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CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: The new voter identification requirement in North Carolina will make it more difficult, though not impossible, for transient residents, such as college students, to vote in university towns. (Page 10)

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

News Wrecks involving Swain County patrol cars hits six in 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 As deadline nears, Canton tries to expend economic development funds . . 7 Sewer project aimed at drawing in new businesses completed . . . . . . . . . . 7 Academic offerings, outdoor activities keep students at WCU . . . . . . . . . . . 8 WCU’s student retention rates jump up faster than expected . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Macon County starts search for new county manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Power line pole replacement regular part of Waynesville maintenance . . . 13 Waynesville sweepstakes case voluntarily dismissed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 New Sylva brewery ready to make impact on WNC beer scene. . . . . . . . . 18 Beloved Jackson County restaurant transitions into new hands . . . . . . . . . 18

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING & EDITING:

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION: CONTRIBUTING:

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)

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New partnership bridges longtime battles in national forests . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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news

Swain deputies rack up 13 wrecks in three years

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER Swain County deputy totaled his patrol car earlier this month after hitting a parked car while going more than 50 miles per hour.

Granted, it was a foggy morning and the car was parked in bad spot — it was left along the shoulder of the highway partly protruding into the travel lane. But the wreck makes the sixth one so far this year for Swain deputies, and they are starting to add up.

During the last few years, wrecks by the sheriff ’s office have been “more than ever in our history,” said Swain County Manager Kevin King.

The car accidents are a mixture of deputies’ hitting things, and also being hit by other drivers. Total damage sustained during the first five accidents this year equals $24,658. Damage from the most recent accident is still being calculated by the county’s insurance carrier.

The reasons for the wrecks run the gamut — from sliding on the ice or being backed into by another driver to the car catching fire or hitting a guardrail while responding to a call.

In the most recent incident, a deputy was driving to work from home in the morning and struck a car that was left partly in the highway. Cochran contended that the morning was foggy, and he did not know if the stopped vehicle’s hazard lights were on.

“If you are on the road all the time, then that percentage increases very drastically.”

— Sheriff Curtis Cochran

Plus, more crashes equals higher premiums.

“We are just like everybody else. The more claims you have, the more premiums over time you pay,” King said.

Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran questioned why vehicular accidents had become a topic of conversation.

“Is there nothing out there more newsworthy than a wreck?” Cochran asked.

With a sheriff ’s election around the corner next year, Cochran alluded that may be the reason why his department has come under scrutiny.

“I did not fall off the turnip truck. It’s to be expected this time of year,” he said.

Of the six wrecks this year, two involved

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

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No matter what the facts of the incident are, however, it always costs the county the same deductible.

“Every instance costs us a 1,000 bucks no matter what,” King said.

That can add up. This year, the county has already shelled out $6,600.

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Cochran. In March, he hit a deer, and then two months later, he hit a sign while responding to a 911 call.

Swain County Commissioner David Monteith said he tries to stay out of the business of the sheriff ’s office since Cochran is an elected official. Though, he did say that he wished the accident numbers were lower.

“One is too much, but I am not the one who drives the cars,” Monteith said. “I don’t get involved in it.”

Monteith added that he only knows what the sheriff has relayed about any of the incidents.

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Swain County Sheriff’s Office patrol cars have been involved in 13 wrecks in the last three years — some their fault, others not. The damage caused during the accidents has cost the county thousands a year. Caitlin Bowling photo

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Every law enforcement official in North Carolina takes a standardized driving course before receiving his or her badge. But as with anyone who has a driver’s license, there is no continuing education driving classes required for law enforcement. However, this year as part of its in-service training, the Swain County Sheriff ’s Office talked about avoiding wrecks.

In the last three years, Swain County deputies have had 13 collisions ranging in damages from just shy of $1,000 up to

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$27,700. Of those, five were the deputies’ fault; four were the fault of others. Comparatively, Haywood County has averaged one accident per year where a deputy was at fault.

Four times in the last three years, a Swain County patrol car has been totaled, and like with anyone else, the county does not receive enough insurance money to pay $30,000 for a new car.

“If your car is totaled tomorrow, it’s whatever the value of it is,” King said of what the county receives on its insurance claim.

So, the county tries to salvage even the totaled vehicles if they can.

Unlike average civilians, sheriff ’s deputies put hundreds of miles on their cars every day.

Cochran estimated that the sheriff ’s office as a whole drives between 300,000 and 500,000 miles annually.

“We travel a lot of miles in a years time,” Cochran said. “If you factor that in, it is not a lot.”

They spend a lot more time behind the wheel and therefore are more likely to have an accident.

“If you are on the road all the time, then that percentage increases very drastically,” Cochran said. which centers they want to go to or they can exercise at one place for all their visits.

Passes can be bought at MedWest Health and Fitness on Oct. 2 and the Waynesville Rec on Oct. 3, with other registration days and sites listed at www.healthyhaywood.org.

Participating centers include Body Lyrics Belly Dance, Cross Fit Haywood, Fred Riley Academy of Martial Arts, Maggie Mountain Fitness, MedWest Health and Fitness Center, Smoky Mountain Sk8way Roller Skating Rink, Urban Athletic Training Center and Raqs Beledi Belly Dance Studio, among others.

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ties around the state for years. But state leaders pulled the plug on the Rural Center this summer after it was criticized as a slush fund and accused of mismanagement and favoritism.

When the state suddenly froze funding to the Rural Center, Canton was still owed an outstanding balance on its grant. Town leaders initially feared they may not see the rest of the money they were promised.

However, the state announced that it would honor the grants already awarded by the Rural Center.

“It was a little bit of a concern when it first transpired,” Assistant Town Manager Jason Burrell said. But, “Everything’s been kind of straightened out.”

As a condition of the grant, the sewer upgrade is supposed to lead to the creation at least 83 jobs.

The jobs would come from three businesses — 10 at the MedWest Urgent & Emergent Care, 20 at Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits and 53 at Consolidated Metco, or ConMet. In fact, it was just recently revealed that the manufacturing plant, ConMet, would add 140 jobs in all at its Canton plant.

As for new businesses, there is nothing concrete or substantial yet, though companies have fished around Canton looking for a possible place to open.

The N.C. Golden Leaf Fund contributed $100,000 to the sewer line, the county gave another $40,000, and the town covered the rest.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

improvements can’t be temporary, like slapping a new coat of paint up.

It must be “something that adds permanent value to the building,” Burrell said, giving examples such as bringing a building up to code or adding sheet rock. “Those type of things are eligible projects.”

Canton is also purchasing artistic quilt squares that will hang on four businesses downtown as well as one or two for townowned buildings. The large wood squares painted with color quilt-block patterns have been placed on buildings, barns and stores as part of Haywood County’s Quilt Trail, which tourists can follow to see all the installations.

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he clock is ticking for Canton to spend $25,000 in remaining grant money from the N.C. Rural Center.

Canton got a $125,000 grant from the Rural Center’s Small Towns Economic Prosperity program to develop and implement ideas to increase tourism and commerce downtown.

About $25,000 has not yet been Canton got a $125,000 grant allocated, and now Canton leaders have until Jan. 1 to come up with quick from the Rural Center’s Small but productive ways to spend the Towns Economic Prosperity remaining money.

Jason Burrell, the town’s assistant program to develop and town manager, said it shouldn’t be a problem to spend it, however. implement ideas to increase “It is my expectation that all the tourism and commerce downmoney will be spent,” Burrell said.

Some of the grant money was used town, about $25,000 of which to encourage business owners to spruce up downtown buildings in has not yet been allocated. hopes of drawing tourists and more commerce. The town would match “That has been a pretty nice thing for façade improvements dollar-for-dollar up to tourism,” Willis said. $5,000 using the Rural Center funds.

The squares have become so popular that About $17,000 have already gone to the Haywood County Tourism Development façade grants. That offer is still ongoing.

“We hopefully have a few more applica- Authority created a map showing visitors tions that will be submitted and approved by where they can find each square in the counthat,” said Canton Alderman Patrick Willis, ty. However, Burrell noticed one day that who helped spearhead the revitalization ini- Canton was not included in the map at all.

“I thought, ‘God, Canton doesn’t even tiative called STEPUP Canton.

But there weren’t as many takers as initial- have a presence on this thing,’” he said.

The Rural Center money is also paying for ly hoped, and so the town will extend the offer of matching funds for interior improve- four new welcome signs that will be placed at ments, similar to the façade grants. But the several different entranceways to Canton.

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BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he commercial corridor of the Canton exit off Interstate 40 has been in a vice grip for several years due to a maxed out sewer line.

Now, after about three years of work, a sewer upgrade along Champion Drive in Canton has been completed. The old sewer line was too small and at maximum capacity, so new businesses wanting to tap the sewer line were out of luck — a source of consternation to Canton leaders for several years.

The existing line has now been replaced with a wider diameter pipe, increasing capacity and paving the way to accommodate commercial growth along the corridor.

The project was initially estimated at $1.68 million, but it is slated to come in slightly under budget.

A major funder for the new sewer line was the Rural Center, which granted the town more than $800,000 — half of the construction cost.

The N.C. Rural Center has given out millions of dollars for water and sewer line projects to spur economic development in small towns and rural communi-

T

Use it or lose it Canton acts quick to spend outstanding grant money from Rural Center

New sewer line could unbottle commercial growth in Canton

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The decaying mural of the Canton churches on a building in downtown Canton will get a facelift with the help of funding from the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center’s Small Towns Economic Prosperity program. Caitlin Bowling photo

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news

From the great outdoors to musical theater, WCU’s drawing cards are all over the map

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER fter a surge in the freshmen retention rate at Western Carolina University, school administrators are trying to get a feel for why fewer students jumped ship this year than any other year in recent history.

A stroll through campus on late summer afternoon with classes in session revealed no single reason behind the increase, despite a scattergun suite of strategies aimed at getting students to stick around for their sophomore year.

“I just really like the location of the campus,” said 19year old Garret Goodwin, a sophomore from Statesville.

The location of WCU in the Smoky Mountains, one of the region’s prime spots for outdoor recreation, is an asset the university recruiters are trying to wield to their advantage. But it’s not the only reason students like Goodwin decided to return.

For him, it was also about the small-campus atmosphere and accessibility to professors.

“It’s smaller than most campuses, and you can have a one-on-one with professors,” he added.

Though students using WCU as a stopover before transferring to another more prominent university has been a perennial problem, Goodwin said it never crossed his mind.

WCU students Amanda Emery and Delaney Mason, both criminal justice majors, aren’t looking to transfer either — in fact, they had just transferred onto campus.

After completing courses at nearby Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, moving those credits to WCU was a no-brainer.

Once on campus, Emery couldn’t help but be drawn into the exciting buzz that comes with the start of each collegiate fall. It become one more reason she has her sights set on graduating from WCU. “There always seems to be something going on here, and it’s in the mountains and close to home,” Emery said.

Only 15 percent of incoming freshman at WCU come from a 13-county area in WNC. The majority are from the eastern population centers of the Raleigh and Charlotte area. About 7 percent are out-of-state.

Ellen Dyar is from way out of state. From Juneau, Ala., the sophomore sought out WCU for its musical theater program and the work of Broadway-actor-turned-WCU-professor Terrence Mann. She had such a pleasant freshman experience she made the journey from the far north for at least one more year on campus, and hopefully two more.

“I had a really great first year — it was a good fit for me,” Dyar said. “We have a really, really fantastic program.”

None of the students asked about WCU’s drawing cards mentioned the newfound availability of alcohol in Cullowhee, which was dry until last year. Whether alcohol sales closer to campus is truly a non-factor — or whether underage sophomores simple wouldn’t fess up that is has made a difference in college life — isn’t known.

But if WCU wants to keep the momentum and build on its retention rate — it jumped by more than 5 percent this year — the weight rests on the shoulders of the new freshman class and whether or not they’ll come back.

Judging by a Thursday afternoon in September at least one group of freshman dudes were pretty sure of it. When a reporter asked them if they were sophomores and would they be willing to do an interview, one student replied.

“Talk to us next year, we’ll be sophomores,” he said.

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Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

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Western Carolina University topped 10,000 students this year, a record enrollment fueled partly by an increase in the freshmen retention rate. Andrew Kasper photo

WCU makes big strides in freshmen retention rate

BY ANDREW KASPER “I don’t want people to think we’re bumfuzzled about it — STAFF WRITER we’ve done a lot, and it’s paying off,” she said. “Now, we’ve got hey made it a top priority, but Western Carolina to figure out which strategies have brought the most returns.”

University administrators were still a bit surprised when The retention rate bump led to another record-setting they learned they succeeded in raising the freshmen stat for WCU. Coupled with a large incoming freshman class retention rate by a significant margin. and a 9 percent increase in online students, enrollment The return rate of freshmen students at WCU went from topped the 10,000 mark at WCU for the first time this fall.

73 percent to nearly 79 percent this year. The increase in Other theories for increased enrollment give credit to a freshmen who stuck around for another year is one for the blossoming night life around the WCU — alcohol sales WCU record books. The previous high-water mark was set in became legal in Cullowhee in 2012 — and recent investments 2008 at about 76 percent. in student socializing areas like the Despite devoting resources to campus plaza, recreation center and Coupled with a large tackle the retention rate, which has cafeteria. But Lofquist believes it lagged behind other sister state largely has to do with the academic incoming freshman class schools, many WCU faculty are still a mission. and a 9 percent increase bit stunned the numbers jumped like “If students don’t enjoy the acathey did. demic programs, they’re not going to in online students, “It took a huge bump,” said interstick around,” she said. “I don’t care im Provost Beth Tyson Lofquist. “We how good the food or the climbing enrollment topped the anticipated it would go up — we did wall is.”

10,000 mark at WCU for not anticipate it would go up this One of the problems WCU much in one leap.” administrators lit on was that they the first time this fall.

In raw numbers, 1,550 full-time might have been admitting the students came on as freshmen last wrong type of student in the past, year. And about 1,230 of them returned this year. That’s said Sam Miller, vice chancellor of Student Affairs. A study about 100 more returning students compared to the previous from the mid-2000s showed that about one out of every four year. freshman attended WCU without the intention of graduatSo what swayed those additional 100 students to come ing there. Rather, WCU wasn’t their fist choice, and they back as sophomores? were looking to put in a year or two before transferring to Lofquist listed the litany of strategies the university has another school. employed in recent years to keep freshmen around — from The school began marketing its unique location in the early intervention for freshman with faltering grades to pro- mountains surrounded by a slew of recreational opportunimoting participation in clubs and study groups to higher ties. The hope was to bring in freshmen that would stick selectivity when choosing incoming freshmen. The recent around for the full four years. Miller said getting retention data tells her something must have worked right, the right fit for students was meant to reduce the but picking out just what is a task yet to be tackled. instance of “buyer’s remorse” — such as students

T

Western Carolina University celebrated this year’s 78.7 percent freshmen retention rate with an oncampus pep rally earlier this month.

Donated photo

“If you’re looking to be five minutes from a shopping mall, you really should not come here. But if you’re interested in being in the Smoky Mountains, rafting and hiking near campus, then we’re probably a good fit.”

— Sam Miller, vice chancellor of Student Affairs

WCU had roughly 3,000 more applicants than Appalachian State in 2012 for a freshmen class roughly half the size.

In many ways, it’s a numbers game because one-third of students who apply as

freshmen to WCU are accepted, but only about one in four actually enroll. Starting with a bigger pool gives the university more options when it’s writing those acceptance letters.

“We’re doing a much better job of attracting the students that can academically perform but also want to be on our campus,” Burton said.

The increase in the freshmen retention rate is undoubtedly a positive sign for the school, which has historically lagged behind other state institutions like Appalachian State, which hovers in the high 80s.

What Burton did acknowledge, though, was the possibility that the bars popping up in Cullowhee, on WCU’s doorstep, might be in some way linked to the retention rate hike.

Though alcohol may not be due too much of the credit, the promise of a college-town atmosphere may have pushed some students over the edge who had reservations about sticking around.

“Yes, I do think students are thinking there are local bars, and we can be adults and hang out,” she said. “That might be the carrot.”

Although, that reasoning shouldn’t have been on the mind of freshmen returning for their sophomore years because, legally, they’re not old enough to drink, Burton pointed out.

As a goal, WCU was shooting to have a freshman retention rate of 80 percent by 2020. Burton hopes the school will have to up the bar before too long. But sustaining this year’s retention for another academic cycle, and not backsliding, would more than put the school on track, Burton said.

“We would be ecstatic if we could stay at 78,” she said. “I hope it’s something we can sustain.”

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from urban areas who didn’t like the remote mountain campus.

The university draws the majority of its ranks from the Charlotte area. Being a long ways from home as a freshman on a less-thanideal campus is not a good recipe for success.

Miller said WCU came to terms with its true colors to better understand the students it ought to be recruiting.

“We know Western is a great fit for a lot of our students, but for some students, it’s not,” he said. “If you’re looking to be five minutes from a shopping mall, you really should not come here. But if you’re interested in being in the Smoky Mountains, rafting and hiking near campus, then we’re probably a good fit.”

The university also tweaked its selection standards, placing more emphasis on grades and work ethic than test scores, said Carol Burton, co-chairwoman of the Enrollment Planning Committee. As a result, the average SAT score of incoming freshman has declined slightly during the past three years while the average high school GPA has risen.

Burton wondered if the efforts are starting to pay dividends.

“SATs are not the best predictor for college success,” she said. “It doesn’t show they have the staying power or desire to continue.”

To get a good pool of freshmen candidates, Burton said WCU tried to increase the total number of applications it receives as well. In 2012, WCU had more than 15,000 freshman applicants, trailing only two other state universities — N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill — and in a dead heat with East Carolina University in the number of applicants.

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College students must jump through new hoops to vote where they go to school

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he new voter identification requirement won’t likely affect North Carolinians who have put down roots, but more transient populations including college students may find the new regulations cumbersome.

College students in North Carolina will have to make an extra effort if they want to vote in their college town — though it won’t be an impossible feat.

The greatest obstacle for students could be the new photo ID requirement at the polls.

But not just any photo ID. A driver’s license with a student’s hometown address won’t fly at the polls.

“That was really the number one concern that I was hearing from students,” said Christopher Coward, head of Student Government Association at Haywood Community College. “It might make it harder for students to get out to the polls.”

Nothing is technically stopping a college student from registering to vote where they go to school. But the address on a their photo ID must be an exact match to the address they list on their voter registration.

“I can think of 20 students right now who probably don’t have their current address on their state-issued ID,” Coward said.

So under the new law, students wanting to vote where they go to college will have to make a trip to the local Department of Motor Vehicles office. If they go to the DMV and get a photo ID with their college address — be it

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

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State voting changes dissected, debated at political forum

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER hanges to the voting laws in North Carolina will have only a small effect on voter turnout, according to a Western Carolina University political analyst.

The most controversial change — requiring voter identification — would reduce voting by somewhere between 0.4 percent and 2.5 percent, said Chris Cooper, head of the WCU Department of Political Science and Public Affairs. Voters not only have to have a valid photo ID, but the address on the photo ID must be an exact match to the address they are registered to vote at.

Cooper also said the changes won’t change the demographics of voters, despite concerns that the changes negatively affect mostly minorities who typically vote Democrat.

“There is little evidence that this suppresses the voting of minorities substantially,” 10 Cooper said.

Smoky Mountain News

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Although new North Carolina voting laws will add an extra step to the voting process, Derrick Clayton, a student leader with College Republicans at Western Carolina University, said he doesn’t think the changes will hinder students’ ability to cast a ballot.

Cooper was one of three panelists who spoke at a Constitution Day event last week that focused on changes to the state’s voting laws. The room was filled to the brim with listeners, a mixture of students wanting extra credit, community members and political leaders. Every chair was full in 200-seat lecture room in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, with people standing and sitting on the floors.

The other panelists included Zeb Smathers, a Canton attorney and member of the liberal Democracy North Carolina board of directors, and Kory Swanson, executive vice president of the conservative John Locke Foundation in Raleigh. Each commented on the most publicized part of the new law, the voter identification requirement.

The two sides can be boiled down to two terms: voter suppression or voter integrity, depending on your viewpoint, Swanson said.

Those in favor of photo IDs for voters believe it will keep illegitimate voters away, hence integrity.

“There is a war of words, a war of concepts going on,” Swanson said.

However, the crime that requiring voter ID is supposed to solve — voter fraud — isn’t actually a problem as some politicians allude, according to various academic studies.

for an apartment or dorm room — they can vote locally come Election Day. State lawmakers ruled student IDs an invalid form of ID, even student ID cards issued by state universities and colleges.

“I think there should be some kind of system where we should be able to use our college ID,” Coward said.

The state will give out photo IDs through the DMV for free if you bring your voter registration card with you to show the DMV that’s why you want the ID. All this adds an extra step.

“Students are busy people,” said Garrett Whipkey, president of Western Carolina University’s College Democrats. “I feel like this may add an extra burden.”

Then, there is also the transient nature of college students. The ID will likely only be good for one election cycle. Each year, students move into a different dorm room or apart-

ment, so the address on the ID would make it invalid. They will again have to take time to get a new ID made with their updated address.

“A lot of people’s schedules are completely packed,” Coward said. “It is trying to fit one extra thing in.”

But not all students feel that way. The new ID requirement could be perceived as an extra barrier to the ballot box, but if students care about the elections, it won’t be a major deterrent, said Derrick Clayton, a leader with the College Republicans group at WCU. “I just don’t think it will be that difficult to vote,” Clayton said.

A LOCAL ADDRESS:

HARDER THAN IT SOUNDS

For WCU, the matter gets a little stickier.

The university doesn’t assign individual addresses to students living in the dorms.

Everyone has one address that corresponds to a building where the mail is sorted and placed in P.O. Boxes.

“It would definitely not be a valid address,” said Lisa Lovedahl-Lehman, director of the Jackson County Board of Elections.

College students must use a physical address when registering to vote locally and getting their photo ID from the DMV — the place where they lay their head each night.

The university is looking into whether it will need to create addresses for its students to enable them to vote.

“We are just now trying to get a grasp of what it all means and how we can help students,” said Sam Miller, WCU’s vice chancellor for Student Affairs.

Right now, there is still limited

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A three-person panel at Western Carolina University provided students, politicians and community members with a liberal, conservative and pragmatic point of view of North Carolina’s controversial new voting laws.

“I have never seen any national study from the left or the right that shows much evidence of fraud,” Cooper said.

This leads opponents of voter photo IDs to claim it suppresses votes and is biased toward minorities who are less likely to have

the most popular form of identification, a driver’s license.

North Carolina only has a handful or two of voter fraud cases during an election, a drop in the bucket compared to the more than 6 million

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THE REAL DEAL

Western North Carolina’s educational institutions must re-emphasize the importance of mathematical skills at all levels — from basic addition and subtraction to advanced statistics, analysis and predictive modeling — if mountain students are to succeed in the modern workforce.

That was the message hammered home last Thursday by panelists at the opening of a two-day conference of WNC educators at Western Carolina University. The conference was the first activity of the new WNC P-16 Education Consortium, formed by Chancellor David O. Belcher. The consortium brings together a group of regional leaders to address education needs, toward the goal of improving the knowledge and skills of the WNC workforce. More than 80 educators from across the region attended.

The panel of five business leaders — Phil Drake, CEO of Drake Enterprises in Franklin; Jeanne Ellis, a manager at Biltmore Estate; Tony Johnson, director of WCU’s Millennial Initiative; Lumpy Lambert, assistant general manager at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort; and Keven McCammon, site manager for Facebook’s data center in Forest City — urged educators to continue to stress the importance of math to their students and to show them how math is used in everyday life.

Drake told conference attendees that his

Phil Drake (standing), CEO of Drake Enterprises in Franklin, reminded more than 80 educators from across Western North Carolina of the importance of mathematics skills for the region’s workforce. companies based in Franklin — from a Internet service provider to an accounting software developer to a printing house — cannot find enough qualified employees from the region to meet demand.

“I’m looking for people who are very analytical and for those who have the general concepts and can identify them,” said Drake, who is a member of the WCU Board of Trustees. “There’s not anything in my company that doesn’t require math.”

The conference was made possible by grants from the N.C. Ready for Success Program and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund through the N.C. Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Center. http://youtu.be/lDlonsnE0t0.

While there will in fact be fewer days to vote early during an election, early voting sites will remain open longer. The number of early voting hours will remain the same, even though the number of days will decrease. state to allow same day registration.

“Rather than being more restrictive than other states, our election laws are now much more in-line with what other states do — states, by the way, that have successful elections with many citizens exercising their Constitutional right,” Swanson said.

Later, Smathers countered Swanson’s argument, asking if the majority was best.

“What if somebody said, ‘Western, you know [Appalachian State] is doing this?’”

Smathers said. “What happened to the thinking ‘We should be better than everyone else?’”

Smoky Mountain News

registered voters in the state.

“I own a Jeep, and I could fit half the people found to have committed voter fraud in my Jeep,” Smathers said. “We have a saying, at least in Haywood County, ‘You have to know when you are digging with a bulldozer or digging with a shovel.’ That is a shovel problem, folks.”

Still, requiring voter ID is popular, according to Cooper’s digging. Depending on the study and the wording of the questions, anywhere between 69 percent and 82 percent of Americans favor voter ID laws. In N.C., the number was 66 percent, Cooper said.

One of the more prevalent rumors about the new voting laws is that early voting is truncated. However, that is not a whole truth.

While there will in fact be fewer days to vote early during an election, early voting sites will remain open longer. The number of early voting hours will remain the same, even though the number of days will decrease.

“This is where you get the Democrats saying they are shortened, and Republicans are saying they are lengthened, and they are both right,” Cooper said.

Swanson argued that with the new laws, N.C. is simply coming into alignment with the voting laws of many other states. For example, he said, Ohio was the only other

If it is too much hassle for students to vote where they go to college, they can always vote back home using their parents address. But that would mean traveling back home on Election Day or getting organized ahead of time to request an absentee ballot, have that ballot mailed to them, fill it out and mail it back.

Using a mail-in ballot would actually be a side-step for students who want to vote locally where they go to school but avoid the whole photo ID rigmarole.

A college student can register to vote where they go to school but then simply request an absentee ballot be mailed to them, avoiding having to go to the polls and risk a snafu with the photo ID. One of the stricter changes initially proposed in the new state voter laws would have forced college students to vote in their home counties, typically at their parents’ address.

Otherwise, the state would not allow their parents to claim their children as dependents on tax forms. The change would scatter the youth vote, which tends to lean Democratic.

It did not make into the final passed bill, however.

The Watauga County Board of Elections recently made national news after closing a polling site at Appalachian State University. The move reinforced criticisms that the bill isn’t aimed at ensuring voting integrity as its backers claim but was instead an effort by Republican lawmakers to make it harder for left-leaning student voters to cast ballots.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

A major challenge will be getting the truth about the law out to students about what exactly they need to do in order to vote. The rumor mill is already spinning about how the voting law will affect elections.

“A lot of students don’t know what the bill says,” Clayton said. “A lot of it is rumor.”

Most students aren’t receptive to learning about the actual changes, Clayton said, because they have already made up their minds about the law.

WCU officials send out emails every year instructing students about voting and will do the same when the key voting law changes go into effect in 2016 to ensure those who want

THE BACK DOOR

Business leaders to educators: strong math skills a must

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information out there for WCU leaders to pass onto their students, but Miller said the university wants to ensure its students have a chance to vote.

“All of our students, we would love to see vote and take part in the democratic process,” Miller said. “Each student will have to make his or her decision as to what best suits them.”

to vote in Jackson County can.

“A lot of them consider this getting involved in the community,” Lovedahl said.

news

A college student can register to vote where they go to school, but then simply request an absentee ballot be mailed to them, avoiding having to go to the polls and risk a snafu with the photo ID.

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news

Franklin unable to shake Nikwasi Mound missteps

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he saga of Nikwasi Mound in Franklin being sprayed with potent weed killer more than a year ago continues to unfold.

In recent weeks, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has begun political maneuvering in its desire to gain ownership of the mound from the town of Franklin, and the state has finally handed down a fine for the town’s unauthorized use of the chemical.

The town of Franklin will have to fork over $800 to the state for treating Nikwasi Mound with herbicides to kill the natural grass growing on it. The town replaced the old grass with low-growing “eco-grass,” meaning Franklin employees don’t have to continually mow it.

Ancient mounds like Nikwasi were the civic and spiritual centers of Cherokee settlements. The tribe viewed the application of a poisonous chemical on the sacred ground as a desecration.

However, the fine is not related to the historical importance of the mound or because the chemicals hurt the environment. It is because the individual town employee who treated the mound with herbicides was not licensed by the N.C. Department of Agriculture to use them.

Following an investigation that involved interviewing then-town manager Sam Greenwood and two public works employees, the Department of Agriculture originally issued a $1,200 fine to the town of Franklin.

However, the town took action to rectify the problem by hiring someone with an herbicide applicator license. Therefore, Franklin leaders were able to negotiate a reduced amount.

“The state was generous in lowering the fine,” said Franklin Alderman Bob Scott. “I thought it was fair. I don’t think there was ever any intention to create the havoc it did.”

The spraying caused a firestorm of criticism from the Eastern Band of Cherokee

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

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The state could have fined the town of Franklin up to $2,000 for spraying pesticides on Nikwasi Mound without a license.

Instead, it will only pay $800. Caitlin Bowling photo

Indians as well as some Macon residents.

Now, the Macon County Board of Commissioners seem to have sided with the tribe by calling on town leaders to entertain discussions with the Eastern Band about the ownership and maintenance of the mound.

The county commissioners officially passed a resolution in support of talks being held between the Eastern Band and the Franklin leaders. Michell Hicks, principal chief of the tribe, attended a Macon County board meeting in August asking commissioner to urge the Franklin town board to meet with tribal representatives.

The chief ’s appearance at the commissioners meeting was off-putting to Franklin town leaders, who felt like they should have been Hicks’ first stop.

Hicks said he was not trying to slight the Franklin town board when he asked the

Smoky Mountain News

Macon on the prowl for a new county manager

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BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER acon County closed the application window last week and will soon begin paring down applicants in search of its next county manager.

Current County Manager Jack Horton announced his retirement in July, after more than six years with the county on this instance, and more than three decades working in public service for governments in the region.

Horton took his first governmental post in the mid-1970s in Swain County and worked previously as Macon County’s manager from 1985 to 1991 before taking the same post in Haywood County.

As of the application deadline last week, Macon County commissioners had received nearly 40 submissions from job-seekers looking to fill Horton’s shoes. They came in from as far away as California, Texas, New York and a mix of neighboring states. Only a handful of applications were submitted by Western North Carolinians.

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Macon County commissioners for help. He planned to go to both boards.

“We were able to get to the commissioners first,” Hicks said.

However, Franklin leaders said they never heard from the chief and have yet to hear from him.

Although the county commissioners iterated that they did not own Nikwasi Mound, they were happy to oblige and commit to act as a third party during meetings between the town and tribe.

“The county welcomes the opportunity to participate with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation in the initiation and holding of some constructive dialogue with the Town of Franklin,” the resolution reads.

The resolution is three pages long, and states over and over and in different ways how important maintaining a relationship

The next step for commissioners will be selecting a halfdozen or so candidates for interviews, said County Commissioner Ronnie Beale. But no hard and fast selection date has been set.

“We’ll just have to see how the search goes,” Beale said. “You can’t say we’ll have one by the end of the month. This is a process you certainly don’t want to rush.”

Beale likened the selection process to searching for a CEO for a major corporation, one with more than 300 employJack Horton ees. The job was advertised locally, statewide and nationally. The starting pay is negotiable; Horton began in 2007 with an annual salary of $125,000. He is retiring with a salary of $135,000.

Horton’s official retirement date is Sept. 31, at which point County Human Resources Director Mike Decker will step in as county manager on an interim basis. If no candidate is in place by November, Horton has agreed to return for a limited time and help run the county’s operations on a contract basis.

“I’m sure if we needed Jack, I think he’d be willing to help us anyway he could,” Beale said. “He has said he

with the tribe is.

“Macon County has been fortunate to have cultivated a mutually cooperative and respectful relationship with the Eastern Band,” the resolution states.

The Eastern Band has worked to take possession of key Cherokee landmarks, including another ancient mound site in Macon County, and the tribe hopes to add Nikwasi Mound to it.

“I think it is very culturally significant to our people,” Hicks said, adding that the desire to gain ownership of the mound has nothing to do with the mound-spraying incident.

Scott has publicly expressed a personal apology for offending the tribe, and also expressed that weed killer dismay it was applied without authorization or knowledge of himself and other town board members.

But likewise, he’s opposed to completely letting go of Nikwasi Mound. The land holds special meaning for Franklin residents as well because their ancestors raised money to save it from demolition.

“There are so many different feelings and so much attachment to the mound from both sides,” Scott said. “What we need to try to work out is something that is beneficial to all.”

Just after the mound was sprayed with herbicides, the tribe expressed its concern about the care of the cultural landmark and the idea of a mutual maintenance agreement came up — something Scott would be in favor of. However, nothing ever came of the idea because the town and tribe have never sat down to talk. Both point fingers at each other, saying they have not heard from the other party.

While the Eastern Band might agree to shared maintenance, it is not tribal leaders first choice.

“We are open to any type of maintenance agreement,” Hicks said. However, “I would prefer that to be in the name of the tribe.”

would certainly help us on a temporary basis.”

A cautious timeline would put a new county manager behind their new desk in Macon County by December or January, said Commission Chairman Kevin Corbin. Most of the applicants already have a job elsewhere and would need to give adequate notice before changing jobs, Corbin said.

So if the county selects and interviews candidates in October and November, a start date still be a month or more after a selection is made.

“It’s going to depend on the person we ultimately choose,” Corbin said. “Most already have jobs.”

Commissioners will meet in coming weeks to winnow down the list and pick who to bring in for interviews, Corbin said. The final candidate to fill the county manager position will be chosen by a majority vote of the county commissioners.

Corbin said he is leaning toward selecting a person with a lot of experience, calling a previous stint as county manager “a plus.” He would also like to select someone who can grasp the local government and the small mountain county’s residents.

“We’re looking for someone who would have the ability to understand our local folks and local government,” Corbin said.

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Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013 Smoky Mountain News

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER f you come across men in bright orange vests directing traffic around crews handling a towering power pole into the ground, steer clear and drive slow.

“It’s a dangerous job. We are still trying to work it hot,” said James Rhinehart, superintendent of Waynesville’s electric department.

The town doesn’t shut off electricity running through wires while crews work, and the typical utility pole has about 7,200 volts of electricity coursing through its lines.

But it’s a just a routine assignment for power crews, who are constantly replacing aging poles.

Each year, Waynesville’s electric department works during the fair weather days to replace a small portion of its about 1,300 power line poles. The goal is 90 a year, ensuring that each is replaced about every 15 years or so. The lifespan of the poles is about 20 years.

The cost of just the wooden pole is at least $125. Last fiscal year, the town paid $21,600 for power line poles, not including the accessories like the wooden cross arms and metal bits that hold the many wires in place. The total cost could run hundreds of dollars more depending on the height of the pole, how much wear and tear there is and how many utilities are housed on it.

“It is pretty expensive, but that is the way we maintain our poles,” said Rhinehart. The cost of utility work is covered by the electric bills of town customers.

The power poles around town don’t just hold up wires for town electricity.

AT&T has phone lines up there. Progress Energy has its own power lines mounted on the poles en route to its own service territories. Even though some of the power poles are not even owned by the town, the town is usually stuck maintaining them as well in order to ensure the flow of power to town customers.

“Somebody knocks down a pole; we end up out there fixing it,” said Fred Baker, head of Waynesville’s Public Works Department.

The cost of any repairs or maintenance would then be billed to the pole’s owner, such as AT&T for example.

Recently, in addition to replacing the poles, Waynesville employees have worked on moving its poles back off the sidewalks to make more room for passersby after receiving some complaints about sidewalks blocked by poles in the middle of them, an issue for those using wheelchairs or strollers, in particular in Hazelwood and along South Main Street.

Fly Fishing the South

news

Replacing power poles a never-ending job

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BALL SPORTS VERSUS OTHER RECREATION news

Traditional team sports like basketball, softball, soccer, and so on didn’t fare so well in the public recreation survey.

More athletic fields had less support than developing other amenities like fishing spots, parks, a nature center and community gardens.

“On the adult level, traditional sports are declining,” said Bryan Cagle, facility manager of the Jackson Recreation Center, adding, however, that they’re still popular among the youth.

At a series of community meetings held to seek input for the master plan last year, attendees supported that theory.

Surveys taken at those meetings showed kayaking and canoeing were the most popular recreational activities in the county, with yoga and indoor fitness close behind.

Though, Carpenter advised those rankings be taken with a grain of salt because they were administered during public meetings that a large Western Carolina University class

In with greenways and yoga, out with ball field sports

Long-term goals The Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department recently finished its long-range recreation plan and short list of priority projects for coming years.

1. Creating neighborhood parks in the Savannah and Whittier communities.

2. Drafting a plan for a river park in Dillsboro.

3. Conducting a feasibility study for an indoor pool.

4. New greenways and multi-use paths connecting parks, facilities and nature areas.

5. Acquiring two multi-use sport fields and an indoor recreation facility.

6. Developing the South Painter Community Park gardens and nature trail.

Jackson master plan wish list reflects new recreation diversity

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER n indoor swimming pool, a river park in Dillsboro and more greenways emerged as top priorities in a 10-year master recreation plan created by the Jackson County’s Recreation and Parks Department.

Based heavily on public input, the master plan compiles a to-do list of recreation priorities for the county. Topping the list are new parks in the Whittier and Savannah communities, which have gotten little investment from the county in the way of recreation.

“We really need a park in that area real bad,” said Jackson County Recreation and Parks Director Jeff Carpenter. “That’s probably one of our number one goals.”

The county’s recreation master plan is a year in the making. The last master plan was done in 2005. The new plan compiles survey responses from residents, input from the county’s Recreation and Parks Advisory Board and the county Planning Department.

The result is a roadmap for the future of Jackson County recreation and a report on what county residents want — and don’t particularly want. The master plan was approved by county commissioners at their last meeting, though it was a largely symbolic vote, since none of the items on the to-do list are funded.

An indoor swimming pool tops the list of what the public wants, mirroring a recreation survey in 2005.

“That was the number one eight or nine years ago, and it’s still there,” said Carpenter.

The indoor pool swept the public survey conducted for the master plan. More people wanted an indoor pool — and were willing to fund it — than any other recreation amenity. The pool won more than 550 votes, an overwhelming majority of the 600 or who responded to the survey question.

Because of such strong public support, the new recreation master plan calls for a feasibility study of building an indoor pool and water park.

Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

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GREENWAYS AND TRAIL

Greenways, walking paths and trails were a popular second in the public surveys behind pools. The county is already starting work on the first section of its greenway along the Tuckasegee River.

And any trip to the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee will confirm that the outdoor walking path is the place to be. All day, it stays busy with people out walking their 14 dogs or taking a stroll.

A yoga class last week at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee takes part in the increasingly popular fitness activity. Above: The walking path at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee is one of the most used aspects of the complex. Andrew Kasper photos

RECREATION WISH LIST A survey of more than 600 Jackson County residents asked them to weigh in on what new recreation amenities they wanted to see. Here are the six most popular: • Indoor swimming pools and water parks — 555 votes • Walking and biking trails — 528 votes • Nature center and trails — 490 votes • Picnic facilities and shelters — 336 votes • Community gardens — 333 votes • Playgrounds — 323 votes

RECREATION HIT LIST Some forms of recreation didn’t fair well. These got the least amount of support in a public recreation survey.

More people said “no” than “yes” to expanding recreation in these areas. Below are the number of yeses out of more than 600 who answered the survey question.

• Youth soccer — 214 votes • Outdoor tennis — 205 votes • Youth softball/baseball — 184 votes • Raquetball courts — 181 votes • Disc golf — 165 votes • Youth football fields — 158 votes • Golf courses — 143 votes • Equestrian trails — 130 votes • Adult softball fields — 99 votes Seasonal residents Sandi and Joe Gladdin, who live in Webster, walk the track each day.

“It’s just so pretty out here in the park,” Sandi said. “We just like to be out in the fresh air.”

attended, which may have skewed the results.

However, Carpenter, who will be retiring in the coming week after more than three decades working for the county, acknowledged that he’s been witness to an ever-evolving recreation landscape. When he first started in Parks Department in the 1980s, yoga and organized fitness classes were hardly a blip on the radar.

“We had maybe one aerobics class and a chair fitness class,” Carpenter said. “Other than that, that’s about it.”

Now, the Cullowhee and Cashiers recreation centers have more than 30 fitness classes per week, from Senior Zumba to Little People Yoga. Last month, more than 2,000 county residents participated in them.

A PARK FOR WHITTIER

Most recreation amenities are clustered in Sylva, Cullowhee and Cashiers, the major population centers. Meanwhile, residents in more rural Whittier and Savannah are left with little in the way of local park space. Despite their location nearby to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Carpenter said that large, federal forests and national parks don’t provide the same opportunities as a small community park.

“People want things close to their community, where they can go out and play and read a book and go out and walk their dogs,” Carpenter said.

Furthermore, as Jackson County becomes more populated, Carpenter said parks spaced around the county will be increasingly important. But even though parks in the Qualla area are top priorities in the Parks Department master plan, the idea didn’t score high with other Jackson County residents on the research surveys.

In fact, purchasing land for parks in the Whittier and Qualla area was at the very bottom of the list of items residents said they would support funding. Purchasing county park land in those areas ranked second to last when survey respondents were asked to vote on potential recreation projects in terms of importance, barely beating out skate parks.

news Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Smoky Mountain News

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Grand opening ceremony for Waynesville Skate Park The public ribbon cutting ceremony for the new 8,000square-foot Waynesville Skate Park will take place at 4 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 27, at Vance Street in Waynesville.

The park has been open to the public for several weeks.

828.456.2030 or recdirector@townofwaynesville.org.

Haywood Democrats to hold Fall Rally

Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Haywood County Democrats will hold their annual Fall Rally at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28, at the Canton Armory. The evening will be complete with a dinner, a cake auction and guest speaker Robert Dempsey, executive director of the N.C.

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Democratic Party.

Before coming to North Carolina, Dempsey was the campaign manager for now-Congressman Scott Peters, D-Calif., in a hotly contested race. He has also served as Executive Director of the Vermont Democratic Party and worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. $12.50 per person.

Nominations sought for Champions for Children The Region A Partnership for Children is honoring Champions for Children who have demonstrated strong advocacy and dedication to promoting opportunities for children to fulfill their full potential.

Grants totaling $2,000 will be given to the charities or programs selected by the winner or winners, from the Carolina Mountain Trust for Children and Youth.

Nominations must be submitted by Oct. 23. janice@regionakids.org.

Trail of Tears Memorial Walk upcoming The Cherokee Historical Association will host the seventh annual Trail of Tears Memorial Walk at 9:30 a.m. Saturday Oct. 5.

The walk through Cherokee celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Cherokee being removed from their homelands and being forced to walk to a settlement in Oklahoma.

Participants should park at the Oconaluftee Indian Village starting at 8 a.m. and will be shuttled to the Cherokee Historical Association where the walk begins. Light breakfast will be provided. Registration is $10. Free for walkers age 12 and younger. 828.497.2111.

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Civil suit by sweepstakes industry can’t get traction

Arrests made in vehicle break-ins

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen convened a special meeting Tuesday night to talk about the controversy that’s erupted since the town footed the bill for a private country music concert on the promise of being repaid by the festival organizer.

The outcome of the meeting was not known prior to press time, but see www.smokymountainnews.com Wednesday for an update.

Town leaders say they were not told of last-minute plans to front money to the organizer behind a Matt Stillwell concert at the town’s festival grounds. The festival ended up losing money. The organizer, Charlie Meadows, who also happens to be running for town alderman this fall, says he will repay the money.

To learn more about the controversy, read our original story at www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/11724-maggie-bites-offmore-than-it-can-chew-in-stillwell-concert).

Four teens have been arrested in a series of vehicle break-ins and thefts of unlocked cars in Haywood County.

There were about two dozen vehicles broken into in Maggie Valley motel parking lots, at MedWest Haywood parking lots and in the parking lot at Smoky Meadows apartments in Canton. The vehicles had all been left unlocked. Among the items stolen were small electronics, tools, and wallets and purses.

The suspects were captured on video surveillance at one of the parking lots they hit.

The video was played on WLOS, and was seen by a Swain County Sheriff’s Deputy, who recognized them and called the Haywood Sheriff’s Office for a break through in the case.

Quinton Barker Jr., 19, and Cody Green, 18, Jessica McCoy, 19, and Brady Fortner, 19, are facing several counts of felony counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle, as well as numerous misdemeanor larceny and possession of stolen goods charges.

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Smoky Mountain News

Maggie Valley leaders question protocols

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Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER woman charged with illegally operating sweepstakes-style video gamA civil lawsuit by the sweepstakes-style video gambling machines got off in court bling industry against law enforcement in Jackson and this week after prosecutors disMacon counties was dismissed this week. missed the charges.

The civil suit against the Sylva police chief, Highlands The sweepstakes industry police chief and Macon sheriff claimed a new incarnation of was quick to declare another the sweepstakes machines are in fact legal and should be win as they pushback against a left alone. state law banning sweepstakes A ruling was signed by Judge Gary Gavenous dismissmachines. ing the case late Tuesday. There was no explanation in his “These games have been order for why it was dismissed. found to be legal,” said George However, the local law enforcement agencies had Hyler, an attorney who has repreargued that the sweepstakes industry’s beef should be sented several sweepstakes operwith the state, which wrote the laws, not the local cops ators as they have come to trial. enforcing them.

This week marked the Civil suits filed against local police chiefs and sheriffs fourth charge against sweepby sweepstakes companies elsewhere in the state have stakes operators in Haywood, been successfully dismissed on the same grounds.

Jackson or Macon counties to Many law enforcement agencies in the region were be dismissed, dropped or waiting and watching to see what the outcome of the civil found not guilty. case would be before going after sweepstakes operators The latest was Tami that have set up shop again in recent months. They claim Nicholson, the operator of the they are exempt from the state sweepstakes ban because former Winner’s Circle they have a skill and dexterity component, although the Sweepstakes Parlor in level of “skill” the games take is questionable.

Waynesville. She was visibly pleased after the charges were dropped in court Monday, but was advised embolden the industry, which was already making in roads back into the gas stations not to speak to the media by Hyler.

Hyler said the courts are consistently sid- across the region with its machines. ing with his claims that a new breed of Sweepstakes machines are now known to be sweepstakes machines now proliferating operating in the open at least eight different through the region are legal because they gas stations in Macon, Jackson, Swain and Haywood counties, plus the towns of Sylva have an element of “skill and dexterity.”

The latest ruling will likely further and Waynesville.

new laws or court rulings came along to the contrary.

Law enforcement didn’t buy the sweepstakes industry claims that their new machines were legal, however. Police in Maggie Valley, Canton, Waynesville and Sylva and the sheriff ’s office in Macon all arrested and charged people for operating sweepstakes machines in apparent violation of the law.

With many of the charges not sticking, where does this leave law enforcement?

“They should enforce the laws whatever the law may be,” Bonfoey said.

However, law enforcement can only press the charges and build evidence — it’s up to prosecutors to bring the cases to court.

“The district attorney has the ultimate discretion in the prosecution of these cases,” said Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed.

“As far as future enforcement, the statute is still valid until we are told by the courts to no longer enforce the statute.”

But for now, the enforcement landscape is spotty. Some sheriffs and cops are letting sweepstakes operate unfettered while turning the other cheek. In other towns, police have cracked down. That is irksome to the sweepstakes operators themselves as they navigate the fluctuating discretion of law enforcement.

“They need to open it wide open or control it. I don’t care which one, I just want a level playing field — not the local sheriff saying who can play and who cannot, ” said Leonard Watson, who has sweepstakes machines in Swain and Jackson counties.

news

Sweepstakes to cops: your move

The arrival of more is imminent — Nicholson is among those who will likely attempt to open up sweepstakes machines somewhere soon following the dropped charges this week.

The decision to drop the charges should not be taken as a signal by the sweepstakes industry that their new style of machines are legal, according to District Attorney Mike Bonfoey.

At least, not exactly.

“This is not precedent,” Bonfoey said. “I always said we look at these things on a caseby-case basis.”

Bonfoey would not say whether the new machines claiming an element of skill are illegal. But nor did he say they are legal.

District Attorney Mike Bonfoey disagreed.

The four charges dropped, dismissed or found not guilty to date in Haywood, Jackson and Macon counties aren’t precedent setting. They are misdemeanors, and low-level misdemeanor rulings by county judges don’t carry any weight — at least in terms of farreaching legal interpretations of the statute.

A N.C. Supreme Court ruling shutdown sweepstakes machines in January. But it wasn’t long before they cropped back up again, claiming they’d found a loophole in the law and tailored a new style of machines that they claimed were legal.

It was the same old strategy in the decade-long war between state lawmakers and the video gambling industry. As soon as one form of video gambling was outlawed, the industry tweaked the style of games and declared the reincarnation was legal until

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news

New brewery to round out Jackson’s craft beer scene

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER icole Dexter and Chip Owen might be the only brewmasters in Western North Carolina who left Asheville — the Mecca of microbreweries — in the rearview mirror when looking for a good spot to make craft beer. But the two young entrepreneurs have a good feeling about their new business venture in downtown Sylva.

Innovation Brewing is set to open its doors next month and begin sharing its craft selection of Belgian, pale ale, hoppy IPA and porter style suds with the laid-back Jackson County community.

With only one other brewery in the town — just a hop and skip away from Western Carolina University — Owen and Dexter thought the area was ripe for another.

“This area could use a few more breweries,” Dexter said. “We’d been looking at towns all over the place to start a brewery. We came here, and we really liked it.”

Meanwhile, Owen was motivated to take his nine-year hobby of homebrewing to new heights after being laid off three months ago from his job as a mechanical engineer.

“Getting laid off actually lines up perfectly,” he said. “Brewing seemed to be my passion.”

Meanwhile, Dexter left her job as a bartender at Asheville Brewing Company and

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

N

jumped onboard, moving with Owen to the Sylva area. Now the pair is working roundthe-clock to renovate the pub space and the adjoining one-barrel brewery for their planned Oct. 19 opening.

Sylva’ first hometown brewery, Heinzelmännchen Brewery, opened in 2004, charting the course as the first microbrewery to venture west of Asheville.

Seasoned Heinzelmännchen brewmaster Dieter Kuhn welcomed the new brewery with open arms. Kuhn has met with the new owners and even offered his assistance as they get up and running.

“I was pretty excited about the prospect of another brewery coming to Sylva,” Kuhn said. “That’s the same way I started out.”

Despite being just two blocks down the

Innovation Brewery owners Chip Owen and Nicole Dexter pour some sample taps at their soon-to-open microbrewery in Sylva. Andrew Kasper photo

Sylva’s beloved Lulu’s under new ownership

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER he new owners of the iconic Lulu’s on Main restaurant in downtown Sylva are dedicated to keeping around the diner’s favorite menu items, but they’re also looking forward to adding some of their own.

Mick McCardle’s journey to buy Lulu’s began while he was tooling around Western North Carolina on his motorcycle years ago.

Passing through Sylva while on vacation, McCardle couldn’t help but picture himself living in the idyllic mountain town.

“I thought ‘I really love it here,’” McCardle said. “What the heck, if an opportunity comes available, I’ll look into it.”

Last January, he began looking around and stumbled upon Lulu’s. With a background in hospitality management and a son, Devin, who is a culinary school graduate and working chef, Mick thought it’d be a great match. During the next few months, Mick underwent what he characterized as more of an interview process than a business transaction in the lead up to the purchase.

Mick said the previous owners, Kim 18 Anthony and Laura McBane, were thorough

Smoky Mountain News

T

Devin McCardle and his father purchased Lulu’s on Main restaurant, making them the third owners of the Main Street Sylva mainstay since it first opened in the late 1980s. Andrew Kasper photo

“There are lot of things on our menu that people really, really like — so we’re not going to change that.”

— Devin McCardle, executive chef

in making sure Mick and Devin would be a good fit for the restaurant and the community. McBane and Anthony are the second own-

ers of the establishment, which opened in 1989, though they worked there for years before taking over.

Eventually, after several meetings and discussions, they decided the father-son pair would be a good match. Now, Mick and Devin are anxious to take the restaurant to new heights.

“They decided it would be a good match and here we are,” Mick said, after winning the stamp of approval to buy the joint.

Devin has already relocated with his wife and six-month-old child from the Outer

street, rather than viewing Innovation Brewing as a competitor, Kuhn expects each brewery to fill a niche and attract more beer tourists overall to the area. Heinzelmännchen is also eyeing new, bigger digs at the vacant train depot in Dillsboro, with hopes to move within the next six months.

Innovation Brewery aims to be a true neighborhood pub for Sylva. They won’t have televisions, just a friendly spot for locals and tourists to enjoy some real Appalachian getto-know-ya, with pub-favorite pastimes like cornhole, darts and live music on the patio.

“We just wanted a pub atmosphere where people can enjoy craft beer and people can enjoy each other,” Dexter said.

While the two are still figuring out what they’ll offer for food, they plan to start slowly with pizza by-the-slice, keeping the menus of local restaurants on hand.

Though Innovation might try to distribute its beer in the future, the focus for now is quality batches to serve at the pub and giving downtown Sylva another notch in its lifeafter-dark atmosphere.

“What we’re trying to do is help downtown draw more people and have more of a nightlife in the area,” Owen said.

Innovation is located at the junction of Mill and Main streets next to Papou’s Wine Shop.

Banks, where he was working as a chef, to WNC. Mick has yet to make the move from South Carolina, but his son seems pretty comfortable holding the reigns for the time being.

The 33-year-old Devin already has a list of ideas for Lulu’s, from opening up a full bar inside to incorporating more meat options into the vegetarian-heavy menu.

While taking over a restaurant like Lulu’s with an established clientele has its benefits — a loyal following and name recognition — it also means the new owners have to show restraint when playing with the food offerings.

To help with the transition, Devin gave one of Lulu’s current staff the title of sous chef. Staple plates serves at Lulu’s, like the Italian pasta salad and the ‘a la Grecque,’ will not be lost in the shuffle, he promises.

“There are lot of things on our menu that people really, really like — so we’re not going to change that,” Devin said.

But his shortlist of new food ideas include incorporating more fresh produce grown in Jackson County, seasonal meats like duck, quail and venison, and hormone free, quality steaks. With a culinary career that trained him in classical French cuisine and had him working as a chef in Southern Louisiana, New England and the South, Devin might get a little experimental from time to time to see how the community reacts.

“It’s trial and error, I guess, and seeing how the community takes it,” he said. “I like to say I have an eclectic view on culinary arts.”

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THE LOGO RUNNER UP Some on the tourism board prefered the more playful logo initially proposed by the branding consultant firm, although it narrowly lost out to a more formal design.

“The mountains with ‘Jackson County’ and the simplicity of the design is going to make it easily recognizable.”

Smoky Mountain News

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER he Jackson County tourism industry adopted a new logo last week to go with their new slogan: “Play On.” The Jackson Tourism Development Authority chose the logo by a narrow 6-to-5 vote. It pictures the words “Play On” sandwiched underneath a mountain range. The runner-up was a logo with the same words in a playful font sitting on top of an arrow.

The vote came after several tries to hone in on the right image for the county. The Jackson tourism agency hired the branding company BCF to design the logo, the same Virginia-based company that helped come up with the new Jackson tourism slogan “Play On.” But the majority of the tourism board wasn’t fond of the first design BCF pitched — the one with the arrow. Some on the board felt it looked too playful and juvenile, although some on the board liked it and continued to prefer it over the more classic look that was ultimately chosen.

Nonetheless, BCF made several trips back fto the drawing board, and a few heated debates and brainstorming sessions finally yielded a unified logo and slogan ready to be wielded for marketing and promotion purposes.

“It’d be a great bumper sticker,” said County Commissioner Vicki Greene, a county liaison to the tourism board, following the vote.

Having a countywide logo would be a great opportunity to make T-shirts, caps, bumper stickers, and so on, agreed Merrily Teasley, tourism board member and owner of the Balsam Mountain Inn. Like Outer Banks has its “OBX,” Jackson County could use it’s newly christened logo for similar purposes.

“The mountains with ‘Jackson County’ and the simplicity of the design is going to make it easily recognizable,” she said. “It might distinguish us from the rest of North Carolina.”

But excitement on the TDA soon gave way to concern over how to manage the ‘Play On’ slogan and the accompanying logo and authority members began the discussion about how to promote the brand’s use while at the same time protecting it from abuse.

“What happens if a pornographer decides to set up in Jackson County,” said Authority Finance Committee Chairman Robert Jumper. “Is it carte blanche use of this logo?”

There does need to be some scrutiny as to what businesses and organizations can use

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Jackson tourism leaders temper the playful in ‘Play On’

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— Merrily Teasley, tourism board member

the logo, he added. The question also surfaced about what color scheme should accompany the logo and if businesses or entities using it can apply their own colors to it.

Consistency might be lost if that happened, said Stephanie Edwards, executive director of the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce.

“I do think we should have standards for that. You don’t see the IBM logo in a different color,” she said. “If not, I would expect a lot of variation.”

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

This should be heaven – and a little hell – on wheels M the student union between classes. I wasn’t going to let opportunity slip away, so I stopped her to ask where she’d been hiding.

Study abroad, Spain, she told me. We had coffee. We danced around it for a few months, running into each other around campus and talking at parties. By spring, we were together and haven’t looked back.

Editor Since then, Lori has been ready to go about anywhere at the mere mention of the opportunity, whether I was ready or not. With all three kids in tow, she could have the minivan packed and pulling out of the driveway in a couple of hours, off to camp in Florida with three little ones while I tried to start a newspaper. Or, she was making plans with the grandparents to keep the kids so we could get away for a weekend.

There is an uncertainty about travel that you either embrace or withdraw from. No

Scott McLeod

Class Notes:

the new reality for teachers

’m writing this because I teach three sections of senior English at Swain High School, where I’ve taught English in grades nine through 12 for almost 15 years. However, I can only say I’ve loved what I do for 14 of those years, and that’s because my first year in public education left me neither time nor energy to ponder the luxury of how I felt about my work. Having no time to reflect is typical for a first-year public school teacher.

Then, as now, for 35 weeks a year, I spent three to four hours on one weeknight each week and three or so hours each weekend responding to individual student writings, in addition to the regular two hours of grading and reading most evenings and three or four hours of planning each weekend.

These hours were outside of what I did at school with teaching, committee meetings, mentoring responsibilities, professional development, and reading to keep up with advances and reversals in my profession. I put in this number of hours so that my students have the same benefit of direct personal attention, even in classes at Swain, that my 10 to 15 students per class had at the expensive boarding school where I first taught high school English. When I became the department chair at Swain — a leadership role I fell into by forfeit — I gave myself the goal of making my department one that could compete with any private school in the state. Because the state’s education budget allowed almost $9,000 per pupil expenditure per year, and because teacher pay was in the healthy middle of national rankings in those years and took into account aspects such as advanced degrees and cost of living, offering my students the best English teachers I could find was a real possibility. For education, the middle 2000s were a season of optimism coupled with hard work. Possibilities depended only on the teach-

I

matter how much planning, you come to expect the unexpected. The comfort and routine of homelife is replaced by something more unbalanced and more precarious — and more promising.

During our first few years together, Lori and I lived in six different North Carolina towns before settling in Waynesville. Her teaching jobs and my newspaper work kept us moving, and often, we were barely unpacked

ers’ willingness to work for the students in whom we so believed and the students’ capacity to learn.

All of this is not to say, of course, that this year’s N.C. per pupil expenditure of a little more than $5,000, or the end of additional monies for advanced degrees or cost of living, or the embarrassment of being 46th to 48th (depending on your source) in national pay rankings, well, it is not to say all of this has made my department less effective. My teachers, by and large, knock themselves out to stay abreast of best teaching practices.

My teachers, by and large, put in as many hours a week as I do in order to give our students what they need. My teachers, by and large, are the same champions of the last bastion of Columnist democracy that they were all those years ago when public schools were still considered a source of talent and hope for the country’s and the world’s future, and North Carolina’s governors and General Assemblies did not let an unconstitutional elitism dictate legislation.

The difference in that season and this is stark. The legislative climate in which public schools now struggle to survive demands of us all a dogged determination in the face of enormous bureaucratic disrespect, a willed hopefulness that we can get by until the legislative madness in Raleigh ends, and, I am very sorry to say, the donning of the martyr’s habit that has always been expected of a profession that is mostly women.

If we want increased opportunities for our students, we cannot rely on legislation to help us. We now have only ourselves and the communities we create within our own ranks to fall back on, and the thinking among the best teachers I know is that what we do and those for whom we do it have no value to the ruling majority of representatives in Raleigh except, perhaps, to provide a shuffling supply of low-paid workers to remove garbage from our legislators’ homes, trim the roses on our legislators’ lawns, and clean the toilets in which our legis-

Dawn Gilchrist-Young

y people are rooted in the South. On both mom’s and dad’s sides of the family, very few have moved far from North and South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. It’s not one town or a single homeplace we embrace, but nearby relatives and their pull, a blood kinship that runs deeper than my understanding of it.

Because of that — or, perhaps, in spite of it — I grew up with a bit of wanderlust.

During high school and college, there were summer adventures with friends to the Carolina coast, out west and down to the Gulf of Mexico, trips where I took whatever work I could and used the money to move around a bit more.

I thought of myself as a traveler of sorts — until I met my wife, Lori. She likes to move, which kind of explains how we got together.

At college, we had talked very briefly in an early morning Spanish class, and she occasionally frequented the college restaurant/bar where I worked. I was very interested, but then she was gone. Poof. Nowhere to be seen around campus.

A semester later, we passed each other in

before we found ourselves back at the U-Haul store to arrange for another truck. We looked at other states and even other countries, but opportunities in the Tar Heel state kept landing at our feet. We learned to love small towns and all they offered.

Next week, we’ll get to take a different kind of trek across North Carolina and visit several of its small towns. Cycle North Carolina sponsors two bicycle rides every year — one during spring, one in the fall — across the state. It’s not Murphy to Manteo, which is 474 miles as the crow flies and 545 along U.S. 64, but it is 491 miles during seven days of riding.

We’ll start in Spruce Pine and overnight in Morganton, Troutman, Asheboro, Holly Springs, Goldsboro, New Bern and finally Atlantic Beach. If power — and my body — holds out in our campgrounds, I’ll be sending photos and updates to our Facebook pages and website.

I love this state, but I’m not sure that I ever imagined a fall bike ride across its breadth.

This should be fun. I think.

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

lators have dropped them at 16 West Jones Street.

(Dawn Gilchrist-Young can be reached at dawngilc@gmail.com.)

FY 2013-2014 K: 1 teacher per 19 students 1-3: 1 teacher per 18 students 4-6: 1 teacher per 24 students 7-8: 1 teacher per 23 students 9: 1 teacher per 26.5 students 10-12: 1 teacher per 29 students — from the NC 2013 Session Committee Report on Budget for Public Education

Private schools average 13 students per teacher, with over 35% of private schools having a student/teacher ratio lower than 10 to 1 (their emphasis).

— from the North Carolina Private Schools Blog Private schools are not subject to oversight of their finances, curriculum, personnel qualifications, or testing and accountability measures that apply to all N.C. public schools. Under House Bill 944, private schools would receive taxpayer funding without public oversight or accountability.

— Kannapolis City Schools Newsletter, May, 2013 Adjusting for inflation, official figures from the North Carolina Department of Instruction show that annual per student spending has declined from $6,270 to $5,488.

— from the Transylvania Times, Sept. 16, 2013 Most other states held steady or saw small gains, including those neighboring North Carolina. In the 2013 rankings, North Carolina landed 46th on average teacher pay.

— from the Charlotte Observer, Aug. 17, 2013

Per capita money income in the last 12 months, 2007-2011 (2011 dollars) $19,506 — Fast Facts about Swain County

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.

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.

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.

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 Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of”

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Smoky Mountain News

6147 Hwy 276 S., Bethel 28716

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

To the Editor: The North Carolina legislature has passed, and Gov. McCrory has signed, a bill requiring a photo ID in order to vote. This bill will disenfranchise a large number of voters in our state, especially the elderly (which includes the greatest generation, who saved our country for democracy) and the first-time voters. In addition, the bill eliminates one week of early voting, which has been extremely popular with older folks.

Some real examples: a friend is 94 years old. She served as a nurse in WWll, has always been very active in her church and community; her husband was a state senator for several terms. She has voted in every election since she was old enough, but now she can’t vote because she has no “valid” ID. Another friend is 87, has never driven because she is blind, she and her family have worked tirelessly for their church and community, but now she can’t vote.

The newspapers assure us that “free IDs” can be obtained at any driver’s license office.

How does a 94-year-old woman or a blind woman locate an office and get there? What about the many older folks who do not see a newspaper or who missed the announcement on the news? What about those who were not born in North Carolina and don’t have a birth certificate?

There will be thousands who make the effort to get to the polls, only to be told they are not eligible. Few people will go through the process of casting a provisional ballot, which may or may not, be ruled eligible by the officials. Many restrictions on absentee voting have been lifted, creating more opportunities for fraud.

Recent redistricting, with changed boundary lines and split precincts, increases the likelihood that folks will go to the wrong precinct to vote. For years, they could fill out a conditional ballot, which, after verification, would be counted.

Under the new law, these votes will be thrown out. The elderly and minorities are most likely to be in this group.

With all the distractions today, many young people are turned away by politics, not realizing that politics affect every phase of our lives, or that voting is a precious right and a responsibility.

Currently, high school civics classes provide an opportunity to get them involved, and even provide pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds. In many cases, this will be the last opportunity to reach these kids. The new legislation totally eliminates this registration.

Things get even more complicated when a college student tries to vote!

Incidentally, these free IDs are estimated to cost North Carolina $823,200 in each of the first two years, and over $24,000 annually. All of this to fix a problem that all surveys indicate does not exist.

Is it a coincidence that the elderly, the young, and minorities tend to vote Democratic?

Margaret S. Ramsey Franklin

tasteTHEmountains opinion

New ID law turns away voters

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207-13

UPCOMING EVENTS at the

Fall Events

Beer Dinner: Oct. 12 Murder Mystery Dinner: Oct. 19

TH

FRIDAY SEPT. 27

Dylan Riddle

Bed & Breakfast and Restaurant

207-17

83 Asheville Hwy. Sylva Music Starts @ 9 • 631.0554

94 East St. • Waynesville 828-452-7837 www.herrenhouse.com

For details & menus see

Open for Private Parties & Special Events 7 Days/Week

A T N A N TA H A L A V I L L A G E

207-02

ARTISAN BREADS & PASTRIES

SEAFOOD STEAKS COCKTAILS

207-82

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

INDOOR & OUTDOOR SEATING

APPLE PASTRIES ARE HERE

FOR FALL! BREAKFAST • LUNCH TAKE-OUT • EAT-IN • CATERING

Scratch-Made Fresh Daily Breads • Biscuits • Bagels Cakes • Pies • Pastries Soups • Salads • Sandwiches Fair Trade Coffee & Espresso

9400 HWY. 19 WEST 828-488-9000

7 miles west of Bryson City at the entry to the Nantahala Gorge.

RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED TUES– THURS 5:30-9 • FRI– SUN 5:30- 10

BAR OPENS AT 4

Smoky Mountain News

PUMPKIN &

W

18 North Main Street Waynesville • 452.3881 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

our spirit, too.

tasteTHEmountains Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

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.

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.

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

FRIDAY, SEPT. 27 • 7PM KAREN “SUGAR” BARNES & DAVE MAGILL SAT, SEPT. 28 • 7PM CHRIS TITCHNER

has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table 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.

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 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 WedFri. from 4 to 6. frogsleappublichouse.org.

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.

207-37

Fryday’s 6 Days/Week Closed Wed.

Sundaes 6 Days/Week Closed Wed.

Traditional English Fish & Chips, Burgers, Dogs, Gyro, Shrimp & Loads More.

24+ ROTATING FLAVORS OF HERSHEY’S ICE CREAM

Cataloochee Ranch 22

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

CityLightsCafe.com

207-40

EVERYTHING AVAILABLE TO GO

24 & 26 Fry St. • Bryson City 488-5379 • NEXT TO THE DEPOT

www.FrydaysAndSundaes.com

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED • JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

tasteTHEmountains 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 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

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.

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.

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

2300 SWAG ROAD WAYNESVILLE

828.926.0430 • TheSwag.com

LOCATED OFF JONATHAN CREEK RD/HWY 276 & HEMPHILL RD 207-73

207-06

ITALIAN

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

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

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.

Bring your own wine and spirits.

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. 207-83

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

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.

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 created.

Fresh. Local. Yours.

Farmers Markets.

Now Open.

Smoky Mountain News

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.

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.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

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.

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

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

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Appalachian sisters joined by creative ‘spirit’

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER my Ammons Garza has always looked out for her little sister, Doreyl Ammons Cain.

“Make sure you mention when the mural will be unveiled,” Garza said. “She’s always forgetting things.”

“I am not,” Cain countered with a laugh.

“Ever since we were kids, she’s made sure everything I needed is taken care of.”

Despite their married last names, the two are known as “the Ammons sisters.” Through sheer passion and dedication, they have risen to the top rung of the Appalachian arts and cultural ladder, widely considered as experts of the region’s heritage. The pair have made it their life work to showcase and pass along the arts, crafts, music and cultural traditions of Western North Carolina, and especially their home county of Jackson.

One’s a writer — Amy. One’s an artist — Doreyl. Both are storytellers and musicians.

Doreyl’s latest masterpiece, a giant mural called “On Hallowed Ground” will be unveiled in downtown Dillsboro next weekend — for the record at 10 a.m. Oct. 5, noted Garza.

YOUTHFUL CURIOSITY

father, “Ole Tom” Ammons, draw inspired her to follow suit in her own creative endeavors.

“I just thought it was magic seeing him draw,” the 70-year-old said. “And it’s just what I’ve done all my life.”

When she was 18, Cain headed for the West Coast where she acquired a Masters of Arts in Biological/Medical illustration at California State University at Long Beach. Though she was immersing herself in new experiences, she longed for her homeland in Southern Appalachia.

“I saw a lot of the world, but I’ve never found another area like this, with the people that are here,” she said, tearing up. “I get emotional talking about it, but the combination of the Cherokee and Scotch-Irish heritage creates these magnificent people, whose intelligence and creativity are unparalleled as far as I’ve seen.”

These days, Cain and her husband Jerry live on the Natures Home Preserve in Tuckasegee.

She spends her days painting in a yurt studio.

It’s her own slide of paradise, one hidden in the majestic depths of Western North Carolina.

“My true love is nature, the beauty I see when I walk out of my front door is phenomenal,” she said. “It’s about knowing and seeing all the incredible surroundings, and having a sense of place here.”

When she’s painting, Cain channels her innermost emotions, where her love of nature

When she was four years old, Cain decided she wanted to be an artist. Watching her grand-

S EE S ISTERS, PAGE 27

A

Writer Amy Ammons Garza (left) with her sister, painter Doreyl Ammons Cain. Garret K. Woodward photo

ColorFest brings artsy slice of Paris to Dillsboro’s streets “ColorFest: Art & Taste of Appalachia” will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, in downtown Dillsboro. The annual festival brings together artists, musicians and Southern Appalachian culture for a day of fall celebration.

“There’s so much here within this little town,” said Amy Ammons Garza, co-founder of Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, one of the sponsors of the event.

Festival-goers can immerse themselves in downtown as they interact and observe

crafters, storytellers, growers and musicians.

The participants will be positioned under colorful Parisian umbrellas and tents, performing and demonstrating their talents. Artists include painters Jane McClure and Susan Phillips, jeweler Nanci Leigh and chair maker David Ammons. Restaurants and shops will also be open during the celebration.

ColorFest is produced by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia in partnership with the Dillsboro Merchants Association, Jackson Visual Arts Association, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, with funding support from the Jackson County Arts Council and North Carolina Arts Council. www.mountainlovers.com or www.colorfestartblog.com or 828.631.4587.

Mural brings Dillsboro’s past and setting to life

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER illsboro will soon be graced with a large mural depicting the cultural heritage of the village, its key landmarks and its natural setting.

“On Hallowed Ground,” a four-panel 16-foot by eight-foot painting by acclaimed Jackson County painter Doreyl Ammons Cain, will be unveiled with a public ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, in downtown Dillsboro.

Cherokee Principal Chief Michael Hicks and Cherokee Storyteller Freeman Owl will be on hand for the event, with Cain sharing the story of the mural, from inception to creation. The mural depicts the history of Dillsboro, including town founders William Allen and Alice Dills, and an early Cherokee Chief Nimrod Jarrett Smith, local building landmarks in town, as well as animals and frame next to the Jarrett House.

D

One of the panels of the mural “On Hallowed Ground.” The four-panel 16-foot by eight-foot painting by Doreyl Ammons Cain depicts the history of Dillsboro. Figures such as town founders William Allen and Alice Dills (pictured) are featured.

The mural will be unveiled at “ColorFest: Art & Taste of Appalachia” at 10 a.m. on Oct. 5 in Dillsboro.

“This has been a wonderful thing for me and for the community,” Cain said. “It’s visually showing the heritage and the artistic beauty in this area, and that’s so important.”

For the last nine months, Cain has been constructing the mural. What started as an idea to promote and preserve the history of the town, the work came together through grants from the Jackson County Arts Council ($500), Asheville Area Arts Council ($3,000) and private donations ($2,500). The need for the grants came after two failed Kickstarter fundraising campaigns.

While Cain could not raise what she hoped for the project, she forged ahead anyway, largely donating her time to create the mural over the past several months from her yurt studio in Tuckasegee. The installation has been recently appraised at $48,000.

With little information about the story of Dillsboro readily available, Cain tapped the shoulders of George Frizzell, Head of Special Collections in the Hunter Library at Western Carolina University; Tyler B. Howe, Eastern Band of Cherokee Tribal Historical Preservation Specialist; and Amy Ammons Garza, Cain’s sister and co-founder of Catch the Spirit of Appalachia.

“Painting and piecing it together has been great, but I can’t wait to see it displayed for others to enjoy,” Cain smiled. “It’s amazing how much I’ve learned about our heritage that I don’t know. Putting this into the public eye is supremely important.”

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Go play Editor’s Note: Trivia nights are held around Western North Carolina at Heinzelmannchen Brewery (Tuesdays, 7 p.m.) and Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Tuesdays, 8 p.m.) in Sylva, and Tipping Point Brewing in Waynesville (Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.).

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Smoky Mountain News

I know a lot about nothing.

As far back as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with everything. How many dimples are there on a golf ball? — Ranging from 330-500, dependThe Guest Appreciation Festival brings a ing on model. What’s the deepest variety of outdoor activities and live music to point in the Pacific Ocean? — the Nantahala Outdoor Center Sept. 27-28.

Mariana Trench at 35,797 feet.

How many people live in New Comedian Dave Coulier brings his brand of York City? — 19 million in the clean comedy to the Smoky Mountain Center metro area. Whatever the subfor the Performing Arts in Franklin on Oct. 5. ject, I want to know more. It’s a sentiment that is directly conThe Corbitt Brothers rolls into Alley Kats nected to my career path into feaTavern in Waynesville on Sept. 28. ture journalism.

And for the most part, all of this absorbed knowledge only Herman Melville’s book “Billy Bud” will be bubbled to surface of my mind discussed on Oct. 3 at the Haywood County during small talk at dinner parPublic Library in Waynesville. ties or lame attempts at impressing a cute girl. But, that all The Classic Wineseller presents Valorie Miller changed when I was asked to paron Sept. 27 and Music Nostra on Sept. 28 in ticipate on my first “trivia team.”

Waynesville.

While attending Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., a to talk to since freshman year. group of colleagues wanted to throw togethAfter college, I would find myself at raner a team for the weekly trivia match at the dom trivia nights in towns around the counnearby Sidestreet Bar & Grille. Our majors try. I’d go to a bar for a beverage or restauranged from physical therapy to criminal rant for dinner and find myself walking into justice, film production to English (mine a heated battle of wits. Someone would see being journalism and history). With our me saunter in and yell, “Hey, he’s a reporter, powers combined, we could tackle any he must know stuff, get’em on our team.” obscure music or movie reference, bodily Before I could respond, an anonymous arm function or British literary greats of the 19th would reach out, yanking me down into century. their respective tables.

Those competitive nights were a great Throughout all of those teams, I never excuse to procrastinate a senior thesis or really took the competitions that seriously. finally wash the mountain of dishes piling up at our hole-in-the-wall apartments — not Yes, I would contribute answers if I actually knew them, but mostly I looked at it as to mention trivia being an easy icebreaker if downtime from life, where I could sit, relax one found themselves on a random team and joke around with friends and strangers with that femme fatale you’ve been meaning

of bragging rights and the ego-inflating sense we could give Alex Trebek a run for his money.

Since that tournament, I’ve wandered into another weekly team — one filled with friendly, jovial folks from around the community. Looking around our table, we have two teachers, two doctors, two software developers, a newspaper publisher and reporter (me). There’s a lot of education on

each of our resumes, which tends to lend itself to a tornado of words, answers (wrong and right) and, ultimately, laughter.

Each competition lasts five rounds. The first, “General Knowledge,” can be a litmus test for the evening. If you don’t come out of the gate with at least seven correct (out of a possible 10), you’re most likely dead in the water. The second and third rounds are all about consistency — keep a steady number of correct responses to figure out your strategy for the final stretch into rounds four and five.

Within all these rounds, lurking like a shark in the depths, is the “Pitcher Round,” where whatever team wins that specific round receives a free pitcher of beer. The room usually erupts into a cacophony of cheers and screams when that piece of information gets released like blood into the water. Most would rather win the pitcher than bragging rights for a week.

But, through it all, the competitions only play as the background during these evenings. Sure, trivia night is first and foremost a game, but it’s the societal interaction brought about by it that’s truly the biggest victory. You may only see friends of yours that one day a week, run into new acquaintances soon to become friends, or just dive into a pool of fresh faces that make up our backyard.

It’s about coming together in your community and putting aside the matters of the day, even for just a few hours of rollicking fun. So, put on your thinking caps Southern Appalachia, we need you on our team.

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

alike. But, that all changed when I moved to Waynesville and found myself a member of a trivia team in the highly competitive Wednesday night winter tournament at Tipping Point Brewing.

I was asked to join a rather robust group of knowledgeable folks, whose minds all worked like a sports car engine. The almost two-month long tournament was a grueling war of conflicting answers, question clarification and accusations of other players using Google or Wikipedia on their smart phones. When the dust cleared, our team has won not only the trophy (yes, there was a real trophy given), but also a year’s worth

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25

arts & entertainment

On the beat

Greetings

Trombonist to celebrate music of the 1960s

GAB’S OLE TIME

BARBER SHOP would like to announce “Crazy Thursday!” $9 Cuts Every Thursday Also, $10 Senior Cuts Everyday

Western Carolina University music faculty member Dan Cherry will perform “From Style Galant to Jazz: A Trombonist’s Take on the 1960s” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Coulter Building in Cullowhee.

Cherry, associate professor of trombone and euphonium, said the decade of the 1960s represents an important period of discovery, growth and innovation in the history of the trombone. At the concert, he will perform pieces including the Wagenseil “Concerto” for alto trombone, which represents the rediscovery in the 1960s of some of the earliest known solo works for the instrument – works that date to the mid18th century. The recital also will include Donald White’s “Sonata for Trombone and Piano,” “Sonata for Solo Trombone,” a 1962 piece by Barney Childs; and the 1965 medley from “Man of La Mancha.”

Come by and say hello.

Tues.-Fri. | 9 to 5

371-7608

207-19

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

The recital is a part of the School of Music Concert Series. “The 60s: Take It All In,” is the campus wide interdisciplinary learning theme for the 2013-14 academic year.

828.227.7242.

The Boho Stage Show will bring aerial trapeze, circus acts, belly dancing, hula-hooping and other eccentric forms of performance art for two shows — one at 2 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. — on Saturday, Sept. 28, at The Strand on 38 Main in Waynesville. There will be more than 10 performers in the show, including Asheville Aerial Arts, the Runaway Circus, several belly dancing acts, Clan Destiny Circus, Kenny the Clown, and Stacey Bumgarner of Sweet Circle Hoops. $10. 828.283.0173.

37 Years experience

Smoky Mountain News

Donated photo

BOHO SHOW COMING TO WAYNESVILLE

289 Haywood Road Dillsboro, NC

• A Mountain Jam, Craig Summers, and Tarnished Rose Band tap into Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville. The jam is Sept. 26, with Summers, Sept. 27 and Tarnished Rose Band on Sept. 28. Free.

828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City. The free concert series brings together local residents, visitors and musicians for an evening of melodies and mountains. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Hank West & The Smokin’ Hots, Natty & The Love Joys, and Pearly Peach will perform at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Hank West & The Smoking Hots plays Sept. 26, with Natty & The Love Joys Sept. 27 and Pearly Peach Sept. 28. All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• The Pisgah Promenaders Square Dance Club will host a community dance from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Old Armory Recreation Center in Waynesville. Ken Perkins and Marty Northup will call for the plus and mainstream dancing. A workshop begins at 6:15 p.m. 828.586.8416, Jackson County or 828.452.1971, Haywood County.

• Barbed Wire hits the stage at 10 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28, at Water’n Hole Bar and Grill in Waynesville. $3. 828.456.4750.

• Chris Titchner and Jimi McKenzie will play at City Lights Café in Sylva. Titchner will perform on Sept. 28, and McKenzie Oct. 4. Both performances begin at 7 p.m. Free.

828.587.2233 or www.citylightscafe.com.

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Dan Cherry.

• The Music in the Mountains concert series continues with The Josh Fields Band at 6:30

ALSO:

• The Oasis Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 30, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Free. www.wcu.edu or www.oasisquartet.com.

• The Pickin’ On The Square summer concert series continues with Mountain Faith at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the lower level town hall in Franklin. At 6:30 p.m. the stage is opened up for anyone wanting to play a

Johnny Cash tribute singer to play HCC

The “Love Sings Out!” concert will be at noon Oct. 1, at Haywood Community College in Clyde.

Entertainment will be provided by singer/guitarist Matthew Curry, star of the recent HART production “Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire.” There will be refreshments and speakers. Free.

828.456.7898.

HCC to hold banjo and fiddle classes

Two Appalachian heritage music classes for banjo and fiddle will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 1 through Dec. 3.

The Introduction to Banjo course will teach students basic chords, songs, and tunes as they discover the simple techniques for claw hammer-style banjo. The class will work on developing fundamental left and right hand techniques.

The fiddle class is also an introductory course. Students will find a solid beginning to learning the old-time fiddle. The course will include the basics of tuning, noting, and bowing in the traditional southern Appalachian style.

Instructors will be Travis and Trevor Stuart of the Stuart Brothers. The duo has played together for more than 20 years.

While their music has deep roots in the local area, they have also performed worldwide.

Cost is $105 for the banjo class and $125 for the fiddle class.

828.627.4500.

few songs. Free. 828.524.2516 or www.franklinnc.com/pickin.html.

• Lori Sealy will perform a benefit for the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. $10. 866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• An array of music comes to the Nantahala Outdoor Center during its Guest Appreciation Festival, Sept. 27-29. Live music is Sept. 2728. Stage acts for Friday are The Night Trotters, 2 p.m.; Common Foundation, 5:30 p.m.; and the Lefty Williams Band, 9 p.m., with Saturday groups including Buncombe Turnpike, 2 p.m.; Packway Handle Band, 5:30 p.m.; and Antique Firearms, 9 p.m. Free. www.noc.com.

• A Clogging Open House will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Southwestern Community College in Bryson City. There will be a clogging demonstration and a chance to participate in Appalachian heritage dances.

Refreshments will be served. Free.

On the stage

S ISTERS, CONTINUED FROM 24

Acclaimed musician/folklorist Lee Knight will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva.

Knight, a native of the Adirondack Mountains and a longtime resident of Cashiers, has studied the Lee Knight at folk cultures of the a 2012 Sylva Southern Appalachians performance. and the Adirondacks, as Garret K. Woodward well as the Sea Islands photo off the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia.

He refers to his musical style as “musical archaeology,” and he has developed his repertoire by visiting with local residents and musicians who have kept regional traditions alive. He plays several instruments, including the fretless five-string banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, Cherokee flute, rattle,

Voices in the Laurel will hold auditions for “Laurel Strings,” a new string ensemble open to students in grades two-12 in area counties who are currently taking private lessons in violin, viola, cello or bass or have taken at least two years of lessons in the past. Auditions will be held by appointment through Sept. 27. First rehearsals will begin on Oct. 1 in Waynesville.

The ensemble will meet on Tuesdays at First Baptist Church in Waynesville and will

and water drum, and guitar and mouth bow.

He plays traditional Appalachian and Adirondack mountain music, but he often sings the traditional songs a capella.

The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. Free.

828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org. perform both a winter and spring concert in conjunction with Voices in the Laurel. The ensemble will also perform at the Voices in the Laurel “I Heart Disney” Valentine Concert in February 2014.

Sarah Smith, the director of the ensemble, has been teaching private lessons in Haywood County since arriving from the Raleigh area more than two years ago. She has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Huntington University in Indiana and has spent 12 years teaching public school choir, drama and music. She has taught violin and piano privately for the last 17 years.

919.272.1359 or sister2six@gmail.com.

While Cain was fascinated with Ole Tom’s drawings, Garza was mesmerized by his words. He was a talented storyteller, a trait cherished in these parts. Being able to pass on the oral traditions and history of this area was something he wanted to instill in his granddaughters.

“My grandpa told me as a little girl that it was up to me to save these stories, and that was really important to him,” Garza said.

But, it wasn’t until she was 39 years old that her creative urges bubbled up to the surface. At the time, Garza was raising a family in northwestern Indiana, all the while running a tractor-trailer repair service. She started to think about the old stories her grandfather told her, and started jotting the details down. Eventually enrolling in nearby Purdue University for creative writing, Garza had found her passion.

“The people who came before me are within me, and when I’m open to writing I become that person and that person speaks through me,” she said. “I come up with things I’ve never thought of because I’m open to it all and they speak. I laugh and I cry when I write, but you’re putting something on that paper that’s an emotion within you, and the reader will have that same emotion.”

With the release of her first book, Retter, Garza began to win awards for her Southern Appalachian storytelling. It was picking the fruit of her labors, which get sweeter each year. She continues to write

CATCH THE SPIRIT After returning to Jackson County, the Ammons sisters co-founded Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, a nonprofit art organization that would be a conduit for their passion of preserving the culture, arts and heritage.

Alongside their community endeavors and art workshops, Catch the Spirit has also been sponsors of the Greening Up the Mountain Festival, Mountain Craft Fair at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad’s Railfest, Patchwork Folk & Fabric Festival, ColorFest: Art & Taste of Appalachia, and Heritage Alive! Mountain Youth Talent Contest, among other events and celebrations. They’ve also conducted the Festival of Many Colors, Appalachian Arts & Craft Bazaar, Gateway Heritage Day, and Saunooke Village Folk Festival.

Catch the Spirit has published over 70 books of Appalachian history and produces a “Celebration of the Writers” program.

Scholarships are also given by them to students pursuing Appalachian studies. As if there wasn’t enough time in the day, the CSA hosts the weekly hour-long radio/online program “Stories of Mountain Folk,” which airs at 9 a.m. on Saturdays at WRGC radio and online at www.storiesofmountainfolk.com.

The sisters also conduct writing and painting workshops, which can be found online at www.spiritofappalachia.com.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Youth String Ensemble begins in Haywood

IN SEARCH OF THE WORD

arts & entertainment

Musician/folklorist Lee Knight spins tales in Sylva

and humanity flows out of her fingertips, ultimately dripping onto the blank canvas.

“It’s a challenge to paint, but that’s what I like about doing it because it pushes me,” she said. “There’s a feeling when I’m painting where nature, the human and the spirit come together because they’re all connected.”

and perpetuate the traditions of the past.

It’s all in effort to not only educate and nurture the future, but also preserve the memory and tales told by Ole Tom. “I knew if I could tell the story and put it out there, then my children would learn about the past, which would help them in the future,” she said. “When Retter came out, I was so excited because I had finally done what he had told me, which was to preserve the heritage.”

Coulier brings ‘clean comedy’ to Franklin

Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

Dave Coulier.

Dave Coulier, a stand-up comedian, impressionist, and actor best known for his role as Joey Gladstone on the ABC sitcom Full House, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Coulier’s stand-up routine is centered on his ability to mimic celebrities and cartoon characters, a talent that has given him a second career in voice acting. He often puts wellknown characters into unexpected situations.

Coulier’s act sometimes showcases his harmonica playing, and his material is largely family-friendly. He founded an organization called The Clean Guys of Comedy.

Tickets are $16 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

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arts & entertainment

On the wall

Acclaimed painter offers demo in Swain

Watercolor and oil painter Jo Ridge Kelley will demonstrate oil painting techniques in a naturescape for Art League of the Smokies at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.

The Appalachians and the Great Smoky Mountains continue to be a source of inspiration for Kelley’s naturescapes that capture the ever-changing atmosphere in her well-known mountain and mist paintings. Her latest series is Water Lilies painted in oil on linen and canvas. The paintings will be exhibited at Gallery 86 in downtown Waynesville with The Master Artists show through October.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council, Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools. Free. jo@jokelley.com or 828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta or www.joridgekelley.com.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Cowee Pottery School forming Jim Kautz photo

A group of friends have come together to create a non-profit entity to operate a new pottery school in the Macon County Heritage Center at the old Cowee School.

In the fundraising stage of organization, The Cowee Pottery School will host classes for children and adults and provide a co-op for fledgling potters to build their inventories.

The pottery school is one of numerous programs offered at the school. Those interested in

Potters with the Cowee Pottery School volunteer at the Macon County Fair to introduce new people to the craft. exploring other opportunities should email Stacy Guffey at stacyjguffey@yahoo.com. coweepotteryschool@gmail.com.

Nine sculptures are on display at The Village Green in Cashiers as part of the Biennial Sculpture Exhibition featuring sculptures by nationally recognized artists.

The pieces celebrate a variety of expression, style and material. Some are whimsical while others more traditional. An example is the playful piece named “Launch” that greets people near The Village Play. Another sculpture “Grandmother and Baby” will greet visitors at the Glades area where most of the sculptures are on display. Wesley Wofford, curator of the event, hopes that the sculptures will spark discussion and dialogue, as well as add interest to the park.

Visitors to the Biennial Sculpture Exhibition have the opportunity to vote for their favorite piece of sculpture. Ballots are in the information area located near the bathrooms by The Village Play. The Village Green is extending voting through the end of October for a “People’s Choice Award” to be presented to the winning artist. The winning sculpture will be on display through the end of the year. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com or 828.743.3434.

Cathey featured during American Craft Week The fourth annual American Craft Week will be held Oct. 4-13 in cities and towns across the nation. Renowned metal

artist Grace Cathey will hold an open house and demonstration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 4-5 and 11-12, at her Sculpture Garden and Gallery in Waynesville.

Cathey offers an assortment of garden sculptures and home furnishings. She will demonstrate the process of sculpting birds on her current works in progress, a grouse and a swan. Guests are encouraged to tour the gallery and visit Cathey’s permanent installment on Main Street in Waynesville.

The demonstrations are free.

American Craft Week is a program of Craft Retailers and Artists for Tomorrow (CRAFT), a trade association dedicated to the growth and vitality of American craft. www.americancraftweek.com or www.gracecathey.com.

• UPTOWN ART at Franklin’s Street Fest will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. Enjoy food and live music and meet local artists demonstrating and showing their work.

Sponsored by the Macon County Art Association.

ALSO:

• The Cherokee exhibit “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future” is on display through Oct. 3 at the Health and Human Sciences Building at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The exhibit places cultural interpretation in locations frequented by the public. Using recordings made by Native speakers, the exhibit focuses on Cherokee language and culture and is sponsored by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. www.wcu.edu.

On the streets Culinary treats at ‘Taste of Sylva’

The Mainstreet Sylva Association and Pinnacle Events will host the fourth annual Taste of Sylva culinary tour from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, in downtown Sylva.

This year’s event has been expanded to feature both downtown restaurants at their locations and other Sylva restaurants set up at McGuire Gardens. All participants will provide a “taste” of their menu or product to patrons, offering a complete experience of the culinary variety in Sylva. Nearly 20 Sylva restaurants are participating. The event will also feature a raffle fundraiser for the Community Table.

Tickets are now on sale at participating restaurants. They are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The event will begin at McGuire Gardens, 553 W. Main St. Triple Threat Performing Arts Academy is offering Childcare and Kids’ activities for children ages 2 and up during the Taste of Sylva. Cost is $10 and may be purchased at McGuire Gardens, Triple Threat and participating restaurants.

For more information on children’s activities or to purchase a ticket, call 828.586.4410 or email info@ttpaa.com. All proceeds from the Taste of Sylva will benefit community programs and initiatives. For more information and a full list of 28 participating restaurants, click on www.mainstreetsylva.org.

Smoky Mountain News

Help choose the best sculpture in Cashiers

‘Cruisin’ in the Mountains’ Car Show

space is still available with vendor forms available at the Franklin Chamber. Saturday’s gate admission will be $3 for adults, with children 12 and under admitted free.

The event is sponsored by Southwestern Community College Car Club and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. www.visitfranklinnc.com or 828.524.3161.

101 years of the Cherokee Indian Fair

The “Cruisin’ in the Mountains” car, truck and bike show is set for 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5, at Southwestern Community College’s Public Safety Training Center in Franklin.

Early registration fee for Saturday’s show is $20 per car/truck/bike and will be accepted until 7 p.m. Friday.

Saturday’s show will feature vehicles from antiques and classics to late models and rat rods. Vehicle registration the day of the show will be open from 8 to 9:30 a.m. and is $25 per car/truck/bike. There will also be a craft/vendor area. Vendor

The Cherokee Indian Fair runs from Oct. 1-5 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds.

The fair features carnival rides, amusements, live music and craft/food vendors. There will also be nationally known entertainers and numerous competitions.

Key events include the Greasy Pig Contest and Little Miss Pageant on Tuesday; Warriors of AniKituwah and Uncle Cracker, Thursday; Teen Miss Cherokee Pageant and Angel Flight Presentation, Friday; and a Corn Hole Tournament, Raymond Fairchild, Pretty Legs contest and fireworks on Saturday. There will also be a Lumberjack Show and Cherokee Idol, Wednesday through Friday. Stickball matches will be held everyday.

Admission is $10. www.visitcherokeenc.com or www.visitcherokeeevents.com.

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the scene with a pencil then filling in with paint. Also try capturing micro-level nature scenes, like a pinecone or single flower.

Looking at nature with an artist’s eye deepens the appreciation.

• Hunt for spider webs and gently spray them with a mist bottle to bring out the shape and design of the thin, translucent threads. Examine the different web shapes and styles and look for the spider and any signs of any leftovers.

• Shrink down to the size of an ant and design a micro-scale nature walk through a small area of the yard, flagging the route with toothpicks and the landmarks an ant would pass along the way.

• Track the trajectory of the sun by placing an object from nature on a piece of paper and tracing the outline of the shadow. Check back in an hour and trace the shadow again with a different color marker, and watch what happens over the course of the day.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

had a bit of a wake-up call this week as I read over a fabulous collection of kid’s nature activities compiled by the folks at “Take a Child Outside” week.

The list of splendidly simple ideas for exploring the world beyond the back door gave me a whole new perspective on playing outside, ways to engage and interact with the natural world that never would have dawned on me.

Outside is the place I shoo my kids when I want to make dinner without interruptions. I peer out the kitchen window every couple of minutes to make sure they aren’t spoiling their appetites by sampling their concocted feasts of leaves and grass.

As far as rolling up my sleeves and getting dirty with them? I might coax them off the swing set and enlist their help weeding the garden under the guise of “looking for worms,” but this doesn’t stack up to the projects posted on the “Take a Child Outside” site.

And that’s when I realized that really, this annual homage should be renamed “Take a Grown-up Outside” week. I’m now pledging to do a couple of these activities a month — and to get outside and explore alongside my kids. Check out all the ideas at www.takeachildoutside.org, but here’s a few to whet your appetite: • Make a seasonal “nature bracelet” with masking tape. Wrap it around your wrists sticky side out, and walk around the yard collecting things to stick on it. Save ones from different seasons to compare.

• Try your hand at being a landscape artist. Scout the yard or a park for a scene you like and set up an easel, first sketching

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

31

Another AT book, but a new set of lessons n online visit reveals hundreds of books written on hiking the Appalachian Trail.

These range from Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, which is the witty account of a man who hiked part of the trail, to Bill Walker’s SkyWalker: Close Encounters of the Appalachian Trail, in which the author gives us vivid and humorous portraits of some of his fellow trekkers, to Paul Stutzman’s Hiking Through, which tells of the author’s quest for peace and freedom on the Trail. There are at least a score of books Writer offering practical advice on how to hike the Trail; there are even a few that deal solely with preparations for the hike.

At first glance, Amy Allen’s Summoning the Mountains: Pilgrimage into Forty (ISBN 978-1936214-83-9, 301 pages, $13.95) may seem just another book about the Trail. Amy, whose Trail name is “Willow,” a title bestowed by her two teenage sons, recounts, as do the other books mentioned above, her struggles and adventures hiking the 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine, the people she meets, the wildlife she encounters, the frustrations brought on by everything from an injury to keeping up the pace she has set for herself. These situations are familiar to anyone who has read some of the Appalachian Trail literature.

What makes Allen’s book different from many of the others are her revelations regarding life back home. When we think of someone setting out on such a long march, we usually focus on the efforts of the hiker while forgetting that they have left behind responsibilities, family members, and a job. Allen couldn’t forget her responsibilities and her

Jeff Minick

A

family while hiking, and she lets us see how deep and painful this fissure between life on the Trail and life back home can become.

When she is due to set out on the Trail, for example, Allen describes how torn she is between setting out on her adventure before her and leaving behind her sons. “Eventually,” Allen writes, “I sat immobilized in a chair in

Summoning the Mountains: Pilgrimage into Forty by Amy Allen. Saille Productions, 2013. the living room and cried, a release I’d been holding back all day. Adam and the boys could not understand what was happening; they thought I should be excited and happy to be ready to go.” When her older son is caught stealing food from his high school cafeteria — Allen is home when this happens — she

Sharyn McCrumb returns with new novel to Blue Ridge Books New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb will present her latest ballad novel King’s Mountain at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

Through varying perspectives, King’s Mountain is an elegant saga of the Carolina Overmountain Men, the militia organized by John Sevier (who would later become the first governor of Tennessee), and their victory in 1780 against the Tories in a battle that Thomas Jefferson later called, “The turning point of the American Revolution.”

828.456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

‘Billy Bud’ book discussion Herman Melville’s Billy Budd is the subject of a community book discussion to be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.

decides to take him with her for part of the hike, hoping to watch over him and connect more intimately with him in the wilderness.

Adam, her ex-husband, appears remarkably supportive of her quest, watching the boys and meeting her several times throughout the hike with supplies. (Her criticism of Adam’s outdoor abilities at the end of Summoning the Mountains, when they hike together in Tennessee, seems a little ill tempered).

Summoning the Mountains serves as an honest reminder that while life on the Trail brings challenges to those attempting the long walk, they will not be entirely free of the challenges faced by those they’ve left behind.

••• Sometimes a book will bring unexpected gifts into our lives.

Had someone told me that I would read, enjoy, and learn from Rumsfeld’s Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War, and Life (ISBN 978-0-06-227285-0, 335 pages, $27.99), I would have either laughed or stared at them dumbfounded. Donald Rumsfeld, CEO of two Fortune 500 companies and twice the Secretary of Defense, was nothing more than a name to me, a guy I associated with the Washington elite. Any book written by him would undoubtedly resemble those published by others involved in politics, a humdrum egotistical account of the empowered life.

I was wrong.

When I picked up this book at the suggestion of a friend, I was startled to find advice that I could use both in my teaching and in my personal affairs. Rumsfeld’s Rules is of interest not just to executives or those high in some political office, but offers help to people in all walks of life.

The “rules” appear in bold print throughout the book, followed by personal anecdotes from Rumsfeld’s life which show how the

The discussion will be facilitated by Frank Queen, a local lawyer and part-time writer. He will present an outline and lead a discussion on topics ranging from life aboard a sailing man o’ war in the early 1800s, the justice system applicable to Billy’s on-board trial and punishment, and whether Melville’s story has an application to present-day military justice.

The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Free.

828.456.4487 or bahnsen33@live.com.

Growing up in a Dublin industrial school Musician Danny Ellis will present his newly released memoir, The Boy at the Gate, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

His book details his life growing up in poverty in Dublin’s slums, and then his journey through the infamous Artane industrial school after being abandoned by his mother. The book is about healing and redemption and never allows its readers to sink into the dark-

rules play out. “If you don’t know where you’re going any road will get you there” applies to the college student as much as to a high-powered executive. “In sports as in life, keep something in the tank” has as much to do with marriage as with the business world.

“Learn to say ‘I don’t know.’ If used when appropriate, it will be often” pertains to teachers and parents as much as to a Secretary of Defense. (Any good teacher has uttered these words hundreds of times).

Adding to these forceful axioms, which the author has concocted and polished for 40 years, are Rumsfeld’s examples. His book is a compendium of the history of the last 40 years, of the way decisions were made both in government and business, of people, most of whose names are household words, who either perform brilliantly or make unbelievable foolish mistakes. Because of his many encounters with the men and women who have shaped our government, Rumsfeld has the resources to demonstrate how these same people react to crisis, triumph, and failure. He ends with this note of encouragement, offered both toward individuals and to the American nation: “Make no mistake — these leaders won’t perform perfectly. Sometimes they’ll fall flat on their faces. But they’ll get up again, brush off the dust, and keep at it. Harry Truman used to talk about an epitaph he saw on a tombstone in Arizona. According to Truman, it read: ‘Here lies Jack Williams. He done his damnedest.’ When you think about it, that’s pretty much all we can ask of any leader. If one day you are able to look back on your career and say pretty much the same thing, then count yourself blessed. Because yours was a job well done.”

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher who lives in Asheville. He first novel, Amanda Bell, is available at regional bookstores. He can be reached at minick0301@gmail.com.)

ness. The book is buoyed with equal measures of humor and insights that permeated Ellis’ life along the way, and the saving grace of the music that has filled his life since then. Ellis will also play music, some of which is also inspired by his time in Artane and featured in his highly acclaimed album, “800 Voices.”

828.586.9499.

A collection of interwoven stories Asheville author Bob Mustin will present Sam’s Place at 3 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The book is a collection of interwoven stories that revolve around a watering hole in the Alabama town of Striven. Sam’s Place offers a memorable glimpse into the lives of people connected by a small community’s social hub. Mustin has been a North Carolina Writers Network writer-in-residence at Peace College under the late Doris Betts. In the early 1990s, he was the editor of a small literary journal, The Rural Sophisticate, based in Georgia. His work has appeared in numerous journals.

828.586.9499.

32

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

New forest coalition brings once-rival groups together

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER s Brent Martin stared down the barrel of an impending tug-of-war over WNC’s national forests, he dreaded yet another round in the same old fight that’s played out time and time again in his decades as an environmental advocate.

Loggers versus wilderness lovers.

Horseback riders versus hikers. Hunters versus environmentalists.

Each would make their case as the forest service launched into its periodic, obligatory assessment of how the forest is managed — a sweeping four-year process that would ultimately define goals, strategies and priorities for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.

“The old way of doing things is everyone fights it out from their little corners and nobody gets anything they want and it is a miserable experience,” said Martin, regional

A

FORGING A BETTER PROCESS

The WNC chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen of North Carolina held a weekend rendezvous in the Fontana area last weekend, including group trail rides in the Nantahala National Forest. Equestrians are among the recreation groups participating in a collaborative planning process to shape the future management of the national forests. Donated photo director for the Wilderness Society’s Southern Appalachian headquarters in Sylva.

So he made a pitch to key players in the debate over public lands — including some archrivals — to put aside the days of diametrically opposed viewpoints.

“Instead of fighting, we are trying to get everyone to come together and put their interests out there, and then work together for common goals,” Martin said.

The idea has quickly gained traction, and a working coalition dubbed the NantahalaPisgah Forest Partnership has taken off.

“If user groups can find ways to help each

other get what they want out of this forest plan then everyone is going to be happier,” said Josh Kelly, a public lands field biologist with the Western North Carolina Alliance, a regional environmental nonprofit. “We can’t accomplish everything we want, but we can accomplish more if we work together than if we are all bickering over details.”

Kelly believes everyone is ready to bury the hatchet.

“In my generation a lot of people are ready to move past that and recognize the legitimacy of the other user groups in the forest,” Kelly said.

“Instead of fighting, we are trying to get everyone to come together and put their interests out there, and then work together for common goals.”

— Brent Martin, Wilderness Society

Help shape the future of WNC’s national forests he forest service is in the early stages of a sweeping overhaul of how the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests are managed. The four-year process will analyze a wide spectrum of national forest issues, including every form of recreation imaginable, ecological integrity, scenic and cultural values, logging, environmental threats and wilderness area designations.

Public input is being invited to help shape these management strategies for the forests over the next 15 years.

A public workshop on the future of the national forests will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Participants will break into small groups to discuss aspects of the current forest management plan that should change, said Michelle Aldridge, the forest service planning specialist leading the process.

“We are looking for input about what needs to change,” Aldridge said. “What about the current direction needs to be improved?”

T

More than 800 people attended a dozen public meetings held across WNC in late winter and more than 400 comments were submitted during the first round of public input in the process.

“We are pretty fortunate to have active and involved stakeholders in the area. A lot of people appreciate the Pisgah and Nantahala and have strong feelings about their management, so we have a lot of public turnout,” Aldridge said.

She hopes that will continue.

To get the ball rolling before the Oct. 5 workshop, the forest service came up with a list of areas that likely need revising in the new forest plan, garnered in part from the public input to date.

■ How should large mountain bike festivals in the forests be managed?

■ Logging in national forests has been dramatically curtailed — has it been curtailed too much?

■ In light of burgeoning outdoor recreation, how should con-

The official process steering a new forest management plan will still fall under the purview of the forest service, however. The forest service will hold many, many rounds of public meetings — the officially sanctioned meetings — where stakeholders are supposed to serve up comments and input on what they want to see.

But too often at these meetings, interest groups “glom up in their own little cliques,” Martin said.

The forest service may not set out to conquer and divide, but that’s often how it played out by default in the past. Instead of a turf battle with the forest service acting as referee, why not work it out amongst themselves ahead of time?

“We can build a side track to shadow their process,” Martin said.

Martin hopes their coalition can make the official process a smoother one by hashing out areas of mutual agreement and then coming into the forest service process with a single, unified voice — rather than diluted, fractured interest groups.

“The more stakeholders that are brought to the table under this collaboration the better,” said Deirdre Lightsey, a horseback rider who travels the trails of the Pisgah and Nantahala.

Lightsey is serving on the steering committee for the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership as a representative of equestrian interests, both the Backcountry Horsemen’s Association and the N.C. Horse Council.

She believes forest users are vested in making this alternative process work, she said.

They are the ones steering it and thus have buy-in.

“We are going to do what we need to do to make sure it has legs. The Wilderness Society birthed this baby, but we are all raising it,”

S EE FOREST, PAGE 37

flicts between competing forms of recreation be handled?

■ Are trails being properly maintained?

■ Should the forest service take a more active role in protecting rare ecosystems, like balds and bogs?

■ Should new Wilderness Areas be designated?

The last forest plan was finalized in 1987. But there are new issues now that weren’t around then: climate change, the advent of cell towers and wind turbines, the reintroduction of elk in the landscape or even new types of recreation like geocacheing. All these will need to be wrapped into the new forest plan as well.

Last week, as another precursor to the big workshop on Oct. 5, the forest service released a monster document — nearly 500 pages including attached reports on sub-topics — known as the “draft forest assessment.”

It provides a baseline for the current state of the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, and areas for consideration in the forest plan.

To read the report, and all about the forest plan process, go to www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/nprevision.

— By Becky Johnson

outdoors

The Naturalist’s Corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Serendipitous hawk watch

Broad-winged hawk. Wikimedia Commons photo

Bird love and courtship captured on film

A program titled “Avian Courtship and Breeding Behavior: Photographic Observations” will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, at the Hudson Library in Highlands.

Highlands Plateau Audubon Society chapter members Ed and Cindy Boos will present photographic images and video interpretations of bird behavior in colony-nesting wading birds and iconic birds of prey.

The couple has traveled throughout Florida over the past year to obtain the photographic images.

The Booses are gaining recognition for the high quality of their artwork as well as their interpretations of bird behavior.

Chairman’s Cup Golf Tournament Join us for an enjoyable afternoon of golf in support of the Haywood Chamber of Commerce.

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Haywood Chamber of Commerce

28 Walnut Street • Waynesville, NC 28786 • (828)456-3021

Smoky Mountain News

Well, some Blue Ridge Parkway traveler must have gotten so excited about the view from the overlook that they dropped their big gulp soda cup right in the middle of the parking lot – unable to make it the 50 feet to the trash bin. I walked over, picked up the cup and turned around to take it to the trash bin. When I turned around, hawks by the dozens were erupting out of the valley across the Parkway and beginning to kettle over my head.

This was not the largest kettle of hawks I have ever seen but it was the closest. I had birds circling, like cartwheels in slow motion, only a couple of hundred yards (or closer) to me. It was difficult to get a count initially. They were too close to glass with the binoculars and they were wheeling in such tight circles it was hard to keep track.

Birds continued to join them and they continued to climb in the thermal above me.

They gained altitude and began to stream off to the south-southwest and I could get a better count as they streamed out of the kettle. I counted 85.

I couldn’t stay long, but a little later a single osprey came over in nearly the same pattern. Hopefully, I’ll be able to spend more time at Grassy Ridge Mine Overlook.

207-80

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

The rains came Saturday. It was a good day for a soaker, from my perspective. I had writing I needed to catch up on and it’s not as hard being stuck away down in the dungeon when it’s pouring. We had seen the forecast for Sunday, and I remember remarking to Denise — on one of my trips upstairs to the world of the living — that I bet Sunday was going to be a big day for migrating hawks.

The middle of September is traditionally a good time for migrating broadwings across the mountains of Western North Carolina. Any birds moving south would certainly have been waiting on weather Saturday — then good skies and a tailwind Sunday should make for a good push.

There was still writing to be done Sunday, and I got up early and returned to the dungeon. By early morning, sunshine was peaking through the windows and concentration was escaping. I broke for a big breakfast with the girls and slipped out to the deck to get a look at the first day of autumn. I plodded back downstairs but it was clear, the muse was struggling to get outside. Around two o’clock, the girls were heading to violin lessons and Mom had a few errands to run. I followed my muse to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The entrance to the Parkway from US 74 is about five minutes from my home. I knew I didn’t have time to make it to Caesar’s Head in South Carolina (probably the most productive hawk watch in the region) or even down to the Mount Pisgah watch along the Parkway. So I just headed north on the Parkway looking for some sky.

I stopped at Steestache Bald Overlook around mile marker 438.9. After about 20 minutes of glassing the north-northeastern horizon, I noticed two dark shadows zooming through the valley below me in a southerly direction. Because of the distance and the lighting, a positive ID was out of the question — but they were definitely streaming raptors. I kept my binoculars on them and suddenly they turned upwards and began to circle. Other birds quickly joined them from the shadows of the valley.

A loose kettle of at least 35 birds formed and went up and over the Parkway at a

point (as the hawk flies) about a mile or so north of me. Now, in all honesty, there was no way for me to positively identify those birds other than a kettle of raptors. But I’m assuming they were broadwings.

I hung around for another 20 minutes or so and decided to head up the Parkway to where the kettle crossed over and see if I could find a better vantage point. There were a couple of places where one could see a lot of sky to the north-northeast but no good pullouts. I drove on to Grassy Ridge Mine Overlook at mile marker 436.8, thinking I would turn around and look for a spot along the shoulder to pull off on the way back down.

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Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

outdoors

FOREST, CONTINUED FROM 32

34

Lightsey said.

Hopefully, recreation groups — whether it’s hikers, equestrians, mountain bikers or hunters — will realize they can’t have tunnel vision or advocate only for their own narrow recreation interests, Lightsey said.

They will need to be a voice for national forests in general, not only their little slice of trail access.

“The reason we enjoy traveling in the woods so much is that the conservationists have spent oodles of time and money keeping the forests beautiful,” Lightsey said. “So we have to take on some of that responsibility.”

One new face at the table among the usual suspects of public land interest groups is the tourism industry. Martin reached out to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area to be a part of the coalition, since the national forests are a major tourism draw for the region.

The first step for the NantahalaBrent Martin Pisgah Forest Partnership is developing a charter document to lay the groundwork for the process going forward.

Thanks to funding from the Community Foundation for WNC, a consultant has been hired to moderate and facilitate the process.

“We are building this thing brick by brick,” Martin said.

Officially, the forest service isn’t endorsing the coalition, avoiding the appearance that any one group will be awarded a bigger voice or preferential consideration over others.

“We are interested in getting feedback from anyone willing to share their thoughts,” said Michelle Aldridge, the acting forest service coordinator for the planning process.

Martin hopes the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Partnership will continue to be a voice in national forest issues even after the forest planning process concludes.

“They need advocates instead of a bunch of people complaining about things,” Martin said. “The forest service doesn’t really have a constituency anymore.”

While the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests are a million acres, the age-old “tragedy of the commons” is still applicable, even at that scale.

“Anytime you have a public commons there is a risk that some group will try to take the commons away from the rest of the users and benefit to a disproportionate degree,” Kelly said. “Or there is a risk of fighting and conflict. This is chance to secure the future of this incredibly important resource.”

Disc golf for kids

Website offers guide to leaf viewing

Disc golf lessons are being offered for kids in Waynesville. Donated photo

Child cancer benefit to race through Cherokee The annual Chief ’s Challenge one-mile run and walk benefit for victims of childhood cancer will take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, before the Cherokee Indian Fair parade. The event will take participants through downtown to the Cherokee Immediate Care center adjacent to the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort parking lot.

Registration takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the day of the event, at the Cherokee Phoenix Theatre parking lot or online. Registration is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 years and younger. Proceeds will go to the Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation.

The first 300 participants will receive a swag bag with T-shirts, water bottles and more, donated by local businesses and tribal programs.

The day also features a host of activities for participants before the event, including a magic show, games, and art activities.

The Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation is a non-profit foundation that provides financial support to the families of children with cancer. Information about the foundation can be found online at nc-cherokee.com/madison-hornbuckle-foundation.

Registration and event information are available at www.runsignup.com/race/nc/cherokee/chiefschallenge1milesprint.

Chestnut trees topic of Sylva garden meeting A chestnut tree expert will be the guest speaker at the next Sylva Garden Club meeting.

The October meeting of the Sylva Garden Club will be held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Sylva.

The speaker for the event is Doug Gillis, a representative from the American Chestnut Tree Foundation. Following his presentation, members and guests will go to Bicentennial Park and courthouse hill for the ceremonial planting of chestnut trees.

Community members are welcome for the presentation. The Sylva Garden Club meets the first Tuesday of each month September through May and the club is open to the public.

Refreshments will be served, followed by a short meeting.

The U.S. Forest Service is promoting its fall foliage webpage, which features scenic drives and other areas in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests for visitors to enjoy this autumn.

To access the website, go to www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc and click on “Fall Foliage in the Mountains.� This link describes popular locations for viewing mountain plants at high, middle and low elevations during peak color season. For example, the Big Butt trail in the Mount Mitchell area of Yancey County allows travelers to enjoy a variety of colorful, high-elevation plants in late September and early October. Other sites in the Western North Carolina national forests are better suited for later in the season.

With fall foliage season here, the website offers a useful tool for vacation planning and for local residents looking to discover new areas to visit.

outdoors

The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a beginner’s disc golf class for youth ages 8 to 17. The class will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. each Tuesday in October at the Waynesville Disc Golf Course on Vance Street in Waynesville.

Participants will learn the basics of disc golf and receive a new Innova Disc for signing up for the five-week course.

The cost is $24 for members of the Waynesville Recreation Center or $30 for non-members. More information is available by email or phone.

828.456.2030 or recprogramspecialist@townofwaynesville.org.

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outdoors

Chimney Rock State Park gets recognition for going green

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Chimney Rock State Park has become North Carolina’s 70th tourist destination to earn recognition for its environmentally friendly practices, according to officials with the N.C. GreenTravel Initiative.

Chimney Rock Management LLC, which operates Chimney Rock, earned its place among N.C. GreenTravel locations by installing public recycling containers, using locally-produced food in the park restaurant, reducing water usage, installing energy-efficient lighting and appliances, removing invasive plants and increasing public environmental awareness.

NC GreenTravel, a N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources program launched in October 2011, recognizes tourism-oriented businesses for their accomplishments in environmental stewardship. In addition to lessening environmental impacts, research has shown that environmentally friendly businesses reduce operating costs and are more profitable without sacrificing the comfort of guests.

While several other states have created programs to certify “green� hotels, the N.C. GreenTravel Initiative gives recognition to hotels, restaurants, museums, parks, attractions and other tourism-related businesses.

Parkway hike to focus on animals and chilly weather With winter just around the corner, Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will explore the animal conundrum, “Should I stay or should I go?� on an upcoming guided hike.

Parkway rangers will lead hikers on a moderate 2.5-mile roundtrip hike to the summit of Sam Knob at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 27. The topic of the educational hike will be the change of seasons and what it means for animals living along the Parkway — some migrate, some stay put and all have to adapt.

The hike will begin at the Black Balsam parking area accessed via Black Balsam Road just south of milepost 420.

Participants should be prepared for cool fall weather. Further details are available over the phone.

828.298.5330 x304.

It’s almost time to Campout Carolina The organization EarthShare North Carolina is urging state residents to participate in its statewide camping campaign, Campout Carolina, Oct. 11-13.

Campout Carolina is a statewide event to celebrate North Carolina’s natural beauty

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by turning off electronics, unplugging nonessential appliances and camping out in a backyard or favorite camping spot.

EarthShare North Carolina is a nonprofit network of environmental organizations.

The organization encourages residents and church, scouting and community groups of all kinds to join the event and support the environment.

Last year, more than 4,500 North Carolinians participated. Now, in its seventh year, ESNC hopes to exceed that number and set an event record. Participants are asked to register online where their names will be put in a drawing to win camping gear and other prizes. Campout Carolina is supported by REI and Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance. www.campoutcarolina.org.

Families hit the trail for hiking day Nantahala Hiking Club is taking families out on the Appalachian Trail for the annual Family Hiking Day. Hikers will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the picnic shelter in the Standing Indian Campground. Held on National Public Lands Day, Family Hiking Day is an initiative developed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to introduce families to the A.T. and the benefits that come from spending time outdoors.

Families will have their choice of finding their own adventure or participating in one of the guided hikes led by volunteers from the local hiking club. The event is free and open to the public. A picnic lunch will be served at the end of the hike. Registration is required for planning purposes.

828.564.1311

Hike-With-Your-Dog Festival in WNC The first Blue Ridge Hike-With-YourDog Festival will be Oct. 3-6 in the Asheville, Brevard and Henderson areas.

A series of guided hikes for people and pets will be led by Doug Gelbert, author of Doggin’ Asheville and other books on hiking with your dog. All events are free and open without registration. Details and a schedule of events are available online. Even though all hikes are in the mountains, each is designed to be enjoyable for even canine hiking beginners and will last between one and two hours.

In addition to the regular canine hikes, there is an organized dog swim, a senior stroll and other events. The festival kicks off Thursday evening with a special Yappy Hour gathering at Wag! A Unique Pet Boutique, located at 231-A N. Main St. in Hendersonville. Gelbert will lead a History Hound Hike around downtown Asheville Friday afternoon. www.hikewithyourdog.com.

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Friday, Oct. 4; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6.

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Muzzleloading and pig picking

Haywood Community College has honored two Fish and Wildlife Management program students for their achievements in the field.

Jacob Longworth and Alex Wilson were recently awarded the 2013 Dave Dudek Wildlife Award. They are the first recipients of this award and its accompanying $250 scholarship.

The award is named for retired instructor and founding adviser of the HCC student chapter of The Wildlife Society, Dave Dudek.

The award, presented to two Fish and Wildlife students who are on track to graduate in the spring, recognizes leadership, scholarship, and dedication to the field.

Longworth plans to work as a wildlife biologist or wildlife officer after graduation and Wilson hopes to work to conserve and protect avian species.

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HAUNTED FESTIVITES

EVERY WEEKEND IN OCTOBER

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Celebrate National Public Lands Day on Saturday, Sept. 28 by volunteering at DuPont State Forest to help clear a section of trail on Hickory Mountain Loop.

The service project will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and focus on an off-road mountain bike route. The work is of moderate difficulty and the hike to the project location is less than half a mile. The number of volunteers is limited to 50 and participants must be at least 12 years old. All volunteers will receive an REI T-shirt, while sizes and supplies last.

Workers are encouraged to bring water, snacks, work gloves, sun block, bug spray, tools, if possible, and wear closed-toe shoes. A light trailside breakfast and grilled lunch will be provided.

Volunteers will meet at the Guion Farm access area before the workday begins.

Registration is required. www.rei.com/event/52936/session/78095.

FAMILY

outdoors

Pitch in on public lands day

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It’s a big weekend at the Nantahala will be provided on Saturday and Sunday.

Outdoor Center, Sept. 27-29, with its Guest For those who prefer to watch, the NOC Appreciation Festival, the U.S. Slalom is hosting the U.S. Slalom Nationals, preNationals, and a big water release on the Upper Nantahala.

The Guest Appreciation Festival will feature discounted outdoor gear, local craft vendors and live music.

There will also be live music, beer tasting from the local Nantahala Brewing The fall Guest Appreciation Festival in the Company, food at the Nantahala Gorge is a perfect time to upgrade River’s End Restaurant gear and try some whitewater runs. and Big Wesser BBQ & Brew, kids games, activities and water competitions. sented by the Nantahala Racing Club. Other Kayakers can test their skills when Duke paddling events and competition will take Energy releases water on the Upper place as well and attendees can sign up Nantahala and the Cascades to transform throughout the event. Further details are the normally calm-flowing stretch of the available online. river into a fast-paced creek. Free shuttles www.noc.com/noccom/festivals-afrom the NOC outpost to and from the river events/gaf.

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WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • “The Impact of Healthcare Law on Small Businesses,” 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 to register.

• Opportunity Initiative of Southwestern North Carolina Community Workshops: 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; 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, Enloe Building, Tri-County Community College, 21 Campus Circle, Murphy; 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, Swain County Technology and Training Center, Buckner Branch Road, Bryson City.

• 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 or contact Tiffany Henry, 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• 2013 Fitness Challenge starts Sept. 30. Register from Sept. 30-Oct. 4 at various locations. www.healthyhaywood.org. Megan Hauser, mhauser@haywoodnc.net or 452.6675, ext. 2272.

• Rabies Vaccination Clinics, Saturday, Oct. 5, Franklin and Highlands area. $5, cash only, per pet and all pets should be kept in vehicles, on leashes, or in carriers.

349.2081.

• Church Co-Rec Volleyball League signup through Oct. 1, Jackson County Parks & Recreation Department.

Jackson County Parks & Recreation Department, 293.3053, rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Trail of Tears Memorial Walk, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, starting at the Cherokee Historical Association building, 564 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee. Registration fee, $10.

Walkers 12 and under free. 497.2111.

• Haywood County Recreation Youth Basketball League registration, 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, Haywood County Recreation & Parks, 1233 N. Main St., Annex II Building, Conference Room, Waynesville. 452.6789 or email Daniel Taylor danielrtaylor@haywoodnc.net, or www.haywoodnc.net.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Macon Aero Modelers 5th annual BBQ Charity Fun Fly, 9 a.m. Sept. 28-29, 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.

• “Marketing for the Craftsperson & Artist Part I” 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, and Marketing for the Craftsperson, Part II” 9 a.m. to noon, Friday, Sept. 27, Haywood Community College Creative Arts building, Room #7105. Small Business Center, 627.4512.

• 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.

• Free seminar, “Business Planning for Business Success” 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, first floor, Student Center, Haywood Community Campus, Clyde. Russ Seagle of Seagle Management Consulting is the presenter. Register at 627.4512.

• Art Business Bootcamp, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 1-2, AB Technical Community College, Enka Campus. www.handmadeinamerica.org, 252.0121.

• Free class, Facebook 101, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • It Takes a Village, community event, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 26, Vance Park, 550 Vance St., Waynesville. Free food and fun in support of mental health and substance abuse recovery. Hosted by Meridian BHS. 456.8604.

• Fall rabies clinics at the following Haywood County schools, 5 to 6:30 p.m.: 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.

• Bark in the Park, Sunday, Sept. 29, Mark Watson Park, Sylva. Featuring Canine Good Citizen Test, 10 a.m. $10 per dog/handler team. www.akc.org.

• “Coats for Folks” collection, Oct. 1- 31, Swain County.

RECREATION & FITNESS

All Swain County Buildings, schools and offices are collection points for donations of gently used coats, sweaters, sweatshirts, gloves, toboggans or other articles of warmth. Distributed by the Swain County Resource Center, 100 Brendle St., Bryson City. 736.6222.

• “The One-Day Website,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept.

27, Cordelia Camp Building, Western Carolina University. $59. Register at http://learn.wcu.edu and click on “Conferences and Community Classes” or 227.7397.

• Smoky Mountain Chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, noon, Saturday, Sept. 28, Ryan’s Steakhouse, 374 Walmart Plaza, Sylva.

Ed Fox, 456.5251 in Haywood County; Betty Brintnall, 586.9292, in Jackson County; and Luci Swanson, 369.8922, in Macon County.

• Macon County Health flu shots, 1 to 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 9, Jane Woodruff Building at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital. $25. 349.2081

• “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.

• Backpacks of Love Benefit Fundraiser, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at Sid’s on Main, 117 Main St., Canton. For hungry and homeless Pisgah High School students. Hosted by St. Andrew’s on-the-Hill’s Holy Smoke BBQ Ministry Team. 648.7550, Barbara, 560.9144, or Nancy or Terry, 550.9191.

BLOOD DRIVES Jackson • Sylva Community-Jackson Senior Blood Drive, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., Jackson Senior Center, 100 County Services Park, Sylva. Appointments at 800.RedCross or www.redcrossblood.org, keyword: Sylva.

• Southwestern Community College Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, 447 College Drive, Sylva. Amanda Pressley, 339.4305.

Haywood • Tye Blanton Foundation Blood Drive, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, Central United Methodist Church, 34 Church St., Canton. 800.733.2767.

HEALTH MATTERS • 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. Register, 452.9700.

• Macon County Health Department flu shots, 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, Macon County Community Building, Franklin. $25. 349.2081 • Lunch and Learn, noon, Friday, Oct. 4, boardroom, second floor of Harris Regional Hospital. Dr. Martin Senicki and physician assistant Alexis Willey with Sylva Orthopedic Associates. Lunch provided.

• Learn to play disc golf, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays in October, Waynesville Disc Golf Course, Vance Street, Waynesville. Ages 8 to 17. 456.2030 or email recprogramspecialist@townofwaynesville.org.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • Prayer Walk, 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Meet at First United Methodist Church, Waynesville, parking lot. Free entertainment and 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 • 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.

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

Literary (children) • Children’s Story time: My Pet Friends, 3:30 Wednesday, Sept. 25, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Paws to Read, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Between the Lines: Teen Writing Group, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 26, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Story time, “How Did That Get in Your Lunch Box?” 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27, Macon County Public Library, Franklin. 524.9550.

• Children’s Story time: Silly Doggy, 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Children’s Story time: Tail Wagging, 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• American Girls Club, noon Saturday, Sept. 28, City Lights, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Children’s Story time: Rotary Readers, 11 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 30, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Children’s Story time: Apple Pie Tree, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Teen Time, 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Children’s Story time: Apple Doll, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 2, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

POLITICAL GROUP EVENTS & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

• Zumba, 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Wednesday, Sept. 25, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. 452.2370.

• Haywood County Democrats Fall Rally, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28, Canton Armory. Speaker, Robert Dempsey, executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP).

• Healthy Living Expo, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, Highlands Park and Recreation, Highlands Civic Center, 600 N. 4th St., Highlands. Sponsored by Eckerd Living Center, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital.

• OccupyWNC, general assembly, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 24, Jackson Justice Center, Room 246, Sylva.

• Meditation for Brain and Body, 10:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 26-Oct. 10, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. 452.2370.

• Wood carving, 9:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

452.2370.

• Happy Wanderers Senior Program trip for Storytelling, with Donald Davis, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2, Jonesborough, Tenn. $25. Haywood County Recreation and Parks Department, 452.6789.

KIDS & FAMILIES • Auditions for Laurel Strings, a new string ensemble in Haywood County, will be held Sept. 17-27. The new ensemble will perform with Voices in the Laurel. To audition, call or text Sarah at 919.272.1359 or email at sister2six@gmail.com.

A&E FESTIVALS, SPECIAL & SEASONAL EVENTS • Pisgah Inn Craft Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 25, Pisgah Inn, Milepost 408, Blue Ridge Parkway. Free admission.

• 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.

2013

wnc calendar

39th Annual

A Celebration of Southern Appalachian Culture

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday, September 28 Western Carolina University – Cullowhee

nestled in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 39

wnc calendar

• Cherokee Indian Fair, Oct. 1-5, Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. 554.6490, travel@nc-cherokee.com, http://visitcherokeeevents.com/event/33063-cherokeeindian-fair.

• Maggie Valley Oktoberfest, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, Maggie Valley Fairgrounds. www.maggievalleyoktoberfest.com.

• Cruisin’ in the Mountains Car, Truck and Bike Show, 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5, Southwestern Community College’s Public Safety Training Center, Franklin. www.visitfranklinnc.com or 524.3161.

• ColorFest, Art & Taste of Appalachia, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, historic Dillsboro.

LITERARY (ADULTS) • Gary Carden presents his book, Appalachian Bestiary, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, in the Meeting Room at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• An Evening of Appalachian Poetry and Music, featuring Hilda Downer, Kathy Ackerman and Jeff Hardin, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, City Lights Bookstore , Sylva. 586.9499.

• Local author Michael Beadle will sell and sign copies of his new Canton history book, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, Canton Historical Museum and Visitors’ Center, Canton.

• New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva; 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, Blue Ridge Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville. She’ll present her latest Ballad novel, King’s Mountain. 586.9499, City lights; 456.6000, Blue Ridge Books, www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

Building, WNC, Cullowhee. “From Style Galant to Jazz: A Trombonist’s Take on the 1960s.” 227.7242.

• Free spoken-word workshop, 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, Hunter Library, Western Carolina University. Led by Matthew Cuban, a slam poetry champion, teacher and coach. Reception and performances by Cuban and the WCU Truthwriters will follow. Beth McDonough, bmcdono@wcu.edu, 227.3423.

• Musician and folklorist Lee Knight in concert, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 1, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

• Musician and author Danny Ellis, 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. Ellis will present his life growing up in the Dublin slums. 586.9499.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Tony Award-winning puppet musical “Ave. Q,” 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27-28 and Oct. 4-5, and at 3 p.m. Sept. 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 227.2479 or fapac.wcu.edu.

• Country star/actor Rodney Carrington, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28, Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

800.745.3000 or www.harrahscherokee.com.

• Boho Stage Show, 2 to 4 p.m. matinee for kids, 12 and under free, and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, The Strand Theater, 38 Main St. Waynesville.

283.0173.

• Nunsense, Oct. 4-13, Highlands Playhouse, 362 Oak St., Highlands. 526.2695, www.highlandsplayhouse.org.

OUTINGS, HIKES & FIELDTRIPS • Franklin Bird Club weekly bird walk, Wednesday, Sept. 25, along the Greenway. Meet at 8 a.m. at Salali Lane. 524.5234.

• Gypsy Bandwagon, 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, Swain County Center for the Arts, Bryson City. www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

• Parkway Rangers hike, 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27, to learn how the change of seasons will dictate Parkway animals’ behavior. Meet at Black Balsam parking area, just south of milepost 420 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 298.5330, ext. 304.

NIGHT LIFE • Guest Appreciation Festival, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Friday, Sept 27: 2 p.m., The Night Trotters, bluegrass; 5:30 p.m., Common Foundation, reggae, ska; 9 p.m. Lefty Williams Band, traditional southern rock and blues. Saturday, Sept. 28: 2 p.m. Buncombe Turnpike, bluegrass; 5:30 p.m. Packway Handle Band, bluegrass; 9 p.m. Antique Firearms, rock and alternative. www.noc.com.

• Tina & Her Pony, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, City Lights Café, Sylva. www.citylightscafe.com.

• The Mix, Sept. 28, Mountaineer Restaurant,6490 Soco Road, Maggie Valley. 926.1730.

• Hank West & The Smoking Hots, 9 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 26, No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Free.

586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.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.

OUTDOOR MUSIC CALENDAR

• Western Carolina University music faculty member Dan Cherry, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, Coulter

Outdoors

• American Idol winner Scotty McCreery, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5, Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center, Cherokee. Open to all ages. www.ticketmaster.com.

• Diavolo Dance Theater, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

28, Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts in Franklin. www.greatmountainmusic.com

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

• Book Discussion – Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, led

by Frank Queen, 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, Haywood

County Public Library, 678 S Haywood St, Waynesville.

456.4487 or email bahnsen33@live.com.

• “Love Sings Out!” free concert, noon Tuesday, Oct. 1, library fountain, Haywood Community College, Clyde. Entertainment provided by singer/guitarist Matthew Curry, star of the recent HART production “Johnny Cash, Ring of Fire.” In recognition of October as Intimate Partner Abuse awareness month. REACH of Haywood, 456.7898.

• Tour de Franklin Fall Classic, 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept.

28, starting from Smoky Mountain Bicycles, Franklin.

369.2881 or www.tourdefranklin.com or www.active.com.

• Nantahala Hiking Club 3rd annual Family Hiking Day. 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, picnic shelter, Standing Indian Campground. Registration required, 564.1311.

• Fish Frenzy, kayak and canoe fishing tournament, 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept.28, Tsali Boat Ramp, Lake Fontana.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 near Brevard. 877.4423.

• Western North Carolina River Rescue Rodeo, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 29, Dillsboro. 293.5384.

• The Highlands Plateau Audubon Society’s final program for 2013, 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, Hudson Library, Highlands. Featured speakers are Ed and Cindy Boos.

• Ecotour, Wednesday, Oct. 2, Cataloochee Valley to see the elk. Sponsored by Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT). Julie.hitrust@earthlink.net, www.hicashlt.org.

DANCE • 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.

• Clogging Open House, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, Southwestern Community College, Bryson City.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS • Primitive Black Powder Muzzleloading shoot, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, near Marshall. Pig picking, 5 p.m. Saturday. www.frenchbroadrifles.com.

• Guest Appreciation Festival, Sept. 27-29, Nantahala Outdoor Center. www.noc.com.

FOOD & DRINK • Taste of Sylva, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, Sylva.

Start at McGuire Gardens, 553 W. Main St., Sylva. www.mainstreetsylva.org or www.pinnacleeventswnc.com/.

Smoky Mountain News

GET THE

40

BEST DEALS

ART/GALLERY EVENTS & OPENINGS

ON DIAMONDS & GOLD!!

207-75

OPEN 24 HOURS 828-554-0431

• “Contemporary Traditions” new exhibit featuring local artists through Sept. 28, Gallery 86, 86 N. Main St., Waynesville. www.haywoodarts.org, www.facebook.com/haywoodarts.

FILM & SCREEN • Filmmaker Hisham Mayet documentary about culture along the Niger River and ceremonies of West Africa, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, theater of A.K. Hinds University Center. ace.wcu.edu, 227.3751.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Mountain Heritage Day 5K Road Race, 8 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 28, Stillwell Science Building on the WCU campus. claws.wcu.edu/sma/5K/, mountainheritage5k@gmail.com or dtyler@wcu.edu, 283.0203.

• Chief’s Challenge 1 mile Run/Walk benefit for the Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation, registration, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., event, 2 p.m., Cherokee Phoenix Theatre parking lot. https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Cherokee/ChiefsChallenge1MileS print.

• Benefit Golf Tournament, 9:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4, Highland Falls Country Club. Proceeds to Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Bill Zoellner, 787.2323 or 888.489.2323, bill.zoellner@wfadvisors.com.

• New movie at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, Macon County Public Library, 149 Siler Farm Road, Franklin. 524.3600.

• Smoky Streak, Saturday, Oct. 5, Webster Baptist Church. Walk, 5K and 10K. Proceeds to early breast cancer detection and women’s services through partnership with the Jackson and Swain County Health Departments. www.medwesthealth.org, 631.8924 or email andrea.robbins@haymed.org.

• Classic 1966 movie based on Ray Bradbury novel, 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, Meeting Room, Macon County Public Library, 148 Siler Farm Road, Franklin. 524.6000.

• Pour le Pink 5K Walk/Run for Breast Health and Women’s Services, 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 HighlandsCashiers Hospital.

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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 ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH To wear Wylie? Regional CDLDrivers Wanted! $1,000 Sign-On, Pay up to 50 CPM, $50 Tarp Pay, Home Weekly. 1 yr. Exp. 888.336.6820. www.drive4ewwylie.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.

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

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 CDL-A DRIVERS: Up to $5,000 Sign-On Bonus. Solo and Teams. Excellent Home Time & Pay! BCBS Benefits. Join Super Service! 888.662.8732 DriveforSuperService.com CONTRACTORS NEEDED TODAY! Property preservation construction: lock changes, grass cuts, winterizations & more. We have volume, work order basis. Contact Us: 813.936.2221, territories@seasllc.com, www.seasllc.com 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.

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

DRIVERS- REGIONALClass A CDL - Company Drivers & Owner Operators Out 5 to 7 Days 1.800.444.0585 Press 2 for Recruiting or Online applications www.howellsmotor.com EARN $500 A-DAY: Insurance Agents Needed; Leads, No Cold Calls; Commissions Paid Daily; Lifetime Renewals; Complete Training; Health/ Dental Insurance; Life License Required. Call 1.888.713.6020.

DRIVERS HOME WEEKLY & Bi-Weekly. Earn $900-$1200/WK. BC/BS med. & Major Benefits.

No Canada, HazMat or NYC! SMITH TRANSPORT 877.705.9261 NC LICENSED MASSAGE THERAPIST Needed for established & growing spa in Sylva. Pay based upon experience. Please email for more details: sandra@fusionsspa.com 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

HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITAL Positions now available: CNA I or II, Clinical Applications Analyst, 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 TANKER & FLATBED COMPANY. Drivers/Independent Contractors!

Immediate Placement Available.

Best Opportunities in the Trucking Business. Call Today 800.277.0212 THE MAD BATTER, IN CULLOWHEE Is hiring for cook’s position. Must be available nights and weekends.

Call or come by between 2 - 4 p.m.

Mon. - Fri. Located on WCU Campus 828.293.3096.

TRANSFER DRIVERS Need CDL A or B Contract Drivers to relocate vehicles to and from various locations throughout U.S. No forced dispatch.

1.800.501.3783.

207-52

www.smokymountainnews.com

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Great Smokies Storage

42

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

Puzzles can be found on page 45.

These are only the answers.

EMPLOYMENT

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

$$$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 COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

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!

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon - 5pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville, North Carolina

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

LAWN & 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

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Pet Adoption BUDDY - Is a big, handsome Boxer, 2 years old, gentle but strong. Looks purebred.

877-ARF-JCNC.

EMILY - Is a feist, 1-2 years old. She is tan and white, quiet, sweet, and working on housebreaking. 877-ARF-JCNC.

HANK - Is a male, 10 month old,

BLACKIE - A sweet, relaxed, female black and tan hound.

She gets along with people and other dogs. She weighs 40 lbs. and is about six years old. She is spayed and current on her vaccinations. She is house broken and is learning to use a doggie door. She has some special needs that can easily be met in a loving home. 1-877ARF-JCNC.

Chihuahua/Yorkie mix. He has a docked tail and is housebroken.

He weighs just 16 pounds.

Call his foster home 828-293-5629 or e-mail jean@a-r-f.org to find more about Hank.

ROSCO AND ROSIE - Are 11 week old Terrier mixes. They are black and white with short, smooth hair. They are very friendly and cute. Call 293-5629, their foster home or e-mail jean@a-r-f.org.

MISSY - Is a five to 7 year old Jack Russell/Beagle. She is submissive, shy, looking for love. Housebroken. 877-ARFJCNC

LOIS - Is a 1-2 year-old Viszla mix. She smiles. Has some special needs 877-ARF-JCNC. 877-ARF-JCNC.

WNC MarketPlace

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

207-54

FINANCIAL

ARF’S NEXT LOW-COST spay/neuter trip will be October 7th. Register and pre-pay at ARF’s adoption site on Saturdays from 1-3. Spaces are limited, so don’t wait!

ARF HAS MANY kittens and cats from which to choose. They are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, tested, cute! 877-ARF-JCNC.

Bruce McGovern n Cell: 828-283-2112 McGovern Property Management 284 Haywood St, Suite B Way Waynesville NC

Search for Property Online!

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962 Equal Housing Opportunity

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!

PEANUT - Hound Mix dog – black, brown, & white, I was born in early 2012 and I like to explore the world! I already know some basic commands, but being a hound I do like to follow my nose and need to be kept on a leash when out and about. I’m eager to please people, and I get along fine with other dogs, especially if they also enjoy high-energy play.

Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

CHANCE - Domestic Shorthair cat – black, I was born in May 2013 and I’m a cuddly, sweet boy. I can be a little shy at first, but once I’m comfortable I like to get my cheeks and head rubbed.

I’m good with children and other

cats. Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

DOROTHY - Domestic Shorthair cat – dilute calico, I am about 3 years old and I’m a sweet girl who was brought in as a stray with some fur and skin problems.

But now after 6 weeks of TLC in a loving foster home, I’ve regained my beauty and am ready to find a forever home! I’m a little shy at first, but warm up quickly.

Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

ASHEVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY 828.761.2001, 14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 28806 We’re located behind Deal Motorcars, off Brevard & Pond Rd.

Ann knows real estate!

Ann Eavenson CRS, GRI, E-PRO

ann@mainstreetrealty.net

506-0542 CELL 207-57

101 South Main St. Waynesville

MainStreet Realty

(828) 452-2227 mainstreetrealty.net

smokymountainnews.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!

ARF (HUMANE SOCIETY OF JACKSON COUNTY) Holds rescued pet adoptions Saturdays from 1:00 - 3:00 (weather permitting) at 50 Railroad Avenue in Sylva. Animals are spayed/neutered and current on shots.

Most cats $60, most dogs $70.

Preview available pets at www.a-r-f.org, or call foster home.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Search the MLS at shamrock13.com.

Save your search criteria and receive automatic updates when new listings come on the market.

Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400 OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Licensed Real Estate Broker

find us at: facebook.com/smnews 43

WNC MarketPlace

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT LOG HOME SALES Territories available. Alta Log Homes - 42+ years of excellence.

800.926.2582 or go to: alta.info@altaloghomes.com 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.

Haywood County Real Estate Agents 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

Jerry Smith 828-734-8765

MOBILE HOMES FOR SALE

jsmith@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com

MOBILE HOMES With acreage. Ready to move in.

Seller Financing with approved credit. Lots of room for the price, 3Br 2Ba. No renters. 336.790.0162

Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com 74 N. Main St. • Waynesville

• Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com

Keller Williams Realty

207-56

(828) 452-5809

www.Beverly-Hanks.com

HOMES FOR SALE

kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Rob Roland — robrolandrealty.com • Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com

Talk to your neighbors, then talk to me.

• Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com

®

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.

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net

®

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management 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

• Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

Preferred Properties • George Escaravage — gke333@gmail.com

1001174.1

Realty World Heritage Realty

207-08

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

www.smokymountainnews.com

realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7767/

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

Full Service Property Management 828-456-6111 www.selecthomeswnc.com Residential and Commercial Long-Term Rentals

Your Local Big Green Egg Dealer

BEST PRICE EVERYDAY

10-5 M-SAT. 12-4 SUN.

207-09

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 44

828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

SPACE FOR RENT: West Sylva Shopping Area - Next to Harold’s Supermarket. High Traffic Location. Building #26 770 sq. ft.

Call for more info 828.421.5685.

2.819 ACRE TRACT Building Lot in great location.

Build your 2nd home log cabin here. Large 2-story building near HCC, was a Work Shop. $71,000. Call 828.627.2342

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com • Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net

COMM. PROP. FOR RENT

LOTS FOR SALE

*Discounts var y by states.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnit y Company, Blooming ton, IL

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com

• • • • •

BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

207-74

ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778

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.

VACATION RENTALS 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

MEDICAL ARE YOU A 45-79 YEAR OLD Woman who developed diabetes while on Lipitor? If you used Lipitor between December 1996 and the present and were diagnosed with diabetes while taking Lipitor, you may be entitled to compensation.

Call Charles H. Johnson Law toll-free 1.800.535.5727 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.

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

FOR SALE 50 SQ. FT. OF RANDOM CUT Manufactured Stone and 8 LF of Corner Pieces. $50/obo call for more info 828.926.8934.

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

PERSONAL

END STRESS. GAIN CONFIDENCE. Succeed. What if self-doubt, irrational fears and insecurities no longer held you back in life?

Millions have found the answer with Dianetics, 1.800.722.1733 or www.dianeticsbook.com SAPA 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

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* 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 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 HD CABLE TV DEALS Starting at $29.99 a month!

Qualify for a $250 Gift Card. Call Now! 1.800.287.0603 SAPA

MY COMPUTER WORKS: Computer problems? Viruses, spyware, email, printer issues, bad internet connections - FIX IT NOW! Professional, U.S.-based technicians. $25 off service. Call for immediate help. 1.888.582.8147 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

STEEL BUILDINGS CLEARANCED STEEL BUILDINGS Perfect for Homes, Garages, & Shelters. Lowest Prices, LOW Monthly Payment. Various Sizes available. CALL 1.800.991.9251 Ashlee STEEL BUILDINGS Buy factory direct and SAVE THOUSANDS! Special offer: REPO 20x20, 25x36 & more. Hurry! Only while supplies last, call today: 866.993.0966

WEEKLY SUDOKU

Super

CROSSWORD

NETTLE DETECTOR ACROSS 1 Evil spirits 7 Avoidance of reality 15 Words before “war” or “God” 20 Leaning type 21 Personal magnetism 22 Benton of “Hee Haw” 23 Solitary ivory-painted finger part?

25 Spring (from) 26 Twice penta27 12:00 in the daytime 28 Place for a headphone 29 Words after many book titles 30 Singer DiFranco 31 Poisonous evergreen 32 What a woodpecker is?

35 Bellybutton type 37 China’s Zhou 39 Pigs’ place 40 Be thrifty 41 Armstrong and Diamond riding bikes?

45 Ending for form 47 Took charge 48 Haifa native 49 Abrupt increase 52 Putting chips in up front 55 Cathedral next to the University of Oklahoma?

61 Brit’s lav 62 Novelist Charles 65 Weapon fill 66 State in southwest India 67 Gaunt 69 Albacore got ready

to pray?

72 CVI halved 73 Bassett of “Malcolm X” 76 Official plural of a popular Toyota hybrid model 77 Flutie and Henning 80 Sketch show since ‘75 81 Library patron creating less clutter?

84 Warms up, as leftovers 86 Relative of Ltd. 87 Not shown on TV, e.g.

90 Sore 93 Tow-offering org.

94 Seamster imitated a horse?

100 Bullfight bravos 102 Joanne of “Wagon Master” 104 Court staff member 105 British singer Lewis 106 Skills needed for a business workplace?

109 Actress Longoria 111 Sneaking 112 Old town shouters 113 - -mo 114 Kismet 116 Swedish auto 117 Salon tint 118 Occurrence of events not quite eerily at the same time?

122 Blissful sites 123 Neckerchief 124 Given for a time 125 Colas, e.g.

126 Obliquely 127 Pricey violins

DOWN 1 Scorn 2 Aigner of fashion 3 Composer Henry 4 “Three Sisters” sister 5 Not a one 6 View 7 Cavern comeback 8 Tibia’s place 9 Meowing pet 10 Form of “be” 11 Disinfectant ingredient 12 Singer Hayes 13 Silly smiles 14 Bad, to Yves 15 Go out with 16 Locust trees 17 Petty 18 Set eyes on 19 Dealt with, as a difficult question 24 “Incredible!”

29 “Has fortune smiled on you yet?”

31 Private aye?

32 Calvin 33 Not, to Scots 34 “Who can - to?”

36 Tennis’ Nastase 37 Ovine female 38 Oilers’ gp.

42 Writer Sarah - Jewett 43 Pester a lot 44 Tallied a total 46 Tennis’ Arthur 50 Painter Veronese 51 Catapult 52 Composer Berg 53 Nary a person 54 Fiji neighbor 56 Jack of old films 57 Only U.S. pres. to resign

58 Mrs. Mikhail Gorbachev 59 Singer Black 60 Welcomes 63 Super- 64 Fascinated 68 Legendary snow beast 70 Assist 71 Shroud site in Italy 74 “Havana” actress Olin 75 Skee-Ball locales 78 “The Hoax” star Richard 79 Aussie lass 82 Ayn Rand hero Howard 83 Precepts 85 Leg up 88 Fish-fowl link 89 Bible boat 90 Freeloads 91 Tenor Kraus 92 Stated the meaning of 95 Honda models 96 Type 97 Cry of praise 98 Intertwisted 99 Couches for sleeping 101 Earth tone 103 Dethrone 107 Grossly dull 108 TV’s Stewart 109 End-of-list abbr.

110 Face hiders 114 Literary Huck 115 Biol. branch 116 Burn painfully 118 Pistons’ org.

119 Ripken of baseball 120 “Step - crack ...”

121 Umlaut part

answers on page 42

Answers on Page 42

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.

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

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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.

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WNC MarketPlace

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24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA

SERVICES

45

Saturday September 28th

CLEARANCE SALE 15-50% Off Select Parts, Accessories, Leather, Helmets & Apparel 2012 Roadsmith Trike Conversion 2010 Ultra Classic 7,321 miles Black $28,500 | #638516

30 hours Metallic Silver $6,000* | #AC235895

2007 H-D® FLHRS Road King® Custom

2011 H-DR XL1200X Sportster® Forty-Eight

2010 H-DR FLHTCU Ultra Classic® Electra Glide®

14,659 miles Yellow Pearl $11,800* | #607208

917 miles Vivid Black $12,300* | #443868

6,847 miles Vivid Black $18,800* | #657605

2008 Arctic Cat ThunderCat 4x4 Auto SE

TM

Exit 100 off U.S. 74 82 LOCUST DRIVE | WAYNESVILLE | NC

828.452.7276 SMSH.CO FOR OUR FULL INVENTORY

Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 25-Oct. 1, 2013

Mon.-Fri. 9-6 | Sat. 9-5 | Closed Sun.

46

2010 H-DR FLSTN Softail Deluxe 2,707 Miles Two-tone Scarlet Red / Vivid Black $15,800* | #021779

BUY ONE, GET ONE

30% OFF

On All In-Stock Affliction & Miss Me Apparel Equal or Lesser Value Item • Valid thru 9/30/13

AFFLICTION • MISS ME • INOX • HOT LEATHERS VOCAL • MEK DENIM • MUSTANG HARLEY-DAVIDSON • BELL EASYRIDERS ROADWARE • ALPINESTARS FULMER • DRAG SPECIALTIES

The crossroads of humanity and nature BACK THEN If for whatever reason you’re not up to the full 4-mile roundtrip, the first mile or so will provide plenty to see and think about.

Kephart Prong is a beautiful creek, not so expansive as Hazel or Deep creeks elsewhere in the park, but with a vivacity all its own as it plunges and tumbles over huge boulders and forms rivulets in the main and side channels.

Unlike most of the creeks in the park, there are numerous areas along its lower portions where the Columnist stream has at highwater levels formed bends and oxbows that become mucky sloughs during normal stream flow.

There are numerous trees and shrubs of interest, including oil-nut, witch-hazel, strawberry-bush, three maple species (striped, red, and sugar), and three species of deciduous magnolia (cucumber, umbrella, and Fraser’s). A good-sized tulip tree can be located just to the right of the KPT a short distance from the trailhead.

But there are other sorts of non-native plants that indicate human activity on a large scale. About a quarter mile above the

George Ellison

I

like visiting those sites here in the Smokies region where there is what I think of as an “overlay;” that is, places where both natural and human history commingle. At such places, one encounters the confluence of all or several of the major strands in the region’s natural and cultural fabric: wild areas, plants, and animals; early Cherokee and pioneer settlement influences; and the impacts of the modern era, initiated here primarily with the coming of the railroad in the late 19th century. At such places, the alert observer can experience what the French have defined as “frisson” — a moment of excitement and insight that arises when various forces coalesce.

One such place exists along the lower portions of the Kephart Prong Trail (KPT) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The trailhead is situated at a bridge on the right side of the Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) about seven miles above the Oconaluftee Visitors Center.

Kephart Prong is a small stream sonamed because it flows from its headwaters on Mt. Kephart into the Oconaluftee River near the trailhead. The KPT extends two miles from 2,750 feet to its junction at 3,600 feet with the Sweet Heifer and Grassy Branch trails, where the KPT shelter is situated. One guidebook accurately describes the KPT as “a riverine stroll.” Unless you’re disabled in some manner, it is quite doable.

trailhead, you’ll commence spotting large boxwoods and a stand of arborvitae.

Company 441 of the Civilian Conservation Corps was stationed here from 1933 to 1942. An old pump, a low stone wall, a masonry “message board,” a hearth, pieces of pipe, and a 20-foot-high chimney are just some of the material evidence left over from those long-ago days.

From the late 1930s into the early 1940s, 23 CCC camps were established in the park, which was officially founded in 1934. At the time of peak enrollment (1934-35), 4,350 men worked for the CCC out of military style camps. They were paid $30 a month, with $25 of that being sent home to their families. “The CCC boys” were noted for their fine work, much of which is still in evidence today.

All in all, Company 441 (comprised of about 200 young men at any given time) improved 20 miles of primary and secondary roadways; constructed 65 miles of trails; 22 fish-raising ponds; a water system for Newfound Gap and parking areas for 600 cars; and planted 100,000 or so trees in the immediate area that had been denuded by logging activities.

At about half a mile above its trailhead, the KPT passes through a thicket of rosebay rhododendron and crosses a footbridge over Kephart Prong. Alongside the trail, several hundred yards up the slope from

this bridge, you’ll spot the remains of what was once an extensive fish hatchery (rainbow trout and smallmouth bass) established in 1936 by the federal Work Projects Administration (WPA). An old photo of the fish hatchery shows several buildings, a house, and 25 or so rock-rimmed fish ponds, each about 10 feet in diameter.

Established to supply game fish in the park as a part of the growing tourist economy of Western North Carolina, the facility hatched a half-million trout eggs in December 1936 alone. A large concrete platform, a cistern, and two concrete tanks are all that remain today of that operation.

A mile above the trailhead, you’ll cross another footbridge on your way to the KPT shelter. In places, the KPT traverses a railway bed constructed by the Champion Fiber Company in the early 1920s. At that time, the area was alive with loggers, Shay locomotives, switchbacks and steam-powered overhead skidders.

As I noted, the KPT provides much food for thought, a “frisson” between the past and present states of a mountain watershed.

Much has taken place here — some of it very good, some of it dubious at best. But all of it is part and parcel — an “overlay” — of the ongoing history and legacy of this immediate region. I’m of the opinion that it’s fruitful to walk such trails from time to time and mull things over.

The Southfork

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