of Native Peoples July 12 –13 from 11am –9pm. $10 daily at the event or at VisitCherokeeNC.com.

Interact with what's widely considered the finest showcase of native customs in the Southeast. Immerse yourself in dance, song, food, and celebration, with tribes from Aztec to Zuni, at the Festival of Native Peoples: two dizzying days of cultural delights.

Smoky Mountain News

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER odging tax revenue was up during the past year in Haywood County, and could see another boost in the new fiscal year after the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority decided to get tough on delinquent taxpayers. TDA Executive Director Lynn Collins projected a conservative 1 percent to 2 percent increase in room tax collections for overnight accommodations for the year, but tax revenues as of April actually show a 5.6 percent increase compared to last year, meaning estimates may be conservative. “We will probably come out with a slight surplus,” said Ken Stahl, TDA board finance chair. “We are probably going to have a fairly good year.” Fellow TDA board member Sue Knapko attributed the jump to the weather. “The ski season went longer this year, and spring break coincided with that,” Knapko said. This fiscal year, however, the TDA may be able to link a rise in lodging tax revenue to an increase in collections, more so than just an increase in overnight stays alone. Last year, the authority hired Tax Management Associates to find lodging owners who were not paying the tax. The company will receive 45 percent of whatever the TDA receives in late taxes. The lodging tax is a 4 percent levy tacked onto the bills of people who stay overnight in one of Haywood County’s accommodations, which are supposed to hand the tax money over to the county TDA to use for tourism promotions. So far, about 40 lodging owners who were not previously paying the tax have been found. Those who do not begin paying the tax as well as any back taxes owed to the TDA may face a lawsuit or be handed over to the county tax collector who has the authority to extract money from the paychecks or personal bank accounts of debtors. A few accommodations appealed to the TDA board, asking it to waive the late fees charged in addition to the back tax, and two also asked that the authority forgive at least part of the overdue taxes. Lodging owners said they were not aware of their obligation to collect the tax. “Ignorance is not an excuse,” said Mike Sorrells, a county commissioner and TDA board member. “But some of these do sound like they had no idea.” Some may be the owners of single vacation cabins who occasionally rent out their mountain homes for a week here and there. The board voted not to grant the lodging owners waivers, however, citing ways in which the TDA has tried to inform anyone renting rooms to visitors multiple times about their responsibility to pay the taxes.

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Room tax revenue up in Haywood, thanks in part to audit

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BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER ecycling receptacles are coming to downtown Sylva soon, at last giving shoppers and strollers a green option for pitching their bottles, cans, cups and last week’s copy of The Smoky Mountain News. Four bins will be placed at high-traffic spots — two on Main Street, one on Mill Street and one at Bridge Park. The town got an $8,000 waste reduction grant from the state’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources to help buy the bins and will pitch in another $4,000 of its own money. Downtown Sylva now lacks public recycling bins, except for one at Bridge Park. But that one is regular-

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Dan Schaeffer, Sylva’s public works director, is gearing up for the introduction of recycling bins to the downtown Sylva area. Andrew Kasper photo

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ly misused for trash — even though the small hole is clearly marked for recycling only, according to Dan Schaeffer, the town’s public works director. If trash is mixed in, it essentially means the whole load goes to the landfill. “If it’s mixed, my guys are not going to dig through it. There could be needles or other dangerous things,” Schaeffer said. The new recycling bins include a color-coded lid with a slot for two different types of recyclables and trash in the center. Each of the new bins carries a price tag of $2,800 and weighs more than 500 pounds. They have the capacity for 32 gallons of trash, 20 gallons of newspapers and paper and 20 gallons of bottles and cans. The bins will be green, hopefully fitting in with the Main Street motif, matching the popular metal benches. The new bins will add Sylva to a growing list of Western North Carolina towns to embrace downtown recycling receptacles. Waynesville added several recycling receptacles around downtown in 2011. Schaeffer will be watching to see how well the bins are used and may tweak their locations to maximize convenience. “I’m going to try this and see how people do,” Schaeffer said.

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Patients Welcome! Jackson County transit is eyeing a conversion to propane fuel, a switch also made by Haywood transit shuttles both to save money and be greener. Andrew Kasper photo

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Special Occasions and everyday fashions.

Smoky Mountain News

Don’t Miss our Great 4th of July Sale!

July 3-9, 2013

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER t’s not quite the Jetsons’ flying car, but Jackson County is moving toward its own fleet of new-age vehicles powered by the emerging alternative fuel propane. The county’s public transit department is poised to outfit nine of its shuttle busses and vans with propane tanks — and the ability to switch back and forth to gasoline with a simple toggle of a control button near the steering wheel. “It’s the beauty of both worlds,” said Jackson County Transit Director Chuck Norris. “It’s just a matter of flipping a switch on the dash.” Being able to fallback on gasoline is handy should the vehicle find itself out of fuel with no propane refueling station at hand. The county initially tried to get a state clean air grant for the propane conversion of its transit fleet. The grant didn’t come through, and the idea was scrapped — until the county took a second look at the project through a new lens of fiscal scrutiny. And, turns out, it still passed muster. First off, propane is cheaper than gasoline. Propane prices have been under $2 per gallon, compared to the cost of gas squarely above $3 a gallon. Plus, the county should be able to get a 50 cent a gallon rebate on propane through a federal incentive program, realizing even more fuel savings, Norris said. Considering the 20,000 gallons of fuel the county burns through on the nine transit vehicles, propane conversion would save the county about $26,000 per year. Furthermore, propane pollutes less and is a U.S.-based energy. “Propane’s a cleaner burning fuel, and plus we’re buying America,” Norris said.

“There are a lot of positives.” Mountain Projects, which runs a public transit service in Haywood County, made the switch to propane in January. There will be limitations as well. The transit vehicles could only re-fuel their propane tanks at the county yard. Propane system maintenance will also be new territory for county mechanics. And the program comes with upfront costs. It will cost about $6,000 to convert each vehicle to propane. That money will be spread out over the course of three years under an agreements with Alliance AutoGas. During the lease period, the price of the equipment will end up offsetting most of the fuel cost savings, but at the end of the three years, the county will become the owner of the equipment and start to realize real savings. At their last meeting, county commissioners directed the county lawyer to look over a lease agreement with Alliance AutoGas, a company that performs conversion programs for propane. And money has already been set aside in the coming year’s budget. And while commissioners quizzed Norris on the safety of having propane tanks attached to moving vehicle, he assured them it is safe, even safer than a gas tank. Other state agencies have been using them for some time with no problems. The Raleigh Police Department even went to propane in 2011. “It’s as safe as anything,” Norris said. “It’s not like what you’d think when you see the movies, and they shoot those big propane tanks and everything explodes.” County Manager Chuck Wooten doesn’t expect the propane trend to end with transit vehicles. It could also work for the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office, the county maintenance department and others that log high miles. “This is potentially the first of a number of county departments that could come onboard,” Wooten said. “This serves as a test.”

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Southern Loop on hold

tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville. 828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years. Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

A redesign of N.C. 107 in Sylva will dramatically alter the commercial drag, while by-pass long-touted by road builders gets moved to the back burner. Andrew Kasper photo BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER decade-long tug-of-war over what to do about Sylva’s congested commercial strip of N.C. 107 took an unexpected turn last week. For years, a contingent of Jackson County residents have railed against the brainchild of road builders who wanted to cut a new crosscountry bypass through the mountains, skirting the commercial drag between Sylva and Cullowhee. Instead, they proposed redesigning N.C. 107 itself with traffic tricks and fixes. Their ranks grew over the years, from a band of alternative, progressive Smart Growth types making their case from the periphery to eventually encompass the mainstream thinking of town and county leaders. The N.C. Department of Transportation last week agreed to try that approach first, temporarily shelving plans for the long-proposed bypass in favor of a 107 fix. “People spoke loudly and clearly they wanted to have N.C. 107 improvements done first, and then if it doesn’t solve all the problems, you come back and do the N.C. 107 connector,” said Zahid Baloch, a DOT project engineer based in Raleigh. “We felt like it was the best idea to go with the wishes of the people and what they want. So that is the whole thing we are trying to do.” Once known as the Southern Loop, and later renamed “the connector,” the bypass was intended to siphon thru-traffic away from the congested commercial thoroughfare, thus making it less congested. But when road planners began crunching the numbers, they realized it wouldn’t do as 24 much to help congestion on N.C. 107 as hoped.

Smoky Mountain News

July 3-9, 2013

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Coming next week: A long and twisted road

BLUE RIDGE BBQ COMPANY 180 N. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.7524. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. TuesdayThursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. FridaySaturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Blue Ridge BBQ is a family owned and operated restaurant. The BBQ is slow hardwood smoked, marinated in its own juices, and seasoned with mountain recipes. All menu items made from scratch daily. Featuring homemade cornbread salad, fresh collard greens, or cornbread and milk at your request. Old-fashioned homemade banana pudding and fruit cobbler of the season. Catering, take-out, eat-in.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slowsimmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts. Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily. Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available. BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Now open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank. HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837. Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Join us in our beautiful patio garden. We are your local neighborhood host for special

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A redesign of N.C. 107 has been put ahead of the controversial bypass, formerly known as the “Southern Loop.” Read more about how we got here and what happens next in next week’s issue. The DOT intially embraced the idea of redesigning N.C. 107, but only in tandem with building a new highway bypass. “My position and my opinion all along are both are needed,” said Joel Setzer, head of a 10-county DOT division in the mountains, based in Sylva. Now though, the connectors has taken a back seat. Setzer has long been a champion of the Southern Loop, a.k.a. “connector.” But last week, he said he sees the merit in first studying a redesign of N.C. 107 first. “Whether we do one first or the other one first has not been a big issue with me. This is not disappointing to me,” Setzer said. “I think it is a good thing the department can now focus on improving 107 and do the designs and have the conversations around that and see where it leads. I supported this decision 100 percent.” Both Setzer and Baloch said they would not go so far as saying the new bypass route has been suspended, or on hold, or even on the back burner. But it won’t get worked on any more until a plan for redesigning N.C. 107 is fully vetted and designed.

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628 E. Main Street • Sylva 828.586.1717 • soulinfusion.com 195-24

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Scratch-Made Fresh Daily Breads • Biscuits Bagels • Cakes • Pies Pastries • Soups • Salads Sandwiches Fair Trade Coffee & Espresso

18 North Main Street Waynesville • 452.3881 MON-FRI: 7 a.m.-5 p.m. SAT: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. SUN: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Seafood, Steaks Specialty Burgers Daily Lunch & Weekend Dinner Specials 1101 MAIN STREET • BRYSON CITY

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Sun: 12-7 • Tues-Sat: 11-9 • Closed Mondays

tasteTHEmountains events: business party’s, luncheons, weddings, showers and more. Private parties & catering are available 7 days a week by reservation only. CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 am – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 11:30 till 2. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays (weather permitting), featuring steaks, ribs, chicken, and pork chops, to name a few. Bountiful family-style dinners on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herbbaked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. The evening social hour starts at 6pm, and dinner is served starting at 7pm. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations. CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881. Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials. Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked salmon bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a

wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panni sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck. Private room available for meetings. CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva. 828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more. Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com. CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville. 828.456.7179. Reservations recommended. 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com. CORNERSTONE CAFÉ 1092 N. Main Street, Waynesville. 828.452.4252. Open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fresh meats purchased daily, great homemade breakfast, burgers made to order. Comfortable and friendly atmosphere, with

curb service available. Make lunch easy and call ahead for to go orders. FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA 1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley. 828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com

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ANNOUNCING

Sunday Brunch Every Sunday from 11a.m.-2 p.m. Reservations Appreciated VIEW OUR COMPLETE MENU ONLINE AT

www.oldstoneinn.com/dining

FRYDAY’S & SUNDAES 24 & 26 Fry St., Bryson City (Next To The Train Depot). 828.488.5379. Fridays is open 6 days a week and closed Wednesdays. Sundaes is open 7 days a week. Fryday’s is known for its Traditional English Beer Battered Fish & Chips, but also has burgers, deep fried dogs, gyro, shrimp, bangers, Chip Butty, chicken, sandwiches & a great kids menu. Price friendly, $3-$10, Everything available to go or call ahead takeout. Sundaes has 24 rotating flavors of Hershey's Ice Cream making them into floats, splits, sundaes, shakes. Private seating inside & out for both locations right across from the train station & pet friendly.

109 Dolan Rd. (off Love Lane) • Waynesville (828) 456-3333 • Dinner: Mon-Sat 5:30-8

Burgers to Salads Southern Favorites & Classics -Local beers now on draft-

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Mondays. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic prod-

Join us on the patio for live music Tues-Fri. Call to see whose playing.

117 Main Street, Canton NC 828.492.0618 • SidsOnMain.com Serving Lunch & Dinner

MON.-THURS. 11 A .M. TO 9 P.M. • FRI. & SAT. 11 A .M. TO 10 P.M. SUNDAY BRUNCH 11 A .M. TO 2:30 P.M. 195-32

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INDOOR & OUTDOOR SEATING

Nutrition Facts

We prepare our menu with the freshest, locally-sourced ingredients we can find. We serve regionally-raised antibioticand hormone-free beef, lamb, chicken and pork. Many of our seasonal vegetables come from local farms and our fresh fish are harvested from sustainable fisheries.

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serving size : ab out 50 p ag es Am ount per Serving Calories 0

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454 HAZELWOOD AVENUE • WAYNESVILLE Call 828-452-9191 for reservations

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Smoky Mountain News

Try our New Panini & Sandwich Lunch Menu!

July 3-9, 2013

Classic local American comfort foods, craft beers & small batch bourbons & whiskey.

7 miles west of Bryson City at the entry to the Nantahala Gorge.

RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED

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TUES–THURS 5:30-9 • FRI–SAT 5:30-10 SUN 5:30-9 BAR OPENS AT 4

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tasteTHEmountains ucts prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Come for the restaurant’s 4 @ 4 when you can choose a center and three sides at special prices. Offered Wed- Fri. from 4 to 6. frogsleappublichouse.org. GUADALUPE CAFÉ 606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877. Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews. Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

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Fryday’s 6 Days/Week Closed Wed.

Sundaes 7 Days/Week

Traditional English Fish & Chips, Burgers, Dogs, Gyro, Shrimp & Loads More. 24 PLUS FLAVORS OF HERSHEY’S ICE CREAM

EVERYTHING AVAILABLE TO GO

24 & 26 Fry St. • Bryson City

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817. Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated. JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

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July 3-9, 2013

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ITALIAN

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STEAKS • PIZZA CHICKEN • SEAFOOD SANDWICHES OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK

JOIN US FOR SUMMER ON THE PATIO 1863 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.454.5002 HWY. 19/23 EXIT 98

LOS AMIGOS 366 Russ Ave. in the Bi-Lo Plaza. 828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy the lunch prices Monday through Sunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio. LUCIO'S RESTAURANT 313 Highlands Road, Franklin. 828.369.6670. Serving Macon County since 1984. Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Lunch Wednesday-Friday 11:30 a.m. until.Dinner Wednesday-Saturday 5 p.m. until. Owned and operated by Tanya and Dorothy Gamboni. Serving authentic Italian and continental cuisine including appetizers, pastas, poultry, veal, seafood, steaks and homemade deserts. Selection of wine and beer. Lunch and Dinner menus. Wednesday and Thursday nights only. 1 appetizer and 2 selected entrées with unlimited salad and Lucio’s famous garlic rolls for $24.95.

wiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer.

MAD BATTER BAKERY & CAFÉ Located on the WCU Campus in Cullowhee. 828.293.3096. Open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Earth-friendly foods at people-friendly prices. Daily specials, wraps, salads, pastries, breads, soups and more. Unique fare, friendly service, casual atmosphere and wireless Internet. Organic ingredients, local produce, gourmet fair trade and organic coffees. MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB 1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted. MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ 9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561. Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts. OLD STONE INN 109 Dolan Road, off Love Lane. 828.456.3333. Classic fireside dining in an historic mountain lodge with cozy, intimate bar. Dinner served nightly except Sunday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Signature dinner choices include our 8oz. filet of beef in a brandied peppercorn sauce and a garlic and herb crusted lamb rack. Carefully selected fine wines and beers plus full bar available. Open year round. Call for reservations. PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoor, outside on the patio or at the bar. Reservations appreciated. PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville. 828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sand-

Smoky Mountain News

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• Hors d'oeuvre Hour Nightly • 4-Course Dinner Nightly • Wednesday Gourmet Picnic Lunch • Thursday Night Cookout • Sunday Brunch • Backpack Lunches for Hiking Award-winning country inn at 5,000 feet Reservations required

2300 SWAG ROAD WAYNESVILLE 26

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SOUL INFUSION TEA HOUSE & BISTRO 628 E. Main St. (between Sylva Tire & UPS). 828.586.1717. Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday noon -until. Scrumptious, natural, fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and desserts. 60+ teas served hot or cold, black, chai, herbal. Seasonal and rotating draft beers, good selection of wine. Home-Grown Music Network Venue with live music most weekends. SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800. Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available. Located across from the Fire Station. TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill. THE WINE BAR 20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville. 828.452.6000. Underground cellar for wine and beer, served by the glass all day. Cheese and tapas served Wednesday through Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or later. info@classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter. VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin. 828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years (don't ask for the recipes cuz’ you won't get it!) Each Pizza is hand tossed and made with TLC.

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Opinion A great country needs a wise immigration policy Smoky Mountain News

BY DOUG WINGEIER G UEST COLUMNIST In a previous letter, I described how devastating to human beings our current immigration system is. The flaws are many and obvious. But disagreement arises as to how to correct them. I believe that a just system can only come about through legalizing the status of all immigrant workers and their families, and providing a smooth, transparent road to citizenship. This reform should include: (1) Recognition that migrations of disadvantaged workers, refugees and asylum-seekers result from an unjust global economic system that benefits transnational corporations at the expense of common people. Immigration results not only from the “pull” of economic opportunity here but also from the “push” of economic inequality and exploitation in developing

Teaching people to care about conservation

To the Editor: I would like to share with your readers what I have come to realize are fundamental objectives of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, which is the local Audubon chapter for Cashiers, Franklin, Highlands, Scaly Mountain and surrounding areas of Macon and Jackson counties. Education and partnering with local schools is one such goal. Initiating and promoting programs that lead to enhanced, safe habitat for native birds is another. Being a local advocate for conservation within our community is a third. But by far our chapter’s largest expenditure of personal energies is involved with our ambitious weekly Saturday bird field trips and evening programs, which the community is encouraged to attend regardless of birding experience level. Now that we are well into a new season of weekly field trips and evening programs, perhaps it is worth reflecting on what these activities can mean within a greater context. Birding is one pathway, accessible to anyone in the community, to experience an enhanced interaction with, and appreciation for, our natural world. And the value of such personal experience appears to be crucial to the future of our world. About 65 years ago, Aldo Leopold wrote, “It’s inconceivable to me that an ethical relationship to the land can exist without love, respect and admiration, and a high regard for its value.” Jane Goodall is quoted as saying, “Only if we understand can we care. Only if we care will we help. Only if we help shall they be saved.” Our bird outings and programs may appear to be enjoyable adventures, and they are. However, greater, if subliminal, HPAS goals include cultivating those feelings of wonder, understanding, respect, caring, and value for the environment, along with personal commitments to conservation, to which

societies. The “push” must be reduced by regulating the power of corporations and empowering workers and farmers both there and here. (2) Appreciation for the fact that, according to a recent study by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, in the first decade after the immigration bill is implemented, the net effect of adding 10 million new legal residents/taxpayers would decrease the federal budget deficit by $197 billion, and in the following decade (2024-2033), the cut in the deficit would be a whopping $700 billion — a nearly $1 trillion reduction in the federal deficit during the next 20 years! (3) All who contribute meaningful labor deserve full membership in a democratic society. Immigrant workers cannot fight for rights on the job and against exploitation by employers without having full legal status, political rights, and a path-

LETTERS Leopold and Goodall have famously referred. Russ Regnery President, Highlands Plateau Audubon Society

Phone questions not a good business practice To the Editor: MedWest, the company that has taken over our local hospitals as well as many local medical practices, has quite a few problems. Articles in local news outlets have documented financial problems, conversations with MedWest employees lead one to conclude that there is distressingly low morale, and the company’s billing and collection policies appear to be badly broken. MedWest has raised prices far beyond either normal inflation or even the higher rates of medical inflation we’ve seen in recent years. In my case, I’ve seen the charges for a treatment I receive every five weeks nearly triple since MedWest took over my doctor’s practice. There’s no good explanation for the increase since most of the cost is based on the medication that’s administered and the drug company has not raised prices at the increased rates that MedWest is billing. The cost of another procedure I undergo every couple of years doubled after MedWest took over. The interesting thing about the price increases is that MedWest doesn’t get any more money from these increases. I have fairly good insurance, and MedWest is in their PPO so they get a negotiated amount from the insurance company regardless of what they bill. The increases do, however, affect those without insurance or those who don’t have insurance that have negotiated agreements with MedWest. The higher billings may also have an impact on Medicare reimbursement rates the system receives.

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way to citizenship. Threats of deportation and second-class status in “guest worker” programs restrict the capacity of workers to organize and improve their situation. (4) Militarization of our borders, indiscriminate detentions and deportations, and the resulting forcible breakup of families — so hypocritical for a society professing to be familyfriendly — must be replaced by policies that reinforce the values of family unity, hard work, fair compensation, compassion, and “liberty and justice for all.” Only such an immigration policy will be worthy of a nation that likes to think of itself as “great.” Let’s demand that our representatives in Washington recognize the benefits, put aside partisan wrangling, rise to the occasion, and pass such a policy. (Wingeier is a retired college professor and Methodist minister who lives at Lake Junaluska.)

In addition to significant price increases, MedWest has changed its billing and collection practices. Billing is noticeably slower and more confusing. Many people I’ve spoken with have noticed padded or additional charges for procedures and appointments that are reoccurring. It’s hard to know if MedWest is now capturing services it didn’t before in billing codes or if there is something else going on. It would behoove people to check their bills carefully and contact Medicare or their insurance companies if there are any questionable charges. Even if your insurance provider pays additional charges, the padding of bills raises prices, including copayments and insurance rates for everyone. MedWest has taken to using some fairly aggressive collection techniques. I’ve received calls from someone purporting to represent MedWest pushing for collection of charges that haven’t even been billed yet or charges for items that have been paid. I’ve spoken with more than a dozen people who have experienced similar calls. Besides the fact that these calls seem generated by a billing department where one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing, there is a rather disturbing technique being used. Upon receiving one of these calls, an individual is told that the representative is from MedWest and that the call may be monitored. Then the customer is asked to provide personal information to verify who they are, usually an address and a birthday. This is a big problem. Fraud via the Internet and telephone is an increasing problem in our society. One of the best ways to prevent fraud is to never give out personal information over the phone or the Internet unless you initiated the contact. A caller may represent that they are from MedWest or some other legitimate concern and they may even be who they say they are but ignoring the basic practice of refusing to give out personal information to unsolicited callers, even in the case where one might be fairly certain that the caller is legitimate, is a

way to weaken one’s future responses. Those who commit fraud are pretty smart and they generally are aware of which businesses are using techniques like those used by MedWest. It is not inconceivable that sooner or later someone intent on committing fraud will mimic a legitimate business’ calling techniques and get personal information; and even a birthday can give someone intent on committing fraud an important tidbit. The simplest response when an unsolicited caller asks for personal information, even if they seem legitimate, is to simply decline to provide that information and request they contact you some other way. MedWest has lots of problems, and from my experience they don’t seem focused on solving them. In this last instance, though, they are simply being a poor corporate citizen. Mark Jamison Webster

Cowee disaster is a moving story

To the Editor: My appreciation goes to Gary Carden and Dave Waldrop from “The Liar’s Bench;” George Frizzell of the Western Carolina University Library for uncovering and reporting; and to The Smoky Mountain News (June 19th) for publicizing the profoundly moving story of the 1882 Cowee Tunnel disaster. I am struck by the convergence of the Dillsboro Dam removal, the opening of the Tuckasegee River, and the exposure of this hidden story. Carden’s persistence in noticing and following the story, the group’s work to bring closure for the 19 families and their ultimate vision to commemorate their loved ones’ forgotten lives — all are worthy tributes. Our part as citizen inhabitants of the area is to make sure their work as historians is fulfilled. I call on the generous better selves in us all. Lucy Christopher Cashiers

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Finding inspiration in Appalachia

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD • STAFF WRITER

Smoky Mountain News: Where did your life with music begin? Martin Cook: Well, it was in my family. My father was the singing leader in the community. Singing was one of the things you did in the home. You didn’t have all the different entertainment centers we all have today, so what the people did we’d gather ‘round and sing. A lot of conversation went on in the mountains here in those days. They’d spend a whole day just talkin’ about where they lived and their families. And, we’ve lost a lot about that in our mountain culture. Hardly anyone knows where they’re from anymore.

Want to go?

How did you start participating in music? I was playing the piano in my home as far back as I could remember. My sister played too, and then she moved to Asheville, so there was nobody to play the piano in church, and that’s how I ended up playing there. And I still go to church there.

“Singing In The Smokies” runs from July 4-6 at Inspiration Park in Bryson City. Participating groups include The Inspirations, Kingsmen, Land of the Sky Boys with Ernie Phillips, Squire Parson Trio, Family and Friends with The McKameys, The Greesons, and Dailey & Vincent. Tickets are $20 per person, with children 12 and under free.

You’ve lived a pretty varied life. I’ve done quite a few things in my life. I’ve done military service, was a park ranger in the Great Smokies, a school teacher at the high school in Bryson City. When I got out of college, I got married to the cute girl next door. She was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen, and when I got back from Korea, we were married. I came to Swain County to teach chemistry and physics. People from the community would come sing at my house, and some of the students from my classes would come over and sing, too. Those students sang longer and worked harder, and that became The Inspirations.

Martin Cook, founder and pianist of The Inspirations. Garret K. Woodward photo

Standing in an empty field, Martin Cook has a vision.

Founder of the renowned Western North Carolina gospel group The Inspirations, Cook looks around the band’s 29-acre property (dubbed “Inspiration Park”) just east of Bryson City. The beauty and grandeur spills far and wide, and that’s just the backdrop he enjoys sharing each year during their “Singing In The Smokies” festival, which runs July 4-6. Coming into their 50th year, the ensemble has performed across the globe, garnering a following as large as it is loyal. And at the center of it is Cook, who started the act from humble beginnings as a teacher. He and members of the community, including his students, would get together on his front porch and sing. There was magic in the collaboration, one which finally took to the stage for the first time those many years ago. Thousands of performances later, The Inspirations are going as strong as ever. Though Cook recently turned 77 years old, don’t let that number fool you. He’s as active and ready to play as folks half his age. Returning from a weeklong odyssey of shows in Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana, Cook sat down with The Smoky Mountain News, where he spoke of his love of Western North Carolina, why music is important to share with others, and how that incredible feeling he feels every time he gets on stage never seems to waver.

You remember the first show? It was a May Day program at the Swain County High School in 1964. We just enjoyed it, it was just one of those things, a way of life. We just enjoyed singing and still do. It’s like a heartbeat. What’s it like these days? We try to do around 140 shows a year, but that’s about all we can do and still enjoy it. If you go away from home too much you get tired. It’s a calling. You’re helping people. It’s amazing to get those phone calls and letters about how a song made a difference in their lives. How would you describe gospel music? Gospel music, at first, is a good gospel message. It has certain rhythm and chord patterns that most people will like, whether they go to church or not. We’ve sung at prisons, legislatures, and bank meetings, all kinds of places. Still the same old songs and people love it. It’s a healing type thing. It’s hard to understand if you haven’t experienced it. Do you ever reflect on it all, how popular the group became? We were able to get some great recordings, on

Canaan Records, back in the 1960s. We sold a million copies. They were selling our records in Hong j Kong, Germany, all around the world. I’m in the Gospel Hall of Fame and Piano Hall of Fame, too. I remember when we’d go on the Gospel Singing Jubilee, we’d come on as a guest. Did it for 12 years. You could see it anywhere in the country, from Philadelphia to Seattle. Four million people would see us on Sunday morning. In 1970, we got on 60 Minutes on CBS, which made all the difference.

“It’s a calling. You’re helping people. It’s amazing to get those phone calls and letters about how a song made a difference in their lives.” — Martin Cook

Why do you like putting on the festival? We’ve been doing the festival since 1974. I enjoy seeing the people. They come from all over the U.S. Seeing these people come in, telling me how they live, what they’ve been doing, what they enjoy doing, and their enjoyment of the place here. You’ll hear “Amazing Grace” echo off these hills as you’ve never heard it in your life here. What’s it like for you when you’re performing onstage? It’s all about the song and the people. It’s impossible to out-sing the people. How they enjoy it controls how you do. It’s a two-way street. So many people enjoy it that it makes you want to do better.

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SOUTHERN THING...

This must be the place BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

It had been 10 years. apprehension of what was to be quickly I kept thinking those words while boardwashed away over a friendly handshake and ing a plane in Charlotte this past weekend, beer can salute. It was surreal to stand there bound for my hometown. Tucked far away in physically with these good folks, rehashing the northeast, awaiting my arrival was a 10-year high school reunion. Situated on the Quebec/Vermont border, on the shores of Lake Champlain, Rouses Point, N.Y., is a quaint Soldier’s Heart, Round the Fire, Protective community of around 2,000 resParanoia and Owner of the Sun tap the stage idents. Filled with large French at BearWaters Brewing Company in and Irish influences, the families Waynesville on July 6. here have been around the area for generations. The people The Cradle of Forestry kicks off its 10th annupush through frigid winters, al “Songcatchers Music Series” with Chicken with temperatures dropping Train, an old-time string band, on July 7. below zero more often than not, and blistering hot summers hitThe New York Times bestselling author Mary ting triple digits. It’s survival Alice Monroe discusses her new book, The mode throughout the year, and Summer Girls, at the Jackson County Library folks are generally proud of that in Sylva on July 6. mentality. Born and raised in an old A “bluegrass duel” between Nitrograss and limestone farmhouse on the outThe Dappled Greys is at the Martin Lipscomb skirts of Rouses Point, I had a Performing Arts Center in Highlands on July 6. pretty typical childhood. I’d ride my bike, go swim in the lake or The “4th of July Music Fest” at Nantahala just plain meander around the Brewing Company in Bryson City runs through neighborhood and nearby cornJuly 5, which features Porch 40, The Jaystorm fields until it was too dark and I Project and The Grove Band. had to get home. As with most small towns, 4th of July was the biggest event of the year, with its parade, old “war” stories and getting the low down activities and fireworks. As I got older, it on how life has been since we strode that became a way of crossing paths with other stage and received our diploma. familiar faces you wouldn’t see for the rest of Some of us had kids, some married, some the year. not, some divorced, while others gained a few Since I graduated from high school, I’ve pounds or finally lost all of that weight. been on this continuous journey of exploLaughter echoed out onto the lake while the ration. Being one of the few from my class ties that bind became that much stronger. who actually left the area, I went to college in Connecticut, lived in Ireland, worked in “We all started together, Idaho, and now reside in the heart of Western North Carolina. I wanted to see and many times tend to everything and meet everyone, hence my forget that as life routines pursuit of a career in journalism. And so, my flight touched down in my accelerate the years on homeland. Though all the buildings and streets were familiar, I felt like a stranger. It the ticking clock.” had been a long time since I’d interacted or traversed any of these places and things, which made the experience dreamlike. Eventually, we said goodbye and made vague Being a class officer in high school, I got plans for the 20th reunion. We’ll be 38 by wrangled into organizing the reunion even then. Jeez, where does the time go? But, such though I quite possibly lived the furthest is life, eh? away. I picked up my best friend, an artificial As my best friend and I cleaned up the cow inseminator, who I hadn’t seen face-toclub, we had a few more laughs over all the face in over a year. The reunion was to be interesting people we reconnected with. We held at the local rod and gun club property each have wandered down our own paths, on the lake. We set up some chairs and and yet we still were all the same. We all tables, filled coolers with ice and cold Labatt started together, and many times tend to forBlue beer (which was just as tasty as I remem- get that as life routines accelerate the years bered). It was all ready, and then we waited. on the ticking clock. I didn’t feel like a Slowly, faces I’d only seen in yearbooks stranger anymore, I felt at home, which was a over the last decade began to trickle in. Any long lost feeling.

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arts & entertainment

On the beat • Pholksinger Josh, Karen “Sugarâ€? Barnes and Dave Magill, and Sarah Morgan play City Lights CafĂŠ in Sylva. Singer/songwriter Pholksinger Josh performs on Saturday, July 6. Barnes/Magill will be playing on Friday, July 12 with their blend of heritage blues. Hitting the stage on Saturday, July 13, Morgan is a mountain/folk music singer/songwriter. Free. 828.587.2233 or www.citylightscafe.com. • Eddie Rose and Highway 40, Southern Appalachian Cloggers and Fines Creek Cloggers play the Mountain Street Dance summer series from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 12, in downtown Waynesville. Enjoy old-time mountain music, dance and learn how to clog. Free. www.downtownwaynesville.com. • A bluegrass duel between Nitrograss and The Dappled Greys is at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Martin Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands. Tickets are $25 and $35 per person. www.highlandschamber.org. • Sundown plays the Concerts on the Creek concert series at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 5, at Bridge Park in Sylva. Labeled a “your requestâ€? band, the group plays tribute to popular musical selections. The series is sponsored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva and Jackson County Parks and Recreation. Free. 800.962.1911 or www.mountainlovers.com.

July 3-9, 2013

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• Soldier’s Heart, Round the Fire, Protective Paranoia and Owner of the Sun will play from 2 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at BearWaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. The groups range from mountain music to rock to bluegrass. $5. 828.246.0602 or www.bwbrewing.com. • The Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet performs at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Town Square in Highlands. The group specializes in jazz, classical and pop melodies. Free. 828.526.9060.

Smoky Mountain News

• Jamie Paul hits the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11, in the Central Plaza at Western Carolina University. A singer/songwriter from Asheville, Paul’s music is inspired by Townes Van Zandt and Gillian Welch, with a sound that reflects his

Appalachian roots. ledavis@wcu.edu or 828.227.3622. • Bluegrass/Americana group The Bankesters perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville. The band received the Momentum Award for Vocalist of the Year in 2012 by the International Bluegrass Music Association. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students grades K-12. 828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com. • The Johnny Webb Band will perform as part of the Friday Night Live concert series from 6 to 8 p.m. July 5 at the Highlands Town Square. Free. www.highlandschamber.org or 828.524.5841. • The Music in the Mountains concert series continues with Avelina at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City. Avelina offers a blend of Southern rock, bluegrass and country music. The free concert series brings together local residents, visitors and musicians for an evening of melodies and mountains. The series is sponsored by the Swain County Chamber of Commerce and the Swain County Tourism Development Authority. www.greatsmokies.com. • Joe Buck Yourself, The Hooten Hallers and Chris Blaylock will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Thursday, July 4, at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Buck gained notoriety as the guitarist of Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers and being a sideman to hard rock/country star Hank Williams III. Ages 21 and over. Free. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com. • Stevens Layne plays the Saturdays on Pine concert series at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Pine Street Park in Highlands. The country/poprock group features Molly Stevens and Whitney Layne. Free. www.highlandschamber.org. • Sundown comes to Pickin’ on the Square at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the lower level town hall in Franklin. Labeled a “your requestâ€? band, the group plays tribute to popular musical selections. At 6:30 p.m. the stage is opened up for anyone wanting to play a few songs. Free. 828.524.2516 or www.franklinnc.com/pickin.html.

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Dulcimer conference to feature historian, progressive dulcimer virtuoso A mountain dulcimer historian who discovered the instrument while living in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and a 19year-old dulcimer virtuoso who already has been crowned national champion and is widely recognized for her progressive playing style will be on the instructional staff for Dulcimer U Summer Week at Western Carolina University. WCU’s 14th annual conference of mountain dulcimer classes, concerts and jam sessions will be held Sunday, July 14, through Friday, July 19. Born in 1927 and now living in Reston, Va., Ralph Lee Smith is widely considered to be the foremost authority on dulcimer history. Smith taught himself to play the dulcimer during the folk revival of the 1960s, and in the 1970s. Sarah Morgan of Sharp’s Chapel, Tenn., recently graduated from high school, but she already has made a name for herself in folk music, earning the national champion title at the National Mountain Dulcimer Championships in Winfield, Kan., in 2012. In addition to Morgan, this year’s Dulcimer U will feature four more dulcimer players who have earned the title “national champion.� www.dulcimeru.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.

Battistelli, Jars of Clay play Franklin Christian singer Francesca Battistelli and rock group Jars of Clay perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Battistelli hits the stage on July 12, with Jars of Clay on July 13. Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Battistelli’s album “My Paper Heart� produced four major hits on the Christian charts, which included “I’m Letting Go,� “Free To Be Me,� “It’s Your Life� and “Beautiful Beautiful.� Jars of Clay launched its breakout career with the multi-format hit “Flood� in 1995. Since then, it has amassed more than six million in career sales, three GRAMMY Awards, an American

Jars of Clay

Music Award nod, three GMA Dove Awards, and BMI honors for songwriting as well as performing. Both performances are $20 apiece, with a special price of $34 for a weekend combo ticket. 828.524.1598 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

4th of July in Southern Appalachia

DILLSBORO Festivities will kickoff with the Color Guard presenting the flag at 6:30 p.m. at the downtown depot, with Americana musical act Porch 40 following the presentation at 7:30 p.m. Restaurants will be open late, with Bradley’s General Store serving kettle corn. Fireworks are set to launch following dusk at 10 p.m. A “Freedom Train” will depart from the Bryson City railroad depot and will arrive in Dillsboro for the fireworks. Free. 828.586.0265. FONTANA VILLAGE RESORT The Fontana Village Resort activities run from July 3-6. Live music kicks off on July 4 with Fast Gear (6:30 p.m.), The Chillbillies (9 p.m.), My Highway (8 p.m.) on July 5 and The Mardi Gras Kings on July 6 (8 p.m.). There will be an Independence Day BBQ cookout all day, with fireworks starting promptly at 10 a.m. Free. www.fontanavillage.com. CANTON The annual “4th of July Celebration” begins at 6 p.m. with music and dancing in the street at Sorrells Street Park. Watermelons will be provided for free, with children’s watermelon roll and seed spitting contests to commence. Food vendors will be onsite. Live music provided by the Little Creek Bluegrass Band. Fireworks at dusk. Free. www.visitncsmokies.com.

Come play in the Great Smoky Mountains!

828-926-0866 3374 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley, NC 28751 maggievalleyfestivalgrounds.org Paid in part by HCTDA www.visitncsmokies.com

MAGGIE VALLEY “Red, White and Boom” goes from 2 to 11 p.m. at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. The kid’s play zone includes pony rides, a petting zoo, bungee jump and games. Live music will be provided by the Michelle Leigh Band, the Sharkadelics, and others throughout the day. Food vendors, beer and wine will also be onsite. Fireworks will launch at 10 p.m., with a special display from the Zambelli’s. Free. 828.926.0866 or www.maggievalleyfestivalgrounds.org/rwb. WAYNESVILLE The “Stars and Stripes Celebration” runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in downtown Waynesville. Live music will be provided throughout the day by The Ross Brothers, Fiddling Dill Sisters, Michael Pilgrim, Ginny McAfee and Steve Whiddon. A “Kids on Main” Patriotic Parade starts at 11 a.m., where children can decorate their bikes, wagons or strollers and march in the event (signup is at 10 a.m. at the courthouse). A traditional mountain and folk concert begins at 11:15 a.m., with the Haywood Community Band Patriotic show at 2 p.m. Free. 828.456.3517 or www.visitncsmokies.com.

Thursday, July 4 2 to 11 p.m. Maggie Valley Festival Grounds

FREE ADMISSION! Family Fun! Live Music & Entertainment, Fireworks, Games, Bouncy Houses, Pony Rides, Petting Zoo And more!

Smoky Mountain News

2013

CASHIERS The “Fireworks Extravaganza on the Green” begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, July 5, at the Village Green Commons on Frank Allen Road. Live music will be provided by rhythm and blues band The Extraordinaires. The Cashiers Farmers’ Market and numerous food vendors

FRANKLIN The “4th of July Parade and Celebration” is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in downtown Franklin. The “Fireworks in the Park” runs from 3 to 10 p.m. at the Macon County Veterans Memorial Recreation Park (just south of Franklin on U.S. 441). The event features a horseshoe tournament (10 a.m.), cornhole tournament (3 p.m.), famous plunger toss (7 p.m.) and bulls eye ball drop (9:15 p.m.), food vendors and the “largest fireworks display” in Western North Carolina beginning at dusk. Live music will be provided at the park by the Southern Appalachian Boys (5 p.m.) and My Highway (7 p.m.). A bus shuttle will run from Franklin High School’s parking lot to the park beginning at 5 p.m. Free. www.franklin-chamber.com.

LAKE JUNALUSKA Celebrating their 100th anniversary, the “July 4th Lake Junaluska Parade and Fireworks” begins with the parade at 11 a.m. The parade starts at the Lambuth Inn. Trolley transportation around the lake will also be available at no charge. There will be bluegrass music, barbeque and children’s activities following the parade at the Nanci Weldon Gym, with the fireworks beginning at 9:30 p.m. Be prepared for closed roads and one-lane traffic. Free. www.lakejunaluska.com/july4th or www.visitncsmokies.com.

July 3-9, 2013

BRYSON CITY “Freedom Fest” begins at 8 a.m. in downtown with the Rotary International “Firecracker 5K.” Riverfront Park will hold a “Strut Your Mutt” pet show at 10 a.m., and the Grove Church entertainment and kids’ area will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. There will also be an all day “Kids’ Street” activities area at the railroad depot. The Bridge Stage on Everett Street will have an opening ceremony with VFW Post 9281 (10 a.m.), with entertainment from Grandpa’s Music (10:30 a.m.), Boogertown Gap (11:30 a.m.), Watermelon Eating Contest/Hula Hoopoff/Smoky Mountain Shimmy (1 p.m.), The Freight Hoppers (5 p.m.), Elvis impersonator (7 p.m.) and Barefoot Movement (8 p.m.). The fireworks show begins at 10 p.m. Free. www.greatsmokies.com/freedomfest.

CHEROKEE The “4th of July Fireworks” begin at dusk at the Acquoni Expo Center. A Cherokee bonfire will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Oconaluftee Islands Park Bonfire Pit. A “Moonlight 5K Run” will also take place. For more information on the race, call 828.788.1408. Free. 828.554.6471 or www.visitcherokeenc.com.

HIGHLANDS The 4th of July activities begin at 9:30 a.m. at the community baseball field. The Rotary Club of Highlands will host a cookout from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a rubber duck derby on Mill Creek. The Bascom opens their property to the public for picnics at 7:30 p.m., with food and beverages courtesy of El Azteca Mexican Restaurant. A “Patriotic Concert” will be held at 8 p.m. in the First Presbyterian Church. Fireworks will start at 9:15 p.m. at the baseball field. Free www.highlandschamber.org.

arts & entertainment

Nothing says summer more than the 4th of July, and in Western North Carolina, we celebrate Independence Day with gusto. Between majestic fireworks, sizzling hot dogs and hamburgers, cotton candy, games, live music and craft demonstrations, there’s a little of bit of everything for any and all. So, grab your lawn chair, sunglasses and adventurous spirit, and enjoy this special day with us, here in Southern Appalachia. All events occur on Thursday, July 4, unless otherwise noted.

will be onsite. There will also be a moonshine margarita, beer and wine set up in several locations. Fireworks begin at dusk. Free, with VIP packages available. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com or 828.743.8428.

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arts & entertainment

On the streets The “Mountains in Bloom” fundraiser for The Bascom in Highlands is July 11-14. Donated photo

July 3-9, 2013

The “Mountains in Bloom” fundraiser for The Bascom Visual Arts Center will be July 11-14 in Highlands. A luncheon and lecture by Kathryn Greeley, author of The Collected Tabletop, is at 11:30 a.m. July 11, with a Volunteer Appreciation Party with special guests Margot Shaw, founder/editor in chief of Flower magazine, and Robert Balentine, CEO of Balentine LLC and lead sponsor, from 4 to 6 p.m. Seven private gardens will be on tour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 12-13. Tickets for the tour are $80 per person and include lunch on The Bascom Terrace and all of the diverse Flower Show exhibits at The Bascom — flower arrangements, horticulture exhibit and garden photography. The festivities will culminate with a Benefactor Party at 6 p.m. July 14 at The Farm in the Old Edwards Inn. The festival will feature a special non-judged professional class of floral designers’ arrangements and floral photography show, both on display in The Bascom’s Atrium. www.mountainsinbloom.com or 828.787.2882 or ccameron@thebascom.org.

Smoky Mountain News

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800.232.0420

Where’s Waldo, in Sylva?

The Spice & Tea Exchange opens its doors this Independence Day weekend in downtown Highlands. The new retail destination is for food lovers, professional chefs and tea connoisseurs alike. The store is a unique retail experience where guests are encouraged to “Explore the Spiceabilities!,” watch spice masters create handmade blends in-store and let their curiosity guide them through the rustic product displays of an old 18th century trading post. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. www.spiceandtea.com.

Over a dozen downtown Sylva businesses have teamed up once again for the second annual Find Waldo Local contest, which runs until July 31. Stop by City Lights Bookstore to get a Find Waldo check off sheet and go to the participating businesses. Once you find Waldo, collect a card. Once eight cards are collected, return them to the bookstore to get a Waldo sticker and be entered in a drawing for a six-book deluxe set of Waldo books and other prizes. There will have a Waldo grand celebration and prize drawing on Wednesday, July 31, at City Lights Bookstore. 828.586.9499.

Jackson County Genealogical Society plans Heritage Walk

Bascom benefit features floral design, garden tours, photography

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Spice and tea store opens in Highlands

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Downtown Sylva’s Main Street “Heritage Walk” is the topic of the Jackson County Genealogical Society’s July program at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 11, at the community room of the Historic Jackson County Courthouse. The Heritage Walk is a collection of more than 30 historic Main Street photographs that are mounted and displayed along business fronts throughout downtown Sylva and is a cooperative effort between the Downtown Sylva Association, The Sylva Herald, and Denissa and David Schulman. The program will include an exhibit of the individual photographs along with a lively panel discussion providing the stories that accompany each image. 828.631.2646.

Arts and crafts fair held at Balsam VFD

The annual summer Balsam Arts and Crafts Show runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Balsam Fire Department on U.S. 74, seven miles east of Sylva. Among the featured artisans is Kerri Rayburn, who creates hand crafted herbals soaps and natural botanical products. She grows all her own herbs and uses them fresh to infuse her oils and also uses dried herbs in her handcrafted soaps, salves and creams. On display will be oil paintings, prints of local scenery, pottery, baskets, jewelry, aprons, knitted and crocheted items, hand stitched and stamped greeting cards, soaps, woodburning and homemade baked goods. A portion of all entry fees will benefit the Balsam Fire Department. 828.226.9352.

On the stage

Acclaimed comedian Jeff Dunham will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at Harrah’s Cherokee. Dunham’s television specials and series have been the highest rated programming in Comedy Central history, his DVD sales have reached seven million units, and live concerts have become mega-events played in front of sold-out arenas worldwide. Time Magazine wrote that he is “the most popular comedian in the United States� and Forbes named him to its Celebrity 100 list of most powerful entertainers three years running. Dunham has, of course, plenty of help on-stage: his

entourage of signature characters who are there to challenge and chastise his every sentence. There is universal appeal to Dunham’s relationship with his characters. Tickets start at $35 per person. The show is ages 21 and over. www.harrahscherokee.com or 800.745.3000.

Comedian Jeff Dunham and friends will play Harrah’s Cherokee on July 6. Donated photo

Lumbee Indians, Confederacy discussion

The Tony-Award winning musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee� will run July 4-20 at the Highlands Playhouse. This is a hilarious tale of overachievers’ angst chronicling the experience of six adolescent outsiders competing for the spelling championship of a lifetime. The children learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser. Audience volunteers are chosen nightly before the performance to participate and make each night unique.

REACH benefit to crown ‘Man of the Year’ The inaugural “Man of the Year� gala competition and fundraiser for REACH of Haywood County is at 6 p.m. Friday, July 12, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. Brian Cagle, (Beverly Hanks & Assoc.), Dan Fangmeyer, Dr. Michael Hogan (Blue Ridge Chiropractic), Preston Tinsley (The Gateway Club) and Tim Freeman (Haywood Builders Supply) will compete in a style show, talent show and Q&A session. The competitor who raises the most donations will be crowned “Man of the Year.� There will also be an award for “Best Talent.� REACH is an advocacy organization that helps women and children who have suffered abuse or neglect. Tickets are $100 each and include the competition, entertainment and full dinner. There will be a cash bar. Tickets may be purchased at Within REACH Resale Store in Waynesville or from any REACH of Haywood board member. All profits will go to support the mission and services of REACH of Haywood, the county’s domestic violence/sexual assault/elder abuse prevention and intervention agency. 828.456.7898 or www.reachofhaywood.com.

Hylah Smalley Advertising Sales Manager, Smoky Mountain Living Magazine www.smliv.com

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Smoky Mountain News

Spelling bee comedy at Highlands Playhouse

A special meet the cast party of “Spelling Bee� will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, July 8, in the Sequoia Room of Highlands Inn. Tickets are $50 per person and include heavy hors d’oeuvres and wine. Call for ticket prices and show times. 828.526.9443 or www.highlandsplayhouse.org.

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July 3-9, 2013

Josephine Humphreys’ book, Nowhere Else on Earth, will be the subject of the “Let’s Talk About It� series from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 11, at the Haywood Public Library in Waynesville. For the protagonist Rhonda Strong, “there was nowhere else� besides Scuffletown – it was hard for strangers to reach both physically and culturally. Humphreys did extensive historical research to tell the story of the Lumbee Indian people along the Lumbee River in southeastern North Carolina and their resistance to the Confederacy and white rule in the 19th century. Dr. Margaret (Peg) Harman, professor emeritus at Pfeiffer University, will lead the book discussion. The event is presented by the Friends of the Haywood Library. Free. 828.456.5311 or stanandlinda@charter.net.

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arts & entertainment

Dunham brings comedy to Cherokee

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arts & entertainment

On the wall Open call for art in Bryson City Local artists and artisans in Swain and surrounding counties are invited to submit up to four original works of art for the annual community art exhibit at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. Artwork for this nine-week exhibit will be received in the lobby of the Center for the Arts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, or earlier by appointment. No artwork can be accepted after July 24. All artwork submitted must be available for display through the end of September and can be priced to sell. The artwork can be done in any medium of any appropriate subject. If artwork is sold as a result of this exhibit, a donation of 10 percent of the sale price is requested to help fund the center’s ongoing programs and exhibits. 828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

SCC quilts for returning soldiers Quilting students from Southwestern Community College recently participated in the Quilts of Valor project, a non-profit organization with the goal of making quilts that would both heal and comfort returning serv-

ice men and women touched by war. Quilters from around the nation send their handmade “pride” to a central location, where it is pieced together with the squares of other donors to create a beautiful patriotic lap quilt. Once the quilt is completed, it is awarded at one of many different levels: some go to military hospitals where chaplains award them to service members; there may be presentations of quilts to entire service units returning from combat deployments; they may be awarded at VA hospitals or presented individually.

Cathey memoir on life, metal sculpture Metal artist Grace Cathey will be conducting book signings in Waynesville throughout July and August. Donated photo

Want to learn how to watercolor? A watercolor course will be offered from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. from July 9 to Aug. 1 at Southwestern Community College in Sylva. Pat Mikula continues her summer art series with this class on watercolor technique. Topics include brush strokes, washes and simple landscapes, monochromatic painting and still life, color theory and mixing colors, and layering colors and “negative” painting. This class is for beginners, but all are welcome. Students must bring to class watercolor paints, a tray for mixing paints, an assortment of brushes, small sponges, a watercolor pad of paper, and a small book for notes. Course fee is $55. 828.339.4497.

Metal sculptor Grace Cathey will hold a signing for her book, Fire & Steel: The Sculpture of Grace Cathey, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. July 5; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 6; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 2; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 3, at her studio in Waynesville. There will also be a signing from 3 to 4 p.m. July 14 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. An exploration of the life and work of Cathey, Dahlia Books will publish the book, which is a collaboration between

Cathey and the distinguished historian Sara Evans. It introduces Cathey, tells the story of how she came to metal art after years as a professional weaver and painter, and how her work has grown and changed. It also describes some of the techniques, especially finishes and use of color, that draw on Cathey’s experience as a weaver, watercolorist and print artist. The work is primarily an art book that introduces readers to the full range of Grace Cathey’s work, from major pieces of public art to a variety of custom pieces for homes and gardens. Cathey’s work is part of the permanent collection at the North Carolina Arboretum and Chimney Rock State Park and has been exhibited at the United States Botanical Garden in Washington, D.C., and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. www.gracecathey.com. 195-34

Smoky Mountain News

July 3-9, 2013

HEROES WANTED

at Charles George VA Medical Center

We invite all Veterans who haven’t enrolled or who haven’t used VA Health Care recently to sign up and use the services you have earned!

Some of our excellent services include: • Primary and Specialty Care • Pharmacy services including medications sent to your mail boxt • Secure e-mail messaging to primary care provider • Travel Pay • Home Based Primary Care • Picture VA Health Care Identification Card • New Patient Exams in some County Health Departments

The following groups of Veterans are eligible regardless of income: • Medal of Honor, Purple Heart Recipients and Prisoners of War. • Vietnam Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975. • Gulf War Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations from August 2, 1990, through November 11, 1998. • OEF / OIF / OND Combat Veterans receive 5 years of health care after active duty discharge. (Iraq / Afghanistan) • Veterans with service connected disabilities. • Many other Veterans qualify. * Minimum duty requirements and nature of discharge may affect eligibility.

Contact us now to see if you are qualified!

828-296-4462 34

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July Sale

BY B ECKY JOHNSON

M

where one person starts telling a story, and you go around in a circle, each person adding on to the story, killing off or introducing new characters and plot twists as they see fit. Another one is “Would You Rather …,” where you make up two absolutely gross, disgusting scenarios and pose the question of which you would rather endure. When all else fails, pull out the stash of snacks. Somehow, some way, the minutes will pass, the sky will get darker, and fireworks time will arrive. Things that go ‘boom’ in the night will inevitably scare some younger kids. Fireworks can be downright terrifying, in fact, and many a mom or dad will be spied hauling a wailing toddler with their hands over their ears back to the car early. If your kid is sensitive to loud noises, there’s not much you can do to stave off this scenario. But it can’t hurt to prepare them for what the fireworks will sound like. Act out the big bangs ahead of time, and even get them to join in, making the biggest cacophony they can muster. The fireworks role-playing might make the real thing seem more personal and less daunting when the time comes. Alas, when the last boom goes off, you can look forward to yet another test of your parental endurance: the long trudge back to the car or waiting in line for a shuttle, followed by the bumper-to-bumper throngs inching their way out to the highway. I take their jammies along and change them into their nighttime attire before climbing in to the car, and if I’m lucky, they’ll be asleep by the time we pull into the driveway.

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Your Headquarters for the

July 3-9, 2013

y husband is from South Carolina — the state where you don’t have to wear helmets on a motorcycle and you can detonate a backyard fireworks’ show packing enough TNT to last Wile E. Coyote for a lifetime. The first year I joined his family’s annual ode to explosives in the name of Independence Day, my husband obligingly wore safety glasses at my urging. A welder’s helmet would have been preferable in my book, but you have to pick your battles. Here in the more civilized state of North Carolina, we leave our fireworks to the pros. Any of you moms who don’t have your July Fourth plans sewed up yet, the smorgasbord of events in our calendar is a little dizzying. Good luck picking, that’s all I can say! We’ve been pumped about the impending Fourth of July fireworks for a couple of weeks now. I’m not sure what my kids like best — the fireworks or just getting to stay up super late. For many parents, therein lies the rub. After staking out the perfect spot for an unobstructed view, setting up the lawn chairs and spreading out the blankets, reality sets it. It’s not yet 8 p.m., and fireworks are still almost two hours away. I rarely venture anywhere without an arsenal of activities, but hauling all those blankets, chairs, drinks, snacks, etc., usually proves such an expedition that a tote bag of coloring books falls by the wayside. And there we sit — two looming hours to fill before the big show. Along with the classic “I Spy” and “20 Questions” games, we like “Story Tree,”

arts & entertainment

Fourth of

Mountain momma

On the wall

ALSO:

• An artist reception for the Doreyl Ammons Cain proposed mural “On Hallowed Ground” will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 12, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. The exhibit features the original pastel painting for the mural. It runs until July 31 and is presented by the Jackson County Arts Council. Donations for the project can be

made at www.kickstarter.com. 828.293.2239 or www.colorfestartblog.com. • Sylva’s summer “Movies in the Park” series will start at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 11, 18 and 25, at Bridge Park in Sylva. Bring your lawn chair or blanket. The events are sponsored by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. Free. www.facebook.com/jacksonrecreationandparks or 828.293.3053. • The Summer Balsam Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Balsam/Willets Ochre Hill Fire Department. Featured art media will include handcrafted pottery, oil paintings and prints of local scenery, handcrafted soaps, hand stitched and stamped greeting cards, and handmade baskets among other things. 828.226.9352.

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Smoky Mountain News

• The July installment of “Art After Dark” will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 5, in downtown Waynesville. Participating galleries include Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86, Earthworks, Cedar Hill Studio, Jeweler’s Workbench, Twigs and Leaves Gallery, TPennington Art Gallery, Main Street Artist’s Coop, Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden and Gallery, and the Village Framer. Sponsored by the Waynesville Gallery Association. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

1552 E. MAIN STREET | SYLVA 828-586-6969 | www.brysonfarmsupply.com

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July 3-9, 2013

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Smoky Mountain News

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Books

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Kingsbury gives us a comfortable summer read n The Bridge (ISBN 978-1-4516-4701-3, $19.99), Karen Kingsbury treats readers to a tale of romance and tribulation centered on a bookstore in Franklin, Tenn. Molly Allen and Ryan Kelly meet at Nashville’s Belmont University, where they become best friends. Over time, they realize that they have fallen in love with each other. Their love is enhanced by the owners of the bookstore, The Bridge, who provide Molly and Ryan with advice, good books, and a romantic meeting place. Unfortunately, Molly’s father, a Writer wealthy plutocrat living in Oregon, forces his daughter to leave school when he learns of her growing attachment to Ryan. Home again, she enters her father’s business under duress, though she does manage to avoid marrying the man her father has selected for her. The heartbroken and confused Ryan gains some renown as a country musician, but after seven years he and his career have hit a dead-end. Meanwhile, Charlie and Donna Barton, the owners of The Bridge who have given much of themselves both to their bookshop and to he community of Franklin, have also come on hard times. The floodwaters that slam through Franklin ruin the store, and Charlie himself is hospitalized with heart failure brought on by the stress of trying to save his business. To relate the rest of this story would be to reveal the ending. The Bridge is not in any way a remarkable story — judging from the long list of her publications, Kingsbury might be said to manufacture rather than to write

Jeff Minick

I

books — yet it does make a good read for a summer afternoon at the beach or in a hammock, and will appeal to those who enjoy light romance. ••• I had looked forward very much to the publication of Helen Smith’s Men On Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream—and Why It Matters (ISBN 978-1-59403-675-0, $23.99). Smith, a doctor of psychology specializing in forensics and men’s issues — a striking combination of interests — writes for several blogs which I enjoy, and her various essays always struck me as insightful. Moreover, the topic — the interaction between the sexes and the role of men today — is one on which I myself have written several articles. Finally, Smith lives just over the mountains in Knoxville, and is therefore closer to home than most commentators I follow. The good news is that Smith, through her use of data, interviews, and personal anecdotes, gives readers a greater understanding of why fewer young men these days are going to college, why many men are taking less of an interest in marriage and the family, and why, in a pattern which we are just beginning to understand, so many men are “going Galt,” a phrase taken from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged meaning to go on strike. Unlike most other books and articles addressing this situation, Smith neither blames men for their predicament, unless they themselves are too cowardly to stick up for themselves and their rights, nor does she accuse them, as some have, of being grownup adolescents, refusing to take on the burdens and responsibilities of manhood. Instead, she looks at the ways various systems now treat men. She demonstrates that the laws regarding marriage and the custody of children are inherently biased against men. She looks into the classroom and reveals why boys today struggle so much in school while girls thrive. She reveals the bias of the media, particularly in television, against men and fatherhood, and shows how the ongoing destructive portrayal of men in so many commercials and sit-

uation comedies has become a stereotype for men in general. Men On Strike has sparked some healthy debates on online blogs and websites. Here

campus so biased toward females that they threw up their hands in disgust and voted with their feet against a university education. Smith is also a pleasure to read because she clearly enjoys the company of men. From her description of her encounters with the men cited in the book she clearly sympathizes with men in their defeats and relishes their triumphs. The biggest disappointments in Men On Strike are the quality of the writing and some of suggested remedies. Too often Smith is repetitive in making her points, telling us over and over again that the courts are the enemies of males, that men are retreating, that different systems treat men unfairly. In addition, though Smith offers some helpful advice on how men can overcome some of the handicaps thrown into their path, her repeated admonitions regarding family law and how men need to pay attention to its abuses occasionally make marriage or relationships look more like the dickerings of a pair of lawyers than the exchange of vows. Some of her advice, such as urging men to learn the laws about their state’s reproductive rights, may be Men On Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, heeded by a man of forty, and the American Dream—and Why It Matters by Helen Smith. but a twenty-two year old is Encounter Books, 2013. 176 pages unlikely to become a bedroom barrister. even the casual reader can find evidence, nearDespites these criticisms, Men On Strike is ly all by way of personal stories, of men who a valuable addition to the literature on men. have lost their homes and families because And it is not simply a book for men. By its fortheir wives decided to divorce them, of men mat and subject matter, it should appeal as sued for child support who are not the fathers well to all women concerned about the role of of the children in question, of students who men — fathers, husbands, sons, lovers — in entered college only to find classroom and their lives.

Professor discusses moonshine book at City Lights

NY Time bestselling author to read at Jackson Library

UNC-Asheville Professor Dan Pierce will present his latest work, Corn From a Jar: Moonshining in the Great Smoky Mountains, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 5, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Moonshine is a word that paints a thousand pictures. In fact, according to Pierce, life in the Smoky Mountain region for many often brings to mind a vivid image of the lowly moonshiner holding his XXX-labeled stoneware jug, passed out beside his copper pot still. Pierce aims to dispel this perception. 828.586.9499.

Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe will read from her new book, The Summer Girls, at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Monroe is the author of over a dozen novels, several non-fiction titles, and children’s books. Her novel Time is a River is set in Western North Carolina. Her body of work reflects her commitment to the natural world through literature. Monroe has served on the faculty of numerous writer’s conferences and retreats. An active

environmentalist, she draws themes for her novels from nature and the parallels with human nature, thus drawing attention to various endangered species and the human connection to the natural world. She is a featured speaker at events, both literary and conservation. 828.586.9499.

Open call for books The annual Friends of the Library Book Sale is July 25-27 at the Haywood Public Library in Waynesville. The Book Sale Committee is accepting donations until July 15. To arrange a pickup of materials, contact Sandy Denman at 828.627.2370.

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

One-night trips into the Smokies BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER or day hikers who want to take the next step or for a seasoned backpackers who can’t find the time or resources to make that long trip this year, outdoor author Jim Parham is offering up the solution that is just right: the short backpacking trip. His recently published book, Backpacking Overnights, details 50 one- and two-night trips in the Carolina Mountains. The premise of the book, and Parham’s philosophy, is that backpacking should be easy, accessible and fit into the schedule of the 9 to 5 working stiff. Instead of keeping the old Kelty backpack in the closet collecting dust and waiting for the day you promised yourself you’d hike entire the Appalachian Trail or limiting yourself to short, out-and-back jaunts, Parham recommends spending a night in the woods. Although day hiking is better than no hiking, there’s no equal to sleeping under the stars. “It’s half the experience, part of it is the hike and the other part is going to sleep with the crickets chirping and the creek gurgling beside you,” Parham said. “You miss that on a day hike.” Parham and his wife, Mary Ellen Hammond, who make their home outside Bryson City, have worked on outdoor-oriented guidebooks since they got their start in the early ‘90s. He wrote his first book while working at a rafting operation in the Nantahala Gorge. It was the era when mountain biking was just becoming popular and Parham realized the makeshift maps of little-known trails drawn on napkins and loose sheets of paper for visitors popping in for advice were not cutting it. More than a dozen books later — on topics ranging from waterfall hikes to road biking routes — Backpacking Overnights is the first one he has done on backpacking. The book was published through Milestone Press, the publishing company the couple now runs out of their house. Parham had noticed that the realm of adventure guides was replete with books geared toward short hikes, on one end of the spectrum, and long treks like taking on the AT, at the other end of the spectrum. In the middle there was a void. So he decided to work on a project dedicated to the overnighters and would-be overnighters to

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promote backpacking as an accessible activity. “It doesn’t require huge amounts of time, gear and money to go backpacking,” Parham said. “It’s a simple activity that, with just little bit of knowledge, you can have lot of fun in the woods.” Because not everyone can live the life

But he anticipated a less experienced readership for Backpacking Overnights and included an extended section on the ins-and-outs of preparing for a backpacking trip. It includes rudimentary advice on knot-tying 101, gear, choosing a campsite, hanging a hammock and more.

Author Jim Parham near the trailhead at Deep Creek Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Parham released a guidebook in April detailing overnight backpacking trips in the Carolina Mountains.

Parham lives — traveling to New Zealand, Patagonia, Mount Olympus, Washington and Colorado to hike and backpack — the book includes trips ranging from three to 20 miles or more all within a half-day’s travel. None are more than a few hour’s drive from anywhere in Western North Carolina; and most are even closer. Parham’s past books have included less about the “how” and more about the “where.”

No expensive hiking boots? Go in your sneakers. No sleeping bag? Buy a light summer one for $30 on sale. No stove? Pack leftovers for the night. No idea where to go? Check out Parham’s book, which includes a map identifying the trail and other important features for each trip. Although it took Parham a year-and-a-half to write the book, the knowledge in it was taken from many years of hiking in the

A closer look Author Jim Parham’s newest book Backpacking Overnights introduces readers to 50 different one night and weekend backpacking trips in Western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. It also includes a section introducing readers to the basics of backpacking, maps of each hike, GPS coordinates and a mile-by-mile synopsis of landmarks and points of interest along each route. Parham is an outdoor expert in a number of fields from road biking to kayaking and this is his 13th book. The book, published by Milestone Press, is available in local stores such as City Lights Café in Sylva, Mast General Store and REI in Asheville. It can also be ordered directly from the publisher at 828.488.6601 or online at www.milestonepress.com.

Appalachian Mountains. The book even contains a photograph of his son when he was seven years old crossing a footbridge in the Smokies on his first backpacking trip ever. Parham used his son’s first trip as an example of how a first-time backpacker is bound to have a few hiccups, but it only gets better. “He walked 10 feet and fell flat on his face and cried,” Parham said. Yet, the little trooper got back up on his feet and completed the 5-mile backpacking trip from Deep Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “He made it,” Parham said. Parham hopes not just the novices will take advantage of the introductory book to backpacking. Vacationers who are planning a trip to WNC will have selection of overnights to mix into their trip itinerary; and dedicated backpackers visiting the region could opt for several short trips instead of one long one. There’s one demographic though, that Parham hopes will take full advantage of the possibility of overnight backpacking, and perhaps use it to rekindle a dimming relationship with nature: the WNC resident. Many locals — who either moved to the mountains for the outdoor possibilities or natives who take for granted the green giants dominating the horizon — are in need of a reintroduction. And the reintroduction, out in the crisp air with the birds and the wind howling through the trees at night, can be just what the doctor ordered. “Time slows down,” Parham said. “You can let the world of work and all that stuff just melt in the background and just focus on being outside.”

“It doesn’t require huge amounts of time, gear and money to go backpacking. It’s a simple activity that, with just little bit of knowledge, you can have lot of fun in the woods.” — Jim Parham, author

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

“Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves…”

Kick ball kickin’ off

Test your kick-ball skills this summer in the big leagues. Registration is underway for the 2013 Haywood County Recreation and Parks Adult CoEd Kickball League. Games will take place at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from July 16 through Aug. 20 at the International Paper Sports Complex in Canton. The league is co-ed for players 18 years and older. The cost is $200 per team and teams have until July 8 to sign up. Each team must have no more than 15 players and keep two female players on the field at all times. The Waynesville Disc Golf Juniors practice putting in 828.452.6789 or preparation for an August tournament. drtaylor@haywoodnc.net.

July 3-9, 2013

The 29th Annual

Freedom Freedom Arts Arts & & Crafts Crafts Show Show

Saturday, July 6 & Sunday, July 7 • 9 am - 5 pm

Smoky Mountain News

a good view of the stage and grounds. We had time to dine and chat with Izzy (11) and Maddie (7) about the play’s plot. Soon, after brief announcements, the play began and we were quickly drawn to an island in the Mediterranean Sea and began to sucAnd ye elf and sprite lovers and lovers of cumb, not only to Prospero’s magic but also the Bard whose words have seeped so to his plight. deeply into the fabric of our language that The girls were drawn in immediately even those who’ve never seen them toss and had no problem accepting the sorcery them out with a knowing nod – get thee and following the story line and empathizsoon to the Hazel Robinson Amphitheater ing with the sprite Ariel (portrayed in clever at 100 Gay Street in Asheville where you can fashion by two actors simultaneously.) watch and hear as the Montford Players To say the evening was enjoyable would give voice to those wonderful words while be an understatement. But it got even betthe sun slides westward leaving the sky to ter. The next day Izzy asked when the next “… these blessed candles of the night.” play would start because, “I really want to Regular readers of this column know go back.” that the windows of “The Naturalist’s It just so happened that the weekend we Corner” open on a wide and inclusive saw the “Tempest” was the last weekend of panorama of the natural world. There have the run and the Montford Players were back been reviews of field guides, reviews of the next week with “The Merchant of books, reviews of poetry, announcements of Venice.” outdoor festivals and/or events along with We invited friends and the next ecological, environmental, conservation Saturday, June 29, we once again arrived at Hazel Robinson Amphitheater, this time with more food and more friends and more girls – six in all, from seven to 13 years old. We picnicked and visited and the girls visited and soon it was show time. The Montford Players “camped-up” “Merchant of Venice” just enough to jazz the ambience without taking away from Shakespeare’s story. The play began with the entire cast getting into costume Prospero with his daughter Miranda - The Tempest. Don Hendershot photo in front of the crowd as the speakers musings, opinions and observations as well rocked out “Money” by Pink Floyd. And the flora and fauna taxonomy and systematics. actors were in the audience often bringing I believe wholeheartedly in Thomas Berry’s theater up close and personal. Then the declaration that, “The universe is a complay closed with all actors stage front in a munion of subjects, not a collection of “flash mob” to Cabaret’s “Money, Money, objects.” Money.” And it’s a wonderful appetite-whetting These anachronisms never got in the communion that the Montford Players offer way of the play and never distracted from in such a natural setting, perhaps inspired scenes like Shylock’s soliloquy – where by the Globe itself where the King’s Men Shakespeare eloquently and succinctly performed the Bard’s plays al fresco starting makes the argument that we are all human in 1599. thus all equal. On Saturday, June 22, perchance not And if, occasionally, little girls needed to wanting to dream, we decided, on a lark, to jump up to catch fireflies or point to big venture forth to the Hazel Robinson brown bats skimming the top of the stage, it Amphitheater located behind the Montford all folded in like one natural midsummer Recreation Center to see the “Tempest.” night’s dream. We got there early with lawn chairs and (Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He picnic basket in hand and set up camp with can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)

The Waynesville Disc Golf Juniors team has received a boost from the Professional Disc Golf Association, helping the team buy new discs and pay their entry fee for an upcoming championship tournament. “I am really excited that we were awarded this grant,” said Tim Petrea with the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. “Disc golf is a great sport that is growing by the day here in Waynesville.” The Waynesville Disc Golf Juniors Team is meeting every Tuesday to practice and prepare for the Western Carolina

Juniors Championship to be held on Aug. 3 at the disc golf course along Richland Creek in Waynesville. Anyone interested is welcome to participate. There is a small fee involved in the program. The Waynesville area is home to several disc golf courses, including an 18-hole course at the Waynesville Recreation Center and another one at Haywood Community College. 828.456.2030 or recprogramspecialist@townofwaynesville.org

outdoors

The Naturalist’s Corner

Disc golf takes off in Waynesville

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50+ Crafters, All indoors, All handmade crafts, Food available, No admission charge, Free parking ———————————————————————————————————

HAYWOOD COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS HWY. 209 • LAKE JUNALUSKA, NC Directions: From I-40 take Exit 24; Go South on Hwy 209. 3.7 miles on left. From Hwy 19/23 take Exit 104; Go North on Hwy 209 1 mile on right.

For more information, visit bracaorg.com. 195-01

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outdoors July 3-9, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 40

Permit now required to harvest ginseng in national forests U.S. Forest Service officials are limiting the harvesting of wild ginseng in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, citing concern over reductions in wild ginseng numbers. The changes will take effect starting this year. Those who harvest ginseng on public forests must obtain a permit, which will be awarded through a lottery. The new rules will reduce the amount of ginseng permits issued by 75 percent, to 136. The permitted harvest season will also be cut in half to two weeks in September. Those requesting a permit must enter the lottery by July 15. “Dramatic declines of wild ginseng populations over the past decade suggest previous harvest levels are no longer sustainable,” said Bail. “It is in everyone’s best interest to further limit the amount of the harvest to help ensure the plant’s future sustainability is protected following changes to wild ginseng harvests in the Nantahala and Pisgah National forests.” The Forest Service also plans to increase law enforcement efforts to reduce poaching. Removing a wild ginseng plant or its parts from national forests without a permit or outside of the legal harvest season is considered theft of public property.

Nowhere to go but down on this guided hike

Hikers will see waterfalls and the Smokies at their best on a guided hike along the Appalachian Trial in July. Friends of the Smokies photo A nearly all-downhill hike will be held in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday, July 16, with Friends of the Smokies hike leader and guide book author Danny Bernstein. The guided 7.5-mile hike will start from Newfound Gap and follow the Appalachian Trail before descending on Kephart Prong, passing by lush vegetation and waterfalls. Hikers will leave their vehicles at the end of the trail and get a free lift from Rocky Top Tours shuttle

service to the hike’s starting point at Newfound Gap. It is part of the Friends of the Smokies “Classic Hikes of the Smokies” series, held the third Tuesday of the month. It celebrates the Friends’ support for the Smokies Trails Forever program, which pays for additional trail workers for the park. Cost is $10 for Friends’ members and $35 for non-members. Registration required. outreach.nc@friendsofthesmokies.org or 828.452.0720.

Archeology program for kids looks at Cherokee

Children will have a chance to look through the lens of archeology at the history of the Cherokee people with an upcoming program at the Haywood County libraries. Jane Eastman, a professor at Western Carolina University, will bring kids on a journey through time, touching on archeology as a field of study in general and then focusing more specifically on how it relates to the ancestral Cherokee. The program will be held at 11 a.m. at the Waynesville Library and at 2 p.m. at the Canton Library on Wednesday, July 10. Children will have a chance to make crafts in the Cherokee tradition to take home with them. Eastman is an associate professor in the Anthropology Department at WCU and also Director of Cherokee Studies.

Biomonitering project invites public for day at stream Aquatic enthusiasts have the chance to tag along with the scientists for a lesson on stream sampling. The Highlands Biological Station staff will be exploring streams, conducting aquatic sampling and learning about the state of the area’s streams from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thursday, July 11. Participants can join in and

help sample and identify macro-invertebrates in Caney Fork, a tributary to the Tuckasegee River, and learn how scientists use these macro-invertebrates for biomonitoring. Participants will meet at the Highlands Nature Center at 9:30 a.m. for carpooling or meet at East LaPorte Park in Jackson County at 10:15 a.m. The program is part of the Highlands Biological Foundation’s “Think About Thursdays” summer activity series. All ages are welcome, and the cost is $10 for members, $15 for non-members. Registration is requested. 828.526.2221.

Riveting topics in store for conservation lecture series

The series serves to educate and inspire the public through a series of talks from wellknown regional scientists, conservationists, artists, and writers. The topics of this year’s series are diverse, including environmental health, climate change, the Galapagos Islands, the

outdoors

Mayflies will be one of the critters most likely found during an upcoming scientific sampling day on Caney Fork in Jackson County. Clay Bolt, meetyourneighbours.net photo

The summer Zahner Conservation Lecture Series will kick off in Highlands next week with a The Butterfly Weed, a talk on biodiversity in the Southern Appalachian plant, Southern Appalachians. attracts droves of butterflies A lecture titled with its bright colors and “Highlands, the Southern End nectar. Clay Bolt illustration of the Southern Appalachians: Maintaining its Hundred Million Year-Old Biodiversity Legacy” will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11, at the Highlands Nature Center. The speaker, Alan Weakley, is the director of the UNC Herbarium at the North Carolina Botanical Garden and an assistant professor at UNC-Chapel Hill. He has collected over 250 species and annotated more than 3,500 specimens in his career and is the author of plant-related books with a focus on the Southeast. endangered red wolf, medicinal plants, The free Thursday evening lecture and biodiversity of the Southern series began as a Highlands tradition in the Appalachians. The series runs until Aug. 1930s and is named for Robert Zahner and 29. his wife Glenda, known for their land conwww.highlandsbiological.org or servation efforts on the Highlands Plateau. 828.526.2221.

Catch the water ski show to remember at Lake J

CONTESTS 10:00 a.m.

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registration 1:30-2:30

3 - 7 p.m.

7:00 p.m. 203480

9:15 p.m. closed-toe shoes, long pants and a change of clothes. Registration for the event is by July 17. 828.550.4869 or Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com

Cash Prizes!

Horseshoe Tournament $350 TOTAL PURSE Corn Hole Tournament $350 TOTAL PURSE Sponsored by ServPro Blind Golf Cart Obstacle Race $5 Entry - WIN $250!! Sponsored by Franklin Golf Course Plunger Toss (2 Age Groups) WIN $50 each age group Sponsored by Ferguson Enterprises Bulls Eye Ball Drop WINS $500

Thursday, T h d July 4th 3PM TIL’ FIREWORKS @ DARK

Kids Funland! Sponsored by Biltmore FREE Baptist Church FREE

FREE SHUTTLE from Franklin High School

Starting at 5:00 p.m.

Smoky Mountain News

Stream cleanup and BBQ for Haywood Waterways picnic Haywood Waterways is holding its annual membership picnic to recognize volunteers who have helped the organization with water conservation projects. The picnic will begin at 10 a.m. July 20 with a volunteer cleanup of Richland Creek in Waynesville. Participants will meet at the Vance Street Park pavilion. The cleanup will be followed by the BBQ picnic from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. All members or volunteers with Haywood Waterways are welcome to attend. The pavilion is covered so the event will be held rain or shine. Those who are participating in the stream cleanup should bring

Games & E n te r ta in m ent

Fa m il y Fu n & Fo o d

July 3-9, 2013

Jon boats and canoes are a common sight on the water at Lake Junaluska. But a water ski team stacked three people high? Yes, and it will be quite the show — two, in fact — when the Carolina Show Ski Team performs at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday, July 5, at Lake Junaluska. The best viewing for the free show will be from the Rose Walk. The team is comprised of 30 to 40 skiers ranging in age from 4 to 60 who perform stunts individually as well as with multiple members on the same line. Spectators at the Lake Junaluska performance can expect to see barefoot skiing at 40 miles per hour, synchronized ballet skiing and swivel skiing, where the bindings of the skis turn 360 degrees. It is one of many special events and festivities being held at Lake Junaluska this week in honor of its 100th anniversary. www.lakejunaluska.com/july4 or 800.222.4930.

ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING along Wide Horizon Drive.

Sponsored by Smoky Mountain Chevrolet

Dark

Fireworks Display Sponsored by Biltmore Baptist Church

DONATIONS TO FUND THE DAY WILL BE ACCEPTED AT EACH GATE

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outdoors

Bird-ers of a feather flock together, even in Central Park

7 p.m. The film is about an hour long. 828.743.9670 or visit www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org.

A film that explores birds and their watchers in the not-so-wild habitat of Central Park in New York will be shown at an upcoming screening in Highlands. The Highlands Plateau Audubon Society is putting on the film “Birders: The Central Park Effect� on Monday, July 8, at 3 p.m. at the Hudson Library. The film focuses on birds and birders in one of the most famous parks in the U.S. Surrounded by steel and concrete, there is an array of wild birds that drop into the island habitat of Central Park every spring and fall during migration. There are also those birds that stay year round. The film also highlights New Yorkers who flock to the park to observe the birds and set their schedules around birding, often missing work or social events with friends. And in the urban setting of New York, it is harder for their acquaintances to understand their uncommon passion for birding. A second showing of this film will be at the Albert Carlton Community Library in Cashiers on Monday, Aug. 19, at

Learn about bird research in the Great Smokies A program on bird population research in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at Lake Junaluska. The program is hosted by the Great Smoky Mountains Audubon Society chapter. Paul Super, research coordinator with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will present a program on various research projects and work on bird species and bird populations in the park. Super also oversees the banding team at the “Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorshipâ€? station in Richland Balsam, the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Audubon Society meets the second Tuesday of the month, May through October, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Paul Kern Youth Center at Lake Junaluska. Also, watch the outdoors calendar at the back of the paper for birding outings held by the club.

The surface area of the Earth is 197,000,000 square miles let’s keep it clean — please recycle

July 3-9, 2013

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Smoky Mountain News

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Blair Ogburn of Balsam Mountain Trust shows off an owl to children at the Bryson City library during a summer nature program.

Raptors swooping in to Bryson City A kid’s nature program with live birds of prey will come to the Bryson City library at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 10. The show will include an informative discussion about birds of prey and a variety of birds to view. The birds of prey are from the Balsam Mountain Trust, which has special permits to care for the raptors and share them with the community. The trust has put on programs that have wowed audiences all over Western North Carolina. 828.488.3030.

“Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?� Live snakes will take the spotlight in Highlands during an educational program about the slithery creatures. The program titled “Snakes of the Highlands Region� will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, July 12 at the Highlands Nature Center. All ages are welcome for the learning-oriented show. Learn about regional species found in and around Highlands, see live snakes on display, learn snake identification and uncover common misconceptions about them. The cost is $2 per person. Advanced registration is not required, but seating is limited. 828.526.2623 or www.highlandsbiological.org.

List of Top 10 animal species on the demise The N.C. Wildlife Federation has released its list of the Top 10 wildlife species struggling to survive. These critters are victim to habitat loss, disease, over-harvest and other challenges that make the outlook for their kind bleak. Determining the Top 10 list took into consideration the species’ abundance, habitat scarcity, popularity, potential for successful restoration and other threatening omens. The list includes species from different animal classes and geographic locations — from the mountains to the piedmont to the coastal plain. Several are also high profile species affected by different divisive issues such as development and climate change. Tim Gestwicki, CEO of the federation, wants the list to call attention to the environmental problems of our day and prompt action to be taken by political and community leaders to solve the problems. “We believe the Top 10 list will bring further attention to the diversity of species

and wild places — from the mountains to the seas — that North Carolina is blessed with,� said Gestwicki. www.ncwf.org

NC wildlife officials awarded grant for bats The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding more than $950,000 to 28 states for projects to combat and study white-nose syndrome, the deadly disease that is decimating bats. North Carolina is set to receive $45,000 through the program; Tennessee is slated for $47,500. The money will help state wildlife officials fund and support research, monitor bat populations and detect and respond to white-nose syndrome. The disease is spreading rapidly. First discovered in upstate New York in 2006, it is now prevalent in 22 states and five Canadian provinces as of this year. The fungus-caused disease has also found its way into Western North Carolina. It is one of the most devastating diseases affecting wildlife. Estimates pace the bat death toll at more than 5.7 million.

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WNC Calendar BUSINESS & EDUCATION • The Spice & Tea Exchange® store opening, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, Main Street, Highlands. www.Spiceandtea.com. • Employability Laboratory, Southwestern Community College, Sylva: July 3, Wellness, Fitness and Nutrition; July 10, Dressing for Successful Interviews—For Women; July 17, Tips to Make a Good Impression in Your Professional and Personal lives; July 24—Workplace Communications & Diversity; Register, 306.7020. • Professional Development Breakfast, 8 a.m. Thursday, July 11, Terrace Room 316, Terrace Hotel, Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, featuring Russ Seagle of Seagle Management. Sponsored by the Haywood Chamber’s Young Professionals of Haywood (YPH). YPHaywood.com, 456.3021 or kgould@haywoodchamber.com.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. above. $10, Waynesville Recreation Center members, $12 non-members. Price includes transportation and a general admission ticket to the game. 456.2030 or email recprograms@townofwaynesville.org • Seniors trip to see the elk Monday, July 15. For seniors age 50 and above. Leave the Waynesville Recreation Center at 2 p.m., return by 9 p.m. $5, Waynesville Recreation Center members, $7, non-members. Bring dinner and a folding chair. 456.2030 or email recprogramspecialist@townofwaynesville.org.

KIDS & FAMILIES

• Marketing Your Business Using Free Online Directories, with Martin Brossman, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, Southwestern Community College, Jackson Campus, Founders Hall, Room 124. Tiffany Henry, 339.4211.

• And to Think that We Thought that we’d Never be Friends,” art, music and drama program, 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, through July 12, Waynesville branch, Haywood County Library. Daydreamz, 476.4231, Lisa Hartzell, 452.5169.

• Create Your Own Website and Blog Using WordPress, with Martin Brossman, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, Southwestern Community College, Jackson Campus, and 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 18, Macon Campus. Tiffany Henry, 339.4211.

• Burrowing animals discussion for preschool through 2nd graders, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 3, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. 488.3030

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Historic Design Guidelines public meetings: 2 p.m., Historic Preservation Commission meeting; 5 to 7 p.m. workshop session, Wednesday, July 3, City Hall Board Room, 9 S. Main St., Waynesville. Paul Benson, 456.2004. • Downtown Sylva’s Main Street “Heritage Walk” is the topic of the Jackson County Genealogical Society’s July program. The Heritage Walk is a collection of historic Main Street photographs. The program will be in the Community Room of the Jackson County Courthouse at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 11. 828.631.2646. • Franklin Open forum, 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, Rathskeller coffee Haus and Pub, 58 Stewart St., Franklin. Topic: “Does patriotism give us a positive sense of community or is it a corruptible form of “group think?” For those wanting dialog, not debate. 349.0598. • Public meeting for the development of the tennis courts at Waynesville Recreation Park, 11:30 a.m. Monday, July 8, Waynesville Recreation Center. 456.2030 or email recdirector@townofwaynesville.org. • RoadRUNNER Touring Weekend, July 11-13, Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. RoadRUNNER invites the public to come out, shop, mingle, or have a bite to eat, in memory of the magazine’s founder. An all-inclusive event, must register online, all day rides, guided tours, catered meals at night, a bar, and music. Guest speakers on-site. 336.354.6430 or www.roadrunner.travel/TWE. • Glance Family Reunion, noon Saturday, July 20, Beaverdam Community Center, 1620 N. Canton Road, Canton. Bring a covered dish to share. Drinks and serving ware provided. Linda Glance Kier, 615.419.4815, lgkier@charter.net or Johnny Glance, 593.9897 ke4myw@yahoo.com, Facebook, Glance Family Genealogy.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Seniors trip to an Asheville Tourists baseball game, Thursday, July 11. Leave Waynesville Recreation Center at 5:30 p.m., return at 11 p.m. For seniors age 50 and

• KARE’s Parents as Teachers, 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 3, Smoky Mountain Cinema, free movie, Pirates Band of Misfits. • Kids Clay: Hobbit Houses, 1 to 4 p.m. July 5 and 1 to 3 p.m. July 6, Swain Center room 123, Instructor: M. Burrell, Cost: $25. For children age 8 to 14, and 5 to 7 with a parent or guardian. • Jim the Science Guy, 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 10, KARE house. • Birds of Prey, 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 10, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. 488.3030. • Archeology Program for kids, 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 10, Waynesville Library; 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, Canton Library, featuring WCU professor Jane Eastman.

Summer Camps • Tennis Lifesong Summer Camps, Tuesdays through Fridays, through Aug. 23 at Lake Junaluska. Ages 4 and older. Bunnie Allare, 513.608.9621, www.lakejunaluska.com/tennis or www.facebook.com/tennisLifesong. • Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department summer camp for kids in kindergarten to fifth grade., 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Aug. 16. Daily limited enrollment. Register, 456.2030 or email recprogramspecialist@townofwaynesville.org. • Lake Junaluska Summer Day Camp, through Aug. 9, for ages 24 months through rising sixth graders. Half day, full day available. Come all summer or for just a few days. www.lakejunaluska.com/children, lkrekelberg@lakejunaluska.com, 454.6681. Registration forms available online. • Highlands Playhouse Summer Fun Drama/Theatre Camps: Theatre Camp; July 15-27; Musical Theatre Camp; and July 29-Aug. 2, Dance Camp. 526.2695 or email highlandsplayhhouse@yahoo.com. Highlands Playhouse, 362 Oak St., Highlands, www.highlandsplayhouse.org. • Smoky Mountain Center’s Summer Fun Drama Camp, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. July 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25. Performance at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts, Franklin. $65 per student, $50 each additional sibling. For ages 8 to 16. 524.1598. www.greatmountainmusic.com. • Summer Day Camp, Southwestern Child Development and Hazelwood Early Education and Preschool, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Fridays, through Aug. 28.

Smoky Mountain News

Ages 5 to 9. $500 per month. Subsidy accepted. 456.2458. • The Robotics with Legos Camp for rising sixththrough eighth-grader, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. Monday, July 8Friday, July 12, Western Carolina University. $149, includes lunch. 227.7397. • TetraBrazil Soccer Camp 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m., July 8-12, Waynesville Recreation Center. Advance players only who play at the Academy, Challenge or Classic level. Details at 456.2030 or email recathletics@townofwaynesville.org. • Teen Workshops: “A week of working in a different medium each day,”10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 14-19, ages 13-18, $275. Fine Arts Building, Western Carolina University, www.cullowheemountainarts.org/youth. • Basketball Camp, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 15-18, Waynesville Recreation Center. Offered by Kevin Cantwell, current head coach at Carolina Day School and former assistant coach at Georgia Tech. $135 per camper. Each camper responsible for bringing his or her own lunch and snack. Checks payable to Kevin Cantwell. 770.490.6580 or email academy7@live.com. • Two-day art camps, Cullowhee Mountain Arts: “Garden Party” 9 a.m. to noon, July 17-18, ages 5 to 8, $50, and “Nature Fest” 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 15-16, ages 9 to 12, $90. Fine Arts Building, Western Carolina University. www.cullowheemountainarts.org/youth.

Science & Nature • Birds of Prey, presented by The Balsam Mountain Trust, will be held at 11 a.m. at the Marianna Black

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Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings Library in Bryson City. Live hawks, eagles and more. Open to all ages. 488.3030. • Special program about the planet Saturn, 7 p.m. Friday, July 12, Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI). Reservations required and will be accepted until 3 p.m. the day of the event. $20 per adult, $15 for seniors/military and $10 for children under 14. Register and pay online at www.pari.edu or 862.5554. Christi Whitworth at cwhitworth@pari.edu. • Nature Center Summer Day Camps at the Highlands Nature Center. Filling up fast. Find complete schedules, costs, and other information, at www.highlandsbiological.org or call 526.2623.

Literary (children) • Volunteers needed (college-age students or older) three afternoons a week to assist the Teen Program leader at Macon County Public Library, Franklin. eagee@fontanalib.org, Ellen, 524.3600.

JACKSON COUNTY’S

INDEPENDENCE DAY

FIREWORKS th July th

4

THURSDAY THURSDAY

DILLSOBORO • NC Free Live Concert with “Porch 40” Free Live Concert with “Porch 40”

7:30 7:30 with with the the Fireworks Fireworks at at Dark Dark (on (on or or around around 10 10 p.m.) p.m.) SPONSORED BY THE DILLSBORO MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION, THE TOWN OF DILLSBORO, THE JACKSON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, JACKSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, JACKSON COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, AND HARRISON CONSTRUCTION.

WWW.VISITDILLSBORO.ORG OR 1-800-962-1911

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Tickets on Sale Now!

July 3-9, 2013

July 17-28, 2013 With Dancers and Musicians from:

Smoky Mountain News

Presenting Sponsor Sponsors SMOKY MOUNTAIN INN

Thailand, Mexico, Paraguay, Japan, Slovakia, Canada, Martinique and France. Featuring special performances from Appalachian and Cherokee cultures.* Tickets & Information: 877.FolkUSA | www.folkmootusa.org *subject to change

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pre-literacy skill focus for this group is vocabulary development. 586.2016.

• Book Babies, story time for children four years old and younger, 10:30 a.m., Mondays, Blue Ridge Books, Waynesville.

• The American Girls Club meets at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The club is based on a book series about historical women. Club members read and do activities. Free. 586.9499.

• A Book Trade/Exchange, 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays at Brain Gym at 81 Elmwood Way in Waynesville. An ongoing event. 452.2370. • WCU is collecting old books for local children. Please drop donations at Reynolds Residence Hall or Scott Hall on the campus of WCU. 227.4642 or jgbowen1@catamount.wcu.edu. • A Haywood county non-fiction book club meets the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at various locations. 456.8428 • Book Babies story time at Blue Ridge Books meets Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for children 3 years old and younger. 456.6000.

• Family Story Time for ages 18 months to 5 years is held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 526.3600. • Book Talk for grades 3-5 is held Wednesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 526.3600. • Pre-School Story Time (ages 3-5) is held from 10:40 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays at the Hudson Library in Highlands. 526.3031. • The Marianna Black Library Preschool Story time (ages 3-5) is at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. • Dial-A-Story is available to all ages through the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Hear Miss Christine tell stories (a new one each week) just by calling 488.9412.

• Adventures in Reading is held at noon and 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays. Includes story, a snack and craft. Swain County Family Resource Center. 488.7505. • Family Story Time, 11 a.m. Tuesdays, Canton Public Library and at 11 a.m. Wednesdays, Waynesville Public Library. Stories, songs, crafts. 452.5169.

9:30 a.m. Thursday, July 11 – Beaded Ring, Potpourri ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva. Noon Thursday, July 11 – Preserving Food, Lunch and Learn ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

POLITICAL EVENTS • Veteran newspaper journalists Rachel Hoskins and Bob Scott will speak on threats to freedom of the press, at noon Thursday, July 11, Tartan Hall, Franklin. Sponsored by The League of Women Voters. • OccupyWNC - General Assembly (casual forum open to public), 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, room 246, Jackson Justice Center, Sylva. Every second Tuesday of the month. • OccupyWNC - Working Groups (Public welcome), 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, room 246, Jackson Justice Center, Sylva. Every fourth Tuesday of the month.

A&E

FOOD & DRINK

• Ready 4 Learning, 11 a.m. Tuesdays Waynesville Public Library. Specifically for 4 and 5 year olds and focuses on kindergarten readiness skills. 452.5169. • Movers and Shakers Story time, 11 a.m. Thursdays, Waynesville Public Library. For all ages. Movement, books, songs and more. 452.5169. • Story Time (birth – age 5) is held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Fridays at the Jackson County Library in Sylva. The time begins with a reading in Spanish by a volunteer followed by a story and activity. The

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

ECA EVENTS • Extension and Community Association (ECA) groups meet throughout the county at various locations and times each month. NC Cooperative Extension Office, 586.4009.

FESTIVALS, SPECIAL & SEASONAL EVENTS • Cherokee Bonfire, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, through Aug. 31, Oconaluftee Islands Park (across from KFC), Cherokee. Hear stories next to a roaring fire. Light refreshments. Free. 800.438.1601, visitcherokeenc.com. • Haywood Community Band annual 4th of July Concert, 2 p.m. Thursday, July 4, Haywood County Court House steps, Waynesville. www.haywoodcommunity-

band.org/, Rhonda Wilson Kram, 456.4880. • Blue Ridge Craft Show, July 6-7, Owl Produce, 899 Old Asheville Highway, Canton. Features local and regional Appalachian crafters. http://www.visitncsmokies.com/events/blue-ridge-craft-show/420. • Maggie Valley Summer Arts & Crafts Festival will be from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on July 6 and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on July 7 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. More than 100 artisans and craftsmen for this long-running event which boosts unique and exclusive hand-made items from all across the Southeast. Chainsaw demonstrations and a variety of foods are also onsite. Free parking and admission. 800.624.4431; or visit www.maggievalley.org.

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• The following events are at the Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• The Haywood Chamber of Commerce is accepting applications for artists and crafters – as well as craft demonstrators – for the 25th annual Haywood County Apple Harvest Festival, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct.19 on Historic Main Street downtown Waynesville. Deadline for applications is Aug. 30. Booth space assignments for the festival will be announced after October 4. Applications available at HaywoodAppleFest.com or by calling 456.3021. • Summer Jazz Festival, Classic Wineseller, 20 Church St., Waynesville. 7 p.m. Saturdays: July 6, 13, 20. Reservations at 452.6000, www.classicwineseller.com. • One-man band Jay Brown performs at 7 p.m. Friday, July 5, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Showcasing a variety of original and select material, the versatile musician shifts from jazz to blues, soul to folk. $10 per person minimum including food, drink and retail purchases. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com. • Pro Wrestling, 1 p.m., doors open, 3 p.m. bell time, Sunday, July 7, Birdtown. Rock & Roll Express vs. Powers of Pain. 497.3556. • “Man of the Year” Gala competition and fundraiser

July 3-9, 2013

Introducing The Hickory Ridge III Model soon to be under construction at the Franklin/Cashiers Model Center

lit y a u Q f o r e Build Homes Custom 41 Years! For Over

Smoky Mountain News

Watch for other NEW Mountain Premier Series home plans coming soon!

Franklin/Cashiers Building Center 335 NP&L Loop, Franklin, NC

828-349-0990

© 2013 America’s Home Place, Inc. Home designs represented on this page are property of America’s Home Place and are intended for demonstration purposes only. Prices are base price only and do not include closing cost, land, or site improvements to land. Prices subject to change without notice. Renderings may show upgrades not included in price.

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for REACH of Haywood , 6 p.m. Friday, July 12, Laurel Ridge Country Club.Tickets are $100 each and include the competition, entertainment and full dinner. Purchase tickets at Within REACH Resale Store, 456 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, or from any REACH of Haywood board member. 456.7898. All profits will go to support the mission and services of REACH of Haywood, the county’s domestic violence/sexual assault/elder abuse prevention and intervention agency. www.reachofhaywood.com. • Mountaineer Restaurant at 64904 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley, has live music on the patio from 6-9 p.m. on Saturdays in July. Bobby G.-July 6, Ashley Rose–July 13, The Mix–July 20, Judy Morgan–July 27. • Bingo, 5:45 p.m. Thursdays, through Sept. 5, Pavilion next to Maggie Valley Town Hall. Cash prizes. • High-fashion exhibition, ReDress: Upcycled Style by Nancy Judd, through Aug.18, The Bascom, Highlands. www.TheBascom.org, 526.4949. • Hunger Games Fan Tours - Walking Tours July 6, Aug.17, and Aug. 31, DuPont State Forest (between Hendersonville and Brevard). $59 per person. www.hungergamesfantours.com.

LITERARY (ADULTS) • Literary Journeys through the Western North Carolina Landscape: An Exploration in Cultural and Natural History through Fiction, Non-Fiction, and Poetry, July 15, Highlands Biological Station, Highlands. Afternoon field trips with the authors. Class limited to 12. Brent Martin, 587.9453, www.wilderness.orghttp://highlandsbiological.org/summer-2013/. • Metal sculptor Grace Cathey will host a book signing for her new book, Fire & Steel: The Sculpture of Grace Cathey, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, July 5; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 6, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at 136 Depot St. (Walker Service), Waynesville. www.gracecathey.com.

July 3-9, 2013

• Dan Pierce will discuss his book Corn From a Jar: Moonshining in the Great Smoky Mountains, 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 5, City Lights Boostore. 586.9499. • Let’s Talk About It book discussion, 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 11, Haywood County Public Library auditorium, Waynesville. Book is Nowhere Else on Earth by Josephine Humphreys. Discussion led by Margaret (Peg) Harman, professor emeritus at Pfeiffer University. Linda Arnold, 456.5311 or stanandlinda@charter.net. • Squire Summer Writing Residency, July 11–14, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee. Poetry with Kathryn Stripling Byer, fiction with Elizabeth Lutyens, and creative nonfiction with Catherine Reid. Register at www.ncwriters.org.

Smoky Mountain News

• Local author Nita Owenby will talk about her novel The House of Rose on at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library Complex. Free.

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• Haywood County Friends of the Library annual Book Sale Committee is accepting donations until May 15. Call Sandy Denman to arrange a pickup of materials, 627.2370. Book sale is July 25-27. • Lost Writers Support Group, 10 a.m. to noon, first Saturday of the month, Zelda Divine, Inc. 1210 S. Main St., Waynesville. Coffee, refreshments, and good company abide.

LAKE JUNALUSKA CENTENNIAL HOMECOMING • Wednesday, July 3—10 a.m. to noon, Corneille Bryan Native Garden Tour; 5:30 p.m. boat parade; 5:30 p.m. Picnic Fish Fry, tent beside Stuart Auditorium; 6:45 p.m., present day photo reenactment of 1913 photo of crowd in front of auditorium, Stuart Auditorium; 7:30 p.m., Lake Junaluska Singers concert, Stuart Auditorium. • Thursday, July 4—11 a.m. to noon, Independence Day Parade, Lakeshore Drive; noon to 2 p.m., barbecue

picnic and family activities, Nanci Weldon Gym, 7:30 p.m., Lake Junaluska Singers Concert, Stuart Auditorium; 9:45 p.m. fireworks • Friday, July 5—10 a.m. to noon, Lake Junaluska Garden Tours; 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., Carolina Water Ski Show. • Saturday, July 6—10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Antique and Fine Art Discovery Day at Lake Junaluska, Harrell Center 202; 2 p.m., Collecting Fine Arts and Antiques in the 21st Century, Facts and Fiction, Harrell Center 202; 7:30 p.m. Lake Junaluska Singers Reunion Concert, Stuart Auditorium For tickets and other information about Lake Junaluska Centennial Events, visit www.lakejunaluska.com or call 800.222.4930.

JULY 4TH CELEBRATIONS See Page 31

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • American Idol runner up and country singer Lauren Alaina, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, Franklin. Tickets, $25 each. 866.273.4615, GreatMountainMusic.com. • Family friendly Concerts on the Creek, every Friday during summer, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Sylva Bridge Park Pavilion near Scott Creek: July 5, Sundown; July 12, Buchanan Boys; July 19, Dashboard Blue; July 26, Mountain Faith; Aug. 2, Whitewater Bluegrass Company; Aug. 9, Lonesome Sound, Aug. 16, Steve Weams & the Caribbean Cowboys, Aug, 23, Porch 40 and Aug. 20, Lisa Price Band. 800.962.1911, www.mountainlovers.com. • Western Carolina University free Summer Concert Series, 7 p.m. Thursdays, (excluding July 4), A.K. Hinds University Center stage in Central Plaza: July 11, Jamie Paul; July 18, The Boxcars; July 25, Kovacs and the Polar Bear. Lori Davis, assistant director for campus activities, atledavis@wcu.edu, 227.3622. • “Side By Side By Sondheim,” 7:30 p.m. July 5-6; 3 p.m. July 7; and 2 p.m. July 13, 20 and Aug. 3, Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. Tickets, $22 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for students. Special $8 discount tickets for students on Thursday and Sunday productions. Season ticket holder tickets: $12. 456.6322, www.harttheatre.com. • Brigadoon, 7:30 p.m. July 12-13, 18-20, 25-27 and Aug. 1-3; 3 p.m. July 14, 21, 28 and Aug. 4, Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. Tickets: $24 for adults, $20 for seniors, $12 for students. Special $8 discount tickets for students for Thursday and Sunday productions. • Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival, 7:30 p.m. Sundays, through July 21, Performing Arts Center, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. Tickets are $20 per person, season tickets are $75 for the series including a free guest ticket for a total of six tickets. Students 25 years old and under are admitted free of charge with valid student ID. 452.0593. www.haywoodarts.org, www.swannanoachambermusic.com. • An Appalachian Evening Concert Series at historic Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center. 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, through Aug. 31. General seating $120 adults, $40 students (K-12); season reserved seats are $50 rows A through E and $25 all others. www.StecoahValleyCenter.com or call 479.3364. • Unto These Hills, 7:30 p.m. preshow, 8 p.m. main performance, nightly except Sundays, through Aug. 17, Mountainside Theatre, 688 Drama Road, Cherokee. Reserved seating, $23, adults; $13, children 6 to 13 years of age; free for children five and under. General seating, $20, adults; $10, children 6 to 12; free, children 5 and under. www.cherokeeadventures.com/tickets. • The hour-long radio show Stories of Mountain Folk airs at 9 a.m. every Saturday on its home station, WRGC Jackson County Radio, 540 AM on the dial,

ART/GALLERY EVENTS & OPENINGS • Art After Dark, 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 5, downtown Waynesville. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com. • On Hallowed Ground art exhibit by mural artist Doreyl Ammons Cain, July 1-31, Jackson County Arts Councils’ Rotunda Gallery, Jackson County Library Complex, Sylva. Opening reception, 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 12. 293.2239, colorfestartblog.com. • Nature Inspired, mixed media exhibit, July 3-27, Gallery 86, 86 N. Main St., Waynesville. Artists’ reception 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 5 during Art After Dark. www.haywoodarts.org. • Ceramics exhibition by students from Highlands High School, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 5 p.m., Sunday, through July 14, The Bascom, Highlands. www.TheBascom.org, 526.4949. • Photographer Barbara Sammons’ Dusty Roads and More, a collection of 18 photographs of old cars and tractors, wildlife and scenography, through July 31, Canton Branch Library, 11 Pennsylvania Avenue, Canton. Barbara Sammons, 707.4420. www.barbarasammons.com. • Cullowhee Mountain ARTS 2013 Summer ARTS Series, through July 27, Bardo Arts Center, Western Carolina University. Twenty artist workshops, in painting, printmaking, book arts, ceramics, photography, mixed media and sculpture. www.cullowheemountainarts.org, 342.6913. • Southern Lights, a colorful exhibition, through Sept. 1, The Bascom, Highlands. www.thebascom.com. • Green Biennial Invitational Exhibition featuring nine new sculptures, through Dec. 31, the Village Green Commons, Cashiers. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com, 743.3434.

• Vendors wanted for Southwestern Community College Mountain Shapes & Colors, Nov. 9. Application at NSA Facebook page, the college Web site or at the SCC Swain Center. Deadline is 5 p.m., Aug. 12. 366.2000 or email j_marley@southwesterncc.edu.

CLASSES, PROGRAMS & DEMONSTRATIONS

• Drawing, 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesdays, Blue Mountain Studios, $75 for eight classes, 788.0348. Students, $10. • Summer Balsam Arts & Crafts Show, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 6, Balsam/Willets Ochre Hill Fire Department seven miles east of Sylva. Jane McClure, 226.9352.

• Hand building class, 6 to 8 p.m. through July 31, Riverwood Pottery, Dillsboro Studio. $160, 586.3601 or email riverwoodpottery@frontier.com. • Southwestern Community College pottery classes this summer, Swain Center, 60 Almond School Road, Bryson City. www.southwesterncc.edu/finearts, 366.2000. • Rug Hooking Group, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Jackson County Public Library. Beginners welcome. 631.2561. • Taking Control of your Digital Photography – From Camera to Computer, by Ed Kelley, for Intermediate & Advanced Students, 1:30 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays. www.iamclasses.webs.com or contact Char at 456.9197, orcharspaintings@msn.com. • Children’s Art Classes, by Scottie Harris, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays. www.iamclasses.webs.com or contact Char at 456.9197 orcharspaintings@msn.com. • Drawing Lessons for Adults, by Char Avrunin, 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays. www.iamclasses.webs.com or contact Char at 456.9197 orcharspaintings@msn.com. • Painting Lessons for Adults, by Char Avrunin, 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays. www.iamclasses.webs.com or contact Char at 456.9197 orcharspaintings@msn.com. • Private Art Lessons by Char Avrunin, www.iamclasses.webs.com or contact Char at 456.9197 orcharspaintings@msn.com. • Art classes with Dominick DePaolo, 10 a.m. to noon on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the Old Armory Building, 44 Boundary St. in Waynesville and from 1 to 3 p.m. every Friday at Mountain Home Collection at 110 Miller St., Waynesville. Watercolor classes will be offered from 10 a.m. to noon every Monday and oil painting classes from 1 to 3 p.m. every Monday at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Registration requested. For Armory classes call 456.9918; for Home Collection classes call 456.5441; for Franklin classes call 349.4607. • The Smoky Mountain Knitting Guild offers free Learn to Knit classes for adults and children at the Waynesville Library on Tuesdays. The adult class meets from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Children (boys and girls ages 812) meet from 5 to 6 p.m. Pre-registration required. 246.0789.

• New movie starring Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field about an American president, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, meeting room, Macon County Library, Franklin. 524.3600. • Second Tuesday Movie Group, 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, Haywood County Library, Waynesville. Promised Land with Matt Damon. Popcorn, discussion. • Children’s movie about a boy who accepts a dare to eat 10 earthworms, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. Popcorn provided. 488.3030.

• Sundown, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, Pickin’ on the Square, Lower Level Town Hall, Franklin. 524.2516. • Jamie Paul, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11, Western Carolina University Summer Concert Series. • Buchanan Boys, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 12, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911. • Leigh Glass & the Hazards, 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 12, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers. • Lisa Price Variety, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 13, Pickin’ on the Square, Lower Level Town Hall, Franklin. 524.2516.

• Movies at Jackson County Library, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays. Free. 586.2016.

• The Boxcars, 7 p.m., Thursday, July 18, Western Carolina University Summer Concert Series.

• Movies at the Cashiers Library. The library shows movies on the first and third Thursdays of each month at 3 p.m. The movies and popcorn are free, but donations are appreciated. For titles and times, visit www.fontanalib.org/cashiers.

• Dashboard Blue, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 19, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911.

• Family movie days at Marianna Black Library, Bryson City, are at 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Classic movies are shown at 1 p.m. the second and fourth Friday. Other films also shown. Free movies and popcorn. 488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

• Kovacs and the Polar Bear, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, Western Carolina University Summer Concert Series.

• Movies at the Macon County Library. New movies, documentaries and foreign films every Monday at 3:30, Wednesday at 4:30 and again at 7 p.m., and Classic Matinees at Fridays at 2 p.m. The movies and popcorn are free, but donations are welcome. 524.3600.

OUTDOOR MUSIC CALENDAR • Singing in the Smokies, 7 p.m., July 4-6, Inspiration Park, Bryson City. • Sundown, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 5, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911.

• Frogtown, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 20, Pickin’ on the Square, Lower Level Town Hall, Franklin. 524.2516.

• Mountain Faith, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911. • Aaron Lafalce, 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers. • Tonesmen, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Pickin’ on the Square, Lower Level Town Hall, Franklin. 524.2516. • Whitewater Bluegrass Company, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911. • Soldiers Heart, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers. • Curtis Blackwell, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, Pickin’

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ARTS GROUP MEETINGS • Blue Ridge Mountain Quilt Guild, 6 to 9 p.m. fourth Thursday, January through October, and third Thursday, November and December, 382 Champion Drive, Canton. Community group open to all skill levels and gender. Must be a high school senior or above to join the group. First visit is free. $25 yearly membership fee. Traci Hoglen, 316.1517 or visit us on Facebook at Blue Ridge Mtn. Quilt Guild • The Tuesday Quilters meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Tuesday at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church on N.C. 107. Bring your machine and whatever quilt you are working on.

• Basic Watercolor with Pat Mikula, July 9-Aug. 1, Southwestern Community College. $55. 339.4497.

• The WNC Fiber Folk Group meets weekly from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursdays in the Star Atrium of the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at WCU. 227.2553 or ddrury@wcu.edu.

• Learning to Quilt with Linda Nichols, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays, through July 24, Bradford Hall Conference room, Southwestern Community College, Jackson campus. $80. Register, 339.4426.

• Thursday Painters meet at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring your project and a bag lunch and join us for a day of creativity and fun. All artists are welcome. 349.4607.

Smoky Mountain News

• Western Carolina University’s 14th annual conference of mountain dulcimer classes, concerts and jam sessions will be held Sunday, July 14, through Friday, July 19. For information on accommodations, registration and class descriptions, visit.www.dulcimeru.wcu.edu and click on “Dulcimer U Summer Week” or call WCU’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education at 828-227.7397.

• Wheel Throwing, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, through Aug. 6, Riverwood Pottery, Dillsboro. $160, 586.3601, riverwoodpottery@frontier.com.

FILM & SCREEN

July 3-9, 2013

• Regional fine artists are invited to show and demonstrate their art form at ColorFest, Art & Taste of Appalachia in fall 2013. Applications available at spiritofappalachia.org or 293.2239.

• Area artists invited to submit up to four original works of art for the annual community art exhibit at Swain County Center for the Arts. Artwork will be received from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 24 (or earlier by appointment) in the lobby of the Center for the Arts. Jenny Johnson, 488.7843, www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

wnc calendar

broadcasting out of Sylva. Stories of Mountain Folk is an ongoing all-sound oral history program produced by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia (CSA), a western North Carolina not-for-profit, for local radio and online distribution.

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ROB ROLAND

wnc calendar

828-564-1106

RROLAND33@GMAIL.COM

Find the home you are looking for at www.robrolandrealty.com

on the Square, Lower Level Town Hall, Franklin. 524.2516.

Meet at 17762 Rosman Highway (US-64) in Sapphire. 966.9099.

• Lonesome Sound, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911.

• Volunteer Trail Work Days, July 6, Kelsey Trail, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. Meet at 10 a.m. at HCLT offices at Peggy Crosby Center, Highlands or contact Kyle at stew.hitrust@earthlink.net, 526.1111.

• Unspoken Tradition, 6:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 9, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers. • Les Freres Michot, 6:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 16, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers. • Steve Weams & the Caribbean Cowboys, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911.

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• Porch 40, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911. • Blind Lemon Phillips, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers. • Lisa Price Band, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, Concerts on the Creek, downtown Sylva at Bridge Park. 800.962.1911.

147 WALNUT ST. • WAYNESVILLE, NC

828.456.7376 • 800.627.1210 TOLL FREE 111 CENTRAL AVE. • ASHEVILLE, NC

• Hurricane Creek, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, Groovin’ on the Green, Village Commons, Cashiers.

828.258.1284 • 800.490.0877 TOLL FREE

www.sunburstrealty.com

• Music in the Mountains Free Evening Concert Series, 6:30 p.m. Saturdays, through Oct. 26, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot, Bryson City. 872.4681.

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48

1001174.1

*Discounts var y by states. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnit y Company, Blooming ton, IL

• Franklin Bird Club weekly bird walk, 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 3, along the Greenway with Paula Gorgoglione. Meet at Salali. 524.5234 or http://franklinbcb.wordpress.com/ • Highlands Plateau Audubon beginners bird walk, Saturday, July 6, along Flat Mountain Road and the experimental tree farm in Highlands. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Highlands Town Hall parking lot near the public restrooms to carpool. 743.9670 or visit www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org. • Highlands Plateau Audubon Society presents the film “Birders: The Central Park Effect,” 3 p.m. Monday, July 8, Hudson Library.743-9670, www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org. • Friend of the Smokies hike, Tuesday, July 16, Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap down to the Kephart Prong Trailhead, with hiking expert and author Danny Bernstein. 7.5 mile shuttle hike. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in Asheville, 9 a.m. in Maggie Valley or 9:30 a.m. Cherokee. 452.0720, friendsofthesmokies.org. • The local Audubon Society is offering weekly Saturday birding field trips. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in the Highlands Town Hall parking lot near the public restrooms, or at 8 a.m. behind Wendy’s if the walk is in Cashiers. Binoculars available. www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org or 743.9670. • The Gorges State Park is looking for volunteers to assist in maintaining existing trails and campgrounds in the park on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., weather permitting. Bring gloves, water and tools supplied. Participants need to be at least 16 years old and in good health. Registration not required.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS • Alan Weakley, featured speaker at Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11, Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Road, Highlands. “Highlands, the Southern End of the Southern Appalachians: Maintaining its Hundred Million Year-Old Biodiversity Legacy.” Weakley is director of the UNC Herbarium at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. www.highlandsbiological.org, 526.2221. • Stream exploration with the Highlands Biological Station staff, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, July 11. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Highlands Nature Center to carpool, or at 10:15 a.m. at East LaPorte Park. Pre-registration required, 526.2221. • Songcatchers Music Series: 4 p.m. Sunday, July 7, Chicken Train, old time string band; July 14, Hilary Dirlam and Rhonda Gouge, old time music; July 21, Laura Boosinger, songs of the southern mountains ; and July 28, Cary Fridley and the Stuart Brothers, old-time fiddle tunes and ballads, Cradle of Foresty, highway 276, Pisgah National Forest. $6 for ages 16 and older; $3 children 15 and under and America the Beautiful and Golden Age pass holders. 877-3130 or go to www.cradleofforestry.org. • A program on bird population research in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 9, at Lake Junaluska by the Great Smoky Mountains Audobon Society. Paul Kern Youth Center at Lake Junaluska.

• Mountain Farm Museum, dawn to dusk, daily through Aug. 17, adjacent to Oconaluftee Visitor Center,194 Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. • Back Porch Old-Time Music, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays, July 6 and 20, and Aug. 3 and 17, Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch, 194 Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. Bring an acoustic instrument or just listen. • Hike Bradleytown to Smokemont Baptist Church (near Smokemont Campground entrance), 9 a.m. Saturdays, July 20 and Aug. 17. Join park volunteer Dick Sellers. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. • Junior Ranger: Stream Splashers, 1 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Mondays, through Aug. 10, Oconaluftee River adjacent to the Mountain Farm Museum, 194 Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. • Junior Ranger: Can you guess? 11 a.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 17, Oconaluftee Visitor Center Porch, 194 Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. • Old Time Mountain Religion, 1 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 17, Smokemont Baptist Church (near Smokemont Campground entrance). 497.1904, www.nps.gov. • Junior Ranger: Slimy Salamanders, noon Tuesdays through Aug. 17, Mingus Mill, Newfound Gap Road. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. • A Stitch in Time, 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Aug. 17, porch of Davis Queen cabin at the Mountain Farm Museum. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. • This “Tree-mendous” Place, 10 a.m. Mondays through Aug. 17, Oconaluftee River Trail adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, 194 Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov. • Once upon a time…, 7 p.m. Mondays, through Aug. 17, Smokemont Campground between C-Loop and D-Loop. 497.1904, www.nps.gov.

• Woodsy Owl’s Curiosity Club, 10:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 1, Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah National Forest, NC highway 276 14 miles north of Brevard. Summer nature series for children ages 4 to 7. $4 per child. Accompanying adults are admitted to the Cradle of Forestry for half price, $2.50. www.cradleofforestry.org, 877.3130. No charge for adults with season passes. Reservations required at 877.3130.

• Hike: Where the Waters Sing, 11:30 a.m. Sundays through Aug. 17. Meet in Smokemont Campground D Loop. 497.1904, www.nps.gov.

• Great Smoky Mountains Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation “Big Game Banquet,” 5 p.m. Saturday, July 27, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Hotel Ballroom. Live auction, silent auction, raffles, door prizes, and dinner. Cost $45. 506.3308. Deadline for reservation: July 24. No tickets available at the door.

• Firecracker 5K, 8 a.m. Thursday July 4, Riverfront Park, Bryson City. Registration, 6:30 to 7:30 a.m., www.runbrysoncity.com.

• Nature Photography Exhibit: Our Spectacular Southern Appalachians, through July 29, Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah National Forest on NC highway 276, 14 miles north of Brevard, and four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at MP 412. 877.3130, www.cradleofforestry.com.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK • Mingus Mill Demonstration, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Aug. 17, one-half mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on US 441, 194 Newfound Gap Road, Cherokee. 497.1904, www.nps.gov.

• Junior Ranger: Night Hike, 8:45 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 17, Bradley Fork Trailhead, D-Loop Smokemont. 497.1904, www.nps.gov.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Moonlight 5K, Thursday, July 4, Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Chrissy Arch, 788.1408. • Moonlight Moonshine 10K & Half Pint 1 Mile Kids Fun Run, Saturday, July 6, downtown Franklin. • Haywood County Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Cup Golf Tournament, Tuesday, July 23, Balsam Mountain Preserve. $150 for an individual, $600 for a foursome. Register online at www.haywoodchamber.com or call 456.3021. Field limited to 72 golfers.

FARM & GARDEN • Mountains in Bloom fundraiser for The Bascom. Luncheon and lecture by Kathryn Greeley, author of The Collected Tabletop, 11:30 a.m. and a Volunteer Appreciation Party, 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 11, The Bascom. www.mountainsinbloom.com, Claire Cameron, 787.2882 or ccameron@thebascom.org.

PRIME REAL ESTATE

INSIDE

Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MarketPlace information:

TUSCOLA CLASS OF 1978 35th Class Reunion. Saturday August 3rd 2013, Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center. Meet and Greet 2:00 - 4:00. Pool side with Cash Bar and Menu if desired ($5 for pool use see front desk, 3 & under free). Dinner 7:00 ($35 per person, this includes dance) Dance with DJ 9:00 - 12:00. Visit with old friends - Dress Casual. Make Checks payable to: Jamie Moody Magalhaes, 295 Laurel Ridge Dr., Waynesville, NC 28786.

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates: ■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads. ■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150. ■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. ■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type. ■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad. ■ $35 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold. ■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words. ■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

ARTS & CRAFTS ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 | classads@smokymountainnews.com

AUCTION 13,139±sf COMMERCIAL FACILITY, Lake, 26.7± Acres. Car Carrier, RT Loader, Rollback, More. Long Island, VA AUCTION: Sat, July 13 Terms, photos online: www.countsauction.com 800.780.2991. VAAF93

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO

DI

SC OV ER E

ATR

R Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned. WHITE PINE, HEMLOCK, POPLAR Lumber and Timbers, Any Size! Rough Sawn or S4S, Custom Sawing. Smoky Mountain Timber, 3517 Jonathan Creek Rd., Waynesville, NC. 828.926.4300.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING WANTED 10 HOMES Needing siding, windows or roofs. Save hundreds of dollars. No money down. Payments from $89/mo. All credit accepted. Senior/Military discounts. 1.866.668.8681.

ESTATE AUCTION

INC.

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Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

AUCTION ABSOLUTE, ONLINE ONLY With Bid Center, Real Estate Auctions, Selling for the Bank, Bank Owned Land & House, & Commercial Tracts, 23 Counties in NC & 8 Counties in SC, 226 total Lots, July 22, 24 & 26, See Website for Bid Center Locations. Iron Horse Auction Company, Inc. 800.997.2248. NCAL3936. SCAL1684. www.ironhorseauction.com

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Of Berta & Ron Elkins (Living) Saturday July 6th @ 4:00 pm Location: Savannah Community Center US Hwy. 441, South of Dillsboro (approx. 6.6 miles) Auctioneer: Col. Dodie Allen Blaschik NCAL 3410 828-226-3921 or 828-735-4790

FEATURES: Handcrafted Furniture, Large Collection of Costume Jewelry, Longabueger Baskets, Decoration Items - This Sale is Loaded!

LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS

View Website Pictures: www.dodiesales.com

MON-FRI 7:30-5:30 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

Come Early to Preview - Concessions on Premise

456-5387

"The Sale with the Woman's Touch"

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions. Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson. Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316 SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

ELECTRICAL BOOTH ELECTRIC Residential & Commercial service. Up-front pricing, emergency service. 828.734.1179. NC License #24685-U.

AUTO PARTS DDI BUMPERS ETC. Quality on the Spot Repair & Painting. Don Hendershot 858.646.0871 cell 828.452.4569 office.

CAMPERS COOL SUMMERS ON JONATHAN CREEK. 35’ Park Model For Sale, 25’ Covered Porch, Furnished, 32” Flatscreen TV, Fireplace Heater, Separate Washer/Dryer, On Leased Lot in RV Community 352.223.9497

CARS - DOMESTIC DONATE YOUR CAR Fast Free Towing 24 hr. Response Tax Deduction United Breast Cancer Foundation Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info888.759.9782. SAPA DONATE YOUR CAR Fast Free Towing. 24 hr. Response. Tax Deduction. United Breast Cancer Foundation, Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info 855.733.5472 DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 800.337.9038.

R

WNC MarketPlace

CARS - DOMESTIC

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

A FEW PRO DRIVERS NEEDED! Top Pay & 401k. Recent CDL grads wanted. 877.258.8782. Or go to: www.ad-drivers.com

SAVE $$$ ON Auto Insurance from the major names you know and trust. No forms. No hassle. No obligation. Call Ready For My Quote now! CALL 1.855.834.5740.

$600 SIGN ON BONUS! We are an authorized Dish Network retailer hiring Satellite Installers. Certification Training Available. Late Model White Truck or Van, Basic Tools & 28' Ladder required. Must pass background check & drug screen. Apply: tech.caotti.com or call 866.310.2336.

TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

2013-2014 VACANCIES: Physics (9-12), Biology (9-12), Biology/Physics (9-12), Earth Science (9-12), Mathematics (8-12), Physical Science (5-8), Special Education General Curriculum (K-4), Special Education Early Childhood. Prince Edward County Public Schools, Farmville, VA. 434.315.2100. www.pecps.k12.va.us. Closing Date: Until filled. EOE

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: Home Base Magazine $Net 55K. No Experience Necessary. Training, Part Time Hours, Clients are Established For You, Protected Territory. $24,900. 1.828.667.5371 SAPA

EMPLOYMENT $1,000 WEEKLY OR MORE Guaranteed salary mailing our financial company letters from home. NO Experience Required. FT/PT. Genuine opportunity. Rapid Advancement. FREE Information (24/7): 1.888.557.5539. SAPA

TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED Best Pay and Home Time! Apply Online Today over 750 Companies! One Application, Hundreds of Offers! HammerLaneJobs.com SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

DRIVERS: Home Weekends. Pay up to .40 cpm Chromed out trucks with APU’s. 70% Drop & Hook CDL-A, 6mos Exp. 877.704.3773. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Training Program! Become a Certified Microsoft Office Professional! No Experienced Needed! Online training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & PC/Internet needed. careertechnical.edu/nc 1.888.926.6057.

HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITAL Positions now available: Med/Surg Registered Nurses, C.N.A/Unit Clerk, Physical Therapy Assistant, Clinical Applications Analyst, Clinical Information Specialist, Night Shift MLT/MT, Housekeeper, Seasonal Receptionist, and Cook. Benefits available the first of the month following 60 days of full-time employment. Pre-Employment screening required. Call Human Resources. 828.526.1376, or apply online at: highlandscashiershospital.org

AVIATION CAREERS Get FAA approved maintenance training. Financial aid for qualified students - housing available. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 877.205.1779. WWW.FIXJETS.COM SAPA

NC LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST Needed for established & growing spa in Sylva. Pay based upon experience. Please email for more details: sandra@fusionsspa.com

EARNING BETTER PAY Is one step away! Averitt offers Experienced CDL-A Drivers Excellent Benefits and Weekly Hometime. 888.362.8608, Recent Grads w/a CDL-A 1-5/wks Paid Training. Apply online at AverittCareers.com. Equal Opportunity Employer.

NEED MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES! Train to become a Medical Office Assistant at CTI! No Experienced Needed! Online Training at CTI gets you job ready! HS Diploma/ GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/northcarolina. 1.888.512.7122

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Programmer/Analyst. Deadline: July 29. Simulation and Game Development Instructor. Deadline: July 10 For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com/ Human Resources Office, Fayetteville Technical Community College, PO Box 35236, Fayetteville, NC 28303. Phone: 910.678.8378. Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu CRC Preferred Employer. An Equal Opportunity Employer EARN POTENTIAL $25K PER MONTH This is real! Become a business seminar presenter in your city, no experience! No sales! Processing fee $395.00 (refundable) 1.561.601.6863 SAPA CHEROKEE LODGE Now Hiring Experienced Housekeepers, Full Time & Part Time. Front Desk Clerk/Reservations all 3 Shifts. Call 828.497.2226 to schedule interview.

WANTING TO HIRE! Experienced Web-Offset Printing Press Operator. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Three years experience in web-offset printing; Verifiable work experience with current contact number; Good attendance record with previous employer; Must be professionally minded and take pride in one’s work; Must demonstrate good color recognition; Must demonstrate a good mechanical aptitude; Must be physically able to perform all job functions. These include but not limited to: pushing paper rolls on hoists, lifting ink rollers, bending, working inside printing units, and standing for extended periods of time; Must relocate to the greater Pulaski, TN area. DESIRABLE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Four or more years experience in commercial web-offset printing; Experience with Web Press/ Web Leader printing presses; Experience with micrometers, gauges and other measuring instruments related to printing; Offset printing technical training such as G.A.T.F. certification. Contact Richard, 800.693.5005

195-60

Great Smokies Storage 10’x20’

92

July 3-9, 2013

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Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

50

Puzzles can be found on page 53. These are only the answers.

EMPLOYMENT

TANKER & FLATBED COMPANY. Drivers/Independent Contractors! Immediate Placement Available. Best opportunities in the Trucking Business. Call Today. 800.277.0212 or www.primeinc.com THE OLD STONE INN Is currently accepting applications for: Experienced Front Desk Clerk, Experienced Housekeeper and Dinning Room Servers. Apply in person at 109 Dolan Rd., Waynesville, NC. Tuesdays through Saturdays between noon and 4p.m. No Phone Calls Please.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com

MOBILE HOMES FOR SALE FOR SALE BY OWNER 2006 Clayton Mobile Home, 14x70, 2/BR 2/BA Top Condition. Furnishings Less than 3yrs old. Waynesville Senior Park 55+, Lot Rent $240. Covered Porches Front & Rear. Asking $35,900. For more information call 828.400.6496.

WESTERN NC Owner must sacrifice 1200+ SF ready to finish cabin on 1.53 acres w/new well, septic and deeded access to beautiful creek. $62,500 call 828.286.1666 brkr.

WNC MarketPlace

PART-TIME JOB With Full-Time Benefits. You can receive cash bonus, monthly pay check, job training, money for technical training or college, travel, health benefits, retirement, and much more! Visit NationalGuard.com or call 1.800.GOGuard to learn more on how the National Guard can benefit you.

LAWN AND GARDEN

EVER CONSIDER A Reverse Mortgage? At least 62 years old? Stay in your home & increase cash flow! Safe & Effective! Call Now for your FREE DVD! Call Now 888.418.0117. SAPA FORECLOSURE NC Mountains 2.75 acres w/mtn views, driveway and easy financing $9,500. Also have cabin on 1.53 acres w/new well and septic $62,500. Ez to finish. 828.286.1666

FINANCIAL $$$ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!! Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need $500-$500,000++ within 48/hours? Low rates. Apply Now By Phone! 1.800.568.8321. www.lawcapital.com Not valid in CO or NC SAPA

LITTERMATES THAT ARE ALSO BLACK. ADOPT ONE OR MORE AND FIND OUT WHY PEOPLE WHO LIVE WITH BLACK CATS ARE CRAZY ABOUT THEM!

AMBER - A VERY PRETTY REDDISH BROWN AND WHITE PETITE STAFFIE. SHE IS ONE OF THE HAPPIEST DOGS WE HAVE MET AND IS SUCH A LOVE--WAGGING HER TAIL WHEN SHE SEES YOU AND EAGERLY WAITING FOR YOU TO PET HER. AMBER LOVES BELLY RUBS AND SPOONING! SHE ALSO LIKES TO TAKE WALKS AND ENJOYS THE WATER.

July 3-9, 2013

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA

JIM BOB - AN ADORABLE SOLID BLACK KITTEN, WITH 2

FURNITURE COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778. HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price! 533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

PETS

Ann Eavenson CRS, GRI, E-PRO

ann@mainstreetrealty.net Prevent Unwanted Litters! The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10. Operation Pit is in Effect! Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes! Hours: Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon - 5pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

506-0542 CELL 195-67

101 South Main St. Waynesville

MainStreet Realty

(828) 452-2227 mainstreetrealty.net

SPACE AVAILABLE

smokymountainnews.com

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Ann knows real estate!

Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News 828 | 452 | 4251 51

WNC MarketPlace

HOMES FOR SALE

Haywood County Real Estate Agents Beverly Hanks & Associates — beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • •

Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither — esither@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Smith — beverly-hanks.com Billie Green — bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Pam Braun — pambraun@beverly-hanks.com

• Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com

Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Rob Roland — robrolandrealty.com • Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net McGovern Real Estate & Property Management July 3-9, 2013

• Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com Realty World Heritage Realty realtyworldheritage.com Katy Giles - realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7765/ Lynda Bennett - mountainheritage.com/ Martha Sawyer realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7769/ Linda Wester- realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7771/ Thomas & Christine Mallette

www.smokymountainnews.com

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.com Connie Dennis — remax-maggievalleync.com Mark Stevens — remax-waynesvillenc.com Mieko Thomson — ncsmokies.com The Morris Team — maggievalleyproperty.com The Real Team — the-real-team.com Ron Breese — ronbreese.com Dan Womack — womackdan@aol.com Bonnie Probst — bonniep@remax-waynesvillenc.com

BATTERY POWERED - KANGAROO Walk-behind golf cart. Open to any reasonable offer. 828.456.3487.

MEDICAL ALERT FOR SENIORS 24/7 monitoring. FREE Equipment. FREE Shipping. Nationwide Service. $29.95/Month CALL Medical Guardian Today 855.899.5309.

CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

VIAGRA 100mg & CIALIS 20mg! 40 Pills + 4 FREE for only $99. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Save $500! Buy The Blue Pill! Now 1.800.491.8751 SAPA

RECYCLING COPPER Wire Quick & Easy with Zoda’s Revolutionary Design. Order Yours Today! www.ZodaTools.com Made In the USA! Wholesalers Wanted. Call 1.386.315.2282. SAPA

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400

65 Church Street Waynesville, NC 28786 Phone: 828.452.1223 Fax: 828.452.1207

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

The Waynesville Tower Is Seeking Elderly Only Applications for 1 & 2 Bedroom Units If You Are Interested in Being Placed on Our Waiting List Contact Our Office

OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Office Hours Are Mon. - Fri. From 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962

Equal Housing Opportunity

Equal Housing Opportunity 195-68 195-71

The Real Team

JOLENE HOCOTT • LYN DONLEY MARLYN DICKINSON

Mike Stamey

mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

828-508-9607

828.452.3727

www.The-Real-Team.com

74 NORTH MAIN ST. • WAYNESVILLE, NC

www.beverly-hanks.com

MOUNTAIN REALTY 1904 S. Main St. • Waynesville

Bruce McGovernn

195-59

Michelle McElroy

Cell: 828-283-2112 McGovern Property Management 284 Haywood St, Suite B Waynesville NC Way

Licensed Real Estate Broker

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 52

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828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

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195-70

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CROSSWORD

STATE LINES ACROSS 1 “Ditto” 9 Pop out from the cockpit 14 Capital of Eritrea 20 Flowed out 21 Bull using its horns, e.g. 22 “The - Cometh” 23 “Bus Stop” star, in Annapolis? 25 Offer freely 26 Null and void 27 “Life - cabaret ...” 28 Blue Light Special stores 30 Lots and lots 32 Question of incredulity, in Topeka? 37 Sing like Ella Fitzgerald 41 Eyelid hair 43 Next in line to reign 44 Opt (to) 45 Successful investors pay them, in Austin? 50 Tooth driller’s deg. 51 Herb of the Tijuana Brass 52 Scooby- (toon dog) 53 “Just a -” 55 Chairman with a “Little Red Book” 56 See 40-Down 58 Zig’s mate 59 Josh 62 Slip - (blunder) 66 Adage fostering pity parties, in Jefferson City? 71 Color shade 72 Ping- 73 “... as - say ...” 74 Financial adviser Suze 75 Influential Darwin

work, in Salem? 79 Polite reply to a lady 80 Hobo’s attire 81 Golfer Ernie 82 Relative of a reindeer 83 Ending for 115-Down in a cereal name 85 Billfold bill 87 Narc’s org. 88 Persevere in 90 Java cup 93 Parasite-infested critter, in Montpelier? 100 Bar fixture 102 2,055, to Nero 103 Brontë’s “Jane -” 104 “Do - others as ...” 105 Gulf War leader, in Atlanta? 108 Country rocker Steve 111 700-mile African river 112 Bit of land in a river 114 Disco activity 119 Most favorable conditions 121 “Not as simple as all that!,” in Salt Lake City? 125 Corrupt 126 “- lift?” 127 Tooth next to a canine 128 “- Pointe Blank” (1997 film) 129 Italian city on the Adige 130 South-of-the-border citizen DOWN 1 18-wheeler 2 “... I met - with seven wives” 3 Sportscaster - Albert 4 Irish New Age star

5 Foyers, e.g. 6 Web vending 7 Crime writer Ruth 8 Roush of baseball 9 Id regulators 10 Book after Obadiah 11 Drop the ball 12 Corp. biggie 13 Big fan of Captain Kirk and his crew 14 “Michael Collins” costar Quinn 15 “Cape Fear” director Martin 16 Intellectual 17 Accrued 18 Hamelin pest 19 Meth- ending 24 - spot (shave imperfectly) 29 Chico or Harpo 31 Comedian 33 Very, very 34 Just painted 35 A-E fill 36 Sci-fi beings 37 Swindle 38 Soothing pink lotion 39 Designates 40 With 56-Across, marketing links 42 State bordering Veracruz 46 Melancholy 47 2, for helium: Abbr. 48 NASA scrub 49 Regarding 54 Resort near Naples 57 Bygone Toyota 58 Insults wittily 59 Foxworthy and Bridges 60 Job bid figs. 61 Extent 63 Discovered

64 Tilting 65 Ob- - (delivery Dr.) 67 Jerky sort 68 Film director Nicolas 69 Infringe upon 70 Scoffing sort 71 Tot’s amuser 76 Hershiser of the diamond 77 Former Nair competitor 78 Screen siren Sommer 84 Prefix for “quintillionth” 86 Pro gridiron match-ups 87 Segments: Abbr. 89 Kiwi relative 90 Chinese food additive 91 Sport- 92 Extend as far as 94 Hi-tech ‘zine 95 Atmospheric music genre 96 - -ray Disc 97 Turn a blind 98 Big gun gp. 99 Lush green vegetation 101 Planet paths 106 Laughable 107 “The Father of the Symphony” 109 Kind of paint 110 As a friend, to François 113 “- first you don’t ...” 115 Alternative to vanilla: Abbr. 116 Jamaica, por ejemplo 117 Flatbread of India 118 Greek pita sandwich 119 Part of WHO: Abbr. 120 “- favor, señor!” 122 - Lingus 123 Visit with 124 Engine stat

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July 3-9, 2013

WEEKLY SUDOKU

Super

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53

4th of July Sale Miss Me & Affliction 10% Off Select Sterling Silver 25% Off Milwaukee Boots & Sandals 10% Off Outlaw Helmets 10% Off Sale ends July 6, 2013

JOIN US JULY 6, 2013 IN ROBBINSVILLE AS WE SPONSOR THE MOTORCYCLE SHOW AT THE GRAHAM COUNTY HERITAGE FESTIVAL AFFLICTION • MISS ME • INOX HOT LEATHERS • MUSTANG • MILWAUKEE BELL • EASYRIDERS ROADWARE • MEK DENIM ALPINESTARS • FULMER • DRAG SPECIALTIES

Smoky Mountain News

July 3-9, 2013

Exit 100 off US 74 - 82 Locust Drive | Waynesville, NC 828.452.7276 | SMSH.co Mon.-Fri. 9-6 | Sat. 9-5 | Closed Sunday

54

In honor of Independence day, we will be closed July 4th

195-88

Doc may have been most civic-minded Swain citizen ever

George Ellison

Note: Every July 4th from 1973 through 1990, I used to go in Bennett’s Drug Store here in Bryson City and order my yearly “banana split” … two scoops of strawberry ice cream on sliced bananas with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry (or two) on top. One a year was enough. I still can’t walk by the old storefront without smelling the maraschino cherries. Many over 50 reading this will remember Bennett’s, though not necessarily for the same reason. It was for most of the 20th century the hub Columnist around which almost everything political, social, or otherwise swirled round in Swain County. At the center of it all for decades was Doc Kelly Bennett himself. He passed away the year after my family arrived in Swain County, so I didn’t know him very well. But Mary Alice, his daughter, became a friend. Here’s something I wrote nearly 25 years ago that might bring back some memories.

S

orry folks, no more ice cream cones, milkshakes, or sundaes at the marbletopped counters and tables. No more old-fashioned hospitality at the drug counter. No more advice on what to do for a

BACK THEN foundered horse or poison ivy. Bennett’s Drug Store — a landmark in Western North Carolina for nearly a century — recently closed its doors for the last time when pharmacist Mary Alice (Bennett) Greyer decided to retire. The closing marks the end of a single family’s century-long medical service in a rural mountain county and brings back memories of a remarkable man in that family whose influence extended far beyond his profession as a pharmacist. Situated just north of the town square in Bryson City on Everett Street, Bennett’s Drug Store was founded in 1905 by Greyer’s father, Kelly Bennett (1890-1974), perhaps the most influential and civic-minded citizen in Swain County history. His father, Dr. A.M. Bennett, was registered as a pharmacist by the state of North Carolina in 1888. Kelly Bennett was registered in 1912. His daughter, Mary Alice, was registered in 1936, being the first female graduate of the School of Pharmacy at UNCCH and the first female pharmacist in North Carolina. Accordingly, three generations of the Bennett family served Swain County as pharmacists for more than 100 years, with 86 of those years being from the same location. For his part in promoting the movement

which culminated in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Kelly became known as “The Apostle of the Smokies.” That, however, was a somewhat limited designation, as he was in fact one of the foremost advocates for the entire region, being instrumental in bringing good roads to the mountains. He was for five years on the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy and in 1954 was named pharmacist of the year; for 14 years Bryson City’s mayor; for 20 years a member of the Swain County Board of Education; for five terms a state senator; for two terms a state representative; for seven years on the N.C. Hospital Board of Control; a founder of the Cherokee Historical Association; and so on. A dedicated gardener, fisherman, hiker, and camper, “Doc” Kelly was also an accomplished photographer. He left behind a photo file of more than 8,000 black and white negatives and 5,000 or so color slides. Many of his photographs were published in the Asheville Citizen-Times as well as in magazines. Bennett was one of the major forces behind the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Shortly after his death in a peak just north of Bryson City in the park was named Mount Bennett. His friend, Lamar Gudger, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, spoke at

the dedication ceremonies, saying: “We have come together to dedicate a peak for Kelly Bennett, not the highest peak, but certainly one which had much meaning in the life of both Kelly and his beloved Tela. This was the mountain on which they would look each afternoon as the sun set in the Smokies. You had to know Kelly to understand that the mountains were the love of his life, that despite his services to his profession, to the government by his election to the state general assembly, he was first and foremost a mountaineer. “Gazing at his peak from here, I recall the words of my own home county’s motto: ‘Give us men to match our mountains.’ You in Swain County had such a man in Kelly Bennett. I personally want to thank you for sharing him with the rest of the state, indeed the rest of the nation and world.” If something took place in Swain County during “Doc” Kelly’s lifetime, there was more than an even chance he either started it or had a hand in supporting or opposing it. A billboard sign in Bryson City that read “Ask Bennett, He Knows” was more often right than wrong. The closing of Bennett’s Drug Store marks the end of an era. Readers can contact George at P.O. Box 1262, Bryson City, N.C., 28713, or at info@georgeellison.com.

July 3-9, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 55

ENJOY ENJO Y TH THE E WHOL WHOLE E WEEKEND WEEKEND FOR ON ONE EL LOW OW PRICE! PRICE!

July 3-9, 2013

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Lauren Alaina July 3

Francesca Battistelli July 12

Brian Free and Assurance & The Taalleys July 26

Spencers: Theatre of Illusion August 3

Jars of Clay July 13

Kathy Mattea Calling Me Home

July 20

Sponsored By: Clint Black August 9

Whoo’s Got Taalent? alent August 17

Smoky Mountain News

COMING SOON!

56

Sinatra Forever e : A Tribute to Frank Sinatra Starring Rick Michel August 31

Diavolo Dance Theater

David Cassidy

African Acrobats International Presents Zuma Zuma

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