Smoky Mountain News | July 14, 2021

July 14-20, 2021 Vol. 23 Iss. 07

Western North Carolina’s Source for Weekly News, Entertainment, Arts, and Outdoor Information

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Wounded Haywood deputy returns to work Page 8 Alcohol referenda to appear on Cherokee ballot Page 14

Deadly Distraction HOW PEOPLE DIE ON PARK SERVICE LANDS

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Digging through National Park Service data, The Smoky Mountain News takes a look at the circumstances behind deaths that have occurred in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

(Page 28) Slippery rocks and unpredictable currents make water features like Midnight Hole in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park common sites for injuries and fatalities. NPS photo

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

Council once again refuses same-sex marriage ordinance ..............................6 Murphy casino to get $275 million expansion......................................................7 Wounded Haywood deputy returns to work ........................................................8 Nursing homes face essential worker shortage ................................................10 Haywood among top school districts nationwide ............................................11 Task force issues report on homelessness ........................................................12 DOT relents on bridge replacement project ......................................................13 Alcohol referenda to appear on Cherokee ballot ..............................................14 Harrah’s chips away at job vacancies..................................................................15 Education News ........................................................................................................17

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Tribal Council again refuses to consider same-sex marriage ordinance

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER or the second month in a row, the first item on Tribal Council’s agenda was an ordinance to legalize same-sex marriage on the Qualla Boundary, and for the second month in a row, members voted July 8 to deny the legislation even the perfunctory first reading necessary to place it on a future agenda for debate and a vote.

“When the tribal government decides and chooses when they obey their own laws and when they disregard their own laws, you should seriously step back and take a look at what you’re doing,” said Mary Thompson, a former Big Cove representative on Tribal Council and mother of Tamara Thompson, who submitted the resolution under discussion.

Tribal law states that all proposed ordinances placed on the agenda “shall” be assigned an ordinance number and be read into the record by the clerk. Tribal Council can vote to waive the reading requirement, but it may not make any motions or add amendments to the ordinances themselves at the time of that first reading — legislation must sit for at least 25 calendar days before Council takes action. Every month, at the beginning of the Tribal Council agenda, members vote unanimously to deem all new ordinances listed on the agenda read and tabled. The vote reflects Council’s desire to save the significant amount of time it would require for each ordinance to be read in full, not its opinion on the content of any of piece of legislation.

However, when the marriage ordinance first appeared on the agenda in June, the unanimous vote to deem new ordinances read and tabled excluded that agenda item.

Thompson resubmitted it for the July agenda, and once again, council members voted on a motion that excluded the marriage ordinance.

That vote was again unanimous, but this time Birdtown Representative Albert Rose followed it with a motion to include the marriage ordinance in the list of read and tabled new ordinances. Wolfetown Representative Chelsea Saunooke seconded the motion, eliciting applause from tribal members in attendance who had come to support the legislation.

However, their jubilation was short-lived, as the motion failed with seven members against it and five in favor. Painttown Representative Tommye Saunooke, Big Cove Representative Perry Shell and Yellowhill Representative Tom Wahnetah joined Chelsea Saunooke and Rose in voting to deem the ordinance read and tabled. Meanwhile, Painttown Representative Dike Sneed, Wolfetown Representative Bo Crowe, Chairman Adam Wachacha, Vice Chairman David Wolfe, Snowbird/Cherokee County Representative Bucky Brown, Birdtown Representative Boyd

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July 14-20, 2021

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“I put myself out there, which I don’t normally do.

Blast me if you want,” she said.

“But I do love God, and I will give my own account to God.” “My sister, she’s gay and she’s married, and I look at her just like anybody else,” added Rose. “That’s her prerogative.

If that’s what they want to do, that’s fine with me. I guess what I’m trying to say is how do you go and look at people that you’re friends with now?

How do y’uns look at each other now? It should have been heard today I think and put on the agenda and at least discussed more.”

All this discussion took place after Rose’s motion had already been voted down, Wachacha reminded those in attendance as the conversation concluded.

“The representation that sits around this horseshoe may not share the same Yellowhill community member Mary Crowe speaks with LGBTQ advocates outside the Cherokee Council House beliefs, but I know from my July 8, following Tribal Council’s second refusal to consider an ordinance legalizing same-sex marriage. heart, I respect each and every Holly Kays photo one of you,” he said.

“Everybody makes their own Owle and Big Cove Representative Richard licenses to same-sex couples since 2014. choices. I got a brother-in-law who’s addicted “My daughter came out to me when she to drugs, and I don’t agree with those choices French opposed the move.

After the vote, eight tribal members was 14, and I had to tell her that I knew, that but that’s the choices that he makes, and I addressed Council, expressing hurt and anger she had nothing to be ashamed of,” said hope that he straightens up. All I can do is at council’s refusal to consider the ordinance Edwin Taylor, who serves as the tribe’s secre- pray for him.” and at the ongoing ban on same-sex marriage tary of housing. “It’s hurtful that she’s treated The implicit comparison of drug addicdifferently by her tribe than she is when she’s tion to sexual orientation elicited strong reacon the Qualla Boundary.

“You’re allowing a law to sit out there that off the reservation, and equal protection tion from the LGBTQ supporters in attenhurts people, literally, has made people feel should apply to everybody, especially to all of dance. unwanted, unwelcomed,” said Tamara our tribal members whether they’re on“Being LGBTQ isn’t a choice, my guy,” Thompson as she battled tears. “I am begging boundary or off-boundary. I would like to see Montelongo called from the back of the with you guys to change this. You have the this law addressed.” room.

Ella Montelongo, 19, told Tribal Council right to act on this now. I just don’t under“I’m not saying that, ma’am,” Wachacha stand, why the hate. I know you guys have that while growing up as an LGBTQ youth on replied. election campaign ambitions, but if you’re the Qualla Boundary, she never felt able to be “Well, it’s coming out that way, so change not working for the people now to protect the fully herself, and that spurred her decision to your words please,” she said. people that are here, then it’s not worth re- pack up her things and head to New York City Wachacha said that he would and then for college. electing anybody.” moved Council on to the next item of the “Nobody should feel like they have to agenda. Those who had attended in support In 2000, tribal law was amended to define marriage specifically as an institution leave to be able to be who they are,” she said. of Thompson’s ordinance left the chambers, Chelsea Saunooke and Rose both apolo- reconvening outside the Council House to between a man and a woman, and in 2014 Tribal Council passed an ordinance specify- gized for not speaking up in favor of the ordi- discuss next steps. ing that “the licensing and solemnization” of nance last month.

“They said ‘within the law,’ so let’s look at “If I lose support just because I want to what rights and protections that we have same-sex marriage is not allowed in the tribe’s jurisdiction. The 2014 ordinance give this piece of legislation the right to be under the law,” said Yellowhill community passed by a 7-1 vote, with one abstention and deemed read and tabled, then so be it,” member Mary Crowe, who is also two absences. Shell, Tommye Saunooke, Chelsea Saunooke said.

Montelongo’s mother.

Rose, Crowe, Wolfe and Wachacha — the She told the audience that she’s known The group of about a dozen LGBTQ tribal only current members who were on Council since second grade that she liked men and members and supporters discussed the possiat that time — voted in favor. Though same- women, and that after leaving her children’s bility of filing a lawsuit or an ethics complaint sex marriages are not recognized in Cherokee father she found “my person in my life, who — and the need to keep placing the legislaCourt, residents of tribal lands are also resi- I’ve never felt as loved and respected.” A few tion on councilmembers’ desks. dents of a North Carolina county, and all weeks ago, she added, one of her children “Keep submitting it, every month,” said counties in the state have issued marriage “felt the courage to come out to his momma.” Crowe.

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Cherokee approves $275 million expansion plan for Murphy casino

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voted to approve the master plan, with only Birdtown Representative Albert Rose and Wolfetown Representative Bo Crowe opposed.

Before voting against the resolution, Rose proposed an amendment that would require the Tribal Council to contract with a firm to ensure that the project, which is under the TCGE’s jurisdiction, stays on budget. The TCGE’s current expansion project in Cherokee came in $80 million over budget, and Rose had led the charge in demanding

“Key features” of the expansion will include an additional hotel tower, a new restaurant, a hotel lobby café, a spa and indoor pool, additional gaming space and additional parking.

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answers for that overrun. However, the move didn’t receive a second and died on the floor.

Crowe made a separate move to table, which also failed to gain a second.

Wolfetown Representative Chelsea Saunooke said the master plan is necessary to keep the casino ahead of the competition.

“I do want people to understand that right now as gaming stands, it funds 46.3% of our budget,” she said. “So anything that would take away from that — competition, whatever, you name it — that’s just chipping away, chipping away. If we don’t do more to offset competition, then we’re going to be sitting ducks.”

Rose disagreed.

“I think we’re way out in front of our competition. We’re in over a billion dollars that we’ve spent in the last eight months, I think,” he said. “So we’re way out in front of the competition, I think.”

Ingles Nutrition Notes July 14-20, 2021

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter a 45-minute off-air discussion July 8, the Cherokee Tribal Council approved a $275 million master plan to expand the Valley River Casino in Murphy.

“We’re thrilled with Tribal Council’s support of the resolution and are optimistic that Chief Sneed will ratify the resolution,” said Harrah’s Regional Vice President for Marketing Brian Saunooke.

The projects included in the master plan are not named in the resolution Tribal Council passed, and the master plan itself was not made public. However, Saunooke said, “key features” will include an additional hotel tower, a new restaurant, a hotel lobby café, a spa and indoor pool, additional gaming space and additional parking.

In response to follow-up questions related to the scale and timeline of the proposed projects, Saunooke replied that the casino would reach out again “once we are at a point to share details.”

According to the resolution, the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise selected JCJ Architecture to develop the concept design and provide a cost estimate. To fund the project, the TCGE will obtain a loan not to exceed $275 million.

The approved master plan represents an investment of more than double the $110 spent to deliver the initial facility in September 2015. The Valley River Casino & Hotel opened with 50,000 square feet of gaming space, including 1,050 slot machines, 70 table games and a food court-style dining area. In 2018, a $13 million expansion added a 41,000-square-foot entertainment area featuring bowling, arcade games and a full-service restaurant. It also added 55 gaming units and some bartop units such as video poker to the existing gaming floor. The facility also features a seven-story hotel tower with 300 rooms. As of this March, Valley River also offers sports betting.

After the lengthy off-air discussion, an overwhelming majority of Council members

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BACK TO THE BLUE July 14-20, 2021

Wounded Haywood deputy returns to work

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT • POLITICS E DITOR

H

e’d been on duty since 5 p.m. and it was already shaping up to be a busy night, but as Eric Batchelor sat in his patrol car writing up reports around 2 a.m. on July 28, 2020, he got another call about a disturbance.

Smoky Mountain News

“I think the quote was, ‘Hooting and hollering at the moon,’” Batchelor said. “To be honest, we get a lot of these calls.”

Batchelor had only been a Haywood County Sheriff ’s Deputy for 10 months, but he was no rookie. A U.S. Army infantry officer with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Batchelor served multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, rising from platoon leader to battalion commander before retiring after 20 years as a Lt. Col. in 2015.

Driving toward the scene on Old Asheville Highway, Batchelor heard updates on the call. Someone’s in my yard. Someone in my yard has a gun. Someone in my yard has a gun and they just shot at my house.

Someone with a gun is moving toward the main thoroughfare.

“And so you start driving faster and faster, and you’re paying more attention to the road than you are to what’s going on with 8 the radio, but then as you show up there and

you get yourself under control, you start to take in the situation and then you get it,” Batchelor said. “He has an assault rifle. He’s up on the billboard.”

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Georgia native, Batchelor could have retired comfortably after leaving the Army, but his personal bucket list wouldn’t allow it.

“First, I became a paramedic,” he said. “I worked for a little while as a paramedic and I really enjoyed it, but I knew eventually I wanted to get back to law enforcement.”

After earning his North Carolina credentials, he was hired by the Haywood County Sheriff ’s office in 2019.

“This sounds really cheesy when I say it, but when I was in the Army you get this feeling of having a higher purpose, a higher calling. It’s not about the money,” Batchelor said.

“When you’re in the Army, you feel like you’re doing these good things, but you have very lit-

“Like 99.9 percent of the people that I work with are just here to serve. That night when I and the rest of those officers were on the way to that call, we were just there to serve.”

— Eric Batchelor

tle interaction with the civilian population that you are taking care of. The draw of law enforcement for me was to be able to have that same kind of feeling of a calling, but to interact with people on a regular basis.”

That’s exactly what he was doing on the night of July 28, when an elderly woman home alone made that initial disturbance call. Canton police beat Batchelor to the scene and found Jacob Wilbur Wright, 32, perched on a billboard catwalk a dozen feet off the ground, holding an assault rifle.

Batchelor had been in dangerous situations before, having been fired upon during his Army service, but when he pulled up, he immediately felt the stress — the accelerated

breathing and the tunnel vision as he scanned the scene, awash in flashing red and blue lights.

Taking cover behind his car, Batchelor made visual contact with Wright and began communicating with him.

“If I remember correctly, I think I told him, ‘Hey, let’s go get a cup of coffee. We’ll talk about it. We’ll figure this out,’” Batchelor said. “He was saying things that I probably don’t need to repeat.”

Wright’s weapon appeared to be jammed, so Batchelor decided to make his move. Using his remote, he popped his trunk to access his shield as the Canton officers covered him.

“As soon as I stood up from behind the vehicle,” he said, “I watched him clear the jam, the barrel of the weapon came up, and he pulled the trigger.”

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omething that had never happened to Eric Batchelor in combat happened to him that night just outside Canton — he was shot.

“The immediate thought is, ‘Oh dear God. I just got hit by a truck,’” Batchelor said.

His surgeon later told him that the .556 round that had exited through his left triceps had literally been shot straight through his humerus — his funny bone.

“You know how much that hurts just hitting it on something,” said Batchelor. “That

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After retiring from the Army in 2015, Batchelor worked as a paramedic before entering law enforcement. Donated photo

Eric Batchelor (right) stands with wife Kristin during an Army function in 2015.

Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

Although he says he tires more easily and gets sore more quickly, he’ll be back on normal patrol duty in the coming weeks.

Nobody would have blamed Eric Batchelor if he decided to hang it up — once and for all — after such a devastating wound at age 47, but it’s clear he still hears that call to serve.

“In this day and age, law enforcement has such a bad reputation. I would say that that is not really who we are. We’re a cross section of society and you get the same personalities in law enforcement that you get in society,” he said. “Like 99.9 percent of the people that I work with are just here to serve. That night when I and the rest of those officers were on the way to that call, we were just there to serve.”

And if Wright were still here, listening, Batchelor knows what he’d say to him.

“I would have rather talked to him than have this outcome,” Batchelor said. “We were going there to make someone who was at home — alone, afraid — feel a little bit better. This could have turned out so much easier for everyone involved. I was talking to him, trying to get him to come down and I wish to God that he would have just come down and had a conversation.”

On July 28, 2020, Batchelor was wounded in the left humerus with a round from an assault rifle. Donated photos

July 14-20, 2021

pain that you feel, that shock that you feel through your body when you bump it into something is just magnified a hundred times.”

He tried to fight the pain, but slowly crumpled to the ground.

Officers returned fire, killing Wright, who had only been out of prison for four months and had prior drug convictions.

Batchelor was whisked away to Mission Hospital in Asheville. Although he couldn’t know it at the time, he was at risk of losing his arm.

“I have two plates that basically connect my elbow to my shoulder, 21 screws holding those in place and a bone graft that came out of my leg is went in between those plates and reconnected the shoulder to the elbow,” he said.

Now, less than a year after that fateful dday outside Canton, Batchelor’s gone back eto the blue after being cleared by his surgeon nearly a month ago. Batchelor credits his rphysical therapist, Eric Yarrington, with nwhipping him back into shape after such a devastating injury. d “Eric is also a CrossFit coach and we got to lthe point where physical therapy evolved into rworkouts, and he started taking videos and ypictures of me doing pull ups and rope climb and throwing sandbags around,” he said.

“When I went to see the surgeon about three gweeks ago, I showed him those pictures and svideos and, he’s like, ‘Yeah, you’re good. We can start working you back into patrol.’” e Physical support is one thing, but eBatchelor is also grateful for the support dshown to him by the community during his long recovery, including from Haywood and Canton first responders, his squad, his surogeon, even the members of the local law oenforcement who he said cut his grass for emonths.

“You would not believe how many cards and how many texts I got, not just from people in Haywood County but people in 6Western North Carolina,” he said, choking sup. “This has been about a whole bunch of speople reaching out and taking care of me.”

Batchelor recently began working one 12hour shift a week with his squad, just to get tback into the groove.

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Nursing homes face essential worker shortage

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER ursing homes and assisted living facilities were among the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, they are facing another problem, one whose roots stem from pre-COVID times — staffing shortages.

An analysis by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living earlier this year estimated that the nursing home industry is expected to lose $94 billion over the course of the pandemic, and more than 1,800 facilities could close their doors. Closures are hard on vulnerable residents who are forced to move, their family members who must often travel farther to see their loved ones and dedicated caregivers who are out of a job.

“The survey results clearly indicate that the long-term care workforce is facing serious challenges,” Mark Parkinson, president and chief executive of AHCA/NCAL, said in a statement. “Lawmakers across the country must prioritize long term care to ensure the profession has the necessary resources to maintain a strong workforce. This begins with addressing chronic underfunding of Medicaid for nursing homes, which currently only covers 70 to 80% of the cost of care.”

Of the 616 nursing homes surveyed by AHCA/NCAL, 94 percent said they are experiencing a staffing shortage. Nearly every nursing home facility in Western North Carolina is currently hiring for multiple positions.

Both Silver Bluff Village in Haywood and Skyland Care Center in Jackson County are hiring for positions across the board.

Nurses, nursing assistants, housekeepers and dietary staff are all needed.

“We are having difficulty finding staff, even from staffing agencies charging ridiculous wages. We are managing, only because our census is still down but to fully reopen, we are in need of eight nurses, including one open nurse manager position, 11 nursing assistants, three housekeepers and four dietary staff. Twenty-six open positions. I talk with most of the administrators in the region, and we are all in the same boat,” said Lisa Leatherwood, Silver Bluff Village Administrator.

Skyland Care Center has also seen a dip in the number of people they serve.

“Well, we’ve already been kind of a little low from, just from the pandemic anyway, so that’s kind of worked in our favor, but we do see an increase in census numbers starting to pick back up so we definitely need our staffing numbers to pick back up,” said Mistie Cooley, Administrator at Skyland Care Center.

At this point, people are familiar with the signs on stores and restaurants communicating messages about closing early, reduced hours or longer wait times due to understaffing. At nursing home facilities

Skyland Care Center staff members pose for a picture with a resident.

Smoky Mountain News

July 14-20, 2021

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where vital care is required around the clock, there is no option for reducing the workload.

“We’re running a lot of overtime. We’re asking people to work extra and pick up extra. Our department managers are taking up a lot of extra work,” said Cooley.

Despite the essential nature of these positions, healthcare workers other than doctors or nurses, over 80 percent of the healthcare workforce, were making less than a living wage pre-COVID. The majority of these workers are women and people of color. Average income for these healthcare workers was $13.48 an hour in 2020. The living wage for a single person without any children in North Carolina is $14.72 an hour.

“Pre-COVID, we were already struggling with nurses and CNAs, but not so much with other departments,” said Cooley.

Leatherwood noted the aging workforce, another pre-COVID issue exacerbated by the pandemic. There are over 120,000 nurses in the state of North Carolina. Their average age? 53.

“The average age for nurses in North Carolina is over 50 and that’s including all the 20-somethings that are just graduating and we just aren’t turning out enough nurses to fill that void,” said Leatherwood.

“Same situation with nursing assistants. The number of people on the nurse aide registry isn’t growing but the number of jobs available are. We aren’t training enough NA’s to even fill the new positions, much less cover those opening up by folks saying, ‘forget it, I don’t want to do this anymore.’”

In an effort to fill the nursing void Leatherwood speaks of, as well as the need for non-nursing healthcare and support staff, nursing home facilities are having to get creative. At Skyland Care Center, administration has raised all hourly positions by at least $2 an hour.

“We’re offering sign-on bonuses for certain positions. We’re also offering flexible schedules. So, to try to draw the students in, and maybe they go to Western or Southwestern, we’re offering flexible schedules for them. Just trying to be as flexible as possible to attract people to want to work at N skilled nursing facilities,” said Cooley.

Cooley also hopes the end to unemployment benefits will bring more people back into the nursing home workforce.

“I think there’s a lot of people still out on unemployment,” said Cooley. “I think that that’s probably the biggest hurdle of course.

Post COVID, since the pandemic has started and we’re seeing it across the board in all departments I attribute that to people at home, not coming back to work for various reasons.”

“I think the pandemic forced people to re-evaluate their lives and whether or not what they were doing was making them happy,” said Leatherwood. “Some people chose to retire early, some decided to change fields especially due to the high risk of getting COVID, some people decided to take an indefinite leave of absence and some decided to stay home and collect unemployment especially considering the add-on benefits.”

The future of nursing homes is uncertain. According to the AHCA/NCAL survey, over half the nursing homes in the United States are operating at a loss and only a quarter of nursing homes are confident they can last a year or more. But Cooley is confident her facility will persist through current staffing shortages.

“We’ll just continue doing the best that we can. Hopefully the governor will change some of the laws as far as unemployment and things like that with the COVID pay and I’m hoping that will make a difference and just continuing to work hard as a team, until we can reach that point, where do we get more staff.”

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“You learn a lot about yourself, you learn a lot about how you teach and about how you can be a more effective teacher.”

— Jason Heinz, human resources director for Haywood County Schools, on the certification process

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Haywood County Schools is unique in that it provides its teachers with substantial support to aid in achieving National Board Certification. HCS uses some of its Title II money, funds that come from the federal government for teacher training and teacher improvement, to help teachers pay the fees for certification. HCS also pays a few retired teachers to assist those seeking certification throughout the school year, coach them through the certification process and help them in developing their portfolios.

The National Board Coordinator for Haywood County Schools is Joy Sollie.

Sandra Strahan and Lynn Carter serve as National Board Consultants.

“Dr. Nolte has been really good, and the board has been really good to let me prioritize that money for this purpose. We’ve been able to do somewhere between 20 and 40 teachers a year,” said Heinz.

According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the National Board Certification has a big impact on student performance. Research shows that students of board certified teachers learn more than those of non-certified teachers, and that the impact is even greater among low-income and high-need students.

“We’ve got about 500 teachers right now.

We’ve got a little over 200 that are certified.

And so we’re working to close in on all levels. We’d like to have them all certified at some point,” said Heinz.

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July 14-20, 2021

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER aywood County Schools has made the list of National Board Accomplished Districts recognized by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

“We are proud to be among the top districts nationwide being recognized as National Board Accomplished Districts. We know that teachers drive student learning.

One of the ways we work to assure students have access to the best teachers is to encourage teachers to become National Board Certified. These teachers clearly teach to high standards and reflect on their practice to get better every day,” said Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte.

The National Board honored 79 school districts from around the United States in which at least 20 percent of its teachers have achieved National Board Dr. Bill Nolte Certification. In Haywood County Schools, over 30 percent of teachers have achieved National Board Certification.

“I think most of our teachers are called to teach,” said Nolte. “I think most of our people believe that this is what they’re called to do and what they’re supposed to do. And most of them want to be better. And some of them are willing to commit the energy it takes to be nationally board certified.”

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is a national organization that strives to advance the quality of teaching and learning through its certification program.

According to Jason Heinz, human resources director for Haywood County Schools, the national board certification has been recognized as the highest form of training for public school teachers. This is because the program forces participants to reflect on their teaching and how to improve it.

The process of certification takes about one year. Teachers work through a large packet of requirements and information, consulting with coaches and experts along the way. Teachers are required to create les-

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son plans, film themselves teaching, then watch, reflect and learn from the tapes.

“You learn a lot about yourself, you learn a lot about how you teach and about how you can be a more effective teacher,” said Heinz.

In North Carolina, teachers who earn the National Board Certification receive an automatic 12 percent pay raise, paid for by the state. Previously, North Carolina used to pay for teachers to earn their master’s degree.

For classroom teachers, that program ended in 2013.

“Since North Carolina has stopped paying for master’s degrees, as far as increased pay, this was really the only option that teachers have to improve their skills and get a pay raise,” said Heinz.

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Task force issues draft recommendations on homelessness

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR More than 18 months after its creation and just over 12 months since its first meeting, Waynesville’s Task Force on Homelessness finally has some answers on the status of homelessness in Haywood County, and the steps they’d like to take to address it.

“Well, it’s a draft, first of all, but I hope the public will appreciate all the hard work that we’ve done and that it does take into account how we help those who need homes as well as the community at large,” said Mandy Haithcox, a member of the task force and executive director of Haywood Pathways Center. Haithcox has worked in social services for 25 years, and in homelessness specifically for 12 years.

Data for the report were collected during interviews and listening sessions that involved more than 370 business owners, faith leaders, law enforcement officers, behavioral health providers and housing providers, as well as people who are actually experiencing homelessness.

As a whole, the recommendations package is called Waynesville Community CARES, an acronym for the five-part framework that will be subject to approval by the board of aldermen, after a public comment period and possible revisions.

One of the recommendations that will likely generate plenty of comment is the existing shelter ecosystem, and whether or not to expand it. Three options are presented in the report — maintain the current system, expand it by engaging in capacitybuilding, or develop an additional emergency low-barrier shelter.

Much of the package hinges on the town creating a position called Community CARES Director, as well as two neighborhood CARES outreach workers, who will be responsible for engaging with people experiencing homelessness, directing them to resources, tracking outcomes and reporting quarterly to the board.

“I think it’s something we’ll have to consider with great thought, and with coordination with the county,” said Waynesville Alderman Anthony Sutton, who serves on the task force. “I don’t think the problem is entirely Waynesville’s issue, so I think it’s going to take a community to get those positions. I’m personally open to funding those positions because I think it is better for the entire community. But I think it’s going to take a lot of community input and feedback.”

Kevin Ensley, chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners, has followed the issue for years during his tenure on the commission, and said he’s supportive

of the initiative to fund the CARES positions.

“I have been advocating that. I have to have my other commissioners come on board with it,” Ensley said. “We’re looking at Dogwood Trust to do some positions maybe in the jail, and I’m also thinking that maybe we can leverage them to help us a little bit, and I’m even thinking that maybe the county could chip in a little bit along with the town and with some of the non-profits. Maybe we can all work together to fund these positions.”

Unless something changes, the task force’s final meeting should be on Sept. 2. At that time, the draft recommendations should be close to being finalized. If that’s the case, they’ll be presented to the board of aldermen for approval in late September.

Be heard The Town of Waynesville Homelessness Task Force will host a drop-in community feedback open house at the Waynesville Recreation Center on Thursday, Aug. 5. Recently, the task force issued a needs assessment and draft recommendations intended to address the issue of homelessness. Stop by any time between 5 and 8 p.m. to leave feedback on the report. Although the report isn’t yet posted on the town’s website, it should be soon. The Waynesville Recreation Center is located at 550 Vance Street. If you can’t make the meeting, contact Task Force Chair Amy Murphy-Nugen at 828.227.3698 or abmurphynugen@ema il.wcu.edu. For more information on the Homelessness Task Force, visit www.waynesvillenc.gov/homelessness-task-force.

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Around 100 people attended a presentation

by NCDOT at Lake Junaluska on July 10.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

Smoky Mountain News

“We felt very hopeful and very positive about the outcome. We have been very pleased with the responsiveness of the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

They’ve been very honest and direct with us and they clearly have been doing a lot of work to respond to the feedback that not only Lake Junaluska has provided, but the whole county has provided,” he said. “This interchange is truly in the heart of the county and impacts the entire county and again, we’re very hopeful and very positive as to the direction they’re going and the new timeline they’re putting out.”

Higdon said the anticipated start date for the project, which includes a badly-needed flyover bridge that will enhance safety, is in the early part of 2022.

Rep. Mark Pless, R-Haywood, also attended the meeting and said he was optimistic about the new timeline and pleased that DOT has been responsive to concerns about the project, but that doesn’t mean it’s all going to be smooth sailing.

Residents at Lake Junaluska were anxious about motorists using County Road as a detour, and Higdon admitted that increased traffic on the road — which is narrow, in bad shape and prone to use by speeders — was expected.

However, County Road is a state road, and it can’t be closed or restricted only to residents.

Pless also noted that there are still concerns about public safety during the closures, no matter their duration.

“A large portion of this is going to revolve around the fire service, because of where the fire departments are located and where their response areas are located,” he said. “It’s going to cause an issue because they cover areas that can only be accessed from U.S. 19.

Ultimately, it’s their responsibility because they’re charged with covering that area, but we just gotta get the information to them so they can plan.”

A public meeting about the project will be held sometime in August, once renderings and timelines are readily available. To see a video of the flyover portion of the project, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHd44vGpOkE.

July 14-20, 2021

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR controversial bridge replacement project that would have snarled Haywood County traffic for up to four years will likely get a redesign that results in a dramatically expedited timeline.

“When the original plan came out for the construction, the detour length around 276/Russ Avenue was originally around three years,” said Garrett Higdon, project engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. “We met with our designers — once again, everything is still in the preliminary planning phases, but they are fairly confident now that through the construction phasing of the project that we are gonna be able to get it down somewhere between six to nine months.”

Higdon made his comments after a property owners’ meeting at Lake Junaluska on July 10, after members of the audience peppered him with questions about the length of the detours on the U.S. 19/23/74 project.

“When this project originally started and we first addressed the public at Lake Junaluska and the county, the towns, there were some concerns because at that time we were only at around 25 percent plans,” he said. “We hadn’t done any constructability reviews, we hadn’t done any reviews yet of as far as the phasing for the project, of how we were going to construct it. We were basically at that point just getting the plans on paper and then we were gonna tweak from there.”

Those plans drew concern from Ken Howle, executive director at Lake Junaluska, but Howle wasn’t the only one to speak up.

The towns of Clyde and Canton became the first to pass a resolution asking the DOT to speed up the project, over concerns that it would tie up traffic in the center of the county and thereby affect every municipality in the county for an extended period of time.

Officials from Haywood County, Maggie Valley and Waynesville told The Smoky Mountain News last week that they all expected to entertain similar resolutions this week.

Howle said he was pleased with the revised timeline. Arguably, the proposed closures would affect Lake Junaluska the most.

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After uproar, DOT relents on bridge replacement project

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Alcohol referenda to appear on Cherokee’s September ballot

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER herokee voters will decide whether to loosen alcohol regulations on the Qualla Boundary this September by answering three referendum questions Tribal Council approved Wednesday, July 7.

The majority of council approved all three questions during the special session in which they voted on the issue. The referenda will be added to the Sept. 2 ballot pending ratification from Principal Chief Richard Sneed, who has been a proponent of the measures.

“In order to have the food and beverage anchors that we need for a sustainable tourism economy, then we have to have alcohol sales — be that if that’s going to be package sales in an ABC store run by the TABCC and/or beverages sold at restaurants,” Sneed said. “I would encourage the voters to participate. This is an important issue.”

Every night, Sneed observed, town clears out around 5 p.m. every night as tourists go elsewhere for dinner and evening entertainment.

In addition to choosing their Tribal Council and School Board representatives, on Election Day voters will answer “yes” or “no” to three questions: • Do you support expanding the sales of malt beverages (beer) at retail establishments (grocery or convenience stores) within the Qualla Boundary?

• Do you support allowing the Tribal ABC Commission to operate an ABC package store to permit the sale of alcoholic beverages on tribal lands?

• Do you support expanding the sales of malt beverages and wines at restaurants, hotels and other qualified establishments within the Qualla Boundary?

“Expanding alcohol sales is a critical part

July 14-20, 2021

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of economic development,” all three resolutions say. “Without the sales, Cherokee cannot compete with surrounding communities that provide that amenity.”

The tribe has held several alcohol-related referendum votes over the years, most recently in 2018 when voters were asked to approve a tribally owned package and ABC store. The measure failed to garner the required 30% turnout to be valid under the law, and of those who did show up to vote only 47.4% approved the proposal. The law governing referendum measures includes a mandatory two-year waiting period before a referendum question can be revisited after voters strike it down, and that requirement has now been satisfied.

However, the referendum is likely to secure a larger turnout this time around, as it will take place during a General Election rather than as a standalone special election as occurred in 2018.

Currently, alcohol sales are allowed only on casino property as well as at establishments located within 1.5 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway on-ramp. The Tribal ABC Commission may also grant permits for onetime events such as festivals.

While most council members endorsed the measures, Painttown Representatives Tommye Saunooke and Dike Sneed, as well as Wolfetown Representative Bo Crowe, voted against the first and third questions pertaining to retail sales of alcoholic beverages on the Qualla Boundary. Saunooke and Dike Sneed both voted in favor of asking voters to approve an ABC package store.

“I wanted the tribe to be able to get the revenue, so that’s why Dike and I support it.

We’ve already discussed it with our community and they feel the same way,” Saunooke said following the vote. “They just didn’t want every little store to have it. They want-

ed just one if we had to have it.”

Birdtown Representative Boyd Owle, who submitted all three resolutions, said he views expansion of alcohol sales on the Qualla Boundary as a vital tool for economic development.

“I think they’re looking for a revenue source here,” Owle said. “If we did pass bringing beer into the grocery stores and convenience stores, I think that would be a great revenue generator. We have it off the Boundary anywhere you go.”

Currently, alcohol sales are allowed only on casino property as well as at establishments located within 1.5 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway onramp. The Tribal ABC Commission may also grant permits for one-time events such as festivals.

“Until we get this passed, our town will remain the way it is,” added Birdtown Representative Albert Rose. “You can go anywhere else — Bryson, Waynesville — and it’s just a good atmosphere. Here it’s just like a drive-thru ghost town to me.”

Council members approved adding Rose’s name to the “submitted by” portion of all three resolutions and adding Chief Sneed’s name to the first resolution at the request of those officials.

After the votes, Wolfetown representa-

tive Chelsea Saunooke stressed the importance of getting the word out to community members about the referenda and the rationale behind them. ABC Chairman Pepper Taylor said his board is in the process of putting together a request for proposals to a marketing firm that can work on messaging ahead of the vote, and that he would also make appearances at community club meetings over the coming months to discuss the issue. Chelsea Saunooke added that a town hall meeting might be a good idea as well.

Vice Chief Alan “B” Ensley agreed with that suggestion but said he objected to approving the referenda during a special session.

“I think when we have a controversial issue such as this, I think it needs to be put on the agenda so that we can all go to our communities and hear what they have to say,” he said. “I think it sets a bad precedent.

I’ll support referendums in the past. I still support it. But I think they need to be done in the right manner.”

The referendum questions were first submitted to Tribal Council in January but tabled and then withdrawn when they reappeared on the April agenda. The law requires that any referendum vote be carried out within 90 days of the questions being approved — Tribal Council wanted to place the questions on the September ballot, but if the resolutions had passed in April the vote would have had to occur earlier.

“A referendum has to be done within 90 days,” Vice Chairman David Wolfe said at the beginning of the July 7 special session.

“This particular one has a timeframe of 90 days. The Council session didn’t fall within that 90 days. Just to let the public know, that’s why we’re here for this referendum request. It’s not to try to hide anything or anything.”

While the June 1 meeting came 93 days before the Sept. 2 General Election, the July 8 meeting fell 56 days before the General Election and the July 7 special session came 57 days ahead. Requests for clarification on the timing issue sent to Wolfe and Attorney General Mike McConnell were not returned as of press time.

Smoky Mountain News

Developers tee off on Waynesville Inn rehab

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ith some demolition work currently underway and a membership drive event held on July 12, the new owners of The Waynesville Inn and Golf Club are eager to present the project to the public as soon as possible.

“The town of Waynesville’s been great.

We were able to get right in, do our due diligence, do our homework, understand the permitting process,” said David Tart, managing partner of Raines. “I feel like we have a lot of support locally because people want to see this golf club get underway. Plus, it’s critical because of the timing of the growing season, so I will say we’ve probably put a little more effort into accelerating this.”

The iconic landmark was sold to devel-

opment firm Raines for nearly $9 million in April, and plans for extensive rehabilitation were immediately announced for the 111room hotel and the 27-hole golf course. The course will remain open during the 24month project.

Raines’ portfolio currently includes several upstate South Carolina hotels under the Best Western, Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott flags. The 87-room boutique Foundry Hotel in Asheville, and the Hotel Florence in Florence, South Carolina are also Raines properties and represent its more upscale “Woven” brand, which the Waynesville Inn will join as part of the Trademark by Wyndham family.

— Cory Vaillancourt

Developers have wasted little time in beginning renovations at the historic Waynesville Inn. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Billboard signs all along U.S. 74, like this one just outside of Waynesville, advertise Harrah’s financial incentives for new hires. Holly Kays photo

Higher pay, bonuses and work-life flexibility key strategies

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Haywood Community College is holding Peak Week July 12 through July 16.

This week is dedicated to helping both new and returning students get registered for the upcoming fall semester. Students are encouraged to complete the HCC application and the free application for student aid (FAFSA) prior to attending Peak Week; however, assistance will be available onsite as well.

During Peak Week, students will get assistance with the admissions application, residency verification, advising, class registration and applying for available scholarships and other forms of financial aid. In addition, there will be tours of campus and other resources available. All students, whether new or returning, are encouraged to participate.

Students completing the steps for class registration at Peak Week will also be entered to win prizes, including a laptop. Peak Week will be located in the 1500 (Hemlock) building on campus.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The financial aid office will be open until 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 14, to assist students with their FAFSA application.

Fall semester classes begin August 16.

For more information or for those who want to attend HCC and cannot participate in Peak Week, email hcc-advising@hay-

SCC offering free tuition Through a one-time program, Southwestern Community College will not charge tuition or fees to students for the 2021-22 academic year.

The “SCC Promise” initiative provides new students as well as those who’ve already enrolled with free tuition and fees this fall if they fulfill the following criteria: complete the 2021-22 free application for federal student aid (FAFSA); enroll in a minimum of six credit hours; and complete the SCC Promise application.

Students who’ve already enrolled for fall just need to go to www.SouthwesternCC.edu/FREE and fill out the “SCC Promise” application.

Free tuition and college fees are for North Carolina residents for Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 only. This is a “last-option” financial assistance program that provides tuition after all other federal and state funds have been applied. SCC will utilize various funding sources.

Anyone interested in more short-term training through SCC’s Career Academies can also get free tuition this fall through the GEER fund. More info at www.SouthwesternCC.edu/GEER.

Smoky Mountain News

managerial positions, while it’s now looking for more front-of-house workers.

In May, Harrah’s announced a pair of new hiring policies designed to help with the recruitment problem. It raised wages for all positions and boosted the starting pay rate for non-tipped positions to $15 per hour. In addition, Harrah’s began offering hiring bonuses ranging from $500 to $3,000.

“We’re slowly seeing the positive results of those initiatives, and I think it’s going to take us a little bit longer to get to where we need to be than in years past,” said Bridges.

The labor shortage is a problem industrywide, and there are multiple reasons for it, she said.

“The easy answer, maybe the most obvious is the unemployment supplement,” she said. “Is that impacting? Yes, absolutely it is impacting, but we are seeing a lot of people who have simply chosen to switch careers.

COVID certainly put a spin on the whole work-life balance, and I think that people have responded to that in some cases. I think that we have folks who are still nervous about being in a guest-facing, highly public, lots of volume (position). So, I really do feel it’s a combination of many different things.”

It will take more than just better pay to fill all those positions, she said. The world has changed, and casino leadership must be willing to think out of the box and consider “what can we do to make working here more flexible and more available to folks.”

The casino’s ability to successfully meet that challenge will have significant consequences for both the tribe that owns it and the region as a whole. Casino revenues make up about half the tribal budget and pay out thousands of dollars each year in per capita checks to tribal members. The casino’s economic ripple effects are huge, and the business employs about 5% of workers in the farwestern counties.

After the expansion in Cherokee opens this fall, the casino will turn its attention to Murphy. Tribal Council just approved a $275 million master plan to expand that facility, so the need for workers is likely only to increase as time goes on.

wood.edu, visit www.haywood.edu/peakweek, or call 828.627.2821.

July 14-20, 2021

t w d gBY HOLLY KAYS eSTAFF WRITER f ow carrying double the vacancies it had e in the summer of 2019, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos is feeling the effects 0of a labor shortage that’s challenging busitnesses nationwide — but the situation has improved significantly in recent months.

0 “We have openings across the board for nsure, but we see challenges with housekeepers, security officers, stewarding, cleaning mspecialists, those front-of-house positions rthat have a very big job in front of them, keeping our facility clean and sanitized,” said sRegional Vice President of Human Resources yLeeann Bridges. l Harrah’s currently has more than 600 eopen positions, and while about 100 are relatned to an expansion to the Cherokee facility set yto open this fall, there are about 400 open dpositions for existing operations in Cherokee and 140 at the Valley River Casino & Hotel in Murphy. During the summer of 2019, Cherokee carried about 200 open positions and Valley River had 60-70 — about half the current number.

To make up for the dearth of employees, some departments are working six days per week — especially during holidays — and Harrah’s is trying to schedule part-time staff for as many hours as they can while still classifying them as part-time.

“With our outlets and such we are able to run on a regular schedule,” Bridges said.

“With our restaurants we did have to pull back a little bit initially going into Memorial Day, but we’ve been able to open those back up to what we would typically have.”

In April and May, said Bridges, more than 700 positions were open in Cherokee and 170 in Valley River. While the Cherokee positions did include some recruiting for the expansion, the casino is actually hiring more expansion-related positions now than it was then.

In the spring, Harrah’s was mainly hiring for

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Farmer earns coaching certification

SCC’s Health Science Center ready this fall As workers apply the last few coats of paint and other finishing touches this summer, Southwestern Community College officials are making sure everything’s ready to open at their new Health Sciences Center to students this fall on the Jackson Campus.

By the time the new school year begins on Aug. 16, SCC will be able to accept 144 more health sciences students than it could have a year ago. Existing programs are able to take additional students, and two new programs are being added: Surgical Technology and Opticianry.

Built at a cost of approximately $21 million, the 55,411-square-foot building will allow SCC to expand enrollment and instruction in each of its 14 existing programs and add two new ones (Surgical Technology and Opticianry), pending SACSCOC approval.

A number of programs will offer free community clinics in the new building as an essential part of the learning process, including Medical Assisting, Medical Laboratory Technology, Medical Sonography, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Pulmonary Function Testing and Rehabilitation, Substance Abuse Counseling and Recovery and Therapeutic Massage.

Funding sources for the project include more than $13 million from Jackson County, $5.4 million from the ConnectNC bond and more than $2 million will be covered by an Economic Development Administration grant secured by SCC and Jackson County.

Betty Farmer, professor of communication at Western Carolina University and business consultant and trainer, has earned a Social and Emotional Intelligence Coaching Certification from the Institute for Social and Emotional Intelligence.

Farmer joins the ranks of approximately 1,200 ISEI certified coaches worldwide.

“I’m thrilled to have completed this certification course. Emotional and social intelligence is absolutely essential in the workplace, and I enjoy helping people develop their skills in this area.

It’s work that makes a difference,” said Farmer.

Emotional intelligence encompasses many skill sets, such as empathy, stress management, resilience, effective conflict management, catalyzing change, teamwork and collaboration and inspirational leadership, among others.

This certification enables Farmer to administer the Social and Emotional Intelligence Profile, which is the most comprehensive, fully validated and statistically reliable social and emotional intelligence instrument on the market today. After completing the SEIP, individuals receive a 40-page report with scores on and tips for developing 26 emotional and social intelligence competencies.

Farmer provides workshops and training on a variety of managerial and leadership topics both as an independent consultant, as well as through WCU’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment. Contact Farmer at bfarmer@wcu.edu or visit pdp.wcu.edu for upcoming workshops.

WCU offers online financial planning

Gala to raise funds for SCC scholarships

Scholarships awarded to WNC students

Western Carolina University will offer a new online option for students seeking a bachelor’s degree in finance with a concentration in financial planning, beginning in the fall semester 2021, for both traditional and nontraditional students.

Students who complete the concentration are then eligible to take the Certified Financial Planner Certification exam and pursue careers in financial planning, stock brokerage, insurance and other financial services.

WCU has been listed among the nation’s best providers of online degree programs by U.S. News & World Report and is the only Certified Financial Planning Board-certified bachelor’s degree program in the state. The Certified Financial Planner concentration is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

For more information or to register, contact the finance department at 828.227.7412 or business@wcu.edu.

A sure sign life’s returning to normal is the return of Southwestern Community College’s annual fundraising gala.

The seventh “Boots, Blue Jeans & Bling” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on the second Saturday in September at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

Since SCC’s first gala in 2014, the annual event has raised nearly $400,000 to support student scholarships, including more than $40,000 that was given last year despite the college being unable to hold the gala.

Individual tickets are $150, and table sponsorships start at $1,500. Everyone who attends will enjoy a meal crafted by Harrah’s chefs.

Providing the music will be Crocodile Smile, a versatile dance band from Asheville.

There will also be a number of activities including corn hole, a best-dressed contest, a silent auction, wine pull in addition to a new “Best Boot Contest.”

Tickets are now available at www.SouthwesternCC.edu/gala. For more

The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently approved scholarships totaling $410,250 to 91 WNC students in 60 schools in 19 counties.

Top recipients include Maya Cruz from Cherokee High School who was awarded the Clyde and Mildred Wright Endowment Fund Scholarship valued at $20,000 over four years and Delaney Rodriguez from Smoky Mountain High School, who was awarded the Gene and Lee Meyer Scholarship valued at $12,000.

Devin Bryson of Blue Ridge School, Emma Budden of Jackson County Early College High School, Ella Day of Blue Ridge School, Aaron Hough of Haywood Early College High School, Abigail Nichols of Highlands School and Natalie Parris of Smoky Mountain High School were also awarded.

Scholarship endowments can have broad eligibility criteria or can be focused on a particular school or county, offered to students pursuing a degree in a stated field or available to those who

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will attend a designated college or university.

Learn more at www.cfwnc.org.

SRCA appoints new chairwoman

The Shining Rock Classical Academy Board of Directors recently elected Melanie Norman to serve as board chair and finalized an agreement for a three-year contract extension for Head of School Joshua Morgan.

Norman said this was the first multi-year contract in SRCA’s history.

“Shining Rock is beginning a new phase of public charter school development. We’re starting a PreK and a high school program this year.

We are moving into our permanent facility in a few weeks and significantly increasing our enrollment. To ensure the school’s ongoing success, the board felt it was vital to maintain the strong leadership offered by Mr. Morgan,” she said.

Morgan has served at SRCA since June 2018 and became the Head of School in 2019.

During his tenure as school leader, he has conducted successful outreach and grown the school’s enrollment by 67%. He’s also partnered with the board to complete all of the necessary steps to open the doors to its beautiful permanent home this coming school year. The terms of the contract are for three years with a base salary of $90,000.

Norman is beginning her third year as a member of the SRCA board. During her time on the board she has served as the secretary and vicechair before being nominated to serve as chair.

HyFlex allows for hybrid classes

Many are breathing a sigh of relief as normalcy begins to return, and students eagerly await their return to traditional classes.

For those who may still be anxious, however, Southwestern Community College is offering opportunities to pursue their education from the comfort of students’ homes so that they may feel safe. This fall, SCC instructors will be offering courses through HyFlex, a course delivery system where instructors teach on campus while students attend class remotely.

While SCC will still be returning to normal functions, this new method gives students the option to attend class in a way that feels safest for them. Every semester after classes begin, SCC offers a selection of courses to allow new students an opportunity to enroll and current students can increase their course load.

A camera and microphone will track instructors as they teach, allowing students to learn in real time and access recordings at a later time. SCC’s E-Learning Department will be providing support to ensure that the technology works properly and the instructors can use it at its full potential.

For more information about HyFlex, contact Bethany Emory at b_emory@southwesterncc.edu or 828.339.4261.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Let’s talk about all the visitors I

Alum Cave Trail overflow parking.

Scott McLeod

n the middle of the tourism season, is there any way to politely state the obvious: this region is being overrun by visitors.

The National Forest Service’s new restrictions on the popular Max Patch area — no camping, no fires, no drones, no groups of 10 or more — come after over-use has left this beautiful spot in horrible shape. “Unfortunately, the level of use is causing a public safety hazard as well as serious damage to wildlife habitat,” said Appalachian District Ranger Jen Barnhart.

That story was in last week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain News, the same week we published a guest column by Casey Quarterman, a wilderness ranger who works for the National Forest Service. Casey discussed how each year more and more Editor people come to these mountains to reconnect with the outdoor world but that many unintentionally cause damage to the wilderness they want to experience.

Last year, officials with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park held a series of online meetings to gather potential solutions to the problems it is having dealing with record numbers of visitors. Over the last decade, visitation to the park has increased by 32 percent even as staffing has decreased by more than 10 percent.

We’ve covered this issue in The Smoky Mountain News since our inception in June 1999, and in fact in our very first edition the cover story was about how the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was dealing with the funding and staffing shortfalls as more and more visitors came. In a region where tourism has become the largest industry and the biggest job creator, it’s controversial to suggest that perhaps we need to slow down on marketing this region to potential tourists.

This newspaper and our company make money on this kind of

Stop the checks, get to work To the Editor: In response to the article, “Where Are the Workers?” Well, you can thank your President Biden for that. This crisis is solely on the woke administration’s shoulders. It’s been 16 months of unemployment checks! Plus, the extra $300 per week from the federal government. Stop the checks and stop whispering, “pay them more.”

I thought there was a limit of time on the unemployment checks?

There was a time I was unemployed. The

marketing, so I certainly know it’s a delicate balance.

The growth of social media platforms is no doubt contributing to this problem. People tag the places they’ve visited and then dozens, hundreds or maybe thousands of others immediately see where they’ve been. Wilderness jewels whose locations were once passed along by word of mouth or described in obscure hiking books now are promoted by almost every person who visits them. It’s a vexing problem that will be difficult to solve.

And it’s not just the outdoors that is facing challenges.

Lines out the door at restaurants are increasingly common, and this is happening as many are unable to find and train employees. This has led to cutbacks in hours of operation for some while others politely tell customers their service may not be up to par because of staffing issues.

LETTERS

rule then was six months max. And you had to apply for a job at five places per week, and show (on paper) that you had applied, and you were making an effort to secure your livelihood of cashflow and they investigated your claims. After six months they stop the checks.

Presently there are so many jobs to be had.

You can almost pick any job you like regardless of your skin color. Nobody is going to turn you away. Nobody ever offered me the incentives that are being offered now: sign-on bonuses, relaxed schedules or even higher pay. No one ever said, “she’s white, let her continue her privilege, you’re hired.” Ha ha.

This issue recently flared up in Buncombe County.

Asheville Citizen Times Columnist John Boyle wrote a terrific column where he posited that Buncombe’s tourism Development Agency did not need to spend $15 million on marketing Asheville, which was what its board proposed.

Boyle argued — as I have in a previous column — that perhaps some of those marketing dollars should be re-directed to improve the lives of local citizens. State laws would have to be changed, but there’s growing momentum for this to happen.

There are many challenges facing this region. We must deal with the affordable housing crisis, homelessness and mental health issues, rising jail populations, public education issues and more. Our elected leaders have their hands full.

We know we live in a beautiful place. We know others want to visit and enjoy it as much as those of us who call it home.

But we must find that delicate balance where our wilderness areas are protected and where the quality of life for locals is as big a priority as attracting more and more tourists each year.

There’s no easy solution, but it’s a conversation that needs to be front and center.

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

If your president just keeps giving out all our tax money, to basically lazy people, then they’ll never get off their lounger. It’s the beginning of Marxism, socialism, and then communism (China).

Let’s all just live off the government. They give you money, then dictate how you’ll live.

And why not — then you’ll be employed. Got it? Like a boss. You get paid, they tell you what to do.

Have you noticed the bare shelves? Long wait times in every aspect? Sourcing out jobs to other countries?

I called for takeout pizza. The woman who answered the phone was in El Paso. Guess Canton’s people have jobs?

Maybe all those crossing our border have scooped up on our jobs. Or, maybe we’re just too lazy and are all-too-happy to accept free money that we, our children and grandkids will have to pay back.

Taxes are going up, which Biden promised wouldn’t happen (liar, BS). How and where is he getting all this money? Making it in the basement? From China? Social Security?

Certainly not welfare.

Get up people. Show some self-respect, take responsibility for your own finances.

Stop depending on others. And by all means get a job.

Nancy Jean Casto Subic Clyde

Air the laundry. The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome.

Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786

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Smoky Mountain News

roundings of Western North Carolina.

Interestingly, we all have female protagonists who end up finding love, some happily and some unhappily.

Writers Club is not only fun and cerebrally stimulating, it’s also helping us grow as novelists and writers in a supportive, safe setting. These ladies are my friends and colleagues as well as fellow writers, so while the original intent of our meetings was to discuss novel writing, we often veer into personal and professional conversations, which is a cool thing about any tribe. It may start out with a singular goal but ultimately provides much more than that.

The first tribes existed 13,000 years ago, so the concept is nothing new to the human race. While the purpose of tribes may have evolved through the ages, the benefit remains the same. As people, we crave a connection to others. Research has shown that being part of a group helps one feel less lonely, isolated and judged. It also reduces distress, depression, anxiety and fatigue.

A sense of belonging is more impactful than we credit. A family is a natural, organic tribe but sometimes that given tribe is dismantled. My mom’s passing and my divorce happened within 18 months of each other, so both of my core family units were upended simultaneously. If it had not been for other tribes in my life, the healing journey would have been even more lengthy and painful than it already was.

In primal times, tribes were based on ancestry and survival. Today’s tribes are constructed on a number of factors including profession, hobbies, interests, athletic ability or spiritual affiliation. Whatever the nature of your tribe, be grateful you have one. Life is a complicated, beautiful journey, and it’s no fun to go about it alone.

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

July 14-20, 2021

Everyone needs a tribe, and sometimes we need more than one.

Being part of a common group of people who love and support you is a powerful part of life. I’ve often depended on others to carry me with their encouragement, advice and understanding. From friends, mom pods, family members, blogging and writing networks, professional groups and fitness cohorts, I’ve relied on tribes to flourish and move forward.

One of my tribes is a group of three women from The Smoky Mountain News — Jessi Stone, Columnist Holly Kays and me.

We discovered that we’re all writing novels so we decided to meet twice a month for lunch to review, discuss and edit our latest pages. We’ve coined ourselves Writers Club.

About a week before we meet, we send one another what we’ve written and prepare notes for the other two ladies. Writing is personal and listening to a critique, whether good or bad, can be intimidating, especially when you respect the other writers. We’ve had to be vulnerable during our meetings and put our raw words out in the universe. This vulnerability has strengthened us.

Over the past six months, it’s been exciting to see the three storylines develop. Jessi’s novel is a historical fiction piece about a young female journalist studying abroad in tumultuous Northern Ireland during the civil unrest of the late 1990s. Mine is a contemporary women’s fiction piece about a single mom struggling to find her way in a new normal, only to stumble upon an unexpected sense of purpose through a controversial PTA project. Holly’s is a realistic fiction novel about second chances and the complicated ties that bind, set in the beautiful sur-

19

20

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Brian McKnight.

“Those hits from back in the day were all just me writing songs, and trying to write what I thought the audience wanted to hear. I think the difference now is I actually have some of the very thing that I used to write about.”

— Brian McKnight

The way love goes A CONVERSATION WITH BRIAN MCKNIGHT

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR or the last 25 years, few R&B/soul performers have risen to height of success and level of mainstream talent as Brian McKnight.

With his signature falsetto and seemingly unending vocal range, the multi-platinum artist is also a triple threat — singer, musician, songwriter. All of which has culminated into several radio hits and 16 Grammy nominations over the decades.

In conversation, McKnight is humble and gracious, this harmonious soul filled with gratitude for what has come to fruition in his life and career. But, more so, he’s incredibly aware of the present and to remain in “the now,” to be fully appreciative of each cherished moment and interaction he may find himself in — a trait also at the core of his timeless, embracing and uplifting melodies.

F

Smoky Mountain News: With the shutdown of the music industry last year, what was your big takeaway, personally and professionally?

Brian McKnight: I think that my wife and I have enjoyed this period of time, probably more than any other time, because [we weren’t] having to go anywhere — just being together,

just being at home, and actually resting.

This is the longest rest I’ve ever taken my whole career. And I probably would never have taken this time for myself just to be rejuvenated. I mean, I’m sure people think that traveling around the world all the time is a great job, which it is, but it can be a bit much if you do it for 15, 20 years straight.

So, we really took this time [to rest]. We just moved into a new house. We spend time in our home, which we never do when you’re gone every weekend, singing somewhere — it makes it tough.

In the midst of [the pandemic and shutdown], we graduated one child in high school, another one from college. We’ve been able to travel and see them, and do some other things we wouldn’t normally get to do.

This isn’t to say that we’re making light of the fact that people have lost folks and dependents. It was horrible for people who were sick and we understand that, But, for us, we really took this to the time as a family to be together and to make the best of it. And I think we did.

SMN: So, you’ve maybe recalibrated or reevaluated what you want moving forward as a professional artist?

BM: Oh, absolutely. But, I was already com-

Want to go?

R&B/soul legend Brian McKnight will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at Silverados in Black Mountain.

Tickets are $49.50 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.silveradoswnc.com. ing to that. I’m not sure that I’ll ever be able to dive in the way I had before, because now I’ve seen that it’s not as life-ending and important as it used to be.

[Now it’s] really picking and choosing the times to be out and the shows to do, more than just doing everything that’s on my plate.

Moving forward, [it’s] just doing the things that are the most important.

SMN: And that segues into what I wanted to talk about, which was when you came up in the industry in the 1990s, you went around and had to hustle for a record deal. Whereas, nowadays, younger artists can somewhat DIY with what they want to do.

BM: It’s maybe a different challenge. I think there’s what singers like myself sometimes get

mixed up in, where “if people don’t sing like us, they don’t play like us, then it’s not music and it’s not talent.”

You know, maybe the challenge is that you can really work the hell out of a computer, or you can really put some loops together, some beats together, which most musical purists would look at as being not talented.

But, I don’t look at it that way, because what they do is something that I cannot do, and if they can do it and I can’t, then maybe they’re a talent in a different way than I am.

When I hear what my daughter listens to, it resonates with her on a level that I’m not sure our music ever did to these kids, maybe because they’re consuming it in such great amounts, and maybe that’s because it’s free.

I’m not sure the psychology behind that.

But, what I don’t know is that the artists that she’s listening to at 22, if she’ll still be listening to them at 42, the way people who, when I was 22, are listening to me, are still paying to see me 30 years later. That’s what remains to be seen. We’ll see.

SMN: One of the main themes of your music is the idea of “love,” whether love lost or love found. How much has that definition of the word love changed or remained the same as you’ve gotten older?

BM: What’s interesting, before I met my wife, I talked about love, but I never talked about being in love. Since I met her [and married in 2017], it’s all been about being in love — I never knew I had a definition for that word because I never knew it existed.

I just knew that people needed love and they wanted it. And they either were, like you said, finding it or losing it. So, that was the denominator for the listener. I’d never even liked anyone before [my wife] Leilani.

So, you know, all of those hits from back in the day were all just me writing songs, and trying to write what I thought the audience wanted to hear. I think the difference now is I actually have some of the very thing that I used to write about.

And now I can write about it from a place of knowing what it is, which is the person you can not only live with, but the person that you can’t live without.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

By now you took what was to take, tear it apart and start again

E

already be on my way back to my apartment and journalism gig back in Western North Carolina that night, there I was, in the midst of a freewheeling, rollicking crowd in the heart of my native Champlain Valley.

The reason? My cousin, Nate Arruda.

On June 28, he unexpectedly passed away at his place of residence in my (our) hometown of Rouses Point, New York, along the Canadian Border. He’d been sick for a while.

With any untimely death, you, well, hoped there’d at least be a little more time with them, you know? But, that wasn’t the case.

It never is, sadly.

Nate left us, and in his remaining void were as many tears as memories (and there

HOT PICKS

1

A stage production of “S’Wonderful: The Music and Life of George Gershwin” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 15-17, 22-24, 29-31 and at 2 p.m. July 18, 25 and Aug. 1 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

2 3

Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host Isaiah Breedlove & The Old Pines (Americana/folk) at 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 17.

The sixth annual Front Street Arts & Crafts Show will showcase some of the best regional artisans from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 17, in downtown Dillsboro.

4

Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host the “Ingles Down Home Concert Series” w/Joe Lasher Jr. & Kaitlyn Baker (country/rock) at 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 17.

5

Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” series will host Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road (bluegrass/Americana) at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 17. giving one last look at the stage, at the remaining instruments, the band probably already back on their bus.

We hugged each other goodbye, more tears, but this time out of happiness for being there as a family, as one unit of love and gratitude, and in the presence of songs immortal. Thank you, Guster. And thank you, Nate, for it was you that exposed us to the music that will continue to bring us together, time and time again.

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

July 14-20, 2021

merging from the beer line along the top of the hill with a Fiddlehead IPA, I heard the slight sound of distortion and feedback echoing loudly from the massive stage down below.

“Shit, they’re going into ‘Barrel Guster. of a Gun,’” I mum(photo: Garret K. Woodward) bled to myself, trotting down the slope underneath a hot evening sun in mid-July. Slither through dozens of rows of people in a matter of seconds, careful not to spill my tallboy of craft ale atop the grounds at the Shelburne Museum (just south of Burlington, Vermont).

Popping out in the front row, longtime New England indierock darlings Guster were in the midst of BOAG, my sister, Kate, and brother-in-law, Josh, within reach, so too was my late cousin’s best friend, Simone. High-fives allaround signaling “we made it,” tears of joys (and of sadness) as to just why our crew serendipitously found its ways to this concert on Saturday evening.

Thousands of music freaks in every direction, hands held high, fingers counting down joyously from four to one, the audience screaming every single damn word, as if to expel months of pent-up frustration and anxiety from a now-fleeting period of isolation from one and another (you, me, all of us).

That dreaded, seeming never-ending feeling of disconnection evaporating in a moment’s notice due to the melodic madness channeled through the simple act of wood and strings vibrating into the ether from an elevated platform, “Four, three, two, one/When out the barrel of a gun/Keep my head way down/Stay out I’ll stay in/Half dead, half numb/She’s enough to make me warm/It’s all so safe and sound.”

And although I was initially supposed to

all remains the same, for good or ill (but mostly good).

We packed up our chairs, picked up the empty beer cans, folded up the blankets, and proceeded to head back to the parking lot, onward to downtown Burlington for midnight shenanigans, for we had Sunday to recover. But, not before turning around and

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

are countless moments). Years ago, while we were drunk at our family’s camp on Lake Champlain, he turned to me and said, “Garret, when I die, I want you to give my eulogy.” As in any awkward situation like that, you kind of brush it off, laugh it off, and reply, “No doubt, my brother. I will, I promise.”

And yet, there I was, last Friday morning, standing in front of his gravesite giving his eulogy (in the form of a heartfelt, extemporaneous speech), in the face of a huge crowd of family, friends, and folks I’d never met until that day. No microphone needed, everyone crowded around closely in a semicircle. The silent North Country cornfield behind me filled in the rest of the shape.

The “celebration of life” post-service reception was held just a few blocks away at the Rouses Point American Legion Post #912. By the second round of beers, it was decided amongst the cousins and close friends that we’d all get together for the Guster show the next night, all in honor of Nate — in solidarity of his favorite band, a group he shared with each of us in our own time, happily and proudly.

A two-way street of honest emotion and raw energy from both sides of the microphone, it was Guster’s first performance in the post-pandemic era. Rolling through a slew of its signature selections (which was also a tune-up for the upcoming sold-out Red Rocks show on July 25), the ensemble proved once again why it’s one of the most relevant and joyous acts in rock music these days (something reverberated by a raucous audience of northeast die-hards).

Every few songs, all of us cousins would circle back to the blankets and chairs “home base” about halfway up the hillside. Some of us sported sunglasses in the fading sunshine, all present sporting a stream of tears between hugs and drinks held high, in honor of Nate — the catalyst for our love of not only Guster, but the power and grace of live music, of each other, and what it means to truly be family, and together (no matter how much time and space has passed since the last rendezvous).

Eventually, with the sun long gone behind the Adirondack Mountains in the distance, Guster put the finishing touches on the end of the beginning of the next chapter of its journey (and of our journey, too). Everything is different now, and yet it

Smoky Mountain News 21

On the beat arts & entertainment

‘An Appalachian Evening’

Darren Nicholson.

Bluegrass legend to perform, hold workshops The Darren Nicholson Bluegrass Band Camp and performance will be held from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 17, at the Smoky Mountain Heritage Center in Maggie Valley.

Nicholson is a bonafide bluegrass leg-

Smoky Mountain News

July 14-20, 2021

Americana, indie at Nantahala The Maggie Valley Band will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva.

A blend of old-time mountain, Americana and psychedelic folk music, the Haywood County group is fronted by siblings Whitney and Caroline Miller.

The duo has gone through several changes since they first set out on their melodic adventure several years ago. But, what remains is the unbreakable bond of sisterhood, something that’s become a stronghold — and strong suit — in what it will take to break into the next level of their promising careers.

The show is free and open to the public.

For more information, click on www.themaggievalleyband.com.

Voices in the Laurel

Voices in the Laurel, along with Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church, will hold an Arts Camp for all children in grades kindergarten through 12th.

The camp will be held July 19-23 at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Waynesville.

• Morning session (8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) will be for elementary grades.

Different sessions will be held for arts and crafts, music, percussion, movement, as 22 well as recreation and snack.

end, a Grammy-nominated musician and winner of numerous International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards alongside his group, Haywood County’s Balsam Range.

Admission to the concert is $20. Each workshop (band, songwriting, instrumental) is $40. For all three workshops and the show, the cost is $108.

For more information, go to www.meadowlarkmotel.com and click on the “Events” tab or call 828.926.1717.

Darin & Brooke Aldridge.

The “An Appalachian Evening” series will return with up-and-coming string acts and bluegrass legends to the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.

Ticketed shows will include Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road July 17 ($15) and Darin & Brooke Aldridge July 24 ($25). Shows will be live streamed at 7:30 p.m. on YouTube, with a link available at www.stecoahvalleycenter.com prior to the concert.

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

• Afternoon session (1:15 to 4:30 p.m.) will consist of middle/high schoolers, which will focus on music and songwriting.

The camp is free for all participants. For more information and to register, please visit www.voicesinthelaurel.org or contact Keisha Goodman, operations manager, at 828.699.4005.

Want to learn the dulcimer?

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

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

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

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

The Rewind House Band.

Concerts on the Creek The 11th annual season of Concerts on the Creek continues with The Rewind House Band from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 16, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

Based in Asheville, the group has enjoyed the honor of supporting the likes of The Beach Boys, The Temptations, Gary Puckett, The Rascals, Ambrosia, The Drifters, Kansas, and more.

Held most Fridays from through Labor Day at the Bridge Park, these free, familyfriendly events are organized by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva, and the Jackson County Parks & Recreation Department.

Bring a chair or blanket. Donations are greatly appreciated. No coolers. No smoking. No alcohol. Well-behaved dogs only. All dogs must be on a leash.

Please observe Covid safe protocols in place by the State of North Carolina and Jackson County. The Jackson County Department of Public Health will offer free COVID-19 vaccines in partnership with the music series, featuring Johnson & Johnson’s Jansen vaccine. Open to all, 18 years and older.

These will be available from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

For more information, visit www.mountainlovers.com, the Concerts on the Creek Facebook page or call 828.586.2155.

On the beat

On the table • Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, Isaiah Breedlove & The Old Pines (Americana/folk) July 17 and Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) July 23. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or www.boojumbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Ingles Down Home Concert Series” w/Joe Lasher Jr. & Kaitlyn Baker (country/rock) July 17 and Troy Underwood (Americana/soul) July 24. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• The Cashiers Village Crawl will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. July 16. Live music from Nitrograss at the Commons and Spalding McIntosh & The Lionhearts at the Gazebo.

Both shows are from 6 to 8 p.m. Wine tasting and food trucks will also be onsite. Free and open to the public.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host The Appalucians (bluegrass/folk) July 17. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations required. Ticket price and dinner menu to be announced. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.369.4080 or www.coweeschool.org.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.634.0078 or www.curraheebrew.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.734.1084 or www.elevatedmountain.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.743.3000 or www.theuglydogpub.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Karaoke in the Smokies (live instruments backing the singers) July 16, Anna Victoria (singer-songwriter) July 23 and Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) July 30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Scoundrel’s Lounge 3 p.m. July 25.

828.926.7440 or www.valley-tavern.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Aly Jordan July 16. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or www.mtnlayersbeer.com.

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

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host a “Jazz Night” from 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays and The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/indie) 8 p.m. July 24. Free and open to the public.

828.641.9797 or www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.743.6000 or www.whitesidebrewing.com.

ALSO:

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host “Bluegrass with Blue” July 16 and 23, and Log Noggins July 24. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

888.905.7238 or www.noc.com.

• “Pickin’ on the Square” (Franklin) will host Dirty Dave & Pony Express July 17 and Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/country) July 24. All shows start at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. Located on Main Street. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Jason Lyles (singer-songwriter) July 16. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

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

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Shane Meade Trio 6:30 p.m. July 16, The Mug Band July 17 and Mary Kenyon 3 p.m. July 18. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will be held at the Kelsey-Hutchinson Park from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with Shane Meade & The Sound July 17 and Silly Ridge Roundup July 24. Free and open to the public. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Phibian July 18 and Jason Lyles July 25. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Malpass Brothers (Americana/bluegrass) at 7:30 p.m.

July 23. Tickets start at $18 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Blackjack Country July 15. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public.

828.538.2488.

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

ALSO:

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

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

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ARTs & CRAFTs Show Saturday, July 17 • 10am - 4pm

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live entertainment 11AM 12PM Anna J Creek Cloggers Victoria

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Twelfth Fret

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Anna Victoria

Smoky Mountain News

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will be held at the Town Square from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Johnny Webb Band July 16 and Sycamore Flats July 23. Free and open to the public. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” series will host Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road July 17 ($15) and Darin & Brooke Aldridge July 24 ($25). All shows at 7:30 p.m. 828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

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

July 14-20, 2021

• Concerts on the Creek (Sylva) at Bridge Park will host The Rewind House Band (oldies) July 16 and Dashboard Blue (oldies/beach) July 23. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.492.8009 or www.southern-porch.com.

arts & entertainment

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday.

Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

Sponsored by The Dillsboro Merchants Association and The Town of Dillsboro

FOR MORE INFO GO TO: VISITDILLSBORO.ORG

Dillsboro, NC is located at the crossroads of 441 & Business 23

23

arts & entertainment

On the stage

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In The Valley

Smoky Mountain News

A stage production of “S’Wonderful: The Music and Life of George Gershwin” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 15-17, 22-24, 29-31 and at 2 p.m. July 18, 25 and Aug. 1 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

George Gershwin said it best, “Jazz is the result of the energy stored up in America.”

Come dressed in your best 1920s attire and experience that jazzy energy at the grand reopening of HART’s main stage. This lively musical takes place in the home of George & Ira Gershwin with a party full of unbelievable singers and dancers.

“S’Wonderful” features the music of Gershwin performed by John Crawley and his band. You may remember the incredible talents of the Crawley band in HART’s 2019 production of “Stardust.”

You’ll hear all of your Gershwin favorites such as “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “Strike Up The Band,” “Rhapsody In Blue,” “S’Wonderful,” and many more. Glenn Arnette directs this star studded cast of Western North Carolina’s finest opera singers, folk singers, tap and ballroom dancers, and actors.

Tickets are on sale now. For more information, contact the box office at 828.456.6322 or our website at www.harttheatre.org.

Kids at HART production

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HART presents the works of Gershwin

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre and Kids at HART will hold a special production of “The Velveteen Rabbit” at the Fangmeyer Theatre in Waynesville. Showtimes will be at 2 p.m. July 17-18 and 24-25.

With an incredibly active senior class, Kids at HART director Sheila Sumpter was able to offer HART’s first-ever directing course for young artists in 2020. Robin Cloninger showed special interest in the topic and rose to the occasion of directing HART’s first student-directed play.

“The Velveteen Rabbit” is an emotional journey through time, as told through the eyes of a young man looking back on his childhood. By reliving the relationship between his 4-year-old self and his favorite toy, the velveteen rabbit, he rediscovers the true meaning of friendship. Central to the story is, of course, the velveteen rabbit, who is introduced to the idea of becoming real by the old rocking horse.

The play explores the rewards of loyalty, the poignancy of loss, and the wonderful, surprising powers of love.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for students. Tickets available online at www.harttheatre.org or by calling HART’s box office at 828.456.6322.

On the street

Saturday located at Lake Junaluska’s Nanci Weldon Outdoor Gym. The scenic lake makes for a picturesque afternoon to enjoy performances from talents like Deeksha Classical Indian, Trinity Irish Dance, and many more. The outdoor excitement will conclude with highly anticipated musical performances. Summerfest night one will be closed by the Los Texmaniacs and night two will be closed by The Revelers.

Many Cultures Day is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 24, on Main Street in Waynesville. The event features live entertainment by youthful singers and dancers, folk dance lessons by performers, an arts and crafts tent, food and beverage trucks, and activities led by local organizations.

Artisan vendors will line the streets with flags honoring the nations that have come through the festival throughout the years.

Admission is free to the public for Many Cultures Day. The 37th Folkmoot will be heavily reliant on its volunteers. Folkmoot is still accepting volunteers if you wish to guide the sights, sounds, and beauty of the festival. To apply, visit www.folkmoot.org/volunteer To purchase tickets to the Gala or any of the Lake Junaluska events, visit www.folkmoot.org.

With the Mountain Heritage Day community festival returning to campus at Western Carolina University on Saturday, Sept. 25, nominations are being sought for Mountain Heritage Awards to honor an individual and an organization for contributions to Southern Appalachian culture.

Recipients are chosen by a committee of regional and campus representatives. The awards, through two categories, recognize an individual and an institution or organization for distinguished service, accomplishments, influence or expertise in maintaining the cultural viability of the region.

Nominations should be five pages or less, with a list of the nominee’s accomplishments; information about the nominee’s influence in the relevant field of expertise; or information about the nominee’s role as a teacher, advocate, leader or curator of mountain culture.

Include a website address if applicable; the mailing address of the nominee; the founding date for organizational nominees.

Nominations should be delivered no later than Friday, July 30, to the Mountain Heritage Center offices, located in Room 240 of WCU’s Hunter Library; mailed to Mountain Heritage Center, 176 Central Drive, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723; or emailed to pameister@wcu.edu.

The Hometown Heritage Festival will return from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 17, in downtown Franklin.

Demonstrations, live music, entertainment, games and food Free and open to the public. Hosted by the Streets of Franklin Heritage Association. Sponsored by Macon County TDA and TDC. For more information, visit www.streetsoffranklinnc.org.

The 54th annual Macon County Gemboree will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 23-25 at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin.

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

Daily admission is $2 and free for ages 12 and under. For more information, call 828.524.3161.

Sponsored by the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and the Macon County Gem & Mineral Society. www.franklin-chamber.com.

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CRAVING SOME BLUEBERRIES? The Cherokee Blueberry Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Admission is free. www.visitcherokeenc.com/ events/detail/blueberryfestival1. 828.497.2717.

Ready for the Gemboree?

July 14-20, 2021

Folkmoot, North Carolina’s Official International Folk Festival, returns to hosting programs and events beginning with the reimagining of its “Summerfest” scheduled from Thursday, July 22, to Sunday, July 25.

The festival will be located at Lake Junaluska, downtown Waynesville, and the Folkmoot Friendship Center in the Hazelwood district of Waynesville.

The “Folkmoot Summerfest” is focused on celebrating American Cultural Diversity.

Performers from around the United States will gather in Haywood County to represent many of the ethnicities and traditions that make up our nation’s mosaic of people.

The festival will be returning popular entertainment from past festivals, such as El Alma De Luna and The Bailey Mountain Cloggers. New artists have been added to the program, including Grammy-nominated Cajun Swamp-Rock Band, The Revelers, and 2018 Grammy Award-winning Tejano Band, Los Texmaniacs.

The party will begin at the Folkmoot Center with the Summerfest Gala on Thursday, July 22. Guests are treated to food, drinks, and performances from participating groups, including The Revelers.

The event will have limited capacity and all are welcome.

Festivities continue into Friday and

Hometown Heritage Festival

arts & entertainment

The return of Folkmoot

Heritage award nominees sought

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MAGAZINE 25

arts & entertainment

On the wall • “Unviral,” the brand new skate, snow and wake film will be premiered at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 24, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom in downtown Waynesville. The work features a slew of local riders, including Haywood County native Zep Powell, an X-Games gold medalist. There will be a parking lot skate jam before the screening. Cash/prizes for 16 and under (and 17 and up). 828.400.1252.

• The Haywood County Arts Council’s (Waynesville) exhibit, “We are Still Here: Eastern Band of Cherokee,” will run through July 31 and feature 10 different artists.

Additionally, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday, there will be artists’ demonstrations. www.haywoodarts.org.

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

The exhibition highlights the use of the written Cherokee language, frequently found in the work of Cherokee artists as a compositional element or the subject matter of the work itself. The exhibition will be on view at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee through Oct. 31. www.mci.org.

Smoky Mountain News

July 14-20, 2021

• The Folk Art Center in Asheville has opened its Main Gallery exhibition showcasing the

26

MACON LIBRARY

Graduating Class of 2021 of Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program. The showcase will run through Aug. 22. It is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.craftguild.org or call 828.298.7928.

WELCOMES CARDEN

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

A showcase of art by famed Jackson County author/storyteller Gary Carden will be on display through the end of August at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. A special reception for the works will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 16, in the Living Room of the library. 828.524.3600.

• The Haywood County Arts Council’s “Art Works @ The Library,” a collaborative program between the Haywood County Public Library system and the HCAC, is currently showcasing works by artist Cayce Moyer at the Canton Library. Working in traditional and mixed media, Moyer blends the worlds of high-brow and low-brow work. Classically trained at Savannah College of Art and Design, her portfolio includes painting, sculpture, illustration, graphic design, murals, and set painting for theatre and TV.

Front Street Arts & Crafts

ALSO:

The sixth annual Front Street Arts & Crafts Show will showcase some of the best regional artisans from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, July 17, in downtown Dillsboro.

Over 40 booths will display and have for your perusal the handmade craftsmanship of regional fine artists and crafters.

Vendors will line Front Street offering a

choice of many handmade items, including soaps, baskets, pottery, jewelry, bird houses, and much more. There will also be a performance by the J. Creek Cloggers, as well as live music from singer-songwriter Anna Victoria and acoustic duo Twelfth Fret.

The arts and crafts show is free and open to the public, with a small parking fee that includes a shuttle from Monteith Park directly to the festival itself. You can even bring your dog (on a leash).

828.506.8331 or www.visitdillsboro.com.

On the shelf

I

Thomas Crowe

beginning to open her eyes. In a back-cover quote we read: “Shiner combines a memoirlike intimacy with the mythic power of a fable.” A statement and sentiment that I concur having now read this book.

Rather than the lightning-struck, snakehandling preacher, Briar, being the central character in the novel, instead it is Wren, who tells us: “My father remained the moun-

Beloved bestselling Southern Appalachian author Ron Rash will host a special reading and signing from 1 to 3 p.m.

Saturday, July 17, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

Rash will also visit City Lights Bookstore in downtown Sylva, which will take place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 17. Free and open to the public.

Rash will be reading from his work In The Valley, which is now in paperback.

Admission to the Blue Ridge Books event is $5. Tickets include a 10 percent coupon for any Rash books in stock. Seating is limited.

To RSVP to Blue Ridge Books, call 828.456.6000.

Best selling author in Cashiers The Friends of the Albert Carlton Cashiers Library will present USA Today bestselling author Susan Meissner at 3 p.m.

Friday, July 30, at The Village Green

Commons Hall in Cashiers.

She is the author of several award-winning historical fiction books such as Bright As Heaven, Secrets of a Charmed Life, and Fall of Marigolds.

Her most recent release is The Nature of Fragile Things. It highlights a significant moment in San Francisco’s history, the destructive Great Earthquake of 1906 and one woman’s journey of rebuilding in its wake.

Books will be available to buy and the author to sign. These events are by reservation as seating is limited. For reservations, call the Cashiers library at 828.743.0215.

Saturday, July 17th 1 -3 o'clock

TICKETS ARE $5

and includes a discount on all of Ron's books in stock!

Please call or come by for your tickets, SEATING IS LIMITED

your

Hometown Bookstore since2007

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428 HAZELWOOD Ave.

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An afternoon with Ron Rash

tain’s favorite outlaw, my mother his sacrifice. I hated my part in the myth. I was nameless, faceless. A pause in my father’s tale of glory.

Briar Bird was not a man, a father, or a husband. He was a story, and nothing else. I didn’t want to be a story. I wanted to live.”

Burns describes the role and plight of women in West Virgina coal country culture and the foundation upon which her story is based. “Coal miner’s wives had been forced to use sex as a shield since the 1930s, when mining companies had yet to purge the hills of ore, and coal barons thought they owned the right to all the land’s riches — including the women. The worst thing about a man wasn’t his malice.

It was his kindness, which he used in order to get what he wanted.” In this world, Wren, Ruby and her close friend Ivy struggle to make a life for themselves.

But the best part of this book — and perhaps it’s central storyline in Burns’ eyes — is the unfulfilled and unrequited love relationship between Wren’s mother, Ruby, and the shiner in the book, a young Flynn Sherrod.

This is the story of an imagined love played out en absentia in the minds of both characters throughout the book and after Ruby has married Briar, where “the women of Ruby’s faith were called to wear long dresses, lest they tempt a man with their bodies. This was why Ruby had begun to sew as soon as she could hold a needle and thread.” What transpires, then, is how mountain culture and the place itself — “those mountains, sprawling upward like stone geysers, spiked above the trees in the distance” — determines the story’s plotline and eventual outcome, which I won’t give a spoiler to, here, as to not spoil a surprising, if not rewarding and welcome ending.

Leave it to just say that it takes one to know one. Amy Jo Burns grew up in Mercury, Pennsylvania, an industrial town humbled by the steel collapse of the 1980s.

Instead of the construction booms and twelve-hour shifts her parents’ generation had known, the Mercury Burns knew was marred by empty houses, old strip mines and vacant lots. It wasn’t quite a ghost town — only because many people had no choice but to stay. Her first novel, Shiner — which comes on the heels of her best-selling nonfiction memoir Cinderland — is based fictionally on her own experiences growing up and in a culture similar to that of Trap, the nearest town to where the rural action takes place. While this is a novel written primarily for a female audience, its subtle storyline and it’s impressionable and heart-felt prose kept this male reader’s interest and attention to the very end.

Thomas Crowe is a regular contributer to The Smoky Mountain News and author of the multi-award-winning non-fiction nature memoir Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods.

July 14-20, 2021

n a literary genre (Appalachian noir) dominated by men, Amy Jo Burns’ new novel Shiner breaks through barriers and the unspoken publisher-induced rules of the genre — conflict, conflict, conflict — and comes out on the other side with a compelling story that has an interior rather than a dark, action-driven or plot-driven narrative. Like pulling a rabbit from a hat, Burns brings us a bit of past history into the present day and our lives. Set in a contemporary timeframe, Shiner is a throw-back to the corn liquor sagas of these Western North Carolina hills.

Writer Although Burns’ fiction takes place in rural West Virginia, it could have, (and may still), taken place within a stone’s throw of these pages.

Having been raised in the moonshine mountains of Western North Carolina and Northwestern Georgia with corn liquor stills just over the ridge or down the creek from where I grew up, and having reviewed books by regional authors such as Charles Frazier, Wayne Caldwell, Ron Rash, Wiley Cash and David Joy, I know that the “shine” in Burns’ book doesn’t refer to the sun, but rather “moonshine” and a “shiner” being slang for a maker of homemade liquor made from corn.

And so off we go into the wild woods of West Virginia coal country and a story told by a teen-aged girl named Wren Bird who lives in a cloistered cabin with her parents where they have no car, no mail, and no visitors. Every Sunday Wren’s father delivers wild sermons in an abandoned gas station, where he takes up poisoned snakes that provide the hold that he has on the community, as well as over Wren and her mother Ruby.

In a chorus of three unforgetable voices — a bold daughter, a reclusive housewife and a love-sick moonshiner, Burns gives us a new myth told from a feminine point of view in a land of men and one young woman who is

In the Valley,

with a discussion to follow

arts & entertainment

A shiner’s tale, a woman’s perspective

RON RASH

will be reading from his newest collection of short stories,

743 HAYWOOD RD. WEST ASHEVILLE ISISASHEVILLE.COM 828.575.2737

27

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Vehicles cruise down the newly opened Foothills Parkway as pedestrians walk along the shoulders in a November 2018 scene. Joye Ardyn Durham/NPS photo

Data details deaths in national parks

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n May 21, 2000, a beloved Sevier County elementary school teacher named Glenda Ann Bradley took a walk on the Little River Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with her ex-husband Ralph Hill. Both Hill and Bradley, 50, were experienced hikers, so when Hill went off-trail to fish, Bradley did some solo hiking while she waited for him.

An hour later, Hill returned to the trail to find Bradley’s backpack on the ground and two black bears — an adult female and yearling cub — mauling her body about 50 yards away.

It’s the kind of nightmare scenario that that commonly rises in the imagination when contemplating the risks of visiting a national park, but in reality such situations are exceedingly rare. Bradley was then, and still is, the only person to die from a bear attack in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park since its founding.

In fact, across the entire National Park Service System — which comprises 423 units scattered across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories — between 2007 and 2020 only nine people have died

O

Know before you go Adventure awaits at national parks across the country — but before heading out the door, be sure to visit the park’s website for planning, safety and navigation tips. And wherever you roam, be sure to use Leave No Trace practices (www.lnt.org/why/7-principles/) to keep the place beautiful for future visitors.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

from a wildlife-related incident, three of them in Yellowstone National Park and one at nearly adjoining Grand Teton National Park. In that same time period, the Park Service recorded 4.1 billion recreation visits.

TRAFFIC HAZARD

Cause of death in local parks compared to national stats Cause of death

28

As it turns out, the best advice for leaving a national park alive is the same advice that applies for the morning commute or a weekend road trip — drive carefully. Of the 3,020 deaths recorded in NPS units between 2007 and 2020, nearly one in five, or 19.7%, Percent of total were the result of a motor vehicle crash.

National Park Service data shows what the most common causes of death are in NPS units nationwide, and how that Close to home, that perdiffers from proportions in local parks. SMN graph centage is even larger.

Of the 93 deaths that those numbers unfortunately very high,” said motor vehicle and medical deaths are occurred on the Blue Ridge Parkway during Parkway spokesperson Leesa Brandon. “I removed from the list. that time period, fully three-quarters — 75.3% think a lot of it is inherent just to the Parkway, Spokespeople for the Smokies and the — were the result of a motor vehicle crash. In being a beautiful scenic drive but also a drive Parkway said those figures aren’t surprising. the Smokies, crashes accounted for 43.6% of that requires a different approach to attention After all, the Parkway is a 469-mile road borthe 101 deaths recorded over those 13 years. when you're in the driver's seat.” dered by a thin strip of land on either side, so Medical deaths — someone dying from a Every year, the Parkway’s law enforceit stands to reason that most fatal incidents heart attack while on Park Service land, for ment rangers investigate about 200 traffic within its boundaries would be vehicle-relatexample — were the second most common accidents, with half of those resulting in ed. And while the 816-square-mile Great cause of death for both the Smokies and the serious injury. Such accidents occur up and Smoky Mountains National Park contains Parkway, at 14.9% and 7.5%, respectively. down the length of the Parkway, said more than 800 miles of hiking trails, most of Traffic and medical-related deaths have Brandon — they don’t appear to be tied to its 12 million-plus annual visitors stick close such an impact on these local parks that, any particular section of the road. to the park’s 384 miles of roadway. while the Smokies ranks fifth out of 423 and In the Smokies, however, most “I hear our law enforcement rangers time the Parkway seventh for total deaths, the and time again talk about the common factors accidents occur on the three roads rankings fall to 12 and 27, respectively, when that handle the highest volume of related to speed and inattention that make

F

In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, waterfalls like Ramsey Cascades are common sites for accidents resulting in injury or death. Since the park’s founding, five people have died at Ramsey Cascades. Andrea Walton/NPS photo

outdoors

all of the moisture that is in the air at waterfalls,” she said.

Another take-home from the data? The overwhelming majority of people who die in the national parks are men. Of the 3,020 deaths listed in the dataset, men accounted for 2,205. That’s 73%. Women accounted for only 18.3%, with sex undetermined in the remaining 8.6%.

The Smokies followed a similar trajectory, with men comprising 66.7% of 101 fatalities and women accounting for 28.4%. On the Parkway, 74.2% of 93 deaths involved men and 22.6% involved women.

PER CAPITA DEATHS LOW IN WNC

traffic — Newfound Gap Road, the Gatlinburg Spur and Little River Road, said spokesperson Caitlin Worth.

THE OVERVIEW

Men comprise the overwhelming majority of deaths on NPS lands, accounting for at least 2,205 of 3,020 deaths over 13 years. SMN graph

Smoky Mountain News

Vehicle accidents are by far the most common cause of death in the Smokies and on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sevier County, Tennessee resident Gian Montana Spagnolo died in a May 2 accident on the Spur that rendered his vehicle unrecognizable. NPS photo

difference in total deaths per year for 20142020 compared to the other years in the dataset, because 2014 was the first year that intentional, medical and undetermined deaths were included in the data.

Though imperfect, the data provide an overview of how often these fatalities occur, where they most frequently happen and the most common causes.

While motor vehicle crashes are the most common cause of death in the Smokies and on the Parkway, that’s not true for the Park Service overall. Across the dataset, drowning accounted for 752 of 3,020 deaths, or 24.9% of the total. Motor vehicle crashes came in second at 19.8%, with falls accounting for 12.6% and medical deaths for 12.9%.

Sadly, suicide deaths also account for a significant number of fatalities on Park Service lands. If added into the total number of deaths recorded for 2014-2020, suicides would account for 20.2% of the total.

Meanwhile, 489 deaths — 16.2% of the total for 2007-2020 — had an undetermined cause. This figure included 14 deaths in the Smokies and five on the Parkway.

“On the occasion of an unwitnessed fatality, if there is no obvious cause of death and the family doesn’t choose to pursue an autopsy, the cause of death may not be definitively determined,” Worth explained.

“And occasionally, deaths are also categorized as undetermined after the autopsy.”

After vehicle crashes, medical deaths and undetermined causes, falls and drowning were the most common causes of death in the Smokies. While fatal falls aren’t tied to any particular location in the park, said Worth, there is a definite common denominator for drowning incidents.

“The take-home for that is that swimming near waterfalls is incredibly dangerous, mainly due to those strong currents but also due to the slippery rocks that are created by

July 14-20, 2021

The data comes from a document the National Park Service’s Freedom of Information Act Office posted to its website earlier this year in response to a request from Outforia.com.

Though the spreadsheet’s title indicates that it contains park death data for calendar years 2010-2020, it also includes deaths for 2007-2009. Each of the 3,020 rows of data lists the year and park where the death occurred, the cause of death, injury category, gender and age range of the victim. A separate table lists the 387 suicide deaths that occurred in national park units from 2014 to 2020 but does not state where those deaths occurred.

FOIA staff compiled the data from various databases and records, and it does appear to contain some errors. For instance, none of the 101 deaths listed for the Smokies is labeled as a homicide, but in 2017 Cherokee resident Johnathan Hill pled guilty to the 2015 stabbing death of 25-year-old Whittier resident Tyler Gaddis, which occurred inside park boundaries at Lufty Baptist Church. All Smokies deaths listed for 2015 are labeled “unintentional,” indicating the murder was omitted from the records compiled for FOIA. Worth said there are various potential reasons for the omission, ranging from human error to the technological limitations of reporting systems, but that Gaddis’ murder would certainly count as a homicide death within the park.

Meanwhile, the data does not list any

2020 deaths on the Blue Ridge Parkway, though Brandon said her records indicate that 15 people died that year — 10 in motor vehicle crashes, four by suicide and one in a medical emergency.

The Park Service’ mortality data is updated constantly, and data for 2017-2020 was still considered provisional at the time of the FOIA release, meaning those figures could change as information continues to be collected and analyzed. There is also a marked

While the Smokies and the Parkway both sit high on the list of total deaths for the Park Service’s 423 units, their rankings would fall tremendously if calculated in terms of deaths per visitor.

In 2020, the Parkway was the most-visited National Park unit, and the Smokies came in third — while rankings vary from year to year, both parks typically sit near the top of the list. Even with vehicle crash numbers included, the parks took seventh and fifth, respectively, for total deaths, indicating that they rank lower in fatalities than in overall visitation.

In October 2020, Nevada-based Panish Shea & Boyle LLP ran a detailed analysis of this question using figures for 2007-2018 and concluded that Washington’s North Cascades National Park was the deadliest unit in the Park Service, with 19 deaths and 291,255 visits over the years in question for 652.35 deaths per million visitors. Denali National Park & Preserve came in second with 100.5 deaths per million, followed by Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River at 68.52 deaths per million.

The Smokies appeared all the way down at 45th place, with 6.82 deaths per million visitors, trailed by the Parkway in 53rd place, with 5.31 deaths per million visitors.

“I think that so many of the fatalities that we see are due to just honest accident,” said Worth. “And when you see a lot of visitors in a place that is like the Smokies, accidents are going to happen, especially as it pertains to motor vehicle crashes. People really need to come prepared to take their time and use the pullouts and take turns so that different drivers get to experience the views.”

Brandon, too, urged visitors to take it slow and think about safety when visiting the national parks, so that when it’s time to leave they can head home safely, with happy memories to look back on.

“People are out in public lands more as a result of the pandemic last year and finding ways to recreate outside more. And so we want those experiences to be as memorable and happy and safe as possible,” she said.

“But these numbers certainly are a reminder that even the wonderful memories that are created in national parks are unfortunately not everybody's experience. Paying attention to the safety messaging and planning ahead for the visit are all proactive ways the visitor can work to ensure a better chance for a 29 safer experience.”

SPONSORED CONTENT outdoors

The Team

7 Ways to Fuel Your Body

T

· BY SUSANNA SHETLEY ·

he simplest of changes to your daily lifestyle can make you feel more alert, productive and energetic. Following these seven steps will make your body healthier and life happier.

Limit caffeine and alcohol: One is an upper and one is a downer, but they both should be consumed with caution and in moderation. Both are addictive substances. Caffeine does not have the longterm consequences as over consumption of alcohol, but beverages like coffee and

Smoky Mountain News

July 14-20, 2021

Honor your hunger and eat mindfully: Hunger is a powerful, evolutionary tool that let’s you know when it’s time to eat.

Listen to your body and don’t ignore those hunger pains. With that being said, choose your fuel carefully and ensure you are eating whole foods, lean proteins, fruits, vegetables and other food items that offer your body quality nutrients.

When you’re eating all of these delicious and fresh foods, eat mindfully. Really focus on the tastes, smells and aromas.

This will help you slow down your eating and foster better digestion.

Hydrate: Even a minimal amount of dehydration can make you feel tired, lethargic and groggy. Let your thirst be your guide and if you rarely feel thirsty, let your urine be your guide. If your urine is mostly clear, you’re on the right track. Another guideline people use in terms of water intake is to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh.

For instance, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink between 75 and 150 ounces of water per day.

Sleep: Sleep is an essential bodily function. It allows our minds and bodies to rest and recharge, leaving a person alert and refreshed to start the day. Adequate sleep boosts immunity and helps ward off diseases. Without enough sleep, our brains cannot function properly and will struggle to concentrate, process information and formulate memories. Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, while children and teens need significantly more depending on age.

soda can affect you on a daily basis if you rely on them for energy. Similarly, alcohol should not be relied upon to relax or to fall asleep. If your goal is tap into natural sources of energy and fuel, limit or eliminate caffeine and alcohol.

Don’t rely on supplements: Flashy marketing tactics have made many feel that supplements can do the same thing as their natural counterparts, but that is simply not true. The best way to obtain vitamins and minerals is through food itself, instead of in a supplemental form.

Whole foods offer three benefits not found in supplements: greater nutrition, essential fiber and protective substances.

If you’re a healthy adult with a healthy diet, you shouldn’t even need supplements. The only time a professional may suggest a supplement is if a person has a true deficiency in a particular vitamin or mineral, such as iron or vitamin D. Move your body: Exercise does more than help you lose weight and stay fit.

Did you know that exercise improves a child’s school grades by 10 to 15 percent and people who are active at work increase their productivity by 15 percent?

Further, exercise boosts mood and concentration. The human body is designed to move in all types of ways and directions. Movement gives us strong bones, physical strength, healthy joints, good circulation, heightened cardiovascular function, coordination, reflex reactivity, improved learning and concentration, and much more. It’s been said that sitting is the new smoking, so do your body a favor and move.

Breathe deeply: Something as simple as deep breathing can drastically improve your health. Taking a few moments to mindfully inhale and exhale several times throughout the day can decrease stress, relax your mind and body, and help you sleep more soundly. Additionally, deep breathing serves as a natural painkiller, improves blood flow, calms anxiety, improves immunity, increases energy, improves posture, reduces inflammation, detoxifies the body, and improves digestion. Remember you don’t need lengthy meditation sessions to see these benefits. A handful of daily sessions of ten deep breaths will do the trick.

Living a happier, healthier, more productive life can be as easy as following these seven tips. The best part is all of these suggestions are completely within your control, so what are you waiting for?

Graphic Designer Jessica Murray (from left), SMN News Editor Jessi Stone, Staff Writer Hannah McLeod, Digital Media Specialist Susanna Shetley and Amanda Singletary (not pictured)

Rumble is a weekly e-newsletter created by women, for women and about women. It is published by The Smoky Mountain News and delivered to your inbox each Thursday. The goal is to offer readers a beautifully curated email that will inspire and motivate women to live their best lives. By hearing the challenges and successes of other women, we hope you will find an opportunity to live, love, learn and grow in your own unique way.

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Want to know more about newsletter advertising, sponsored content or advertising on this page email Susanna Shetley at susanna.b@smokymountainnews or call 828.452.4251

Smokies seeks input on Laurel Falls plan

Hurricane disaster relief available A total of $79.6 million in grant funding is available to assist producers and woodland owners in 90 North Carolina counties who suffered losses from Hurricanes Florence, Michael and Dorian in 2018 and 2019.

The program, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture block grant to

the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, offers direct payments to eligible poultry, livestock and plasticulture producers to assist with losses not covered under other USDA disaster programs.

It also offers technical and financial assistance, as well as comprehensive forest management plans, to woodland owners in emergency-declared counties.

The application period runs through Oct. 1. Learn more at www.ncagr.gov/agdisasterprogram or call 919.707.3362.

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We are open to continue providing essential services to our patients in a safe environment. Our staff is following protocol recommended by the CDC and local and state health departments.

Call Us to Make an Appointment Today.

289 Access Road, Waynesville ∙ 452­4343 32 Asheville Hwy, Sylva ∙ 586­8950 188 Georgia Road, Franklin ∙ 349­4534 49 McDowell Street, Asheville ∙ 254­7716 35 NC Hwy 141, Murphy ∙ 835­8389

Dr. William Banks

Dr. Robert DelBene

Dr. Robert Przynosch

Dr. Brian Carbonell

Dr. Dennis Dawson

Dr. Ma Davis

Smoky Mountain News

Jennie Stowers has been elected as the new president of the Highlands Biological Foundation Board after Julia Grumbles wrapped up 10 years of leadership in the position.

Stowers is a longtime Foundation sup-

porter. Grumbles will remain on the board as past-president.

The Foundation works to promote, stimulate, and support biological education and research focused on the rich natural heritage of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Its funds support extensive public educational programs through the Nature Center and research and teaching activities at the Highlands Biological Station, which is a multi-campus center of Western Carolina University.

find us at: facebook.com/smnews July 14-20, 2021

Highlands Biological Foundation Board elects new president

A lineup of family-friendly activities in Haywood County will encourage people to be active watershed citizens during Creek Week 2021, coming July 24-30.

• Eco Crafts, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, July 24, at Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville. During the Grace Church Parish Fair, paint simple messages on rocks to be left at public access points around the county, reminding visitors to leave stream rocks in place, pick up trash and protect wildlife habitat.

• Streambank Stabilization Tour, noon to 2 p.m. Monday, July 26, at Vance Street Park in Waynesville. During this drop-in event, take a guided tour of the Shelton Branch Stream Restoration Project with Haywood Waterways Association Executive Director Eric Romaniszyn.

• Littles in the River, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday, July 27, at Canton Town Park.

Join Base Camp on the Go and Haywood Waterways for a fun day of games and activities during this drop-in event.

• Littles in the River, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wednesday, July 28, at Fines Creek Community Center. Join Base Camp on the Go and Haywood Waterways for a

fun day of games and activities during this drop-in event.

• Littles in the River, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday, July 29, at Junaluska Elementary School in Waynesville. Join Base Camp on the Go and Haywood Waterways for a fun day of games and activities during this drop-in event.

• Streambank Stabilization Tour, 1-3 p.m. Thursday, July 29, at Vance Street Park in Waynesville. During this drop-in event, take a guided tour of the Shelton Branch Stream Restoration Project with Haywood Waterways Association Executive Director Eric Romaniszyn.

• Rain Barrel Workshop, 6:30-8 p.m.

Thursday, July 29, in Haywood County.

All materials will be provided for attendees to make their own upcycled rain barrel for home use. Space limited. RSVP by July 27 to Mia McDowell at miamcdowell11@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext.

12.

• Creek Cleanup, 9-10 a.m. Friday, July 30, at Haywood Community College. All equipment will be provided for this pickup along HCC’s waterways. Space limited. RSVP by July 28 to Mia McDowell at miamcdowell11@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 12.

Organized by Haywood Waterways Association. www.haywoodwaterways.org.

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the falls, aiming to rehabilitate the trail surface and infrastructure; address crowding issues; improve pedestrian flow and reduce safety risk; enhance opportunities to view and enjoy the falls; reduce resource impacts related to user-created trails and roadside parking; address traffic safety concerns; and overall protect park resources and improve the visitor experience.

Information obtained during the civic engagement period will be used to identify and refine elements and alternatives under consideration.

During the first 30 minutes of the public meeting, to be held via Zoom, park staff will present an overview of the proposal and reserve the rest of the hour-long meeting for a question-and-answer session. Visit www.us02w eb.zoom.us/j/8322 5451780 to join or call in using listen-only mode by dialing 312.626.6799 and entering pass code 83225451780#.

Submit written comments or learn more about Visitors crowd Laurel Falls during a busy Wednesday in June the project at www.park2020. NPS photo planning.nps.gov/Laur elFalls. Comments may also be mailed to Superintendent Cassius The popular 4-mile trail that passes by Cash, Attn: Laurel Falls Trail Management 80-foot Laurel Falls attracts nearly 350,000 Plan, Great Smoky Mountains National visitors per year, making it the park’s most Park, 107 Park Headquarters Rd., visited trail. The plan will focus on the 1.3Gatlinburg, TN 37738. mile segment between the trailhead and

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is taking input on a forthcoming management plan for the Laurel Falls Trail, with public comment accepted through Aug. 7 with a virtual public meeting planned for 5 p.m. Thursday, July 22.

Wade into Creek Week

smokymountainfootclinic.com MEDICARE PROVIDERS & MOST OTHER INSURANCES ACCEPTED

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Celebrate Mountain Wildlife Days After a pandemic-induced sabbatical, Mountain Wildlife Days will return to Sapphire Valley Friday and Saturday, July 16-17.

July 16 will include a bird walk, two hikes, an afternoon raptor program for kids and youth groups, and an evening program by pianist Bryan Heller followed by wildlife photographer Bill Lea’s special presentation “Caring for Creation.” The next day, “Snake Man” Steve O’Neil will visit with his collection of native reptiles, amphibians and other ani-

Cracker cattle graze at Archbold Biological Station’s Buck Island Ranch. Carlton Ward photo

Ecosystems and ag co-exist at Florida ranch

Smoky Mountain News

July 14-20, 2021

Hear how one Florida ranch couples ecosystems and agriculture during the next installment in the Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, 6 p.m. Thursday, July 22, at the Highlands Biological Station.

Hilary Swain, Ph.D. and executive director of Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Florida, will give the talk. The lecture will introduce Archbold’s operations in the Everglades headwaters with a focus on scientific research on Archbold’s Buck Island Ranch, a 3,000-head working cattle ranch.

Drawing from the case study of Archbold’s Buck Island Ranch, the talk will address synergies and tradeoffs among cattle production and other ecosystem services on working ranches in Florida, and the path towards sustainable agriculture.

Swain has been executive director of the 20,000-acre property since 1995. Her research interests are in reserve design, land management and conservation planning.

The Zahner series will continue weekly on Thursday nights through Sept. 9 through a mix of virtual and in-person formats. The full schedule is available at www.highlandsbiological.org.

Become A Member Today!

Contact Membership Director Caitlin Bledsoe for more info — 828-926-4831

1819 Country Club Drive Maggie Valley, NC

M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M 32

mals, followed by the ever-popular Rob Gudger and his wolves. The North Georgia Zoo will bring unusual animals from the Australian Outback for a “Zoo to You” program Saturday afternoon.

Cost is $5 for the Friday evening event and $8 for all-day admission Saturday, and kids are free. All events take place at the Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center. Proceeds fund the Mountain Wildlife Days Western North Carolina Wildlife Outreach program, which provides wildlife and outdoor education events throughout the year. www.mountainwildlifedays.com or 828.743.7663.

Experience a forested farm Tour the Mountain Medicine Farm in Jackson County at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 24, as part of the Farmer-to-Father Collaborative series.

Participants will tour the forest farming plots at David Collins’ and Sara Steven’s farm and observe forest management practices that encourage access and medicinal plant growth while fostering the tree canopy as the forest matures. Plant identification and the use of test plots in farming will also be discussed.

Sign up at bit.ly/2UxFVqK.

Hike Long Ridge

Reap the reward of a strenuous 4-mile hike with the Nantahala Hiking Club Sunday, July 17, in Otto.

The 2-mile hike up Long Ridge to the Rock House features an 800-foot elevation change with three steep patches to climb through. The trail offers sheer cliffs and rock formations in return, as well as occasional scenic vistas.

The group will meet at 9 a.m. in Dillard, Georgia, and carpool to the trailhead. Visitors and well-behaved dogs welcome. Bring food and water. No charge, and registration not required.

David Stearns, 828.349.7361.

outdoors

Christmas in July!

2020

The recently conserved Watauga Mound is located between the Nikwasi and Cowee mounds.

Donated photo

Delve into Watauga Town archeology tors lived near the site for thousands of years.

Steere will draw on Watauga Town’s rich historical and archeological record to explain how this place fits into the broader cultural landscape of the Southern Appalachians.

The one-hour program is part of the lecture series “Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture,” offered on the third Monday of each month at the Cowee Center. Next month’s program is titled “The History of Highland Dress — and Much More” from Scottish Tartans Museum Curator Daniel Williamson. Masks required for unvaccinated people.

July 14-20, 2021

The Cherokee town of Watauga is an important place in the tribe’s cultural landscape, and Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Studies Program Director Ben Steere will discuss archeology on the site at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 19, at Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center in Macon County.

In July 2020, Mainspring Conservation trust conserved 40 acres on the Macon County site — located between the Cherokee towns of Cowee and Nikwasi — including the mound and portions of the adjacent village. Archeological and historical research indicates that the Cherokee and their ances-

Make lunch from the forest Experience a half-day nature immersion with wildcrafter Cara-Lee Langston, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 24, in Macon County.

Langston, of Wildcraft Kitchen, will teach participants to safely identify and ethically harvest wild foods and medicinal herbs. The group will meet at the Alarka Expeditions headquarters at the Cowee School near Franklin and after a short introduction head to a nearby trail in search of wild plants that can be used as food or medicine. Participants will be able to do some light harvesting and make their own plant-based summer rolls with sustainable wild and locally grown ingredients.

Cost is $55. Register at www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

A reunion for families who have continuously operated a farm for 100 years or more is coming up this fall at the N.C. State Fair, and the N.C. Department of Agriculture’s Century Farm Program is looking for farms to join the program.

Currently, 1,950 farms are in the program, representing 97 of the state’s 100 counties. The fair hosts a reunion every four years. A reunion was planned for 2020 but will now take place Oct. 18 of this year instead, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Century Farm Program.

Century Farms represent a small fraction of the total 52,000 farms in North Carolina.

To be eligible for the program, the farm must be in continuous ownership by a family for 100 years or more. This can be determined from an abstract of title or original records such as original deed or land patents. Other authentic land records may be acceptable in certain cases. Title to the property today must reside with a blood relative of the original owner, or a legally adopted child of the descendant.

Continuous residence in the state or on the property is not required.

Applications are online at www.ncagr.gov/paffairs/century/application.htm. 919.707.3002.

You can submit your own recipe, cite a cookbook or website, or submit a recipe in honor of someone.

Submit recipes at www.tastethemountains.com

If you’re a business who would like to advertise in our cookbook, please reach out to your sales rep or if you've never advertised with us, email greg@smokymountainnews.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Century Farm applicants wanted

We are gearing up for our second annual HOLIDAY COOKBOOK and we need your recipes!

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Full Time/Part Time, Benefits Apply in person or e-mail your resume to Chris@ThePrintHaus.com

Library in Franklin helps gather data for local forecasts. Donated photo

Look behind the weather forecast

Learn about the weather station at the Macon County Public Library and how its data gets used during a presentation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 14, at the library in Franklin.

Preston Jacobson, the Local Yokel weatherman of www.mtnwx.com, will present and lead a discussion about how he uses data from the library and other locations to track and write about the region’s weather.

828.524.3600.

July 14-20, 2021

Mountain ash berries coming to Clingmans

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Smoky Mountain News

W W W. b l u e r i d g e m o t o r c y c l i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m

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

For the first time since 2016, the mountain ash trees at Clingmans Dome are in bloom.

The trees normally bloom only every three to five years and produce masses of bright red berries in the fall. They appear to be loaded this summer, so expect a spectacular sight as the berries change from green to orange and finally bright red.

Fraser firs are also producing large numbers of cones, something that doesn’t happen every year.

Discover Smokies birds Professional birding guide Keith Watson will present “Birds of the Smokies” during a Zoom presentation 1-3 p.m. Friday, July 16, offered as part of Discover Life in America’s Science at Sugarlands series.

Watson, a former biologist with the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will share about the fascinating bird species reported in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. With

more than 35 years of national birding experience, Watson has worked to advance bird conservation through the development of an Avian Conservation Implementation Plan for each national park unit in the Southeast region.

Science at Sugarlands talks are offered on the third Friday of the month from July to October. In August, Paul Bartels of Warren Wilson College will present on water bears of the Smokies.

Free. Register at www.dlia.org/sas.

Get inspired by Appalachian women Hear the untold stories of Appalachian women during this week’s Fridays at the Folk Art Center session, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 16, at the Folk Art Center in Asheville.

A Blue Ridge Parkway ranger will tell the tales of Cherokee War Women, enslaved women, midwives and the women of today who shaped Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Parkway. No restrooms will be available during this outdoor program. Bring a chair or blanket to sit on. 828.298.5330, ext. 302.

Camp out at Cataloochee

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A family campout will take place Aug. 4-6 at Cataloochee Valley in Haywood County.

Equipment — including tents, sleeping bags and cooking gear — will be provided, as will meals and activities. Participants will help out with fire-building, tent setup, meal prep and other outdoor living skills.

Organized by Outdoor Mission Community. Space limited. Text 336.583.9932 to sign up.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Glance Family Reunion will take place from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 17, at the Beaverdam Community Center. Covered dish lunch, bring something to share.

Drinks and serving ware provided. Contacts: Linda Glance Kier 615.419.4815 or lgkier@charter.net, Johnny Glance 828.593.9897 or ke4myw@yahoo.com.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

• The lecture series, “Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture” has resumed! The next program will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 19, at the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center, and will continue the third Monday of each month thereafter.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS

• Waynesville Charity Horse Show will take place July 1518 at the Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville.

• The Parish Fair at Grace Church in the Mountains will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 24.

Intake of donations begins Monday, July 5 at the church, 394 N. Haywood Street, Waynesville.

• Saturdays, July 24 and Aug. 7 there will be fundraising events for SEASCAT.org at Lifeway Church on Allen Street in Sylva. SEASCAT.org is a local organization dedicated to helping survivors of child abuse. Connie Jean Conklin, MEd founder seascat@gmail.com or 828.506.6141.

• Waynesville Yoga Center will host Yoga at Inspiration Point this summer. From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Amber Russo will teach mixed level flow and from 10:30 to 11:30 on Thursdays Amber Kleid will teach gentle yoga.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS

• Blue Ridge Books and News will host author Ron Rash from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, July 17. Tickets are $5 and include a 10 percent off coupon towards all Ron Rash books in stock. Limited seating, call 828.456.6000 to reserve a seat.

KIDS & FAMILIES

• Voices in the Laurel will host Music & Art Camp July 19-31 at Long’s Chapel. Cost is free, register at https://registrations.planningcenteronline.com/signups/ 848310 . Contact kids@longschapel.com or voicesinthelaurel@gmail.com.

A&E • Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host Isaiah Breedlove & The Old Pines (Americana/folk) July 17. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or www.boojumbrewing.com.

• The Cashiers Village Crawl will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. July 16. Live music from Nitrograss at the Commons and Spalding McIntosh & The Lionhearts at the Gazebo. Both shows are from 6 to 8 p.m. Wine tasting and food trucks will also be onsite. Free and open to the public.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host The Appalucians (bluegrass/folk) July 17. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations required. Ticket price and dinner menu to be announced. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

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

Smoky Mountain News

July 17 ($15) and Darin & Brooke Aldridge July 24 ($25).

All shows at 7:30 p.m. 828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Blackjack Country July 15. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Concerts on the Creek (Sylva) at Bridge Park will host The Rewind House Band (oldies) July 16 and Dashboard Blue (oldies/beach) July 23. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

Sponsored by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Scoundrel’s Lounge 3 p.m. July 25. 828.926.7440 or www.valley-tavern.com.

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will be held at the Town Square from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Johnny Webb Band July 16 and Sycamore Flats July 23. Free and open to the public. www.highlandschamber.org.

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

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Shane Meade Trio 6:30 p.m. July 16, The Mug Band July 17 and Mary Kenyon 3 p.m. July 18. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Phibian July 18. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Ingles Down Home Concert Series” w/Joe Lasher Jr. & Kaitlyn Baker (country/rock) July 17 and Troy Underwood (Americana/soul) July 24. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Karaoke in the Smokies (live instruments backing the singers) July 16, Anna Victoria (singer-songwriter) July 23 and Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) July 30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Aly Jordan July 16. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or www.mtnlayersbeer.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host a “Jazz Night” from 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays and The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/indie) 8 p.m. July 24. Free and open to the public. 828.641.9797 or www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host “Bluegrass with Blue” July 16 and 23, and Log Noggins July 24. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 888.905.7238 or www.noc.com.

• “Pickin’ on the Square” (Franklin) will host Dirty Dave & Pony Express July 17 and Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/country) July 24. All shows start at 7 p.m.

Free and open to the public. Located on Main Street. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Jason Lyles (singer-songwriter) July 16. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will be held at the Kelsey-Hutchinson Park from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with Shane Meade & The Sound July 17 and Silly Ridge Roundup July 24. Free and open to the public. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Malpass Brothers (Americana/bluegrass) at 7:30 p.m. July 23. Tickets start at $18 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” series will host Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road

FOOD AND DRINK

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

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

Outdoors • Learn about the weather station at the Macon County Public Library and how its data gets used during a presentation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 14, at the library in Franklin. 828.524.3600.

• Hear the untold stories of Appalachian women during this week’s Fridays at the Folk Art Center session, 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 16, at the Folk Art Center in Asheville.

Bring a chair or blanket to sit on. 828.298.5330, ext.

302.

• Let professional birding guide Keith Watson take you under his wing as he presents “Birds of the Smokies” at Science at Sugarlands https://dlia.org/sas/, Discover Life in America’s (DLiA) virtual Smokies-themed speaker series. Dates include July 16, Aug. 20, Sept. 17, Oct. 15.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a hike up Long Ridge to the Rock House. The club will meet at 9 a.m.

Saturday morning, July 17, in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot in Dillard, Georgia. Visitors and well-behaved dogs are welcome. Bring food and fluids as needed. For more information, call hike leader David Stearns at 828.349.7361.

• The Cherokee town of Watauga is an important place in the tribe’s cultural landscape, and Western Carolina University’s Cherokee Studies Program Director Ben Steere will discuss archeology on the site at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, July 19, at Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center in Macon County.

• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is taking input on a forthcoming management plan for the Laurel Falls Trail, with public comment accepted through Aug. 7 with a virtual public meeting planned for 5 p.m.

Thursday, July 22. Submit written comments or learn more about the project at www.parkplanning.nps.gov/LaurelFalls.

• Experience a half-day nature immersion with wildcrafter Cara-Lee Langston, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 24, in Macon County. Cost is $55. Register at www.alarkaexpeditions.com/upcoming-events.

• Tour the Mountain Medicine Farm in Jackson County at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 24, as part of the Farmer-toFather Collaborative series. Sign up at bit.ly/2UxFVqK.

35

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 health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings n n n n

• Eco Crafts, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville.

• The annual Zahner Conservation Lecture tradition will continue this summer, with speakers discussing a wide range of topics every Thursday at 6 p.m., July 15 through Sept. 9, in Highlands. See the full schedule or sign up for McLarney’s program at www.highlandsbiological.org/foundation/events/ zahner-conservation-lecture-series-2021.

• Learn to be safe on the water with a free certification course in boat safety, 6-9 p.m. July 14-15, at Haywood Community College. No age limit, but students must be able to take a written exam. Pre-registration required at www.ncwildlife.org.

• The Highland Brewing Night Flight 4.5-mile race will return on Saturday, July 17. Runners will step off at 7:30 p.m. A post-race party and awards ceremony will be held at the Meadow. Cost is $43. Register at www.iamathlete.com.

• Mountain Wildlife Days will return to Sapphire Valley July 16-17. Cost is $5 for the Friday evening event and $8 for all-day admission Saturday, and kids are admitted free. All events take place at the Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center. www.mountainwildlifedays.com or 828.743.7663.

• Haywood County Parks and Recreation will guide a Fly Fishing expedition at 8 a.m. July 17, at Richland Creek.

All expeditions are $10 paid at registration. Contact Haywood Parks and Rec to register at 828.452.6789 or Ian.smith@haywoodcountync.gov.

• Check out what’s happening at Outdoor Mission Community with the Take-a-Peak Community Cookout 2-5 p.m. Sunday, July 18, in Maggie Valley. All partners and volunteers are invited to come share a meal, hear from board members and see who OMC’s partners are and what they do. Bring family, friends and side dishes.

The cookout will be held at The GearHouse between First Baptist Church Maggie Valley and Elevated Mountain Distillery. Caley, 919.257.1579.

• A public hearing on proposed revisions to state regulations on surface water quality standards and classifications will be held online at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 20, with written comments accepted through Tuesday, Aug. 3. For logon information and a link to the proposed rules, visit https://bit.ly/3xh2ZbL. Send written comments to 15ANCAC02B_SWTriRev_Comments_2021@ncdenr.gov, or mail them to Christopher Ventaloro, NC DEQ-DWR Planning Section, 1611 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1611 • Haywood County Parks and Recreation will guide a birding tour at the Rough Creek Watershed at 8 a.m.

July 24. The tour will be led by Kevin Burke. Contact Haywood Parks and Rec to register at 828.452.6789 or Ian.smith@haywoodcountync.gov.

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37

SUPER

CROSSWORD

ALTERNATING NAMES ACROSS 1 Trapped 8 Moderately slow tempo 15 Hot coal 20 Left over 21 Velvet Underground singer 22 Myanmar, previously 23 * “Chicago” poet who worked for a rival of Revlon?

25 Vital liquid 26 Pitcher -- Nomo 27 Big joint 28 Antique auto 30 Furry Oz visitor 31 More like baking bread’s smell 34 * 2003 “American Idol” runner-up from Alberta?

39 Like Hindi or Urdu 41 Many a youth 42 Soup sample 43 * Reply when the crooner of “Honey” asked how he should criticize people?

48 The Fate who cut the thread of destiny 52 Pitti Palace’s river 53 Gladys Knight & the Pips’ “I’ve Got to -- Imagination” 54 Like an obsessed mind 55 A whole lot 57 * “Go take a nap, you Bolshevik leader”?

61 Dig up 63 Range ropes 64 Emmy winner Michaels 65 What each guy who’s an answer to a starred clue is? [hint: skip over the even letters in his first name]

69 “-- diem!”

74 Ate into 75 “180 illegal” road sign 77 * Gets hold of the singer of “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay”?

85 Got closer to 86 Pungent red roots 87 Din 89 Spanish body of water 90 Many private planes 91 * Novelist of “Humboldt’s Gift” imitating a beach bird?

95 Chaney of “The Trap” 96 Certain peer 97 “McSorley’s Bar” painter John 98 * Co-star of “Neighbors” with a Seussian Star-Belly?

103 Conjecturer’s words 108 Is unwell 109 Anvil setting 110 401(k) kin 112 Many a youth 113 Flood control 115 * 20-season Houston Astros player who was a hot rodder?

121 Big blue expanse 122 Worked, as dough 123 Garage door gadgets 124 Aeries, e.g.

125 Veterans 126 Co-star of HBO’s “Insecure” DOWN 1 Restless 2 “I’m serious!”

3 Carne -- (burrito fill) 4 Is like a mole 5 Like salivary glands near

ears 6 Gold, to Luis 7 -- Aviv 8 Jai -9 Like Macs 10 Film bomb 11 Wall St. operator 12 Not old, in Ulm 13 Earthling, in sci-fi 14 Lawn tidier 15 Dwindle 16 Like PCs with several peripheral hookup points 17 Small stream 18 Overact 19 Cellar gas 24 Dwindle 29 Pearl holders 32 Smitten erotically 33 Big name in ice cream 35 121-Across off Va. 36 Spike in film 37 “Is that so!”

38 -- -surface missile 40 Short negligee, for short 43 Dufy of art 44 University city in Maine 45 Fewer than Actor Lloyd 46 47 Soap stuff 48 Basketballer Jamison 49 Faux -50 Doc -- (foe of Spidey) 51 Big blue expanse 54 Savvy about 56 Prior to 58 “Judge --” (1995 film) 59 Crude fluid 60 Retail store starter?

62 Stable group 66 Diana of “West 11” 67 Ike’s initials

68 Grazed (on) 69 Acting nudge 70 The tiniest bit 71 Pastoral 72 Rival of Ragu 73 Bequeath 74 Embellish 76 Barely there phone signal 77 Frodo foe 78 Sweetie, in modern lingo 79 Eagles’ stats 80 Non-window flight request 81 Ain’t correct?

82 Gerund suffix 83 We, to Henri 84 Anderson of “The X-Files” 88 Trough food 91 -- Paulo 92 Unit of work London beer 93 94 Foes 96 Wayward 98 Beauty shop 99 Family girl 100 Santas’ aides 101 Taxi drivers 102 Not as nasty 104 -- petition 105 Felix played by Randall 106 Kelly of “One Tree Hill” 107 Irregularly notched 111 Clears (of) 114 USN off.

116 “Citizen X” co-star 117 Sleazy paper 118 Lemon drink 119 “... grace of God --” 120 Med. stats. taken with arm cuffs

ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

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Home Improvement BATH & SHOWER UPDATES In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs.

Call: 833-987-0207 ENERGY SAVING NEW WINDOWS! Beautify your home! Save on monthly energy bills with NEW WINDOWS from 1800Remodel! 1-877-287-8229

Yard Sales OFFICE ITEMS SALE Thursday/Friday 7/22 and 7/23 1-6. Furniture, equipment and VXSSOLHV IURP RI¿FH closing. Furniture, ¿OH FDELQHWV VRXQG deadening partitions, cubicle accessories DQG GHVNV RI¿FH supplies, school supplies. 133 E. Palmer St., Franklin NC lower level in rear.

Real Estate Announcements PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise ‘any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination’. Familial status includes children under 18 living with parents or legal guardians and pregnant women.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate in violation of this law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

Ellen Sither esither@beverly-hanks.com (828) 734-8305

www.wncmarketplace.com

Great Smokies

STORAGE LLC Call 828.506.4112 SARA SHERMAN BROKER, REMAX EXECUTIVE

828.558.1912CALL/TEXT SaraShermanNCRealtor@gmail.com

SaraShermanRE.com July 14-20, 2021

greatsmokiesstorage.com 434 Champion Drive, Canton, NC 28716 21 Hollon Cove Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786 WNC MarketPlace

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Smoky Mountain News July 14-20, 2021