Smoky Mountain News

Young Swain doctor’s motto: carpe diem Page 8

www.smokymountainnews.com

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

Sept. 18-24, 2013 Vol. 15 Iss. 16

Factory expansion brings jobs to Haywood County Page 6

Get your balance anytime with MOBILE Banking!

2045 South Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786 Telephone: 828-456-3006 Follow us on

www.oldtownbanking.com

VOYAGE T O A FA L L FA SHION DE S T IN AT ION

September 18-24, 2013

& E N C O U N T E R M U S T- H AV E D E S I G N E R S T Y L E S .

NIK + ZOE

Smoky Mountain News

R Rich ich h hues ues iin n ffantastical antastical p prints. rints. IIntricate, ntricate, sshimmering himmering ttextures. extures.

L Let et us us take take you you on on a journey journey with with this this sumptuous sumptuous ccollection. ollection.

2

F For or more more iinformation, nformation, vvisit isit H HarrahsCherokee.com. arrahsCherokee.com.

Photo and to to gamble. gamble. Know Know When When To To Stop Stop Before Before You You Start.

Star t.® Photo representative representative of of assortment. assor tment. Must Must be be 21 21 years years of of age age or or older older to to enter enter casino casino floor floor and Gambling Problem?

G a mb l i n g P roblem? Call Call 1-800-522-4700.

1-800-522-4700. An An Enterprise Enterprise of of the the Eastern Eastern Band Band of of the the Cherokee Cherokee Nation.

Nation. ©2013, © 2013, Caesars Caesars License License Company, Company, LLC. LLC.

September 18-24, 2013

Smoky Mountain News

3

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: Owner of Balsam Gardens, an independent organic farm in Jackson County, Steven Beltram and Becca Nestler. The couple is working hard at getting their business off the ground and their produce in the hands of Western North Carolinians. (Page 32) Garret K. Woodward photo

News ConMet to add 140 jobs at Canton factory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Project Lifesaver gives families of disabled peace of mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Family doctor opens a private practice in Swain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Meadows appointed as representative to U.N. General Assembly . . . . . . . 10 Jackson forum tries to tackle finer points of Obamacare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Maggie town hall fronts money to for-profit concert, enraging residents . . 13 Macon County approves more funding for airport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Macon model airplane club takes off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Clyde-based National Guard set to deploy to Afghanistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Haywood County places dibs on convenience center property . . . . . . . . . 16 Building permits on the rise in Haywood County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION: CONTRIBUTING:

CONTACT WAYNESVILLE | 34 Church Street, Waynesville, NC 28786 P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585 P:

Needed: a just, humane immigration policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

A&E Haywood’s Got Talent finalists fo for the gold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Back Then Kephart’s life after Hazel Creek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

September 18-24, 2013

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING & EDITING:

Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Emily Moss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . emily@smokymountainnews.com Whitney Burton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . whitney@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Smalley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smliv.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Becky Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . news@smokymountainnews.com Caitlin Bowling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . caitlin@smokymountainnews.com Andrew Kasper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . andrew@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Gary Carden (writing), Don Hendershot (writing)

SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789

Opinion

We want you t

INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 Copyright 2013 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ Advertising copyright 2013 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News is available for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person.

Additional copies may be purchased for $1, payable at the Smoky Mountain News office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of The Smoky Mountain News, take more than one copy of each issue.

SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIPTION:

1 YEAR $65 | 6 MONTHS $40 | 3 MONTHS $25

THE CLASSIC

bigg bite bi b Ouutt ofof L With Dental Implants, Yo ou Ca

Smoky Mountain News

EDITOR/PUBLISHER: ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: ART DIRECTOR: DESIGN & WEBSITE: DESIGN & PRODUCTION: ADVERTISING SALES:

Replace your denture or missing teeth today Call Dr. Highsmith -

828.634.7813

Presents an evening of

Italian & Mediterranean Folk Music with Musica Nostra Saturday, September 28, 2013 at 7pm

$39.99 per person, plus tax & gratuity

Price includes four course Italian dinner

Cosmetic, Cosmetic, G General, eneral, IImplant mplant & LLaser Dentistry

Call 828-452-6000 to reserve your table or email requests to info@classicwineseller.com Seating is limited.

C l i n ic a Las Veg A dv a n c

4

# ,9 $ % . # s 7 7 7 7 $ 2 ( ) ' ( 3 - ) 4 ( # / -

20 Church Street | Downtown Waynesville

September 18-24, 2013

Smoky Mountain News

5

news

Haywood to deed industrial property to ConMet in support of expansion

Smoky Mountain News

September 18-24, 2013

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners signaled unanimous support this week to gift ConMet manufacturing plant eight acres of land for an expansion at its Canton factory in exchange for creating 80 new jobs.

The land, located in the Beaverdam Industrial Park in Canton, is valued at $280,000.

ConMet plans to invest $5.9 million in a 150,000-square-foot expansion of the plant on its existing property.

ConMet will not develop the eight acres from Haywood County right away but instead, will set it aside for future growth.

ConMet has been steadily increasing jobs at both its Canton and Bryson City facilities for the past four years.

While the eight-acre tract from the county won’t be used for the current expansion, it will hopefully set the stage for even more growth in the future.

6

ConMet plans to invest $5.9 million in a 150,000-square-foot expansion of its plant in Canton.

“As the economy improves, then they can expand,” Commissioner Mark Swanger said.

Swanger pointed to ConMet as an example of getting creative to grow jobs by supporting companies that are already here.

“That’s good. Congratulations on that,” Swanger told Economic Development Director Mark Clasby.

If ConMet does not create the promised 80 jobs, the county will take back the property.

ConMet plans to transfer an additional 60 jobs to Canton from its Arden plant, which will closed down, for a total of 140 news jobs being added at the Canton facility as a result of the expansion.

County Commissioner Kevin Ensley said he was happy that manufacturing jobs are on the uptick.

“It was kind of good to see that for a change,” Ensley said.

In addition to the eight acre gift, the county will give ConMet temporary use of another 10 acres at the industrial park as a staging area during construction over the next year. However, should a company want to buy the 10acre site being used as a construction staging area ConMet would have to vacate it.

Canton factory revs up production of big-rig cab parts

Attrition of the already niche industry left a mere six manufacturers worldwide that make injection-molded plastic components for semitruck cabs today.

“We have a very specific market,” Dingus said.

The plants in Canton and Bryson City are strategically positioned in proximity to semitruck makers, like Freightliner in nearby Statesville, Volvo in Virginia and Kenworth in Ohio.

“We are central to many of our customers,” Dingus said.

ConMet has a myriad of dashboard configurations customized for particular semi models, with pre-cut holes for radios, air vents, odometers, fuel gauges and sundry ConMet’s facility in Canton (pictured above) will grow from 225,000 square feet to 375,000 square feet dash instruments in all the right places, give or take a fraction of a following an expansion. The expansion will also allow the company to bring 140 new jobs to Haywood millimeter.

County. Becky Johnson photo ConMet also makes plastic storage cabinets, closets and cubBY B ECKY JOHNSON however. bies in both sleeper cabs and day cabs.

STAFF WRITER Some of its competitors didn’t survive the Any given semitruck in the country has an manufacturing plant that makes parts downturn. ConMet moved in to scoop up average of $2,000 in plastic parts made by for big-rig cab interiors has broken their market share and become the industry ConMet. ground on a $5.9 million expansion in leader.

“Look at all the trucks on the road as you Canton with plans to add 140 jobs at the fac“We were able to get some new contracts drive home, and it adds up pretty quick,” tory by 2015. where our competitors didn’t last,” Dingus said. Dingus said.

ConMet currently has 310 employees at ConMet’s Canton plant is a round-theits Canton plant and another 370 at its sister clock operation. Dingus said the jobs pay well “There are very few trucks plant in Bryson City. and are mostly filled from the local workThe company is the leading maker of plasforce, with the exception of certain specialthat don’t have any tic dashboards, door panels, instrument panized skills like machine mechanics. els and storage cubbies that deck out the inteLocated in the Beaverdam Industrial Park ConMet plastic in them. rior of semitruck cabs. There are only a handnear Exit 33 off Interstate 40, the plant will be We are the largest ful of other companies in the world that make 375,000 square feet after the expansion. the specialized, injection-molded plastic About 80 brand-new jobs will be added, while supplier in the world.” parts, and ConMet is the biggest on the block. another 60 will be transferred from a small “There are very few trucks that don’t have satellite shop in nearby Arden, which will — Nate Dingus, Canton any ConMet plastic in them. We are the close and be absorbed into Canton. plant manager largest supplier in the world,” said Nate Dingus, plant manager in Canton.

ConMet is a post-recession success story, but it wasn’t without its share of economic licks.

Sales dropped by 40 percent in 2008, and employment at its plants in the region plummeted to a low of 300. But ConMet has been on a steady growth trajectory since 2009. It rebounded to pre-recession volumes and kept right on climbing.

“The healthier the economy gets, the more freight has to move, and trucks only last so long. A couple million miles, a truck has to be replaced,” Dingus said.

The resurgence in freight — and thus the resurgence in big-rig cab parts — isn’t solely to thank for ConMet’s expansion in Canton,

A

Nate Dingus, ConMet’s plant manager, showed off the factory’s largest press, which has the hydraulic pressure of 4,000 tons. Becky Johnson photo

How a tiny bracelet saved the life of a man with dementia

D

ravine. Bob had walked down an old logging road near the house in search of one of the poodles that had scampered off. He fell down a steep bank, was cut up and broke his nose, his cheekbone and a couple vertebrae.

“He had fallen and was pretty severely injured,” said Haywood County Deputy Mitch Rathbone, who responded to the call.

Given the amount of blood he lost and the chill in the night air, had Bob been out there much longer he may not have survived. “(The bracelet) literally saved my husband’s life,” McElroy said.

Bob is one of only six people in the county who use Project Lifesaver, the nonprofit that sells the tracking bracelets to those with Alzheimer’s, autism and other related conditions, even though more than 1,000 people in the county are estimated to have those illnesses.

“There are so many people not taking advantage of this opportunity,” Rathbone said.

The bracelets cost as much as $300, but those who can’t afford that could be eligible for reduced pricing.

“The little tiny money you have to put out for it is nothing compared to their life,” McElroy said.

Counties must also purchase the tracking equipment necessary to pick up anyone emitting the bracelet’s signal, but Rathbone said it’s worth it.

“It’s money well spent,” Rathbone said.

“We are glad to have it.”

Haywood County Sheriff’s Deputy Mitch Rathbone holds the tracker that detects the signal put out by the Lifesaver bracelet, allowing emergency officials to find lost individuals.

The tracking bracelets are giving not only families but also law enforcement peace of mind. Rather than spending hours searching for a missing person, they can find someone most times within 30 minutes, depending on how far they have wandered.

“There was no way we could have found him in a timely manner if we didn’t have this,” Rathbone said of Bob. A family member of someone with a

Project Lifesaver bracelet, or even anyone with a mentally ill relative, is urged to call the police or sheriff ’s office anytime the person can’t be found.

“It’s better to me to know they are safe at home,” Rathbone said.

When her husband went missing a year prior, it took 42 people seven hours to find him. That time, he thankfully had no injuries, but it was a wake-up call. Deputies let them know about Project Lifesaver, and Bob was quickly signed up.

“He has been wearing it ever since,” McElroy said. “It makes him feel secure.”

Those interested in signing up or registering a family member can call Community Connections at the Haywood County Senior Resources Center, which operates the program in the county. Community Connections replaces the battery in the Project Lifesaver bracelet each month to ensure it never dies.

The group has promoted the program many times but with little success. John Chicoine from Community Connections hopes that families realize the peace of mind that comes with the tracking bracelet.

“You don’t need it until it happens to you, and then all of the sudden, you need it,” Chicoine said. “I think the number one reason is for the security of their loved one, and the ability to have that comfort level that if they do wander they can be found quickly.”

Call 828.452.2370 to reach Community Connections.

September 18-24, 2013

Artfully uniting extraordinary homes with extraordinary lives.

Your beach to mountain home connection.

Neighbors caring for neighbors

Serving Southwest Florida and Western North Carolina.

Representing buyers and sellers of luxury real estate since 1993.

To learn more about our Home Health Services in Haywood and Jackson Counties, call (828) 452-3600 206-05

Fred Alter

ph. 828-564-1260 fred.alter@sothebysrealty.com

Smoky Mountain News

CarePartners’ Home Health professionals provide nursing, therapy, telemonitoring and personal care for patients in the comfort of their own homes.

With an office in Haywood County and a staff of professionals that live in your community, CarePartners is here for you when you need us.

carepartners.org

news

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER uring rehearsal for her church’s band one Monday night, Paula McElroy called home to check on her 82-year-old husband who suffers from dementia. No answer.

She called him again at 9:30 p.m. when the rehearsal concluded. Again, no answer.

She felt sick to her stomach.

“It is the worst feeling in the world,” McElroy said.

When she opened the door to her house in Eagle’s Nest, she heard silence. The pit in her stomach sunk deeper. Where were the couple’s two miniature poodles? More importantly, where was her husband Bob? “I came home to a quiet house,” McElroy said. “I got a very bad feeling.”

Thankfully, she had a surefire way to find Bob — a Project Lifesaver bracelet strapped to her husband’s wrist that emits a signal, allowing law enforcement to find him wherever he wanders.

A tracker owned by the Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office picks up a signal from as far as a quarter of a mile away. The tracker beeps louder and louder as deputies get closer to the person wearing the bracelet. They start from where the person was last seen and work from there.

That Monday night, McElroy called the Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office, and within 30 minutes, they had honed in on Bob’s position and were already pulling him out of a

Asheville | Waynesville | Naples

2992 MEMORIAL HWY., PO BOX 225 • LAKE LURE NC

Winner of the Governor’s Award of Performance Excellence in Healthcare

www.PinnacleSIR.com 7

Physician goes against the grain to reap success

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER s Dr. Randall Castor stared down the final weeks of his residency, it was clear those long, grueling years of medical training were about to pay off.

The world was at his fingertips. Pick a city, any city, and a job would be waiting.

America’s doctor shortage was particularly acute for general practitioners like Castor — a jack-of-all-trades physician in high demand on the front lines of medicine everywhere.

Calls from recruiters came fast and furious, dozens a day, too many for Castor to even field.

“You have headhunters calling you constantly. I ignored most of them, but I happened to answer this one,” Castor said.

The pitch to come practice in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina was intriguing.

“We wanted somewhere with some mountains, a small town feel and not a lot of traffic,” Castor said.

Castor and his wife set out on a road trip from Ohio to see if Bryson City fit the bill. It did, and he soon settled into a trio of roles as a emergency room doctor, family practitioner and hospitalist at Swain Medical Center.

But after three years, Castor was restless and ready for something new — not a new town, but a new venture all his own.

Six weeks ago, Castor opened the doors of a start-up, stand-alone urgent care center and family practice on the outskirts of downtown Bryson City. Success was instantaneous.

“It has blown me away the positive response we have gotten from the community,” Castor said.

A new practice can typically expect a dozen patients a day in their first six months.

“Last Monday, I saw 40,” Castor said.

Castor employs two physician’s assistants

September 18-24, 2013

A

The new Smoky Mountain Urgent Care and Family Medicine is filling the unmet need for primary care in Swain County, which faces a doctor shortage like many rural communities across America. Becky Johnson photo

“It is frustrating to be stuffed in a box and told ‘This is the way you are going to practice medicine no matter what.’”

— Dr. Randall Castor

and a total staff of 20. The quick success is due in part to the marked shortage of family doctors in Swain County and unmet demand for basic medical care locally. (see related article) “We wanted to provide services that weren’t here. Castor saw the need. I saw the need. We all saw the need,” said Harvey Crape, a longtime physician’s assistant at Swain Medical Center who came out of retirement to go back to work for Castor.

Still, Castor went to three banks before he

Smoky Mountain News

A moving target: Small-towns’ eternal chase for doctors

8

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER ive full-time doctors practicing at Swain County Medical Center have left during the past year.

The departures account for half the doctors in the county, who not only staff the emergency room but also take care of patients staying in the hospital and double as family practitioners.

But four new physicians have already been recruited to fill the shoes of the departing doctors. One started this summer, another comes this fall and two more next year.

This ebb-and-flow of doctors poses a constant challenge for small town hospitals.

F

Recruiting is an unrelenting chore, a job that’s never finished.

“How do you always keep a continual supply? That is an issue anywhere,” said Lucretia Stargell, spokesperson for WestCare and Swain Medical Center.

The doctor departures in Swain don’t stem from anything in particular: one retired, one moved out West for family reasons, one wanted to go into private practice, and a husband and wife physician pair are going on an extended medical mission trip.

Despite new doctors on the horizon, gaps between one physician leaving and another arriving create an inevitable doctor shortage. Physician-to-population ratios in

found one willing to loan to him. Not only were there start-up costs of a building, expensive medical equipment and computer systems, but also the lag in medical billing would pose a cash flow hurdle the first few months — until insurance claims and reimbursements began rolling in on a steady basis.

It seemed risky to lenders, but not to Castor.

“I knew what a success it would be. I knew from living here that people couldn’t get appointments for three months to see a docSouthern Appalachian communities are below average.

“Health care in this region of the country is exceptionally limited. It is a medically underserved area,” said Harvey Crape, a physician’s assistant who has practiced in Swain County for more than a dozen years. “Family practitioners are the ones in short supply.”

The number of doctors serving Swain Medical Center oscillates from year to year, from a peak of eight in 2010 to as few as five full-time doctors. It’s in one of its troughs right now but should be back up to full steam by next summer — as long as no more leave between now and then.

“The supply situation is definitely improving,” Stargell said.

To help shore up the number of family doctors in Swain County, the hospital is following in the footsteps of a national trend to employ doctors directly. Historically, the

tor, so I knew the need was here,” Castor said.

Still, Castor admits he’s going against the national trend in healthcare, one of consolidation among hospitals and doctors’ practices into megalithic networks.

“It is very difficult to start up your own private practice in this medical environment,” Castor admitted.

But he also believes people want quick and convenient medical care — the founding principle behind the hybrid style of medicine Smoky Mountain Urgent Care and Family Medicine offers.

“We do traditional family medicine in an urgent care setting seven days a week,” Castor said, citing instant on-site labs and x-rays. “It is a good way to do medicine. If I am sick, I want to know right away what is wrong with me.”

This rural corner of Western North Carolina seemed like the perfect proving ground for the theory.

“This was our field of dreams. We knew if we built this people, would come,” Crape said For now, Castor is still working shifts in the emergency room at Swain Medical Center to avoid drawing a full salary from the practice for himself. On top of that, Castor has two kids under the age of three.

It’s been a monumental undertaking — but worth it, he said.

As an autonomous practice, he is free from the bureaucracy and corporate mentality of larger health care systems.

“It is frustrating to be stuffed in a box and told ‘This is the way you are going to practice medicine no matter what,’” Castor said. “It isn’t a computer punch list where you shoot down the line.”

FOR WANT OF A NAIL Steve Heatherly, the CEO of Swain Medical Center, doesn’t see Castor’s new practice as a competitor.

“Frankly, we viewed it as a positive for Dr. Castor to try some-

F

news

Bryson City: just what the doctor ordered

private practice Carolina Mountain Medical was the sole physician provider in town, with every doctor in the group doing a little bit of everything.

“Physicians did a full gamut — from seeing patients in the office to covering the emergency room to caring for patients in the hospital,” said Steve Heatherly, the CEO of Swain Medical Center.

The doctors in the group worked under a contract with the hospital but ultimately were an autonomous private practice.

Now, the hospital is moving toward a clearer division of labor. Carolina Mountain Medical will still run the emergency room and care for admitted patients under a hospital contract, but a team of family doctors will be employed directly by WestCare, Swain Medical Center’s parent entity.

“We are making that evolution as we speak,” Heatherly said.

The new strategy will hopefully

F

news

We Se ll

y We Bu • Modern used furniture • All style lamps

• Bedroom suites • Dining tables & chairs

1536 Sulphur Springs Rd., Waynesville

• From US 23/74 take exit 100 206-10

Dr. Randall Castor and his two physician's assistants, Harvey Crape and Debbie Allen, can do labs and x-rays on site in their hybrid practice that blends walk-in urgent care with a family practice setting. Becky Johnson photo f “People couldn’t get health care here,” Crape said. “They were going all over.”

Wherever they went for that initial visit is where they would be funneled into the system, the revenue from those patients lost to the local community for good.

Thus Castor’s venture is being embraced rather than resented if it can keep the trajectory of patient care closer to home.

“We view that as an access point in the community,” Heatherly said.

Nonetheless, few doctors are in the business of starting their own practices these days.

“What Dr. Castor is doing is somewhat against the grain of what is happening nationally. I respect his desire to want to do something entrepreneurially,” Heatherly said.

& ADOLESCENT MEDICINE GROUP, P.A.

Welcomes Dr. Aimee Deiwert as she joins Dr. Stephen Wall, Dr. Steven Hammel, Dr. Karin McLelland, Dr. Sarah Evers, Dr. Tyler Vereen, Anne Sarzynski, CPNP and Lillian Norris, CPNP.

“I am extraordinarily excited to join Haywood Pediatrics and to have the opportunity to care for the children of Western North Carolina. My husband and I have long enjoyed visiting the area and are so happy to be here. I look forward to meeting and working with the families of this beautiful community.”

To contact Dr. Deiwert and Haywood Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Group, P.A., please call 452-2211.

CLYDE OFFICE

CANTON OFFICE

15 Facility Drive • Clyde

55 Buckeye Cove Road, Suite 200A • Canton

828-452-2211

828-452-2211

Smoky Mountain News

improve the primary care in new digital mammography Swain County and help with machine and bone density recruiting, Heatherly said. scanner.

“We were finding it increasDespite the national comingly difficult to find physipetition to recruit new doctors, cians who wanted to do that Swain County has tool in its full gamut of practice,” box other rural areas don’t: the Heatherly said. mountains.

Stargell sees Swain on the Outdoor recreation was the cusp of a bigger medical transmain selling point for Dr. Ben formation.

Stepp, a young physician who Dr. Valerie Rigg will be just came to Swain County this “As a person who lives in joining Swain Medical summer. Bryson City fit the bill Swain County, the landscape is Center as a family doc- in other ways, too, Stepp said. changing. Swain County Hospital is changing. It is not tor in November. For the He has an affinity for Southern just an emergency department last 10 years, Dr. Rigg Appalachian people having anymore,” Stargell said. has served as a commu- grown up in Hendersonville.

Not only is the local physinity physician providing And he wanted to work in a cian base stabilizing after a small town, a community urgent care in Marietta, where patients aren’t merely a couple of years of flux, more Ohio. She completed a number on a chart but people specialists from nearby comresidency in family prac- you see in daily life. munities are holding office hours in Swain periodically.

“To be known as the family tice at Emory University.

Donated photo Rotating specialties now seeing doctor in a community, there is patients in Swain include a lot of pull there,” Stargell orthopedics, sports medicine, urology and said. “The person who wants to live here is gastroenterology. going to come with an appreciation already A milestone for medical care in Swain is a of that type of community and lifestyle.”

HAYWOOD PEDIATRIC

September 18-24, 2013

thing he wants to do here in this community rather than go somewhere else and do it,” Heatherly said. “Swain County needs physicians.”

Heatherly said he hopes Caster is successful.

“We intend to maintain a highly collaborative relationship with him,” Heatherly said.

Family doctors are a critical link between patients and hospitals. They are the air-traffic controller of health care, a patient’s first-stop for whatever ails them.

Family doctors pass patients up the chain to specialists, refer them to surgeons, order tests and evaluations, or admit them to a hospital if need be.

With a shortage of family doctors in Swain, however, patients were going as far afield as Asheville.

Serving Haywood, Buncombe, Jackson and surrounding areas.

206-56

9

news

Lori (and friends) love her VW!

Appointment signals Meadow’s rising clout in Washington

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER .S. Congressman Mark Meadows was appointed as one of the country’ two representatives to the United Nation’s General Assembly last week.

President Barack Obama made the appointment on Sept. 10 after fellow House Republicans recommended Meadows, RCashiers, for the job. “I was surprised as a freshman that I was selected,� Meadows said, adding that more than a dozen other Republicans were up for the appointment. “Certainly, it is an honor.�

Ironically, Meadows has been a critic of the U.N., questioning its authority and power. “The laws of the international commu-

Cooper, head of the of Political Science and Public Affairs department at Western Carolina University. “I think that is interesting.�

They will attend meetings with international delegates and ambassadors as well as make them feel welcome during visits to Washington, D.C. “Serving as a direct liaison between Congress and the U.N., I am committed to keeping my House colleagues wellinformed of any issues that might require Congressional action,� Meadows said.

Meadows appointment as a freshman is impressive. “I think for a freshman member of Congress, it’s an important nomination,�

Cooper said. “I think that says that he is sort of pretty quickly establishing himself as a junior power player in Congress.�

However, Cooper qualified his statements, saying it is not the most “I was surprised as a important nomination.

During his brief time in freshman that I was selected.

Congress thus far, Meadows has made foreign relations his specialty, Certainly, it is an honor.� serving on the House foreign affairs — Mark Meadows, U.S. Congressman committee as well as its’ Africa subcommittee. Recently, he and several nity should not usurp the laws of our other representatives met with Vice Constitution,� Meadows said.

President Joe Biden to discuss Syria.

However, he supports the U.N.’s global His selection as a liaison the U.N. humanitarian relief efforts.

General Assembly shows that other As one of only two representatives to Republicans could deem the Meadows as a the U.N. General Assembly, Meadows, rising star in the party. along with U.S. Congresswoman Barbara “Other members are clearly looking to Lee, D-California, will act as a liaison him for guidance on foreign policy,� between the U.S. and other countries.

Cooper said. “In some ways, this could be Meadows and Lee fall on the opposite ends seen as a boon for Western North of the political spectrum, with Lee being Carolina.� one of the most liberal members of Meadows said he will continue to work Congress. on behalf of his constituents in WNC and “Neither one is a centrist,� said Chris will work extra hours to fulfill his new role.

U

* WF XBOUFE B 7PMLTXBHFO #FFUMF TJODF * XBT 8IBU TVSQSJTFE NF XBT IPX NBOZ PUIFS QFPQMF MPWF #FFUMFT * N BO &OHMJTI BT B 4FDPOE -BOHVBHF UFBDIFS JO )BZXPPE $PVOUZ BOE ESJWF B MPU BT QBSU PG NZ KPC &WFSZXIFSF * TUPQ‰QBSLJOH MPUT TDIPPMT UIF HSPDFSZ TUPSF FWFO BU USBGmD MJHIUT‰QFPQMF SPMM EPXO UIFJS XJOEPXT PS XBML PWFS BOE UFMM NF IPX NVDI UIFZ MPWF NZ DBS * BMTP WPMVOUFFS GPS

Smoky Mountain News

September 18-24, 2013

UIF JOUFSOBUJPOBM EBODF GFTUJWBM 'PMLNPPU 64" BOE XIFO

10

XF XFSF UBLJOH QIPUPT * DPVMEO U LFFQ UIF EBODFST GSPN .FYJDP +BQBO BOE 1PMBOE PVU PG UIF QJDUVSF CFDBVTF UIFZ XBOUFE UP TFF NZ DBS 5IBOL ZPV )BSNPOZ .PUPST‰* IBWF B CMBTU FWFSZ UJNF * HFU CFIJOE UIF XIFFM PG NZ 78

Lori McLeod ESL teacher and Folkmoot volunteer Waynesville, NC

Volkswagen of Asheville 621 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806

t XXX BTIFWJMMFWX DPN

Swain County fights for its just due Swain County Manager Kevin King made another trip up to Washington, D.C. last week, though this time the visit was not strictly for Swain County’s benefit.

The National Association of County Commissioners paid for King and 24 other county leaders from 13 states to fly into Washington and lobby for continued funding for the PILT, or payment in lieu of taxes, program. The program provides federal payments to counties with national park and national forest land to offset the losses to the county’s property tax base.

The government doesn’t pay property taxes on land it owns, so counties with a lot of federally owned land like Swain miss out on the property taxes they could otherwise collect if the lands were privately held.

About 87 percent of Swain County’s acreage is federal land, either owned by the Forest Service, National Park Service or the Tennessee Valley Authority. Swain gets

about $575,000 per year in PILT due the large amount of federally owned land — and thus non-taxable land — in the county.

It’s a sizeable part of the small county’s budget.

No PILT funding is included in the federal budget right now, however, which could hurt counties that expect the annual allocation. “Without mandatory funding, PILT will revert to a discretionary program subject to the annual appropriation process, which could jeopardize continued full funding for PILT. We can’t afford to let this happen,� said King, who has gone on PILT lobbying trips before.

King just got back from a trip to Washington last month with Swain County Commissioners Phil Carson and David Monteith to meet with National Park Service and Forest Service leaders. — Caitlin Bowling

T

WCU celebrating Diversity Week

Healthcare law focus of Jackson meeting The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce will host an event to discuss the Affordable Heath Care Act’s impact on small businesses from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the

THE UNINSURED CRACKS In WNC, an estimated 30,000 people are without health insurance, said Mountain Projects Executive Director Patsy Dowling.

Though Dowling acknowledged the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, she said it’s a step in the right direction in helping people access medicine and health care. Many people come to her organization desperate for help and unable to afford doctor’s visits or more serious healthcare needs.

“I’ve seen firsthand what happens when people don’t have adequate health care,” Dowling said. “I have seen some heartbreaking situations.”

For Jackson County resident Marsha Crites, her health care crisis came unexpected-

ly. More than 20 years ago, Crites had a cerebellar stroke that forced her to learn to walk and talk all over again.

“When I was 49 years old, life dealt me one of those blows nobody can predict,” she said.

Now 61, Crites has recovered, but her health crisis left her uninsurable with a preexisting condition. She is hoping Obamacare will be able to get her insurance. The law prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to people like Crites, or who have cancer or diabetes.

“I am uninsurable because of what happened,” she said. “I’m very excited about the Affordable Care Act.” The law also stops providers from charging women more for insurance than men, mandates insurance companies devote a minimum of 80 percent of premiums to health care and prevents lifetime caps on health benefits.

These are just some aspects of the law that have earned it the backing of professional medical organizations in the U.S., including American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,

Experience local Ƥ Ǩ

Best Western in Dillsboro.

The event will feature a presentation discussing small business tax credits, wellness grants and costs. Experts will also explain how the state’s health insurance marketplace — an online insurance exchange — will function and how to enroll.

Seating is limited. RSVP. julie@nc-mountains.com or 828.586.2155.

September S e p t e m b e r 21 2 1 & 22, 2 2 , 1-6 1-6 p pm m

Prayer walk, dinner to draw awareness to drug problems Longs Chapel United Methodist Church will host a prayer walk against drugs in Haywood County 1:30 p.m. Sept. 28.

The walk begins at Waynesville First United Methodist Church and continues to the courthouse. Following the walk, Long’s Chapel will host live music starting at 3 p.m., a talk by Pastor Chuck Wilson and Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed at 4 p.m. and a BBQ dinner at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 and are available until Sept. 20 at the Long’s Chapel church office. Free for children 5 and under.

31 farms 1 pass $25 advance purchase

Smoky Mountain News

Western Carolina University is celebrating Diversity Week, with the goal of raising awareness for diversity in the community.

Beginning Sept. 18, poet Kelly Zen-Yei Tsai will perform in the A.K. Hinds University Center at 7 p.m. Author Brian Johnson will deliver the event’s keynote address at 7 p.m. Sept. 19, in the A.K. Hinds University Center. On Friday, an ice cream social will be held in the Department of Intercultural Affairs from 1 to 3 p.m.

The week will conclude at 9 a.m. Sept. 21, with an Interfaith Conference in the University Center. Registration begins at 8 a.m. ica@wcu.edu or 828.227.2276.

tive health measures are largely without a copay — from routine pap smears to annual physicals — placing an emphasis on screenings to catch illnesses early and get patients seen in the doctor’s office before they end up in the emergency room.

This is one of the aspects of the law Harrison is most excited about, after her sonin-law recently died at the age of 54 from a treatable form of cancer.

Adding scores of people to the rolls of insurance should help to avoid such tragic incidences. Nationwide, approximately 45,000 deaths per year are associated with a lack of healthcare, she said.

“It’s very important that we get to those people,” Harrison said. “That’s why the emphasis is on preventive care.”

September 18-24, 2013

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER housands of uninsured Western North Carolina residents will soon benefit from the Affordable Care Act, despite most people still being confused over what health insurance reform truly entails, according local health experts.

A public meeting in Sylva Monday night brought together a panel of doctors, health care administrators and community organizers to answer questions and explain some of the pending changes coming under Obamacare.

Starting Oct. 1, Internet health care exchanges around the country will go live, allowing millions of uninsured Americans to shop healthcare plans online. Those plans will go into effect in 2014.

As a way to make health insurance more affordable, the act provides tax credits to most people for buying insurance and sets out minimum standards for what insurance companies have to cover for people on a plan.

“And you cannot be denied for preexisting conditions, which is a biggie,” said Jane Harrison, preventative specialist with Mountain Projects, a nonprofit that administers aid and support for the needy, poor and disabled in Jackson and Haywood counties.

Mountain Projects is assembling a team of community “navigators,” as they’ve been deemed, with the help of federal grant money to assist residents wanting to enroll in a subsidized plan but are confused how to do so. It is one of several organizations doing the same.

Under the Affordable Care Act, preventa-

news

Experts educate residents on cumbersome healthcare reform

said Dr. David Trigg, an ER doctor at Cherokee Indian Hospital and clinical director at the Good Samaritan Clinic.

As an emergency room doctor, Trigg is required to see every patient that walks in the door, regardless of his or her insurance situation.

And not having insurance makes you more likely to die, Trigg said.

That holds true even in young adults.

“Just being uninsured can be considered a risk factor,” he said. “Just like you’d consider high-blood pressure or smoking risk factors.”

But being uninsured is not only detrimental to a person’s health, it’s also rolling the dice when it comes to their pocketbook.

“Medical costs are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States,” Trigg said. “The uninsured are totally unprotected.”

On the other hand, Obamacare is also projected to leave more than 30 millions uninsured in its first year as lawmakers in states like North Carolina refuse to expand Medicaid to the poor and millions opt not to buy insurance. Which is why Becky Olson, executive director of the Good Samaritan Clinic in Jackson County, said her free clinic won’t be closing anytime soon.

It’s one of 81 free clinics registered in the state, attempting to pick up where the system fails.

“As proud and honored I am to be a part of this amazing organization, I know free clinics are not the best option for providing coordinated and continuous care,” she said.

“None of us can provide all needed services all the times.”

Buy B u y aatt aasapconnections.org s apc o nne c t i o ns . o r g 11

news

Classes offered the first Tuesday of every month.

828.497.7755 320 U.S. 441 N. Whittier, NC Take HWY 74 to Cherokee Exit #74 on 441 N

wncsupplyinc.com 206-46

THE AFFORDABLE

Vegetable Canning Class Tuesday, Oct. 1 • 7 p.m.

Register at our website to receive Newsletter on future classes, then Opt In from your email. Check out our links for more information on classes.

CARE ACT

What does it mean for you?

Learn what options are available for affordable health insurance and how to apply.

Tuesday, September 24th • 6-7:30 p.m.

Senior Center • 125 Brendle St. • Bryson City Signed. Sealed. Delivering…

“Your One Stop Prepper Shop”

Hosted by Swain County Health Department and Swain County Farm Bureau

Healthy Living for a Lifetime™ Brought to You by the North Carolina Farm Bureau

Smoky Mountain News

September 18-24, 2013

Receive FREE Health Screenings!

Date:

Tuesday, September 24

Time:

10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Location:

Swain County Administration Building 101 Mitchell Street Bryson City, NC 28713

Screenings offered:

Cholesterol, Blood Glucose, Blood Pressure, Body Mass Index, Bone Density and Vascular Ultrasound*

Receive educational materials, promotional items, refreshments and more! For more information, call 919-706-4159 or contact the Swain County Farm Bureau at 828-488-3780.

Thanks to our partners:

12

Swain County Health Department

* Eligibility determined by medical staff at screening event. No appointment necessary.

Screening recommended for adults age 18+. 8 hours fasting recommended, not required.

M

Smoky Mountain News

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER aggie Valley residents and leaders are questioning how and why town taxpayers ended up footing the bill for a Country music concert at the festival grounds last month — and whether the town will end up holding the bag for some $7,000 after the concert finished in the red.

The concert by Matt Stillwell, a local country singer whose star is rising in Nashville, was initially contacted by Maggie bar and restaurant owner Charlie Meadows. But at the last minute, the town fronted the costs of the festival — including more than $1,000 in alcohol to be resold to the crowds and Stillwell’s $3,500 booking fee.

Ticket sales fell far short of covering the costs, and although Meadows has pledged to pay the town back, controversy has erupted over why the town ever agreed to the deal in the first place.

Stillwell needed a venue to put for a showcase performance for managers of country star Toby Keith to decide whether to sign him on Keith’s label. Meadows found himself working as a liaison to bring the Stillwell showcase concert to the Maggie Festival Grounds, which he thought would be a tourist boon for the town during an otherwise slow weekend.

Meadows soon found himself in the role of event promoter and organizer. He booked Stillwell to play and applied to use the Maggie Festival Grounds, but beyond that, he needed

help since he had never put on concert before. So he asked Audrey Hagar, the town’s festival director, for help.

“Charlie wanted to keep it in Maggie,” Hagar said.

Everything was shaping up until a little more than two weeks before the event when the alcohol permit was denied for the event.

Hagar said she had applied for a special one-time permit for alcohol sales at the event like she always had for every other event held at the town’s festival grounds.

The application stated the permit was in fact being applied for on behalf of Meadows.

The profits from alcohol sales would be split 70-30, with a third of the proceeds going to the town to offset maintenance cost of the festival grounds and the rest to Meadows as a private event organizer.

However, the North Carolina ABC Commission said the festival grounds could not ask for the permit on behalf of a for-profit organizer.

“They are saying it is circumventing the system,” Hagar said.

At that point, the only way to get a permit on short notice was for the town to apply for it in its own name and assume the official title of “event promoter” of the concert, she said.

Hagar said she was surprised by the alcohol permit being denied since she had filled out the application as she always had for the last three years.

Apparently, though, the town never should have been granted alcohol sale permits on behalf on a third-party in the past.

“That is something we probably did in error,” said Agnes Stevens, a spokeswoman for the ABC commission.

However, the state commission is crack-

In theory, the Stillwell concert could have gone on without alcohol. However, Hagar said the event had been getting advertised, including the availability of alcohol, for a couple of weeks already. Plus, one of the sponsors was Ole Smoky Moonshine. Without alcohol sales, it would be hard to recoup the costs of putting on the concert.

“We could, but it drastically restricts the promoter’s revenue stream,” Hagar said. And “It is just kind of an expectation.”

In fact, the town paid $1,241 for alcohol and made more than three times that from sales, according to unaudited numbers from the event.

The town also spent $8,000 on advertising with Clear Channel radio in Asheville as well as The Smoky Mountain News, The Asheville Citizen-Times and The Mountaineer. Critics of the issue have said that $8,000 seems excessive for advertising.

“It’s really pretty normal for a concert,” Hagar countered, especially since Stillwell isn’t a headliner yet.

When they ran into the snag with the ABC permit, Hagar and Meadows discussed the option of the town assuming the role as the official event organizer. She then asked for permission from Town Manager Tim Barth, who did not want a cancellation to reflect badly on the town.

“We certainly didn’t want to have a black eye for cancelling an event or part of an event,” Barth said.

Plus, Meadows signed an agreement a day before the concert agreeing to reimburse the town for any losses, he said.

“The town does not lose out on any money because he said he would pay it back,” Barth said.

In the end, the expenses ran up to nearly $17,000, while revenues only amounted to about $9,200. Given those numbers, Meadows will have to pay the town about $7,500, much more than he had anticipated.

Meadows had hoped he could at least break even on the event. But when attendance fell short of expectations, Meadows knew he would be in the red. He initially heard he owed $3,000, then later heard $5,000. Now, that has gone up even more.

“I don’t know how the costs keep growing.

That’s what I don’t understand,” Meadows said.

No matter what though, Meadows vowed to cover it.

“Whatever the invoices come back I am going to pay it,” he said.

Another point of contention is how many people actually attended. Meadows estimated 800 but said he didn’t know the exact number of ticket sales. Hager said ticket sales were more like 600, although didn’t know the exact number. Not all those who bought tick-

THE BANK OF MAGGIE?

Prior to the Matt Stillwell concert, Hagar and Barth were the only town officials who knew about the arrangement with Meadows, which puzzled elected town leaders.

“It seems to me like that is something we would vote on before we go on the hook for somebody else’s festival,” said Alderman Mike Matthews.

Fellow Aldermen Phillip Wight was also perturbed the whole town board wasn’t asked.

“I don’t know exactly what happened and how,” Wight said. “We are finding things out after the fact.”

Meadows is running for a seat on the board of aldermen. He is in the same political camp as both Wight and Matthews, who voiced their frustrations toward the town OK’ing the deal rather than at Meadows personally.

“It has nothing to do with Charlie. I told him the other day, ‘You went to the town and asked for it, but that doesn’t mean they should have given it to you,’” Matthews said.

Residents also began to question the decision-making of town officials and how the agreement came about.

“Who gave anybody permission to use the town as a bank?” said Maggie Valley resident Sonja Michaels. “The town winds up paying all the bills. That’s very questionable.”

During a meeting last week, Maggie hotel owner Beth Reece mockingly ask the town board for $25,000 to cover the cost of new washers and dryers she is placing in her business. If they fronted money to one business owner, why not her, she said.

A few also wondered why the town is fronting money to promoters for advertising festivals. Meadows was not the only one who benefited from that. Because the town already has ad accounts in the area, it can receive advertising for cheaper rates, Hagar said. Then, promoters reimburse the festival grounds.

Mayor Ron DeSimone said the town needs to review its practices. The festival grounds should not be paying for anything especially since it offers the venue for free.

“I am not happy with it. Obviously, it brings to question a lot of things we need to look into,” said DeSimone, who said he did not know about the arrangement with Meadows.

Some repercussion could be in store for Hagar and Barth for making the decision without board approval, DeSimone said.

“There needs to be some accountability for that. There needs to obviously be some action taken,” he said.

The Stillwell concert has been the talk of the town since mid-August but not for positive reasons, and the board has formally discussed concerns about the town loaning a business owner money. All the gossip going around Maggie has Meadows regretting his decision to take a stab organizing at a concert.

“If I knew it was going to cause any kind of ruckus I would not have done it all,” Meadows said.

13

September 18-24, 2013

Town foots bill, festival organizer pledges to repay it

Matt Stillwell held a concert at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds as part of a showcase for country megastar Toby Keith in hopes of being signed to his label. Donated photo

WHO DECIDED?

ets showed up either because of rains that plagued the day.

news

Maggie bites off more than it can chew in Stillwell concert

ing down on its permitting process after a homicide at Stratusphere Entertainment Complex in Jacksonville, N.C. — a place that similar to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds received special event alcohol permits.

“The process and what is allowed hasn’t changed,” Stevens said. “The degree of scrutiny has changed.”

Macon County ponies up for airport upgrades, again

news

The Denture Shop Dentures

Starting at

Total now tops $1 million during five years from local taxpayers

$380

(full upper & lower set)

Denture (upper or lower) Partial Denture Denture Reline Denture Repair

$ $ $ $

220+ 210+ 80+ 50+

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER he Macon County Commission last week narrowly approved funding for upgrades and an expansion of the runway at the county airport.

The county will put up $290,000 as a local match in order to land a $2.5 million grant the airport from the Federal Aviation Administration and N.C. Department of Transportation. The 5,000foot runway will be widened by 25 feet and be repaved, plus get new lights along the airstrip.

“We’re going to have one of the best IRPORT FOES airports west of Buncombe; it’s going to be However, the airport’s growth has hapin good shape,” said Miles Gregory, chairpened amidst criticism from a broad specman of the Macon County Airport trum of local residents and political leaders Authority. for cultural, economic and safety reasons.

Once complete, the Macon airport will The runway’s initial expansions was met have racked up more than $11 million in infrastructure projects during the past four years — of that about $10 “People don’t come in and say million came from state and federal grants and about $1 million from ‘I came here on an airplane.’ county coffers as a required local match.

I’ve never had one of them The latest round of work will stay at my motel.” begin by October and be completed sometime in December. The work — Ron Haven, Macon commissioner will be done at night so as not to disrupt air traffic, Gregory said. with concern over the disturbance of Commissioners voted 3 to 2 to provide Cherokee artifacts on site. the matching funds, with Ronnie Haven Some neighbors of the airport, located and Paul Higdon voted against the in Iotla Valley, say it’s not the best neighexpense. bor either. Since the runway was last Haven said the county should not be expanded, jet traffic and the sound of roarfunding a project that can’t demonstrate clear economic benefits for the average citi- ing engines have increased and are impactzen. Haven has asked for proof that airport ing the quality of life and rural character they once valued. The imminent brighter improvements are helping the local econolights and a wider runway won’t make the my but has received little evidence. valley anymore peaceful either.

“Did that benefit John Doe out here “Some of my neighbors complain that with a welding shop, or did that benefit the noise is like living in the middle of Jane Doe with a beauty shop?” Haven said.

Miami,” said Olga Pader, who lives about a “There should be some answers.”

Most citizens in the county can’t afford mile from the runway. “They need to consider the people who actually live here and to fly out of the airport, he said, and are impacted by it.” instead they drive to Atlanta or Asheville Pader said she and other area residents to take a plane. Instead, he believes the take issue with everything from the sound airport is largely being used by the wellpollution to the visual impact of the brilto-do and wealthy vacationers going to liantly white hangars to the safety aspect of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort. As having planes flying overhead. The plane a local lodging owner himself, Haven said crash in 2012 killed five people, and since he’s never had a guest who flew in on a then, the county has built a new elemensmall plane. tary school adjacent to the runway.

“People don’t come in and say ‘I came Pader said the bowl-shaped Iotla Valley, here on an airplane,’” Haven said. “I’ve ringed by mountains, might not be the best never had one of them stay at my motel.”

In addition to funding nearly $1 million site for an ever-expanding airfield.

“There are a lot of safety concerns I for capital projects at the airport during have,” Pader said. “It just keeps growing.” the past few years, county taxpayers subsi-

T

206-36

A Complete service denture laboratory providing helpful ways to get your smile back

828-554-5990 toll free 855-554-5990 1225 Tsalagi Rd, Cherokee, NC 28719

dize its annual operating costs to the tune of about $40,000 a year.

But the airport is an economic engine that benefits the whole county, not just those who actually use it, according to Gregory.

“It’s an investment as far as we’re concerned,” Gregory said. “We’re getting it up there to be a credible airport in Western North Carolina.”

That in turn will make Macon an attractive hub. The airport is used by visitors heading to Harrah’s — Hank Williams, Jr. used it to arrive at his recent concert there.

Local businessmen and homeowners in the Highlands area also use it. It has been touted as an economic driver for tourism and the homebuilding sectors in the county’s economy.

September 18-24, 2013

A

Youth Art Festival Saturday, Sept. 21st 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Rain or Shine!

206-38

Smoky Mountain News

Music • Dance • Art Demonstrations 828.631-0271

www.jcgep.org

LOCATED AT THE GREEN ENERGY PARK , NEAR THE HUDDLE HOUSE IN DILLSBORO.

facebook.com/smnews 14

Aero modeling charity event

“The big ones can get expensive in a Penland said. “It’s just like golf to some peohurry,” he said. “But you can make it as cheap ple or bowling.” or expensive as you like.”

The club is always looking for new memThe planes represented in the club are var- bers, too. Beginners can make use of dual ied. Some of the planes are hand built with cus- remote control setup owned by the club while tom paint jobs — the result of hours of work learning the ropes, meaning they can fly the and meticulous care invested by their owners. plane while an experienced pilot stands by Others are prefabricated kits called ARA — or their side with another control mechanism “almost ready to fly” that can take over — meant to cut down during the more dif“It’s excitement; it’s assembly time and ficult takeoffs and camaraderie. It’s just like get right to flying. landings, or if the Some of the new pilot runs into golf to some people or planes are aerobatic trouble. ones, made especially What makes flybowling.” for midair stalls and ing difficult in the — Stan Penland, Macon Aero high-speed loops, beginning is that the Modelers Club president twists and turns. orientation of the Other planes are controls are always replicas of old World War II bombers or use aligned with the plane. It’s intuitive while the smoke systems to simulate real airplane trails. plane is flying directly away form the pilot, Whatever the club members are flying but when the plane is heading toward the during the weekend — at their club field near pilot the controls become reverse.

Otto or at a regular charity fundraiser — it’s Anyone can pick it up, however, Penland sure to draw a crowd of enthralled children, said, it just takes a little practice and the right patriotic veterans with nostalgia for the war- frame of mind. planes or plain old aeronautic nerds.

“You have to be thinking that you’re “It’s excitement; it’s camaraderie,” inside the airplane at all times,” he said.

15

Smoky Mountain News

Western North Carolina wait out the winter before they can reunite with their flying buddies back in Macon.

Some are retired airline pilots, and others just took a liking to the hobby of aero modeling.

It only took Penland, who is also a “real” pilot by training, a few visits to the aero modeling flying field to watch the club members tool around in the sky before he realized there was no turning back.

“I went down to watch them a time or two, and then, I got hooked,” Penland said.

Now, his growing model airplane collection has come to occupy all the spare space in his basement and storage trailers. It doesn’t help that he has taken an affinity to the larger model airplanes, either.

Penland owns five gas-powered planes, several nitro gas-powered models, electric planes and helicopters. The biggest plane he owns has a 148-inch wingspan, not much different in size than a small airplane.

Though the larger model aircraft can cost in the range of $8,000 to $13,000, a well placed few hundred dollars will get a beginner a pretty sweet setup. As model plane technology improves, the costs have come down quite a bit, Penland said.

The Macon Aero Modelers is holding it’s 5th annual BBQ Charity Fun Fly starting at 9 a.m.

Sept. 21-22 at the club’s flying field on Tessentee Road in Otto.

Each year, the club, made up of radio controlled airplane enthusiasts, hosts the Fun Fly to raise money for a good cause. This year, the club is raising money for REACH of Macon County.

REACH is nonprofit organization that works with victims of domestic violence. It also has a court advocacy program, rape prevention eduGary Sorenson (left) cation programs, helps a new flyer at a youth advocacy prorecent Macon Aero grams, a 24-hour criModelers Fun Fly. sis hotline and proPhotos courtesy of Bob Scott vides emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence, among other services.

There is a $5 parking fee. BBQ plates are $7, and hot dog plates are $5. The rain dates for the event are Sept. 28-29.

September 18-24, 2013

Model plane club allows members to take the pilot seat

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER he Macon Aero Modelers Club members are not afraid to fly much of anything.

Large, wooden aircraft churning through the sky, small, light planes twisting and turning at 10, 15, 20 Gs — if it’s got wings, it’s their forte.

But, it’s all done from the safety of the ground, feet planted firmly on the grass of the club’s flying field near Otto, perhaps with a barbecue going on in the background and other plane enthusiasts cheering on the remote control pilot. The hobby allows them to try stuff that would be unthinkable in any real airplane.

“You can do a lot of acrobatics that a lot of real planes can’t do,” said club president Stan Penland. “There are a lot of maneuvers that’d kill a lot of pilots.”

Which is possibly why the club’s membership keeps growing rather than shrinking.

Since starting out as a few acquaintances who came together more than a decade ago to fly around Macon County, the club’s ranks have blossomed to 50 or more. Pilots hail from all over, including Cashiers and Highlands and even Florida, where seasonal residents of

T

news

Flying high

news

Construction climate warming up again in Haywood

The total number of all building permits issued by the county — including additions and commercial buildings — was up by 76 more permits last fiscal year compared to the prior year.

The county has not seen much in the way of new business permits, however.

“Basically, all we’ve seen is just small business type stuff and not much of that,” Crawford said.

The county’s building permit numbers don’t include construction in the town limits of Waynesville, which handles its own building permits. Waynesville issued 16 more buidling permits last year than the year before, but so far this year is about even with the same period last year.

— By Caitlin Bowling

Smoky Mountain News

September 18-24, 2013

Building permits are trending upwards in Haywood County thanks to an increase in single-family home construction.

The majority of new permits are for mid-range homes less than 4,000 square feet and below $500,000 in value, according to Bruce Crawford, director of building inspections in Haywood County.

The county issued 25 permits for single-family homes in July and August, compared to 16 for the same two-month period last year.

Building permits last fiscal year were up slightly compared to the year before as well.

During the 2012-2013 fiscal year ending in June, the county issued 105 permits for single-family homes. That’s 25 more than the previous year.

“I guess the economy is getting a little bit better,” Crawford said. “It has improved enough that people are starting to turn loose some money.”

The total number of all building permits issued by the county — including additions and commercial buildings — was up by 76 more permits last fiscal year compared to the prior year.

Permits for home additions still remained by far the most popular type of permit issued, topping nearly 250 last fiscal year. Home additions are likely up for

several reasons. Low interest rates have made refinancing an attractive option, liquidating home equity for people to then plow into an addition. And those who want more space but are unable to sell their existing home for a decent price tend to improve what they already have instead of moving.

Fresh. Local. Yours.

Farmers Markets.

Now Open.

MOUNTAINwise.org

16

Made possible with funding from the North Carolina Community Transformation Grant Project and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The National Guard’s 211th Military Police Company will deploy to Afghanistan, the same country the 210th in Macon County left for about five months. The 210th (pictured above) also held a mobilization ceremony before shipping out. Andrew Kasper photo

National Guard Unit from Haywood to deploy to Afghanistan

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he National Guard’s 211th Military Police Company based in Haywood County is deploying to Afghanistan.

A mobilization ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, at Haywood Community College’s auditorium to give the soldiers a proper send off.

The 210th Military Police Company hailing from Macon and Jackson counties shipped out in the spring, also Afghanistan bound.

Both unit were placed “on alert” at the end of last year, signaling an impending mission.

The National Guard 211th unit has more than 110 soldiers.

Generally, military police companies like the 211th are used to guard prisoners or run security patrols.

The state National Guard office would not provide details about the mission, however.

“Due to operational security, there are some issues, such as exact locations and

detailed mission objectives, that I cannot divulge at this time,” said Cpt. Rick Scoggins, a spokesman with the North Carolina National Guard.

The 211th has deployed three times in the last 11 years. The company went to Afghanistan for a year in 2002 and then to Iraq in 2003 and 2004. Prior to that, the unit served in Operation Desert Storm in 1990.

While members of the 211th are preparing to leave their families, Deborah Reed, a family support coordinator for the unit, is enlisting people on the home front to send care packages and letters to the soldiers while they are gone.

“We will just be organizing the community to put together care packages,” Reed said.

“They really come together when units deploy.”

Those wishing to help by either donating care packages or volunteering their time can contact Reed at 828.776.2527 or the unit’s headquarters in Clyde at 828.627.9024.

Haywood acts to secure Mauney Cove trash site

Mark Swanger.

Mauney Cove is one of its most used collection centers in the county.

“Should this site be sold we could lose one of our most coveted centers in the county,” Swanger said.

The lease on the property is good until September 2016.

In the same meeting, the commissioners also accepted a $30,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources to help pay for new recycling receptacles at all the county’s convenience centers. The total cost of replacing all the old recycling containers is about $272,300, which was included in the county’s solid waste budget for the year.

— By Caitlin Bowling

T

Haywood County has secured the first right of refusal on the 1.4-acre tract where the Mauney Cove trash and recycling collection site is located near the intersection of U.S. 276 and U.S. 19.

The county currently leases the site for $6,000 a year.

The Board of Commissioners agreed Monday to secure the first right of refusal on the property, giving the county first dibs should the owner ever decide to sell it.

“This doesn’t commit us to anything. Just the option to purchase the site should the need arise,” said Commission Chairman

September 18-24, 2013 Smoky Mountain News

The creation of a monolithic blueprint that will lead the seven western counties into a new economy is under way, but the team of researchers behind it is calling for community input to ensure the vision being crafted is the right one.

“We want to speak to people in the region to show them what we have done so far and make sure we are capturing their perspective,” said Ben Brown with the Maconbased Placemakers consulting firm that’s part of the research team.

A $1.3-million, year long visioning process known as Opportunity Initiative — or Opt-In, for short — is engaging business, civic and community leaders. But it also wants to check in and touch base with the general public.

A series of upcoming public meetings will synthesize key findings emerging from the mountains of data and research. Some of the findings are old news. Manufacturing has declined. High-speed Internet access is lacking. The population is aging.

But until now, what these disparate realities actually mean hasn’t been assessed collectively as a region.

“There is no doubt that all rural areas are struggling for a sense of identity and strategic purpose,” Brown said. “Rural communities have to be much smarter to use the resources that are there and to create new resources.”

But the massive visioning study will hopefully come up with concrete solutions to putting WNC on the path of a shared vision.

“Where do we put our time and energy?

How to we maximize our opportunities? Are we making the best use of our assets right now?” Brown posed.

The answer likely lies in WNC’s strengths. While it may seem intuitive, the study will assess how the region can tap into its assets to build a better economic future, Brown said.

“What things are we really good at?

Outdoor recreation, the mountains and rivers, are really strong consistent assets,” Brown said.

The following is a list of public meeting locations where the research team will gather public input. Drop-bys start at 5:30 p.m., with the formal presentations and discussion from 6 to 8 p.m.

• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Monday, Sept. 23, at Tribal Council House.

• Robbinsville, Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Graham County Community Center.

• Franklin, Thursday, Sept. 26, at Macon Bank Corporate Center.

• Cullowhee, Monday, Sept. 30, at Western Carolina University’s A.K. Hinds Center, multi-purpose room.

• Bryson City, Thursday, Oct. 3, Swain County Technology and Training Center.

• Waynesville, Thursday, Oct. 10, at Regional High Technology Center.

— By Becky Johnson

news

Forging a new economy: public input sought in roadmap for WNC

17

news

Deserted factory to morph into agriculture venture

September 18-24, 2013

Put $50 and a Samsung in your pocket.

Get a $50 bonus on all Samsung Smartphones with a network that works when and where you need it.

— Rob Hawk, Cooperative Extension agent

uscellular.com

49.99

$ Smoky Mountain News

A

“The sky is the limit. All these old plants across the state, something needs to be done with them.”

FREE

FREE

18

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER n abandoned, county-owned furniture factory in Whittier could transform into a center for agritourism in Jackson County, or it could become something entirely different.

The old Drexel furniture plant is in the county’s Whittier Industrial Park. The 36-acre site is equipped with a large building but sits in a flood zone, greatly decreasing its resale value. But Lynn Sprague believes it could be ideal for some sort of regional agricultural operation.

Sprague is executive director of the Southwestern North Carolina Resource Conservation and Development Council and was given the blessing of the Jackson County commissioners Monday to begin exploring possibilities for the site. A coalition of government, tribal and nonprofit entities will investigate different options.

“Our main focus would be agriculture, including forestry, but also agritourism, and it could go back to furniture,” Sprague said.

49.99

$

49.99 $99.99 $

After $50 Switcher Bonus that comes as a MasterCard® Debit Card. Applicable Data Plan, Device Protection+, new 2-year agmt. and $35 activation fee required.

Things we want you to know: Offer valid for limited time only. A new 2-yr. agmt. (subject to a pro-rated $150 early termination fee for feature phones, modems and hotspot devices and a $350 early termination fee for smartphones and tablets) required. Agmt. Terms apply as long as you are a cstmr. $35 device act. fee and credit approval may apply. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies (currently $1.57/line/month); this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Add. fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by svc. and eqmt. Offers valid at participating locations only. See store or uscellular.com for details. 4G LTE not available in all areas. See uscellular.com/4G for complete coverage details. 4G LTE service provided through King Street Wireless, a partner of U.S. Cellular. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. $50 Switcher Bonus: Valid for new line activations with any Samsung Smartphone. To receive $50 bonus, customer must register for My Account, or if already registered for My Account, log in to My Account within 14 days of activation. Bonus redeemable online at uscellular.com/Samsung50. Bonus is in the form of a U.S. Cellular MasterCard® Debit Card issued by MetaBank™ Member FDIC pursuant to license from MasterCard International Incorporated. This card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts MasterCard Debit Cards within the U.S. only. Card valid through expiration date shown on front of card. Allow 10-12 weeks for processing. Device Protection+ enrollment is required and must remain on account for 60 days. The monthly charge for Device Protection+ is $8.99 for Smartphones with applicable Data Plan. A deductible per approved claim applies. You may cancel Device Protection+ anytime after the 60 days. Federal Warranty Service Corporation is the Provider of the Device Protection+ ESC benefits, except in CA and OK. Account must remain active and in good standing in order to receive bonus. Offer not valid on business accounts and not combinable with other offers. Offer only available at participating locations. Promotional phone subject to change. Application and data network usage charges may apply when accessing applications. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. ©2013 U.S. Cellular

As director of the council, Sprague works on community conservation and agriculture projects with seven western counties in North Carolina and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He is spearheading the Whittier project.

Instead of looking at how the facility could serve just Jackson County, Sprague said it would be beneficial to form an agricultural alliance with neighboring Swain County and the Eastern Band. Broadening the scope of the project would improve chances of receiving outside funding.

“It really expands your opportunity for grants,” Sprague said.

At a meeting with commissioners Monday, Sprague floated ideas such as a farmer’s market area, a packaging, shipping or refrigeration station for agricultural goods, or a processing space for wood products. Being in a flood zone, the space could be perfect for recreation or county fairground space as well.

As former Polk County agricultural economic development director, Sprague helped manage a similar project there, the Mill Spring Agricultural Center.

He said he sees similar potential in Jackson County, where agriculture is a leading economic driver.

Sprague said he hopes to have a plan developed for the county within a year, though minor cleanup and repairs at the site will start sooner. The first step, however, will be a series of community meetings to solicit public input. The first of those will take place in Cherokee in October, though the exact date and location have not been set.

Both the tribe and Swain County’s economic development arm have expressed

F

I

— Doug Cody, Jackson County commissioner

Jones is a Democrat, and the left-leaning voters in the county as whole outnumbered the conservative voting bloc of Cashiers.

Jones said he likes to think of himself as a representative of all of Jackson County, not just the Cashiers area. He also questioned the partisan motives for such voting changes.

If the Republican stronghold of Cashiers was left to its own devices, it could easily elect a Republican to the county board every time.

“That’s what raised my red flag about this,” Jones said.

But Debnam claimed his motivation for approaching the issue isn’t political but has more to do with confusion among voters about how commissioners are elected. The system in place isn’t intuitive, he said.

“There are just a lot of people I talk to that don’t realize they don’t necessarily elect their district representatives,” Debnam said. “Just because a person is elected doesn’t mean they carried their district — that’s what they can’t understand.”

Jones isn’t the first commissioner in Jackson County to be elected without support from his home district, either. Former commissioners Franz Whitmire, Eddie Madden and Jay Coward, who is now the county’s attorney and was also present at the work session, did not carry their own districts on the path to Election Day victory.

Prior to 1992, the county didn’t divvy up commissioner seats by district at all. But that meant all the commissioners could end up coming from the county’s population centers and never from outlying areas. So the county switched to districts — currently one com-

missioner is elected from each the geographic territories of Cashiers, Whittier, Cullowhee and Sylva.

Yet, Jones said that true district representation has been proven successful most often in localities with higher density populations and a larger voting public. Jackson County with it 40,000 residents, split four ways, might not be the best place for such elections.

“The success rate of voting by district is in higher population areas, municipalities, cities,” he said.

Jackson County Elections Director Lisa Lovedahl pointed out there are 15 counties statewide that elect by district; 42 elect with countywide elections; 19 limit candidates to residing in particular district yet elect commissioners by countywide vote; 20 use a combination of district and atlarge seats; the remaining four counties use other methods.

To make changes to Jackson County’s commissioner elections, the fast-track method would be having the General Assembly pass a bill. Or there could be a countywide special election that would cost an estimated $70,000. Otherwise, a referendum vote would have to be placed on a ballot

206-74

The

Roaring Twenties Networking After Hours September 26 • 6-8 p.m.

Herren House, Waynesville Hors d' oeuvres and a Cash Bar Available Join the Young Professionals of Haywood for a “Roaring Twenties” themed After Hours Event at the Herren House. Enjoy this excellent opportunity to network with young professionals in your community. sponsored by

club. Getting community input should be no problem, he said.

“That’s along the lines of what people are looking for,” Elders said. “I’m from that area, and I can tell you you’ll get community support.”

Cooperative Extension Agent Rob Hawk said he is also looking forward to working on the project and what it might mean for local agriculture if it can be made into a productive space. But first, a good plan needs to be put in place.

“The sky is the limit,” Hawk said. “All these old plants across the state, something needs to be done with them.”

828.456.3021

HaywoodChamber.com

Smoky Mountain News

interest already.

Jackson County commissioners were also excited at the prospect of putting the space to use. Recently created federal flood maps placed the factory in the flood zone, even though it’s protected by an earthen levy. The county was unable to appeal its floodplain designation, however, which stalled efforts to sell the property.

Commissioner Charles Elders, who represents Whittier, said many people approach him with suggestions of what to do with that space. One idea he has heard would turn it into a livestock judging space for the 4-H

“I don’t think you can ever go wrong by letting the people decide how they want their government to work.”

September 18-24, 2013

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER n what he characterized as simply starting the discussion, Jackson County Commission Chairman Jack Debnam broached the idea of changing how voters elect county commissioners.

Debnam brought up the topic at an informal county commissioner work session, where it met with divided support. Debnam floated the idea of electing commissioners by district — with only the voters who live in that district getting to chose their candidates.

In the left-leaning Jackson County, at-large elections tend to give the edge to Democrats.

Despite a couple of conservative strongholds in parts of the county, the liberal voice usually overwhelms the chances of a conservative winning a county commissioner seat.

A conservative candidate from Whittier, for example, may not pass voter scrutiny in the liberal haven of Cullowhee.

Carving the county up into distinct voting blocks, could help Republicans to secure their base and keep their seats on the county board of commissioners.

County commissioners are already elected from geographic districts within the county — sort of. Commissioners are elected from one of four geographic territories. While candidates run for seats according to the district where they live, voters countywide get to vote in all the races for all the districts.

Debnam said that arrangement deserves some examination. He suggested only the voters who live in a district should get to vote on the candidates running from that district.

“I feel that we should start a discussion,” Debnam said. “This is something we need to be looking at.”

The change would give the distinct geographic communities their own voice when electing a county commissioner from their neck of the woods. Currently, the voters of a district can be outnumbered be voters in the rest of the county.

That’s what happened in Cashiers in the last commissioners election, when Commissioner Mark Jones lost among voters his own district but won the seat thanks to support from the rest of the county.

news

District elections could be a partisan game changer in Jackson

in a 2014 election and the soonest the county could switch over would be 2016.

Debnam said he would like to see the matter voted on by county residents, not done by the state. In 2011, district-based voting for county commissioners was implemented in Buncombe County by the General Assembly, changing the dynamics of county politics.

“I don’t agree with that,” Debnam said. “If it happens it needs to be done by a vote from the people.”

Republican Commissioner Doug Cody agreed that any changes should come from the voice of the people.

“I don’t think you can ever go wrong by letting the people decide how they want their government to work,” Cody said.

“That’s their right to say ‘yes’ we do or ‘no’ we don’t.”

Commissioner Vicki Green, a Democrat, feared the change would prompt commissioners to only care about currying favors for their own district rather than looking out for the greater good of the county as a whole. She said more research needs to be done on the unintended consequences.

“I would like to know how that has changed the way that people work,” she said.

“Am I thinking about spending money in one district versus others?”

Republican Commissioner Charles Elders said district-only elections would make the process more intimate, though, and vet better candidates in the end.

“Who knows you better than your district?” he said. “The people you go to church with, the people you work with in your area.”

19

20

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Needed: a just, humane immigration policy

BY DOUG WINGEIER G UEST COLUMNIST ith all the current media attention being focused on Syria, budget deadlines, Obamacare, and the floods in Colorado, the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle. Yet, migrants are dying daily in the Arizona desert. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents continue relentlessly detaining and deporting hard-working, taxpaying immigrants, thereby breaking up families and depriving us of contributing members of society.

Bright, deserving youth are denied admission to college, and their creative potential is lost to us. Millions are spent on border security that could be used to meet our domestic needs for healthcare, education, and social services. Yet migrants continue to cross to escape violence and poverty at home (the push factor) and seek jobs here (the pull factor) in order to support their families.

We desperately need a new immigration policy that: (1) provides a path to citizenship for workers currently living in the U.S.; (2) reunites family who have been separated by deportations, work visas for males only. or undocumented border crossings; (3) allows youth who were brought here as children and know America as their only homeland (socalled “dreamers”) to gain documentation so they can pursue education and careers here; (4) institutes an efficient entry visa program

that admits workers coming to meet job demands in such areas as agriculture, construction, food preparation, and accommodation; and (5) restores the rule of laws that are realistic and enforceable.

Opposition to such a just policy is based on several erroneous and misguided myths, which are refuted by the following facts: ■ Immigrants do pay taxes, in the form of income, property, and sales taxes at both federal and state levels. Undocumented immigrants contribute $6-7 billion in Social Security funds that they will never be able to claim.

■ Immigrants do not take jobs and opportunity away from Americans. They usually do heavy manual labor or domestic service, working long hours, under hazardous conditions, for low pay — jobs that few of us are willing to take on.

■ Immigrants do not come here to take welfare. They come to work, reunite with family, or send remittances back to family in their country of origin. Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, and most other public benefits.

■ Immigrants do want to learn English.

Enrollment is high in English as a Second Language classes. Research shows that within 10 years, 75 percent of adult immigrants will speak English well.

■ Immigrants do not send all their money back home. In order to survive and get ahead here, they must become consumers, and plow most of their earnings back into local

economies by purchasing food, clothing, housing, cell phones, TVs, cars, and other necessities of life.

■ Immigrants are not a drain on the U.S. economy. The net benefit of immigration to the U.S. is nearly $10 billion annually.

Transplanted into our workforce, they will contribute $500 billion toward our Social Security system over the next 20 years — thereby resolving its so-called “crisis.”

■ Most immigrants do not cross the border illegally. Around 75 percent have legal permanent visas; of the 25 percent that are undocumented, 40 percent have overstayed temporary (non-immigrant) visas.

■ It is not weak border enforcement that has led to high undocumented immigration.

Tough enforcement, heavy fortification, doubling of border agents, additional miles of walls and fences, high-tech surveillance, incarceration in private for-profit prisons, border militarization — all have only served to push migrants into dangerous areas farther and farther from urban entry points. I once volunteered with Humane Borders in Tucson putting out water to help reduce desert deaths, and saw with my own eyes the tragic effects of these brutal and ineffective policies called “border security.” True, fewer are crossing, but more are staying (an estimated 11 million). And our unjust trade policies, subsidies to agribusiness, convoluted and costly visa application process, and demand for laborers, guarantee a continuing flow.

■ Today’s immigrants are not different from those of 100 years ago. The portion of our population that is foreign-born is 11.5 percent, as compared with 15 percent in the early 20th century. Similar to accusations about today’s immigrants, those of a century ago initially settled in ethnic neighborhoods, spoke their native languages, and started newspapers and businesses that catered to their fellows. They met with the same discrimination that today’s immigrants face, and integrated into American culture at a similar rate. No doubt ancestors of readers of this paper were among them. Every new wave of immigrants has been met with suspicion and doubt at first, and then ultimately has been assimilated, vindicated and saluted as 100 percent American.

Surely we can learn from this past experience of our own forebears and find a way to make things easier and more gracious for their present-day successors. While government and society debate immigration policy, as people of decency and good will can we not devise a just, humane immigration policy that offers welcome to the stranger, love to our neighbor, hospitality to those in need, and a secure home to those in our midst who seek the same things we do — “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”?

(Doug Wingeier is a retired seminary professor and United Methodist minister who lives in Waynesville. He can be reached atdcwing@att.net.)

Government for the rich, by the vindictive

But all is not sweetness and light in Raleigh, and reports show that there is an undercurrent of darkness in this administration. They don’t like it when they are crossed.

Recently, a section chief in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), a 35year state employee who’d served six governors, was let go by DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos because she defended her own staff members for lobbying legislators about unfair spending by the DHHs. These staff people had gone to the legislature on their own vacation time with a story to tell, quite a story about how budget cuts were going to reduce health services to children. This was not what Secretary Wos wanted to hear, but the section chief was only protecting the rights of her staff to speak freely. Doing so got her fired.

Now, on the other hand, we find that Secretary Wos has a generous streak, well, at least for friends. Through personal services contracts, she hired Joe Hauk and Les Merritt to help streamline her now depleted department. What are their qualifications? Hauk was a member of a company run by Wos’ husband; Merritt is a former state auditor and confidant of Art Pope, the man who brought in 75 percent of the money to finance the Republican takeover of NC government. Hauk and Merritt are going to live well in Raleigh or wherever

they wish. For eight months consulting, Hauk was paid $228,375. Merritt is doing OK, as well; in two months, he was paid $58,500, part of a year-long contract that is capped at $312,000. (Note that Merritt is also a member of the N.C. Ethics Commission. Ouch.)

So, what is one to conclude? That the old cliché of it being good to have friends in high places is still true. However, for the rest of us who are obliged to scratch out a living or try to find a job, we need to have a long memory, at least until the elections of 2014 when we can put some folks back into the legislature to block this naked cronyism.

Rick Bryson Bryson City

pers with letters that equate a photo ID for voting with having to show one to cash a check or purchase certain controlled medications.

These are blatant examples of false syllogism — stringing together two or more facts to support a nonsensical conclusion.

An example found on the web goes like this: “Only women are nuns. Only women can have babies. Therefore, only nuns can have babies.”

McCrory’s equation is just as flawed: It’s a fact that honest voting is important; it’s a fact that aircraft security is important; it’s a fact that curbing drug misuse, as in the making of methamphetamines, is important; it’s a fact that preventing check or credit card fraud is important.

But it’s also a fact — conveniently ignored by the voter suppression apologists — that there is scarcely ever an instance of someone trying to vote under another person’s identity.

When the State Board of Elections searched its records, it could find only two examples among many millions of votes cast. And no one ever died from it.

But nearly 3,000 people died on account of airplane hijackings on 9/11. Many thousands more have died from drug abuse — in one year, more than 500 from meth alone. Check and credit card fraud are daily occurrences that cost billions of dollars annually.

W

To the Editor: In January, Republicans swept into state government on a mission of frugality, vowing to trim fat from the state budget. And trim they did, taking a cleaver to unemployment benefits, our vaulted education system, welfare, health care, and the environment.

Millions of North Carolinians — young and old — were negatively affected.

What we are learning, though, is that not everyone in the state is hurting. Wealthy citizens got a big tax break on income tax. Others have benefitted, too. Turns out that it’s good to be close to the governor and high officials in his administration. Recently, Gov. Pat McCrory gave huge raises — over $20,000 — to his staffers because, as he noted, it is expensive to live in Raleigh. Perhaps the governor needs to be aware that it’s expensive to live in a few other places in North Carolina, notably anywhere between Murphy and Manteo.

McCrory has been generous to himself, too, at least to his image. He recently authorized $150,000 for a TV ad campaign that shows him boasting of his accomplishments in his first few months in office.

McCrory gets defensive about voter law To the Editor: The national criticism of his voter suppression law — yes, he signed it, so it’s his — must be working on Gov. Pat McCrory. He wrote a defensive op-ed piece in USA Today not long ago in which he rationalized a photo ID for voting by the necessity to show one to board an airplane.

His apologists have been filling the newspa-

State is on the way up

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

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

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

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

ANTHONY WAYNE’S 37 Church St, Waynesville. 828.456.6789.

Open for lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; open for dinner Thursday-Saturday 5 to 9 p.m.; and Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exceptional, new-American cuisine, offering several gluten free items.

BLUE RIDGE BBQ COMPANY 180 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.452.7524. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. TuesdayThursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Blue Ridge BBQ is a family owned and operated restaurant.

The BBQ is slow hardwood smoked, marinat-

ed in its own juices, and seasoned with mountain recipes. All menu items made from scratch daily. Featuring homemade cornbread salad, fresh collard greens, or cornbread and milk at your request. Old-fashioned homemade banana pudding and fruit cobbler of the season. Catering, take-out, eat-in. blueridgebbq@gmail.com.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997.

Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slowsimmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

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

BOGART’S 35 East Main St., Sylva. 828.586.6532.

Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Serving classic American food and drink in a casual environment. Daily lunch and dinner specials. Children’s menu available.

Call for catering quotes. Private room available for large parties. Accepts MC/Visa, Discover and American Express.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Now open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m.

Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 am – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 11:30 till 2. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays (weather permitting), featuring steaks, ribs, chicken, and pork chops, to name a few. Bountiful family-style dinners on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herbbaked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. The evening social hour starts at 6pm, and dinner is served starting at 7pm. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations.

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

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through

206-02

• Hors d'oeuvre Hour Nightly • 4-Course Dinner Nightly • Wednesday Gourmet Picnic Lunch • Thursday Night Cookout • Sunday Brunch • Backpack Lunches for Hiking

ARTISAN BREADS & PASTRIES

NEW PUMPKIN BARS, MUFFINS & LATTES

Award-winning country inn at 5,000 feet Reservations required

2300 SWAG ROAD WAYNESVILLE

828.926.0430 • TheSwag.com

Bring your own wine and spirits.

LOCATED OFF JONATHAN CREEK RD/HWY 276 & HEMPHILL RD 206-23

TAKE-OUT • EAT-IN • CATERING

We’ll feed your spirit, too.

Fair Trade Coffee & Espresso

18 North Main Street Waynesville • 452.3881

Smoky Mountain News

BREAKFAST • LUNCH Scratch-Made Fresh Daily Breads • Biscuits • Bagels Cakes • Pies • Pastries Soups • Salads • Sandwiches

September 18-24, 2013

To the Editor: North Carolina has the 49th highest unemployment rate in the USA, tied with Rhode Island and followed by Illinois at No. 50 and Nevada at 51 (Washington, D.C., was included in this survey).

There are well over a million people unemployed in North Carolina. This was the condition the state was in after 12 years of two Democratic governors. There have been many letters to the editor as well as several news organizations protesting our new governor. Do the protestors want to elect more people to office like the last two Democrats who were in charge? You would think so from all of the negative letters written to the papers. Do people realize it costs millions of dollars to help unemployed families in our state? We know our teachers are underpaid, but at least they have jobs. Until the economy in North Carolina gets better and employment increases, the state and the people will have to do the best they can to get by.

The legislature and Gov. McCrory substantially changed our tax system to encourage businesses to move to or expand in North Carolina. Gov. Perdue borrowed $2.5 billion from the U.S. Treasury to pay for unemployment insurance; the interest on that loan costs approximately $100 million a year. The governor hopes to pay off that loan by 2016.

Our new tax system is now rated as the 17th best tax system for businesses in the USA. It will take time to get our business community booming again. Before the last election North Carolina was surrounded by four states that have lower tax rates and lower unemployment rates than our State. We can now compete against those states for business growth.

Gov. McCrory was in Sylva on Sept. 12 for a lunch with many local citizens and business people and stated that he is committed to restoring prosperity to all of North Carolina.

He admitted our state is broke and that the only way we can recover is to help our people find work. He said we had to change our tax system to compete with other states to do that. He knows his personal popularity has taken a hit, but he is committed to this goal.

He made Charlotte into a prosperous city and he will do the same for North Carolina. Let’s see where North Carolina is by 2016?

Jim Mueller Glenville

tasteTHEmountains opinion

Unlike those examples, voter fraud is an imaginary problem.

McCrory also contended that voter fraud is a real threat because of multimillion-dollar political campaigns. As the beneficiary of one, he ought to know. But this, too, is false syllogism. The special interests and their candidates don’t try to buy individual voters; it’s too cumbersome, and they know they would be caught. Their money buys advertising, chiefly negative, to influence voters en masse. It’s a lot more bang for the buck.

The interests behind McCrory are already pouring advertising money into trying to gild his shabby performance. When you see or hear the ads, consider the motive.

Martin A. Dyckman Waynesville

www.citybakery.net MON-FRI: 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

SAT: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. SUN: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

ASHEVILLE: 60 Biltmore Ave. 252.4426 & 88 Charlotte St. 254.4289

Cataloochee Ranch 21

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

Live Music on the Patio Tues.-Fri. Call to see who’s playing.

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

MON.-THURS. 11 A.M.-9 P.M. • FRI. & SAT. 11 A.M.-10 P.M. SUNDAY BRUNCH 11 A.M. TO 2:30 P.M. 206-62

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

ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com.

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials. Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked trout bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panini sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck.

Private room available for meetings.

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

828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more.

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

September 18-24, 2013

026-39

UPCOMING EVENTS

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20TH

The Imposters

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21ST

Smoke Rise 83 Asheville Hwy. Sylva Music Starts @ 9 • 631.0554

206-41

BRYSON CITY CORK & BEAN A MOUNTAIN SOCIAL HOUSE 16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934.

Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3p.m., Full Menu 3 to 9 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials starting at 5pm every day.

Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.7179. Reservations recommended.

4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table

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

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

Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Come for the restaurant’s 4 @ 4 when you can choose a center and three sides at special prices.

Offered Wed- Fri. from 4 to 6. frogsleappublichouse.org.

GUADALUPE CAFÉ 606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877.

HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837.

Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m.

Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Join us in our beautiful patio garden. We are your local neighborhood host for special events: business party’s, luncheons, weddings, showers and more. Private parties & catering are available 7 days a week by reservation only.

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

Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome.

Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

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

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

LOS AMIGOS 366 Russ Ave. in the Bi-Lo Plaza.

828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy the lunch prices Monday through Sunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio.

LUCIO'S RESTAURANT 313 Highlands Road, Franklin.

828.369.6670. Serving Macon County since 1984. Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.

Lunch Wednesday-Friday 11:30 a.m. until.Dinner Wednesday-Saturday 5 p.m. until. Owned and operated by Tanya and Dorothy Gamboni. Serving authentic Italian and continental cuisine including appetizers, pastas, poultry, veal, seafood, steaks and homemade deserts. Selection of wine and beer. Lunch and Dinner menus. Wednesday and Thursday nights only. 1 appetizer and 2

Smoky Mountain News

DINING ROOM | CURB SERVICE | TAKE-OUT | ICE CREAM

Try our New Panini & Sandwich Lunch Menu!

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

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. • Dinner Nightly at 4 p.m. • CLOSED ON SUNDAY 454 HAZELWOOD AVENUE • WAYNESVILLE Call 828-452-9191 for reservations 22

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

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

Tuesday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com

Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews. Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

206-19

206-17

WELCOME TO

DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR

Ammons Burgers ❉ ❉ Steaks & Shakes ❉ BBQ ❉ ❉

Over 4.5 million of Ammons Famous hotdogs served since 1984.

Open 7 days a week - 10am-9pm 1451 DELLWOOD RD. | WAYNESVILLE | 926-0734

tasteTHEmountains selected entrées with unlimited salad and Lucio’s famous garlic rolls for $24.95.

Winter Special: half-off house wines, Friday and Saturday only. luciosnc.com MAD BATTER BAKERY & CAFÉ Located on the WCU Campus in Cullowhee.

828.293.3096. Open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Earth-friendly foods at people-friendly prices. Daily specials, wraps, salads, pastries, breads, soups and more. Unique fare, friendly service, casual atmosphere and wireless Internet. Organic ingredients, local produce, gourmet fair trade and organic coffees.

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

MOONSHINE GRILL 2550 Soco Road, Maggie Valley loacted in the Smoky Falls Lodge. 828.926.7440.

Open Wednesday through Sunday, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Cooking up mouth-watering, woodfired Angus steaks, prime rib and scrumptious fresh seafood dishes. The wood-fired grill gives amazing flavor to every meal that comes off of it. Enjoy creative dishes made using moonshine. Stop by and simmer for a while and soak up the atmosphere. The best kept secret in Maggie Valley. themoonshinegrill.com

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT 1303 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee (Located on 441 North at entrance to GSMNP).

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Family style dining for adults and children.

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoor, outside on the patio or at the bar.

Reservations appreciated.

LIZ & AJ NANCE

PASQUALINO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 25 Everett Street, Bryson City.

828.488.9555. Open for lunch and dinner everyday 11:30 a.m.-late. A taste of Italy in beautiful Bryson City. Exceptional pasta, pizza, homemade soups, salads. Fine wine, mixed drinks and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, reservations appreciated.

SUNDAY 9-3

BRUNCH WITH LIVE JAZZ

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer. Outdoor and indoor dining.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Bar open Monday thru Saturday; dining room open Tuesday thru Saturday at 5 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials. Live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

SOUL INFUSION TEA HOUSE & BISTRO 628 E. Main St. (between Sylva Tire & UPS). 828.586.1717. Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday noon -until.

Scrumptious, natural, fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and desserts. 60+ teas served hot or cold, black, chai, herbal.

Seasonal and rotating draft beers, good selection of wine. Home-Grown Music Network Venue with live music most weekends. Pet friendly and kid ready.

SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800.

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available. Located across from the Fire Station.

TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.

THE WINE BAR 20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground cellar for wine and beer, served by the glass all day.

Cheese and tapas served Wednesday through Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or later. info@classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years (don't ask for the recipes cuz’ you won't get it!)

Each Pizza is hand tossed and made with TLC. You're welcome to watch your pizza being cre

S PRING S TREET, D OWNTOWN S YLVA CREPES, PANINIS, SOUPS, SALADS, GOURMET PASTAS WINE & BEER

CityLightsCafe.com 206-73

MINDY’S Across from the ABC store

Pressed Cuban Sandwiches, Cuban Food & Desserts 828.400-5638 WED-SAT 11:30-9:30PM

206-06

ITALIAN

Now Open at 174 E. Main Street Sylva Shopping Center

206-34

MEDITERRANEAN

STEAKS • PIZZA CHICKEN • SEAFOOD SANDWICHES OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK JOIN US FOR FALL ON THE OUTDOOR PATIO!

1863 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.454.5002 HWY. 19/23 EXIT 98

Opelny Dai

OWNED & OPERATED FOR OVER 20 YEARS!

FAMILY

CORN MAIZE NOW OPEN! CALL NOW AND SCHEDULE FIELD TRIPS! CORN MAIZE, HAYRIDES & PUMPKINS

$1 Off purchase of $10 or more (Expires 9/30/13) No G wB in u se yi ng ng

Free Picnic Area • Hershey's Ice Cream Muscadines • Freestone Peaches Half Runner Beans Canning Tomatoes • Peaches & Cream Sweet Corn • Fresh Squash FRESH PRODUCE, JAMS & JELLIES

Smoky Mountain News

OLD STONE INN 109 Dolan Road, off Love Lane.

828.456.3333. Classic fireside dining in an historic mountain lodge with cozy, intimate bar. Dinner served nightly except Sunday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Signature dinner choices include our 8oz. filet of beef in a brandied peppercorn sauce and a garlic and herb crusted lamb rack. Carefully selected fine wines and beers plus full bar available.

Open year round. Call for reservations.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 21

September 18-24, 2013

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

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections.

Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

206-30

206-72

2300 Governors Island Rd. Bryson City

828.488.2376 C Find us on Facebook

23

24

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

SHINING BRIGHT

Ben Sears, a senior at Tuscola High School, performed a gravity defying dance number from Billy Elliot. Sears won the top prize of the night, in part due to the audience appeal of his high-flying routine that blended jazz, hip-hop and ballet.

“On Broadway they have three young boys play that part in the show because it is so physically exhausting,” Judge Raymond Yarnutoski said during the critique of the number.

Sears is no stranger to the stage, starring in numerous musical theater productions through Music Works and HART. John Highsmith photo

Amateur performers wow audience, judges at Haywood’s Got Talent

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER Even before the lights went down and the curtain went up, one thing was already clear: this wasn’t going to be easy.

A daunting job had been laid in the laps of the audience at the annual Haywood’s Got Talent competition last Saturday night in Waynesville. The audience — collectively — held the swing vote in which of the dozen performers would take home the gold.

“You all play a role in helping us decide who wins the grand prize of $1,000 tonight,” Steven Lloyd, the executive director of Haywood Arts Regional Theater, told the audience before the show.

A panel of three judges with professional backgrounds in theater and musical performance rounded out the voting bloc.

But the audience was well aware of their own starring role. The power of the ballot was, after all, part of the allure for the spectators in the first place. But it came with a caveat.

“You can vote for one, only one. It’s never an easy choice,” Lloyd warned the audience before the show.

The line-up was diverse and part of the challenge. A belly dance troupe, an opera singer, a smattering of Broadway show numbers, jazz routine, and even a comedian had made it past the first two elimination rounds and secured a spot on stage the final night of the contest.

But comparing a harpist to a pop singer to a teen guitar virtuoso was a classic case of apples to oranges — partly a test of talent but also personal tastes.

They had one thing in common, however. All the contestants were laying it on the line, throwing themselves at the mercy of a scrutinizing panel of judges to be measured, sized up, compared and contrasted. Performing always bears the inherent risk people won’t like you, but a talent contest is the epitome of that.

“If it is your first time and you are getting judged by everyone watching you, it would be intimidating,” said Brynna

Sinyard, a high school junior in Haywood County who has starred in local musical theater productions herself but was only there to watch last Saturday.

Although it wasn’t exactly American Idol — there were no cameramen in the dressing rooms to capture the heartache, tears and crushed dreams of the losers — the judges put each performer through a brief public critique, for better or worse, following their number.

The judges mostly lobbed soft balls, asking performers about their daily practice regimen, who their costume designer was, who helped choreograph their number, where they learned to play.

But judges offered some constructive criticism along the way, from compromised breath support due to nervousness to stiff, wooden hand syndrome.

Most performers were no stranger to the stage. Several have been cast in productions by Haywood Arts Regional

Theater, or had spent years studying and performing with MusicWorks, a local dance and acting studio for youth.

But a few were true first-timers.

Although judges complimented Dominic Frost as a natural on stage — a cool, laid-back persona reinforced by his head of thick dreadlocks — the 17-yearold guitarist fessed up that he’d never really performed outside church or audiences or fellow teens.

“I am terrified right now. I am so scared,” Frost told judges during his critique, wide-eyed yet surreally calm as he spoke those words.

After her performance of the song “Angel,” Charlotte Rogers admitted to judges she was a novice outside singing in church.

“I am pretty nervous, it is the first time I’ve ever done this,” Rogers said during her panel critique.

Rogers came with her own cheering section though, including her 14-year-old son Sam, who came to support his mom in her first debut on a real stage.

“I know she’s been practicing because every time I get in the car that CD is on,” Sam said.

Dominic Frost (right), a 17-year-old homeschooled senior, wowed the audience with both his raw talent and technical aptitude — a guitar virtuoso in the making. Frost has learned from his parents and from watching YouTube videos. Once known to practice seven hours a day, he’s now limiting himself to three or four.

“You are truly a artist,” the judge Ann Rhymer Schwabland told him after his performance. Frost took home second place.

John Highsmith photo

Ricky Sanford, 22, (left) captivated the audience with his jaw-dropping and horrific rendition of “The Smell of Rebellion” from the new Broadway show “Matilda.” Sanford’s number was the epitome of evil — yet laced with comical antics.

While he came in third overall, his stage presence and theatrical talent made him the favorite of at least one judge.

“OMG … move over Ms. Hanniken,” Judge Raymond Yarnutoski said after the erupting applause finally subsided. “That was really, really, really entertaining. How long did it take you to learn it to that level of perfection?”

Sanford, despite no formal training, has been a star in HART productions, and will soon be making a career announcement. John Highsmith photo

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Midnight Hole in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. NPS photo

- Civil litigation - Personal lnjury - Estate administrations - Wills (starting from $100) -Uncontested divorce (starting from $250)

- Real estate closings - Corporations

828-246-0880 58 Montgomery St. Waynesville joel@weaverpalaw.com

Smoky Mountain News

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

206-63

Joel R. Weaver P.A.

September 18-24, 2013

I was born half-fish.

No, not the mermaid kind, but close. As a kid, I grew up on Lake Champlain, a 125-mile long body of water sandwiched Renowned world dance troupe The Diavolo between New York, Vermont and Dance Theater perform on Sept. 28 at the the Canadian province of Quebec.

Great Smoky Mountain Center for the Pristine waters flow from the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Adirondack Mountains to the west and the Green Mountains to Chicago tribute band Brass Transit brings the east, ultimately heading north their style of jazz-fusion rock-n-roll to Western and merging with the majestic Carolina University on Sept. 29.

Saint Lawrence Seaway.

My childhood home was less Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville than a mile from the shoreline, in will host their Oktoberfest on Sept. 21. the small border town of Rouses Point, N.Y. I’d spend my days riding my bike on Lake Street, up Valorie Miller and Musica Nostra will perform and down the road alongside the at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville on water. My cronies and I would Sept. 27-28. find ourselves jumping into the lake anywhere we could find an Music folklorist Brendan Greaves will host a opening. During the lazy summer discussion of early-20th century recorded months, we’d swim, fish, canoe or musicians on Sept. 26 at WCU. go boating. In the midst of the long winters came skating, ice fishing, pickup hockey games and random jaunts onto the massive sheet of frozen water Directions to Midnight Hole we’d make into a temporary playground. (from Waynesville): My great-grandmother, Florence, who Interstate 40 West to Exit 451 (Waterville lived to the ripe ole age of 103, spent her exit on North Carolina/Tennessee stateline). childhood on barges cruising the Seaway.

Turn south across the Pigeon River and folFollowing World War II, my grandparents low the paved road past Carolina Power and purchased a plot of lakefront property and Light into the national park. Go straight built a couple of camps (or “cabins” in these through the intersection onto a gravel road, parts) on Lake Champlain. Though it was pass the ranger station on right, go to hikonly a mile or so outside of Rouses Point, it ing/picnic area and park in parking area. was an escape. The moment you pulled into The trail is 1.5 miles to Midnight Hole, that dirt driveway, you were in a whole other where you’ll see a waterfall and lagoon. world and mentality.

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

Some of my fondest memories were at that camp. Barbeques, birthday parties, celebrations just for the hell of it, the enthusiastic kickoff to summer with Memorial Day and the bittersweet end to the season on Labor Day. And then there was the lake. Each time going to camp, I’d run down to the beach and jump off the dock. A sense of ease and comfort would wash over me as soon as my body immersed itself in the refreshing liquid.

With the Adirondack Mountains at my doorstep, I’d head for the hills during weekends in high school and college breaks. Searching for waterfalls, lakes and deep rivers (which aren’t hard to find in the Adirondacks), I would launch myself off rock faces and cliff ledges, eager to land in the frigid northern waters. It was a complete and total freedom.

And that love for the aquatic hasn’t ceased, it rather ironically has become a thirst, one that will never be quenched.

When I was living on the Dingle Peninsula (Ireland), I immediately stripped down to my boxers and ran into the water upon seeing the Atlantic Ocean from a European angle.

While in college in Connecticut, I’d take off from campus and shoot down to the Long Island Sound, watching immaculate sunsets while enjoying a dip in the salty sea. In Yellowstone National Park, I threw myself in a freezing waterfall lagoon, where tourists yelled down, “You’re crazy. That water’s too cold,” to which I replied, “It’s great, jump on in.”

A couple of months after college graduation, I traveled to the West Coast to scout out Portland and Seattle as possible places to inhabit. I had never seen the Pacific Ocean before and was looking forward to making its acquaintance. One morning, while crossing into Northern California at Crescent City, I knew the ocean was close. I had to see it.

When I finally found a beach, a thick fog blanked out everything. I could hear the barking of innumerable sea lions somewhere in the depths. Sunshine finally burned off the fog, revealing an ancient, endless body of water. There it was, the Pacific Ocean, and there was the tiny rock island in the distance covered with sea lions. I ran straight towards the water and leaped in. To this day, I feel a piece of my soul is still floating somewhere out there.

Recently, I felt a deep urge to go for a dip.

I was parched and wanted to go soak. I had heard about Midnight Hole, a popular spot in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A blazing sun above me, I jogged up the trail and found myself at the waterfall lagoon.

I immediately dove in. The water was bone tingling, and I loved every moment of it. I swam under and popped up, my head held high to the sky in awe, thankful that such beauty can exist in this world. Some people go to church to feel God – I go swimming.

Jump on in y’all, the water’s great.

25

On the beat arts & entertainment

Rodney Carrington brings country charm to Harrah’s

Chicago tribute band to perform at WCU

September 18-24, 2013

Called “the world’s greatest tribute to Chicago,” musical group Brass Transit will perform at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

With a growing legion of fans on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border, the eight-piece Toronto group rips through Chicago’s catalog of hits from the 1970s — classics such as “Make Me Smile,” “25 or 6 to 4,” “Call on Me,” “Wishing You Were Here,” “Old Days,” “Questions 67 & 68” and “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” The group regularly performs to sold-out crowds across the U.S. and Canada – no easy feat when the real members of Chicago are still actively touring.

Tickets for the show are $20 for adults, $15 for WCU faculty and staff, and $5 for students and children. The Brass Transit performance is sponsored by Tonemaster Muffler Shop of Sylva.

828.227.2479 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Country star/actor Rodney Carrington hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

Carrington is a multitalented comedian, actor and writer who has recorded eight major record label comedy albums selling more than three million copies. He starred in his own TV sitcom Rodney, which ran for two seasons on ABC. He cowrote and co-starred with Toby Keith in the feature film “Beer for My...Horses.” In 2011 Rodney partnered with the American Country Awards by presenting at their awards show and hosting the American Country New Year’s Eve Live show on Fox. Tickets start at $35 per person.

800.745.3000 or www.harrahscherokee.com.

Bryson City hosts community jam A community music jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or just stop by to listen. The jam is facilitated

by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City. Larry calls a tune and its key signature and the group plays it together. Everyone in the circle gets to choose a song for the group to play together.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month, year round.

828.488.3030.

Scott McCreery Donated photo

McCreery returns to WNC

Country sensation Scott McCreery hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

Since coming into the national spotlight in 2011 on American Idol, McCreery has quickly emerged as country music’s most successful new artist. His first studio album, Clear As Day, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and Top Country Albums charts, making him the youngest man in history to open at the top of the all-genre chart with a debut release.

McCreery won New Artist of the Year at both the 2011 American Country Awards and the 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards. McCreery was ranked No. 1 on Billboard’s list of Top New Country Artists for 2011 and also earned the No. 4 spot on Billboard’s 2012 List of the Top 21 Under 21. Scotty spent most of 2012 opening for Brad Paisley’s Virtual Reality Tour.

Tickets are currently on sale, with prices at $30, $40 and $50.

800.745.3000 or www.harrahscherokee.com.

Keep It I Local!

ASK FOR US

by b y name!!

Smoky Mountain News

When you’re in the market for a vehic le, vehicle,

LFFQ ZPVS NPOFZ MPDBM BOE mOBODF LFFQ ZPVS NPOFZ MPDBM BOE mOBODF with Champion Credit Credit Union! We We have ea to partnered partnered with nearly 30 great great dealers in the ar area provide provide a hassle-fr hassle-free ee process, process, with a quick and easy loan dream car,, decision right at the dealership. Once you have found your dr eam car

VLPSO\ DVN WKH GHDOHU WR ÀQDQFH ZLWK XV V LPSO\ DVN WKH GHDOHU WR ÀQDQFH ZLWK XV

www.ChampionCU.com www.ChampionCU.com

Auto Loans... Simplified!

Find us on Facebook. Federally Insured by NCUA

Now Legal in 36 States

SEPT. 21 CLASSROOM AT THE FUN FACTORY FRANKLIN, NC TO REGISTER CALL: JIM SOTTILE (FORMER DETECTIVE NYPD)

828-349-0322 26

Visit Visit our website for a complete listing of participating dealerships.

PISTOLINSTRUCTORNC.COM 206-16

On the beat

• Caleb Burress, ‘Round The Fire and Small Town Jonathan Martin tap into Frog Level Brewing Company for Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 21. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Mountain music group The Freight Hoppers will play “Community Appreciation Night” at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at Southwestern Community College in Bryson City. Free.

828.366.2000 or www.greatsmokies.com.

JOHN HAMEL M.D.

206-04

4Artefill is here3

the long lasting dermal filler

4Weight Loss 3 4Tickle Lipo/Fat Transfer 3 4CO2 Resurfacing 3 4Botox3 4Dermal Fillers 3 4Permanent Makeup 3 4Breast Augmentation 3 4Bio Identical HRT 3

BRYSON CITY 828-488-9877

arts & entertainment

• Tim Buppert, Jerry Vandiver and Leslie Satcher will perform at “Songwriter in the Round” from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Balsam Mountain Inn. $45. www.balsammountaininn.net.

CompleteLaserClinic.com

ASHEVILLE 828-298-0125

-FRANKLIN LOCATION COMING SOON-

• Wade Baker and Hank West & The Smoking Hots will perform at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Baker plays Sept.

22, with Hank West on Sept. 26. All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

ALSO:

f• The Buchanan Boys will play at 8:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 20, in the Central Plaza at Western Carolina University. Free. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Liz & AJ Nance will play at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at City Lights Café in Sylva. Free.

828.587.2233 or www.citylightscafe.com.

• The Music in the Mountains concert series continues with The Carolina Bluegrass Boys at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City. Free. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Folk musicians Anne and Rob Lough will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Town Square in Franklin. The program features folk songs that reflect the musical heritage of the region and nation, including lilting mountain ballads plus traditional Irish and Scottish tunes. 828.524.7683 or www.artscouncilofmacon.org.

Smoky Mountain News

• The Pickin’ On The Square summer concert series continues with Earl Cowart and the Heart of the South at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the lower level town hall in Franklin. At 6:30 p.m. the stage is opened up to anyone wanting to play a few songs. Free.

828.524.2516 or www.franklinnc.com/pickin.html.

September 18-24, 2013

• Ginny McAfee hits the stage for an album release party from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at Water’n Hole Bar and Grill in Waynesville. $3. 828.456.4750.

• Eldred Spell, Western Carolina University Professor of Flute, will be featured in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building in Cullowhee.

Bradley Martin, WCU associate professor of piano, will provide accompaniment on piano and harpsichord. Free. 828.227.7242.

27

On the stage arts & entertainment

WCU season opens with ‘Next to Normal’

“Ave. Q” opens at HART Theatre in Waynesville on Sept. 20. Photo donated

Racy ‘Ave. Q’ comes to HART

September 18-24, 2013

The Tony Award-winning puppet musical “Ave. Q” hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20-21, 27-28 and Oct. 4-5, and at 3 p.m. Sept. 22, 29 and Oct. 6, at Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

“Ave. Q” was inspired by Sesame Street and the Muppets but with a decidedly mature twist.

Teens should be fine but it is racy, politically incorrect, modern and topical. It is also funny and imaginative. The main characters are puppets and their human operators. The actors in the show must play the characters, sing and operate their puppet counterparts at the same time.

Tickets are $24 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students. Special $8 discount tickets for are available for students on Thursdays and Sundays.

828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.

Smoky Mountain News

GET THE

BEST DEALS

The Western Carolina University Mainstage Season presents the Tony Award-winning rock musical “Next to Normal” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 2528, at Hoey Auditorium in Cullowhee.

The musical portrays the struggle of a suburban mother with depression, memory loss and worsening bipolar disorder, and the effects of those problems on her family members. Suffused with humor and hope, the production won three Tony Awards during its original run, and it does contain some mature content and language.

Individual tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and WCU faculty and staff, and $7 (in advance) and $10 (day of show) for students.

828.227.7491 or 828.227.2479 or www.fapac.wcu.edu.

HART breaks ground on new facility The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Daniel and Belle Fangmeyer Theater on the grounds of the Performing Arts Center at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, in Waynesville.

Since kicking off a $1 million dollar capital fund drive in July 2012, HART has raised more than $640,000 toward the construction of a new second stage, which will allow them to nearly double their performance schedule by the 2015 season. The new theater building will provide rehearsal space so cast can start working on an upcoming show while another one is still running on the main stage.

The second theater building will be a medium-sized venue, smaller than HART’s main stage but bigger than the small studio theater.

Architects Joe Sam Queen and Sarah Queen have designed a facility, which will provide for unique productions in an everchanging setting, but continue the physical style of the current theater facility. www.harttheatre.com.

ON DIAMONDS & GOLD!!

206-70

OPEN 24 HOURS 828-554-0431

Donated photo

World-renowned dance troupe in Macon 28

Brendan Greaves

Internationally acclaimed dance company The Diavolo Dance Theater will per-

Music folklorist to speak at WCU

Brendan Greaves, a folklorist focusing on vernacular music who is co-founder of Paradise of Bachelors, a record label and music archive, will visit Western Carolina University at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, in the Mountain Heritage Center.

Greaves will discuss his work in recording lesser-known musicians of the middle 20th century, such as David Lee, an African-American writer and producer from Shelby. Paradise of Bachelors has produced and reproduced a number of vinyl records over recent years.

The presentation is free and is sponsored by the Mountain Heritage Center and WCU Department of History.

828.227.7129 or www.wcu.edu/mhc.

form at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The troupe reinvents dance, re-imagines theater, and redefines thrills. Diavolo takes movement, athletics, and daring to the extreme, creating abstract narratives about the human experience through surreal tableaux. Founded in 1992 by Jacques Heim, Diavolo has an extensive performance history in its home city of Los Angeles as well as throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Diavolo has toured for 14 seasons and performed for hundreds of thousands of concertgoers worldwide, as well as millions more on television. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

On the streets

The annual Mountain Life Festival in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Mountain Farm Museum near Cherokee.

This event continues to preserve the legacy of Appalachian folkways and is a tribute to the many families who lived on lands that later became the national park. All activities are free and open to the public and will include demonstrations of hearth cooking, apple butter and apple cider making, blacksmithing, lye soap making, food preservation, broom making, quilting, and chair bottoming. Artifacts and historic photographs from the national park’s collection will also be on display.

The sorghum syrup-making demonstration is provided by students, staff, and volunteers from Swain County High School Future Farmers of America through a cooperative agreement with Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

828.497.1904.

Bark in the Park will be from 1 to 5 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 29, at Mark Watson Park in Sylva.

Dogs can compete in an array of agility, carting, gun dog, and freestyle dance and costumes contests. There will be raffles, face painting, vendors, concessions and pet photographer, among other activities.

Western Carolina Dog Fanciers Association

Mountain Heritage Day brings Appalachian culture to WCU

will host a Canine Good Citizen Test at 10 a.m.

The Canine Good Citizen Program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. All dogs who pass the 10-step CGC test may receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club. Open to all dogs. The cost is $10per dog/handler team. For more information about the test, please visit www.akc.org.

Admission is free, with pet course contest entry fee at $5. www.wcdfa.org. provide entertaining activities for younger visitors throughout the day, and kids also will enjoy free wagon rides and hayrides.

The festival also offers a variety of demonstrations and contests centered on authentic mountain folk arts and skills: competitions for best beards and mustaches, period costumes and chainsaw woodcutting.

Apples are the key ingredient in this year’s entries for the annual Best of the West award in the Mountain Heritage Day “A Gathering In” Traditional Food Competition. Contest rules, categories and entries are found at www.mountainheritageday.com.

The Mountain Heritage Center’s exhibits of Appalachian culture and history will be open all day. Festival attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets for comfortable seating. Shuttles will operate throughout the day, with stops at designated parking and attraction location. www.mountainheritageday.com or 828.227.7129.

Smoky Mountain News

The 39th Mountain Heritage Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept.

28, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The event will be preceded by a 5K foot race at 8 a.m.

WCU’s free celebration of Appalachian culture also will feature a full schedule of mountain music, fun activities, about 100 booths of the region’s finest arts and crafts, and 25 vendors offering ethnic, heritage and festival food. Balsam and Blue Ridge stages and the Circle Tent will offer continuous mountain music, storytelling and clogging.

Other areas will be active with demonstrations of Cherokee stickball and other Cherokee games, shape-note singing and an antique auto show. The Children’s Tent will

The Mountain Life Festival will be Sept. 21 at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Donated photo

September 18-24, 2013

Bark in the Park returns to Sylva

arts & entertainment

Fall harvest festival comes to Mountain Farm Museum

29

arts & entertainment

At The Law Office of

MICHELLE L. BAKER, SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY is all we do.

No fees until your case WINS.

828.862.4798

If you can’t come to me, I will come to you!

206-24

206-33

Bookstore

TREY CARLAND

will share inspirations and meditations from his book

A Seeker’s Guide to Inner Peace Sunday, September 22 at 1 p.m.

Mountain momma

BY B ECKY JOHNSON recently took stock of our craft supply cupboard and realized it’s looking a little paltry.

At one time, I was proud of the run-ofthe-mill pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks and multi-colored pom-poms in our craft stash.

But that was before a Michaels craft store opened in Waynesville, and now, I find myself wandering the aisles craving musthave craft supplies I was once blissfully ignorant of.

To stock a craft cupboard from scratch can cost a small fortune, however. That’s why I am asking every relative I can conjure to pile on the craft supplies for both my kids’ birthdays this year: bring on the buttons, sequins, ribbons, googley eyes, beads, floral wire, modeling clay, feathers, Styrofoam balls, and all genres of glitter — glitter paint, glitter pens, glitter glue, glitter confetti, glitter dust, liquid glitter, glitter crayons, and for good measure the “Sparkle Sweeper,” a special tiny brush for cleaning up the inevitable glitter spills.

And therein lies the real rub. The setup and clean-up that goes with an afternoon of crafting seems to take longer than my kids

I

actual spend doing a craft project.

So I always jump at any organized event that offers craft projects for kids. You simply roll up and create to your hearts’ content, and then let someone else deal with all the

I am asking every relative I can conjure to pile on the craft supplies for both my kids’ birthdays this year. paint-encrusted brushes when it’s over.

The annual Youth Art Festival in Dillsboro this Saturday (September 21) will give kids a chance to immerse themselves in hands-on crafting and see real artists at work.

It is held at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Artists will do demonstrations throughout the day and lead kids in make-and-take projects including pots, woven bookmarks, glass mosaics, tennis ball paintings and

more stuff than you probably have the space or wherewithal to display. (Hint: It’s never too early to make Christmas presents for the grandparents). There will also be a stage with local musicians and dance troupes.

The innovative Green Energy Park is also a great place to teach kids about sustainability. It taps the methane gas by-product of decomposing trash buried in an old landfill to fuel the furnaces of glass blowers, potters’ kilns and blacksmith forges. There also are several greenhouses and a collection system for recycled rainwater, demonstrating wise and responsible use of resources.

The whole shebang is free, with food and drinks for sale. www.jcgep.org or 828.631.0271 or info@jcgep.org.

Another great — and also free — event this Saturday is the Mountain Life Festival at the Mountain Farm Museum in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Costumed demonstrators will give kids a glimpse at what life was like in the old-days of Appalachia, making soap, apple cider, molasses, brooms and open-hearth cooking.

The picturesque campus of the Mountain Farm Museum speaks volumes about the self-sufficient lifestyle of early settlers, so take time to wander the old barns, corn crib, spring house, blacksmith shop, apple house, smoke house — and the perennial favorite of kids, the outhouse.

Located on U.S. 441 north of Cherokee just inside the entrance of the national park.

828.497.1904.

3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

Smoky Mountain News

September 18-24, 2013

On the wall

Greetings

Huck embroidery class offered in Dillsboro A huck embroidery workshop will be taught from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 24, at KJ’s Needle in a Haystack Shop in Dillsboro.

Also known as Swedish weaving, huck embroidery dates back to the 1600s. It was very popular in the United States in the 1930s and 40s and is enjoying a resurgence today. Harriet McKenna, a member of Dogwood Crafters who recently demonstrated the technique on WLOS, will lead the workshop. Participants will learn the basic stitches for creating a huck towel.

The class is $10 per person.

828.586.2435 or junettapell@hotmail.com.

GAB’S OLE TIME

BARBER SHOP would like to announce “Crazy Thursday!” $9 Cuts Every Thursday

Reception set for ‘Iron Maidens’ exhibit

Also, $10 Senior Cuts Everyday Come by and say hello.

289 Haywood Road Dillsboro, NC

Tues.-Fri. | 9 to 5

• A workshop on how to make beautiful Chrismons will be offered by the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Community Service Center in Sylva. $15. 828.586.4009.

ALSO:

371-7608

30

The Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University will host a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, for the new exhibit “Iron Maidens: Women of Contemporary Cast Iron.”

Iron casting as a process for creating functional products has an old history, but its use by fine artists dates back only to the 1960s and the development of the studio-size iron furnace. The process involves re-melting scrap iron down to molten iron, which is then poured into premade “casts” or molds.

The field of iron casting has traditionally been dominated by men, but in the late 20th century a group of women emerged – the “Iron Maidens.” The exhibit at the WCU museum showcases the works of 14 female artists from Great Britain and America. It will be on display through Friday, Nov. 22.

The “Third Thursday” reception will be held in the museum’s Star Atrium. It is free and open to the public. www.fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or 828.227.3591.

37 Years experience 206-75

Landscape artist Jack Stern will share his techniques at two upcoming workshops in Franklin. File photo

Stern to host painting workshop Landscape artist Jack Stern will be leading an oil/landscape painting workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 21 and 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 22, at the Uptown Gallery in Franklin.

With a dedication to craft that spans from his childhood, Stern’s paintings seem to capture the “sense of place” and draw comments from his audience that they feel like they have been transported to the location of the lake, mountain top or meadow that he has portrayed.

Preregistration is required.

828.349.4607 or www.uptowngalleryoffranklin.com.

Books

Smoky Mountain News

31

New Burke novel is not to be n Light of the World (ISBN 978-1-47671076-1, $27.99), James Lee Burke once again gives readers writing cut and polished like a fine diamond.

Unfortunately, what he actually has to say and the story he has to tell is so flawed that if this novel were a diamond, the plot and most of the characters would be ground into dust and used for manufacturing.

Open the book at random, and you’ll find Burke’s sparkling prose on every page.

His gift for description and for mixing formality and street talk place him among America’s outstanding writers. Here, for example, in the middle of the book, he Writer describes a meeting between Felicity Lourviere, who has unhappily married into a wealthy family, and Clete Purcel, the harddrinking, hard-fisted buddy of Dave Robicheaux, the renegade lawman and protagonist of this series.

“She was wearing a peasant dress and a beret and tennis shoes and a thin jade necklace. She looked outrageous and mysterious, like an orphan girl who had wandered out of a nineteenth-century novel into the world of the rich and famous. Or was that simply an identity she had manufactured in order to turn a burnt-out bail-skip chaser into a sock puppet?

If she was looking for a guy to use, why him?

If you wanted a thoroughbred, you didn’t go to an elephant farm.”

Although Light of the World is set in Montana—Robicheaux, Clete, and their families have come to the Big Sky country for a rest from their last brush with death—Burke’s descriptions of Louisiana, Robicheaux’s cus-

Jeff Minick

I

tomary stomping grounds, particularly reveal this great talent for description. When you read his accounts of New Orleans or Cajun country, you hear the jazz, taste the gumbo

Light of the World by James Lee Burke. Simon & Schuster, 2013. 560 pages. smell the bayou.

And this is why Light of the World, and some of the other 20 books in this series, especially the more recent ones, so frustrates

Minick presents modern fairy tale Author Jeff Minick will read from his book, Amanda Bell, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

The book is a modern fairy tale about a woman, devastated by crushed hopes and a vicious assault, strikes out on a strange new journey, searching for release from self-imprisonment. Though he now resides in Asheville, Minick lived in Waynesville for 25 years, where he and his wife operated the Palmer House Bed and Breakfast and a downtown bookstore. For more than 10 years, he has written a book review for the The Smoky Mountain News.

828.456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

McCrumb returns with new novel New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb will present her latest ballad novel, King’s Mountain, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Through varying perspectives, King’s Mountain is an elegant

some readers. Here is a man who can make words sing, who can make poetry of the prosaic, who can seduce readers into turning pages like a strung-out player flipping his scratch sheet at the track, but who then gives us ridiculous plots, stereotypical characters, and hackneyed political ideas.

Let’s look at the plot of Light of the World. Asa Surrette, a mass murderer and possibly a demon—he carries a stench with him of feces and blood, speaks of an ancient evil lineage, and has a mysterious ability to outguess his opponents—has returned form the dead. He’s stalking Alafair, Robicheux’s daughter, for articles she once wrote calling for his execution. He’s also after the writer and professor who owns the house where Alafair is staying because he once shot down one of Surrette’s short stories in class.

Other equally unlikely coincidences stretch the imagination. Wyatt Dixon, for example, a rodeo rider whose brain was zapped during electro-shock treatments while in prison, moves randomly to the area, then discovers that he is the son of one of the locals who coincidentally is possessed of enormous power and wealth.

In addition to the reliance on coincidence, Burke adds to the unreality of his tale by the number of dead bodies littering the novel. I lost count by the novel’s end, but would estimate that 15 or 20 people were bumped off, mostly by Robicheaux and his friends. Despite this slaughter, there’s no real investigation to speak of by the time the slaughter ends. (This need by suspense writ-

saga of the Carolina Overmountain Men, the militia organized by John Sevier (who would later become the first governor of Tennessee) and its victory in 1780 against the Tories in a battle that Thomas Jefferson later called, “The turning point of the American Revolution.”

828.586.9499.

Discussion, workshop on ‘Being Fully Present’ Trey Carland will share inspirations, meditations and revelations from his book, A Seeker’s Guide to Inner Peace, at 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 22, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The book is a collection of blogs written about his experiences and is intended to bring the life lessons he learned to a broader audience and offer insights to happiness and spiritual enlightenment. In this workshop/book signing, Carland will assist participants in exploring what it is like to be fully present, and to see who

ers to hype a body count has become commonplace. Lee Child of the Jack Reacher series actually makes Robicheaux look like a piker, killing a platoon or more of people in each book).

Burke makes it easy for us to tell the good guys from the bad guys. The good guys have all the talent and compassion. Alafair is a great writer; Gretchen, Clete’s daughter who once carried out hits on people for the Mafia and who never served any jail time for it, is a budding filmmaker; Molly, Robicheaux’s wife, is an ex-nun and a compassionate woman fighting for every liberal cause that comes her way; Clete, the most interesting character, is an aging man who drinks truckloads of booze, eats fried foods, smokes, and still manages to run around like a man half his age. As for Robicheaux, he is a saint disguised as a cop.

The bad guys are the usual Burkean crew: corporate heads; religious psychopaths; backwoods Christians; working class conservatives duped by the money boys.

In all his books, Burke rails in particular against the rich people and the corporations of the world. This constant raillery should amuse observant readers. Here’s a man who has produced more than 30 books, many of them bestsellers, and who has sold the film rights to several of them, who has the effrontery to blast away at the rich. Like some of our current politicians, he doesn’t seem to have the eyes to see that, by the standards of most people in America and in the world, he is one of the rich.

I have read all 20 of the Robicheaux novels. The first ones in particular meant a great deal to me, not only by entertaining me, but also by influencing me in several areas of my life, most importantly my faith. But with Light of the World my affection—or addiction—to these tales has come to an end.

A sad end, I might add.

participants truly are underneath all the stories they have about themselves.

828.586.9499.

Carden showcases new work in Franklin Storyteller, playwright, author and artist Gary Carden will present his newest book, Appalachian Bestiary, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

The book, as Carden puts it, features “wondrous creatures that run the gamut from whimsy to spine-tingling terror. The weeping squont and the pongereen bird that suffers from Montezuma’s revenge; the legendary beasts of the Cherokees such as the Uktena; and the terrifying products of mass paranoia like the supernatural “painters” and the “vampire beast of Bladenboro.” All are drawn from the same deep well—the oral tradition of the southern mountains.

828.524.3600 or www.fontanalib.org.

32

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER unshine spills into Jackson County.

The warm late summer rays cascade down into the mountains, ultimately flowing into the fields of Balsam Gardens. A handful of figures are seen wandering the mystical property, picking some of the freshest and finest produce found in Western North Carolina.

“Being able to remake my own little piece of society in the way that I want to with my hands is what keeps me going,” said Steven Beltram.

Beltram and his wife Becca Nestler are the owners of Balsam Gardens, a small independent farm partway between Waynesville and Sylva with big dreams for what their community can become. With their two-year-old daughter Annabelle, the family has carved out a niche among a new breed of young farmers in Southern Appalachia — a group whose ranks are growing.

“Our life is really good, this is our dream,” Neslter said.

But the hand-to-mouth lifestyle of a young family trying to make it as farmers is still a tenuous one.

S

“The labor is the easy part compared to the business side of it, which is the hardest aspect of running a farm.”

over 30 varieties of vegetables, Balsam Gardens also raises ducks, chickens, turkeys and pigs, which provide fresh meat and eggs for their rising number of loyal customers.

THE BUSINESS SIDE But, all of this isn’t without hardship.

Beside the rough hours and sometimes-hectic lifestyle of running a full-time farm comes the hardest part of the entire operation — putting the product in the hands of the consumer.

“A lot of people may not realize how hard it is to do this,” Nestler said. “The

labor is the easy part compared to the business side of it, which is the hardest aspect of running a farm.”

“And you can get stressed out dealing with bank statements, spreadsheets and having rain on your head out there, but I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” Beltram added.

Merging their produce with local restaurants is an avenue Balsam Gardens constantly explores. They sell to eight restaurants in Waynesville and Asheville. Balsam Gardens has also delved into the “Community Supported Agriculture” model — known as CSAs — a growing outlet for farmers to put their produce straight into

customers’ hands.

In a CSA, people buy a “share” in the farm’s bounty, kind of like a stock share, entitling them to a cut of whatever the farm produces. Members get a robust weekly box of fresh produce throughout the year.

And as the business evolves, Beltram actually relishes the never-ending learning and tweaking of the landscape and product.

“I’m a very tactical person. I enjoy the constant challenge. It’s never the same.

There’s always some new technique and weather pattern I’m learning about. I mean today, I’m figuring out how to fix our ice

S EE BALSAM, PAGE 33

Cultivating dreams in Appalachia

— Becca Nestler, Balsam Gardens

“While I want you to have this great picture of what we do, we just might fail at it. We don’t want to fail, we want to keep doing what we love doing,” Nestler said.

Though the farm was literally started from scratch, the strong optimism held by the couple is a testament to their pure character and product, which, like their industry, is about quality over quantity.

“I think there’s a lot of potential here, but it’s all about putting the pieces together,” Beltram said.

Balsam Gardens began as a slow burn.

“We didn’t move here to become farmers, it just kind of happened,” Nestler smiled. “We started with just a small field and began a garden, then went to the local farmer’s markets.

People started to buy our produce, and we really had a lot of fun in doing that.”

Beltram was subsidizing their life as homesteaders working construction in the green building sector. With the economic downturn in 2008, the housing market dropped, leaving him without a steady paycheck. With nothing to lose, the couple decided it was time to take a chance at launching their farm.

“As a builder, I suddenly found myself with no work, so I felt I wasn’t missing out on really many opportunities while following this dream right now,” Beltram said. “We wanted to do it, and that was the time to do it, so we tried it.”

Alongside their steadily growing supply of

The backfield at Balsam Gardens.

The road to Balsam Gardens For Becca Nestler, 29, and Steve Beltram, 30, running a small, organic farm is the ultimate form of environmentalism. Their passion for farming was in born out of a strong desire to live sustainably and do what they could in their own tiny corner of the world to encourage societal change.

“I’m a hands-on type of person, so I started thinking about things I could do with my life to make a difference, building a community and working to preserve the environment,” said Beltram, reflecting on revelations he had as a teen while growing up in Spartanburg, S.C. Meanwhile, Nestler, who is from Sylva, honed her passion for sustainable agriculture while attending Warren Wilson College, known for its environmental ethos.

“We had a working farm (on campus) and I had a lot of friends who worked in the fields,” she said. “I became really interested in it, and soon began working their booth at the markets.”

In their own separate endeavors, Nestler and Beltram headed for California and volunteered in the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). As “woofers,” they worked on organic farms in exchange for room and board. The farm internship also taught them what it took to run an efficient and stable farm.

It’s the only real way you can learn how to farm, in the breaking dawn and late evening hours out in the fields, in the barns or at the markets — all in an effort to make a living doing what they love.

“I recognize the industrial food supply has

resulted in an enormous abundance and diversity in the market, and those things are all things we want, and benefit from,” Beltram said.

What’s not to love about a mango from Chile or avocados from California? But taken to the extreme, society’s dependence on the industrial agriculture complex for its daily food supply is risky.

“Whenever you centralize a system like that and it becomes mono-cropped and mono-cultured, it becomes susceptible to instability. So, creating alternative production methods and diverse channels in a local region, we have an opportunity for safety and stability in our society,” Beltram said.

Despite both doing stints as woofers on farms in the Golden State, the two met in Asheville after coming back East. The relocated to their current farmstead at Balsam Gardens in 2007, got married a year later, and then came Annabelle.

BALSAM, CONTINUED FROM 32

Balsam Gardens sells their produce every Wednesday and Saturday at Haywood’s Historic Farmer’s Market in Waynesville and every Saturday at the Jackson County Farmer’s Market in Sylva.

They also sell farm shares — for a flat fee you get a weekly delivery of the farm’s bounty from that week.

Restaurants that buy from Balsam Gardens include Frog’s Leap Public House, Pasquale’s and the Chef’s Table in Waynesville; Balsam Mountain Inn; Guadalupe Café and City Lights Café in Sylva; and Chai Pani in Asheville. The couple also sells to Bryson Farm Supply in Sylva and Mother Earth Produce in Asheville. www.balsamgardens.com

An array of laying hens at Balsam Gardens. (above) Ian Mitchell, an intern at Balsam Gardens. (below) Garret K. Woodward photos

FINDING FARMLAND

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Fall out for the fallout Thanks to an invitation from a friend — Blair Ogburn, senior naturalist at Balsam Mountain Trust — I was able to spend a few hours last Saturday (9/12) morning looking for fall migrants at Balsam Mountain Preserve.

Great friends, great birding, add a twist of nostalgia and you have the perfect birding cocktail. When Balsam Mountain Preserve and Balsam Mountain Trust first came into being, I was fortunate enough to be contracted to do bird surveys for the property. I established breeding bird points and conducted breeding bird surveys plus spring and fall migrant surveys from 2001 to 2007.

Things have changed considerably at BMP since those days, and I would likely be quite lost without Blair to navigate. We decided that morning to hit some of the spots that had produced birds in the past.

We stopped along Sugar Loaf Road where there is a brushy open area adjacent to the forested preserve, creating a great “edge” setting.

This spot is also near the home of Ron Lance, botanist, author and naturalist at North American Land Trust’s Big Ridge Preserve near Glenville. Ron came up and joined us, and we got to chat while watching the area come alive with birds.

There was a large hawthorn and a large dogwood in the field, both loaded with fruit and busy with birds. Ron also pointed out that there were some red mulberry trees in the field and that they were known to attract a lot of insects. That may have had something to do with the loads of warblers and other insectivores flitting about.

One of the first warblers we got really good looks at was a magnolia. Although it wasn’t in breeding plumage, it was quite striking with bright yellow breast and dark black streaking. The only other warbler species of the 11 we saw that morning that doesn’t nest in the area was Tennessee, and we saw quite a few of them.

Migration sometimes puts birds in odd settings, and it was a bit unusual to see worm-eating warblers perched on a utility wire. We also saw a Swainson’s thrush on the wire. There were cedar waxwings, blue jays, sparrows and others munching berries while the insectivores included blue-headed and red-eyed vireo, chestnut-sided warbler, blackthroated green warbler, black-and-white warbler, American redstart, blackburnian plus the others mentioned above. I think it safe to

Magnolia warbler fall plumage. biodiversity-nevis-.org photo

say that of the 40 species we found that morning 80 percent were represented at that one stop. Fallouts like that are what birding during migration is all about. That is not to say we didn’t have good finds in other areas.

We got great looks at the often-secretive ovenbird at two different locations.

As the morning was quickly playing out due to other commitments, we checked the list — 38 species. Just something about birders, but it’s a lot easier to stop at 40 than at 38. We didn’t have a single raptor so we decided to make a quick stop where we could see some sky. We pulled over at the edge of the golf course near the nature center. As I glassed the sky, a chimney swift streaked through my field of vision.

“Where?” asked Blair.

“Right in front of that white cloud — near where that turkey vulture is,” I said.

Forty-bingo!

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.

Adopt A Stream helps clean Clyde waterway

bigger and bigger and yet somehow small farms like us are struggling. The more attention and focus the movement gets, the better,” Nestler said.

Smoky Mountain News

As Balsam Gardens looks to expands, the biggest obstacle is a lack of affordable farmland. Besides their own farmstead, the couple leases two smaller plots of land for produce and livestock. But, that can only go so far, especially if expansion is key to survival for the business.

“The organic food movement is just booming and the demand for the product is enormous,” Beltram said. “But, on the flip side, a lot of us wanting to do this are young, beginner farmers with very limited resources, the biggest being land access.”

The start-up cost of buying land is high, while the returns on farming are low. It’s not an ideal business formula, and one that’s hard to make work if you don’t already have the land.

“The local food movement is getting

The Naturalist’s Corner

September 18-24, 2013

the tools to start his own farm someday.

“I just really find the fact Steven and Becca are making it something encouraging to me,” he said. “I want to have an operation of my own, something similar to what they have here.”

Want to know more?

outdoors

machine,” he chuckled.

And it’s that determined and focused attitude that attracts others to the property to learn the trade. Over the past five years, Balsam Gardens has offered seasonal internships to folks from around the country. Each year, from March to November, three to four interns come to work, learn and live on the property together as an extended family, raising produce and creating their own destiny.

Ian Mitchell, 23, has been working on the farm since early spring.

“All of the interns here take part in every aspect of the farm, from money markets, to planting, harvesting and feeding the animals,” Mitchell said of life on the farm.

From Otego, N.Y., his hopes to learn

Representatives from the town of Clyde and HomeTrust Bank removed 80 pounds of trash Saturday, Sept. 7, from the small tributary of the Pigeon River. It was the town’s first waterway cleanup since it adopted the stream next to the Clyde Fire Station as part of Haywood Waterways’ Adopt A Stream program. Participating organizations “adopt” a stream to clean up its trash and improve its water quality.

It took about two hours for the group of nine to collect the trash, which was mostly plastic soda bottles and shopping bags.

A larger stream-cleaning event, Haywood County’s Big Sweep, will be held on Sept. 21. Haywood Waterways is recruiting volunteers to help.

Trash ends up in streams several ways, with the bulk entering through storm drains. Litter and trash from cars is washed by rain into streams and rivers. Much of the trash, particularly plastics, can take hundreds of years to decompose. Besides being ugly, trash is bad for wildlife and can clog drains and pipes, which can cause flooding and problems for water users in industry and agriculture.

33 Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.550.4869.

outdoors

SAVE 50%

Off the Price of Standard Paving*

Fly Fishing the South

*Depending on size of the job.

No Job too Large or too Small With the high cost of asphalt, you can save $$$ with Bituminous Surface or Emulsion Treatment.

Also know as Chip & Seal or Tar & Chat

ASPHALT PAVING Driveways Parking Lots Curbing Roadways Patching/Repair Subdivisions

25 Years Experience All Work Guaranteed 206-64

BLACK BEAR Free Estimates Demolition Grading & Side Work

PAVING North Carolina Licensed & Insured

(828) 349-3390 • Franklin, NC

Two locations to serve you ASHEVILLE 252.3005

WAYNESVILLE 251.9721

www.hunterbanks.com

When that little voice tells you to quit, you’ll hear a bigger voice.

That’s the Chief, telling you to run.

September 18-24, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 34

TH

ANNUAL CHIEF’S CHALLENGE OCTOBER 1, 2013

A $1,000 grant given to the Elk Bugle Corps in Cataloochee Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be used to buy gear for the new bike patrol.

The grant from the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority to Friends of the Smokies went to help fund the Elk Bike Patrol and get volunteer riders some key pieces of equipment.

The money provides uniform shirts, bike shorts and pants, safety mirrors, repair kits, and radio gear. The bicycle volunteers, like Stefanie McIntosh of Asheville, help control traffic while dealing with elk-caused jams and answering visitor questions.

“Being on a bike allows us to respond quickly during high traffic times and during visitor emergencies,” McIntosh commented.

The TDA grant also supplies additional uniforms for the Elk Bugle Corps who rove valley on foot and in the volunteer vehicles, so that visitors know where to turn for information.

Bartram Conference planned for October

Principal Chief Michell Hicks

4

Grant helps elk volunteers on bikes

The Bartram Trail Conference is hosting an educational and environmental retreat Oct. 11-13 at The Mountain Retreat and Learning Center on Scaly Mountain.

The weekend lineup features talks on Cherokee culture, seminars on Appalachian botany and guided hikes. The Bartram Trail Conference is a national organization named for naturalist William Bartram, who explored the Southern Appalachian Mountains in the late 1700s.

On Friday, Oct. 11, three Cherokee artists will demonstrate traditional crafts, including river cane basket making, stamped pottery, moccasin making and firing a traditional blowgun.

On Saturday, Tom Belt, elder-in residence and Cherokee language instructor at Western Carolina University, will lead a Saturday morning session titled “A Cherokee Looks at William Bartram.” In addition, Dan Pittillo will lead a panel discussion of how the botany of the Southern Appalachians has changed since the time of Bartram.

On Saturday afternoon, there will be a talk on the Cowee Valley in Macon County and a driving tour of the area.

Sunday’s activities include a morning hike to Scaly Mountain on the Bartram Trail, followed by a guided tour of the Bartram Garden at Highlands Biological Station. A full list of events is available online.

The North Carolina Bartram Trail Society, which built and maintains the 75 miles of the Bartram Trail, from the Georgia line to Cheoah Bald, is cosponsoring the conference. www.bartramtrail.org/pages/2013conf.h tml or jrkautz@frontier.com.

Mysteries of raptors revealed in Cashiers

Birdfeeders are just one of many things that draw bears into backyards.

Matthew Smith photo

Got bears?

Learn about growing the “sang”

Pesticide Pick-Up Day The N.C. Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program, in cooperation with Jackson County, will offer a pesticide collection day for residents in Jackson and Swain counties and the surrounding area.

The collection will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the Recreation Park in Cullowhee.

Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, fumigants, rodenticides and growth regulators will be accepted. For pesticides with unreadable or missing labels, contact the Cooperative Extension Office for instructions. Please save any portion of the label to help identify the material so you can be assisted with disposal.

Other hazardous materials, such as paint, antifreeze, solvents, etc. will not be accepted at this collection day.

828.586.4009 or 828.488.3848.

206-65

Donated photo

years,” commented Skinner. “This is why they are revered by kings and killed out of ignorance, greed and arrogance.”

The presentation is part of the monthly Village Nature Series, sponsored by the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and The Village Green to promote environmental education. info@villagegreencashiersnc.com or 828.743.3434.

Track rising water on your phone In time for peak hurricane season, Duke Energy is going mobile with its lake level information.

The smart phone-friendly website can be accessed at www.duke-energy.com. The default menu shows an option for “Lakes and Recreation.” Duke Energy’s lake information web pages include recreational water release schedules, lake levels and alerts. The page attracts thousands of hits each month when heavy rainfall causes high water at lakes managed by the company.

“We’ve provided this information for years, knowing how important it is to people who live near the lakes and to those who use them for recreation,” said Duke Energy spokesperson Lisa Hoffmann. “This enhancement will make popular lake information even more accessible.”

Lakeside residents are encouraged to monitor weather forecasts and check for lake level alerts when heavy rains are in the forecast. The public also can check real-time lake levels and special updates, 24 hours a day, online or over the phone. www.duke-energy.com/lakes/levels.asp or 800.829.5253.

Business of the Month!

Ken Wilson Ford

Built on a reputation of providing courteous, honest service, Ken Wilson Ford is located in Canton just off I-40 Exit 31.

Ranked one of the Top 10 Ford Dealers in North Carolina, 2013 Partners in Quality award recipient and a 20 year recipient of the Chairman’s Award in recognition of customer satisfaction and service.

Ken Wilson carries the area’s largest Heavy Duty Truck selection, a wide selection of New Ford vehicles and Certified Pre-Owned Ford vehicles, as well as a variety of used vehicles.

Known for superior sales and service, the staff of Ken Wilson are sure to assist you in finding the vehicle which best meets your automotive needs.

Ken Wilson Ford 769 Champion Dr. • Canton, NC 800.532.4631

28 Walnut St. Waynesville | 828.456.3021 | haywood-nc.com

Smoky Mountain News

The N.C. Cooperative Extension Service is offering a free seminar on Ginseng Production for homeowners who desire to grow the plant. The dates are 2 to 4 p.m.

Sept. 23, at the Swain Extension Center and 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 24, at the Jackson County Extension Center in Sylva.

Topics covered will be state regulations

Tips on getting more customers to stop by your farmer’s market booth are the topic of an upcoming seminar.

The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar titled, Attracting More Customers at the Farmer’s Market: Hands-on Booth Display Workshop, from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept.

24, in the Creative Arts Building. Attendees should bring to class their booth display Charles Hudson, ideas and the market challenges they face.

HCC farmers market tips They will be able to consult with experts to presenter. Donated photo find solutions. Tables will be provided but participants should bring props if possible.

Some of the topics covered will be hands-on visual displays, efficient ways of setting up and taking down, the essentials of attracting and engaging customers, and closing the sale.

The class will be led by Charles Hudson, product development chef at Sunburst Trout Company.

More information and preregistration are available through the Small Business Center.

September 18-24, 2013

For homeowners with bear problems, the B.E.A.R. Task Force is hosting a program to keep the persistent beasts away.

The seminar will take place at 4 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Highlands Nature Center amphitheater. Bear experts will provide helpful information on managing attractants, along with demonstrations of an array of effective deterrents, including whistles, air horns, umbrellas and electric fencing. Also, attendees will learn about recommended behavior to discourage bears and reduce run-ins. The program is free to the public.

In case of rain, the program will move to the Highlands Civic Center.

828.526.9227.

A group of raptors will be featured at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers.

“Raptor” is not a scientific classification but a catchall term used to refer to agile and powerful avian hunters such as eagles, hawks, falcons, kites and owls. Raptor expert Michael Skinner, will bring a group of these birds of prey from Balsam Mountain Trust for the upcoming presentation.

The birds kept at Balsam Mountain Trust can no longer effectively hunt and therefore cannot live in the wild. Their injuries are usually the result of accidents.

The Trust rehabilitates them and uses them for educational programs.

“Birds of prey have both fascinated and terrorized humankind for thousands of

Give your farmers market booth the edge outdoors

for growing and hunting ginseng, plant physiology, present and historical uses of ginseng and comparing Asian versus American ginseng. Major time and emphasis of the program will be dedicated to the woods simulated cultural practices such as site selection and preparation, sowing, harvesting and drying the roots and seed stratification.

828.586.4009 or 828.488.3848.

35

outdoors September 18-24, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 36

Conservation group to host fishing tournament Sept. 28 The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee will host its first Fish Frenzy, a kayak and canoe fishing tournament, Saturday, Sept.28, at the Tsali Boat Ramp on Lake Fontana.

The Fish Frenzy is an opportunity for avid anglers from across the region to join in the spirit of sport fishing in the Little Tennessee River watershed. The event will begin at 6:45 a.m. with a designated launch time scheduled for 7:30 a.m. The entry fee is $30 and registration for the event closes Monday, Sept. 23.

The LTLT works to conserve watersheds and streams in the drainage of the Little Tennessee River. For 24 years, the organization has been using fish sampling to assess water quality in the Little Tennessee River basin and undertaken projects to protect aquatic species.

Only non-motorized boats are allowed. Scoring for the tournament is based on catch-photograph-release methods with winnings determined by the total length of the best five fish caught.

To highlight the unique biodiversity of the Little Tennessee River watershed, additional incentives will be awarded for catching multiple species of fish. www.ltlt.org, 828.524.2711 x309 or jmeador@ltlt.org.

Celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day Sept. 28 with special events and a campaign to get more people involved in the outdoors.

The Commission is hosting several events across the state that highlight North Carolina’s hunting, fishing and conservation heritage. In Western North Carolina, there will be an event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard.

Through interactive activities and demonstrations, participants can connect with nature and learn outdoor skills like fishing, archery, campfire cooking and conservation history.

National Hunting and Fishing Day was created by the National Shooting Sports Foundation to celebrate conservation successes of hunters and anglers. In addition to recreation, hunting and fishing activities support upward of 29,000 jobs in North Carolina.

828.877.4423.

Mountain Heritage Day features 5K run A 5K race will be held on the campus of Western Carolina University in conjunction with Mountain Heritage Day festivities.

The race will start at 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept.

28, with check-in and race day registration from 6:45 to 7:45 a.m. at the Stillwell Science Building on the WCU campus. The course will take runners on a partial tour of the WCU campus, including past the signature fountain at the campus center. The route offers a mix of flatland and hills. A course map is available online. The race is open to runners, joggers and speed walkers; all participants should be able to complete the race within 50 minutes.

Awards will be presented to first place male and female runners and the top three male and female runners in each age category, including 17 and under, 18-31 and 31 and over. mountainheritage5k@gmail.com or dtyler@wcu.edu or 828.283.0203 or www.claws.wcu.edu/sma/5K.

WCU photo

Dillsboro site of river rodeo The Western North Carolina River Rescue Rodeo will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 29, in Dillsboro. Teams of boaters will compete in a combination of five river rescue events in heats such as the rope throw, the knot rodeo, the yard sale rescue and other rescue scenarios. The events will take place at the Dillsboro Drop rapid, which has been in place since the 2011 Dillsboro dam removal.

The rodeo is sponsored by Landmark Learning, an outdoor education school in Cullowhee. The school trains about 2,000 students per year in wilderness medical and rescue skills.

828.293.5384.

Smoky Streak raises money for breast cancer screening The annual charity run and walk Smoky Streak will be held Saturday, Oct. 5 at Webster Baptist Church.

The event includes a walk, a 5K, and 10K leg and is sponsored by the WestCare Foundation. All races are flat, out, and back along the Tuckasegee River. The walk and 5K begin at 9 a.m., and the 10K begins at 9:30 a.m.

Money raised through the Smoky Streak provides early breast cancer detection and women’s health services through partnership with the Jackson and Swain counties’ health departments. The event is in its 15th year.

There are four levels of sponsorship for the event, from the $125 Ribbon Level Sponsor to the $1,000 Hot Pink Sponsor. More information about becoming a sponsor and the levels of sponsorship can be found by contacting MedWest.

Runners and walkers may register online before the event for a $25 individual fee, or $100 for teams of five or more. Registration on the day of the event costs $30, and closes at 8:30 a.m. www.medwesthealth.org or 828.631.8924 or andrea.robbins@haymed.org.

Pour le Pink aims to promote women’s health The Pour le Pink 5K Walk/Run for Breast Health and Women’s Services will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, in Highlands.

Sponsored by the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Foundation, the 5K will begin and end on the hospital’s campus. Funds raised will go toward maintaining the hospital’s state-of-the-art equipment, promoting breast health and providing women’s services. The race is being organized with assistance by the Highlands Roadrunners Club and is open to male and female walkers and runners of all ages. Pre-registration is $20, if received by Sep. 23 and $30 thereafter. Registration includes an event T-shirt. Those interested in registering, becoming a sponsor, or additional race details, can visit the website or call the hospital. Online registration is currently open on Active.com. www.highlandscashiershospital.org or 828.526.1313.

Franklin’s fall ride cycles for a cause Oil the bike chain and air up the tires for the Tour de Franklin charity bicycle ride.

The Fall Classic will leave at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, starting from Smoky Mountain Bicycles in Franklin, one of the ride’s sponsors.

There are three ride choices, 30, 55, and 66 miles, each with fully stocked rest stops along the way. Cost of the ride is $45. Ride sponsorships are available from $100 to $1,000. All proceeds from the tour are donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Ride 2 Recovery.

This year’s ride is in memory of Sean McCormick, who died from lymphoma this year, and in honor of Charles Council, father of one of the ride’s organizers, who is battling a type of blood cancer.

828.369.2881 or www.tourdefranklin.com or www.active.com.

Cyclists take in the autumn colors as they pedal toward the finish line of the Fall Classic.

Top honors for SCC students outdoors

No junior women’s freestyle kayaker in the world was better than Stecoah resident Rowan Stuart recently at the ICF Canoe World Championships — a freestyle boating competition.

The 17-year-old, who attends Jackson County Early College through Southwestern Community College, won her division at the event held in the Nantahala Gorge. For Stuart, the international competition provided the thrill of a lifetime.

“The week of World Championships was the most challenging, exciting, and rewarding week of my life to this point,” said Stuart, who is on track to graduate with her two-year associate’s degree before she turns 18. “During our preliminary round, I ended up in second place, after having a less-than-amazing second ride. I feel like that second place inspired me to do better during finals, and I was happy to meet that goal. Now that it’s over with, I’m just proud to represent myself, my sponsors.”

But she wasn’t the only SCC representative to shine at the international competition. There were also 30 outdoor leadership students who served 80 volunteer shifts during the seven-day competition.

One student, Swain High School graduate Jacob Smith, so impressed event organizers and judges that he was asked to work extra shifts as a timer in the judging booth.

“The Australian judge invited him to go to Spain for another event,” said Paul Wolf, coordinator of SCC’s outdoor leadership, wilderness emergency medicine and wilderness therapy programs. “For him in particular, but also for all of our students, this was a chance to seize on the special moments in life.”

Southwestern Community College Rowan Stuart (center) finished top in her division at a world freestyle boating event in the Nantahala Gorge this month. Donated photo

September 18-24, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 37

38

WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • EBay for Beginners, free workshop, 6 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 18, Regional High Technology Center, Waynesville. 627.4512.

• Free computer class: Basic Word/Resume Prep, 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• iPad Users Group, 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Beyond the Basics of Selling on eBay: Techniques for the Serious Seller, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, Regional High Technology Center, Waynesville. Free.

Offered through the Small Business Center at HCC. 627.4512.

• Setting up your eBay Store, 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept.19, Regional High Technology Center, Waynesville.

Free. Offered through the Small Business Center at HCC. 627.4512.

• Pharmacy Technician, 13-week online program, first Tuesday of each month and average 20 hours per week. $180 plus a $5 technology fee. Vita Nations, 339.4656, vitan@southwesterncc.edu or Scott Sutton, 306.7034 or scotts@southwesterncc.edu.

• Basic Word/Resume Preparation, 4:30 p.m. Sept. 18, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. Class size limited.

Two hour class. 586.2016.

• Seminar, What’s Your Time and Energy Worth?, with accounting professional Gene Hansen, of Hansen & Associates, 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, Cashiers Community Library. Chamber members free. Non-members, $20. 743.5191 or info@CashiersAreaChamber.com.

• Free small business taxes seminar, Small Business Taxes, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, Macon Campus of Southwestern Community College. https://www.ncsbc.net/center.aspx?center=75490.

Small Business Center, 339.4211 or write to t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

• Business After Hours and Customer Appreciation event, 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, Wild Fern Studios, corner of Everett and Main streets, Bryson City.

488.3681, chamber@greatsmokies.com.

• Jackson County Early College High School information nights, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, Southwestern Community College Jackson Campus, lobby of the JCEC building. 339.4468 • Lunch & Learn seminar, Your Rights and Responsibilities as an Employer, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 19, Sequoyah Fund offices, 810 Acquoni Road, Ginger Lynn Welch Complex, Cherokee. John Ross, 359.5006 or http://www.sequoyahfund.org/classes.html.

• Community Initiative of Southwestern North Carolina Community Workshops: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, Tribal Council Chambers, 88 Council House Loop Road, Cherokee; 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, Graham County Community Center, 196 Knight Street, Robbinsville; 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 26, Macon Bank Corporate Center, 220 One Center Court. Franklin; and 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sep. 30, Multi-Purpose Room, 2nd floor, A.K. Hinds University Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee.

• Free seminar, “Attracting More Customers at the Farmer’s Market: Hands-on Booth Display Workshop,” 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, Creative Arts Building, Room # 7105, Haywood Community College. Bring booth display ideas. Led by Charles Hudson, product development chef at Sunburst Trout Company. Register, 627.4512.

• Free presentation, “The Impact of Healthcare Law on Small Businesses,” hosted by Jackson County Chamber

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. of Commerce, 9 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Best Western Plus River Escape Inn & Suites, 248 WBI Drive, Dillsboro. Julie Spiro, Julie@nc-mountains.com or 586.2155.

• Free seminar, “Basics of Bookkeeping,” 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at Southwestern Community College’s Macon Campus. https://www.ncsbc.net/center.aspx?center=75490, Tiffany Henry, 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Western Carolina University’s 14th annual Diversity Week, Sept. 15-21, with various events and speakers.

Full schedule at www.wcu.edu., ica@wcu.edu or 227.2276.

• Western North Carolina Dog Fanciers Association’s All-Breed Agility Trial and K-9 Fundraiser, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 20-22, Haywood County Fairgrounds, 758 Crabtree Rd, Waynesville. Free admission, pet course contest entry fee at $5. www.wcdfa.org.

• Red Zone Service Project, 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Sept. 21, Western Carolina University’s UC Lawn/UC Multi-Purpose Room A (in case of rain). Jennifer Cooper at jcooper@wcu.edu or Sarah Carter @ sacarter@wcu.edu.

• Jackson Photo Club first meeting, 2 to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21, Open Door for Spiritual Living, 318 Skyland Drive, Suite 1-A, Coggins Office Park, Sylva.

226.3840.

• Swain County Emergency Services Day, 10 a.m.

Saturday, Sept.21, Swain County High School Memorial Stadium.

• Technical Coordinating Committee of the Southwestern Rural Planning Organization (RPO), 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23, Cecil Groves boardroom, Macon County campus, Southwestern Community College.

Philip Moore, coordinator of the Southwestern RPO, phil@regiona.org or 339.2213.

• Transportation Advisory Committee of the Southwestern Rural Planning Organization (RPO) 5 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 23, Chestnut Tree Inn, 37 Tsalagi Road, Cherokee. Philip Moore, coordinator of the Southwestern RPO, phil@regiona.org or 339.2213.

• Fall rabies clinics at the following Haywood County schools, 5 to 6:30 p.m.: Monday, Sept. 23, Jonathan Valley School; Tuesday, Sept. 24, Canton Middle School and Bethel Middle School (bus parking lots); Wednesday, Sept. 25, Hazelwood Elementary School; Thursday, Sept. 26, Riverbend Elementary School; Friday, Sept. 27, Old Fines Creek School. $9 per vaccine.

Animal Services, 456.5338, Environmental Health Department, 452.6682, or www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/rabies/.

• Pesticide Pick-Up Date for residents of Jackson and Swain counties and the surrounding areas, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Cullowhee Recreation Center, 88 Cullowhee Mountain Road, Cullowhee. Christy Bredenkamp, 488.3848 or 586.4009.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS

Smoky Mountain Health and Rehabilitation Center, 1349 Crabtree Road, Waynesville. Karaoke, bluegrass music, and lunch available for $5. Proceeds go to the activity department to provide activities for the residents.

Linda Arnold, family council president, stanandlinda@charter.net or 456.5311.

• Macon Aero Modelers 5th annual BBQ Charity Fun Fly, 9 a.m. Sept. 21-22, club’s flying field on Tessentee Road in Otto. Radio controlled airplane enthusiasts club. $5 parking, $7 barbecue plates, and $5 hot dog plates. Proceeds to benefit REACH of Macon County.

Rain date, Sept. 28-29.

• Sunset Cruisers Car Club Car Show to benefit KARE (Kids Advocacy Resource Effort), 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, Lake Junaluska Bojangles. Registration is $10 and will be held at the event.

• “Coats for Kids,” a Jackson County local mission project, is accepting donations of children’s new and gently used coats, hats, gloves winter clothing and shoes through Monday, Sept. 30 at Cullowhee United Methodist Church, Sylva Walmart (inside store), Sylva First Presbyterian Church, Pathways Thrift Store, The Sylva Herald and Jackson County Public Library. Christy Rowe, gsmautumn@yahoo.com.

HEALTH MATTERS • Southwestern Community College’s Health Fair, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, SCC’s Jackson Campus.

339.4339, 339.4459.

• Crisis/Emergency Department Initiative (CEDI), a behavioral health forum for law enforcement officers, 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, Haywood Community College in the Beal Auditorium. Brian Bair, 452.8691 or email brian.bair@haymed.org. Sponsored by MedWest Haywood.

• Prostate screenings, PSA screening, to men age 50 to 65, 8 to 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, MedWest Haywood, seventh floor of the hospital. $20. Cash and check accepted on the day of the screening. Register, 452.9700.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • Prayer Walk, 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Meet at First United Methodist Church, Waynesville, parking lot.

Sponsored by Longs Chapel United Methodist Church.

Barbecue dinner afterward at Longs Chapel United Methodist Church , 175 Old Clyde Rd, Waynesville.

Tickets $8, kids 5 and under free, available at Longs Chapel church office. 456.3993.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Community Potluck, noon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Tai Chi, 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. 452.2370.

• Balance class, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Book club, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Zumba, 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. 452.2370.

• Sarge’s Animal Rescue Yard Sale, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sept. 20-21, adoption center, 256 Industrial Park Drive, Waynesville. 246.9050 if you have donations.

• Meditation for Brain and Body, 10:30 a.m. or 3:45 p.m. Thursdays, starting Sept. 19-Oct. 10, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Fall Fest and Yard Sale, 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21,

• RSVP volunteer coffee, 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 20,

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Wood carving, 9:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Caregiver Unite, 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Tai Chi for Health, 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sept. 24. $10 for participants and $15 for non-participants.

Class size is limited. Sign up in the Lobby of the Jackson County Senior Center or call 586.4944.

• Balance Seminar, 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Room 137, Jackson County Department of Aging Senior Center, Sylva. 586.4944.

• Learn to use your IPhone, 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. 452.2370.

• Tai Chi 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. 452.2370.

• Balance class 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Zumba 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Wednesday, Sept.

25, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. 452.2370.

POLITICAL GROUP EVENTS & LOCAL GOVERNMENT GOP • Republican Party of Haywood County hosts its Fall Harvest Dinner, 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept, 14, Canton Armory, 71 Penland St., Canton. 246.7021 or HcGOPevent@yahoo.com.

• North and South Jackson County Republican meeting, 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, Ryan’s, Sylva. Ralph Slaughter, 743.6491, jacksonctygop@yahoo.com or jacksoncountygop.com.

Others • OccupyWNC, general assembly, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, Jackson Justice Center, Room 246, Sylva.

SUPPORT GROUPS Haywood • Eight-week Grief Education/Support group, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 10-Oct. 29, Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church, Clyde in the Dugan classroom.

452.5039.

• Informal meeting for families or individuals who have had children die, 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, Long’s Chapel UMC, 133 Old Clyde Road, Room 102/5 across from the Fellowship Hall. Intent is to establish a local chapter of The Compasionate Friends, a nonprofit selfhelp bereavement support organization. John, 400.6480. www.compassionatefriends.org.

INTRODUCING Dailies Total 1

No Need to go to a Big Box Store.

We Have Lower Prices, Higher Quality And Experienced Staff.

Call today about the new water gradient one day disposable contact lens that will redefine the way you see the world.

Dr. Bob Dickey Dr. Kristel Causby

YOUR HOMETOWN PRINT, COPY, DIRECT MAIL & SIGN SHOP 641 North Main Street, WAYNESVILLE, NC (3/10 Mile North of the Courthouse)

828-456-HAUS (4287)

509 Asheville Hwy., Suite B, SYLVA, NC (Located in the NAPA Auto Parts Center)

828-586-HAUS (4287)

wnc calendar

$PMPS $PQZJOH 1SJOUJOH t -PX 1SJDFT # 8 4FMG 4FSWF $PQJFST )JHI 4QFFE -PX $PTU %JHJUBM 8JEF 'PSNBU "SDIJUFDUVSBM &OHJOFFSJOH 3FEVDF &OMBSHF 4DBOOJOH 1SJOU GSPN F รถMFT www.ThePrintHaus.com $PNQMFUF #JOEFSZ t .PVOUJOH t -BNJOBUJOH t $PJM #JOET Since 1982

Experience the contact lens that FEELS LIKE NOTHING

PROVIDING QUALITY EYE CARE TO WNC SINCE 1977

CLYDE 486 Hospital Dr. - 828.452.5816

CANTON 65 Park St.- 828.648.2483

WAYNESVILLE 1898 S. Main St. - 828.456.2015

206-25

September 18-24, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 39

wnc calendar

Jackson • MedWest-Harris WNC Breast Cancer Support Group, 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, Harris Medical Park conference room, 98 Doctors Drive, Sylva. Mary E. Mahon, RN, 631.8100.

A&E FESTIVALS, SPECIAL & SEASONAL EVENTS • Pisgah Inn Craft Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 2125, Pisgah Inn, Milepost 408, Blue Ridge Parkway.

Free.

• Mountain Life Festival, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Mountain Farm Museum, Oconoluftee Visitor Center, U.S. 441, two miles north of Cherokee, 497.1904.

• Streetfest, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, downtown Franklin.

• 39th Mountain Heritage Day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, Western Carolina University.

Appalachian culture celebration. www.MountainHeritageDay.com, 227.7129.

• Brendan Greaves, a folklorist focusing on vernacular music, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, Mountain Heritage Center, Western Carolina University. 227.7129 or visit www.wcu.edu/mhc.

LITERARY (ADULTS)

September 18-24, 2013

• Coffee with the Poet, Rick Mulkey, 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, Sept. 19, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva.

586.9499.

• Let’s Talk About It, Friends of the Library book discussion, “The World Made Straight” by Ron Rash, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, auditorium, Haywood County Library, Waynesville. 456.5311 or stanandlinda@charter.net.

• Store-Wide Half-Price Book Sale, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21, Friends of the Jackson County Public Library Used Book Store, 536 W. Main, Sylva.

• Author Jeff Minick ,3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at Blue Ridge Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville.

456.6000.

• Trey Carland, 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. 586.9499.

• Gary Carden, Appalachian Bestiary, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 26, in the Meeting Room at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

Smoky Mountain News

• Author Sharyn McCrumb, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

28, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. 586.9499.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • The Freight Hoppers, 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, Southwestern Community College’s Swain Center. Free.

• Tony Award-winning puppet musical “Ave. Q,” 7:30 p.m. Sept. 20-21, 27-28 and Oct. 4-5, and at 3 p.m.

Sept. 22, 29 and Oct. 6, Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, Waynesville. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.

• “Next to Normal,” Tony award-winning rock musical, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, Sept. 25-28, WCU’s Hoey Auditorium. Presented by students and faculty of Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen. 227.2479 or fapac.wcu.edu.

• Western Carolina University Professor of Flute Eldred Spell, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, recital hall of the Coulter Building in Cullowhee. Bradley Martin, WCU associate professor of piano, will accompany.

40 Free. 227.7242.

• Country star/actor Rodney Carrington, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28, Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

Tickets start at $35 per person. 800.745.3000 or www.harrahscherokee.com.

• Diavolo Dance Theater, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

28, Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets, $21, $25, $29. www.greatmountainmusic.com • Brass Transit, “world’s greatest Chicago tribute band,” 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, Western Carolina University.

227.2479 or www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

NIGHT LIFE • The Buchanan Boys, 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, Central Plaza at Western Carolina University. Free. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Ginny McAfee, 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, Water’n Hole Bar and Grill in Waynesville. $3.

456.4750.

• Tim Buppert, Jerry Vandiver and Leslie Satcher, “Songwriter in the Round,” 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, Balsam Mountain Inn. $45. www.balsammountaininn.net.

• Caleb Burress, ‘Round The Fire and Small Town Jonathan Martin, Saturday, Sept. 21, Frog Level Brewing Company for Oktoberfest, Waynesville.

454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Liz & AJ Nance, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, City Lights Café, Sylva. www.citylightscafe.com.

• Live music with Judy Morgan, Sept. 21; and The Mix, Sept. 28, Mountaineer Restaurant,6490 Soco Road, Maggie Valley. 926.1730.

• Wade Baker, 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, and Hank West & The Smoking Hots, 9 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 26, No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Free. 586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

OUTDOOR MUSIC CALENDAR • Music in the Mountains concert series, The Carolina Bluegrass Boys, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City.

872.4681.

• Folk musicians Anne and Rob Lough, 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, Franklin’s Town Square, Main Street at Iotla, downtown Franklin. Bring lawn chair. Rain location, First Presbyterian Chapel, 26 Church Street, Franklin.

524.7683 or artscouncilofmacon.org.

JAMS • Community music jam, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, Marianna Black Library, downtown Bryson City. 488.3030.

DANCE • High Mountain Squares, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, Macon County Community Building, Route 441 South, Franklin. 371.4946, 342.1560, 332.0001, www.highmountainsquare.org.

• Waynesville Community Dance, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept.

22, Gateway Club Ballroom, 37 Church Street, Waynesville. www.dancewnc.com.

• Pisgah Promenaders Anniversary Dance, 6:45 to 8:45 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, Old Armory Recreation Center, 44 Boundary St., Waynesville. 586.8416, Jackson County or 452.1971, Haywood County.

ART/GALLERY EVENTS & OPENINGS • “Iron Maidens: Women of Contemporary Cast Iron,” reception 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University. Exhibition,

which showcases 14 female artists from Great Britain and America who specialize in cast iron art, will be on display through Friday, Nov. 22. fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or 227.3591.

CLASSES, PROGRAMS & DEMONSTRATIONS • Chrismon-making workshop, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 19, conference room, Community Service Center, Sylva. $15, 586.4009.

• Huck embroidery workshop, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 24, KJ’s Needle in a Haystack Shop, Dillsboro. $10. 586.2435 or email JunettaPell@hotmail.com by Sept. 20.

• Oil/landscape painting workshop, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21 and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, Uptown Gallery, 30 E. Main St. Franklin. Jack Stern, instructor. 349.4607, uptowngalleryoffranklin.com.

FILM & SCREEN • New movie about legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, 4:30 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, Meeting Room, Macon County Public Library,149 Siler Farm Road, Franklin. 524.3600. PG-13 for thematic elements including language.

• Movie Night, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Groovy Movie Club presents “The East,” 7 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 20, Buffy Queen’s home, Dellwood. 6:15 p.m. Free. Reservations or directions, 926.3508, 454.5949 or e-mail johnbuckleyX@gmail.com.

• Filmmaker Hisham Mayet will present documentaries that depict culture along the Niger River and ceremonies of West Africa, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept.

24, and Wednesday, Sept. 25, theater of A.K. Hinds University Center. Free. ace.wcu.edu, 227.3751.

• Family movie, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City. 488.3030.

• New movie at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Classic 1966 movie based on Ray Bradbury novel, 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, Meeting Room, Macon County Public Library. 524.6000.

Outdoors OUTINGS, HIKES & FIELDTRIPS • Franklin Bird Club weekly bird walk, Wednesday, Sept. 18, along the Greenway. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Macon County Public Library parking area. 524.5234.

• Play Day Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, 195 Hemphill Knob Road, Milepost 384, Asheville. www.blueridgeheritage.com or 298.5330 • Nantahala Hiking Club, Saturday, Sept. 21, Jones Gap to Jones Knob on the Bartram Trail. Meet at 10:30 a.m. at Franklin Bi-Lo. Joyce Jacques, 410.852.7510.

• Nantahala Hiking Club, Sunday, Sept. 21, Appalachian Trail from Wayah Bald tower, over Wine Spring Bald, and downhill to Wayah Crest picnic area.

Meet at 2 p.m. at Westgate Plaza in Franklin. 369.7352.

• Franklin Bird Club weekly bird walk, Wednesday, Sept. 25, along the Greenway. Meet at 8 a.m. at Salali Lane. 524.5234.

• Tour de Franklin Fall Classic, 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept.

28, starting from Smoky Mountain Bicycles, Franklin. $45. 369.2881 or www.tourdefranklin.com or www.active.com.

• Fish Frenzy, kayak and canoe fishing tournament, 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept.28, Tsali Boat Ramp, Lake Fontana. Entry fee is $30 , registration closes Monday, Sept. 23. www.ltlt.org, 524.2711 x309 or jmeador@ltlt.org.

• National Hunting and Fishing Day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28 Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah Forest.

877.4423.

• Western North Carolina River Rescue Rodeo, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 29, Dillsboro. 293.5384.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS • B.E.A.R. Task Force program, 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

21, Highlands Nature Center amphitheater, E. Main St. (Horse Cove Road) In case of rain it will move to the Highlands Civic Center. 526.9227 • “Bring Back the Monarchs” program, 2 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 22, Forest Discovery Center, Cradle of Forestry, Hwy. 276, Pisgah National Forest. 877.3130, www.cradleofforestry.org, www.monarchwatch.org.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Murphy Medical Center’s “Two Hours from Anywhere” 5K challenge, two-mile heart walk, and kids’ fun run, Saturday, Sept. 21. 835.7506.

• Mountain Heritage Day 5K Road Race, 8 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28, Stillwell Science Building, WCU campus. claws.wcu.edu/sma/5K/, mountainheritage5k@gmail.com or contact Dr. David Tyler, dtyler@wcu.edu, 283.0203.

FARM & GARDEN • Self-guided farm tours, 1 to 6 p.m. Sept. 21-22, at 31 Appalachian Grown™ certified WNC farms, including Haywood County’s Sunburst Trout Farms. asapconnections.org.

FARMER’S & TAILGATE MARKETS Waynesville • Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays and Saturdays. 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville in the parking lot of the HART Theatre. 627.1058. www.waynesvillefarmersmarket.com.

• The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays and Saturdays, 171 Legion Dr., Waynesville, at the American Legion in Waynesville behind Bogart’s restaurant. 648.6323. www.buyhaywood.com.

Canton • Canton Tailgate Market will be open from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays at Municipal parking area, 58 Park Street in Canton. 235.2760. www.buyhaywood.com.

Sylva • Jackson County Farmers Market Every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org, Jenny, 631.3033 or jennywm@buncombe.main.nc.us.

Franklin • Franklin Tailgate Market 8 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, 226 E. Palmer St., Franklin, across the street from Drake Software. 349.2046. www.facebook.com/franklinncfarmersmarket.

Bryson City • Swain Tailgate Market 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays, Main Street behind the historic courthouse downtown. 488.3848. www.greatsmokies.com.

PRIME REAL ESTATE

INSIDE

Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

UPBEAT ADS

MarketPlace information:

LIVING ESTATE FROM WHITTIER Thurs., Fri., & Sat. 9am - 4pm.

Lots of Good Furniture, Bedroom Suites, Dinning Room Suites, 3 Park Benches, Outdoor Furniture, Many Antiques, Computer, Art & Prints.

Everything Under the Sun! Rain or Shine!

255 Depot Street Waynesville, NC.

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

Rates: ■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads.

■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad.

■ $35 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

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

AUCTION

Classified Advertising:

ABSOLUTE MULTI-PROPERTY Auction - 20 Investment Properties- Duplex- Houses- Mobile Homes- Lots- Scotland CountyBidzone: Champs Restaurant, 1500 US Highway 15/401 Bypass Laurinburg, NC- Saturday, Sept 28, 11AM. Damon Shortt Real Estate & Auction Group, 877.669.4005.

NCAL7358. www.damonshorttproperties.com

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

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO

INC.

R

DI

SC OV ER E

ATR

PE

Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

AUCTION, GRANITE & MARBLE

By Malave', Inc., Equipment, Vehicles, Inventory & More Greensboro, NC- Guilford County, 9/26/13 at 9am, Auction at Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center Meeting Room 3, Iron Horse Auction Co., Inc., 800.997.2248, NCAL3936, ironhorseauction.com

Offering:

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

Service truck available for on-site repairs 206-49

LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS STEVE WOODS, MANAGER

MON-FRI 7:30-5:30 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

456-5387

GOING, GOING, GONE! Promote your auction with a classified ad published in 100 North Carolina newspapers with over 1.3 million circulation. Only $330 for 25 words. Call this newspaper, or NCPS at 919.789.2083 or visit www.ncpsads.com.

YADKIN RIVERFRONT AUCTION: Clemmons NC 10.9-Acres + Home + Pond. WILL SELL at or above $149K! OCT 5. Mike Harper 843.729.4996 (NCAL8286). www.HarperAuctionAndRealty.com for details.

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

WHITE PINE, HEMLOCK, POPLAR Lumber and Timbers, Any Size!

Rough Sawn or S4S, Custom Sawing. Smoky Mountain Timber, 3517 Jonathan Creek Rd., Waynesville, NC. 828.926.4300.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316 SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

PAINTING JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Interior, exterior, all your pressure washing needs and more.

Specialize in Removal of Carpenter Bees - Log Homes or Siding! Call Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727.

CAMPERS 2004 36’ COACHMAN CATALINA Camper: Living Room Slide-Out & BR Slide-Out, King Bedroom, Queen Sleeper-Sofa, Fully Eqpd.

Kitchen, Large Bathroom w/ Corner Shower, Solar Panels, Lots of Extras! $18,000. Call for more info 828.734.4624 or 828.734.3480

CARS - DOMESTIC DONATE YOUR CAR Fast Free Towing 24 hr. Response Tax Deduction United Breast Cancer Foundation Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info 888.759.9782. SAPA

CARS - DOMESTIC DONATE YOUR CAR Fast Free Towing. 24 hr. Response.

Tax Deduction. United Breast Cancer Foundation, Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info 855.733.5472 DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 800.337.9038.

SAVE $$$ ON Auto Insurance from the major names you know and trust. No forms. No hassle. No obligation.

Call Ready For My Quote now!

CALL 1.855.834.5740.

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

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

CLOTHING 4T GIRLS SKI BIBS Pink, fleece lined, Children’s Place ski bibs. Like new $10. Call 828.648.3425.

SIZE 6 GIRLS SKI PANTS Light pink, like new, $10. Get ready for skiing, tubing or just playing in the snow. Call 828.648.3425.

EMPLOYMENT $1,000 WEEKLY OR MORE Guaranteed salary mailing our financial company letters from home. NO Experience Required.

FT/PT. Genuine opportunity. Rapid Advancement. FREE Information (24/7): 1.888.557.5539.

SAPA 1500+ RGN LOADS From Clayton, NC to multiple destinations. Accepting Contractors with their own RGN's or pull Company trailers AT NO COST. 1.800.669.6414 or go to: www.dailyrecruiting.com

R

WNC MarketPlace

EMPLOYMENT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Training Program! Become a Certified Microsoft Office Professional! No Experienced Needed!

Online training gets you job ready!

HS Diploma/GED Program disclosures at careertechnical.edu/nc 1.888.926.6057.

ADMINISTRATOR/BOOKKEEPER Part-time, Sought for environmental nonprofit (Balsam Mountain Trust).

Email: mskinner@bmtrust.org for a complete job description.

AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE Get FAA Approved Maintenance Training Financial Aid For Qualified Students - Housing Available Job Placement Assistance. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 WWW.FIXJETS.COM. SAPA EARN $1000+ PER WEEK! Full Benefits + Quality Hometime.

New Trucks Arriving. CDL-A required. 1.888.592.4752. www.ad-drivers.com SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT EARN $1000+ PER WEEK. Full Benefits + Quality Hometime.

New Trucks Arriving. CDL A Req. 877.258.8782. Or go to: www.ad-drivers.com

ATTENTION REGIONAL & Dedicated Drivers! Averitt offers Excellent Benefits & Hometime.

CDL-A req. 888.362.8608. Recent Grads w/a CDL-A 1-6/wks Paid Training. Apply online at: AverittCareers.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

CDL-A DRIVERS: Looking for higher pay? New Century is hiring exp. company drivers, owner operators. Solos and teams.

Competitive pay package. Sign-on incentives. Call 888.705.3217 or apply online at: www.drivenctrans.com DRIVERS HOME WEEKLY & Bi-Weekly. Earn $900- $1200/Wk. BC/BS Med. & Major Benefits. No Canada, HazMat or NYC! Smith Transport 877.705.9261 NEED MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES! Train to become a Medical Office Assistant at CTI! NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED! Online Training at CTI gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed.

Careertechnical.edu/northcarolina.

1.888.512.7122

EXPERIENCED DRIVERS Excellent Regional Runs! Great Home Time & Benefits! Up to $.39 Per Mile, Weekly Pay and Late Model Equipment. Arnold Transportation. www.drivearnold.com 888.742.8056 HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATOR Training! Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators. 3 Week Hands On Program. Local Job Placement Assistance. National Certifications.

GI Benefits Eligible.

1.866.362.6497 PART-TIME JOB With Full-Time Benefits. You can receive cash bonus, monthly pay check, job training, money for technical training or college, travel, health benefits, retirement, and much more! Visit: NationalGuard. com or call 1.800.GO.Guard to learn more on how the National Guard can benefit you.

www.smokymountainnews.com

September 18-24, 2013

No Need to go to a Big Box Store.

We Have Lower Prices, Higher Quality And Experienced Staff.

42

$PMPS $PQZJOH 1SJOUJOH t -PX 1SJDFT # 8 4FMG 4FSWF $PQJFST )JHI 4QFFE -PX $PTU %JHJUBM 8JEF 'PSNBU "SDIJUFDUVSBM &OHJOFFSJOH 3FEVDF &OMBSHF 4DBOOJOH 1SJOU GSPN F ĂśMFT www.ThePrintHaus.com $PNQMFUF #JOEFSZ t .PVOUJOH t -BNJOBUJOH t $PJM #JOET Since 1982

YOUR HOMETOWN PRINT, COPY, DIRECT MAIL & SIGN SHOP 641 North Main Street, WAYNESVILLE, NC (3/10 Mile North of the Courthouse)

828-456-HAUS (4287)

509 Asheville Hwy., Suite B, SYLVA, NC

(Located in the NAPA Auto Parts Center)

828-586-HAUS (4287)

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITAL Positions now available: Registered Nurses, CNA II, and System Administrator.

Benefits available the first of the month following 60 days of full-time employment. PreEmployment screening required.

Call Human Resources.

828.526.1376, or apply online at: www.highlandscashiershospital. org

EMPLOYMENT

FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Developmental English/Reading Instructors (part-time). Open until filled. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com/ Human Resources Office, Fayetteville Technical Community College, PO Box 35236, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28303.

Phone: 910.678.8378.

Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu CRC Preferred Employer.

An Equal Opportunity Employer

NC LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST Needed for established & growing spa in Sylva. Pay based upon experience. Please email for more details: sandra@fusionsspa.com TANKER & FLATBED COMPANY. Drivers/Independent Contractors!

Immediate Placement Available.

Best Opportunities in the Trucking Business. Call Today 800.277.0212 or www.primeinc.com

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

TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED Best Pay and Home Time! Apply Online Today over 750 Companies!

One Application, Hundreds of Offers! www.HammerLaneJobs.com SAPA

UNEMPLOYED? VETERAN? A Special Training Grant is now available in your area! Grant covers Computer, Medical or Microsoft training. Call CTI for program details. Program disclosures at careertechnical.edu/nc 1.888.734.6712

FINANCIAL $$$ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!!

Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need $500-$500,000++ within 48/hours? Low rates. Apply Now By Phone! 1.800.568.8321. www.lawcapital.com Not valid in CO or NC SAPA BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA

FURNITURE HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

205-57

Great Smokies Storage 10’x20’

92

$

20’x20’

160

$

ONE MONTH

FREE WITH 12-MONTH CONTRACT

828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828 Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

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

OUTDOOR EXPRESSIONS Increase Property Value & Protect Your Home! View Trimming, Hazardous Tree & Limb Removal, Wooly Adelgid Treatment, Dead-Wooding & Tree Saving.

ISA Certified Arborist, Josh Landt.

Fully Insured - Free Estimates!

828.400.3959

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon - 5pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville, North Carolina

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

FORECLOSURE - NC MTNS. 1.71 prime acres with stunning mtn views, lg hardwoods, level elevated bldg site and paved access only $34,900 financing avail.

866.738.5522 brkr WESTERN NC Owner must sacrifice 1200+ SF ready to finish cabin on 1.53 acres w/new well, septic and deeded access to beautiful creek. $62,500 call 828.286.1666 brkr.

EVER CONSIDER A Reverse Mortgage? At least 62 years old? Stay in your home & increase cash flow! Safe & Effective! Call Now for your FREE DVD! Call Now 888.418.0117. SAPA

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free 1.800.669.9777

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

2.819 ACRE TRACT Building Lot in great location.

Build your 2nd home log cabin here. Large 2-story building near HCC, was a Hobby Shop. $71,000. Call 828.627.2342

VACATION RENTALS CAVENDER CREEK CABINS Dahlonega, GA GAS TOO HIGH? Spend your vacation week in the North Georgia Mountains! Ask about our weekly FREE NIGHT SPECIAL! Virtual Tour: www.CavenderCreek.com Cozy Hot Tub Cabins!

1.866.373.6307 SAPA NC MOUNTAIN GETAWAY Spacious 1300sf ez to finish cabin shell on 1.5acs $74,900. Includes new well and septic, decks and porch. 828.286.2981 brkr NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS Come enjoy a wonderful Fall or winter vacation! Cabins, Condos, Vacation Homes. Bring your pet!

Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock.

Foscoe Rentals 1.800.723.7341 www.foscoerentals.com SAPA FLAGLER BEACH FLORIDA Oceanfront Vacation Rentals. 1,2,& 3 Bedroom, Full Kitchens FREE WiFi, Direct TV, Pool. 1.386.517.6700

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23

by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

Ann knows real estate!

Ann Eavenson CRS, GRI, E-PRO

MEDICAL ATTENTION SLEEP APNEA Sufferers with Medicare. Get CPAP Replacement Supplies at little or NO COST, plus FREE home delivery!

Best of all, prevent red skin sores and bacterial infection! Call 1.877.763.9842.

CANADA DRUG CENTER Is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call Today 1.800.265.0768 for $25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping. SAPA MEDICAL ALERT FOR SENIORS 24/7 monitoring. FREE Equipment.

FREE Shipping. Nationwide Service. $29.95/Month CALL Medical Guardian Today 855.899.5309.

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

ann@mainstreetrealty.net

506-0542 CELL 206-54

101 South Main St. Waynesville

MainStreet Realty

(828) 452-2227 mainstreetrealty.net

206-08

Full Service Property Management 828-456-6111 www.selecthomeswnc.com Residential and Commercial Long-Term Rentals

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

HOMES FOR RENT UNFURNISHED 2/BR 1/BA LOG HOUSE Between Sylva & Cullowhee. 976sf.

Great Room/Kitchen, All Appliances Including Dishwasher. Utility Room, W/D Hookups, Carport, Storage Building. No Pets/No Smoking. First, Last, Dep. $800/mo. For more info call 828.226.2953.

206-57

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

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962 Equal Housing Opportunity

smokymountainnews.com

LOG HOME SALES Territories available. Alta Log Homes - 42+ years of excellence.

800.926.2582 or go to: alta.info@altaloghomes.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

LOTS FOR SALE

September 18-24, 2013

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

WNC MarketPlace

COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

Puzzles can be found on page 45.

These are only the answers.

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

43

WNC MarketPlace

Talk to your neighbors, then talk to me. ®

See why State Farm insures more drivers than GEICO and Progressive combined. Great ser vice, plus discounts of up to 40 percent.* Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

CALL CALL FOR FOR QUOTE QUOTE 24/7.

24/7. ®

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

Chad McMahon, A gent 3 4 5 Wa l n u t S t r e e t Waynesville, NC 28786 Bus: 828 - 452- 0567 chad.mcmahon.r v37@s t atef arm.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates — beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • •

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

STEEL BUILDINGS

STEEL BUILDINGS Perfect for Homes, Garages, & Shelters. Lowest Prices and LOW monthly Payment on remaining cancelled orders. Various Sizes CALL NOW 1.800.991.9251 Ashlee

Commitment, consistency, results.

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com

ENJOY 100% GUARANTEED, Delivered–to-the-door Omaha Steaks! SAVE 67% PLUS 4 FREE BURGERS - The Favorite Feast ONLY $49.99. ORDER Today 1.855.300.2911 Use Code 48643XMJ or to to: www.OmahaSteaks.com/mbff74 SAPA

WANTED TO BUY CASH FOR Unexpired Diabetic Test Strips!

Free Shipping, Friendly Service, BEST prices and 24 hour payment!

Call Mandy at 1.855.578.7477, or visit www.TestStripSearch.com Espanol 1.888.440.4001 SAPA

Carolyn Lauter Broker/ABR

• Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com

1986 SOCO ROAD, HWY 19 • MAGGIE VALLEY, NC 28751

828.734.4822 Cell • www.carolynlauter.com

Keller Williams Realty

carolyn.lauter@realtyworldheritage.com

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

206-20

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com

SATURN - IS TOTALLY ADORABLE! HE'S A CUTE LITTLE BABY WHO'S JUST BEEN NEUTERED AND IS READY TO GO HOME. HE LOVES TO PLAY WITH HIS BROTHER PLUTO, SO MAYBE YOU SHOULD TAKE HIM TOO!

• Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net McGovern Real Estate & Property Management September 18-24, 2013

FOR SALE

STEEL BUILDINGS Buy factory direct and SAVE THOUSANDS! Special offer: REPO 20x20, 25x36 & more. Hurry! Only while supplies last, call today: 866.993.0966

*Discounts var y by states.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnit y Company, Blooming ton, IL

1001174.1

MEDICAL VIAGRA 100mg and CIALIS 20mg!

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

SALLY - WILL STEAL YOUR HEART WITH HER SWEET FACE AND GREAT DISPOSITION. WE THINK SALLY MAY BE A BASSET HOUND MIX-SHE HAS A DARK BROWN BRINDLE COAT WITH WHITE ACCENTS. SALLY IS A LOW RIDER AND A VERY AFFECTIONATE!

• Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

Preferred Properties • George Escaravage — gke333@gmail.com

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com Realty World Heritage Realty • • • • •

206-60

Ellen’s clients said it best!

realtyworldheritage.com Katy Giles - realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7765/ Lynda Bennett - mountainheritage.com/ Martha Sawyer realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7769/ Linda Wester- realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7771/ Thomas & Christine Mallette

Wa y n e s v i l l e O ff i c e 2 0 1 2 R a v i n g F a n Aw a rd

www.smokymountainnews.com

realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7767/

esither@beverly-hanks.com

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty • • • • • • • • •

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

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com • Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net

Sither

828.734.8305

beverly-hanks.com

206-52

Your Local Big Green Egg Dealer MOUNTAIN REALTY

Mieko Thomson

Thomson

BEST PRICE EVERYDAY

10-5 M-SAT. 12-4 SUN.

ROKER/R /REALTOR EALTOR®® BBROKER

Cell (828) 226-2298 Cell

206-09

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 44

Ellen

828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

mthomson@remax-waynesvillenc.com mthomson@remax-waynesvillenc.com www.ncsmokies.com www.ncsmokies.com

2177 Russ Avenue Waynesville NC 28786 206-26

ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778

ENTERTAINMENT

PERSONAL A UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, Let us help! Personalized adoption plans. Financial assistance, housing, relocation and more. Giving the gift of life? You deserve the best. Call us first!

1.888.637.8200. 24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA

SERVICES

HD CABLE TV DEALS Starting at $29.99 a month! Qualify for a $250 Gift Card. Call Now! 1.800.287.0603 SAPA

SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for hands on Aviation Career.

FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance. 877.300.9494.

EARN YOUR H.S. DIPLOMA At home in a few short weeks.

Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nationally accredited.

Call for free brochure.

1.800.658.1180, extension 82. www.fcahighschool.org SAPA

PERSONAL

FROG POND DOWNSIZING Helping Hands In Hard Times.

Downsizing - Estate Sales - Clean Out Services. Company Transfer Divorce - We are known for Honesty & Integrity! Jack & Yvonne Wadham, Insured & Bonded.

18 Commerce Street, Waynvesville, NC. 828.734.3874

* REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! * Get a 4-Room All Digital Satellite system installed for FREE and programming starting at $19.99/ mo. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers, SO CALL NOW. 1.800.725.1835.

SAPA DISH TV RETAILER - SAVE! Starting $19.99/month (for 12 months.) FREE Premium Movie Channels. FREE Equipment, Installation & Activation. CALL, COMPARE LOCAL DEALS! 1.800.351.0850. SAPA HD CABLE TV DEALS Starting at $29.99 a month! Qualify for a $250 Gift Card. Call Now! 1.800.287.0603 SAPA

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

SAPA

YARD SALES LIVING ESTATE FROM WHITTIER Thurs., Fri., & Sat. 9am - 4pm.

Lots of Good Furniture, Bedroom Suites, Dinning Room Suites, 3 Park Benches, Outdoor Furniture, Many Antiques, Computer, Art & Prints.

Everything Under the Sun! Rain or Shine!

255 Depot Street Waynesville, NC.

WEEKLY SUDOKU

Super CREEPY MOVIE

CROSSWORD

77 Behave theatrically 79 Feline cry ACROSS 80 Kosovo resident 1 Plot anew 82 Vote “for” 6 Huffed and puffed 83 Riddle, part 5 10 Droid rival 88 Revised, as text 16 Letters after C 90 Dove noise 19 Puccini work 91 Unbusy bee 20 Lady - Chaplin 93 Sloppy 21 Actor Lon of chillers 94 Ladder part 22 Yale Bowl yeller 98 Explorer - da Gama 23 Start of a riddle 101 Hockey great Mario 26 Actor Affleck 104 End of the riddle 27 Work units, 110 Trendily dated in 11-Down 111 Woodcutting tool 28 BlackBerry device, 112 “So nasty!” e.g., for short 113 Pindaric poem 29 Floppy parts of a 114 A fire sign beagle 115 Melodious 30 Youth’s opposite 117 Actress Olin 32 Partner of neither 119 Haloed Fr. woman 33 Puccini’s “O - babbi- 120 Spurt no caro” 121 Abbr. in co. names 34 Miss the mark 122 Riddle’s answer 35 Adherent: Suffix 127 Leisure shirt 38 I’s, in Athens 128 Bee or flea 39 Riddle, part 2 129 Axel or lutz 44 Retired female pro130 Word with city or fessor circle 45 Metropolis of Japan 131 Part of OS: Abbr.

46 Funny Johnson 132 Capital of Kansas 47 Biblical song 133 - terrier 50 One sparring 134 Feats of skill 52 Rio’s car maker 54 Actor Tony 57 Riddle, part 3 DOWN 64 Suffix with pay or 1 Ivanhoe’s ladylove play 2 Screenwriter Nora 65 Bread buy 3 Scant, to a Brit 67 Shoulder of a road 4 Part of M.A. 68 Hooting baby bird 5 “- -Man Fever” 69 Hollow between hills 6 Woman’s bedroom 71 Riddle, part 4 7 Former Vegas star 76 Entwined Falana

8 Terminus 9 Passenger-transporting motorboat 10 Champagne bucket 11 Nobel Prize category 12 - Solo 13 - scale of 1 to 10 14 Sci-fi mariner 15 It has lashes 16 Participant in an arguing contest 17 Posh 18 Savoir-faire 24 Voice a view 25 Rabbit kin 31 TV “explorer” 33 Warm-blooded one 34 Consume, Bible-style 36 “Na Na” lead-in 37 Chicken - masala (Indian dish) 40 Fuse 41 1997 sci-fi spoof, briefly 42 Projecting window 43 Milk, in Metz 47 Innocent until guilty 48 Deli staple 49 Alternative to digital 51 Person jostling someone in jest 53 - -Z (thorough) 55 Park place?

56 “Well, - -di-dah!”

58 Hear legally 59 Medical ins. plans 60 “So nasty!”

61 Big London insurer 62 Flood zone structures 63 Unwavering 66 U.S. disaster relief

org.

70 Ordinal number ending 72 Stitch up 73 Ratted out 74 Doctor’s charge 75 It has triceps 78 List finisher: Abbr.

81 Mystify 84 Harbor inlet 85 Lion sounds 86 Attendance-checking routines 87 Skulk around 89 Subsequent 92 They precede ens 94 Narrow ship passages 95 “Laura” star Gene 96 Leads on 97 Firebug 99 Org. issuing nine-digit IDs 100 Unruly patch of hair 102 Related element form 103 Quilt stuffing 105 Small, sticky note 106 “If it - broke ...”

107 Like Swiss peaks 108 Not optional 109 High-rises 116 “How awful!”

118 Jazz singer James 119 Totter 120 Clearheaded 123 Sci-fi talent 124 Director Spike or Ang 125 “I see mice!”

126 Prefix with life or size

answers on page 43

Answers on Page 43

smokymountainnews.com

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

September 18-24, 2013

MEET SINGLES RIGHT NOW! No paid operators, just real people like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and connect live. Try it free. Call now 1.888.909.9978. SAPA

U CALL WE HAUL TOTAL JUNK REMOVAL SERVICES Total house and business clean out services. Attics, basements, garages, yard debris, etc. We’ll take your trash and save you some cash! Cheaper than a dumpster and we do all the work.

Selling your home, don’t want to take years of accumulated junk?

Call today for a cleaner tomorrow! Honest & Reliable.

Landlords & Realtors Welcome!

10% Discount with this Ad 828.200.5268

SERVICES

WNC MarketPlace

SEE TO BELIEVE! Names (Full/Partial, Your Choice) written 3 more ways (Backward, Upsidedown-Backward, Upsidedown Forward), plus our alphabet printed backward (Z-A), Upsidedown-Backward. Conversational, educational, Christmas, Birthday, anniversary, novelty gift. $7 each (2/$10). Postpaid. Send printed name/s with cash/check: Wellborn, 562 Oak Dr., Lexington, SC 29073.

45

Saturday September 28th

CLEARANCE SALE 15% - 50% Off Select Parts, Accessories, Leather, Helmets & Apparel 2012 Roadsmith Trike Conversion 2010 Ultra Classic

2008 Arctic Cat ThunderCat 4x4 Auto SE

7,321 miles Black $28,500 | #638516

30 hours Metallic Silver $6,000.00* | #AC235895

2010 H-DR FLSTN Softail® Deluxe 2,707 Miles Two-tone Scarlet Red / Vivid Black $15,800.00* | #021779

2007 H-D® FLHRS Road King® Custom

2011 H-DR XL1200X Sportster® Forty-EightTM

2010 H-DR FLHTCU Ultra Classic® Electra Glide®

14,659 miles Yellow Pearl $11,800* | #607208

917 miles Vivid Black $12,300.00* | #443868

6,847 miles Vivid Black $18,800.00* | #657605

Exit 100 off U.S. 74 82 LOCUST DRIVE | WAYNESVILLE | NC

828.452.7276 SMSH.CO FOR OUR FULL INVENTORY

Smoky Mountain News

September 18-24, 2013

Mon.-Fri. 9-6 | Sat. 9-5 | Closed Sun.

46

AFFLICTION • MISS ME • INOX • HOT LEATHERS VOCAL • MEK DENIM • MUSTANG HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BELL EASYRIDERS ROADWARE • ALPINESTARS FULMER • DRAG SPECIALTIES

Kephart’s life after Hazel Creek

H

George Ellison

orace Kephart left the cabin site on the Little Fork in the fall of 1907, spending considerable time in other areas of the Southern Appalachians, comparing life there with what he had observed here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Upon his return to the Smokies in 1910, the W.M. Ritter Lumber Company had commenced operations on Hazel Creek. Not wanting to live among that sort of activity, he moved Columnist into the Cooper House, an unpretentious boarding just off the town square in Bryson City. He also rented a small office space over the old Bennett’s Drug Store just around the corner.

In Bryson City, Kephart had access to a far different style of mountain life than he had pursued along Hazel Creek from 1904 to 1907: the leisurely ebb and flow of village life, which quickened only at election time or certain holidays or during court week, itself a sort of holiday.

As his fame grew after the publication of Our Southern Highlanders, Kephart found refuge from summer visitors seeking him out by camping at the old Bryson Place, now

BACK THEN a designated camping area in the national park situated about 10 miles north of Bryson City alongside Deep Creek. He would sometimes go there for an entire summer, hauling in by wagon or on horseback the supplies and equipment he required, which included a small folding desk and writing materials.

While there, he also tested firearms and camping equipment — materials on which he was a recognized national authority — for various companies. Present-day visitors to Bryson Place will find a millstone with a plaque commemorating his use of the site.

It would be wrong, however, to suppose that Kephart was an aloof loner. He had many friends, including George Masa, the great Japanese photographer. And he took part in the civic affairs of Swain County and Bryson City, being a member of the county’s Chamber of Commerce and an elected chairman of the town’s Board of Alderman. I have been told that he instigated the construction of the first sidewalks and streetlights in Bryson City.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, wasn’t officially founded until 1934, three years after his death. But he died knowing that the park was going to be a reality. Several of the details surrounding Kephart’s death are peculiar.

On April 2, 1931, at the age of 68,

Kephart was killed in an automobile accident east of Bryson City. A friend, the Georgia writer Fiswoode Tarleton, who was staying with Kephart for a few weeks, was also killed. Tarleton was the author of a book about mountain life titled Bloody Ground, a cycle of 12 stories set in the fictional town of Leeston. For whatever reason, he was buried in a plot near Kephart’s gravesite in a cemetery overlooking Bryson City rather than in Georgia.

It is widely known that Kephart and Tarleton had hired a taxi cab driver to take them to a bootlegger near Cherokee. They were on their way back to Bryson City when the driver lost control of the car in a curve.

It has been alleged that the driver was also imbibing. Kephart was buried three days after the accident, with his two sons and a grandson in attendance.

In 1994, Swain County native Wilma Ashe prepared for me a typed description of the accident scene: “My cousin, Eugene, was giving me a ride to my home in Whittier after senior play practice at Swain High School. It was about 11 p.m. In front of Oscar Cline’s residence in Ela (at the mouth of Coopers Creek) the flicker of a small flashlight was being swung beside the road by Oscar’s wife, Sally. We were the first car to stop and discovered it was a car overturned.

With the light from our car and Sally’s

828.339 .1010

Davi Da vidd Moo M oore

Smoky Mountain News

Nath Na than an E rw Ea rwoo oodd

September 18-24, 2013

Defending your rights when it matters most.

flashlight, we could see bodies pinned in the car. They were silent! The first man pulled out was Mr. Brown, the taxi driver.

He could not speak but was breathing and alive. We stretched his body out on the side of the road and quickly turned to the wrecked car. There was a body pinned between the car and the bank. It took all three of us pulling and lifting to move the car off his body and pull it out to the roadside. We realized there was no life. He had no visible injuries. I remarked ‘I’ve seen this man before, I think I know him.’ I opened his jacket front and in his breast pocket was a letter addressed to ‘Horace Kephart.’

I said ‘Oh, that’s who it is!’ We looked up as a car that had stopped was pulling off into the road. It was too far for us to reach Mr. Brown, who was swinging on the spare tire on the rear of the car. They went out of sight. I never heard of him anymore or the details. We returned to the next victim in the car. He was a huge man [and] had no doubt died instantly ….

“The funeral was held for these two victims at the Swain High School auditorium on the following Sunday afternoon. All the churches took part in the service. That was 63 years ago. I had just had my 17th birthday, but I remember I was asked to serve as an usher. The auditorium was filled to capacity. No doubt this was the biggest and greatest funeral ever held in Bryson City.”

EarwoodandMoore.com 559 W Main Street, Sylva

47

America’s Home Place, Inc.

Smoky Mountain News

September 18-24, 2013

The Southfork

Building Affordable Luxury Into Your New Home Franklin/Cashiers Building Center 335 NP & L Loop, Franklin Across from Franklin Ford

828-349-0990 48