Smoky Mountain News | October 30, 2019

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Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019 Vol. 21 Iss. 22

N.C. 2020 Congressional Districts thrown out Page 12 Kids mountain biking park opens in Jackson Page 40

CONTENTS On the Cover: Voters across Western North Carolina will be making important local decisions at the polls this election season, including choosing who will lead their small town as mayor for the next few years. The Smoky Mountain News talked to mayoral candidates in Waynesville, Maggie Valley and Franklin about their vision for the future.

News Pisgah’s district ranger leaves post ............................................................................10 NC’s 2020 Congressional Districts thrown out ....................................................12 Second Dem hopes to oppose Meadows ..............................................................13 Dillsboro opposes recycling relocation ......................................................................16 Cherokee to revisit election ordinance ......................................................................18 Business News ..................................................................................................................21

Opinion You don’t turn your back on friends ............................................................................22

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And then it happened ......................................................................................................54

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING:

Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Barbee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Gary Carden (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Barbee (writing).

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The poetry of freedom ....................................................................................................26

Kids mountain biking park opens in Jackson ..........................................................40

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Waynesville mayoral candidates speak on the issues

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER hey’re both longtime board members — one’s a longtime mayor and the other a longtime mayor pro tem.

One of them, Gavin Brown or Gary Caldwell, will be Waynesville’s next mayor come Nov. 5, and one of them will cycle out of city government, taking decades of institutional knowledge with them.

Either way, Waynesville’s government is about to experience some change, just like the town of Waynesville itself. Managing that change over the next four years will be their greatest challenge, along with issues of affordable housing, homelessness and economic development.

The Smoky Mountain News talked to Mayor Gavin Brown and Alderman Gary Caldwell about how they plan to lead Waynesville into the future, if voters so choose.

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The Smoky Mountain News: There are a lot of misconceptions about what a North Carolina mayor actually does. What, exactly, is the mayor’s job?

SMN: Another part of the mayor’s job is almost being a cheerleader for the town, where you have to go out and interact with other boards, or the state legislature, or even sometimes

Brown: That’s probably the biggest job, so to speak, that I have. I am, as you pointed out, the head cheerleader for the town of Waynesville and I want to make sure that our story is always told in appropriate fashion to legislative bodies and to businesses or to any other entities that come to the town or we go before, and that includes sitting on the street and talking to citizens as they come up and down the street on a daily basis. So yes, I am the spokesman, but at the same time, I don’t try to direct the discussion. I try to lead the discussion.

Gavin Brown

SMN: Then there are the people without any housing at all. Pathways and the Open Door provide great services for people who need them, but do you think that they draw people to this community?

SMN: Waynesville is in the enviable position of having to manage growth instead of managing decline. Tell me a little bit about how you see Waynesville managing growth if you’re mayor for the next four years.

Brown: There’s a certain element of growth that we can’t control. I’m not allowed, nor is the town board allowed, to put a fence or a wall around the city limits as some people are attempting to do. What we do is try to use smart growth principles to make sure that we are not inundated with problems. In other words, we try to infill when we’re doing growth projects such as the BI-LO. That’s using an existing piece of property that has infrastructure to it to repurpose it. Those are the kinds of things you do to control growth as it comes, but we have to recognize that people are going to come to the community and I can’t simply shut the gates.

Caldwell: I see a need, and it’s going to come up with these apartment complexes. We’ve got two in the works and then especially on the west end of Waynesville, we’ve got a Comfort Inn also being built up there. In the Allens Creek area, there’s a 26-duplex housing development going in there. I see the need of expanding our fire department because I have done some research on it and and we’re having more calls on that side of Waynesville than we are on the East side now. So I think we’re going to have to really look to expand

Brown: As I noted the other night at the meeting, the town has adopted an incentive policy to try to attract entities to create those types of projects in Waynesville. Unfortunately at this point in time we have not had any entity come forward. Mountain Projects has attempted it, but it didn’t work out in their case, with their costs and margins and things like that. I expect in the near future that we will have a nonprofit or even a for-profit company come and try to build some of these things with the incentives we’ve provided. We may want to look at other ideas though. One of the things that we might do is to actually purchase property and put that in the form of a grant to an entity. These are the methods that you would employ if you were really not getting any success with where you are now.

So yes, I’m open to trying any other avenue that might work and might bring that affordable housing to this community.

Gary Caldwell our fire department, and that means probably having to build a new fire department.

I’ve also researched the police department and the police department is also having more calls. I know that’s got to do with Walmart out there and everything, but also we have the Pathways Center out there. I would like to see this fire department be considered, and also have a substation for the police department to work out of.

SMN: Allens Creek, BI-LO, Plott Creek — none of that is what we call “affordable housing.” It’s “market rate” housing. We need that as well, but it doesn’t solve the affordable housing problem unless you believe they will allows some people to move up into them and create vacancies in affordable housing. Do you believe that?

Caldwell: I do. I can speak of an incident that occurred. I was speaking with someone who

Brown: Oh, there’s no question. I see the daily police report and it indicates that we have citizens who have come here from Nevada and Wyoming and California and Florida seeking to get into Pathways. That “underground railroad” is there. I’m not ashamed of it though.

Some people don’t like it. I’m saying to myself, it tells me that the town and the community is doing the right thing. We’re trying to discuss and solve the homeless as a problem as opposed to just shutting our eyes and ignoring it and finding these people living on the streets.

Caldwell: I think the Pathways Center has become a draw. There’s always been homeless people from as long as I can remember, but it seems that when Pathways came on board and built their facility that the homeless people have increased tremendously here. I think it’s brought more here, and that’s become a problem to try to find enough housing for them to live in. I think it is a big issue.

SMN: People have said that they have heard about websites that tell people Waynesville is the place to be homeless. Others say they’ve seen buses drop people off at Pathways or in Frog Level, or law enforcement from other counties dropping people off in Frog Level. Do you believe that? And have you seen any evidence? Have you seen a website?

Smoky Mountain News

Gary Caldwell: The mayor’s pretty much just, we conduct the meetings and, keep up with the items that are on the agenda. With our aldermen in place, we like to refer to them also for their thoughts about the agenda, but, my plan is to try to give my aldermen a better chance of being able to answer questions, rather than the mayor being a oneman show. I want to be able to scout my aldermen out and give them chances to also to speak up.

Caldwell: I feel good about that. In the past I used to make a lot of trips to Raleigh. I’ve been, an alderman for 24 years and 20 of that has been as the mayor pro tem. I’ve been there to talk to some of our legislators about needs, and things happening here in our own area to try to get some help. I think I worked pretty well with Joe Sam [Queen, one of Haywood’s state representatives], and he’s been a great supporter, you know, of here.

Not only just Waynesville, but this county. I go as far back as Liston Ramsey, speaker of the House. That’s how far back I go, and I enjoy going down to Raleigh every so often.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

Gavin Brown: The lawful authority is very limited. The only thing that I do now as mayor is that I open the meetings and I adjourn the meetings and I run the meetings. In other words, I ensure that Robert’s Rules of Order are kept in place. Other than that, I have no other authority whatsoever. I couldn’t give you a job. I can’t fire the town manager. We have what is called a council-manager form of government in Waynesville. And that’s pretty common in small communities, especially in North Carolina. In larger urban areas such as Chicago in New York, they have a strong mayor form of government and they in fact have a lot of authority and power. Yes, I sit and meet with the staff on a regular basis to discuss what issues we should bring to the board, but I’m always and always have been and always would be open to having any member of the board discuss a particular topic. Typically, the issues frame themselves.

Congress. Tell me how you feel about carrying out that aspect of the job.

moved from Murphy to our area here and he was having such trouble trying to find a place to rent that he actually had to rent a house that was larger than what he really needed.

He’s paying rent for a much bigger house and by having these new apartment complexes come in, that gives him a better chance of moving into one of those apartments and opening up that house for someone that could actually really use a three-bedroom house, where he only needs like one bedroom house.

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Waynesville aldermen candidates weigh in on mayor’s race

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER t’s a fact that’s sometimes overlooked — political candidates are voters, too. Like any other voter, they have their leanings and preferences and will have to make a choice at the polls for who they want to lead them, should they win election to the Waynesville Board of Aldermen.

Last week, The Smoky Mountain News asked them all who they would vote for in the mayors race between Gavin Brown and Gary Caldwell, and why. Here’s what we got.

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The Pathways Center has found itself at the center of Waynesville’s election this year. Cory Vaillancourt photo WAYNESVILLE, CONTINUED FROM 3

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

Brown: I have only heard about this. I have anecdotally. I understand that that occurs.

I’ve been told that by some of our police officers and people in the town and the employees of the town. I happen to have engaged in that myself. One time I took a couple of prisoners from the jail, gave them $10 and bought them a bus ticket because the judge said he wanted them out of town. So it does happen, I’m sure. And I participated in it. He simply didn’t want these individuals in the town of Waynesville.

Caldwell: I have not seen the website and I have not seen anyone dropping off anybody.

But I have heard it from the police force. I respect the police force highly and I feel like it’s true. I really do.

SMN: How do we, as a town, solve this? What can a town do? What can a mayor do?

Smoky Mountain News

Caldwell: That’s a big question right there. I don’t know if anybody can answer that question. Like I say with Pathways being what it is and it’s already at pretty much maxed out, it has become a problem. It has become a problem here, but I have no answer and I don’t know anybody that would have an answer.

Brown: Homelessness is just a symptom.

There is a cause behind it. It’s just like if you have a fever, that’s not the problem. You’ve got some kind of illness that is creating the fever. Same thing with homelessness. I think that we need to make sure that we understand why these people are homeless, how they got into the situation. I think a partnership is probably what’s going to occur. I think we need to work with the nonprofits and religious groups who are trying to address this situation. It will take a community to solve this problem. It can’t be done individually or by any one group. That’s why you need a strong leader in the municipal setting. It’s important that the situation be addressed holistically, and not just in parts, and that’s

Joey Reece: I don’t think I should tell you.

I wouldn’t want to influence anybody.

There are pros and cons to both. You’ve got this stark difference between the two, although both have been part of this same system for a couple of decades now.

LeRoy Roberson: I’m endorsing no one.

They’re both good men. I’ve served with both of them and I like both of them. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me sitting on the board to make a call on that, but they both serve the town very well.

Jon Feichter: I am officially neutral. No matter who wins, I have to work with what we may be doing now is just sort of putting our finger into the dyke as opposed to seeing why the dyke has a problem.

SMN: We’d be remiss not to mention Mayor Brown’s brushes with the legal system in the last two years, a forgery indictment resulting in deferred prosecution and a moving violation that left many wondering why it wasn’t a DWI. What can you say about those incidents?

Brown: I’m a human just like everybody else is.

I make mistakes and I acknowledge those mistakes when I’m confronted with them. I’m not wanting to shy away from that. It’s my nature

Chuck Dickson: I’m looking forward to working with whoever wins. Both candidates have Waynesville’s best interest at heart. If elected, I would be happy to work with either of them.

Anthony Sutton: Whoever wins, I will have to work with them, and I don’t ask anyone who they’re voting for. I believe that whoever gets elected, I’ll be able to work with either one of them and I’d be proud to work with either one of them.

Julia Boyd Freeman: I’m not gonna answer that question, but I will say you’ve got two individuals that have given a tremendous amount of themselves to this community and it’s not easy sitting in a political position and sitting up there, what you hear on daily basis. It’s not easy for anyone’s family to take that. That’s why so few people do decide to step forward. So I think the town of Waynesville, with both Mayor Brown and Alderman Caldwell, with their knowledge and experience the town will be in good hands no matter who wins. to be open and truthful. I’ve told the community what happened in both situations. One of them was simply a lack of judgment. The other one was just simply as mistake on my part. I just shouldn’t have been doing what I was doing. I’d been charged with reckless driving and to be quite honest with you, I don’t think I was driving reckless. I do admit that I ran my tires onto rumble strip, but I didn’t run off the road, didn’t have a wreck, wasn’t speeding, so I think the elements of reckless driving are simply not there and I’m going to contest that charge in all ways possible. In addition, I was unfairly treated by the judicial system. Personal information of mine

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Maybe these churches come up with other places for them to stay. At one period in time, we had the old boys camp over on the test farm.

That might be an idea that we have to go back to, and let the churches operate that. We housed them there before we ever got Pathways. So that might be an opportunity that we have to fall back on if the need arises and we don’t have places for them to go, especially in this cold weather. I hate to see anybody out, so it might be that the, the mayor and the board step up and say maybe we take it personally and talk with some of these churches.

SMN: Who are you voting for in the mayor’s race?

them, and I think that both of those men have devoted a large part of their lives to making this place better, improving Waynesville. I have deep respect for the efforts that both of them have made.

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Public hearing for annexation

Safe Kids Halloween event Safe Kids Macon County is launching the fourth annual Teal Pumpkin Project in partnership with Franklin businesses. Teal-colored pumpkins or signs with teal pumpkins

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The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen will conduct a public hearing on the question of a volunteer annexation of parcel numbers 769740-9577 and 7697-40-8473 located at 1537 Country Club Drive at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, in the Town Hall Boardroom.

Oral and written comments will be accepted.

are appearing in more storefronts this year as part of a national effort to make the holiday safe for children with food allergies. It just takes one simple act: offering non-food treats, such as glow sticks or small toys, as an alternative to candy.

More than a dozen businesses and organizations in Franklin have committed to providing non-candy treats for trick or treaters from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31.

Participating businesses will have a sign in the store front displaying a teal pumpkin, making the public aware they are a safe stop for treats.

Homes in the Franklin community participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project will have a teal pumpkin in front of their homes to let parents know they have non-candy treats available as well.

If your business would like to participate in this year’s Teal Pumpkin Project, contact Safe Kids Macon County Chairman Brittney Lofthouse at Brittney.lofthouse@gmail.com.

Support for suicide survivors The Haywood Chapter of Survivors of Suicide Loss will hold a peer support session from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at the Fellowship Hall of Hazelwood Presbyterian Church.

Everyone in the group, including the facilitators, has had someone close to them take their life and knows how devastating that experience can be. They have all experienced those exaggerated feelings of responsibility trying to cope with something they could not understand. Call Nancy at 910.528.0169 for more information. There is no charge for participation in this group.

SMN: If you get elected mayor, there’s a good chance that we are sitting in this room again in four years, talking about your reelection. What do you want to be able to tell me is the best thing you did between 2019 and 2023?

Caldwell: I keep bringing up the west side of Waynesville, but that’s the area right there that I want to see that cleaned up, because if you have anybody coming in from that end, to visit Waynesville, their first impression is, “Wow, look at these junkyards, these abandoned buildings” and everything like that. So I want to see this road come in I’d like to take that on myself. I’ve talked with the town manager about this already, and if I was elected, I

Brown: I’d like to say that we continued to be an open and transparent government willing to listen to the citizens and attempting to solve issues. Take, for instance, the cemetery issue. Not only did we have one public hearing, I called for a second one because nobody showed up at the first one. Unfortunately nobody showed up at the second one. So the ordinance was changed and it was implemented and when the ordinance was put into effect, employees started to do the things that we had directed. Then the citizens became aware of the situation and started to scream at us, and I’m not surprised, but who provided the solution? I did. I came to the town meeting and told the board that we were going to have a special meeting to listen to these citizen complaints. After that I came to the board and provided the solution by having a committee formed with one member being chosen by each of the board members and then two at large members chosen by the total board. As I understand, that board has gotten along and worked very well and purportedly is going to present their proposals to us just after the election. So the idea is not to say that you’re going to stop problems, but when one does occur that you have solutions ready for it.

Sources of fiber: fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds and nuts, whole grains (e.g. bran, whole wheat, oats, popcorn) How much do you need?

Men - under 50 years old - 38 grams/day; over 50 years old - 30 gm/day Women - under 50 years old - 25 grams/day; over 50 years old - 21 gm/day Some examples of foods with fiber: 1 medium apple w/skin - 4.5 grams 1 banana - 3 grams 1 cup raw chopped cauliflower - 2 grams 1 slice of whole wheat bread - 2 grams 1 cup cooked black beans - 15 grams 1 oz of almonds - 3.5 grams Source https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthyeating/in-depth/fiber/art-20043983

Smoky Mountain News

Caldwell: That’s a hard one to answer right there. I don’t think it affects his ability as a mayor. I think it affects the citizens’ respect for him. To me, that is not good, to have something like that happen to you and to be in the high position that he is in. I hate that it happened to him, but there’s nothing I can do to cover that up. It did happen and in the public’s eye, they don’t see it as a good thing, especially for a mayor in a very respected position.

would like to talk with the DOT and see if there’s any way that they could reverse their decision about Russ Avenue and that West Waynesville and South Main Street would be more of a higher priority — coming in and fixing that road so we can get this project going up there and cleaning this area up and getting people in those empty buildings, or tearing them down and bringing in new businesses.

I’d like to see that happen on my watch.

Most of us, including children, do not eat enough foods with fiber. Some of the benefits of eating foods with fiber include: • Satiety (feeling full) that may help with weight control or maintenance.

• Lowering cholesterol (particularly the low density lipoprotein - LDL - or "bad" cholesterol) • Improving bowel health and reducing risk of diverticular disease and hemorrhoids.

• Slows the absorption of sugar for those with diabetes.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

was put out into the public sphere without my approval or without my knowledge, and somebody’s going to have to pay for that. You don’t display somebody’s Social Security number on the internet, on Facebook. If you do, you’re going to pay the price as far as I’m concerned and I will seek area every means of retribution and punishment that I can. The AOC [the Administrative Office of the Courts], as I understand it, is looking into the situation now.

FIGURING OUT THE FIBER

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Next Maggie Valley mayor must manage growth

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER aggie Valley may be a small town, but its economic impact on and importance to Haywood County can’t be understated.

After Mayor Saralyn Price announced she wouldn’t seek re-election this year, only two candidates stepped up — Mayor Pro Tem Janet Banks and Alderman Mike Eveland.

Banks decided to forego re-election to her aldermanic seat to run for mayor, so if she loses, she’s off the board.

If Eveland loses, he returns to serve out the remaining two years on his aldermanic term, but if he wins, his aldermanic seat will be filled by someone selected by the new board.

However that all shakes out, Maggie Valley’s next mayor will inherit a strong financial position and a tourism-based economy that appears to be thriving. Rekindled interest in Ghost Town and other recent outside investment in Maggie Valley, though, will demand careful management of resources to ensure a level of growth that keeps Miss Maggie moving forward without obliterating the unique character of the small mountain town.

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Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

The Smoky Mountain News: There are a lot of misconceptions about what a mayor in North Carolina does, and doesn’t do. As you understand it, what is the role of a mayor?

Janet Banks: For the past four years, I have been the mayor pro tem of Maggie Valley, so I have represented Maggie Valley in various meetings across the county, the region and the state. One of the reasons I have concentrated on doing that is that you meet people, you forge relationships that you’re going to use in the future. If Maggie Valley is seen and heard, we have a seat at the table. The role of the mayor is set the tone for the town. The role of the mayor is to be the public persona of the town, to be seen out in the community, to be seen in the county, in the region and in the state, which I have done.

Mike Eveland: The mayor does not run the town. That’s done by the town manager. The mayor runs the meetings and handles the board, The other thing is that any time that the town has opportunities, the mayor usually goes with the town manager and stuff like that. If, for example, you have somebody asking about Ghost Town or any of those local things, then the mayor usually gets to be the one that’s the representative of the board. I think that’s probably the biggest thing in North Carolina is that the mayor represents the board and the town in general.

SMN: Maggie, like every other town in this county, is in the enviable position of being able to manage growth as opposed to managing decline. Tell me a little bit about your philosophy on how you plan to manage that growth.

Eveland: I would disagree a little bit in that our commercial over the last 10 or 12 years 6 has been in decline to some degree. I think

we’ve leveled off and I think that the last couple of years have shown us that the numbers are better. Growth over the next eight to 12 years is going to be interesting, because there are people within the Valley that would really like to see the valley stay the same. And then there’s a lot of people that look at the valley and understand that it needs to grow. What we have to do is not close the door to growth.

We need to make sure that we do it in a way that doesn’t all come at once. We need to find ways to make sure that it’s staged out. Part of the growth is going to be along Jonathan Creek at some point down the road, and that’ll be really cool because that’s going to be expanding the town. The [economic development incentive policy] that we just approved allows us the opportunity now that when we talk to people, this what we’re willing to do for you if you’re doing investments. We need to make sure that we’re on top of that, because we’re going to be competing with other areas and we want the opportunity to make sure that we’re number one on your list.

Banks: I moved here 12 years ago. The population of Maggie Valley, I had been told at that time, was approximately 1,100 people. It’s now up to almost 1,400 people. Most of the growth in Maggie Valley has occurred over the last three to four years since we’ve come back from the recession, so you’re looking at basically a 20 percent growth increase over 10 years. That is manageable. In terms of city services that we offer for both the residents and the commercial entities, I would like to see a slow, steady growth that we can manage within our current budget. Our residential part of the community is taking off. The commercial will follow, so what I want is smart growth. I want to grow steadily and I want to prepare for the future. I am not unwilling to discuss at a future time adding another police officer, and adding another public works worker to handle the increased services that we need.

SMN: Affordable housing is a big issue across the county. What do you see as the extent of the problem in Maggie Valley, and what can Maggie Valley do about it or what can Maggie do in conjunction with the county as a whole?

Banks: I was chosen by the board to be the representative of the town on the Haywood County Affordable Housing Council, so I’m very familiar with this issue. This issue right now for Maggie Valley is huge. There aren’t housing affordability options for people who are coming here to work, and I think we need to do something about it in conjunction with the whole rest of the county. I don’t buy the idea that the two large complexes that are going up in Waynesville will vacate [more affordable housing units] because salaries haven’t increased that much across the county. I think one of the things that Waynesville should have done is adopt a policy that when large development complexes of multi family housing units go in, that reserves 10 percent of those units for low income people. Many municipalities have that policy. Waynesville does not.

Waynesville is about 60 percent of that population, but Maggie Valley only provides about 5 percent. What is your opinion of the homeless situation in Maggie Valley?

Janet Banks

Mike Eveland Eveland: Maggie Valley is a very small community. I don’t know that we have a huge footprint on that. Haywood County in general, now that’s a totally different game. We have to define what affordable housing is. To me, even the opportunity for $800 to $1,200 apartments don’t seem to be affordable to some people. But at the same time, that’s the growth that we need to have to be able to get to the point where we can afford different types of housing. We’ve got employees that can’t afford to live because they look for houses and end up with second jobs. Haywood County people are going to move this way, and we’ve got to have people that will be employed by all these businesses. We’ve got a shortage now it’s going to only get worse. I don’t think that trailers and that kind of thing is the answer. It needs to be actual housing, whether it be duplexes, apartment-type things or small houses, but it doesn’t need to be trailers. I think we have enough of that.

SMN: Data from Pathways says that the overwhelming majority of people in that shelter are from Haywood County. It’s no surprise that

ME: Maggie Valley does have a problem with homelessness right now. We see it every day.

They’re living wherever at this time of year too, because the weather’s been nice. We’re getting a lot of them off the interstate, so they’re not from Waynesville, Maggie or wherever, but we get them down the corridor down there and they come into Maggie. It’s an issue that I think is something that needs to be looked at. As a businessperson, we want to call police officers and have them removed — that’s a knee-jerk reaction to what’s going on, but there’s maybe other facilities or opportunities where we can pull people in.

But then you’re going to pull people from other communities outside of Haywood County, and that’s not necessarily something that we want to be able to do either, because we want to try to take care of our own and if we can do that then, then that would be great.

Banks: There are many reasons that people are homeless. It could be mental illness, it could be drug addiction, it could be family problems, it could be loss of a job. As long as the numbers remain small, we should be helping our own. The best way to do that? I have no real idea at this point in time. The churches in Maggie Valley have had a long history of helping people with issues such as food insecurity. Maggie being a tight knit community, this has been going on for years.

I would advocate personally for supporting the Pathways Center, but I’m not sure I would commit town funds to do that until we see there is a bigger need and I’m very wary of how our taxpayer money is going to be spent in the next several years because one of the big issues that we are going to face is in 2020, we’re doing a complete county revaluation of property. The last time we were reevaluated in 2017, we lost $34 million and the prediction is we’re going to have a loss again in 2020. I want to make sure that our budget — without raising people’s taxes — covers all the goods and services that we supply.

SMN: Maggie Valley’s financial position is incredibly strong — no debt, lowest taxes in the county, and a fund balance hovering around 100 percent. What was your role in helping the board manage that and where do we go from here?

Banks: We made a decision a couple of years ago when we adopted a tax increase from 39 cents to 43 cents after the devaluation of our property, to take some money from the general fund to pay down debt. By gradually doing that over time and paying off the police department building, we made our last payment last year. We have improved our financial situation tremendously and we made a lot of hard decisions in trying to keep a revenue-neutral budget, but not to disadvantage any of our services

Eveland: Back seven, eight years ago, we went down on our tax base. We lost a big chunk there and in order for us to be stable, we went back to the original tax rate that we had, still the lowest in Haywood County. At this point we believe that we should be able to maintain that. We do have to know that over the next few years, we pay 23 employees now and there’s going to be a point where we need to be able to expand that by a few people.

Another thing that we did that saved us thousands of dollars was going to the state [employee health insurance] plan. Every year we were having to change insurance companies and going up 20, 30 percent each time. It has stabilized our insurance to the point where we don’t have to shop anymore. Our budget, I think it was a 3 or 4 percent increase

this year, so that’s very minimal and it’s really allowed us the opportunity to be able to have a stable environment for our budget, and that allows us to be more aggressive with employee [benefits] and that sort of thing, in terms of putting the money where they really need it, which is in their pocketbooks.

SMN: Is climate change real?

Eveland: Yes. Banks: Of course it is.

SMN: What would you do as mayor to ensure that the town pays as much attention to climate change as possible in every single issue?

Eveland: We’ve already done a lot of that.

We’ve gone to LED lighting throughout our area, including now the streetlights and all that sort of thing. So, uh, this has been a two, three year project process. [Town Manager] Nathan Clark has been very aggressive with this. His leadership in that role for the board has been great because he comes with opportunities and the ability for us to be able to make the changes that we, the little changes that we can make. When it comes to some of the other issues like trash and stuff like that, we do a very good job of making sure that we have opportunities for people to be able to divide their trash out and be able to, so that that’s done properly. Um, and we also have just at town hall here, for example, along with the other municipalities in Haywood County a few years ago, we went ahead and spent the

time and money and put in a battery charger that people can come up and charge their cars for free. So those are some of the little things that we’ve done.

Maggie Valley did not want the road reduced.

And I don’t want that either, but there is a time and a place to tell that to them rather than have a motion to cut it off.

Banks: Maggie Valley lives and dies on the weather, and our weather has changed. We’ve just come through a period where we’ve had very little rain in the valley and that affects our festival grounds season, and our ability to keep those grounds in pristine condition for attracting new festivals. What I think the town can do is be ever conscious of our energy use.

And we’ve done that to a large extent. We’ve converted to all LED lamps in our town streetlights through a program with Duke energy and we are looking at how much we spend on things that consume energy. So I think that as a board moving forward, we have to be conscious of it now. There are alternative energy sources, and we may want to consider putting solar panels on the town hall 10 years from now. This is something we need to be aware of and it’s acute for Maggie Valley, because we’re so sensitive to the weather.

Eveland: Most of the people I see people every day in my business that are locals, people that live here, that have lived here their whole lives. Some of them vote, a lot of them don’t.

But they’ve lived here their whole lives and they came to me with this issue from the first day that we found out that there was a possibility of a three lane at that time. Let’s take this off the table to the DOT and tell them that we want to be interested in any other ideas they have, but more specifically talk about the crosswalks and what we can do to, make those safer and better.

SMN: I want to talk about that agenda setting meeting. Do you feel like anything improper happened during that meeting?

Banks: I was surprised that Alderman [Phillip] Wight brought forth that motion because it was an attempt to cut off discussion when we needed to have more discussion. And I appreciate the fact that he wanted the North Carolina Department of Transportation to know that the people of

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that we supply to the people. I’m very proud of that record. However, just because we are now debt-free, you don’t spend miss Maggie’s inheritance all willy-nilly. We have just adopted a new tax incentive policy for people that are making major investments in the town. I think this is a good first step, but I’m not in favor of giving pennies back to the commercial entities and homeowners on their taxes at this point in time until I find out the results of the 2020 tax reevaluation. The other reason I’m not in favor is that, I budget for my taxes, and I don’t want a seesaw tax bill surprise at the end of the year. I want to know exactly what my tax bill is, so I can budget for it and people don’t like up and down swings and I don’t want to give tax money back and then have to raise them again.

SMN: Janet, if you lose, there will be a vacancy on the board and the board of aldermen. Would you apply to fill that vacancy?

Banks: No. I think the new board as it would be reconfigured needs to choose a different person and someone who will really bring a talent to the board. The board has as its mayor the former police chief. They have me as mayor pro tem. I represent the residents, because I’m a retired resident. They have Mike Eveland and Phillip Wight, who are two business owners in Maggie Valley, and they have Clayton Davis, a retired county agricultural agent who brings the talent of redesigning and beautifying Maggie Valley to the board.

That’s why we have worked so well, because we have had multiple interests represented.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019 Smoky Mountain News 7

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McRae challenges Scott for Franklin mayor

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR fter running unopposed for his last two terms in office, Franklin Mayor Bob Scott is being challenged for his seat by fellow Town Councilmember Barbara McRae. Scott is seeking his fourth two-year term as the town’s mayor and served as a councilmember for 10 years before that.

McRae is currently serving her second four-year term on the town council. Her term doesn’t officially end until 2020, which means if she loses the race for mayor, she will retain her seat on the board. However, if she wins the mayor’s race, the board will have to appoint someone to fill her seat for another year.

The two candidates have a lot in common — both moved to Franklin in the ‘70s; both are in their late 70s and are very active in the community; both come from a journalism background and both have progressive platforms for moving Franklin forward.

Though the mayor doesn’t get a vote on the board unless there is a tie, Scott and McRae tend to agree on a majority of the issues presented to the town. It wasn’t until this spring the two ended up on opposite sides of a controversial issue — the transferring of the Nikwasi Mound deed from the town to nonprofit entity Nikwasi Initiative.

McRae said her decision to run for mayor wasn’t made based on the Nikwasi Mound vote.

“Bob told me he wasn’t going to run again so I thought I would run. I started talking to people and everyone was very encouraging.

Then he decided to run after all, but I was already in it by then,” she said.

Scott admitted to probably saying he wasn’t going to run for re-election this year — just as he claimed he planned to be a oneterm mayor when he ran in 2013 — but he changed his mind.

“Since I’ve been in this I haven’t found anything I enjoy more than being mayor,” he said. “We have a reputation statewide as a progressive small town. Franklin’s a small town others look to and I’m very proud of it.

I certainly have support for another term — we have a lot of momentum building in Franklin.”

Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

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BATTLE FOR NIKWASI

As a board member of Nikwasi Initiative, McRae wholeheartedly supported transferring the mound to the nonprofit to give more stakeholders a say in its future, while Scott was adamantly opposed to the transfer. He tried to offer up a compromise, but the town council voted unanimously in May. The issue caused a rift in the community and also between Scott and McRae, who shortly after decided to sign up to run for mayor.

Scott said he wouldn’t be surprised if the 8 issue became the deciding factor in this year’s

municipal election, even though the town has many other projects to tackle.

“Big issues are going to play out in this election — I think Nikwasi will play a major role as well,” he said. “Short of getting down on my knees and begging, I tried to get Nikwasi Initiative to accept a compromise but they refused even though the community was being torn apart.”

McRae took a lot of heat during the Nikwasi Mound deed discussions. A small group of Macon County residents who vocally opposed the deed transfer took shots at her, claiming she must be financially benefiting from the transfer or had some other ulterior motive for wanting the town to hand it over to what they called a “private entity.”

They even attempted to prove she had a conflict of interest to keep her from voting on the deed, but Town Attorney John Henning, Jr. said she had nothing to gain financially and therefore had no conflict of interest.

“I was really upset about the way the Nikwasi Mound issue played out. It made me feel real sad. I blame him (Scott) for it turning so bitter, but I don’t know if that’s what he intended to do,” McRae said. “Usually we get along well, so I was caught off guard by the whole thing. I do think his heart was in the right place though.”

It’s not the first time the deed issue has come up. Around 2013 — when Scott was on the board and running for mayor — Michell Hicks, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians formally asked the town to return the mound to Cherokee ownership, but the town board denied the request.

It was after that vote Mainspring Conservation Trust began facilitating a joint effort between the town, county and ECBI to rebuild the damaged relationships between the communities and come up with a plan for a historic cultural corridor through Macon County to the Qualla Boundary. Making the Nikwasi Mound in downtown Franklin more visible for tourists and residents was a major part of that corridor plan, which led to Nikwasi Initiative being formed and incorporated as a nonprofit.

With Mainspring’s environmental cleanup work along the Little Tennessee River and adjoining properties, it seemed like a perfect time to really revitalize that side of town.

Then EBCI purchased the land adjacent to the mound and is coming up with a plan to construct an annex of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

“I think people are excited about the opportunities Nikwasi Initiative presents,” McRae said. “Everyone knows that side of town needs some love and here’s a chance to get some things done and it’s not entirely up to the town financially to do it. I know a lot of people share my views on the issue, but I don’t know if will be the tipping point of the election.”

Barbara McRae

Bob Scott

Just as McRae was passionate about having a new joint ownership of the mound, Scott was just as passionate in his pleas to keep the mound under town ownership as it had been since 1947. He suggested offering Nikwasi Initiative a short-term maintenance agreement for the mound to see how the partnership would play out over the next year. The town board decided to sign over the deed, which included a reverter clause if the nonprofit ever dissolves or the town finds it isn’t upholding the terms of the deed.

Scott had to sign the deed transfer but he noted that he was doing so under protest.

When all was said and done, the Nikwasi Initiative held a celebration in August to talk about their plans. Town, county, Cherokee and Mainspring officials were all present, but the mayor of Franklin did not attend.

Scott said he did receive an invitation to the event in the mail, but not a personal invitation. The town was having a public safety day at the square at the same time and he thought it was more important for him to be there since it was put on by the police and fire departments.

“I was told they didn’t want me to take part in the program — they didn’t want me to speak,” he said. “I would have given a boilerplate mayor address — I wouldn’t have said anything controversial. I have more sense than that — it was their moment of glory and I told them during the height of the controversy that if it went against my favor I’d work together moving forward.”

Scott said he still thinks town residents should have had the opportunity to vote on what was happening given the fact that the mound is the most historic site in town and was saved from destruction by residents of Franklin in 1946.

“I have called for an accounting of $17,500 given to the Nikwasi Initiative by the town for ‘economic development’ and we still have not had an accounting of that money,” Scott said.

“An important part of the mayor’s role is the bully pulpit. The mayor is the spokesperson for the town — he or she is the person the public looks to for vision and assurance.

They can put into words what the town is trying to do and why decisions are made,” McRae said. “If you’re doing the job correctly then the board will rally around that vision. I don’t expect everyone to agree, but I hope I can do that and I feel like I can. I’m willing to listen to people and I don’t have to be right all the time.”

“The mayor is still the spokesperson for the town. I’ve worked through the School of Government to learn all I can about municipal government so I can be out there leading by example,” Scott said.

Leadership style might be where the two candidates differ the most. Scott sees his role as mayor as more of a hands-on gig. He occupies an office at town hall most days even though the daily functions of the municipal government are handled by the town manager and other staff members.

Scott completed the UNC School of Government’s Municipal Government courses to attain mentor status and was one of 10 chosen from municipal government to attend and graduate from the UNC School of Government’s 2015 Advanced Leadership Corps. He was elected chair of the N.C. Mayors Association, a group of 130 mayors from around the state.

When Mission Health made the decision to shut down the labor and delivery unit at Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Scott said he wanted to send a letter or formal resolution from the board opposing it because of the devastating impact it would have on community access to health care, but the board didn’t want to overstep.

When Mission Health was in the process of being sold to HCA Healthcare, Scott said the board didn’t want to get involved, but he and Highlands Mayor Pat Taylor traveled to Raleigh to talk to Attorney General’s staff about the town’s concerns. Scott doesn’t think his opponent would be as proactive on these kinds of controversial issues.

“I feel like I have a duty and an obligation to speak up when something is in the best interest of the town, but

ROLE OF MAYOR Even though the mayor doesn’t often get a vote, Scott and McRae agree the role of mayor is still an important one.

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nly a few days still remain for North Carolina residents to vote ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Early voting days, locations and hours vary by county, and voters must cast ballots in their county of registration. Contact your local county board of elections or the North Carolina State Board of Elections at www.ncsboe.gov for more information.

Haywood County Haywood County Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville www.haywoodcountync.gov/173/elections • Wednesday, Oct. 30, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Thursday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Jackson County www.jacksonnc.org/board-of-elections/home Jackson County Board of Elections, 876 Skyland Dr., Sylva • Wednesday, Oct. 30, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

• Thursday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Macon County www.maconnc.org/board-of-elections.html Highlands Civic Center, 600 N. 4th St., Highlands Macon County Community Building, 1288 Georgia Rd., Franklin • Wednesday, Oct. 30, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

• Thursday, Oct. 31, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 1, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

public art and other beautification projects in Franklin.

“I’d like for us to become a leader in the arts — the town wouldn’t be the one that actually does it but the town can lead the discussion and help find funding. I want us to have an atmosphere where artists are being valued. We have a lot of good musicians here, I’m amazed at their abilities,” she said. “Art brings energy and strength to a community and excites them about where they are. It creates a better quality of life.”

The town is also holding on to the Whitmire property for now, but eventually the town will have to decide whether to sell the property for private development or figure out a public use. For McRae, she’d like to see a mixed-use development with affordable housing, shops, green space and public plaza for events, concerts and a farmers market.

Scott said he’s not opposed to working on issues like affordable housing and beginning a public art initiative but still planned to emphasize the importance of infrastructure first and foremost.

“Franklin needs a balance between what is necessary and what is a nice addition. I would address these issues as I always have — prioritization and how it makes life better for our residents,” he said.

Swain County Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

www.swaincountync.gov/elections/elections-home.html Swain County Board of Elections, 1422 Hwy. 19 South, Bryson City • Wednesday, Oct. 30, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Thursday, Oct. 31, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

• Friday, Nov. 1, 88:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

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VISION FOR FRANKLIN

Scott said the board has been able to f accomplish many things during his last three t terms in office, but he considers the high performance and professionalism of the town government to be the most important accomplishment.

“My opponent is running on needing change, but the basic viability of Franklin is

good and has been good,” Scott said. “We’ve changed a lot of things — we’ve professionalized the town government — gotten rid of the good ol’ boy system and have a professional manager and hardworking employees.”

The board has also moved forward with a massive upgrade project for their wastewater treatment plant and a sidewalk replacement plan so the town can stay on top of infrastructure needs.

The town has also passed a leash law, a noise ordinance and established minimum housing codes. The police department received a grant to purchase body cameras for each officer and was one of the first departments to start carrying Narcan to administer to people overdosing.

“Police, fire protection, water and sewer, streets and sidewalks — those are all necessities for a municipal government. No town can survive without those things,” Scott said.

McRae agrees infrastructure is vital for the town, but she also wants to see the town focus on bigger issues that have an impact on residents and businesses. Many small towns in Western North Carolina are struggling with an affordable housing shortage. Longterm rentals are being turned into short-term vacation rentals, which means more residents

Smoky Mountain News

just because you speak out against something doesn’t mean you’re contrite. You don’t want f a lukewarm mayor — you want someone not afraid to speak out for the betterment of the community.” d McRae said she tends to focus on the f opportunities of the future instead of trying to change the past.

“I hope I’ve been able to present a positive image. I try to look forward and get people excited about the possibilities of where Franklin can go. People are tired of the negat tivism,” she said. “I feel like the board spends d a lot of time talking about stuff that should be left to our town staff to work out. If not, our f town manager can ask the board for direction. We have a town manager form of govd ernment and we have qualified people we’ve hired and we trust them.”

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Early voting ends Friday

working in the hospitality industry have a harder time finding a place to live.

“Businesses can’t hire enough people — there’s ‘help wanted’ signs everywhere,” she said. “I attended a housing conference at SCC and there were three big employers that said they could hire hundreds if they had somewhere to live. It’s a drain on our ability to develop.”

McRae recently made a presentation to the town board about “Opportunity Zone” designations and the possibility of developers getting financing from the federal government for economic development projects.

She’s also been instrumental in developing the Macon County Women’s History Trail to educate the public about the many women who’ve helped shape the county throughout the years. The group is currently raising funds to be able to install a 7-foot bronze statue somewhere in East Main Street close to the Nikwasi Mound.

The statue, which has already been designed, will depict Cherokee woman Timoxena Siler Sloan, an African American woman Sally (last name unknown) and a white settler Rebecca Morris to represent the three different cultures of women that make up the history of the region. McRae hopes the piece is just the beginning of more

@SmokyMtnNews 9

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Pisgah’s district ranger leaves position Greg Wozniak’s depature came 16 months after drug arrest

Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER After filling the position for nearly a year and a half without the ability to perform law enforcement duties, Greg Wozniak is gone from his position as Pisgah District Ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Parkway Spokesperson Leesa Brandon would not comment as to whether Wozniak resigned or was fired, citing privacy concerns, but did say in an Oct. 28 email that he no longer works for the National Park Service in any capacity.

Brandon also declined to provide the date of Wozniak’s separation from the Parkway. However, it occurred between 12:47 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, when Brandon wrote in response to a question from The Smoky Mountain News that Wozniak was still at his post, and 8:48 a.m.

Monday, Oct. 28, when she stated in response to a separate question from SMN that he was no longer an NPS employee.

Though he kept the title of district ranger, the position responsible for overseeing law enforcement operations on the Parkway’s largest district, Wozniak has not

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been able to perform any law enforcement duties since June 13, 2018, when his commission was suspended. The suspension followed a June 12 traffic accident in which Wozniak, off-duty at the time, was turning left to the Interstate 40 on-ramp in Knoxville. The other driver was going straight through the intersection, with both men claiming to have had a green light.

Neither driver was hurt, but the vehicles were heavily damaged and had to be towed.

According to public documents, Wozniak left his truck after the collision to remove a burgundy tackle box and throw it in the bushes. He then retrieved the box and threw it once more, this time off the interstate bridge to the roadway below. When officers arrived on the scene, they found that the box contained 10.1 grams of marijuana, 6.1 grams of mushrooms and six THC edibles.

A traffic report states that Wozniak had been drinking, but no field sobriety test was ever performed and no DUI charge pressed.

He was, however, booked on two charges of drug possession.

Wozniak admitted to internal investigators with the National Park Service that he had taken “a couple hits” of marijuana within four hours of getting behind the wheel and consumed “a beer or two” after the marijuana. However, a Knox County judge dismissed the charges, and they were later

expunged.

Following a lengthy investigative and hearing process, Wozniak’s commission was permanently revoked with a document signed April 29 by Superintendent J.D. Lee and NPS Deputy Chief of Operations John Leonard, with Southeast Regional Director Robert Vogel providing the final signature May 1.

However, Wozniak continued to fill the district ranger role Greg Wozniak throughout the nearly six months since. The Smoky Mountain News obtained the revocation document through a Freedom of Information Act Request.

April 29 was also the date that marked 20 years of qualified law enforcement service for Wozniak under the Federal Employees Retirement System program, according to information previously provided by the

Parkway in September. Law enforcement employees can retire at age 50 if they have 20 years of service or at any age with 25 years of service. Wozniak is 46. Brandon would not comment on whether Wozniak is currently employed elsewhere in the federal government, citing privacy concerns.

Wozniak’s separation from the Park Service comes following a long administrative process. The day after the incident, Blue Ridge Parkway Supervisory Park Ranger Debra Flowers filed a complaint against Wozniak with the NPS Office of Professional Responsibility, which delivered the results of its investigation to the Parkway on Sept. 5, finding that Wozniak had violated Tennessee’s drug laws and federal rules related to drug use.

Records obtained through FOIA show that the Parkway formally requested a Board of Inquiry hearing on Wozniak’s actions on Oct. 9, 2018. Boards of Inquiry are convened to examine ethics and conduct allegations and determine whether the employee in question should return to full duty, continue to be suspended or have his or her commission permanently revoked.

Wozniak’s Board of Inquiry was ultimately held on Wednesday, March 6, before a five-member board in Washington, D.C. In a memo to Chief Ranger Neal Labrie dated Friday, March 15, the board delivered its majority recommen-

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Service’s assistant regional director for communications and legislative affairs. The page didn’t make it through the computer system when the FOIA response was sent for internal review, she said, after doublechecking adding that it appears the document was the only one excluded from release.

As Pisgah District Ranger, Wozniak drew a salary of $88,050 annually, plus benefits. According to a position description, the job’s primary purpose — 80 percent of it — is to manage law enforcement personnel who investigate, apprehend and detain people suspected of breaking the law along the 164-mile district. Incumbents are required to maintain an NPS Type I Federal Land Management Law Enforcement Commission, the description says.

Wozniak has not held a commission since June 13, 2018, with Ranger Chuck Hester acting in the district ranger role.

Wozniak had been filling his time with other tasks not related to law enforcement.

The Pisgah Ranger District is the Parkway’s largest, in 2018 drawing 4.35 million visits — 29.63 percent of the total 14.69 million visits that year. It accounted for a disproportionate share of logged law enforcement incidents that year, with 1,039 incidents in the Pisgah Ranger District compared to 2,689 incidents on the Parkway as a whole. That means the Pisgah District accounted for 38.64 percent of total incidents despite including only 34.97 percent of the roadway and attracting 29.63 percent of the visitation that year.

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dation to permanently revoke the commission. According to the written findings, members “struggled” with the fact that Wozniak tried to hide the drugs from law enforcement and said it was “troubling” that, according to Wozniak’s testimony, within a few hours he went from using marijuana with a long-time friend who he had never known to use drugs to purchasing drugs of his own from the friend’s dealer.

The same day he received the recommendation, Labrie emailed Lee a draft memo to submit requesting permanent revocation of Wozniak’s commission. The document had obtained signatures from both Lee and the regional office by the following Monday, March 18.

However, evidently something was amiss with that initial form. On April 29, Labrie emailed Lee to say that due to some “administrative record issues” he would need to sign the revocation request again.

The new document was identical to the first, except that this one also included a signature line for Leonard at the D.C. office.

A signed version of this second revocation form was not included in a Freedom of Information Act response that SMN received in September, leaving it unclear at the time of the article published Sept. 25 whether Wozniak’s commission had been revoked or was still suspended. When asked about the status of Wozniak’s commission at the time, a Parkway spokesperson had said it was suspended rather than revoked.

The document’s exclusion was accidental, said Saudia Muwwakkil, the Park

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NC’s 2020 Congressional Districts thrown out

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ne month and one day after a lawsuit was filed alleging partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina’s congressional districts, a three-judge panel has ordered current congressional maps to be redrawn in time for the 2020 election.

“It’s absolutely the right thing to do,” said Dr. Steve Woodsmall, a Democrat running against Asheville Republican Rep. Mark Meadows in the 11th Congressional District.

“We’ve got to make sure that we have free and fair elections. People have to feel like they are picking their representatives, not that their representatives are picking their constituents.

Going back to 2018, when a district court ruled these 2016 congressional districts unconstitutional, we’ve had unconstitutional elections.”

The suit, titled Harper v. Lewis, was filed by the National Redistricting Foundation in Wake County Superior Court on Sept. 27 on behalf of 14 plaintiffs, one from each of N.C.’s 13 congressional districts plus two plaintiffs from the 11th Congressional District.

Harper v. Lewis alleges that the Republican-controlled legislature that drew the maps engaged in two controversial practices designed either to split unfavorable groups of voters apart or to join favorable groups of voters together — both with the intent of maximizing the number of Republican-controlled U.S. House seats.

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Called “cracking” and “packing,” the tactics worked; in 2018’s congressional elections, Republicans earned just 49.1 percent of votes cast in statewide, but somehow walked away with 10 of the state’s 13 U.S. House seats.

“I don’t think anybody thinks that’s fair,” said Woodsmall, a retired U.S. Air Force offi-

cer who also retired as an assistant professor at Brevard College earlier this year. “That’s why they did it that way. You can go back to [defendant and chair of legislative redistricting committee, Republican Rep. David] Lewis’ comment when he was asked how he was able to get 10 of 13 congressional seats.

His answer was, ‘Because I don’t believe it’s possible to draw a map with 11 Republicans and two Democrats.’”

Although there hasn’t actually been a ruling on the lawsuit itself, days after it was filed

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER he landscape of the 11th Congressional District is about to change literally and figuratively — a ruling in a gerrymandering lawsuit could result in new maps, and another Democratic candidate has joined the primary election field in hopes of unseating incumbent Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows.

“I’m a millennial, which tends to be the butt of a lot of jokes, but we’re also a generation that has experienced some unprecedented economic challenges and are going to have to deal with a lot of the issues that are hot button issues right now,” said Michael O’Shea, a 32-year-old from Mills River, in Henderson County.

O’Shea, who joins fellow Democrat and 2018 candidate Dr. Steve Woodsmall in seeking the Democratic nomination for Michael O’Shea Congress in 2020, was born in Asheville, the son of music directors at the Unity of the Blue Ridge Church.

“They were there for 30 years before my father passed away, and then I went to Western Carolina where I studied philosophy and English and served as the editor-inchief of the newspaper,” he said. “Instead of jumping right into politics back then I got into the music industry. I got offered a touring drummer gig within a big Afrobeat band called The Afromotive right out of college, and since then I’ve been doing music production, mixing, mastering work, recording work. I’ve put out a bunch of albums as a solo electronic artist.”

As for O’Shea’s leanings within the Democratic Party, he’s clear in his choice of current presidential primary candidates.

“I like Bernie Sanders personally,” said O’Shea. “I think he has a very strong track record. He is somebody who has never faltered in terms of his beliefs, and I am running as a progressive Democrat, so I really like his ideals and I think he’s right in so far as he keeps focus on the economic aspects of things.”

The gerrymandering ruling, issued shortly after O’Shea says he filed his Federal Elections Commission paperwork, could work in his favor not just in the General Election, but also in the Primary Election, if more of Asheville joins the 11th.

“I think it’ll help me, honestly,” he said.

“I do have a strong background in the Asheville area and I think I will do well there, attracting a different voter than Woodsmall. I truly believe that the more progressive Democratic perspective, which gets labeled as ‘left’ is probably the best thing for Western North Carolina.”

Gary Caldwell MAYOR

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Second Dem hopes to oppose Meadows

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Sylva to revisit food truck rules

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ith two years elapsed since Sylva passed its first-ever food truck ordinance in July 2017, the town board is circling back to discuss what’s working, what’s not and what could be better.

“It’s been a while since we adopted the food truck ordinance, and we had discussed coming back and reviewing it after a certain amount of time,” Town Manager Paige Dowling told the board during its Oct. 24 meeting.

The ordinance requires food truck and food cart operators to pay $100 for a sixmonth permit fee to operate inside city limits, with additional fees required for special town events. Those fees vary — it’s $25 per Concerts on the Creek event but $75 for the Fourth of July. There’s also a $45 zoning fee to have the truck’s location approved by the Jackson County Planning Department, which contracts with the town to provide planning and zoning services. The ordinance lays out a host of requirements governing location, with food trucks prohibited from blocking sidewalks and driveways, vending in public streets and public parking spaces, and setting up within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.

Curt Collins, who owns the food cart Brew Dawgz, was the only member of the public to speak on the issue, and he didn’t

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have much good to say about the ordinance as it stands now.

“The ordinance in my opinion kind of needs to be tossed in the trash,” he said.

The fees are too high and the restrictions too restrictive, said Collins, to the point that he’s likely shutting Brew Dawgz down in the near future.

“For the longest time I wasn’t even paying attention to the money,” he said. “I was having a great time. I was doing something I loved and I was in the town I loved. But I crunched numbers and that was where I was at.”

He’s not the only one, said Collins, naming off several other food truck businesses that have shut down or pulled out of Sylva.

Collins told commissioners that the food vendors signed up for Concerts on the Creek events should be advertised along with the bands, and that the town should amend part of the ordinance that could be interpreted as preventing food truck customers from throwing their trash in public receptacles.

The biggest problems, though, are the restrictions on location and high fees, Collins said. What if vendors who had already paid the $100 fee for a six-month permit were allowed to opt out of permit fees for town-sponsored events, he asked?

And would the town consider establishing a “food truck corral” of sorts where ven-

dors could congregate and provide a draw for potential customers? Collins likes the idea of establishing such a spot at Depot Park on Mill Street, across from the intersection with Spring Street.“I think that is a fantastic spot for the idea of a food truck corral,” he said. “You could easily get mobile restaurants up in there with plenty of space. You’ve already got tables out there and people eating out there. I think that could be a hot little area for that kind of thing.”

Commissioners seemed receptive to Collins’ comments. Indeed, when the ordinance initially passed back in 2017 commissioners were divided on some of the stipulations contained in it, even though the ordinance ultimately passed unanimously.

Commissioner David Nestler had advocated for reducing or removing the six-month permit fees, and Commissioner Greg McPherson had floated the idea of exempting permit-holders from paying fees for special events.

This time around, Nestler voiced support for removing restrictions on food truck customers using public trash cans, and commissioners discussed potential options for food truck parking areas.

Because Main and Mill streets are part of the state road N.C. 107, no food trucks could be parked there, but the town could designate space on any town-owned roads.

Dowling also said the town intends to start booking acts for Concerts on the Creek earlier in the year, potentially giving food trucks more window to plan their attendance and hopefully attracting a critical mass of eating options to the events. Food truck attendance at the concerts has flagged in recent years, she said.

“I don’t know if it’s the people eating beforehand or the crowd, but people sign up for them and they don’t make money, so they want to cancel the other five that they signed up for that summer, then people that think they’re going to come and have food, there’s nothing available,” said Dowling. “So somehow that’s got to be straightened out if we’re going to have food there.”

Nestler said that he felt the $100-persix-months itinerant merchant fee was fair but suggested the town review the fees for special events. A key consideration should be how much revenue the fees generate versus how much it costs the town to provide electric power during those events.

Ultimately, he said, the discussion should go down to the planning board for more development before coming back to the town board.

“Especially in a small town, the character is defined by small entities and creative entities,” said Collins. “So for a little while there, things were happening, and I feel like from a mobile restaurant perspective it is dead in the water right now. That doesn’t mean it can’t re-happen for us, but this is where it is.”

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news Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019 Smoky Mountain News

attorneys for the plaintiffs also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction that would prevent the state “from preparing for or administering the 2020 primary and general U.S. House elections using the 2016 Plan,” according to the suit.

It was that motion with which judges Joseph Crosswhite, Alma Hinton and Paul Ridgeway agreed, according to the Associated Press.

“There is a substantial likelihood that plaintiffs will prevail on the merits of this action by showing beyond a reasonable doubt that the 2016 congressional districts are extreme partisan gerrymanders,” reads the order.

That likelihood is based in large part on existing evidence already presented in separate federal actions, including a suit that went to the U.S. Supreme Court this past June; SCOTUS punted, saying it was the duty of state courts to handle such actions involving state-drawn districts.

The AP report says that the state Superior Court gave no hard deadline for the legislature to redraw the maps but suggested the effort be concluded quickly. The AP also reported that the N.C. State Board of Elections wants maps done by Dec. 15.

The initial filing of the injunction and the expeditious remapping timeline are both warranted — next year, for the first time, North Carolinians used to voting in primaries in May will instead vote in March. The move also means that persons wishing to run for congress — or state legislative seats — must file initial campaign paperwork between Dec. 2 and Dec. 20.

Although N.C. residents don’t have to live in a particular congressional district to run for its U.S. House seat, those December timelines might make it hard for some potential candidates to know which congressional district, exactly, is their district of residence.

Woodsmall lives in Pisgah Forest, in Meadows’ 11th Congressional District, but he isn’t far from Lincoln County Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry’s 10th Congressional District.

“If somebody is going to represent a particular area, they should probably reside in that area,” said Woodsmall. “I’m pretty sure that where I live near Brevard is probably going to stay in the 11th district. I’m gonna run no matter what because I announced in March. I’ve resigned from my job. My fulltime job is getting to Congress primarily to get rid of Mark Meadows, but if it turns out that we end up running [in the 10th] against McHenry, then so be it.”

Both the 10th and 11th districts were at the center of Harper v. Lewis, because of the unusual nature of their particular gerrymander — students on different sides of a hallway in one of UNC-Asheville’s dorms are in different congressional districts because some of Asheville is in Meadows’ deep-red, mostly rural district, but a large chunk of Asheville proper was carved out of Meadows’ district and added to McHenry’s deep-red, mostly rural district.

In 2018, Woodsmall finished second in the Democratic Primary to Nebo Democrat Phillip Price, who lost to Meadows in

November of that year by more than 20 percentage points.

Price told The Smoky Mountain News this past June that he didn’t plan to run again in 2020 if the district remained as lopsided as it was in 2018, but now that the Harper ruling has come, Price said he’s strongly considering it.

“My plans have definitely changed,” he said. “I can’t say to what degree, but I’ve got a lot of praying and meditating and consulting with Democrats and Republicans to do before I decide.”

Price added that he’s in the midst of renovating his home, thus if he runs, his announcement would likely come near the end of the filing period.

Another name frequently mentioned as a potential Meadows opponent is Shelby native Col. Morris Davis, a retired Air Force lawyer who was chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay until he resigned in 2007 over his opposition to waterboarding.

Prior to the ruling in Harper, he said despite his opposition to Meadows he wouldn’t run with status quo maps.

“I’m building a house in Asheville and it’s in the 10th Congressional District, due to the lines that the Republicans drew to gerrymander this district,” said Davis, a Democrat.

“Even though in this state you don’t have to live in the district to run, I think Mark Meadows is one of the top handful of members of Congress that need to be unemployed come 2021 when the new Congress takes their seats. It just didn’t seem right to me to live in the 10th Congressional District and run for office in the 11th.”

Davis wouldn’t rule out a run in the 10th or the 11th — or not at all — depending on how the lines are drawn. If he opts to throw his hat in the ring, he’ll join Woodsmall and another Democratic candidate who only just recently announced (see DEM, page 13).

“It’s been an interesting week for me, because I put in all my paperwork and officially declared right before this ruling happened,” said Michael O’Shea, a Mills River native, Western Carolina University grad and music producer. “This is what I hoped would happen. I think the people of Western North Carolina, the people of North Carolina in general, have gone far too long without fair elections.”

It’s unclear at this point how much, if at all, the 11th Congressional District will change as a result of the injunction, but it’s unlikely it will be enough to put the district on even footing; Meadows has won his past three elections with vote totals ranging from 57 to 64 percent of the vote.

If it does change, it stands to reason that the uphill battle against the popular, powerful and well-funded incumbent might just get a little bit easier.

“If they draw the lines the way they should be drawn, it will definitely be a more level playing field,” Woodsmall said. “You’re never going to be able to get everything across the board 50/50 and that’s totally understandable. But I’ve been out there since March, we’re getting a lot of support, a lot of good feedback, and people are excited about this election.”

Through a spokesperson, Rep. Meadows declined to comment for this story.

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Dillsboro opposes recycling relocation

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n August, Jackson County commissioners voted unanimously to buy 3.67 acres along Haywood Road in Dillsboro to use as the new site for the area’s recycling dropoff center. But Dillsboro’s town board is now voicing staunch opposition to the move, claiming that the plan would adversely affect the town’s economy and cause problems with traffic and litter.

“Thank you for consideration of these issues before making your final decision to relocate the SRC (staffed recycling center) facility so close to homes and hotels within our town,” concludes an Oct. 14 letter Dillsboro Mayor Mike Fitzgerald sent commissioners on behalf of his fellow board members. “The negative impacts to tourism will not only affect the town of Dillsboro, but also Jackson County, should the SRC be relocated to the Cooper property.”

Currently, Dillsboro’s recycling center is located at the top of the Green Energy Park property, but it has to move in advance of plans to redevelop the area into a campus that will include an animal shelter, maker’s space, walking trails, event lawn and artisan studios. Originally, the county had planned

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to move the center to the bottom of the property, but that would have required construction of a $500,000 retaining wall.

Commissioners decided to look at other properties instead and on Aug. 20 voted to go under contract for the Haywood Road parcels owned by Manuel Cooper.

Under that contract, the due diligence period will end Nov. 20, with closing to occur on or before Jan. 6, 2020, and the county paying $3,250 in earnest money. However, when County Manager Don Adams attended a Dillsboro Town Board meeting Oct. 3 to update members on the project, he received a decidedly negative response from aldermen who felt blindsided by the county’s lack of consultation with the town prior to making that decision, according to draft minutes.

“Alderman David Jones expressed his displeasure that the Board of Aldermen were not notified of the change in relocation of the SRC from the original presentation,” the draft minutes read. “Alderman Tim Parris agreed with Mr. Jones, stating that if this board had been aware that the SRC was going to be moved within sight of houses and a hotel in Dillsboro, they would not have voted in favor of the text amendment on June 11, 2018. This amendment will allow the county to proceed

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The recycling center at the Green Energy Park draws steady use, but it has to move if the property is to become the pedestrian-friendly campus the county envisions. File photo with the Green Energy Park Collaboration.”

Additionally, Megan Orr of Best Western Plus River Escape — which, according to Dillsboro’s opposition letter, is less than 300 feet from the proposed recycling center — said that the relocation would impact business, as third-floor rooms overlook the Cooper lot. Jay Grissom of NightStar lodging said that his company planned to build another hotel located within sight of the Cooper property, and the recycling center’s construction might cause NightStar to reconsider its plans.

In the opposition letter, Fitzgerald also wrote that the narrow Cooper lot might not be adequate for the volume of users at peak hours, resulting in “dangerous” backups on Haywood Road. Additionally, the location’s convenience could lead to increased trash dumps after hours, he wrote, causing litter making its way into the nearby Tuckasegee River.

During the Oct. 3 meeting, Michael Poston and John Jeleniewski of the county planning office said that berms, fences and shrubs would be used to mitigate sight impacts, and that no permanent structures would be built due to railroad and N.C. Department of Transportation right-of-way restrictions, according to draft minutes.

Adams told the town board that the planning office had determined that the recycling center would be an approved use for the property and that there had been no intention to exclude Dillsboro from the decisionmaking process.

However, aldermen were not convinced, voting to go into closed session and then coming out with a consensus to draft the letter of opposition. Alderman Tim Hall then read the letter into the record during the Oct. 15 county commission meeting.

In follow-up interviews, commissioners seemed willing to consider other locations.

“We’re almost in the middle of our due diligence period,” said Chairman Brian

McMahan. “We’re continuing to evaluate it, and at some point in the next month or so we’ll make a final decision on whether that property can be utilized for that purpose. We do have other potential properties.”

The town’s concerns are “legitimate,” he said.

“I believe we’ve had very strong and valid reasons why we need to change the location,” added Commissioner Gayle Woody.

If building the recycling center will cost the county a new hotel, said Commissioner Boyce Dietz, commissioners pretty much can’t move ahead with putting it there. But the next question is, if not there, then where?

“We’re not foolish and stubborn enough to just go on with something if it’s going to hurt someone, and at the same time we will look and see if we’ve got other options,” he said. “It’s not as easy as it seems, because it’s hard to find a place for something like that.”

Dietz added that he didn’t expect the recycling center would prove to be as much of an eyesore as people fear — currently used to store heavy equipment, the lot is not a paragon of aesthetic appeal. Fences and shrubbery would provide visual screening should the recycling center be placed there.

For Commissioner Ron Mau, Dillsboro’s concerns don’t amount to a categorical “no” on the Haywood Road location, but he does support searching for other, mutually agreeable options.

“If we can find a location that’s relatively close to that where people wouldn’t have to drive much further and could do what we need to do from a recycling standpoint, then I think that’s something we need to consider,” he said.

Time is of the essence if the county is to keep to its intended project schedule. The recycling center has to be moved before any other work can begin. Adams had hoped to go to bid on the animal shelter in spring 2020 with construction on the one-year project beginning that summer.

The Jackson County NAACP will honor the finalist and announce the winners of its 2019 Biennial Individual and Organizational Humanitarian Awards at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library, Keener St., Sylva.

The honorees were chosen from a field of WNC residents and groups within N.C.’s six western-most counties: Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Swain, Macon and Jackson.

The honorees’ families, friends and the public are invited.

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Franklin candidate forum Altered Frequencies is hosting a debate for the Franklin Town Council and mayoral candidates at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at 110 Carolina Mtn Drive in Franklin.

Invitees include all town council candidates, mayoral candidates, existing town council members, local news sources and the public. Confirmed attendees include Bob Scott, Peter Mosco, and TJ Wright.

Brandon McMahan is unable to attend but has sent in his answers, which will be read.

Joe Collins declined.

Three questions will be asked in addition to two questions selected from the public.

Questions may be submitted at the debate or emailed to melissa@jepaca.org.

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Macon County nonprofit organizations have until Nov. 15 to apply for county funds l through the Macon County Community Funding Pool.

Application forms and instructions are available at www.maconnc.org. Hard copies may be made available at Macon County Public Library on Siler Farm Road in Franklin, the Hudson Library on Main Street in Highlands, and the Nantahala Public Library on Nantahala School Road, please g call ahead to make sure a copy will be ready for pickup.

Organizations applying for CFP funds must provide financial statements such as budgets and federal tax-exempt reports, organization goals and objectives, and program/service descriptions. First-time appliy cants must contact Karen Wallace, 828.524.3600, or Bobbie Contino, 828.342.7872, to discuss their proposal.

A new form will be used this year, a workshop will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, at Macon County Public Library to walk through the new application. Groups not incorporated as y nonprofits may enlist an established nonprofit to serve as their fiscal agent.

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Cherokee to revisit election ordinance

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ith a new Tribal Council seated and a year of reprieve in place before the election cycle begins again, the body will be considering additional changes to Cherokee’s election ordinance.

Spurred by allegations of tampering and mismanagement in the 2017 elections, Tribal Council spent much of 2018 debating changes to its election laws. It passed the final document during a special-called meeting Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, running close to the ultimate deadline of Dec. 31. Tribal law forbids making changes to the election ordinance in an election year — during the 2018 discussions, Council changed the definition of “election year” to mean between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 in years when elections are held. The definition was then changed back to its original timeframe of Oct. 1 through Sept. 30 .

“I know that opening up the election code again is not something that anybody really looks forward to having to do again, but I implore you to please take the time now,” Associate Justice Brenda Pipestem told Council during an Annual Council meeting Oct. 28.

“We’re going to have lots of discussion on this, being a non-election year,” promised Chairman Adam Wachacha, of Snowbird.

Pipestem’s principal concern was the time-

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line — or lack thereof — laid out for protesting various aspects of the election process.

The current election law allows candidates to protest if the Board of Elections declines to certify them for election, if the board takes away their certification as a result of the decertification process or in the case of alleged irregularities during the election process. In all three cases, the first step is a hearing before the board, which then delivers a decision. If the person protesting is not satisfied with the decision, he or she can appeal to the Cherokee Supreme Court.

However, while the law does provide timelines for the Board of Elections’ handling of protests, it does not state how long a person has to file an appeal with the Supreme Court following the Board of Elections process.

“There are no timeframes in which that person has to appeal to the Supreme Court, so they could wait 30 days, if there’s time, to come file an appeal,” said Pipestem. “These timeframes during an election season as you all know are super important, and there’s not a lot of time.”

Because the certification and decertification processes are separate, the same person could have to deal with both in a single election, as happened to principal chief candidate Teresa McCoy this year. Adding up the timeframes already laid out in code for the Board of Elections to handle such protests, it

could take more than 60 days to resolve the issue of whose name should appear on the ballot, and that doesn’t even include any time needed to handle appeals before the Supreme Court. That’s a long time, and it

could have serious implications for the overall election process.

“The person who’s trying to get on that primary ballot may not have time to get physically printed on the primary ballot,” said Pipestem.

That very nearly happened in McCoy’s case, which had an April 29 hearing before the court to protest the election board’s decision to deny her candidacy. McCoy prevailed in a same-day decision from the court, and just in time — ordinance requires the election board to have absentee ballots available by May 1.

On May 2, tribal member Robert Osley Saunooke lodged a decertification protest against McCoy that dealt with similar issues to those raised in the election board’s initial denial. In a May 17 order, the Supreme Court declined to hear Saunooke’s protest, but had it sided with Saunooke the decision to deny

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“I’m going to encourage you to please look at these timeframes, not only for the appeal but also within the actual code in regard to how much time the Board of Elections is going to be given to do each of these individual things,” said Pipestem.

“There’s opportunities there to reduce these days so that we can get our business done in a timely fashion, because under the charter we don’t have a lot of time between the first Thursday in September and the first Monday in October.”

Twenty-five business days is equivalent to five weeks, observed Councilmember Boyd Owle, of Birdtown.

“That’s a very long time,” he said. “I think we need to decrease that.”

Some councilmembers pointed to a desire to decrease the length of the overall campaign season as well. It begins on March 1 in odd-numbered years, when filing opens, and ends with the General Election held on the first Thursday in September, a total of six months.

“Ours is just too many months to go in between the primary and the general once you are an acknowledged candidate to run,” said Owle. “I’d like to see that cut down as well. It’s a drawn-out process.”

By comparison, Cherokee’s is longer than the election period for municipal offices, for which filing opens in July with an election the first Tuesday in November, but it’s shorter than the season for most other offices.

Candidate filing for most 2020 contests in North Carolina will begin on Dec. 2, with that election slated for Nov. 3, 2020.

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McCoy’s candidacy at that point would have raised serious questions about how to deal with votes that had already been cast in the Primary Election. By May 17, both absentee and early voting had already begun.

Pipestem also called for Tribal Council to consider the timeframes involved in claims of election irregularities, which happen on the opposite end of the campaign cycle.

According to tribal code, protests of election irregularities must be submitted within five business days of the polls closing. If it decides to hold a hearing, the election board must set a date for the hearing within five business days of receiving the protest, and the hearing must be held within 10 business days of the date being set. The board must then issue a written decision within five business days of the hearing.

That means that it could take up to 25 business days after the election for the election board to handle a protest of election irregularities. That doesn’t include any time needed to appeal to and receive a decision from the Cherokee Supreme Court, should the protester not be satisfied with the election board’s decision — the law doesn’t prescribe any timeframe for such an appeal.

The problem is that there is a timeframe for swearing in new elected officials. Tribal law states that the general election will be held on the first Thursday in September with winners sworn in on the first Monday in October. This year, there were only 22 business days between Election Day Sept. 5 and Inauguration Day Oct. 7. The same will be true in 2021, the next election year.

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Smoky Mountain News Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

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Smoky Mountain News

D & L Body Shop celebrates four years Robert III and Rachel Thomson and Robert Jr. and Melissa Thomson, owners of D & L Body Shop in Franklin, recently celebrated its four year anniversary.

In 1974, Lee O’Donnell and Dave Wagner started a body shop that not only survived the first few years but continues to be a thriving business today.

The shop serves Franklin and the surrounding areas for various collision needs, both large and small. From repairing WCU’s Cat-Tran shuttles to everyday vehicles, D & L continues to grow and adapt, investing in continuing education for staff to keep up with vehicles’ technological advancements and upgrading equipment to become faster and more efficient in repairs.

For more information, find them on Facebook, visit www.dandlbodyshopnc.com or call 828.524.8080.

HCC expands coaching team

The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College continues to provide high quality, readily accessible assistance including: free, confidential oneon-one business counseling services, resource and referral information for a variety of business needs and high-impact seminars and classes.

In an effort to better meet the diverse needs of the local small business climate, the HCC SBC has expanded their Small Business Coaching team. In addition to the counseling services provided by SBC director Katy Gould, current and budding small businesses may book coaching sessions with guest counselors and mentors that specialize in a wealth of small business related areas of expertise.

Areas of focus include business law, bookkeeping and accounting, financial planning, marketing, new venture creation, outdoor products development, QuickBooks and more.

To read more about the Guest Counseling Program or schedule a coaching session with a small business mentor, visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512.

Grant writing program offered at WCU

Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering a Grant Writing Certificate program from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 9-12, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville.

Jack Smith, nationally-recognized grant writing trainer, will serve as workshop instructor for all four days. In this certificate program, participants will attend four days of grant writing instruction with Smith, who will review the many different categories of grants, and teach time-saving shortcuts in the grant writing process including abstract writing. An afternoon panel discussion will take place on the third day

ence rooms, ballroom, exhibition hall and prefunction space. The hotel expansion, The Cherokee at Harrah’s Cherokee Resort, will feature 725 hotel rooms including 70 suites. Also a part of the expansion is a parking garage with over 2,000 spaces.

The Cherokee Convention Center and The Cherokee at Harrah’s Cherokee are slated to open in 2021.

• Nominations for the Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors are now open.

This list includes officers and new directors to be elected, appointed or

Wine classes in Bryson City

ALSO:

Bryson City Wine Market will host a class from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 entitled “Wines For The Holiday Table: Wines fit for a holiday feast.”

From turkey-worthy reds to crowd pleasing whites; discover the best wines to pair with your holiday meals.

On Thursday, Nov. 21, join a class called “Cheers To Bubbles: From Champagne to Prosecco and Cremant to Cava” being held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Raise a glass and explore the many styles and tastes of sparkling wine.

Limited Seating. RSVP to bcwinemarket@gmail.com and save $5. Classes are $30 per person at the door.

Workforce classes at HCC with representatives from several local foundations and organizations discussing grant opportunities and the funding process for these projects.

Participants will learn to identify their strengths as grant writers, and acquire the skills required to “think” like a professional in the development and marketing fields.

The registration fee for the program is $449, which includes lunch each day.

For more information and to register, visit pdp.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

New Dollar General in Waynesville Dollar General’s newest store at 1168 Dellwood Road in Waynesville is now open.

Dollar General celebrated the store’s official grand opening on Saturday, Sept. 28, with free prizes and special deals. Additionally, the first 50 adult shoppers at the store received a $10 Dollar General gift card and the first 200 shoppers received a Dollar General tote bag with complimentary product samples, among other giveaways.

“Dollar General is committed to delivering a pleasant shopping experience that includes a convenient location, a wide assortment of merchandise and great prices on quality products,” said Dan Nieser, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “We hope our area customers will enjoy shopping at Dollar General’s new location.”

Harrah’s expansion named Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort has announced the name of their upcoming expansion buildings. The meeting space will be named The Cherokee Convention Center, and the new hotel tower will be named The Cherokee at Harrah’s Cherokee Resort.

The Cherokee Convention Center will house 83,000 square feet of convention space, including 22 confer-

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Haywood Community College’s workforce continuing education department is offering a wide variety of courses for the month of October.

There’s something for everyone, including courses that allow you to earn a credential to courses for the hobbyist, including weaving, quilting, instrument building, bladesmithing, notary public, woodworking, conversational German, and more.

In addition, HCC’s workforce continuing education department offers Community CPR classes on the second Wednesday of each month. HCC is Haywood County’s American Heart Association Training Center.

For more information on Community First Aid and CPR classes, call 828.564.5133 or email HCCCPRTraining@haywood.edu.

For more information on any of the other classes listed above, call 828.627.4669.

‘Lean’ Thinking workshop at WCU Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering a two-part workshop entitled, “Lean” Thinking: For Products, Services or Projects of Any Type from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday Nov. 6 and Wednesday, Nov. 13, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville.

Dr. Todd Creasy, MBA director and associate professor of management and project management at WCU, and Juran Institute Certified Master Black Belt in Six Sigma; Lean Sensei, will serve as workshop instructor.

“Lean is a philosophy applicable to any organization or industry,” said Creasy. “Its primary focus is to improve customer experience while reducing unnecessary clutter and process steps thereby improving customer satisfaction and employee morale.”

Early-bird registration fee for the workshop is $249.

After Oct. 30, $279.

For more information and to register, visit pdp.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

returning to service.

Review the slate and cast your vote electronically before Monday, Nov. 4, at cashiersareachamber.com.

• Ashley and Brian Butcher recently held a launch party for Bryson City Magazine at Bryson City Outdoors. Attendees enjoyed food, fun, and more as they celebrated the Butcher’s new venture.

• The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar called, “Your Small Business Taxes,” from 9 to 11 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the HCC Regional High Technology Center Auditorium. The speaker is Karen Bargsley of the NC Department of Revenue.

Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 to register.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort announced the opening of its newest shop-in-shop — Pandora.

Located inside Studio, Pandora is now open in the Rivershops, located on the second floor of the casino. Pandora is an international Danish jewelry manufacturer and retailer founded in 1982

by Per Enevoldsen.

• The Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual meeting and celebration from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 21, at The Orchard Restaurant Events Barn with entertainment from Benjamin T Warner DJ & Musician. Elected directors will be formally installed. Tickets can be purchased at cashiersareachamber.com.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

You don’t turn your back on friends T

Thanks for offering diverse perspectives To the Editor: Even though I do not agree with everything Franklin Graham said in the interview that appeared two weeks ago in The Smoky Mountain News, I found it overall thoughtful and respectful. I found it unfortunate that the Editor, Scott McLeod, had to write a commentary defending the interview. We are in a strange place in our country when it comes to public discourse. It used to be seen as valuable to listen and learn from others with different viewpoints and opinions. Now, too often differences of opinions are viewed as “dangerous” or even “hateful.” Thanks for trying to take a balanced approach and offer the public different opinions in your publication.

Andrew Gray Cherokee

GOP grandstanding is an embarrassment To the Editor: On Wednesday, Oct. 23 — the day after William Taylor gave damning testimony about the Trump Administration’s quid pro quo on Ukrainian aid in exchange for information which it might use against a possible political opponent — several dozen Republican members of the House stormed the secure room where the three committees

autonomous government by the Kurdish people, rebellions within their prospective governments, infighting among political parties, and even a genocide carried out by Saddam Hussein against Iraqi Kurds in 1988. Estimates range from 50,000 to 180,000 dead.

With the start of the civil war in Syria, Syrian Kurds declared an autonomous region in the North. From there Kurdish fighters have been one of our most important allies in the fight against ISIS. However, without the capabilities of a full-fledged state they also relied on protection and support from U.S. troops in the region. Protection especially from Turkey, a large and powerGuest Columnist ful state with hostile attitudes toward its own Kurdish minority. So when Donald Trump rashly decided to remove troops from the area in Northern Syria the effects were, and will continue to be, very costly.

The inclination to get our troops out of the Middle East is more than understandable. We have lost far too many lives in combat due to conflict that it seems could have been avoided by the decisions of many U.S. leaders over the past 40 years. It often seems we have caused more havoc in the region than we have helped, and at the cost of young American lives. But this is where we are now, and abandoning our allies in the region is not the way to go out. Allowing

Hannah McLeod

he raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr alBaghdadi was possible because of our military presence (the brave men and women who serve), allies in the region and intelligence agencies. The president of the respected Council on Foreign Relations said on Sunday, “The irony of the successful operation against al-Baghdadi is that it could not have happened without U.S. forces on the ground that have been pulled out, help from Syrian Kurds who have been betrayed, and support of a U.S. intelligence community that has so often been disparaged.” It is true that Donald Trump has pulled troops from Syria in a hasty decision that occurred without forethought, abandoned our Kurdish allies, and regularly criticizes and undermines the work of the CIA and other intelligence agencies. Trump often criticizes these agencies as part of his “deep state” conspiracy.

The U.S. has a tumultuous history with the Kurdish people, our primary allies in the fight against ISIS. The Kurds live in a region comprising northern Syria, southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, and northwestern Iran. They are an ancient people without a nation of their own. Following the end of World War I, the Treaty of Sevres dissolved the Ottoman Empire and, among other newly drawn borders, included the creation of an independent Kurdish state. Then ruler of the newly created Turkey, Mustafa Kemal, rejected this plan and a new version of the treaty, the Treaty of Lausanne, negotiated between Allied governments and Turkey, made no mention of a Kurdish state or the Kurdish people. Since that time there were multiple attempts at

Turkey to press into northern Syria under the guise of securing its border against the autonomous Kurdish region means that Syrian Kurds had to turn to the government of Bashar al-Assad for help in defense. The same man who waged war against his own people in the form of civil war for over six years now. In the ensuing chaos of Turkish encroachment, several hundred ISIS prisoners — some people previously living in the caliphate — escaped prisons in the autonomous Kurdish region.

What’s more, the Assad government is propped up by Russia and Iran. Both governments are known for their corruption and disregard for human rights. Diminishing our presence now means we are unlikely to have any influence in the political outcome of the conflict and won’t be there to stand up for the rights of those that are sure to be overlooked by these governments. So while many Americans rightly think we should project less of a military presence around the world, putting fewer of our fighters in harm’s way, we should still be a nation our allies can depend on, and we should stand up for human rights around the world.

Unfortunately, the foreign policy decisions of Trump and his administration are diminishing our ability to combat terrorism in the Middle East and the likelihood of more missions like that which killed al-Baghdadi. Perhaps more importantly, these decisions have left the Kurdish people abandoned, many dead, and our enemies emboldened.

(Hannah McLeod is a recent college graduate living in Waynesville. mcleodh828@gmail.com)

LETTERS (Intelligence, Oversight, Foreign Affairs) conducting the impeachment inquiry were meeting. They attempted to intimidate a witness and willfully broke House rules by bringing electronic devices into a room where they are expressly forbidden.

Thirteen of the Republicans who participated in this lawless, disingenuous, grandstanding effort to discredit the process are already allowed to attend the meetings — including our own Representative, Mark Meadows! In fact, 47 (one out of every four) Republicans can attend all the impeachment meetings by virtue of being a member on one of the three committees. Republicans have participated in every single private deposition.

The meetings are being held behind closed doors to ensure that witness testimony independently corroborates each other’s reporting of events. Otherwise critics would, rightly, be able to claim that witnesses put words in one another’s mouth by virtue of being able to read or watch each other’s testimony. This process of private testimony is consistent with the proceedings used in both Nixon’s and Clinton’s impeachment efforts. Public testimony and questioning come later.

It is shameful that members of the country’s highest legislative body would be willing to flagrantly break House rules. It is even more shameful that President Trump was told about the stunt ahead of time and did nothing to stop it. It is a telling sign that they are scared and getting desperate. With more witnesses

coming forward who discredit the President’s claim that there was no quid pro quo in his dealings with the Ukraine, Republicans seem to feel they have to resort to hooliganism, bullying and disruption in order to distract us from the facts which are emerging. Unable to find legitimate, credible ways to defend the President, Republicans have fallen back on creating turmoil and confusion to sidetrack the discussion. We should be able to expect more professional behavior from our elected representatives, including Rep. Mark Meadows!

Maria Chasins Cashiers

Good Samaritans in Dillsboro To the Editor: My husband and I were traveling through Jackson County headed home to Florida when we had a flat tire. I turned into the first parking lot I came to. It happened to be a family restaurant (Kostas, I think it was). It was Sunday late afternoon and the restaurant was closed, as was anywhere to get a flat fixed. My husband had a stroke less than a year ago so he could not help me.

Who wins from U.S. betrayal?

Voter ID required in 2020 elections

’m as nostalgic as the next guy. I mean, I don’t get choked up over the thought of bell bottoms or soap-on-a-rope and I didn’t buy that very special Time Life complete collection of “Hee Haw” episodes (now on DVD! Operators are standing by!), even though that and the Lawrence Welk show formed the soundtrack of my Saturday night “going out on the town” preparations as a teenager. My mother always Columnist enjoyed Lawrence Welk. I’m not nostalgic about him myself, you understand.

I do miss some things about that era. I miss human interaction by some means other than cell phones and social media. I miss the days when having soup beans and cornbread was considered a meal. I miss making and eating homemade peach ice cream on the porch on Sunday afternoons after church. I miss Little League baseball when the dads weren’t coaches. And I miss drive-in movies.

One of the very first movies I ever saw on the big screen was at Twin Oaks DriveIn, which was located on the outskirts of my hometown. My first cousin and her boyfriend took me with them to see “The Poseidon Adventure,” a movie about a renegade preacher leading a handful of survivors to safety after a tidal wave capsizes a luxury liner on New Year’s Eve — almost precisely at the stroke of midnight, wouldn’t you know it?

Disaster movies were very big in the 1970s. There were the Airport movies, “The Towering Inferno,” “Earthquake,” “The Hindenburg” and “Meteor,” as well as a bunch of movies in which nature goes awry and people get attacked by giant rabbits, giant spiders, giant snakes and so on.

In those days, Americans enjoyed going out to see movies about people in great peril due to some calamity.

These days, disaster movies aren’t as popular. I guess with Donald Trump as president, this type of movie must seem redundant now. We’re already living in a real disaster, day after day. If given the chance, most Americans would probably take their chances on the SS Poseidon.

After I got my first taste of the drive-in movie experience, I couldn’t get enough of it. Once I was old enough to drive myself, I went to the Twin Oaks Drive-In just about every weekend, either with a date or with a group of friends. I drove a red Ford pickup

Chris Cox

I

Smoky Mountain News

To the Editor: North Carolina law now requires that everyone voting in 2020 must have an approved form of voter ID that includes a photo. The state primary will be March 3, 2020, and you will need an approved voter ID in order to vote. Approved voter IDs include: N.C. drivers’ license, N.C. state ID or Real ID, U.S. passport, U.S. military ID, federally recognized tribal enrollment card, state recognized tribal card if approved by N.C. Board of Elections, student ID if approved by N.C. Board of Elections (check website to see if your school is approved and ID must have an expiration date), employee ID (state, college, local governments), other state ID if voter registration is within 90 days (those over 65 can use picture ID even if expired if it was valid at the age of 65).

You can also apply for a voter ID card at your county Board of Elections and get one at no cost. You need to provide name, date of birth and last four digits of your Social Security number. You can apply the same day as voter registration but may get card in the mail. The card cannot he used for other state events, only for voting. You cannot get a card on the last day of early voting and Election Day. If you lose the card, it will be replaced free. If you move or change your party affiliation, you will not need a new card.

For more information, check the N.C. Board of Elections website at ncsbe.gov/voter-ID. Mary A. Herr Cherokee

The drive-in brings back memories

truck. If it was warm enough, I’d flip it around so that my buddies and I could all sit on the bed, drinking cherry cokes and eating our chili dogs, greasy hamburgers with lettuce and mayonnaise, soggy French fries and hot buttered popcorn until our stomachs groaned for mercy.

There was usually a double-feature.

Sometimes, the owner would thoughtfully pair movies, such as showing “Friday the 13th” and “Halloween” on the same night, instead of “Friday the 13th” and “The Summer of 42” or some similar fare that would make the target audience for the “Friday the 13th’” movies bust out of there right quick in search of more exciting adventures, such as the procurement of a bottle of Boone’s Farm wine and a pack of Swisher Sweet cigars.

When I graduated from college and moved to Waynesville, I was thrilled to discover that the town still had a drive-in theater, one of the last in the state still in operation. Unfortunately, it was a short-lived thrill. I was able to see only three or four movies before it closed down for good.

That was nearly 30 years ago, and I haven’t been to or even heard of an open drive-in since.

Then, about three weeks ago, we were in Bristol, Tennessee, to see the Tuscola High School marching band — with our son on one of the bass drums — perform at one of their competitions. On the way through town, we saw the big race track — the Bristol Motor Speedway — which made me nostalgic for the days my dad would force us to listen to NASCAR races on the radio on the way back from Mamaw’s house after our weekly Sunday lunches.

A few miles past that, there it was on the left. An actual drive-in theater.

Suddenly, it was 1977 again, with Richard Petty battling Cale Yarborough and the Allison brothers in Bristol, and a double feature on the marquee of the drive-in theater.

Fortunately, the band performed early, which gave us a chance to sneak off to see “The Joker” at the drive-in and still get back in time to see the award ceremony, as long as we didn’t stay for both movies. We paid our admission — cash only, naturally — found our place right of center about eleven rows back, and then walked down to a big cinder-block building where concessions were sold. We bought sodas, chili dogs, nachos and cheese, Sugar Babies, popcorn and a dill pickle, all for about thirty bucks.

For a just a few hours, I was 17 again, out with my best girl for a night on the town. Only now I have two best girls, and one of them is about the same age now that I was then. I hope when she’s my age and comes across “The Joker” while flipping channels late one night when she can’t sleep, she’ll think of that night in Bristol and maybe remember her old man as warmly as I remember mine.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher. jchriscox@live.com)

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

To the Editor: With the whirlwind of horrors in Syria, perhaps we should remind ourselves of basics: • The Kurds have long been allies of the US and western Europe. They fought on our side in World War I and II. In World War I the Turks sided with Germany.

• In Syria, the Kurds have saved countless American lives by fighting and killing thousands of ISIS terrorist fighters. The Kurds captured hundreds more ISIS and put them in prisons. The Kurds had also re-taken ISIS-held land — until Trump betrayed them without warning. Until we betrayed them. Over 11,000 Kurdish soldiers have died fighting ISIS. Over 20,000 have been wounded. Sure, they’re fighting for their own families’ lives, too. But they’re saving ours.

• As of October 13, Kurdish soldiers are fighting for their families and their own lives against the invading Turkish army and its warplanes raining fire.

Answer this question for yourself: Why, in only one phone call, would Trump be so persuaded by Turkey’s ruler Erdogan that he, Trump, would betray our brave allies?

That’s what Trump did by letting Turkey invade Syria. Trump owes Erdogan bigtime because he has two large Trump buildings in Turkey. He depended on Erdogan for getting them built, the first in 2010.

Trump must have known he was giving Erdogan permission to commit genocide

against the Kurds — many hundreds of families, grandparents to babies. Erdogan and fellow extremist Muslims have wanted to annihilate them for decades. Many Kurds are Christians, as are my friend Marielle’s family. Her grandparents were the only ones in their family able to flee Turkey for Syria in the early 20th century; Turks slaughtered all the rest.

As the current invasion got going, American soldiers were trying to leave chaotic, bomb-pocked Syria without getting killed. American troops got no warning that they would be ordered to abandon our bases immediately. Our top military leaders and national security heads got no warning from Trump. The Turks have almost killed many American soldiers already by accidental bombing. This is not “friendly fire.”

A second question to ask yourself, dear reader: who wins from this historic betrayal? Every expert’s answer, including esteemed Republicans: Russia, Turkey and Iran. Trump owes Turkey and Russia.

Turkey owes Russia. The more we Americans betray what we like to think we stand for, the more powerful Russia gets.

Look at a map. Putin just got a short route into the Mediterranean.

Mary Jane Curry Haywood County

opinion

I called your sheriff ’s office just to see if they knew where I could get help. The lady I spoke with said she would find me some help. Before the officer got to me a man named José, who works at the restaurant, came out. He got my spare from underneath my van. He took my old tire off and put the spare on.

Before he could finish, my jack, which was a cheap one that came with my van, broke and the car fell. José called a friend who brought another jack and helped José change the tire. My spare is a donut and after all of that work, it turned out to be almost flat. Jose’s friend went back to his house and got an air compressor and came back to air up my tire. They took well over an hour out of their day to help a stranger.

Neither man would take any money for their help, which we offered numerous times. They just said, “No, we’re not doing it for money.”

These two men were a tremendous blessing to my husband and me. Just wanted everyone know that honor, integrity and character matter, and they are represented in your town.

Not to leave out the sheriff ’s office, they did show. But as they, were busy keeping your streets safe, José and his friend were almost finished when the officer arrived.

Thank you so much.

Charles and Rhonda Dalton Florida residents

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tasteTHE mountains The

Freestylers Saturday, Nov. 2 7pm 3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

www.CityLightsCafe.com

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

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

Closed Tuesday

Sunday 12-9 p.m.

Sandwiches • Burgers • Wraps 32 Felmet Street

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

(828) 246-0927

Real New Yorkers.

Real Italians. Real Pizza.

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

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Smoky Mountain News

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1295 incudes choice of salad, garlic rolls, choice of pasta and dessert.

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243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde

828-476-5058 172 Sylva Plaza | Sylva

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

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WITH THIS COUPON

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

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

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

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

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

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY 50 N Main Street, Waynesville.

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

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner nightly at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Wine Down Wednesday’s: ½ off wine by the bottle. We specialize in handcut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available.

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

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

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

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

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

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

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

Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reservations accepted. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

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

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

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfast until noon, old-fashioned luncheonette and diner comfort food.

Historic full service soda fountain.

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

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

All ABC permits and open year-round.

Children always welcome. Take-out menu.

Excellent service and hospitality.

Reservations appreciated.

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

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

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

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday

tasteTHE mountains through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner.

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

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

828.452.5187. Lunch Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., eat in or carry out. Closed Sunday. A made-from-scratch kitchen using fresh ingredients. Offering a variety of meals to go from frozen meals to be stored and cooked later to “Dinners to Go” that are made fresh and ready to enjoyed that day. We also specialize in catering any event from from corporate lunches to weddings. kaninis.com MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM 617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva.

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

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

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

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.

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT since 1952

Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

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

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

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

Located across from the Fire Station.

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

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

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

SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available.

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

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

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

SMOKEY SHADOWS LODGE 323 Smoky Shadows Lane, Maggie Valley 828.926.0001. Check Facebook page for hours, which vary. Call early when serving because restaurant fills up fast. Remember when families joined each other at the table for a delicious homemade meal and shared stories about their day? That time is now at Smokey Shadows. The menus are customizable for your special event.

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

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

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400.

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday

MON.-SAT. 11AM–8PM

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505 twitter.com/ChurchStDepot

THANK YOU, HAYWOOD COUNTY,

FOR VOTING US

#1 BURGER! facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot

Wine • Port • Champagne Cigars • Gifts

828-452-6000

20 Church Street Downtown Waynesville

classicwineseller.com MONDAY - SATURDAY

10:00AM - 6:00PM

AT BEARWATERS BREWING Tue-Thurs 12- 9 p.m • Fri-Sat: 12- 10 p.m.

Sunday: 12- 9 p.m. • Monday: Closed

101 PARK ST. CANTON 828.492.1422 PIGEONRIVERGRILLE.COM

Join Us for a Spooktacular

Breakfast : Omelets, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy!

Breakfast served all day!

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

Event!

Saturday, November 2 from 5-7:30PM Open 7 days 7am - noon | 828.926.0212

4309 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley

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

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

Smoky Mountain News

Carver's

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska.

Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano.

Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95.

Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com

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.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT 2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout, country ham, pork chops and more. Breakfast all day including omelets, pancakes, biscuits & gravy. facebook.com/carversmvr; instagram @carvers_mvr.

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE 101 Park St., Canton.

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

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

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

The poetry of freedom

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ne of the most alluring and enduring qualities of the art of poetry is the vast spectrum of forms it may take — neat or free-wheeling, broad or tidy, emotional or intellectual, progressive or traditional.

This weekend, Jackson County aficionados can experience most all of that, in the same place, at the same time.

Beth Copeland was born in Japan to Southern Baptist missionaries, but has always called North Carolina home.

“I really am not a believer at this point in my life,” said Copeland. “I would consider myself an agnostic, but I do think that growing up, sitting in church pews at least three times a week had an impact on me in terms of understanding how powerful language can be. There are portions of the Bible that are pure poetry, the Psalms, the Song of Solomon, and so forth.

If you grow up listening to that as a child, I think you internalize those rhythms.”

Copeland doesn’t write religious poems, per se, but there’s a spiritual component to what she does, especially in her latest book, Blue Honey, which won the 2017 Dogfish Head Poetry Award.

“It documents the dementia and death of both of my parents,” she said. “My dad had Alzheimer’s disease and died at the age of 95, and my mother had a different form of dementia and she died at the age of 89. So during the time I was writing that book, I was struggling with both of those things going on simultaneously with my parents. The poems are a way of trying to hold on to my own memories, as I was watching my parents losing theirs, so it documents what it’s like as a family member to deal with something like that, which unfortunately many people can relate to.”

Recently, Copeland picked up and headed west, into the solitude of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and has opened up a small writer’s retreat for visiting scribes called Tiny Cabin Big Ideas.

“It’s located in Creston, North Carolina, which is about 15 miles from West Jefferson.

It’s pretty rural and remote,” she said. “I just moved here in June, so I’m just learning my way around the area myself. And the tiny cabin is just this little cabin that’s right next to my

O

“The poems are a way of trying to hold on to my own memories, as I was watching my parents losing theirs.”

— Beth Copeland

house. I actually have a guest here right now, working on his poetry. So it’s a way for me to stay in touch with other poets even though I’m living in kind of a remote place.”

One of her upcoming guests at the cabin will be Ohio poet John Burroughs, whose work has a decided cant toward the other end of the spectrum from hers, despite having similar therapeutic value.

“My early poetry began kind of as a form of therapy. I wasn’t really trained or anything, I just started writing from my heart,” said Burroughs. “Later on as I became an adult, my work was heavily influenced by music — hip hop, jazz and my love for the beat poets.”

Beat poetry traces its origins to the postwar

Poetry reading in Sylva Award-winning North Carolina poet Beth Copeland, and Ohio’s Beat Poet Laureate John Burroughs will each read from their collected works at City Lights Bookstore this coming Saturday.

“If you read [beat poets], they kind of prove that there’s no real strict definition of literature. It’s more of a mindset, an ethos, a liberty.”

— John Burroughs

• Time: 3 p.m.

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 2 • Location: 3 East Jackson St., Sylva period and is best characterized as everything previous generations of poetry wasn’t — contemptuous of traditional narrative forms and unflinching in its examination of tough topics like sex, drugs and what it means to be a human being in a modern industrial society.

“The main ones that I grew up with and first started reading as a teenager or early adult were Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Alan Ginsburg, who are the quintessential beats, and are all three very different writers

from one another,” said Burroughs, who currently serves as Ohio’s Beat Poet Laureate. “If you read their work, they kind of prove that there’s no real strict definition of literature. It’s more of a mindset, an ethos, a liberty. Those major players who deserve all the acclaim that they’ve gotten are really just the tip of the iceberg, as far as beat poetry.”

While by definition beat evades definition, there are common themes amongst the beats that make the form clearly identifiable.

“I think it’s really the poetry of freedom, of freedom of expression, of taking on difficult subjects,” he said.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

The bridge at Cataloochee Creek. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

Drifting back down to earth at the peak of beauty

In Your Ear Music Emporium will host its 25th anniversary party at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the store on Main Street in Sylva.

Relax on our gorgeous front porch – or relax in front of the fireplace in our cozy library. Drink in the beauty and stillness of the majestic Blue Ridge mountains, and walk downtown for a bite to eat in between training sessions. If you’ve been considering a 200 hour YTT program in the city, consider ours at Waynesville Yoga Center.

G

Learn more at WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com

828.246.6570 274 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6570

Smoky Mountain News

North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green It was right around 3 p.m. will read selections from her works at 7:30 p.m. when I knew I had to escape.

Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the conference room of Sitting in the Panacea Blue Ridge Hall at Western Carolina University.

Coffeehouse in the Frog Level District of Waynesville on The Galleries of Haywood County will present Art Monday afternoon, I had finAfter Dark from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in ished my writing for the day. I downtown Waynesville. had concluded all my emails, The comedy classic “Arsenic and Old Lace” will correspondences and text hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1-2 and at 2 p.m. messages, too. I just wanted Nov. 3 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in to get away, even if but for a Waynesville. moment, from my damn smart phone and laptop in an The 15th annual WNC Pottery Festival will be era of Wi-Fi and unlimited held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at f data plans.

76 Railroad Avenue in Sylva.

Hopping into my pickup truck, I swung by my apartboundary, I pulled the truck over and ment. Grabbing my running clothes and shoes, I jumped back into the truck and pro- parked. Standing at the beginning of the Cataloochee Divide Trail, I laced up my runceeded to bolt down Russ Avenue, the nose ning shoes and zipped up my jacket. What of the vehicle aimed for the Great Smoky was initially a slow but efficient pace soon Mountains National Park. turned into “running stairs” as my leg musBy the time I hit the gas station on J. cles warmed up, pushing further and farther Creek just before the I-40 overpass, I was up the winding mountain ridge. f ready and roaring to fill up that tank and With the trail to myself, I kept observgrab a tallboy of cold beer, one that would ing all the bright yellow, orange and red be joyous consumed amid a salute to anothleaves hovering overhead, some tumbling er unknown adventure. down upon me with the slightest wind from Heading into the national park via the across the Cataloochee Valley. There was Cataloochee entrance, I was pretty much silence all around me, save for my rhythmic alone, seeing as it was the beginning of the breathing and the crunching of my shoes workweek, with all the leaf peepers and over dead leaves, protruding tree roots and tourists back home in Knoxville, Charlotte the occasional hidden rock my feet would and points south. try to avoid.

Hitting the invisible line that is the park

YTT programs are incredibly popular nationwide and many of us prefer a quieter, calmer, and more intimate setting, making Waynesville Yoga Center a great option! Our YTT program is limited to 14 participants, meaning that you get the attention and support of a smaller group, while still experiencing top-notch Yoga Alliance certified instruction from a variety of teachers.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training, in the Heart of the Smoky Mountains!

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

About a mile and a half up, the ridge flattens out and you come across a house on the ridge to the east. Just past that picturesque abode, there’s a small clearing to the west. That’s always been my spot to stop and take a moment to catch my breath, to wipe the sweat from my face, and to think of things swirling around my physical and emotional being.

Standing at that small opening, I looked out over Cataloochee Valley and other ridges far away from my position. I wondered how many people at that exact moment were somewhere up on some other peak looking in my direction and wondering the same about me (an unknown human also being immersed in Mother Nature, and in solidarity).

While I was fully aware of that moment and simply being part of “the now” of that small opening, I thought of so many people long gone from my life, either physically or emotionally. I thought of my late grandfather, who lived a long and just life, and how much I missed him.

And I thought of two friends who each separately took their own lives this summer, far too soon, and before I ever could properly say goodbye. I thought of former lovers, some thousands of miles away, and wondered if they were happy and loved in the all the ways they deserved to be, many in ways I wish I could have shown them in our time allotted.

Back onto the trail and back down the mountain to my truck awaiting my return.

Instead of heading back into J. Creek, I decided to meander into Cataloochee Valley, onward down the desolate Old Cataloochee Turnpike, which leads back towards the Big Creek entrance to the park and the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

Moseying along the Old Cataloochee Turnpike, I decided to put on John Coltrane’s 1965 masterpiece album “A Love Supreme.” Windows rolled down. The stereo echoing into the forest where not a soul would be found for miles and miles.

The music conjured memories of autumn in New York City, me as a college student (some 12 years ago) walking around lower Manhattan and Greenwich Village, headphones on with “A Love Supreme,” soaking in a city, culture and people I’d always dreamed of and seen on TV or in the movies.

My mind then shifted back to the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina, the timeless grandeur of the people and landscape here. Soon, I stopped at the one-lane bridge to just sit and listen to Cataloochee Creek drift by.

I grabbed my now lukewarm beer, walked down to the river and cracked open the hearty pilsner. Watching and listening to the rushing waters, I thought about nothing and everything, as per usual. I've cruised these dirt backroads in the park for seven years now, with each time a sought-after opportunity to clear my head, to cleanse my soul, too.

Silence. Solitude. All now once again achieved. I saluted the heavens above, the earth below, and sipped the pilsner with gusto. I had escaped society and, most importantly, mindless distraction, for now, with my next getaway plan already in motion.

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

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arts & entertainment

On the beat

‘Old Time Night’ with Frank & Allie Lee

Russ Wilson.

‘Mouth of the South’ swings into Waynesville Jazz/swing act The Russ Wilson Duo will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

Alongside guitarist Hank Bones, Wilson will showcase his talents as a fourcourse gourmet meal is served.

A beloved crooner in Western North Carolina, Wilson performs in as many

Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

New Arnold Hill album, show

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different and varied groups as there are days in the week. One day, he’ll jump in with an old-time gypsy jazz outfit at a wine lounge playing selections from the 1920s and 30s, the next, he’ll be adorned in a tuxedo fronting a 16-piece big band orchestra onstage playing numbers from the 40s and 50s.

Dinner and live music is $39.99 per person (plus drinks, tax and gratuity).

Reservations are required. For more information and/or to make a reservation, call 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

Arnold Hill.

Popular Jackson County Americana/ rock act Arnold Hill will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva.

The band will be featured alongside Chris Pressley (country/roots).

With a lyric-driven style in the realm of alternative/Americana, the trio combine multiple harmonies with a unique sense of musical flavors and styles. Arnold Hill’s latest album, “Back to Life,” is now available for purchase and/or streaming on all online music services.

The show is free and open to the public. For more information, click on www.arnoldhillband.com.

In Your Ear celebrates 25 years To properly mark its 25th anniversary, In Your Ear Music Emporium will host a party at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the store on Main Street in Sylva.

Alongside live music, there will also be giveaways, food and drinks. An after-party will be held at the nearby Papermill Lounge.

In Your Ear would like to thank the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, The Papermill Lounge, Nantahala Brewing, Mad Batter, The Cut Cocktail Lounge, City Lights Bookstore, Baxley’s Chocolates, Balsam Falls Brewing, Balsam Falls Eatery, Melissa’ Backstreet and Regina Nicole’s Boutique.

For more information, call 828.586.6404.

Frank & Allie Lee. Swain County Americana/folk duo Frank & Allie Lee will host an “Old Time Night” at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Isis Music Hall in West Asheville.

The showcase will also feature musicians Emily Schadd, John Herrmann and Meredith McIntosh. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Based out of Bryson City, Frank & Allie Lee are a harmony-powered old-time duo.

Their April 2018 release, “Roll On, Clouds,” showcases their favorite songs from over two years of performing together.

Frank’s nylon string fretless banjo is the dominant instrument, with guitar, slide guitar, and Allie Lee’s banjo and harmonica adding to the musical texture. They are also the core duo of string band The Freight Hoppers.

In addition to performing, Frank & Allie Lee screen print music-themed t-shirts, available on their website. They also organize an old-time music retreat in the Great Smoky Mountains in the spring called the “BanjoFiddle Frolic.”

“Roll On, Clouds” is available at www.frankandallie.com, as well as CD Baby, iTunes and Spotify. The act’s next album, “Treat A Stranger Right,” will be released in February 2020.

Tickets are $15 per person. There are limited table available in the main hall. Other seating is first come, first serve. Please call the venue for dinner reservations.

To purchase tickets, click on www.isisasheville.com or call 828.575.2737.

On the beat

Helping Seniors With Their Needs

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday and an all-genres open mic every Thursday. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host In Flight Nov. 1, Tim Nave 4 p.m. Nov. 3, Chris Wilhelm & Friends Nov. 8 and Smoky Blue Rain Nov. 9. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday and Shane Meade & The Sound 9 p.m. Nov. 2. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

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

828.926.9464 or www.facebook.com/legendssportsgrillmaggievalley.

• Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant (Waynesville) will host Elwood 7 p.m. Nov. 1.

All shows are free and open to the public.

828.246.9249.

If you have limited mobility, contact us about an in-home visit.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Shayler’s Kitchen Nov. 1 and Granny’s Mason Jar Nov. 2. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Chris Pressley w/Arnold Hill 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

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

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

Norris Elder Services, LLC 828-452-2256

Norris Professional Building 177 North Main St., Waynesville www.norriselderservices.com www.norrisandassoc.com

BALSAM RANGE

ART OF MUSIC FESTIVAL DEC 6-7 Lake Junaluska, NC

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host singer-songwriters every Friday and Saturday. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

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

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

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

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

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

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, karaoke on Thursdays and semi-regular music on Fridays and Saturdays. All events at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

828.456.4750.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Doug Ramsay Nov. 1 and 8. Shows are at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 or www.whitesidebrewing.com.

DARRELL SCOTT SISTER SADIE WHITEWATER BLUEGRASS CO. TIM O’BRIEN BAND MIKE SNIDER ATLANTA POPS ORCHESTRA ENSEMBLE WITH JOHN DRISKELL HOPKINS AND BALSAM RANGE

Smoky Mountain News

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host Kelly Hunt w/Stas’ Heaney (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Oct. 30, Dirty Logic (Steely Dan tribute) 9 p.m. Oct. 31, Jeff Black (singersongwriter) 7 p.m. Nov. 1, The Appalucians w/Queen Been & The Honeylovers (Americana/swing) 8:30 p.m. Nov. 1, Chris Trapper (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Nov. 2, Peggy Ratusz & Daddy Long Legs Dance Party (soul/pop) 8:30 p.m. Nov. 2, Identikit (indie/world) 6 p.m. Nov. 3, Russ Wilson’s Swingin’ Birthday Bash (jazz/swing) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3, Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions w/Holly Hill Ramblers 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5, Adair Arbor & Jesse Barry (Johnny Cash tribute) 7 p.m. Nov. 6 and Frank & Allie Lee w/Emily Schaad, John Hermann & Meredith McIntosh (old-time/roots) 8:30 p.m. Nov. 6. For more information about the performances and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.isisasheville.com.

We can handle your day to day financial transactions, including assistance with check writing, payment of monthly bills and coordination of other services.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Macon County Public Library will host an open music jam with Jim Hite & Bill Jackson 2 p.m. Nov. 4. Bring your instrument or simply sit and listen. Free and open to the public.

arts & entertainment

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Wooleybooger Oct. 31, Moriah Domby Nov. 1, The Gnarly Fingers Nov. 2, Wyatt & Blue 4 p.m. Nov. 3, John Emil Nov. 8, The Knotty G’s Nov. 9 and Joey & Friends 4 p.m. Nov. 10. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the street

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‘Keepers of the Fire’ gathering The Native Heart Community Development Association & Murphy Aglow will celebrate Native American Heritage Month with the “Keepers of the Fire” gathering, which will be held Nov. 1-2 at the Wagon Master Ranch Resort at 359 Adventure Ranch Road in Murphy.

Parade of Nations will be at 6 p.m. Friday. Attendees are encouraged to wear their tribal regalia. The film “Awakened” will be screened at 7 p.m.

The Saturday meeting will start at 9 a.m. Topic will be the First Spiritual Awakening which happened in the Murphy area in mid-1896.

Sites involved in this awakening will be visited if weather permits. At 2 p.m. Michael Thornton, author of Fire in the Carolinas, speaks on The Last Spiritual Awakening. nativeheartcda@gmail.com.

WCU presents ‘Urinetown: The Musical’ “Urinetown: The Musical,” a story of citizens joining together to fight for the cause that unites them, will be staged Nov. 7-10, by the students and faculty of Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen.

The production is part of the school’s 2019-20 Mainstage season.

Shows are set for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7-9, and at 3 p.m. Nov. 10 in WCU’s Hoey Auditorium.

With music and lyrics by Mark Hollman and book and lyrics by Greg Kotis, “Urinetown” takes place in a city with a terrible water shortage caused by a 20-year drought, which has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens are forced to use public facilities that are regulated by a single company that profits by charging admission.

But then, a hero decides that he’s had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom.

Apart from its humorous side, the musical “is truly a show about community and what can happen when people join together to fight for a good cause,” said Kate McCosh, a WCU student who is assistant director

for the production. “The show also contains pertinent environmental themes that emphasize the importance that we only get one planet, and we

Jackson Medical Associates is a new nurse practitioner base practice located at 1188 Skyland Drive in Sylva NC and provides primary urgent and wellness care to the Western Carolina communities and its visitors.

The practice was established in order to deliver quality, compassionate and accessible healthcare to the population served.

Jackson Medical Associates is led by Emily H. Crawford FNP,BC. Mrs. Crawford has been caring for geriatric residents of skilled and assisted living facilities of WNC for the past 12 Years. She also has many years of experience in chronic disease management and enjoys meeting urgent care needs. Mrs. Crawford was born and raised in Jackson County.

She is a graduate of WNC University in Bachelor of Science in nursing program in 2003 and graduated again in 2007 with her masters in science with a family nurse practitioner certificate. She is married to Aaron Crawford of Haywood County who owns and operates Haywood Lodge & Retirement Centers and has twin boys, Zachary and Riley.

Jackson Medical Associates offers a wide variety of additional services to include women’s health, hormone replacement therapy and cosmetic procedures. The practice accepts patients throughout the lifespan beginning at age 2. Please call 339-CARE to establish an appointment.

need to work together to care for it.”

The cast of “Urinetown” includes 28 WCU students from across various programs in the School of Stage and Screen. The production is being presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International and is being directed and choreographed by Ashlee Wasmund, director of WCU’s programs in musical theatre and dance, with music direction by Kristen Hedberg, assistant professor of musical theatre.

The show is not recommended for children younger than 10. Tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for seniors 65 and up, and WCU faculty and staff; and $10 for students. More information and ticket purchases are available at arts.wcu.edu/urinetown.

Tickets also may be purchased at the box office of John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center by calling 828.227.ARTS or coming by the box office Tuesdays through Fridays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. or on Thursdays between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets also will be available at Hoey Auditorium beginning one hour prior to each performance.

On the street

READY FOR SCC ‘SHOCKTOBERFEST’?

Southwestern Community College’s Advertising & Graphic Design students will open up their “Shocktoberfest” Halloween display and exhibit from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 31, in the Burrell Building at the Jackson Campus in Sylva.

Walk-through and trick-or-treating will be free. Activity and food booths will be available for a minimal expense. www.southwesterncc.edu or call 828.339.4000.

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arts & entertainment

Halloween happenings

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• The annual “Treats on the Street” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, on Main Street in Waynesville. Children’s activities and more. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

• “Hometown Halloween” will take place from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct 31, at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva. Trick or treating and family activities beginning at 5 p.m.

Bring your own pumpkin for carving. Free.

ALSO:

• “Treat Street” will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in downtown Sylva.

828.586.2719.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

• There will be a “Halloween Trick or Treat” from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at the Town Hall and participating homes in Webster.

• The “Halloween Trick or Treat” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in downtown Dillsboro.

• “Trick and Treat” will be held at 4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 31, in downtown Bryson City.

Downtown streets are closed for trick or treaters in their costumes. 800.867.9246.

• The “Horror Haunted House” will be held Thursday, Oct. 31, at the Fines Creek Community Center. Presented by the Fines Creek Community Association and Mayhem Roller Derby. Entry is $5 per person. For more information, email fcncsmac@gmail.com.

All proceeds/donations go to FCCA to support community needs, scholarships and the MANNA Foodbank.

Smoky Mountain News

• “Candy Trail” will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 31, at select businesses in downtown Maggie Valley. Joey’s Pancake House will also have a “Trunk or Treat” from 5 to 8 p.m. For a list of participating businesses, email ourplaceinnmv@gmail.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the wall

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WCU professor in Appalachian music, migration film Musicians, not actors, propel a recentlyreleased movie about hard times in Depression-era Appalachia that is gaining recognition and awards on the indie film circuit, with a Western Carolina University faculty member in a prominent role.

“The Mountain Minor” had its first public showing earlier this month at the Esquire Theater in Cincinnati, Ohio. It will be screened locally at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Admission is free.

Many of the film’s principle roles are played by real-life bluegrass and old-time mountain music pickers. One of the key performers is Jonathan Bradshaw, a Cullowhee resident who is an assistant professor of English and director of the Writing, Rhetoric and Critical Studies Program at WCU. He has the part of “Vestal Abner” in the movie, and while he plays clawhammer banjo, he doesn’t do so in the role.

“The director’s theory with this film was to bring in people who love and play traditional music, and that much of the acting would follow,” said Bradshaw, noting that critics have given good reviews for authenticity, as well as the poignant storyline.

“The Mountain Minor” cinematically looks at family traditions, the premise of leaving home for the possibility of a better life, and the longing for a return, back to that home. The narrative also follows a family fiddle passed down through the generations.

“I think the subject resonates with the times,” Bradshaw said. “I don’t think the script makes any overt political statements, but for me it humanizes human migration.

Appalachian migrants — often called ‘hill-

The Abner family of the movie “The Mountain Minor” poses for a portrait, with Jonathan Bradshaw as Vestal Abner at far left.

Photo courtesy of Alt 452 Productions and Wonderland Woods Productions

billies’ — moved north and to the Midwest to flee hard times and faced dehumanizing rhetoric when they moved away from home.

I like how the film recognizes that migrants are full, culturally rich human beings and that heritage arts play a role in how these communities stay together.

“Plus, I just love old-time music and was excited to be a part of a project that promotes it in a moving way,” Bradshaw said.

“All of those elements combined to attract me to the role.”

The plot has Vestal and his wife Oza, played by acclaimed ballad and old-time musician Elizabeth Laprelle, deciding to uproot their family from the only home they have ever known to pursue better economic opportunities in Ohio. The film goes on to follow the role of music in the lives of several generations of the Abner family.

The movie comes full circle to a contemporary setting, with the protagonist remembering the music passed down to him from previous generations, and a longing to

return to the ancestral home upon his retirement.

The title is another nod to old-time mountain music, known for often being played in minor keys and chords. Bradshaw’s wife Susan Pepper, also an old-time musician, was the movie’s producer.

Arrangements for a screening at WCU are in the works.

For more information, go to www.themountainminormovie.com or call Bradshaw at 828.227.3273.

On the wall arts & entertainment

Screening of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’

get

SADC call for artists

@Smoky MtnNews

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this Winter

Smoky Mountain News

There is a call for artists currently underway by the Sylva Art + Design Committee.

The next SADC pop-up gallery, titled “The Blending of Tradition and Modernity in Culture Groups,” will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at Viva Arts Studio in Sylva.

The exhibition will feature artists of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, who offer perspectives on the blending of tradition, culture and modernity from a wide variety of contexts and experiences.

Applications for artists to be featured can be picked up at White Moon Coffee Shop, Black Balsam Outdoors, The Cut Cocktail Lounge or download from the SADC Facebook page (@sylvapublicart).

Applications are due by Monday, Nov. 4. Send applications to sylvaartdesign@gmail.com or hand delivered to stores where applications can be picked up.

c i h C & zy

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

The Western Carolina University Bardo Arts Center will present its annual Halloween screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31.

See this cult classic on the big screen in the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall with a special WCU student shadow cast of lipsyncing performers.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is probably the oddest, most off-the-wall cult film ever made; a kinky rock’n’roll science fiction horror satire that is everybody’s favorite Halloween show.

A young couple stumbles into a castle inhabited by weirdos from the planet Transylvania including Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry) a transvestite Frankenstein in rhinestone heels. The onstage WCU student shadow cast mirrors the on-screen performance, lip-syncs with the songs, and gives audi-

ence members actors to interact with, a muchdesired part of any Rocky Horror experience.

Another feature of the evening is the Halloween Costume Contest. Come dressed in your best Halloween costume and have a chance to win a $25 Visa Gift Card and a Bardo Arts Center Swag Bag. Participants must arrive between 6 to 7:15 p.m. and have their picture taken at the “Costume Contest” station in the BAC lobby.

Five individuals will be selected from those pictures to go on stage at the end of the event for a final audience vote. The person that receives the most audience applause is the winner.

Find further information and tickets, click on arts.wcu.edu/rockyhorror. Traditional Rocky Horror goodie bags will be available to purchase before the show at the BAC concessions stand.

Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for WCU faculty/staff and seniors 65 and over, and $15 for the general public. Please note that all seating is general admission.

Affairs of the Heart

————————————————————————————— 120 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC • 828.452.0526 affairsoftheheartnc.com

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arts & entertainment

On the wall

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SUNDAY BRUNCH 10AM TO 2PM AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE EVENTS 743 HAYWOOD RD • WEST ASHEVILLE

Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

ISISASHEVILLE.COM 828.575.2737

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The immensely popular 15th annual WNC Pottery Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at 76 Railroad Avenue in Sylva.

Showcasing the work of more than 40 master potters from an array of states. A variety of clay art styles will be presented. The event is juried and the lineup of potters is second-tonone. The “WNC Clay Olympics” and lighting of the wood-fired kiln will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.

The event has been named one of the “Top 20” events in the Southeast for November.

Admission is $5. www.wncpotteryfestival.com.

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The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) is pleased to announce the winner of the Haywood County Open Studio Tour logo contest.

The design was chosen by a panel of professional artists and the winning logo designer is Deb Parmele of Canton.

Parmele is an HCAC artist member, art glass bead maker and jewelry artist.

The 2020 Haywood County Artist Studio Tour is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 27-28. The free, two-day self-guided tour will allow participants to visit approximately 30 artist studios. www.haywoodarts.org.

with complimentary wine.

Look for the gallery flags at these participating locations: Balsam Ridge Gallery, Cedar Hill Studio, Haywood County Arts Council, Metzger’s Burlwood Gallery, The Jeweler’s Workbench, TPennington Art Gallery and Twigs & Leaves Gallery.

For more information, visit the Galleries of Haywood County and individual gallery websites and social media pages.

Waynesville Art School ‘Sip & Paint’ Waynesville’s Art After Dark The Galleries of Haywood County, in partnership with the Haywood County Arts Council, will present Art After Dark from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in downtown Waynesville.

• T. Pennington Gallery is unveiling its owner’s newest Christmas cards and puzzles, along with holding a drawing for a Christmas ornament of your choice.

• Cedar Hill Studio welcomes back Donna Raymond and her fascinating demo of alcohol inks with jazz musician Michael John

entertaining guests.

• Down the street, Twigs and Leaves Gallery is hosting clay artist Julie CalhounRoepnack with live piano music by Dianne Wolf.

• Metzger’s Burl Wood Gallery will unveil hand-carved Christmas trees and home decor with musical entertainment and yummy autumn treats.

• Balsam Ridge Gallery artist and owner Richard Baker is celebrating his retirement by offering 20 percent off all framed artwork.

• Over at The Jeweler’s Workbench, meet jewelry artist and metalsmith, Joanne-Davis Woods, as she demonstrates her craft. Enjoy live music by Chris Minick and Ed Kelly along

The “Sip & Paint/Painting Night” from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, at the Waynesville Art School.

The school will proudly presents “A Lemon and A Pear” by Russian artists from St. Petersburg. Immerse yourself in a joyous creative experience of making your very own work of art. Relax, enjoy yourself and sip as you paint.

They will provide detailed and easy to follow step-by-step instructions (so no prior experience is necessary). All materials are included. BYOB (wine and beer only) and refreshments.

Registration is required. The cost is $30.

For more information and/or to register, please visit www.waynesvillartschool.com or call 828.246.9869.

y

The Jackson County Public Library Recipe Swap is a quarterly event consisting of a recipe gathering, the making of a cookbook, and finally a potluck dinner using the recipes gathered.

If anyone has a recipe they would like to participate with, please email the recipe to Danielle Duffy at dduffy@fontanalib.org, or bring your recipe to the Reference Desk on the second floor of the library in Sylva.

The deadline for the Fall Cookbook recipe submission is Nov. 1. Once the library has all of the recipes, the fall version of the cookbook will be put together. Each participant will receive a copy of the cookbook. At 6 p.m. Nov. 12, each participant will bring their dish and everyone will share food, fellowship, stories, and community.

For more information, please call the library at 828.586.2016. This cookbook is cosponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).

What Are Cannabinoids?

Cannabinoids are a group of closely related compunds that act on cannbinoid receptors in the body, unique to cannabis (or hemp). The body creates compounds called endocannabinoids, while hemp produces phytocannabinoids, notably cannabidiol.

Cannabinoids is traditionally used for pain, sleep, and fibermyalgia.

Alzheimer’s Migraines Asthma Breast Cancer

Diabetes Crohn’s Disease

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Prostate Cancer Menstrual Cancer

The Endocannabinoid System is perhaps the most important physiologic systerm involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Although the endocannabinoid system affects a wide variety of biological processes, experts believe that its overall function is to regulate homeostasis.

Bosu’s tastings, small plates Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host an array of wine tastings and small plates throughout the week.

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

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

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

Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. For more information or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on www.gsmr.com.

ALSO:

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 2 and 9 at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

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

Smoky Mountain News

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CBD has traditionally been used for: Anxiety/Depression Seizures Pain/Fibromyalgia Nausea/Vomiting Sleep Tremors PTSD ADHD/ADD Autism

There will be a handful of upcoming events at the Bryson City Wine Market.

• Wine for the holiday table from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7. Wines fit for a holiday feast. From turkey-worthy reds to crowd pleasing whites, discover the best wines to pair with your holiday meals.

• Cheers to bubbles from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 21. From Champagne to Prosecco and Cremant to Cava. Raise a glass, as we explore the many styles and tastes of sparkling wine.

To RSVP, email bcwinemarket@gmail.com.

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

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

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

To RSVP for ticketed events, call 828.452.0120 or email info@waynesvillewine.com.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

t

Library recipe swap looking for submission

Bryson City Wine Market

arts & entertainment

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On the table

479 DELLWOOD RD. WAYNESVILLE 828.452.0911 | facebook.com/kimspharmacy

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arts & entertainment Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019 Smoky Mountain News

Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive - Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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W W W. b l u e r i d g e m o t o r c y c l i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m

On the stage

The popular stage production of “The Sleepy Hollow Experience” will be held starting at 7 p.m. Thursday to Sunday through Nov. 3 at Cherokee Adventure on Tsali Boulevard.

Nationally renowned theatre producer Brian Clowdus invades the “Unto These Hills” stage in an immersive theatrical nightmare that has taken the country by storm.

The production will turn the Cherokee Mountainside Theatre into an immersive 360-degree theatrical event, where at any moment the horseman might be right behind you. This production will have

drama, Broadway-caliber production value and pay homage to the native culture of the land.

Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for children ages 12 and under. For more information, click on www.cherokeehistorical.

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

ALSO:

Tuscola salute to stage and screen Tuscola High School’s premiere choral group, “Summit,” will perform “A Musical: A Salute to Music of the Stage and Screen” at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 and 2:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Tuscola High School Auditorium in Waynesville.

This Broadway and movie revue will feature full choir numbers from “Something Rotten,” “A Chorus Line,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “Les Miserables,” “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Hairspray,” the recent smash hit “Hamilton,” and more.

Soloists and small ensembles will perform intermittently with music from “Waitress,” “Wicked,” “The Sound of Music,” and others.

“Summit” will carry on the tradition of a fall production of popular music, while maintaining the nearly 40-year tradition of a Country Western Show in the spring.

Tickets are now on sale. General admission is $10, and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased from any “Summit” member or by calling Tuscola High School at 828.456.2408

Smoky Mountain News

‘The Sleepy Hollow Experience’

ing dead bodies around the house, and a variety of colorful neighborhood characters to keep things complicated. This is a show that is suitable for the whole family.

HART’s productions is being directed by Wanda Taylor and will feature Shelia Sumpter, Jane Hallstrom, Stephen Gonya, Audrey Wells, Charlie Wilson, Jeff Streitfeld, Mark Lieberman, James Bice, Ryan Peterson, Ariel Killillay, Alan Chandler, Scott Shanken and Randy Robins.

Harmons’ Den Bistro at HART will be open for dining before all performances.

Reservations can be made for the show and the bistro by calling the HART Box Office Tuesday through Saturday 1 to 5 p.m. at 828.456.6322 or by going online to www.harttheatre.org.

The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present two upcoming events.

• 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1: “Great Art on Screen” presented in collaboration with The Bascom will show “Gauguin in Tahiti: Paradise Lost.” Tracing the legendary life story of Paul Gauguin who left France for Tahiti, feverishly in search of deep immersions into lush nature, for feelings, visions and colors, ever purer and brighter.

There will be an optional dinner following the screening will be at the Log Cabin.

Please call the Log Cabin for reservations at 828.526.5777 (be sure to mention “Great Art on Screen”).

• 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2: By Experience will present musical theater’s “42nd Street,” captured live from London’s West End. The production “42nd Street” is the song and dance, American dream fable of Broadway.

The story follows young Peggy Sawyer, fresh off the bus from small-town America and just another face in the chorus line on Broadway’s newest show. But, when the leading lady gets injured, Peggy might just have the shot at stardom she’s always dreamed of.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

The comedy classic “Arsenic and Old Lace” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1-2 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

The play by American playwright Joseph Kesselring was written in 1939. It has become best known through the subsequent film adaptation starring Cary Grant and directed

by Frank Capra.

The play opened on Broadway on January 10, 1941 and ran until June 17, 1944, having played 1,444 performances, ultimately making it one of the longest running plays in Broadway history.

The story involves two lovely maiden aunts who have a special recipe for spicing up a glass of sherry, an uncle who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, a nephew who keeps find-

Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org or at the door.

arts & entertainment

HART presents ‘Arsenic & Old Lace’

HPAC art, musical screenings

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arts & entertainment

WAYNESVILLE OFFICE 74 North Main Street | (828) 634-7333

Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

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Books A saint among us: a new Thomas Berry biography I Smoky Mountain News

Barnard College and Columbia University, and then to his focus on human and earth history and the founding of the Riverdale Center

Thomas Crowe

was one of the lucky ones. I met and befriended Thomas Berry on Earth Day in the late 1980s during his youthful middle age and at the beginnings of his meteoric rise to prominence as an author of books on spiritual ecology. These were books that raised the bar on the beginnings and what would become the awareness and movement regarding what was then being labeled “Global Warming” and what is now a full-blown “Climate Change Movement” that is global in scope and scale. During those years following the publication of his lynchpin book of nonfiction titled The Dream of the Earth, and while I as was making my living as a freelance writer, I met with him and did a series of interviews for various regional Writer and national publications; and as years went by I ended up reviewing almost all of his books which were to follow, which included The Great Work and The Universe Story.

In the end, Thomas Berry and I became friends up until the time of his death in 2009.

He graciously wrote endorsements for a couple of my own books during those years which, now looking back at age 70, I consider the highlights of my career.

Thomas Berry, who was born and raised in Greensboro, had a life unlike anyone I’ve ever met or known. In Thomas Berry: A Biography, three of his friends that knew him well have combined their knowledge and talents to create a comprehensive story of this man’s remarkable life and legacy. We start with his early life and follow him through his student years and to his induction into the Passionist Order of the Catholic Church. From there we follow him as an ordained priest and monk to outposts around the world (China and Europe) before eventually returning to the U.S. to teach at Fordham University,

for Religious Research along the Hudson River in New York state and consequently the writing of his books on helping to restore the continuity of humans with the natural world, replacing the modern alienation from nature with a sense of intimacy and responsibility.

Poet laureate at WCU North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will read selections from her works and hold a question-and-answer session at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the conference room of Blue Ridge Hall at Western Carolina University.

Green is the first African-American and the third woman to be appointed as the state’s poet laureate. A native of Orange County, she has penned eight books of poetry, co-edited two poetry anthologies and written one play. She is a 2014 North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee and was the recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature in 2003.

In April, Green was named an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow by the Academy of American Poets, one of 13 poet laurates nationwide to be so honored. In addition to being a writer and poet, she is an instructor at the Center for Documentary

So, in the end, how do we access this man’s life and legacy? I have used the term “saint” to describe him, here, to characterize what he has left for humanity to ponder and process as we go forward into the dark of these stormy and troubling times.

If you look at the facts, the overall arc and the accomplishments of Thomas Berry’s life, one can easily compare him to other great spiritual beings and leaders in human history. St. Francis of Assisi comes to mind, first and foremost. Followed by other spiritual masters such as the Persian Sufi masters Hafiz, Rumi and Kabir, or teachers like Teilhard de Chardin, whom Berry much admired. No matter how you qualify his achievements or who you compare him to, he stands alone as the old soul that he was, and as someone that lived a life that one can only call admirable, if not exemplary. Or can I use the term “saintly” again? His personality and concerns, if not his writings, are certainly of that caliber in this reviewer’s opinion.

The authors of his biography describe him like this: “As someone who had a deep feeling

Studies at Duke University.

The event is free and open to the public. The event is co-sponsored by WCU’s College of Arts and Sciences, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs, Office of Intercultural Affairs and the Department of English.

For more information, contact the Department of English at 828.227.3268 or Catherine Carter at 828.227.3931.

Franklin library open house Fontana Regional Library is celebrating 75 years of service this year, and the Friends of the Macon County Public Library are hosting an Open House from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday Nov. 1, at the library in Franklin.

Light refreshments will be served, several local authors will present their newest works, and new art will be on display.

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for human suffering and a profound concern for the destruction of the life systems of the planet, he was unfailingly kind, unstintingly generous. He had an irrepressible joy that spilled over into hospitality to whomever he met. People felt they were his close friends even after one meeting. He had an unusual charisma as well as a prophetic voice that could thunder at those disrupting Earth’s ecosystems and roar at those institutions failing to respond. His criticisms of education, politics, business and religion were usually scathing. But he was always identifying those who were change makers on the borders of the establishments. He could not abide the withering of the Earth’s beauty, the diminishment of its biodiversity, the marginalization of its struggling peoples. He brooded over the tragedies humans were inflicting or enduring.”

At a time when the world is in dire need of charismatic spiritual and socio-political leaders, when we look around there aren’t many, if any, in sight. But perhaps such a person can be identified and can rise to such a position posthumously. That being the case, one can only hope that the values and ideas espoused

by Thomas Berry will find a place of prominence and a very large readership at a time when the elevation in human consciousness and spiritual awareness is paramount. Finally, Thomas left us with a simple yet profound mantra as to how to live our lives: “Live — fully. Laugh — often. Forgive — instantly.

Love — always.” So, if you are someone who likes to read biographies, or even if you aren’t, I urge you to pick up this book and read it cover to cover. If you don’t come away with a greater awareness and compassion for humankind and the planet Earth, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.

Thomas Crowe is a regular contributor to The Smoky Mountain News and is author of the award-winning book of environmental nonficton Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods.

He lives in Tuckasegee in Jackson County and can be reached at newnativepress@hotmail.com

The Open House will feature a selection of local authors who have recently published new work. Clare Suminski, Tyler Cook, Matthew Baker, Narelle Kirkland, Roy and Nita Owenby, Jeannie Chambers, Robert Shook, Marcia Barnes, and Tom Baker.

Refreshments, exhibits, MakerTool demonstrations, and the opportunity to meet some of the area’s most recently published authors will highlight this free event. Everyone is welcome to attend.

For more information call the Macon County Public Library at 828.524.3600.

• Monthly Poetry Reading at Panacea Coffeehouse in Waynesville.

Last Saturdays every month at 2 p.m. Bring your poetry, essays and writings to share.

Be sure to order drinks and snacks and tip the staff of Panacea. For more information, contact Morella Poe at poevampyre@gmail.com.

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

RIDE ON Kids mountain biking park opens in Jackson

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ore than a year of planning, collaboration and plain old-fashioned hard work has resulted in a new kids bike park along the Jackson County Greenway, an accomplishment celebrated during a sunlit ribbon-cutting event held at noon Thursday, Oct. 24.

“This park right here, not only is it a tangible, concrete resource for kids immediately and today, but it also stands for, I think, effective and incredibly positive collaboration and partnership between our organization and Jackson County, which I think could materialize into other exciting things,” said Michael Despeaux of the Nantahala Area Southern Off Road Bicycling Association.

The ribbon-cutting featured remarks from Despeaux, County Commissioner Ron Mau and Jackson County Outdoor Recreation Manager Molly Neary, as well as music from the Smoky Mountain High School Concert Band and demonstrations from the Western Carolina University Cycling Club. A door prize drawing hosted by Motion Makers Bicycle Shop left nearly every attendee holding some piece of swag, with several kids giving the track a test run once the ceremony was complete.

Nantahala SORBA took the lead in the bike park effort, with the idea first floating to the surface during one of the organization’s board of directors meetings last year. As it happened, the bike park concept was already part of the county’s recreation master plan, so SORBA teamed up with the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department to develop a conceptual plan for the bike park. That plan went to the Greenway Committee, which

M

A.J. Ferguson, 7, tries out the new trails following the ceremony.

Holly Kays photos

Recreation Director Rusty Ellis helps a gathering of young ribbon-cutters wield the large ceremonial scissors.

The Smoky Mountain High School Concert Band opens the ceremony with a performance of the national anthem.

approved it and sent it to the Parks and Recreation Committee, which delivered it to its final stop — the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding for the project on Nov. 19, 2018, and from there it was just a question of execution. Getting it done required the generosity of a wide range of partners.

While the project is built on county land and required some staff time from county workers to plan and execute, the actual construction effort cost exactly $0 in taxpayer money.

“There are a lot of folks that were involved with this and made this happen, donated time, talent, financial resources, et cetera, and it’s going to be a great project for the community,” Mau told the crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting.

The list of contributors is a long one.

Baxter’s Landscaping and Trees cut the locust trees used for trail features, BH Graning Landscapes provided rocks for the rock garden, Birds Eye Handyman constructed the pavilion, Duke Energy gave beams to support the platform, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians donated the dirt used to top the trails, Harrison Construction gave the 150 tons of rock that form their base, The Play Sanctuary rallied area kids to help with the work days, McNeely’s Store and Rental helped out with equipment and Run of the Mill Carpentry consulted on the pavilion construction.

Then there was Trail Dynamics, the Brevard-based trail construction company that built the mountain biking trails at Western Carolina University and Fire Mountain.

“They came in and pro bono gave us $30,000 probably worth of time and labor and expertise and machine time,” said Despeaux.

And finally, the Rotary Club of Sylva and the Great Smokies Health Foundation provided the cash infusion that Nantahala SORBA needed to bring the project to the finish line — the $4,000 grant from

F

Members of the WCU Cycling Club get some air on the track.

Watershed hike offered

Motion Makers Bicycles will kick off its weekly nighttime ride with a ride and party starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest in Asheville.

The group will meet at the Ledford parking lot, and afterward they’ll head back to the Asheville shop for pizza and beer. Riders can demo Gloworm lights by picking them up at the shop after 5 p.m. In case of rain, the ride will be rescheduled to Nov. 5.

RSVP to the Night Ride Kickoff Party event on Facebook, www.facebook.com/events/685363831973409.

Hike the Waynesville watershed with a guided excursion beginning at 9 a.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 6, following a rendezvous at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

The 8,600-acre property is conserved to keep Waynesville’s water supply pure and clean, and to further that goal it’s closed to the general public. However, the town will occasionally offer guided hikes for people looking to experience the beauty of this townowned land.

Fee is $8. Sign up with Tim Petrea at 828.456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

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Night rides begin at Bent Creek

Take a journey to Nepal

Join the effort

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Rotary funded the pavilion, and $5,000 from the GSHF helped SORBA with some final costs to close out the project, with a chunk left over to fund phase two.

That phase will go in on a slightly smaller space just a few hundred feet up the greenway from the new bike park, which itself is at roughly the halfway point of the mile-long trail. It will take cyclists about 30 seconds to ride from one section to another via the greenway, with SORBA looking into the possibility of a dedicated bicycle connector using an existing Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority easement.

“I think we’re going to be spending that money on wooden features, which is a little different than what you see here,” said Despeaux, gesturing across the new park.

“This is earthen features, berms and sort of a full trail of rocks and logs. We’ll actually have some low-level ramps and some really cool state-of-the-art wooden features, which will be made possible with the Great Smokies Health Foundation grant.”

Despeaux expects that phase will be complete sometime next spring, but for now Jackson County’s kids have plenty of play to be getting on with. The bike park features a swirling loop-the-loop of dirt paths — much of it mostly flat, but also incorporating log and rock features as well

FACES

Olga Pader (center) poses with two Sherpa guides in Nepal. Donated photo

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

Nantahala Area Southern Off Road Bicycle Association is always looking for partners to further its projects and for new friends to participate on its rides. To learn more, visit the organization’s Facebook page titled Nantahala Area SORBA. Email nantahala.area.sorba@gmail.com or subscribe to text message updates by texting mtb to 555888.

as small hills where beginning riders can experience the stomach drop of a swift shift to downhill and more advanced cyclists can catch some air.

“This is going to be such a special asset to our list of parks and facilities,” said Neary. “It not only promotes just getting outside, but it promotes a healthy lifestyle for families and for people to get plugged in and do something that’s outside what a lot of kids are experiencing today behind computer screens and video games. This is a park that is going to bring life to kids.”

Jackson County’s recreation department has long had a specific emphasis on activities beyond the team sports, gym workouts and picnic areas typically offered by county recreation departments. In addition to the greenway, two recreation centers and a roster of community parks, the department oversees six river access parks, one campground and Judaculla Rock, whose ancient Cherokee markings make it the largest petroglyph east of the Mississippi.

“It is my personal goal to help encourage, educate, promote and build a strong outdoor recreation community that will benefit the overall health and unity of our community,” said Neary. “We all need to continue to work together to help encourage each other, to push our passions forward, and just be a strong bonding community for the outdoor recreation field.”

While there are no specific plans yet outside of next spring’s bike park expansion, SORBA hopes to see even more trails traverse Western North Carolina in the future.

“Wherever there is potential for trails to be built by cities and counties and governments, because we’re a 501c3 organization we’re eligible to create formal agreements with those government agencies to help make a trail happen,” said Despeaux. “So we would be thrilled to be involved in any projects in 2020, 2021, 2022.”

Olga Pader will share her adventures and misadventures during a trip of a lifetime to faraway Nepal during a presentation at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Pader will take attendees on a trip to a foreign land of warm and happy people, a cold and rugged landscape, magnificent mountains, ancient villages, chaotic Kathmandu, exotic cultural landscape and serene and vibrant Buddhist monasteries.

The presentation is offered as part of the Nantahala Hiking Club’s general meeting.

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A new documentary about the Gulf of Mexico’s recovery from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will be screened at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Narrated by Matt Damon, “Dispatches from the Gulf 3” explores the question of whether the Gulf has indeed recovered from the oil spill as the disaster’s 10th anniversary approaches.

The film gathers insights from the international team of scientists that’s been studying the aftermath and heads to the Campeche region of Mexico, which is still suffering four decades after the 1979 Ixtoc oil spill.

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A new Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway chapter is forming in Western North Carolina, and everyone interested in learning more is invited to an informational meeting at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Haywood County Sheriff’s Department in Waynesville.

Friends chapters currently cover the entire Parkway — except for the section west of Asheville, mile markers 416 through 469.

Volunteers with Friends of the Parkway help National Park Service staff clean up from winter storms, prepare facilities for spring opening and manage events.

“The Parkway has a limited number of maintenance staff to handle what can be a large amount of work to prepare for opening the Parkway back up after winter,” explained Tanya Poole, who is spearheading the effort to form the new chapter. “Even during the busy months, there still aren’t enough maintenance workers to keep up with routine jobs like cleaning and repainting signs, clearing falling limbs and brush from picnic areas, etc.”

The Parkway is a powerful economic driver for the WNC counties through which it runs, bringing people from all over the nation and the world to drive its curvy roads and soak in its scenic vistas. In 2018, the Pisgah Ranger District, which includes miles 305 through 469, attracted 4.35 million visits, down slightly from the 4.57 million who visited the area in 2017.

“A really big reason to have the chapter there (in WNC) is that it may be the end of the Parkway to some, but we know it is really the beginning of the Parkway,” said Libby Wilcox, head of the Rocky Knob Chapter that tends to miles 150 to 200 in Virginia. “It’ s the first thing people see when getting on at mile marker 469, which is where so many people begin their journey on ‘Americas Favorite Drive.’”

The Nov. 5 gathering will include a short presentation about how other Friends chapters help the Parkway in their area and potential projects for the new Friends chapter. Contact Poole with any questions at pooletb@gmail.com or 828.400.1049.

Join in on a celebration of the craft and skill of the Southern Appalachians at the Appalachian Folkways Series, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Cradle of Forestry in America. It will be one of the last chances to visit for the Cradle before it closes for the season at the end of the day Sunday, Nov. 10.

Sit on the porch of the commissary just as it was in 1902 or throw some horseshoes in the shade of the King House while listen-

ing to the strum of a banjo. Stroll down to the garden or watch local craftspeople extract dyes from local plants to color the wool that they will spin on a traditional loom. From fiber arts to blacksmithing, visitors will have the chance to spend time with practitioners of crafts that have been a part of life in these mountains for generations.

Free with Cradle admission. The Cradle of Forestry is located in the Pisgah National Forest along U.S. 276 near Brevard.

Kids explore the nature center grounds. Donated photo outdoors

Experience the craft of the Southern Appalachians

‘Knee High Naturalists’ series begins Nature walks geared to families with young children will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. on Fridays throughout November at the Highlands Biological Foundation.

Education Specialist Paige

Engelbrektsson will combine stories, walks and activities as she leads the excursion each week, with a different seasonal topic each time.

Adults must accompany children, with a suggested age of 3 to 5 years old. Free, with no registration necessary. Meet at the Highlands Nature Center on 930 Horse Cove Road. 828.526.2623.

Hunt safe A free hunter safety certification course will be offered 6-9 p.m. Nov. 4 and 5 at Haywood Community College.

Offered by HCC’s Department of Arts, Sciences and Natural Resources in partnership with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the course will be held in room 3322 of building 3300.

Participants must come both days to get certified.

Free and no age limits, though participants must pass a written test without assistance. The certification is accepted in every state and province in North America.

Pre-registration required at www.ncwildlife.org.

Traditional crafts of all sorts will be on display at the Cradle of Forestry in America.

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Get a glimpse into the world of 18th-century explorer and botanist William Bartram with a presentation offered at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, in the Fellowship Hall of the Sylva Presbyterian Church.

Brent Martin of Alarka Expeditions will deliver a talk titled “Sublimely Awful Scenes of Power and Magnificence: The Natural World of Western North Carolina as seen by William Bartram.” The talk is offered as part of the Sylva Garden Club’s regular monthly meeting, with all welcome to attend.

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The first-ever N.C. Trout Unlimited Conservation Workshop will be held Nov. 15 to 17 at Lake Logan Conference Center in Haywood County.

Sessions offered will help attendees get to know T.U.’s agency’s partners, provide ideas on projects from simple to complex, learn where to look for money to get things done and get answers to questions on how to go from an idea to a finished work.

Prices are $245 for the full weekend, $145 for Saturday and Sunday or $95 for just Saturday. Full registration covers two nights of lodging, all meals, access to Lake Logan’s private waters and free beer at the Saturday night social. Of course, time for fishing is built into the schedule. Register at https://bit.ly/2ojtiew.

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outdoors

Master Gardener candidates sought The Haywood County Master Gardeners are taking applications to participate in the 2020 Master Gardener class, with training sessions to be held on Tuesday mornings from Jan. 7 to April 21.

Topics will include lawns; ornamental trees and shrubs; insect, disease and weed management; soils and fertilizers; vegetable gardening; propagation; organic gardening; fruit production; and design principles.

The cost to cover all course materials and fees is $150. Candidates must be Haywood County residents and agree to volunteer at least 40 hours in various activities during the 12 months following the class.

For an application form, contact 828.456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net.

Grow medicinal plants

Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography has been named the winner of the 2019 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award, which is given annually to an outstanding work of fiction, nonfiction, drama or poetry that focus on Western North Carolina.

George Ellison and Janet McCue wrote the book, Frances Figart edited it and the Great Smoky Mountains Association published it.

“The committee was especially struck by the depth of research and the objective and nuanced perspective that Ellison and McCue show in their work,” said Brandon Johnson, chair of the award committee and instructor at Mars Hill University. “This book will long serve as a comprehensive picture for a casual reader and a wealth of sources and information for researchers.”

There were 21 nominations for this year’s award, with the five finalists including Robert Beatty for Willa of the Wood, David Joy for The Line That Held Us, Meredith McCarroll for Unwhite: Appalachia, Race and Film and Terry Roberts for The Holy Ghost Speakeasy and Revival.

Back of Beyond is the first-ever fulllength biography of Horace Kephart, who came to North Carolina after enduring a breakdown of his health and his marriage.

It was in the Smokies that he pieced together a life as an author and an advocate.

Horace Kephart was born Sept. 8, 1862, in Pennsylvania and died in Bryson City on April 2, 1931 at the age of 68. File photo

Kephart believed that the mountain wilderness saved his life — a conviction that led him to champion the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

McCue and Ellison had both researched Kephart for decades before meeting in 2009 and beginning to work collaboratively.

An award ceremony will be held 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Renaissance

MUSIC

C U LT U R E

Hotel in Asheville, with a reception to follow. Admission is $15 for the general public and $10 for WNC Historical Association members.

For more about Back of Beyond, visit www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/it em/27014-the-story-behind-the-man-firstever-horace-kephart-biography-explores-acomplex-man-and-momentous-life.

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FOOD+DRINK

Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

A two-part lecture at the Waynesville Public Library will teach participants how to grow medicinal plants to create their own medicinal kitchen garden.

Sessions will be held 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, and Friday, Nov. 15. The first lecture will focus on growing medicinal plants, and the second will cover harvesting and preparation. Kate Bailey, a registered nurse and owner of Lost Cove Herbs, will teach the class.

No registration required, but open to adults only.

Horace Kephart biography wins literary award

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News, A&E, Outdoors coverage and more each week in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. Visit www.smokymountainnews.com to read, comment and search over 10 years of archives.

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WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The N.C. Department of Transportation is running a “Halloween ‘Booze It & Lose It’” campaign from Oct. 28-Nov. 3. Info on safety tips: NCDOT.gov.

• A hiring event will be held from 1-4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. More than 20 local employers hiring for customer service and retail positions. 246.9233 or 456.6061.

• The Native Heart Community Development Association & Murphy Aglow will celebrate Native American Heritage Month with the “Keepers of the Fire” gathering, which will be held Nov. 1-2 at the Wagon Master Ranch Resort at 359 Adventure Ranch Road in Murphy. Parade of Nations will be at 6 p.m. Friday. Attendees are encouraged to wear their tribal regalia. The film “Awakened” will be screened at 7 p.m. The Saturday meeting will start at 9 a.m. Topic will be the First Spiritual Awakening which happened in the Murphy area in mid1896. Sites involved in this awakening will be visited if weather permits. At 2 p.m. Michael Thornton, author of Fire in the Carolinas, speaks on The Last Spiritual Awakening. nativeheartcda@gmail.com or 458.0691.

• Haywood Hospice and Palliative Care will host a memorial service from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Memorial Chapel of Lake Junaluska to honor loved ones who have died in the past year.

• Reservations are being accepted for a Thanksgiving meal at Lake Junaluska. Thanksgiving at Lake Junaluska is Nov. 27-29. Lakejunaluska.com/thanksgiving or 800.22.4930.

• Bingo Night is at 6 p.m. on the second Saturday at the Fines Creek Community Center. 25 cents per game.

Info: www.fb.me/finescreekorg or 593.7042.

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health is seeking input from the community: http://health.jacksonnc.org/surveys. Info: 587.8288.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center will offer a series of seminars for existing and aspiring business owners in November at the Jackson Campus in Sylva and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Registration required. Full listing, details and sign-ups: http://bit.ly/2ncPnyf.

• Western Carolina University will hold an open house for prospective students and their families on Saturday, Nov. 2, in Cullowhee. Preregistration: openhouse.wcu.edu or 227.7317.

• The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer an Agribusiness webinar series from 3-4:15 p.m. on Tuesdays, Nov. 5-19, designed with the specific needs of current and prospective agribusinesses in mind. Info and registration: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• A Cultural Crash Course: “A Refugee’s Journey” will be presented from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Folkmoot in Waynesville. Dr. Cyndy Caravelis, Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Western Carolina University, will present a 45-minute community lecture followed by questions, answers and discussion. Tickets: $10.

Folkmoot.org.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 21, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Can be taken as a standalone or as part of the Certified Nonprofit Professional Program. Registration: $89 for the workshop or $300 for the CNP course fee. pdp.wcu.edu, jcthompson@wcu.edu or 227.3070.

• Evening classes for anyone wanting to obtain a high school equivalency diploma are offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays at Haywood Community College in Clyde. 627.4648.

• Small business owners can find materials and services to support business growth at Fontana Regional Library’s locations in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties. Computer classes and one-on-one assistance available. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• A meeting of current and former employees of the Waynesville plant of Champion/Blue Ridge/Evergreen is held at 8 a.m. on the first Monday of each month at Bojangles near Lake Junaluska’s entrance.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Dancin’ Tyme Parent Boosters will host a Fall Market to raise money for competition fees for dance students from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 31 Allen S., in Sylva, inside LifeWay Church.

Facebook.com/DancinTyme or DancinTymeStudio@gmail.com.

• A Clothes Swap is set for 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Cashiers Valley Fusion, 21A Lance Rd., in Cashiers. All un-swapped items donated to REACH shelters of Macon and Jackson Counties for battered women and children. CashiersValleyFusion.com/Events.

• Burger King in Clyde will be hosting a fundraiser for Camp Ability from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Come out before voting or after to support Camp Abilities intuitive to provide a safe environment for children with disabilities to attend summer camp.

Campabilitywnc.org • Tickets are on sale now for the Festival of Trees, which is set for 5:30-9 p.m. on Nov. 21, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. Presented by Kids Advocacy Resource Effort. Tickets are $75 per person or $550 for a table of eight. Tickets available at www.KareHouse.org or 456.8995.

HEALTH MATTERS • The Haywood Chapter of Survivors of Suicide Loss meets from 6:30-8 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at the Fellowship Hall of Hazelwood Presbyterian Church in Waynesville. Info: 910.528.0169.

• This fall, Four Seasons will host a six-week support group for those who have lost loved ones to drug overdose. Sessions will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. on Fridays through Nov. 8 in Waynesville. Facilitator is Dan Yearick, MS, LPC-S. Info and registration: 692.6178. www.fourseasonscfl.org.

• Registration is underway for the spring semester at Haywood Community College in Clyde. www.haywood.edu, hcc-advising@haywood.edu or 627.2821.

• The WNC Ostomy Support Group will meet from 6-7 p.m. every second Monday at the Jackson County Center Cooperative Extension’s Meeting Room, 876 Skyland Dr., Suite 6, in Sylva. Group is for people living with a urostomy, ileostomy, colostomy or a continent diversion.

Facilitated by Certified Ostomy Nurses.

• Registration is underway for a workshop focusing on “Building Cultural Competency and Diversity within Nonprofits” that will be offered through Western

• A “Get Covered Haywood!” Affordable Care Act Event is set for 12:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Learn about your insur-

ance options and meet with a certified navigator to enroll. Appointments: 452.1447. Walk-ins also welcome.

• “Your Amazing Newborn” class will be offered from 79 p.m. on Nov. 7 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Focusing on abilities, behavior, appearance and reflexes of your new baby. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• A pair of lectures on Creating a Medicinal Kitchen Garden will be held from 2-4 p.m. on consecutive Fridays, Nov. 8 and 15, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Presented by Kate Bailey, RN and owner of Lost Cove Herbs. Adults only.

• An Essential Oil class will be offered at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva at 6 p.m. on Nov. 12. Learn home to enhance your health through the addition of essential oils. Call or text Wende Goode at 246.2256 to reserve your space at class and receive a free trial sample of oil tailored to your personalized health need. Lacking sleep, digestive issues, mood imbalance, pain. Limit of 12 participants. Call even if you are unable to attend class but still interested in learning more and receiving a sample.

• “Trauma: Building Self-Healing Communities” will be presented from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Presbyterian Church, 311 Everett St., in Bryson City.

Learn how traumatic experiences impact you and society. Reservations required by Nov. 5: 488.4455.

• An Essential Oil class will be offered at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City at 4 pm on Nov. 13.

Presentation on personalized health care through the addition of essential oils. Call or text Wende Goode at 246.2256 to reserve your space at class and receive a free trial sample of oil tailored to your personalized health need. Lacking sleep, digestive issues, mood imbalance, pain. Limit of 12 participants. Call even if you are unable to attend class but still interested in learning more and receiving a sample.

• An Essential Oil class will be offered at Lazy Hiker/Mad Batter Kitchen in Sylva at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 13. Lacking sleep, digestive issues, mood imbalance, in pain. Call or text Wende Goode at 246.2256 to reserve your space at class and receive a free trial sample of oil tailored to your personalized health need.

Limit of 12 participants. Call even if you are unable to attend class but still interested in learning more and receiving a sample.

• “Breastfeeding A-Z” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Nov. 14 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Focusing on techniques for proper latching and comfortable positions for a baby and mom to get started. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• Gentle Yoga for Cancer is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville.

Info: MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer or 452.8691.

• On the third weekend of each month, Maggie Valley Wellness Center hosts donation-based acupuncture appointments. $35-55. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• “Nourishing You” – an introductory “Yoga for Cancer” class, is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville. Taught by Kim Mulholland, Mindful Yoga for Cancer Duke Integrative Medicine Trainer. Info: 452.8691 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer.

• A Community Acupuncture Clinic is held on the third weekend of each month at 461 Moody Farm Road in Maggie Valley. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 1-4 p.m. on Sunday. Sliding scale cost is $35-$55.

Offered by Barbara Dennis, a Licensed Acupuncturist and Registered Nurse.

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 • Jackson County Department of Public Health is offering diabetes self-management education as well as medical nutrition therapy. Info: 587.8240 or http://health.jacksonnc.org/wic.

• The Haywood County Senior Resource Center holds a dementia caregivers support group from 4:30-6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday each month in Waynesville.

356.2800 or www.haywoodseniors.org.

• “Riding the Waves of Cancer” meets from 2:30-4 p.m. on Thursdays at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center. Physician referral from an oncologist or cancer doctor is required: Myhaywoodregional.com/yogaforcancer. 452.8691.

• Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) meets at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House on Academy Street, behind and adjoining the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. Group of persons desiring healthy and fulfilling relationships. 775.2782 or www.coda.org.

• The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood donors due to an emergency shortage. To schedule an appointment or donate, use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 800.RED.CROSS (800.733.2767).

• The Jackson County Senior Center will offer a Caregiver Education Class at 10 a.m. on the third Monday of every month in the Board Room of the Department of Aging in Sylva. 586.5494.

• The Haywood County Dementia Caregivers' Support Group has change the location of its meetings. The group will meet at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). The meetings are scheduled from 4:30 PM until 6:00 PM on the fourth Tuesday. 926.0018.

• Community First Aid and CPR classes are offered from 6-10 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Info: 564.5133 or HCC-CPRraining@haywood.edu.

• A support group for persons with Multiple Sclerosis as well as family, friends and caregivers meets at 6:45 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month in the conference room of the Jackson county Public Library in Sylva.

293.2503.

• Nutrition counseling and diabetes education are offered through Macon County Public Health in Franklin.

349.2455.

• Western Carolina University’s student-run, Mountain Area Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic will be open from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays of each month. 227.3527.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) holds a support group for family, friends, and those dealing with mental illness on the 1st Thursday of each month in the 2nd floor classroom at Haywood Regional Medical Center at 6:30 p.m.

• HIV and syphilis testing will is offered during normal business hours at Jackson County Health Department.

• A support group for anyone with MS, family & friends meets monthly at 6:45 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the conference room of Jackson Co. Library in

171 Legion Dr. in Waynesville. $2 per round; refreshments provided. Weather permitting. 456.8691.

Fitness Connection in Waynesville. www.sonshineyoga.com.

• “Laughing Balsam Sangha,” a meeting for Mindfullness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, meets will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays at 318 Skyland Drive in Sylva. Included are sitting and walking meditation, and Dharma discussion. Free admission. 335.8210, and “Like” them on Facebook.

• Yoga Nidra, a six-week series of guided meditation for the deepest relaxation, is set for 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturdays, through Nov. 16, at Sylva Yoga studio in downtown Sylva. Cost: $15 per class. Register on Facebook or www.sylvayoga.com.

• Tai chi is offered from 10:45-11:45 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center. It’s also offered from 1-2 p.m. on Thursdays. Taught by Bill Muerdter. For info about the classes or HRHFC memberships and offerings, call 452.8080 or visit MyHaywoodRegional.com/Fitness.

• A “Walk With A Doc” program is scheduled for 10 a.m. each Saturday at the Lake Junaluska Kern Center or Canton Rec Park.

MyHaywoodRegional.com/WalkwithaDoc. • Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACA) meets at noon on Saturdays at the First United Methodist Church Outreach Center at 171 Main St. in Franklin. 407.758.6433 or adultchildren.org.

• The Haywood County Health & Human Services Public Health Services Division is offering a Night Clinic from 4-6:30 p.m. on the third Monday of every month in Waynesville. Services include family planning, immunizations, pregnancy testing, STD testing and treatment. Appointments: 452.6675.

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health will offer a general clinic from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 587.8225.

• A Food Addicts Anonymous Twelve-Step fellowship group meets at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays at Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville. www.foodaddictsanonymous.org.

• Big Brother/Big Sister, a one-evening preparation class for children who are about to greet a new baby into their family, is offered for children ages 3-10 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• Mothers Connection, an ongoing social gathering for mothers and their babies, meets from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays excluding holidays at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• Dogwood Insight Center presents health talks at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

• Free childbirth and breastfeeding classes are available at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Classes are offered bimonthly on an ongoing basis. Register or get more info: 586.7907.

• Angel Medical Center’s diabetes support group meets at 4 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month in the AMC dining room. 369.4166.

• A free, weekly grief support group will meet from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at the SECU Hospice House in Franklin. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized

by Jackson County Extension and Community Association – meets from 9-10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. It’s an effort to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. 586.4009.

• A Tuesday Meditation Group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • Sons of the American Legion will present a Turkey Shoot at 9 a.m. every Saturday from through April at

• Dance Tonight Haywood offers weekly evening classes Foxtrot or Tango (Mondays 6) and Carolina Shag (Mondays 7), Salsa (Tuesdays, Beginners 7 p.m. & Advance 8 to 10 p.m.), Swing (Wednesdays, Beginners 7 p.m. & Advance 8 p.m.) and Waltz (Thursdays, Beginners 7 p.m. & Advance 8 p.m.), Open Ballroom (Fridays, 7 p.m. & practice dance from 8 to 9:30 p.m.), and Argentine Tango Practica/Tea Dance (Sundays, 2 to 5 p.m) at 61 ½ Main Street in Canton.

For times, prices and to RSVP, call 316.1344.

• Tai Chi & QiGong classes are being offered at 7 p.m. on Mondays at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde.

450.3741 or paul@pcasper.net.

• A Tai Chi for Arthritis, Level 1, class is being offered at 11:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde. 450.3741 or paul@pcasper.net.

• A Tai Chi for Arthritis, Level 2, class is being offered at 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde. 450.3741 or paul@pcasper.net.

• Tai Chi for Beginners is offered at 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde.

450.3741 or paul@pcasper.net.

• ZUMBA! Class with Monica Green, are offered from 6-7 p.m. on Monday & Wednesday, at the Canton Armory. $5 per class. 648.2363 or parks@cantonnc.com.

• ZUMBA is offered at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville on Thursdays at 6 p.m. with Patti Burke. Check Facebook page Patti Burke Zumba Students for additional information such as holiday or weather related cancelations. $5 per class.

• There will be several ballroom and Latin dance classes offered on Sundays and Mondays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Classes for beginners, intermediate and all levels. $10 per class. For more information, click on www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Flow + Center Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Wednesdays at Maggie Valley Wellness Center.

944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Gentle Vin Yin Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Fridays through November at Maggie Valley Wellness Center. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• The Safekids USA/Blue Dragon Taekwondo School is offering self-defense classes from 9-10 a.m. on Saturdays. $5 per class. For females 14-older. Classes are at 93 Jones Cove Road in Clyde.

• Karaoke is happening at 8 p.m. on Saturdays at Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART Theatre in Waynesville.

• The Maggie Valley Wellness Center is offering two yoga classes from 9-9:55 a.m. on Wednesdays through March: Gentle Flow with Candra and Gentle Vin Yin with Jamie. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• A wide variety of yoga classes are offered daily through the Waynesville Yoga Center. For updated, current listings, visit: http://waynesvilleyogacenter.com/class-schedule.

• Yoga classes designed specifically for those who have experienced trauma are being offered at the

• Pickleball is from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday nights at First Methodist Church in Sylva. $1 each time you play; equipment provided. 293.3053.

• The Canton Armory is open to the public for walking from 7:45-9 a.m. on Monday through Friday unless the facility is booked till spring. 648.2363. parks@cantonnc.com.

SPIRITUAL • Registration is underway for an Interfaith Peace Conference that will be held Nov. 21-24 at Lake Junaluska. Theme is “The Arts of Peace” featuring an exploration of the arts of the Abrahamic faiths. Syrian violinist Mariela Shaker, Jonathan Homrighausen, Laurie Wohl and others will guide the conversations.

Lakejunaluska.com/peace or 800.222.4930.

POLITICAL • A luncheon for N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley is set for noon on Thursday, Oct. 31, at the Haywood County Democrat Headquarters, 734 N. Main St. in Waynesville. She’s running to retain her seat in the Nov. 2020 General Election.

• Jackson County Planning Board: 6 p.m. on Nov. 21 in the Jackson County Public Library Community Room. 631.2261.

• The Jackson County NAACP meets at 10 a.m. on the third Saturday each month at Liberty Baptist Church in Sylva.

• Down Home Haywood holds its monthly community meetings at 2:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at Canton Presbyterian Church. Tackling issues like healthcare, wages, housing and more. chelsea@downhomenc.org.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green will read selections from her works and hold a questionand-answer session at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the conference room of Blue Ridge Hall at Western Carolina University. 227.3268 or 227.3931.

• Fontana Regional Library is celebrating 75 years of service this year, and the Friends of the Macon County Public Library are hosting an Open House from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday Nov. 1, at the library in Franklin. Light refreshments will be served, several local authors will present their newest works, and new art will be on display. 524.3600.

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• A Canasta card game is set for 1 p.m. on Mondays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

KIDS & FAMILIES • A Knee-High Naturalists program will be offered to ages 3-5 from 10-11 a.m. on Fridays, Nov. 1-22, at the Highlands Nature Center. Led by Paige Engelbrektsson, the nature center’s education specialist. Stories, walks and activities. Location is at 930 Horse Cove Road in Highlands. 526.2623.

• Mother Goose On the Loose early childhood curriculum will be featured in a Reading Adventures Storytime program that’s offered at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Blends rhyming with movement, storytelling, simple songs, music and sensory play. 488.3030.

• Waynesville Art School offers the Young Artist Program in the afternoons for 5-6 year old, 7-8 year old, 9-12 year old. Intro to Printmaking and Evening studies in arts is offered for 13-19 year old.

Waynesville Art School is located at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or visit WaynesvilleArtSchool.com for schedule and to register.

• Mountain Wildlife offers wildlife education programs for schools and organizations in Western North Carolina, free of charge. If you are interested in having them visit your group contact them at blackbears66@gmail.com, 743.9648 or visit the website at www.mountainwildlifedays.com.

KIDS FILMS • “The Addams Family”, will be shown through Oct. 31 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza.

Visit www.fandango.com or www.smokymountaincinema.com for times, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “The Addams Family”, is showing at The Strand on Main through Oct. 31 in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”, will be shown though Nov. 7 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or www.smokymountaincinema.com for times, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will offer a series of nature-themed films and documentaries shown at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of March in Highlands. For info on each show, call 526.2221.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Book Club is held at 2 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800 • A Hand & Foot card game is held at 1 p.m. on Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Senior Sale Day is on the third Friday of every month

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

• A free weekly grief support group is open to the public from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at SECU Hospice House in Franklin. Hosted by Four Seasons Compassion for Life Bereavement Team. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• An hour yoga class is offered at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Maggie Valley Wellness Center. $15 for a single class, or $55 for a package of four classes. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Ultimate Frisbee games are held from 5:30-8 p.m. on Mondays at the Cullowhee Recreation Park.

Organized by Jackson County Parks & Recreation.

Pick-up style. 293.2053 or www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Pinochle game is played at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

• A support group meeting for those with Parkinsons Disease and their caregivers will be held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.

356.2800.

• Rumba and line dance lessons will be offered this fall through the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Rumba classes are from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Line dancing is offered from 2-3 p.m. on Wednesdays. For more info and date ranges, call 356.7060 or 550.3170.

at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Patrons 60 and older get 20 percent off all purchases.

Proceeds benefit the Sylva Library.

wnc calendar

Sylva. No Fee, sponsored by National MS Society. Local contact: Gordon Gaebel 828-293-2503.

SPECIAL EVENTS & FESTIVALS • The Galleries of Haywood County, in partnership with the Haywood County Arts Council, present Art After Dark from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in downtown Waynesville.

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wnc calendar

• The 15th annual WNC Pottery Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at 76 Railroad Avenue in Sylva. Showcasing the work of more than 40 master potters from an array of states.

A variety of clay art styles will be presented. The event is juried and the lineup of potters is second-to-none.

The “WNC Clay Olympics” and lighting of the woodfired kiln will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.

Admission is $5. www.wncpotteryfestival.com.

• To properly mark its 25th anniversary, In Your Ear Music Emporium will host a party at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the store on Main Street in Sylva. Alongside live music, there will also be giveaways, food and drinks. An after-party will be held at the nearby Papermill Lounge. 586.6404.

• A celebration of the craft and skill of the Southern Appalachians will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Cradle of Forestry in America near Brevard. Horseshoes, garden walk, banjo music, demonstration of blacksmithing, fiber arts and more.

HALLOWEEN • 8 Nights of Horror Haunted House will host its last night at 5-10 pm on Thursday, Oct. 31, at the Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Rd. in Clyde. Cost $5. Proceeds benefit the FCCA in supporting scholarships, community needs and the MANNA Food Bank. 593.7042.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

• The “Halloween Trick or Treat” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in downtown Dillsboro.

• “Trick and Treat” will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in downtown Bryson City. Downtown streets are closed for trick or treaters in their costumes.

800.867.9246.

FOOD & DRINK • The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 and Dec 31 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first-class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. 800.872.4681.

• Southwestern Community College’s Advertising & Graphic Design students will open up their “Shocktoberfest” Halloween display and exhibit from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in the Burrell Building at the Jackson Campus in Sylva.

• A “Wines for the Holiday Table” event will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Bryson City Wine Market, 1161 Main Street in Bryson City.

Discover the best wines to pair with your holiday meals. 538.0420.

• The annual “Treats on the Street” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 31 on Main Street in Waynesville.

Children’s activities and more. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

• “Hometown Halloween” will take place from noon to 8 p.m. at Nantahala Brewing in Sylva. Trick or treating and family activities beginning at 5 p.m. Bring your own pumpkin for carving. Free to attend.

• There will be a “Halloween Trick or Treat” from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, at the Town Hall and participating homes in Webster.

• “Candy Trail” will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 31, at select businesses in downtown Maggie Valley. Joey’s Pancake House will also have a “Trunk or Treat” from 5 to 8 p.m. For a list of participating businesses, email ourplaceinnmv@gmail.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• “Treat Street” will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 31, in downtown Sylva. 828.586.2719.

• Haywood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center will host a Trick or Treating event starting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31, at 516 N. Wall St. in Waynesville.

Info or to donate candy: 458.9408.

Walk-through and trick-or-treating will be free.

Activity and food booths from a variety of SCC clubs will be available for a minimal expense.,” www.southwesterncc.edu or 339.4000.

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• The Western Carolina University Bardo Arts Center will present its annual Halloween screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Another feature of the evening is the Halloween Costume Contest. Come dressed in your best Halloween costume and have a chance to win a $25 Visa Gift Card and a Bardo Arts Center Swag Bag. Participants must arrive between 6 to 7:15 p.m. and have their picture taken at the "Costume Contest" station in the BAC lobby. Five individuals will be selected from those pictures to go on stage at the end of the event for a final audience vote. The person that receives the most audience applause is the winner. Find further information and tickets, click on arts.wcu.edu/rockyhorror. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for WCU faculty/staff and seniors 65 and over, and $15 for the general public. Please note that all seating is general admission.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • The comedy classic “Arsenic and Old Lace” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1-2 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Authorized Motor Fleet Management Maintenance

• The Mark Trammel Quartet will sing at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, at Lovedale Baptist Church, 160 Lovedale Rd., in Sylva. 506.6587.

• Tickets are available now for a performance of “A Christmas Carol,” which will be on stage at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, in the University Center Theater at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission.

Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• Tickets are available now for Holidays at the University Center, which will be held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 4-5, in the University Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission. Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• Tickets are on sale now for the second session of the Mountain Memories Performance Series: “A Mountain Christmas,” set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Queen Auditorium at Folkmoot in Waynesville.

Storytelling, music and dance. Tickets: $20; available at Folkmoot.org.

• Tickets are available now for a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13, in the University Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission. Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present “Great Art on Screen” at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.

There will be an optional dinner following the screening will be at the Log Cabin. Please call the Log Cabin for reservations at 526.5777 (be sure to mention “Great Art on Screen”). www.highlandspac.org

• Waynesville Art School will present “A Lemon and a Pear” from 7-9 p.m. on Nov. 1 at Waynesville Art School, 303 N. Haywood St. in Waynesville. Featuring Russian Artist Marta Sarkisyanz from St. Petersburg at Waynesville Art School, 303 N. Haywood St. in Waynesville. Make your own work of art and sip as you paint. BYOB (wine and beer only). No experience necessary. Registration required: $30.

WaynesvilleArtSchool.com or 246.9869.

• Cherokee Historical Association to presents The Sleepy Hollow Experience at Mountainside Theatre.

Fully immersive, 360 degree theatrical experience.

Show will be shown Thursday-Sundays through Nov. 3.

Tickets are $35/adult and $25/children 12 & under. www.visitcherokee.com.

• A Fused Glass Christmas Ornament Class will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. from Nov. 4-9 at Gayle Haynie’s Studio, 247 Sunnyside Rd., in Waynesville.

Cost: $50. Three ornaments per person. No prior glass experience needed. 706.273.4629 or gayle@glassbygayle.com.

• The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present “42nd Street” captured live from London’s West End at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1. www.highlandspac.org

• Nationalism will be the focus of the next Global Spotlight Series event, set for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Western Carolina University’s Forsyth Building,

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, INC. • • • • •

• Tuscola High School’s premiere choral group, “Summit,” will perform “A Musical: A Salute to Music of the Stage and Screen” at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 and 2:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Tuscola High School Auditorium in Waynesville. $10 and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased from any “Summit” member or by calling Tuscola High School at 456.2408.

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Room 101. Info: 227.3860 or jsschiff@wcu.edu.

• Travel Painting Studies will be offered from 10 a.m.12:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the Haywood County Arts Council Gallery and Gifts, 86 N. Main St., in Waynesville. Cost: $35 for members; $40 for nonmembers. Sketching and painting techniques. All levels welcome. 452.0593.

• Curtis Blanton will present “A History of Shaped Note Singing and the Shaping of Church Music in Appalachia” at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society, which is held at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 E. Ridge Dr., in Bryson City.

• Tickets are on sale now for the opening of the Mountain Memories Performance Series, which kicks off with “A Hazelwood Gathering” at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Folkmoot in Waynesville. A focus on the history of the town and historic Hazelwood School. Presentation by local historian Alex McKay, heavy hors d’oeuvres. Storytelling, music and dance.

Tickets: $20; available at Folkmoot.org.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • Jennifer Hawkins Hock's exhibit "Artist Room Studies: 2D to 3D" is currently on display during the month of October at Macon County Public Library Living Room in Franklin. The exhibit features 21 of Hock's 3-dimensional miniature assemblages depicting painted or photographed rooms from artists such as Henri Matisse, Edouard Vuillard, Frida Kahlo, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

• Applications are being accepted for artists who want their work included in monthly gallery exhibits or retail spaces through the Haywood County Arts Council. HaywoodArts.org or GalleryGifts@HaywoodArts.org.

• The next SADC pop-up gallery, titled “The Blending of Tradition and Modernity in Culture Groups,” will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at Viva Arts Studio in Sylva. The exhibition will feature artists of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, who offer perspectives on the blending of tradition, culture and modernity from a wide variety of contexts and experiences. Applications for artists to be featured can be picked up at White Moon Coffee Shop, Black Balsam Outdoors, The Cut Cocktail Lounge or download from the SADC Facebook page (@sylvapublicart).

Applications are due by Monday, Nov. 4. Send applications to sylvaartdesign@gmail.com or hand delivered to stores where applications can be picked up.

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

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has recently

Puzzles can be found on page 53 These are only the answers.

FILM & SCREEN • “The Mountain Minor” had its first public showing earlier this month at the Esquire Theater in Cincinnati, Ohio. It will be screened locally at 2 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 3, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Admission is free. www.themountainminormovie.com or 227.3273.

• “Zombieland: Double Tap”, is showing through Nov. 7 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza.

Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Downton Abbey”, is showing at The Strand on Main from Nov. 1 - Nov. 7 in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• “Terminator: Dark Fate”, is showing through Nov. 7 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Dispatches from the Gulf 3: Has the Gulf of Mexico Recovered from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill” – a new documentary narrated by Matt Damon – will be shown at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin.

524.3600.

• “Doctor Sleep”, is showing at The Strand on Main from Nov. 8 – Nov. 14 in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• The Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Fishing Tournament - two-person team fishing competition will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 2-3, in Cherokee. Open meeting is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, at River’s Edge Outfitter. Entry fee: $250.

Fishing permit required. 497.9300 or joey@flyshopnc.com.

• Motion Makers Bicycles will kick off its weekly nighttime ride with a ride and party starting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, at the Bent Creek Experimental Forest in Asheville. RSVP: www.facebook.com/events/685363831973409.

• The Tuckaseigee River Chapter No. 373 of Trout Unlimited will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the United Community Bank, 1640 E. Main St., in Sylva. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. for $5. Info: 736.3165.

• An informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, for anyone interested in joining a new Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway chapter. Meeting is at the Haywood County Sheriff’s Department in Waynesville. Covers the section west of Asheville, mile markers 416-469. pooletb@gmail.com or 400.1049.

• A guided excursion of the Waynesville Watershed is set to start at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Fee: $8. Sign up: 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• The Waterrock Knob Visitor Center is open daily

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Conquer the Mountain Half Marathon is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, in Franklin. USATF-certified race. Register at raceentry.com or at 9 a.m. on race day. Benefit for the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center. 847.624.2762 or valerieniskanen@gmail.com.

FARM AND GARDEN • The Sylva Garden Club will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in the Fellowship Hall of the Sylva Presbyterian Church. Guest speaker is Brent Martin of Alarka Expeditions. Presentation is: “Sublimely Awful Scenes of Power and Magnificence: The Natural World of Western North Carolina As Seen by William Bartram.”

• Garden workdays are held from 3 p.m. until dusk every Wednesday at Cullowhee Community Garden, 65 S. Painter Road. Weeding, mulching, general garden maintenance. 587.8212.

• The Haywood County Plant Clinic is open every business day at the Haywood County Extension Center on Raccoon Road in Waynesville. Master Gardeners are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and more. Info: 456.3575.

• Local farmers can stop by the Cooperative Extension Office on Acquoni Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every fourth Friday to learn about USDA Farm Service Agency programs in the 2014 Farm Bill. Info: 488.2684, ext. 2 (Wednesday through Friday) or 524.3175, ext. 2 (Monday through Wednesday).

• Pigeon Valley Bassmaster’s Club will meet at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at J&S Cafeteria, Enka, Exit 44 off I-40. 712.2846.

• Macon County Horse Association meets at 7:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the Macon County Fairgrounds Alumni Building. Education program and business meeting. ddoster@fs.fed.us.

• The Macon County Beekeepers Association meets at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the extension office located on Thomas Heights Road next to Jim Brown Chrysler on Highlands Road. New members welcome.

• Haywood Bee Keepers Association meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the NC Ag center on Raccoon Road. hcbees.org.

• Smoky Mountain Beekeepers meet at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month at the SCC Swain Center in Bryson City on Almond School Road. Open to anyone interested in honeybees. 554.6935.

• The Franklin Walking Club meets at 10 a.m. every Saturday (weather permitting) at the Tassee picnic shelter on the Greenway at the corner of Wells Grove Road and Ulco Drive. All fitness levels are welcome, call Linda at 421.7613.

• Swain County Trail Runners. Long run group meets 8 a.m. Saturdays at the Deep Creek Trailhead Parking Area in Bryson City. All runs are on trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or Tsali Recreation Area. All distances, paces, ages welcome. More information at 399.0989, 488.6769 or wdtreern@yahoo.com.

• The Sylva Garden Club meets at 9:30 a.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Presbyterian Church in Sylva. cindyrparker@gmail.com.

• The Macon County Poultry Club of Franklin meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Rd, Open to the public. 369.3916.

OUTDOOR CLUBS • The Jackson County Poultry Club will hold its regular meeting on the third Thursday of each month at the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office. The club is for adults and children and includes a monthly meeting with a program and a support network for those raising birds. For info, call 586.4009 or write heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

• The North Carolina Catch program, a three-phase conservation education effort focusing on aquatic environments, will be offered through May 15. The program is offered by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Free for members; daily admission for non-members. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• WNC Sportsman’s Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday night of each month at the Juke Box Junction Restaurant located in Bethel at the junction of US 276 and N.C. 110 wncsportsmansclub.com

HIKING CLUBS • A weekend full of hikes will be offered from Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 31-Nov. 3, in the Robbinsville Area. Hikes range from easy-to-moderate 3-4 milers to strenuous hikes of 7-8 miles and are held during the Benton MacKaye Trail Association’s Annual Meeting at Fontana Village Resort.

Reservations: 498.2211. Full schedule: https://tinyurl.com/y6aqpp9w.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will have its general meeting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 in the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

• Nantahala Hiking Club holds monthly trail maintenance days from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on every fourth Saturday at 173 Carl Slagle Road in Franklin. Info and to register: 369.1983.

• Hike of the Week is at 10 a.m. every Friday at varying locations along the parkway. Led by National Park Service rangers. www.nps.gov/blri or 298.5330, ext.

304.

• 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

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• Haywood Community College will offer a hunter safety course from 6-9 p.m. on Nov. 4-5 in Building 3300, room 3322, in Clyde. Must attend both nights to receive certification. Covers firearm safety, ethics and responsibility, conservation and wildlife management and more. Preregistration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

• RSVPs are being accepted for the Haywood Waterways Association annual membership meeting, which is set for 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at Lambuth Inn, 55 Lambuth Dr., in Lake Junaluska.

Holiday buffet dinner is $15 per person, collected at the door. RSVP deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 26: Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 476.4667.

• The Jackson-Swain Master Gardeners’ Association meets at 9:30 a.m. every second Wednesday at the Jackson Community Services Building on Scotts Creek Road in Sylva. Mike Glover at 736.276.

• An RV camping club, the Vagabonds, camps one weekend per month from April through November. All ages welcome. No dues or structured activities. For details, write lilnau@aol.com or call 369.6669.

• The Cataloochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited meets the second Tuesday of the month starting with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. at Rendezvous restaurant located on the corner of Jonathan Creek Road and Soco Road in Maggie Valley. Come early and eat if you like. 631.5543.

• The Cherokee Runners meets each month on the 1st and 15th of the month (if the first falls on Sunday, the group meets on the 2nd), at the Age Link Conference Room. Group runs are being held each Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. starting at the Flame. www.cherokeerunners.com.

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

Outdoors

through Nov. 11 for the season on Mile 451.2 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/hours.htm.

wnc calendar

opened a major new exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters.” It features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through April 2020.

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THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Is recruiting for a Social Worker in Child Protective Services. This position will work with foster children and provide services to families where needs have been identified. Requires limited availability after hours as needed. The starting salary is $39,310.99, depending on education and experience.

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THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Is recruiting for an Income Maintenance Caseworker in Family Medicaid. This position is responsible for intake, application processing and review functions in determining eligibility for Public Assistance Programs. Above average communication, computer and organizational skills are required. Work involves direct contact with the public.

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Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

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CAROLINA MOUNTAIN CABLEVISION, Inc. Located in Waynesville, NC, is a privately-owned telecommunications company and is currently seeking resumes for an Installer Technician. We are looking for experienced cable TV or FTTP Installer or Cable Technician to help us grow our network and subscriber base.

The applicant must: • Have experience installing TV, phone, and internet services for residential and commercial accounts • Have experience with hand tools, power tools, hydraulic equipment, ladders, etc.

• Have a good driving record • Be self-motivated and dependable with the ability to work independently • Be quality and service focused • Be able to deal with difficult customers and members of the public in a professional, courteous manner • Be available for "On Call" Duty on weekends and overtime as needed with little notice • Live in or close to Haywood County, NC • Be able to pass a drug test and background check This person will be responsible for the installation of telephone, cable, and internet service from the utility pole into a customer's home, will install and set up modems, digital equipment, etc. in a customer's home, and be able to detect, troubleshoot, and fix problems as they occur with the services offered to a customer. We will be accepting resumes until November 8th, 2019. Salary is dependent on level of experience. Anyone interested should e-mail their resume to: sanders@ccvn.com or fax it to: 828.536.4510.

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WNC MarketPlace

Michelle McElroy BROKER ASSOCIATE

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices/Great Smokys Realty - www.4Smokys.com Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com • Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com • Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com • Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com • Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com • Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com • Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com • Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com • Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com • Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com • Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com • Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com • Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com • Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com • John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com

(828) 400-9463 michelle@beverly-hanks.com Haywood County Real Estate Expert & Top Producing REALTOR®

Catherine Proben Cell: 828-734-9157 Office: 828-452-5809

cproben@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St., Waynesville, NC

828.452.5809

Laura Thomas

BROKER ASSOCIATE —————————————

(828) 734-8478 lthomas@beverly-hanks.com

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Scott Easler - seasler@kw.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com

Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com • Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

www.smokymountainnews.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com • Holly Fletcher - hollyfletcher1975@gmail.com • The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com • Ron Breese - ronbreese.com • Landen Stevenson- Landen@landenstevenson.com • Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com • Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net • Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net • David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com • Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest • Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com WNC Real Estate Store • Jeff Baldwin - jeff@WNCforMe.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 52

828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

Christie’s Ivester Jackson Blackstream • George Escaravage - george@IJBProperties.com ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com • Pam James - pjames@sunburstrealty.com • Marsha Block - marsha@weichertunlimited.com

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

Ellen Sither esither@beverly-hanks.com (828) 734-8305

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

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smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

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beverly-hanks.com

Office Hours - Monday & Wednesday 8:00 - 5:00

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender

VACATION/ TRAVEL

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YARD SALES GARAGE SALE- SAT. NOV. 2ND 9am - 1pm. 858 Moody Bridge Rd., Cullowhee. See Pics on Craigslist, Under ‘Garage Sales’.

SUPER

CROSSWORD

PET SHOWER ACROSS 1 Guru's practice 5 Pre- -- (supplant) 9 Neighbor of Georgia 16 PC pic file 19 Bedouin, e.g.

20 Actor Max or Max Jr. 21 Situated at the bottom, as of the skull 22 Primo pitcher 23 Prisms, e.g.

25 Causing to go mad 26 Drink with crumpets 27 Region largely in southwest Poland 29 Big name in shapewear 30 Seating tiers 31 Bandit-seeking band 34 Future tense of "is" 36 Business agt.

37 "I smell --!"

38 Objecting to 39 Car-towing gp.

40 Kind of eclipse 42 Calm-inducing drug 44 Stop nursing gradually 45 Actress Dana of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" 47 Cilantro 49 Concept 51 Witty remark 53 Covetous types 54 Act furtively 55 Custodial tool 56 University URL ending 57 "Nana" actress Anna 58 Bull features 59 Wood cutter 60 Oscar-winning title role for Meryl Streep

62 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 74 75 76 78 79 80 81 84 86 87 89 91 92 93 95 96 97 98 100 102 103 104 106 108 109 111 115 116 117 118 119

Sandy stuff Load to bear Encl. to facilitate a reply -- Lingus Med. nation Second baseman Robinson -Phnom -Wearing old, torn clothes 911 VIP Like old, worn clothes "Criminy!"

Winner's hand gesture The, to Fritz Hogs' homes Car tank insert Like stars Vacation destination Takes out of a needle, as a filament Cornhusk-wrapped dish Year, in Italy Sea god of Greek myth Old-time anesthetic Thanksgiving side dish Not far from 1980s Chrysler line Ga. hours Big game venues In a strange way "-- it my way" Hauls (away) Changed the label of Millennia on end Dewlap locales Versatile Fr. holy woman Picks up on After-bath powder Slaty color Danson of "Ink"

120 121 122

Bicolor Do as told Locality

DOWN 1 Bark shrilly 2 Gold, to Pedro 3 Lassie 4 Flock watcher in old Ethiopia?

5 Luxury Swiss watch brand 6 Cleared a path (for) 7 Pugilist from Xerxes' empire?

8 Ski course 9 "Scandal" network 10 Perfect-game pitcher Don 11 Kin of PDQ 12 Superman's evil "mirror image" 13 Flaring dress 14 Bit of advice from a British crown dependency native?

15 Neighbor of Chile: Abbr.

16 Big name in sports drinks 17 Cold zero-calorie drink 18 Ones eating lavish meals 24 Go quickly 28 Woody of film 30 Really coming down (like it's doing in this puzzle?)

31 Hocking site 32 Private chat 33 Not operated nationally, as a lottery 35 Volleyball player on

39 41 43 46 48 50 52 55 61 63 64 65 67 68 73 74 75 77 81 82 83 85 86 88 90 94 99 101 102 105 107 109 110 112 113 114

Prime Minister U Nu's team?

Barley bristle Misbehave Cover with concrete Overdrink Says no to Says yes to Bouquet The folks Research facility on Mount Everest?

Doled (out) Not outer Film with Buzz Lightyear Traditional grub of Bangkok?

Gets old Salt's "Stop!"

Hard, yellow cheese Mao -- -tung Sage mentor Most crud-filled Entertaining brief tale Exerted great effort Less typical Sleep-stage acronym Michigan city Mississippi River explorer Go quickly Artist Andrea del -"Swell!"

Not 'neath Mexican nosh Gray of R&B Blasting aid Cairo-to-Nairobi dir.

Mentalist Geller -- "King" Cole Henna, e.g.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 48

smokymountainnews.com

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 48 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

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WANTED TO BUY

53

The girls get a look at the Southern Nantahala Wilderness from Pickens Nose.

The naturalist’s corner

Don Hendershot photo

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

And then it happened y wife, daughter Maddie, a friend of hers and I took a short hike out to Pickens Nose last Monday, Oct. 21.

Pickens Nose is a rocky ridge in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness and while it is not exceedingly high, its 4,880 feet of elevation towers over some of the steepest terrain in the wilderness, providing outstanding views and a touch-the-sky quality of other higher peaks. There are several promontories along the ridge and one could certainly be considered schnoz-like. The peak is named after Revolutionary War General Andrew Pickens, the proud owner of a rather substantial proboscis.

I have a special affinity for Pickens Nose.

In 1998 I was a volunteer with the Peregrine Fund and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission monitoring peregrine hacking sites for returning birds. Pickens Nose was the site I monitored and a single male returned to the site. No mate showed and the male soon set sail. About two years later the male did find a mate but not at Pickens Nose — at Devil’s Courthouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a sign the peregrine hacking program was working.

Smoky Mountain News

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

M

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But we weren’t looking for falcons, just an easy hike to great views. We were socked in for the hike up and when we first got to the ridge line. We crawled around on some of the promontories, enjoying the fog and the wind then stopped for a bite of lunch.

We got lucky and the sun burned through and the fog we had been peering into gave way to gorgeous views of the Southern Nantahala Wilderness. There, looking down with the sun shining, we could see patches of reds, yellows and oranges; not a lot of color but the most we had seen this fall.

Then one day later in the week I had to make a quick run to the store. When I got down to the Smoky Mountain Expressway and looked up at the Balsam Mountains, it was like multicolored paints had poured down the mountainsides; there had been an explosion of color virtually overnight.

So last Sunday my bride and I took a short drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway and it was pretty spectacular. It seems the best color was between 3,500 and 4,000 feet in elevation. There was still color above that but lots of steel-grey winter hardwoods were showing. To say it’s been a strange color season would be an understatement. I think many, myself included, were beginning to

wonder if we were going to see color or if we were just gonna go from green to brown to grey. But it’s upon us now and if “up top” was any indication it may not be with us much longer — after all it’s almost November.

But I think this weekend will be quite colorful and you owe it to yourself to get out and enjoy it. And, as I’ve preached before,

don’t be afraid to park the car and hit the trails a little, while vistas are wonderful in autumn, immersing one’s self in it — touching the color, smelling the color —feeds the soul.

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist.

His book, A Year From the Naturalist’s Corner, Vol. 1, is available at regional bookstores or by contacting Don at ddihen1@bellsouth.net)

Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019

Smoky Mountain News

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Smoky Mountain News Oct. 30-Nov. 5, 2019