Smoky Mountain News | August 28, 2019

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Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019 Vol. 21 Iss. 13

Communities celebrate new future of Nikwasi Page 3 House bill could be helping hand for broadband Page 6

CONTENTS On the Cover: The 50th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival will be held on Aug. 30-31 at the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center. Both nights will include a rich variety of the region’s finest fiddlers, banjo players, string bands, ballad singers, buck dancers and square dance teams as well as the marvelous sounds of dulcimer, harmonica, Jew’s harp, bagpipes, spoons, saws, and folk ensembles. (Page 26)

News Communities celebrate new future of Nikwasi ..........................................................3 Shining Rock faces state’s charter renewal decision ..............................................4 House bill could be helping hand for broadband ......................................................6 Housing fund plan under development in Jackson ..................................................9 Jackson buys land for relocated recycling center ..................................................10 Homeless services provider earns nonprofit status ..............................................12 Heavy rains cause four slides in Nantahala Gorge ................................................13 WNC to lose $9 million in mental health funding ..................................................15 Funds earmarked for Haywood drug court ..............................................................16 Gov. Cooper visits SCC students ..............................................................................18 Tribe to vote on FY2020 budget ................................................................................19

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

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Buzzards have a beauty and power all their own ....................................................54

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Communities celebrate new future of Nikwasi

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR s Cherokee children joined hands with Macon County residents and led them in a traditional friendship dance in the shadow of the historic Nikwasi Mound in downtown Franklin, it became clear the vision set forth by the Nikwasi Initiative was already playing out before everyone’s eyes.

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THE PRESENT

THE PAST Cherokee children lead a traditional friendship dance at the Nikwasi Mound in Franklin.

Barbara McRae (below, left) and Juanita Wilson, co-chairs of the Nikwasi Initiative, give the opening prayer in English and Cherokee. Jessi Stone photos toward education and an accurate accounting of the history and culture of the Cherokee,” McCollum said.

The Nikwasi initiative also will be designing a bike trail from Cowee Mound, by the Historic Cowee School, up Cowee Mountain to the waterfall located on the Alarka Laurel property.

ECBI has also acquired property on the Hall Mountain side of Cowee and have exciting plans for that property as well.

“The plan is for a variety of educational opportunities there. They’re currently doing a site plan and there’s going to be a — I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag here or the eagle out of the bag so to speak — but there’s going to be an eagle aviary on site there. That’s going to be a great addition,” McCollum said.

The Macon County Women’s History Trail, a project taken on by the Folk Heritage Association of Macon County to highlight the many contributions of women throughout Franklin’s history, is the first of its kind in the state of North Carolina.

Now that the trail markers are installed, the history trail group — led by McRae and Mary Polanski — is fundraising to install a public art piece near the Nikwasi Mound.

The proposed sculpture would depict three important women from Macon County’s history that represent the Cherokee, the white settlers and African Americans.

“The Women’s History Trail project through thoughtful re-examination of our local history has brought to light many forgotten stories from all of our cultures and ways of life. They give us important clues about who we are as a community today,” Polaski said. “The goal is that this monumental sculpture will stand here at this important site and evoke contemplation of our common threads as a community.”

For more information about Nikwasi Initiative, visit www.nikwasi-initiative.org.

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THE FUTURE The Nikwasi Initiative’s initial idea nearly seven years ago was to develop a cultural corridor starting from the headwaters of the Little Tennessee River and extending all the way to the Qualla Boundary. McCollum said that project is already underway with informational kiosks being installed at the Cowee Mound with more educational interpretative sites planned for Cowee Valley. Kiosks will be installed next at historic sites in Cherokee and Nikwasi Mound.

EBCI also purchased the former Dan’s Auto property on East Main Street adjacent to Nikwasi Mound and is currently working on a feasibility study to determine the best way to construct an annex to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. That feasibility study will turn into a development plan for the museum and educational displays for the Nikwasi Mound.

“We’re going to be designing and distributing maps to the cultural corridor geared

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Though the town council voted unanimously to deed over the property, the decision wasn’t without a swath of controversy in the months leading up to the vote. Mayor Bob Scott and several members of the community were adamantly against transferring ownership, claiming the board didn’t have such authority under the 1946 deed.

The deed states that the mound “shall be preserved for the citizens of Macon County and for posterity.” Some people interpreted that to mean the town had to maintain ownership of the mound indefinitely, but Town Attorney John Henning Jr. assured council and residents that was not the case. While it must be maintained for posterity, the deed does not require the town to keep the property forever.

Five Macon County residents even filed for an injunction to prohibit the town board from signing over the deed to the Nikwasi Initiative, but later asked for it to be dismissed without prejudice because the legal battle would cost too much money.

The fight over ownership of the Nikwasi Mound has been going on for much longer.

The issue last came up in 2013 when Michell Hicks, former Principal Chief of the EBCI, asked the town of Franklin to give the property back to the tribe. In response, the town council passed a resolution declaring that the mound would stay in town possession but that the board was open to working out an agreement with the tribe for them to maintain the site.

After that, Mainspring began to work closely with Cherokee and Macon County residents to develop a collaborative plan to promote the historic value of the mound, an effort that would later become the Nikwasi Initiative.

“At a time when there is so much energy given to division and argument, the people in our communities, the Eastern Band and the people in Franklin and Macon County, they’re chosen a different topic and energy.

And that’s the energy that has brought us together as partners moving into the future,” McCollum said.

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

“What a great day that has been a long time coming,” Bob McCollum, a Nikwasi Initiative board member, said to the crowd gathered at Big Bear Shelter Saturday morning.

The day many thought would never come finally arrived in early May when the Franklin Town Council unanimously approved signing over the Nikwasi Mound deed to Nikwasi Initiative — a nonprofit entity representing the town, Macon County, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Mainspring Conservation Trust.

“Think about for a few minutes the history that has taken place on this small patch of earth here, the culture that has been here for thousands of years, all of the events that have transpired right here at Nikwasi,” McCollum said. “And where we are today and where we will go in the future.”

Now that the mound is under the ownership of the nonprofit — after the town held the deed since 1946 — stakeholders wanted to bring everyone together to discuss what lies in store for the ancient mound located in the heart of downtown Franklin.

Nikwasi Initiative co-chairs Barbara McRae — also a member of the town council — and Cherokee resident Juanita Wilson gave an opening prayer in Cherokee and English.

After giving the official welcome in the Cherokee language, Nikwasi Initiative board member Stacy Guffey said the board was asked many times why it was so important that the mound come under new ownership.

“I think if you look around today with our Cherokee friends, our Macon County friends and our Franklin friends, I think you see the answer to that question. And it simply is that together we can do great things for Nikwasi,” he said.

Principal Chief Richard Sneed spoke about the significance of the native mounds in the area and reflected on what life must have been like for his people. For thousands of years Cherokee ancestors lived in these mountains, he said. They raised families, they hunted and farmed, they traded, they had complex religious systems and complex social systems.

“I remember the first time being over at Cowee Mound and just looking along the side of the river and just imagining in my mind’s eye life thousands of years ago and seeing the village all along the side of the river. And then

I thought about how their way of life was brought to an abrupt end with the stroke of a pen. When the President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act and maybe 30 years after the removal of our people, only a small remnant of Cherokee remained in these mountains. These are my ancestors,” Sneed said. “Their perseverance, their grit, their tenacity is the reason our people remain today and their spirit of perseverance is in our DNA.” Today, Sneed said, the members of the EBCI carry on that tradition of preserving their heritage, culture and way of life, and Nikwasi Mound was an important part of that heritage and way of life.

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Shining Rock faces charter renewal decision

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER he next few months could prove fateful for Haywood County’s only public charter school, Shining Rock Classical Academy, as a series of reports and performance reviews come due that will determine if, and for how long, the taxpayer-funded school will be allowed to continue to operate.

Schools like Shining Rock are called “charter” schools because when they first open, they’re essentially given permission to operate by the state through a charter that must be renewed every so often, and can be revoked if schools aren’t up to snuff.

The charter renewal process is a comprehensive analysis of the school’s overall performance conducted by the state’s Office of Charter Schools, and takes two years, according to Shaunda Cooper, an education planning and development consultant with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Charter Schools.

Shining Rock is now nearing the end of its two-year review process and has already completed several parts of it, including a recent site visit.

“The feedback that we’ve received was really what you’d expect from any kind of an audit or site visit,” said Joshua Morgan, Shining Rock’s head of school. “There were lots of positives but as you would want with any audit, there were opportunities to improve.”

Among other things, the review process analyses compliance, finance and academic outcomes. Based on those factors, OCS then submits the review to the Charter School Advisory Board, which makes a recommendation to the State Board of Education, which then votes to accept, alter or reject the recommendation.

According to the OCS website, there are four recommendations that can be made — renew for 10 years, renew for seven years, renew for three years or no renewal at all.

To receive a recommendation for a 10year renewal, a school must have no “current significant compliance issues,” financially sound audits for the past three years and academic outcomes comparable to the local public schools (defined as being within 5

Shining Rock Classical Academy.

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Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

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points) for the past three years, unless growth has been exceeded for the past three years.

A seven-year renewal requires the school have no compliance issues and financially sound audits for the past two years, and comparable academic outcomes or exceeding growth levels for two of the past three years.

Three-year renewals are issued to schools with compliance issues dating back more than one year “creating a pattern,” financially sound audits for one of the last three years and comparable academic outcomes for one of the past three years or meeting growth levels for two of the past three years. Schools that receive a three-year recommendation are only eligible to receive such a recommendation once.

A recommendation of “no renewal” will be issued if there is a current and persistent pattern of compliance issues, or financially unsound audits in the past two years, or academic outcomes not comparable to local public schools in any of the last two years

f the three measurables, Shining Rock seems to be on most solid footing with its financial audits. An off-record source with knowledge both of the audits and the accounting principles used in their compilation said there weren’t any obvious red flags, but a precipitous drop in enrollment on the order of 20 percent for this school year could change that because it directly affects the school’s revenue streams.

Compliance, though, may be a matter of interpretation. Although Morgan and Cooper agreed that “compliance issues” usually center on exceptional children or IEP requirements, Morgan opined that board operations weren’t part of that equation.

Cooper said that’s not right.

“Everything counts,” she said. “It really comes down to, has a law been violated or

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anything that is supposed to happen by statute or by law or rule?”

Shining Rock recently cancelled a board meeting and suspended board operations pending a Sept. 15 board retreat in which its attorney, David Hostettler, is expected to address the school’s history of violating public meeting notice requirements, abusing closed-session statutes, stonewalling public records requests and demanding fees for such documents in violation of state law, as well as holding at least two illegal meetings in the past two years.

“I think an illegal meeting is serious too,” Cooper said, noting that she could not and would not comment on the specifics of Shining Rock’s renewal application, but was instead speaking generally about the review process itself.

“Let’s not undercut the severity of that because part of being a charter is having the trust of your community and to hear of things like that happening, that has an underlying current as well because you have to have the

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and if the school has not met growth in the last two years.

Cooper said in her three years conducting OCS reviews, such “no renewal” recommendations are very rare.

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Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

was later cleared of those allegations by Shining Rock’s governance committee during an illegal meeting for which required public notice wasn’t given. Parents found out via letter a day later.

Morgan, though, remains optimistic about Shining Rock’s renewal chances.

“I still think that we’re still going to be on track for either seven or 10 (year renewal) because a lot of that comes into how the state tends to interpret that,” he said. “My guess is, 10 is possible and seven is very realistic.”

Shining Rock has never “exceeded” growth targets, making the 10-year and seven-year renewals a tougher target if OCS determines Shining Rock’s performance isn’t “comparable” to Haywood County Schools, the 14th-best school district in a state with 115 of them.

“If you’re wanting odds on it, I’d put it somewhere like 70-75 percent for having that seven year renewal, and 25 percent for 10 years,” he said. “OK, 1 or 2 percent — because you never say never — on a three year renewal, and then zero or 1 percent [for a recommendation of no renewal].

That’s not even on the radar.”

Our best days are still in front of us as If all goes as planned, the State a school, and I think that’s the thing Board of Education everyone here believes. will approve the release of the 2018-19 — Joshua Morgan performance data during its Sept. 4-5 meeting. If that happens on time, according to Cooper, renewal Rock’s school performance grade slipped reports will be completed in October and slightly below Haywood County’s, although are presented to schools. state data says the school met growth expecIn November, any school not offered a tations.

10-year renewal has the opportunity to During the 2017-18 school year, Shining appear before the board and make its case.

Rock’s school performance grade slipped far In December, the Charter School Advisory below Haywood County’s as well as slightly Board reviews the reports one last time, and below the state’s average, and state data makes its recommendation. The SBE would says the school did not meet growth expecthen likely vote on the recommendations in tations.

January 2020.

That makes the forthcoming release of Whatever recommendation is handed 2018-19 data an important piece of Shining down to Shining Rock, Morgan says the Rock’s renewal application. If the school is opportunity for self-analysis of the process again determined to have “not met” growth presented is a positive for the school and scores like last year and academic outcomes for his mission to return Shining Rock to didn’t dramatically improve over that year, being the best school in the county, as it the school could see its charter renewed for was in its first year. a shorter period of time, or revoked alto“The charter renewal process, I think, gether. has been a positive for us as a school, espe“I have confidence in what our teachers cially as we make that transition from surhave done [over that year],” Morgan said. vival — which is what every charter school “Any time you have the type of spring like has to do when they get started — to being we had, you always want and hope for sustainable,” Morgan said. “It’s given us an improvement and gains from there.” opportunity to really look at where we’ve Spring, for Shining Rock, was a tumulbeen and where we look to go. Our best tuous one, with the hiring process of thendays are still in front of us as a school, and I interim Head of School Morgan temporarithink that’s the thing everyone here ly derailed due to formal allegations of believes. We just have to make sure that we improper disciplinary procedures levied by share that same vision and belief with a trio of parents. everyone, to be able to move forward from After an investigation by Shining Rock’s here.” own board-appointed attorney, Morgan trust of your community for your school to flourish,” she said. “That’s kind of how charters work. It does matter if meetings are being held when they shouldn’t be or if they’re not being held properly so that the public has an adequate opportunity. That’s an issue.”

Perhaps more ominous an issue for Shining Rock’s renewal — an issue less open to interpretation — is the academic performance of the school.

The renewal process considers the three previous years in its assessment and considers not only how the school compares to the local public schools, but also whether or not schools have met a target for growth.

The school’s first year, 2015-16, was its best year academically, when Shining Rock’s school performance grade outpaced Haywood County Schools. But that year won’t be considered in the renewal process; performance data from the 2018-19 school year should be released in the coming weeks, and will be included in the school’s renewal, along with data from the 2017-18 school year and data from the 2016-17 year.

During the 2016-17 school year, Shining

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Commissioners Tommy Long (center left) and Brandon Rogers (center right) recently represented Haywood County at the National Association of Counties in Washington, D.C. Donated photo

House bill could be helping hand for broadband

Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER here’s probably no bigger economic development issue in rural America than access to dependable high-speed internet service.

“One hundred percent,” said Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin. “It’s the biggest issue in Western North Carolina as far as infrastructure and the economy.”

Once merely a novelty, the internet has grown over the past 30 years to become much more than just a way to download the latest superhero movie or buy those designer jeans not sold at the local Walmart — it’s now about kids completing their homework, doctors practicing telemedicine and employees telecommuting to work each day from hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Private industry, though, hasn’t seen fit to provide service to customers across rural America, citing a poor return on investment.

That creates a “digital divide” between rich and poor counties that drives rural residents either to relocate, or to give up all hope of reaping any benefit from the digitally-driven 21st-century economy.

A Corbin-sponsored bill currently making its way through the North Carolina House of Representatives with wide bi-partisan support could change that, but H431 also faces stiff opposition from those same telecoms 6 who refuse to provide broadband infrastruc-

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ture in Western North Carolina.

“Listen, I don’t care how we do it,” Corbin said. “I just want to get my people in my end of the state hooked up to internet because they deserve the internet as much as somebody that lives in Charlotte or Greensboro or Winston-Salem or Raleigh.” t its core, Corbin’s H431 would drop longstanding prohibitions on the ability of city and county governments to compete with private businesses in the telecom sector.

Those prohibitions have been in place for good reason — after all, how fair is it to the owners of small private businesses who are suddenly faced with competition from a much larger public entity that has virtually unlimited financial resources, eminent domain powers and a substantial tolerance for risk or loss?

It’s not fair at all, according to classical economic theory; the idea has been abhorrent to most Republicans and many Democrats since long before the debate about how to expand broadband access to underserved populations first emerged a few years back.

The vast majority of broadband internet service, however, isn’t provided by small “mom and pop” tech companies. Defined for purposes of H431 as at least 25 megabits per second download speed and 3 Mbps upload

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speed, broadband internet service is usually provided by multi-state corporate behemoths like AT&T, Spectrum and Cox, and since those companies aren’t providing broadband service to rural residents anyway, city or county governments wouldn’t really be “competing” with private industry.

Among its numerous stipulations, the bill, called the Fiber NC Act, would still prohibit local governments from delivering the actual service to customers, necessitating partnership with and thus preserving a place for private industry in what would essentially be a government-subsidized utility.

If passed, the Act would allow only certain counties and cities to take advantage of the new freedoms it grants.

So long as a county has either a major military installation or more than 4.75 percent of that county doesn’t have a broadband provider, that county can construct and/or maintain broadband infrastructure, which the county must then lease to a for-profit company for delivery of service to customers.

“The way we identified ‘underserved’ counties was if you had more than about 5 percent of folks without,” said Corbin.

“That’s a joke to me. I mean, 50 percent of the people in my district don’t have internet — 50 percent.”

In taking on that role as a contractor, the county can use any unencumbered funds, including ad valorem taxes, to pay for all

phases of the installation. Revenue bonds are also a permitted funding source.

To engage in the endeavor, the county must prepare an extensive report available for public inspection at least 90 days prior to installation. That report must include a business plan outlining the particulars of the project, including how the county intends to engage a lessee.

The business plan must also include a feasibility study demonstrating need and proving resources are available for the project.

The feasibility study must delineate areas within the county that have one or fewer wireline or fixed wireless providers of broadband service, as well two other service categories: areas with 10 megabits per second download and 1 Mbps upload speeds, and areas with 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up.

It must also disclose areas of the county to which state or federal grants have been awarded within the past 18 months, to ensure there’s no duplication of services.

After those documents are prepared, county commissioners would need to hold a public hearing before adopting a resolution declaring intent to install broadband infrastructure.

Cities and towns, too, can choose on their own to engage in the installation of broadband infrastructure as long as 60 percent of the municipality’s population resides in a county that is also eligible to do so.

All of the same procedural conditions that apply to counties apply to cities, including that the infrastructure must then be leased to a for-profit company, or co-op.

Those leases can be for a maximum of 25 years and could be entered into upon completion of an RFP process and a public hearing 30 days prior to lease approval by the governing board.

Importantly, the bill continues to prohibit governments from engaging in the business

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— Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin

tech entrepreneur himself, running an IT business in downtown Waynesville. Now, he’s the director of information services at Meridian Behavioral Health Services in Sylva.

Feichter said he has no qualms about private businesses being forced to compete with municipalities when those private businesses aren’t extending service to customers anyway, but he does oppose municipalities acting as internet service providers.

“This bill takes that possibility off the table and in many ways represents the best of both worlds. The town would own the fiber lines and whichever internet service provider they’re leased to would have to provide the service, and everything that entails, to the customers. Plus, they have to support it,” he said. “Fortunately, they’re already expert in all of that. The reason they don’t build it themselves is the high cost. The government receives revenue from the lease of the fiber, and the service provider gets tons of new customers without having to build to them.

That’s a win-win.”

Although he doesn’t think it would make much sense for Waynesville — which already owns and operates an electric utility —

Smoky Mountain News

ere the Act to gain enough momentum in the Senate to pass, it wouldn’t bind cities or counties to install broadband infrastructure. It would merely allow them to do so if so inclined.

A Smoky Mountain News survey found overwhelming support from one end of Western North Carolina to the other, among elected Democrats and Republicans, in both city and county governments.

“Absolutely,” said Jon Feichter, a Democratic alderman in the largest North Carolina town west of Asheville, Waynesville.

“This has the potential to exponentially increase the pace of broadband expansion in North Carolina.”

When first elected in 2015, Feichter was a

“If the state had unlimited resources or cities and counties had unlimited resources, it wouldn’t be an issue. If the telecoms could make money hooking up rural North Carolina, they’d do it. I’m trying to convince them — you’re not going to make your money back in three years, but let’s look at it as a 10- or 15-year return on investment.”

Feichter said he’d support a feasibility study to back that up with hard data.

“If [the legislature] really wanted to make this an attractive proposition, they’d allocate funds or at least make low-interest loans available. Given the extraordinary costs associated with building this kind of infrastructure, it’s going to be a difficult row to hoe for most small municipalities,” he said. “For example, the City of Wilson built the Greenlight network in 2008, and that network fiber connects every home and business in the city. But, the cost to do that was $37 million. Needless to say, we’re talking big money here. Costs would almost assuredly be significantly higher in the mountains due to the rocky soil.”

The Town of Canton is less than half the size of Waynesville, and Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers supports the idea as well, but echoed Feichter’s cost concerns.

“It comes down to the ability to fund it,” Smathers said. “Of all the projects we’re facing in Canton, it would take a huge amount of money to do this.”

The same goes for the Town of Franklin — home to Rep. Corbin and Sen. Davis — which has about the same number of residents as Canton does, but far worse internet service.

“I support it, and Kevin Corbin has worked hard on this,” said Franklin Mayor Bob Scott, a Democrat. “However, it doesn’t go far enough. In rural areas it will take a massive effort on the level of the Tennessee Valley Authority, where massive amounts of public funds are spent to bring broadband into the rural areas the for-profit providers do not want to serve. Had it not been for TVA and electric membership corporations, there would likely not have been electrification to some areas, and I feel this is exactly what it is going to take to bring broadband to rural, isolated areas — especially here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.”

Perhaps better positioned to spearhead a government-owned broadband infrastructure project are counties; Republican Chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners Kevin Ensley says he also supports the idea.

“I believe broadband is like water and sewer lines. It is needed in our communities for residents to be able to work from home as well as for students to do school work, elementary, high school or college,” he said.

“Businesses are not serving the public and this is a way to serve all residents.”

Ensley said he views it as an economic development tool, and would support a revenue bond to pay for it. At least one other Haywood commissioner agrees with him.

“I can’t speak for the rest of the board but I feel that we would all support it,’ said Republican Commissioner Brandon Rogers.

“Broadband is a subject that has been discussed for years and to me is one of our biggest issues. When businesses are looking to locate here and homes are being sold, this is one of the biggest questions asked.”

Along with Rogers, Haywood Republican Commissioner Tommy Long traveled to Washington, D.C., last week for a meeting of the National Association of Counties, where

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

orbin is a primary sponsor of the Fiber NC Act, along with reps Josh Dobson, R-Avery, John Szoka, R-Cumberland and David R. Lewis, R-Harnett.

“That was done very strategically,” said Corbin. “Josh is an Appropriations chair, and then we got two legislators from the eastern part of the state.”

David Lewis is chair of the powerful House Rules Committee, and John Szoka is one of three senior chairs of the equally powerful Finance Committee.

“The first committee it was referred to was State and Local Government,” Corbin said. “And guess who chairs State and Local Government?”

It’s Corbin, and after a 90-minute debate, the Act passed his committee on Aug. 7 by a vote of 13 to 9.

Since it was first filed on March 21, the bill has seen significant pushback from two main sources, according to Corbin.

“Man, the big telecoms, I mean they went crazy,” Corbin laughed. “They don’t like me and Josh, I can tell you that. “They speak and wave when they see us, but that’s about it.”

Throughout the drafting of the bill, Corbin and Dobson periodically met with telecom companies who said they like to be able to connect one customer for about every 40 feet of line; in Corbin’s district, many residences are thousands of feet apart, if not miles.

“I mean, this whole discussion is about money,” he said. “If the state had unlimited resources or cities and counties had unlimited resources, it wouldn’t be an issue. If the telecoms could make money hooking up rural North Carolina, they’d do it. I’m trying to convince them — you’re not going to make your money back in three years, but let’s look at it as a 10- or 15-year return on investment.”

The other source of opposition has Corbin and his three Republican primary cosponsors bucking their own party.

“The rhetoric goes, ‘You know, that’s just one area that the government doesn’t need to get involved in,’” he said. “Well, I totally disagree because the government is involved in paving our roads and building airports.

Government’s role should be to do things that we can’t do individually. Government should help with that.”

The Fiber N.C. Act is now bound for the Finance Committee, but thanks to the ongoing budget standoff between the Republicancontrolled legislature and the state’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, that hearing has yet to be scheduled. If deemed favorable, the bill’s next stop would be the Rules Committee.

If and when it makes it to the House floor, the Act stands a good chance of passing, Corbin said.

“I will make this prediction,” he said. “If we can get it through the committee process, if it comes to the floor, it will pass. We’ve already got the votes. If it passes now, it would make it eligible to be brought up in the short session next term. We’ve gotten it through one committee and it’s been in about every news outlet in North Carolina, so the push is out there, the publicity is out there, the telecoms know we’re doing this and they know we’re gonna keep pushing and we’ve told them we’re not going to stop.”

The Act has 70 sponsors in all, 31 Republican and 39 Democrat, among them WNC reps Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, and Susan Fischer, D-Buncombe. It’s also supported by the N.C. League of Municipalities and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

If the Act advances out of the house to the Senate, Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, says he’d support it but isn’t optimistic about the rest of the Senate sharing his sentiments.

“I think it’s unlikely to be heard, but I would advocate for it, “ said Davis. “There’s a lot of history with local govJim Davis ernments laying down fiber, and they lost a lot of money doing that. I think that concern is overblown, but it’s there.”

In 2010 the city of Salisbury, home to 34,000 people, made headlines with a municipally owned, municipally managed internet service financed by $33 million in bonds, called Fibrant.

Upon completion, Salisbury’s service may have been the fastest in the United States — up to 1 gigabyte per second download, or about 20 times faster than Time Warner Cable’s Charlotte service at the time.

By May of 2018, the system was losing $3 million a year, and voters approved leasing the network to a private company with experience in managing such undertakings.

Corbin remains insistent that this isn’t that — governments aren’t permitted to run the service, like Salisbury did, and just because it didn’t work there and then doesn’t mean it can’t work here and now.

“That’s like breaking up with your girlfriend,” he said, “and then saying, ‘I am never going to date again.”

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of providing telecommunications services directly to customers.

The bill also requires a “vote of the people” if the infrastructure is ever sold, meaning that a municipality couldn’t spend taxpayer money or revenue bond proceeds to install a broadband system and then turn right around and sell the infrastructure to a private company.

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Long said much discussion with former Georgia governor and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue centered on expanding broadband in rural areas.

“This bill does give local governments some say so, and options,” said Long. “I think it would be good, but proceed with caution.”

There are two camps, one advocating for conventional hardwiring to each individual dwelling, and one betting on advances in wireless technology.

“If this technology advances rapidly as tech usually does then we/private companies and possibly government-subsidized systems could be left in the dust with huge capital outlay passed up by wireless technology,” he said. “Nobody wants that kind of egg on the face with public and-or private money wasted.”

Long cites the cost savings and cuttingedge advantage of a wireless system, especially due to the elevated costs hard installation would bring in such a rocky, river-laced region.

“We live in a unique place, with 14 peaks over 6,000 feet and many valleys between. It costs more, much more, due to the terrain here as opposed to the flatlands to run hard cable. I’m pulling for wireless,” said Long.

“Wireless has the advantage here simply because of the population density. Hard cable companies have penciled in a population density formula and if the equation doesn’t spit out a profit where you live then tough luck. The locations and some hardware components (towers, microwave hardware, relay stations) may help private companies with the profit equations and thereby provide much-needed broadband to remote areas with small populations.”

Commissioner Mark Pless agrees with Long on some points, but says he can’t support it due to the funding requirements.

“Technology changes so quickly that any system we installed would be outdated before we could get it paid for,” he said. “For-profit companies do not seem interested in building infrastructure to provide service in Haywood County. I feel they know it would not be profitable. I would like to see a company invest in Haywood County, and would help support them in anyway we could legally.”

Further west, in some of the state’s smallest, poorest counties, the funds are even scarcer, and the support for the Fiber N.C. act is even greater.

“I don’t see any other way,” said Gary Westmoreland, Republican chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners.

“We don’t have dependable landline phone service in the 21st century,” said Dale Wiggins, Republican chairman of the

Graham County Board of Commissioners.

“We have phone issues reminiscent of the 1950s and 60s, not 2019. No company will install the ‘last mile’ of broadband here [because it is] too expensive to ever recover the cost to install because we just don’t have the population base for it. Yet, we have to be able to communicate with the outside world of state and federal government.”

Parents, Wiggins said, often have to drive their children into town to get them access to Wi-Fi hotspots so they can complete their homework. If Graham County could secure some sort of funding to build out infrastructure it could then lease to a provider, Wiggins says it would probably do so.

“If we had to rely on our tax base to fund it, then no,” he said. “Only 28 percent of Graham County is private land and taxable.

The Act has 70 sponsors in all, 31 Republican and 39 Democrat, among them WNC reps Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, Michele Presnell, RBurnsville, and Susan Fischer, D-Buncombe. It’s also supported by the N.C. League of Municipalities and the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

The rest is primarily U.S. Forest Service. We are having to build a new courthouse because judges don’t want to have court in our 77year-old courthouse. We’re having to build a jail at the same time. That will cost the county some $12,000,000 dollars. We already have one of the highest millage rates in western N.C., just to be able to provide the essential services our citizens need. So we have no options really.”

Wiggins said that there’s broadband fiber within a half-mile of a former manufacturing complex, and the county is trying to attract new tenants who all ask about broadband access.

“We try very hard here, and will continue to do all we can to make dependable internet access available to all of our citizens,” he said.

“The question is, how many years will it take?

Too many — unless we get some real help from state and federal governments.”

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Plan would offer grants and loans to spur workforce and affordable housing

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ousing is an issue across Western North Carolina, and Jackson County is no exception. Since June 2018, a newly created Housing Committee has been working toward solutions, and during an Aug. 13 work session the group showed county commissioners an early draft of a document to establish a housing trust fund for Jackson.

The trust fund would enact a system of grants and loans designed to enhance housing opportunities affordable for people making a maximum 120 percent of the area median income, a ceiling of $54,000 based on 2017 numbers. “Affordable,” according to the draft document, means that the total cost of housing doesn’t exceed 30 percent of household income — that would be $1,300 per month for somebody making 120 percent of the area median income.

“We’re not getting our door beat down with developers wanting to come in and provide this type of service, so we’re not quite sure who’s going to come in and ask the question and what their needs might be, so we tried to be a little more broad so we could capture more ideas and vet those ideas based on their proposals,” Planning Director Michael Poston said during an Aug. 13 work session.

As planning director, Poston is a member of the committee, which also includes the economic development director, county attorney and one representative each from the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority and Mountain Projects.

Once established, the Jackson County Housing Trust Fund would aim to address eight different priorities: development of one, two and three-bedroom affordable rental housing; transportation-oriented development; removal of health and safety risks in existing housing stock; projects that satisfy more than one need and/or involve several partner entities; prioritizing projects in which trust fund money serves as gap financing that enables projects to move forward that otherwise would not; acquiring land for mixed-income housing; developing housing for people with disabilities; and developing housing with tenant selection plans that comply with the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

A variety of activities would be eligible for assistance under the draft plan. The trust fund could offer loans to developers to install infrastructure, purchase land, convert non-residential buildings into housing or

rehabilitate substandard housing units.

Income-eligible homeowners could receive loans for housing repairs or grants for emergency housing repairs. Grants could also be given to help acquire land for housing development, construct housing units, acquire vacant housing for rehabilitation, improve the public water and sewer system, and complete street and pedestrian improvements.

Those offerings wouldn’t come free.

Some of the money for the trust fund would come from county coffers, but the plan is to also pursue funding from the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as grants from private foundations.

Still, it may not be possible to attack all eight priorities at once. At some point, said County Manager Don Adams, commissioners will need to prioritize their goals. The task force is currently working on a housing survey to get a better read on what particular needs exist in Jackson County, and those results will likely help commissioners make those decisions, Poston said.

“What we want to do is make sure we understand the priorities of the board, but we also want the data to back up those priorities,” said Adams.

Jackson County is not the only local government interested in spurring the development of affordable and workforce housing within its jurisdiction. In January, the Town of Waynesville unanimously adopted an affordable housing policy that allows the town to offer grants to developers as gap funding to offset the cost of construction and occupancy for such housing. However, Jackson’s draft plan calls for a program much more extensive than that now in place in Waynesville. Instead of providing only grants, and only to housing developers, the program would offer loans as well and provide options for homeowners, public housing agencies and local governments in addition to developers.

“Grants typically would be a smaller dollar amount, but loans at a lower interest rate than what they may be able to find elsewhere may be more appealing, especially for larger projects,” said Poston.

The draft plan gives a pretty strong outline of what the county is considering, but several key points are yet to be decided. The document would state the maximum grant amount that could be awarded as well as a system for determining the maximum loan amount that could be awarded to any given developer or homeowner, but so far those numbers are blank. Commissioners will be asked to help fill in those blanks at a later date, said Adams.

Overall, commissioners seemed favorable toward the concepts presented.

“I ran into a young couple who have been living here in Jackson County and renting and were ready to buy a home, and

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Housing trust fund plan under development in Jackson

they said they looked everywhere in Jackson County and could not find a home that they could afford, and so they’re buying in Macon County. And it just broke my heart,” said Commissioner Gayle Woody.

“They’re the kind of people we would love to have in our community. I don’t know what the answer is, but I think this is a great start.”

The county should also look at reaching out to contractors, Woody said. Part of the problem is that they’re able to stay busy with building more lucrative, higher-end projects, meaning that there’s little interest in tackling affordable and workforce housing developments. Perhaps the county could offer a workshop or some type of forum for developers to learn about grants or other options that might make such projects more attractive, she said.

“A lot of it comes down to personal preference,” added Chairman Brian McMahan.

Much of Jackson’s housing stock is older, constructed in the 1950s or so. If a potential resident is looking for something newer, they might end up passing on the options available in Jackson County.

“We have a lot of consumers today that walk into the market with an idea in their mind of this is what I have to have, and maybe available housing stock doesn’t meet that idea, so that’s why they end up going to Macon County,” McMahan said.

The availability of broadband internet plays into it as well, said Economic Development Director Rich Price.

“We hear from some of the larger employers that they recruit people in, if they can find a place that they like and they can afford, they probably won’t buy it because it doesn’t have access to high-speed internet,” he said. “So it’s a problem that has multiple roots.”

Commissioners also discussed how open-ended they should leave the plan.

Should it contain strict criteria as to how much assistance and for what the trust fund could be used? Or should those decisions be made on a case-by-case basis?

“This is almost an economic development conversation. It is an economic development conversation,” said Adams. “So when you look at potential incentives or a deal that Rich (Price) would get directly involved in, we don’t have a set standard because Rich is trying to work with a developer to try to find that point to help them make that decision. That point for them, that’s different for different businesses.”

It’s a knotty problem, but the county has to find answers that work for the era it’s in. McMahan told the group about a little book he’s got that his grandpa kept when he was building his house while working at the Dayco rubber plant.

“I’ve got a list of the materials, said McMahan. So and so provided this lumber.

He went down to the sawmill and got this lumber. This one did the framing, this one done this. There was a group of men come together and they built the house and it’s still standing, probably much sturdier today than what a lot of houses are.

“But it’s a whole different time that we live in. Building is so complicated today.”

Call 452-5039 for info 43 Bowman Dr, Waynesville All services are free.

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A new animal rescue center will be built on the site currently occupied by the Green Energy Park office and concrete pad. Holly Kays photos

The recycling center in Dillsboro draws steady use.

Jackson buys land for recycling center Move will pave the way for Green Energy Park construction

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter a closed session discussion during its Aug. 20 meeting, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to buy a pair of properties along Haywood Road in Dillsboro as part of

Smoky Mountain News

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

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a plan to remake the county’s existing Green Energy Park.

Following a 90-day due diligence period, the county will pay $325,000 to purchase a pair of properties currently owned by Manuel Cooper and located about half a mile east of the Green Energy Park entrance.

The contract includes $3,250 in earnest money. The properties have a combined tax value of $278,700 on 3.67 acres, with annual property taxes totaling $1,059 for Jackson County and $585 for the Town of Dillsboro.

The purpose of the purchase is to pro-

vide a new home for the staffed recycling center currently located at the top of the Green Energy Park property. The Green Energy Park is home to the now-defunct Jackson County landfill and an array of artist studios fueled with methane produced from the decaying garbage, as well as some other fuel sources. The park offers blacksmithing, glassblowing and pottery studios.

But if a plan the county has been chewing on since March 2018 is successful, the property will eventually become a mini campus that in addition to artisan studios will

feature a new county animal rescue center, a dog park, a walking trail and event space, as well as an innovation center and makers space operated by Western Carolina University.

However, the recycling center’s location — at the top of the property, requiring anyone using it to drive through the entire campus — was an impediment to the plan.

“It really comes down for this master plan to work, we needed to relocate this traffic to a more convenient site,” County Manager Don Adams said

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in an interview after the Aug. 20 vote.

The original master plan called for moving the recycling center down to the front of the property, right along Haywood Road, but doing so would require building a $500,000 retaining wall. Commissioners didn’t like that idea. In fact, while in general they have been quite supportive of the Green Energy Park concept, the $12 million price tag of the original master plan has been a sticking point. The county has been looking for creative ways to execute the project without having to foot such a massive bill.

In May, the projected cost fell to $7.56 million after commissioners decided to cut the size of the planned innovation center from 17,000 to 13,000 square feet and to forgo the half-million dollar retaining wall for the recycling center. That new estimate did not include a projected cost of purchasing property for a new recycling center location.

The county has already done a substantial amount of research on the property to ensure that it can be used for the intended purpose. Adams said he’s had conversations with the railroad, which abuts the property, and with the N.C. Department of Transportation as well as with zoning officials. Thus far, everything has indicated that the recycling center can go there. While under contract, the county will complete surveys and title work.

Over the course of that 90-day due diligence period, Adams will be working on some other important Green Energy Parkrelated tasks — namely, the animal shelter.

The goal is to go to bid on that project sometime in spring 2020 and then award the contract in early summer. It’s expected to take about a year to build out.

“I would hope for this (recycling center) to be moved out before a contractor comes in and starts building anything,” he said.

No estimate is available for the cost of moving the recycling center, said Adams.

However, the owner currently uses the property to store heavy equipment and the land is not expected to require any significant grading, though part of the property will need to be used to handle drainage. The cost will be mostly in pavement, as the recycling center equipment is all mobile and unattached to the ground. Because the property is so narrow, the recycling center will likely be designed as a one-way facility, Adams said.

Right now, he’s working on schematics and cost estimates for the animal rescue center, for which the master plan used a ballpark figure of $3 million. The building will go on the existing concrete pad at the Green Energy Park office. Architects and engineers are working to determine whether the existing shell and footings can be used in the final design. The concrete pad will have to go, though.

“You have to have drainage in the floor, and you also have to have the floor sloped to that drainage, so by the time you get in and cut everything up and move everything and so forth, you might as well just pull everything out, put your drainage in and repour the concrete,” he said.

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Homeless services provider receives nonprofit status

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he organization tasked with managing homeless services in Jackson County for the year ahead received official status as a federal nonprofit this month.

HERE in Jackson County, which formed last year in response to a need for housing services in the area, is now a 501c3 organization.

“We’re excited about our new status but we are REALLY excited about all the work we are doing to get people housed!” the organization posted on its Facebook page Aug. 12. “Last week we were able to get a family into their own home and we have another family who should be housed before school starts. We are so grateful for the community support we had in helping these great families!”

The county’s cold weather shelter has been in flux for the last few years, struggling due to an increasing demand for services.

Jackson Neighbors in Need managed the shelter from its inception in 2009 until 2017, when it passed the baton to the Southwestern Child Development Center, which agreed to serve as a temporary shelter manager. Last winter was SWCDC’s last run-

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ning the shelter, and this spring the county put out a request for proposals from organizations interested in taking on the task.

It received just one response, from HERE in Jackson County. HERE, a new organiza-

tion whose board is populated by several well-known local leaders in humanitarian service, asked for $245,000 in county funding to run its program, substantially more than the $120,000 the county was spending

Chelsea White tells commissioners how important community support was to her growing up in Jackson County and asks them to support homeless services in the upcoming budget.

on homeless services at the time.

According to board member Destri Leger, HERE never expected to receive the entire $245,000 but wanted to lay out a plan that would show the county what a fully funded program operating under best practices might look like. The county ended up allocating $130,000 for the program in 2019-2020 with the promise to talk further about the program’s needs once HERE has developed some experience as an organization and is able to present a more detailed vision.

Over the next month, HERE will be finalizing many of the details of its operations, and the county will be asked to make some decisions about the season ahead, County Manager Don Adams told commissioners during an Aug. 13 work session. The shelter typically opens in November and closes in April.

“They hope to have some part-time help coming on in September, and hopefully midSeptember, no later than October, because we’ll be getting into the winter season,” he said. “We’ll be coming back to this board with a more finalized overall budget and really just the formal designation of them being our homeless services provider.”

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are enacting now. Early estimates indicate that repairs will cost around $500,000.

“Sometimes we’ll be out here cleaning up a little mud or small trees in this gorge after rain events,” Grindstaff said. “But nothing like this. With an average of 4,500 cars per day on this road — there’s more in the summer and rafting season — we know how important is to get the road open quickly.”

Due to the landslides within the Nantahala Ranger District, recreational river activities have been significantly impacted. Several areas along the Nantahala River between Wayah Road and the Nantahala Outdoor Center have significant amounts of debris including mud, downed trees and rocks, making passage extremely hazardous. River flows have been suspended for the time being.

Access to Nantahala Outdoor Center is open from the east on U.S. 74. Access to NOC is blocked from the west on U.S. 74 with slides heavily affecting the area around Ferebee. All NOC non-river operations are running as normal, including restaurants, zip lines and retail store.

Currently, Ferebee Memorial Park is closed to public access.

The U.S. Forest Service will be on site Tuesday, Aug. 27, after the road is reopened

by DOT, with a technical team to assess the damage. Assessments include identifying safety concerns, inspecting impacts to river and identifying restoration and risk mitigation requirements. The team will also inspect recreational infrastructure at Ferebee Memorial Park and elsewhere within the impacted area.

The U.S. Forest Service is working with Duke Energy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Carolina Department of Transportation and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality to assess the damage, understand impacts and develop a plan moving forward.

Visitors should avoid these areas to ensure their own safety and that of crews assessing and clearing debris. Follow the National Forests in North Carolina on Facebook for more updates.

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Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

severe deluge dropped 3.5 inches of rain in the Nantahala Gorge in Swain County on Saturday and triggered slides that covered the road in four locations within a half-mile stretch on the western side of the gorge and spread debris from the mountainside into the river at three locations.

North Carolina Department of Transportation crews are working around the clock on U.S. 19/74 until the highway can be reopened. Transportation officials anticipate opening the road to traffic on Tuesday afternoon or evening, Aug. 27.

“Slides one, two and three had no structural damage to the road, but at slide four, we need to build it back and that should take two more days,” Division 14 Maintenance Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said. “We will be working 24 hours a day because this is a critical roadway.”

More than 50 NCDOT employees and contract employees are removing mud, trees and rocks from the road from the three largest locations after clearing the smallest debris pile early Sunday. Those employees are utilizing 15 trucks, four front-end loaders and three track-excavators in addition to chainsaws and hand tools. Three locations were expected to be cleaned by Monday morning in time to begin repairing small sections of guardrail and patching asphalt in spots.

The largest site — where the debris flow washed away 80 feet of guardrail and shoulder while rocks broke limbs 25 feet above the road — requires additional repairs. Two excavators dug out loose soil beside the road Sunday morning and began rebuilding the embankment between the road and the river Sunday afternoon. Two more days of work remain to rebuild the support, the road surface and safety features.

NCDOT crews from four counties — Cherokee and Graham from the west, with Swain and Jackson from the east — cleared a path to remove between 12 and 15 vehicles that had been stuck between slides around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Engineers arrived on site at sunrise Sunday to assess the damage and develop the plan employees

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WNC to lose $9 million in mental health funding Vaya Health discusses impact to rural counties

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Assistance is available around the clock at the Balsam Center in Waynesville for mental health and substance use emergencies. File photo To date, Vaya has reinvested $18.5 million in a broad array of initiatives that address the needs in the region, including facility-based crisis center expansions, Narcan distribution and programs for youth transitioning out of foster care. Unfortunately, the state cuts since 2015 have forced Vaya to use its reinvestment dollars accrued from Medicaid savings to pay for non-Medicaid services previously covered

by Single Stream Funding.

As of right now, Ingraham said the Balsam Center won’t be impacted in this round of cuts.

Duncan sent legislators a letter in June expressing her concerns about the proposed budget cuts to mental health. As someone who sees Vaya’s financial statements each month during board discussions, she can attest to the fact the agency won’t be able to absorb another $9 million in Single Stream funding reductions.

“Vaya has built a solid crisis continuum using their comprehensive provider model.

Services are available in every county. Open access assures individuals are seen the same day they present. Walk in crisis, mobile crisis, facility-based crisis and urgent care are available to individuals in the Vaya catchment,” Duncan wrote.

While she sent the same letter to all legislators in Vaya’s district, she said she only received one response thanking her for the information.

Meanwhile, the Republican leadership in Raleigh continues to push Democrats to pass the budget without Medicaid expansion.

Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, and House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, issued a press release Aug. 22 announcing the Taxpayer Refund Act in response to the state’s budget surplus. If passed into law, every taxpayer would receive a refund in the amount they paid in state taxes up to a maximum of $125 per person.

“Sending taxpayer relief back home to hardworking North Carolinians is consistent with the General Assembly’s successful approach to the state budget that built the $900 million surplus and benefits families with higher take-home pay, more jobs, and a rapidly growing economy,” Moore said.

Smoky Mountain News

uninsured patients for certain services — enhanced mental health and residential services — provided through the Single Stream funding but will continue to provide those services for those already under the provider’s care.

New uninsured people will still be able to access basic services through providers including individual or group therapy, clinical and psychiatric assessments, medication management and peer support.

On one hand, Brafford said it’s a good thing that ACS’s crisis continuum services won’t be impacted, but during a time when more people are dealing with trauma, mental illness and substance use disorders, the moratorium on new services for the uninsured will have a “profound impact.”

“A significant amount of people walk through our door every month with no insurance seeking care for the first time,” she said.

“And when people don’t get the level of care they need, we see an increase in emergency room visits and an increase in these people ending up in jail — those places are not intended for behavioral health patients. Not to mention those are more expensive services so we’re providing a savings by providing these services.”

Even though the cuts are discouraging, Brafford doesn’t want to discourage people from walking in the door at any ACS clinic to get the help they need. It might not be everything the person needs but it’s a move in the right direction.

“We want to highlight there are still services available — we’re not going anywhere and we’ll continue to serve our mission,” she said.

The Balsam Center in Waynesville provides many of ACS’s critical services. The treatment center was renovated and expanded from 12 to 16 beds in 2017 and now serves as a 24/7 crisis center for those experiencing substance or mental health emergencies.

Vaya Health contributed $374,000 in community reinvestment funds toward the total expansion cost of $542,000. ACS and its parent company, ncgCARE, provided $50,000, with an additional $118,000 in funding coming from the Evergreen Foundation.

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR he North Carolina General Assembly has proposed cutting millions of dollars in mental health funding in the recommended 2019-20 budget despite ongoing efforts to fight the opioid crisis and improve these services in rural Western North Carolina.

Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the budget in late June because it didn’t include Medicaid expansion — one of his top budget priorities — and while there doesn’t appear to be much negotiating between Democrats and Republicans on the Medicaid issue, local behavioral health providers are bracing themselves for another round of massive funding cuts.

Vaya Health — the regional agency responsible for distributing state funds to local agencies providing mental health and substance abuse services in the 23 most western counties — could stand to be cut $9 million over the next budget year if the proposed budget is passed in its current form.

“We’re kind of in limbo right now,” said Vaya CEO Brian Ingraham. “No one knows anything for sure — all we can do now is look at history in the compromised budget. We have lobbyists in Raleigh that pay a lot of attention to where things are headed, but we have no news. We’re shooting in the dark.”

Each year Vaya doles out state funds to local providers in the western counties that actually perform the behavioral health services for those without health insurance — referred to as Single Stream funding. Vaya also receives a pot of state funding to provide services for those covered by Medicaid. The $9 million in estimated cuts will be to the Single Stream funding, leaving those uninsured without options for services related to substance use and mental health.

The $9 million in cuts would come on top of previous cuts made to Vaya and the other seven regional agencies in the state. Vaya Health absorbed over $14 million in Single Stream funding cuts from the state in 2016-17 and then another $7 million in 2017.

According to Ingraham, Vaya has been cut $48 million over the last four years.

Shelly Forman, the western region community relations representative for Vaya, mentioned the potential cuts to Macon County commissioners during an Aug. 13 board meeting while giving an update on the county’s involuntary commitment procedures.

“If you have insurance, if you have Medicaid, you can get what you need. If you don’t, the General Assembly has just gutted the funding for folks with no insurance,” she said.

Had the General Assembly chosen to expand Medicaid, it’s estimated about 500,000 more people across the state would be covered.

“There are a lot of people across the state and Western North Carolina that do not have Medicaid and have significant needs,” Ingraham said. “Expansion would change things immensely for health care — that’s just a fact. There’s a lot of political will involved in this issue and we stay out of it but the reality is people need a lot of services in that population and we can’t continue to backfill those reductions.”

Ingraham also has an issue with how the statewide cuts are dispersed among the regional agencies — called Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) — and feels like the methodology doesn’t give WNC a fair shake.

Despite the cuts over the last four years, Ingraham said Vaya has mostly been able to shield its providers from feeling the impact through internal reductions in force, departmental restructuring, expenditure reductions and using its fund balance.

“We can’t fund that ourselves anymore — we’re out of fund balance and we can’t reduce our own Vaya administration enough to account for that $9 million,” he said.

Based on what Vaya sees in the budget right now, Ingraham said a $9 million cut would have to result in some kind of reduction in services. Vaya leaders have already met with the Providers Advisory Council, which includes a representative from all the providers that receive funding through Vaya.

“We’ve shared with them everything we know. We decided the most prudent thing to do is to not let state services get any bigger; it’s a growth containment plan so we can begin to get our arms around this. It will only affect people requesting new authorizations, so it’s basically a moratorium on new services,” Ingraham said. “And it’s just on the non-Medicaid side.”

Jeanne Duncan, who serves as the president for Vaya’s Providers Advisory Council, said she thinks Vaya has done all it can to absorb the state cuts without passing the cuts onto the local providers.

“They did some reorganization as an agency. They suspended development of some programs rather than cut existing ones,” she said. “They have to respond now so as to prevent larger cuts later. While it will impact access to some services for new needs it will preserve continued services for those currently receiving.”

Tabatha Brafford, regional director of community relations for Appalachian Community Services, said the proposed state cuts have left Vaya with a difficult decision to make, which has left local providers frustrated as they try to meet the growing needs in the region.

“These cuts will affect our most vulnerable individuals that are uninsured and that rely on this funding to provide them with care,” she said.

Vaya’s “growth containment plan” means providers will no longer be taking on new

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Funds earmarked for Haywood drug court

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR drug court could be established in Haywood County over the next couple of years if the North Carolina General Assembly passes a budget.

Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, said the General Assembly was able to get funding to start four new drug courts in the state, including one in Haywood County. If the budget passes, Haywood would receive $137,807 for 2019 and $94,568 in 2020.

“But that’s depending upon the budget passing and right now the Governor has vetoed it ... hopefully it will come to fruition,” Davis said.

Drug courts are specialized court docket programs that target criminal defendants and offenders, juvenile offenders, and parents with pending child welfare cases who have alcohol and other drug dependency problems. As the drug epidemic rages on throughout the country, more jurisdictions are implementing a drug court to get defendants the recovery help they need without filling up local jails with offenders suffering from substance use disorder.

Local law enforcement has been supportive of adding a drug court in the far western counties, but funding and figuring out how it will be administered has always been a setback.

“Although I do not have the details of

before they get entangled in the criminal justice system.

Adding a drug court component has been a goal for some time but it didn’t seem like it could be a reality, mostly because of the geography of the judicial district. Haywood is part of a seven-county judicial district. Even though Haywood is the largest county and

Studies show that drug courts are one of the most effective forms of justice intervention for treating drug addiction, reducing criminal activity and reducing recidivism rates. currently sees the most opioid overdose deaths in the state, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch has said in the past a drug court for only one county in the district would be unlikely because it wouldn’t be fair to residents in the other counties.

As of June 2015, there were more than 3,000 drug courts operating throughout the U.S., with more than half targeting adults.

Studies show that drug courts are one of the

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

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what the implementation of this would look like specifically in Haywood County, I do know courts like this have made a positive impact in different areas of the state. I can also tell you I fully support opportunities for people to get on a path to recovery,” said Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher.

“Recovery heals families and the accountability that comes along with systems like this could mean a world of good for Haywood County.”

Establishing a drug court in Haywood County would give the community one more diversion tool to combat the drug crisis.

Haywood County already implemented a pre-trial release program at the beginning of 2019 to ensure pre-trial detainees receive a more timely first appearance in court and be released pre-trial if they meet certain criteria. The program is aimed at reducing the number of people being held in jail simply because they don’t have the money to make their bail.

Haywood is also participating in the LEAD (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion) program, another jail diversion program that allows low-level offenders to be diverted into treatment instead of being incarcerated and prosecuted. Community members and law enforcement officers are also able to refer someone to the program pre-arrest in hopes of getting them treatment for addiction and/or mental illness

most effective forms of justice intervention for treating drug addiction, reducing criminal activity and reducing recidivism rates.

However, only 16 out of 100 counties in North Carolina currently operate a drug court.

Buncombe County’s Adult Drug Treatment Court has been in operation for 19 years and is funded through the county behavioral health department. The diversion program offering addiction treatment in lieu of prison time was spearheaded in Buncombe by Superior Court Judge Alan Thornburg.

Recovery courts have certain criteria people have to meet to be eligible to participate in the specialty court program. In North Carolina, participants must either be diagnosed as “chemically dependent” or “borderline chemically dependent” following a screening process. They must also be assessed for legal eligibility based on the level of their offense and any other requirements established by a local court.

It’s not an easy program. Participants can take an average of 18 months to graduate after meeting all the requirements, which include community service, a treatment program and drug screenings. There is also a cost benefit to taxpayers. While it could cost a minimum of $30,000 a year to house an inmate in jail, the cost of drug court for that individual is around $5,000.

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The dollar amount of the proposed budget has not been announced, but the fiscal year 2019 budget totaled $564.3 million, of which $180.5 million constituted the operating budget.

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After submitting a series of requests to Sneed’s office beginning Aug. 6, SMN received a reply Aug. 16 stating that the budget — as well as a 2018 budget-to-actual report prepared during the budget process — would be available only after Tribal Council approves it Sept. 12.

“Until the budget is approved by Tribal Council in the September session, we are not yet ready at this time to release the budget and accompanying documentation requested,” Sneed wrote in a follow-up email Aug. 19.

According to Attorney General Michael McConnell, the draft budget is a public document available under the tribe’s public records law. However, he said, his interpretation of the law is that the tribe is required to disclose such documents only to tribal members and their representatives — nobody on staff at SMN fits either category.

“To date, I am aware of just one request for a copy of the proposed budget document,” McConnell wrote. “The person making that request was informed over three weeks ago that the document is available for inspection.”

Tribal members can inspect the document at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Department of the Treasury, McConnell said. Because the document is more than 700 pages long, the tribe prefers that people come in to look at it rather than requesting copies, though copies could be furnished if the requester were willing to pay for the cost of replication.

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Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ribal Council is slated to vote on a budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 on Thursday, Sept. 12, but no draft document has been released to the media.

In an Aug. 2 interview with The Smoky Mountain News about his candidacy for reelection, Principal Chief Richard Sneed said that the proposed budget for 2019-20 is evidence of the “extremely robust stewardship” his administration has demonstrated over the tribe’s resources. While 10 years ago tribal government would typically budget for 100 percent of projected casino revenue, the budget Sneed submitted last year was “the most fiscally conservative in a decade” at 82 percent of casino projection, and the proposed budget for 2020 is based on 80 percent of casino projection.

The dollar amount of the proposed budget has not been announced, but the fiscal year 2019 budget totaled $564.3 million, of which $180.5 million constituted the operating budget.

“Our goal is to have a sustainable financial mechanism in place to fund program services so that all the benefits that we enjoy, the employment opportunities, the services we provide for our people will be able to be sustained for generations to come,” Sneed told Tribal Council on Monday, Aug. 5, which was the first of four days of budget hearings.

In addition to cutting back on percentage of casino projections, said Sneed, for the first time in the tribe’s history the budget will not add any full-time positions to the existing roster.

As far as revenue goes, said Treasury Secretary Cory Blankenship, casino and grant funds are up year-over-year, while income from the tribal levy is flat.

Occupancy tax is up as well, due to a rate increase from 3 to 4 percent.

Operational expenses for the new fiscal year are slightly down while labor expenses are up 3.8 percent year-over-year due to a 2 percent budgeted merit increase as well as a 1 percent health insurance cost increase and a 2 percent increase in the indirect cost rate, which has grown from 27 to 29 percent. The tribe is currently carrying more than 100 vacant positions, with a combined budgeted value of $7.4 million.

“Historically, labor expenses grew at a rate of 10 percent or more, which is unsustainable given that revenues grow between 2 and 4 percent each year,” said Blankenship.

“We have been successful in slowing that labor expense.”

Eventually, Sneed said in his Aug. 2 interview, he’d like to see the budget get down to 75 percent of casino projections. If that goal

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Tribe to vote on FY2020 budget

could be achieved, and held for multiple years without adversely affecting programs, Sneed would propose an ordinance requiring budgets to stay at or below the 75 percent mark.

After four days of budget hearings in which Tribal Council went through each program’s proposed budget, the body voted to accept those requests — as previously vetted by the treasury department — as part of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2020, which will receive a final vote in September. The proceedings were unusually non-contentious, Blankenship said in comments at the end of the final hearing session.

“This is the first time in the tribe’s history that there has been no changes out of council, so congratulations,” he said.

While the proposed budget met favor from council, The Smoky Mountain News has not had the opportunity to view the document, which will govern the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars.

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Gov. Cooper visits SCC Finish Line Grant a game-changer for SCC students

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

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Gov. Roy Cooper (center) with Finish Line Grant recipients Andrew Allen (left) and Abbie Turner (right).

After seeing a representative in SCC’s Financial Aid Office, qualified students were given a checklist of items they needed to take to Millett.

“Our entire team in Student Services, led

by Dean of Students Cheryl Contino-Conner, did a wonderful job of simplifying and streamlining the process for our students,” Dr. Brooks said. “We are fortunate to have such strong relationships with our community partners like the Southwestern Workforce Development Board.”

Allen used his grant to cover tuition costs that allowed him to gain priceless clinical experience in his field, but other

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Southwestern students used it to help with other unexpected expenses such as car repairs that might have otherwise prevented them from finishing out the school year.

“Not knowing ahead of time that I’d have this opportunity, it was a huge benefit to be able to have my tuition covered through this grant,” Allen said. “I am thankful to Gov. Cooper, SCC, Work First and everyone who made this possible.”

One of Allen’s classmates, Abbie Turner, sought and received assistance for replacing the worn tires on her vehicle as well as unexpectedly high utility bills. Turner lives in Mills River and drives

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his past summer, Andrew Allen had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get clinical experience at one of the state’s top teaching hospitals — Vidant Medical in Greenville.

The only problem is it’s more than 375 miles from his home in Whittier. Just the housing expenses alone threatened to max out Allen’s monthly budget. There was no way he could have covered tuition for his Physical Therapist Assistant program at Southwestern Community College.

At least, he didn’t think there was a way until he learned about the Finish Line Grant program. Established by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2018, Finish Line Grants provide financial assistance to community college students who’ve completed at least 50 percent of the credits needed to complete their credentials.

SCC teamed with the Southwestern Workforce Development Board to assist 101 students with a total of 129 grants valued at exactly $100,000. Among the SCC students who received Finish Line Grants, 97 percent either graduated or are still enrolled and progressing toward completion. That is well above the college’s fall-to-fall retention/per-

sistence rate of 64 percent.

Gov. Cooper visited SCC’s Jackson Campus on Thursday, Aug. 22, to meet with four of the college’s grant recipients and get a first-hand account of how the program made a difference in their lives.

“I’ve been around community colleges and higher education for a long time, but I’ve never seen any single program make this type of impact on retention numbers,” said Dr. Don Tomas, SCC president. “I want to thank the governor for his foresight in recognizing what a difference a program like this could make in the lives of our students as well as at community colleges across the state. I also am grateful to Dr. Thom Brooks, our executive vice president for instruction and student services, and his entire team for working with the Southwestern Workforce Development Board to make these funds as accessible as possible to our students who need them.”

All of the state’s 58 community colleges were able to apply for funding to help students, and each student could apply for up to $1,000 of assistance for a non-recurring financial need in a single semester.

SCC officials say one key reason students took advantage of the funding — prompting a second $50,000 installment — is that Southwestern Commission employee Brenda Millett was stationed two days a week on the college’s Jackson Campus.

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Region gathers to find recovery solutions

During the visit, Cooper and Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, joined four students on stage for a panel to discuss the important role that these grants play in each of their lives.

“You shouldn’t have to choose between your education and making ends meet,” said Queen. “Whether it’s a car repair, an unexpected healthcare cost or a childcare need, these grants offer assistance to make sure you keep your head above water and graduate on time.”

For more information about the Finish Line Grant at SCC, visit www.southwesterncc.edu.

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more than an hour one way every day to SCC, which is the nearest college with a PTA program.

“We’re a one-income family with two kids, so my husband and I don’t have a lot of margin for huge expenses like these while I’m working toward my degree,” said Turner, who completed her summertime clinical experience closer to home in Henderson County.

“Because of this Finish Line Grant, I have good tires on my car that will get me through the commutes to Sylva until I get my degree.”

SCC has been allotted $100,000 again for this year and has already begun working to get the word out to students.

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Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

ore than 150 leaders from Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties in North Carolina gathered Aug. 16 in Bryson CIty for the 7 County Western North Carolina Community Summit to discuss strategies about how to collectively create better cooperation in their efforts to encourage lifelong recovery for those suffering from substance use abuse and dependence.

More than a dozen different disciplines representing prevention, treatment and recovery support providers, law enforcement, faith community, recovery fellowships, business, government, research, foundations, community coalitions, families, drug courts, and education were present to hear from leaders in the substance use disorder field, network with old and new friends, and create plans of action when they return to their respective homes and communities.

Tom Edwards, one of the founders of the Recovery Alliance Initiative felt that this 7 County Summit was a success as it’s atten-

dees left Bryson City very excited about the knowledge they gained and the relationships they forged.

“This was truly a community coming together to discuss and collaborate on action plans for solutions to the SUD crisis in their counties, and the enthusiasm and excitement was evident the entire day. These attendees look forward to forging new partnerships to provide for greater opportunities for recovery services in their communities.”

Several projects which were begun at the Summit include development of prevention education curriculums specific to this region to be presented in high schools throughout the seven counties, expansion of peer support specialists in all seven counties, development of recovery court to be expanded into the seven counties, expansion of posttreatment transitional housing in these counties, harm reduction training for the far western counties, and utilization of a sequential mapping process to map out the continuum of recovery.

The work that began at the 7 County WNC Community Summit will continue through in-person and video conferencing, as well as through work groups on the Recovery Alliance website, www.RecoveryAll.org where projects are documented, measured and reported out to the Recovery Alliance Initiative community as well as yearly at the NC Recovery Alliance State Summit.

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As the 2020 national election campaign ramps up, public interest in how the media covers it is intensifying. Blue Ridge Public Radio and National Public Radio will host a community conversation to tackle one of the most important components of journalism – trust.

Panelists for this community conversation include: • Elizabeth Jensen, NPR’s Public Editor • Mark Memmott, NPR’s Senior Editor for Standards and Practices • BPR News Director Matt Bush • Smoky Mountain News Publisher and Editor Scott McLeod • Mountain Xpress Editor Virginia Daffron • Asheville Citizen-Times Editor and Reporter Casey Blake

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Health

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Barbara “Sunshine” Parker

Native health lecture at WCU Barbara “Sunshine” Parker, human services director for the Public Health and Human Services Division of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will provide the annual public lecture in native health at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.

4, at Western Carolina University.

Parker will speak on the topic “Interconnectedness: Serving the Whole Individual through Integration” in Room 204 of WCU’s Health and Human Sciences Building.

Her talk is free and open to everyone.

In her role with the Eastern Band, Parker oversees the family safety program, child advocacy, juvenile services and the domestic violence program. An enrolled member of the tribe, she earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work and a law degree at the University of Tennessee.

For more information, contact Lisa J. Lefler, WCU’s director of culturally based native health programs, at 828.227.2164.

Free diabetes program offered A Diabetes Prevention Program will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursdays beginning Sept.

5 at Haywood County Health & Human Services.

DPP is a lifestyle change program dedicated to preventing type 2 diabetes through a series of 24 one hour group classes. Combined with individual sessions with a trained lifestyle coach, DPP gives participants the information and tools necessary to maintain a healthy weight, prepare simple and healthy meals and find time to be physically active.

The program will be taught by Joanne Rinker, MS, RD, CDE, LDN, FAADE. Anyone interested in participating in DPP can contact Megan Hauser at 828.356.2272.

Clinicians are also welcome to refer patients who are either at risk or have been diagnosed with pre diabetes to join DPP. Classes are free thanks to a grant administered by NC State University.

The class will also offer incentives, such as yoga mats, resistance bands and cookbooks.

Foundation accepting grant applicants The Nantahala Health Foundation, a newly formed nonprofit, has announced its initial request for funding proposals from local organizations.

After the completion of a six-month long strategic planning process to gather information about the most critical issues challenging Western North Carolina and creating health disparities, NHF has successfully defined its current funding priorities. NHF will strive to create a stronger network of existing nonprofits and organizations by funding strategies and supporting initiatives that address root causes of health inequalities.

Beginning Thursday, Aug. 15, NHF is welcoming applications for projects that achieve outcomes for residents in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary in the following areas: education, career technical education, early childhood education initiatives, assisting expansion of availability of childcare facilities, increasing childcare affordability (such as scholarships for low-income families on the waiting list for voucher support), increasing the availability of summer camps and after school programs, increasing access to healthcare, behavioral health services, medication assistance and dental care, alleviating poverty, safe and adequate housing, transportation For more information, visit nantahalahealthfoundation.org.

Health grants available The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation has announced a second grant cycle of 2019.

Beginning Sept. 16 and ending at 5 p.m. Oct. 18 grant applications will be accepted online at www.hchealthfnd.org/grants.

Committed to its purpose to improve the health and wellbeing of Highlands, Cashiers and surrounding communities, the foundation invites proposals to address solutions in four focus areas: health and access to healthcare; education; economic stability; and community vitality.

Four listening sessions, planned for September, will be formatted as learning opportunities. Qualified organizations are invited to participate in peer discussions regarding their needs and roadblocks, providing the foundation with a deepened knowledge and understanding of health disparity root causes in the area. Information regarding the Foundation’s grant application process will also be discussed.

Community vitality will be discussed from 9 to 11 a.m. Sept. 5; economic stability 1 to 3 p.m.

Sept. 6; health and access from 1 to 3 p.m. Sept.

21

dent in 2001.

“I feel privileged to be joining the Dogwood Health Trust Board, especially at such an early stage in the organization’s evolution,” said TiptonRogers. “I’m excited to be part of something I am confident will be a catalyst for improving the quality of life in this beautiful region I’m so fortunate to call home.”

Suicide awareness month recognized

12; education from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 12.

RSVP to a.mitchell-lanning@hchealthfnd.org or 828.482.6514.

Visit www.hchealthfnd.org or email info@hchealthfnd.org.

Learn about Medicare plans If you are new to Medicare, don’t miss this informative session with SHIIP Administrator John Chicoine from 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at Waynesville Library Auditorium.

There are several plans to choose from and selecting the right one can save you money and offer you peace of mind. Make sure you learn the basics every American should know before choosing a Medicare plan.

No registration is required. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library and the Senior Resource Center.

New member joins Dogwood board Dogwood Health Trust, a private, non-operating foundation whose purpose is to dramatically improve the health and well-being of all people and communities of Western North Carolina, has appointed Dr. Donna Tipton-Rogers, president of Tri-County Community College, to its Board of Directors.

A Cherokee County native and graduate of Murphy High School, Tipton-Rogers became the first woman to serve as president of Tri-County Community College in 2007. She began her career in higher education as director of TCCC’s Graham County Center, overseeing planning, resource development, construction and operational phases of the satellite campus. She was named dean of the Graham County Center in 1998 and vice presi-

Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital will recognize national suicide prevention awareness month with a new monthly support group held at both hospitals, and with a series of community walks in Bryson City each Thursday throughout September.

The support group is named ‘WASH’ (We Are Still Here) and will be held the first Thursday of each month beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, in the Easton Conference Room at Harris Regional Hospital.

Group meetings will alternate months between Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital. The purpose of the group is to provide a safe space for those who are ‘still here’ to be able to talk about loss to suicide and how it affects survivors, and to provide support to other survivors of suicide who are navigating the complex grief that comes with the loss of a loved one due to suicide.

The community walks will be held at 10 a.m. each Thursday throughout September beginning Sept. 5 at the main entrance of Swain Community Hospital, 45 Plateau St. in Bryson City. Additional dates are: noon Sept. 12, 2 p.m. Sept. 19, and 4 p.m. Sept. 26. Everyone is invited and welcome to join the community walks.

For information on the support group or the community walks, contact Fugate at 828.488.4027. To reach the national suicide prevention lifeline, call 800.273.8255.

Bilingual pediatrician joins Leicester practice Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers (AMCHC) announced that bilingual pediatrician Dr. Alberto Luis León has joined the Leicester Community Health Center, located at 711 New Leicester Highway.

León has more than 40 years of experience as a pediatrician and is fluent in English and Spanish. He is now accepting new patients and all children are welcome. A native of New York City, he earned his medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, and completed his residency was at the San Juan City Hospital.

León has worked in Florida with the Farm Workers Health Association, helping to develop pediatric care in multiple clinics and earning an award for excellence in care for the medically underserved, including migrant farm workers.

AMCHC serves self-pay, Medicaid, Medicare and traditionally insured patients. To schedule an appointment, call 828.253.3717.

22

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

We stand by our brand of journalism I

We are the problem, and we must change To the Editor: It has been a long time sense I have written to an Editor, but the opinion in a recent issue issue regarding gun control needs to be addressed.

The writer used some very good examples to support his argument; however, every solution he offered has been tried in the past without satisfactory results. In 1997 England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand implemented almost everything suggested, and the violent crime rate in the United Kingdom has soared by 77 percent since 2007. Their violent crime rate went to 2,034 per 100,000 compared to the USA violent crime rate of 466 per 100,000. These facts can be verified at gunsinamerica.com.

If examining and licensing gun owners and registering guns would work, then wouldn’t vehicle drivers stop violating traffic laws?

Every driver and every vehicle is registered, but people still run red lights and drive over the speed limit. How can this be? All have been properly registered, tested and educated, but for some reason laws are violated. Why would anyone think the same procedures would stop mis-use of guns?

guidelines when he was alone for a few minutes in a bathroom with a female resident who was 16 years old at the time. The incident was investigated, and no charges were filed, but the investigation has prompted HIS to review its guidelines.

In the article that appeared in The Smoky Mountain News, Crowe was interviewed and he denied anything inappropriate occurred. Others who worked at the center thought differently.

Our story was prompted by a Wall Street Journal article looking into improprieties at similar facilities throughout Indian Country and at Unity. After that article appeared, our reporter — Holly Kays — did her own Editor reporting instead of just re-hashing what the WSJ reported. That took some time, and so the article appeared in the Aug. 14 edition.

Jumper, though, appears to attribute the timing of the article to some collusion between The Smoky Mountain News and WSJ or to some kind of plan to affect the election’s outcome: “I have to wonder about the timing of the release of these two articles; one just before our Primary Election and one just as we begin our General Election process,” he wrote in his column.

Look, we won’t pretend to know why the largest newspaper in the United States — with primary offices in New York City and a daily circulation of 2.2 million — decided to print its story so close to the Primary Election. I do know that The Smoky Mountain News — a small weekly with a distribution 16,000 in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary — based its publication decision on when the reporting for the story was finished. Holly

Scott McLeod

t’s rare when one newspaper questions the integrity of another paper and the intentions of a hard-working journalist whose entire career personifies honesty and ethical decision-making. So we were surprised and a bit taken aback after we read Editor Robert Jumper’s column in last week’s Cherokee One Feather in which he referenced an article in The Smoky Mountain News. For that reason, I felt compelled to respond.

To start with, I want to say that Jumper runs a fine newspaper that for the most part does good journalism. Given the constraints of being tribally owned and ultimately tribally controlled, the paper has plenty of news stories and Jumper’s commentaries are almost always thoughtful and illuminating.

And, to his credit, he has made it known that he disagrees with the Tribal Council’s decision to ban The Smoky Mountain News and all non-tribal media from sitting in council chambers and covering meetings. Granted, our Cherokee reporter Holly Kays is able to sit in an adjoining room and report from the live video stream. But that’s not the best way to cover anything, from a television feed where the nuances and emotions are often filtered by camera angles and expressions, utterances and other action happening off-camera inside the room. I’m not a Cherokee citizen, as some will probably point out, but it definitely creates a divide between the paper and Cherokee leadership, and gives the appearance of a lack of transparency.

In the Aug. 14 issue Kays wrote a story about an incident at the Unity Healing Center in Cherokee for troubled youth that was investigated by the Nashville regional office of the U.S. Indian Health Services (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/ item/27455). An employee, Nathanial “Bunsey” Crowe — who is a candidate for Tribal Council — reportedly acted against

LETTERS If these proposed law changes would fix the problem, then Chicago would be one of the safest cities in the nation because almost every proposal made is in place in Illinois and/or Chicago. In Illinois to buy a gun or ammunition, you must have a state-issued gun owners identification card that has your picture on it and identifies you as a responsible honest law-abiding person and to acquire these cards you must go through an extensive background check. In Illinois they call it a “good guy card.” In Chicago you have to have a police-issued permit to have a gun and the gun must be registered with the police. This also requires a background check.

In Chicago a few weeks ago there were 40 people shot and nine killed in one weekend.

Nothing was said about this in the mass news media. The amazing thing is that criminals do not obey laws. Imagine that! How do these gang-bangers in Chicago even get ammunition? I guarantee they do not have “good guy cards.” Many of them are too young to even legally buy guns. If gun laws do not work and have been proven almost daily not to work, then why do people continue to suggest we make more of the same laws? To do the same thing over and over and expect different results every time is the definition of insanity.

worked hard to finish as far before the election as possible.

Jumper also questioned the validity of our reporting, putting quotation marks around the word “article” and writing “when journalists speculate in an article, in my opinion, it is no longer an article. It is a commentary. It is an opinion piece.

And there is nothing wrong with commentary; just don’t pass it off as a factual, unbiased article.” His article also included a definition of yellow journalism, which is a term used to describe reporters and newspapers who are unethical and sensationalistic in their coverage of events.

Look, journalists doing investigative work choose which quotes to use and how to juxtapose differing opinions so that the reader can understand when there is disagreement about something that happened. Holly, in my opinion as an editor and journalist with more than 30 years experience at seven different newspapers, did not inject opinion into her article.

Far from it. She reported the facts that she dug up through honest, extensive, old-school reporting. The article is not an opinion piece, and calling it such is just wrong.

Robert Jumper, as editor of The Cherokee One Feather and as a member of the Tribe and as a U.S. citizen, is entitled to his opinion. But there is no justification for his conjecture that the article was did not live up to accepted journalistic standards.

Journalism is a tough business, especially in these days when television’s judgmental talking heads symbolize the profession for most casual observers. Legitimate reporters spend hours and hours interviewing sources, poring over notes and documents, and then putting together stories that readers can understand and that can help citizens make informed decisions. We’ll keep doing that whether our fellow journalists appreciate it or not.

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

The so-called gun violence is not a gun problem. We have a people problem. A people problem that most people do not want to fix.

The reason is that it will require us to change.

We will have to make changes in the way we raise our children, educate our children and the way we treat one another. To make these changes it will probably take at least a generation to completely fix. We must bring the Supreme Being back into our homes, lives and schools. We must return to the Golden Rule and treat others as we would want to be treated.

There was a survey recently made on several college campuses and the results that came out of this survey was that a significant number of the students thought that it was OK to use violence to shut up people that were expressing views that they did not agree with. Look at the number of cases in the past few years where conservative speakers were not allowed to speak on college and university campuses that they were invited to speak at, where the students rioted and destroyed public and private property because they did not want anyone to hear the speakers.

I believe that it is time that we really take a long hard look at what has happened to society during the last few decades. When I was in school, many years ago, I made a stock for my shotgun in art class. Now the children cannot

even carry a nail clipper to school. The change was us. We have become the problem. We are the only ones that can fix the problem and it will not — or should not — require any lawmakers to get involved. Stopping violence, whether by guns, verbal, physical or riots, is something we must do. We are the ones that are responsible and we are the ones that must change.

Donald Kimmel Waynesville

All we have left is our vote To the Editor: The only constant left in this country is our laws. We are only a great people if we abide by what our founders created a few hundred years ago. The current administration is perpetuating constant discourse and fueling divisiveness with racist tweets and rallies. Everyday we are bombarded with rants from the conspirator in charge of our country and interests. He has no shame or love for anyone other than Trump Inc. He has split families from their children and they sit in cages still, he insults anyone he pleases — including our allies — but loves the murderous dictators and respects them. Even before

To the Editor: Trump’s been talking about reducing payroll taxes. Beware everyone! Don’t fall for his shell game. Payroll taxes are the Social Security and Medicare taxes! This is just another ploy to justify eliminating these benefits. Tell your representatives that you are not falling for it.

Penny Wallace Waynesville

“Going to HEC is the best thing I could’ve done for my future. It’s preparing me for college and how to do things in the real world that will benefit all of us. We have a shared goal here, and that’s to live successful adult lives. The amazing teachers we have make the atmosphere so much better and safer. It’s my home away from home.”

— Hannah “The smaller class size leads to a much more personalized learning experience.”

— Aaron “Haywood Early College is a unique school. I’ve never felt so close to my entire class before. As cliché as it sounds, we are a family here. We stand up for one another. Even if we don’t know each other, we are always up to protect. We hype up our teachers, and we do all we can to respect and help them. To us, our teachers are more than just teachers.”

— Riley “HEC is full of positive, motivated and determined students and staff. Success is our ultimate goal. The staff will help your goals and put you on the right path for your future; even if you’re unsure where you’re going.”

— Tasha “Being at the Early College is truly a one-ina-million experience. I am so grateful that I’m able to be somewhere where I can express myself, but also somewhere where I have all the resources I need to be successful.”

— Sarah “HEC may be a school, but more than that, it’s a family. This school has given me so much support, and I’m very grateful to experience this opportunity.”

— Sam I asked Mrs. Hooper to tell me about the wolves displayed throughout the building. She said that HEC’s mission involves the mentality of a wolfpack with shared goals and a protective nature among one another. One of the murals offers the Rudyard Kipling quote, “For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”

I find it serendipitous that had I not visited HEC, I would have walked by Hannah at Watami without a thought. Instead, I left thinking about K-pop and bragging to my dinner dates about Hannah’s drive and gumption to create a blog on her own.

There is a lot of negative commentary about the fate of our society, but being around teenagers will change one’s opinion quickly. They are not naïve or lazy as some people assume. No, it’s the quite the opposite.

Many are smart and aware, ready to dive headfirst to better humanity.

Mrs. Hooper said, “Working at HEC gives me hope for the future. These kids take care of each other, and they love to learn. They are going to change the world.”

(Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and marketing specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media.

Susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)

Smoky Mountain News

Don’t fall for Trump’s talk

process to request their blog permissions hadn’t been finalized. Anxious to get started, Hannah created a blog on her own time using Wix, a web development site accessible via the internet. Her theme is K-pop, which stands for Korean pop music. I wasn’t sure if she knew enough information to create an entire blog about an obscure topic like K-pop, but after conversing with her, I assure you she does.

When Mrs. Hooper asked me to teach about blogging, I got nostalgic goose bumps. As I planned the lesson, I was reminded of my own days standing in front of a group of students day after day at Waynesville Middle School. The last group of seventh-graders I taught are now sophomores in college, so it’d been a while since I executed a lesson in front of young, expectant faces.

Before this experience, I’d never been to HEC, which is a National Blue Ribbon School. The first thing I noticed when I entered the building was the positive vibe. Yes, the rooms were bright and well equipped for 21st century learning but more than that, the students and teachers were smiling and everyone was engaging with one another. The principal, Mrs. Lori Fox, was popping in and out of classrooms saying hello. It felt like a commercial highlighting the early college concept, but there was nothing fake about it.

Both of my sessions on blogging went well and were a lot of fun. The students were inquisitive and involved.

In fact, students who weren’t even enrolled in that par-

ticular course voluntarily joined us so they could learn more about blogging. That was very telling to me.

At the end of the class, we asked the students to offer a quote about what it means to attend HEC. Here are some of their thoughts:

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

To the Editor: The most recent despicable, senseless and tragic “mass shootings” (California, Texas and Ohio) and “mass stabbings” (California) are, once again, going to cause our society to look for answers as to why such events occur. They occur because we, as a society, have allowed irresponsible personal conduct to become the “norm.” There is very little accountability for anyone’s actions until a tragic event occurs. Early warning signs of inappropriate behavior are ignored because we don’t want to “upset” anyone.

They occur because of the degradation of personal and social values that allow some individuals to think they are more important than the other members of our society; and when they feel “wronged” that they have the “right” to punish anyone , any time for their perceived plight.

They occur because of the violence in movies, TV shows, digital games, “comic” books and the videos on the internet. These forms of “entertainment” include the unfettered use of handguns, rifles, knives/machetes. futuristic “ray guns” and any other device one could imagine, to do harm to the characters in those media.

There seems to be a “hardening” to the sense of the “player” concerning the appropriateness of indiscriminately inflicting harm on others.

They occur because we have a societal problem, one that will not be easily solved and certainly won’t be solved by some “legislative action” (another law). No one wants to hear this, but we will continue to have these mass shootings/stabbings until our societal values change for the better.

In the 1950s one could go to a Sears, JC Penney, or other such stores and walk out with as many guns as you could afford to purchase. There were no epidemics of mass shootings/stabbings during that time. We had different societal values then.

I have urged our state’s congressional members to make sensible, meaningful decisions about the inevitable new (but will be mostly ineffective) laws that will probably be passed in order to show that something is being done by the politicians to address our issues. Knee-jerk, emotion-based, politically-motivated new laws will not solve our problem.

One area that would positively effect our mass shooting/stabbing situation is to greatly increase the funding for mental health services. We need a means for responsible people, i.e. the “village”, to identify those that exhibit destructive behavior, while retaining “due process” under the law.

I encourage everyone to contact your congressional members to inform them of your position on this matter.

Tom Rodgers Cullowhee

Leaving Watami Sushi & Noodles on Main Street in Waynesville, I smiled at the hostess, a girl named Hannah. She responded with an expression of recognition and we chatted. Hannah is a senior at Haywood Early College (HEC). I’d met her the previous week when I taught a session on blogging. Though we’d only been together a short time, we remembered each other.

Hannah was in the first class Columnist I visited that day. Their teacher, Mrs. Beth Hooper, had taught a few preliminary lessons on blogging so the students were already curious about the topic and had a knowledge base. They’d been asked to create a theme for their blog.

Student and teacher blogs have to be created within the Haywood County Schools IT infrastructure, and the

Susanna Shetley

We have a societal problem

Finding inspiration in Haywood Early College wolfpack

opinion

he launched his campaign he spread racist views and lies about others for his own gain.

Now the threat to our democracy is further eroded by the mass killings targeting people of color. Congratulations Mr. President!

You are truly inspirational to so few, but those few apparently listen and agree with your twisted ideology and love their guns and Bible. So here we go, America down the rabbit hole. Laws? No good if no one enforces them. Mitch McConnell is useless and refuses to do his job but he remains in control. He turns a blind eye to the fraud sitting in the Oval Office, he sheds no tears for the people lying dead in our streets. The only power the rest of us have left is our vote. Let’s hope that it’s secure.

Mylan Sessions Waynesville

23

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Sunday: 12- 9 p.m. • Monday: Closed

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828-452-6000

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Real Italians. Real Pizza.

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

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Smoky Mountain News

Wednesdays 3-9 p.m.

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243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde

828-476-5058 172 Sylva Plaza | Sylva

828-492-0641 All location hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Closed Sundays

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Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.

828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years.

Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert.

The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

APPLE ANDY’S RESTAURANT 3483 Soco Road, Maggie Valley located in Market Square. 828.944.0626. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Serving the freshest homemade sandwiches, wraps, and entrees such as country fried steak and grilled flounder. Full salad bar and made from scratch sides like potato salad, pinto beans and macaroni and cheese.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

BOGART’S 303 S. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.1313.

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Carry out available. Located in downtown Waynesville, Bogart’s has been long-time noted for great steaks, soups, and salads. Casual family atmosphere in a rustic old-time setting with a menu noted for its practical value. Live Bluegrass/String Band music every Thursday. Walking distance of Waynesville’s unique shops and seasonal festival activities and within one mile of Waynesville Country Club.

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY 50 N Main Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0350. Taproom Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Gem Bar Open Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Enjoy lunch, dinner or drinks at Boojum’s Downtown Waynesville restaurant & bar. Choose from 16 taps of our fresh, delicious & ever rotating Boojum Beer plus cider, wine & craft cocktails. The taproom features seasonal pub faire including tasty burgers, sandwiches, shareables and daily specials that pair perfectly with our beer. Cozy up inside or take in the mountain air on our back deck.”

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to

2:30 p.m.; dinner nightly at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Wine Down Wednesday’s: ½ off wine by the bottle. We specialize in handcut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available.

CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210.

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh handcut fries. Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining. facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine.

Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more. Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events.

Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue. Kitchen opens at 4 p.m.

Wednesday through Saturday serving freshly prepared small plates, tapas, charcuterie, desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT 3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet.

Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

EVERETT HOTEL & BISTRO 16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934.

Open daily for dinner at 4:30 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday Brunch from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner from 4:30-9:30 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials. Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

828.476.5058. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 8 p.m. Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. A full service authentic Italian pizzeria and restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge. Dine in, take out, and delivery. Check out our daily lunch specials plus customer appreciation nights on Monday and Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m. with large cheese pizzas for $9.95.

FIREFLY TAPS & GRILL 128 N. Main St., Waynesville 828.454.5400. Simple, delicious food. A must experience in WNC. Located in downtown Waynesville with an atmosphere that will warm your heart and your belly! Local and regional beers on tap. Full bar, vegetarian options, kids menu, and more.

Reservations accepted. Daily specials. Live music every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m.

Open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA 1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley.

828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving dinner 5 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors.

Reservations accepted. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

HARMON’S DEN BISTRO 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville 828.456.6322. Harmon’s Den is located in the Fangmeyer Theater at HART. Open 5:309 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (Bistro closes at 7:30 p.m. on nights when there is a show in the Fangmeyer Theater) with Sunday brunch at 11 a.m. that includes breakfast and lunch items. Harmon’s Den offers a complete menu with cocktails, wine list, and area beers on tap. Enjoy casual dining with the guarantee of making it to the performance in time, then rub shoulders with the cast afterward with post-show food and beverage service. Reservations recommended. www.harmonsden.harttheatre.org HAZELWOOD FARMACY & SODA FOUNTAIN 429 Hazelwood Avenue, Waynesville.

828.246.6996. Open six days a week, closed Wednesday. 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfast until noon, old-fashioned luncheonette and diner comfort food.

Historic full service soda fountain.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817.

Open for dinner at 4:30 Tuesday through Sunday. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads.

All ABC permits and open year-round.

tasteTHE mountains Children always welcome. Take-out menu.

Excellent service and hospitality.

Reservations appreciated.

JOEY’S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Open seven days a week! 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Joey’s is a family-friendly restaurant that has been serving breakfast to locals and visitors of Western North Carolina for decades. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey’s is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel.

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner.

The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

KANINI’S 1196 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.452.5187. Lunch Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., eat in or carry out. Closed Sunday. A made-from-scratch kitchen using fresh ingredients. Offering a variety of meals to go from frozen meals to be stored and cooked later to “Dinners to Go” that are made fresh and ready to enjoyed that day. We also specialize in catering any event from from corporate lunches to weddings. kaninis.com

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT 2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ 9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561.

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE 101 Park St., Canton.

828.492.1422. Open Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Southerninspired restaurant serving simply prepared, fresh food sourced from top purveyors.

Located riverside at Bearwaters Brewing, enjoy daily specials, sandwiches, wings, fish and chips, flatbreads, soups, salads, and more. Be sure to save room for a slice of the delicious house made cake. Relaxing inside/outside dining and spacious gathering areas for large groups.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska. Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano. Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95. Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available.

Sagebrush features hand carved steaks,

chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400.

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville.

Using only the freshest ingredients in homemade soups, salads and sandwiches. Come in and see for yourself why Smoky Mountain Sub Shop was voted # 1 in Haywood County.

Locally owned and operated.

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.3551. Open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, the Tap Room Bar & Grill has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years (don’t ask for the recipes cuz’ you won’t get it!) Each Pizza is hand tossed and made with TLC. You’re welcome to watch your pizza being created.

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0927. Open Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday noon to 9 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. Opened in May 2016, The Waynesville Pizza Company has earned a reputation for having the best hand-tossed pizza in the area. Featuring a custom bar with more than 20 beers and a rustic, family friendly dining room. Menu includes salads, burgers, wraps, hot and cold sandwiches, gourmet pizza, homemade desserts, and a loaded salad bar. The Cuban sandwich is considered by most to be the best in town.

Mon/Wed/Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday/Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tuesday

Sunday 12-9 p.m.

Sandwiches • Burgers • Wraps 32 Felmet Street (828) 246-0927

Carver's

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT since 1952

Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

Featured Dishes: Fresh Fried Chicken, Rainbow Trout, Country Ham, Pork-chops & more

Breakfast served all day!

OPEN DAILY 7 A.M. TO 8 P.M. SUNDAY 8 A.M. TO 8 P.M. CLOSED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY 2804 SOCO RD. • MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.0425 • Facebook.com/carversmvr Instagram- @carvers_mvr

MON.-SAT. 11AM- 8 PM

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505 twitter.com/ChurchStDepot

3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

www.CityLightsCafe.com

Advertise here.

Smoky Mountain News

828.452.4251 www.smokymountainnews.com

THANK YOU, HAYWOOD COUNTY,

FOR VOTING US

#1 BURGER! facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot

828-246-6996 429 Hazelwood Avenue Waynesville Monday, Tuesday Wednesday Thursday, Friday Saturday Sunday Brunch

7:30am to 4pm Closed 7:30am to 4pm 8am to 8pm 9am to 3pm

Smoky Mountain News

Order Catering or Take-Out NO LINES NO WAITING! 828.587.2233

Breakfast : Omelets, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy!

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM 617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva.

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Handtossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch.

Casual family friendly atmosphere. Craft beer and interesting wine. Free movies Thursday through Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows & events.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB 1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

Open seasonally for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.

southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout, country ham, pork chops and more.

Breakfast all day including omelets, pancakes, biscuits & gravy. facebook.com/carversmvr; instagram @carvers_mvr.

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Smoky Mountain News

RIGHT FROM THE SOURCE Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates 50 years Within its half-century of existence, the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival has played host to thousands of talented musicians and cloggers. Brady Blackburn photos

Want to go?

The 50th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival will be held on Aug. 30-31 at the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center.

Two nights of the finest traditional music and dance of the Southern Appalachian region. The main shows begin at 6:30 p.m. on the grand stage of Stuart Auditorium.

Both nights will include a rich variety of the region’s finest fiddlers, banjo players, string bands, ballad singers, buck dancers, and square dance teams as well as the marvelous sounds of dulcimer, harmonica, Jew’s harp, bagpipes, spoons, saws, and folk ensembles.

Tickets for the main shows each night at Stuart Auditorium will be available at the door for $14 per night or in advance for $12 per night at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska. Children 12 years of age and under are free.

Admission is also free to everyone at the outdoor tents, where performers and musicians will gather and jam each night starting about 5 p.m. www.lakejunaluska.com or 828.452.2881.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER top a hill on the western edge of downtown Waynesville, just past the invisible line where the delicious smell of down home food stops wafting from nearby Bogart’s Restaurant & Tavern, sits a picturesque century-old home.

With a fresh cup of coffee in hand one recent sunny morning, Joe Sam Queen sat in a rocking chair on the side patio of his serene abode and reminisced about the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival.

“Getting together to dance and play music has always been part of these mountains. People here in Haywood County and Western North Carolina celebrate the seasons, their lives, their culture,” he said. “Back then, you’d work on the farm all the time and you wanted an opportunity to get together with your friends, family, neighbors and visitors — that’s what dance and music has always been about.”

Though Queen is well-known around Western North Carolina for his legislative career (currently a representative in the state House), he’s probably more notable to the residents of his district as one of the founders and organizers of this longtime festival.

“The Smoky Mountain Folk Festival remains an annual occasion to introduce your children, grandchildren and rela-

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tives to the history of where they come from — it reminds you about your heritage,” Queen said.

And it was in the same year, 1969, that the 19-year-old Queen moved into that home when the beloved festival was launched. Alongside an array of local movers and shakers, Queen and his colleagues created the gathering as a way to preserve and perpetuate the artistic and cultural traditions of these mountains and its people.

“I was a college student at the time,” Queen recalled. “The Town of Waynesville would have square dances and street dances. But, we were looking for a way to showcase all the local and regional talent in a true festival setting.”

Now a half-century into its existence, the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival remains one of the last, true vestiges of mountain music and clogging, where the omnipresent ghosts of those talented souls who came before us will always have a place on the dance floor for generations to come.

“For centuries, we’ve been a hot spot for folk music and folk dance in America, right here in Haywood County,” Queen said. “And there was an urgency, even when we started, to ensure the survival of traditional dance and music in Southern Appalachia.”

In the year leading up to the incorporation of the folk festival, Haywood County lost one of its great cul-

F

“My grandfather was a genuine entertainer — if you saw him coming, you knew a good time was to be had. He put on dances all throughout the year, and especially at the old mountain hotels with the hardwood floors. They’d dress up their Sunday’s best and dance for the visitors and tourists staying at the inns.”

Whitewater Bluegrass Co.

— Joe Sam Queen

Marc Pruett.

MARC PRUETT, BANJO • Multiple IBMA winner (with Balsam Range) • Grammy Award recipient (with Ricky Skaggs) • Former leader of The Marc Pruett Band hat really stands out to me about being at the first Smoky Mountain Folk Festival in 1969 was getting to see my mountain music heroes in one place, with smiles on their faces from the collective effort to showcase their talents and skills in a sharing way.

There was a positive spirit there that seemed to lift our culture and folk heritage high in a pointed and giving way. There were new faces to see, new music to hear, and many great dancers that came from a deep tradition of celebration.

I’ve had the chance to play at the festival with several different bands, and the overarching reason for me to participate was getting to share the music I love. Even if I’m playing to a local audience, that effort reaffirms who I am to me — it’s gratifying. But, the deeper, in-my-heart philosophy, is standing with confidence knowing that this is part of who we are as mountain people.

During the rest of the year when the festival isn’t going on — fragmentally — it lives in homes, in churches, and in a host of places that give to the continuation of our heritage through a vibrant culture.

It’s important for the folk festival to continue in order to present the best of “who we are” in a focused celebration, and

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bluegrass and old-time music — we were just playing music.

One of my best memories of the festival was the year the Greek folk dance group [here with] Folkmoot USA stayed over and performed. Folk music and dance has a place in all cultures. It also serves as a bridge between cultures and generations.

When my family moved back to Asheville for keeps in 1973, all of the high schools and junior high schools had a clog team and a smooth dance team.

Not all students are going to play sports or march in the band, but they do need other activities to keep them connected and socialized.

We don’t have those dance teams in our schools anymore, but our culture needs a way to connect to each other. In no small way, the folk festival helps to provide that.

BILL BYERLY, GUITAR to give mountain performers a showcase to hone their skills and talents in a professional setting. The folk festival is not a competition, it’s a “sharing” in the best sense of the word.

When the last note is played, when the last dancer bows, and when the last word sung trails into the night, the audience and the performers become one in wonderful, shared memories.

“UNCLE TED” WHITE, BASS • Longtime member of Whitewater Bluegrass Co. • Musical staple of MerleFest • Storyteller, dance caller first went to the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival in the early 1980s. I was there as a guest of The Dutch Cove Old Time String Band. I wasn’t onstage, so I was able to wander around and visit the different workshops and booths. I sat in on some jams and met a lot of people.

The big thing that stuck out in my mind was that there wasn’t this division between

I

• Longtime member of Whitewater Bluegrass Co.

y first experience was about 15 or 20 years when Whitewater Bluegrass Co. was hired to be the house band for Saturday night. What impressed me the most was the camaraderie with all the musicians.

They all had a common bond — to put their talents on stage and entertain. They were carrying on a tradition set forth by their families and predecessors. They cared about the tradition and the music and still do.

The most impressive moment [I remember from the folk festival was] when our former bandmate, the late banjoist Steve Sutton, teamed up with dulcimer extraordinaire Don Pedi and played “Jerusalem Ridge” with just guitar and dulcimer for five minutes and tore the crowd up.

The folk festival, like so many others, is a key to the survival of the traditional music we were raised on. We can’t lose that. But, from what I’ve seen in the past few years, the future looks mighty bright. 27

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Smoky Mountain News

S EE FESTIVAL, PAGE 28

In their own words: Smoky Mountain Folk Festival

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

tural ambassadors — 80-year-old Sam Love Queen, grandfather to Joe Sam and a worldclass clogger.

“My grandfather bonded a local man out of jail to work on his farm,” Joe Sam said.

“They had some kind of dilemma and the man shot my grandfather with his own pistol in the room he was born in. Over 5,000 folks from all over the area attended my grandfather’s funeral.”

A clogging legend, Sam Love Queen founded the Soco Gap Dance Team, a popular group who, in 1928, won the square dancing competition during the inaugural Mountain Dance & Folk Festival in Asheville, a gathering founded by banjo/singing icon Bascom Lamar Lunsford.

And it was the friendship and collaboration between Lunsford and Sam Love Queen that would lead to decades of performances for folks from all walks of life around the country.

When the King and Queen of England crossed the pond to pay a visit to the White House in 1939, it was Sam Love Queen (as part of a dance act put together by Lunsford) who danced for the Royal Family and also President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

“My grandfather was a genuine entertainer — if you saw him coming, you knew a good time was to be had,” Joe Sam said. “He put on dances all throughout the year, and especially at the old mountain hotels with the hardwood floors. They’d dress up their Sunday’s best and dance for the visitors and tourists staying at the inns.”

Thus, in honor of the late Sam Love Queen and his legacy, Joe Sam and a handful of community organizers got together and decided to put on a folk festival in the summer of 1969.

The group was able to get a $5,000 grant that was put to use in purchasing equipment for the stage and getting the word out on the event. The inaugural gathering was held in the gymnasium and on the lawn at the local high school (now the Waynesville Middle School).

arts & entertainment

Joe Sam Queen.

Brady Blackburn photos

“Besides the clogging and mountain music, we also had Appalachian games, potato sack races, wheelbarrow races and log throwing,” Joe Sam smiled. “Haywood Community College was just getting started with its crafts program, so they brought over all kinds of artists that were there to demonstrate their skills for everyone.”

Eventually, the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival was relocated to the Lake Junaluska Conference Center & Retreat Center, where it has called the Stuart Auditorium home for around 30 years.

“Well, now 50 years later, the festival is still about preserving these traditions and sharing them with the locals and visitors — I think my grandfather would be proud to see where it is today,” Joe Sam said. “And for something that started out as a harvest time festival, it has really become an institution for hospitality in Haywood County in sharing our history through dance and music.”

Finishing up the last drop of his coffee, Joe Sam gets up from his rocking chair and readies himself for the impending day. His cell phone rings. It’s one of the longtime performers at the folk festival calling about lastminute details for the stage.

Once again, Joe Sam wrangles in what needs to be done to get the folk festival off and running, just like he and countless other community members have done for a halfcentury and counting.

“Place matters to me and I recognize place also matters to other people. And I feel just incredibly blessed to be from Haywood County. But, I recognize other people feel they are blessed to be where they’re from, too,” Joe Sam said. “And if you know where you come from, you’ve got a better feeling for where you’ll be going in this world. Like I always say at the dances, ‘let’s all join hands in one big circle.’”

“There was an urgency, even when we started, to ensure the survival of traditional dance and music in Southern Appalachia.”

— Joe Sam Queen

Smoky Mountain News

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

FESTIVAL, CONTINUED FROM 27

28

An early installment of the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Neal Casal (far left) with Hard Working American. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

The 113th annual Canton Labor Day Festival will take place Sept. 1-2 in Sorrells Street Park in downtown Canton. The parade will be held from 10 to 11:30 p.m. Sept. 2.

Heartbroken and stunned.

That’s about all I can say or feel at this moment with the Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host tragic passing of singer-songSanctum Sully (rock/jam) at 9 p.m. Saturday, writer and guitarist Neal Casal.

Aug. 31.

An absolutely incredible The Concerts on the Creek summer music series soul and bright light in our will conclude for the year with The Maggie Valley scene was tragically snuffed Band (Americana) at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, at out Monday evening. I still Bridge Park in Sylva. can’t take the words I’m typing for truth right now. I’ve Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host said it a million times and I’ll Billingsley (rock/jam) at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. say it again: Neal Casal was one of the greatest guitarists I’ve ever seen.

The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host In this column, I snapped vocalist Julie McConnell (jazz) at 7 p.m. Sunday, that photo of Neal when his Sept. 1. band Hard Working Americans played The Orange being onstage (or off ) and jamming out with Peel in Asheville a few years back. I remember standing in the photo pit with Neal look- your buddies, this innocence factor of why we all got into music (and live music) in the ing down and giving me a smile and a nod.

We’d crossed paths on so many occasions first place.

It was just past midnight, heading into over the years, and I had the sincere pleasure early Tuesday morning, when I received a of interviewing him a few times for his work message from a friend in the music indusin the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Hard try confirming Neal’s exit from this world. I Working Americans and recently with was shocked. “Wait, didn’t he just play Circles Around the Sun (CATS).

Lock’n?” I replied, hoping it was a mistake.

Anyone who knew Neal, knew not only Sadly, it wasn’t. of his talent and potential, but also how Neal and CATS had played the late-night there was never, ever any ego attached to his Thursday set (this past week) at the massive work and attitude: he simply loved playing Lock’n music festival in rural Virginia. He music. That was it. Everything was about

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in

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

Let it wander on my mind.

Goodbye, Neal.

Crafted arts & entertainment

This must be the place

also jumped onstage Saturday night to play a few Grateful Dead tunes with Bob Weir, Oteil Burbridge and friends — a “who’s who” of the jam and rock scene. From all accounts, it was a pretty special performance to witness, as was any gig or sit-in Neal found himself part of.

I then remembered I have a 37-minute unpublished interview with Neal when he and I spoke just this April. I pulled it out of my files and put it on. There it was: the phone ringing, Neal’s jovial tone and laughter.

We had only scheduled 10-15 minutes, but, for some reason, dove pretty deep. The conversation touched on the new CATS album to his early life in New Jersey, playing with Blackfoot, and what new projects he had on the horizon.

But, what really stuck out, was how excited he got when I told him I had recently got to hold the late Clarence White’s legendary “B-Bender” guitar. Guitarist for The Byrds, White is regarded as one of the greatest who ever picked up an electric six-string.

White seamlessly fused rock-n-roll and country music, forever changing the landscape of American music with songs like “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” and literally every other melody on the landmark “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” album (1968).

For years now, country/bluegrass legend Marty Stuart has owned the guitar, of which, Marty let me hold the instrument when I interviewed him for Smoky Mountain Living this spring on his tour bus in Florida.

Neal freaked out in joy and was so happy for me, saying how the “B-Bender” was literally his favorite guitar and how he always wanted to hold it, too. He then told me about how he’d been diving into classic country music lately, and how it was influencing the current direction of his music.

The conversation meandered in all sorts of directions, as it usually did when he and I talked. It was always easy to talk to Neal, even if you were just meeting him for the first time. Anyone who knew him can attest to that sentiment as truth.

Just before we said goodbye, he asked if I was coming to the Asheville show. Obviously, I was. “Well, get hold of me and we’ll meet up,” he said, something we’d done before when he was in the area. I said I would.

But, I ended up running late to the soldout show at The Grey Eagle, the crowd so massive and jam-packed that I was unable to get near the stage to signal to him I was there.

I watched him smile in the midst of melodic chaos from both sides of the microphone. He was so calm in this sweaty, raucous room, as if to be standing alone in the eye of the storm. It was pretty magical, especially during “On My Mind.” I stayed for one set and headed back home before it got too late.

Alas, it is what it is. And I’m so damn grateful for my time and conversations with him. Neal Casal was not only a guitar icon of our scene, he was also an incredible songwriter and a beautiful human being.

Track down his music, get to know the person and the artist — it’s an endless journey of discovery through music and emotion.

I will miss our conversations. I will miss my friend.

AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE EVENTS 743 HAYWOOD RD • WEST ASHEVILLE

ISISASHEVILLE.COM 828.575.2737

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arts & entertainment

On the beat ‘An Appalachian Evening’ in Stecoah The “An Appalachian Evening” summer concert series will conclude for the year with Wayne Henderson & Helen White at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.

As well, the Fall Harvest Festival will feature bluegrass legends The Gibson Brothers at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Stecoah Valley Center.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.stecoahvalleycenter.com. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in the air-conditioned Lynn L. Shields Auditorium.

Western Carolina Community Chorus The Western Carolina Community Chorus will begin the 2019-20 season with a practice from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, in

Room 357 of the Coulter Building on the campus of Western Carolina University.

The fall concert is set for 3 p.m. Nov. 24.

The chorus is under the direction of Robert Holquist, retired WCU Director of Choral Activities, and accompanied by pianist Barbara Dooley and organist Lorie Meservery.

The WCCC was formed in 1970 by Dr. James Dooley for performances of Handel’s MESSIAH in Cullowhee and Waynesville.

Since that time, it has provided opportunities for singers and concert audiences to experience musical styles ranging from a cappella miniatures to choral-orchestral masterworks.

Support for the ensemble is provided by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the Jackson County Arts Council Grassroots Arts Program, and Western Carolina University.

Experienced singers, high-school aged and older, are invited to join by attending the first rehearsal. For further information, call Holquist at 828.506.5951 or email holquistbstn@aol.com.

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

smokymountainnews.com ART AFTER DARK

Franklin welcomes The Steeldrivers The Steeldrivers. (photo: Robert Rausch)

Beloved bluegrass/Americana act The Steeldrivers will perform at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

After playing at bluegrass festivals, the band signed to Rounder Records and released a self-titled debut in 2008, featuring new lead singer Chris Stapleton. The album peaked at No. 57 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

The group was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2009 for “Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals”

Smoky Mountain News

Grammy-winner returns to Marianna

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FRIDAY SEPT 6 6-9 PM

Artist Cathryn Cooper

98 N. MAI N ST. • WAYNESVILLE • MON-SAT 10-5:30 SUN 1-4 828.456.1940 • W W W.T WIGSAN DLEAVES.COM

As part of its “Summer Music Series,” the Marianna Black Library will present an evening with Fingerstyle Guitar Champion and Grammy Award winner Bill Mize at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at the library in Bryson City.

Mize is a son of Tennessee, and a fitting representative of his state’s rich musical heritage. His critically lauded fingerstyle compositions are fluid and intricate, and their delivery masterful.

He received a Grammy Award for his collaboration with musician and storyteller David Holt on the recording “Stellaluna.” He’s also a past winner of the National Fingerstyle Guitar Competition at The Walnut Valley Festival, which Guitar Player Magazine has labeled this event the “U.S. Open of guitar competitions.” In 2009, Mize’s music appeared in the Ken Burns documentary “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”

for their song “Blue Side of the Mountain.”

In 2010, the group received two nominations for its second album, “Reckless.” The album has been nominated for both “Best Bluegrass Album” and “Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” for the song “Where Rainbows Never Die.” In 2015, the group received a “Best Bluegrass Album” Grammy Award for its album, “The Muscle Shoals Recordings.”

Tickets start at $22 per person. To purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountain music.com or call 866.273.4615.

Bill Mize.

This program is free and open to area residents and visitors. Plus, snacks and refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Marianna Black Library. For more information, call the library at 828.488.3030 or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

On the beat arts & entertainment

The Maggie Valley Band.

Concerts on the Creek The 10th season of the Concerts on the Creek summer music series will conclude for the year with The Maggie Valley Band (Americana) at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce team up to produce the Concerts on the Creek series at

the Bridge Park gazebo in Sylva from 7 to 9 p.m. every Friday from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Concerts on the Creek events are free and open to the public. Bring a chair or blanket.

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

Groovin’ on the Green

Jazz vocalist Julie McConnell and her fourpiece band will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept.

1, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

McConnell, who teaches voice and piano privately and at Haywood Community College, is a veteran vocalist from Southern California who now lives in the Asheville area and has been performing at venues throughout the region.

Members of the Julie McConnell Quintet include her husband and bass player Bryan McConnell, a veteran of the Monterey Jazz Festival who played bass for famous jazz artists John Handy and Bobby Hutchinson.

Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’Blues.

For a full concert schedule visit the concerts page on The Village Green website, www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Other band members include veteran Asheville jazz musicians Bill Gerhardt on piano and Justin Watt on drums, as well as Western Carolina music professor Chris Beyt on guitar.

The band will perform jazz standard arrangements by McConnell and Gerhardt as well as by jazz recording artist Michael Jefry Stevens.

Since moving to the Asheville area in 2015, Julie McConnell has also performed at the Biltmore Estate, Jongo Java, Cask & Wine on Main, Appalachian Coffee House, Wine & Oyster Bar, The Purple Onion, and Isis Music Hall, as well as private parties and corporate events.

Tickets are $15 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.38main.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

Music returns to The Strand

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

The Groovin’ on the Green summer concert series will conclude for the summer with Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’Blues (blues) at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at The Village Green in Cashiers.

Coolers are welcome but food and beverage vendors will be on site as well. Dogs must be on a leash and under the control of their owners at all times.

A new policy is in place this year with setting up for Groovin’ On the Green concerts.

Tents must be set up next to the path at the very back of the event lawn. Chairs may be set up in the lawn anytime the day of the concert, however no chairs may be set up within the wings of the Commons until after 4:30 p.m.

EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

828.944.0288 | MaggieValleyWellness.com 461 MOODY FARM ROAD, MAGGIE VALLEY

31

arts & entertainment

On the beat • Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with George Ausman Aug. 29, Hope Griffin Aug. 30, The Harmed Brothers 7 p.m.

Aug. 31, The Two Armadillos 4 p.m. Sept. 1, Scott James Stambaugh 4 p.m. Sept. 2 and 8, Liz Nance Sept. 5 and Heidi Holton Sept.

7. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 29 and Sept. 5. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday, Sanctum Sully (rock/jam) Aug. 31, Darren & Taylor Nicholson (Americana/country) Sept. 6 and Andrew Thelston Band (rock/soul) Sept. 7. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

Smoky Mountain News

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Billingsley (rock/jam) Aug. 30, Vaden Lander Yodeling Country Blues Band Aug. 31, In Flight (jam/fusion) 3 p.m. Sept. 1, Remark Sept. 6 and Caribbean Cowboys Sept. 7. All

32

(Steely Dan tribute) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1, Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions w/Rob Parks & Recreation 7:30 p.m. Sept. 3 and A Different Thread (Americana/blues) 7 p.m. Sept. 4. www.isisasheville.com.

Christian music legend in Franklin The most awarded female vocalist in contemporary Christian music history, Sandi Patty will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

She is known for her wide vocal range, flexibility, and emotional expression. Her performances are powerful and inspirational.

Patty has earned five Grammy Awards, 40 Dove Awards, and four Billboard Music Awards. She is also a recipient of the Gospel Music Association’s Music in the Rockies Summit Award and an inductee into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Some of her hits include, “Hand on My Shoulder,” “For All the World,” and

shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Aug. 28 and Sept. 4, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Aug. 29 and Sept. 5. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, Tea 4 Three Aug. 31 and Gopher Broke Sept.

7. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

Sandi Patty.

“Another Time, Another Place.”

Tickets start at $25 per person with priority seating available. To purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

Lawn Series w/Whistlepig (honky-tonk) 6 p.m. Aug. 28, Shel (Americana) 7 p.m. Aug. 28, Lawn Series w/Pimps of Pompe (jazz) 6 p.m. Aug. 29, Tiffany Williams & Matt Sellars (Americana/folk) 7 p.m. Aug. 29, Chris Wilhelm & Friends (folk/world) 8:30 p.m.

Aug. 29, Jared Anderson & Kenna (country/folk) 7 p.m. Aug. 30, Juan Benavides Group (world) 8:30 p.m. Aug. 30, The Lonetones 7 p.m. Aug. 31, Marbin (blues/funk) 6 p.m. Sept. 1, Dirty Logic

• Legends Sports Grill (Maggie Valley) will host music semi-regularly on weekends.

828.926.9464 or www.facebook.com/legendssportsgrillmaggievalley.

• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host an open music jam with Jim Hite & Bill Jackson at 2 p.m. Sept. 3. Free and open to the public.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Shayler’s Kitchen Aug. 30, Bird in Hand Aug. 31 and Granny’s Mason Jar Sept.

7. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) will host Wyatt Espalin Aug. 30 and Miller & The Hunks Aug. 31. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

On the beat

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Pioneer Chicken Stand 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31 and Noah Proudfoot & The Botanicals 6 p.m. Sept. 1. All shows are free and open to the public. www.noc.com.

arts & entertainment

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host The Smoky Mountaineers Aug. 30, The Evening Chimes Aug. 31, Arnold Hill Sept. 6 and April B. & The Cool Sept. 7. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Pickin’ on the Square (Franklin) will host Kasey Clark (Americana/country) Aug. 31 and Hurricane Creek Sept. 7. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

ALSO:

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday.

Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Gary Carter Aug. 30, Tom Johnson Aug. 31, Jazz Mountain Sept. 6 and Sweet Charity Sept. 7. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and live music on Friday evenings. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and vocalist Julie McConnell (jazz) 7 p.m. Sept. 1. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, Mile High (classic rock) 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a Trivia w/Kelsey Jo 8 p.m. Thursdays.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host Bluegrass Thursdays w/Benny Queen at 6:30 p.m.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, karaoke on Thursdays and semi-regular music on Fridays and Saturdays. All events at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

828.456.4750.

Smoky Mountain News

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host Bluegrass w/Nitrograss Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Seth Brand 6 p.m. Sept. 28. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 or www.whitesidebrewing.com.

33

arts & entertainment

On the street

N

The Oak Ridge Boys.

Smoky Mountain News

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

Canton Labor Day Festival The 113th annual Canton Labor Day Festival will take place Sept. 1-2 in Sorrells Street Park in downtown Canton. The parade will be held from 10 to 11:30 p.m.

Sept. 2.

Aside from a full schedule of events, including a handcraft expo, food trucks, classic car show, kid’s village, and more,

Festival at Darnell Farms In celebration of Labor Day, the “Sky Festival” will be held Aug. 30-31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City.

In conjunction with Darnell Farms Labor Day Celebration, Jackson Co. NC NAACP’s President Enrique Gomez (professor of Astronomy and Physics) will conduct ‘sky scrolls’ to help guests become better acquainted with the night sky.

Aside from fresh produce and handmade items for sale, there will also be live music, hayrides, vendor booths, dining, singing, fishing, and much more.

Admission is free. For more information, call 828.743.9747.

Fines Creek Heritage Fair 34

The Fines Creek Heritage Fair & Music Festival will be held Sept. 6-8 at the Fines

the live music at Sorrells Street Park schedule is follows:

Sunday, Sept. 1 ($10 at gate, $8 in advance) w • 2 p.m. Keil Nathan Smith • 3:30 p.m. The Blackout Band • 5 p.m. McKayla Reece • 6:30 p.m. Joe Lasher w • 8 p.m. The Oak Ridge Boys w Monday, Sept. 2 (free to the public) • 12:45 p.m. Super 60s Band • 2:15 p.m. Jackie Lunsford & The Carolina Band • 3:45 p.m. Ol’ Dirty Bathtub • 5:30 p.m. Ryan Perry Band • 7:30 p.m. Balsam Range For more information, visit www.cantonlaborday.com.

Creek Community Center.

The fair hours will be from 5 to 10 p.m.

Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Live music starts at 3 p.m.

Saturday with several local and regional acts that will take the stage throughout the day.

Food from 4 p.m. onward. Poor man’s supper on Saturday. There will also be exhibits and several vendors onsite selling homemade goods and more.

Vendor spots are available for $25.

Admission is $3 per person Friday, $10 for Saturday and $5 Sunday. Children ages 6 and younger are free.

For more information, call 828.246.3366.

• The CommUnity Square Dance will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Caller Doug Singleton will teach and call all dances to live old-time music led by fiddler Ann Whitley. No partner or experience is necessary. For more information, email pammanottus@gmail.com.

ALSO:

On the street

The Western NC Civil War Roundtable will host a free presenta- General Ulysses tion and open discussion on General S. Grant.

Ulysses S. Grant, which will be held on Monday, Sept. 9, at The Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and Spa. Grant did much more than most men on the Union side to see the Civil War to its final conclusion.

Nevertheless, discussion points abound regarding his generalship.

WNC Civil War Roundtable President Paul Turner will lead the open forum about Grant.

There are many questions to be asked about his leap from store clerk to general-in-chief of the Armies of the United States in four years, his use of manpower in various campaigns, and his role in the concluding campaigns that were overshadowed by the death of Abraham Lincoln.

Grant’s personal faults and whether they hindered the war effort merit Spa. Dinner will be followed with a social at discussion too including his ambition, his 6:30 p.m.

The meeting and free presentation will unwillingness to admit mistakes, and his commence at 7 p.m. in the Mountaineer sometimes poor judge of character.

The evening’s agenda begins at 5 p.m. room on the second floor of The Waynesville with a meet and greet dinner at the Tap Room Inn. More information can be found at within The Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and http://wnccwrt.com.

Historical presentation on ‘Granny Woman’ “Granny Woman Wisdom” will be the title of the presentation by Ila Hatter during the next meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center in Bryson City.

The Granny Woman was a grandmother or elderly woman in the community who served their communities as midwives. The Granny Woman developed a knowledge and expertise of natural plant medicine, knew home remedies, and used common kitchen items to treat simple health issues of their families.

When the local doctor was miles away dealing with another call, the Granny Woman was the one called to deal with the urgent need. Hatter will share “knowledge and wisdom” of Granny Women that she has gleaned over the years. In addition to bringing past information to the present, Granny Woman Wisdom is still so relevant and useful for us today as we roam the mountains, hike, camp, have mishaps in the garden, and deal with emergent issues with children.

While growing up in Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas, Hatter learned about

nature’s resources and “home remedies” from her mother and grandmother.

Throughout her adult life she has researched, studied and absorbed information about native plants and their uses wherever she has lived, including studying with Marie Mellinger of Foxfire and Amanda Swimmer of Cherokee.

Hatter has taught, lectured and led field classes in the Great Smoky Mountains for the University of Tennessee and the Native Plant Conference of Western Carolina University. She was a consultant about natural remedies during the filming of the TV series, “Christy” and was featured in numerous news media interviews during the Eric Rudolph hunt talking about how survival in the wilderness being possible.

She has been featured in Our State magazine, was the 2006 Speaker for “Best of Our State” celebration at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, hosted many public television programs about wild foods and medicinals, made appearances with A & E and TurnerSouth shows, and published a wild foods cookbook, Roadside Rambles.

Hatter and her husband/partner Jerry Coleman were instrumental in the Great Smokies Association publication of Plants of the Cherokee. They reside in Swain County.

Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. This is free and open to the public.

arts & entertainment

Western NC Civil War Roundtable

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

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

Daily hours: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Call 828-926-4848 Winter Menu Includes Hot Soups & Snacks for reservations.

Smoky Mountain News

Open to the Public, 7 Days A Week!

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M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M 35

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the wall ‘Wheel, Slab and Sculpture Techniques’ The “Wheel, Slab and Sculpture Techniques” class with with Judy Brater will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Cowee Pottery School in Franklin.

Brater is a regularly invited pottery instructor at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. Come explore wheel thrown and drape mold forms with surface decoration and carving. Coils will be rolled out to form a collar. Creative embellishments will be encouraged.

Brater will talk about the glazes and methods she uses. Wheel and hand-building will be done at this workshop. Students should bring any favorite carving or stamping tools, along with their basic pottery tool kit. All other materials will be supplied.

Cost is $50 per person. Class is limited to 20 participants. For more information and/or to register, visit www.coweepotteryschool.org.

New exhibition explores environmental issues through sound

Smoky Mountain News

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present, “Resounding Change: Sonic Art and the Environment.” This exhibition will be on display through Dec. 6.

“Resounding Change: Sonic Art and the Environment” highlights contemporary artists who use sound to engage with environmental issues. Co-curated by Carolyn Grosch, Curator of Collections & Exhibitions at the WCU Fine Art Museum, and Tyler Kinnear, Adjunct Instructor in the WCU School of Music, the exhibition features sound-based artwork that encourages visitors to listen more closely to the natural world and to think about how sound is being used in a time of environmental crisis.

The works in the exhibition, which range from a large-scale video installation to more intimate encounters with sound, ask us to consider humanity’s place in the natural 36 world, aspects of environmental change, and

A work by Judy Brater.

the current conditions that shape our planet.

Featured artists include Cheryl Leonard, Raven Chacon, Andrea Polli, Lee Weisert, Matthew Burtner, and others.

One notable work in the exhibition is a three-channel video installation entitled Gauge. Created by Raven Chacon, a Navajo Nation artist, and six other collaborators, Gauge is an immersive gallery experience that combines sound and image.

The time-lapse video component of Gauge captures dramatic imagery of an ice mural, created by the artists on Baffin Island, as it rises and falls with the tide. Paired with Chacon’s field recordings of crunching snow, human tools, wind, and wildlife in the Canadian Artic landscape, this multisensory experience prompts reflection on human presence in the landscape, the cycles of nature, issues of climate change, and notions of geologic time.

Raven Chacon will visit Western Carolina University or a visiting artist reception and gallery talk from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 5. A special day-time drum performance across campus is currently in development, more details about the exhibition and associated events at arts.wcu.edu/sonicart.

The WCU Fine Art Museum has a long history of collaboration and continues to serve as a site for interdisciplinary exchange.

This exhibition is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the WCU Fine Art Museum and School of Music.

This exhibition is part of a series of WCU events and programs that dovetail with the University’s 2019-20 campus theme “Environment and Sustainability.”

Exhibitions, receptions, and associated programming at the museum are free and open to the public.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, with free parking available on site. bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Rug hooking workshop There will be an artist demonstration on rug hooking techniques with Debbie Savage from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville.

Rug hooking is an old technique originally used to turn scraps into rugs to warm up floors. It has evolved into a beautiful art form with thousands of hookers all over the world.

The technique involves stretching linen that you have drawn your pattern on over a frame and using a hook to pull the wool through to create your design.

Free and open to the public.

Waynesville art walk, live music “Art After Dark” will continue from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, in downtown Waynesville.

Each first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors.

Participants include Burr Studio, Cedar Hill Studios, Earthworks Gallery, Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts, The Jeweler’s Workbench, Moose Crossing Burl Wood Gallery, T. Pennington Art Gallery, Twigs and Leaves Gallery and The Village Framer.

It is free to attend Art After Dark. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

• Art by Lynn Babiarz will be on display through the month of September at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

There will be a reception with the artist from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. Free and open to the public.

• The Weekly Open Studio art classes will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays at

the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, Instructor will be Betina Morgan. Open to all artists, at any stage of development, and in the medium of your choice. Cost is $20 per class. There will also be a Youth Art Class from 4 to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. Cost is $10 per class.

Contact Morgan at 828.550.6190 or email bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has recently opened a major new exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters.” It features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through next April.

ALSO:

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” adult painting class will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. There is also a class at 6:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at Balsam Fall Brewing in Sylva. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. For more information on paint dates and/or to RSVP, contact Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560 or wncpaintevents@gmail.com.

On the wall

Haywood Arts calls for artists The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) invites interested artists to submit applications for inclusion in monthly gallery exhibits or retail spaces.

Organizations may submit applications for monthly gallery exhibits as well. All materials are available at www.haywoodarts.org under “Artists: Call for Work” or paper copies may be picked up in the gallery at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville during business hours.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6. The jury will convene and make selections in October for several exhibits in 2020 as well as retail artists. Applicants will be notified of their status in late October.

“We felt that the jury process has helped enhance HCAC Gallery and Gifts and made the process for artists fairer,” said Leigh Forrester, executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council.

For an application materials or more information, visit www.haywoodarts.org.

For questions or to submit completed application, email gallerygifts@haywoodarts.org.

On the table Bosu’s tastings, small plates

Serving all of WNC www.hitthepitbbq.com

Quality Trailers, Quality Prices

pricing starting at $499

Trailer Center

financing available, ask for details

HaywoodBuilders.com 828-456-6051 | 100 Charles St. | Waynesville

mation and/or to RSVP for ticketed events, call 828.452.0120 or email info@waynesvillewine.com.

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City.

Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more.

800.872.4681 or visit www.gsmr.com.

ALSO:

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 7 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.631.3075.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will continue to host an array of wine tastings and small plates.

• Mondays: Free tastings and discounts on select styles of wine that changes weekly.

• Thursdays: Five for $5 wine tasting, with small plates available for purchase from Chef Bryan’s gourmet cuisine in The Secret Wine Bar. • Wednesday-Saturday: The Secret Wine Bar will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Fridays: The Secret Wine Bar will be open for drinks and small plates from 5 to 9 p.m.

• Saturdays: Champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Secret Wine Bar will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will also be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m.

Dog friendly patio and front garden open, weather permitting. For more infor-

CALL FOR ALL YOUR CATERING NEEDS 828-507-6209

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

The Haywood County Arts Council is now accepting applications for North Carolina Arts Council Regional Artists Project Grants through Sept. 30.

The RAPG workshop for interested artists will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, at the Jackson County Library in Sylva.

The grants will fund artists in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson and Macon counties at any phase of their professional development. Grants may cover equipment purchases, professional development training, marketing, and more.

Projects must occur between Dec. 1, 2019, and June 5, 2020. The deadline for applications is Sept. 30. Grantees will be notified by Oct. 31. Final reports will be due Friday, June 5, 2020. For application information, visit www.haywoodarts.org/regional-artist-project-grant. In the west, grant awards to artists generally range from $500 to $1,000 and follow a competitive application and review process.

The Haywood County Arts Council is supported in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

The Regional Artists Project program is managed through a partnership with the North Carolina Arts Council and local arts organizations throughout western North Carolina working as a consortium.

Consortium partners include the Cherokee County Arts Council, Clay

County Historical & Arts Council, Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, Haywood County Arts Council, and Jackson County Arts Council.

For more information, contact Leigh Forrester, RAPG program administrator at 828.452.0593 or director@haywoodarts.org.

arts & entertainment

Grants to regional artists

Award-winning BBQ, brisket, and ribs, all with sides made fresh daily.

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arts & entertainment

On the stage

th 50 Annual SMOKY MOUNTAIN FOLK FESTIVAL Stuart Auditorium, Lake Junaluska

August 30-31, 2019

Smoky Mountain News

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

Open Tent Show: 5 to 6:30 pm Main Stage Indoor Show: 6:30 to 11 pm

25 musicians, 9 dance teams including; Whitewater Bluegrass, Green Valley Cloggers, Laura Boosinger, David Holt and Josh Goforth, Mack Snoderly and Flave Heart and more!

For a full list of performers, visit us online at

The 1970s are going to come roaring back with the opening of the smash Broadway hit “Mamma Mia!” at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30-31, Sept.

5-7, 12-14, and 2 p.m. Sept. 1, 8 and 15 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

“Mamma Mia!” by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson is filled with the music of ABBA, the legendary 1970s musical group.

The show premiered in London’s West End in 1999 and on Broadway a year later where it ran for 14 years, making it the ninth longest running show in Broadway history. The show continues to run in London.

The story: a young woman’s search for her birth father. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the sunny Greek Island they last visited 20 years ago.

This slim story line provides the framework for songs such as “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me” and “Super Trouper.”

The end of the show, once the plot is resolved, turns into a concert that often leaves the audience dancing in the aisles.

“Mamma Mia!” is being directed by Mark Jones and features Alexa Edelman, Kristen Hedberg, Valerie Tissue, Michael Scott Thomas, Adam Lentini, Leif Brodersen,

Georgia Reichard, Kiran Bursenos, Emily Warren McCurry, Caroline Ryan, Cody Benfield, Dillon Giles, Chris Martin, Evan McCurry, Maria Frost, Sarah Corbitt, Grizel Gonzalez-Jeuck, Jessica Garland, Mandy Wildman, Turner Henline, Riley Beaulieu, Larson Kapitan, Mia Sander, Noelle Frost, Kikiana Jones, Morgan Allen, Sabine Kapitan, Jenny Reading Winchester, Drake Frost, Ella Ledford and Chelcy Frost.

Harmons’ Den Bistro at HART is open for dining before all performances, featuring a Greek inspired buffet in keeping with the show’s setting. Reservations can be made for the show and the bistro by calling the HART Box Office from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 828.456.6322 or by going online to www.harttheatre.org.

• There is free comedy improv class from 7 to 9 p.m. every Thursday at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. No experience necessary, just come to watch or join in the fun. Improv teacher Wayne Porter studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando, Florida, and performed improvisation with several groups. Join Improv WNC on Facebook or call 828.316.8761.

ALSO:

visitncsmokies.com/attractions/smoky-mountain-folk-festival

Festival Director:

38

HART to present ‘Mamma Mia!’

Joe Sam Queen 828-452-1688

Paid for in part by the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.

1-800-334-9036 visitncsmokies.com

facebook.com/ smnews

Books

Smoky Mountain News

39

‘Any Other Place’ provides lessons in living iterature at its best is a fast-track course in human nature. From Shakespeare we can, if we are attentive, learn more about the human heart than from years of living.

The same can be said for reading such writers as Jane Austen, William Faulkner, Marilynne Robinson, John Gardner, and scores of others.

We pour ourselves a cup of tea, sit in a chair, open a book, and find ourselves caught up in the emotions and thoughts of strangers who as we read become our familiars. From them we can deepen our Writer knowledge of love and death, of triumph and disaster, of how it feels to wake in the morning with the taste of defeat in our mouth or to slip into sleep at night knowing that we have just met the person we are meant to marry.

Welcome to Fordyce, Kentucky.

In Any Other Place (Blair/Carolina Wren Press, 2019, 229 pages), Michael Croley offers readers 13 stories, most of them set in the fictitious town of Fordyce, that drop us into the lives of men, women, and children struggling with the consequences of love, loss, and catastrophe.

Nearly all these stories present characters confronted with trials of love. In “Passings in the Night,” a young man must work out his relationship with his father after his mother dies. “There was no one left to work out the silence between him and his father. There was no interpreter left to relay messages. Who would tell both men that they loved each other?”

In “The Beginning of a Storm,” James, whose wife has left him and has fallen in love with another man, accepts at last that “she was through with him and the world shifted in ways he never thought it might.”

Like Michael Croley himself, Wren Asher of “Slope” is a Korean-American. Asher has fallen deeply in love with a woman he meets

Jeff Minick

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while working an internship in Washington, D.C. Though American, Hannah lives in Paris, and though she sleeps with Asher, she also has a boyfriend in Paris. Croley captures per-

fectly the emotions passing back and forth between these two, the yearnings and dreams that may remain only stardust.

Loss and regret also imbue some of these stories. In “Two Strangers,” J.D. has promised his best childhood friend, Burl, that he will take care of his daughter, Carly Ray, should Burl die. When that death occurs, J.D. must give up his work and a woman with whom he

Talk on Jonathan Williams There will be a presentation and talk from the Jonathan Williams Jargon Society by Brent Martin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.

4, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Williams (1929–2008) was a poet, publisher and photographer from Scaly Mountain. As founder of the long-running poetry and arts journal, The Jargon Society, Williams published work from Charles Olson, Joel Oppenheimer and many other prominent poets of the avant-garde. Williams’s own poetry was highly unique, employing “found language” from Appalachia.

This program will explore his life and career, and the numerous publications he accomplished over his lifetime. See a collection of Williams’ work on display outside the library meeting room

is falling in love to return to Kentucky to see after the young girl. After J.D. gets drunk and explodes from the pressure of his new obligations, Carly Ray is devastated. The two reconcile, though after he carries her to bed, “she opens her eyes to me but doesn’t say anything, and we stay like that for more than a moment. Two strangers staring at each other.”

In “The World’s Fair,” based around the Knoxville Fair of 1982, a woman with two children recollects what happened 12 years earlier when she became pregnant in high school. Her father learned of the pregnancy from her mother, came to the school cafeteria, and dragged Maggie outside. Here is a scene from that confrontation which should give readers a feel for Croley’s style: “Don’t,” he hissed.

“There’s no good explanation for it. You get out of my house tonight,” he said.

“Daddy,” she said again, hearing the weakness and pity of it in her own ears.

“Please,” she said.

But he had already opened the door to the truck and slammed it shut. She stood in the light-falling rain, holding her arm.

She walked toward him and tapped on the window, but he refused to look at her and put the vehicle in gear. She saw he was crying, his hand still on the shifter, but he would not turn to her.

“Daddy,” she tried again, and this time the sobs and cries flew out, and when she called for him a last time the word was a broken thing split apart by her emotion.

all this month.

For more information, visit www.ndbooks.com/author/jonathanwilliams.

Ghost Lights and Legends Charles F. Gritzner will present his book North Carolina Ghost Lights and Legends at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

North Carolina is considered one of the U.S. headquarters for ghost lights — that is, for spooky and unexplained luminous phenomenon. Nearly half of all reported ghost lights shine, blink, burn, dance, or float somewhere in the state. These ghost lights are well known in their localities.

Acts of violence also serve as catalysts in Any Other Place. In “Larger Than the Sea,” which takes place during the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II, two Japanese soldiers beat a fisherman nearly to death. His wife saves his life and that of their infant by offering herself to them. The fisherman tells the reader: “I held our child close to me, pressed her soft cheek into my rough beard, careful to avoid the cuts and bruises.

‘We love you so much,’ I whispered. “Your mother’s love is larger than the sea.’”

“Siler, Kentucky, 1970” finds Cheeks Mahan engaged in a deadly battle with Riley Lawson, a man who beats his wife, Mahan’s daughter, when drunk.

Natural disasters also challenge these characters. “Solid Ground” opens with the narrator, Mrs. Anderson, standing on her front porch when a sinkhole in the road swallows up a pretty young woman in her car. In “Washed Away,” heavy rains in the hills cause an impoundment filled with sludge and waste from mining operations to break, inundating the valley below, tearing away cars and houses. Caught up in this flood are Robert and his Korean-born wife Shin. They have grown apart — Shin is unhappy living in the community, and feels disconnected from her husband and her Korean upbringing — but she eventually reflects that “the hardest days of our lives might still be ahead of us, but I also felt with him beside me, with us moving to Fordyce, that the flood, no matter how ugly and devastating, was going to be a salvation of sorts.”

In “Since The Accident,” Emma, who despite her husband’s wishes for children has secretly resumed her birth control, comes to this realization: “But when you love someone you find a way, she tells herself, to make things right and make them believe whatever they have to in order to spare them pain.”

In Any Other Place, as in life, some of the people make things right and some don’t.

Highly recommend.

Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com.

There are scary and fascinating stories associated with them, and they attract many visitors, each hoping to see a ball of fire floating over a cemetery or a jack-o’-lantern illuminating a corner of the Great Dismal Swamp or a long-dead railroad man swinging his lantern in search of his severed head.

Gritzner has been chasing ghost lights for many years. A geography professor and luminous phenomenon buff, he has visited the sites, researched possible scientific explanations for the lights, and recorded the legends surrounding them.

In this charming and fascinating book, he does not seek to debunk these phenomena, but to illuminate them as a part of the folk culture of North Carolina.

To reserve copies of North Carolina Ghost Lights and Legends, call City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Students pot up plants for the plant sale.

Donated photo

Schooled in ag School gives students a hands-on education

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ith a new school year just begun, the 300 students who participate in Waynesville Middle School’s robust agriculture program now have an array of new woodshop equipment at their disposal.

W

“In two weeks this will be like Santa’s little helper’s woodshop,” Noal Castater, agriculture teacher at WMS since 2010, said in an interview the Friday before the first day of school.

The equipment, which includes 17 pieces of woodworking equipment and eight engines, was purchased last spring thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Carolina Farm Credit Corporate Mission Fund. Out of 100 applications, 40 received funding, with an average

award of $3,800.

Woodworking, power tool use and small engine repair are lifelong skills, said Castater, and it’s important for students to gain at least a rudimentary grasp of them.

“It’s also fun,” he said. “They get to make a birdhouse and put a birdhouse in their backyard. They make a batbox.”

The agriculture students do a lot more besides woodworking, which accounts for just one six-week unit in a diverse program that includes everything from horticulture to ecology to technology. In every unit, Castater attempts to shift the focus back toward sustainability and environmental science — as shown, for example, in his choice of woodworking assignments.

“Agriculture just encompasses everything, and that’s what I want to try to instill in the kids, a love of agriculture, that they know it’s just all around them,” he said. “The cotton in their shirts, the wood in the table, every meal they eat, and I want them to gain an appreciation of it.”

That’s an appreciation Castater himself holds close, having initially gone to school for environmental science at the University of Florida. After graduating in 1994, he went to work for an environmental firm and then back to school for an MBA. While he was working on his degree, his mom, a career kindergarten teacher, suggested that he earn some extra money doing substitute teaching and aftercare. Castater loved it so much he

The greenhouse is the centerpiece of Noal Castater’s agriculture curriculum at Waynesville Middle School. Holly Kays photo

ended up graduating with a teaching certificate as well as the MBA. “I started teaching the next year. I just absolutely fell in love with it,” he said. “I remember being a first-year teacher; I couldn’t wait for the weekend to end so I could go back.”

Castater is now beginning his 10th year as the agriculture teacher at Waynesville Middle, a position in which he’s tried to make class everything it wasn’t when he was a student in Florida.

“Back in 1984, when I took agriculture, we did a chapter a week and I hated it. We just did textbook work,” he said. “When I got here in 2010, I was like, I’m going to make this how I wanted it when I was a middle schooler, and we spend more time outside of the classroom than inside.”

The ag program includes a greenhouse, a woodshop and computer cart. Students do environmental studies at nearby Richland Creek, take engines apart and put them back together, raise a garden, even learn about the emerging technological components of agriculture, such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

“We’ve done everything from worm composting to aquaponics to hydroponics to incubating eggs,” he said.

Making all that happen takes effort, and it takes money. Those funds don’t come from the school. Instead, they come from the students.

“Our main funder is our plant sale,” said Castater. “It costs us about $3,000 to $4,000 to run, and we make around $8,000 each year.

That pays for all of our goodies.”

Every year, the students learn firsthand how to run the small business that will pay for the learning experiences enjoyed by those coming after them. They measure the greenhouse tables, calculate how many pots will fit on them, and how much those pots cost. They put together a pot order, calculate the corresponding soil volume, and figure out how many bags to buy.

From there, they figure out how much they need to charge per pot to break even, and how much they should charge to make a profit.

Then, they hold the plant sale. Even the specimens that don’t sell have their uses, however.

“We save a lot of plants so they can do grafting and cuttings with them,” said Castater.

Sometimes, though, the plant sale proceeds don’t cover all the costs associated with running the program and keeping the equipment up to snuff — especially considering that middle schoolers aren’t exactly known for being easy on equipment. That’s where the grants come in.

“We’ve gotten probably about three big ones,” said Castater.

There’s the $5,000 that Carolina Farm Credit recently awarded the program, and a $15,000 grant the Pigeon River Fund bestowed in 2012 to jumpstart an aquaponics system in the greenhouse — though Castater eventually had to

Clean the streets litter-free News’ coverage area, those coordinators are: n Haywood County — Karen Hurd, 828.456.5633. n Jackson County — Mildred Turpin, 828.631.5599 n Macon County — Bradley Pyle, 828.524.2517 n Swain County — Allison Edwards, 828.488.3683.

For more information, visit www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/environmental/litter-management/Pages/litter-sweep.aspx.

BILL LY Y CASE

Awarded Aw

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Certified Commercial Investment Member The CCIM designation is awarded to commercial real estate professionals upon successful completion of a graduate-level education curriculum annd presentation of a portfolio of qualifying experience. CCIMs are recognized experts in commercial real estate brokerage, leasing, asset management, valuation, and invesstment analysis.

Billy Case, CCIM (828) 508-4527 | billycase@naibeverly-hanks.c com

“I try to steer them to the ag track at Tuscola (High School), and some kids grew up on a dairy farm and they go back to it. I know some girls are going into veterinary school,” said Castater.

Agriculture is at the root of so much that is vital to both the economy and daily life, but statistics show that it may be in trouble. Over the past 50 years or so, the

For more info Call

828-333-4267

Smoky Mountain News

Students show off the hanging baskets they put together for Waynesville Middle’s annual plant sale. Donated photo

average farmer has gotten progressively older as total farm acreage has plummeted — in both North Carolina and the nation as a whole. In 1945, the average farmer was 46.6 years old, farming 64.8 acres of the state’s total 18.6 million acres of farmland, which was home to 287,412 farms, according to farm census data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The most recent census, completed in 2017, reported that the average North Carolina farmer was 58.1 years old, farming 182 of the 8,430,522 acres cultivated across 46,418 farms.

The reasons behind these trends are many and complex, but if they are to someday turn around, getting kids excited about agriculture will be part of the solution. And if the students take their cues from Castater, excitement will likely follow.

“I love it,” Castater said of his job. “I don’t know if I could go back to being a science teacher.”

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

A $5,000 grant from the Carolina Farm Credit Corporate Mission Fund paid for some new woodworking equipment this year. Holly Kays photo end that experiment, as it took up too much room in the greenhouse, cutting down on plant sale proceeds. Castater also landed a grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund in 2016.

outdoors

The Adopt-A-Highway Fall Litter Sweep will return to North Carolina Sept. 14-28, and volunteers are wanted to help clean up trash along the roads.

Each April and September, the N.C. Department of Transportation asks volunteers to help remove litter from roadsides, providing them with cleanup supplies such as reversible orange-and-blue trash bags, gloves and safety vests.

To participate, contact the local litter management coordinator. In The Smoky Mountain

Congratulations to NAI Beverly-H Hanks’

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outdoors

FREE WINGS Tap Room in the

with purchase of any full-price round of golf for a limited time $45 weekday rate $55 weekend rate $32 twilight rate dine-in only

HCC student places in national competition A Haywood Community College student recently took fourth in a national timbersports competition held in Wisconsin.

Darby Hand, a forestry student at HCC, competed in the STIHL Timbersports Collegiate Championship after taking first place in the STIHL Timbersports Collegiate Series Mid-Atlantic Qualifier HCC hosted this past spring. In addition to fourth place overall, he finished second in the underhand chop and third in the stock saw event.

His coach is professional competitor Matt Slingerland.

Hand grew up immersed in the world of timbersports, beginning logrolling at age 4 and competing in several events by age 16.

Last year, he began working at Paula Deen’s Lumberjack Feud in Sevierville, training every day before heading off to compete in three shows at work. That’s where he met HCC alumni and lumberjack standout Logan Hawks, who told Hand about the forestry program at HCC. With a new school year beginning, Hand is continuing his studies at HCC and looks forward to competing on the timbersports team over the coming year.

Darby Hand chops through a block of wood during a recent event. STIHL Timbersports photo

Advance tickets on sale for Mountain State Fair

Smoky Mountain News

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

176 COUNTRY CLUB DRIVE

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The 2019 N.C. Mountain State Fair will be held Sept. 6 to 15 at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher, with advance tickets now on sale at area Ingles stores, the WNC Ag Center and the WNC Farmers Markets, as well as online.

Fair-goers can save $2 on gate admission and 40 percent on ride tickets by purchasing them in advance before midnight Thursday, Sept. 5.

Advance tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children 6 to 12 and seniors 65 and older. Admission is free for children 5 and under, and a sheet of ride tickets costs $12, a savings of $8.

The fair will highlight the importance of agriculture to the state’s economy, along with rides, food and plenty of entertainment. Information and tickets are available at www.mountainfair.org.

Celebrate Labor Day on the farm A festival slated for Friday, Aug. 30, through Saturday, Aug. 31, at Darnell Farms in Bryson City will offer a variety of musical, agricultural and celestial entertainment.

The weekend will include a solar system walk around Darnell Farms, a supernova explosion simulator and a kids’ star clock-

The Cradle of Forestry near Brevard claims the title of birthplace of science-based forest management. File photo

Ask How MSM Can Help!

828.452.4251 jeff@mtnsouthmedia.com

making station, with Enrique Gomez, a professor of astronomy and physics at Western Carolina University, guiding a skywalk. The band DSF Earth Corp will play daily, and there will be dancing, dining, singing, camping, hayrides, fishing, food vendors and fresh produce for sale.

Free, with more than 3,000 people expected over the course of the weekend.

The farm is located at 2300 Governors Island Road in Bryson City. www.darnellfarms.com.

Experience the craft of the Appalachians Join in on a celebration of the craft and skill of the Southern Appalachians at the Appalachian Folkways Series, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Cradle of Forestry in America.

Sit on the porch of the commissary just as it was in 1902 or throw some horseshoes in the shade of the King House while listening to the strum of a banjo. Stroll down to the garden or watch local craftspeople extract dyes from local plants to color the wool that they will spin on a traditional loom. From fiber arts to blacksmithing, visitors will have the chance to spend time with practitioners of crafts that have been a part of life in these mountains for generations.

Free with Cradle admission. The Cradle of Forestry is located in the Pisgah National Forest along U.S. 276 near Brevard.

Oyster mushrooms.

If you have limited mobility, contact us about an in-home visit.

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Find out about fungi

Get educated on edibles

828-452-2221

Smoky Mountain News

Learn about edible native plants during a two-hour walk slated for 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Fines Creek Community Center in Haywood County.

David Grasty, owner of WNC Bushcraft and Survival, will lead the hike. Grasty is also an instructor with the Piked Antler Project Survival Skills Center and a combat veteran retired from the U.S. Air Force. He will explain different growing and harvesting seasons, as well as microclimates, to give participants a broad perspective on wild edibles and survival skills.

The walk is considered easy to moderate and is free for Haywood Waterways Association members, with a $5 donation requested from nonmembers. Memberships start at $25. The event is part of Haywood Waterways’ “Get to Know Your Watershed” series of outdoor recreation activities aimed at raising awareness of Haywood County’s natural beauty.

Space limited. RSVP by Aug. 29 to Caitlin Worsham, caitlin2.hwa@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 12. No pets.

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Norris Professional Building 177 North Main St., Waynesville www.norrisandassoc.com www.norriselderservices.com

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

Mushroom expert James Pader will share his expertise at two upcoming presentations in Franklin and Sylva. n At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva, Pader will discuss mushroom identification as well as the amazing culinary possibilities local species provide. The event is co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Library. n At 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin, Pader will give a presentation as part of the Nantahala Hiking Club’s general meeting, covering basic morphology and identification while also touching lightly on advanced topics like phylogeny and taxonomy. Specimens will be available for viewing and inspection.

Pader, who has been studying fungi and mold in Western North Carolina’s crawlspaces since 2002, is the founder of WAM! — West NC Area Mushrooms. He started learning more about common mushrooms in 2013, and after a brief time growing culinary species he has become interested in taxonomy and identification. He can currently identify 200 species by sight. www.wncshrooms.org.

Jeffrey W. Norris

outdoors

Estate Planning Estate Administration Trustee Services

File photo

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outdoors

Athletes wanted for Tour de Cashiers The 27th annual Tour de Cashiers Mountain Cycling and 5K Run is coming to Cashiers Saturday, Sept. 7.

The event attracts participants from across the southeast to pedal the beautiful but challenging course, which offers 25mile, 62-mile and 100-mile More than 300 cyclists options, as well as a 5K. The compete in the Tour de bike races are $55 and the 5K Cashiers each year. File photo $30 through 11:59 p.m. Sept. 4.

Prices increase afterward.

Sign up for the race at www.bikesignup.com or visit www.cashiersareachamber.com/component/rsform/form/10-tour-de-cashierssponsorship to become an event sponsor.

No Barriers Outdoor Classic returns

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

The eighth annual No Barriers USA Outdoor Classic will be held Sept. 9-10 in Asheville, raising awareness for No Barriers programs through a hike, tennis event and 18-hole scramble tournament, as well as a red-carpet reception and gala.

No Barriers works to help people break through barriers, find their inner purpose and contribute their best to the world. The Asheville community has taken a particular interest in No Barriers Warriors, a program that serves veterans with disabilities through transformative expeditions. Last year, the Outdoor Classic

for cabin repairs.

Closures will be in effect from 7 a.m.

Mondays through 5:30 p.m. Thursdays. The area will be fully open on federal holidays and weekly Friday through Sunday.

Crews work to repair the chimney at the Noah Bud Ogle cabin. NPS photo

Mingle with anglers The Tuckaseigee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept.

2, at United Community Bank in Sylva.

Dinner, available for $5, will be followed by a chance to win a new fly rod handcrafted by chapter member Jim Mills.

What Are Cannabinoids?

Cannabinoids are a group of closely related compunds that act on cannbinoid receptors in the body, unique to cannabis (or hemp). The body creates compounds called endocannabinoids, while hemp produces phytocannabinoids, notably cannabidiol.

Cannabinoids is traditionally used for pain, sleep, and fibermyalgia.

Asthma Breast Cancer

Diabetes Crohn’s Disease

Smoky Mountain News

The Noah Bud Ogle Cabin, Noah Bud Ogle Nature Trail and associated parking area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg will be closed during weekdays through Sept. 12

raised more than $400,000, a record-breaking amount.

To register or volunteer, contact Mona Hover at 904.472.4584 or mona.hover@nobarriersusa.org. Learn more at nobarriersusa.org/experiences/events/2019-outdoor-classic-at-thecliffs-at-walnut-cove-arden-nc. The event is sponsored by Wicked Weed Brewing.

Alzheimer’s Migraines

Prostate Cancer Menstrual Cancer

CBD has traditionally been used for: Anxiety/Depression Seizures Pain/Fibromyalgia Nausea/Vomiting Sleep Tremors PTSD ADHD/ADD Autism

The Endocannabinoid System is perhaps the most important physiologic systerm involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Although the endocannabinoid system affects a wide variety of biological processes, experts believe that its overall function is to regulate homeostasis.

479 DELLWOOD RD. WAYNESVILLE 44

Weekday closures in effect for Noah Bud Ogle area

828.452.0911 | facebook.com/kimspharmacy

Man dies at Deep Creek A Georgia man was pronounced dead in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Thursday, Aug. 22, following a cardiac event.

Kirk Lazar, 70, of Evans, Georgia, was hiking the Juney Whank Falls Trail near the Deep Creek Campground with his wife when he collapsed around 4 p.m., about 100 yards from the trailhead.

Bystanders immediately started CPR, and Swain County EMS took over upon their arrival.

Emergency responders could not revive Lazar, and he passed away at approximately 4:45 p.m.

Responding agencies included the National Park Service, Swain County Sheriff’s Department and Swain County EMS.

Hike Waterrock A hike up the Waterrock Knob Trail will step off at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30, leaving from the Waterrock Knob Visitor Center at milepost 451.2 of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Parkway rangers will lead this 1.2-mile roundtrip, which ends with a beautiful view in a high-elevation forest. Hikers will learn about the history of this incredible place and the nature of the landscape while enjoying the sweet smell of the spruce-fir forest. Participants should bring water, good walking shoes and clothing for changeable weather.

828.298.5330, ext. 304.

Visitors vie for a glimpse of the view from Waterrock Knob. File photo

Fish Qualla country A trout tournament offering $20,000 in prizes will hit Cherokee’s pristine streams Friday, Sept. 6, to Sunday, Sept. 7.

The Qualla Country Trout Tournament will feature tagged fish specially stocked for the event, able to be redeemed for cash prizes ranging from $25 to $5,000 with the $11 entry fee. Fishing will begin one hour before sunrise and end one hour after sunset each day, with prize redemption 4 to 6 p.m. each day.

Cherokee fishing license required to participate, with tournament registration available anywhere licenses are sold. Open to all ages and legal fishing methods.

Paula Price, 828.359.6110, paprice@nc-cherokee.com.

WCU to kick off sustainability learning theme

Gifford Pinchot III. WCU photo

Help the elk Volunteers are wanted to help manage elk viewing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with a training session planned for 9 a.m. to noon Friday, Sept. 6, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.

Volunteers will help educate park visitors on how to responsibly view elk and help with traffic management when elk are in the fields at Oconaluftee and Cataloochee. They will work one four-hour shift per week in the late afternoons through mid-November.

Register for the training with Kathleen Stuart, 828.497.1914 or kathleen_stuart@nps.gov. A potluck lunch will

be held for new and current elk volunteers immediately after the training.

Coyote talk coming to Highlands A lecture titled “Coyote Settles In” will be offered at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.

John Lane, professor of environmental studies and English at Wofford College, will give the talk. Lane is the author of Coyote Settles the South, the first popular survey of the coyote’s widespread presence in the Southeast.

Published in 2016 to wide interest and critical

acclaim, the book is a personal tour featuring a wide range of characters, from coyote haters to advocates of the arrival of a predator in Southern ecosystems.

Lane is the author of a dozen books of poetry and prose, including Anthropocene Blues, Abandoned Quarry and Neighborhood Hawks: A Year Following Wild Birds.

The lecture is part of the Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, which features free conservationoriented lectures weekly on Thursday nights through Sept. 12. A full schedule is available at www.highlandsbiological.org. Lane’s talk is sponsored by Ruthie and Franko Oliver, Adele and Nick Scielzo, Suzanne and Don Duggan, Julie Farrow and Margaret and John Bennet Waters.

Hikers of all skill levels are invited to celebrate the Mountains-to-Sea Trail’s 42nd birthday Sept. 6-8 by joining one of 33 group hikes in 27 trail towns across the state, including one planned for 9:30 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 7, near Cherokee.

The hike — the furthest west of the 33 — will be led by Friends of the MST’s trail resource manager and guidebook author Jim Grode. It will follow the Oconaluftee River Trail and Mingus Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, offering opportunity to highlight Cherokee culture and history as well as the beauty and human history of this part of the park. The out-andback format of this easy hike provides for options ranging from 1.4 miles to 7.6 miles or more.

Register for this or any of the other hikes at www.mountainstoseatrail.org/birthdayhike.

The event will also include a 42-mile Challenge starting near Blowing Rock to raise funds for Friends of the MST as well as a Hike on Your Own option, with hikers encouraged to share their stories.

Hikes are free, with donations encouraged to support continued work on the MST, and a 42nd MST Birthday Hike t-shirt is available. The 1,175-mile trail spans the state, from Clingmans Dome to the Outer Banks.

outdoors

Entrepreneur, author and inventor Gifford Pinchot III and his wife Libba will offer a TED Talk-like presentation followed by a panel discussion led by Sabrina Watkins, former global director of sustainability for ConocoPhilips, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, in the A.K. Hinds University Center theater at Western Carolina University.

Pinchot III is the grandson of Gifford Pinchot Sr., the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, 28th governor of Pennsylvania and former manager of the forests at Biltmore Estate. Pinchot III has been recognized for carrying on his grandfather’s work in conservationism.

The talk will be a signature event of this year’s campus learning theme — “Sustainability and the Environment.”

Lauren Bishop, 828.227.3562 or lbishop@wcu.edu.

Mountains to Sea celebrates 42 years

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019 Smoky Mountain News 45

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WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Bingo Night is at 6 p.m. on the second Saturday at the Fines Creek Community Center. 25 cents per game.

Info: www.fb.me/finescreekorg or 593.7042.

• The N.C. Division of Air Quality is extending the public comment period to Aug. 30 on the proposed air quality rule changes to regulate emissions of methyl bromide at log fumigation operations. Proposed rule, amendment and fiscal note: https://tinyurl.com/y57bsnmp.

Comments may be submitted to: daq.publiccomments@ncdenr.gov or by mail: Patrick Knowlson, Division of Air Quality, 1641 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1641.

• The annual 911 Remembrance Ceremony/emergency responders/veterans appreciation cookout is scheduled for 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1, at Riverfront Park in Bryson City. For info or to volunteer: 736.6222 or mikeclampitt119@gmail.com.

• The North Shore Cemetery Association will host decorations for McClure and Welch Cemeteries on Sunday, Sept. 1. Boat shuttles leave from 9-10 a.m. from Cable Cove Boating Access area off NC 28 near Fontana Village. Bring a dish to share in pot luck or bring your own lunch and drinks. Facebook.com/northshorecemeteries.

• The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority will present its Visitor Research Project and first threeyear strategic plan twice in the first week of September: at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 at the Jackson County Public Library Community Room in Sylva and at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 4 at the Albert Carlton Public Library Community Room in Cashiers.

• First Fridays Employment Support begins on Friday, Sept. 6, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Marne Harris, Career Advisor for the Jackson and Swain County NCWorks Career Centers, will be available from 1:30-4:30 p.m. on the second floor to answer any and all employment questions. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• Tickets are on sale now for the N.C. Mountain State Fair, which is Sept. 6-15, at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher. Advance tickets: $8 for adults; $4 for ages 6-12 and 65-up. Advance tickets also available at Ingles. Ride tickets are $12 in advance for 21 tickets, a savings of $8. Tickets and info: www.mountainfair.org.

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a trip to Atlanta to see the Atlanta Braves play the Washington Nationals on Sept. 8. Departure is at 6 a.m. from the Waynesville Recreation Center. Cost: $55 per person. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• No Barriers will hold its eighth annual Outdoor Classic on Sept. 9-10 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Asheville. Hike, tennis and 18-hole scramble golf tournament – as well as red-carpet reception and gala. No Barriers helps people break through barriers, find their inner purpose and contribute their best to the world. https://tinyurl.com/y6om43vv or 713.4179.

• Blue Ridge Public Radio and National Public Radio will host a community conversation to tackle the topic of trust in journalism at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10 at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in Asheville.

Tickets: $20; available at tinyurl.com/yyqnnjk9 or 257.4530.

• Registration is underway for Marriage Enrichment Retreats that will be offered three more times over the next year at Lake Junaluska. Led by Ned Martin, an expert in marriage counseling. Price is $699 per couple. Dates are Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in 2019. Registration and info: www.lakejunaluska.com/marriage or 800.222.4930.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Jackson County Arts Council is accepting applications for Grassroots subgrants through Aug. 30. Application info: www.jacksoncountyarts.org or info@jacksoncountyarts.org. Info: 507.9820.

• Cullowhee Planning council will meet at 6 p.m. on Sept. 9 in Conference Room 101A of the Cordelia Camp Building on Western Carolina University’s campus in Cullowhee. (Rescheduled from regular monthly meeting date of Sept. 2 due to Labor Day holiday.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Southwestern Community College will offer a pair of High School Equivalency Boot Camps this fall: Sept. 3Oct. 11 at SCC’s Macon Annex in downtown Franklin; and Oct. 14-Nov. 22 at SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva.

Complete high school credentials in just over a month.

339.4272 or d_wilson@southwesterncc.edu.

• The Annual Senior Celebration is set for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, in Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center in Cullowhee. Fun, games, storytelling, entertainment, music, dancing, food and prizes.

• College Night is 6-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9, at Haywood Community College’s auditorium in Clyde.

Representatives from 50 southeastern universities, colleges and trade schools. 565.4098.

• Registration is underway for a two-part “Retirement Planning Now” course, that will be offered from 5:308:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, Oct. 8-10, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Led by Joel Kelley, CFP®, and Jacob Sadler, CFP®. Fee: $79. Register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Haywood Community College will offer boating safety courses from 6-9 p.m. on Sept. 18-19on the campus of HCC, Building 3300, Room 3322. Must attend consecutive evenings. Preregistration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

• Registration is underway for offer a business writing workshop entitled “Professional Business Writing from the Basics to Audience Engagement” that will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Led by Drew Virtue, associate professor in WCU’s Department of English. Cost: $169. Pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a series of financial literacy classes and a savings incentive program for residents of Bethel, Clyde and Canton. Applications due by Aug. 30. Call: 354.0067.

• Registration is underway for a six-week online beginning German language course that will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from Sept. 4-Oct. 15 in Cullowhee. Cost: $79. Register or get more info: learn.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center will host a seminar on “Succession Planning for Small Businesses” from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, in the College’s Regional High Technology Center auditorium. SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center will offer a social media & tourism marketing series from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, at the College’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. 627.4512 or SBC.Haywood.edu.

• Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center will hold a seminar on “How to Write a Business Plan from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at the College’s Regional High Technology Center, Room 3021, in Waynesville. SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a “Lean Thinking” workshop that will be offered from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Focus is on improving customer experience while reducing unnecessary clutter and process steps. Cost: $249 by Aug. 30; $279 after. For info and to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a High Impact Leadership Certificate Program that will be offered through Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from Sept. 16-20 at WCU’s Biltmore Park instructional site in Asheville.

Registration Fee: $849; nonprofit rate is $649.

Pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a Digital Marketing and Public Relations Certificate program that will be offered from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Fridays from Sept. 27-Nov. 8 at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Registration: $640 for the full program or $119 for each individual workshop.

Pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a Pharmacy Technician Program with a Clinical Externship that will be offered

by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 8-Nov. 26, in room 143 of the Cordelia Camp Building on WCU’s Cullowhee Campus.

50-hour program prepares students to work as pharmacy technicians. Registration: $1,099 (includes all materials). Go.wcu.edu/pharm-tech or 227.7397.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Donors and sponsorships are being accepted now for the PAWS 16th annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction.

Event is Aug. 31; proceeds benefit PAWS of Bryson City. www.pawsbrysoncity.org.

• Tickets are on sale now for Southwestern Community’s “Boots, Blue Jeans & Bling” gala, which is set for Sept.

7 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. Fundraiser supporting student scholarships. Musical entertainment by Steve Johannessen (classics) and Crocodile Smile (variety of danceable music). Dinner, silent auction, wine pull, cornhole, best-dressed contest and more. www.southwesterncc.edu/gala, 339.4227 or k_posey@southwesterncc.edu.

• Tickets for Haywood Community College Foundation’s fourth annual Shine & Dine Gala are on sale. The event is from 6-8:30 p.m. on Sept. 13, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville; theme is “Simple as Black and White.” Buffet dinner, music and opportunity to support HCC through a wine pull and auction.

Sponsorship levels from $250-$5,000. Individual tickets: $75. Hccgalaevents.com or 627.4522. Sponsorship info: 627.4544 or pahardin@haywood.edu.

• Registration is underway for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which is at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept.

21, at Pack Square Park in Asheville. Register and get info: act.alz.org/Asheville. Info: www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/elk.htm.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Tables are available to rent for the Jackson County Senior Center’s upcoming Yard Sales and Craft Shows, which are from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays, Sept. 14 and Oct. 13, at the Department on Aging building in Sylva. Cost: $10 for one table or two for $15. Info: 586.5494.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings • The Jackson County Green Energy Park is seeking artists to join the 12th annual Youth Arts Festival, which is from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Dillsboro. Sign up: 631.0271 or chelseamiller@jcgep.org. www.JCGEP.org.

HEALTH MATTERS • Barbara “Sunshine” Parker, Human Services Director for the Public Health and Human Services Division of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will provide the annual public lecture in native health at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4, in room 204 of the Health and Human Services Building at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Topic: “Interconnectedness: Serving the Whole Individual through Integration.” 227.2164.

• A Diabetes Prevention Program will begin with a class session from noon-1 p.m. on Sept. 5 at the Haywood County HHSA. Lifestyle change program dedicated to preventing type 2 diabetes through a series of 24 onehour group classes. Classes will meet on Thursdays.

• Swain Community Hospital and Harris Regional Hospital will observe national suicide prevention awareness month at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, in the Easton Conference room at Harris Regional Hospital.

488.4027 or 800.273.8255.

• Buti Glow will be offered from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $14.

Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Hot + Cold Stone Restorative with Gentle Yin is set for noon-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $20. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Sunset Yoga at Waterrock Knob will be offered by Waynesville Yoga Center from 6:40-7:40 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8. Cost: $14. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• “Your Amazing Newborn” class will be offered from 79 p.m. on Sept. 5 and Nov. 7 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• A Medicare 101 info session will be offered from 2-3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium.

• “Breastfeeding A-Z” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Sept. 12 and Nov. 14 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Focusing on techniques for proper latching and comfortable positions for a baby and mom to get started. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • The High Mountain Squares will host their “Cheer for Your Team Dance” from 6:15-8:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building on Georgia Road in Franklin. Western-style square dancing, mainstream and levels. 787.2324, 332.0001, 706.746.5426 or check the group out on Facebook.

• Lake Junaluska is extending its pool hours on weekends through September and offer boat rentals on weekends through the end of October. Info and prices: 452.2881 or lakejunaluska.com/pool.

• A Fall Adult Volleyball League will be offered through the Waynesville Parks & Recreation Department with an organizational meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Must be 18 as of Oct. 1. Season is Oct. 9-Dec. 18. Entry fee will be based on number of teams at organizational meeting. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• An hour yoga class is offered at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Maggie Valley Wellness Center. $15 for a single class, or $55 for a package of four classes. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

SPIRITUAL • Registration is underway for Guided Personal Retreats, on Sept. 16-18 and Oct. 21-23 at Lake Junaluska. Lakejunaluska.com/retreats or 800.222.4930.

POLITICAL • The Haywood County NAACP meets at 2 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Harris Chapel AME Zion, 26 Prospect St., in Canton.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS

• Charles F. Gritzner will present his book North Carolina Ghost Lights and Legends at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 4, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

To reserve copies please call City Lights Bookstore at 586.9499.

• Author Bill Jacobs will present his book “Whence These Special Places? The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands & Panthertown Valley” from 6:30-8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, at the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library in Cashiers. Panthertown.org or 743.1638.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES

• Senior Tennis Time is from 9 a.m.-noon every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Oct. 30 at the Donnie Pankiw Tennis Center at 128 W. Marshall Street in Waynesville. For ages 55-up; intermediate or higher skill level. $1 per person per day. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

KIDS & FAMILIES • A “Nature Nuts: Monarchs” program will be offered to ages 4-7 from 9-11 a.m. on Aug. 31 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• “Nature Nuts: Life Cycles” will be presented to ages 4-7 from 9-11 a.m. on Sept. 4 and 19 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• “Eco Explorers: Stream Investigation” will be presented to ages 8-13 from 1-3 p.m. on Sept. 4 and 19 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard.

Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• Kids in the Creek is set for Sept. 9-12 at Canton Recreation Park. Learn about watershed hydrology, water resources in Haywood County, water chemistry and more. Collect fish and aquatic bugs. Hours are 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Sept. 9-11 and 8:30-11:45 a.m. on Sept. 12. RSVP by Sept. 5: 476.4667, ext. 11 or Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com.

• Registration is underway for the fall PGA Jr. League golf team at Lake Junaluska golf Course. League runs from September through October. Registration fee: $190. Register: www.pgajrleague.com/sign-up. Info: 456.5777 or ctcarswell@lakejunaluska.com.

KIDS FILMS • “The Lion King”, will be shown at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Shown at 1, 4 & 7 p.m. on Aug. 28-29. Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Toy Story 4”, will be shown at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Shown at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Aug.30-Sept. 4 and 1:30 p.m. Sept. 5.

Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, will be shown at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Shown at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:55 p.m. on Aug. 30-31 and 1 p.m., 4p.m. and 7p.m. on Sept. 1-4 and 1 & 4 p.m. Sept. 5. Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Spider-Man: Far From Home”, will be shown at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Shown at 7 and 9:50 p.m. on Aug. 30-31 and 7p.m. on Sept.

1-4. Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets.

Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

2 p.m. Sept. 1, 8 and 15 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

• The Qualla Country Trout Tournament is Friday and Saturday, Sept. 6-7, in Cherokee. Cherokee fishing license required to participate. $20,000 in prizes.

359.6110 or paprice@nc-cherokee.com.

• Sandi Patty will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets start at $25 per person with priority seating available. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• The Fines Creek Heritage Fair & Music Festival is set for Friday through Sunday, Sept. 6-8, at the Fines Creek Community Center. Craft demonstrations, musical entertainment, exhibits, local history and more.

Hours: 5-10 p.m. on Friday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturday; noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission: $3 on Friday; $10 on Saturday; $5 on Sunday. Info: www.fb.me/finescreekorg, 593.7042 or 550.6842.

• Tickets are on sale now for “Thunder in the Smokies” motorcycle rally, which is Sept. 6-8 in Maggie Valley. Vendors, Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Ride, bike show, games and more. Handlebarcorral.com.

• Celebrate the Mountains-to-Sea Trail’s 42nd birthday by participating in a hike at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, near Cherokee. Options range from 1.4 to 7.6 miles. Follow Oconaluftee River Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Register for this or any of the other 33 group hikes set for Sept. 68: www.mountainstoseatrail.org/birthdayhike.

• Tickets are on sale now for the Fall Harvest Festival, which will feature bluegrass legends The Gibson Brothers at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Stecoah Valley Center. Info and tickets: www.stecoahvalleycenter.com. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in the air-conditioned Lynn L. Shields Auditorium.

FOOD & DRINK • Bryson City Wine Market will offer “California Dreamin’” – tastes off Napa, Sonoma and beyond – from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, at 1161 Main Street in Bryson City. Cost: $30. RSVP: 538.0420.

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

7, 21 & 22, Nov. 2 and Dec 31 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service alladult first-class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

SUMMER MUSIC

A&E SPECIAL EVENTS & FESTIVALS • The 2019 “Art After Dark” season will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. the first Friday of the month in downtown Waynesville. Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

• The Concerts on the Creek will wrap up for the year with The Maggie Valley Band (Americana) at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. Free and open to the public. www.mountainlovers.com • Pickin’ on the Square in Franklin will host Kasey Clark (Americana/country) Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• Groovin’ on the Green will conclude with Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’Blues (blues) at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 at the Village Green in Cashiers. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com • Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Pioneer Chicken Stand 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31 and Noah Proudfoot & The Botanicals 6 p.m. Sept. 1. All shows are free and open to the public. www.noc.com.

• Tickets are available for the 49th Smoky Mountain Folk Festival, which is scheduled for Aug. 30-31 at Lake Junaluska. Info and tickets: lakejunaluska.com/sm-folk-festival or 800.222.4930.

• Pickin’ on the Square in Franklin will host Hurricane Creek on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• Darnell Farms will host a Sky Festival from Aug. 30Aug. 31 at 2300 Governors Island Road in Bryson City.

Music, dancing, solar system walk, food vendors, camping and more. www.darnellfarms.com.

• The smash Broadway hit “Mamma Mia!” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30-31, Sept. 5-7, 12-14, and

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT

• The Marianna Black Library will present an evening with Fingerstyle Guitar Champion and Grammy Award winner Bill Mize at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at the library in Bryson City.

• Wayne Henderson and Helen White perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Jazz vocalist Julie McConnell and her four-piece band will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Tickets are $15 per person. www.38main.com.

• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host an open music jam with Jim Hite & Bill Jackson at 2 p.m.

Sept. 3. Free and open to the public.

• The Steeldrivers will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets start at $22 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • The Gem & Mineral Society of Franklin will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building, 1288 Georgia Road in Franklin. Guest speaker Kim Cochran of the Georgia Mineral Society will discuss organic gemstones.

• The Glenville Area Historical Society’s annual meeting is at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 29, at the Glenville Community Center in Glenville Village. Topic: “Vanishing American Architecture: The Inside Story of the Outhouse.” www.glenvilleareahistoricalsociety.com, 743.1658 or historicalsocietyglenvillearea@yahoo.com.

• The “Wheel, Slab and Sculpture Techniques” class with with Judy Brater will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Cowee Pottery School in Franklin. Cost is $50 per person. Class is limited to 20 participants. www.coweepotteryschool.org.

• The Haywood Choral Society (formerly “Haywood Community Chorus”) will open its fall season with registration and rehearsal on Monday, Sept. 2, at the Wilson Children’s complex at Lake Junaluska.

Preparations for annual concert, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 1 at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. Haywoodchoralsociety.org, 557.9187 or 973.224.1022.

• The Western Carolina Community Chorus will begin the 2019-2020 season with a practice from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, in Room 357 of the Coulter Building on the campus of Western Carolina University. The fall concert is set for 3 p.m. Nov. 24.

Experienced singers, high-school aged and older, are invited to join by attending the first rehearsal.

506.5951 or holquistbstn@aol.com.

• Ila Hatter will present “Granny Woman Wisdom” at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 E. Ridge Drive in Bryson City.

• Registration is underway for an Intermediate Bladesmithing Class, which will be offered from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 7-8, at Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Led by Brock Martin of WarFire Forge. Produce a blade of high-carbon steel with more attention on fit and finish. Advance registration required: 631.0271 or www.JCGEP.org.

Smoky Mountain News

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a senior citizen trip to see an Asheville Tourists baseball game on Aug. 29. Cost: $25.

Departure is at 5:15 p.m. from the Waynesville Recreation Center. Info: 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• An information session on “Planning for College (for Parents)” from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. 356.2507 or Kathleen.olsen@haywoodcountync.gov.

• The 113th annual Canton Labor Day Festival will take place Sept. 1-2 in Sorrells Street Park in downtown Canton. The parade will be held from 10 to 11:30 p.m. Sept. 2. For more information and/or a full schedule of activities, visit the website: www.cantonlaborday.com. Event includes a handcraft expo, food trucks, classic car show, kid’s village, and more, the live music. Sunday’s live music event is $8/advance and $10 at the gate with Monday music free to the public.

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

• There will be a presentation and talk from the Jonathan Williams Jargon Society by Brent Martin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Williams (1929–2008) was a poet, publisher and photographer from Scaly Mountain. See a collection of Williams' work on display outside the library meeting room all this month. www.ndbooks.com/author/jonathan-williams.

• An “Eco Explorers: Monarchs” program will be offered to ages 8-13 from 1-3 p.m. on Aug. 31 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard.

Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

wnc calendar

• The CommUnity Square Dance will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Caller Doug Singleton will teach and call all dances to live old-time music led by fiddler Ann Whitley. No partner or experience is necessary. pammanottus@gmail.com.

• There will be an artist demonstration on rug hooking techniques with Debbie Savage from 1 to 4 p.m.

47

wnc calendar

Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Free and open to the public.

• The Western NC Civil War Roundtable will host a presentation and open discussion on General Ulysses S. Grant on Monday, Sept. 9, at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and Spa. Meet and greet at 5 p.m. at the Tap Room; social at 6:30 p.m. and presentation starts at 7 p.m. http://wnccwrt.com.

• Charlie Duke, an Apollo astronaut and the youngest person to walk on the moon, will be the featured speaker at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. Part of the Free Enterprise Speaker Series at Western Carolina University. Preregister: https://affiliate.wcu.edu/csfe/charlie-duke.

• The Friends of the Haywood County Public Library will present “Reading Women’s Lives: Conversations from Fiction” featuring a discussion of “Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf from 4-6 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Book is available at the library.

Discussion will be led by Dr. Lorena Russell.

• Ceramic artist Julie Taylor will discuss her work at the Sept. 12 meeting of the Macon County Art Association, Uptown Gallery, 30 Main Street in Franklin. Program starts at 6 p.m. Info: www.franklinuptowngallery.com or 349.4607.

• Applications are being accepted for the Jackson County Citizens Academy, which begins at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 12. Opportunity for county residents to get an in-depth look at the functions of county government.

For info or to request and application: 631.2207 or jcfitzgerald@jacksonnc.org.

• The Fines Creek Flea Market is scheduled for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays, Sept. 14 and 28, at the Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Road in Clyde. 550.6842 or 593.7042. Info: www.fb.me/finescreekorg.

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • Applications are being accepted for artists who want their work included in monthly gallery exhibits or retail spaces through the Haywood County Arts Council. HaywoodArts.org or GalleryGifts@HaywoodArts.org.

• Art by Lynn Babiarz will be on display through the month of September at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. There will be a reception with the artist from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. Free and open to the public.

Smoky Mountain News

• An art exhibition entitled “High Art of the Lowcountry” will be on display through Sept. 15 at the Bascom, 323 Franklin road in Highlands. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. on Sundays. Info: www.thebascom.org or 526.4949.

www.ThePrintHaus.com

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present, “Resounding Change: Sonic Art and the Environment.” This exhibition will be on display through Dec. 6. There will be a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22. bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

FILM & SCREEN • “47 Meters Down: Uncaged”, is showing at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza at 12:45, 3, 5:30 and 7:40 p.m. on Aug. 28-29. Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Good Boys”, is showing at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza at 12:30, 3, 5:30, and 7:50 p.m. on Aug. 28-29 and 1:15, 4:15, 7:30, 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 30-31, 1:15 p.m. 4:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 and 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 5. Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• Ready or Not is currently showing at The Strand on Main in Waynesville on Aug. 28, Aug. 31, and Sept. 12 at 1 p.m., Aug. 28-31 and Sept. 2-3 at 7 p.m., Aug. 30 at 10 a.m., Aug. 30 at 9:30 p.m. and Aug. 31-Sept.

1 at 4 p.m. See website for pricing and tickets.

38main.com.

Outdoors • A “ForestHer NC” workshop for women is scheduled for Aug. 29 at the Burke County Center, 130 Ammons Drive in Morganton. Designed to provide women who are forest landowners with tools and trainings to manager their lands and become more engaged in forest stewardship. Register: https://aug29fhnc.eventbrite.com • A Zahner Lecture on “William Bartram’s Travels through the Upper Little Tennessee River Valley in 1775” will be presented at 6 p.m. on Aug. 29 at the Highlands Nature Center. Led by Brent Martin, Director of the N.C. Bartram Trail Society. Part of the Zahner Lecture Series. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2221.

• Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will lead a 1.2-mile round-trip hike at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 30, at the Waterrock Knob Trail. Meet at the Waterrock Knob Visitor Center, Milepost 451.2. Info: 298.5330, ext.

304.

• Trail work day is scheduled for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31, in Panthertown Valley near Cashiers. Meet at Salt Rock Gap. RSVP: friends@panthertown.org or 269.4453.

• David Grasty will lead a wild edible walk on

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• The Franklin Bird Club will have a bird walk along the Greenway at 8 a.m. on Sept. 4. Meet at the Macon County Public Library parking area.

FranklinBirdClub.com or 524.5234.

• Mycologist James Pader will discuss cooking with wild mushrooms at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Discussion on identification and cooking methods of various mushrooms. Info: 586.2016 or wncshrooms.org.

• A Zahner Lecture on coyotes will be offered at 6 p.m. on Sept. 5 at the Highlands Nature Center. Part of the Zahner Lecture Series. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2221.

• Birdwatchers are invited to Chimney Rock State Park on Saturday, Sept. 14, for the annual “Flock to the Rock” event. Event starts at 11 a.m., includes bird demonstrations and N.C. Birding Trail. Park admission: $17 for adults; $8 for ages 5-15. Info: www.chimneyrockpark.com/event/flock-to-the-rock.

• A Smokies Service Day is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sept. 14 at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.

Flower bed maintenance. To volunteer: 865.436.1278 or Andrew_mentrup@partner.nps.gov.

• A lecture on “Botanical Resilience Strategies in an Age of Climate Catastrophe” will be offered at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Nature Center at Highlands Biological Station. Part of the Zahner Lecture Series. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2221.

• The N.C. Department of Transportation is seeking volunteers to help clean up trash along roads during the Adopt-A-Highway Fall Litter Sweep from Sept. 1428. https://tinyurl.com/yxaph58g. Contacts: Haywood County – Karen Hurd (456.5633), Jackson County – Mildred Turpin (631.5599), Macon County – Bradley Pyle (524.2517), Swain County – Allison Edwards (488.3683).

• David Grasty will lead a “Wild Edibles Walk” at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14. Meet at Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Rd. in Clyde. Cost: $15. Proceeds benefit Fines Creek Community Association to support community needs, scholarships and the MANNA FoodBank. For ages 16-up. www.fb.me/finescreekorg.

• “The Pinnacle Hike” – part of the Yoga + Hike Series – will be from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Waynesville Yoga Center. 45-minute yoga

• Registration is underway for “Picture Yourself in the Smokies” event, which is Friday through Sunday, Sept.

20-22, at the River Terrace Resort and Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Early bird registration until July 12. Info: lisad@gsmassoc.org or 865.436.7318, ext. 257.

• Friends of the Smokies is partnering with Navitat Canopy Adventures to offer one day each month through September where Navitat visitors receive a 10 percent discount, and a portion of sales will be donated to Friends of the Smokies. Next date is Saturday, Sept. 28. Navitat Asheville is located at 242 Poverty Branch Road in Barnardsville. Reservations and info: 626.3700.

• Backpacking course, will be offered by Landmark Learning on Oct. 21-25. www.landmarklearning.org.

• Volunteer work days for the Trails Forever program are held every Wednesday, through August, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For details and to volunteer: 497.1949 or adam_monroe@nps.gov.

• The Waterrock Knob Visitor Center is open daily through Nov. 11 for the season on Mile 451.2 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/hours.htm.

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Hatchery Supported Trout Waters is open from 7 a.m. until onehalf-hour after sunset until last day of February. Info: https://tinyurl.com/yae8ffqn.

• A cycling ride exploring the Western Carolina University mountain bike trails will be offered at 6 p.m. every other Thursday in Cullowhee. Participants will meet at the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching and divide into a beginner group and a nonbeginner group, with 60 to 90 minutes on the trail each time. Organized by the Nantahala Area Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, with an event page at www.facebook.com/NantahalaAreaSORBA/. nantahala.area.sorba@gmail.com • A cycling ride exploring the Fire Mountain Trail System in Cherokee will be offered at 6 p.m. every other Thursday. Participants will divide into a beginner group and a non-beginner group, with 60 to 90 minutes on the trail each time. Organized by the Nantahala Area Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, with an event page at www.facebook.com/NantahalaAreaSORBA/. nantahala.area.sorba@gmail.com.

• An easy cycling ride aiming to help people ease into a healthier lifestyle through cycling is offered in the Canton area, typically covering 8-10 miles. Road bikes are preferred, and helmets are required. Nobody will be left behind. A partnership of Bicycle Haywood N.C., the Blue Ridge Bike Club and MountainWise. For specific start times and locations: mttrantham@hotmail.com.

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• The Tuckaseigee River Chapter No. 373 of Trout Unlimited will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the United Community Bank in Sylva. Dinner is $5.

Info: 736.3165.

class at the summit. Cost: $45. 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

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Saturday, Aug. 31, in Fines Creek. Organized by Haywood Waterways Association; free for members; $5 donation for nonmembers. Meet at 2 p.m. at Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Road in Clyde. RSVP by Aug. 29: Cailinw.HWA@gmail.com or 476.4667. Info: www.haywoodwaterways.org.

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every Wednesday at Cullowhee Community Garden, 65 S. Painter Road. Weeding, mulching, general garden maintenance. 587.8212.

• Volunteers are being sought to help re-pot native azaleas from 9 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays through Thursdays at the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway. For info, and to schedule a shift: anorton@southernhighlandsreserve.org.

• Registration is open for the 2019 Organic Growers School’s Farm Beginnings Farmer Training. On-farm workshops at the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy’s Community Farm in Alexander.

Applications accepted through Sept. 15. Apply: organicgrowersschool.org/farmers/farm-beginnings.

• A cycling ride leaves at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, with alternating starts at Smoky Mountain Bicycles and South Macon Elementary School in Franklin.

Routes vary. Road bikes only. A no drop ride.

Organized by Smoky Mountain Bicycles, 369.2881 or info@smokymtnbikes.com. Check the “Macon County Cyclists” Facebook page for updates.

• A pair of ladies-only mountain bike rides will be offered at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays through Oct. 31 from the Ledford Branch Trailhead at Bent Creek in Asheville. A beginner-friendly, recovery pace social ride will cover 5 to 8 miles, with all skill levels encouraged to attend. Simultaneously, a training ride for ladies who know how to handle a bike and want to increase their speed will cover 8 to 12 miles on Bent Creek’s more technical trails. Organized by Motion Makers Bicycle Shop. 633.2227.

• A weekly nighttime mountain bike ride is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Mondays from the Ledford Branch Trailhead at Bent Creek in Asheville. Organized by Motion Makers Bicycles. 633.2227.

• Starting in June, a cycling ride will leave at 8 a.m. on Saturdays from South Macon Elementary School in Franklin. Routes vary with distances typically 15-25 miles. Road bikes only. A no drop ride. Organized by Smoky Mountain Bicycles, 369.2881 or info@smokymtnbikes.com. Check the “Macon County Cyclists” Facebook page for updates.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club holds a Saturday Work Hike on the fourth Saturday of each month. 369.1983.

• A Spay/Neuter Clinic is offered from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays at 182 Richland Street in Waynesville. As low as $10. 452.1329.

• North Carolina residents are invited to participate in the “NC’s Candid Critters” – the largest camera trap survey ever. Residents of Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties can participate in a brief online training process then borrow a camera trap from any Fontana Regional Library location. Info: NCCandidCritters.org or www.fontanalib.org.

• The Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council meets at 10 a.m. every second Tuesday in Franklin.

Contact Kristina Moe at kmoe@fontanalib.org for location. Franklintraildays.com.

FARM AND GARDEN • A canning workshop will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting room. Canning From The Plot Thickens Library Garden. Led by Brent Martin. 524.3600.

• Garden workdays are held from 3 p.m. until dusk

• The Macon County Poultry Club of Franklin meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Rd, Open to the public. 369.3916.

FARMERS MARKETS • The Swain County Farmer’s Market is held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. every Friday through October at the barn on Island Street in downtown Bryson City. 488.3848 or www.facebook.com/SwainCountyFarmersMarket.

• Jackson County Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com or www.jacksoncoutyfarmersmarket.org.

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• The ‘Whee Farmers Market is held from 3-6 p.m. on Tuesdays through the end of October at the entrance to the village of Forest Hills off North Country Club Drive in Cullowhee. 476.0334 or www.thewheemarket.org.

• Haywood Historic Farmers Market is on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at the HART Theater parking lot and Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church overflow parking lot beside Exxon. waynesvillefarmersmarket.com or haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

• The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville.

456.1830 or vrogers12@att.net.

• Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market runs 8 a.m. to noon, on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software. 349.2049 or www.facebook.com/franklinncfarmersmarket.

• “Locally Grown on the Green,” the Cashiers farm stand market for local growers, will be held from 3-6 p.m. every Wednesday at the Village Green Commons on Frank Allen Rd. next to the Cashiers post office. info@villagegreencashiersnc.com or 743.3434.

HIKING CLUBS • Nantahala Hiking Club holds monthly trail maintenance days from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on every fourth Saturday at 173 Carl Slagle Road in Franklin. Info and to register: 369.1983.

• Hike of the Week is at 10 a.m. every Friday at varying locations along the parkway. Led by National Park Service rangers. www.nps.gov/blri or 298.5330, ext.

304.

Smoky Mountain News

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Sponsors, cyclists and runners are invited to participate in the 27th annual Tour de Cashiers Mountain Cycling and 5K run on Saturday, Sept. 7, in Cashiers.

Contributions support the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce’s community and economic development efforts. Deadline to sponsor is Aug. 16. Bike race entry: $50. 5K entry: $25 (Prices increase after Aug. 4). Sign up: www.bikesignup.com or www.cashiersareachamber.com.

• Local farmers can stop by the Cooperative Extension Office on Acquoni Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every fourth Friday to learn about USDA Farm Service Agency programs in the 2014 Farm Bill. Info: 488.2684, ext. 2 (Wednesday through Friday) or 524.3175, ext. 2 (Monday through Wednesday).

828.456.3021

HaywoodChamber.com

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to assist the Trails Forever trail crew for a rehabilitation project on the Rainbow Falls Trail from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Sign up or get more info: 497.1949, Adam_Monroe@nps.gov or https://friendsofthesmokies.org/trailsforever/volunteer.

• The Haywood County Plant Clinic is open every business day at the Haywood County Extension Center on Raccoon Road in Waynesville. Master Gardeners are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and more. Info: 456.3575.

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• Sons of the American Legion in Waynesville will have a Turkey Shoot at 9 a.m. every Saturday on Legion Drive.

• Friends of the Smokies hikes are offered on the second Tuesday of each month. www.friendsofthesmokies.org/hikes.html.

• Nantahala Hiking Club based in Macon County holds weekly Saturday hikes in the Nantahala National Forest and beyond. www.nantahalahikingclub.org

49

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If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background.

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51

WNC MarketPlace

Steve Mauldin

828.734.4864

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices/Great Smokys Realty - www.4Smokys.com Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com • Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com • Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com • Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com • Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com • Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com • Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com • Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com • Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com • Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com • Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com • Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com • Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com • Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com • John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com

smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St.,Waynesville

828.452.5809

beverly-hanks.com

• George Escaravage - george@IJBProperties.com

• • • •

Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

Pam James - pjames@sunburstrealty.com Marsha Block - marsha@weichertunlimited.com

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty

Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com

www.smokymountainnews.com

GATED, LEVEL, ALL WOODED, 5+acre building lots, utilities available in S.E. Tennessee, between Chattanooga and Nashville. www.timber-wood.com Call now to schedule tour 423.802.0296 SAPA

Brian Noland RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONAL

bknoland@beverly-hanks.com

828.734.5201 74 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

828.452.5809

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

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• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com • Holly Fletcher - hollyfletcher1975@gmail.com • The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com • Ron Breese - ronbreese.com • Landen Stevenson- Landen@landenstevenson.com • Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com • Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net • Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net • David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com • Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest

• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com

WNC Real Estate Store

• Jeff Baldwin - jeff@WNCforMe.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 52

LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

Christie’s Ivester Jackson Blackstream ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

Catherine Proben Cell: 828-734-9157 Office: 828-452-5809

cproben@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St., Waynesville, NC

828.452.5809

Laura Thomas

BROKER ASSOCIATE —————————————

(828) 734-8478 lthomas@beverly-hanks.com

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TRACK STARS ACROSS 1 1995-96 CIA director John 7 Seat of Johnson County, Kansas 13 Dah’s counterpart in Morse code 16 Ungar of poker 19 African antelope 20 Mink’s relative 21 Actress Jennifer 23 Nebraska-based insurance company [1935] 25 Panther 26 “I’ve Got a Crush --” 27 Bean high in protein 28 “Wide -- Sea” (Jean Rhys novel) 29 Desires 31 Summons for speeding, say [1948] 35 Foofaraw 36 Like granola 37 Up to the time when 38 Chicago-to-Tampa dir.

39 Sharp items with eyes [1956] 43 Bond part 47 Day, in Chile 48 “Seats sold out” sign 49 Mood of an environment 53 Cloud layer 57 Being attacked [1946] 61 Funny Margaret 62 Water, in Chile 64 “-- you one” 65 Ventriloquist Bergen 66 Egg layers in coops 68 Refittings of cars’ motors [1955] 73 Fluids with antibodies

74 76 77 79 80

84 86 87 90 91 92

99 102 104 105 106 111 113 114 115 117 118

123 124 125 126 127 128 129

Writer Asimov Comical Idle Water pit Racer Jarrett Having recognized the value of one’s own conscious being [1978] Artist’s mixing board Amber wines “You betcha” “Angie” actor Stephen Ollie’s buddy Executive arm headed

by Antonio Guterres, for short [1973] Acer or Asus products Touch base on a fly Easy throws Gp. backing arms “Just Shoot Me!” actress [2005] Protest type Tree expert Christmas party quaff Chicago air hub Machine on a skating rink Event won by the horses at the ends of eight answers in this puzzle Up for debate Lipton drink, informally Actress Driver Booming jet of old, briefly Suffix with 25-Across Quagmire Actor Liam

DOWN 1 Lose luster 2 Tall bird 3 Thus far

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 22 24 28 29 30 32 33 34 36 40 41 42 44 45 46 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 58 59 60

Razz Potters’ materials Saintly glow A bit amiss “When I Need You” singer Long -- the law Cookie batch, often Snarky laugh Socrates’ H Buddhist leader Like neon New York county Equilibrium Trunks Not finished Petty fight Eke -- existence Phys., e.g.

Existed Sweet drink Map nos.

Opal ending Dol. divisions Model railroad size Lupino of old Hollywood Naldi of old Hollywood “How -- Want It” (#1 hit for 2Pac) “The Detour” channel French river Honey drinks Realms Guitarist Ted Table wine Big online investing site Deep divide “La Mer,” translated President after Jimmy Part of SPF Sibling of a nephew Two, in Chile “That’s icky!”

63 67 69 70 71 72 75 78 81 82 83 85 88 89 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 103 107 108 109 110 111 112 116 118 119 120 121 122

“-- just a number” Bank boxes Like the verb “lie”: Abbr.

Game with matchsticks Baby wolf Stings “I Am --” (Jenner’s reality show) Supplication Clerical title Dreams Tincture Incus’ organ Pastoral poems Grads’ event Sheepskin boot brand “Rapa --” (1994 film) Wrench, to a Brit Kindle download ER trainees Moviedom’s Meyers Bronzy Some statue sites Gem measures Yield (to) Home pest Rips off Sprang forth Congested cavity, often Terra -- (tile material) The Beatles’ “Sexy --” “Fame” star Cara Choir melody Basinger of “Batman” -- -friendly -- in “crossword” Yearbook bit Deep longing

ANSWERS ON PAGE 48

smokymountainnews.com

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SERVICES

53

Buzzards have a beauty and power all their own

T

Smoky Mountain News

Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 2019

he recent heavy rains here in the Smokies region have been a blessing, especially to those of us who like to observe vultures up close and personal.

That’s because the big birds have to remain in their roost trees well into late morning in order to dry out before they can take flight.

In my opinion, there’s no prettier sight in the world than a bare tree full of buzzards.

There’s just such a tree alongside the road on the north side of the Tuckaseigee River where it empties into Lake Fontana just west of Bryson City.

The other morning I pulled over my truck, focused my binoculars, and watched 20 or so black vultures perched in the bare limbs of a dead sycamore. Their wings were outstretched so as to dry them more readily.

In the swirling mist rising from the river, it looked like one of the Armageddon scenes out of a “Road Warrior” movie.

Then the birds began one after another to flap their wings and arose slowly into the air above the river. From there, they glided to a ridge and picked up an updraft that swirled them upward. At one point before they disappeared, all 20 or so birds were spiraling in unison. Ornithologists call flocks of circling buzzards “kettles” — and the act of flying in this manner is known as “kettling.”

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BACK THEN One evening about 15 years ago, Elizabeth and I were treated to a sight that we don’t ever expect to see again. I was in the yard outside our home and happened to look up toward the ridge on the western side of our property that borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I saw perhaps 75 vultures kettling Columnist above the ridge.

Once they reached the desired elevation, they sailed away on a beeline into the park.

As this was the largest “kettle” of vultures I’d ever seen, I called for Elizabeth to come out and see them as well. I’m glad she was there as a witness to what happened next, since I don’t think I’d have trusted my eyes alone. Wave after wave of vultures — soaring on wings spanning six feet — appeared over our cove in a steady stream for the next five minutes or so, gliding at elevations of from 200 to 400 yards. In loose groups, they appeared on the ridge bounding the eastern side of the cove, passed over our heads, and caught the updraft on the western rim at precisely the same spot as the first group I’d

George Ellison

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in August 2003.

noticed.

I don’t know how many vultures had passed over the cove before I became aware of their presence, and I have no clear notion of how many vultures Elizabeth and I observed. But after the parade was over, I turned to her and said, “There must have been a thousand vultures in that flock.” She didn’t disagree.

Almost all of the birds Elizabeth and I observed were turkey vultures, but there were at least 10 black vultures as well.

Turkey vultures are by far the most common species here in Western North Carolina. They’re easy to tell apart since the turkey vulture has a longish tail, a silver lining that extends from the tip of its wing along the rear of the wing to its body, and a head with reddish skin. The black vulture has a shorter tail, silver splotches near the tips of its wings, and a head with grayish skin. Both species locate the dead animals or carrion they feed upon by both sight and smell.

The Cherokees were the first ornithologists here in the Smokies region. They paid close attention to all of the birds and worked them into their dances and stories. There’s no way to know for sure that they made a distinction between the two species, but I’d bet that they did.

They gave the big birds the general name of “suli.” They felt that it played a role in

shaping the earth at the time of creation, being responsible for the numerous mountains present in their homeland. This was because the great ancestral buzzard had agreed to fly over the earth and dry the mud with its flapping wings. But when he finally got into the Smokies region he was so tired that his flailing wings touched down, creating valleys. And as he wearily uplifted his wings, he created the mountains. So much for plate tectonics.

The Cherokees knew that the buzzard was formerly a handsome bird with a topknot that ate only freshly killed meat. In one of their stories, the other animals punished the buzzard for its overbearing pride by tricking it into losing the feathers on its head so that it was shamed into eating carrion. In other stories, the bird lost its head feathers in a futile attempt to obtain the first fire.

Because of its habit of eating carrion and its supposed immunity from diseases, the Cherokees thought that buzzards possessed power over contagious diseases and regarded it as the doctor among birds. Buzzard feathers were placed over doorways in many homes as charms. During epidemics entire carcasses were hung up as preventive measures, and, at times, its blood was drunk as preventive measure.

George Ellison is a writer and naturalist who lives in Bryson City. info@georgeellison.com

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