Smoky Mountain News | September 16, 2020

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

September 16-22, 2020 Vol. 22 Iss. 16

Another new Ingles project planned for Franklin Page 11 Bear euthanized after scavenging human remains Page 16

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: Ten Acre Garden in Bethel began its pizza dinners as a family affair, but three years later it’s become a beloved and popular community gathering — one that’s still accessible during the COVID-19 Pandemic. (Page 27) Photos by Holly Kays and donated

News Sylva, Jackson discuss next steps for Confederate statue ....................................4 Race to replace Mark Meadows takes an ugly turn ................................................6 Demonstrators greet Cawthorn before debate ..........................................................7 Town places moratorium on Franklin gazebo events ................................................8 Waynesville approves permit for apple fest ................................................................9 Another new Ingles planned for Franklin ..................................................................11 Jackson nears end of 2021 revaluation process ....................................................12 Bear euthanized after scavenging human remains ................................................16 Haywood schools will return to in-person learning ................................................19 Community Almanac ........................................................................................................21

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Opinion Who is the real ‘sucker’ and ‘loser’? ..........................................................................22

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A&E A conversation with Sam Bush ....................................................................................24

Books Looking back at famous Americans..............................................................................27

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Sylva, Jackson County discuss next steps for Confederate statue

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ith nearly six weeks now elapsed since Jackson County Commissioners voted to cover up the Confederate flag on the base of the controversial statue overlooking Sylva, town commissioners are asking the county to either make the fix quick or put a temporary covering over the image.

“I know they were in their work session the other day, and it still sounds like they’re trying to figure that out,” said Sylva Commissioner Ben Guiney during a town meeting held Thursday, Sept. 10. “I would like to a request that in the meantime until they figure out what’s going on with their plaque that they agree to immediately cover up the Confederate flag, stars and bars, and ‘Our Heroes of the Confederacy.’ I don’t care if it’s cardboard or whatever, but put something over there because that’s what they agreed to and they have taken no action up until this time.”

Sylva Commissioner David Nestler stated his support for that request, while Mayor Lynda Sossamon emphasized the need to respect the county and its process in this situation.

“I would just like to say we need to have faith in the commissioners of Jackson County that they are going to do what they said and give them the time to do it correctly,” said Sossamon.

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September 16-22, 2020

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A PUBLIC NUISANCE? The conversation was the result of an agenda item Nestler had put forward requesting that the town consider declaring the monument a public nuisance. He first brought the topic up during the board’s Aug. 27 meeting, stating that there have been assaults and threats occurring in the statue area and that it’s the county’s responsibility to ensure that its property doesn’t become a risk to public safety. The purpose of the public nuisance declaration, Nestler said, would be to get the

Protestors took to the streets July 11 to show their opposition to the Confederate solider statue on the hill below Sylva's historic courthouse, now the Jackson County Public Library. Holly Kays photo issue “in the books,” so that if such acts continue to occur in the future, “then we have a way to keep our community safe by pursuing action for the forfeiture of that property.”

By the Sept. 10 meeting, however, Nestler had changed his mind. The law requires property owners to make a “good faith effort” to abate nuisances on their land, and the fencing and security personnel the county has put up around the area likely meet that standard, he said.

“I think at this point it’s probably unnecessary to declare it a nuisance because they have taken steps to abate it,” said Nestler.

“Now, I’d kind of like us to keep an eye on that. And if the communication of threats stop, and no more assaults occur then I think it’s been abated.”

However, said Nestler, if the issues continue the town might have to revisit the public nuisance declaration.

Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton said his

CONFLICTING VIEWPOINTS

In a 4-1 vote Aug. 4, county commissioners decided to remove the Confederate flag and the words “Our Heroes of the Confederacy” from the base of the statue, which depicts an unnamed Confederate solider and was erected in 1915 using donations from community members. The vote came in response to a resolution from the town asking the county to relocate the statue outside town limits, due to outcry from some community members who see the statue as glorifying the Confederacy and White supremacy. Commissioners denied the request, citing a state law that restricts the removal and relocation of public monuments, deciding to alter the statue instead.

While the four commissioners who voted to keep the monument saw the decision to alter some of its more objectionable symbols as a compromise, opponents of the statue say they don’t see it that way. The racial justice group Reconcile Sylva has recently launched a social media campaign underscoring this point, #relocationisthecompromise.

McMahan said that in a recent meeting with four Reconcile Sylva members he was surprised to hear that they oppose the alterations.

“They would prefer that we left it alone, which I think is interesting because the Town of Sylva passed a resolution banning the display of the Confederate flag, and that being the most prominent part of it, the part that is most conspicuous, you would think that would be something that would be favorable,” he said.

“What I’ve heard from people is they asked the question, ‘Why do you want to denigrate your family member’s tombstone?’ which is what a lot of people have said it represents to them,” responded Commissioner Ron Mau, the only member of the board to vote against keeping the statue in place.

DISCUSSION IN COUNTY CHAMBERS

While no alterations have been made yet, commissioners are not ignoring the issue. They discussed plans for

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department has been called to only one incident in the statue area since the issue heated up. In that incident, which occurred on Aug. 5, a man called a woman an “ashtray” and flipped a lit cigarette butt toward her, hitting her in the head. The victim knew the perpetrator’s identity and so was able to go directly to the magistrate judge without police filing an assault charge, Hatton said.

In addition, he said, he has received reports of “online social media language that individuals indicate that they are perceiving as threats,” but none of those incidents have met the legal requirement for prosecution, Hatton said.

“Apart from protests/demonstrations where opposing sides were becoming agitated with each other, to my knowledge we have had no reports of assaults or communication of threats filed with our office,” said Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office Major Shannon Queen. “However, this would be a misde-

meanor charge likely and victims could seek their own charges from the magistrate without completing a report with our office.”

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Republican Mike Clampitt and Democrat Rep. Joe Sam Queen, candidates for the North Carolina House of Representative District 119, will appear at a virtual town hall hosted by y The Smoky Mountain News and Blue Ridge Public Radio.

On the evening of Thursday, Sept. 24, candidates will join moderators Lilly Knoepp and Cory Vaillancourt for “NC 119: Virtual Town Hall” starting at 7 p.m. Both moderators will pose questions for these political veterans as well as ask questions sent in by the community and local leaders.

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“Personally, I think this is a decision that we as a board need to make,” he said. “A lot of times we ask committees to draft things, but in my opinion, it might be easier for us just to do it.”

However, during the Sept. 10 town meeting, Sylva Commissioner Greg McPherson said that he hoped commissioners would reach beyond its membership for input.

“Since we are talking so much about diversity in our community, I think this is the perfect opportunity for the county to reach out to people of different backgrounds to get some input about what that is going to say,” he said.

The statue issue has been hugely controversial in Sylva and in Jackson County as a whole, sparking multiple protests and spurring extremely high turnout for public comment at multiple public meetings — during the Aug. 4 meeting when the county took its vote, the public comment portion of the agenda lasted for nearly two hours.

Earlier in the summer, Woody had suggested forming a task force to craft recommendations for the statue area. She told the board that she recognized that they were “five white individuals” and could benefit from the guidance of a more racially diverse group of community members in making the decision.

However, that plan was scrapped following outcry from members of Reconcile Sylva, who said that putting Black and brown people on such a task force would make them targets for threats and violence.

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

September 16-22, 2020

the statue during a Sept. 8 work session.

“We have multiple solutions that we can come back and show you aesthetically different solutions,” said County Manager Don Adams. “That is technically the easy part of r this conversation.”

The harder part will be agreeing on the exact language to go on the plaques that will be used to cover the flag and phrase commissioners voted to remove.

Commissioner Boyce Deitz said he’d be happy just to leave the whole thing blank.

Chairman Brian McMahan, meanwhile, said he’d like to see some well thought-out verbiage laying out the history of the monument and of Jackson County’s involvement in the Civil War. The plaque should say that the Civil War was the first conflict since Jackson County’s formation in 1851, name the troops that came from the county as well as notable people or groups that served, and highlight the fact that there were people from Jackson County who served in the Union Army. The plaque should also talk about how the statue came to be erected in 1915 as well as the 1996 rededication, he said.

“I would like somehow to add some statement of unity, emphasizing that now we’re one nation,” added Commissioner Gayle Woody. “I don’t know what that would look like and I’m not really the best person to take the wording, but I would like to explore that.”

McMahan said he would draft some proposed language to bring back to the group at a subsequent meeting.

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War of words Race to replace Mark Meadows takes an ugly turn

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER he major party candidates seeking the NC11 congressional seat recently left vacant by former Rep. Mark Meadows spent much of the first two debates attacking each other and defending themselves against those attacks, but now that controversial tweets by one of them have resurfaced, there’s even more focus on how the current partisan discord is turning modern political discourse into a war of words that can never be won.

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n the evening of Sept. 11, 2019, retired U.S. Air Force Col. Moe Davis paraphrased former First Lady Michelle Obama’s catchphrase, “When they go low, we go high,” by issuing a scathing tweet directed at North Carolina’s Republican establishment.

“Screw they go low, we go high bullsh*t.

When @NCGOP extremists go low, we stomp their scrawny pasty necks with our heels and once you hear the sound of a crisp snap you grind your heel hard and twist it slowly side to side for good measure. He needs to know who whupped his ass.”

Earlier that day, North Carolina House Republicans called a surprise vote to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget veto. Many Democrats said they were misled about such a vote taking place.

The day before that, Republican Dan Bishop had prevailed in a hard-fought Special Election in North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional District — an election necessitated by voter fraud on the part of Republicans in 2018.

“It was that combination of things,” Davis said, that led to the graphic statement.

Davis’ Republican opponent for the 11th Congressional District seat, Madison Cawthorn, said he found the tweet “disturbing” the first time he read it.

“It genuinely brought back memories of when I first broke my spine,” said Cawthorn, who mobilizes by using a wheelchair after a car accident in 2014. “When I move my back just slightly, I can still feel where that break happened. For my opponent to advocate for breaking someone’s neck, [that] would make them a quadriplegic. I think it’s cruel, and it just shows that this is a man who does not know how to put himself in the shoes of people who are going through a life or situation that he hasn’t been through himself.”

Insisting the statement was metaphor, Davis has been unapologetic about his aggressive messaging.

“My intention in the tweet was to say, look, this ‘We go high’ crap is not cutting it,” he said. “When we’re playing against a North Carolina GOP that’s made clear that 6 they’ll lie, cheat and steal to retain power —

Smoky Mountain News

September 16-22, 2020

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not just being metaphorical on that, I mean, they have a record of lying, cheating and stealing — Democrats have to fight back.”

Davis has emphasized his point using the metaphor of a knife fight, saying that Republicans have been showing up with a machete while Democrats have been showing up with a quinoa salad.

“It’s clear we’re losing the messaging battle to the other side,” Davis said. “You have to give [Republicans] credit, they’re really effective at crafting messages that stick, and resonate. Our side is really good at writing 20-page position papers that nobody ever reads.”

It’s not the first time Davis has waxed metaphorical; according to a Cawthorn website, www.moetaxes.com, he’s used similar phrasing a number of times.

“I’m a very aggressive guy,” Cawthorn said. “I loved to wrestle with my friends and my brothers, loved being willing to step up and defend my family. There is a point for saying that you’re setting an aggressive tone, but there’s another point to where you take it to a gruesome level.” avis certainly isn’t the only political candidate or elected official ever to take an aggressive tone with his messaging.

However, in today’s highly-charged political climate it’s no secret that such messaging emanates freely, from bottom to top.

President Donald Trump has made and continues to make statements that have raised eyebrows, despite First Lady Melania Trump’s anti-bullying “be best” public awareness campaign.

President Trump has bragged about sexual assault, told police “don’t be too nice” when taking suspects into custody, mused about shooting migrants below the waist to “slow them down” and exhorted rally goers in 2016 to “knock the hell” out of protestors, even promising to pay their legal fees.

“I’m not afraid to call somebody out when I believe they’re wrong and I believe that kind of rhetoric is wrong from someone who’s been in a position of leadership,” Cawthorn said when asked about Trump’s comments. “Now, I love when President Trump fights back. I hated to see how George W. Bush would always just take the blows, never fight back and defend our cause, but you know, there is a point where

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it’s gone a little bit too far. Some of the tweets, like the ones you just outlined, I believe that’s a point where the president has gone too far.”

Davis thinks his statements pale in comparison to those of the president.

“Somebody asked about the tweet. I pointed out it was figurative, not literal, where the president has literally said, ‘Knock the hell out of them,’” Davis said. “I went and looked at my opponent, who’s at home clutching his pearls over my tweet, and I went to see what his response was to the president,

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ut is it the world candidates and politicians want to live in?

“It didn’t seem to be this way in the past, but I think it’s certainly pointing that direction right now. It’s really a bad place that we’re in and that’s one reason I decided to run,” said Davis. “I just think the country’s in a bad place and the election coming up on Nov. 3 I think truly is the most important election in my lifetime. As a country, we’ve got to decide on who we want to be. And I’m hopeful that the majority, I think — the real moral majority — are good people who want to take care of their community and their country. I think it’s the very vocal minority that gets a lot of attention.”

On Sept. 9, Mountain Xpress Assistant Editor Daniel Walton reported that the Henderson County Sheriff ’s office had deployed a squad car to Cawthorn’s residence in response to specific threats.

“Obviously, I would love to just paint this as the far-left partisan divide, but also there, there are some sects on the far, far fringe right who I wouldn’t even say are Republicans,” said Cawthorn. “In both of those parts of the political spectrum, the very far fringes on either side, I believe they both represent this dangerous aspect where we do need security in this new world. And it’s really a sad thing to Moe Davis. have to say. It’s a sad thing to have to admit.”

Davis said he too had received such threats — on Twitter, on Facebook, and by phone.

“The Buncombe County Sheriff ’s Department called my campaign and spoke with my campaign manager about whether we’d been getting any similar messages,” said Davis. “My opponent’s very fond of the Second Amendment and has the picture of him with the big giant rifle, and now he’s got taxpayer funded security outside his house. I told them I didn’t need it. I’ve got a cat at home and that’s fine with me.”

Unfortunately, says Cawthorn, a large sector of the American political class is moving in a more confrontational direction.

“I believe nine months ago, Maxine Waters was advocating for ‘get up in their face, don’t let them Madison Cawthorn. have any space, go to where they’re eating, go to where they work,’” he and there was nothing. It’s pure hypocrisy. said. “What this really has shown is that this It’s stunning to me that here’s this young man verbiage has been used so repetitively that we who purports to be a patriot and a Christian now see mass parts of our population are now who lies, just repeatedly lies, in the same way going out in the streets. You see these videos all the time, these viral videos of people, just that the president does.”

It’s a crowded marketplace, Davis berating Republicans and attacking people explained, and being crass, sarcastic and for their beliefs.”

There are plenty of videos of Republicans bombastic gets attention.

“Sometimes it takes going to the absurd berating Democrats, too, using terms like to do that, but that’s the world we live in,” he “snowflake” and, as a slur to the mentally handicapped, “libtards.” said.

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Demonstrators greet Cawthorn before debate

a hatchet, you have two sides. One side is made for cutting. The other side is a blunt side, which is very similar to a hammer. We were all very similar to that hatchet. We can either make a decision to destroy something that day, or we can make a decision to build something up,” he said. “It does take significantly more effort to use that blunt side to build something.”

Despite their differences, Cawthorn and Davis do seem to be in agreement that tiresome rhetoric — their own war of words — won’t result in a clear victory for either candidate.

“It’s like we were talking about with the tweets, it’s the outrageous that gets the attention and it’s the mundane that doesn’t, but I think most people are tired of this constant chaos,” Davis said. “And I think they’re looking for a return to normalcy and hopefully on Nov. 3, that’s what we’re going to do.”

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Cawthorn’s called for improvements to the state of discourse in the campaign, even as he defends himself against allegations of white supremacy, Nazi sympathy, use of the n-word and improper behavior toward women.

“You look at many religions, they pretty much all follow Judeo-Christian values — thinking of others, treat others how you’d want to be treated yourself,” he said. “I think that we need some very passionate, pensive and thoughtful leaders who can lead our national discourse to say, ‘This is wrong. This is not how we go about our lives.’”

Using a metaphor of his own, Cawthorn believes it’s time for candidates — and everyday Americans — to stop tearing each other down with words.

“I believe every person, every young man or young woman, is like a hatchet. This is something my father taught me as a boy. On

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September 16-22, 2020

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER round 30 demonstrators affiliated with a group called Sunrise North Carolina showed up to a congressional forum held by Southwestern Community College in Sylva on Sept. 9, but they weren’t there to watch — they were there to sound off against the environmental positions of Republican candidate Madison Cawthorn.

“He is 25 years old, which is how old I am,” said Alex Lines, of Asheville. “He is very outspoken against the Green New Deal.

He recently said it was ‘waterboarding future generations.’ He represents everything that our generation is fighting against — everything that we want to transition away from.”

The Sunrise Movement is a national group focused on climate change. There are a number of local Sunrise chapters; one briefly occupied Asheville Mayor Ether

Manheimer’s office last December after they asked her to declare a climate emergency and mobilize resources. The group spends much of its energy advocating for the passage of the Green New Deal.

The Green New Deal is a proposed legislative package championed by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Democratic presidential candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Broad in scope, the Green New Deal’s overarching goal is to move the United States toward 100 percent renewable energy consumption over several decades, at a cost of more than $12 trillion.

Other components of the package create substantive intersectionality by linking climate justice to a number of ancillary causes touted by left-leaning advocacy groups, like socialized health care. Those additional components add up to $80 trillion to the tab — a figure greater than the gross domestic product of every nation in the world combined.

“The Green New Deal is fighting for a just recovery for everybody,” said Ashley McDermott, 32, also of Asheville and an organizer with the Sunrise Movement. “We think that climate justice is directly related to racial justice. It is a direct reflection of systemic racism in a capitalist society in that it oppresses the most vulnerable people.”

making our profits we’re also thinking about the long term.’ I think that people are climate alarmists when they say they want to do the Green New Deal, or that they want to get rid of fossil fuels completely.”

Moe Davis, Cawthorn’s Democratic opponent, says on his website that energy independence would be good for the environment, for national security, for entrepreneurs and for workers. He supports the Green New Deal’s broad goals, although he stopped short of backing all 48 components of the resolution until he is able to review actual proposed legislation.

“My opponent doesn’t believe in science,” Davis said. “I do. Science deniers are particularly dangerous for Western North Carolina because our economy is tied to our environment. We need leaders in Washington who grasp the threat and will act to protect our environment. Climate change is real, and we can’t afford to wait until we reach a tipping point to act. We are already running out of time.”

McDermott said the cost of doing nothing is far more than any of the proposed price tags on the Green New Deal.

“As global temperatures rise, costs are skyrocketing over infrastructure damage, inland flooding, wildfires, ecosystems unraveling, not to mention the cost of human life from climate disaster and temperature extremes, especially for the most vulnerable communities,” she said. “Instead, we sink trillions into our military budget and corporate bailouts. We need a drastic overhaul of our economy immediately.”

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Demonstrators braved a brief downpour to advocate for the Green New Deal on Sept. 9 in Sylva. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Passage of the Green New Deal, according to McDermott, would result in millions of high-paying jobs, but not everyone sees it that way.

“I was surprised that these demonstrators showed up. Being a conservative, I believe I’m pretty conscientious of the environment.

As someone who’s from a younger generation, who grew up hunting, being in the outdoors, I really care about our natural environment and I want to protect it,” Cawthorn said. “So it was surprising to see some people come out with such vitriolic rhetoric when I’m one of the only Republicans who’s ever acknowledged that yes, we do need to take care of our environment.”

Cawthorn’s gone to great lengths to brand himself as a “green conservative” and has even broken with his party and President Donald Trump on some aspects of environmental policy, saying in a forum on Sept. 4 that the Book of Genesis calls Christians to be environmental stewards.

Since taking office, Trump has rolled back dozens of regulations imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with dozens more rollbacks proposed.

Nuclear energy, according to Cawthorn, is cleaner, plenty safe and would allow the U.S. to remain a net exporter of energy.

“I think it really comes to the idea of advocating for energy practices,” Cawthorn said. “I believe that a strong economy lends itself to one that can afford to say, ‘Hey, you know what? Let’s take some precautions to make sure that we’re okay with our environment. Let’s make sure that we’re not just

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Town places moratorium on Franklin gazebo events

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR he gazebo in Downtown Franklin has long been a popular gathering spot for live music during Pickin’ on the Square, fall festivals, prayer rallies, recovery celebrations and much more, but the town has been bombarded with requests to reserve the space in the last several months.

“We usually get one to two requests a month to use the gazebo area, but now we’re getting three to four requests a week since COVID started,” said Town Manager Summer Woodard.

Looking for more direction from the town board on how to handle the influx of reservation requests, Woodard said she’d put a hold on approving any new applicants for the past few weeks.

“Others have submitted applications but I stopped accepting them until we get a better understanding of what the town wants to use the gazebo for,” she said.

Since Gov. Roy Cooper placed restrictions on gatherings in North Carolina because of COVID-19, more people have used outdoor venues to host more events, but there have also been more protests and rallies held by Black Lives Matters organizers as well as counter protests showing support for law enforcement officers. As the town center, the gazebo has been at the center of all these events as well.

“With the rapid proliferation of people wanting to use the gazebo for protests and rallies, we don’t want to intentionally stifle speech,” said Town Attorney John Henning Jr. “But it has caused us to say, ‘Let’s stop and see what council’s intent is for the property.’”

While the town wants to protest people’s right to free speech, it can also place limitations of where and when that free speech can occur, Henning added, especially when it becomes a public safety issue. These types of events also put the town’s police force in an uncomfortable position. The police force has limited staff to maintain peace when protesters and counter protesters are in the same area. It also puts law enforcement in a precarious position to ensure outdoor gatherings are still adhering to Gov. Cooper’s mandates, which states that no more than 50 people can gather at an outdoor event.

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September 16-22, 2020

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Henning then asked the council to consider a moratorium on gazebo reservations outside of the town-sponsored events as long as the state is under a State of Emergency. He added that the county had designated the courthouse plaza across the street from the gazebo as a “free speech zone” and that could be used by those wanting to organize protests, rallies and other events.

Councilmember Joe Collins asked why events couldn’t continue there as long as they are adhering to the state’s restrictions.

“To me, it’s a health issue. The state gives us guidelines for gatherings — it could change week to week — but whatever guidelines we have from Raleigh should be used there,” he said.

With the 50-person limit, Henning said allowing gatherings would still require someone to enforce those restrictions — keeping the events under 50 people and making sure everyone wears a mask and social distances.

“The issue is gonna be if we reject one we’ll have to reject them all in fairness,” Scott added.

Councilmember David Culpepper said he was not in favor of placing a moratorium on using the gazebo.

“I always assumed our permitting of the gazebo was only for scheduling purposes,” he said. “I’m uncomfortable with us trying to pick and choose and I don’t wanna throw the baby out with the bathwater either. We should allow them to gather peacefully at scheduled times.”

Scott agreed that was a valid point, but right now the issue is about public health.

Last month, the town chose to cancel its popular PumpkinFest due to COVID-19.

Councilmember Jack Horton said it seemed like an impossible thing to police and asked about the town’s past restrictions. For example, the town probably wouldn’t think twice about approving a peaceful prayer vigil but would probably have reservations about allowing the KKK to hold a rally at the gazebo. Where do you draw the line, he asked?

Scott said the courts were clear that you can’t make that kind of determination just because you don’t like a particular event or organization.

“Or we can just suspend use until COVID

Franklin’s downtown gazebo has hosted a number of protests and rallies this summer despite COVID-19 restrictions on outdoor gatherings. Cory Vaillancourt photo restrictions lift and the people already permitted will get first priority when we open it back up,” Horton said.

Councilmember Dinah Mashburn suggested allowing the couple of events already permitted to move forward even if the town did decide to place a moratorium on it going forward. The two events already permitted are a Constitution Day celebration Sept. 17 and a recovery rally — both events were approved back in February and March.

“This is an illusion of permission,” Culpepper said. “If 50 or 500 people want to go up there and do something, it’s public property. There have been several events bigger than allowed during COVID. We’re probably more likely to get a large crowd there if we choose to close it down than if we keep it open.”

Police Chief Bill Harrell told the council he’d adhere to whatever was decided but asked that if an event does require police presence, that perhaps the organizer should be willing to pay the cost to have off-duty officers for security.

“Our budget just doesn’t allow for it,” he said.

Collins asked if anyone was in favor of keeping the gazebo open.

Culpepper said he was but understood the difficulty of trying to enforce restrictions.

“I’m 100 percent against enforcement action if there’s a 51st person or a 500th person if they are peaceful,” he said.

Harrell agreed he’s not in favor of making arrests for being over 50 people.

During public comment earlier in the meeting, Pastor Michael Stephens with Franklin Church of God asked the council to consider approving his National Prayer event for Sept. 26 before a moratorium went into effect. The prayer rally would be in conjunction with Franklin Graham’s National Prayer March in Washington, D.C., and would feature live music, guest speakers and a canned food drive for CareNet. As for the public health concerns, Stephens reminded the board that Macon County currently only had seven active COVID-19 cases and that previously held events at the gazebo hadn’t led to any outbreaks. He said he submitted his request to the town four weeks ago to hold the event from noon to 2 p.m.

Council did discuss whether to grandfather in the other events that had applications pending, but decided to only let the two approved events continue. In the end, the council ended up approving a moratorium on gazebo reservations during the COVID-19 State of Emergency 5 to 1, with Culpepper opposed.

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER three-decade tradition, Waynesville’s Apple Harvest Festival, will indeed take place this year but as with all things coronavirus-related it will look very different than in any of those previous years.

On Sept. 8, the Town of Waynesville Board of Aldermen approved the event permit, submitted by Haywood Chamber of Commerce President CeCe Hipps.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. As in years past, this year’s festival will take place on a long stretch of downtown Waynesville’s Main Street.

Depot Street, Miller Street and Church Street will also be closed for the event, but other than the delicious variety of apples and apple-related products available for purchase, that’s about where the similarities end.

The event — rated as one of the 10 best fall festivals in North Carolina — usually draws upwards of 40,000 people. This year, it will be limited to 100 vendors or less.

Vendors, staff, volunteers and attendees will wear masks, and surface sanitation will be frequent.

Handwashing stations will be located along the route, as will directional markings designed to encourage one-way traffic flow.

Circles near each vendor will also discourage crowding.

Attendance will also be monitored to ensure that crowd densities do not become so great as to imperil proper 6-foot social distancing.

Masks will be distributed as needed, and food vendors from outside the county will not be permitted.

Per the event permit, the safeguards were put in place based on several assumptions, especially given the fact that the event takes place during leaf season when visitors are already in town.

One is the general drag COVID-19 has placed on travel and events across the nation; the event has also not been as heavily promoted as in years past.

As guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — as well as from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — continue to evolve, policies concerning the Waynesville Apple Harvest Festival will continue to be updated.

For more information on the Haywood Chamber of Commerce’s Waynesville Apple Harvest Festival, visit www.haywoodchamber.org or www.haywoodapplefest.com.

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Beaverdam project will move forward

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ontinuing what has thus far been an aggressive push toward economic development, Haywood County and the Town of Canton have teamed up to make a long-vacant industrial site more attractive to potential developers.

Back in 1993, Haywood County purchased 103 acres just outside Canton to create the Beaverdam Industrial Park. Several tenants have occupied the site, paying on average around $500,000 in taxes each year.

But there are still several vacant parcels, including a 10-acre pad that was subsequently developed by the county and the Haywood Advancement Foundation in 2008 — albeit without water and sewer infrastructure.

“We’ve had three companies, and we’re still a finalist there, that we get to this point and they talk about what utilities are up here and we say, ‘none,’” said David Francis, Haywood County’s program administrator and economic development guru. “There’s no water, sewer, there’s no electrical, there’s no gas.”

Electricity, Francis explained, is an easy fix because Duke or Dominion will come in and “tailor” a power solution for a new company, but grant solutions to pay for sewer and water extensions haven’t been feasible in the past.

The issue is becoming critical, as one particularly interested entity would bring more than 200 jobs to the site, should they select it.

To make that decision a little easier, commissioners and the Town of Canton proposed an agreement whereby the county would contribute $110,000 from fund balance, and Canton would provide the labor.

“This is an extremely competitive process, drawing these businesses here,” said Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick. “I was out here personally with a company at one point at time, speaking with them about the property and this was an issue, and has been an issue the entire time.”

Commissioner Brandon Rogers noted that as the property had been vacant for more than a decade, there’s no better time than now to begin realizing a positive cash flow from the parcel.

“It’s a small price to pay for the potential revenue that we could get off this property along with the jobs that could be supplied,” Rogers said. “It is really a small price to pay.”

Commissioner Mark Pless was the lone ‘no’ vote, issued after he’d questioned the county’s sales tax revenue collections (better than projected, according to County Manager Bryant Morehead) as well as the viability of using the proceeds from the sale of the Historic Haywood Hospital (already earmarked for affordable housing). Pless then requested the motion be delayed until the next meeting, but Chairman Kevin Ensley explained that delays could impact Canton’s participation, as could unpredictable fall weather.

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according to Preston, four other big box retailers will be joining the plaza. The development will also include two sections of retail space for smaller businesses. “We’re changing the whole parking lot and changing the stormwater runoff (plan) and the next thing is working with DOT on the red light,� Preston said. “DOT is on furlough so it’s taking longer to work through.�

He said DOT would be conducting a traffic study before directing Ingles on any egress and igress changes they need to make with the project. The site already has two access points off Hyatt Road, which will remain, but Preston said the project proposes a third entry point off Hyatt plus an additional single lane in-bound access point from U.S. 441. “But whatever they (DOT) say to do is what we’ll do,� he said.

Mayor Bob Scott said he was concerned about water runoff from such a large project.

Town Engineer Nat Moore said the site plan included more landscaping and islands throughout the proposed 584 parking spaces to cut down on runoff, but with a project this large, it won’t make much of a difference. However, he said the retention pond on the property hadn’t been working properly and would be repaired as well as nearly doubled in size, which will make a big difference.

The town’s Unified Development ordinance requires 1,026 spaces but after Ingles submitted data to show that many spaces weren’t needed, staff accepted the reduced amount.

Similar to the new Ingles on Georgia Road, the Holly Springs development would include 5 gas pumps and an iMarket as well as a car wash. The Ingles would have a drive-thru pharmacy, Starbucks, Chopsticks and Cafe.

A council member asked if the current Ingles would be able to remain open during the redevelopment project , but Preston said he wasn’t sure yet whether that would happen or not.

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September 16-22, 2020

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS EDITOR evelopers are planning another new Ingles project that will include a complete upgrade to the Holly Springs Plaza off U.S. 441 in Franklin.

The plaza is already home to an operating Ingles store, but it hasn’t been upgraded in quite some time. The plaza has a few other tenants but has suffered a loss of visitor traffic since Walmart moved from the location several years ago.

A public hearing was held during the town council’s Sept. 8 meeting and the board unanimously approved the plan. No one signed up to offer public comment regarding the proposed project.

Town Planner Justin Setser said the planning board had recommended approval of the special permit request to redevelop the shopping center to include a new grocery store building, an iMarket, gas station, car wash and other retailers.

The request includes demolishing the existing 135,133-square-foot shopping center and adding back 179,153 square feet, which is larger than the 30,000 square feet allowed as part of the C-3 commercial zoning district.

The special permit request required a neighborhood compatibility meeting, which Setser said was attended by five people after he sent out 24 letters to adjacent property owners. He said no one made suggestions to change anything about the site plan during that meeting.

Preston Kendall, representing Ingles Markets during the public hearing, showed the site plan to the town council and went over the specifics of the project, which comes on the heels of a brand-new Ingles complex on Georgia Road. “We started this process at the end of last year, but with COVID, everything went to a halt so we had some tenants lined up — and still do — we’ve just pushed it off a little bit,� he said.

The new Ingles store will be situated where the former Walmart was located, and

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Jackson County nears end of 2021 revaluation process

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ax values for Jackson County properties are set to rise next year as the county enters the final stages of its process to revaluate property values last set in 2016.

While the total value of taxable properties in Jackson County fell by 23.4 percent between 2015 and 2016, preliminary figures show an increase of 12.7 percent between 2020 values and anticipated 2021 values.

However, projected 2021 values are still lower than the $11.16 billion valuation used in 2015, the last year the county used the schedule of values adopted prior to the Great Recession. The 2021 reappraisal review is currently only 70 percent complete and subject to change, but the projected value gives a solid indication as to where the final value will land.

During a work session with commissioners held Tuesday, Sept. 8, Tax Administrator Tabitha Ashe said she plans to ask the board to call for a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and hopes to see a schedule of values adopted Oct. 13. The adjusted property values will become effective Jan. 1, 2021, with notices mailed out in February. A several-month process during which property owners can dispute appraised values will follow.

The new values will aim to reflect fair market value as of Jan. 1, 2021. Because most properties won’t actually be for sale on the market at that time, the final values are “more of a hypothetical,” said Ashe, based on characteristics of the individual home and property as well as recent market data from sales of nearby properties. In completing the revaluation, staff conducted 8,844 field reviews and 31,159 office reviews of Jackson County properties.

September 16-22, 2020

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In the 2016 revaluation, Dillsboro was the only township whose total value did not show a decline from pre-recession values. File photo In 2016, Jackson County finished its first revaluation process since the Great Recession of 2008. In that instance, the county waited the full eight years allowed by state law to conduct the revaluation because leaders feared that if they stayed on the four-year schedule used prior to the recession, the gulf between land values calculated pre- and postrecession would require them to choose between massive budget cuts and hefty hikes to the tax rate.

In 2016, tax values declined in 16 of the county’s 17 townships — Dillsboro town was the only exception — with overall value declining by 23.6 percent. Values on higher-end homes dropped the most, with lower-value homes seeing much less of a swing. To make

up the difference in the budget, commissioners voted to raise taxes from 28 cents per $100 of value to 37 cents per $100 of value, a 32 percent increase. The hike was due not only to the revaluation but also to increased funding requests from Harris Regional Hospital and the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad, plus a slew of capital projects on the horizon. The current tax rate is 38 cents per $100.

This time around, the county is in a nearly opposite situation. Values are projected to increase in every single township, with an overall projected growth of 12.7 percent compared to 2020 values. Webster Township is projected to see the least growth, at 1.77 percent, while Cullowhee is projected to have the most, at 26.99 percent.

“A lot of that is driven by apartments in Cullowhee,” said Ashe.

New construction has been going gangbusters, with more new deeds recorded in August 2020 than in any month since December 2006. Similarly, more plats were recorded in August 2020 than in any month since July 2007. As of Aug. 31, the county had issued 1,271 building permits in 2020 compared to 1,959 during the whole of 2019.

That growth has resulted in an increase in taxable value in Jackson County, with total value growing from $8.54 billion in 2016, when the last revaluation took effect, to $9.03 billion in the current year and a projected $10.18 billion for 2021.

Residential structures are responsible for the overwhelming majority of property value in Jackson County, at 72.4 percent of all value. Of those, 35 percent are single-family homes built on a permanent foundation valued at $250,000 or less, while 23 percent are valued at more than $750,000 and 20 percent are worth between $250,000 and $750,000. The remainder consists of other residential structure types like manufactured homes, condos, townhouses, duplexes and tiny homes.

After this revaluation is complete, Ashe hopes to make the next process even shorter, aiming for a 2025 revaluation. This would move the county back to the four-year revaluation cycle it had been on prior to the recession. Doing revaluations more frequently makes it easier for staff to keep up with the market and lessens the sticker shock factor for property owners, she said. It also better serves the ultimate purpose of a revaluation — establishing the fairness of tax burden between residents.

If commissioners decide to keep tax rates the same following the revaluation, most Jackson County property owners will see their tax bills rise when their property values are adjusted upwards, resulting in an overall increase to the county budget. Conversely, commissioners could decide to lower the tax rate in order to keep the total tax bill — and the county budget — closer to its current size.

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Caples named CEO of Haywood Regional

known for his dedication to quality care and patient safety, and he has a strong history of fostering advances in patient, employee and physician experiences and satisfaction. We are confident he is the ideal person to lead HRMC into the future.”

A veteran hospital executive, Caples has served in leadership positions at facilities across the nation for nearly three decades.

Caples earned a B.A. in accounting from The University of West Florida in Pensacola and an M.B.A from The University of Georgia in Athens. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on the boards of or volunteered for organizations including the American Heart Association, United Way, YMCA, Faith Family Medical Center, Agape and Backpack Ministry.

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Haywood Regional Medical Center, a Duke LifePoint Hospital, announced that Greg Caples has been named its new chief executive officer, effective Sept. 30.

Caples comes to HRMC from Coliseum Northside Hospital in Macon, Georgia, where he has served as CEO for three years. He replaces former CEO Rod Harkleroad who left earlier this year to pursue a leadership opportunity at another Duke LifePoint facility.

“We are excited to welcome Greg to Clyde and to the Haywood Regional family,” said Jamie Carter, president of LifePoint Health’s Eastern Division, of which HRMC is a part.

“Greg is a seasoned healthcare leader who is

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tant for us to know. And I just want to make sure that we understand that it’s more than just about what we see in front of us.”

Forming a consortium allows local governments to work together to address local and regional housing needs. In order to receive any funds a consortium must develop a three to five-year plan that outlines community needs, resources, and how the consortium would use HOME program funding. The start date for the consortium is July 1, 2021 and the three-year period is 2021-2023. No money is required from local governments to join the consortium.

The consortium is made up of seven counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. In Haywood County, Maggie Valley will join the towns of Canton, Clyde, and Waynesville to be a member of the consortium. Haywood County will be the lead entity and administrative agent for the consortium.

“Basically, what the board is doing with their yes vote is they’re actually growing the pot for the region, because you get money per member,” said Clark. “So, you get more money for 14 members than 13, and the second thing is you’re providing the town and the people that are interested in developing it with additional options.”

After voting to join the consortium, the board had to choose someone to represent the Town of Maggie Valley for the consortium committee. The committee will meet four times a year and will have one representative from each member to receive updates on the consortium and review progress.

“Keep in mind that that person who represents the board, basically will be able to have discussions that they may want to do in a county over, or in a town next to us,” said Eveland. “So you have some conversations, at least you’re part of the conversation.”

Alderman Phillip Wight volunteered to represent Maggie Valley. No one on the board objected.

“I don’t feel like it hurts anything [joining the consortium]. If anything, there’s a small gain,” said Wight.

September 16-22, 2020

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER aggie Valley Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday, Sept. 8, to join the Southwestern NC Home Consortium after previously opting not to join the regional effort.

The HOME investment Partnerships Program provides formula grants to states and localities. These funds can be used for building, buying or rehabilitating affordable housing; for rent or homeownership; or providing direct rental assistance to lowincome people.

Maggie Valley has no financial commitment to the consortium.

“We have three opportunities,” said Town Manager Nathan Clark. “One opportunity is the money goes elsewhere, the town is not supposed to contribute if the money is spent in another community. Number two is the town itself can apply as the applicant to build affordable housing, and if you do that, you’re required to provide a match. The third option is if someone in the community in Maggie Valley wants to do an affordable housing project then they’re eligible to receive this money because we, as a town, are a member.”

When the proposal to join was brought back to the board’s attention Tuesday, Mayor Mike Eveland noted that the board had previously turned down the prospect of joining without much discussion.

“Maggie Valley doesn’t specifically, at this current time anyway, have any situations or desires where we might be using this money or funding it. That might change in the future but as of right now we don’t. But that’s no reason for us not to get involved,” he said. “We have to stay informed and be a part of the discussion, within the county and within the region whenever it comes to these things. We typically like to blow this off like we don’t want it, we don’t care but I will tell you that it may not have anything to do with us specifically but knowing where that’s going and where the money is at is impor-

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Maggie Valley joins regional affordable housing effort

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September 16-22, 2020

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Smokies investigates backcountry death Bear euthanized after scavenging human remains

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 11, backpackers were hiking the Hazel Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when they found an unoccupied tent at Campsite 82 with a single sleeping bag inside. Across the creek, they discovered human remains and a scavenging bear.

Park officials would later identify the remains as belonging to 43-year-old Patrick Madura of Elgin, Illinois. Madura had a backcountry reservation for a solo multi-day trip in the park and was scheduled to stay at campsite 82 just northwest of Bryson City on Tuesday, Sept. 8. No other reservations were scheduled for the site between the evenings of Sept. 8 and Sept. 11, when the body was discovered.

The hikers quickly left in search for cell coverage, and by 7 p.m. Emergency Communications had received word of the incident.

Law enforcement rangers and wildlife officers were dispatched to the scene immediately, arriving shortly after midnight and

PREVIOUS ATTACKS Park officials were faced with a similar decision in September 2018, when they found a bear feeding on the body of a man who had been reported missing two days earlier. An autopsy returned months later showed that the bear did not attack Tennessee resident William Hill prior to or during his death and that Hill had methamphetamine, amphetamine and caffeine in his system at the time of his death.

In that instance, the park cited the bear’s aggressive behavior in guarding the body as the reason for euthanization.

“This is always one of the hardest decisions a wildlife manager has to make, and is one that we did not take lightly,” Smokies Superintendent Cassius Cash said at the time of Hill’s 2018 death. “Over 2 million visitors come to the Cades Cove area annually and there are several residential areas very close to where we found Mr. Hill’s body. We could not take the risk of allowing this bear to approach or show aggression towards other people.”

Bear attacks are rare, but they do happen occasionally. Since 2000, five people have been attacked by black bears, and only one such attack was fatal. In the same period, the park has recorded more than 204 million recreation visits.

In 2016, a bear attacked a tent occupied

by 49-year-old Bradley Veeder near the Spence Field Shelter on the Appalachian Trail, biting and injuring Veeder’s leg. And in 2015, a bear attacked 16-year-old Ohio resident Gabriel Alexander as he was sleeping in a hammock at Campsite 84, a site located just a few miles away from the place where Madura was found dead last week.

The bear bit the teen on the head and dragged him away, but Gabriel’s father Greg eventually fought the bear off by beating it repeatedly and jumping on its back.

Earlier attacks included a 2008 incident in which an 8-year-old boy sustained serious injuries in the head and back after being attacked by an 80-pound male bear and a 2001 incident in which a bear pulled a man from a hammock by his arm, while another camper beat the bear off with a broom.

The only recorded bear fatality in the park’s 89-year history occurred in 2000, when 50-year-old Cosby, Tennessee, resident Glenda Ann Bradley was attacked, killed and partially consumed by a 112-pound female black bear about 2.5 miles from the Little River Trailhead.

In both the 2016 and the 2015 incidents, the park came under fire after DNA results showed that the first bear euthanized in connection with the attack was not in fact responsible for the incident. In both situations, the park was unable to capture the correct bear.

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Smoky Mountain News

September 16-22, 2020

O

confirming the report of a deceased adult human male. They also observed a bear actively scavenging the remains, leading the rangers to euthanize the animal.

The cause of death and the incident overall are still being investigated, and park officials do not yet know whether the bear caused or contributed to Madura’s death.

No additional details will be released until the park receives a coroner’s report, said park spokesperson Jamie Sanders.

However, said Sanders, the park’s wildlife biologists decided that euthanization was necessary because the bear in question had already learned that human bodies can be a food source. The animal was a 240-pound adult male in good health and with no abnormalities.

“The decision to euthanize a bear is never made lightly,” Sanders said. “Wildlife biologists with expertise in human bear conflicts believe that bears that scavenge on human remains may pose an increased risk towards humans in the future. Bears are known to learn by behavior, particularly as it relates to finding food. Once a bear learns of a food source, either by killing or scavenging, they have the potential to repeat the behavior.”

Additionally, she said, the contents of the bear’s stomach could provide evidence to law enforcement that will aid the investigation.

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BEARS AND VISITORS PLENTIFUL IN THE SMOKIES

A search is underway for a missing man in the Big Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Yogesh Patel, 25, of Oak Forest, Illinois, was reported missing at 7:36 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, after he reportedly fell into the water at Midnight Hole. He was observed struggling, and while bystanders attempted to pull him from the water they were not successful.

Rangers and rescue personnel arrived on scene at approximately 8 p.m. and began initial search operations, which were hindered by darkness. This morning, search efforts are ongoing.

No closures are currently in effect.

Temporary closures may be imposed as search operations continue to allow the rescue teams safe access to the area. Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials and multiple emergency response agencies from Haywood County are involved in the search effort.

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to watch the bear. If it follows you, change your direction. If it continues to follow you, act aggressively to intimidate it — shout at it, make yourself look as large as possible and throw non-food objects such as rocks or sticks. If the bear attacks and shows interest in your food, separate yourself from the food and back away slowly. If it attacks while showing no interest in your food, fight back aggressively with any available object. Don’t play dead, don’t run and don’t turn away.

More information about bear safety is available at www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/blackbears.htm.

Hazel Creek Trail between Cold Springs Gap Trail and Welch Ridge Trail is closed until further notice.

Suckers & Losers

September 16-22, 2020

Bears have an instinctive fear of humans and will by nature seek to avoid interactions and conflicts with them. However, that instinct can be trained out of them if they learn to associate humans with food — whether that food is offered on purpose or by accident, such as when bears figure out how to get into garbage cans or become accustomed to finding leftovers at campsites. Bears that become habituated to human food are at much greater risk of being killed or euthanized.

The opportunity for human-bear conflict is high in the Smokies, which continually breaks its own record as the nation’s most visited national park and is home to approximately 1,900 bears. That’s an average of more than two bears per square mile.

In 2019, the park broke the 12 million mark in visitation for the first time when it recorded 12.5 million visits, and while yearto-date visits are currently down nearly 20 percent from the same point in 2019, that’s mostly due to the six-week period when the park was completely closed in response to the pandemic. In both June and July, visitation surpassed that of 2019, with a 4.5 percent increase over 2019 numbers in June and a 7 percent increase in July. August figures are not yet available.

Despite this summer’s high visitation, said Sanders, “There have been no significant bear/human encounters in this area of the park this year.”

The best way to avoid a bear encounter is to dispose of trash properly and store all food, food scraps and other fragrant items safely. Bears are most active in the late evening and early morning hours, so visitors should be especially vigilant during these times.

If you see a bear, remain watchful and keep your distance. If your presence causes the bear to change its behavior, you are too close — back away slowly while continuing

Rangers search for missing man

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The Southwestern Commission Council of Governments has announced the availability of low interest loans for small businesses and entrepreneurs adversely affected by COVID-19.

Loans are available to qualifying applicants in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.

The Commission was awarded $2 million in EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to help with the creation and retention of jobs in local business and industry. Loans may have interest rates as low as one percent; credit restrictions apply. Business, nonprofits and governmental units interested in applying can visit regiona.org/COVIDLOAN/.

“Once again, the Southwestern Commission is leading the way in providing flexible, innovative funding for the businesses that need it the most,” said Zeb Smathers, Mayor of the Town of Canton. “I have no doubt that this financial

partnership will not only stabilize our local economy, but prepare us for future growth.”

The U.S Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) established the funds to capitalize and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) to help small businesses and entrepreneurs who’ve been adversely affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic. The funds can be used for machinery and equipment, construction and renovations, land or property acquisition, and working capital. All projects must create economic activity through job creation and retention or community revitalization.

Applications are now being accepted. Visit regiona.org/covidloan to apply.

The Southwestern Commission Council of Governments serve as a technical, economic and planning resource to local towns and counties in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain, the 17 municipalities therein, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The Southwestern Commission provides community, development and services for older Americans. To learn more, visit www.regiona.org.

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“I think we would be able to manage the overall operation better. I think bussing will be much easier to understand if we’re a week on and a week off,” said Nolte.

Each school’s learning plan might look very different. How teachers split up work for in-person and fully remote students will be up to administration and teachers at each specific school.

“It will look very differently at different schools with different ages of students based upon teacher licensure and the way that we do things,” said Nolte. “We think doing the in-person instruction is the right thing to do and we hope we can do more in the future.”

At a board work session Thursday, Sept.

10, the board was very clear that it wanted to take care of the faculty and staff. For this rea-

The original plan laid out was to return to some inperson learning by Monday, Sept. 21.

However, a cyberattack on the Haywood County School system that shut down communication and network services on Tuesday, Sept.1, slowed down progress on the intent to learn survey, and getting back to in-person learning.

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Smoky Mountain News

son, according to Nolte, HCS will not make any teacher teach the A rotation, B rotation and fully remote students.

“The other group, the remote only, a little over 26 percent right now, will have different teachers. We will not ask any teachers to do the A rotation or the B rotation plus the remote only. We don’t think that’s fair to our teachers,” said Nolte. “We won’t make any teacher do that.”

In a follow-up interview, Nolte said HCS is trying to ensure fully remote students are taught by Haywood County teachers.

“We believe our least experienced teacher is better than a program from somewhere else. So, we will avoid third party teaching if we can. We use a lot of thirdparty stuff already, like the North Carolina virtual public high school and certainly we will continue to use them. We use the community college. But we do not plan to or want to go with a company [for fully remote students],” said Nolte.

We carry

September 16-22, 2020

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER tudents in Haywood County will return to in-person learning Monday, Sept.

28, after being fully remote since the beginning of the Coronavirus Pandemic in mid-March.

Monday night the Haywood County Board of Education approved the plan presented by Superintendent Bill Nolte to return to in-person learning on an A week, B week rotation. It will be up to individual schools to finalize learning plans, specific to their school in the coming week.

Earlier this month the school system conducted a survey to determine which families wanted their students to return to Bill Nolte school, and which families wanted their students to remain fully remote. According to Nolte, the survey garnered 6,664 responses, 73.9 percent of which requested a blend of in-person and remote learning. The other 26.1 percent requested complete remote learning.

“The response to in-person learning has been overwhelming,” said Nolte.

The original plan laid out was to return to some in-person learning by Monday, Sept. 21. However, a cyberattack on the Haywood County School system that shut down communication and network services on Tuesday, Sept.1, slowed down progress on the intent to learn survey, and getting back to in-person learning. For this reason, Nolte recommended delaying the in-person start date by one week.

“For that reason, and that reason only, I would recommend to you that we open up for in-person blended learning with an A week, B week rotation beginning on Monday Sept. 28,” he said.

“I know there’s a lot of parents with a lot of concern about the communication of how this is going to look and how it’s going to work. And I would suggest that if we do delay the opening, we do as much as possible to communicate as much as we can of what it will look like as best we can and what it won’t look like,” said Board Chairman Chuck Francis.

At the meeting Monday night, Francis asked Nolte to explain why the administration was suggesting a weekly rotation as opposed to the two days in person, two days remote plan that had also been discussed.

Nolte said that the weekly rotation would maximize the number of direct instruction days students receive. On the two days in person, two days remote plan, students would receive four days in-person instruction every two weeks. In the weekly rotation students will receive five consecutive days inperson instruction every two weeks.

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Haywood County Schools will return to in-person learning

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…Healthcare Never Stops The Haywood Healthcare Foundation (HHF) Annual Golf and Gala event is an established tradition here in Haywood County that helps provide significant funding for Foundation initiatives. Over the last 28 years, HHF has contributed more than $14 million toward improving the healthcare in Haywood County.

Last year’s HHF Annual Golf & Gala event netted $74,000, and those funds, as well as net proceeds from other HHF fund raising events, were dedicated to the expansion of Haywood Community College’s (HCC’s) Health Sciences Education Center and Programs.

When the expansion is complete, HCC would serve up to 100 additional health education students per year, thus providing many necessary healthcare professionals for our communities.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to inform you that the “29th Annual Charitable Classic Golf & Gala” must be canceled. The safety and wellbeing of our golfers and guests is tremendously important to the Foundation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront the important role our healthcare heroes play in our community. Your support is needed now, more than ever, to ensure we can support the critical healthcare our community needs. Your generosity, will help us complete the expansion of HCC’s Health Sciences Education Center, and dramatically increase its capacity as outlined in the enclosed information.

Being a part of the community, we hope you will be able to support this important initiative. The need is critical!

We look forward to the time when we can all be together again for our Annual Charitable Classic Golf & Gala. Thank you for your partnership Donations can be made to: HH Foundaton, 262 Leroy George Drive, Clyde, NC 28721.

Credit Card donations may be made by calling our office at 828-452-8343.

ANNUAL SHRED EVENT This free community event gives you an opportunity to bring your sensitive documents to be shredded! It's the perfect opportunity to clean out your files and to safely discard credit card statements, old checks, IRS tax returns and any other sensitive material. All of the paper collected on Shred Day will be recycled saving our natural resources! Plan to bring your documents on the date and location that is most convenient for you!

Donate non-perishable food items or school supplies and receive FREE shredding of your sensitive documents!

We will get your donation to those in need in our community!

People Helping People

LOCATIONS & TIMES MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 Asheville Office 8:30 am to 10:30 am Candler Office Noon to 2 pm Fletcher Office 3 to 5 pm Monday, September 21, 2020 Sylva Office 10 am to noon Waynesville Office 1:30 to 3:30 pm

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Monday, September 28, 2020 Murphy Office 10 am to noon Cherokee Office 10 am to noon Franklin Office 1:30 to 3:30 pm

Smoky Mountain News

September 16-22, 2020

This event is not intended for commercial document destruction. Six box limit.

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Community Almanac

Smoky Mountain News

HIGHTS builds tiny home to support programs HIGHTS (Helping Inspire Gifts of Hope, Trust and Service) works with communities’ most at-risk youth to provide meaningful service opportunities, adventure activities, job training and essential mental health services in Jackson, Haywood, Macon and Swain counties.

HIGHTS goal is to develop essential life skills and instill feelings of community belongingness in our clients.

HIGHTS received an award from the Nantahala Health Foundation to build a tiny home on a trailer this spring. The build will be finished out with the help of HIGHTS clients to provide job training skills and an introduction to a career in construction. HIGHTS plans to sell the tiny home and quickly begin another build to continue providing job training and support for HIGHTS programs.

HIGHTS recently received an additional $500 from America’s Home Place — Franklin office to support the build. To learn more about HIGHTS, visit HIGHTS.org. If you would like to inquire about purchasing the tiny home or are interested in partnering with HIGHTS, contact Paul Heckert, paul@hights.org.

Interfaith vigil planned in Sylva

future of your library: simply make a check payable to HCPL Foundation, Inc. and mail to 678 S. Haywood St., Waynesville, NC, 28786.

An interfaith vigil for racial reconciliation and justice will be held on Monday, Sept. 21, International Peace Day, at Bridge Park, 76 Railroad St., Sylva.

Speakers and music will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. followed by a candlelight vigil. This event is one of more than 3,700 events occurring globally during the 2020 Campaign Nonviolence Week of Action, Sept. 17-27.

Local co-sponsors for the vigil are Reconcile Sylva and Jackson County NC NAACP Branch 54AB. All people of goodwill are invited. Wear a mask, physically distance, and bring a candle.

PAWS auction moves online

Foundation supports public library The Haywood County Public Library Foundation is a charitable organization, incorporated in 1983, that receives and encourages gifts and bequests for the purpose of strengthening the local library system with branches in Waynesville, Canton, Maggie Valley and Fines Creek.

The foundation has funded upgrades in technology and equipment, improvements to facilities, security cameras and tags, outdoor and indoor sculptures, the Story Walk at the Waynesville Recreation Park and digital microfilm and scanning equipment. Recent examples of Foundation support are the purchase of an outdoor shed for the Canton Outdoor Learning Center and startup costs for the “Family Place Libraries” initiative in Canton. All funded projects go above and beyond the basic services and items provided for in the library’s operating budget.

If you are interested in joining the volunteer Board of Directors of the Haywood County Public Library Foundation, visit the Library website “About Us” link and go to the Library Foundation section to download the application for appointment.

Consider making a donation to invest in the

Due to Covid-19, PAWS of Bryson City will not be able to have its annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction on Oct. 3 as originally planned, but auction items will be available online.

Items can be accesses at https://www.facebook.com/paws-bryson-city-online-auctionwtsa17-107917207702028/ through Oct. 3. New items added daily. Winners pick up items or pay shipping cost to mail. Anyone with a Facebook account can bid.

No Facebook, no problem — call or text your bid to 828.736.0579.

If you have something to donate to the auction, email, call or text Beth at 828.736.0579. All donations support PAWS shelter.

Nantahala Health calls for proposals Launching its second and final grant cycle of the year, Nantahala Health Foundation has announced a call for proposals directed at regional nonprofits and governmental agencies with innovative ideas to improve the social determinants that impact health and well-being throughout the six westernmost counties and the Qualla Boundary of North Carolina.

Applications for NHF’s Collaborative Health Innovation Program, or CHIP grants, of up to $50,000 will be accepted through Sept. 23. CHIP grants are intended to support out-of-the-box thinking about how to strengthen the places we live, learn, work and play, said Lori Bailey, the foundation’s executive director.

Potential applicants are encouraged to make the most of the community’s existing resources as they consider options for implementing and measuring the success of their unique approach to

21

Jackson County NAACP awarded a total of $4,200.

The funds were provided by fundraising endeavor and by the generosity of local NAACP members.

No formal awards ceremony was held because of the pandemic.

To contribute to the Diversity Scholarship fund, donations can be sent to Jackson County NAACP; P.O. Box 788; Sylva, NC, 28779.

Harrah’s supports Children’s Home

solving or, preferably, preventing our most pressing health issues, she said.

For more information about how to apply for a CHIP grant or donate to the foundation’s COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Fund, visit nantahalahealthfoundation.org.

Sarge’s Dog Walk draws thousands online Sarge’s reimagined 15th Annual Dog Walk presented a week of fun Aug. 15 - 22 for animal lovers online.

Sarge’s supporters were encouraged to order a special edition T-shirt and take photos wearing the shirt with their pets. People in 14 different states ordered shirts.

The week of contests and posts of cute pet pictures culminated in a Facebook Live parade of Sarge’s adoptable dogs Aug. 22.

The top 10 vote-getters from each day were reviewed by Sarge’s Dog Walk judges. First place contest winners were: Best Tail Wagging, Xela; Best Pet Costume: Bray the Cereal Killer; Best Trick: Tessa; Best Pet with Kids: Sarah with rooster, Russell: Best Sarge’s alumni: Dumplin’; Best Photo Caption, cat: Nikola Rubley; Best Photo Caption, dog: Suzanne Stamey Pless; and the Eddie Award went to Avery and Charlie with Bear and Lucy.

NAACP awards scholarships The Jackson County NAACP recently announced the recipients of the 2020 Diversity Scholarship, established to support high school seniors of Jackson, Swain and Macon counties.

There were three winners from Blue Ridge Early College: Ramon Morales, Dallas Dean and Allison Morales. From Smoky Mountain High School were Karis Borchelt and Alexandra Zimmerman; and from Swain County High School, Olivia WattyHarris.

Winners received between $350-$1,000. The

For the seventh year, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos participated in the 36th Annual Cherokee Children’s Home Golf Tournament at Sequoyah National Golf Course.

All proceeds from the event solely benefit the Cherokee Children’s Home, whose mission is to provide a safe, nurturing home environment for children that encourages positive values, personal growth and cultural enrichment.

This year, Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos was an Eagle Level Sponsor of the event, which included a $2,500 donation. The company also donated various raffle items valued over $1,000.

Humane Society feeds animals The Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society fed 112 animals in the community recently with a free pet food drive-thru at the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center.

More than 1,700 pounds of dog food, cat food, and treats were distributed to animal-loving families in need. Based on zip codes provided by donation recipients, pet owners from Cashiers, Cullowhee, Glenville, Highlands, Sapphire, Sylva, Tuckasegee and Webster all traveled to the event for much-needed food assistance.

Also at the event, pet owners for 39 animals signed up for the CHHS low-cost and free spay/neuter program. In the past eight years, CHHS has provided subsidized and free spay/neuter for nearly 4,000 animals, significantly reducing the overpopulation of homeless pets in our community.

Realtors award scholarships The Carolina Smokies Realtors Foundation has been awarding scholarships to deserving and talented students in the Macon County area, for over 25 years.

In 2016, with the merger of the Franklin Board of Realtors and the North Jackson Board of Realtors, the foundation has been able to expand the scholarship opportunity to include scholarships to students in Jackson, (excluding Cashiers), and Swain counties as well.

The 2020 recipients were Mariana Ramirez Ontiveras from Jackson County, River Thompson from Macon County & Savannah Cook from Swain County. Scholarship recipients were given $1,000 to help with their educational costs.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Who is the real ‘sucker’ and ‘loser’?

BY M IKE LEATHERWOOD G UEST COLUMNIST hen I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers in 1963, I took this oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.” The President of the United States takes almost the same oath with the words: “I will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” A multitude of reasons come to mind as to how President Trump has violated this oath — and the recent revelations of his referring to our military men and women as “losers” and “suckers” leaves me shaking my head at such callous and apathetic remarks from the commander-in-chief.

The general usage of “loser” is couched in terms like: “The basketball team members were sad losers;” “Retirees were losers in the budget cuts;” “The young man was a loser in the pieeating contest;” We say he or she was a graceful loser or a poor loser.

Likewise, the term “suckers” is thusly referenced: “A plant produces suckers;” “It’s a lollipop;” “A pipe or tube through which a fluid is drawn by suction;” “I am a sucker for chocolate cake!” “A gullible or easily deceived person.”

In no shape or form do these phrases define the dedication, character, courage, or sacrifice of members of our military forces; to wear the uniform is not to become a “loser” or a

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Vote Democrat and restore morality To the Editor: As another Election day approaches, I feel compelled to express my thoughts and opinions to my community. I am very concerned about how the future will be impacted by the results of our upcoming November 2020 election. This election feels much more consequential to me than any other in my lifetime.

I sincerely believe we need a dramatic change in leadership in Washington. The current Trump presidency and Republican-controlled Senate must be replaced by Democrats to make our nation safer, healthier, fairer, and happier for all. The unchecked cruelty, racism, and greed if not rejected will lead to irreversible consequences to our nation, its citizens, and our democracy. At my age, these consequences may not directly affect my wife and me, but they will surely affect many Americans for years to come.

I have been privileged to serve as a physician (gastroenterologist) here in western North Carolina for the last 37 years. I believe my training and this experience give me an important perspective that I should communicate.

Foundations of medical ethics for centuries include firstly a singular dedication to the welfare of each individual patient, which we doctors strive to achieve daily. Medical

“sucker” but to define courageous commitment to a cause greater than self. My platoon sergeant, who was killed in an ambush in Vietnam, was not a loser! A friend in the armored battalion, who was killed when he stepped on a mine, was not a sucker! The young private, killed when his helmet fell onto a mine he was attempting to defuse, was not a loser or sucker!

The young lieutenant in my engineer battalion, killed by a sniper, was not a loser! None of them wanted the Vietnam War; none of them refused to go; none of them were derelict in their duty.

In the recent article in The Atlantic, these disconcerting words appear: “Trump rejected the idea of the visit (to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris, where 1,800 marines died in World War I) because he feared his hair would become disheveled in the rain, and because he did not believe it important to honor American war dead.” Also, in the same article, Trump stated: “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers ... and they are suckers for getting killed.”

What? The commander-in-chief said what? Looks like we see the real “sucker” and “loser” in his attitude of callous disrespect for our dead marines and in his priority of protecting his hair!

Mary Trump, the President’s niece, describes her uncle in her book this way: “Donald today is much as he was at three years old: incapable of growing, learning, or evolving, unable to regulate his emotions, moderate his responses, or take in and synthesize information.... His cruelty serves, in part, as a means to distract both us and himself from the true extent of his failures.... His cruelty is also an exercise of his power, such as it is. He has always wielded it against people who are weaker than he is.”

LETTERS ethics also dictate that we physicians should work to promote justice in our society’s health care system. This means advocating for the equal distribution of health care to all and eliminating discrimination against anyone in need of medical care.

The Democratic Party’s platform conforms to these medical ethics: • It supports equal and expanded access to necessary medical care to all, regardless of their ability to pay.

• It supports the expansion of Medicaid, which North Carolina and other states unfortunately have so far rejected.

• It supports the lowering the eligibility age for Medicare, making it available to more Americans.

• It supports improvements and expansion of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) which, among many of its provisions, prevents insurers from denying coverage to persons for their pre-existing conditions.

• It supports coverage for women’s preventative and reproductive care.

• It supports reversing and controlling the relentless and unjustified rise in prices of our essential prescription drugs.

• It is committed to providing all of us with clean, healthy air to breathe and water to drink.

• It believes we need a coordinated and intelli-

“While thousands of Americans die alone {COVID}, Donald touts stock market gains. As my father lay dying alone, Donald went to the movies. If he can in any way profit from your death, he’ll facilitate it, and then he’ll ignore the fact that you died.”

And, if you are an American killed in combat, he will say you are a sucker for getting killed. What a callous, apathetic, heartless, insensitive attitude toward a human death — even more appalling in the context of our military! When I see a man who said upon hearing of Sen. McCain’s death (a valiant naval pilot who was a prisoner-of-war in Vietnam), “We’re not going to support that loser’s funeral,” I perceive only one loser in the overarching scheme of this hostile and cruel presidential environment — Trump, Trump! I identify only one sucker here who Mary Trump affirms: “... lying, playing to the lowest common denominator, cheating, and sowing division are all he knows. He is as incapable of adjusting to changing circumstances as he is of becoming ‘presidential.’”

Yes, my empathy, rapport, and grief for men and women in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air force, Coast Guard, and National Guard, are jolted and shaken when I hear the president refer to military deaths as losers and suckers. I denounce such references with my entire being and pray that somehow God’s transforming love will help Trump to understand that each life is sacred and there are no losers or suckers in His Kingdom.

Yet, as Mary Trump also writes: “The lies may become true in his mind as soon as he utters them, but they’re still lies. It’s just another way for him to see what he can get away with. And so far, he’s gotten away with everything.”

(Mike Leatherwood is a native of Waynesville, a veteran of Vietnam, a retired clergy, and a concerned citizen.).

gent national program to control the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. Democrats are fighting to extend the critically necessary financial support to the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs and health insurance and soon to lose their homes due to the economic recession due to the Corona virus pandemic.

The Republican Party and Donald Trump, however, have worked hard to do exactly the opposite. That is wrong. It is cruel. It is antithetical to what our medical ethics tell us to do. Poverty and homelessness are incompatible with good individual well being and public health.

So, as a physician I object to and reject these selfish, cruel, and immoral polices of the Republicans in Washington. In addition to continuing to care for my individual patients, I feel the responsibility to advocate for policies that will benefit the public health and our country. One way is to voice my opinions and concerns, as I am doing. The other mechanism for change and reversal of these meanspirited polices is to vote for new leadership which will pursue worthy goals.

The politicians currently seeking election as our representatives will be vested with the power and responsibility to create laws and policies and allocate money to advance the public health for the public benefit. It is our constitutional right and responsibility to vote for those whom we believe have the will to

serve us, not just themselves. This year, more than ever, we must vote for the candidates in the Democratic Party. They are the ones committed to compassionate service to and treatment of us all.

So, I implore all Democrats to vote, no matter what the obstacle. We cannot afford to be apathetic. Ideally, all could vote by mail to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. If so, we must vote by mail as soon as possible so the ballots arrive in time (despite the Republicans’ efforts to paralyze the U.S. Postal Service) so they will be counted. We can vote in person, either early or on Election Day. If so, we must be very careful by wearing a mask over the mouth and nose, using hand sanitizer, and staying at least 6 feet from others to protect ourselves, our friends and family, and others who are voting.

I also ask Republicans and independent voters to consider voting at least this one time for the Democratic candidates. The Republican candidates have demonstrated that despite their words, their actions show that they are not really interested in your welfare. Since the independent candidates will not win, protest votes for them are really wasted, as if you did not vote at all.

Finally, we all must insist that Donald Trump respects the results of this election. No president has ever had the audacity to disregard the results of an election that he lost. It is amazing that we should

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LETTERS even have to worry about his trying to do so. Should he succeed, we will no longer be living in a democracy; we will have given it away and suddenly be subjects of a dictatorship, unthinkable until 2016.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and think about it.

Henry Nathan, MD Waynesville

Cawthorn wrong about health care

To the Editor: If you were hanging around outside one of the NC-11 Congressional debates at WCU’s main campus in Cullowhee or its satellite classrooms at Biltmore Park, on Sept 4 or 5, it would have been hard to miss a lively crowd of Madison Cawthorn supporters honking car horns and waving flags.

You might even wonder, where were Moe

Consider the kind of leader you want To the Editor: Consider this case study in trust: A meteorologist reports the track of a category 2 hurricane, explaining that it will not come close to the U.S. mainland. It will, she says with confidence, curve to the north Atlantic without making landfall and “disappear.” She says that any impact at all will be no worse than a summer rain Her clear, confident language convinces those who listen to her forecasts to not prepare.

Privately, she says to her coworker that the storm will hit the East Coast as a monster Category 5 storm. She explains later that she did not tell the real projection to her viewers to avoid creating a “panic.” Later that week, the storm makes landfall on the Southeast coast of the U.S., kills many people, impoverishes workers, disrupts education and forces businesses to close. Would you ever trust this person’s reporting again?

America, we have a decision to make about those who ask us to trust them to lead, again. Will it be the guy telling us that coronavirus is just a hoax while admitting privately that he knows better?

Charlotte W. Collins Sapphire

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find us at: facebook.com/smnews

Smoky Mountain News

Davis puts public health before politics

Davis’s cheering supporters? Doesn’t he have any?

As with many things that involve Madison Cawthorn, there’s more to see here than meets the eye.

It boils down to a tale of two emails: Cawthorn’s campaign emailed his subscribers shortly before the debates asking them to show up with flags and hats. A crowd dutifully assembled, maskless and in a close-packed group typical of the superspreader type events that Cawthorn continues to hold across the state. This particular “grassroots” rally took place despite 1) being explicitly forbidden by the debate hosts at WCU, and 2) an obvious and unnecessary public health risk.

For his part, Moe Davis sent an email to his voters asking them not to attend the debates in person and to live stream them or watch them on television. This is what the debate organizers had requested from the beginning for both candidates, out of respect for the wishes of the debate hosts, and for the lives and safety of our community.

If you care about the health and safety of your WNC community as I do, the choice is clear: I’ll be voting for Moe Davis because he puts the welfare of his constituents ahead of politics. I hope you’ll do the same.

Annika Peacock Woodfin

September 16-22, 2020

To the Editor: As the campaign for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District enters its final months, I’d like to draw attention to Madison Cawthorn’s position on health care reform.

According to his campaign website, Cawthorn is positioning himself as a proponent of patient choice and the free market.

He states, “We turn patients into shoppers and equip them with buying. Reform creates choices it doesn’t take them away.”

Notwithstanding the errors in punctuation and grammar, the real problem with his position is its lack of policy prescription and substance. He rehashes tired vagaries reminiscent of former Rep. Mark Meadows’ time in office, when the opening salvo to any argument was an unabashed support of the free market.

However, the free market does not always work in health care. It’s a problem that health care economists refer to as market failure. Basically, health care is not a normal commodity. It’s not a truck or a Tshirt or a pizza. You can buy a pizza — or not — it’s truly your choice. But if you’re having a heart attack, you don’t have a choice about health care. You go to the nearest hospital. If you want to live, there is no price you will not pay to live.

And therein lies the trap. Our current health care system is based on the free market, on capitalism, and produces some of the most expensive and least valuable patient outcomes in the developed world, consuming over 20 percent of our GDP. Mr.Cawthorn writes that single-payer healthcare rations care without providing proof to support his assertion. In fact, the free market already rations care. If you don’t have health insurance, or the right amount of coverage, or the right network, then most doctors won’t see you. That’s why when you call a doctor’s office, the second question after your name is: do you have insurance?

Many a politician through the years has answered concerned constituents’ questions about access to healthcare with the statement, “If you’re sick, you can go to the emergency department for treatment.” It’s a statement that lays bare their profound misunderstanding of how health care in America really works.

Madison Cawthorn routinely brings up his paralysis in a car accident in high school as evidence of his knowledge about health

care. Misfortune may be the father of success, but misfortune is not the same as success. Mr. Cawthorn’s experience as a patient does not make him a doctor, a nurse, or a pharmacist, and his time as a patient seems to have given him little insight into the struggles, be they health or financial, that plague most patients’ lives.

Lastly, Mr. Cawthorn spends what little space he has allocated to health care on his website disparaging his opponent this fall, Col. Moe Davis, of desiring to replace our current health care system with a “Sovietstyle socialist single-payer, government run plan.” Scare tactics aside, Mr. Cawthorn shows he fundamentally misunderstands what a single-payer system is. Single-payer is not socialist; it is an extension of Medicare to all in the population. It saves money by standardizing costs for hospitals and patients, allows Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for the lowest price, and, in some models, cuts out insurance companies as unnecessary and obstructionist middlemen or co-opts them to be executors of Medicare, like in Medicare Advantage. Importantly, the hospital systems and local independent providers remain private, unaffiliated and unattached to government.

Health care reform is routinely listed as voters’ first or second most important election issue. Affordability and coverage are key concerns for voters. That Mr. Cawthorn expresses no deep, original thinking about the subject is consistent with Republican efforts at the national level over the last 3.5 years. When given an opportunity to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with something else, Republicans waffled, and internecine fights play out among those who want limited government versus no government at all.

Now is not the time for incendiary sound bites and full-throated protestations that lack any meaning whatsoever. What we need now are evidence-based policies that make sense and embrace what is best in our health care system while attacking the special interests that support the intolerably high cost of care that Americans experience.

Mr. Cawthorn’s opponent, Col. Moe Davis, has shown through his detailed policy positions and interviews with the public that he understands and is committed to tackling the problems of the American health care system. Rarely has the right choice for Congress been any clearer.

William M. Hite BSN, RN-BC Waynesville

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24

A conversation with Sam Bush

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER resh out of high school in 1970, Sam Bush was a teenager in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with aspirations of being a touring musician.

With his mandolin and fiddle in hand, he took off for the bright stage lights of Louisville, teaming up with bluegrass guitar wizard Tony Rice as part of the iconic ensemble that was The Bluegrass Alliance.

Just a year later, Bush would form New Grass Revival, a groundbreaking string act that would forever change the landscape of that “high, lonesome sound.”

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Want to go?

The Grey Eagle drive-in concert series will kick off with legendary bluegrass group The Sam Bush Band at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

Tickets start at $100 per carload (allowing up to six people per vehicle), which includes a 20x20-foot space to park and to tailgate. Pre-packaged meals will be available for purchase. Beverages will also be served onsite.

For more information on tickets and/or the social distancing guidelines for the series, visit www.thegreyeagle.com, click on the “Calendar” tab and scroll to the show date. retired. Well, I found [out] pretty early on that I’m not ready to retire. I just love playing music and I’ve never appreciated it more than perhaps in the last 10 years. I’ve learned a new appreciation over the years and I’ve always felt fortunate to get to do this for a living.

PLAY

BY YOUR OWN RULES Incorporating influences from all aspects of their backgrounds, NGR would seamlessly blend the traditions of bluegrass with more contemporary and experimental styles. This year, the group was rightfully inducted into the IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Now 68, Bush has been hitting the stage with The Sam Bush Band for several decades.

Regarded as a pillar of bluegrass music, Bush remains a torchbearer for not only the past and its deep roots, but also the bright future and ultimate survival of string music in the 21st century.

Smoky Mountain News: You’ve been on the road touring for decades. During the shutdown, what was it like to actually have to stand still?

Sam Bush: That’s been its own challenge. I always wondered what it’d be like to maybe be

Michigan and played a festival. Michigan in October — it was spitting snow on Sunday afternoon when we played.

And that’s where I [first] met Del McCoury that weekend. Matter of fact, Tony [Rice] borrowed Del’s guitar for that [Michigan] set. And look how you’ve made friends for life — that’s happened for us in playing music for the last 50 years.

SMN: That’s one of the things I love most about working not only in the music industry, but especially with bluegrass, is that when I do cross paths with those people, it is the most embracing and welcoming genre.

SB: Well, it always has [been]. As I was learning to play bluegrass music, the audience for bluegrass was such a small club to get to be in — we all knew each other. And we’re all making friends out in the audience.

Bluegrass style music is pretty unique, in that many people in the audience play an instrument and play the music — all the more reason that they’re an educated audience you’re playing for.

And when we got to those festivals, we knew that the people in the audience are knowledgeable about what we’re doing. That was a real boost over playing a loud club where you can barely be heard over the roar of the drums.

SMN: What is it about that last decade that’s really circled back and brought it home to you?

SB: I guess it’s just getting to a certain age, you know? I’m now 68 and as I was approachSMN: The majority of your life has been on ing [60] it was just like, “Wow. I’ve really been doing this a long time.” I started traveling for a the road and playing music, interacting with people from all walks of life. What has the culliving since I was at 18.

[Right] out of high school, moved up to mination of those experiences taught you Louisville, Kentucky, from Bowling Green and about what it means to be a human being? just started playing music for a living. It’s hard to believe that you’ve “I always wondered what it’d be done something so long. But, on the other hand, I’ve always gotten to like to maybe be retired. Well, I make a living doing something that I truly love to do. found [out] pretty early on that

I’m not ready to retire. I just love SMN: When you think back to 50 years ago when you made that move playing music and I’ve never after high school, what sticks out appreciated it more than perhaps most? What you were thinking about with that first big leap? in the last 10 years. I’ve learned a SB: Well, what I was realistically thinking about at the time was the new appreciation over the years fact that I got to leave a job as a bus and I’ve always felt fortunate to boy at the Holiday Inn in Bowling Green and move up to the big city of get to do this for a living.”

Louisville and play music.

Back then, the normal job you’d — Sam Bush have would be to play four or five nights in a club. And so, that was the SB: Well, it’s taught tolerance for people. first thing I got to start doing when I moved to Louisville, playing bluegrass music for a living We don’t all think alike and that can’t be expected. It’s taught acceptance of new ideas, five nights a week.

Festivals were in their early infancy then in ideas you haven’t thought of, that you didn’t 1970. As the festival scene grew, we would still know about at first. And forgiveness of things play all winter in these clubs. You get to play in you don’t understand.

Overall, [it’s taught] a great sense of gratithe clubs and it was as if going to festivals was tude. Let’s face it, things don’t go like you want our reward.

I remember when I was in The Bluegrass them to. This year is teaching the world more Alliance and we had been playing in the clubs patience. So, maybe we can all be more accepta little bit, a couple months. And it got to be ing of different ideas as we progress through all October. We drove up from Louisville to of this.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Oh, the day we met I went astray, I started rolling down that lost highway

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Smoky Mountain News

t’s 4:41 a.m. at the Motel 6 in Laramie, Wyoming, which means it’s nearing 7 o’clock back at my apartment in Waynesville, North Carolina. My guitar sits atop the bed with fresh sheets and fluffy pillows, right across from my late grandfather’s old Coleman cooler on the floor near the door.

Tuesday morning and I’ve been on the road since Saturday afternoon. Leaving Waynesville, I packed up the Tacoma and headed west, eyes aimed for Jackson, Wyoming. The only anchor point being a Wednesday lunch rendezvous with my parents and aunt at Dornan’s — my mother’s favorite place to sit and gaze at her beloved Grand Teton mountains on a rooftop with a glass of wine (I concur).

Somewhere around Sidney, Nebraska, the landscape shifts from hundreds of miles of cornfields and grasslands in the rearview mirror to small rocky bluffs and wide-open

spaces of ancient dirt and a horizon you never seem to get any closer to reaching. The late summer sun fell behind that faraway line, blood red and finally relenting its position to the impending night on the prairie.

And it was also at that point, on the Wyoming/Nebraska state line, where darkness coats the landscape as if a black velvet blanket was draped over everything surrounding you by the cosmos above. The endless headlights and taillights of Interstate 80 are your only frame of reference, perhaps your only tether to reality, when holding steady at 90 miles an hour with the nearest gas station some 40 miles away.

There’s always been a piece of my heart out here. I first realized that missing piece resides in Wyoming when I was a kid, back home in Upstate New York following a lifealtering family trip to Jackson. And I’ve been lucky enough to revisit and reclaim that piece — if but for a moment — when I returned out here as a teenager in the early 2000s, as a rookie reporter for the Teton Valley News in 2008, and as a road weary wanderer in 2018.

I think this current trip back to Jackson and the Tetons means much more this time around. In a world of daily chaos and unknowns that tend to spawn (whether con-

Outdoor Stage Outside Dining Patio Live Music | Amazing Eats

September 16-22, 2020

Motel 6 in Laramie, Wyoming. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

West Ashville’s Largest Open Air Music & Food Venue

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

sciously or subconsciously) an existential crisis seemingly as often as one makes the morning coffee, those mountains remain a familiar sight that puts my soul at ease.

When I’m in their presence, I find clarity and a sense of self in an era where we either seek those things out or somehow forgot how to reach for them in the first place.

Of course, for all of us, this year has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. What’s been tough has been living and being alone during most of 2020. Sure, I’ve always kind of been an extroverted loner anyhow. And yes, I due pursue the idea of solitude (for body, mind and soul), all while knowing the difference between it and loneliness.

But, for someone like myself, who always is on the move (personally and professionally), being forced to sit in my one-bedroom apartment for several weeks and months during the shutdown proved difficult.

Without social interaction or places to go, I really had (and continue) to sit and digest my thoughts: past, present and future.

Which is why I find myself so eager to drive thousands of miles into the West this week. Hand firmly on the steering wheel.

Black and grey hair flowing in the breeze of open truck windows on an endless highway.

Thoughts about nothing and everything.

And don’tcha know that while in that instance, if you put on The Allman Brothers Band, the melodies seem to hold back the sands of time?

The sun will be up soon here in Laramie.

The cold night will once again transition into the warmth of the noonday sun across the high desert plains. Reaching for the guitar on the bed with fresh sheets and fluffy pillows, I think I’ll try and learn a Hank Williams tune this morning.

The crisp air outside the hotel window signifies the end of summer, the slow march to fall and soon winter once again. The holidays seem so far away, but they’ll be here soon enough. The same goes for Upstate New York and my parents’ farmhouse, where that annual Christmas visit is thousands of miles to the east on the road map. But, the distance is that much closer when I raise the wine glass and cheers my folks and my aunt atop Dornan’s, our sacred Tetons looming in the distance.

Who knows where the road will lead, eh?

Just as Gregg Allman sang those many years ago, “And the road goes on forever…” As does time itself, whether we accept that or not. It’s embracing the hard truths and pushing forward with your head held high that is the measuring stick for a life well-lived.

Once you hold those truths and appreciate the journey, come hell or high water, you will soon find the people, places and things that will ultimately fill in those missing pieces of your existence.

Maybe this is just merely a ramble of some scruffy writer sitting in a cheap motel in Wyoming, exhausted from the long drive and craving the nearest diner with big breakfast plates and endless coffee. Or maybe it’s the sentiments of someone who keeps waking up day after day and chasing after whatever make his heart sing. I’m leaning more towards the latter.

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

743 HAYWOOD RD WEST ASHEVILLE ISISASHEVILLE.COM 828.575.2737

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arts & entertainment

On the street Artist grants now available Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership of the North Carolina Arts Council and Asheville Area Arts Council, Haywood County Arts Council, Arts Council of Henderson County, Tryon Fine Arts Center, Rutherford County Recreation, Cultural, and Heritage Commission, and the Transylvania Community Arts Council.

Artist Support Grants will be distributed to eligible applicants by Haywood County Arts Council in the following counties: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania.

Applications for the grants are available www.haywoodarts.org/grantsfunding. The deadline is Sept. 30. Grants will range in awards from $500 to $1,000.

September 16-22, 2020

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host Arnold Hill (rock/jam) 8 p.m. Sept. 26 and Bohemian Jean (classic rock/folk) 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 3. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends and Good Bonez 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 and Outlaw Whiskey 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• The Ghost Town in the Sky parking lot (Maggie Valley) will host a drive-in concert series with St. Paul & The Broken Bones (soul/rock) on Oct. 29. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Hosted by The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds, tickets are available at www.thegreyeagle.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Will James 7 p.m. Sept. 19 and Andrew Thelston Band 7 p.m. Sept. 26. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• The Maggie Valley Festival Grounds will host a drive-in concert series with Sam Bush Band (bluegrass/jam) Sept. 20, Mandolin Orange (Americana/folk) Oct. 2 and Del McCoury Band (bluegrass) Oct. 3. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m.

Hosted by The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds, tickets are available at www.thegreyeagle.com.

The same program is accepting applications through a partnership of the North Carolina Arts Council and Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center.

Artist Support Grants will be distributed to eligible applicants by Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in the following counties: Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Swain, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

To learn more about the Artist Support Grants, visit www.coweeschool.org/nc-arts-council.

Emerging or established artists are encouraged to apply to support a range of professional and artistic development including the creation of work, improvement of business operations, or expanding capacity to bring work to new audiences. Artist fees are also allowable expenses.

For information or questions, contact Leigh Forrester, executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council, at www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• The Smoky Mountain Event Center (Waynesville) will host a drive-in concert series with Mt. Joy (Americana/indie) Oct. 3, Yonder Mountain String Band (bluegrass/jam) Oct. 7 and Whitey Morgan (outlaw country/rock) Oct. 10. All shows begin at 6:45 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Hosted by the Asheville Music Hall, tickets are available at www.ashevillemusichall.com.

ALSO:

• The “Haywood County Medical Exhibit: 1870-1950” will be held at The Shelton House in Waynesville. The showcase will run through October. Admission is $7 adults. $5 students. Children ages 5 and under free.

Admission includes Shelton House.

828.452.1551 or www.sheltonhouse.org.

• The annual Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival has been canceled because of coronavirusrelated issues. The festival typically features more than 100 artisan vendors and welcomes thousands of visitors in celebration of the colorful autumn season in the mountains.

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

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Sock Hops return to Franklin

The Sock Hops.

An oldies group known for singing four-part harmonies of memorable songs from the ‘50s, ’60s and ‘70s, The Sock Hops will perform an outdoor concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The performance includes many hits: “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” “At the Hop,” “Sherry” and “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

This event will take place outdoors as a

“drive-in” style concert. Patrons may stay in their vehicle or bring lawn chairs to sit in a designated socially distant area near the elevated stage. Curb hop concessions will be available for purchase (cash only). Watch the theatre website for news about cancellations due to weather.

Tickets are $18 each. To purchase tickets or to find out more information, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

WCU virtual art events

Firesticks, SmartTVs and more through the app, “Eventive TV.” Each stream is followed by a post-film interview with the film’s director and/or other member of the film crew. The film series opens with the documentary, “Coded Bias,” streaming at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept.

15, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20.

“Coded Bias” explores the fallout of MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini’s startling discovery that facial

Although the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University is closed to the public during the WCU fall semester due to COVID-19 restrictions, audiences will have the opportunity to view virtual events and experiences, with a line-up of streaming events beginning in September.

The WCU Fine Art Museum is currently offering an interactive 360degree virtual tour of the exhibition, Cultivating Collections: Paintings, Ceramics, and Works by Latinx and Latin American Artists. This multi-year series of exhibitions highlight specific areas of the WCU Fine Art Museum’s Collection, which includes over 1,800 works of art in a wide range of media by artists of the Americas.

Throughout the fall more virtual events will be available, learn more at arts.wcu.edu/cultivatingcollections.

The BAC Performance Hall has partnered with the SouthArts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers to present a free documentary film series that audiences can watch in the comfort of their home. The films this fall are available to watch on browsers through computers and mobile devices, along with Rokus, Amazon

recognition systems do not see darkskinned faces accurately, and her journey to push for the first-ever legislation in the U.S. to govern against bias in the algorithms that impact us all. Shalini Kantayya, the film’s producer and director, will be interviewed immediately following each stream.

Learn more about this film, the entire series, and how to register for a free ticket by visiting arts.wcu.edu/filmseries.

Discover further virtual WCU arts events and experiences by visiting arts.wcu.edu/blog.

On the shelf

Jeff Minick

Reagan, remarks, “I cannot overstate the importance of Reagan’s sense of humor in his political success. He used to open nearly every speech with a joke.” Brand tells us that some of these jokes were banal or silly, but “…as people laughed, they would think, ‘Maybe this guy’s not so bad after all.’”

Isaacson answers; “Every now and then, you get David McCullough saying ‘Sign up to get a John Adams memorial, sign up to get a Franklin Memorial.’ I think we see Franklin all around us. Wherever I am, I see the fingerprints of Dr. Franklin. It’s like the epitaph on the stone slab in St. Paul’s Cathedral, where its architect, Christopher Wren, is buried: ‘If you seek his monument look around you.’”

“The reason I find biography so compelling is that when you look at great American figures, whether it’s Jefferson or, Lord knows, Jackson — Andrew Jackson’s life was sort of a combination of Advice & Consent meets Bonanza; you didn’t want to cross him because he would shoot you — Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy, when you look at the great figures, their vices are almost as large as their virtues.

“To me, the whole world turns on that word almost. To me, it’s remarkably inspirational that flawed, sinful human beings were able to, at moments of great crisis, transcend those limitations and leave the country a little better off than it was before. And Thomas Jefferson did that. For all his contradictions, for all his derelictions … the country was a better place, the world was a better place on the Fourth of July 1826, when he died, than it had been in April of 1743 when he was born.”

The American Story is filled with insights such as this one, wisdom and a knowledge about personality and character delivered by historians and biographers who have learned to take the long view.

Read, enjoy, and learn all at the same time. What could be better?An excellent find.

Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings, and two works of nonfiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make the Man. He may be reached

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Because Rubenstein largely asks his questions following the timeline of each famous American’s life and because his interviews are extensive, The American Story also provides us with 15 mini-biographies of famous Americans as well as Chief Justice John Roberts on the Supreme Court.

From Jack Warren Jr. we learn that one of George Washington’s great gifts was his ability to “think in the long term,” thinking what the country might be like in another century or even two.

Cokie Roberts, who has written several biographies about the role of women in the early history of our country, explains the historical importance of letters written by these wives, sisters, and mothers, as they reveal their fervent patriotism and bestow a treasure chest of details about life in that far-off time.

H.W. Brands, biographer of Ronald

These interviewees also surprise us with dozens of little-known facts about their subjects. A. Scott Berg studied the list of supplies taken by Charles Lindbergh on the first solo flight across the Atlantic and found one item, a paper cup, which probably solves the mystery of how Lindbergh peed while remaining in the air so long. Richard Reeves makes us aware how truly ill John Kennedy was throughout much of his life from back problems and Addison’s disease, so stricken at times that he three times received the last rites of the Catholic Church. From Thomas Jefferson’s biographer, Jon Meacham, we learn that both Jefferson and Franklin bathed their feet in cold water every morning for several minutes, attributing to that health practice physical benefits and longevity. In a time when the average life span was in the mid-forties, Jefferson lived to be 83, Franklin to 84.

Foot bowls, anyone?

We also learn about the biographers themselves, what roused their interest in these historical figures, and sometimes how

they researched them. Cokie Roberts, for example, mentions that the Library of Congress has put newspapers from the midnineteenth century online (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov) and that they are “such fun to read.” Check out the site, and you will agree.

Rubenstein asked Jon Meacham, Jefferson’s biographer, “After five years of studying him, do you admire him more than you did before, or do you see so many flaws that you say, ‘This is not the man I thought he was’?”

Given the state of current affairs right now, it’s worth quoting part of Meacham’s reply at length:

September 16-22, 2020

very once in a while, I’ll read a book of history and want to throw a party: bottles of champagne, hors d’oeuvres, music, and even dancing, though I am as awkward on a dance floor as a Mississippi farm boy on ice skates for the first time.

Encountering such a book leaves me giddy, “High as the flag on the Fourth of July,” as the song in the old musical “South Pacific” puts it.

Which brings me to The American Story: Conversations With Master Historians (Simon & Writer Schuster, 2019, 397 pages.) In this marvelous book, David Rubenstein interviews some of the preeminent biographers of the United States to gain further insights into their subjects. Here we listen to such writers as David McCulluogh on John Adams, Ron Chernow on Alexander Hamilton, Doris Kearns Goodwin on Abraham Lincoln, Robert Caro on Lyndon Johnson, and Taylor Branch on Martin Luther King, Jr., as they expound on the subjects they’ve spent years studying, researching, and shaping into print.

Here, for example, Rubenstein asks Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, why we don’t have “one real big memorial” for Franklin?

arts & entertainment

Looking back at famous Americans E

Reading Soothes the Soul

828.452.4251 susanna@mtnsouthmedia.com

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Despite the rain Sept. 12, visitors trickle in for some of the Ten Acre Garden’s famous handmade pizza. Holly Kays photo

the night goes on, or even to get out of their chairs and dance. The counter is open for orders from 1 through 6:30 p.m., or whenever the dough runs out, but people often stay longer.

“If the weather’s beautiful, there’s been people who just sit out here until 9 or 10 o’clock,” said Ten Acre employee Tela Sharpe.

“We’ll even turn on that light, and they’ll just hang out with a bottle of wine, and just sit there and talk.”

The donations-based approach just made sense, said Barrett.

“Honestly, it kept us from jumping through a lot of hoops,” he said. “We’d have to do a lot of major things around here if we wanted to be a restaurant, and I never wanted to be a restaurant to begin with. It’s a farm.”

‘I GREW UP WORKING’

Haywood’s biggest pizza party Pizza nights at Ten Acre Garden grow community

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER t 5 p.m., the August sun is hot and high overhead as my husband and I walk through the hodgepodge of parked cars at The Ten Acre Garden.

It’s more crowded than I expected, but then again, I didn’t really know what to expect — I’ve never been here before.

By the end of the night, I’ll be wondering why it took me so long to arrive.

Like most Americans, I’ve been living an unusually isolated existence since mid-March or so, and the sight that greets me on this little slice of land in Bethel is nothing short of beautiful to my community-starved heart.

Umbrella-covered picnic tables holding groups of families and friends who talk and laugh and eat in the sun dot the grassy yard spreading out behind the produce stand. Kids roll around in the grass, and farm dogs roam from table to table, hoping for — and occasionally receiving — scraps of fresh pizza.

The pizza, baked a stone’s throw away in an outdoor brick oven, is the reason that I — and everyone else in view — came to the Ten Acre Garden today. Every Saturday during the summer and early fall, the farm’s staff fire up the oven and offer an open invitation for locals and visitors alike to come over for a hot,

A

handmade pizza. Donations are welcome, but there’s no charge to eat.

That part astounds me. Today’s menu lists three different pizza options, each one complicated and unique enough to require five or six lines’ worth of description on the chalkboard sign hanging by the counter, but there’s not a dollar sign in sight. Just a metal box off to the side with a slot and a handwritten sign reading “Thank you for supporting our farm.”

We’d made plans to meet another couple here, and we spot them, wave them down, and order two pies — one featuring fennel and blueberries and the other slathered with a red sauce and spicy sausage, a pool of sour cream in the center to cool things down. We claim a small table in the shade and sip on the bottle of wine our friends had brought from home until the order comes up, and we’re in pizza heaven.

BIRTH OF A TRADITION The pizza dinners began as a family affair, said Ten Acre Garden owner Danny Barrett.

“I just built the pizza oven for personal use first of all, for family and friends, but then somebody suggested, ‘Why don’t we just do pizza?’” he said. “So, we did.”

That was about three years ago. Now, the Ten Acre Garden pizza oven serves an extended family that grows larger all the time. The first summer stayed small, but attendance ramped up in 2019 and this year, said Barrett,

“it’s been the bomb.”

On the average Saturday, his employees will serve 150 pizzas, handmade to order and fired two at a time in the outdoor oven. The tradition has grown so much that Barrett is planning to expand his pizza oven this winter — two at a time isn’t fast enough anymore.

“The COVID thing has actually brought more people out than not this season because we provide a place outside for them, and we spread tables out so they can distance,” said Barrett. “So, we get the crowd.”

Still, Barrett doesn’t charge that crowd a single penny, because Ten Acre is a farm, not a restaurant. Barrett wants to keep it that way.

People come to eat pizza, but also to sit outside and enjoy the view. They come to enjoy a BYO bottle of wine or can of beer with friends and watch the shadows lengthen over the landscape. They come to listen to the impromptu jam sessions that often erupt as

Join the party The Ten Acre Garden starts serving pizza at 1 p.m. each Saturday during the growing season and takes orders through 7 p.m., or whenever the dough runs out. The start and end dates each year are weather-dependent, but the season typically runs from May to October. For up-to-date information, call 828.235.9667 or visit the produce stand at 158 Chambers Farm Lane, Canton.

It’s been a farm throughout Barrett’s entire life. Now 71, he grew up in a two-story house on the edge of the existing garden, raised by his mother and his grandmother.

“I grew up working,” he said. “Milking cows and chopping wood. I can’t remember not doing that stuff.”

Barrett’s grandparents grew up working too, and their grandparents before them. His mother’s people, the Wells family, were some of the first settlers in Haywood County.

Asked how much land they owned originally, he gestured toward the mountains framing the valley.

“It was all that mountainside, the other side and all the way from here over to Edwards Cove Road to (U.S.) 276,” he said.

“There’s probably, I don’t know, several hundred acres. I can remember my grandmother telling a story about her granddaddy swapped a man a hundred acres for a horse.”

By the time Barrett was born, multiple generations had passed, and the land had been split into various smaller parcels — the farm where he was raised totaled 32 acres.

The property split again when his grandmother died. Barrett’s Ten Acre Farm is technically 9.79 acres.

It’s small, but it’s fertile, green and flat — and it’s his.

Like many farmers his age, Barrett spent many years working another job to support his love of farming. For 36 years, he worked at the paper mill in Canton, all the while growing his garden on the side. Eventually, he was able to quit and farm fulltime.

“I loved doing it because it brings out the creative side, I guess you might say,” he said.

“When I worked at the mill it was pretty repetitious. Same thing day in and day out. This gave me an outlet to do something that I wanted to do.”

Barrett has always been a vegetable farmer, staying clear of livestock save for a few chickens. For years, he focused heavily on greasy beans and half runner beans, because that’s what the local demand asked for. These days, the farm’s offerings are quite diverse, running the gamut from

“Sometimes I daydream and think what my grandmother would think if she seen what I was doing, what farming’s become from the time when she was taking care of it.”

— Danny Barrett

agritourism has provided an opportunity to build a life that combines two of his greatest passions — growing food and interacting with people.

“You get to see people with the finished product. You get to see people enjoy what you grow. It’s not like going to Ingles. If you sell it to Ingles you don’t really get to see the consumer. I get to see the consumer and talk with them and make friends with them — and tell some of them not to come back anymore,” he laughed.

That’s what Saturday afternoons are all about.

“I might as well just share what I’ve got,” he said. “That’s the way I look at it. I’m just borrowing this for the time that I’m here, so why not share it with someone?”

EVEN IN THE RAIN, A HAPPY PLACE The clouds hang heavy over Bethel as 1 p.m. approaches Saturday, Sept. 12, breaking to release a rain that is at first a drizzle, then a sprinkle and finally a steady rain.

Smoky Mountain News

have a little more room.”

Since then he’s added on to it — several times — and found even more ways to encourage people to come out and experience the farm for themselves. The Ten Acre Garden offers you-pick fruits, vegetables and cut flowers, as well as farm-to-table dinners and Community Supported Agriculture memberships in which participants can get weekly baskets full of the garden’s bounty. About 10 years ago, he went to pesticide-free production, which is a selling point for the produce and encourages visitation. Currently, he’s contemplating starting kids’ gardening classes, teaching them the basics of growing their own fruits and vegetables.

“Sometimes I daydream and think what my grandmother would think if she seen what I was doing, what farming’s become from the time when she was taking care of it,” said Barrett. “I don’t know whether she would approve or not.”

Back then, “agritourism” wasn’t even a word, and he has no idea what his grandmother would think of it all. But for Barrett,

September 16-22, 2020

carrots to kohlrabi, squash to strawberries.

“Our clientele is changing over the years,” he said. “I’ve watched it change. We get a lot of visitors from other places that are coming here all the time, and they’re discovering where they can get local food.”

It’s a change that Barrett has embraced.

A self-described “people person,” Barrett thrives not just on picking the perfect tomato, but also on watching his customers eat that perfect tomato. It’s perhaps no surprise that Barrett has become host of the biggest pizza party around. For decades, he’s been proactively offering his customers the opportunity to see the farm firsthand.

It all started with the produce stand.

“My daughter was about 12 or 13 years old and she wanted to start a little produce stand. It was kind of a kid thing,” he said.

“We put signs down on the road — ‘tomatoes 25 cents’ — and people started coming to the garage. Next summer we grew a little patch of sweet corn and it started getting bigger and bigger until so many people started coming to my house that I came down here and built this produce stand to

Cloudy skies and wet weather always dampen enthusiasm for pizza night, said Barrett, but nevertheless a trickle of visitors finds its way to the farm. Despite the rain, the orders roll in and the conversation flows — albeit more slowly than it might on a dry day.

“We like the camaraderie and supporting a local farm,” said Canton resident Dolly Byrd, there with her two teenage sons and several friends from Asheville.

Byrd’s mom went to high school with Barrett, and Saturdays at Ten Acre have been a fixture in her life for the last few years, especially during the pandemic. Since COVID, they’ve been traveling less and craving community more.

“Especially during COVID and everything, we haven’t been in a restaurant, and this was the first foray we had,” she said.

“The first Saturday that we did it, it felt like it was the closest to normalcy that we’d had.”

Rain wasn’t enough to deter Byrd from experiencing that feeling again this week.

The group found a table protected by a stand of trees and had just received its order of hot pizzas — they had enough people to warrant ordering one of each kind.

“What a great experience, just to be out here in the countryside and have pizza outside,” said Cruso resident Denise Shadden, enjoying a slice at a different table closer to the oven as Gus, Barrett’s grand champion redbone turned champion beggar, eyed her left-behind pieces of crust.

While she admitted that it would be nicer if the sun were out, she said the experience was worth braving the rain — especially during a pandemic.

That’s an assessment that Sharpe, who normally runs the produce stand but on this particular Saturday was helping with pizza production, would agree with.

“This season with everything going on with the COVID, this is just a great space for people to come out and let their kids roam, go out and pick vegetables out of the garden,” she said Friday while kneading dough in preparation for the weekend. “The energy on Saturdays is always a lot of fun, especially when the music’s going and people start dancing.”

It’s an energy that draws you in, implores you to become part of it. It’s also what drove Stephanie Nixon to look for work at Ten Acre. She lives about five minutes down the road and started coming each week for pizza.

“It became my happy place,” she said.

Before she knew it, it was also her workplace.

“We really are one big family around here,” said Sharpe. “We all help each other out. Whatever needs to be done, we all pitch in and do.”’

Whether the task at hand is pulling weeds, training vines or kneading dough, it’s all for the same cause — nourishing the souls and bellies of Haywood County and beyond.

“It’s fulfilling, knowing that you’re providing something for someone that will sustain their life, because without food we won’t last long,” said Barrett. “We’ve all got to have it.”

29

outdoors

From left: Danny Barrett. A pizza heats up in the brick oven. Music is often a feature of Saturday afternoons at the Ten Acre Garden Tela Sharpe photo. Scott Moelich stretches out a pizza crust. Holly Kays photos unless otherwise noted

outdoors

Drive-in CONCERT series

Dan Cook Cabin.

Donated photo

at MAGGIE VALLEY FAIRGROUNDS Presented by The Grey Eagle

Hike Cataloochee

SUN • SEPTEMBER 20, 2020 September 16-22, 2020

doors: 6 pm / show: 7:30 pm $

$

tickets: 100 - 225

• Socially Distanced, Drive-In Style Concert Parking And A Seating Area Beside Your Vehicle, If Your Vehicle (Bring Your Camping Chairs) • The Concert Will Also Be Transmitted To Your Fm Car Radios, If You Choose To Remain In Your Vehicle • 6pm Gates / 7:30pm Show

Smoky Mountain News

The group will meet at the trailhead at 9 a.m. and the hike will conclude by 2:30 p.m. The event is part of Haywood Waterways Association’s “Get to Know Your Watershed” series of outdoor recreation activities. Free for Haywood Waterways members and $5 for nonmembers.

Space is limited. Sign up with Christine O’Brien at christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11.

Single-lane closures implemented on the Spur Temporary, single-lane closures are in effect along the north and southbound Spur between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge through Tuesday, Sept. 22, for routine maintenance operations.

The closures will be in effect 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The park implements temporary single-lane closures along the most heavily-trafficked park roads for roadside work conducted on foot, including litter patrol, tree removal, string trimming, mowing, shoulder reconditioning and culvert cleaning.

For more information about road closures, follow SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter or visit www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/temproadclose.htm.

• You Are Purchasing A 20x20 Box With Space For You Choose To Enjoy The Concert From Outside

• All Ages • Maximum Occupancy Per Vehicle Is 6 • No Campers, Rvs, Or Sprinters Allowed.

• Max Vehicle Height Clearance Is 8 Feet.

• No Pets Allowed.

tickets and info at

THEGREYEAGLE.COM 30

Steve Winchester will lead an excursion to Dan Cook Cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Cataloochee Valley on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Winchester, an avid hiker who leads hikes for the park, will serve as the guide for this 6.6-mile trip that follows a small stream and passes through rhododendron on its way to the cabin. The trail includes several stream crossings and 1,000 feet in elevation gain.

Smokies deputy chosen for NPS superintendent job in California Clay Jordan will soon leave the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after landing a job as superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California, beginning Nov. 8.

Jordan is currently the Smokies’ deputy superintendent and has 35 years of service with the National Park Service. Prior to his arrival in the Smokies he worked in visitor and resource protection positions at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Shenandoah National Park, Fire Island National Seashore, Olympic National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore and Mount Rainier National Park. He was the acting chief ranger for Interior Region 1, the 13 states that make up the U.S. northeast. In 2010, he served as a deputy incident commander on an interagency team managing the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill response along the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida

Clay Jordan. NPS photo Panhandle coasts.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon are located side-by-side in the southern Sierra Nevadas and contain the world’s largest trees by volume. In 2019, the parks welcomed more than 1.8 million visitors.

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- Greg & Sherri Christopher, Clyde

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September 16-22, 2020

Holiday Cookbook Submit Your Recipes Today!

Share your memories!

www.tastethemountains.com Appetizers Beverages

Soups Salads

Main Dishes Side Dishes

Breads Desserts

Smoky Mountain News

Submit your favorite recipe to be featured in our inaugural holiday cookbook. We’re looking for all types of dishes, from traditional homestyle favorites to farm-to-table delights.

*If you would rather write out your recipes, you can mail them in. Please include your name, email or phone, dish name, ingredients and instructions. PO Box 629 • Waynesville, NC 28786 While we thank you for submitting your recipes, due to space all recipes may not be printed in this year’s edition.

31

outdoors

Hemlock initiative to continue Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents 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 Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Rob Roland - robroland@beverly-hanks.com

Christie’s Ivester Jackson Blackstream

• George Escaravage - george@IJBProperties.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com September 16-22, 2020

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 • Darrin Graves - dgraves@kw.com

Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Log & Frame Homes - 828-734-9323 Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com Mountain Home Properties- mountaindream.com • Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

On Sept. 2, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler and WNC Communities Executive Director Jennifer Ferre cosigned a pledge to continue support for the Hemlock Restoration Initiative.

Troxler first announced the allocation of seed funding for the initiative in March of 2014. Since then, collaboration with WNC Communities has resulted in positive momentum in the effort to restore North Carolina’s hemlock trees to long-term health. Dead hemlocks can negatively affect nesting songbirds, trout populations, plant nurseries and landscapers, homeowners and tourism.

“The hemlock woolly adelgid continues to kill a large number of eastern and Carolina hemlocks in North Carolina, but our combined efforts are making a difference,” said Troxler. “As just one example, we recently recognized dozens of N.C. Forest Service employees for a five-month project that treated nearly 42,000 hemlocks on more than 1,500 acres in the state. It was a huge project, and we’re committed to continuing our efforts in various ways.”

While NCDA&CS provides resources such as funding, forestry

The hemlock wooly adelgid has wreaked havoc on hemlock populations. File photo expertise and manpower, the Asheville-based nonprofit WNC Communities manages grants and other funding sources, recruits research partners and provides administrative support for the program.

“The proclamation further

Dive into DuPont’s history

cements the partnership between the Department of Agriculture and WNC Communities, and it serves as a promise for the future of the Hemlock Restoration Initiative,” Ferre said.

For more details about the initiative, go to savehemlocksnc.org.

Triple Falls. Danny Bernstein photo

Danny Bernstein will discuss her new book DuPont Forest: A History with Smoky Mountain News writer Holly Kays during an online presentation offered 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, through Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café.

Bernstein and Kays will discuss what drew Bernstein to the topic and what she learned along the way. Bernstein’s book, as well as Kays’ titles Trailblazers and Traditionalists: Modern-Day Smoky Mountain People and Shadows of Flowers, are available for purchase at Malaprop’s.

The event is free with registration at bit.ly/2zhsrr7.

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

Smoky Mountain News

Nest Realty

• Madelyn Niemeyer - Madelyn.niemeyer@nestrealty.com RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com • Holly Fletcher - holly@hollyfletchernc.com • The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com • Ron Breese - ronbreese.com • Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com • Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com • Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net • David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com • Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest

• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com

WNC Real Estate Store

• Melanie Hoffman - mhoffmanrealestate@gmail.com • Thomas Hoffman - thoffman1@me.com

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828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

Red wolf. USFWS photo

Art exhibit benefits the red wolf An art exhibit featuring works inspired by the American red wolf is on display at Buckner Gallery in Waynesville through Oct. 9.

The red wolf, once found throughout the entire Southeastern U.S., is currently on the brink of extinction with fewer than 15 of these critically endangered creatures left in the wild, all located in Eastern North Carolina.

The art exhibit is organized by Defenders of Wildlife. All pieces displayed are for sale, with at least 45 percent of proceeds benefiting the Defenders of Wildlife red wolf fund.

The gallery is located at 20 Galloway Street in Waynesville.

Grants available for farmers

Smoky Mountain News

An apprenticeship program training participants in various aspects of sustainable agriculture and agribusiness, is now seeking applicants.

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems Food and Farm Apprenticeship Program focuses on hands-on work and study during eight-to-12-week appointments in Jackson, Haywood, Macon, Swain, Cherokee, Graham and Clay counties.

Apprenticeships are for college students, who will be paid $12 per hour through the N.C. State University payroll system. The available positions include opportunities to make mead and honey, grow plants from seed to maturity, work on an alpaca farm, grow food crops, work at a creamery, care for cattle and tend fruit orchards, among other skills.

To apply, visit jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/135580.

September 16-22, 2020

Paid apprenticeship teach agribusiness skills

outdoors

Applications are now being accepted for the WNC Agricultural Options Grant, which will distribute a total of $216,000 to Western North Carolina farmers in 2021.

Applicants are encouraged to participate in information sessions to be held via Zoom at noon Thursday, Sept. 24, and 8 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 6. The application deadline is Nov. 20, and applicants must contact their cooperative extension agents by Oct. 23 to set up an appointment to discuss their projects. WNC AgOptions helps offset farmers’ risk of trying new ventures and expanding their farms by offering grants of $3,000 and $6,000 in the 21 western counties and the Qualla Boundary.

Since 2004, WNC AgOptions has distributed more than $3 million to WNC farmers to help them diversify their operations. Returns on initial investments are often immediate, as new income typically matches the size of the grants in the first year of the projects. Income continues to increase year after year, often doubling by the third year of the projects.

Applications and registration for Zoom sessions are available at www.wncagoptions.org or at county extension centers.

33

outdoors

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PLAQUE PROVIDED BY

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

Fog hangs over the Tanasee Ridge, which forms the border between Jackson and Transylvania counties.

SAHC photo

Conservation projects protect key National Forest inholdings Two parcels totaling 219 acres will eventually be added to the Nantahala National Forest thanks to a recently completed conservation project from the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.

One of the tracts contains Big Creek, a headwater tributary of the Chattooga National Wild and Scenic River. The other is located on Tanasee Ridge and can potentially provide an alternate gateway to Panthertown Valley, a popular area for outdoor recreation. Both have long been priorities for addition to the Nantahala National Forest.

“Permanent conservation of the Big Creek and Tanasee Ridge properties will enhance the public experience of using the forest,” said Carl Silverstein, SAHC’s executive director.

The 110-acre Big Creek tract in Macon County just north of the North CarolinaGeorgia border is a headwater source of the nationally significant Chattooga National Wild and Scenic River and protects important habitat for diverse plants and animals, especially salamanders, of which there are at least 12 species. The property is surrounded by the Nantahala and Chattahoochee National Forests. SAHC plans to own it for several years, and then transfer it to the U.S. Forest Service to become part of the surrounding Nantahala National Forest.

The Tanasee Ridge property encompass-

es 109 acres along the ridge that forms the border between Jackson and Transylvania counties. It is surrounded by Nantahala National Forest on three sides and significant because of its potential to provide an alternative public access to popular outdoor recreation areas in Panthertown Valley. It also contains important water resources in the Wolf Creek-Tuckasegee River watershed and forested habitat in an important wildlife corridor, as identified by Wildlands Network Connectivity Index. This land will also be eventually transferred to Forest Service ownership.

SAHC leveraged philanthropic donations and a loan from trusted partners at The Conservation Fund to acquire the Tanasee Ridge property, and a generous anonymous conservation philanthropist made a loan to enable the purchase of the Big Creek tract.

“SAHC borrowed more than $1.2 million towards the acquisition of the Big Creek and Tanasee Ridge properties,” said Silverstein. “Over the past years, there have been multiple attempts to secure these properties which didn’t work out. With the confidence that the Land and Water Conservation Fund will be available to transfer these properties to become part of national forests in the future, and thanks to our dedicated members and generous contributions from Brad and Shelli Stanback, SAHC was finally able to protect them.”

Kayak Bear Creek Lake 34

Take a kayak on Bear Creek Lake in Jackson County with a trip offered 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26.

The excursion is organized through Jackson County Parks & Recreation, with online registration at www.rec.jacksonnc.org. Cost is $30.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • There will be a ceremony honoring Constitution Day at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, outside at the Gazebo in downtown Franklin, NC. Participants will celebrate with a sing along and with a reading of portions of the Constitution of the United States of America. Remember the social distancing guidelines as directed per the Town of Franklin and NC Governor’s orders. For more information, contact Joe Suminski at 828.371.2307.

This event will be held rain or shine.

• The Jackson County Branch of the NC NAACP regular meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, online. The group will be electing a nominating committee to select officer candidates for the November branch elections and will discuss GOTV efforts. Email jcnaacp54ab@gmail.com to receiver instructions to join online. The public is welcome to join this meeting.

• An interfaith vigil for racial reconciliation and justice will be held on Monday, Sept. 21, International Peace Day. Speakers and music from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. followed by a candlelight vigil in Sylva at Bridge Park, 76 Railroad St. Local co-sponsors for the vigil are Reconcile Sylva and Jackson County NC NAACP Branch 54AB. All people of goodwill are invited. Wear a mask, physically distance, and bring a candle if you can.

• The North Shore Cemetery Association will be hosting a downscaled version of the Reunion from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Deep Creek Picnic Shelter north of Bryson City. There will be no organized services or agenda. Participants should bring lawn chairs and other items necessary for an outdoor picnic while maintaining social distancing.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering a live online Digital Marketing & Public Relations Certificate program Sept. 18 – Nov. 6 (six Fridays) from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Registration fee for the full program is $640, individual workshops are $119 each. For more information and to register, visit pdp.wcu.edu or email jcthompson@wcu.edu.

• Get schooled in the Smokies with one of the varied programs offered through the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School this fall. Programs will be held on Saturdays, Aug. 22 - Nov. 7. Courses cost $69 apiece with the exception of Fall Nature Photography, which costs $99. They are led by a variety of experienced and skilled instructors. For a complete course list or to register, visit aceweb.outreach.utk.edu/wconnect/ace/ShowSchedule.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Haywood Pathways Center (HPC) and The Community Kitchen (TCK) will hold their first Unified Charitable Golf Outing to be held on Friday, Sept. 25 at Springdale at Cold Mountain. Registration may be completed online at www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org or at Haywood Pathways (179 Hemlock Street, Waynesville) or The Community Kitchen (394 Champion Drive, Canton).

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • Waynesville Yoga studio presents a four-week series, “Introduction to the Chakras.” The series will be hosted

by Leigh-Ann Renz from 8:30 to 10 a.m. each Sunday in October at the Waynesville Yoga Center. For more information, or to register, visit www.waynesvilleyogacenter.com.

• Waynesville Yoga Center presents a series about chakras four through seven. The series is hosted by

Smoky Mountain News

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com Leigh-Ann Renz and will take place over four classes between Sept. 20 - Jan. 31. For more information, or to register, visit www.waynesvilleyogacenter.com.

• Waynesville Yoga Center presents “Calm Kids Yoga,” a 30 day at-home yoga program. The program will take place from Oct. 19 – Nov. 17 with Zoom calls at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19 and Tuesday, Nov. 17. Each week will focus on a theme to cultivate feelings of calm within, and every day participants will receive an email with an activity or idea on how to engage their child in a yoga or mindfulness practice. For more information, or to register, visit www.waynesvilleyogacenter.com.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS

FOOD & DRINK • There will be a free wine tasting from 2 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva.

828.631.3075.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville is offering lunch on Saturdays, “Lunch with us” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring fresh seasonal menu with outdoor seating weather permitting. 828.452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

•Bryson City Wine Market offers a glass of wine and a Market Plate Monday through Saturday as well as special flight tastings from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday.

• Secret Wine Bar is hosted by Bosu’s in Waynesville on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. Contact for more information and make reservations. 828.452.1020.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• Danny Bernstein will discuss her new book “DuPont Forest: A History" with Smoky Mountain News writer Holly Kays during an online presentation offered 7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 17, through Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café.

Bernstein and Kays will discuss what drew Bernstein to the topic and what she learned along the way.

Bernstein’s book, as well as Kays’ titles “Trailblazers and Traditionalists: Modern-Day Smoky Mountain People” and “Shadows of Flowers,” are available for purchase at Malaprop’s. The event is free with registration at bit.ly/2ZhSRR7.

• An art exhibit featuring works inspired by the American red wolf is on display at Buckner Gallery in Waynesville through Oct. 9. The art exhibit is organized

by Defenders of Wildlife. All pieces displayed are for sale, with at least 45 percent of proceeds benefiting the Defenders of Wildlife red wolf fund. The gallery is located at 20 Galloway Street in Waynesville.

A&E

• Jackson County Parks and Recreation will be making use of its standup paddleboard inventory with two upcoming events this month. A SUP adventure at Bear Creek Lake will be offered 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. Fee is $30. A SUP yoga session will be offered at the Sylva Pool Sunday, Sept. 27. Fee is $10. To join in, register at www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• The Sock Hops will perform an outdoor drive-in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Please watch the theatre website for news about cancellations due to weather. Tickets are $18 each. To purchase tickets or to find out more information, go to www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Will James 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 and Andrew Thelston Band 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host Arnold Hill (rock/jam) 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Good Bonez 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18. and Outlaw Whiskey 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• The Maggie Valley Festival Grounds will host a drivein concert series with Sam Bush Band (bluegrass/jam) Sunday, Sept. 20, Mandolin Orange (Americana/folk) Friday, Oct. 2 and Del McCoury Band (bluegrass) Saturday, Oct. 3. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m. Hosted by The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds, tickets are available at www.thegreyeagle.com.

• The Smoky Mountain Event Center (Waynesville) will host a drive-in concert series with Mt. Joy (Americana/indie) Saturday, Oct. 3, Yonder Mountain String Band (bluegrass/jam) Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Whitey Morgan (outlaw country/rock) Saturday, Oct. 10.

All shows begin at 6:45 p.m. Gates open at 6 p.m.

Hosted by the Asheville Music Hall, tickets are available at www.ashevillemusichall.com.

Outdoors

• Volunteers are needed for the Big Sweep, an annual countywide stream cleanup event that will feature four locations in Haywood County this year on Saturday, Sept. 19. Cleanups will occur from 9 to 10 a.m. beginning from the town halls of Maggie Valley, Clyde and Canton, as well as in Waynesville at the Vance Street pavilion in the Waynesville Recreation Park. To help out, RSVP to Christine O’Brien at Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11.

• Seminars on deer hunting and processing will be available free online this month, offered through the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and N.C. Wildlife Federation. Each seminar will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. with a 30-minute question-and-answer opportunity afterward. Introduction to Deer Hunting will be offered Sept. 16 and 18. Registration is required at www.ncwildlife.org/sbs. For more information contact Walter “Deet” James, 984.202.1387 or walter.james@ncwildlife.org.

• Steve Winchester will lead an excursion to Dan Cook Cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Cataloochee Valley on Saturday, Sept. 26. The group will meet at the trailhead at 9 a.m. and the hike will conclude by 2:30 p.m. Free for Haywood Waterways members and $5 for nonmembers. Space is limited. Sign up with Christine O’Brien at christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11.

• Take a kayak on Bear Creek Lake in Jackson County with a trip offered 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26.

The excursion is organized through Jackson County Parks & Recreation, with online registration at www.rec.jacksonnc.org. Cost is $30.

35

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: n n n n

Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings • Tremont Institute is offering support and resources for schools this year as they prepare for teaching and learning during a pandemic. The annual Teacher Escape Weekend will this year be offered as a virtual workshop, with sessions Sept. 11-12 and Sept. 25-26 at a cost of $50 per weekend. Tremont faculty will work with educators to share resources and develop solutions to help them maximize student-centered experiential learning, whether indoor or out, virtual or in person.

Register at gsmit.org/educators/teacher-escape.

• Tennis lessons for kids age 5 to 12 are available this fall from the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. Lessons will be on Tuesday evenings from Sept. 22 to Oct. 27, taught on the tennis courts at Mark Watson Park in Sylva. Ages 5 to 8 will attend from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and ages 9 to 12 will attend from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Fee is $45, with a registration deadline Sept.

15. For more information, contact Andrew Sherling at 828.293.3052, ext. 6, or andrewsherling@jacksonnc.org. Spots are limited.

• Registration for the fourth annual Cades Cove Loop Lope is now open, with plans moving ahead to hold the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s only footrace on Sunday, Nov. 8. The event will offer 5K and 10-mile options, with participation limited to 750 people. Sign up to run or volunteer at www.looplope.org. To learn about business sponsorship opportunities, contact kathryn@friendsofthesmokies.org.

• Applications are now being accepted for the WNC Agricultural Options Grant, which will distribute a total of $216,000 to Western North Carolina farmers in 2021.

Applicants are encouraged to participate in information sessions to be held via Zoom at noon Thursday, Sept.

24, and 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6. The application deadline is Nov. 20, and applicants must contact their cooperative extension agents by Oct. 23 to set up an appointment to discuss their projects. WNC AgOptions helps offset farmers’ risk of trying new ventures and expanding their farms by offering grants of $3,000 and $6,000 in the 21 western counties and the Qualla Boundary. Applications and registration for Zoom sessions are available at www.wncagoptions.org or at county extension centers.

HIKING CLUBS • The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate 5.5 mile hike, elevation change 580 ft., on the Mountains to Sea Trail from Waterrock Knob to Woodfin Valley Overlook. Hiking to Waterrock Knob, elevation 6,400ft., from the parking lot. Return on a moderate-to-strenuous trail, descending 1400 ft. to the Parkway. The Club will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 in the Bi-Lo parking lot. The hike is limited to ten people. Call leader Gail Lehman, 524-5298, for reservations.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take an easy 3-mile hike, elevation change only 200 ft., exploring the 1800 Tessentee Farm managed by the Mainspring Conservancy. The Club will meet at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 at the Westgate Plaza in Franklin. The hike is limited to 10 people. Call leader Jean Hunicutt, 5245234, for reservations.

Market WNC PLACE

Announcements

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County.

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36

www.smokymountainnews.com

September 16-22, 2020

WNC MarketPlace

INSTALLER TECHNICIAN Carolina Mountain Cablevision, Inc., located in Waynesville, NC, is a privately-owned telecommunications company and is currently seeking resumes for an Installer Technician. We are looking for experienced cable TV or FTTP Installer or Cable Technician to help us grow our network and subscriber base. The applicant must: • Have experience installing TV, phone, and internet services for residential and commercial accounts • Have experience with hand tools, power tools, hydraulic equipment, ladders, etc.

• Have a good driving record • Be self-motivated and dependable with the ability to work independently • Be quality and service focused • Be able WR GHDO ZLWK GLI¿FXOW customers and members of the public in a professional, courteous manner • Be available for “On Call” Duty on weekends and overtime as needed with little notice • Live in or close to Haywood County, NC • Be able to pass a drug test and background check This person will be responsible for the installation of telephone, cable, and internet service from the utility pole into a customer’s home, will install and set up modems, digital equipment, etc. in a customer’s home, and be able to detect, troubleshoot, DQG ¿[ SUREOHPV DV they occur with the services offered to a customer. We will be accepting resumes until August 31, 2020. Salary is dependent on level of experience. Anyone interested should e-mail their resume to sanders@ccvn.com or fax it to 828-536-4510. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage veterans to apply. sanders@ccvn. com

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37

SUPER

CROSSWORD

SONG SPAN ACROSS 1 Neighbor of Niger 5 Comical bits 9 Work group 14 PLO chairman Mahmoud 19 Europe's "Eternal City" 20 Blind as -21 Common typeface 22 -- Polo 23 App-based ride option 24 -- fide (real) 25 Grilled steak with thin, diagonal cuts 27 Neighbor of Niger 28 Alternative to toffee 30 County in New Mexico or Colorado 31 Aeneas' lover, in myth 32 Link two disparate things 35 Once -- while 37 Gp. backing firearms 38 Has the helm 39 Revered one 40 Terminated 42 "Wild Thing" rapper Tone 43 $20 dispenser 45 "Really?"

48 Natty scarf 52 Palmtops, e.g., for short 56 Internet ID 57 Goggles 58 Not breaking the rules 61 Fast glance 63 Lizard that may be a pet 64 Terrible fate 65 Refuses, as a chance 69 "Norma --" (Field film) 70 Initial amount required by a creditor

74 75 78 79 82 83 86 89 90 91 92 96 98 99 100 104 109 110 111 113 115 118 119 120

123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132

Suffix of sugars Hold sacred Verse writer One dodging Slovak coin 1969 Stevie Wonder hit "Geez!"

-- Paulo Crooner Redding Exaggerated and theatrical Reasonable advance notice Facial locale Prefix with gender Ringlike isle Soda shop drink Sells virtually Surg. locales Vote in favor England's "Nine Days' Queen" Tel. or elec.

Statesman Stevenson High points Advance Watercourse associated with the starts of eight long answers in this puzzle Rabbit's kin Part of A.D. Attend Greek vowel Clear out of Marsh plant Elia piece "The Balcony" playwright Jean Old flames Slips up

DOWN 1 Cookie bits 2 Tasmania's capital 3 2001 Audrey Tautou film 4 Sneer at 5 Rap session 6 See 76-Down 7 India's Rajiv 8 Like plays 9 Mineo of movies 10 Outpost unit 11 "That -- happenin'!"

12 Get dimmer 13 Ocala's state 14 Envoy: Abbr.

15 Verse writer 16 Sib acquired via marriage 17 Late-'60s music genre 18 One-person bands, e.g.

26 Nine-person band, e.g.

29 Self-image 33 Potatoes au -34 Frazier foe 36 Folk sayings 40 To be, to Fifi 41 Flames' org.

44 Car ad abbr.

46 SPF part 47 Ersatz 48 Blazing 49 Astronomer Carl 50 Hints 51 Schnozz or boff ender 53 "Where -- go wrong?"

54 Auth. unknown 55 Feed in a sty 59 Low point 60 Windows ad statement 61 Frying vessel 62 Perfumer Lauder 65 -- dish (lab item)

66 67 68 71 72 73 76 77 80 81 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 93 94 95 97 101 102 103 105 106 107 108 111 112 114 116 117 121 122

City that Lot fled from Deplete Matthew of "Friends" Tokyo-born Yoko Pirate chant opener Run across With 6-Down, catch wind of Airport strip Clear out of Dr.'s gp.

Postal stack Over there Mag. printing "Naturally!"

Scrunchies Long letters TV inits. since 1975 Vexed a lot Selfish driver of a sort TV inits. since 1975 Multipiece gifts for calligraphers Cavity-fighting org.

Fruit of a Chinese tree Discount department store chain Blazing Clothes smoother Less fatty Church councils Feudal lord Eagle's nest "-- hundred flowers bloom" Half-baked Prayer ender "Hee Haw" co-host Clark Used a chair

ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

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www.smokymountainnews.com

September 16-22, 2020

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W W W. b l u e r i d g e m o t o r c y c l i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m September 16-22, 2020 Smoky Mountain News 39

Food Day Saturday, September 19, 2020

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Is y r t an P d o o The F

!! y t p Em

Shampoo Deodorant Toothpaste Canned meat (pop top) Canned fruit (pop top) Canned veggies (pop top) Fruit (plastic cups) Cereal Canned pasta (pop top) Peanut butter Laundry detergent Granola Bars Pop-tarts

Items Needed

Smoky Mountain News

September 16-22, 2020

S

chools have not operated on a regular schedule because of Covid-19, for the past 6 months. Churches and other community groups who in the past have donated food for the HCS food pantry have been unable to function as in the past.

THE FOOD PANTRY IS EMPTY!!

When school staff deliver lessons and materials to rural families who do not have internet service, there is no food to take to the families.

The three Rotary Clubs in Haywood County, Haywood, Waynesville, and Waynesville Sunrise are participating with the school system and Ingles stores in Haywood County for “Rotary Children’s Food Day”

on Sept. 19 from 9am-2pm ALL FOOD COLLECTED WILL BE TRANSPORTED TO THE FOOD PANTRY.