On the Cover:
The Tennessee Valley Authority offered an opportunity for a select few to tour Fontana Dam last month — the first public tour of its type since 9/11.
News Editor Kyle Perrotti went along with a camera and notepad in hand. As he explores the dam, an engineering marvel, through a first-person account, he also ponders the complicated history the TVA has in this region. (Page 6)
News
Haywood program offers path out of addiction..........................................................4
After threats, Waynesville revises public comment policy....................................10
Change recommended to Fontana Regional Library System..............................11
Waynesville establishes environmental sustainability board................................12
October jail death confirmed to be overdose..........................................................14
Haywood County Schools will buy Ratcliff Cove land..........................................15
A voter guide for Yellowhill Tribal Council..................................................................17
Opinion
Local news remains as important as ever..................................................................18
Back-to-school excitement is upon us........................................................................19
A&E
Q&A with Doug Gray of Marshall Tucker Band........................................................20
The Folk Festival returns to Franklin Aug. 19............................................................26
Outdoors
Canton’s outdoor economy growing, with help from state..................................30
Notes From a Plant Nerd: A jewel among wildflowers..........................................34
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Sophia Burleigh.
C LASSIFIEDS: Scott Collier. .
N EWS E DITOR: Kyle Perrotti.
WRITING: Holly Kays.
Hannah McLeod.
Cory Vaillancourt.
Garret K. Woodward.
ACCOUNTING & O FFICE MANAGER: Jamie Cogdill. .
D ISTRIBUTION: Scott Collier. .
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C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Thomas Crowe (writing)
WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786
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SUBSCRIPTION: 1 YEAR $80 | 6 MONTHS $55 | 3 MONTHS $35
written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath
QUESTION: I’m trying to lose weight, should I cut out eating fruit?
Answer: Fruit is a great source of macro and micronutrients like unfortunate to cut it out. It is doubtful that fruit is the culprit in weight gain or an inability to lose weight. Here are some things you can do to check your eating and lifestyle habits to see what you might need to tweak.
• Consider your overall health and not just a number on the scale. How is your blood sugar? Your cholesterol? Your blood pressure? Are you able to walk up and down stairs easily? How is your energy level? Are you getting enough sleep?
• Keep a food diary of the food and beverages you eat and drink for a week. Sometimes it’s easier to spot issues when you write things down.
• Take a look at what you are eating now. How does it line up with recommendations for your age, gender and activity level? My Plate MyPlate | U.S. Department of Agriculture is a good place to start.
• Pay attention to beverages. It’s easy to get additional calories with fruit kombucha. Can you drink more water or unsweetened beverages?
• Are you eating when you aren’t hungry or snacking throughout the day? Bottom Line: Sometimes making small changes in our habits that we can stick with is a better way to approach improving our health than eliminating food groups, feeling deprived or focusing too much on a number on the scale.
Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian @InglesDietitian
Leah
McGrath - Dietitian
of 90 days. The next three phases last a total of 300 days and continue to offer participants more freedom while also requiring more responsibility and action on their end. To finish the final phase, a participant must test clean for 90 consecutive days.
Through the beginning of the program, all participants are subject to electronic monitoring, meaning Seay and others know exactly where they go and when. In addition, they are subject to a strict curfew. These measures provide more guardrails during the early part of the process when they’re still vulnerable to fall into old behaviors or find their way back to people who may be bad influences.
The first thing anyone likely sees when they walk into Amanda Seay’s Haywood County Courthouse office is her quote of the month.
“Today is the day that you become the person that you were always meant to be,” it currently reads. “Leave the past. You have a chance to restart and just move forward.”
The quote perfectly sums up the ethos of the county’s new recovery court, currently operating on a pilot plan with six participants and five on the waiting list.
The pilot program was green-lighted by the General Assembly back in 2022, and it was determined that the state would give Haywood County $230,000 per year for two years to fund it. Back then, county commissioners unanimously supported the program, and it doesn’t appear that support has wavered.
Seay, the program coordinator, is a former probation officer who’s monitored everyone from juvenile offenders to high-risk individuals like gang members and sex offenders. In her current role, she has more of an opportunity to be active in the lives of people she works with — an opportunity she relishes.
“When you’re a probation officer, you’re with these people maybe two times a month, and you try to get them into treatment, but your hands are tied,” she said. “Once you get to the point where you see people overdosing, you wonder what you could have done.”
While Seay had to participate in quite a bit of training before the program got off the ground, she said she’s been constantly learning since. She’s participated in frequent online training and has attended two conferences, including one just a couple of months ago in Houston.
“We got so much information from other people who’d been doing it a while that our heads hurt,” Seay said. “We’ve been able to implement different things we’ve learned from others; we’ve tweaked our guidelines and expectations a bit.”
A person can be referred into the program if either their defense attorney or the district attorney’s office recommends them. If the defendant is interested, they fill out an application. Then, after a series of interviews and screening, those who are determined to be high-risk but are willing to commit take the leap.
“I let them know this is something they’ve never experienced before,” Seay said.
The first step once someone is approved is to plead guilty to a charge in recovery court. For some, it may be a property crime to fuel an addiction, for some it may be possession and for some it may even be charges related to dealing — which makes sense considering that research shows most low and mid-level dealing has the sole purpose of supporting a habit.
Then begins phase one of five, Acute Stabilization. This phase, which requires a minimum of 60 days, is designed to simply get the train back on track, get a person to the point where they can pass a drug screening. During this phase, a participant goes to court every other week, unless an issue crops up that requires immediate attention. At the same time, they get an assessment and begin a course of intensive outpatient treatment through Meridian Behavioral Health Services. All the while, the participant also has the chance to seek stable housing.
The first Haywood recovery court participant finished this phase in 92 days, just a month longer than the minimum.
Once they maintain a negative drug screen for 14 days, they can move onto phase two, which works to build on progress made during phase one and requires a negative drug screen for 30 days but must stay in phase two for a minimum
Seay noted that a key requirement for each participant is becoming more involved in the community. Not only is connection with other people a way to loosen the grip of addiction, it also creates a sense of personal pride that comes along with contributing to the greater good. Seay said the one participant who has moved onto phase two, which mandates community service, is already standing taller.
“She’s starting to learn that she matters, what she wants matters, that she has a voice,” Seay said. “She has spent quite a few years being controlled … so she started to get her voice back. I love watching her just blossom; she is starting to do things that she used to enjoy.”
A vital part of reintegrating into the community is finding gainful employment. Through the program, participants can attend classes at HCC to learn a trade and can also take classes on financial literacy.
Seay also partners with NC Works to find jobs for participants. She has been thrilled to see how many local employers are interested in hiring recovery court participants. She said she hopes that connecting local business owners with these people will reduce the stigma surrounding those who had previously struggled with addiction and encountered the justice system.
Perhaps the most crucial element of the program is the focus on overall health and well-being. So often, people with substance use disorders turn to opioids to self-medicate a condition that may not be diagnosed yet. Seay said that for many, simply having someone to talk about health concerns with is a new experience, one that helps them further understand their self-worth and the importance of their own physical and mental health.
They learn that they can get better.
Health and Human Services connects participants with that healthcare. Initially, they pay a visit to HHS once per week,
where they are drug tested while also getting the chance to finally address lingering health issues. Haywood HHS Director Sarah Henderson said the first step is for someone to undergo a full medical evaluation. Next, they begin a medical assisted treatment program with Suboxone.
“As they get farther into treatment, we see them a bit less,” Henderson said, adding that it’s expected that it may take a few months to get to that point.
HHS also provides participants with other vital resources, such as access to public transit to make all their appointments. They also make referrals to primary care providers.
“You can’t just treat the addiction, you have to treat the person,” Henderson said. “Some of these people have chronic illnesses and maybe have never seen a primary care provider.”
The money for the pilot program is set to expire near the end of the year. County Manager Bryant Morehead said they will not have spent the total $460,000 that was allocated for the pilot program due to a delay in its launch and thinks the state may grant an extension. While that wouldn’t mean the program would get more money, it would allow for more time to spend what is there.
Morehead said he thinks that’s likely to happen and added that in recent memory the county has been granted similar extensions for flooding debris pickup and emergency watershed protection.
“If we hit that deadline, I’m sure there will be a letter from me to the state asking for an extension on the funds,” Morehead said.
In addition to the money for the program itself that came from the General Assembly, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) also secured state funds to provide for the treatment of participants, a cost that would continue even after that money runs out. Whether the pilot program period is extended or not, eventually the county will have to pick up the cost.
Morehead said that while he believes there will be some combination of local, state and federal grants that can cover the costs, there is a chance it could become a budget line item down the road. He said that when the program was approved by the county, all five commissioners were supportive, and he added that the one new commissioner, Terry Ramey, has indicated his support for the program, as well.
Morehead noted that part of the program’s initial success is owed to the judges who preside over the court, Chief District Court Judge Roy Wijewickrama — who oversees the entire program — and District Court Judge Monica Leslie. Morehead noted that those judges are voluntarily “shouldering the overtime.”
Both judges told The Smoky Mountain News that they agreed F
“You can’t just treat the addiction, you have to treat the person. Some of these people have chronic illnesses and maybe have never seen a primary care provider.”
— Sarah Henderson, Haywood HHS Director
with Seay and Morehead’s assessments that the program has been an immediate success. Wijewickrama said participants have been challenged daily to make the right decisions. While acknowledging that he can send any of them to jail if they slip up enough, he was also quick to point out that hasn’t happened yet. In fact, he’s been inspired by their tenacity.
Wijewickrama said the community benefit is immense. When one person recovers, it has a positive impact on their entire family — which can curb the risk of addiction for their own children — and also a positive impact on the community.
During her interview, Seay said she’d love to see recovery courts across the state. Wijewickrama echoed that sentiment, at least as it pertains to his judicial district.
“I’d like to eventually see this in every county in our district, but we have to see how it goes in Haywood,” he said.
Leslie has been on the bench since 2004. While she’s always loved her job, the recovery court has breathed into her a renewed sense of energy.
“I really love this court. It has really reignited my passion,” she said. “I’ve always loved my job, but this has really lit a spark for me, and it’s changed the way I’ve done all my courts and it’s really shifted my thinking.”
When asked to specify, she said the court has made her consider defendants as whole people, people with their own hosts of problems.
“Everyone has their own backstory, their trauma, their issues that brought them to where they are,” she said. “Through recovery court, I’ve gotten to see through the small number of people we have so far just what those stories are, how those people are trying to overcome that trauma and the issues that brought them to this place.”
Like everyone else involved in the program, Leslie said the resilience of the participants has been inspiring.
“These people that have been down and have been kicked over and over and have had such a hard time and still want to fight to get better and have a better life. It’s amazing,” she said. “You can see it in their eyes and their face and they’re proud of themselves. A lot of people need someone to believe in.”
“It’s something I try to take into nonrecovery court, I ask them if there’s something they need,” she added.
While everyone interviewed thought the program was a success and something that will positively impact both the individuals and the community, it’s perhaps Seay that is most emotionally invested in it since she deals with the participants on a daily basis. She even has an open-door policy that all take advantage of. Having someone who is
willing to listen at any time is crucial to their continued success — it shows that someone cares and believes in them.
“Every single participant so far has said, ‘I’ve never had anybody that truly believed I can do it,’” Seay said.
That positive mentality carries over to participants, who are there for each other, as well. Seay said any time someone clears a milestone, there’s a celebration in the courtroom. Unlike so many other experiences in criminal court, everyone wants everyone else to succeed.
“Someone may continue to test positive for drugs for a little while, so we have to keep them motivated,” she said. “But we had one person who had their first negative drug screen after using for 17 years. I got up and danced around the office. It’s extremely rewarding.”
Seay hopes people take notice of the program’s initial success, and as more people are reintroduced into the community, she hopes folks rally around it and perhaps even expand it.
“It has a chance to just change the recidivism in Haywood County, and I think that recovery court has a chance to reduce the overdose deaths,” she said. “Once people start seeing that recovery court really works, and they get tired of seeing their friends overdose, I hope more people will want to participate.”
“Once people start seeing that recovery court really works, and they get tired of seeing their friends overdose, I hope more people will want to participate.”
— Amanda Seay, program coordinatorAmanda Seay. File photo
It was one of the best opportunities I’d been given since I became a journalist and moved to Western North Carolina about seven years ago. For the first time since 9/11, the Tennessee Valley Authority opened up Fontana Dam to a tour by members of the public and I was lucky enough to go along and write this story.
Being an outsider, a northerner even, I’d heard how a lot of folks in the area have never trusted the TVA, a feeling I’d never experience firsthand. While the dams built by the TVA did reduce flooding and erosion problems in the area, doing so required inundating large swaths of land and forced thousands of families to relocate. And yet, even though that fact was never far from my mind as I walked through the massive structure, I still often found myself standing and looking around speechless, taking it all in and pondering just how much work must have gone into its planning and construction.
Fontana is the largest dam east of the Rocky Mountains and stands 480 feet tall, about the same height as the Great Pyramid in Giza. It’s also 376 feet thick and 2,365 feet long. It features two spill pipes that are 34 feet in diameter and pass water from Fontana Lake into the Little Tennessee River on the other side. The combined capacity of its three generators is 293.6 megawatts. In other words, it’s a beast.
I usually pride myself on staying objective when I’m reporting a story, intentionally avoiding any outward expression of excitement, fear or bias — act like you’ve been there before, as some wise person once said. But, in this case, there was no way. There was a personal nostalgic excitement I couldn’t ignore going into it. I got out of the Navy just over a decade ago, where I’d worked as a nuclear reactor operator on a submarine and I figured that getting to be around the
familiar sounds, smells and equipment would deliver a strong shot of nostalgia.
As folks passed through a security checkpoint and trickled in for the tour, the large marble waiting room came alive with eager conversation. Some visitors who’d studied ahead of the tour rattled off specifications and stats to others. From the waiting room, people peered through large windows into the control room. At one point, some workers came in, and the crowd gathered round to marvel at their presence as if it were some blue-collar zoo exhibit. The gruff workers didn’t seem to mind, although a time or two they had trouble keeping a straight face.
Once everyone was in the door and ready to go, a curlyhaired woman with bright eyes and a broad smile worked her way around the crowd to the back to the waiting room. The roar died to a murmur and she spoke.
“OK, it’s our birthday,” she said, “and so we thought we’d invite you in for a little party.”
Indeed, this year marks the 90th anniversary of the TVA and was the impetus for the tour. After she gave a rundown of the history of the TVA and Fontana, she introduced a plant manager, who spoke briefly, really just long enough to introduce a regional manager who addressed the crowd with gusto.
“My name is Willy Wonka,” he said before informing the visitors that they’d found the proverbial “golden tickets.”
He earnestly warned people to watch out for trip hazards or anything they may possibly bang their heads on, keep their hands on their pockets and to not walk while staring at their phones, but he quickly took on a more playful tone.
“If you’re with me, and I’m just walking carefully, you’ll be alright,” he said. “But, if I’m running, then maybe you oughtta.”
People broke into three groups. Mine included reporters from the Cherokee Scout and the Graham Star, as well as five other people. As we donned our hard hats and safety glasses, people took the chance to snap some selfies in their new gear and excitement mounted.
We left the marble room and went back out into the intense sunlight, which reflected hot off the bare concrete. We walked between the bottom of the structure and the humming transformer yard toward a modest door in the side of the structure.
En route, our guide introduced himself as Keith Sparks, a technician who operates the plant. Despite his immense knowledge and friendly nature, I got the feeling that he’d probably rather be calibrating a detector or chasing a ground than leading a tour. Sparks had been at the plant for four years. Prior to that, he’d worked at conventional plants, and it was clear he preferred the hydroelectric plant.
The reporter from the Cherokee Scout turned to me and said Sparks would be the perfect man to star in a movie about his own life — if I hadn’t met Sparks, I’d probably picture someone his spitting image working at that site. A good observation, I thought.
“Now I will warn you, sometimes we get those lizards that don’t have legs in there, so watch your
step,” Sparks said.
We went through the door and stepped deep in the bowels of the dam. As we walked, I became more aware of the fact that we were surrounded by a hundred feet of concrete on every side. It was cooler down there since the water flowing all around us is brought in from 150 feet below the lake’s surface and cold, and condensation dripped from overhead pipes onto my notebook and blotted the fresh ink.
I could hear water rushing through the pipes. I looked for specific instrumentation that I might recognize, and I was thrilled to see a flow detector mounted to a wall. I felt ridiculous getting so excited over something so simple, something that could be found in just about any industrial facility in the region, but I honestly couldn’t help it — I was reaching a state of nerdy nirvana.
“We have over 1,000 instruments in this dam,” Sparks said.
Some instruments — ones I’d never encountered or even heard of — are placed on each end of any crack that forms in the concrete to monitor propagation. Sparks noted that the dam is still expanding into the surrounding ravine, which inevitably leads to cracks. In fact, every six to seven years, a crew comes in with a diamond blade and cuts a gash across the dam to relieve the stress. Over time, that cut fills back in due to the natural expansion.
With the concern of cracks in mind, Sparks mentioned that there are seismographs onsite to monitor for earthquakes. Above a certain magnitude, the whole dam must be inspected.
Another specification that is constantly monitored is the lake’s surface level. At some point, when water comes up high enough, the gates need to be raised, which creates a giant rooster tail on the river-end of the dam. This is to ensure the water doesn’t go over the top of the dam, a situation that would compromise its very structural integrity.
“If this dam were to structurally malfunction, that’s bad news for everybody downstream,” Sparks said.
Last year, a storm brought heavy rains that led to a quick 5-foot increase and the gates had to be opened.
“I was in Seattle at the time, and they called me and said
the water level is going up, and I said, well, I’m not gonna get there in time,” Sparks recalled with a chuckle.
Fontana, along with the other downstream dams, work together during large storms to prevent flooding in Chattanooga. It’s a closely coordinated effort to make sure each dam does its part without putting too much stress on any one structure.
“We’ve been able to save billions of dollars of damage in Chattanooga by holding water back at each dam,” Sparks said.
A man asked what the shelf life of Fontana Dam is.
“I would say 1,000 years from now when the aliens land, it’s still gonna be here,” Sparks replied.
While Sparks, along with his visitors, marveled at the size of the dam, he said he also sometimes laments its enormity. He recalled that a few weeks back he had to track down a ground in an electrical system. The process for troubleshooting a ground requires half-splitting a system until you can pinpoint the problem. He chased the ground up and down the steep stairs deep in the concrete before he found it right near the middle of the system. He joked about the aches and pains climbing those steep stairs regularly leads to.
“I keep Motrin, Advil and Tylenol all in business,” he said. We came back outside, let our eyes adjust to the sun and paused so Sparks could tell us about the emergency generator that could be used to operate vital systems in case something failed. The generator could even be used to put the dam back in operation to deliver power to people in the event of a widespread catastrophe.
“In case there was an emergency in the grid, like the Chinese decided to EMP us or something from the sun kills the grid, we can start up and start producing power again,” he said.
We went to the control room; we were now inside the zoo with the animals.
“How much of this is 1940s tech?” the Scout reporter asked while looking around at the multitude of digital meters and heavy-duty switchgear.
Not much, it turned out. There had been a fire in the con-
trol room about nine years back that required all the equipment to be replaced. Just about the only original equipment could be found in the generator room.
I asked about the qualification process for workers. It takes about 18 months to become fully qualified to operate all systems at Fontana Dam, and there’s no requalification needed, unless, as one operator in denim overalls pointed out, you screw something up. The qualification process includes learning how to read electrical, mechanical and hydraulic system schematics for the purpose of troubleshooting, a skill that isn’t taught everywhere and Sparks said makes Fontana employees sought after by other companies.
I asked about their educations and backgrounds.
Sparks is an Air Force veteran and has a bachelor’s degree in management.
“My degree is in hard labor,” the man in the denim overalls said wryly as he pulled a Mountain Dew bottle out of his pocket and spit some brown tobacco juice into it.
After some more Q&A, we went into one of two fan rooms. Large fans are required to provide ventilation throughout the dam, ventilation that is especially necessary in the battery room, where hydrogen is constantly produced as a byproduct. Sparks said that when the fans are in operation, you can’t hear and the suction is so great that it’s all but impossible to keep the door open.
Eventually, we got to the big show — the vast room that houses the plant’s three massive turbine generators. Unlike conventional power plants with turbines that are operated by high-pressure steam and spin in the thousands of RPMs, the turbines at Fontana, like other dams, spin much slower since they’re just powered by water. In Fontana’s case, the turbines spin at just 150 RPM.
We talked about mechanical and electrical specifications for a while longer and then got up-close looks at the turbines themselves and even the battery room. By the time we got back to the marble room where everyone had initially gathered, we realized the other visitors had left. Our tour lasted a good deal longer than the others, something Sparks seemed to take pride in.
I was just happy to be there.
When I stepped outside, I looked out over the river and considered what I’d been told since I moved to the area — stories of how some local people still harbor bitterness toward the TVA. For some families, between the displacement of residents by the TVA and the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there’s a distrust of the federal government that spans all generations.
But there’s another lens through which to view Fontana and other TVA dams. If you look at the big picture, the TVA and Fontana Dam itself were born of necessity, planned with ambition and built with grit and determination.
After years of discussion among regional leaders and even Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act on May 18, 1933, as part of the New Deal. The initial aim was to curb flooding that had plagued the area while providing electricity to homes and industry. In the heart of the Great Depression, the TVA’s planned infrastructure projects also offered job opportunities to thousands of men who’d been out of work.
There was talk of building the Fontana Dam for years before funding was finally approved in 1941 after Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor. As the war effort ramped up, so too did the demand for electricity to run massive plants, including an Alcoa aluminum plant in Tennessee that fabricated parts for airplanes. In addition, power from Fontana would eventually be used at Oak Ridge, a facility that processed highly enriched uranium as part of the Manhattan Project.
The base camp that housed workers and their families began with about 500 men but grew to 5,000. While many of
the workers were eager and patriotic Western North Carolina men looking to support their country and their families, others came from all over. The camp, which grew to a village, eventually featured modern amenities like a beauty parlor and movie theater.
Builders worked on an accelerated schedule — sometimes seven days a week — to meet the demand created by the war, and in November 1944, the gates were closed. Just a couple of months later, two generators were online producing electricity.
When the dam was built, the 10,230-acre Fontana Lake formed, with fingers branching off in every direction creating numerous coves and a 238-mile shoreline. Like with many other TVA projects, entire towns — Fontana, Bushnell, Forney and Judson in this
case — were flooded. According to a 2021 Smoky Mountain Living article, 2,311 families were displaced, and 2,043 gravesites were either left isolated or were relocated. In the end, 1,064 tracts were acquired at an average sum of only $37.76 an acre.
“The material costs — highway and railway relocation, lost timber resources, burned buildings, drowned or condemned agricultural acreage — took not only an economic but an emotional toll,” the SML article notes.
“Locals of all stripes found some temporary relief in the much-needed economic boom that came with the dam, as almost 4,000 workers were hired for the multifaceted construction of Fontana,” it later reads. “Many welcomed the opportunity to work for ‘cash money,’ as the local vernacular put it. Still, many realized that construc-
tion of Fontana meant that nothing would ever be the same.”
What do I, someone who loves this region yet has no roots here, make of this?
People displaced by the formation of Fontana Lake were the unfortunate victims of inevitable progress, not unlike those who were displaced by the formation of the park — a tragic byproduct of an ultimately successful effort to better the nation. By the time I finished the tour and reflected on what I’d seen, I felt sympathy and still understood people’s bitterness, but I also understand that at such a dire time in American history, this was necessary.
Either way, throughout the tour, right or wrong, my own curiosity and conflict regard-
ing the TVA’s complicated history was often overcome by awe and amazement at the monolithic wonder in front of me, the product of superb engineering, attention to detail and — perhaps most importantly — pride. I felt like nothing that is built nowadays can rival that project — quick and under budget without too many regulatory delays is the goal now.
The marble room where we gathered alone was enough to drop a few jaws. That marble had been gathered locally, as were almost all other materials, including the tons of concrete. Workers had to make do with what was around them, even if it wasn’t ideal, considering so many metals were going straight toward the war effort. That took creativity and determination.
“If you notice the design of the ceiling, during the war there was-
n’t a lot of steel to be had … so the way they designed the ceiling was to hold that weight (with concrete) without being flat and using steel to support,” Sparks said during the tour.
And the small touches were there, things that told me the structure was also about form and not just function — pride in even the smallest of details. For example, the generator room features nearly floor-to-ceiling windows that allow light to pour into the facility, and many vertical concrete surfaces are finished with wood grain that could be missed if someone wasn’t looking right at it.
“That’s actually right off of the trees,” Sparks said. “They left it that way on purpose. They were trying to show the bond between modern technology and nature.”
He said it’s like a “fingerprint.”
I’d met David Cline prior to the tour when I took a picture of him to show the immense height of the dam with some sort of scale. Cline is 67, a veteran and fully retired. He and his wife live in Maryville, Tennessee, and frequently hike around the region including the Appalachian Trail, which crosses the dam.
Cline had toured other dams, even some of the bigger ones out West, but said the tour of Fontana was unlike anything he’d experienced.
“The access to this place was pretty amazing,” he said. “The places we went, it must have been the Presidential tour or something. We saw things that I really wasn’t expecting, so I’m very grateful. I mean, we saw equipment and went back behind the scenes, and it was informative.”
The spectacular engineering and attention to detail weren’t lost on Cline.
“Well, I knew a little bit about it, but it’s just very impressive to go inside and see it,” he said. “It is pretty spectacular. I recommend it if people have the chance.”
It seemed like our visit was a precursor to something larger, perhaps more public tours.
During our journey into the dam, there
were things Sparks said that hinted at that. For example, he said they’d considered bringing back into operation the rail car, which until 9/11 had hauled visitors up and down the dam. Was it a sign of things to come?
Scott Brooks, a public relations specialist for TVA, wouldn’t confirm whether that was true and wouldn’t say whether there are plans to go beyond the tour we enjoyed.
“It takes a lot of time and effort,” he said in an interview a few days after the Fontana tour, adding that the dam operates with a relatively small staff who can’t accommodate regular tours on their own.
Brooks said the tour of Fontana was part of a larger effort by the TVA to celebrate its 90th birthday by allowing members of the public to visit a number of its facilities.
“We’ll take a look (at more tours) after we finish this special anniversary,” he said. When I commented that I’d thoroughly enjoyed the tour and knew many others who’d love to see the inside of the dam, he agreed.
“It was my first visit to Fontana,” he said. “To be able to not only go on top of and below but inside the dam is definitely an experience for sure.”
I hope more people get the opportunity.
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR
The Town of Waynesville will no longer require speakers at its public comment sessions to reveal their addresses, after a raucous July 25 meeting where some speakers voiced concern over identifying their residences due to violent threats made against the LGBTQ+ community that resulted from a man’s unfounded allegations of indecent behavior at the Waynesville Recreation Center on July 12.
“Following the meeting, Councilor Sutton asked that I present several different proposed revisions to the Town’s Rules of Procedure to accommodate the concerns of those individuals,” Town Attorney Martha Bradley wrote in an Aug. 2 memo to the mayor and Town Council.
“I wanted to make sure that everyone felt safe giving their views, no matter what those views are, and not having to worry about people showing up at their house or calling them,” Sutton told The Smoky Mountain News Aug. 12. “The political climate has changed so dramatically over the last six years I wanted to ensure everyone felt safe speaking. I understand some have felt uncomfortable in the past, but no one ever verbalized that to the [governing board], so once we were made aware, we acted.”
Bradley’s options were presented to council on Aug. 8.
Prior to the Aug. 8 meeting, public com-
ment policy was clearly outlined in the town’s rules.
Council must provide at least one opportunity for public comment each month. Waynesville’s town council meets twice a month, except for rare cancellations, and provides public comment sessions at every meeting.
The maximum length of time allotted to public comment sessions is limited to 30 minutes, although that can be extended by a majority vote.
under the administrations of both former Mayor Gavin Brown and Caldwell — has a public comment session been capped at 30 minutes, even when large groups of speakers have sometimes pushed public comment sessions over two hours.
Speakers are each allotted three minutes, although that can also be extended at the discretion of council.
While addressing town council, speakers may express concerns or opinions and share facts, data or other information that could help elected officials in their deliberation of any issue that falls under the town’s discretion. Speakers may not ask questions, make personal attacks or bring up topics not germane to agenda items or to town business.
Residency in the town, county, state our even the country is not a requirement to speak at public meetings, nor is being a registered voter. All speakers have to do to avail themselves of this right is submit “a fully completed written request card supplied by the Town to the Town Clerk.”
any other changes to the policy.
The first option would require only a name and general topic of the remarks on the request form, which would avoid creating a public record — legally available to anyone who asks for it — of the person’s address. Instead, speakers taking the podium would be required to state their name and whether their residential address is within town limits, within the town’s extra-territorial jurisdiction, within Haywood or outside of the county.
The second option would require a name and general topic of the remarks on the request form, as well as whether the speaker was eligible to register to vote in town elections. Similar to the first option, speakers at the podium would then declare their name and whether their residential address is within town limits, within the town’s extra-territorial jurisdiction, within Haywood County or outside of the county.
Extension of public comment sessions has been traditionally been approved by council even when there are more speakers than time, including during the July 25 meeting, when Mayor Gary Caldwell said that everyone who wished to speak would be allowed to do so after the 30-minute limit had been reached.
In fact, not once in recent memory —
That request, however, would not be considered fully completed unless the speaker provided “their name, permanent residential address and telephone number, along with the general topic of their remarks,” per town policy. Also per town policy, the clerk “shall reject” requests deemed incomplete.
The options presented by Bradley zeroed in on the “permanent residential address and telephone number” stipulation, without proposing
The third option left the address and phone number requirement in place but allows speakers to decline to provide them on the form. As with the first two options, speakers at the podium would still have to provide their name and whether their residential address is within town limits, within the town’s extra-territorial jurisdiction, within Haywood County or outside of the county.
Council members ultimately opted for a completely different option.
From now on, speakers will only have to present their name and whether they reside within the corporate limits of the town.
“I wanted to make sure that everyone felt safe giving their views, no matter what those views are, and not having to worry about people showing up at their house or calling them.”
— Anthony Sutton, Waynesville Town Council
Afew months ago, issues arose about the placement of certain LGBTQ+ books in the Macon County Public Library. This led to discussion among commissioners about pulling out of the Fontana Regional Library system altogether. But ultimately, the county remained part of the FRL.
However, commissioners did request that county managers in Macon, Jackson and Swain counties meet to review the FRL agreement, and now, those managers are suggesting an operational change to the system.
“The board had requested that I meet with the county managers for Swain and Jackson counties, who are also parties to this agreement, to begin discussions on potential revisions to the Fontana Regional Library agreement,” said County Manager Derek Roland. “The agreement that we are currently under requires a review every 10 years.”
Fontana Regional Library formed in 1944 when the Tennessee Valley Authority sponsored a regional bookmobile to visit the most remote areas of Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.
Today, the system offers full library services to rural counties that might not otherwise be able to fund them. By combining cataloging, human resources, finance departments and information technology services for libraries in the three counties, it is cheaper for each county than if they were to provide for each of those departments individually. The regional agreement is renewed every 10 years and can be dissolved or withdrawn from at any time.
Roland presented a letter to the board of commissioners explaining the positive impacts the FRL has had on Macon, Jackson and Swain, as well as the single revision the managers are suggesting.
“In this review, we found that this has provided citizens throughout the region with convenient access to informational and educational resources,” said Roland. “As far as the structure goes, having that coordination between counties allows for the more efficient purchase of certain services. It’s with anything, it gives you buying power, being part of this regional system, so we did feel that as far as benefits of our region, benefits to the taxpayers within each of the counties, that the regional system and the benefits that provided from an economic standpoint were certainly the way to go to provide this library service.”
As the system operates currently, the Macon County Board of Commissioners has direct appointment authority over the local library board — the Macon County Public Library Board of Trustees. This local library board then appoints board members to the Fontana Regional Library Board.
“As the financial partner in this arrangement, the board of commissioners for each county have local board appointments, but there is no direct connection currently from the fiscal agent, from the boards of commissioners to the policy-setting agent for the organization,” said Roland.
The Fontana Regional Library Board is the body that sets policy for the library system. Following its review of the FRL agreement, the county managers are suggesting that their commissioners appoint members to the Fontana Regional Library Board directly rather than leaving that up to the local library boards.
“As the funder of the library board, as the funder of the Fontana Regional Library, we did feel it was very important for the fiscal agent to have a direct connection to the policy-setting agent,” said Roland. “Wbat we’ve seen here locally, we know how it works with our local library board and again that is direct appointment from the board of county commissioners. We just want that same level of communication, that same level of connection with the policy-setting board.”
This is the only change that county managers are recommending to the FRL agreement. The change was presented to the Macon County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 8 and the Jackson County Commission on Aug. 15. At this time, the change is under review and has not been adopted.
Linda Tyler, a resident of Macon County, retired public health nurse and member of the Macon County Library Board spoke during public comment and urged commissioners to still take into consideration the recommendations of the local library board.
“Traditionally, the commissioners have relied strongly on the recommendations of the library board when they’re appointing new members to the board, and they seem to continue to do so with other board appointments,” said Tyler. “I hope that you will continue to take the recommendations of the local boards, the library board and other boards into consideration when you are making appointments.”
Tyler said that in February the Macon County Library Board turned in several recommendations for library board appointees, some of whom were highly qualified for the position, and that no one was chosen or appointed for almost three months.
“Those delays don’t help any boards do their job properly and I hope that you’re able to move more quickly and look at the qualifications of board members in the future,” she said. “I do hope that you will remember that just like you were elected to serve all of
Macon County, all of the people in Macon County, the library is there to serve all the people of Macon County and we don’t always agree with one another, we may think differently and have different opinions, but we want to include everyone.”
Three other residents spoke during public comment at the Aug. 8 commissioner meeting to voice their opposition to the recommended change.
Commissioner Danny Antoine, who earlier this year voiced support for withdrawing Macon County from the Fontana Regional Library system altogether, said the whole issue has been blown out of proportion and
put some of that blame on the media.
“Everything that we’re trying to do with this is actually trying to make everything better. We’re not trying to make anything worse and we’re not trying to take away from anyone,” Antoine said. “The issues that I’ve personally brought up have to do with protecting kids. What I have a hard time understanding is why that is such a point of contention to want to protect kids against pornographic materials. To me that’s beyond me to even try to understand why that is a point of contention.”
Commissioner Antoine and other residents who argue for tougher restrictions against what youth in the library have access to have consistently referred to books with LGBTQ+ content or themes as inappropriate and even pornographic.
“There’s no way you can poison the mind of a child and call it OK. That’s my only point in that,” said Antoine. “It has nothing to do with an adult’s sexual preference; I’m talking about children and protecting children, and that’s the only point.”
Macon County spends about $1.1 million annually on library operations. If all three counties approve the recommended change to the Fontana Regional Library agreement, Macon County Commissioners would have direct appointment power to the FRL board which in turn sets policy for the library system.
Long a leader among Western North Carolina’s local governments in the field of environmental sustainability, the Town of Waynesville has taken recent steps to ensure it becomes carbon neutral before 2050 by establishing an oversight board to research, adopt and implement responsible management strategies.
“One of the main reasons was because of all the federal money coming down through the Infrastructure Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act to promote electrification and use of alternative energy sources,” said Council Member Chuck Dickson, who’s been a vocal advocate for environmental sustainability and made the motion to establish the board. “We want to take advantage of whatever monies are out there. That’s one of the reasons we went for the grant manager position. It’s a way to save money for the town and folks in the town.”
Called the Environmental Sustainability Board, Dickson’s effort will be responsible for “crafting working reference documents that will lay out timelines for achieving climate mitigation and adaptation benchmarks,” according to a document circulated by Dickson prior to the July 25 meeting of the Waynesville Town Council.
Recommended strategies will focus not only on town-owned buildings and properties but also on residents and businesses who could benefit from decreased utility costs.
“Our natural resources are our greatest resources as a community, and we have to be a good steward, leaving them better than we found them,” said Council Member Anthony Sutton, who seconded Dickson’s motion to create the ESB. “Our clean water, our clean air, they’re what bring people to the area. They have a huge economic impact on our area. By taking care of our resources, we’re really taking care of ourselves.”
Preliminary thoughts on how exactly the
town will achieve those goals include focusing on renewable energy systems, energyefficient buildings, conservation standards and green infrastructure — things like pervious parking surfaces and rain gardens.
Waynesville is one of roughly 70 local governments in North Carolina known as “electric cities,” because it purchases wholesale power from a supplier and resells it to customers at competitive rates. The ESB will be charged with improving the resiliency of the town’s power grid, after a December 2022 attack on Moore County substations that left 40,000 people without power.
The plan also includes a cost analysis of the town’s existing electric vehicle fleet and charging infrastructure; the town was quick to embrace electric vehicle technology,
Former Wolfetown Rep. Bo Crowe pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in federal court Friday, Aug. 11, but plans to fight tribal charges stemming from the same incident at trial.
“He would like to clear his name as soon as possible,” Crowe’s attorney Caleb Decker told Temporary Associate Judge Tracy Barrett during an Aug. 9 hearing in the tribal case. In Cherokee Tribal Court Crowe faces three charges, two of which are felonies, in connection with an incident that occurred the evening of Jan. 6 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. Crowe is accused of striking Knoxville resident Jason Matthew Burleson, placing his arm around his neck, and squeezing, rendering him unconscious. The factual basis that Crowe agreed to via his attorney in a June court filing for the federal case outlines a similar sequence of events, saying that Crowe landed several punches before maneuvering to the victim’s back and rendering him momentarily unconscious.
However, Crowe’s family members have stated publicly
installing the third-ever charging station west of Asheville more than a decade ago.
Sutton added that he’s working on getting additional high-speed car chargers for the area through the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Dickson’s ESB also includes an affordable housing angle, proposing partnerships with local housing nonprofits to help support energy efficiency measures for low- and moderate-income households with funding made available through President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
As a result, the town expects to see improvements in overall health and wellness of residents and visitors due to reduced emissions from vehicles as well as from household heating and cooking appliances.
Eco-tourism — and the socalled “green jobs” that come with it — could also provide economic benefit to the region, but many of the expected returns from the ESB’s effort are less tangible, including increased cooperation with disparate community groups that share concerns over anthropogenic climate change and a “bandwagon effect” that might lead to surrounding communities adopting similar measures.
As established, the ESB could have as many as 11 members, appointed by town council. A council member will be appointed to the board, along with the town manager or their designee.
The other members of the ESB will be sought out on the basis of knowledge in renewable energy systems, green building standards or building efficiency engineering, transportation efficiency, sustainable land management, ecology or environmental science and expertise in the substantial body of published work relating to climate change.
The ESB may also consult with leaders in state agencies or academics from the region’s community colleges and universities, as well as town staff who serve on the front lines of infrastructure maintenance and management.
Dickson said he hopes that the town will begin accepting and reviewing applications for the newly established board over the next few weeks.
“Particularly being a small town with limited resources, we’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity to make things better for our town and our citizens,” he said.
that this outline doesn’t tell the whole story. Crowe acted to protect his daughter and niece, who are both teenagers, they said. Crowe’s community in Cherokee has stood by him as well. Though he resigned his seat representing Wolfetown on Tribal Council after the charges were filed, he is a candidate for that same office in the September election. During the June primary, he was far-and-away the top vote-getter in a field of six.
In a June interview, Decker told The Smoky Mountain News that Crowe’s decision to plead guilty in the federal case was influenced by financial considerations — fighting federal charges is expensive — and by the potential sentence should he be convicted. Sentencing guidelines for the charge to which he pleaded guilty recommend zero to six months for a person with limited or no criminal history.
During the Aug. 9 tribal court hearing, Decker told Barrett that he wanted to go to trial as soon as possible, but Tribal Prosecutor Shelli Buckner said the court calendar for the remainder of 2023 is already “very full” and that other defendants are awaiting trial in cases “much older” than
Crowe’s. These cases should take priority, she said, especially since Crowe is not awaiting trial in jail, like some other defendants are.
Decker said he understood the court’s constraints but that the allegations are hindering Crowe’s participation in the political process.
“2024 seems like a long, long way away,” he told Barrett. But it will have to wait until then, Barrett decided. She said she wants input on court availability before scheduling the jury trial and asked the parties to come back for a hearing at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 10, to set a trial date. The court will need to set the date well in advance of the trial to ensure selection of an appropriately sized jury, she said. Given the Jan. 10 hearing date, March is the earliest possible timeframe for the trial.
The tribal charges carry a maximum combined prison sentence of seven years, and a felony conviction could end Crowe’s political career. Under tribal law, a person who has been convicted of a felony offense is ineligible to run for or hold elected office. Tribal court may grant a petition to reinstate this right following completion of the sentence.
News Editor Kyle Perrotti contributed to this report.
The Town of Waynesville has already taken a number of steps to reduce emissions and promote energy efficiency.Cory Vaillancourt photo
Autopsy results for the October death of a man in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center confirm that he died of a drug overdose.
“Based on examination and investigative results, my opinion is that the cause of death is acute Fentanyl toxicity, in the setting of Cocaine abuse and ischemic hypertensive cardiovascular disease,” the report of the medical examiner’s autopsy reads.
Kevin Scott Watson, 30, of Sylva, passed away at the detention center on Oct. 20 after being found unresponsive in his cell. According to information obtained from the medical examiner and the State Bureau of Investigations investigator, the decedent
With former President Donald Trump’s most recent indictment — his fourth in five months — comes a slew of familiar names like Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, but there’s at least one more name included in the list of Trump’s co-defendants that’s well known to Western North Carolina voters.
had a history of drug abuse and drug trafficking. He was arrested and placed in the jail on the evening of Oct. 19.
“The following morning, he appeared to be fine, but later on in the morning, his cellmate stated that he was having difficulty breathing. Later that morning, 911 was called and a resuscitation was attempted, and multiple vials of Narcan were administered, to no avail,” the report reads.
Watson was being held on $190,000 secured bond after being arrested on drugrelated charges after a traffic stop made by Jackson County Sheriff’s deputies.
On Oct. 20, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations received a request from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney Ashley Hornsby
Mark Meadows represented North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District from 2012 until his March 30, 2020, resignation, shortly before he was named as Trump’s chief of staff.
On Aug. 14, Trump, Meadows and 17 others were indicted by a Georgia grand jury for an alleged scheme to overturn lawful election results in the state, which Trump lost.
Not all defendants were charged with each of the 41 felony counts in the indictment, however all defendants were charged under the Georgia RICO (Racketeer
Welch to investigate the death of an inmate at the Jackson County Detention Center.
According to the toxicology report, examiners found Watson to have cocaine, opioids, benzoylecgonine and fentanyl in his system. naloxone, a substance that can be injected or administered via nasal spray to reverse an overdose from opioids was also present in Watson’s body, likely a result of the Narcan administered during resuscitation attempts.
State law requires jailers to visually check on all inmates at least twice per hour and to lay eyes four times per hour on inmates who are suicidal, mentally ill, intoxicated, violent or erratic.
Watson’s death marked the fifth time in nine years that someone has died while
Influenced and Corrupt Organization) Act, which alleges that between Nov. 4, 2020, and Sept. 15, 2022, defendants “… while associated with an enterprise, unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in, directly and indirectly, such enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity in violation of O.C.G.A. § 1614-4(b).”
Meadows was also charged, as was Trump, with the felony count of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer. The charge comes in relation to the infamous Jan. 2 phone conference Trump had with
incarcerated in the Jackson County Detention Center. His death followed closely on the heels of the death of Eddie Columbus Taylor, 45, who died while detained last June. In 2021, Jackson County paid $725,000 in a wrongful death lawsuit after Melissa Middleton Rice died by suicide while left alone in the jail’s booking room in 2019. There have been two other suicide deaths inside the Jackson County Detention Center in the past nine years. Charles “Chuckie” Moose died on Nov. 21, 2014, and Steve Ross on March 13, 2015.
Watson’s death came near the end of Sheriff Chip Hall’s term. Since he was replaced by Sheriff Doug Farmer, no deaths have been reported in the detention center.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump implored Raffensperger “to find 11,780 votes” because he believed he had won by “hundreds of thousands of votes.”
The phone call was first introduced during Trump’s second impeachment. Trump has since referred to the call as “perfect.”
A conviction under the RICO statute could result in a prison term of between five and 20 years, plus a fine. The solicitation charge carries a penalty of one to five years in prison.
— Cory Vaillancourt, Politics Editor
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR
More than three months after a rezoning request revealed plans by Haywood County Schools to consolidate several facilities on a new piece of property in Waynesville, Superintendent Trevor Putnam was given access to the funding that will make acquisition of the parcel possible.
“What this will allow us to do is secure property to move critical infrastructure from our Clyde location,” Putnam told Haywood County commissioners on Aug. 7. “This is the third time in recent history, but that area before any structures existed has flooded all told 10-plus times, so it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.”
Central Haywood High School, on Broad Street in Clyde, sits right on the banks of the Pigeon River. Flooding in 2004 and in 2021 devastated the site, along with the elected school board’s boardroom and the school system’s information technology department.
In late April, John and Deborah Crawford agreed to sell 29 acres at 237 Ratcliff Cove Road to HCS for an undisclosed sum, contingent on the approval of a rezoning request by Waynesville’s planning board and governing board.
Some members of the planning board were initially reticent; the parcel was at the time located in the Raccoon Creek Neighborhood Residential District, which calls for low- and medium-density residential development.
The Crawfords requested a mixed-use overlay, which would allow for live-work units, financial and business support services, laundry services, funeral homes, personal services, general commercial establishments of less than 100,000 square feet, gas stations, restaurants and government services on the parcel.
That definition opened up the possibility that if the deal with HCS fell through after the rezoning, another buyer could swoop in and build a gas station or something else seemingly unsuitable for an area that is considered one of the “gateway” routes into town from the east.
The intended use by HCS falls under government services; however, that, too, opened up another can of worms — what if the deal falls through and someone comes along and builds a jail?
Neighbors who showed up to the April 26 planning board meeting weren’t necessarily opposed to the school system’s intended use but were concerned about what the building would look like.
The planning board unanimously recommended that the request be approved with the stipulation that the rezoning would not go into effect unless and until HCS closed the deal. Waynesville’s town council later agreed, and the school board approved the purchase
in June.
Putnam’s appearance before commissioners was a formality; he was there to request $1.68 million of the school system’s $5.9 million balance in the special revenue fund.
Some had questioned the school system’s spending on facility consolidation when declining revenues from charter school growth and an expected population decrease attributable to Pactiv Evergreen’s paper mill closing in Canton put HCS in belt-tightening mode; however, per General Statutes, the money requested by Putnam can only be used for school system debt retirement or capital costs, not for operations.
“That’s something people gotta realize,” Chairman Keven Ensley said during the meeting. “You don’t just have one big pot of money you can just do whatever you want to
with, you have certain things you can do with that pot of money.”
With a unanimous vote, commissioners approved the request, which Putnam said opens up another pot of $2.5 million in reimbursements for HCS once the purchase is made.
If all goes as originally planned, the property will bring to Ratcliff Cove the bus barn at Francis Farm and the school nutritional services from Crabtree.
“The only facilities we’re actually replacing from that property [in Clyde] is the IT department, which we know is critical to our day-to-day operations,” Putnam said. “Back 20 years ago even, IT wouldn’t have been as important or as large-scale, but it is very much a part of our everyday operations, so we want to get that critical infrastructure out of the floodway into a safe location.”
Operations at Central Haywood High School were moved to the old Central Elementary in Waynesville after the flood. Putnam told The Smoky Mountain News in June that HCS was “hesitant” to build a replacement for Central Haywood High School amidst declining enrollment, especially as there appears to be plenty of space at Central Elementary.
Putnam has maintained that the consolidation will save HCS money through increased efficiencies and said the Ratcliff Cove property offered the most land for the best price and the best location. It’s about 15 minutes away from every single Haywood County public school, with the exception of Meadowbrook Elementary School.
Plans for facilities made obsolete by the consolidated facility on Ratcliff Cove — still years from opening — haven’t yet been discussed publicly.
“What this will allow us to do is secure property to move critical infrastructure from our Clyde location.”
— Trevor Putnam, Haywood County Schools superintendent
During the General Election Sept. 7, Yellowhill voters will choose two of the four names before them to be their voice in Tribal Council for the next two years.
Following the Primary Election, incumbent David Wolfe was by far the most popular of the five candidates on the ballot in that race, receiving 31.8% of the vote, while his fellow representative T.W. Saunooke made it through to the General Election with a fourth-place finish at 16.8%.
Coming in between the two incumbents were Tom Wahnetah, who held the seat 2017-2021, in second place with 20.1% of the vote, and Stephanie Saunooke French in third place, with 17.8%. However, the margins were narrow. Only 20 votes separated second-place Wahnetah and fourthplace Saunooke. In total, 601 votes were cast for Yellowhill Tribal Council in June, with a significant increase expected for the upcoming General Election. During the last election that included a race for chief, in 2019, 861 votes were cast for Yellowhill Tribal Council.
The Smoky Mountain News reached out to all four candidates to ask their opinion on a range of issues. Only Wolfe responded for this General Election questionnaire. Wahnetah did reply to a more
In addition to voting for principal chief, vice chief, Tribal Council and School Board candidates, Cherokee voters will also face a pair of referendum questions. Passage requires a majority vote in favor and a voter turnout of at least 30%. The questions are:
• Do you support allowing the Tribal ABC Commission to issue mixed beverage permits for the sale of mixed beverages on tribal lands to qualified establishments including but not limited to restaurants, hotels, convention centers and non-profit organizations?
• Do you support legalizing the possession and use of cannabis for persons who are at least twenty-one (21) years old, and require the EBCI Tribal Council to develop legislation to regulate the market?
limited questionnaire ahead of the Primary Election that asked candidates for biographical information and their top three priorities should they win the race. Additional information is drawn from previous reporting by SMN and other sources as noted.
Wolfe, 52, is serving his eighth term representing Yellowhill on Tribal Council. He graduated from Western Carolina University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and worked with UPS for 15 years before serving his first term on Tribal Council. During that time, he has served on various committees, including Health Board, Business Committee, HIP Committee, Enrollment Committee and Roads Committee.
Top three priorities if elected: Education, from pre-K through college; health care, including mental health and rehabilitation; and affordable housing.
Opinion on proposed constitution: The proposed constitution is no longer on the ballot this year, but Wolfe supports the idea of having a constitution.
Path to stabilize and grow tribal finances: Tribal Council must work hard to ensure that projects stay on budget and are built to last, he said, and the tribe must hire inspectors who will hold contractors accountable for their work. As an example of the need for this, he points to Cherokee Central Schools, which was completed in 2009 for $140 million. A mold issue discovered last year in the relatively new facility is expected to cost many millions of dollars to fix.
Ideas to improve economic development and quality of life in Cherokee: The tribe must get its ceremonial grounds built back so that events on that site can continue. The project, once completed, “will have a huge impact on the local economy,” he said.
Wahnetah, 61, works as senior project manager for Kituwah Builders, a tribally owned LLC. He is seeking his third term on Council after representing Yellowhill from 2017-2021. While on Council, he met with federal legislative leaders about tribal issues and was appointed to tribal committees including Community Services, Qualla Parks and Recreation, Qualla Housing, Timber and Natural Resources, Enrollment Housing, Planning Board and Community Projects. Wahnetah is an N.C. Licensed General Contractor with 40 years of experience in commercial and residential construction projects with budgets ranging from $50,000 to $5 million.
Top three priorities if elected: encourage downtown revitalization by supporting the tribe and searching for ways to strengthen and revitalize tribally owned businesses, provide resources toward ongoing efforts to preserve and perpetuate the Cherokee language and increase recreational activities for children on the Qualla Boundary, including a community pool.
Saunooke is serving his first term on Tribal Council and previously spent six years as an elected member of the Cherokee Central Schools Board of Education. While on the School Board, Saunooke was elected by the N.C. General Assembly of School
Three of the four Yellowhill candidates participated in a General Election debate hosted by The Cherokee One Feather. Watch it at bit.ly/wolfetownyellowhill23, starting at the two hour, six minute mark.
NCDOT awarded a $6.2 million contract to replace a bridge, build a roundabout, new sidewalk and new bike lanes in Cullowhee.
Crews from IPC Paving of Orlando may begin construction along Monteith Gap Road as soon as Oct. 16. The contract calls
for completion of all operations by July 1, 2025. Utility relocation is already underway.
Construction plans include multiple phases to create safe conditions for workers while still accommodating traffic, cyclists and pedestrians. Most of the roundabout
and bridge will be built west of the existing roadway in order to reduce traffic impacts and improve the alignment of roads.
The roundabout will create a safer connection of Monteith Gap, South Painter and Ledbetter roads. The new bike lane will stretch from the roundabout to the
Board members to serve on the North Carolina School Board Association Board of Directors and the N.C. School Board Federal Relations Network. He has also served on the N.C. USA Wrestling board of directors. Prior to joining Tribal Council, he was a project manager for seven years with 25 years of experience in the construction industry.
Opinion on proposed constitution: During a June 21 work session, Saunooke said that he supported a referendum vote on the proposed document, but in July he voted with 10 other Council members to delay the referendum so that a new Constitution Convention could work out legal issues with the document.
French works as education supervisor for the Cherokee Youth Center. According to her campaign Facebook page, she has served as vice chair of the Yellowhill Community Club since 2021 and has been employed by the tribe for nearly 16 years, holding various positions over that time.
Top priorities if elected: As stated on her campaign Facebook page, French supports equal employment opportunities, filling gaps in services for families who don’t qualify for existing services, economic diversification by building up the local community and improved housing opportunities for enrolled members.
Opinion on proposed constitution: As a member of the Community Club Council, French was an active part of the effort to finalize the draft constitution and encourage Tribal Council to allow a referendum vote adopting it.
Path to stabilize and grow tribal finances: In comments posted to her campaign’s Facebook page, French expressed concern about the “hundreds of millions of dollars in debt” the tribe’s children will inherit and said that economic diversification must be achieved through building up the local community. She said she supports legislation to get the tribe fully out of debt and involved with projects it can afford without adding to the debt.
Ideas to improve economic development and quality of life in Cherokee: French said she favors investing in building up the local community and bringing “family friendly activities and attractions” to Cherokee. She also wants to see barriers removed for enrolled members wanting to build homes on land they own on the Qualla Boundary.
Monteith Gap Road intersection with Old Cullowhee Road. The new sidewalk will run along both sides of Monteith Gap Road to the intersection with Old Cullowhee Road, and new sidewalk on the west side of the road will curve along a stretch of Central Drive.
I am sorry to inform you that the Macon County News & Shopping Guide after 40 years has stopped publishing. Our last edition was July 27, 2023.
I want to thank all of our readers and advertisers for all of your support over these many years. It was a pleasure doing business with you and I wish you all well.
Owner and Publisher, Betsey GooderFrom the Macon County News website
Yes, a newspaper over in Macon County just became a data point in a growing trend in the United States, that of newspapers that have closed in recent years. The Macon County News is the first that has been around that long that has closed in our region, but I’m certain they won’t be the last. Across this country there are many communities that have no media outlets producing local news.
Steven Waldman, president of Rebuild Local News and a co-founder of Report for America, wrote about this trend in the most recent issue of the Atlantic magazine:
You’ve probably read about the collapse of local news over the past two decades. On average, two newspapers close each week. Some 1,800 communities that used to have local news now don’t. Many of the papers still hanging on are forced to make do with skeleton staffs as their owners, often privateequity firms, seek to cut costs. The number of newspaper newsroom employees dropped by 57 percent from 2008 to 2020, according to a Pew Research study, leading to thousands of “ghost newspapers” that barely cover their community.
To the Editor:
I appreciate the clear, factual reporting done by Cory Vaillancourt uncovering the truth regarding the Waynesville Recreation Center incidents. He also rightly, in my opinion, alluded to the hypocrisy of using Christianity as a cover for out of place overreaction (including online threats) aimed at a person or persons who did absolutely nothing to hurt anyone.
Some peoples’ reactions to the incidents reminded me of the early days of integration when this same rationale of “protecting our daughters” was used to oppose desegregation. You would hear things like “Ain’t no n-word gonna sit by my daughter in school. Just let’em try!” Sound familiar? Just take out the “n-word” and replace it with “transgender.” Take out “school” and insert “rec center.”
It’s really all about fearing what you don’t know or understand. And as Cory pointed out, it’s all about judgement.
So, we need to continue to get the facts as clearly as Cory presented them. As with everything in life, understanding will come in time.
All the newspapers in this region are competitors to The Smoky Mountain News, but in other vitally important ways we are passengers on the same ship. As for-profit businesses, we are all navigating a fast-changing marketplace for what we produce. Our print products are still viable, producing news valuable to the region. We help many small and large businesses get their message out through our advertising. But many people only read our digital platforms. That leads to hundreds of thousands of pageviews per month, but the revenue from those views aren’t as robust as we’d like — something every news producing business deals with.
The big boys — Meta and Google, primarily — retain a great majority of the money that goes to online advertising. We and other media outlets are getting a share, but not what is necessary to survive if that were the only source of dollars.
In his article, Altman shows that having local newspapers actually saves citizens money. He cited a book called “Democracy’s Detectives: The Economics of Investigative Journalism,” by Stanford professor James Hamilton. One of the examples cited by Hamilton was a series of articles by The Raleigh News and Observer:
…. a series by the Raleigh News & Observer that found that, because the state criminal-justice system didn’t adequately keep track of those under supervision, 580 people on probation in North Carolina killed someone from 2000 to 2008. After the state imple-
mented reforms, murders committed by people on probation declined. Applying the statistical “value of human life” used by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Hamilton concluded that society saved about $62 million in just the first year after the policy changes. The series cost only about $200,000 to produce.
Altman’s group — Rebuild Local News — has been arguing for a federal tax credit for companies that employ real journalists and another tax break for small businesses that advertise with local news organizations. If these measures pass, it would provide a boost to local news organizations of all types, which would in turn be good for communities across the nation.
I can say that with conviction — it would be good for communities across the nation. I’ve been a journalist in North Carolina since 1987, and I’ve witnessed and been a part of many important issues and projects in which reporters and newspapers have played a huge role. In just the last few months, we’ve seen how news outlets have helped in holding Pactiv Evergreen responsible to employees, to Canton and to the environment as they closed their paper mill.
News reporting gives local people power. It’s not about us — reporters and editors and such — it’s about arming the citizenry with knowledge about their towns and counties, their elected leaders and their communities so they can make informed choices. If that keeps happening, Western North Carolina remains a great place to live. If more news outlets go the way of the Macon County News, well, it won’t be good. That’s a promise.
(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com.)
Alot has changed through the decades, but the excitement surrounding a backto-school season remains. I remember my own feelings of anticipation as summertime concluded and the first day of school was in sight, questions swirling in my young mind. Who will be my teacher? Will my friends be in my classes? Will someone have the same backpack as me? Do I have all the supplies I need?
Reflecting upon the past several months, it’s been a slow and easy summer in our household. There have been years where summertime was packed with vacations and adventuring in faraway places, but this year was different. Aside from a few camps and a few days at the lake, we’ve mostly taken it easy and enjoyed activities in our own region.
From tubing and hiking to waterfall chasing and horseback riding, among other things, it’s been a fun and playful summer, despite the lack of travel.
We are lucky to live in a region packed with not only outdoor adventure options but also delicious foods, great music and festivals galore. We don’t take it for granted that we can drive a few miles to Lake Junaluska and spend the day paddle boarding and playing pickleball or galavant over to Canton and put our tubes in the Pigeon for a relaxing couple of hours on the water or venture a few miles outside Maggie Valley and splash in Soco Falls. Few other counties offer such natural luxuries.
With the dog days of summer wrapping up, the back-to-school season is in full swing and we’re busy attending parent meetings, orientations, scrimmages and all the other events and activities that precede the kickoff to a new year.
My mom was a school librarian and my dad was a teacher, so during the back-toschool seasons of my childhood our home was abuzz with energized preparation and a familial shift from relaxing summertime mode to hectic school-year mode. My mom, sister and I would venture to Roses and elbow our way through the aisles to find a new backpack and a colorful Trapper Keeper. We would then visit the Asheville Mall to select our first-day outfits. Now, I’m helping my kids check items off supply lists, get haircuts, pick out shoes and find a cute
shirt that’s worthy of that all-important day.
As a child of educators and a former teacher myself, teachers are always on my mind this time of year. From social media posts and chatting with former colleagues, teachers are fully immersed in preparing classrooms, attending professional development training and doing the many other things required to welcome a new group of students. It’s no secret today’s education profession is more challenging than ever. It is not an easy career physically, emotionally, politically or financially, yet these folks go back to their classrooms year after year. There can be only one reason for this. They truly love teaching and inspiring kids.
Educators impact our students in profound ways, far beyond maps and equations and dissecting sentences. Future astronauts, Olympians, composers, neurosurgeons and world-renown architects are sitting in classrooms learning from teachers, attending
sports practices after school and marching with the band.
When I think of the profound effects my boys’ teachers and coaches have had on them, I get emotional. Teachers are a significant component of every child’s village, and I hope they are valued by all as they should be. I look back on my own school experiences and am flooded with positive memories of my favorite teachers and coaches.
Time is one of life’s most valuable treasures. Summer vacation offers our children and teens time to try new things, see novel places and figure out who they are as people. This summer they planted seeds in their life that will sprout into parts of their personality and abilities. I hope the young people in your lives have had a wonderful break from school. As the buses start rolling and the bells start ringing, let’s collectively be with all of the students as they embark on new beginnings. Additionally, let’s be sure to appreciate all the incredible teachers who, day in and day out, inspire our children.
Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist with The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living, and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR
Last Tuesday morning, Doug Gray was standing outside his hotel room in Jackson, Wyoming. Thousands of miles from his home in South Carolina, the lead singer/guitarist for The Marshall Tucker Band was waiting to hear back from a mechanic about yet another tour bus down for the count.
“Business is business, and I’ve been doing it ever since I was seven years old,” Gray said. “For me, I just don’t want to let anybody down. We’ve got to get this bus back on the road so we can play for the people who are coming to see us.”
At age 75, Gray is a human entity filled with gratitude and optimism. For someone who’s spent pretty much his entire adult life on the road and onstage with one of the most beloved acts of southern rock, he’s never taken a single day doing what he truly loves for granted.
“My sole concern has been to always make everybody smile,” Gray said. “And I like to see people getting along. There’s so much negativity being forced down our throats [these days]. I don’t care for it and I don’t want to see it — I’ve learned a lot [as a person] and I’m still learning right now.”
Born in 1948 and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Gray remembers being a young kid in the mid-1950s during the height of the Elvis Presley craze that lay at the heart of the dawn of rock-n-roll.
“My [older] sister would take me to the Tastee-Freez at the end of the street. It was like something out of [the film] ‘American Graffiti,’” Gray recalled. “She was going through the boy thing and wanted to me to get away from [her and her friends] so they could talk to boys and stuff. So, she’d give me
nickels to go play the jukebox — I would just play songs and sing along.”
As a teenager, Gray formed a band called The New Generation, which featured bassist Tommy Caldwell. Eventually, the group combined forces with The Rants, an ensemble that included Tommy’s brother, guitarist Toy Caldwell, and multi-instrumentalist Jerry Eubanks.
Following a stint in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, Gray returned to the South. Once back, Gray rejoined the Caldwell brothers and Eubanks in their band Toy Factory, this time adding in drummer Paul Riddle and guitarist George McCorkle.
In 1972, the outfit changed its name to The Marshall Tucker Band, the label coming from the name on a key for the warehouse the group was renting to rehearse in at the time, with Tucker being a blind piano tuner in Columbia, South Carolina. Apparently, Tucker had tuned a piano in that rental space prior to the band’s use of it.
After signing with storied rock label Capricorn Records — whose roster back then featured The Allman Brothers Band, Wet Willie, Cowboy, Bonnie Bramlett — The Marshall Tucker Band released its debut self-titled album in 1973. Side one of the record offered up the number “Can’t You See,” arguably one of the most beloved songs of the era.
From there, The Marshall Tucker Band became a marquee rock act in the 1970s and beyond. Not to mention endless spins on radio stations coast-to-coast with follow-up hit singles “Fire On The Mountain” and “Heard It In A Love Song.” And for the better part of the last 50 years, The Marshall Tucker Band had remained a force of nature on the national touring circuit.
“We all want to be rich, and I’ve done all I could to get as much as I could,” Gray noted in a humbled tone when reflecting on the band’s decades-long success. “But, I still have my father’s pay sheet that he would get once a week. My daddy was making $64 a week and now I buy sushi for the whole band [on tour] and it’s over $800 — I walk by the pay sheet in my house and remember how lucky I am.”
Classic rock icons The Marshall Tucker Band will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, at Harrah’s Cherokee Resort Event Center.
Tickets start at $34.50 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee and click on the “Shows” tab.
As the sole original member of The Marshall Tucker Band still standing out there onstage night-after-night, Doug Gray is not only a fiery torchbearer for timeless rock music, he’s also carrying with him the memory and legacy of those who aren’t on this earth anymore to proudly perform the legendary melodies.
“You know, I remember some of the people that I’ve missed and loved, people who you would pick up the phone and just call to say hello,” Gray said. “And whether [those people] are gone or not, they’re all a blessing, everything I’ve been able to do in life has been a blessing — it’s all been a crazy ride and I’m still here.”
Mailbox 278 (pictured) along Route 581 in the unincorporated community of Nahunta, North Carolina. In the rural depths of Wayne County on the outskirts of the small city of Goldsboro.
Way east of the bustling Interstate 95 corridor. Way west of the soothing breeze of the Atlantic Ocean. Heat and humidity. Poverty and pessimism. The middle of nowhere. I found myself standing in front of mailbox 278 yesterday morning.
This was the exact mailbox of a onceinhabited home by my girlfriend, Sarah, when she was a young child in an oftentumultuous family dynamic, many-a-time ending up alone and far from her parents.
Back then, in 1990, Sarah lived at mailbox 278, a quaint home down a long dirt driveway to a humble abode tucked back in the woods, next to a pond and filled with all kinds of adventure opportunities for a kid chock-full of wanderlust and curiosity. It was a very lonely place for her, too.
The house was also less than a mile from her elementary school, surrounded by endless farm fields, mostly raising tobacco, soybean and corn crops. Pork is big here, as well. The reason we ended up in front of mailbox 278 was due to Sarah and I heading to Wayne County to see her sickly father, a stoic Navy veteran in dire health these days of old age amid fading hope for a positive outcome.
Before we went to see him, Sarah wanted to track down her old house. So, we meandered the backroads of Wayne County in search of Nahunta and of mailbox 278. It took about three back-and-forth attempts along Route 581 before we figured out 278 was the correct address (based on her dusty memories), but where was the driveway? It was at that moment when I noticed a small walking path behind the mailbox.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a path, but an old dirt driveway now overgrown with brush. We pulled the truck off Route 581 and parked it. Emerging from the vehicle, Sarah made a deep sigh as we ventured down the path and back into the damp woods from a storm earlier in the day.
A couple hundred yards down the path, we could see a small portion of a roof behind the sprawling brush. “There it is,” Sarah said. Yep, there it was. Her childhood home. You could barely see the structure, the only exposed area being the side garage due to the ground there being the only paved part of the driveway. We stood there and took it all in.
Sarah pointed out several key fixtures of the property and told stories of her childhood
adventures in the surrounding forest, around the house and over the now collapsed bridge across a small nearby creek. Eventually, we said goodbye to the property and headed back through the woods and to the truck.
Before we left Nahunta, Sarah pointed to a large brick building just south of her home. It was the old elementary school. Abandoned. Broken windows and rotting wood. The whole back of the building had falling into itself many years ago, same went for the gymnasium in the backyard.
Sarah wandered around and talked about getting her picture taking as a little girl on the front steps. I told her to sit on the steps, and that I’d like to take her picture now as a beautiful, intelligent and ambitious 38-yearold woman.
And it was in that moment where she seemingly found a deep, perhaps lost, sense of peace and of self: of her past, of the present, and of the unknown future.
The next morning, before hitting the road for the almost six-hour journey along I40 to Haywood County, Sarah and I motored from the hotel in Goldsboro to her late grandparents’ home in the rural outpost of Grantham. Wide-open fields. Sharecropper shacks. Newly renovated country homes. Big diesel trucks blasting down the backroads.
The “An Appalachian Evening” series will continue with a performance by Seth Mulder & Midnight Run at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
Pulling up to the 80-acre property, there was a for sale sign in the driveway. With her grandfather gone over a decade and a half ago and her grandmother passing away in 2021, Sarah and her little brother inherited the place, with neither wanting to — or able to run — the large tract of land in the heart of the Carolina countryside.
Throwing the truck into park in front of the brick ranch house her grandfather built himself in the 1960s, we left the comforts of air-conditioning and were quickly immersed in the hot sun of August in Eastern Carolina. Beads of sweat soon formed on my forehead as we walked around the perimeter of the silent, vacant house.
With her father deployed overseas and her mother living elsewhere, most of Sarah’s formative years were spent living with her generous and loving grandparents. We entered the house. The electricity had been cut off recently. There was that familiar musty smell of old memories and left behind trinkets.
Walking down the back hallway, she
The 14th annual season of the “Concerts on the Creek” music series will feature indie-soul group The Get Right Band at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, at the gazebo in Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
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Regional blues/folk singersongwriter Heidi Holton will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
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There will be a special conversation with writers Dale Neal and Matthew Fiander hosted by author Meagan Lucas at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
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A one-hour, one-person show, a production of “Every Brilliant Thing” by Duncan MacMillan will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17-19 and 2 p.m. Aug. 20 on the Fangmeyer Stage at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
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opened the last door on the left. It was her old bedroom. Bright red shag carpeting. Two windows and a small closet. A lone overhead light. She stood in the room and scanned it in a 360-degree motion.
Right next to her, I looked out the window and wondered how many times she did the same thing as a teenager and what she was thinking about back then, perhaps wishing would happen in her impending adulthood.
Outside, we walked along the tobacco fields bordering the ranch house. For many years now, tenant farmers have overtaken the backfields and cultivated it. The sounds of doves in the tree line and insects all throughout the endless rows of soon-to-beharvested tobacco.
Bending down to pick through some of the dirt in the rows, Sarah was looking for arrowheads, something she’d find often on the property many moons ago. Within a few minutes, she found one, a quartz with sharp, chiseled edges. Not much later, I found one myself.
Heading back to the truck, Sarah and I found ourselves in a conversation of sincerity and introspective purpose, me asking question after question about the property and her time there — what her life was like, what she experienced, what her hopes and dreams were.
With the ranch house and the 80 acres now in the rearview mirror, it was time to head back to Western North Carolina. But, not before Sarah gave the place one last look, her voice saying softly, “It’s good to be back here.”
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
‘Scarecrow and a yellow moon and pretty soon a carnival on the edge ofMailbox 278. Garret K. Woodward photo
Deborah Freedman has been painting barn quilts for five years, but she conveys a sense that she has been creating these paintings her entire life.
While still working as an interior designer, Freedman departed from her profession and delved headfirst into the newfound art
Freedman worked as a high-end interior designer in West Palm Beach, Florida, for 25 years, meeting one-on-one with clients to design their picture-perfect homes. In 2016 she relocated to Western North Carolina and decided the time was right to retire from her profession. A couple of years into her move a neighbor approached her with a request of painting a barn quilt of her goats.
“When I came here, I hadn’t picked up a paintbrush in 30 years,” she said.
Freedman was hesitant at first, but once she finished her first work she was hooked. In the five years since, she has amassed a portfolio of over 200 works and multiple awards received from various local craft shows and the North Carolina Mountain
only uses specialty outdoor paints she came to trust during her time as an interior designer, all for the purpose of the longevity of the works of art.
“We want something that is going to be with people for decades, not a few years,” she said.
Longing for a space to connect with other crafters, the artist submitted several of her barn quilts to be judged for entry at Dogwood Crafters. Her work was accepted into the space, and she continually forges relationships with like-minded artists. Furthering education of heritage crafts is one of the important mindsets at Dogwood.
“Dogwood is trying to preserve our heritage arts — quilting, painting, pottery —
we have such a good time,” she said.
Freedman realizes that the utilization of her chosen art form is decreasing as time progresses and technology advances.
“Just like my son saying, ‘Mom, we can get you a computer, we can print this, you can make a lot of money.’”
Instead, Freedman stresses the importance of traditional methods of creating her barn quilts through hand drawing and painting, but she has adapted her style to appeal to current interests.
“People my age really love these [traditional] patterns, but people younger or people from the city will come in and are drawn to the contemporary,” she said.
form. She has found a place among a community of artisans at Dogwood Crafters cooperative in Dillsboro where she displays her work for locals and tourists alike to view and purchase. Through the cooperative, she teaches the processes of barn quilting to those who either want to learn a new skill or experience a medium with deep traditions. She knows heritage crafts such as hers have been diminishing for several years, but she believes contemporary adaptations of her work will lead to a piqued interest in younger generations.
State Fair. The style of the barn quilts she creates run from traditional designs such as the maple leaf and bear paw patterns to the incorporation of modern symbols including Grateful Dead iconography and Star Wars jedi helmets.
Knowing the history and importance of displaying painted quilts on the outside of structures, Friedman is conscious of creating long-lasting and durable pieces. For this, the artist uses medium density overlay plywood (MDO) as the canvas for its ability to hold shape and retain rich color. Freedman also
heritage arts are important because it’s our heritage in Appalachia.”
For this, the cooperative hosts a number of classes on these historical art forms such as broom-making and sewing. In this series, Freedman hosts a barn quilt painting class of around 12 students where each selects a pattern and is given a kit to paint their own square. In the end, the student can take their piece home.
“Last year I taught one class … this year it filled up in a week and I’m teaching a second one in October to 10 more people and
For her modern take on the paintings, Freedman adapts the geometric shapes found in most quilt patterns and incorporates modern symbols or imagery to fit into the design. She has found great success in this area, continually receiving commissions for wildlife, movies and even spiritual icons. Some of her newer pieces do not even incorporate the cornerstone geometric shapes as the focus. She is currently creating a series of bears whose styles are blended and whose faces are detailed. These capture her craft’s longstanding designs and newer adaptations that will appeal to younger individuals who will share this art form with others.
Freedman can be reached at e561.308.6620 or dfreedmandesign@gmail.com.
The “An Appalachian Evening” series will continue with a performance by Seth Mulder & Midnight Run at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
The annual summer concert series offers an ever-changing schedule of bluegrass, folk and old-time mountain music by award-winning artists — quality entertainment for the entire family.
Rich in cultural heritage, the series continues to be a favorite with locals and visitors alike. The concert will be held in the air-conditioned Lynn L. Shields Auditorium.
Seth Mulder & Midnight Run released their latest album, “In Dreams I Go Back,” in September 2022 on Mountain Fever Records. The album features the S.P.B.G.M.A. “Song of the Year” for 2023,
The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce are proud to present the 14th annual season of the “Concerts on the Creek” music series.
Indie-soul group The Get Right Band will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, at the gazebo in Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
The Get Right Band is an Asheville-based psychedelic indie-rock power trio committed to relentlessly following its muses to honest self-expression, to whatever excites them and pushes them into unexplored territory, to capturing some version of truth.
American Songwriter writes that the group, “filters 60s/70s psychedelia and 90s alternative rock through a modern lens–as if Led
which was “My, My, My.” Other chart-topping songs include “One More Night” and “Carolina Line.” In 2021, “One More Night” was the fourth most played song on bluegrass radio that year.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for stu-
• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7-9 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. For more information, go to blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m., The Late Shifters Aug. 19 and Carolina Drifter Aug. 26. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.
• Cashiers Live (Cashiers) will host RCA (classic rock) Aug. 19. Tickets are $40 for adults, $12 for kids under age 12. VIP options available. Doors at 6 p.m. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to cashierslive.com.
unless otherwise noted. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.
• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Charley Simmons Aug. 19 and Zip Robertson (singer-songwriter) Aug. 26. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main Street. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.
• Groovin’ on the Green (Cashiers) will host Emporium Band (funk/rock) Aug. 25. Shows begin at 6:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged. villagegreencashiersnc.com/concerts.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriter) Aug. 17, Blake Ellege (indie/soul) Aug. 18, Jay Drummond (singer-songwriter) Aug. 19, A Fiddler & A Picker (Americana) Aug. 20, Rock Holler Aug. 25 and The Remnants Aug. 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.
dents grade K-12. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Concerts On The Creek (Sylva) will host The Get Right Band (rock/soul) Aug. 18 and The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/indie) Aug. 25 at Bridge Park in Sylva. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. 828.586.2155 or mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek.
Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Nirvana co-wrote an album produced by Danger Mouse and Dan Auerbach.”
These events are free with donations encouraged. Everyone is welcome. Dogs must be on a leash. No smoking, vaping, coolers or tents allowed. Bring a chair or blanket. There will be food trucks onsite for this event.
These concerts are organized and produced by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information, please contact the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 828.586.2155 or visit the Concerts on the Creek Facebook page. A full schedule of dates and performers can be found at mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Thursdays and Macon County Line Aug. 19. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” featuring Nicole Witt (singer- songwriter) Aug. 24. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Tickets start at $25 per person. For tickets, go to oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will host Silly Ridge Aug. 18 and Southern Highlands Band Aug. 25 at Town Square on Main Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30 p.m., Bone Evil 5:30 p.m. Aug. 17, Virginia Sweet Aug. 18, Rick Nelson Band 5 p.m. Aug. 19, Outlaw Whiskey (rock/country) with J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway (rock/blues) 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19 (in The Lineside: $10 in advance, $12 at the door), Syrrup 3 p.m. Aug. 20 and 2 p.m. Aug. 27, Rhythm & Flow Community Drum Circle 5:30 p.m. Aug. 22, Jackson Grimm & The Bull Moose Party (American/folk) 5:30 p.m. Aug. 24, 81 Drifters Aug. 25 and Krave Amiko Aug. 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Marshall Tucker Band (classic rock) 9 p.m. Aug. 25. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host a Sunday Bluegrass Residency noon to 2:30 p.m. and the “Salon Series” with She Returns From War (singer-songwriter) 8:30 p.m. Aug. 24. Tickets are $25 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandermountainhouse.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night with Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday, Open Mic Night every Wednesday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovationbrewing.com.
• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays, “YerkFest” 3 p.m. Aug. 26 and Shane Meade (indie/ soul) 2 p.m. Aug. 27. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 6 p.m. Tuesdays, trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Open Mic 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and Seth & Sara (Americana) Aug. 18. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lineside at Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Outlaw Whiskey (rock/country) and J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway (rock/blues) 6:30 p.m. Aug. 19. Open to all ages. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to froglevelbrewing.com.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) “Summer Music Series” will continue with Heidi Holton (blues/folk) Aug. 24. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, call the library at 828.488.3030 or go to fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host Trivia Thursdays 6:30 p.m., Kim Smith (singer-songwriter) Aug. 18, Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) Aug. 19, Adrianne Blanks & The Oracles (Americana/soul) Aug. 25 and Kevin Dolan & Paul Koptak (singer-songwriter) Aug. 26. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or 828.926.1717.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an “Open Mic with Frank Lee” Wednesdays, Gage Hill (singer-songwriter) Aug. 18, Granny’s Mason Jar (bluegrass) Aug. 19, Alma Russ (Americana/indie) Aug. 25, Scott James Stambaugh (singer-songwriter) Aug. 26 and Heidi Holton (blues/folk) 5 p.m. Aug. 27. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Big Deal Band Aug. 18, McKinney 1 p.m. Aug. 19, Funk’n Around Aug. 19, Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) Aug. 25 and Somebody’s Child (Americana) Aug. 26. All shows behind at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. noc.com/events.
• Pickin’ In The Park (Canton) will host Rick Morris Aug. 18 and Running Wolfe Aug. 25. Local clogging groups will also be onsite to perform. Shows are 6-9 p.m. at the Canton Rec Park located at 77 Penland St. Free and open to the public. Cantonnc.com.
• Pickin’ On The Square (Franklin) will host Three Amigos (variety/gospel) Aug. 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo in downtown. Free and open to the public. franklinnc.com/pickin-on-the-square.html.
• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.
• Salty’s Dogs Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke with Russell” every Monday, Rene Russell (singer-songwriter)
Aug. 18, Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) Aug. 19, Andrew Rickman (country/rock) Aug. 25 and Susie Copeland (singer-songwriter) Aug. 26. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105.
• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will host Continental Divide Sept. 2 at KelseyHutchinson Park on Pine Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m. Sundays, Water & Bones (country/rock) Aug. 17, TracEnd (rock/pop) Aug. 18, Rene Russell (Americana/rock) Aug. 24, Celtic Road (Celtic/jam) 4 p.m. Aug. 26 and Ben & The Borrowed Band (Americana) Aug. 26. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Clay Walker Aug. 25. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.
• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) “An Appalachian Evening” live music series will feature Seth Mulder & Midnight Run (bluegrass) Aug. 19 and The Bluegrass All Stars Aug. 26. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host “Bluegrass Wednesday” at 6:30 p.m. each week. 828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.
• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host JR Williams Aug. 16, Blue Aug. 17, Rock Holler Aug. 18, Carolina Freightshakers (classic rock) Aug. 19, Karaoke w/Lori McDonald Aug. 23, Blackjack Country Aug. 24, Mile High (classic rock) Aug. 25 and Trial By Fire Aug. 26. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.
• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. Aug. 25 and Dick Dickerson (singersongwriter) 2 p.m. Aug. 27. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 or valleycigarandwineco.com.
• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Christina Chandler Aug. 18, Arnold Hill (rock/jam) Aug. 19, Andy Ferrell (singersongwriter) Aug. 25 and Kid Billy Aug. 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.
• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host Kenny Roby (singer-songwriter) 4 p.m. Aug. 27. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to eatrealfoodinc.com.
Regional blues/folk singer-songwriter Heidi Holton will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
Holton is turning heads with her unique take on one of America’s oldest popular musical traditions: the blues. She began young, leaving Murphy to play in rock bands in Athens, Georgia, and New Orleans, Louisiana, before the blues called and she answered.
She studied under the great Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna) and then disappeared to Alaska’s arctic interior to perfect her craft. She has since moved back to Murphy and is touring around the country.
The show is free and open to the public. For more information, call the library at 828.488.3030 or go to fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
A community jam will be held from 67:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer or anything unplugged is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.
The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — spring, summer, fall.
This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts.
828.488.3030.
Presented by Adamas Entertainment, the “Rockin’ Ramble” featuring Outlaw Whiskey and J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at The Lineside, the brand-new music venue at Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville.
Formed in Haywood County seven years ago, Outlaw Whiskey has emerged as a popular band in Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia. A blend of original country and rock songwriting amid a bevy of cover tunes from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and other marquee acts, the essence of the group is musicianship and fellowship.
In March, Outlaw Whiskey was recognized as “Band of the Year” (New Country: 50 & Over Category) by the North America Country Music Association, Int’l (NACMAI). The ensemble accepted its honor at the NACMAI award show at the Country Tonite Theatre in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Last year, Scott took home the NACMAI award for “Songwriter of the Year.”
Hailing from Lenoir, power rock trio J.J. Hipps & The Hideaway explores the endless depths of the blues, where a typical whirlwind set touches upon the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band and much more.
To note, The Lineside is the big red building between Frog Level Brewing and The Green Room on Commerce Street in
Doors at 6:30 p.m. Show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 day of show. Cash and credit cards accepted at the door.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to froglevelbrewing.com and go to the “Event Calendar” tab.
The 17th annual Franklin Area Folk Festival, “A Celebration of Appalachian Heritage,” will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center.
Celebrating all things
Appalachian, this family-friendly festival features live heritage demonstrations, Appalachian crafts, jammin’ sessions of old-time mountain and bluegrass music, heritage camp, kids activities, food, textiles and much more.
This free event is co-sponsored annually by the Folk Heritage Association of Macon County and the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center, with support from the community, local area museums, Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce, Arts Council of Macon County, NC Arts Council/Cowee School, Macon County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and others.
This festival is made possible by grants from the Franklin/Nantahala Tourism Development Committee and the Tourism
Development Authority of the Town of Franklin, along with funding from local businesses and individuals.
For more information visit franklinfolkfestival.com or call 828.369.4080.
• “Mater Fest” will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. The event celebrates the tomato harvest with live music, vendors, dreamwhips, food trucks, watermelon eating contest, bounce houses, and other activities. For more information, email hotheadevents@gmail.com.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, go to waynesvillewine.com.
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.
• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.
The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 7-9 p.m. Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 31 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park in Cherokee.
Sit by a bonfire, alongside a river, and listen to some of Cherokee’s best storytellers. The bonfire is free and open to the public.
For more information, call 800.438.1601 or go to visitcherokeenc.com.
she hopes that by making a numbered list of “every brilliant thing” that makes life worth living, she can make her mother feel better.
The play lays bare the very definition of hope, that to live in the present you must imagine a future that is better than the past.
As she takes you on her journey into adulthood she continues working on the list, aiming to accrue a million brilliant things.
McCarson’s connection with the audience keeps this intriguing show from veering into depressing or sentimental territory.
A one-hour, one-person show, a production of “Every Brilliant Thing” by Duncan MacMillan will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 45, 11-12, 17-19 and 2 p.m. Aug. 6, 13 and 20 on the Fangmeyer Stage at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
“Every Brilliant Thing” is an unconventional comedy that serves as a moving depiction of hope, balancing the struggles of life and all that is sweet in it. Actor Erin McCarson gently takes you into the world of a seven-year-old whose mother is struggling with depression and whose father lacks the tools to help her cope.
Her candid and compassionate portrayal grabs your heart from the very start and evokes heart ache, humor and empathy as
Before the performance, McCarson will engage with audience members, handing out cards for them to read aloud entries from the list of brilliant things when she speaks its number on stage. She also enlists select audience members onto the stage to improvise roles, directing and playing with them in a most delightful and caring way.
The audience participation is a major part of this show’s charm, ultimately delivering a different show with every performance. But don’t fret, McCarson will only interact with audience members who are comfortable participating in the show.
There is a content warning. While this is an incredibly uplifting show, it does contain subject matter of suicide and depression.
To make reservations, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org to make reservations online. HART Box Office hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
• Blue Stage (Andrews) will host a “Comedy Night” at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18. Featuring Sonya White, Kevin Shockley and Beth Tompkins. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 828.361.2534 or gm@thebluestage.com.
• “Dreams” showcase will run through Monday, Aug. 28, at the Haywood County Arts Council in downtown Waynesville. This exhibit will showcase colorful and dreamy works by over 34 of our local artist members in a variety of mediums including oil, watercolor, photography, needle felting, acrylic, mixed media, glass, quilting and more. The gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. haywoodarts.org.
• “Art After Dark” will take place from 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, in downtown Waynesville. Each first Friday of the month (May-December), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, live music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors alike. For more information, go to downtownwaynesville.com.
• “Summer Artisan Market” will be held from noon to 5 p.m. on the second Saturday of every
month through September at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in Nantahala Gorge. Free and open to the public. noc.com/events.
• Call for artists and musicians for the “Youth Arts Festival” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Artists needed to demonstrate, as well as musicians to perform. If interested, email chelseamiller@jacksonnc.org or call 828.631.0271.
• Summer Artisans Market will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of the month through September at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Artisan vendors and more. For more information, go to noc.com.
• Farmer’s Market (with artisans) will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays and
Saturdays through October at 117 Island St. in Bryson City stop by the old barn by the river for local, homegrown produce, as well as baked goods, jellies and preserves, authentic crafts and more. Food truck, picnic tables and live music. Leashed pets are welcome. Outdoor event. 828.488.7857.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information and a full schedule, go to haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes,
events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, go to jcgep.org.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, go to southwesterncc.edu/scc-locations/swain-center.
• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, go to dogwoodcrafters.com/classes or call 828.586.2248.
The new exhibition “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will be showcased through Dec. 8 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
The exhibit features over 140 works of contemporary Native American art from the collection of one of Western North Carolina’s most notable art enthusiasts, the late Lambert Wilson.
He devoted his life to supporting and encouraging Native artists, amassed an extensive collection of over 6,000 objects during his lifetime, focusing primarily on artists of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Nation and sovereign nations of the Southwest.
This exhibition brings together a selection of baskets, pottery, carving, painting, photography, and more that tell the story of the relationships Wilson built and the impact that he made by dedicating himself to this remarkable collection.
Those who live in Western North Carolina have known Wilson as a respected educator and supporter of the arts. He started his collection of contemporary Native American art in the 1970s, when he was studying middle grade education as an undergraduate student at WCU.
As part of an introductory art history course taught by Janie Leftwich, Wilson completed an extra credit assignment to visit the John Julius Wilnoty Eagle Dancer sculpture at Medicine Man Crafts in Cherokee. This encounter motivated him to acquire his own collection of Cherokee artwork.
From that first moment of inspiration, Wilson saw artwork as a vehicle for culture, learning and friendship. He spent decades forging relationships with Native artists and
being curious about their process of making. With each object acquired, he learned more about the histories and traditions of each artist’s culture and took an interest in their lives.
Ultimately, his impulse to collect went far beyond the material and was an expression of his love for people and community. In 2006, Wilson met his partner Jenny Holland, who shared his passion for Native art.
Together they expanded the scope of the collection to include work by Native artists of the Southwest.
“Spark of the Eagle Dancer” gives visitors a glimpse into this vast collection built over 47 years and features work by 83 artists of various tribal affiliations.
The reception for Spark of the Eagle Dancer will take place from 5-7 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 30, at the Fine Art Museum. This event will include a gallery talk, along with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Free parking is available.
To learn more about the exhibition and reception, please go to arts.wcu.edu/spark.
The Fine Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Aware of a presence behind her, an X-ray tech from the old days looks over her shoulder in the darkroom and sees her deceased grandmother seated on a stool by the wall. The tech closes her eyes, shakes her head, and opens her eyes. Grandma is still there, smiling at her. The tech slips past her and into the hospital corridor. When she returns with a doctor, her grandmother has vanished.
A man wakens at dawn to find his wife sleeping beside him. Only she died four days earlier. For about five seconds this dream seems so real that he can hear her breathing. And then she’s gone.
A man and his sister are boxing up some of his wife’s effects. They are in separate rooms when from the wooden floor above them both hear a distinct footfall. They’re the only people in the house.
Some readers who have lost a loved one can relate to these stories. Something strange happens for which there is no logical explanation. We have Shakespeare’s opinion via Hamlet, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” If one prefers a more scientific take on the inexplicable, here’s Albert Einstein: “A knowledge of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds — it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity; in this sense and in this sense alone, I am a deeply religious man.”
For writer and professor Matthew Vollmer, there were no footfalls or ghostly images in the dark. But there were lights.
In “All of Us Together in the End” (Hub City Press, 2023, 256 pages), Vollmer tells the story of the lights which began flickering in the woods near his parents’ house three months after the death of his mother, who succumbed to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s at a relatively young age. Beloved by her husband, and by Vollmer and his sister Carrie, the family is still bereft when the lights first appear in mid-January 2020.
Nothing like this had ever occurred on the property, which is just minutes away from Andrews, North Carolina. Vollmer’s father is a down-to-earth, beloved dentist in town, and his mother when in good health was a dynamo, always cooking and baking, doing chores around the house, and enlivening the family with her jokes, laughter and silly dancing.
After his father alerts him to the lights, Vollmer drives down several times from Virginia Tech, where he and his wife both teach, to have a firsthand look. The lights blink, they sometimes appear more like a truck’s headlights, and according to Vollmer’s father they can even make a tree in wintertime seem filled with leaves.
In search of an explanation, Vollmer seeks out the opinions of friends, a shaman, another professor who has investigated similar phenomenon in North Carolina, and an Anglican priest. Some of them are convinced that his mother is sending light as a message of reassurance to her husband and family.
This possibility simultaneously sends Vollmer in another direction as well, into the interior of his own heart, soul, and mind. He ponders the meaning of death, the relationship of his mother and father, which was kind and loving, and his mother’s constant presence in his memories.
While on this journey of discovery, Vollmer also revisits the Seventh-Day Adventism that was a central feature of his childhood and adolescence. Much to the disappointment of his parents, he left the
Adventists in college, but here he looks back with fondness on many of its practices. For those of us who know little about this branch of Protestantism, Vollmer makes for an enlightening guide.
He also explores his relationships with his relatives and in particular, with his father. Both he and his sister, for example, are upset when their father commences an online friendship with an old flame, Jolene, a courtship which they view with a sort of baffled, stunned anger that in the end turns to acceptance.
In the middle of this memoir, Vollmer recounts a conversation he had with his mother after his first book, a collection of stories, had appeared years earlier. A cousin has informed him via email that contrary to what Vollmer believed, his parents “had not liked at all what I’d written” because of what he’d said about the church in three of the stories. A few hours later, Vollmer works up the nerve to call his mother and summarize his cousin’s comments. This conversation follows:
The resultant silence was sudden and deep. For a second, I thought we’d been disconnected. “Hello?” I said.
Silence.
“Mom?” I said. “You there?”
She sniffed. Emitted a weepy moan.
“Mom,” I said, my own eyes watering. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh,” she replied, gasping loudly, as if she’d emerged from having swum a long distance underwater. “I just want us all to be together in the end.”
Vollmer understands immediately. “I just want to be together in the end” means that his mother wants her family and all those she loves to be in heaven, and that she is grief-stricken imagining it without her son.
The lights remain mysteries to all who see them, just as heaven and death remain mysteries. But “All of Us Together in the End” brings us face to face with yet another mystery, one in which we move, and live, and breathe every day of our lives, which is the beauty, sadness and joy of our human existence, and the powers of love and remembrance.
(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning As I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” minick0301@gmail.com.)
Acclaimed culinary writers Jim Casada and Tipper Pressley, authors of “Celebrating Southern Appalachian Food,” will host a special book signing and discussion 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
Southern Appalachia has a rich culinary tradition. Generations of “passed down” recipes offer glimpses into a culture that has long been defined, in considerable measure, by its food. Take a journey of pure delight through this Highland homeland with stories of celebrations, Sunday dinners and ordinary suppers.
Casada and Pressley, both natives of the region, are seasoned veterans in sharing the culinary delights of the southern highlands. This is a drop-in event. People can stop by any time after 4 p.m. to meet the authors, ask questions and get a book signed. For more information or driving directions, call the library at 828.488.3030.
It’s only been open for about a year, but
Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Park has already proven a popular, unique regional outdoor recreational attraction — even though it’s still growing. Much more than just a bike park, Chestnut Mountain is now poised to become a powerful economic driver in a town that can use all the help it can get.
“I really think, given what’s happened with the mill closing, that outdoor recreation provides an opportunity to build a local economy,” said Reid Wilson, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “People love this part of the state because it’s so beautiful, and the more parks and trails we can have, the more folks we’ll draw, and that can mean more business for hotels, restaurants, gift shops, everything else in nearby towns.”
After more than a century of pedaling along at a moderate pace, Canton’s economy
has hit a bit of a rough patch over the past few years. The effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic certainly weren’t isolated to Canton, but the effects of devastating flooding in 2021 and the unexpected loss of 1,000 good-paying union jobs at Pactiv Evergreen’s Canton paper mill earlier this year certainly were.
But during the depths of the pandemic, Canton was already taking steps to diversify its economy.
On June 5, 2020, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy purchased a 450-acre parcel just east of Canton’s town limits on U.S. 19/23 near the Buncombe
County line. Originally planned in the 1990s as an 8,000-seat motorsports park, the parcel languished for most of the next two decades until SAHC got ahold of it, looking to protect sensitive habitat and water resources along Hominy Creek from future development while also increasing outdoor recreation opportunities in Haywood County.
The result, Chestnut Mountain Park, is a free multi-use facility comprised of picnic areas, hiking paths and biking trails. Within the park lies another separate attraction — Berm Park, home to five mountain biking trails ranging in difficulty from beginner to expert.
Seth Alvo, creator of the Seth’s Bike Hacks
YouTube channel, championed the creation of Berm Park and helped raise around $300,000 towards its construction.
The park opened in April 2022, and the Town of Canton took ownership of the park shortly thereafter. Since then, the town has budgeted for monthly trail maintenance work to ensure the park remains in peak condition.
Wilson met with Canton leaders on the morning of Aug. 11 to tour the park, because DCNR recently signed contacts with the town to contribute $140,000 towards building three more trails.
“I think he was blown away by Chestnut Mountain — what it is, and what it will be,” said Zeb Smathers, Canton’s mayor.
Town Manager Nick Scheuer said the town used that money as matching funds to leverage other grant funding to cover the construction costs.
“Everywhere that we have seen investments in local parks, trails and greenways people come and they spend their money,” Wilson said. “This is good for people’s health whether it’s their physical health, mental health, spiritual health, all of the above.”
And also their economic health — statewide, outdoor recreation contributes $28 billion to the economy and is responsible for around 220,000 jobs, according to Wilson.
While it’s still too early to gauge the park’s specific impact on F
“Everywhere that we have seen investments in local parks, trails and greenways people come and they spend their money.”
— ReidWilson,
N.C.Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Reid Wilson (left) joins Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers for a tour of Chestnut Mountain Park on Aug. 11. Cory Vaillancourt photo
Canton and Haywood County, a forthcoming study from Appalachian State is expected to do so.
“Communities that invest in outdoor recreation see jobs in terms of guides, equipment manufacturers, retail outdoor equipment stores,” Wilson said. “I think as the Pigeon River clears, and as Canton and Haywood County continue to invest in outdoor recreation and amenities like parks and trails and greenways, we’re going to see more and more local jobs available in the outdoor recreation industry.”
Probably the biggest unanswered question in Canton is what’s going to happen to Pactiv Evergreen’s 185-acre parcel right in the heart of downtown now that it’s no longer being used to make paper.
Bisected by the Pigeon River, the parcel is prone to flooding and would need substantial and costly site prep for any sort of commercial or industrial development. Recently, the town passed an industrial development moratorium to ensure that any potential buyers looking to establish such operations must include the town in its discussions with Pactiv Evergreen.
There are plenty of ways the site could return to productive use, but nobody’s talking, and anything’s theoretically possible.
“I appreciate [Wilson] coming to visit. It was a truly beneficial morning,” Smathers said. “As he said and what Gov. Cooper has said, from zero hour, we’ve had the full support and attention of Raleigh. [Cooper] has made clear to all his secretaries that when you go west, you go to Canton, not just for photo ops, but to bring ideas. Raleigh has our back. All branches of government.”
Given the renewed focus on Western North Carolina’s outdoor economy, Chestnut Mountain could feasibly be connected to Pisgah View — North Carolina’s newest state park — and will also be a critical component of the proposed 150-mile Hellbender Regional Trail system.
Less than a mile from Canton’s town limits, Chestnut Mountain is just a short ride from Pactiv’s parcel.
With the blue-collar mill town ethos that
pervades Canton, it’s also quite possible that some of the buildings and structures associated with the paper mill will endure long into the future regardless of what happens to the site.
“We’re eager to talk to community leaders about their potential desires to use part of that property for outdoor recreation,” Wilson said. Historic preservation also falls under the purview of the DCNR.
“There could be ways that the town could use the property, as well as other historic properties in town, to invest in local economic development — including renovation and development of historic properties that would help the local economy and preserve community character,” Wilson said. “We’re eager to work on outdoor recreation, historic preservation and investing in the arts and in any other ways that the town would like to
Two upcoming programs will allow people with disabilities to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 27, at Forge Creek Road in Caves Cove and Saturday, Sept. 9, at Little River Trail.
work with us.”
Smathers said that as the town continues to prepare for the next chapter of Pactiv’s parcel — whatever it may be — and also looks at its revitalized Main Street core, he’s eager to continue conversations with DCNR.
“Obviously, we’ve been clear about preserving our history, in town and at the mill site. There are many buildings down there that are historic and would qualify for preservation,” Smathers said. “That does not mean they can’t be used for outdoor recreation or economic development, but what we do not want to see is our history torn to the ground, and I think there are ways to achieve that balance.”
Rangers and volunteers will lead a hiking program Sept. 9 using off-road wheelchairs and a biking program Aug. 27 with adaptive mountain bikes. After the scheduled hiking and biking programs, two GRIT Freedom Chairs, a type of off-road wheelchair, will be available for visitors to check out and use on park trails evaluated for the equipment. The programs are a partnership between the park, Knox County, Catalyst Sports and Friends of the Smokies. To participate in one of the programs, register with Catalyst Sports at catalystsports.org/special-events/smokey-mountains-hiking-days.
“...when you go west, you go to Canton, not just for photo ops, but to bring ideas. Raleigh has our back. All branches of government.”
— Zeb Smathers, Canton MayorA mountain biker curves along a trail in Berm Park, the mountain biking skills course within Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Nature Park. Great State Trails Coalition photo
In a single-day BioBlitz aimed at documenting biodiversity in the Craggy Mountains, 100 people photographed 1,603 organisms representing 647 species.
MountainTrue organized the event June 10-25, with options for both in-person and virtual participation. In total, 20 expert naturalists and 87 citizen scientists teamed up to explore the area. Notable finds include the northern pygmy salamander, Canada honeysuckle, deer-hair bullrush, Goldie’s fern, round-leaved orchid and a remarkable abundance of diverse moth species.
Due to their natural beauty and biological diversity, the Craggy Mountains have been proposed for permanent protection as a National Scenic Area. Doing so will require an act of Congress and the signature of the president. MountainTrue and its organizational partners have had several meetings with Congressman Chuck Edwards, Senator Thom Tillis, Senator Ted Budd and their staff to discuss the idea.
Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences, and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer a variety of hunter safety courses this fall.
Two-day classes will be held Aug. 23-24, Sept. 6-7, Oct. 11-12 and Nov. 15-16. Courses will be held from 6-9 p.m. on the HCC campus in Walnut Building 3300, room 3322. Participants must attend two consecutive evenings to receive their certification.
These courses are offered as a community service and are free of charge. There are no minimum age requirements; however, written exam must be completed without assistance.
Pre-registration is required. Anyone interested in taking a boating safety course must register online to attend any session. Course registration may be completed at ncwildlife.org.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) is offering six free hunting-related webinars September through December. These online events are open to the public and are geared toward individuals who have never hunted, are new to hunting or lack social support for hunting. Preregistration is required.
Here are the webinars:
Panthertown Map Association, nonprofit publishers of Burt Kornegay’s “A Guide’s Guide to Panthertown,” has made a $7,500 donation to Friends of Panthertown in support of their ongoing conservation, education and stewardship work in Panthertown Valley.
Friends of Panthertown is the U.S. Forest Service’s nonprofit partner in conserving Panthertown as a backcountry natural resource and to enable sustainable recreation. The donation funds will help the organization assess, maintain and improve the trail system and backcountry campsites in the valley. Friends of Panthertown staff and volunteers work to maintain 30 miles of trail spread out over 6,311 acres.
The Franklin Bird Club leads weekly birding walks along the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Franklin at 8 a.m. Wednesday mornings, with the public welcome to join. The Aug. 23 walk will meet at Big Bear Park off of Northeast Main
A trout tournament offering $20,000 in prizes will hit Cherokee’s pristine streams Aug. 26-27.
The Qualla Country Trout Tournament will feature tagged fish specially stocked for the event, able to be redeemed for cash prizes. Fishing will begin one hour before sunrise and
The WRC is offering six seminars on several different topics, including deer hunting and deer processing. File photo
Sept. 5 — Deer Hunting
Sept. 7 — Deer Processing
Sept. 19 - Squirrel Hunting
Sept. 26 — DU-Waterfowl Hunting
Oct. 10 — Delta-Waterfowl Hunting
Dec. 8 — Upland Game Hunting
All classes will be held from 7-8 p.m. remotely and will conclude with a 30minute question and answer session.
To register, visit gooutdoorsnorthcarolina.com.
A recording of the presentation will be available the week following each webinar on WRC’s YouTube channel. Purchase or renew a hunting license here.
MADE X MTNS announced grant recipients of its Outdoor Equity Fund.
The 20 grantees represent small businesses, sole proprietors, nonprofits and community groups located across the region, all working to increase outdoor recreation access and economic opportunity.
These grants have been made possible through $125,000 in funding from the Dogwood Health Trust, as part of the
Street.
Walks start at alternating locations each week — Big Bear, Salali Lane and the Macon County Public Library. The Aug. 30 walk will be at Salali Lane, Sept. 6 at the library, Sept. 13 at Big Bear, Sept. 20 at Salali Lane and Sept. 27 at the library.
end one hour after sunset each day, with prize redemption 2-4 p.m. each day at the Natural Resources Enforcement Office on 517 Sequoyah Trail.
Cherokee fishing license required to participate, with tournament registration available anywhere licenses are sold. Entry fee is $15. Open to all ages and legal fishing methods. Call 828.359.6110 for more information.
three-year “Accelerating Outdoors Grant” awarded to the MADE X MTNS Partnership. The goal of The Outdoor Equity Fund is to help empower community-led initiatives that address identified barriers to outdoor recreation and outdoor economy access and opportunity and help close these gaps in Western North Carolina.
Forty-four applicants, with a grand total of requested funds at $333,304.74 made up the inaugural grant submission cycle. Find out more about each grantee’s project on the MADE X MTNS Website.
Get ready for softball season with an organizational meeting for an adult co-ed league at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, at the Vance Street Park pavilion in Waynesville.
The meeting will establish the number of teams and players, schedule, rule changes, fees, format and championship bracket. Traditional coaches interested from previous seasons should attend, as well as new players looking to join a team. Anybody who wants to be a coach and start their own team must have enough players recruited and attend the meeting.
The league is organized by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. For more information call 828.456.2030 or call lkinsland@waynesvillenc.gov.
Maintenance crews will implement temporary, single-lane closures along the northbound and southbound Spur through Aug. 17 and again Aug. 21-24. Crews will remove fallen trees and branches, rock debris, and litter and will mow along road shoulders.
The lane closures will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Drivers should reduce speeds, drive with extra caution, and anticipate delays during lane closures.
Crews will also close Alum Cave Trail Aug. 16 to repair a bridge damaged by a tree during a recent storm. There will be no access to the trail during the closure. Hikers who wish to go to Mount LeConte on Aug. 16 may use one of the other trail routes to the summit.
For more information about temporary road and trail closures at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, please visit the park’s Current Road, Facility, Trail & Backcountry Updates webpage
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials welcomed two new members to the Park Management Team.
Katie Liming will serve as the management assistant and Daniel “Boone” Vandzura will serve as the chief ranger to oversee the Visitor and Resource Protection Division.
As the park’s management assistant, which functions as chief of staff, Liming will work on strategic operations, legislative affairs and program analysis. Liming comes to the Smokies from the National Park Service’s National Capital Region, where she served as the region’s primary spokesperson and supported the 15 national parks in the Greater Washington, D.C. area in strategic communications and media relations.
The National Park Service issued a decision and a Finding of No Significant Impact for the Gatlinburg Spur Improvements Environmental Assessment.
The EA looked at alternatives and environmental impacts associated with proposed improvements along the Spur. The project aims to improve the level of service at key intersections in consideration of
“Katie’s clear communication style, desire to connect the public to national parks, and her deep understanding of National Park Service policies make her a great fit for the park’s management team,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “She is a natural leader and is already hard at work on high-level park projects.”
As chief ranger, Vandzura will lead the Visitor and Resource Protection Division which includes law enforcement, wildland fire, emergency medical services, search and rescue, backcountry operations, lands and rights-of-way office, and the emergency communications center.
“I am thrilled to welcome Boone to the Smokies and to the Park Management Team,” said Deputy Superintendent Alan Sumeriski. “Boone’s knowledge of law enforcement and emergency services, combined with his thoughtful approach to employee and community relationships, make him the perfect choice to run one of the agency’s busiest law enforcement and emergency services operations.”
future traffic volumes and in a manner that keeps the parkway character of the road. Based on the finding, improvements will include replacing the Wiley Oakley and Gum Stand Road bridges, extending acceleration lanes at the Huskey Grove/Flat Branch Road intersection and making various improvements at selected locations throughout the corridor.
Improvements will occur in phases as funding allows. Design for the Wiley Oakley Bridge replacement is scheduled to start in 2023. Documents associated with the project are available at parkplanning.nps.gov/spurimprovements.
Kids in the Creek is putting out a call for volunteers for events on Sept. 11-12. Through the program, eight graders get the chance to explore their local waterway by learning about watershed hydrology, water chemistry, fish communities, aquatic bugs communities while having fun.
Volunteers are sought to assist students in/out of waders, aquatic bug collections
and more. There are dry and wet volunteer opportunities. Volunteers are welcome to assist all day or half a day. No experience necessary.
The events, will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Canton Recreation Park. Volunteers should bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, camp chair, an old pair of lace up sneakers that can get wet, and a change of clothing.
RSVP by Sept. 6 to Christine O’Brien at 828.476.4667, ext. 1 or christine@haywoodwaterways.org.
BY ADAM B IGELOW
Among my favorite plants to teach to children is jewelweed (Impatiens capensis & I. pallida). There are so many fun and interesting features of this plant that it seems a crime to label it with the negative sounding “weed” designation. Sure, it reseeds itself all around, and grows where no human has planted it. But the word has such negative connotations, especially those referencing weeds as bad and in need of removal.
And these species certainly are not bad and do not need to be weeded out. They are among the most useful, fun and beautiful native plants. I get really impatient waiting on the jewelweed flowers to bloom, and so do the hummingbirds and bumblebees who love feeding on this plant’s nectar.
It is an annual plant, meaning it grows brand new each year from seed, makes leaves, flowers and then fruits in that same year. Then it spreads its seeds around before dying completely at the first frost in the fall. In spring, the newly emerging seedlings look like little green butterflies when their first seed leaves, or cotyledons emerge from the soil.
The flowers of jewelweed are orange in the Impatiens capensis species, which is also called spotted jewelweed. Impatiens pallida, or pale jewelweed, mostly have yellow flowers. Pale jewelweed can also come in a white form, and a version that has white and yellow blossoms. Both species will grow 2 to 5 feet tall, with smooth succulent stems that are juicy when crushed.
That juicy sap contained within jewelweed is an incredible medicine that makes jewelweed a very important plant to keep around. Jewelweed juice will alleviate most any itchy skin conditions. It will also take away the sting of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and wood nettle (Laportea canadensis). And probably its most helpful use is that the stems and juicy sap of jewelweed is both cure and prevention for poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans).
If you know you are going to be in contact with poison ivy, if you accidentally touch some, or if you find yourself breaking out with a rash from poison ivy, go find jewelweed, crush up the stems and leaves until it is juicy, and rub it gently over any exposed areas of your skin and you won’t be bothered by poison ivy, or it will relieve the itchiness if you have already broken out. This used to be considered an “old wives’ tale,” but some recent research has proven what many people have known for years, including the
Cherokee and other Southeastern Native People, that jewelweed is both prevention and cure for poison ivy.
Another common name for jewelweed is silver leaf, due to the tiny hairs on their leaves which refract sunlight silver when there is water on the leaf, like dew or raindrops. And you can use this quality of the pant to perform a magic trick that will make you the hit at your friend’s parties, or at least with their kids. If you put a leaf of jewelweed underwater in sunlight and gently move it around, it will look silvery and metallic like tin foil.
And the fun doesn’t stop there, as jewelweed has yet another common name of touch-me-not which comes from their particular method of seed dispersal. While some plants use animals or wind or gravity to spread their seeds around, jewelweed uses what is called ballistic seed dispersal. That’s right — they have exploding seed pods that launch the seeds far and wide when they are ripe. It’s so much fun and relaxing to pop these seedheads and watch them explode, that I like calling them “nature’s bubble wrap.”
It’s also where the genus name of Impatiens comes from, as the seeds are so impatient to get out of the pod that they can’t wait and will blow up at the slightest touch. And while this is not necessarily a good quality in people, it makes for a fun and exciting way to pass the afternoon.
(Adam Bigelow lives in Cullowhee and leads weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and offers consultations and private group tours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. bigelownc@gmail.com.)
• The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m. to noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.
• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists.
• Cowee School Farmer’s Market is held Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin. The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.
• The Green Energy Park is seeking artists to demonstrate/ provide kid-friendly activities, as well as musicians to perform, for the Youth Art’s Festival slated to take place 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park. If interested, contact Chelsea Seaman at chelseamiller@jacksonnc.org or call the office at 828.631.0271.
• Mountain Area pregnancy Services and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor work together to provide a casual support group for prenatal and breastfeeding individuals from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, 177 N Main St. Waynesville, NC. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information, please call 828.558.4550.
• David Joy will speak on his new book “Those We Thought We Knew” during at event at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, at the Fangmeyer Theater at HART in Waynesville. Hosted by Blue Ridge Books, tickets are $10. Purchase from Blue Ridge Books.
• Ron Rash will speak on his new book “The Caretaker” during an event at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville. Hosted by Blue Ridge Books, tickets are $10. Profits will be donated to the Pigeon Center.
• The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host a kids’ program about moon exploration on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. Randi Neff will lead these activities focused on NASA’s Artemis program, with aims to one day establish a base on the Moon. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. For more information call 828.586.2016.
• Creative Writing Club will take place at 3:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. The writing club is intended for ages 8-12. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Move and Groove Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Thursday, at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Exciting, interactive music and movement story time ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Ashlyn at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or at 828.356.2567.
• Mother Goose Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Wednesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children from
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birth to 2 years old. For more information, contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.
• Wiggle Worms Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Tuesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.
• Next Chapter Book Club Haywood is a fun, energetic and highly interactive book club, ideal for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The group meets every second and fourth Monday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.
• Storytime takes place at 10 a.m. every Tuesday at the Macon County Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Toddler’s Rock takes place at 10 a.m. every Monday at the Macon County Library. Get ready to rock with songs, books, rhymes and playing with instruments. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Culture Talk takes place at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. Travel the world from inside your library. This event features guest speakers and food sampling from the location being discussed. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Art afternoon takes place at 3:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Macon County Public Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• The 17th Annual Franklin Area Folk Festival will take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center. The event is free. For more information call 828.369.4080.
• Seth Mulder and Midnight Run will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Stecoah. Tickets are $20 and are available by calling 828.479.3364 or online at stecoahvalleycenter.com/artists/mulder.
• Darren Nicholson and Marc Pruett of Balsam Range will take the stage with Audie Blaylock and reed Jones of Redline at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Stecoah. Tickets are $25 and are available by calling 828.479.3364 or online at stecoahvalleycenter.com/artists/all-stars.
• The Dazzling Dahlia Festival will take place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, in Highlands. There will be Dahlia and native plant vignettes all over Highlands, as well as a single bloom competition at the Bascom. For a full schedule of events visit highlandshistory.com.
• Paint and Sip at Waynesville Art School will be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. To learn more and register call 828.246.9869 or visit PaintAndSipWaynesville.com/upcoming-events. Registration is required, $45.
• Smoky Mountain Event Center presents Bingo Night with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and games starting at
6 p.m. on the second Tuesday and fourth Monday of the month. For more information visit smokymountaineventcenter.com.
• Zonta Club of Franklin’s third annual Taste of Tuscany, a fundraising effort for Macon County student scholarships, will take place 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Lodge at Cat Creek in Franklin. There will be wine from Slanted Window Wines, beer garden with local brews, music by We Three Sing, food from area restaurants and silent and live auction. Tickets are on sale at zontafranklin.org/.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.
• A free wine tasting will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.
• Take a trip around the world with four different wines every Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines. 828.538.0420
• Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.
• A four-week Feldenkrais class series focusing on the arms, shoulders and ribs begins at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center, in conference room A1. Feldenkrais uses gentle movement and directed attention to promote reduction of pain, increase range of movement, improve flexibility and coordination. Cost $60 for the series, $20 per class for walk-ins. To register email Annallys at eetm2023@proton.me or call 505.438.9109.
• Chess 101 takes place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday in the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. No registration required, for more information call 828.648.2924.
• Wired Wednesday, one-on-one technology help is available at 3-5 p.m. every Wednesday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information or to register, call 828.648.2924.
• Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St. Franklin, will be offering Children’s Art Classes Wednesdays afternoons. Adult workshops in watercolor, acrylic paint pouring, encaustic and glass fusing are also offered. Free painting is available 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday in the classroom. A membership meeting takes place on the second Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. All are welcome. Call 828.349.4607 for more information.
• The exhibition “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson,” will open with a reception 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the Bardo Arts Center. The exhibition will feature more than 140 works of contemporary Native American Art and celebrate Lambert Wilson’s devotion to supporting and encouraging Native artists. For more information visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.
• “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
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their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.
• Go birding at Buck Spring along the Blue Ridge Parkway with an expedition meeting 8 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at Jukebox Junction in Bethel. Howard Browers will lead the walk. Loaner binoculars are available. Cost is $10. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec.
• Learn how to stay safe in the woods with a course 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, at Standing rock Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Search and rescue trainer Steve Kuni will teach what hikers should always have in their pack and what to do to keep yourself safe and alive when out in the woods after dark. Register at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
• Celebrate the Year of the Trail Saturday, Aug. 19, with an easy hike at Bear Pen Gap off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Led by guides Tara and Steve, registration is $10. Hosted by Haywood County Recreation and Parks, sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreaiton.
• Haywood Waterways will celebrate 25 years with a birthday celebration 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at BearWaters in Waynesville. There will be trivia, reminiscing, a chance to learn more about Haywood Waterways and drink deals available for members.
• The Waynesville parks and Recreation Department will hold an adult co-ed softball organizational meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, at the Vance St Park Pavilion. The purpose of the meeting is to establish the number of teams, players, schedule, rule changes, fees, format and championship bracket. For more information call 828.456.2030 or email lkinsland@waynesvillenc.gov.
• Registration closes Aug. 31 for the Church Volleyball League in Jackson County. Games will be played Monday nights at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. Register at rec.jacksosnnc.org or contact Andrew Sherling with questions at 828.293.3053, ext. 6, or andrewsherling@jacksonnc.org.
• ArborEvenings at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville take place 5:30-8 p.m. every Thursday and Friday evening through Sept. 22. Visitors can stroll through the gardens, purchase food and beverages, and listen to live music. Free with standard $20 parking fee, and free for members. For information visit www.ncarboretum.org.
• Camp with the pigs at Misfit Mountain Animal Rescue during a Community Festival 5-8 p.m. (and overnight) Saturday, Sept. 23, at the rescue center in Clyde, at 922 Incinerator Road. There will be live music, food trucks, live art demonstrations and pop-up vendors. For tickets visit misfitmountainnc.org.
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
Rates:
• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.
• Free — Lost or found pet ads.
• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*
• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance
Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE
• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)
• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4
• Boost in Print
• Add Photo $6
• Bold ad $2
• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4
• Border $4
Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.
Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com
p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585
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NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No. 000376 Coleman J. Ammons, Jack Austen Ammons Jr Oct 26 2023 Administrator 70 Gateway Street Waynesville, NC 28785
REAL ESTATE AUCTION:
Advertising Sales – Two Regional Magazines
“WORKING CATS” Asheville Humane Society has cats available who are best suited to life in a barn/farm, warehouse, etc. Fully vaccinated and spayed/ neutered. (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org
HOUND MIX, BROWN/ BLACK/WHITE — JUDITH 6 yr-old girl; friendly. Loves trail hikes and car rides, and playing with other dogs. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org
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wood County.
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