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CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: The old Hazlewood prison is being transformed. Or, rather, flipped, as “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” celebrity Ty Pennington came to town to help out. Soon the new Haywood Pathways Center will serve as a soup kitchen, halfway house and homeless shelter. The former prison, a place of despair, will offer hope to those in need. (Page 6)

News N.C. House District 119 candidates sound off at WCU debate . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cullowhee must decide if its growth needs guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 All 11 schools in Macon now have a school resource officer . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Dillsboro’s stretch of Tuckasegee is due a river park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Three candidates will vie for Swain County’s sheriff’s seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Jackson commissioner incumbents go up against challengers . . . . . . . . . 16 Two colleagues-turned-candidates heat up the DA race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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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 Birenbaum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smliv.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeremy Morrison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jeremy@smokymountainnews.com Becky Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . becky@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Tyler Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . calendar@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), Jake Flannick (writing).

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Opinion Burning the couch and chair, now that’s practical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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The Strand at 38 Main celebrates one year, new changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786

Outdoors HCC’s timbersports team aims for Woodsmen Meet victory . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

The naturalist’s corner Still time if you hurry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

October 1-7, 2014

Grand Reopening Friday October 3rd

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Coming together for a cause

Work groups spread out on the old Hazelwood prison campus Thursday afternoon. Holly Kays photo

Smoky Mountain News

October 1-7, 2014

Community rallies for three-day makeover of Hazelwood prison

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER t was a scene that any fan — or casual viewer — of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” would find familiar. A crowd, ramped-up and excited, gathered together wearing matching T-shirts. A decrepit property in the background. And Ty Pennington, host of the show, running up in front of them, throwing his arms in the air yelling “Let’s flip this house!”

Except when Pennington came to Hazelwood last week, he didn’t say “house.”

Instead, he was there to flip a prison.

Specifically, the old Hazelwood prison, which dates back to the 1920s and was closed in 2011. Starting Nov. 1, the facility will serve as a center for healing, housing a Christianbased halfway house, soup kitchen and homeless shelter, jointly referred to as Haywood Pathways Center.

“We’re going to tear down the fences, and we’re going to create a project and a place where we do not imprison, but we empower people,” Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown said.

Brown was but the first speaker to stand on a temporary stage erected outside the prison, kicking off the remodeling project with a crowd of press, politicians and first-shift volunteers.

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DAY ONE The festivities began with Brown present6 ing Pennington and Guaranteed Rate’s Chief

Marketing Officer Bob Armour with a key to the city, a symbolic gesture to which Pennington joked, “This is going to be great, because we’d love to get in you guys’ fridges.”

It wasn’t too long before the work began.

Upbeat rock tunes blared from the stageturned-DJ-booth, and teams of volunteers began attacking old tile in the dormitories, scrubbing away at the buildings’ dirty walls and erecting the framework of a new laundry facility to adjoin the kitchen. Old paint got sanded off of chipped handrails, and fencing separating various areas of the campus came down. Grass was raked out of flowerbeds and covered over with fresh mulch. Within a 10minute period, seven shrubs appeared in the flowerbed outside the halfway house building.

“This is exactly what we thought would happen,” said Nick Honerkamp, director of the homeless shelter. “A lot of people sweat-

Pisgah High School students (above) laugh while cleaning out brushes on their workday Friday. Left: Jim Haynes, one of the leaders of Next Step, looks through the beams in the laundry room as work on the addition begins.

Holly Kays photos

ing, and that’s what we wanted to see, to put some equity in the place.”

There certainly was plenty of that. Clouds came and went over the course of the day Sept. 25, the intermittent sun shining over a yard full of teams of people working busily at their individual tasks. Honerkamp estimated that about 200 people were on-site, working, at any given time Thursday.

“I would say that I was more stressed out the day before than I was the day of,” said Dale Burris, lead contractor on the renovation.

“Everyone just fell into ‘This is what I know how to do. What do you want me to do?’”

By 9:45 a.m., the first sheets of plywood were going up on the sides of the laundry room. By 2 p.m., the final beams were being hammered into the roof. By 2:30 p.m., new ceiling fans had been installed in the kitchen, and the yard was full of people — including Pennington — planting shrubs and trees in the courtyard, steering wheelbarrows full of mulch to various destinations, watering justfinished plantings or just taking a break to enjoy Pennington’s celebrity presence.

And the work wasn’t limited to inside the prison walls. About half the volunteers were stationed outside the campus, selling baked goods, donuts, T-shirts, megaphones autographed by Pennington, washing cars, wandering the neighborhood to help out with landscaping projects in Hazelwood.

“It would be an awesome world if this feeling carried on every day,” said Lisa Nations, who manned the bake sale. Asked how much money they’d made so far, she said, “I have no idea, but they’ve emptied the money box four times.”

That’s still a true statement — as of press time Haywood Pathways is still totaling its profits from the fundraisers.

Volunteers came from counties throughout Western North Carolina, but they also came from out of state.

Haywood County native Brad Caldwell, now a golf coach at North Greenville University in South Carolina, came back with his entire golf team to put in some service hours at the prison.

“It’s always nice to see a community come together as one,” said Washington, D.C., native AnnaLeis Dibert, a member of the team. “I’m not from a small town, so I’ve never experienced this, so it’s pretty awesome.”

When the workday closed at 6 p.m., a hunk of the work had been completed — Honerkamp estimated 1,800 man-hours were invested that day — and Pennington traveled to The Chef ’s Table with a group of ticketholders for a fundraising dinner, his second fundraising meal that day. After a 6:30 a.m. television interview, Pennington had gone to The Open Door in Frog Level for a breakfast

S EE PRISON, PAGE 8

y Pennington is a celebrity carpenter best known for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” a show that involved lightningquick remodels of less-than-stellar homes for families with compelling stories about why they needed a better living space. After taking the grand prize in a nationwide voting contest sponsored by home loan company Guaranteed Rate, Haywood Pathways Center won Pennington’s help for a day to help make their vision of a prison turned to a center for healing a reality.

Pennington took a break from his work on the site to sit down with The Smoky Mountain News and talk about the project, the secret to renovation success and what makes mountain towns so great.

Smoky Mountain News: There were 322 entries in the Guaranteed Rate contest. What did you think the first time you saw this one?

Ty Pennington: I’ve never really heard about anyone deciding to flip a prison, and that’s why I was like, “What a cool idea.” Seeing how many votes these guys got was like, “Wow, this is someone who clearly has a vision.”

SMN: How is renovating a prison different than renovating a home?

TP: Chances are they didn’t build it for the most luxury ideas. It’s basically as primitive as you can get because you’re not trying to spoil the prisoners. They may have left out a few key things like proper drainage, partitions, ventilation. It’s not like they were thinking, “Let’s make these guys incredibly comfortable.” Not to mention you’re working with materials that aren’t that easy to work with. Plaster, block, concrete — things that are not the easiest to

teering to help someone else go through the same process and get their life back on track, get a job and have the self confidence to go out and not only better his life but find a way to inspire someone else to better theirs. That’s when change happens, is when you’ve gone through the process and you’ve done it and you want to help someone else go through it.

SMN: Tell me a little bit about your impressions of the community from the time SMN: What’s the secret to success with a you’ve spent here. renovation project?

TP: In the morning what was really nice TP: The only secret for success is to allow was meeting some of the people in the town, in yourself double the time, double the materials the community and how tight-knit it is. Even and double the labor. the thrift store next Nothing ever goes easy door supports the “Motivating a community, — there’s always going restaurant that feeds to be a complication. the homeless. I think having people rally and But, I’m a true it is a community want to do something believer in that I think where people look some of the greatest creeach other. positive, sometimes all you afterI think ation, some of the greatthat’s est art, is done because what’s really great need is a belief in yourthere’s not enough about a small town self, that you can do it. resources and you’re here, because in biglimited. Some of the ger cities sometimes What has blown me away best ideas come from things get a little bit is that these guys have when you don’t have all lost. What I’ve the necessary things to learned in the shows really convinced a lot of do it but you find a way I’ve been on is I’ve to do it anyway. seen people coming people that this is going out of their doors to be a phenomenal thing.” and getting to know SMN: It’s been a busy day. How is that their neighbors — Ty Pennington organized chaos going when you have a for you? community project TP: It’s been really incredible from the getthat involves the people in it. go. It started off sort of loading up on a bus that felt like you were going on a trip with the local SMN: Had you been to this part of the community, and then you wound up at a great country before? restaurant, The Chef ’s Table.

TP: I’m from Atlanta so I used to drive up Motivating a community, having people — let’s be honest, the Georgia beginning of the rally and want to do something positive, somemountains isn’t as beautiful as this ridge — but times all you need is a belief in yourself, that clearly I’ve been up for the change of the seayou can do it. What has blown me away is that sons. I have some friends who live in Boone. I these guys have really convinced a lot of people actually come up once a year for the Beer City that this is going to be a phenomenal thing.

Soccer Festival [in Asheville]. Like all the other players I sweat out all the beer I’ve had before.

SMN: What have been some standout This area is really cool. I think people realmoments of the day so far? ly appreciate the nature around them. It’s TP: My moment where I met one of the kind of neat, I think. In the last 20 years peoguys who had been inside [the prison], who ple are really starting to appreciate the beauty has turned his life around and is now volunof this area.

Smoky Mountain News

SMN: What kinds of challenges could you foresee in turning such an old campus into a comfortable living space?

TP: It’s like going into the [Great] Pyramid and saying, ‘We’d like to put A/C in.’ Well, they didn’t really run pipes for that. You’ve got challenges when building anything that is so much older because the codes were completely different, materials don’t exist and it just makes challenges because things have to be checked off by an inspector.

move from one spot to the other.

It’s going to have a lot of challenges, but at the same times it’s going to have a lot of charm. With any project, it’s about story. I think all homes have a story and I really do like the ones that have had a past life and you’ve kept some elements of it that tell its history when you walk into it. This one is really going to have a great story that one would not have guessed would have a happy ending.

Once completed, Haywood Pathways Center will unite two already-existing organizations — Haywood Christian Emergency Shelter and The Open Door soup kitchen — with a new one, a halfway house called Next Step Ministries for people getting out of jail.

Previously, the homeless shelter had operated only six months out of the year, the soup kitchen had only one campus and the halfway house was just an idea without a physical location to call home. The trio of Christian ministries seized upon the idea of leasing the abandoned Hazelwood prison, now owned by Haywood County, and using it as a joint location for all three organizations. With the support of county commissioners, local municipalities, Sheriff Greg Christopher and the community as a whole, the lease came through.

Next came the challenge of funding the remodel. Haywood Pathways entered a nationwide voting contest sponsored by home loan company Guaranteed Rate to win $50,000 and Ty Pennington’s help for a day with the project. With votes for Haywood Pathways dwarfing those received by the other 321 entries during all three rounds of voting, the group won the grand prize and is on track to open Nov. 1.

For now, all women, regardless of which program they are in, will be in the front building, while all men will be housed in the back. A new building will soon be constructed to serve as the joint female building for both the homeless shelter and halfway house, while the men will have separate buildings for the homeless shelter and halfway house.

“Less than probably 5 percent of our guests over the last six years have been females,” said Nick Honerkamp, director of the homeless shelter. “With that being the case we want to be able to share the female space.”

Haywood Pathways will also include a trailer, located somewhere offsite, to house families in need of a place to stay, and they’re looking to secure another couple trailers for the same purpose.

“We don’t want kids to get dropped off here at the homeless shelter,” Honerkamp said. “That would be traumatic.”

To round out the campus, a third building will serve as a second soup kitchen location for The Open Door, as well as a place for program participants to meet for Bible studies and devotionals. A new addition to the building will provide laundry facilities, and a separate, existing building will serve as office space.

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October 1-7, 2014

SMN: Did you think it would win?

TP: In all honesty, I wasn’t sure. I also thought, “Well, this could be a lot of red tape.”

There’s several things that could sort of hinder it from actually happening. We don’t know what kind of condition the place was in before.

How do you make a prison into a warm inviting environment that makes you feel like you’re stepping in the right direction? So there was a challenge there. But I think that what’s great is with a mission and a passion, changing a place from a cold environment to a warm environment is quite easy, and I think that’s exactly what these guys have done.

That’s why we’re going to be doing a lot of quilts and a lot of macramé. And I’m the person to do it myself. I do a lot of needlework. I actually do design quilt fabric — don’t get me started on that though.

Ty Pennington (right) gets excited as Nick Honerkamp (left) opens the work day. Holly Kays photo

Haywood Pathways Center in a nutshell

news

A conversation with Ty Pennington T

news

“Today’s been a great day. With more than 700 folks on Thursday and a couple hundred folks yesterday, we probably had a hundred unique individuals here today. It was the perfect amount — not too much, not too little.”

A bucket crew of Western Carolina University students walks through the worksite Thursday. Above right: Volunteers work to strip old tile from one of the dormitories. Right: Randy Moody, once an inmate in this prison, has since become a Christian and is volunteering to help remake the campus.

— Nick Honerkamp

October 1-7, 2014

Holly Kays photos

Online: View this story at www.smokymountainnews.com to see more photos.

PRISON, CONTINUED FROM 6

Smoky Mountain News

with both ticketholders and regular diners at the soup kitchen.

But the blitz on the old prison was far from over.

DAY TWO

Day two of the three-day event was a bit lower-key than the first. Pennington had left Waynesville, and the golf team that had spent all day waving carwash signs was gone. There was no stage, no DJ playing pump-up music, and the prison campus was a good bit less populated than the day before.

But the work kept going, fueled by students from Pisgah High School and Western Carolina University. WCU brought in two shifts of students, a morning and afternoon group, totaling about 100. And 61 students from Pisgah came for four hours of service in the morning, a project of the Athletic Student 8 Community Outreach Club.

“We’re blessed with a great group of kids, and they actually wanted to do this project for our community,” said Heidi Morgan, a physical education teacher at Pisgah and the club’s faculty sponsor.

“When I heard about it, I thought it was a perfect fit for what we’re trying to do,” said the club’s president, Sydney Singleton.

The group already has a community service project set up with Broyhill Children’s Home in Clyde, and they’re looking to expand their reach, Singleton said. So, they made sure to get over to the Hazelwood prison, painting walls, sanding rails, tearing down old shelves and cleaning up banners and balloons from Thursday.

“We’ve been really busy,” Singleton said.

Elsa Stiles, a Franklin native and social work major at WCU, kept occupied too. She knew she wanted to help with this project as soon as she heard about it and it didn’t hurt when she discovered she could get points toward a class grade for doing so.

“My dad grew up in Buncombe [County],

so I’ve been coming up here for a long time,” she said. “I’ve been seeing this old prison and thinking, ‘What are they doing with these old buildings?’ Now we’re getting this great conversion that will help hundreds of people.”

For Karen Farmer, assistant director of student clubs and organizations at WCU, it’s a conversion that’s happening in her own backyard. Hands blackened from sanding outdoor railings on Thursday, she talked about how excited she was to be working on a project that she’ll get to see grow, and how the benefits will be reaped in her own community.

“This is really the first time since I’ve done service that I feel like it’s a community feel, like I’m part of the community,” she said.

With a roof on the laundry room and dormitory walls painted warm red, beige and spring green — with sponge murals of a sunset decorating the glass windows separating the two sections of the dormitories — the difference was palpable.

“I’m glad I can be a part of this. I really am,” said Waynesville resident Eric Lemerise, painting in the kitchen with Stiles.

DAY THREE Not everyone can get out of work on a Thursday or Friday, and not everyone who could got signed up before an overwhelming volume of volunteer offers caused the roster for Guaranteed Rate/Ty Pennington day to get cut off.

So, Saturday, Sept. 27, was a y’all-come

kind of day. Not a lot of hoopla, not a lot of crowds. But instead a steady stream of people trickling in and out all day.

“Today’s been a great day,” Honerkamp said as lunchtime came and went with no lapse in the number of volunteers chipping away at the work. “With more than 700 folks on Thursday and a couple hundred folks yesterday, we probably had a hundred unique individuals here today. It was the perfect amount — not too much, not too little.”

Outside, Damion Brevard, 10, of Transylvania County, raked mulch with his cousin Alicia Reyes, 6, of Haywood County, Brevard’s mother close by wielding a hose. A quartet of painters gave the railings outside the dormitories their second coat of oil-based paint, a surprisingly painstaking process.

Inside, volunteers prettied up the trim and gave some final rolls of paint to the walls.

Electricians worked on the wiring in the new laundry room.

With an estimated 3,000 man-hours invested over the three days of work, the before and after was pretty impressive. But there’s still a lot of work to be done between now and the Nov. 1 opening date.

“It is daunting,” Honerkamp said. “It is challenging, but we believe we’re going to be able to get it done.”

Haywood Pathways will be drawing on some more volunteer help as the date gets closer, planning drop-in volunteer workdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Saturday between now and then. They’ll also be contracting some skilled labor — installing sprinkler and fire alarm systems, putting in a heating and air conditioning system, finishing the flooring, renovating the bathrooms.

But in just three days, about 50 percent of the work got done.

“When I think about where we’ve arrived in such a short period of time,” said Perry Hines, director of The Open Door. “My head is spinning.”

The square dance and the fire engine

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LEGISLATION IF ELECTED

Clampitt: I believe for Swain County that would be an easy one. To make the federal fgovernment honor their agreement and payment to Swain County residents for the Road to Nowhere. That’s to me is a no-brainer. It’s money that was owed, it’s money that was promised and we’ve got a second piece of paper from another congressman that says

we’ll pay it. I think a resolution from the state House would be in order.

Queen: I think one of the tragedies of this session has been not expanding Medicaid.

We’ve lost $3.5 billion of our taxes. We’ve got to expand Medicaid in North Carolina. This next session that will be $2.5 billion of our taxes that will be denied coming to North Carolina in we do not correct this action.

ON NORTH CAROLINA’S NEW VOTING LAWS Queen: This bill is really about keeping seniors from voting, keeping young people from voting, making it difficult to vote and as a consequence fewer people will vote. They know this, it’s statistically proven, but it’s the wrong thing for our democracy, it is the wrong thing for North Carolina.

Clampitt: As far as disenfranchising students from voting, I remember when I was in college I applied for an absentee ballot in Swain County and voted in the election. And that’s the first presidential election I got to vote in, when I got an absentee ballot, so what’s the big deal? You know, a stamp is 46 cents now I think, but still, that’s not a problem, should not be a problem. And I think Mr. Queen has also forgotten that to get government assistance in North Carolina you have to have a photo I.D. to get that government assistance.

ON THE NEED FOR AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TO OVERSEE REDISTRICTING Clampitt: That’s a scream from the lefthand side because of gerrymandering. They want to say that gerrymandering is something that the big, bad Republicans come up with … it is a fact of life, it is going to change every time we have a change in leadership in the state. Left, grow up, get over it.

Queen: I can assure you that just the way big-data is working, gerrymandering is a much more sophisticated enterprise than it has ever been in America, so it is time to have

Do I vote in this race?

District 119 covers Jackson and Swain counties, as well as part of Haywood, namely Waynesville and Lake Junaluska.

Want to go?

Rep. Joe Sam Queen and Republican challenger Mike Clampitt will face each other in a second debate at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 at Southwestern Community College’s Burrell Building in Sylva.

Election info Visit www.smokymountainnews.com for a round-up of this year’s election coverage.

Instant replay Video of last week’s WCU debate between N.C. House District 119 candidates Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, and Republican challenger Mike Clampitt has been posted online courtesy of the Canary Coalition. Go to www.smokymountainnews.com and click on this story. an independent commission on this issue … I will admit Democrats have had their hands in gerrymandering, but it’s a matter of degree. If you look at these maps, it’s a matter of degree. I’m not claiming innocence for my party, I’m just saying that the Republicans have gotten so much better at it, partly because of the Census-track data mechanism that they have used to do it.

ON CORPORATE TAXES Clampitt: Our Republican-led legislature and governorship has done a great job of streamlining the corporate and personal income taxes of North Carolina. North Carolina has now become one of the more business-friendly states of all the surrounding states to North Carolina. That being said,

ON FRACKING Clampitt: The thing about it is, it’s not viable in Western North Carolina. Folks, that is off the table. It is not even on the table to be done. Everybody’s screaming panic about that right now, but it’s a true thing.

Queen: If you can recognize an election stunt — if they find natural gas in Western North Carolina, there is nothing to take it off the table. So, it’s just a stunt for the election. Sen. Davis sponsored the bill from Western North Carolina and there are folks that think there is money to be made quick and easy here.

ON TEACHER SALARIES Queen: We definitely need to do more than we’re doing.

Clampitt: I think it’s a step program, it can’t be done overnight.

ON IMMIGRATION REFORM Queen: I think a quality immigration policy is absolutely essential. It is mired in bitter, political — I don’t know what you’d call it, skirting around the issues. We need to solve it. It’s fair and right for the people involved … It’s not really a state issue, it’s really a national issue, so it doesn’t come up often in the legislature.

Clampitt: We need to have immigration reform starting at the state level and going all the way to the federal government. The federal government is dropping the ball and not doing their jobs … When Mr. Queen says it’s not a state problem, it is a state problem. It’s a state a problem in a sense that it’s costing us, the taxpayers of North Carolina, money in to the hospital system, into the educational system and the entire system across the board.

ON TERM LIMITS

Smoky Mountain News

ON FIRST PIECE OF

During their Sept. 24 WCU debate, the moderator identified Rep. Joe Sam Queen (right) as someone who is “pretty good at calling a square dance” and challenger Mike Clampitt as someone who “has never lost his love of fire trucks.” Jeremy Morrison photo

October 1-7, 2014

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR .C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, and Republican challenger Mike Clampitt are on a similar mission. Each is trying to assure voters they are nothing like the other guy.

Recently, the two candidates seeking the 119th District House seat faced off for a debate in Cullowhee hosted by Western Carolina University. The pair discussed education, healthcare and fracking. They got into immigration reform and term limits and more. And they disagreed at every turn.

Early on, Clampitt tried to distinguish himself from Queen by ticking off successful efforts of the Republican-led General Assembly and fwondering aghast how the representative could not have supported them. He asked how Queen could have possibly voted against such legislation as the Regulatory Reform Act, the Tax Simplification and Reduction Act or the Domestic Energy Jobs Act. He was appalled that Queen would have voted against an effort to supply schools with free EpiPens to treat anaphylaxis, or serious allergic reactions.

“He voted against children’s safety in schools,” Clampitt charged. f Queen then went into a routine he was bound to repeat throughout the evening: clarifying his position and dissecting the political particulars.

“The Energy Modernization Act was fracking, so I voted against that,” Queen countered.

“You’ve got to watch how they label these bills, because they are not what they appear to be.

And they fill them full of poison pills with a few nice things like EpiPens and so forth.”

The spirited debate remained a trade of political punches throughout. Clampitt focused on graspable one-liners, while Queen beckoned voters to wade with him into the details.

The state House debate drew a packed house and required the set up of an overflow room with the bout on a big screen. It offered voters more than an hour of illustrative and revealing back-and-forth.

Here’s a sampling:

news

N.C. House candidates Queen and Clampitt draw distinctions during debate

when you take and encourage business growth, the growth of the business will take and employ more people …. In order to establish more business growth, they’ve got to have the burden pulled off of them, and also the heavy regulatory fees and the stringent guidelines that they have to go through.

Queen: I did not support the so-called tax reform that this Republican General Assembly passed. There are 77,000 corporations in North Carolina, the top 200 of them got a million dollars a piece in tax cuts. They eliminated the small business tax credit, which gave small businesses the first $50,000 tax free in North Carolina … They’ve given 99 and a half percent of the tax cuts of this socalled tax reform for corporations to the top half of a percent of corporations. It’s a disgrace, it’s not good for jobs, it’s not good for economic development, it’s not fair.

Clampitt: The political suicide answer is I believe in term limits. I believe the correct answer is, I believe in term limits.

Queen: I serve at the privilege of the citizenry. I have run six times, I have lost two.

They can send you home just as quick as they can elect you. Generally speaking, if you have good representatives you should keep them.

If you have poor ones, the ballot box is exactly the place you can limit their terms.

9

Mapping out the future

news

Cullowhee invited to weigh in Development standards have been drawn up; will the community buy-in?

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR ullowhee is the fastest growing area of Jackson County. The growth owes much to Western Carolina University and is evidenced in recent years by a surge in private student housing complexes and smattering of bars.

Without regulations in place, Cullowhee’s growth has taken place in a Wild West, cowboy environment. For more than a year, the Cullowhee Community Planning Advisory Committee has contemplated how to guide such growth.

“Everyone that comes in here wants to do their own thing and eventually that affects the quality of the community,” said Rick Bennett, a member of the advisory committee and resident of Cullowhee.

Through the committee’s work, involving multiple public input sessions in addition to regular meetings, a set of potential development standards has been created. The plan lays out various districts, separating Cullowhee into degrees of residential, commercial and institutional. Standards cover things like sidewalks, landscaping, architecture, signs and more. There’s also a provision requiring developers to conduct an impact analysis.

This month, Jackson County Planning Director Gerald Green took task force members on a field trip to get an up close look of how the proposed development standards would play out on the ground. They toured Cullowhee and were able to consider how the area jived with the proposed standards and multi-colored map detailing proposed zoning districts that one day might be.

“It was good,” Green relayed. “Got a good lay of the land.”

Next up are more public input meetings.

Now that the advisory committee has cobbled together potential development standards, it’s time to find out what the Cullowhee community thinks about them.

The first public meeting is scheduled for Oct. 7, with a second slated for Oct. 23. Green isn’t sure what to expect.

“I have no idea,” the planner said.

Whatever the public reaction is to these proposed standards, it will apparently carry

Smoky Mountain News

October 1-7, 2014

C

some weight. The advisory board will base its If the multi-colored map divvying next move on the public’s input.

Cullowhee up into different districts looks “That would be to move forward with the less like an attempt to engineer future way everything is, or revise them based on the growth and more like a reflection of the curreaction of the community,” Green said, sugrent going-ons, it’s because it pretty much is. gesting that the public input could even dictate In drawing up the proposed zoning dis“whether to proceed or not.” tricts, the Cullowhee Community Planning Arnold Ashe, owner of the Cullowhee Café, Advisory Board and Jackson County will be getting his first look at the proposed Planning Director Gerald Green tried to development standards during the upcoming work with Cullowhee as it has evolved public meetings. He’s actually on the planning without zoning regulations. committee — appointed by Jackson County Commissioner Charles Elders — but has never been to any of the task force meetings.

“I haven’t been to any of the meetTwo community meetings are on the calendar for ings, period. I’m not too in to this politi- the Cullowhee community to assess the proposed cal stuff,” Ashe said. “I’m not real nega- development standards and zoning districts for the tive. I’m open. I’m just not into politics.” Cullowhee Community Planning Area. The first A couple of years ago, there was an meeting is Oct. 7, with another Oct. 23. Both meetincident near the Cullowhee Café that ings begin at 6 p.m. in the hospitality room at presented a useful argument for some Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center. zoning regulations in the unincorporated area. Two decrepit trailers were hauled into the middle of what would be con“What we tried to do to a large extent sidered Cullowhee’s business district and was make everything conforming and not deposited near the café. create non-conforming use in Cullowhee,” “Nothing could be done about that,” Ashe Green explained. said. “I had to spend $1,500 and plant shrubIn areas where commercial developbery and try to hide it. He got to do what he ments already existed, the advisory board wants and he lives in Miami.” has designated them commercial. In parts That incident occurred as the Cullowhee of Cullowhee with residential units, the planning discussions were in their infancy. Just map denotes varying degrees of residenas a group of residents and business owners tial, each with its own allowances and regwere preparing to begin talking with Green and ulations.

Jackson County. About a year later the advisory Unlike the potential zoning districts — committee was formed. which should feel somewhat familiar and If the committee’s work is embraced by the comfortable — the proposed development Cullowhee community during this month’s public standards being put forth by the Cullowhee meetings, the proposed development standards advisory committee are entirely new. will continue their long journey towards possible Unincorporated Cullowhee has never been realization. After the committee incorporates the held to development standards. public input it will conduct another public meetHere’s a brief look at some of the proing, probably in December. From there, the proposed standards. The entire Cullowhee posed standards will be passed to the Jackson Community Planning Area Proposed Draft County Planning Board. They will be considered, Development Standards are available for then face a public hearing, possibly by February. viewing at www.jacksonnc.org/planning Sometime in the spring, the proposed standards might make their way before the Jackson County Stormwater Management Commissioners, who have the final say.

New developments will be required to “We still have quite a ways to go, even optibetter deal with runoff and flooding genermistically,” Green said. ated by impervious surfaces. Developments

Want to go?

will be required to have a stormwater management system plan, and will need to manage stormwater in order to protect water quality and natural ecosystems by the filtering of sediments and pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, trace metals, and hydrocarbons.

Traffic impact analysis New developments which meet certain traffic-generating thresholds will be required to conduct a traffic impact analysis. Such a study will indicate a proposed development’s impact on traffic and the added stress to infrastructure. If a development is determined to impact traffic, pedestrian or vehicular, the developer may be required to mitigate such impact — this can range from paying for actual road construction to changes to traffic signals.

Planned developments Planned developments must obtain a conditional use permit. The minimum lot size for a planned development would be one acre. The maximum allowable building height would be 40 feet, unless the county planning board green lights a project for up to 80 feet. A sidewalk would be required to be installed along all streets abutting a planned development. A minimum of 15 percent of the total land area of a planned development would need to be set aside as open space.

Architecture standards Buildings will be held to certain standards.

This is meant to “allow creativity and diversity of design,” as well as “protect property values and neighborhood quality, and provide a safe and attractive environment for residents and visitor alike.” In commercial districts, no buildings will be allowed to be covered with corrugated metal or vinyl siding. Regulations governing exteriors and architectural accents are laid out. Color schemes are touched upon.

Signs The proposed development standards also address signage. A permit will be required to erect a sign, and the signage will be required to adhere to specific standards. This is meant to promote uniformity, “minimize undue distraction” and ensure that signs do not “unduly detract from the aesthetics and natural appeal of the Cullowhee “Planning Area”

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Macon approves final school officer position

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ll 11 Macon County schools will now have their own school resource officer, called an SRO, after county commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to institute the eleventh position at Cartoogechaye Elementary School.

“I’m very proud of our accomplishment,” said Macon County Sheriff Robert Holland.

“I think it says a lot about what the commissioners think about the safety of our kids.”

To get the SRO position started as soon as possible, Holland will move one of his patrol deputies to the school and deal with having one less deputy on patrol for a while.

But come July, when the new fiscal year begins, commissioners have promised to give Holland another deputy position to replace the one moved to Cartoogechaye.

“Instead of looking at it as a new deputy position, I look at it as more we have a deputy stationed in the community,” said Commission Chairman Kevin Corbin.

For instance, Corbin said, while the deputy is stationed at the school and spends his time there, he’d also be available to respond to emergencies in the area. In Macon County, some schools are located in

A

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But as a product of SRO support himself, Holland counts the position priceless.

“I am a sheriff today because of things that have happened in my life as a youngster where officers had an opportunity to deal with me as a kid and instead of brushing me off or throwing me away, they stuck with me,” Holland said. “It’s because of them that my goal in life was to be one of them.”

Plan DOGGIE DAYCARE, BOARDING & GROOMING for the Holidays!

Smoky Mountain News

The inaugural class of the newly formed Board of Visitors at Western Carolina University will hold its first meetings and elect a slate of officers Thursday and Friday, Oct. 2 and 3.

The board, established by WCU’s Board of Trustees earlier this year, is designed to serve as an advisory body to the university’s chancellor. Members of the Board of Visitors will serve as advocates and ambassadors for WCU; promote and advance the mission, vision and strategic plan of the university; make WCU a philanthropic priority; and provide the chancellor and the WCU Board of Trustees with advice and counsel on issues that are critical to the institution’s strategic interests.

“The board consists of friends of Western Carolina who have been serving as unofficial ambassadors for the university

through their ongoing support and advocacy over the years,” said Jim Miller, WCU associate vice chancellor for development and alumni affairs. “Through the establishment of the Board of Visitors, these volunteers will play an even more significant role in promoting the interests of WCU, increasing public awareness of the university’s priorities, and helping spread the word throughout their communities about the good things that are happening at Western Carolina University.”

The Board of Visitors will consist of up to 30 members elected by the trustees, along with five ex officio members – the chair of the Board of Trustees, the immediate past chair of the trustees, the chancellor, the president of the WCU Alumni Association and the chair of the Board of Directors of the Western Carolina University Foundation.

Ten members comprise the inaugural class of the Board of Visitors. Ten additional board members will be added in 2015, and 10 more members will come on board in 2016. Each class of visitors will serve initial terms of three years.

grant-funded. A new SRO position at East Franklin Elementary School brought the count to 10, and with the Cartoogechaye position secured, Macon County is now at full coverage.

A fully funded SRO position costs about $84,000, with $40,000 of that going toward salary and the rest accounted for with training, uniforms, equipment and a patrol car.

October 1-7, 2014

Newly formed WCU Board of Visitors to begins meeting

pretty remote areas, so that’s a plus.

“You got some communities that are pretty far from the sheriff ’s office,” Corbin said. “To me it’s an advantage to have a deputy in that community.”

Of course, Cartoogechaye is a lot closer to Franklin than is Nantahala School or Iotla Elementary. But in case of emergency, Holland said, response time is everything.

“I’ve got 25 officers on patrol. There’s typically five to a shift. If I take one position and not use that position on a fulltime basis, it allows me to have a fulltime officer in a school protecting that school,” Holland said.

“I can either have nobody there or I can work it out amongst my people to where I have somebody there.”

SROs have become an increasingly common subject of conversation over the last couple decades as school violence has become more prevalent and reported.

Holland has been pushing for increased coverage since even before earning his sheriff ’s badge in 2002, and in February Macon County Schools won a state grant to station an officer at Nantahala school, the eighth of 11 schools to get an SRO. When a grant for an additional year of coverage at Nantahala wasn’t forthcoming, commissioners agreed to fund the position.

But when the grant eventually came through, the county-funded position went to Iotla and the Nantahala position continued,

news

All Macon schools now covered by SRO

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October 1-7, 2014

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‘Militarization’ of American policing to be focus of WCU forum

Local police departments’ use of military weaponry, SWAT and decommissioned military gear — known as the “militarization� of American policing — and its impact on communities, the general public and police officers will be the focus of a forum Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

The free public event will be held at 8 p.m. in the conference room of Blue Ridge Hall.

WCU criminology and criminal justice faculty members Kyle Burgason, Tom Johnson, Ophir Sefiha and Fred Hawley will join Ernie Hudson, chief of WCU police, in a discussion titled Police Militarization: Emerging Perspectives in Historical Context.

Military weapons have been in use for police work since SWAT teams emerged in the 1960s and expanded as a consequence of the war on drugs. Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government expanded a Department of Defense program that helps fortify local police departments by making surplus military equipment available to them.

In August, heavily armed police officers using the equipment clashed with protestors in Ferguson, Mo., following the shooting death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white officer. President Barack Obama ordered a review of the federal program because of the police response in Ferguson. “Our hope is that this forum will help clarify some of the issues involved nationally because of the recent events and to bring historical, political, social and professional perspectives to a community discussion about American policing,� said Hawley.

828.227.2171.

Chamber hosts water forum in Cashiers

A community forum entitled Water Resources will hosted by the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce at 5 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Albert Carlton Community Library in Cashiers. The forum will feature Dan Hargaugh, director of the Tuckaseigee Water & Sewer Authority (TWASA).

Because of the geological nature of the Cashiers Highlands Plateau, water purity and availability are vital issues which impact quality of life in the mountain community. The chamber’s board of directors recently met with Harbaugh to discuss critical water-related issues in the area, including well interconnectivity, sewer allocation policy, stormwater runoff and wastewater treatment.

Cashiers area water resources face a present threat from failing small community systems and increasing demand. This forum is an opportunity to learn firsthand about community water resources with an update on TWSA’s recent actions and long-term plans.

The meeting is open to the public and audience questions will be addressed. For more information, call 828.743.5191 or info@cashiersareachamber.com.

Dillsboro sells Duke property to Jackson County T

For years, Jackson County fought the removal of Duke Energy’s dam on the Tuckasegee River in Dillsboro. County officials argued that the dam had recreational benefits, historical meaning and green energy potential.

In 2009, as part of its effort to quash the removal of the dam, the county argued in court that the structure should be left in place and incorporated into a river park it had planned. Duke eventually won its fight with the county, dismantling the dam in 2010.

After a few years of environmental restoration, the power company handed off about 17 acres of riverfront property to the town of Dillsboro this summer as part of its

federally mandated relicensing requirements. The town has chosen to sell the property to Jackson County, which still has intentions to place a park at the site, only without the dam.

The planned Dillsboro riverpark — or Dillsboro Heritage Park, as it was dubbed in 2009 — will feature river access points, boat ramps, walking paths and nature trails.

It will have parking lots and playgrounds, pavilions and picnic tables.

The county’s plans call for a North River Park on one side of the river, with a South River Park on the other side.

Since the time that the county initially had designs drawn up, Duke Energy has removed its dam and also built a river access point on the north side of the property. Those old

Kennon entertains notions of the event returning to the region again someday. This time to Jackson County.

“We could have that event in Dillsboro,” the paddler said.

Dillsboro officials would like nothing more than to see visitors flock to the river.

For years, the town benefited daily from visitors transported to its doorstep by the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, which now offers only limited trips to Dillsboro. Now, the quiet and quaint town boasts a burgeoning art community, but it could still use that extra something to really kick things into gear again.

Following the Friday morning vote over cheese Danish, Alderman Gates explained why he felt the sale worked for the town.

Besides the money in the bank, he’s hoping the river park benefits Dillsboro exponentially.

“More tourism, bottom line,” Gates said, “for the county and for Dillsboro.”

plans will need to be dusted off and tweaked.

“I think the general concept will be the same,” said Jackson County Manager Chuck Wooten.

Officials have set aside $100,000 — a portion of the amount. Duke paid Jackson in connection with its removal of the dam — to pay for the project.

Wooten said the county intends to reengage the plan’s author, Equinox Design, to update the plans.

“I think that they are ready to start as soon as we give them the go ahead,” said Wooten.

County commissioners are expected to give their formal approval to the sale during their Oct. 6 meeting. By the end of the month, they may be ready to consider a possible scope of work for Equinox.

Smoky Mountain News

Jackson finally gets its park

every paddler in the water,” Kennon said.

“There’s millions and millions of dollars being spent in Colorado at whitewater parks.”

Kennon won the World Freestyle Kayak competition in 2001 in Spain. Each year the event is held in a different location. Last year, it was held on Swain County’s Nantahala River.

October 1-7, 2014

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR he quiet, early morning streets of Dillsboro seemed still asleep as the town board ambled in. They arrived one by one, easing in with casual conversation about health and grandchildren and how delicious Town Clerk Debbie Coffey’s homemade cheese Danish tasted.

But there was more on the table for discussion than bull and breakfast. Dillsboro’s leaders assembled for their specially called meeting to decide if the town should sell property recently handed over from Duke Energy.

“The county wants to make a river park with that property,” Dillsboro Mayor Mike Fitzgerald had explained the day before.

Over the summer, Duke turned over roughly 17 acres of property bordering the Tuckaseigee River near downtown Dillsboro.

The property is located where the energy company previously operated a hydroelectric dam, and the handoff is tied to federally mandated relicensing requirements that require public utilities to give back to areas from which they profit.

Jackson County has long eyed the riverfront property. There are plans calling for a riverside park already on the shelf. During re-licensing discussions in 2009 the county commissioned Equinox Design Inc. to prepare a conceptual design for a park on the north and south sides of the river.

With Duke’s handoff of the property to Dillsboro this summer, the time has come for Jackson to make its bid.

“The mayor of Dillsboro contacted me in mid-September to advise that the town board had taken possession of the property and offered to sell the property to the county at market value,” Jackson County Manager Chuck Wooten said.

That’s a move the county had anticipated. Several months ago Jackson had the property appraised with just such an opportunity in mind.

On Sept. 15, commissioners took up the issue during a closed session. They approved a potential purchase price — the appraised

value of $350,000 — and decided to make a pushing for a whitewater park in Dillsboro formal offer. for a while.

“I have a contract right here,” Fitzgerald “Sounds like it’s going to happen,” told his aldermen during their special meetKennon said after the town accepted the ing. county’s offer to purchase the Duke property The mayor explained that, if the offer for the purpose of a park. was accepted, there were no encumbrances Kennon has requested repeatedly that on the funds. He laid out the county’s intenDillsboro consider putting in a whitewater tions, read a letter from Wooten — “obvipark. He contends the stretch of river rifling ously we view this property as a strategic piece of property for recreation purposes” — and called for a vote well before the cheese Danish was finished off.

The whole thing took about five minutes. Alderman David Gates agreed the decision was a no-brainer.

“Well, yeah, because we can’t afford to keep it, we can’t afford A 2009 plan for to do anything with it,” he said. a river park The board adjourned and incorporated dove back into friendly conversation. They hung around a bit Duke’s dam, but longer and laughed about what will be tweaked the money might be spent on. to reflect the “Debbie’s going to get a new post-dam reality. oven,” Fitzgerald joked following the board’s unanimous vote to accept the county’s $350,000 offer.

“We’re gonna have a gourmet kitchen,” through town is perfect for the venture, callCoffey laughed. ing it “the textbook spot to put a whitewater While both Jackson and Dillsboro have park.” given nods of approval to the purchase, this “The gradient’s already there,” Kennon is not quite a done deal yet. Commissioners said. “It’s a tailor-made spot.” will formally consider the matter during Plus, the kayak champion said, Dillsboro their Oct. 6 regular meeting; approval looks is located in a prime area insofar as particilike a safe assumption. pants in paddlesports are concerned.

“They had authorized an offer in execu“That’s basically like the paddling crosstive session and Dillsboro accepted the offer roads of the Southeast,” Kennon explained. so it is a done deal,” Wooten explained.

“It’s right between Atlanta, Chattanooga, Once commissioners have given their for- Knoxville and Asheville.” mal approval, the county will develop a The paddler points to parks in Colorado, scope of work and then plans to reengage where the concept of whitewater parks is Equinox Design. The 2009 designs — which nothing new. incorporate Duke’s dam into a river park — “The Colorado parks, they’ve got so must be tweaked. Wooten expects the whole many of them,” Kennon said. “Like every litprocess to be moving forward by the end of tle river town, they’ll have a park there.”

October.

Those parks, he said, have long attracted This is all good news to Barry Kennan. not only paddlers but also people watching The Jackson resident — and former World paddlers.

Freestyle Kayak Champion and member of “These whitewater parks, they attract the U.S. National Slalom team — has been spectators. They’ll be like 10 spectators for

news

Plans for a park on the Tuckasegee on the table

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news October 1-7, 2014 Smoky Mountain News

Swain sees three-way race for sheriff Candidates discuss drugs, guns and people power

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR With Election Day nearing, Odel Chastain seemed pretty relaxed.

“I’m sitting on my porch with my feet thrown up, watching the deer,” Chastain said.

That’s pretty calm, considering Chastain is making history, turning the Swain County Sheriff election into a three-way contest. He’s on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate after gathering the required 412 signed petitions in June.

Rolling into September, Chastain still didn’t appear to be sweating the November election.

“It’s still two months away and people really ain’t interested,” he said. “Except the candidates.”

Chastain, too, is interested enough to be making the rounds. He’s going up against a two-term incumbent and what appears to be a capable Democrat challenger.

“Like everyone else, I’ve left cards out everywhere,” Chastain said.

Democrat candidate Chuck McMahan has also been out beating the campaign trail.

And he’s liked the reception so far.

“Everywhere we’ve went the feedback has been nothing but positive,” McMahan said.

The candidate is convinced that Swain voters are on board with his vision. He’s convinced they’re looking for a change.

“I believe it’s time for a change in the leadership in the sheriff ’s office,” McMahan said.

Of course, Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran has a different take. The Republican incumbent knows the community is behind him and expects to get a third term.

“I like being the people’s sheriff of Swain County,” Cochran said, soaking up a sunny day in Swain’s public park on Deep Creek Road. “I don’t consider myself a ruler, or above anybody else.”

THE PEOPLE-PERSON PEOPLE AND A CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

When Cochran first won election as Swain County’s sheriff in 2006, he had no law enforcement experience. He was fresh from a 12-year stint as Swain’s facilities manager.

“I approached it in a different manner than a lot of people do. I approached it from a managerial position,” said Cochran. “Even though I’ve approached it from a managerial position, that doesn’t mean I’ve sat behind a desk. I’ve been out on the frontlines with these guys.”

It was a rough beginning for Cochran.

During his first term, the sheriff became engaged in a lawsuit with the Swain County 14 Commissioners over a salary dispute, saw a

man charged with murder escape from the Swain County Jail, and had another inmate escape from a courthouse holding room; the latter incident ended with a high-speed chase down U.S. 74, during which Cochran shot at the tires of a van the inmate had stolen.

“We’re not the only ones that have jail escapes,” Cochran brushed off the mishaps.

The sheriff also brushes off any possible political downside of being a Republican in a county that is decidedly Democrat. And why not, he’s beat the political odds twice before.

Plus, the candidate believes he has won over the Swain community by connecting with them on a personal level instead of a political one.

“I knocked on doors in Swain County,” Cochran said. “A lot of doors, and listened to these people, heard their needs.”

The current sheriff considers his relationship with the people of Swain to be paramount to his charge. He knows that his mission depends on the people — “without the public feeding information to us we wouldn’t know what was going on” — and considers community members “stakeholders.”

“I have an open-door policy. If somebody calls me, I call’em back. Answer every call,” Cochran explained. “Simply because it might be the toughest thing that person’s gong through at the moment.”

Interestingly, McMahan also cites that relationship with the community when listing the reasons he decided to join the race.

The Democrat challenger and N.C. Highway Patrol veteran who beat out three other hopefuls during the primary says he plans to make a point of being acquainted with his community.

“The more familiar you are with the people in a community,” McMahan said, “the better you can serve them.”

McMahan seems to flinch when asked why he’s a better choice for sheriff than Cochran. He refuses to discuss his opponents’ possible shortcomings, instead simply saying he intends to introduce a “professional” brand of law enforcement.

“I’m not gonna be critical. That’s not the way I choose to campaign,” McMahan said. “I believe I have more to offer.”

An area the candidate does say he wants to improve upon is the relationship the sheriff ’s office has with the public. Efforts on that front will begin on “day one” he said.

“If I’m elected I’ll use a community policing model,” McMahan said, explaining that he will expect his officers to embrace such an approach as well. “I’ll expect them to know who’s who in their community.”

Chastain, the unaffiliated candidate, has also incorporated the community-relationship theme into his platform. If elected, he has said he intends to hold public forums in an effort to gauge community concerns.

“The sheriff should be accessible to talk to anyone, whether it’s a concern or a complaint,” Chastain said, “Yes, sir, yes, sir, I am working for the people cause they hired me.”

The candidate also intends to pursue edu-

ODEL CHASTAIN, 65 UNAFFILIATED Chastain is retired from a career in law enforcement. He has spent time as a deputy sheriff in Gaston, Lincoln and Swain counties, as well as 10 years with the Bryson City Police Department.

CURTIS COCHRAN, 61 REPUBLICAN Cochran worked for 22 years in underground construction, working to building tunnels. In 1994, he went to work as the facilities manager for Swain County. In 2006 he won election as Swain County Sheriff, winning reelection in 2010.

CHUCK MCMAHAN, 53 DEMOCRAT McMahan is retired from a 27-year career with the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

He has also spent time working for the Hickory Police Department and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department. The candidate has served on the Swain County School Board for 12 years and served as its chairman for six.

cational and training opportunities for officers — “it’s a dangerous job and they need all the training they can get” — but it is another aspect of his platform that sets Chastain apart from his party-affiliated opponents.

“The Constitution is our country’s birth certificate and it is being destroyed,” Chastain said.

The unaffiliated candidate has “a real strong, hard feeling” about this. He describes himself as “a very patriotic person” and feels that voters agree with him that America’s principals and values are in jeopardy. He considers this constitutional crisis to be an

important issue in the sheriff election.

“If our men and women can die for it then I think I and other people think it’s worth voting for,” Chastain said. “We’re talking about everything. We’re talking about due process, the right to peaceably assemble. It’s just the right we have.”

And most particularly we’re talking about the right to bear arms. It is a centerpiece of the campaign.

“Now, the Second Amendment is a whole can of worms,” Chastain said. “I will not let anyone take my guns.”

The candidate feels such a threat is not far fetched, and that a sheriff would serve as “a last line in the sand” if such an effort was ever made.

“He doesn’t answer to the beuracrats, he answers to the people,” Chastain said. “This is my stump message when I’m out talking.

It’s very well received.”

IT’S THE DRUGS, STUPID

One thing that all three candidates running for Swain County Sheriff agree on is that the area has a drug problem. It’s been that way for a while, they say.

“It’s just the way things are, and there’s just so much of it,” Chastain said. “It’s a real predicament, yes it is.”

Sheriff Cochran noticed the problem when he first ran for office.

“When I first ran I saw a huge need for drug enforcement,” he said. “We had a huge drug problem. I just didn’t think it was being addressed the way it should be.”

Cochran still sees the problem. It hasn’t gone away.

“There’s not many days that go by that we don’t make those arrests,” the sheriff said. “We get meth, we get pills, black tar heroin, we’ve got cocaine, prescription pills are a huge problem.”

Each candidate vows to fight against illegal drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs. Each identifies this as a top issue facing Swain County.

“The number one issue is the drug issue and this is a challenge all counties face,” McMahan said. “They’re easy to come by and they’re easy to sell.”

McMahan said he will concentrate on fighting the drug problem via partnerships with other law enforcement agencies, both at the local level and beyond. He also plans to develop relationships with local pharmacies.

“To make sure people aren’t doctor shopping for medication,” McMahan said.

“My advice to drug dealers,” Chastain warns, “they can either go out of business, get out of town or go to jail.”

BLACK-CLAD BARNEY FIFE, OR THE ‘FIRST-LINE OF DEFENSE’ In the wake of the recent unrest in Ferguson, Mo., the

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heavy handed response by local police responding to protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man has sparked a national debate about the militarization of local law enforcement agencies. From the city council of that St. Louis suburb to the U.S. Senate, elected officials have discussed the pros and cons of equipping law officers with military-grade weaponry. Do they need it?

Should they have it?

This debate is relevant in Swain County, too. There are those who are concerned that Swain’s sheriff ’s office has become a bit militarized.

“I hear lots about it,” said Chastain. “It wasn’t like that before.”

Sheriff Cochran doesn’t engage in such debate. He doesn’t see such an arsenal build up as militarization, but rather preparation.

“We are not the military, but we are the first line of defense,” Cochran said. “We’ve got to have the proper equipment that we need to keep people safe.”

Cochran has introduced Swain to officers clad in black. He has traded in the department’s .40-caliber rifles — “it was just a glorified side arm, we got rid of them pretty quick” — for AR-15s.

“I have AR 223s for our officers and I think they’re a very good tool,” Cochran said. “When I came into office they had rifles, but they were .40-caliber rifles, to be honest with you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.”

The sheriff doesn’t understand why anyone would question such an approach to local law enforcement. And he says he hasn’t heard anyone do so.

“Of course they’re necessary, we wouldn’t have them if they weren’t,” Cochran said of his beefed up arsenal, conceding that the higerpowered guns had yet to be used. “We’ve never had to use them. We’ve had to pull’em out of the car and get ready to use them.”

But the sheriff ’s two challengers take a different view. They feel the shift in Swain’s sheriff ’s office is unhealthy for the community.

“No sir, I don’t agree with that at all, with the militarization of law enforcement,” said Chastain. “I don’t like the way they look, the public can’t tell who’s who.”

Chastain said that citizens have told him they feel uncomfortable with the change in tone at the sheriff ’s office. They tell him they can’t easily identify officers.

“Some of the women I’ve talked to say they don’t want to stop unless they’re in a marked car,” the candidate said. “I’m going to put them back in a uniform where they can be identified and won’t be military looking.”

While Chastain promises to put officers “back in county-brown,” McMahan takes a more measured view. The Democrat candidate allows that “law enforcement is a tough job, and times have changed since I first stared.”

Still, McMahan is also a bit uncomfortable with the changes Cochran has made on this front. He would do it differently.

“A law enforcement officer has to remember never to appear anything other than a law enforcement officer. They work for the public, they have to be approachable by the public,” McMahan said. “If I’m elected sheriff my officers will wear uniforms that have a more traditional look, that identifies them as sheriff officers.”

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GAME ON Jackson commissioner candidates go to the mat in three-on-three race

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER hree challengers for Jackson County commissioner opened with a strong offensive charge at a candidate debate last week, rarely letting up from their harddriving line as the night wore on.

Their opponents — a trio of sitting commissioners fighting for re-election — were forced to play defense, fielding off a barrage of attacks against their leadership, policies, philosophy and style.

Brian McMahan, a Democratic challenger for the county commissioner chairman, said the sitting commissioners have let the voters of Jackson down over the past four years.

“Sadly they fumbled the ball, not just once but many times, and I sat on the sidelines the past four years and quite frankly I have been very disappointed, very disappointed in the lack of leadership. I have been disappointed in the lack of planning, in the failure to act on important issues,” McMahan said. “We need a change in this county.”

But current chairman Jack Debnam, an independent, countered that the past four years have brought progress.

“I want to be judged on what I’ve done the past four years,” Debnam said. “That’s the only thing I’ve got to run on.”

The Jackson County commissioner race is an easy one for voters to dissect. Candidates have voluntarily sorted themselves into two tidy fields, with three running mates on each team.

Three Democratic challengers — McMahan for chairman and Boyce Deitz and Joe Ward for commissioner — want to return the Jackson County board of commissioners to a Democratic majority following an upset four years ago that swung the pendulum the other way.

Deitz said the county has merely been marking time the past four years.

“We need to lead the parade and not follow. We can be the light that shines for all the counties in Western North Carolina to follow us,” Deitz said.

Ward chimed in that Jackson County’s current leadership has not been proactive.

“Jackson County needs to get a plan in place that we don’t have right now, a plan for growth. Where we’re going and what we are doing. Without a plan, you are just heading for destruction. That’s just plain and simple,” Ward said.

Ward also said commissioners need to be more engaged and responsive to residents, pledging to do a better job listening to the people if elected.

“And we aren’t just going to listen we are going to hear, because there is a difference,” Ward said.

Jackson County is a Democratic stronghold.

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Meet the players The Jackson County commissioner race is an easy one for voters to dissect.

Candidates voluntarily sorted themselves into two tidy fields, with three running mates on each team.

The commission has five seats in all, but only three are up for election this year. Commissioners must hail from specific geographic areas in the county, but all voters vote in all districts.

TEAM ONE: THREE TEAM TWO: SITTING DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS COMMISSIONER COALITION

Smoky Mountain News

door of the forum put on by students at Southwestern Community College last Thursday. A large number wore buttons supporting the Democratic slate of McMahan, Deitz and Ward.

Others wore Republican Party paraphernalia and handed out flyers listing accomplishments their slate claims over the past four years, many of them building projects like a new 911 emergency ops center, a Cashiers Recreation Center, a performing arts center and gym at Smoky Mountain High School and park improvements.

“If you read this list of accomplishments it will shed some light on how hard we have worked the past four years. I don’t know where they’ve been,” Cody said, referring to his opponents. “We have done numerous things to stimulate our economy and it is showing.”

Economic development is one platform the current commissioners are touting. They paved the way for a countywide vote on alcohol sales, which in turn has meant new bars and restaurants in Cullowhee. They reconstituted the defunct economic development commission and hired and fulltime economic development director. And they restructured the county’s tourism marketing initiatives under a single agency with a more focused, cohesive mission.

Season opener Brian McMahan, a former commissioner chairman who lost his seat four years ago.

Jack Debnam, an independent, who’s been chairman for four years.

October 1-7, 2014

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upset. But all three say they are ready to take back the ball.

However, the trio of sitting commissioners who came into office following the upset four years ago say there is no reason to return to the policies of the past.

“It is time that we stayed the course for a change,” Debnam said.

The slate of three candidates running to keep their seats — Debnam, an independent for chairman, and Republicans Doug Cody

THE RESUMÉ

But Debnam said he and the other sitting commissioners had to spend the first part of their tenure taking care of business unattended to by their predecessors.

“We struggled the first two years. I am not going to tell any lies. It was hard. It took two years to get caught up,” Debnam said.

The criticism was aimed at McMahan, who’d been on the past board, but his running mates were lumped in as well.

Debnam cited an aggressive campaign to collect unpaid property taxes, but not before writing off $55,000 in back taxes because the collection window had sunset under the previous the previous board.

Debnam said they had to tie up other loose ends “kicked down the road” by the previous board as well. For example, the previous board built a new library with a bigger footprint, but didn’t take into account the larger operating budget it would need, Debnam said.

And the new board had to clean up a suite of loan defaults languishing under the county’s economic development revolving loan fund, Debnam said.

McMahan said the loan defaults were something he inherited himself, not created.

Few in the audience, if any, were in the undecided camp when they walked in the

S EE GAME ON, PAGE 18

Boyce Deitz, commissioner challenger.

Doug Cody, Republican commissioner.

Joe Ward, commissioner challenger.

Charles Elders, Republican commissioner.

Republican victories in local politics are rare here. So rare that few predicted an election upset of such epic proportions four years ago, when three sitting Democrats were unseated from the county board in one fell swoop.

The three Democrats running as challengers now have framed themselves as the comeback kids. Only one — McMahan — was technically on the board the year of the

Stay tuned for more coverage of candidates running for Jackson County commissioner — along with a story dedicated to their positions on mountainside development and steep slope rules.

Also, check out our online voter’s guide and past election coverage, including an article on the Jackson County chairman’s race at www.smokymountainnews.com.

and Charles Elders for commissioner — countered that county government is running better than ever and they’ve made progress over the past four years.

Two candidates for Jackson County commissioner chairman — Jack Debnam and Brian McMahan — congratulate other on a job well-done following a debate last Thursday, despite being adversaries in the race.

It’s (not) my party

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SCC photo

But Brian McMahan, the Democratic challenger for chairman, questioned that bragging point. Most of the “Of the 586, most are routine, procedural agenda items that pretty much are non-debatable,” McMahan said.

Things like approving the minutes, ratifying department head reports, approving budget amendments.

“Those are not a Democratic or Republican issue,” McMahan said. “Those that were split votes were of significance.

Those 24 represent real issues where there is a difference of opinion.”

Debnam said Jackson is the only county in the state where neither party has the majority on the county board, and he believes it has brought balance.

“A split board has made things better in Jackson County,” he said. “We have done

good things with two Democrats, two Republicans and myself.”

Debnam said it isn’t easy to run as an independent. To get on the ballot four years ago and again this time, he has to collect a passel of petition signatures — he gathered 1,100 in all this time.

Running as a team has posed a conundrum for Debnam. On one hand, aligning with the Republican commissioners could hurt his chances. It certainly won’t gain him any Republican votes. There’s no bona fide Republican running for chairman — it’s just Debnam and Democrat Brian McMahan on the ticket — so Debnam is likely the most palatable choice for conservative voters, regardless of official staking himself out with the Republican candidate camp.

But buddying up with Republican running mates could hurt his chances with swing

Jackson candidates drill down on fracking

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Democratic challenger Joe Ward also said he would support an anti-fracking resolution at the county level.

The resolutions are little more than lip service, however, since the state rules as currently written expressly prevent local government from passing their own fracking laws that run counter to the states.

Still, county commissioners should stand up and do the right thing, Deitz said.

“If enough people in this state do that, then they will start listening and if they don’t we have still made a statement ourselves,” Deitz said.

“When we have an out of control legislature that tries to tie the hands of county government, it is a problem,” added McMahan, in one of several jabs the Democratic commissioner candidates took at the Republican-controlled General Assembly over the course of the debate.

But the sitting commissioners on stage at the forum — Jack Debnam, Charles Elders and Doug Cody — said a resolution on fracking is unnecessary.

“We have been assured by Jim Davis there would be no fracking in Western North Carolina,” Elders said, referencing the Republican state senator who represents the regions. “Gasses are formed in shale rock and there is no shale rock in Western North Carolina. Personally I don’t think there will be any fracking in Western North Carolina and I don’t want there to be.”

But the three sitting commissioners said their main rea-

Smoky Mountain News

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he three Democratic challengers in the Jackson County commissioners race took the sitting commissioners to task for their inaction on fracking at a candidate forum last week.

“If elected one of the first items on the agenda will be a resolution to oppose fracking in Jackson County and I will push for its adoption,” said Brian McMahan, a challenger for commissioner chairman. “Common sense tells you when you pump chemicals into the ground and contaminate well water that is not good for Jackson County.”

While fracking is primarily a state issue, some local leaders around the state have passed symbolic resolutions on fracking in various form or fashion — some outright opposing fracking on their home turf and others simply calling on the state to slow down, undertake thorough studies of unintended consequences and ensure standards are in place before green lighting the controversial energy exploration.

The three sitting Jackson commissioners up for re-election have declined to chime in with an anti-fracking resolution, however.

All three challengers said they would change that if elected.

“I am against this. Our water is the most precious thing we have,” said Boyce Deitz, a Democratic challenger for commissioner. “To do anything that would jeopardize that, I hate to use the word stupid, but it is kind of stupid.”

son for not passing an anti-fracking resolution was that the county’s existing industrial development ordinance dating to 2002 already does the job. It regulates asphalt plants, heavy industry and mining operations — limiting where they can be conducted to avoid impacts to neighbors — but doesn’t outright ban them.

“Our ordinance that has been in place 12 years would carry more weight than some resolution that has come up in the past six months,” Cody said.

Cody read extensively from the ordinance, which he was armed with at the debate.

Debnam said he “found it odd” that McMahan has apparently forgotten the county already has an ordinance on the books that regulates mineral extraction.

“We are in a lot better shape than most other counties in Western North Carolina and a lot better shape than the rest of the state,” Debnam said, citing the current ordinance. He said he would support a resolution protecting all the county’s natural resources, but “I don’t think we need to adopt one just to address fracking.”

For the record, Elders, Cody and Debnam all said they personally don’t want to see fracking in Jackson County.

McMahan replied that if they are against it as they say they are, then why not pass a resolution affirming that?

McMahan said the two Democratic commissioners on the county board — Vicki Green and Mark Jones, who aren’t up for election this go around — have asked for a fracking resolution to be put on the agenda.

“The chairman (Debnam) has removed it from the agenda and he admitted that himself,” McMahan said.

October 1-7, 2014

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he past four years have been the first in recent memory that Democrats haven’t held a majority on the Jackson County board.

But likewise, Republicans haven’t had the majority either — a point Chairman Jack Debnam is quick to point out, and points out often.

Debnam is an independent, ascribing to neither party. It was a historical anomaly not just in the mountains but the entire state when Debnam won a county commissioner seat as an unaffiliated candidate four years ago.

But he has been criticized by Democrats for really being a conservative at heart — his independent status merely a ruse to help his election chances with a Democratic-heavy electorate.

But in defense, Debnam pointed to his voting record.

“I voted with the Democrats 95 percent of the time. I also voted with the Republicans.

That’s because 95 percent of our votes were unanimous,” Debnam said.

Out of 586 votes by county commissioners over the past four years, 95.06 percent of them — to be exact — were unanimous. Only 24 — or 4.1 percent — were split votes.

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Tipping the scales

voters and moderates who question how independent Debnam really is if he is running as a team with Republicans.

At the forum, Debnam addressed the apparent incongruity of running as a team with Republicans on the one hand, despite his partisan independence. A split board is in Debnam’s interest. He needs the two Republican commissioners to win to balance out the two sitting Democrats not up for election this time.

Without a split board, Debnam couldn’t lead from the center.

The other two Republicans likewise touted their ability to work with Democrats and avoid split votes.

“Since we are a mixed board of two Democrats and two Republicans and an independent chairman, we have had to work together to get these things done,” Commissioner Doug Cody, a Republican running for re-election, said.

Still, McMahan questions how genuine it is to use the unanimous voting record as a litmus test of cooperation.

“The chair has so strictly controlled the agenda the more controversial votes have been denied access to the agenda in the first place,” McMahan said.

Some issues get decided by majority consensus without having a formal vote, like whether to give the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad a economic development loan.

Regardless, the course has been different than it would have been under a Democratic majority.

“This election is about a vision for the future and where we are going,” Democratic challenger Brian McMahan said in his closing remarks. “We are at a crossroads. Now is the time to grab ahold of the reigns and to lay the foundation. We cannot afford to stumble.”

17

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GAME ON, CONTINUED FROM 16 Debnam didn’t see that as an excuse.

“He inherited those loans eight years before he passed them on to me and neglected to do anything about them. I felt like we needed to do some housecleaning and couldn’t afford to wait eight more years,” Debnam said.

The debacle of the business revolving loan fund haunted past boards of commissioners for a decade, with no clear mechanism to collect from companies in arrears other than shutting down their operations and seize their assets as collateral.

McMahan countered that such a move wouldn’t have made sense.

“Do you go in there when someone isn’t making a loan payment and shut them down, when you got 30 people working at sewing machines, and that’s the only way they have for feeding their family?” McMahan said, referring to a loan on one small sewing factory in particular.

Cody countered that the collateral for loans should have at least been secured, citing equipment serving as collateral that went missing in one case.

“People were cannibalizing that plant and it had been going on for months. They were stealing anything they could carry out of it.

Where were these guys?” Cody asked.

Despite the current board’s claims of a good economic development track record, the challengers said more needs to be done to attract jobs.

“Every county in this country is trying to do the same thing and that’s create jobs. It’s tough. You are competing against all of them,” Deitz said. “We can do things to help our economy that is out of the box that we never think about.”

Ward agreed that more creative incentives need to be developed.

McMahan said the county hasn’t done enough to promote existing small businesses.

“If you buy and sell and trade in Jackson County, your return on investment goes so much further,” McMahan said.

Elders said he, too, wanted to support small businesses and perhaps recruit “some good chain restaurants” to locate in the county.

Smoky Mountain News

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Candidates on both sides agreed the pending property revaluation was the biggest looming challenge facing whoever got elected. The county’s property tax base is poised to take a huge hit as real estate values on the tax books are brought in line with real world values, a mandatory squaring up known as “revaluation.”

The plummeting value of high-end luxury homes and second-home lots will cause the tax base to shrink by as much as a third, according to current projections. That in turn means the county will have to either cut its budget by a third, raise the tax rate to make up the difference, or something in between.

The challengers said more should have been done in the year leading up to the reval to brace the public.

“We need a plan. We need to educate peo-

ple of this county right off the bat what is going to happen to them. This is going to be a tough thing. It is not going to be easy,” Deitz said.

Borrowing from his days as a high school football coach, Deitz said pointedly, “We’re going to have to tackle.”

“It is going to be a rough row to hoe,” agreed Ward, a farmer.

Ward said if elected, his team would start working on a plan right away.

Only Elders, one of the sitting Republican commissioners, seemed unrattled by the reval around the corner.

“That’s why we have a good county manager and good department heads. We’ve got people working on this right now as we speak,” said Elders, although it was technically 8:11 p.m. on a Thursday. “I believe by the time this reval takes place we are going to be in good shape.”

Debnam had to disagree with his fellow commissioner on that one, however.

“It is going to be a shock, and anybody who thinks it isn’t, or even thinks …,” Debnam said, but didn’t finish the sentence.

SPENDING TABLES

A few moments in the debate sported a role reversal from the normal party stance of Democrats and Republicans when it comes to budgets and spending.

The Democrats called for more belt tightening, while the sitting commissioners claimed county government was already lean.

“We have been tightening our belt and

Instant replay Video of last week’s Jackson commissioner candidate forum has been posted online courtesy of the Canary Coalition. Go to www.smokymountainnews.com and click on this story.

trimming where we can,” Debnam said.

“We have run an efficient, tight ship,” added Cody, a Republican.

The Democrats weren’t convinced.

“We are fooling ourselves if we say all of these departments are as efficient as they can be,” countered Deitz, a Democrat. “They are not. We can work at it. We know we can tighten our belts, all of us, and save some money everywhere and I think we are going to have to try to do that.”

McMahan said the county’s annual operating budget is $55 million now, higher than the $50 million it was four years ago under Democratic control.

Ward also questioned whether there has been growth in the number of county employees, although Debnam said there hadn’t been.

The Republican candidates and Debnam even bragged about their progressive spending, namely in the area of education and school projects, an uncommon stump for Republicans.

“We have been very generous with the school board and Southwestern Community College,” Cody said.

The current commissioners have increased annual funding for

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Fitness Challenge begins Oct. 6

October 1-7, 2014 Smoky Mountain News

f SCC by $400,000 and funded college building projects, Cody said. Likewise, the public school budget has been increased.

“Dr. Murray (Jackson Schools superintendent) told me they haven’t come to us and asked us for one thing we haven’t given them,” Debnam added.

During the forum, candidates were asked whether they would support a local sales tax increase if the revenue was devoted to public schools.

Ward, a Democrat, said ‘no’ to any new tax.

“I think I’ve got all I can stand and I think most of you all have, too,” Ward said.

But Elders, a Republican, said ‘yes.’

“This is a worthy cause and we have to keep our educational system number one and whatever it takes to keep our schools, let’s do it,” Elders said.

It was a rare turning-of-the-tables for a Republican to support for a tax increase in the name of schools and Democrat to take a stand against it.

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Fitness Challenge will kickoff at 5:30 p.m.

Oct. 6 at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

Participants can experience a variety of Haywood County fitness centers and private businesses offering activity classes up to 24 times over a six-week period. Participants can mix and match which centers they want to go to or they can exercise at one place.

Registration for the 2014 Fitness Challenge is Oct. 6 through Nov. 17 for only $10. Registration days take place at the following locations and times: • Monday, Oct. 6 — Waynesville Recreation Center (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

• Tuesday, Oct. 7 — Cooperative Extension (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

• Wednesday, Oct. 8 — Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

• Thursday, Oct. 9 — Urban Athletic Training Center (8 a.m. to 7 p.m.)

• Friday, Oct. 10 — The Fitness Connection (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Fitness centers and private business around the county will be offering activities ffor this year’s challenge, with a list of participating locations at www.healthyhaywood.org.

In addition to prizes and event promotion, proceeds from the registration fees are used to improve fitness and/or nutrition within the county through a mini grant. Community organizations and individuals who have an idea or project they would like to implement in the county that would encourage fitness and nutrition are encouraged to apply. This year, there will be more competition, because only one grant, instead of several, will be chosen. Guidelines and application are on the website, www.healthyhaywood.org, and due

by Dec. 1.

The Fitness Challenge is sponsored by Healthy Haywood, a program of the Haywood County Health Human Services Agency. mhauser@haywoodnc.net or 828.452.6675 (Ext. 2272) or www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com.

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news

District attorney race pits colleagues against each other

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER im Moore and Ashley Welch have been on the same team for years, working sideby-side in the district attorney’s office to put criminals behind bars, seek justice for victims and keep society safe in the seven western counties.

Both are at the top of their game. They’re the heavy hitters called in for the biggest, toughest and most horrific cases. They’re the coaches for other assistant district attorneys who need help constructing cases. And they’re the backup for detectives trying to build the right evidence for a water-tight case.

But now, these long-time legal allies are locked in a bitter battle for who will win the title of chief district attorney.

A fast-paced, lively forum featuring the two district attorney candidates was held at the Colonial Theatre in Canton last Sunday, sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Drugs in Our Midst antidrug abuse coalition.

For an hour, the candidates plowed through a nonstop barrage of 20 questions, with just two minutes to stake out positions on everything from prescription drug abuse to shortcomings of the legal system to their management style.

Moore, who’s been a lawyer for 28 years and prosecutor for 16, touted his longer legal career.

“Experience does matter,” Moore said.

“The difference is my longevity in this district. I have handled homicides in all seven counties.”

But Welch, who’s been out of law school only 11 years, held her own.

“I am known for being tough, but fair.

Aggressive and consistent. I am an open book. You know what you are going to get from me,” Welch said. “You won’t find anybody who works harder than I do. I work unbelievably hard.”

Their success as prosecutors has depended on the ability to win over strangers in a jury box with words, so it’s not surprising that both were well-prepared, fast on their feet, didn’t dodge questions and managed to hammer home campaign platforms — all within the confines of two-minute replies.

Most attending the forum already knew who they would vote for, donning buttons, stickers or shirts with the name of their favorite candidates. But exit interviews with audience members at the forum were devoid of the usual polarization and staunchly staked out positions.

For the most part, neither camp saw the opposing candidate as an abhorrent choice.

In fact, most acquiesced that either would likely do a fine job.

The district attorney’s race is partisan — Moore is running on the Democratic ticket and Welch on the Republican one.

Both said they would prefer it if the race was non-partisan, however, like judge’s races 20 are, since party persuasion really has no

CHIP OFF THE BLOCK Both Welch and Moore said they would take a more active role trying cases and be more visible to the public than the current DA, and their boss, Mike Bonfoey. Bonfoey is retiring after 10 years as district attorney.

“I plan on trying cases in all seven counties. People need to see their elected district attorney,” Welch said.

Moore agreed.

“I am still going to be in the courtroom.

When you are out there like that you are open and accessible to the public, not behind a locked door in the office,” Moore said.

Welch was ultimately more willing than Moore to draw a distinction between herself

THE POLICE VOTE Welch portrayed herself as the candidate that the law enforcement community is rooting for. Welch was assigned exclusively to Macon for several years before advancing to a “big-cases” prosecutor who went wherever she was needed, mostly across the five western-most counties.

“One of the things that struck me as odd and surprised and disappointed me is that my good working relationship with law enforcement in Macon wasn’t the norm,” Welch said.

That is something that needs to improve, she said.

“I am glad she challenged people to go and ask law enforcement. Please, go and ask them who they support,” Moore said. “From what I hear, I enjoy far more support than she does. I have a great rapport with law enforcement through all seven counties regardless of what she may think.”

Welch has the endorsement of a few sheriffs in the district, both current and former.

However, all the sheriffs who have openly endorsed Welch are Republican, like her.

Moore, however, hasn’t seen open endorsements from Democratic sheriffs or police chiefs. While no Democratic lawmen have come out publicly in support of Welch, they likewise haven’t publicly endorsed Moore.

Candidates were asked at the forum to address a public perception that charges are routinely dropped and reduced for some drug dealers, putting them back on the street Moore and Welch both said there are explanations, but those should be communicated better to law enforcement.

“We have got to work with law enforcement when they are building a good case so you have people in the DA’s office that are willing and able to prosecute them,” Welch said.

Moore agreed the prosecutor’s office

Smoky Mountain News

October 1-7, 2014

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bearing on carrying out the duties of the prosecutors office.

The following recap of their stance on top issues is taken in part from the forum and in part from follow-up interviews.

reference to staff allocation, however. He pledged not to shuffle the assigned territories of assistant prosecutors or get rid of anyone.

In terms of the tone and tenor of the DA’s office, Moore said he would do a better job answering and returning calls to victims and law enforcement, something he elaborated on in an interview after the forum.

“I am not Mike. Though we are good friends and he has been an employer of mine for 11 years, I would do things differently than he has done,” Moore said. “I tend to be more public. I tend to be more open.”

Ashley Welch hears from a constituent at a reception following a district attorney candidate forum in Canton Sunday.

Across the room, Jim Moore (right) also mingles with voters. Becky Johnson photos and Bonfoey, however. She even pointed out her perceived weaknesses of Bonfoey’s administration, from strained relations with some law enforcement to treatment of assistant prosecutors.

Candidates were asked in the forum what changes they would make.

“Well, not much to tell you the truth,” Moore said.

Welch said the opposite.

“I think there is a lot that needs to change,” Welch said. “If I didn’t think there was a lot that needed to change I wouldn’t be running.”

Welch cited the need for better communication with victims, law enforcement and the public. Cases shouldn’t be dismissed or charges lowered without the courtesy of telling cops and victims whom the case affects.

“I am hearing that complaint over and over again,” Welch said.

Moore’s “not much” comment when asked what he would change was primarily in

Coming Soon See next week’s edition for profiles of the district attorney candidates and what’s inspired them to run.

Also, check out The Smoky Mountain News online voter guide at www.smokymountainnews.com.

“You cannot talk down to them. You cannot demean them. When I ask law enforcement ‘Why are you so supportive of me?’ they say ‘You talk to us like you are just one of us.’

They don’t want to be disrespected in emails or talked down to in the courtroom. The mentality of how we treat law enforcement is from the top down. I am going to demand that law enforcement deserves our respect.”

Moore challenged the notion that Welch had a lock on the law enforcement vote.

could work more closely on the type of evidence and evidence threshold that’s needed for charges to stick.

Moore said he is known for always being accessible.

“I am known for being there when they need me,” Moore said. “That communication is vital to making better cases.”

Both candidates pledged to be tough on drunk driving and drug dealers. But they also said substance addiction treatment can be more appropriate than jail time for drug users who don’t have other crimes on their record.

THE GEOGRAPHIC BATTLE A race that spans such a large geographic territory — all the seven western counties — creates a unique dynamic when it comes to home turf advantage.

Moore hails from Haywood, the biggest bloc of voters in the district, easily outnum-

Welch said she would make the rounds to all seven counties regularly. But living in Macon is an asset, she said. She is in the middle of the seven-county district and can get to any county in under an hour.

“It can take you two hours to get from Haywood to Cherokee and that’s not good,” Welch said.

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ask,” Moore said.

There’s also other reasons, including internal politics, that have been cited in part for the resignation of the assistant prosecutor over Swain and Graham.

Welch said it was disingenuous for Moore to claim he wouldn’t shuffle any assistant prosecutors if elected. Does that include putting pressure on people until they leave?

“What happens is you constructively fire people,” Welch said.

LOADED DOCKET A huge challenge facing whoever gets elected is a record number of murder cases pending in the seven western counties — around 12.

“I have talked to a number of older attorneys who remember back three decades and no one remembers the number of murder cases that have occurred in such a short period of time,” Moore said.

It will create a burden for the team of assistant prosecutors to keep the rest of the courts humming while handling the load of labor-intensive murder cases.

“It is a challenge but it’s one I think I am best equipped to handle due to my experience in trying not just murder cases but death penalty cases,” Moore said.

State lawmakers decide how many assistant prosecutor positions each judicial district gets, and chances are slim of getting any more.

“The only way we can resolve any backlogs is take the resources we have and throw more of them at that problem until it is resolved. I am the additional resource we don’t have right now,” Moore said, saying he will be boots on the ground trying cases.

Welch agreed, and offered a similar solution.

“It is a huge challenge. We only have so many court sessions a year and you can only get ready for so many homicides at a time,” Welch said. “I am still going to try cases.”

October 1-7, 2014

A large part of the district attorney’s job is playing air traffic controller. The annual case load numbers around 50,000 in the seven western counties.

The challenge of managing such a huge court docket across a sprawling geographic district, spanning from Waynesville to Murphy, is daunting.

There’s seven courthouses, half a dozen district attorney offices to man, and dozens of court schedules in play, from traffic court to juvenile court, with crimes ranging from illegal dug possession to DUIs to child rapes to murders.

The district attorney must dispatch a team of 10 assistant prosecutors over the vast region to get the job done. Welch and Moore have different approaches to how they would organize and allocate the team.

Moore supports the current structure that’s been in play historically: primarily assigning each assistant prosecutor to handle all the cases, big or small, for a given county.

Smaller counties might share a prosecutor, while larger ones like Haywood have more than one assigned to the larger caseload.

“I have made a pledge to keep everyone in the exact same jobs they are in now. No changes whatsoever,” Moore said. As far as the staff goes I wouldn’t change anything.”

But Welch said it is time for a change.

While the current system worked for a long time, the caseload has grown.

“We have a lot more cases and a lot more serious cases to manage today,” Welch said.

“Asking someone to get ready for a first-

degree rape of a child takes more time than anyone can comprehend. If you have them in charge of a county and they are in district court until 5 p.m. on a Thursday trying a DUI case, but they need to be in court picking a jury on a Monday morning in a child rape case, that’s not good.”

So Welch wants to reorganize. Rather than prosecutors handling all the cases within a county — from a speeding ticket to a murder — prosecutors will focus on either Superior Court or District Court, but cover a larger area, perhaps even three or four counties.

Moore said that system works in a larger urban district that’s not so spread out. Some prosecutors do only District Court, and others do only Superior. And while there could be seven courts going on in one day in Asheville, they all are happening in the same courthouse — not spread out over seven counties.

That’s why geographic territories work better out here, Moore said.

“You are going to be driving to all these different counties and that is more time lost on the road,” Moore said.

But Moore also said he doesn’t want anyone to worry about losing their job or having it changed on them.

Welch said her plan will better align assistant prosecutors with their strengths, however.

“Their talents are not being utilized appropriately,” Welch said.

The downside of assigning prosecutors to a particular territory has played out in Swain County. Its caseload is usually low enough that one prosecutor covered both Swain and Graham. But then a rash of several complex murders happened in those two counties, and the routine daily caseload suffered, creating a backlog.

“You put too much pressure on one person and no one person can do that effectively and that’s how you end up losing people. They get burned out and they quit,” Welch said.

But Moore disagreed.

“We have been given support whenever we needed help. All we’ve had to do was

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bering in population three or four of the smaller western counties combined.

Moore is better known in Haywood, where he goes to church and has coached myriad youth sports, and that could help him there.

But Welch could pull in a larger share of support from the far west, where there’s resentment of Haywood’s dominance over the judicial system. She downplayed the advantage that would give her in the far west, however.

“I think there will be some that say ‘You know I think it is time we have someone from the west running this office,’ but if you see an enormous number of votes coming from the five western counties, I think it will be because people in the west know who I am,” Welch said.

Haywood has historically been home to the majority of judges and prosecutors. But that is starting to balance out, with more judges now hailing from counties other than Haywood.

But there hasn’t been a district attorney from a county other than Haywood for 30 years.

While there are smaller offices for prosecutors to work out of in the other six county courthouses, the main office is in Haywood. Moore has questioned whether Welch will move the main DA office out of Haywood if elected.

The last time there was a DA from outside Haywood — namely Marcellus Buchanan from Jackson County — he moved the main DA’s office to Jackson.

Welch squashed that rumor, however.

“I don’t plan on moving the DA’s office anywhere,” Welch said, citing that the bulk of the population and cases remain in Haywood. And if nothing else, there’s just not room in any of the other courthouses, particularly not in Macon or Jackson, Welch said.

Still, Welch said she will be attuned to the entire district.

“The people in Graham County and Macon County are no less important than the people in Haywood County,” Welch said.

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Opinion Burning the couch and chair, now that’s practical T Smoky Mountain News

Fracking is a ticking time bomb

To the Editor: As someone with 25-plus years of experience in water and wastewater equipment design, manufacture and installation, I can guarantee that 100 percent of fracked wells will fail at some point in the future and they will release their residual gases and chemicals into our air, water and on our land. All well casings are made with carbon steel, and that material rusts and corrodes upon contact with dissimilar minerals (metals) and moisture. No fracked well is safe, so we are putting millions of wells throughout the USA and our environment at risk along with our precious drinking water and our air quality while transferring this liability to the landowners and their heirs since the fracking companies will be long gone with their profits.

We need to stop fracking and evaluate this serious threat. If terrorists began injecting these chemicals into our lands, we would be at war. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, co-authored this fracking bill and all Republicans including our governor approved it without apparent

the game on pause and step out onto the deck to see what else might be in the queue, but all I see is a smoldering pile of ashes and the blackened metal remains of half a living room suite.

I’m actually kind of bummed that I did not get to see the couch burn. First, that couch and I go back a ways and I did not even get a chance to say goodbye. Second, I have never seen a couch burn, so there is a certain novelty factor. Third, I’m a little curious why my wife has chosen today to become a pyromaniac.

I come back inside and bump into her at the top of the stairs. She smells like burning furniture, but looks happy.

“I burned up the couch that was in the guest room,” she says. “That Columnist hideous recliner, too. I mean, they’re just gone now.”

“So I hear,” I say. “What’s up? Or should I say, ‘What’s next?’”

“I’m taking over the guest room,” she says. “And I need more space.”

She needs more space. Believe me, I understand. The closets are so full, it takes two of us to press the doors closed — turn the knob to open one, and we risk a broken nose from the sheer force of stuff pushing out, like a dam bursting, unleashing a torrent of stuff. I know it’s dangerous. The shelves, all of them, are covered over with stuff. It is like kudzu, threatening to swallow the entire house by the end of the year. Something has got to be done about it, all of this clutter. There is no room left for anything, not in this house, no space for a hairpin, no place to put a pocketful of change.

When we lived in town several years ago, we would accumulate enough stuff — reach a certain density, a certain point of “stuff saturation” — and then we would have a yard sale.

But now we live out in the country, where there is simply not enough traffic to warrant a yard sale. Now we either burn stuff,

Chris Cox

ammy is out in the yard burning the couch. There is no telling where this will end. All by herself, she somehow managed to push and pull an overstuffed sofa out of our guest bedroom, through the downstairs den, and out the backdoor into the yard, where she proceeded to push it end over end from one side of the yard to the other to our burn pile.

Then she set it aflame. Perhaps next year, they can add this as an event in the Highland Games along with the caber toss and the Scottish hammer throw — the sofa roll and burn. She is so gratified to see the couch reduced to its blackened metal frame — the charred bones of some prehistoric beast — that she soon adds a faded maroon recliner to the pile.

I have no idea. I’m in the bedroom watching the Panthers playing the Ravens when my son drops in to check the score and watch the game for a series or two.

“Where’s mom?” I ask, reaching for a handful of tortilla chips.

“Oh, she’s outside burning the furniture,” Jack said.

It is football season, which means that our bedroom — on Sunday afternoons from September until the Super Bowl in February — has become NFL Central. Every Sunday, all interested family members (my son and I) pile up on the bed to watch the Carolina Panthers play. Then there is another game, and one after that on Sunday nights.

This weekend, Tammy decided that she had had enough.

She decided that she would claim the guest room downstairs as her own space, a football free zone, if you will, a place where she could seek refuge on a Sunday afternoon and read her novels or work on new projects or anything else she wants to do.

She decided that the couch would have to go, along with that maroon recliner, which reclines only if you use an adjustable wrench to work the broken handle and which has remained vacant for a couple of years, though the dog finds it a cozy place to hide from the new kitten.

She ripped up the carpet, too. She always hated that carpet.

If mom is burning the furniture, I suppose I had better put

long-term oversight or concern for the people. Perhaps it is time to send a message this November that people and their property rights should come before profits.

Larry Stenger Franklin

Why textbooks matter even now To the Editor: Although Speaker Thom Tillis, RMecklenburg, and his fellow Republicans Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, like to tout their $1 billion increase in funding for public education, they have little to say about how little of that money actually reaches the classroom.

Funding for textbooks has remained at around $23 million for the past three years, a considerable drop from the $111 million allocated in the 2009-10 fiscal year. That means that school districts now receive $14.26 per student as opposed to the $67.15 they received some six years ago. The result is that in many districts students are no longer

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donate it, or take it to the dump.

But what about the small stuff, the knickknacks and artifacts, tattered shirts and non-functioning typewriters, boxes full of banners and bumper stickers and wallets and old magazines and cigarette lighters that haven’t sparked in 20 years?

He doesn’t even smoke anymore! Why not burn that stuff, instead of a perfectly functional — well, a mostly functional — couch and chair?

Here’s why. We do not save these things because they have a practical use. We are not even saving them because they have sentimental value, not exactly. It goes much deeper than that.

We save them because they provide a tangible link to the past, something tactile. Have you seen the movie “Dead Zone,” where Christopher Walken has a car wreck one night on the way home from his girlfriend’s house and wakes up from a coma years later to find that his mother burned all his stuff ... no wait, that’s not it. He wakes up to find that when he grabs hold of a person, he has the ability to see the future in rich and vivid detail.

For pack rats, it is just the opposite. Grab onto an old baseball glove, and suddenly you are whisked into a past so real and vibrant that you can taste the Red Man chewing tobacco in your jaw. Slip into your Fleetwood Mac T shirt, and there you are again in the backseat of a rusty blue Nova, drinking Boones Farm wine out of the bottle and speculating on the various rumors about this girl or that one. Was that Sandra in Jake’s Ford pickup? You’re KIDDING, right?

We all do what we can to hold onto the past, while leaving enough space for the present. I guess that burning furniture is just part of that reality. If the neighbors look at us funny, so be it.

(Chris Cox, who lives in Haywood County, is the author of two books, Waking Up in a Cornfield and his new book, The Way We Say Goodbye. You can purchase his books online from his website, www.chriscoxbooks.com, or contact him at jchriscox@live.com.)

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786. issued textbooks; rather there are class sets, which must remain in the classroom, and many of these are held together by duct tape.

In 2017 when state funding shifts to digital textbooks, this issue will not fade away.

According to June Atkinson, state superintendent of public instruction, it will take approximately $75 million to provide the necessary computers or electronic tablets. Add to that the cost of software. This shift assumes, of course, that students have access to the Internet at home. If not, will we find students and their parents clustered at Starbucks or McDonalds where free wi-fi makes completing homework possible.

Despite an increase of 43,700 students since 2008-09, the funding for classroom activities (which includes textbooks) has declined by $1 billion, according to Philip Price, CFO for the Department of Public Instruction. So what Tillis and the Republicans in the state House have given with one hand, they have taken away with the other. On Nov. 4, we should tell them that textbooks do matter.

Lynda Self Waynesville

Fracking debate needs more research, facts To the Editor: The letter writer on fracking in the Sept.

17-23 issue of The Smoky Mountain News appears to have been influenced by the bombastic and fictional style of the extreme right. He begins by demeaning those who are critical of fracking and suggests they are unAmerican.

S EE LETTERS, N EXT PAGE

arlier this year, I called for a state commitment to raise teacher pay to the national average in the next four years. It was a bold proposal, but that’s what leaders do.

Since that time, teachers got a raise, but what they didn’t get was a commitment. State lawmakers need to go back to the drawing board if they are going to show teachers that they are valued.

I recently met a veteran public school teacher who moved to North Carolina in the late 1990s because our state made a serious long-term commitment to invest in public education. Central to our commitment Guest Columnist was not only providing a fair and competitive pay structure for teachers, but we also reduced class sizes, added accountability, hired teaching assistants and incentivized both professional development and student achievement.

The result? North Carolina led the nation in math score improvement on the National Assessment of Education Progress. Unfortunately this teacher and dozens of others that I have spoken to recently almost uniformly say they would not have pursued teaching in North Carolina had they known what was to come.

It’s not just poor pay, but working conditions for teachers have deteriorated with rising class sizes, fewer textbooks and supplies, cuts in teaching assistants and political leadership that too often disparages teachers.

While both political parties deserve to share some of the blame, the fact is that as our economy improves, the current state leadership continues to keep our public schools on a bare subsistence diet and makes education policies that are

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October 1-7, 2014

Jim Hunt

opinion

Let’s show real respect for teachers

LETTERS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

Smoky Mountain News

The truth is that fracking and the related drilling have been shown to cause contamination of ground water and earthquakes in at least three different states. Some of these effects are noted as much as 15 to 20 miles from the drilling site. Concerns about fracking are neither “hysterical” nor “unpatriotic” as the writer asserts. The concerns are based on facts, not propaganda of oil and gas companies.

Hysteria did not “prevent” development of nuclear power. The valid environmental concerns (Three Mile Island in the U.S., Chernobyl in Russia) and costs of not just safe construction of plants but also disposal of nuclear wastes caused nuclear energy to be economically uncompetitive. Maybe the writer would volunteer to store some nuclear wastes in his basement since the government can’t seem to find a place to put it.

The writer claimed that “… someone would go insane …” from the noise wind farms generate. I have actually visited a wind farm in Illinois some years ago and did not hear any bothersome or even noticeable noise from the big turbines. Maybe the writer should visit such a farm, or maybe his hearing is more acute.

The discussion needs more facts and less ad hominem attacks.

Norman G. Hoffman, Ph.D. Waynesville 24

an affront to teachers, especially experienced ones.

Teachers are a smart bunch. The recent pay raises have been sold as 7 percent — but that’s not what many teachers are seeing in their paychecks. Young teachers are getting a modest raise, but those veteran teachers who have worked and sacrificed to give our children a good education have seen the longevity pay they counted on abolished.

And the new salary schedule treats them very unfairly. A teacher in Clayton wrote that she got a raise of only $47.60 per month. One Wake County teacher told WRAL-TV that when she saw her increase was only 1.39 percent she “sat down and cried.”

Not surprisingly, many North Carolina teachers are voting against education cuts with their feet. States like Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Texas are actively recruiting them. (The Houston School District just hired 28.) Other teachers are retiring early, and many top teachers are going into better-paying jobs in business and science.

I think we should be especially alarmed by the message current policies and low teacher pay is sending to the young people of North Carolina who should be our “future teachers.” Enrollment in Schools of Education on our University of North Carolina campuses has dropped precipitously. I received my undergraduate degree in the School of Education at North Carolina State University. Over the last several years new enrollment in my alma mater’s program has gone down every single year — a drop of 52 percent in four years. At UNC-Greensboro (my teacher mother’s alma mater) total undergraduate enrollment in the School of Education has gone down 44 percent in the last six years.

Where will our future teachers come from? Will we even have enough to teach our kids?

Once North Carolina had a Teaching Fellows Program

Let your voice be heard at the ballot box To the Editor: By this means I thank N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, for presenting the fracking forum in Macon County to afford his constituents the opportunity to at least attend a meeting where Senate Bill 786, the Energy Modernization Act, was discussed.

The Energy Modernization Act is the overreaching bill that lifts the moratorium on issuing state permits for hydraulic fracturing for gas, or fracking. The law allows companies to start the processes that will lead to fracking with much protection for those who will profit most, little concern for the health and safety of the people who will someday, somehow be impacted, and a callous disregard for the earth that sustains all of us.

Sen. Davis is proud to have been one of the bill’s sponsors. His constituents were not heard before the law passed. Now the local governments that more directly represent us are rendered powerless in protecting our land and our lives. Our Franklin Board of Aldermen and our Macon County Commission, as well as all other local government units in the state, are prohibited from passing any ordinances “that in any manner are in conflict or inconsistent with the provisions” of SB786.

The Forum was not designed to give attendees information and respond to the

that attracted “the best and brightest” of our students with four-year scholarships if they promised to teach for four years or more. Now the legislature has abolished it.

I believe the status of our public schools and teachers is the No. 1 concern of North Carolina’s resident today. Some say we don’t have the resources and can’t do any better. I know that we can. Republican Gov. Jim Holshouser believed we could when he supported the establishment of public kindergarten in 1973 and raised teacher pay to 27th in the nation.

In 1996 I campaigned for governor on a platform of raising teacher pay to the national average. In 1997 we built a bipartisan coalition with support from Democrats and Republicans, business leaders, education advocates and teachers to support the Excellent Schools Act. And over the next four years we increased teacher pay by almost 33 percent, raising pay to the national average and 20th in the country.

It is my hope that when the General Assembly convenes in 2015, there will be a new sense of cooperation and a firm commitment to do three things: • First, respect veteran teachers by restoring longevity pay and giving them the minimum 5.5 percent raise they were sold.

• Second, increase salaries for all teachers, moving North Carolina to the national average in the next four years.

• Third, improve working conditions for our teachers and send the message that North Carolina values its teachers.

That will show the real respect that North Carolina teachers deserve.

(Jim Hunt, a Democrat from Wilson, served four terms as governor of North Carolina from 1977 to 1985 and 1993 to 2001).

valid concerns most people had. The panel consisted of a Lee County Commissioner who is a member and former chairman of the Mining and Energy Commission, a geologist who serves as the science and energy advisor to the N.C. Senate, a Republican senator from Mocksville, and a member of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League.

This cool-headed lady was the lone voice crying in the wilderness, courageously and vainly trying to balance the distorted rosy picture painted by the other panelists of all the good things that fracking will bring us. Sen. Davis politely gave her the opportunity to respond to each question but this effort at fairness could not mitigate the stacking of the deck three to one.

As to the other panelists, the MEC member gave a slide presentation that was a slick hard-sell tactic probably similar to what BP used getting permission to drill in the Gulf.

The Republican senator must have forgotten where he was because he did not respond to questions but rather delivered one campaign speech after another, complete with family history, his contributions to the welfare of his constituents, promises of good-paying jobs from fracking, and his love of God and country. The only thing missing was babies to kiss. Unfortunately, the clock kept ticking as he kept on stomping.

The three pro-fracking panelists were not unbiased, honest believers in the merits of fracking but rather zealots with vested interests in convincing the public that

fracking would be like manna from heaven. I knew this was true when the geologist compared the potassium that can be one of many unpronounceable and mystery chemicals in the fracking mix to the potassium in our breakfast bananas. And this geologist is a real scientist?

The insult compounding the above injuries was hurled by the MEC member who in a closing rant tried to suggest that being opposed to fracking was unpatriotic and disregarded the lives sacrificed in defending our nation. His words were so hurtful and arrogant that a member of the audience felt compelled to respond even though the public had been barred from making any comments.

Sen. Davis stated that only about 10 percent of the questions submitted had been answered and committed to respond to the rest through his legislative address at Jim.Davis@ncleg.net. I appreciate his willingness to hear from his constituents though more questions could have been answered if the panelists had been limited to answering the questions and not promoting their personal agendas. What I appreciate most is Sen. Davis’ reminding the public that we still have a voice in expressing our opposition to all the ills associated with fracking. He reminded us of his support for SB786 and that he is running for reelection this November. Our voices can speak loud and clear at the ballot box.

Olga F. Pader Franklin

tasteTHEmountains 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 A TASTE OF NEW ORLEANS 67 Branner Ave., Waynesville, 828.246.0885. 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week. Curtis Henry opened A Taste of New Orleans to cater to the locals and become the place that’s always open that you can rely on for different, flavorful dishes every day.

Serving Cajun, French and Creole Cuisine in a lovingly restored space, Curtis looks forward to serving you up a delicious dish soon.

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.

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

Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts. Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily. Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

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

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

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 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 expe-

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rience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday & Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. closed Sunday. Chef owned and operated. Our salads are made in house using local seasonal vegetables. Fresh roasted ham, turkey and Roast Beef used in our hoagies.

We hand make our own Eggplant & Chicken Parmesan, Pork Meatballs and Hamburgers.

We use 1st quality fresh not pre-prepared products to make sure you get the best food for a reasonable price. We make Vegetarian, Gluten Free and Sugar Free items. Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are. We are now open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights by customer request, so come join us and find out what all the talk is about.

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.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. – 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 a.m. to 2 p.m. 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 6 p.m., and dinner is served starting at 7 p.m. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations.

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 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

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October 1-7, 2014

Murder Mystery Dinner:

‘Whack Job’ Saturday, Oct. 4 • 6 pm 3 COURSE DINNER WITH WINE & MYSTERY $45/PERSON + TAX & GRATUITY

Lunch is Back!

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

Bookstore & Cafe Est. 2013

Local coffee, fresh pastries, ice cream & more

Purchase your tickets here!

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828-454-6777

Located across from the Terrace Hotel in the Harrell Center • 710 N. Lakeshore Dr.

lakejunaluska.com/bookstore

$20/Advance $25/Door

Vegetarian & Fresh Fish Classic local American options available. comfort foods, craft beers & small batch bourbons Check out our weekly & whiskey. Join us for drink specials.

Prime Rib Thursdays.

828.586.3555 617 W. Main St. Sylva NC www.MadBatterFoodandFilm.com

Smoky Mountain News

11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M. DINNER NIGHTLY AT 4 P.M. MONDAY-SATURDAY

Serving Lunch Wed-Fri 11:30-2 & Sunday Brunch 11-2

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. • Dinner Nightly at 4 p.m. • CLOSED ON SUNDAY 454 HAZELWOOD AVENUE • WAYNESVILLE Call 828-452-9191 for reservations 260-61

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tasteTHEmountains 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.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville. 828.452.6000.

Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue.

Kitchen opens at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday serving freshly prepared small plate and tapas-style fare. Enjoy local, regional, or national talent live each Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. www.classicwineseller.com.

Also on facebook and twitter.

October 1-7, 2014

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.7179. Reservations recommended.

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

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

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

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

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

Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837.

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

Enjoy fresh local products, created daily.

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

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

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

Reservations appreciated.

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

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

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

828.586.3555. Open Tuesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Hand-tossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch. Beer and wine. Free movies with

showtimes at 6:30 and 9 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Visit madbatterfoodandfilm.com for this week’s shows.

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

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.

ORGANIC BEANS COFFEE COMPANY 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.668.2326. Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Happily committed to brewing and serving innovative, uniquely delicious coffees — and making the world a better place.

100% of our coffee is Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Organic, all slow-roasted to bring out every note of indigenous flavor. Bakery offerings include cakes, muffins, cookies and more. Each one is made from scratch in Asheville using only the freshest, all natural ingredients available. We are proud to offer gluten-free and vegan options.

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

Live Music

www.CityLightsCafe.com

FRIDAY, OCT. 3 • 6PM Kara Chambers Art Opening

SID’S

FREE APPETIZERS Music w/ Andrew Danner • 7 pm

——————————————————

ON MAIN

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SUNDAY BRUNCH 9-3

DOWNTOWN SYLVA • NC

117 Main Street, Canton NC

Mon.-Fri. 7-4 Sat. 8-4

828.492.0618 • SidsOnMain.com Serving Lunch & Dinner

Smoky Mountain News

Whole Cakes, Pies & Fall Goodies – Call 828-631-9856

UPCOMING EVENTS 260-06

SATURDAY, OCT. 4

Arnold Hill 26

83 Asheville Hwy. Sylva Music Starts @ 9 • 631.0554

A million miles away is just down the road. visitnc.com

236-50 260-51

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tasteTHEmountains 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.

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.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400.

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

baked fresh every morning in Waynesville.

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

Locally owned and operated.

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

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

Located across from the Fire Station.

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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.

THAI SPICE 128 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.454.5400. Lunch: Tuesday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday noon to 3 p.m. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday 4:30 to 9 p.m. Closed Monday. Thai Spice, an authentic Thai restaurant, warmly welcomes you to experience a superb dinning experience. Don’t be timid, the food comes mild, medium, hot and Thai Hot. You choose. www.thaispicewnc.com

PIN HIGH Masters Landing

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY

BEIGNETS, GUMBOS AND MORE

October 1-7, 2014

FREE BEER OR WINE

DISHES TO SUIT EVERY PALATE - SPICY & NON-SPICY DISHES

A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY

holiday parties now!

Contact Brenna Moore at

828-926-4848

1819 Country Club Drive Maggie Valley, NC

W W W . M A G G I E VA L L E Y C L U B . C O M 260-82

Smoky Mountain News

FIRST BEER OR WINE IS ON THE HOUSE WITH ANY ENTREE PURCHASE OF $8 OR MORE

Book your

MON-FRI: 10AM - 9:30PM SAT & SUN - 8AM - 10PM CLOSED TUESDAY

Boiled Crawfish Saturdays

67 BRANNER AVE WAYNESVILLE

828-246-0885

Former Maria’s Mexican Location

Free WiFi

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

The heartbeat of a community

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER It never ceases to amaze Lorraine Conard.

“It’s a little bit magical,” she said. “You walk in and there’s this energy and excitement, a heartbeat within the community — I’m always so grateful and thankful for the people who come in.”

Sitting in the front room of The Strand at 38 Main in downtown Waynesville, Lorraine and her husband Rodney are the owners of the movie theatre. A beloved destination for many years within the town, it lay dormant for far too long, only to be purchased, renovated and revived by the young couple.

“The last year has really been a rollercoaster, and we’ve learned so much,” Lorraine said.

“It’s been incredibly challenging and rewarding, too — it’s a huge job.”

On any given weekend, The Strand will screen an array of films, from blockbuster superhero flicks to romantic comedies, foreign sensations to cinema classics and children’s favorites.

“We’re trying to figure out the best give and take, what people are interested in and are looking to see,” Rodney said. “I remember seeing ‘Flash Gordon’ here when I was a kid, and it’s great to be able to provide this place for families and people to come and enjoy the movies.”

CONNECTING THE DOTS

BREATH OF NEW LIFE

After a handful of goodhearted attempts to bring the theatre back to life, the Conards bought it out of foreclosure. The space would serve two purposes, as a main office for the couRodney and Lorraine Conard, owners of The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. ple’s daytime business that specializes in barThe revitalized movie theatre just launched their new dessert lounge amid other code scanning, and as an entertainment hub of changes to the community business. Garret K. Woodward photo Waynesville at night. But, that initial plan shifted as responsibilities and the continual evolution of the theatre takes up more and more of their time.

“It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle,” Lorraine smiled. “The original “The small town movie theatre goal what to have it just be a fun thing in downtown, have a theatre on the side of our business, and help bring more traffic and is a disappearing wonder. It’s people to town, but that hasn’t been the case.”

When films weren’t being screened, live music takes center getting lost in so many place stage. Acts from across the country and around the world find and we have a chance to their way to The Strand. One night there may be a renowned Appalachian storyteller, the next an acoustic duo from Vermont, keep it alive here. ” only to follow that up with a local old-time string band or blue— Lorraine Conard grass outfit.

“It’s great to be able to offer all kinds of music, but it can be

Want to go?

Films and live music are currently being held at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Ranging from classics to children’s favorites, foreign sensations to blockbuster action epics, movie screenings are at 7 p.m.

Tuesday and Wednesday, 7:45 p.m. Friday; 2, 5 and 7:45 p.m. Saturday; and 2 and 4 p.m.

also nerve-wracking because a lot of these groups are from outof-town and might be so well known,” Rodney said. “But, for tonight’s show, we’re expected a packed house.”

That evening, virtuoso Celtic fiddler Jamie Laval rolled into the theatre. The U.S National Scottish Fiddle Champion, Laval has played with Dave Matthews and also performed personally for Her Majesty the Queen in England. The Conards are not only excited for the impending show, but also for the folks from far and wide in Southern Appalachia that will trickle in shortly for a memorable evening.

“We’re trying to fill a niche,” Lorraine said. “So many people go to Asheville for entertainment, and we want to be able to provide that same kind of atmosphere in their own town.”

Sunday. Tickets are $6 per person, $4 for children. There is also a $3 ticket for the Saturday matinee. Saturday morning cartoons will also be shown at 11 a.m. and is free to attend. The film “How to Train Your Dragon 2” will be shown Oct. 3-5 and 7-8, with the documentary “Cataloochee” Oct. 11 and 18, the comedy “Young Frankenstein” Oct. 21-22 and 24-25, and the Alfred

With a solid foundation of film and live music throughout the week, The Strand recently transformed their entrance room into a “Dessert Lounge.” Where before you could get popcorn and snacks before sitting down to a movie, you can now get an array of local products. With artisan organic soda N from the Waynesville Soda Jerks still a mainstay at the establishment, patrons can also purchase a variety of locally made products, including handmade ice cream from The Hop in Asheville, cakes and pretzels from Just Simply Delicious, brownies from Scottish fiddle sensation Jamie Laval Lenoir Bakery, items performing at The Strand. Wayne Ebinger photo from Breaking Bread Café, baked goods from City Bakery a few doors down and craft beer from BearWaters and Frog Level breweries across town, among others.

“The Dessert Lounge has it’s own separate life and vibe,” Lorraine said. “People can stroll downtown, come in and get an ice cream or a slice of cake and a cappuccino.”

And as night falls upon the mountainous landscape of Western North Carolina once again, the marquee lights of The Strand illuminate. Like a lighthouse it calls out for all those in search of simpler time all to often forgotten in a modern world, where a scoop of ice cream or sitting down to a favorite flick is a moment to reflect and revel in the magic of life.

“The small town movie theatre is a disappearing wonder,” Lorraine said. “It’s getting lost in so many place and we have a chance to keep it alive here. This is our community space, this is our theatre, your theatre, everybody’s theatre — come here and be part of the magic.”

Hitchcock murder thriller “Psycho” Oct. 2829 and Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

Live music will also be performed by singersongwriter Chris Minick on Oct. 2, with singersongwriter Buddy Mondlock Oct. 23 and the album release party for Vermont acoustic duo The DuPont Brothers. Tickets are $10 for Minick and $15 for Mondlock, with both shows beginning at 7:45 p.m. Tickets for The DuPont

Brothers are $10, with the show at 8:30 p.m.

The dessert lounge is also opened to the public either attending an event or simply strolling by through downtown. The lounge features an array of ice creams, handmade local sodas, craft beers, baked goods and snacks.

For complete film/live music listings, times and more information, call 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

The Claire Lynch Trio.

Donated photo

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5 Want to go?

SMN: So, where was your launch pad for bluegrass music then?

CL: It was right then and there, at that festival. There were two bands that day, The McLain Family Band and this other opening band. I went into the concert and there were a couple of dudes I knew from high school playing in the opening band (Hickory Wind), and I went up to them to say hello and from there I rekindled an old friendship with one of the players Larry Lynch, who I ended up marrying and playing with for 25 years.

SMN: Why is it important that bluegrass music be perpetuated and remain vibrant in a modern world?

CL: Because it’s real, don’t you think?

There’s a lot of plastic stuff out there today.

Pop music, a lot of it lately, is cookie-cutter and enhanced in so many ways, graphically and audibly. Universally, we all have desires and those things can be communicated in a primitive way though music. I think people want to be grounded or closer to the earth — bluegrass music makes that connection.

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SMN: When you got started in bluegrass in the early 1970s, there weren’t a lot of females fronting bands.

CL: I didn’t give it any thought really. I was used to the male dominance in the scene and it was no skin off of my back. I knew a lot of women who entered the bluegrass world when I did that were offended, but I didn’t feel that way. I think the audience thought we were a breath of fresh air because I was a girl. There were definitely people behind our backs who said we weren’t part of bluegrass, but I didn’t get any of that from people in our scene and those at the festivals.

Friday, October 3 6-9 p.m.

Ben Wilson on Vocals & Guitar

October 1-7, 2014

Claire Lynch likes to blur lines.

Born and raised in Upstate New York, she eventually moved away, crossing the Mason-Dixon Old-time/swing singer Russ Wilson will Line for Alabama at age 12. She perform at 7 p.m. Oct. 11 at The Classic carried in her mind the sounds of Wineseller in Waynesville. the 1960s folk scene of ColorFest: Dillsboro Fine Arts & Crafts Fair will Greenwich Village in Manhattan be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 in and show tunes echoing from the downtown. record player in her childhood home. Soon, she’d cross paths Newgrass band Mangas Colorado will perform down South with country and at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 at Nantahala Brewing in bluegrass melodies radiating Bryson City. from Nashville and beyond.

Maggie Valley Oktoberfest will be held from 10 She was a musical sponge, a.m. to 11 p.m. Oct. 3-4 at the festival blurring the lines between intergrounds. states, influence and intent.

As a teenager, she began Christian rock singer and American Idol consearching for new music, people testant Colton Dixon will perform at 6 p.m. Oct. and places. She eventually found 12 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. herself at a bluegrass festival in Huntsville, Ala., in 1973. It was there she laid her eyes on the power of string music, and also her future husband, who opened the show. The couple began collaborating together, with Lynch Acclaimed bluegrass singer Claire Lynch coming into her own. Her words found will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, at themselves on recordings by Kathy Mattea the Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie and Patty Loveless, while her voice backed Valley. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. greats like Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Tickets, which include dinner and the perEmmylou Harris. formance, are $60. Reservations are Now 60, Lynch has garnered quite a sucrequired. 828.926.1401 or cessful career as a leading lady in bluegrass. www.cataloocheeranch.com.

She is a three-time International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the time she heard a banjo changed her life, and Year winner (1997, 2010 and 2013) and was also nominated in 2013 for the IBMA Album why blurring lines in her life and music gives her the ultimate advantage in the entertainof the Year with her release “Dear Sister.” ment industry — perspective.

Lynch will be performing at the Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie Valley Smoky Mountain News: You grew up in on Oct. 5.

New York in the 1960s. What were your The Smoky Mountain News recently early musical influences? caught up with Lynch as she prepared to Claire Lynch: There was a lot of music head out for the 2014 IBMA award show in around me. As a child, most of it was church Raleigh this week. She spoke of what is was like early on being one of the few female lead music and show tunes on records, folk music was big at the time. singers in a bluegrass band, how the first

SMN: What was your first exposure to bluegrass music?

CL: I never saw a bluegrass band live until I was 19. I was exposed to a form of country music that included banjos and fiddles — opera shows out of Nashville, The Porter Wagoner Show, “Hee-Haw” with Roy Clark playing banjo. It was a bluegrass festival in 1973 at the University of Alabama at Huntsville where I first saw bluegrass. It was dynamic, and there was something that came off of those people energy-wise. I really hadn’t heard that kind of banjo played in my face before — it was a very complete sound, with no amplification. It was very overwhelming and I had to sit down. It’s a very pure sound.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!

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arts & entertainment

This must be the place

SMN: And with that, with you moving down South, too, your music blurs the lines between folk, bluegrass and country.

CL: I think my whole life is a blurred line. I come from New York, so I think there was that sensibility, my older sister moved out of the house to Greenwich Village in New York City — that had a big impression on me. It was a whole different dynamic of education for me, between being in New York and Alabama. I think it’s worked to my advantage because I think it has brought a broader sensibility to my music.

WEEKS

828-452-6675

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On the beat arts & entertainment

County, the pursuit of music and writing has remained a central part of who he is.

Tickets are $10. www.38main.com.

Canton’s Colonial Theatre receives international praise

Talent sought for HCC concert

Minick brings folk, country to Strand Folk/rock/country singer Chris Minick will perform at 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Minick began writing songs within a month after he moved to Waynesville in April 1983. In the 31 years since that time, he has steadily continued to make music and work on the craft of songwriting.

Through the experiences of raising a family and working various jobs in Haywood

The historic Colonial Theatre in downtown Canton has been nominated for a Momentum Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association for best musical venue of the year.

The award celebrates rising artists and key contributors to the bluegrass business.

Built in 1932, the theatre has seen an uptick in use over the years and Canton is working to promote it to the entire region and beyond. It was renovated in 2006 after sustaining flood damage and serves as a multi-use facility with state of the art film, video, and sound equipment. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

The theatre is competing against four other venues including the ISIS Musical Hall in Asheville, Redwing Roots in Mount Solon, Va. and the Bluegrass Situation program at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.

828.235.2760.

A call for Haywood County talent is going out to young singers and musicians between the ages of 16 and 30 who might like to perform at the concert and awareness event “HCC Sings Out!” at noon Oct. 23 at Haywood Community College in Clyde.

This event is part of the Dating Abuse/Domestic Violence Awareness month initiative that is being sponsored by the members of the Haywood County Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault/Elder Abuse Task Force. The afternoon will include positive songs about relationships, speakers sharing their experiences of dating abuse and domestic violence and information for HCC students, teachers and staff as well as the general public.

All HCC students and staff who may be interested in performing should contact Angie Uhl-Kalev at the college, 828.627.4504 or auhl-kalev@haywood.edu.

Other performers should contact Buffy Queen at REACH of Haywood County, 828.456.7898 or bqreach@aol.com.

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October 1-7, 2014

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Smoky Mountain News

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JEWELRY SCARVES CANDLES

On the beat

• Gospel group Ernie Haase & Signature Sound will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets are $15, $18 and $24. 866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

ALSO:

• Newgrass band Mangas Colorado will perform as part of the Music on Tap series at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Octubafest featuring Mike Schallock and Jamie Hafner will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University. www.wcu.edu.

• An open jam session will occur from 6:30 to 9 p.m. each Thursday through Dec. 18 at Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva. All skill levels and instruments welcome.

828.631.4466 or www.yourgnometownbrewery.com.

• Gospel act Blue Ridge will perform as part

• Pianist/singer Sam Stringfield will perform from 9 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva. Free. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Old-time/bluegrass act Blue & Larry Barnett and string band Blue Caboose will perform at the Bryson City Train Depot. Blue and Barnett play Oct. 4, with Floor Oct. 11. All shows are free and at 6:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Renowned flutist Elaine Saloio will perform as part of a guest recital at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 9, in the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.

• Country’s Family Reunion will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Country music stars with decades of songs and storytelling. Tickets are $20, $25 and $30. 828.524.1598 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Mountain High Dulcimer Group and Johnny Webb Band will perform as part of the Friday Night Live concert series at Town Square in Highlands. Mountain High Dulcimer Group plays Oct. 3, with Webb Oct. 10. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free.

• Fall Rocks The Square with C-Squares & Co. at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Franklin Town Square Gazebo. Vintage hits from the 1950s through 1970s. 828.524.7683 or www.franklin-chamber.com

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• PMA and Dustin Martin will be at the Water’n Hole Bar & Grill in Waynesville. PMA plays Oct. 3, with Dustin Martin Oct. 4. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m. 828.456.4750.

• A back porch old-time music jam will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee. All welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• The Burns Brothers will be performing at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Cowee Farmer’s Market. Location is off N.C. 28 North in Franklin at the Old Cowee School.

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Serving Haywood County

Smoky Mountain News

• The Spontaneous CombustJam, rock singer/songwriter Joshua Dean and Dave Desmelik will perform at BearWaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. The jam will be at 8 p.m. Oct. 6, with Dean Oct. 10 and Desmelik Oct. 11. Shows are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise listed. www.bwbrewing.com or 828.246.0602.

• Craig Summers & Lee Kram and Celtic rockabilly band Cutthroat Shamrock will perform at Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville.

Summers & Kram play Oct. 2, with Cutthroat Shamrock at 7 p.m. Oct. 4. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free.

828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

October 1-7, 2014

• Christian rock singer and American Idol contestant Colton Dixon and Finding Favour will perform at 6 p.m. Oct. 12 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. The show will be hosted by the Cross The Wilderness ministry and the Crestview Baptist Youth Group.

General admission is $15, with group tickets $12. A special meet-and-great Gold Circle ticket is $50. www.crossthewilderness.org.

GRAND OPENING

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• Singer-songwriter James Hammel, classic pop-rock pianist Joe Cruz and swing/oldtime singer Russ Wilson will perform at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Hammel plays Oct. 3, with Cruz Oct. 4 and Wilson Oct. 11. All shows begin at 7 p.m. $10 minimum purchase. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

of Pickin’ on the Square at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the gazebo in downtown Franklin. Free.

828.524.2516 or www.franklin-chamber.com.

arts & entertainment

• Dustin Martin & The Ramblers, Celtic Keg Stand, Porch 40, Sugar Lime Blue and PMA will perform at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva.

Martin plays Oct. 2-3, with Celtic Keg Stand Oct. 4, Porch 40 Oct. 9, Sugar Lime Blue Oct. 10 and PMA Oct. 11. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m., with Sunday performances from 5 to 8 p.m. Free. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

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arts & entertainment

On the stage

The Fight Lab 41 MMA event will be Oct. 11 at Harrah’s Cherokee. Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

October 1-7, 2014

MMA fight swings into Harrah’s

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The Fight Lab 41 Mixed Martial Arts event showcase will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 11, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

Featuring action-packed mixed martial arts bouts, the Fight Lab MMA is renowned for their wall-to-wall aggression, action, go-go dancing ring girls and unique form of entertainment. Whether you are a seasoned MMA fan or newcomer to the sport, the striking characteristic of a Fight Lab event is that their warriors put it on the line as they chase their dreams to the top.

Fight Lab is an MMA Cage Fight promotions company based in the Southeast. Fight Lab events take place in the Southeast, MidAtlantic and Ohio Valley regions.

The event is for ages 21 and over. www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.

Open call for WCU radio show production

Open auditions for Western Carolina University’s 2015 spring semester staged radio broadcast of “Robin Hood — The Legacy” are scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 2, at Breese Gymnasium in Cullowhee.

The show, which will be produced in the style of the golden age of radio, features live music and sound effects and will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

There will be 17 roles in the show, with parts for three women and 14 men. The roles range from that of a cantankerous English literature professor to Robin Hood, Maid Marian, Tuck, several monks, a nun and a young female attorney. Those auditioning will be provided script cuttings the day of the audition and will read on a first-come, firstserved basis.

Tickets for “Robin Hood – The Legacy” go on sale Monday, Jan. 5, in the Bardo Arts Center at WCU. 828.227.3851 or dconnelly@wcu.edu.

On the street

The Town of Sylva will hold its 125th anniversary celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, in downtown.

• 9 a.m. — The farmers market will open and run throughout the day adjacent to the Bridge Park.

• 10 a.m. — There will be a horse parade, starting at Mark Watson Park and proceeding through Main Street to Mill Street and ending back at Mark Watson Park.

• 10:30 a.m. — Welcoming remarks from town officials will precede a William-Sylva look-a-like contest. There are activities for children planned. All of these events will occur at Bridge Park.

• Storytelling by the Ammons Sisters, David Waldrop, Gary Carden and Shawn Crowe will be held throughout the day beginning at 11 a.m. at Lifeway Church.

• Starting at 11 a.m., there will be a costume showing,

Main streets on the depot pad.

• A traditional poor man’s lunch will be offered at First Baptist Church from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., featuring pinto beans and cornbread.

• Noon — There will be a concert by the Queen Family until 2 p.m. Square dancers will perform from noon to 12:30 p.m. during the show. As the antique car show and heritage tours continue, there will also be a cakewalk, more storytelling, clogging and much more.

• A town picture will be taken on the courthouse steps at 3:30 p.m., followed by an ice cream social in the Jackson County Public Library atrium. This is a Community Table fundraiser.

The Town of Sylva will ring in its 125th anniversary on Oct. 11 Ornaments commemorating the 125th anniversary will be available for purchase prior including beards and bonnets at Bridge Park; a car show at to the event, during the event and after the festivities at the SunTrust Bank; Storytelling by a Cherokee storyteller at Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

Bridge Park. Heritage tours will also begin between Mill and www.mountainlovers.com or 828.586.2719.

Open call for Bryson City Chili Cook-Off

Garret K. Woodward photo

• The PEANUTS Pumpkin Patch Express will hit the rails at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 4-5 and 1012 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City. Charlie Brown and friends will be on-hand for the festivities, which also includes a narration of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” Halloween family activities and more. For ticket information, click on www.gsmr.com or 800.872.4681.

ALSO:

The Retro Gamer will host its Retro Gaming Tournament from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Oct. 11 in downtown Canton.

This fun event brings folks together for some retro game playing, prizes and to raise money for the Canton Middle School Backpacks of Love program. Teams of three will compete for the highest score in game categories, with prizes for the winners.

During the entire event The Retro Gamer will be giving out door prizes from the store and other area merchants.

Teams will compete in the categories of maze, action/adventure and shooter games.

Each team member will literally roll the dice to see which game in each category they will play. The highest scoring team will win the grand prize.

The Retro Gamer is located in the Home Computer Services company. Owner Rob Worth started the computer business in 2000 and has opened four stores and offers retail sales and repairs of PC’s and laptops.

Registration is $5 per person and is paid the day of tournament.

828.648.1200 or www.athomecs.com or RetroGamerWNC on Facebook.

The 6th annual Leaf Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 10-12 at the Village Green and Commons in Cashiers.

Held each year as the leaves begin to change in this beautiful mountain village nestled at 3,487 feet in elevation, the event features more than 100 artisans and merchants scattered throughout the Village Green and Commons Park. Visitors will find unique handcrafted wood, pottery, jewelry and much more on display and available for purchase throughout the weekend.

Live music is scheduled from 12 to 5 p.m.

Oct. 12-13 on two different stages. Most of these performers are local and regional acts, ranging in genre from singer/songwriters to jazz, blues to Americana, as well as bluegrass, rock, soul and funk.

Event sponsorships, volunteers and vendor opportunities are still available for artisans, merchants, nonprofits and more. The festival is put on by The Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association (GCAMA).

Free. www.visitcashiersvalley.com or 828.743.8428.

Oktoberfest returns to Maggie Valley • The Maple Leaf Fall Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 11 in downtown Whittier.

Area artisans and crafters, holiday exhibits, flea market, food and live entertainment.

828.497.2393 or www.greatsmokies.com.

• The 7th annual Macon TRACS Blue Jean Ball will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin.

BBQ, live music, silent auction and more.

Proceeds benefit the Macon TRACS operation expenses. www.franklin-chamber.com.

The 2nd Annual Maggie Valley Oktoberfest will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Oct. 3-4 at the festival grounds.

Visitors will sample traditional German foods, beverages and enjoy Oompah music under a 320-foot tent that seats 800. There will be fun activities for the kids, as well as arts, crafts, raffles and “Gemuilichkeit” — a warm atmosphere of open and generous hospitality.

Admission is $2 for adults, free for children ages 12 and under. www.maggievalleyoktoberfest.com.

Pickler to headline Cherokee Indian Fair

Smoky Mountain News

A chili cook-off will be held Oct. 18 in Bryson City.

Cashiers festival welcomes fall

October 1-7, 2014

The 24th annual Bryson City Chili Cook-Off will be held Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad Depot.

An open call for entries and contestants is currently underway, with the registration deadline of Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Trophies awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, People’s Choice and Showmanship.

Cash prizes will also be awarded in each category: $400 for 1st, $300 for 2nd and $200 for 3rd. To enter, applications must be submitted to the Swain County Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, contact Karen Wilmot at 828.488.3681 or 800.867.9246 or chamber@greatsmokies.com.

Retro game tournament in Canton

arts & entertainment

Sylva celebrates its quasquicentennial

Country music star and American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler will perform at 8 p.m.

Oct. 9 during the 102nd Cherokee Indian Fair.

The fair runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Oct. 7, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 8-10 and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Oct. 11. Events include traditional Cherokee storytelling, stickball games, Junior Miss Cherokee pageant and Cherokee Idol contest.

The fairgrounds will also include food and craft vendors, carnival rides, agricultural/historical exhibits, children’s activities and more.

Fireworks will be held at dusk on Oct. 11. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

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October 1-7, 2014

arts & entertainment

On the wall

Want to learn how to make a gingerbread house?

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce and A gingerbread Main Street Bakery house-buildwill offer a How To ing seminar Create A Gingerbread House will be held in seminar at 6 p.m.

Franklin on Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Oct. 7. the Underground Donated photo Franklin Event Center below the bakery.

Tony Hernandez of Main Street Bakery will be conducting the class. He has over 30 years of experience in baking and will be offering handouts with recipes for gingerbread and royal icing.

He will demonstrate baking and assembling techniques for the base of the house and decorating tips. Gingerbread dough will also be available for purchase.

Once you have created your gingerbread house, you can enter it into the gingerbread house competition that will be on display in Franklin Town Hall’s lower level. The entries will be on display during Winter Wonderland Dec. 5 and 12. Entry forms will be available at the seminar, the Franklin Chamber of Commerce office or at www.franklin-chamber.com The seminar is free.

828.524.3161.

Fall, art comes alive at ColorFest The 6th Annual ColorFest: Dillsboro Fine Arts & Crafts Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, in downtown Dillsboro.

Featured in this special exhibition of fine art will be artists, crafters, literary works and live entertainment. Among the artists who will be demonstrating during the day will be landscape artist Jack Stern, potter Becca Irvin, jewelry maker Nanci Hearn. Featured artists for the month of October at Tunnel Mountain Crafts, potter Johanna Ohly and silverware designer Lisa Kelley, will be demonstrating at the shop.

Within the festival, more than 40 juried artisans will line Front Street. The artists will be located only a short walk from the entertainment stage. Live music will also be scattered throughout the celebration. Performances include Sugar Barnes & Dave McGill (10 a.m.), J. Creek Cloggers (11 a.m.), Carolina Dusk (noon), Ron Smith (1 p.m.), Productive Paranoia (2 p.m.) and Henry Queen (3 p.m.)

ColorFest is produced by the Dillsboro Merchants Association, in partnership with Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. This project received support from the Jackson County TDA, Champion Credit Union, and the Jackson County Arts Council, North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of

Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. www.visitdillsboro.org.

New art classes at HCC

Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Department will offer a number of classes in the Creative Arts Building in the coming weeks.

This is a great opportunity to start a class to learn something new with options available from a single day workshop to classes lasting up to 10 weeks.

Classes include: • Beginning Pottery, starting Oct. 2.

• Introduction to Stained Glass, starting Oct. 6.

• Beginning Loom Weaving, starting Oct. 7.

• Quilting, starting Oct. 16 and Oct. 31.

• Drink This! One Form, Many Functions, starting Oct. 22.

In addition to these classes there will be two single day Saturday workshops. Pass the Biscuits Please! Make a Bread Basket will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.

Make Your Own Metal Beads will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 Felted Hats will be a two-week class held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 and Thursday, Nov. 6. www.creativearts.haywood.edu or 828.565.4240.

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Smoky Mountain News

Deferred Compensation Plans Please keep in mind that rolling over assets to an IRA is just one of multiple options for your retirement plan. Each option has different advantages, disadvantages, investment options, and fees & expenses which should be understood and carefully considered. Investing and maintaining assets in an IRA will generally involve higher costs than those associated with employer-sponsored retirement plans. We recommend you consult with your current plan administrator before making any decisions regarding your retirement assets.

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On the wall

• Drink-N-Think will be held from 7 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro in Sylva. The forum’s topic will be The Most Effective at Home Treatment for Any Addictive Behavior. The open floor forum welcomes any and all to come and participate in the topic discussion.

Anyone may sign up to lead off DNT and will receive $20 in house credit for Soul Infusion.

828.586.1717 or c3pomegaproductions@gmail.com.

ALSO:

A pottery class will be held in Cowee on Oct. 9 and 16. Donated photo

Pottery workshop in Cowee

A nonprofit institution, The Cowee Pottery School will offer a hand-building basic in clay workshop from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 9 and 16 at the Macon County Heritage Center.

The class will be led by Hank Shuler and Lydia Patillo. Participants will create several functional pieces utilizing the three oldest clay techniques — pinch pot, slab and coil building. Located in the historic Cowee School, the Macon County Heritage Center is approximately 5.5 miles north of Franklin off of Bryson City Road at Cowee Creek Road.

Cost of the class is $40. julietaylor059@gmail.com or 828.524.7690.

(are you?)

• The 32nd annual Highlands Own Arts & Crafts and 2nd annual HomeTown Day will be Saturday, Oct. 11. Filled with numerous

• The High Country Quilters’ annual show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9-11 at the Maggie Valley Town Hall. Over 100 locally made quilts and craft vendors. Free.

828.926.3169 or highcountryquilt@att.net.

• The Autumn Leaves Craft Show will be held Oct. 9-11 at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin. Unique handmade crafts and other vendors. If possible, bring a can of cat food for the Catman 2 Shelter. Free admission and parking. www.franklinchamber.com or 828.349.4324.

• Kara Chambers will be the featured artist for October at City Lights Café in Sylva. A reception for her and the displayed works will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 at the café. Free appetizers. www.citylightcafe.com.

• Learn how to make a blown glass pumpkin and bowl during upcoming classes at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. The pumpkin workshop will be on Oct. 4, with the bowl Oct. 11. Both classes are $40 per person and are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 828.631.0271 or www.jcgep.org.

JOIN US FOR ARTS EVENTS AT WCU OCT. 1-4 | WED.–SAT. 7:30PM & SAT. 3PM | HOEY THEATRE | $

Theatre: Elemeno Pea

October 1-7, 2014

We’re ready for the holidays!

• The Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild quilt show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 2-3 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University. Admission is $5. 828.349.0883 or www.mountainlovers.com or www.wcu.edu.

professional crafters, the show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Highlands Civic Center. HomeTown Day at Kelsey Hutchinson Park will offer farmer’s market vendors, food, music, clogging and family activities. www.highlandsnc.org or 828.526.2118.

arts & entertainment

• The film “How to Train Your Dragon 2” and will be shown Oct. 3-8 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Screenings are at 7:45 p.m. on Fridays; 2, 5 and 7:45 p.m. on Saturdays; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $6 per person, $4 for children. Saturday morning cartoons will also be shown at 11 a.m. and is free to attend. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

OCT. 7 | TUE. 7:30PM | COULTER | FREE

Music: Mike Schallock and Friends/Octubafest OCT. 9 | THU. 7:30PM | COULTER | FREE

Guest Artist: Elaine Saloio, Flute

Exhibit: Teetering on the Edge of the Uncanny

SAVE THE DATE: OCT. 24 | FRI. 7:30PM | BARDO ARTS CENTER | $

THEATRE: BROADWAY’S NEXT HIT MUSICAL Lake Junaluska Bookstore and Café 710 North Lakeshore Dr. 828-454-6777 260-80

Across from the Terrace Hotel in the Harrell Center

www.lakejunaluska.com/bookstore

Smoky Mountain News

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arts & entertainment

On the wall

Max Cooper photo

Art After Dark returns to Waynesville

Smoky Mountain News

October 1-7, 2014

Art After Dark continues from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, in downtown Waynesville.

Enjoy a stroll through working studios and galleries on Main Street and Depot Street. Festive Art After Dark flags denote participating galleries, such as Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86, Earthworks, Jeweler’s Workbench, Burr Studios, Twigs and Leaves Gallery, TPennington Art Gallery, Main Street Artist’s Co-op, Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden and Gallery, Cedar Hill Studios, Art on Depot, The Mahogany House and the Village Framer. Renowned Western North Carolina oil painter Jack Stern will hold a live demonstration at Twigs and Leaves Gallery.

Watercolor artist Pamela Haddock will also hold a live demonstration at the ReMax office, with acclaimed wood-turner Bob Luciene at Beverly Hanks Real Estate.

Art After Dark is presented by the Waynesville Gallery Association. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

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File photo

Church Street Art & Craft Show returns The 31th annual Church Street Art & Craft Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 11, on Main Street in downtown Waynesville.

Held during the height of the color season in the Great Smoky Mountains, the show attracts more than 20,000 visitors. Over 100 artists, crafters and food vendors from the southeast transform Main Street Waynesville into an art and craft marketplace for this oneday event. The celebration is regarded as one

of the finest juried art shows in the region.

Patrons will discover a variety of art and crafts, including pottery, jewelry, woodworking, watercolors, photography, fiber art, candles, quilts, and more. Numerous artists demonstrate their work throughout the day. Live entertainment from two stages features traditional mountain music, clogging, and Scottish pipes. Face painting and balloon twisting art for the kids. Downtown shops and restaurants are open and numerous festival food vendors offer a variety of eats and treats. www.downtownwaynesville.com or 828.456.3517.

Books

Smoky Mountain News

37

The end is near — now what? hen the novel, The Leftovers came out several years ago, it was an immediate success. (Oprah gave it a significant boost in sales and the fact that America was in the midst of a kind of apocalyptic fervor at the time certainly helped.) The heart of this novel concerns a mysterious “rapture” that has snatched thousands of people from their “earthly existence.” Not only Writer are those who are left behind bewildered; they are also puzzled since there seems to be no logic ... no “common denominator. “ Christians, Buddhists, atheists, Russians, Chinese, children (even a fetus), the elderly, alcoholics, nuns and convicted murders — all simply vanish in an instant. Where did they go?

Although the total number represented approximately 2 percent of the earth’s population, the survivors brace for the aftermath. What next? Would more people vanish? Would the dreaded prophecies in the Book of Revelations (called the “tribulations”) begin? Was the fact that the majority of humanity was still here ... a punishment?

Tom Perrota does a masterful job of capturing the psychological impact of this mysterious variation of the rapture on the people in the small town of Mapleton, N.Y. Gradually the people undergo significant changes. The schools close for a while and some businesses falter. Matt Jamison, the local minister becomes obsessed with the idea that the “departed” were all seriously flawed and publishes a newsletter that reveals their sins … and the church membership is drastically reduced. A group of citizens who are affected

Gary Carden

W

by the loss of family members form a religious group that they call “The Guilty Remnant” which requires its members to dress in white, smoke cigarettes and communicate only with written notes. As time passes, the Guilty Remnant increases its membership and the rules become more severe.

When The Leftovers begins, three years have passed and the town is attempting to return to a normal routine. The schools have reopened but the lives of the citizens have altered. Kevin Garvey, the major of the town, is making a concerted effort to help the town heal, but he has lost his own wife who has joined the Guilty Remnant. His son, Tom, has dropped out of college and has become a follower of a “latter-days prophet” named Holy Wayne. His teenage daughter, Jill, has become a part of the drug culture that flourished after the “departure.” Jill has also acquired a friend that now lives with the Garveys — an attractive teenager who seems to have designs on Kevin. Now that his wife is gone, Kevin has become attracted to Nora Durst, a woman who has lost her entire family to the “departure” (a

HBO decided to turn The Leftovers into a series. The adaptation has been the subject of both positive and negative response as it quickly become apparent that the television version make some major changes, noting that film could explore some exciting aspects of the basic plot, including a second season.

The HBO version attracted a large audience, including readers of the novel who followed the weekly episodes. It immediately become apparent that the readers were highly skeptical about the changes in the novel’s original themes and said so.

Who orchestrated these changes? Well, if you remember the creator of “Lost,” Danto Lindelof, be advised that he, in conjunction with Tom Perrotta, is in charge of revising and expanding the plot of the series. Lindelof readily admits that the emphasis will be on action (violence) and personal relationships (sex). Based on his comments, it will be a weird mix.

Many of the major changes in the script concern the novel’s protagonist. Kevin Garvey is no longer the mayor since HBO felt he should be “more directly involved in the action.” Kevin became the sheriff. In addiThe Leftovers by Tom Perrota. St Martin’s Press, 2014. 355 pages tion, he is no longer the stable anchor of both his family and husband and two children). Nora is a little the community. (He is afflicted by blackouts “unstable” and has recently bought a gun. and sometimes cannot remember where he Kevin finds that conflicts between the has been). Kevin also acquires a mentally members of the Guilty Remnant and the local unstable father (and former chief of police) residents are increasing since the religious who burns the local library and is confined in group has begun to follow people about as a mental institution. He repeatedly escapes to they attempt to return to their normal rouwarn Kevin of mysterious pending disasters tines. Apparently, their purpose is to see that that can be avoided if Kevin would only read a the town of Mapleton “does not forget the special issue of the National Geographic. He departed.” This activity, which resembles also confides that “they are sending you stalking, results in physical confrontations. help.” They? Who? No kidding.

Due to the novel’s growing popularity, Perhaps the most alarming change was the

introduction of a “supernatural” element. The town’s dogs become dangerous and travel in packs and one of the town’s residents becomes known as “the dog killer.” A sinister character becomes a deputy and makes repeated references to his position as Kevin’s “guardian.” Patti, the leader of the Guilty Remnant, seems to have a hidden agenda, and when one of the cult’s members turns up dead (stoned to death), there is a disturbing possibility that Patti has decided that the Guilty Remnant needs a martyr, and as the plot becomes more convoluted, it becomes evident that she may volunteer for the role herself.

There is also a confusing episode that concerns a maverick deer that is running amok in Mapleton and has done considerable damage.

The HBO version has expanded the cast, freely adding characters who do not exist in the novel. Kevin’s son, Tom acquires an absentee father, making Kevin his stepfather. Rev. Jamison acquires an invalid wife and a sister.

Holy Wayne evolves into a kind of religious messiah with a collection of earthly wives, one of which will bear the “Savior of the World.” Wayne is scheduled to die in a hail of bullets when the FBI storms his compound.

The selected “holy mother” is a young drug addict named Christine, and to bring everything full circle, Tom, her guardian and protector, decides to bring her back to Mapleton (along with her child, which Christine no longer wants.

Frankly, the plot is even more complex than I have indicated, and at present, it looks like it will stagger into another season.

Morbid curiosity may provide it with a generous audience. I am almost ashamed to admit it, but I will be on hand for every episode. You have heard this judgment before, but, alas, here it is again — the book is better than the movie.

Joint reading, discussion for LGBT History Month

award in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category. To Dream, Book Two of the Soliloquy, will be released sometime in 2015.

828.586.9499.

In celebration of October being LGBT History Month, J. Robin Whitley and Paula Offutt will offer a discussion and reading at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The authors will read from their work and discuss books that helped them come out. Whitley, artist, musician, author and bookseller at City Lights Bookstore, has written a compilation of poetry, reflections, and essays — In a Southern Closet — showing the challenges that the lesbian Christian faces in living an open life, while also seeking to live a life of faith. Her newest book, More Than Knowing, is a collection of poetry.

Offutt’s first novel, a romance titled Butch Girls Can Fix Anything, won a 2008 Golden Crown Literary Society’s award for Debut Author.

The fictional town of High Pond is a cross between Hot Springs and Leicester with bits of Lick Skillet and Luck tossed in. Her second novel, To Sleep, Book One of the Soliloquy, was a finalist for the 2014 GCLS

Owenby to present Blue Ridge stories

SCC instructor presents new book

Author Roy Owenby will share stories from his new book Blue Ridge Mountain Heritage — A Caricature of Southern Appalachian Life at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

In this book of short stories, published by Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, Owenby takes you down the highways and byways of the Appalachian Mountains. The book offers insight from a man who has traveled thousands of miles throughout the South, collecting stories and committing them to paper.

A Navy veteran, Owenby graduated from Appalachian State University at age 40. After 30 years in various supervisory and man-

Chris Cox, an English instructor at Southwestern Community College, will be reading from his new book The Way We Say Goodbye from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in the Burrell Building at Southwestern Community College in Sylva.

Like the first book, the new book is a mix of sweet and sorrowful stories, running the gamut from grade-school crushes and a Halloween prank gone terribly, terribly wrong to the eulogy he wrote and delivered for his father’s funeral.

Cox will also give a reading from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 21 at SCC’s Macon Campus in Franklin. www.southwesterncc.edu.

agement positions, he is now retired. A prolific writer, he is a featured writer for the Burningtown News, an online newspaper. He has written more than 300 articles and short stories covering a variety of subjects.

He has also published The Owl Knows, an Appalachian Trail mystery. www.fontanalib.org.

38

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Let the woodchips fly Timbersports team chops its way toward season opener

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER range chaps clipped around their legs, Rankin Fender and Zac O’Connor square off inside the sawdust-and-barkfilled woodshed at Haywood Community College. Late afternoon sunlight angles through the lean-to’s open walls, and the two students each grab hold of one handle of a razor-sharp crosscut saw. They slide the blunt end back and forth along the bolted-down log between them, marking out a groove.

“Timer ready? Sawyers ready?” asks Ethan Bolick, a seasoned member of the HCC timbersports team. “Three, two, one, go!”

Fender and O’Conner spring into action, the push-pull rhythm of the saw soaking up every ounce of their attention.

Encouragement pours forth from the other timbersports team members circled around them.

“C’mon, you guys!” shouts Julie Doll.

“Don’t rock it,” cautions another team member.

“Keep going, you got it.”

“C’mon boys, you almost got it,” Chris Hall says from his perch atop the butt end of the bolted-down log.

“Cut ‘em off,” Logan Hawks urges.

The blade reaches the bottom of the wood, and the “cookie” falls to the ground.

The team cheers.

O

Ethan Bolick (above) chops through a standing block of wood, halving it in 52.64 seconds.

Kristen Cabe pushes the crosscut saw through the log. Holly Kays photos

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN Closing in on the final week of practice before their first meet of the year, timbersports practice has an air of intensity to it, a consciousness that the big day is fast approaching. The John G. Palmer Woodsmen’s Meet, held at the Cradle of Forestry in America near Brevard, is HCC’s home meet, and they’ve taken home the trophy for five consecutive years. Of the 19 years the meet has been held, HCC has won 12.

“We don’t go there to lose,” said Bolick, who’s now in his fourth year on the timbersports team. “They all know Haywood’s here.”

“They” is a diverse group of schools that often includes a good many four-year universities whose notoriety and enrollment numbers far outstrip Haywood’s. This year, the six teams include North Carolina State University and Penn State Mont Alto.

But Haywood students are all about their timbersports. Practice sessions start pretty much as soon as classes do, and team members practice from 4 p.m. up until about half an hour after sunset, everyday Monday through Thursday.

It’s paid off in the past. Last year, the team

Want to go?

The 19th annual Intercollegiate John G. Palmer Woodsmen’s Meet will be held Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Cradle of Forestry in America, with events running from 7:45 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Six teams, including Haywood Community College, will compete in events ranging from wildlife and tree identification knowledge to axe throwing, pole climbing and chopping through a horizontal block of wood. The quizbased events will take place in the morning, with the more physical events happening in the afternoon and evening.

Along with the meet will be displays and demonstrations from a variety of craftsmen and exhibitors. Demonstrations will include whittling, woodcarving, candle making, wood turning, fly fishing and tying, falconry and creating cornhusk dolls.

These events will be part of the larger event taking place around the Woodsmen’s Meet, Forest Festival Day. The festival celebrates the Cradle’s status as the birthplace of forestry in America. Dr. Carl Alwin Schenck, forester for George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estate from 1895 to 1909, founded America’s first forestry school in 1898 and used the present Cradle of Forestry area as its summer campus. At that time the word “forestry” was a vague and new idea in the U.S. $6 for ages 16 and older; $3 for ages 4 to 15 and holders of America the Beautiful and Golden Age passes; free for children under 4.

Located at the Pink Beds Picnic Area 4 miles south of Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 412 on Hwy. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, 25 miles from Waynesville.

A schedule of events for the Woodsmen’s Meet is online at www.haywood.edu/news/hcc_to_participate_i n_john_g_palmer_intercollegiate_woodsmens_meet_at_forest_festival_day. www.cradleofforestry.com or 828.877.3130.

came in third at the STIHL Timbersports Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Championship, and one student, Logan Hawks, took third at the national competition.

“It’s great fun. It’s really a lot of fun,” Hall said. “Good exercise, too.”

It takes a little more work to set up to drill on chopping a block of wood, throwing an axe or sawing a log than it does to prepare to dribble a soccer ball. At any one time, some students are actively sawing or throwing.

Some are just sitting around waiting for their turn. Others are keeping time, or watching the younger students practice, throwing out tips and coaching on technique.

“We’re here to help each other out, give them good technique and make sure they’re safe,” explained team captain Dakota Gentry.

“Everyone just helps you learn the techniques and cheers you on while you do it,” agreed Kristen Cabe.

F

NOT SOMETHING YOU PICK UP OVERNIGHT

“We’re here to help each other out, give them good technique and make sure they’re safe.”

— Dakota Gentry, team captain

BUILDING A NETWORK

LIKE RODEO FOR COWBOYS And in the meantime, it’s just a lot of fun. On the weekend of the Woodsmen’s Meet, the teams camp out together on

But there’s definitely a real-world application, Hawks said. Though the hard skills involved in timbersports success might not be in as high demand as they used to be, dealing with wood every night at practice really does illuminate the book learning part of forestry.

“You get to learn about wood — different blocks, species,” Hawks said. “Forestry really does tie into it.”

And having the team also draws foresters of the future to Haywood.

“We start seeing more and more that it attracts students to our program,” Bishop said. “They’re really interested in timbersports.”

Hawks was one of those, basing his decision to attend HCC partially on the timbersports team, partly on the academic program. After taking third place in the national timbersports competition last year, he’s feeling good about his decision.

SHOES TO FILL With an even split between freshmen and returning members, this year’s team is a young one. After Hawks’ third-place national finish last year and the team’s firstplace showing at the Woodsmen’s Meet and third-place win at the mid-Atlantic meet, expectations are high. And the team members are feeling good about their chances of coming out on top again.

“We have a lot of shoes to fill,” Gentry said. “We know what we have to do, and we’re ready to shoot for the stars.”

www.smokymountainnews.com

Kathy Mathews.

extending well into November, Mathews said.

The peak of fall color typically arrives during the first and second week of October in the highest elevations – above 4,000 feet – and during the third week of October in the mid-elevations of 2,500 to 3,500 feet. An early frost could accelerate the timing of peak color, Mathews said.

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Smoky Mountain News

Though the tools are not as widely used as they were 50 years or so ago, skill with an axe or saw can come in handy when students graduate to embark on forestry careers. For Bolick and Hawks, who work at The Lumberjack Feud Dinner Show in Pigeon Forge, their skills have already earned them some cash over the summer.

A lot of the value, though, stems from the simple act of competing, said faculty advisor Blair Bishop, lead forestry instructor at HCC. Forestry in itself is a small world, and by competing in the same events year after year — the team appears in about seven meets each year, some involving car rides of 10 hours or more — students get to know their competition.

“Many times, they’ll be interacting with these folks professionally years from now,” Bishop said.

OF THE FUTURE

The outlook for a bright leaf season is improving, as Western Carolina University fearless fall foliage forecaster Kathy Mathews has updated her prediction about the quality of the annual color show, based on changing conditions in the mountains.

“The weather patterns that we have been having in Western North Carolina in recent weeks should mean a brighter display of fall colors than originally thought,” said Mathews, an associate professor of biology at WCU who specializes in plant systematics. “The drier, sunnier weather improves our chances of a brilliant fall color season.”

Mathews bases her color forecast in part on weather conditions. She believes that the formation of higher levels of pigments in the leaves correlates with dry weather throughout the year, especially in the spring and September.

Although a wet spring with above-average amounts of rainfall originally pointed to an autumn with spotty colors across the

mountains, the development of dry conditions in late August and September should improve the overall outlook and produce vibrant bursts of color, she said.

In addition, the seasonal forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls for slightly aboveaverage temperatures this fall in the Southeast. If that prediction pans out, the color season could be longer than normal,

October 1-7, 2014

that remains is to hit those lines accurately.

Which Bolick does, toppling the block in 52.64 seconds.

“There’s something about being able to take a razor-sharp axe and go hard as you can all the way through it,” Hawks said.

DRAWING FORESTERS

A dry September means fall color forecast is looking up

outdoors

Mastering feats like hacking clean through an upright block of wood isn’t as simple as it sounds. There’s a lot of skill that goes into doing it right, a lot of accuracy.

“It’s not something you pick up overnight, for sure,” said Bolick, who’s won numerous awards at previous woodsmen’s meets and does timbersports for pay at his summer job.

He demonstrates how that applies to the standing block chop — in other words, hacking through an upright block of wood with an axe.

Before chopping, Bolick puts in his lines, marking with his axe where he needs to hit to break through. His axe traces a semi-circle angled upward at the height of his knuckles, and then a down-angled semicircle 9 inches above that. The same pattern on the other side, except shifted about 2 inches higher. Then the timer starts, and all

Friday and Saturday nights, eating dinner together on Friday and rising early Saturday to eat a big pre-competition breakfast.

Competition events start with tree identification and wildlife quiz bowl events and then warm up to more physical events, such as the horizontal speed chop, the pole climb and crosscut saw events. The whole thing finishes with a banquet and awards presentation Saturday night.

“The past few years, we’ve got to know them really good by now,” Bolick said of the competition. “We’re serious about it, but we like to have fun.”

Rivalries are part of the fun — HCC has a “friendly” rivalry with Penn State Mont Alto, Doll said — but so is just the thrill of competition.

“They just made a game out of it, kind of like rodeo is for cowboys,” said Frank Potts, an HCC forestry alum who serves as safety supervisor for team practices.

For a little community college that doesn’t have any other sports teams, having a game that students and faculty can rally around is important, Bishop said.

“For the college,” he said, “it’s a chance for the faculty and staff to rally around a team and cheer for our students that compete.”

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39

outdoors

Training program partners Smokies and Southeast Asian parks

Lunar eclipse viewing at Jackson airport A star party at 5 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Jackson County Airport in Cullowhee will give the public a chance to view a total lunar eclipse with a Western Carolina University astronomer on hand to explain what’s going on.

Lunar eclipses occur when the moon, Earth and sun are aligned so that the shadow of the Earth is cast on the moon.

During a total eclipse, the moon is completely covered by the Earth’s shadow.

Unlike total solar eclipses, when the moon comes in between the Earth and sun, lunar eclipses can be viewed safely with the naked eye.

Paul Heckert, WCU professor of astronomy and physics, will set up telescopes by 5 a.m., and the eclipse will begin to be visible by 5:15 a.m.

“Totality (when the moon is completely in the Earth’s shadow) will begin at 6:25 a.m. and end an hour later just before sunrise and moonset,” Heckert said.

Free. The event will be cancelled if sky is completely overcast.

828.227.3677.

Cambodia and Thailand might be on the other side of the world from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but they deal with similar resource issues — includ-

ing plant and wildlife poaching — so the Smokies is reaching out to provide a week of training to 10 female park officials from those southeast Asia countries.

Cambodian, Thai and Smokies National Park Service staff gather for a photo.

Donated photo

Rangers are leading hands-on field activities, including crime scene processing, and teams will be learning field investigative techniques and incident management coordination.

“We are honored to host park leaders from Thailand and Cambodia not only to teach skills, but also to learn from them,” said Smokies Acting Superintendent Clay Jordan. “This is a unique opportunity to exchange information and ideas to help us all to be better stewards of these special places entrusted to us.”

The training is held in partnership with the State Department Global Women’s Issues Office, the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation and ranger instructors from the National Park Service Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia.

The entities have been working together since 2007 through sister park initiatives, including training for women in environmental leadership positions in southeast Asia.

“The United States NPS has the knowledge, skills, and the rangers to teach and mentor these women to become leaders, and not just followers, in protecting our future,” said Stephan Bognar, Chief Executive Officer of the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

Donated photo

October 1-7, 2014

Learn how to cast for the big one

request. Equipment and materials provided, but participants should bring their own lunch. Ages 12 and up.

Free. 828.877.4423.

Beginning flycasters will get a chance to hone their skills with an introductory course 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at Lake Imaging in DuPont State Recreational Forest.

The course will cover casting theory, mechanics and casting techniques, and instructors will teach overhead, roll and false casting.

Advanced instruction available upon

The big one for the Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation District was a $23,948 grant to install a cistern at Open Door Ministries, a soup kitchen and outreach center for the needy located at Frog Level in Waynesville.

“The patrons can reuse the roof water to grow vegetables which can then be used in the kitchen there,” explained Leslie Smathers, director of Haywood County Soil and Water.

The district also received $1,500 to work on streambank stabilization along Raccoon Creek.

Gardening Grant helps at the Open Door A pair of grants from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources will help improve water resources in Haywood County. State-wide, $2.2 million was given to 37 projects.

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The Bug Lady of WNC, Inc.

outdoors

■ Ball Creek Road, a U.S. Forest Service road that begins at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory and ends at Upper Nantahala Road in Macon County, will be closed through late October for repairs. Storm events in January 2013 caused the need to fix two roadway slides and replace two culverts.

■ Chimney Tops Trail will continue to be closed periodically through Dec. 11 as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park works to finish a three-year trail rehabilitation. The trail will be closed Monday through Thursday until work finishes. The rehabilitation effort is focused on rebuilding the trail with durable stone and rot-resistant black locust to combat erosion damage.

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828-243-9318 thebugladyofwnc@gmail.com thebugladyofwnc.com

Declining bat populations force Smokies cave closure

Like every fair, we’ll have rides, parades, and prizes.

But unlike any other fair, we’ll also have “Little Brother of War” games.

October 1-7, 2014 Smoky Mountain News

White-nosed bat syndrome is marching west, and as a result the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed the Whiteoak Sink area between Cades Cove and Townsend through March to keep people from spreading the disease to bats hibernating there.

Throughout the winter, park biologists will monitor the site and collect population, ecological and behavioral data — information that resource managers will use NPS photo to develop a long-term protection plan for bats. If winter data suggest that an extended closure would be best for the bats, the area might stay closed longer.

Cave-dwelling bats are in dramatic decline throughout the nation, with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, finding declines as high as 99 percent in North Carolina over the past three years. The first confirmed case in the park was found in 2010, with some cave-dwelling bat populations in the park declining by 80 percent.

The culprit, white-nose syndrome, causes bats to wake up from hibernation during the winter months. Waking up causes them to burn energy too quickly to last through the winter, and they soon die when forced to fly into frigid weather looking for nonexistent food. Humans are not susceptible to white-nose syndrome.

The park is home to 11 species of bats, including the federally endangered Indiana bat and the Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, which is a state listed species of concern in both Tennessee and North Carolina. Bats play a significant role in maintaining ecological balance as the primary predators of night-flying insects. Biologists estimate that an individual bat can eat between 3,000 to 6,000 insects each night including moths, beetles, and mosquitoes.

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outdoors October 1-7, 2014

Brook trout to join the license plate lineup There’s a new specialty license plate coming soon: the brook trout plate.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will use all proceeds from sales of this plate to fund habitat protection for brook trout and to create public access to brook trout waters in North Carolina.

The new specialty plate got the green light from the N.C. General Assembly last year. But before the first plates can roll off the press, the state needs a minimum of 500 paid plate orders.

Mountain trout fishing is an important component of North Carolina’s economy, with more than 92,000 mountain trout anglers having an annual economic output of $174 million, based on a 2008 report.

Native brook trout populations are threatened by acid rain deposition, warming water temperatures, habitat impairment and competition from other introduced species. Projects supported by the trout plate revenue could include land acquisition around brook trout habitat, fishing access and stream conservation and restoration.

The new brook trout plate joins the ranks of many outdoor themed specialty plates, for the Smokies bear plate, the Parkway plate, an elk plate, and Appalachian Trail plate, a state parks plate and more.

To apply for a plate, go to www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.

Fall programs in the Smokies A lineup of fall interpretive programs is underway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will run through the end of October. From black bears to berries to carbon footprints, the fall programs cover plenty of ground.

Sundays ■ Longing for the “Good Ol’ Days.” Join a ranger for a walk on the Mountain Farm Museum and learn what life may have been like on an Appalachian mountain farm. 2 p.m., adjacent to Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

• Junior Ranger: Smoky Mountain Elk. .

Learn about the history of the elk through “show and tell” activities, and then stay and watch the elk come into in the fields. 5:30 p.m., Palmer House in Cataloochee Valley.

Hunters launch campaign to restore young forest

Mondays ■ Welcome Back to the Smokies!

Join a ranger to hear the stories of reintroduced species within the park, including peregrine falcons, river otters and elk. 1 p.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch.

Thursdays ■ Black Bears: Big, Smelly and Smart.

Discover the ways black bears adapt to their environment and how they prepare for winter. 1 p.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

Tuesdays ■ Do You Have Power? Join a Ranger to learn how to leave a light carbon footprint and help protect the park and planet for future generations. 1 p.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch.

Fridays ■ Myths and Legends of the Cherokee. The lands of the Cherokee once extended through several states within the southeast and included all of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Join a ranger to explore the culture, history and mythology of the Cherokee through storytelling. 1 p.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

Wednesdays ■ Forecasting the Future with Mother Nature. Nuts were fair, berries late, with several morning fogs and moon rings in August. Join a ranger to learn what this might mean for the upcoming winter and how people in the past used nature to forecast the seasons. 11 a.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

Saturdays ■ Smoky Mountain Elk. A ranger will take questions about elk and dish on the best places to see them in the park. Hands-on components will reveal how elk stay warm and what it feels like to carry those heavy antlers on your head. 11:30 a.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center.

828.497.1904

decreasing by more than 33 percent in the eastern U.S. over the past several decades.

Grouse, woodcock and over 40 species of songbirds rely on young forest habitat. www.ruffedgrousesociety.org or 888.564.6747.

A campaign by the Ruffed Grouse Society and American Woodcock Society is aimed at raising awareness for more young forest habitat that these game species depend on.

RGS and AWS members are being asked to recruit fellow grouse and woodcock hunters for membership. A drawing Dec. 31 will pick a winner to have his or her name put on a total of $12,500 in habitat grants that RGS and AWS will give to the state Drummer Funds. In addition, current members who refer a new member and the new members themselves will receive $20 Orvis gift cards.

Young forests are one of the nation’s 20 most threatened bird habitats, with acreage

Bull elk.

Don Elliott Sitting photo

Dinner with elk It will be dinner and a show in the Cataloochee area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park when the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust embarks on its annual Elk Excursion Thursday, Oct. 9.

The outing will include a 45-minute presentation from an Elk Bugle Corp volunteer about the elk, which were reintroduced to the area in 2001. Guests will then have a chance to explore the valley for a bit before meeting back up for a tailgate dinner while watching the elk engage in their dramatic

mating ritual, known as “the rut.”

During the rut, male elk bugle to attract females and to challenge other bulls, an eerie yet enchanting sound that echoes throughout the valley. $10 HCLT member; $35 non-members with one-year membership included. Dinner included in price. Space is limited — reservations required. 828.526.1111 or julie.hitrust@earthlink.net.

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outdoors

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18th 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Main Street, Waynesville

Celebrate the Apple Harvest Festival in Downtown Waynesville!

Explore the summit of the Smokies An Oct. 6 hiking trip leaving from Waynesville will explore the highest point of the Smokies with two short hikes in the Clingmans Dome area, with routes including a portion of the Appalachian Trail. The

Cataloochee hike to feature elk and history

Maggie asks for input on recreation needs

Parkway Foundation honors Mast General Mast General Store won the Corporate Champions award from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation recently, a recognition of Mast’s support of the Parkway through donations events, specialty license plate purchases and an employee giving program.

“Mast General Store is the ideal corporation that values community and tradition.

We are so fortunate to have them as a part of our community of stewards” said Carolyn

Ward, CEO of the Foundation.

Mast General Store hosts a yearly event at its six Western North Carolina stores in which 10 percent of proceeds go to the Foundation, supporting specific Parkway projects. They purchased N.C. Blue Ridge Parkway specialty license plates for their fleet vehicles, and their employees also contribute to the Foundation through their employee giving program.

Waste oil wanted by Green Energy Park The Green Energy Park in Dillsboro is looking for donations of waste vegetable oil to fuel its ceramics kiln. Any type of oil — soybean, canola, corn and peanut, for starters — is welcome, but all donations must come in closed containers.

Because the Green Energy Park is a department of Jackson County, donations can be considered as charitable contributions for tax purposes. Donations can be dropped off at either the energy park or the staffed recycling center in Dillsboro.

828.631.0271.

P Paid aid ffor or in part b by y the Ha Haywood ywood County County T Tourism o ourism De Development velopment A Authority uthority w www.visitncsmokies.com ww.visitncsmokies.com

Smoky Mountain News

Maggie Valley is asking its residents for some feedback about what’s working and what’s not when it comes to outdoor recreation in town.

A survey will be used as the town starts planning for future recreational needs in Maggie Valley. The survey is online at www.townofmaggievalley.com under “important notices.”

Along with stops to enjoy the scenery of flowing mountain streams, hikers will learn about the history of Cataloochee settlers through historical buildings, cemeteries and stories of the annual family reunions honoring the first homesteading families in the Cataloochee area. Friends of the Smokies uses donations to help maintain many of the buildings there. $10 for Friends members or free for those who bring a friend; $35 for non-members with one-year membership included. Registration dollars benefit Smokies Trails Forever program.

Carpools will leave from Asheville and Maggie Valley. Register with Anna Lee Zanetti, annalee@friendsofthesmokies.org or 828.452.0720.

October 1-7, 2014

A full-day hike Tuesday, Oct. 14, in the Cataloochee Valley area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give hikers a chance to experience the mountain roads of 80 years ago — winding routes through thick tree canopy and rhododendron — and finish up the day by viewing a herd of elk.

This Friends of the Smokies Classic Hike will be lead by hiking guide author Danny Bernstein and will cover 8.7 miles of trail, with a total elevation gain of 1,300 feet. It’s an outand-back route on Pretty Hollow Gap Trail along Palmer and Pretty Hollow creeks.

trip will leave at 9 a.m. and participants should bring lunch, snacks and a camera. $3 Waynesville Recreation Center members; $5 nonmembers. Sign up at the Rec Center, 828.456.2030.

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WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

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

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • How to conduct genealogy research at Canton Branch Library, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, library meeting room. 828.648.2924.

• Sign unveiling for the future home of Swain County’s new library, 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, beyond intersection of Black Hill and Fontana roads. Parking is limited.

Reception will follow. 828.736.0907.

• Grand opening and dedication of the Swain County Heritage Museum, 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 3, on the square at the old court house. BBQ will be provided at noon.

• Macon County Public Health will hold Rabies Vaccination Clinics throughout the Franklin area.

Saturday, Oct. 4. Vets will vaccinate dogs, cats and ferrets over 4 months of age. $10 per pet. Call for a schedule, locations and times. 828.349.2490.

• Indoor Flea Market at Haywood County Fairgrounds, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, off NC 209, Lake Junaluska. 828.400.1704.

• Rededication of Major Daniel and James Bryson’s graves, Patriots of the American Revolution, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 4, Sugar Fork Baptist Church Cemetery, Franklin. 828.321.3522.

• “Coats for Kids” will hold their Distribution Day, 9 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Oct. 4, First Presbyterian Church, Sylva. Children should be present. Coats4kidsjc@frontier.com.

• “Driving and Aging—When is it Time to Stop” with Dr. Lisa Verges, 1-3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, Jackson Department on Aging, 100 County Services Park, Sylva.

828.586.5501 ext. 1245.

• Community Meetings on proposed Development Standards for Cullowhee, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, Hospitality Room, Ramsey Center, WCU. 828.631.2255.

• Cashiers Area Chamber Community Forum: Water Sesources, 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, Albert Carlton Community Library, Cashiers. 828.743.5191 or info@cashiersareachamber.com.

• “How to Create a Gingerbread House” seminar, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 7, Underground Franklin Event Center below the Main St. Bakery in Franklin. Free. RSVP. 828.524.3161.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION Free GED classes offered by Southwestern Community College, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, SCC Swain Center, Room 101. 366.2000.

• Seminar on taxes for small businesses will be held by SCC’s Small Business Center, 2-5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at SCC’s Macon Campus and 5:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 6 on the Jackson Campus. www.ncsbc.net or 828.339.4211.

• Student Success Seminars at Haywood Community College, 1-2 p.m. October 7 and 8, Building 300, Room 335 A. 828.627.4646 or drowland@haywood.edu.

• Basic internet class at The Jackson County Public Library, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, JCPL, Sylva. Must RSVP. www.fontanalib.org or 828.586.2016.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • The 6th annual Furry Friends Benefit Bash, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 2, Laurel Ridge Country Club, Waynesville. $50 per person or a table sponsorship for $450. 828.246.9050 or sargeandfriends.org.

• “Purple Purse Challenge” by R.E.A.C.H of Macon County. Until Oct. 3 at noon. Donate online at www.crowdrise.com/purplepurse-reachofmaconcounty.

828.369.5544.

• Kiwanis 50th Annual BBQ Fundraiser, 11 a.m.-2p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, First United Methodist Church, Waynesville. All proceeds will go to projects that support local children. 828.508.1881.

• Friends of the Jackson County Library Used Book Store during a Taste of Sylva, 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, 536 West Main St., Sylva. Spend $5 and receive a free Friends of the Library tee shirt, while supplies last.

• The 7th annual Macon TRACS Blue Jean Ball will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin. BBQ, live music, silent auction and more. Proceeds benefit the Macon TRACS operation expenses, a facility that offers therapeutic horseback riding for people with mental and physical disabilities. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• “Ex-Friends” Stop-N-Adopt, 12-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, Cashiers Glenville Volunteer Fire Department. Proceeds will go to the Cashiers Highlands Humane Society and CGVFD. 828.743.5752.

• Annual German dinner at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Clyde, 4-6:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12. $6-$12. All proceeds will go to the Weekend Food Backpack for Needy Kids program in Haywood County. Takeout available.

456.6493 or 627.9352.

• The Jackson County Family Resource Center is in need of slightly used blankets for their Blanket Drive.

Accepting blankets until Dec. 1. Deliver to the Jackson County Family Resource Center, 1528 Webster Rd., Webster. 828.354.0109.

• $10 Fall Fix: get unfixed pets for spay/neuter and rabies vaccination for only $10 through Nov. 30, through Haywood Spay/Neuter. Pet owner must live in Haywood County and sign their pets up at the Haywood Spay/Neuter office, noon to 6 p.m. open Tuesday through Friday. 452.1329.

• P.A.W.S. Adoption Days first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the front lawn at Charleston Station, Bryson City.

BLOOD DRIVES • Blood drive in Clyde, 1-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, MedWest Health and Fitness Center-Classrooms, 75 Leroy George Rd. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2627.

• Blood drive in Waynesville, 3:30-8p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, Haywood Community College Regional High Technology Center, 112 Industrial Park Drive. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2627.

• Blood drive in Jackson County, 1-5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, Jackson County Department on Aging, 100 County Services Park. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2627.

HEALTH MATTERS Reflexology Treatments “Free,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 2, Mountain Spirit, 254 Depot St.,

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Volleyball development clinic for girls in 4th-6th grade, 6-7 p.m. for 4th and 5th graders, 7-8 p.m. for 6th graders. Sept. 30, Oct. 7, 14, 28 and Nov. 4, 11, and 18, Waynesville Recreation Center. $40 for all dates or $5 per session. 734.1298 or volleypj@bellsouth.net.

Waynesville. RSVP. 513.675.2819.

• Drive-thru flu vaccinations at Angel Medical Center, 8 a.m.-4p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, by Emergency Department. $25. www.angelmed.org.

• A cancer prevention program will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Part of the monthly Tuesdays to Thrive focusing on different health topics the first Tuesday evening of each month. Sponsored by WestCare Wellness and Jackson County Department. www.westcarehealth.org or 828.586.7734.

• Diabetes and Chronic Disease Self-Management Training by Macon County Public Health and Macon County Senior Services, 1-5 p.m. Oct. 9 and 16. For ages 14 and up. Call for location, registration requirements and fees. 828.349.2086.

• A diabetes awareness program including blood glucose screening will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Part of the monthly Tuesdays to Thrive focusing on different health topics the first Tuesday evening of each month.

Sponsoed by WestCare Wellness and Jackson County Department. www.westcarehealth.org or 828.586.7734.

• A program on prescription drug abuse and Project Lazarus will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Part of the monthly Tuesdays to Thrive focusing on different health topics the first Tuesday evening of each month. Sponsored by WestCare Wellness and Jackson County Department. www.westcarehealth.org or 828.586.7734.

KIDS & FAMILIES • The PEANUTS Pumpkin Patch Express will hit the rails at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 4-5 and 10-12 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City. Charlie Brown and friends will be on-hand for the festivities, which also includes a narration of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” Halloween family activities and more. www.gsmr.com or 800.872.4681.

• “Fall Leaf Colors,” a family program, will be at the Highlands Nature Center, 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.

Activities will focus on how leaves change color, and will walk through the Botanical Garden to identify species of trees. $5 per person. Must register in advance. 828.526.2623.

• Kid’s nature program called “Explore the world of bats,” 9-11 a.m. Oct. 6, 11 and 15, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education on U.S. 276 in Transylvania County. cpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/ or call 828.877.4423.

• “Cyberkids” workshop for parents to keep their kids safe online, 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, Canton Branch Library. 828.648.2924.

• Establishing Healthy Sleep Habits for Babies workshop, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in Haywood County.

Must RSVP to learn location. 456.8995.

RECREATION & FITNESS • Haywood County Recreation and Parks are accepting registration for the Recreation Basketball League until Oct. 4. $60 for first child, $55 for second.

828.452.6789 or drtaylor@haywoodnc.net.

• Pilates Fusion now offered at Waynesville Park and Rec, 9-9:45 a.m. Every Saturday starting Oct. 4, Waynesville Recreation Center. Call for admission prices. 828.456.2030.

POLITICAL EVENTS • A debate with candidates for NC Senate seat 50 (representing the seven western counties) will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in Room 204 of the Health and Human Sciences Building at WCU. Featuring N.C. Sen. Jim Davis (R-Macon) and challenger Jane Hipps (DHaywood). Part of the WCU Political Debate Series.

828.227.3898.

• Tailgate Party for families at Macon County Republican Headquarters, 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, 555 Depot St., Franklin. Congressman Mark Meadows will be attending. 828.524.2014.

• Democratic N.C. Representative Joe Sam Queen will debate Republican challenger, Mike Clampitt, at 7 p.m.

Oct. 9 Burrell Building conference center, SCC’s Jackson Campus. 828.339.4000.

• A “Meet the Candidates” luncheon with Democratic candidates for the Haywood County School board will be held at noon Thursday, Oct. 9, at Haywood County Democratic Headquarters.

• Tailgate Party before Franklin and Smoky Mountain High Schools game, 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, across the street from the Franklin High School parking lot entrance on Porter St., Franklin. Meet NC Senate Democratic candidate Jane Hipps and other Macon County Democratic candidates. Sponsored by the Macon County Democrats. 828.524.9991.

• N.C. Senator Jim Davis, R-Franklin, will face challenger Jane Hipps, D-Waynesville, for a debate at 7 p.m.

Oct. 30 in the Burrell Building at SCC’s Jackson Campus. 828.339.4000.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • Hazelwood Presbyterian Church will hold its “Cultivating Contentment in a Covetous World,” a workshop for women of all ages, 9 a.m.- noon. Saturday, Sept. 27, 368 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville. Lisa.a.womack@gmail.com.

A&E FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • The Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild quilt show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 2-3 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University. Admission is $5. 828.349.0883 or www.mountainlovers.com or www.wcu.edu.

• Open auditions for WCU’s radio show production of ‘Robin Hood,’ 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, Breese Gymnasium. 828.227.3851.

• Organizational meeting to discuss and plan for the formation of a community chorus for the Cherokee area, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, Cherokee Baptist Church.

497.5350.

• First Anniversary Celebration at Mahogany House Art Gallery, 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, Studios in Frog Leve’s Creek Side Art District. www.themahoganyhouse.com or 828.246.0818.

• Maggie Valley Oktoberfest, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Oct. 3-4,

Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, 3374 Soco Road, Maggie Valley. $2 admission per adult.

828.734.8075.

• The Burns Brothers will be performing at 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Cowee Farmer’s Market.

Location is off N.C. 28N in Franklin at the Old Cowee School.

• The Town of Dillsboro will hold its 6th Annual Colorfest, Dillsboro Fine Arts and Crafts Fair, 10 a.m.

– 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, historic town of Dillsboro.

828.631.4587.

• County music artist and American Idol star Kellie Pickler will perform at the 2014 Cherokee Indian Fair, 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9. $10 registration fee.

828.497.2111.

• Taste of Sylva, 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, downtown Sylva. Stroll and sample the menu bites of more than 15 participating restaurants. Tickets available at participating restaurants. $20 advance, $25 at the door. www.mainstreetsylva.org.

• Octubafest featuring Mike Schallock and Jamie Hafner will be held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, in the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University. www.wcu.edu.

• The Autumn Leaves Craft Show will be held Oct. 911 at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin.

Unique handmade crafts and other vendors. If possible, bring a can of cat food for the Catman 2 Shelter.

Free admission and parking. www.franklinchamber.com or 828.349.4324.

• The High Country Quilters annual show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9-11 at the Maggie Valley Town Hall. Over 100 locally made quilts and craft vendors. Free. 828.926.3169 or highcountryquilt@att.net.

• Retro Gaming Tournament by The Retro Gamer, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, downtown Canton. Play retro arcade games and compete against other teams.

Funds raised will go to the Canton Middle School Back Packs of Love program. $5 per person. 828.648.1200 or www.athornecs.com.

• Renowned flutist Elaine Saloio will perform as part of a guest recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.

• Country’s Family Reunion will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 11 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Country music stars with decades and songs and storytelling. Tickets are $20$30. 828.524.1598 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Christian rock singer and American Idol contestant Colton Dixon and Finding Favour will perform at 6 p.m. Oct. 12 at Haywood Community College in Clyde.

The show will be hosted by the Cross The Wilderness ministry and the Crestview Baptist Youth Group.

General admission is $15, with group tickets $12. A special meet-and-great “Gold Circle” ticket is $50. www.crossthewilderness.org.

• The Maple Leaf Fall Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 11 in downtown Whittier. Area artisans and crafters, holiday exhibits, flea market, food and live entertainment. 828.497.2393 or www.greatsmokies.com.

• Live music by James Hammel at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 at the Classic Wineseller in downtown Waynesville. www.classicwineseller.com.

• Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival, Oct. 10-12, Cashiers Valley. www.visitcashiersvalley.com or e-mail info@visitcashiersvalley.com or 743.8428.

• Live music by Joe Cruz at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Classic Wineseller in downtown Waynesville. www.classicwineseller.com.

• The 32nd annual Highlands Own Arts & Crafts and 2nd annual HomeTown Day will be Saturday, Oct. 11.

Professional crafters, at the Highlands Civic Center and vendors, food, music, clogging and family activities at Kelsey Hutchinson Park. www.highlandsnc.org or 828.526.2118.

• • Spooky storytelling will be held at 8 p.m. Oct. 3-4 at The Storytelling Center of the Southern Appalachians in Bryson City. www.greatsmokies.com.

NIGHTLIFE

• Live Music with Andrew Danner, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, City Lights Café, 3 E. Jackson St., Sylva.

• “Fall Rocks The Square” with C-Squares & Co. at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Franklin Town Square Gazebo.

Vintage hits from the 1950s through 1970s.

828.524.7683 or www.franklin-chamber.com • Newgrass band Mangas Colorado will perform as part of the Music on Tap series at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Gospel act Blue Ridge will perform as part of Pickin’ on the Square at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at the gazebo in downtown Franklin. Free. 828.524.2516 or www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Gospel group Ernie Haase & Signature Sound will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Tickets are $15, $18 and $24. 866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Pianist/singer Sam Stringfield will perform from 9 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva. Free. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Gospel group Ernie Haase & Signature Sound will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Tickets are $15-$24. 866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Tony Nominee and Emmy award-winning Liz Callaway will perform, 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, Highlands Performing Arts Center. www.highlandspac.org or 828.526.9047.

• The Diamond K Ranch in Maggie Valley has live music Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays are ladies nights. 926.7735.

• A game day will occur from 2 to 9 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva. Bring dice, cards or board games.

828.586.6300.

Smoky Mountain News

• Folk/rock singer, Chris Minick, will perform at The Strand at 38 Main, 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, downtown Waynesville. $12 per person. 828.421.5753 or info@38main.com.

• Grammy nominee Claire Lynch will perform at Cataloochee Ranch, 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, Cataloochee Ranch. Dinner will be served. $60 per person. 828.926.1401.

October 1-7, 2014

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • A Martha’s Vineyard comedy set, “Elemeno Pea”, will be staged at Western Carolina University, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1-4, Hoey Auditorium, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee. $16 for adults, $11 for seniors and WCU staff and $10 for students. 828.227.7491.

wnc calendar

• A trunk-show for women’s fashions created by outwear designer Denise Dickens will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 3-4 at the Dovecote Porch & Gardens in Cashiers. www.dargan.com/dovecoteevents.

• The Weinberg-Babelay Sax and Vibes will perform, 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, Macon Public Library, Great Room, Franklin. www.artscouncilofmacon.org or 828.524.7683.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • Classes for a blown glass pumpkin and bowl will be held at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. The pumpkin workshop will be on Oct. 4, with the bowl Oct. 11. $40 per person. 828.631.0271 or www.jcgep.org.

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260-44

wnc calendar

Fly Fishing the South

Bookstore

Saturday, Oct. 4 • 3 p.m.

Charles Davidson 260-50

Two locations to serve you ASHEVILLE 252.3005

WAYNESVILLE 251.9721

Smoky Mountain News

October 1-7, 2014

www.hunterbanks.com

46

will present his book, Bone Dead, and Rising: Vincent van Gogh and the Self Before God. 3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

• The Steampunk Storyboard Challenge at Sequoyah Studio, 4-7 p.m. Saturday, October 11. Part one of the ongoing Creative Bootcamp series. $10.

703.966.7138.

• A pinecone decoration class will be held at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Extension and Community Association office in Sylva. 828.586.4009.

• Drawing Lessons for Adults, by Char Avrunin, 1 to 4 p.m. Mondays and painting lessons from 1 to 4 p.m.

Tuesdays. www.iamclasses.webs.com or contact Char at 456.9197, orcharspaintings@msn.com.

• Art classes with Dominick DePaolo, 10 a.m. to noon on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the Old Armory Building, 44 Boundary St. in Waynesville and from 1 to 3 p.m. every Friday at Mountain Home Collection at 110 Miller St., Waynesville. Armory classes, 456.9918; Home Collection classes, 456.5441 • Watercolor classes with Dominick DePaolo from 10 a.m. to noon and oil painting classes from 1 to 3 p.m. on Mondays, at Uptown Gallery, Franklin. 349.4607.

• The Smoky Mountain Knitting Guild offers free Learn to Knit classes for adults and children at the Waynesville Library on Tuesdays. The adult class meets from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Children (boys and girls ages 8-12) meet from 5 to 6 p.m. Pre-registration required. 246.0789.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • WCU Fine Arts Museum has an exhibit, “Abstract Autobiography for a Fractured Narrative” on display

until Nov. 7. WCU Fine Arts Museum, Cullowhee.

828.227.3591.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

• The Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild quilt show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 2-3 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University. Admission is $5. 828.349.0883 or www.mountainlovers.com or www.wcu.edu.

• Chris Cox, English instructor at Southwestern Community College, will read from his book, “The Way We Say Goodbye,” 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, Burrell Building, room 102, SCC Jackson Campus. www.southwesterncc.edu.

• Kara Chambers will be the featured artist for October at City Lights Café in Sylva. A reception for her and the displayed works will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3 at the café. Free appetizers. www.citylightcafe.com

• Charles Davidson will present his book, “Bone Dead, and Rising: Vincent van Gogh and the Self Before God,” 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. 828.586.9499.

• Johanna Ohly and Lisa Kelley are the featured artists for the month of October at Tunnel Mountain Crafts, Dillsboro.

FOOD & DRINK • Sampling of fall beers and gluten-free deserts, 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, Sunburst Market, Waynesville. www.sunburstmarket.com or 828.452.3848.

• “Highlands on the Half-Shell,” an oyster roast and live jazz event, 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, Highlands Nature Center. Proceeds will benefit the Highlands Biological Foundation. $75 for members, $100 for non-members. www.highlandsbiological.org/halfshell.

• Drink-N-Think will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro in Sylva.

The topic will be “The Most Effective at Home Treatment for Any Addictive Behavior.” The open floor forum welcomes any and all to come and participate in the topic discussion. Anyone may sign up to lead off DNT and will receive $20 in house credit for Soul Infusion. 828.586.1717 or c3pomegaproductions@gmail.com.

• John Batchelor will present his new book, “Chefs of the Mountains,” 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, Waynesville Library Auditorium. RSVP. 356.2507.

• A Haywood county non-fiction book club meets the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at various locations. 456.8428.

FILM & SCREEN • “Someday the Pain Will Be Useful to You” will play at the Macon County Public Library, 4:30 and 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 1, MCPL, Franklin. Starring Aubrey Plaza, Toby Regbo, Lucy Liu and Ellen Burstyn.

828.524.3600.

• How to Train your Dragon 2 will be playing from Oct. 3-8. At The Strand at 38. 7:45 p.m. on Friday, 2, 5 and 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, 2 p.m. on Sunday and 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Downtown Waynesville. $6 per person, $4 for children.

828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The film “Identity Thief” will be shown, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, Macon County Public Library, Franklin. Rated R. 828.524.3600 or www.fontanalib.org.

• The Mad Batter Food & Film now showing featured films, 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., Thursdays through Saturdays, downtown Sylva location. Special kids’

matinee at 2 p.m. Saturdays. Free. Movie listings and information, www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

586.3555.

• Family movie days at Marianna Black Library, Bryson City, are at 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Classic movies at 1 p.m. the second and fourth Friday. Other films also shown. Free movies and popcorn. 488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

• Movies at the Macon County Library. New movies, documentaries and foreign films every Monday at 3:30, Wednesday at 4:30 and again at 7 p.m., and classic matinees at Fridays at 2 p.m. The movies and popcorn are free, but donations are welcome.

524.3600.

wnc calendar

• Frank Brannon will demonstrate “How to Make and Print Photopolymer Plates” for Art League of the Smokies, 6:15. Thursday, Oct. 2, Swain County Center for the Arts, Bryson City. 828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

MUSIC JAMS AND GROUPS • Old-time music jam from 1-3 p.m. the third Saturday of the month at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on U.S. 441 outside Cherokee. 828.452.1068.

A community music jam will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Held first and third Thursday of the month – year round. Free. 828.488.3030.

• Cruso Circle Play & Jam, 7 p.m. every Tuesday, Cruso Community Center and Friendship Club in Cruso. www.facebook.com/crusocircleplayjam.

• Signature Brew Coffee Company holds Sylva Open Jam nights on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. Shop provides the instruments, you provide the talent. Chris Coopers’ Fusion band hosts.

• An open jam session is held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. each Thursday at Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva.

All skill levels and instruments welcome.

828.631.4466 or www.yourgnometownbrewery.com

on Backstreet Sylva

October 1-7, 2014

We’re having fun — Come join us!

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CLASSES DAILY • DAY PASSES AVAILABLE 260-72

WAYNESVILLE

Smoky Mountain News

Many Thanks to the people of Western North Carolina who supported the businesses in Sylva who were affected by the downtown fire on 8/16/14. The Firemen, the Rescue Squad, the Law Enforcement Officers and many, many more came to fight the fire and keep the people safe. We Thank You!

RECREATION CENTER 550 Vance St. • Waynesville • 828.456.2030

www.townofwaynesville.org

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wnc calendar

Outdoors OUTINGS & FIELDTRIPS • A corn maze, hayrides and pumpkin patch will kickoff the fall season on Oct. 1 on U.S. 19 at the Tuckasegee River Bridge. Hayrides available FridaySunday. Group rate available. 828.488.2376 or www.greatsmokies.com.

• The Cradle of Forestry will celebrate Southern Appalachian Heritage, old-timey lifeways, and outdoor skills during the annual Forest Festival Day, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, Pisgah National Forest. $3-6 per person. 828.877.3130.

• Bird walk along the Greenway, 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, Macon County Public Library parking lot, Franklin. 828.524.5234.

• Senior trip to see the elk by Waynesville Parks and Rec, 2 p.m. Oct. 7 and 21, Waynesville Recreation Center. $5-$7. Bring your own dinner, camera, binoculars, chair, and bug spray. 828.456.2030 or tpetrea@yanesvillenc.gov.

• Bird Walk along the Greenway, 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, Salali Lane. Park off Fox Ridge Rd. 828.524.5234.

• “Star Party” with WCU astronomer, 5 a.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 8, Jackson County Airport. Free.

828.227.3677.

• Appalachian Trail Community Committee October meeting, 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, Town Hall in Franklin. wavh@dne.net.

• Kayak trip to Bear Lake, offered by Waynesville Parks and Rec, 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, Waynesville Rec Center. $20-$25. Kayaks will be provided.

828.456.2030.

October 1-7, 2014

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS • Firearm safety and shooting, 1-3 p.m. Oct. 6 and 11, Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education on U.S. 276 in Transylvania County. cpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/ or call 828.877.4423.

• Hunter Safety Courses at Haywood Community College, 6-9:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and 7, HCC Building 3300, Room 3322. Participants must attend both evenings to receive certificate. Pre-registration is required. www.ncwildlife.org.

• The Tuckaseigee River Chapter #373 of Trout Unlimited meeting, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, United Community Bank, 1640 E. Main St., Sylva. $5 per person. 828.631.5543.

Smoky Mountain News

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Zombie Chase Race 5K at WCU, 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4. Proceeds will go toward supporting physical therapy research and community physical therapy services. $20-$25. 828.803.0552 or active.com.

• Roller derby league, Smoky Mountain Rollergirls will go against The Little City Rollergirls, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 4, Swain County Rec Center, 30 Rec Park Dr., Bryson City. Proceeds will benefit The Hawthorne Heights Teen Center and The Chrokee Children’s Home. www.smokymountainrollergirls.com.

• The 2014 Chief’s Challenge, a one-mile sprint run in Cherokee, 1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, starting from Phoenix Theatres. Proceeds will benefit the Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation.

828.554.6712.

• The Legends & Tales 5K Run/Walk, hosted by Cherokee Runners, will take place 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11, through downtown Cherokee. www.cherokeerunners.com.

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HIKING CLUBS

• Hiking in Standing Indian ranging from 1 to 4 miles, 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, Standing Indian Picnic Shelter. Free if pre-registered. 828.369.7352.

• Waynesville Recreation Center will offer a short loop hike to the top of Whiteside Mountain, 9 a.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 30. $3 for members, $5 for non-members. 828.456.2030.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will hike 6 miles to Bee Cove Falls, South Carolina, 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, Cashiers Recreation Center. Must RSVP. 828.743.1079.

• Nantahala Hiking Club based in Macon County holds weekly Saturday hikes in the Nantahala National Forest and beyond. www.nantahalahikingclub.org • High Country Hikers, based out of Hendersonville but hiking throughout Western North Carolina, plans hikes every Monday and Thursday. Schedules, meeting places and more information are available on their website, www.highcountryhikers.org.

• Carolina Mountain Club hosts more than 150 hikes a year, including options for full days on weekends, full days on Wednesdays and half days on Sundays.

Non-members contact event leaders. www.carolinamountainclub.org • Mountain High Hikers, based in Young Harris, Ga., leads several hikes per week. Guests should contact hike leader. www.mountainhighhikers.org.

• Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, located in East Tennessee, makes weekly hikes in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as surrounding areas. www.smhclub.org.

• Diamond Brand’s Women’s Hiking Group meets on the third Saturday of every month. For more information, e-mail awilliams@diamondbrand.com or call 684.6262.

BIKE RIDES • A weekly bike ride in Waynesville meets Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at Rolls Rite Bicycles on the Old Asheville Highway. Beginner to intermediate rides led by Bicycle Haywood advocacy group. Eight- to 12-mile rides.

276.6080 or gr8smokieszeke@gmail.com.

• A weekly bike ride meets in Bryson City on Wednesdays around 6 p.m. Depart from the East Swain Elementary school in Whittier on U.S.19 off exit 69 from U.S. 23-74. All levels. 800.232.7238.

• A weekly bike ride in Franklin meets Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., departing from Smoky Mountain Bicycles at 179 Highlands Road. Geared for all levels. 369.2881 or www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com.

• A weekly bike ride in Franklin meets Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. at Macon Middle School on Wells Grove Road.

Ladies and beginners’ ride. 369.2881 or www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com.

• A weekly bike ride in Franklin meets Saturdays at 8 a.m., departing from South Macon Elementary School.

369.2881, www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com.

• A weekly bike ride in Franklin meets Sundays at 9:30 a.m., departing from the Franklin Health and Fitness Center. 369.2881, www.maconcountycycling.blogspot.com.

• Monthly “Girlz Ride” at Tsali, last Friday of every month. Sponsored by Nantahala Area SORBA. Meet at 6:30 p.m. in Tsali parking lot. All skill levels welcome.

Social and snacks provided after the ride. 506.115, www.facebook.com/nantahalaareasorba.

FARMERS & TAILGATE MARKETS

• Haywood County Democratic Party headquarters, 286 Haywood Square, Waynesville, is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 452.9607, haywooddemocrats.org.

• Jackson County Democratic Party meets the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at Democratic Headquarters, 500 Mill St., Sylva. Brian McMahan, 508.1466.

• Jackson County Democratic Party executive committee members meet at 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at Democratic Headquarters, 500 Mill St., Sylva. jacksondems.com.

• Jackson County Democratic Women meet at 6 p.m. the third Thursday of every month at Democratic Headquarters 500 Mill St., Sylva. jacksondems.com.

Haywood County

GOP

• Canton Farmers Market and Heritage Crafts. 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 31, municipal parking lot of downtown Canton. Robin Smith, 734.9071 or michaelrobin07@yahoo.com.

• Jackson County Republican headquarters at Laurel Terrace on U.S. 64 East in Cashiers and at 58 Sunrise Park retail complexes in Sylva. 743.6491 or jacksonctygop@yahoo.com, www.jacksoncountygop.com.

• Haywood Historic Farmers Market. 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday and Saturday through mid-December at 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville, parking lot HART Theatre.

280.1381 or haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

• The North Jackson County GOP monthly meetings are held at 6:30 p.m., the fourth Monday of each month, at the Sylva headquarters, 58 D Sunrise Park, Sylva.

Ralph Slaughter, Jackson County GOP Chair at 743.6491 or www.jacksoncountygop.com.

• The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market. 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 29 at 171 Legion Dr., Waynesville, behind Bogart’s restaurant. 648.6323. www.facebook.com/pages/waynesville-tailgate-market/117024646020.

Jackson County • Cashiers Tailgate Market. 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays May through October. Anglican Church parking lot next to Macon Bank on U.S. Highway 64 East. 226.9988 or blueridgefarmers@gmail.com.

• Jackson County Farmers Market. 9 a.m. to noon April to October at Bridge Park in Sylva; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

November to March at Community Table. Family Art at the Market offered at 10 a.m. and story time with City Lights at 11 a.m.; monthly fundraising brunches and occasional music given. 631.3033 or jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

Other political groups • The Haywood County NAACP meets at various locations the last Sunday of each month. 828.400.5475.

• Jackson County branch of the NAACP meets at 10 a.m. on the Saturday following the second Thursday of every month at Liberty Baptist Church in Sylva.

• The Libertarian Party of Haywood County meets at 7 p.m. every second Wednesday of the month at Organic Beans, 3676 Soco Road, Maggie Valley. Open to the public. haywood@lpnc.org.

• Occupy/WNC General Assembly meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every second and fourth Tuesday in room 220 of the Jackson County Administration and Justice Center in Sylva. 538.1644.

• A TEA Party group meets at 2 p.m. the third Saturday of each month at the 441 Diner in Otto.

• The Jackson County Patriots meet at 6 p.m. on the third thursday of each month at Ryan’s Steak House in Sylva, with the meeting start at 6:30 p.m. All libertyloving area citizens who want Constitutionally-limited government, free market economics and fiscal responsibility are welcome. Box547@aol.com.

• The League of Women Voters meets at noon the second Thursday of each month at Tartan Hall in Franklin. Lunch available by reservation. Open to all. $6 for food. 524.5192.

• The South Jackson County GOP monthly meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month at the GOP headquarters office at Laurel Terrace on N.C. 64 east in Cashiers. Ralph Slaughter, Jackson County GOP Chair at 743.6491 or www.jacksoncountygop.com.

Haywood

• The Haywood Republicans meet at 6:30 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the GOP headquar-

• Clyde Aldermen: 6:30 p.m. first Tuesday of each month. Town Hall. 627.2566.

GOVERNMENT MEETINGS • Canton Aldermen: 6:30 p.m. second and fourth Thursday of each month at Town Hall. 648.2363.

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

Mountain Heritage Day 5K

Macon County • Cowee Farmers Market. 3:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Oct. 28, Old Cowee School, 51 Old Cowee School Dr., Franklin. info@coweefarmersmarket.com or 524.8369.

• Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market. 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays through November on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software. 349.2049 or alan_durden@ncsu.edu, www.facebook.com/franklinncfarmersmarket.

Swain County • Swain County Farmers Market. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Fridays through Oct. 31. 210 Main St. at the corner of Main St. and Everett St. in Bryson City. 488.3848 or christine_bredenkamp@ncsu.edu. www.facebook.com/pages/Swain-County-FarmersMarket/104853346226504.

Ongoing POLITICAL CORNER Democratic party • Macon County Democratic Party Headquarters, 251 Sloan Road in Franklin, is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. 369.8561.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Claymates The Cheddar Box Country Store In Your Ear Music Hollifield Jewelers Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café

Mountain Khakis The Maples of Cullowhee The Strand Theatre RE/MAX Tucks Tap & Grille Dunkin’ Donuts

Smoky Mountain News

• A weekly bike ride in Sylva meets Tuesday at 6 p.m., departing from Motion Makers bike shop for a tough 25-mile ride up to the Balsam Post office via back roads and back into Sylva. 586.6925.

• Weekly mountain bike ride at Tsali, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesdays. Hosted by Nantahala Area SORBA. Social ride, so all skill levels are welcome and encouraged to come. Meet in the Tsali parking lot. www.facebook.com/nantahalaareasorba. Andy, 488.1988.

ters, 303 N. Haywood St., Waynesville. 246.7921. www.haywoodncgop.org.

October 1-7, 2014

• Benton MacKaye Trail Association incorporates outings for hikes, trail maintenance and other work trips.

No experience is necessary to participate. www.bmta.org.

MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDES

• Haywood County Democratic executive committee meets at 5 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at Democratic Headquarters, 286 Haywood Square, Waynesville. www.haywooddemocrats.org.

wnc calendar

• The Appalachian Trail Conservancy will hike on the Appalachian Trail during the 4th annual Family Hiking Day. Saturday, Sept. 27. Call for times and locations.

304.535.2200.

• The Cherokee Riders holds weekly group rides. Hugh Lambert 554.6810 or hughlamb@nc-cherokee.com.

WCU Bookstore Road ID Catamount Peaks Jack the Dipper Ingles Aramark WCU College of Business 260-74

Race results as well as additional information can be found at http://claws.wcu.edu/sma/5K/

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PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MarketPlace information:

COWEE FARMERS MARKET Tuesdays from 3:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Abundant Local Produce, Mushrooms, Eggs, Honey, Baked Goods, PUMPKINS, Crafts, Natural Skin Products, Live Musical Entertainment - Open Studios Macon County Heritage Center 51 Cowee School Drive, Franklin. coweefarmersmarket.com

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA

■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads.

■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

ARTS & CRAFTS ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 | classads@smokymountainnews.com

JOIN US AT SEQUOYAH STUDIO For The Steampunk Storyboard Challenge, Saturday Oct. 11th, 4p.m. - 7p.m. • Part One of our ongoing Creative Bootcamp series.

For this team challenge we will use tennis balls, latex wall paint, landscape fabric, crayons, and paper cut-outs to create a multi-panel storyboard with a steampunk twist. $10 entry, $20 gift-certificate prize. For more info contact Rumi or Beth at: artdirector@sequoyahstudio.com 703.966.7138

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO

Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

R

DI

SC OV ER E

ATR

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INC.

AUCTION Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS

MON-FRI 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

828-456-5387

260-28

AUCTION HARPER’S AUCTION COMPANY Join us for a Great Auction Friday Oct. 3rd @ 6:00 p.m.

Lots of Native American Items, Primitives, Cast Iron, Tools, Smalls and Much More.

Join Us for a Fun Night Remember, If you can not attend we offer online bidding at: harpersauctioncompany.com 47 Macon Center Dr. Franklin, NC 828.369.6999.

Debra Harper, NCAL #9659, NCFL #9671.

AUCTION Burke's Garden - Tazewell County, Va. 133 acres crop, pasture, mature timber, ponds, bold spring branch. Offered in 2 tracts (12 acres & 121 acres). Outstanding views. Joins National Forest. Sale date Saturday, October 11th at 11am. Visit: www.woltz.com For Preview Dates And Photos. Sold to Highest Bidder Over $252,000. Call Woltz & Associates, Inc. (VA# 321).

Real Estate Brokers & Auctioneers.

800.551.3588.

FIREARMS- AMMUNITION AUCTION Ansley H Fox, Nichols-Lefever, Colt, German Luger, AK-47's, Winchester, Ruger, Thompson-Center, Over 10,000 rounds Ammunition. OnLine Auction. Bidding Sept 30 - October 14. HouseAuctionCompany.com 252.729.1162 NCAL#7889.

BUILDING MATERIALS

AUCTION Construction Equipment & Trucks, October 7th, 9am, Richmond, VA. Excavators, Dozers, Dumps & More.

Accepting Items Daily thru 10/3.

Motley's Asset Disposition Group, 804.232 3300. www.motleys.com/industrial VAAL#16.

HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

ONLINE ONLY AUCTION Former Assets of Ziba Rugs featuring High End Oriental Rugs, Ends 10/2 and 10/9 at 5pm, Jamestown, NC, Guilford County, Iron Horse Auction Co. 800.997.2248.

NCAL3936. ironhorseauction.com

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control.

FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316 SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

PAINTING WHERE PRIDE & WORKMANSHIP STILL EXIST! Painting By Fred Hoffman Over 40 yrs. Exp. Ineterior & Exterior Painting. Located in Haywood County. For more info & - Free Estimates 561.420.9334 JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Interior, exterior, all your pressure washing needs and more.

Specialize in Removal of Carpenter Bees - Cedar or Log Homes or Painted or Siding!

Call or Text Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727

CAMPERS 25’ TRAVEL TRAILER - EXCELLENT With new awning and carpet, central heating and cooling. Queen bedroom. Everything in top condition. Sleeps 6. $9,400, Call 813.753.9626.

CARS DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 800.337.9038.

TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

R

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

EMPLOYMENT AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE Get FAA Approved Maintenance Training Financial Aid For Qualified Students. Job Placement Assistance. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 WWW.FIXJETS.COM. SAPA ATTENTION: Drivers New Hiring Area! Quality Home Time. Avg $1000 Weekly.

BCBS + 401k + Pet & Rider.

CDL-A Req. 877.258.8782. www.ad-drivers.com

ATTN: DRIVERS. New Hiring Area! Quality Home Time. Avg $1000 Weekly BCBS + 401K + Pet & Rider CDL-A Required 1.888.592.4752. www.ad-drivers.com SAPA

GORDON TRUCKING, INC. Solo & Team Positions CDL-A Driving Jobs for: OTR * Regional * Dedicated * Home Weekend Opportunities. Big Sign-On Bonus & Pay! No Northeast. EOE. Call 7 days/wk!

866.646.1969.

GordonTrucking.com GOODWILL PROFESSIONAL TRUCK DRIVER TRAINING Ready to go places? Get your Class-A CDL in only 4 weeks.

Costs 40-50% less than other local classes. Financial assistance available. Call 828.464.8001

NEED MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES! Doctors & Hospitals need Medical Office Staff! No Experienced Needed! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc.

BANDIT -

LOOMIS -

An adolescent, neutered, black cat. He tries to answer the telephone. He is litter box trained. Call 828.586.5647.

A 3 year old male terrier mix. He is black with some white and brown. He weighs 24 lbs. He is energetic and likes to play. He is also affectionate and likes to be petted. He might do best in a home where he is the only dog.

586.5186

SIR JOSEPH A white with tan markings Jack Russell. He is 2 years old and weighs 15 lbs. Call 877.273.5262.

ARF’S NEXT LOW-COST BARNUM A purebred Beagle. He is sweet, good on a leash, but scared of big dogs. Call 828.586.5186.

SMOKY A two-year-old brindle Aussie mix. He is lively and friendly.

Call 877.273.5262.

GRACIE An 8 lb. Chihuahua/Yorkie mix.

She is adorable. Special pricing.

Call 828.293.5629.

VIOLET -

Dog and cat spay/neuter trip is in October 6th. Register in advance at ARF’s adoption site in Sylva 1-3 on Saturdays.

Spaces are limited, so don’t wait until the last minute to register. You should not bring your animal to registration. Do bring address documentation and income documentation if you wish to apply for free Cullowhee dog or Sylva cat spay/neuters or other low-income discounts.

For more information, call 877.273.5262.

259-69

MOUNTAIN REALTY

Mieko

A 1-2 year old, purebred Walker hound. She is very affectionate.

877.273.5262.

Thomson ROKER/R /REALTOR EALTOR®® BBROKER

Cell (828) 226-2298 Cell

ARF (HUMANE SOCIETY OF JACKSON COUNTY)

mthomson@remax-waynesvillenc.com mthomson@remax-waynesvillenc.com www.ncsmokies.com www.ncsmokies.com

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.

2177 Russ Avenue Waynesville NC 28786

DINAH Domestic Shorthair cat – gray & white, I am about 9 years old, and I’m a beautiful gal who is curious, affectionate, and energetic. I’m confident and will sometimes speak my mind! I deserve to find a special person who appreciates a mature cat like myself. Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at adoptions@ashevillehumane.org.

MOJO Pit Bull Terrier Mix dog – reddish brown & white, I am about 2 years old and I’m a sweet, gentle giant. I am a fast learner who’s eager to please, and I already know several basic commands (and working on a few more). I’m playful and like to fetch, but I’m

260-19

The Real Team

also super cuddly. Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at adoptions@ashevillehumane.org.

JOLENE HOCOTT • LYN DONLEY MARLYN DICKINSON

Real Experience.

Real Service. Real Results.

828.452.3727

DOODLEBUG Chow/Basset Hound Mix dog – black, I am about 9 years old, and I’m an easy-going guy with a pleasant personality. I am looking for someone who wants a nice companion but not a running buddy! I’m pretty small despite my Chow genes, and would fit in with almost any home. I have some eye issues that will need to be monitored.

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.

www.The-Real-Team.com

mountain realty 1904 S. main St. • Waynesville

Your Local Big Green Egg Dealer

BEST PRICE EVERYDAY

260-70

10-5 M-SAT. 12-4 SUN.

smokymountainnews.com

BUSY VACATION RENTAL OFFICE Seeks a Friendly Customer Service Oriented Person with Computer Skills to Answer Phones and Assist with Office Tasks. Part-time, Weekdays from 9 to Noon, with Occasional Opportunity to Work Until 5pm.

Submit Resume to: rentals@smokymountainretreat. com

Pet Adoption

October 1-7, 2014

BAYADA HOME HEALTH CARE Is seeking caring and compassionate CNA’s who speak fair Spanish. This is an excellent opportunity to interact with a client and be directly involved with their care. At BAYADA, our employees are our greatest asset. BAYADA offers a great benefits package including: employee recognition awards, training, scholarships, competitive weekly pay, and benefits available for full-time and part-time employees.

828.452.0010 or email resume to hay-team@bayada.com

EARLY HEAD START TEACHER Jackson County - An Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education is required for this position. Candidates must have the ability to work well with families and co-workers, 2 years’ experience working with birth – 3 years and have good judgment/problem solving skills. Prefer someone with Infant/Toddler CDA credentials and basic computer skills. This is a 10 month position with full time benefits.

HEAD START PRE-SCHOOL ASSISTANT TEACHER - Jackson County- Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education is required for this position, must also have the ability to assume responsibilities of the classroom when teacher is absent, work well with parents, community partners and co-workers, and have good judgment/time management skills. Basic computer skills required. Two years classroom experience preferred. This is a ten moth position with full time benefits.

HEAD START/NC PRE-K TEACHER- Haywood County Two Positions- Must have a Birth-K or BS related field with course work, and teaching license. This position also requires computer skills, the ability to work with diverse population/community partners, good judgment/problem solving skills, lead role in classroom and time management skills. Candidate will be responsible for classroom/paperwork. 2 yrs. experience in Pre-K classroom preferred. These are 10 month positions with full time benefits.

HEAD START PRESCHOOL TEACHER- Haywood County-A BS or Birth–K Degree in Early Childhood Education is mandatory for this position. Also required for this position are: computer skills responsible for classroom paperwork, good judgment/problem solving skills and time management skills. Candidate must have the ability to work with a diverse population and community partners. Two years classroom experience is preferred. This is a 10 month position with full time benefits.

Applications will be taken at Mountain Projects, 2251 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786 or 25 Schulman St, Sylva, NC 28779 or you may go to our website: www.mountainprojects.org Pre-employment drug testing required. EOE/AA

WNC MarketPlace

GREAT MONEY FROM HOME With Our Free Mailer Program.

Live Operators On Duty Now! 1.800.707.1810 EXT 901 or visit WWW.PACIFICBROCHURES.COM SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

51

www.smokymountainnews.com

October 1-7, 2014

WNC MarketPlace

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

FINANCIAL

CAN YOU DIG IT? Heavy Equipment Operator Training! 3 Week Program. Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement Assistance with National Certifications. VA Benefits Eligible! 866.288.6896.

CNA FLOAT POSITION (FRANKLIN & SYLVA, NC) CNA wanted for in home care in the Franklin & Sylva areas. This is a Float Position with Guaranteed Hours and Extra Hourly Pay. Call Barbara Taylor at 828.777.6341 for an appointment and interview.

Advantage Care Services (formerly PDQ) has been providing services in WNC for more than 20 years. We are a home care and private duty company with corporate offices in Asheville. Our pay is competitive, and we are bonded and insured.

HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITAL Positions now available: ER Registered Nurses, MDS Coordinator, Annual Gift Officer, Major Gift Officer, Unit Clerk, Certified Nursing Assistant, and Accounting Clerk/Executive Administrative Assistant.

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

TAYLOR FORD OF WAYNESVILLE Is conducting a search for a Parts department stock room clerk. This associate will be responsible for Shipping out, and receiving in parts orders and shipments. Associate will stock and organize shelves and special orders. Will assist front counter with Customers when needed. Applicants must have good Customer service and communication skills. Must work will with a team, but be a selfstarter as well. Must have a highschool diploma and valid DL. Must be reliable, with strong organizational skills, a good attitude, & knowledge of basic computer skills. This opportunity provides unlimited opportunity and great benefits, as well as 401K and Insurance! Pay will be salary plus commission, and based on exp. All applicants should apply in person, and ask for Kirk Stump, or Bo Enloe

DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED! Become a driver for Stevens Transport! No Experience Needed! New drivers earn $800+ per week! PAID CDL Training Stevens covers costs!

1.888.748.4137 drive4stevens.com

PETS

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA FIX BAD CREDIT SCORES FAST! Start raising your credit score almost overnight-Results Guaranteed! A+ BBB Rating.

Call Now to learn how we do it 855.831.9712.

SAPA INJURED? IN A LAWSUIT? Need Cash Now? We Can Help!

No Monthly Payments to Make. No Credit Check. Fast Service and Low Rates. Call Now for more info 1.866.386.3692. www.lawcapital.com (Not available in NC, CO, MD & TN) SAPA

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: Tuesday-Friday, 12 Noon - 6 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville, NC.

DRIVERS: CDL-A. Average $52,000 per yr. plus Excellent Home Time + Weekends.

Monthly Bonuses up to $650.

5,000w APU’s for your comfort & ELogs. Excellent Benefits. 100% No Touch. 877.704.3773.

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

FURNITURE COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

NC MTNS NEAR ASHEVILLE Owner must sell new log cabin on 1.5ac. Huge porches, vaulted ceiling, 1200sf ready to finish. $74,900, add'l acreage avail.

828.286.2981.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

VACATION RENTALS CAVENDER CREEK CABINS Dahlonega, GA. GAS TOO HIGH? Spend your vacation week in the North Georgia Mountains! Ask About Our Weekly FREE NIGHT SPECIAL! Virtual Tour: www.CavenderCreek.com Cozy Hot Tub Cabins!

1.866.373.6307 SAPA FLAGLER BEACH MOTEL & Vacation Rentals ***Trip Advisor*** Certificate of Excellence Furnished Oceanside Studio 1-2-3 Bedrooms, Full Kitchens. FREE WiFi, Direct TV, Pool. Call 1.386.517.6700 or www.fbvr.net SAPA

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS

LAWN & GARDEN

AVERITT EXPRESS New Pay Increase For Regional Drivers! 40 to 46 CPM + Fuel Bonus! Also, Post-Training Pay Increase for Students! (Depending on Domicile) Get Home EVERY Week + Excellent Benefits. CDL-A req. 888.602.7440 Apply @ AverittCareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer - Females, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

BROCK A VERY HANDSOME PLOTT HOUND BOY, ABOUT ONE YEAR OLD. IN SPITE OF HIS YOUTH, HE HAS A LAIDBACK, EASY-GOING STYLE, FRIENDLY TO EVERYONE, LIKES TO PLAY WITH OTHER DOGS.

MIDGET A SMALL KITTEN ONCE, BUT NOW SHE'S A GROWN UP CAT! HER OWNER COULDN'T KEEP HER, AND SHE WAS VERY CONFUSED TO BE IN THE SHELTER BUT NEVER LOST HER LOVING PERSONALITY.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400 Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

Equal Housing Opportunity

260-16

Great Smokies Storage 10’x20’

92

$

20’x20’

160

$

ONE MONTH

FREE WITH 12-MONTH CONTRACT

828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828 52

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

Puzzles can be found on page 54.

These are only the answers.

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT Convenient Location 19/23 Between Clyde and Canton

5 x 10 = $25 10 x 10 = $40 10 x 20 = $75 • NO CONTRACTS • Nobody Beats Our Rates

828.342.8700 CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE UNITS FOR RENT 1 Month Free with 12 Month Rental. Maggie Valley, Hwy. 19, 1106 Soco Rd. For more information call Torry

828.734.6500, 828.734.6700

LEARN GUITAR & BANJO With Leigh Hilger. Many guitar styles. Clawhammer banjo. All skill levels welcome. Fun, relaxed teaching style for kids & adults.

Located near Waynesville Library.

828.456.4435

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

ENTERTAINMENT DISH TV RETAILER. Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.) SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation! CALL Now! 1.800.351.0850

239-114

Beverly Hanks & Associates 260-22

Mike Stamey

beverly-hanks.com

mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

• • • •

828-508-9607

REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! Get a whole-home Satellite system installed at NO COST and programming starting at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR Upgrade to new callers, SO CALL NOW 1.800.614.5355

74 NORTH MAIN ST. • WAYNESVILLE, NC

www.beverly-hanks.com

MEDICAL

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

SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB. Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door.

Anti-Slip Floors. American Made.

Installation Included. Call 800.807.7219 for $750 Off. VIAGRA 100mg & 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

kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com

FULL-LENGTH LEATHER COAT Great Condition, $100. Please call 828.586.0259.

GIBSON ELITE 12 PLACE SETTING Plates, bowls, cups & saucers $75.

828.577.8503.

COWEE FARMERS MARKET Tuesdays from 3:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Abundant Local Produce, Mushrooms, Eggs, Honey, Baked Goods, PUMPKINS, Crafts, Natural Skin Products, Live Musical Entertainment - Open Studios Macon County Heritage Center 51 Cowee School Drive, Franklin. coweefarmersmarket.com

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com

Ron Breese Broker/Owner

• Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com

2177 Russ Ave. Waynesville, NC 28786 Cell: 828.400.9029 ron@ronbreese.com

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

www.ronbreese.com

• Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

Each office independently owned & operated.

Emerson Group 260-04

• George Escaravage — gke333@gmail.com

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com Realty World Heritage Realty

Full Service Property Management 828-456-6111 www.selecthomeswnc.com Residential and Commercial Long-Term Rentals

realtyworldheritage.com • Carolyn Lauter realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7766 • Martha Sawyer realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7769 • Linda Wester realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7771

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty

Michelle McElroy RESIDENTIAL BROKER ASSOCIATE E-PRO, CNHS, RCC, SFR

828.400.9463 Cell michelle@beverly-hanks.com

74 North Main St. • Waynesville 828.452.5809

• • • • • • •

remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.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 Catherine Proben — cp@catherineproben.com

smokymountainnews.com

MEDICAL GUARDIAN Top-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equipment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more - only $29.95 per month. 800.983.4906. SAPA

ENJOY 100 PERCENT GUARANTEED Delivered?to-the-door Omaha Steaks! SAVE 74 percent PLUS 4 FREE Burgers - The Family Value Combo - ONLY $39.99. ORDER Today 1.800.715.2010 Use code 48829AFK or www.OmahaSteaks.com/mbfvc46 SAPA

Keller Williams Realty

October 1-7, 2014

ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The Affordable solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1.800.291.2712 for FREE DVD and brochure.

260-25

Mountain Realty CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com • Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com

SCOTTISH TARTANS MUSEUM 86 East Main St., Franklin, Open 10am- 5pm, Mon - Sat. Come & let us find your Scottish Connection!

828.584.7472 or visit us at: www.scottishtartans.org.

FOR SALE

Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither — esither@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com

maggievalleyselfstorage.com 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.

WNC MarketPlace

BULLFROG STORAGE

MUSIC LESSONS

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com 260-21

• Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net 260-68

2 MATCHING OAK ROCKERS $60. For more information call 828.877.8203.

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

www.smokymountainnews.com

October 1-7, 2014

WNC MarketPlace

Super

54

CROSSWORD

events, 2 brothers, 1 champion” 74 Discharge from the ACROSS military, informally 1 Oscar-winning film 75 Comet Hale- director Frank 76 Queens loc.

6 Playful sea animal 77 As - (at present) 11 Happy tunes 79 Result in formal pun16 Parent’s bro ishment 19 As slippery as 84 Klink’s title: Abbr.

20 “Way to go!”

86 Span. lady 21 Actress - Aimée 87 IM giggle 22 Japanese theater 23 Newport News is on it 88 Uno tripled 89 Caddy quaff 26 Genetic strand 90 - -dieu (prayer bench) 27 Guanaco kin 91 Bit of wit 28 Kitchen stove 92 Door fixture 29 In and of 94 Ensnare 31 Loose stone used for 97 Gold-medal figure foundations 35 Wife on “The Dick Van skater Oksana 99 “- la vie!”

Dyke Show” 37 Post-seminar session 100 Vision-blocking mist 102 Hawaii’s Mauna 41 Legendary Giant Mel 103 Rubberlike gum used 42 Curse as a dental cement 43 Greek war deity 105 Journalists and the 44 “- wait” (“The issue like isn’t that urgent”) 108 See 7-Down 45 By land 109 Deportee, e.g.

47 Associations 110 Guanaco kin 49 “I taut I - a puddy 112 Light, nutritionwise tat!”

116 Vigoda or Lincoln 50 Lang. of Iran 117 Alternate title for 51 Snaky curve this puzzle 53 Naval letters 122 Hi- - screen 55 Anti vote 123 Arctic dweller 56 Meyers of TV 57 Have existence 124 “Impossible!”

58 They’re milder than 125 Mall lures jalapeños 126 Comic actor Carney 62 Scratchy-voiced 127 Abnormal sacs 64 Judges’ org.

128 Wowed 66 Petri dish gelatin 129 Royal decree 67 In-favor vote 68 2012 film taglined “25 PRIMATE CENTER

DOWN 1 Superior vena 2 Indigo dye 3 Crime doer 4 Considers 5 Actress Witt 6 Asian sash 7 With 108-Across, singing syllables 8 Keg spigot 9 - and 111-Down 10 President after Jimmy 11 Listlessness 12 Paper extras 13 TV/radio host Dobbs 14 Cup-shaped flower 15 Went blading 16 Weaken insidiously 17 Not sequential 18 Rub raw 24 More down-covered 25 Bull - china shop 30 RBIs or HRs 32 Freshly capped tire 33 Curves 34 Entertainer Zadora 36 Delighted in 37 Doha’s land 38 Noah’s Ark landing site 39 Relatively recent 40 Draft-ready 45 Inedible kind of orange 46 Have - (plop down) 48 Pt. of OS 50 Miner’s goal 52 Fruitopia rival 54 Door opening for peeping 58 Pork product 59 Role for Fran Drescher 60 Dilettantish

61 Filthy riches 63 Lima’s land 65 Entertainer Neuwirth 69 Joan 70 Beat - to one’s door 71 Interest accumulation 72 How freelancing may be done 73 “Take your time” 78 “Polly - cracker?”

79 Kind 80 Club outsider 81 Most overcast 82 Positive-thinking pastor 83 Perfume name that sounds verboten 85 Tree yielding a highly saturated fat 90 Gyro wrap 93 Naval jail 95 Collection for a handyman 96 Easy-to-swallow pills 98 Ga.’s ocean 99 Lobster’s cousin 101 Of the fate one merits 103 Zodiac twins 104 Plaza Hotel girl of fiction 105 Comic Anne 106 Spring flower 107 Set (down) 111 9-Down and 113 Nero’s 451 114 Sir Guinness 115 “- we forget ...”

118 Xi preceders 119 Pan Am rival 120 “Yee- -!”

121 Uvea’s place

answers on page 52

PERSONAL

PERSONAL

A CHILDLESS HAPPILY MARRIED Couple seeks to adopt. Will be hands on parents. Financial security. Expenses paid. Letís help each other. Call/Text Adam and Andres.

1.800.790.5260.

(FL Bar #0150789) SAPA

ARE YOU PREGNANT? A childless young married couple seeks to adopt. Hands-on mom/devoted dad. Financial security. Expenses PAID. Call Maria & John 1.888.988.5028 (FLBar#0150789) SAPA

A UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, Let Us Help! Personalized Adoption Plans. Financial Assistance, Housing, Relocation And More. Giving The Gift Of Life? You Deserve The Best. Call Us First!

1.888.637.8200. 24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA

SAWMILLS From only $4397.00- MAKE & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmillCut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com.

1.800.578.1363 Ext.300N

MAKE A CONNECTION. Real People, Flirty Chat. Meet singles right now! Call LiveLinks. Try it FREE. Call now 1.888.909.9978 18+. SAPA YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com

HEAVY EQUIPMENT

SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION EARN YOUR High School Diploma at home in a few short weeks. Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nationally accredited. Call for free brochure. 1.800.658.1180, extension 82. www.fcahighschool.org SAPA AVIATION MANUFACTURE CAREERS Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students.

Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance.

877.300.9494.

SERVICES BUNDLE & SAVE On your TV, Internet, Phone!!! Call Bundle Deals NOW. Compare all companies, Packages and Prices!

Call 1.855.549.3156 TODAY. SAPA

SERVICES KP PAVING Over 50 Years Experience.

Specialize in BST (Tar & Chat) 40% Cheaper than Asphalt. We also do Grading, Blacktop Seal Coating, Private Driveways & Roadways. Free Estimates at 828.246.0510 or 828.400.5489 DISH TV Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) SAVE! Regular Price$32.99 Call Today and Ask About FREE SAME DAY Installation! Call NOW 1.888.631.8171 SAPA DIRECTV Starting at $24.95/mo. Free 3Months of HBO, Starz, Showtime & Cinemax Free Receiver Upgrade!

2014 NFL Sunday Ticket Included with Select Packages. Some exclusions apply - Call for details 1.800.849.3514 MEDICAL GUARDIAN Top-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equipment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more - only $29.95 per month. 800.615.3868 REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL* Get a 4-Room All-Digital Satellite system installed for FREE! Programming starting at $19.99/MO. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers. CALL NOW 1.800.795.1315 SAPA

WEEKLY SUDOKU 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.

Answers on Page 52

The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Still time if you hurry

I

’ve been on the Blue Ridge Parkway the last couple of weekends and have made it a point to stop at Wolf Mountain Overlook (Milepost 424) to check out the Grass of Parnassus, I believe to be Parnassia asarifolia.

From Scott Ranger’s “Nature Notes” we get this description/definition of Grass of Parnassus — “The genus name seems to come from ancient Greek Parnassos, the name of the son, the nymph Kleodora and the human Kleopompus. His city was flooded so they moved it up on the slopes of the mountain that took his name, becoming Mount Parnassus. This mountain was sacred to Apollo and home to the Muses. The literary world considers it the home of poetry.”

It’s easy to see how poets could become infatuated with this lingering summer beauty as she seems to simply project from the wet gray rocks, drinking in the sunlight and dancing in the spray of water. The rock face and seepage are also home to other wildflowers like the carnivorous sundew, probably Drosera, rotundifolia, Michaux’s saxifrage, soapwort, Gentiana saponaria and, now gone, turtlehead, probably Chelone

lyonii.

And while people’s attention is clearly focused upward this time of year, there’s still a lot of late summer/early fall color along the roadsides and forest trails. In fact, turtle’s head may still be showy in the forest — places like the Flat Creek Trail along Heintooga Spur Road off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Stiff gentian, Gentianella, quinquefolia is quite prominent along the Parkway, especially near the Richland Balsam Overlook.

Numerous species of goldenrod add their distinctive buttery-yellow hue to the panoramas. Some morning glories are still with us and a profusion of asters ranging from white, to cream, to blue, to purple sprout on the roadside or peek from the woody shadows.

Red and blue berries of blueberry, green briar, holly, mountain ash, dogwood and others hang like Christmas ornaments from trees, shrubs and/or vines.

Colors will soon dominate. Oranges, reds and yellows will overwhelm.

But get out now — before the blinding cascade — and search the shadows and the roadsides for the last American lady or Aphrodite fritillary sucking the last nectar from some aster or goldenrod and know that

Grass of parnassus. creative commons photo beauty is more than showy and/or opulent — that it can be found in the tiniest bee crawling on the tiniest flower, or the one glimmer of red berry shining from the deep

forest shadows.

Sometimes less is more.

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)

October 1-7, 2014

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