SMN 11 21 18 by Smoky Mountain News

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November 21-27, 2018 Vol. 20 Iss. 26

HOLIDAY GUIDE INSIDE

From Our Family To Yours,

CONTENTS On the Cover: A 20 year effort by the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center has resulted in the discovery of 1,000 new species within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including 400 new lichen species, 270 new bacteria, 58 new fungi, 61 new beetles and 78 new algae. (Page 28) Scientists James Lendemer and Erin Tripp search for lichen. Emily Darling photo

News Historic court session held in Cherokee ......................................................................3 BI-LO to close ahead of plaza redevelopment ..........................................................4 Jonathan Creek project lurches forward ......................................................................5 Homeless in Haywood: the journey continues ..........................................................6 ConMet not closed yet in Bryson City ..........................................................................8 Meadows sanctioned over office harassment ............................................................9 SBI won’t pursue Bryson City K9 death case ........................................................10 LifePoint, RCCH merger a done deal ........................................................................11 Plott Balsam conservation project gets funding ....................................................12

Opinion In-hospital hospice just not the same ........................................................................ 13

A&E Travers Brothership release latest album ..................................................................18

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November 21-27, 2018 Smoky Mountain News

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Historic court session held in Cherokee Fourth Circuit Court holds first-ever session on tribal land

“A lot of people don’t understand how tribal courts work, and I think by bringing the circuit in, it exposes the federal judiciary itself to how tribal courts actually work.” — Cherokee Chief Judge Kirk Saunooke

locations to report those stories. Shetterly contended that sort of mobility was difficult for Whitten and that she had started asking employees at those outlying locations to put stories together to send to her. Shetterly endured close questioning from Kennan and Gregory, who pointed out that Whitten hadn’t fallen on the job at all except once, when she tripped on a rug, and that her condition hadn’t caused her to habitually call in sick. Because of all of the conflicting details of the case, said Keenan, “why isn’t this for a jury to sit and weigh?” The final case involved that of Charles Finch, who was convicted of felony murder and sentenced to death in July 1976, though the death sentence was changed to life in prison on appeal. Finch’s attorney Jim Coleman told the court that the main case against him involved an eyewitness identification obtained from what Coleman described as “unnecessarily suggestive lineups.” The witness, Lester Floyd Jones, had described the perpetrator as wearing a threequarter-length coat. Finch was wearing such a coat when he was arrested for possible connection with an unspecified robbery, but he was the only one in the lineup to be wearing one, Coleman said. In addition, Finch had an alibi — he was playing cards with friends that evening until about half an hour after the murder occurred. “Our claim is that Mr. Finch was not involved in any way,” said Coleman. Assistant N.C. Attorney General Nick Vlahos contended that there is still evidence to show that Finch is guilty, including a witness seeing Finch at the store about 40 min-

utes before the murder and physical evidence collected at the scene. In addition, Vlahos said, there were “holes all through” the alibi, as Finch left the card game at various points. However, he endured tough questioning from Gregory regarding the lineup. “Do you think that’s suggestive?” asked Gregory. “Only that aspect of it,” said Vlahos, referencing the coat. “Is that a yes?” “I would argue to you—” “Is that a yes?” Gregory repeated. Vlahos gave a nervous laugh in response, to which Gregory said, “I’m not laughing. Is that a yes?” “I’ll tell you what the state court said.” “You still need to answer the question,” Gregory said. “Is that suggestive?” “It could be, your honor,” Vlahos conceded. The three cases were part of the small proportion of U.S. Court of Appeals cases that actually get an oral hearing. For every 10 appeals filed, only one winds up before the judges. Another 1 in 10 disappears for some reason or another, while the remaining eight are decided by computer conference. When a case comes up, the judges assigned to it look at the record. If any one of them wants an oral hearing before deciding, it goes on the calendar. The Nov. 18 cases haven’t been decided yet — it will take a couple months for the judges to decide and produce written opinions — but they may not be the last Fourth Circuit cases to be heard in Cherokee. “There’s every reason to come back,” said Gregory. 3

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After half an hour of arguments, the court proceeded to its second case, in which the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged that South Carolina-based McLeod Health had unlawfully required its employee Cecelia Whitten to undergo a medical exam that ultimately resulted in Whitten losing her job. McLeod said the results showed she was unable to do the work. Whitten has a congenital condition that makes it hard for her to stand for long periods of time, but in the 28 years she held the position she performed her job without falling “in the way McLeod feared,” said EEOC attorney Jeremy Horowitz. McLeod’s attorney Mike Shetterly, meanwhile, contended that over the past 28 years McLeod had grown from one campus to five. Whitten’s job was to write McLeod’s newsletter, which required traveling to its various

Following the session Fourth Circuit Judge Henry Floyd (from left to right), Fourth Circuit Judge Barbara Keenan, Chief Fourth Circuit Judge Roger Gregory, Cherokee Chief Justice Kirk Saunooke, Cherokee Chief Judge Thomas Cochran and Associate Cherokee Judge Randle Jones stand in the empty courtroom. Donated photo

November 21-27, 2018

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER man claiming the courts misled him when accepting his guilty plea. A woman with a disability contending termination from her job amounted to unlawful discrimination. A man convicted of murder in 1976 arguing that new facts show that he is innocent. These are the cases that the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals will be deciding following an historic session held at the Cherokee Justice Center Thursday, Nov. 18. The two-hour session represented the first time that a federal court of appeals had ever held court on tribal land. “It was historic for us,” said Cherokee Chief Judge Kirk Saunooke. It started with a letter that Saunooke and Chief Judge Thomas Cochran wrote to Fourth Circuit Chief Judge Roger Gregory, asking that the court consider coming to Cherokee. Though it normally sits in Richmond, the Fourth Circuit will occasionally meet in other parts of its five-state territory. Having that invitation accepted provided an important opportunity for the judiciary as well as for the Cherokee people, Saunooke said. “It brings attention to the tribal courts,” he said. “A lot of people don’t understand how tribal courts work, and I think by bringing the circuit in, it exposes the federal judiciary itself to how tribal courts actually work. They’re just like state court and other courts with sets of laws and penalties. We do the same work that other courts do.” Similarly, a lot of people don’t understand how courts of appeal work. They’re different from district-level courts, because their purpose is not to retry the facts of the case. Rather, they hear challenges to the way district-level courts arrived at their decisions. Most people — and most attorneys — will never sit through a court of appeals hearing, and because there are only 11 federal courts of appeals in the country, most people live far away from where their district’s judges sit. Each district has 15 judges, with most cases heard by a panel of three. Gregory and Judges Barbara Keenan and Henry Floyd presided over the Nov. 18 session. Keenan and Floyd were appointed by President Barak Obama, and Gregory was a recess appointment of former President Bill Clinton and nominated to a full term by President George W. Bush. He was named chief judge in 2016. Thursday’s session started at 9 a.m. sharp, with one marked change from the typical mode of proceedings. As the clerk read out her usual script — “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez, all persons having any manner or form of business

before the honorable United States Court of Appeals of the Fourth Circuit are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the court is now sitting” — Cherokee Beloved Woman Myrtle Driver stood beside her, translating to the Cherokee language. The court first heard the case of Jesmene Lockhart, a Charlotte man who pled guilty to possessing a gun as a felon. Lockhart’s attorney claimed that his client was “sorely misled” about the consequences of pleading guilty, with the court telling him he’d face a 10-year maximum sentence when in fact he faced a 15-year minimum — he was ultimately sentenced to 15 years. “If he had been properly advised, he had every incentive to roll the dice and go to trial,” said Lockhart’s attorney. Prosecutor Amy Ray, meanwhile, said that while the judge did give Lockhart the wrong information, the pre-sentencing report had the right information, and in court Lockhart stated that he had read and understood the report. Available evidence suggests that the wrongful advice did not affect the outcome of the case, she said. “I feel a little uncomfortable with the concept that someone says, ‘I read the report’ and they understand everything that’s going on,” Keenan commented. If the court rules in Lockhart’s favor, the case will return to district court.

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Bye bye BI-LO, adios Los Amigos Tenants seek out new spaces ahead of plaza redevelopment

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER major project slated for a prime parcel in Waynesville’s burgeoning Russ Avenue commercial district could soon transform a local shopping plaza into dozens of residences. “There’s not much to talk about yet, we’re really just in the first or second inning,” said Ron Linsky of Florida-based RFLP Group, the owner of the 8.79-acre, $3.59 million parcel that currently serves as home to BI-LO, Los Amigos Mexican restaurant and Kim’s Pharmacy. Former tenant Silver Treasures already relocated to a shopping plaza on Main Street. Pharmacist Kim Ferguson said she was notified by Linsky a while back that “they’re tearing the building down and putting in apartments.” Her lease expired in February, and she’ll be out just as soon as her new location is ready. She purchased the building on Dellwood City Road that was formerly home to improperly-located gaming operation Nudge City. Likewise for Hilda Rios, whose family owns Los Amigos; she said the restaurant will remain open for now but eventually move to a new location behind the Kornerstone Kafé on North Main Street sometime this spring; Linksy said tenants will all be gone by Dec. 31, 2019. “That shopping center has housed some really good community businesses. I think by giving sort of notice, it’s given those businesses a chance to relocate,” said Waynesville Development Services Director Elizabeth Teague. “We’ve been working with them. They’ll both end up in really good spots. It’s nice to see something like that happen, where businesses are displaced but in a way that they have an opportunity to find other locations and we’re not going to lose those businesses, and that was a concern.” Nationally, BI-LO has had trouble keeping up with corporate behemoth Walmart, evolving Aldi and niche grocers like Fresh Market. Locally, the addition of Haywood County’s first Publix just down the road and just across the street from a high-volume Ingles location complicates the situation for BI-LO. The parent company of BI-LO, Southeastern Grocers, emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy this past May after closing nearly 100 Winn-Dixie, Harvey’s and BI-LO stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and the Carolinas. BI-LO would likely not re-enter the Haywood County market after the Russ Avenue location is razed, according to 4 Linsky; calls to Southeastern Grocers seek-

Smoky Mountain News

November 21-27, 2018

Big changes are in store for the BI-LO plaza on Russ Ave. Haywood GIS photo

“It’s part of our regional center district zoning for Russ Avenue, which is our most flexible district. It allows residential and multi-family. It’s nice to have higher density residential in town.” — Waynesville Development Services Director Elizabeth Teague

ing confirmation were not returned. Linsky’s RFLP Group is a family real estate business based in Tampa, but the Linskys have a long history in the area. “Our grandfather spent time during World War II in Swannanoa and fell in love with the Smoky Mountains,” Linsky said. “Clark and Leatherwood built our home in Balsam Mountain Preserve in 2007, and four generations of our family spend time at the house. We all have a special place in our hearts for Western North Carolina, the land and the people.” Linsky couldn’t confirm details of the proposed development, and said he’d like to develop residences, but also noted that interest rates are rising, labor costs are going up, and tariffs have been implemented that might complicate things. He does, however, want to do what’s best for the community and best for the parcel. But if that best use is indeed residential development — sorely needed across the region — what might it look like? “It’s part of our regional center district

zoning for Russ Avenue, which is our most flexible district,” said Teague. “It allows residential and multi-family. It’s nice to have higher density residential in town. High density, close in [residential development] is really what we’re striving for in our land use plan. Walkability is a big issue for us. What we want to look at is, would they possibly be able to serve a range of housing price points?” Teague said that since the property is already zoned for residential, no text amendments or rezoning would need to occur for the development to move forward. “What they would need to go through is a process for a master plan,” she said. “If that site redevelops, there are a couple of interesting things, opportunities we’ll try to work with them on.” One of them is access to the town’s recreational offerings. “The connection with the park makes it really neat,” she said. “Our greenway master plan goes through there, and Haywood Waterways had worked with them on a

storm water plan, so with full redevelopment they would have to come into compliance with storm water, walkability, parking.” Currently, runoff from the immense parking lot is an issue for Richland Creek, which borders the parcel. “We’d really look to them through the permitting process to correct it in a way that improves and protects Richland Creek, but also creates a nice space for them,” she said. “The fact that it’s residential, I think it’d be desirable to have that greenway connection and the river park right along there.” The parcel’s redevelopment could also serve as a critical linkage for the greenway in a problematic area. “We’re working with DOT on Russ Avenue to bring a greenway cross section up and over the bridge right there, and we’ve been in touch with Wells Fargo to see if we can work with them,” she said. “If we cross over Russ Avenue, the trail would pick up and go from there.” The town’s dimensional requirement standards table lists no maximum density for residential development in the Russ Avenue Regional Center district, but it does limit buildings to four or five stories. “There’s actually no density maximum, however we do require some open space,” Teague said. Along with setbacks, riparian buffers, landscaping and parking requirements, the parcel will look far different once it’s redeveloped, whatever it might ultimately become.

position, but also that it wasn’t quite so cutand-dried. “I guess I agree but disagree. I look at Publix, for example,” he said. “Their site wasn’t shovel-ready, they’re actually having to do the opposite and move dirt, so there is folks that look at coming in that know there’s a potential to put some money into a site. I’m just a little uncomfortable spending more money on that property at this time.” “Sometimes you have to spend money to make money,” said Commissioner Bill Upton, in his last meeting after 12 years as a commissioner. Commissioner Kevin Ensley cited the

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Beaverdam Industrial Park as an example of how he hoped the Jonathan Creek project would go; that shovel-ready site eventually became home to more than 400 good-paying jobs. “Twenty years ago, that economic development site was like this one — it was vacant,” he said. “By having something ready, that’s a plus.” Ensley also offered up a backup plan for the site, which was purchased by the county just before the Great Recession hit; intended for recreation but made moot by new recreational facilities in neighboring areas, the parcel languished for more than a decade as a cow pasture until commissioners got serious about developing it last fall. “If we want to do economic development, we may not see our money back on the sale, but we will by the tax revenue and the jobs,” he said. “I’m sure we could get our money back by doing some sort of affordable housing or residential, because we could go ahead and develop the lots, do it right, and then the working people of the county can buy lots and put houses on them they can afford, which is very needed in the county.” He also opined that the 22-acre site could hold as many as 60 homesites. “The bottom line is,” Ensley said, “if we don’t put the dirt there, you can’t do anything.”

• Routine Physicals

November 21-27, 2018

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ith a new board that will subsequently change the face of Haywood County government set to be sworn in on Dec. 3, the current lineup of commissioners took action Nov. 19 to ensure the Jonathan Creek project will continue as envisioned by them. “The only concern I have is what the plans will be for this property,” said Commissioner Brandon Rogers. “I’m not so sure how I feel after having the discussions about that, and what we need to do about that property.” Rogers was talking about a potential deal to purchase 25,000 cubic yards of soil from Dennis M. Hall and his wife Kisha Cook for $28,000, with an option to purchase up to 15,000 additional cubic yards of soil at 90 cents apiece. That soil will be used at the county-owned Jonathan Creek site, where it will elevate 8 to 12 acres of the parcel out of the floodplain and thus make it more attractive to developers. The county will be responsible for removing and transporting the soil, as well as associated engineering and permitting costs, all of which will add up to about $400,000 in new capital project costs. The money will come from the county’s fund balance. The soil is needed because a sweetheart deal between the county and Publix soured when the soil Publix basically gave away — excess from its new development on Russ Avenue — proved unsuitable for compaction and this unusable for this particular purpose. Rogers, however, seemed to want whoever eventually buys the parcel, possibly due to efforts by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, to handle the dirt spreading project themselves. “We need to wait until somebody actually comes in and wants to buy it, and let them be part of the discussion,” he said. “I guess I’m a little reserved on moving forward with it because of that.” Commissioners, though, talked him out of it just before all five voted unanimously to accept the sales agreement. “I think one of the issues with the property is the fact that no one really wants to look at the property unless it’s shovelready,” said Chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick. “With the folks that have come in and looked at the properties, if you don’t have something that’s shovel-ready, they’re going to go somewhere else where something’s shovel-ready. So the point of putting the soil over there is to make this particular property shovel-ready for someone to purchase.” Rogers said he understood Kirkpatrick’s

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Jonathan Creek project lurches forward

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Homeless in Haywood: the journey continues BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER t was a journey I thought would last three days but has already lasted a year, with no signs of stopping. It was 50 miles in 60 hours, all on foot. It was two sleeps outside, and one in the shelter where I ate my Thanksgiving dinner. It was a blur of people and places and things and ideas, and walking and working and thinking and sweating. It was nouns and verbs mostly, like anything else, but when I walked down my Maggie Valley driveway into star-dappled darkness shortly after midnight on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2017, I became homeless in Haywood County. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fun, but it was the only way I felt I could get the real story on the resources available (or unavailable, as the case may be) to those thrust into the all-too-common circumstance of homelessness. A year later, the economy’s roaring, profits are soaring and unemployment is shockingly low — perhaps because one needs two or more jobs to afford housing in much of the United States, including Western North Carolina. A year later, the paycheck-to-paycheck poor are still just one minor disaster away from falling into a vicious cycle that imposes great moral and financial burdens on us all. A year later I retraced my journey, and learned the situation has grown much, much worse.

Executive Director Allison Jennings (left) and husband Chris stand behind the counter at The Canton Community Kitchen.

Smoky Mountain News

November 21-27, 2018

’d gotten the idea to go undercover as a homeless person from a book I read years ago called Nickeled and Dimed: On not getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich; in it she assumed the role of an unskilled worker fleeing her home and accepting whatever work she could find, from Maine to Minnesota, from Walmart to waitressing. She slept in dumpy residential motels and tin-can trailer parks whilst bearing witness to a minimum wage America longingly eyeballing prosperity as though it was some sort of steam-powered aeroplane chugging along not very fast just above the treetops, yet still forever out of reach. I’d told nearly no one about my plans, with the first exception being mom and the second being Smoky Mountain News Publisher Scott McLeod, both in case I unexpectedly ended up on a slab or in a cell. My News Editor, Jessi Stone, and other colleagues had no idea. Loose lips, you know. I grew a horrible beard weeks beforehand, and shaved my head. I even went so far as to take a week’s paid vacation so that my absence wouldn’t be noticed. Other journalists have embarked on similar endeavors, including Erie Times-News reporter Kevin Flowers, who went “full homeless” in much more brutal weather conditions than I did. Flowers, however, had the relative luxury of doing so in an urban environment, where resources are more centralized.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

Which is what makes these kinds of stories relevant. They’re always different, everywhere you go. An environment like Haywood County presents its own unique set of challenges, the first of which slapped me in the face as I stepped out my door. It was 34 degrees and I had only a pen, a notepad, my iPhone and a charger; I’d imagined an unforeseen domestic incident led to my unexpected ouster and with nobody to lean on, nowhere to go and no one to call, I had no choice but to walk. Uber’s barely a thing here, taxicabs are still rare and the lack of public transportation effectively throttles not just physical but also economic mobility. After making the many miles from Maggie to Waynesville, I eventually ended up at a kitchen in Frog Level called The Open Door, early on Thanksgiving afternoon. It would be longtime Executive Director Perry Hines’ last year at The Open Door, which derives about 70 percent of its annual $250,000 budget from its thrift shop next door; new Executive Director Tom Owens, who has been on the job for about six months, has been charged with bringing the Frog Level fixture into a new era. “What we’re doing right now is setting a foundation for growth by telling our story in the community,” said Owens. “That’s one of the things that I’ve been very aggressive about, doing what I can to find speaking engagements, to talk to community leaders, to tell our story.” From the Open Door I was directed to Pathways, a former minimum-security prison transformed into a 60-bed shelter for men and women. Envisioned by Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher and a host of community organizations as a tool designed to reduce recidivism, Pathways is the only shelter west of Ashville and east of Murphy.

Help for the holidays OPEN DOOR • Mail: 32 Commerce St., Waynesville, NC 28786 • Phone: 828.452.3846 • Online: www.opendoor-waynesville.org PATHWAYS • Mail: 179 Hemlock Street, Waynesville, NC 28786 • Phone: 828.246.0332 • Online: www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org COMMUNITY KITCHEN • Mail: P.O. Box 513, Canton NC 28716. • Phone: 828.648.0014 • Online: www.facebook.com/CantonTCK

“Our big goal is to help people break cycles and build new foundations,” said Executive Director Mandy Haithcox. “We really feel like we can do that when we all work together as a community to holistically say, ‘You’re a person, how can we help you realize the future that you want to have, which is not this.’” To that end, Pathways is about to fill a major gap in the system; the segregated men’s and women’s dorms at Pathways currently do not allow for children, so homeless women with families still have nowhere to go, for now. “This isn’t going to solve the whole problem,” said Haithcox of the new $550,000 women and children’s dorm that should open by January, “but at least will help us put a dent, one family at a time, into that problem.” The 5,500-square-foot two-story modular

building has 10 rooms and can hold up to 36 people; each floor features a shared kitchen and laundry facilities, and the second floor will house a computer lab provided by Rotarians from Western Carolina University and named in honor of late Chancellor David Belcher. Once it’s open and every bed at Pathways is full, there will be about 100 people staying there. The next stop on my journey was the Canton Community Kitchen on Pisgah Drive. Since 2006, Community Kitchen has doled out around 50 meals a night, every night on an annual budget of about $100,000. When I met Pastor Chris Jennings afterward, he said that the organization was in the midst of a massive expansion that he now hopes will be completed shortly into the new year. “For one, we’re going from 1,100 square feet to 7,000 square feet,” Jennings said of the new location on Champion Drive. “We’ll have two designated classroom spaces, a shower and laundry in the building, and we’ll have computers set up in the classrooms. Every application you fill out now is online, so people can come in, use the computers, fill out job applications, and if they get an interview they can wash their clothes, take a shower and go to their interview.” Executive Director Allison Jennings said the building is already home to a Narcotics Anonymous group that runs about 30 strong, and through a partnership with Haywood Community College would soon offer GED classes. t the outset I told you that the situation had become much, much worse. You’re probably wondering why, since I’ve since told you about a

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER iting a slowdown in federal funding and a desire to run a regularly scheduled circulator route across Haywood County, Mountain Projects Transit Director Chuck Norris reached out to Haywood County commissioners for more fiscal flexibility and an advance on a county match. “This is not completely going to solve the problem, but it’s going to help some,” Norris said after speaking before the board Nov. 19. Right now, the county budgets $50,000 a year for the transportation services provided by Mountain Projects, which then invoices the county after rides have been provided. Sometimes Mountain Projects doesn’t use all the money, but often it does. Norris asked that the entire $50,000 be released to Mountain Projects in advance of services performed, and also that commissioners begin disbursing $97,000 promised as the county’s matching share of a $148,000 grant that has been awarded but is still at

least six months away from landing in Mountain Projects’ coffers. The Job Access Reverse Commute grant was provided by the Federal Transit Administration to help with transportation challenges uniquely faced by people on public assistance seeking to gain or maintain employment. In rugged Haywood County, the lack of public transportation presents a considerable barrier to employment, especially as the presence of ride-sharing services or on-demand transportation like taxicabs aren’t as robust as in more populous counties. Normally the county would begin matching once the federal funds come, but those funds are intended for a route that will loop around Canton, run through downtown Clyde, down U.S. 19 to Haywood Community College, over Asheville Highway onto Waynesville’s North Main Street, to Walmart, and back. A short branch line will also visit the Russ Avenue Ingles. Immediate funding by the county in

some money, the first thing you do is take care of your shoes. I lost two toenails to that bit of wisdom, but she was right. For a few years now, Mountain Projects has been running an on-demand public transportation system, the first of its kind in the county. It offers low fares, but limited hours and must be scheduled in advance. It’s subsidized by county government. A regularly circulating route isn’t yet available (see Transportation, above) meaning toenails and turmoil can effectively prevent people from accessing the services they need as well as the employment opportunities they want, but it also means the homeless and hungry in Haywood County remain

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slew of improvements to the social safety net that once supported me, however briefly. But that is the downside — Pathways didn’t raise nigh on to six-tenths of a million bucks from a place of plenty, and the Canton Community Kitchen isn’t expanding due to lack of want. “I do not think needs are declining,” said Patsy Davis, executive director of local social service agency Mountain Projects. As such, Davis is about as tuned-in to the pulse of poverty as anyone in the region. She was also one of the few locals who knew of my intentions beforehand. She told me not to wear good shoes, because if you are living out-of-doors and you come upon

ARTS & CRAFTS CHRISTMAS SHOW

November 21-27, 2018

The new women and children’s dorm at Pathways should be open in January. Cory Vaillancourt photo

compartmentalized in Canton and in Waynesville. Lemonade from lemons, though, means monitoring the population and the need is fairly apples to apples. “So far in 2018 we’ve provided over 14,000 nights of shelter, compared to 7,622 in 2017,” said Haithcox. Over that same period of time, Pathways has served more than 35,000 meals, compared to 28,448 in all of 2017. “Our shelters now from the last time when you were here, we usually would have an open bed, if not five or six,” she said. “For the last three or four months, all of our beds have been filled every single night.” The situation isn’t much different at The Open Door. “As far as our numbers go, we’re feeding more people than we were last year,” said Owens. “We’re providing more food boxes than we were last year, so while the economy as a whole is on the rise, those most underserved — those who have been living in poverty for a while — haven’t seen the trickle down of that effect.” Although The Open Door actually served fewer meals in 2017 — 28,488, compared to 34,467 in 2016 — they’ve seen strong demand for food boxes from just over 1,200 in 2016 to more than 1,500 in 2017. At the Canton Community Kitchen, Allison Jennings said demand for almost everything is up. “It has not decreased,” Jennings said. “We’ve not seen a change. It goes up and down, and we have no reason or rhyme [except that] homelessness has increased.” Increased — as it had the year before, and the year before that, ensuring that the three-day journey I started out on last Thanksgiving will continue for at least another year, and probably years after that.

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Mountain Projects seeks more transportation funding

advance of the federal disbursement would give Mountain Projects the ability to begin some of the legwork involved with setting up that route and its stops. “It’s already taken longer than we anticipated. When I first got here a year ago, I wanted to have this route up and running by now,” Norris said. “But now we’re another several months behind. It just takes time.” Although all five commissioners expressed support for Norris’ request, no action was taken during the Nov. 19 meeting, as Norris’ request was included as part of an agency report presented to commissioners. Instead, the request will be heard as part of the commission’s next regular business meeting, which due to an organizational meeting slated for Dec. 3 isn’t until Dec. 17. And two of those five commissioners — Mike Sorrells and Bill Upton — won’t be there to vote on the request; Upton declined to seek re-election after 12 years on the board and Sorrells narrowly lost out to Mark Pless for the last available seat in the Nov. 6 election. Pless and the other new board member, Tommy Long, will be sworn in at the Dec. 3 meeting. Norris said that if the county is able to assist with Mountain Projects’ requests, he feels “confident the route can be implemented no later than June 2019.”

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ConMet not closed yet in Bryson City BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR umors of Consolidated Metco Inc., staying open in Bryson City have been circulating around the community, but unfortunately the plant still has plans to close operations in the near future. ConMet, a designer and manufacturer of commercial vehicle truck components, announced in February 2017 that it would be closing the Bryson City plant by February 2018 and consolidating its operations at the plant in Canton where it had more room to expand. It’s nearing the end of 2018 and Bryson City operations are still trudging along, but Swain County Economic Development Director Ken Mills said ConMet corporate told him that their plans to shutdown the plant haven’t changed. “From what I’ve been told, they’re still planning to make the move, but they just didn’t foresee the demand staying up this long,” Mills said. In this kind of industry, he said, truck manufacturers tend to stay busy for two years cranking out new parts to fulfill contracts and then the business goes into a lull until the next cycle. “Then it will pick up again because the mileage on the trucks running on the road,” he said. “But, this peak cycle ran longer than ConMet suspected, so they’re not at a point where they can shut down without losing business. They still have a number of contracts in the works. Work might go into 2019, but as soon as the cycle starts to roll back they’ll make the move to Canton.” As a private business, ConMet doesn’t have to keep the county informed about its next move or how many employees are currently on staff. The current manager is an interim and the staff has fluctuated with work

November 21-27, 2018

demand. Mills some people were let go only to be asked to come back when production picked up again, but many have had to move on to find more stable work. The 300,000-square-foot Bryson City plant, which began operation in 1995, had about 230 hourly workers and 40 salaried workers when the closure announcement was

“From what I’ve been told, they’re still planning to make the move, but they just didn’t foresee the demand staying up this long.” — Ken Mills, Swain County Economic Development Director

made in early 2017. Many employees were given the opportunity to transfer to the Canton facility, which is 50 miles east of Bryson City. Mills said some took the transfer though he isn’t sure how many. The county even tried to set up free transportation from Bryson City to Canton for employees, but it didn’t get enough participation to make it feasible. “We tried to set up public transport and had interest from people going to Asheville too, but it’s one thing to put it together and it’s another to get people to actually do it. Most people would still rather drive themselves than take a long bus ride,” Mills said. Not knowing how long ConMet will remain in the Bryson City plant makes it more difficult for Mills to show the property to other potential tenants. “I’ve gone ahead and brought other inter-

ConMet still has plans to shut down its Bryson City plant and consolidate operations at its Canton plant. File photo ests over to look at the building, but the details are not solid as to when the business is moving so if (a potential tenant) doesn’t know they tend to put the idea on the back burner,” he said. The Canton plant, which is located in the Beaverdam Industrial Park near Exit 33 off

Smoky Mountain News

New business coming to Macon County

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR he Macon County Industrial Park will be getting a new tenant after county commissioners approved a lease for TECO Inc. Solid State Lighting, a Tennessee corporation. Macon County Economic Development Director Tommy Jenkins said TECO would be leasing 3,700 square feet of space at the Business Development Center for $918 a month. While the lease is for one year, Jenkins said the development center incubator space program allows businesses to stay for up to three years. The company, which was started by Darrel Thornberry in 2008, designs and

manufactures LED paint inspection lighting systems for automotive manufacturers like Tesla, Toyota and Ford. TECO offers LED lighting solutions, including LED retrofit kits for industrial, commercial and specialty markets; LED bulbs for homes and offices; LED-based luminaires; and solar-powered LED luminaires. “They’re small but have had some success in the last couple years. (CEO) Mr. Thornberry is interested in locating here because he owns a home here. He likes the area and would like to grow his business here,” Jenkins told commissioners during a Nov. 14 meeting. “In the last year they’ve seen a steady growth in income and are also looking at new projects this year with

Toyota and Tesla and they’re on track for projected income for 2018.” The company plans to start out with just three employees and hopes by year three to have a minimum of 10 full-time employees and 15 part-time employees. While Thornberry will hire an office manager locally, Jenkins said he will presumably be bringing employees with him. “Looks like a company that’s primed for growth,” said Commissioner Ronnie Beale. Commissioners unanimously approved the lease and also approved spending $7,000 out of the county’s economic development reserve fund to add a garage bay door to the unit TECO will be occupying.

Interstate 40, has more than 400 employees and is one of Haywood County’s remaining manufacturing industries. ConMet broke ground in 2013 on a $5.9 million expansion to the Canton facility to consolidate some operations out of Arden and add another 80plus jobs.

“In the last year they’ve seen a steady growth in income and are also looking at new projects this year with Toyota and Tesla.” — Tommy Jenkins, Macon County Economic Development Director

The Macon County Business Development Center in Franklin offers over 14,000 square feet of business and light industry space available to qualifying startup small business entrepreneurs.

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER pair of congressmen — one Democrat and one Republican — were slapped with sanctions by the House Ethics Committee last week in relation to separate cases of sexual harassment. Freshman Nevada Democratic Rep. Reuben Kihunen allegedly harassed three women during his time in the state legislature prior to 2016 and refused calls to resign but did not stand for reelection this year, putting an end to his career in the House. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, Mark Meadows was elected to a fourth term this year and isn’t personally the subject of harassment allegations himself. However his botched handling of an office complaint will cost him $40,000. Back in 2014, credible harassment allegations arose around Meadows’ chief of staff, Ken West, who was told not to interact with female employees and later termi-

SCC to host free business summit In an ongoing effort to provide current or aspiring business owners with the resources they need, by Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center will be hosting a free Jump Start Summit from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva.

Tax-aide volunteers wanted The Jackson County AARP Tax-Aide group is looking for volunteers to assist taxpayers with preparing their income tax returns one or two days a week during the tax season. AARP membership is not required. The local program needs both greeters who may have little experience and counselors who are interested in learning to help complete simple personal tax forms. The latter requires somewhat more tax knowledge. That knowledge is provided through training by the AARP Foundation in local classes and using online instruction. Counselors are certified by the IRS before they assist taxpayers. If someone fits the description above, they are encouraged to either volunteer through the AARP Foundation website, or to directly contact Donald Selzer at 828.293.0074 to discuss this opportunity.

Smoky Mountain News

Sandy Hook Promise, the nation’s leading gun violence prevention organization, is providing educational materials, training for schools, community activities, financial support and technical assistance for select SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere) Promise Clubs in schools across North Carolina. Through these efforts, thousands of North Carolina students will receive training to directly engage in gun violence prevention. SAVE Promise Club student leaders will attend one of two workshops hosted by SHP that will provide them with the tools to return to their schools to implement SHP’s effective violence prevention programs. SHP will work with the SAVE Promise Clubs in schools all over North Carolina, including Canton Middle School and Tuscola High School in Haywood County.

The exact location of this summit will be provided upon registration, which can be completed by visiting www.south westerncc.edu/sbc or by contacting Tiffany Henry at 828.339.4211. The full-day summit is geared toward aspiring business owners. It will provide networking, information and resources on a variety of business topics that include money, bookkeeping, sales and marketing. Participants will be able to select workshops that relate to their specific business needs.

November 21-27, 2018

Schools receive violence prevention funds

nated, but kept on the payroll. That’s a violation of House rules, “failing to take appropriate steps to ensure that his House office was free from discrimination,” according to a report issued by the commission, which is chaired by Indiana Republican Rep. Susan W. Brooks. The order for West to avoid women was also criticized by the committee, which said it amounted to unequal treatment of female staffers by a chief of staff to whom they had no access. Meadows did not respond to a request for an interview on the subject, but did issue a statement through a spokesperson. “Three years ago, I asked the Committee on Ethics to review the matter surrounding the alleged conduct of my former chief of staff, Mr. West, and I’m thankful their review has now concluded. I appreciate the Committee’s acknowledgement of the immediate, appropriate and good faith steps I did take after learning of my staff ’s concerns — including immediately separating the chief from the accusers so they never had to interact with him personally during the independent investigation,” he said. “Making sure my team feels safe and secure in our office is the highest priority for me and I’m truly sorry for any stress this situation caused them. I thank the Ethics Committee for their work in resolving this, and my office will remain committed to serving western North Carolinians every day to the best of our ability.”

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Meadows sanctioned over handling of office harassment

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Smoky Mountain News

November 21-27, 2018

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SBI finds no crime committed in Bryson City K9 death

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR fter conducting a limited review into the death of a Bryson City K9, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations issued a decision that it’s unlikely a criminal offense occurred. It’s not the decision Carol Skaziak was looking for as she continues to seek justice for Kanon, the K9 trained officer her organization Throw Away Dogs trained and donated to the Bryson City Police Department back in November 2017. According to the police department, the 2-year-old Dutch shepherd died at the home of his assigned handler on March 13, 2018, after allegedly choking on a piece of plastic he tore off of his doghouse. Skaziak said she didn’t think she was getting the full story. While Police Chief Greg Jones claimed Kanon’s death was a tragic accident, former officers with the department said Kanon was placed with an officer who wasn’t properly trained and that his death was likely due to negligence. Skaziak, who lives in Pennsylvania, decided to reach out to the 30th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for help. Assistant District Attorney Jason Arnold advised her that he had asked the SBI to look into the matter. The SBI told him the Assistant Special Agent in Charge over the district had agreed to accept Arnold’s request but only for a limited review.

“This review would be limited in scope to look at the allegations and reports to see if it was likely a provable criminal offense had occurred before additional resources would be diverted and an agent assigned to work the case,” Arnold wrote in an email to Skaziak. “The NCSBI has finished the limited review and they cannot find it likely a provable criminal offense had occurred to justify any further investigation. I know this is not what you wanted to hear. Thank you so much for what you do to help these animals and the law enforcement community around the country.” The Throw Away Dogs Project is a nonprofit organization with the mission of savings dogs from shelters, training them to be K9 officers and relocating them to communities who need their skills. Experienced K9 law enforcement officers train the dogs for at least six months before they’re adopted out. Since the nonprofit formed in 2014, Skaziak said she’s placed 24 dogs with law enforcement agencies all over the country, but she said nothing like this has ever happened to one of her dogs. She says the Bryson City Police Department did not meet its contractual obligations and their negligence led to Kanon’s death. When the police department’s former K9 handler Chris Dudley, who now works for Swain County Sheriff ’s Office, reached out to Throw Away Dogs for a donation and signed

Carol Skaziak, founder of Throw Away Dogs Project in Pennsylvania, is pictured with Kanon, a K9 trained officer adopted out to Bryson City Police Department. Donated photo a contract to get Kanon, the department was obligated to complete the required training for the handler and the K9 to be certified together as a unit within 150 days of the adoption. If that training isn’t completed within the 150 days, the agreement stated that the agency would forfeit the donation and the dog are supposed be returned to Throw Away Dogs Project. The agreement specifies that if for any reason the donated canine is unacceptable for training or if any unforeseeable circumstances occur, the dog should be returned to the nonprofit immediately. Agencies are not allowed to sell, give away or surrender the dog to any other shelter. Dudley signed the paperwork agreeing to be Kanon’s handler since his K9 was nearing retirement, but changed his mind once Kanon was brought to the agency. Chief Jones was left to look for another handler to place the dog with but didn’t have any other qualified or willing officers. He placed Kanon with a new hire Jeff Fowler who had recently graduated Basic Law Enforcement Training but didn’t yet have his state law enforcement certification and was not a trained K9 handler. The department supplied Fowler with food, a doghouse and a kennel for him to keep Kanon at his house and begin bonding and training with him. The state certification process took longer than expected because of some issues with Fowler’s background check and before it could be sorted out, Jones said Fowler called him early on the morning of March 13 to tell him the dog died sometime in the middle of the night. Skaziak said even the way the police department handled the situation after Kanon’s death was suspicious at best. Though

According to the police department, the 2-yearold Dutch shepherd died at the home of his assigned handler on March 13, 2018, after allegedly choking on a piece of plastic he tore off of his doghouse. she instructed Jones not to cremate the dog until an autopsy could be performed, he went ahead with the cremation. Skaziak received Kanon’s ashes in the mail and a brief condolence letter signed by Town Manager Regina Mathis dated May 11. Besides a strong reprimand from the town board, Jones said no one in his department received any disciplinary action because of the events that led to Kanon’s death. Mayor Tom Sutton said there had been no internal investigation into the incident. Since Dudley left the department to work for the sheriff ’s office, the police department is without a K9 unit, which Jones said could hamper the department’s ability to fight the growing drug epidemic. Because of the incident with Kanon and because the cost of a new K9 and training can run $15,000, Jones said it was unlikely the department would get another K9 unit. As for Skaziak, she said she is not giving up on finding out what really happened and will continue to explore legal recourse.

COMING SOON

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To Mountain Laurel Dermatology DR. AMY PAYNE

Specializing in General Dermatology Including but not limited to:

Acne • Rashes • Psoriasis • Skin Cancers

LifePoint, RCCH merger a done deal

Amy Payne is a native of Virginia and grew up on a farm in the Cumberland Gap area. She graduated from Radford College in Radford, VA with a BS in Biology. She then attended medical school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA and completed her dermatology residency – including a year as chief resident – at the University of Virginia Health System. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Dermatology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. She has practiced dermatology in private practice, academia and hospital-based care since 2004. Amy lives in Asheville with her husband, two daughters and two golden retrievers.

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November 21-27, 2018

Friday & Saturday, Novembe er 23 & 24 10 5

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Southwestern Community Nantahala School

Plus the dozens of ar a tists showcased at the Steco oah Artisans Galler Enjoy the holiday spirrit and refreshments. Purchas se unique holiday gifts Maps available at ea ach artist ’s studio, at the Steccoah Artisans Galler y,

Smoky Mountain News

ifePoint Health and RCCH HealthCare Partners have completed their merger and will now begin operating as one united company under the LifePoint Health name. Duke LifePoint — a partnership between Duke University and LifePoint Health — purchased Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva and Swain Community Hospital in Bryson City back in 2014, turning all three from nonprofit to for-profit systems. As part of the merged RCCH and LifePoint network, the three rural hospitals in Western North Carolina are part of a larger network of community hospitals, regional health systems, physician practices, outpatient centers and post-acute facilities that spans 30 states. It also means LifePoint’s common stock is no longer trading on NASDAQ and will now be a privately-owned company, according to the Associated Press. “This will give us new opportunities to grow and thrive in the rapidly evolving, competitive healthcare landscape,” a press release from Harris and Haywood Regional stated. “While there are great opportunities ahead, much about how our hospital operates today — including our dedication to our patients, employees, physicians, and community — will remain the same, and we do not anticipate any changes in how our patients access our hospital and healthcare providers. People throughout western North Carolina can continue to count on our committed staff and physicians at Haywood Regional to provide excellent care that makes our community healthier. We look forward to sharing more about the newlyexpanded LifePoint Health as it relates to our community in the future.” LifePoint and RCCH are both leading health care providers based out of Brentwood, Tennessee, where the joint company will remain. According to a LifePoint press release, combining these two compa-

nies will mean 2017 revenues of more than $8 billion as well as 7,000 affiliated physicians, about 60,000 employees and more than 12,000 licensed beds. The merger will give LifePoint a more diversified portfolio of health care assets, including 84 non-urban hospitals in 30 states, regional health systems, physician practices, outpatient centers and post-acute service providers, with leading market positions as the sole community health care provider in the majority of the regions it serves. The executive team that will lead LifePoint moving forward includes: David Dill, CEO; John Bumpus, Executive Vice President, Administration; Michael Coggin, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Victor Giovanetti, FACHE, Executive Vice President, Hospital Operations; Rob Jay, Executive Vice President, Integrated Operations; and Jennifer Peters, Executive Vice President and General Counsel. “Today marks a historic moment for LifePoint Health and RCCH HealthCare Partners. We are officially one organization dedicated to providing high quality, community-based healthcare, and I am energized by the opportunities we have ahead of us to serve non-urban communities across the country,” Dill said in a press release. “Our collective teams — now united as the LifePoint Health team — share a dedication to delivering compassionate, quality care, and have a deep bench of expertise in helping healthcare providers in non-urban areas succeed. Together, we have the size, experience, resources and drive to be even greater leaders in transforming community-based healthcare for the future.” The merger was first announced in late July of this year. According to a press release sent out at the time, RCCH is owned by “certain funds managed by affiliates of ” Apollo Global Management, LLC, a private equity firm. Apollo’s purchase of LifePoint Health is a $5.6 billion deal and is the latest in a series of bets by private-equity firms on health care. LifePoint shareholders will receive $65 per share in cash for each share of LifePoint’s common stock they owned, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. If for-profit giant HCA Healthcare’s pending acquisition of Mission Health goes through as planned, there will be no remaining nonprofit hospitals left in the region. Mission operates Angel Medical Center in Franklin and Highlands-Cashiers Hospital.

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NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON NOVEMBER 27 REGARDING THE PROPOSAL TO REPLACE BRIDGE ON N.C. 106 OVER MIDDLE CREEK WEST OF SCALY MOUNTAIN IN MACON COUNTY The N.C. Department of Transportation proposes to replace the bridge on N.C. 106 over Middle Creek in Macon County. A public meeting will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29 at the Sky Valley – Scaly Mountain Volunteer Fire & Rescue located at 169 Hale Ridge Road.

Smoky Mountain News

November 21-27, 2018

The purpose of this meeting is to inform the public of the project and gather input on the proposed design. As information becomes available, it may be viewed online at the NCDOT Public Meeting Webpage: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings. The public may attend at any time during the public meeting hours, as no formal presentation will be made. NCDOT representatives will be available to answer questions and receive comments. The comments and information received will be taken into consideration as work on the project develops. The opportunity to submit written comments will be provided at the meeting or can be done via phone, email, or mail by December 13, 2018. For additional information, please contact David Stutts, Structures Management Unit, Project Manager by phone: (919) 707-6442 or via email at dstutts@ncdot.gov; or by mail: David Stutts, 1581 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1581.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this meeting. Anyone requiring special services should contact Lauren Putnam via email at lnputnam1@ncdot.gov or by phone at 919-707-6072 as early as possible, so that arrangements can be made. Persons who speak Spanish and have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494. Aquellas personas que hablan español o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan antes de la reunión llamando al 1-800-481-6494.

Clean Water Management Trust Fund will provide $1.5 million

“The project will protect water quality, wildlife and the spectacular crest of the Plott Balsam Mountains.”

’Tis better to give than to receive, as the old adage goes, and this year’s Giving Tuesday — Nov. 27 — makes it easy for friends and alumni of Western Carolina University to do just that, especially those thinking about their end-of-year giving. This year, WCU’s Division of Advancement is promoting two special projects for those wanting to make financial gifts to the university on Giving Tuesday, which is nationally recognized as a day to support philanthropic efforts and falls five days after Thanksgiving. One opportunity to participate in WCU’s Giving Tuesday efforts is helping to support an upgrade to the Student-Athlete Academic Support Services Computer Lab, which is used by WCU’s student-athletes. The other is to help defray costs for the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band trip to New York next year to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Academic Enhancement Program, which is housed on the second floor of the Jordan-Phillips Field House, hopes to raise $13,000 on Giving Tuesday to purchase new computers and laptops to help WCU’s student-athletes stay on track academically. The program, which is required for freshmen or transfer student-

athletes, sees about 180 WCU studentathletes each day. Come Nov. 23, 2019, members of the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band leave for New York City to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s the second time since 2014 that these marching Catamounts will strut their stuff at the invitation of parade officials. The cost per student will depend on how much money the band can raise during Giving Tuesday, Starnes said. The goal for Giving Tuesday is $150,000, which means if it’s reached, then each student would pay about $900 out-of-pocket. Donations to Giving Tuesday may be made by contacting the WCU Division of Advancement — 828.227.7124 or advancement@wcu.edu.

Reward offered for baby Jesus The baby Jesus was stolen from the manger scene on the square last Thursday night in Bryson City. The Swain County Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Development Authority are offering a $500 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction in this crime. If you have any information, call Karen at 828.488.3681 or the Bryson City Police Department.

— Bill Holman, N.C. Director for The Conservation Fund

shopsmall haywood

Small Business Saturday is November 24 This year the Haywood Chamber has partnered with the Small Business Center, Tourism Development Authority, Downtown Waynesville Association, and Maggie Chamber to promote Small Business Saturday as one.

As you’re shopping for the holidays, remember to support local businesses and #shopsmallhaywood

Smoky Mountain News

Mountains. The Fund also thanks the N.C. General Assembly for appropriating funds to CWMTF so that communities across the state can protect water resources and increase public access.” Mainspring will receive $577,685 and The Conservation Fund will receive $1,021,600. Earlier this fall, Holman had expressed concern that the delay in grant decisions could place the project in jeopardy, as the January closing date for the Blackrock Tract had been chosen based on when money from any Clean Water grants awarded would come through. However, Holman is hopeful that the project will be able to stay on schedule. “It’ll be a push, but we plan to stay on schedule in acquiring the property early in 2019 and conveying it to the town (of Sylva) in 2019,” he said. The Plott Balsam awards were not the only grants landed by Mainspring or The Conservation Fund. Mainspring also received $604,831 to protect 504 acres in Graham County, 80 percent of which is in the viewshed of the Appalachian Trail, as well as $156,141 for an extension of the Little Tennessee River Greenway at Cartoogechaye Creek in Macon County. The Conservation Fund’s other awards were for counties further east — $840,000 for a project on the Deep River in Chatham County and $425,000 for the Lindsey Bridge Dam Removal in Rockingham County.

November 21-27, 2018

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER plan to conserve more than 900 acres of high-elevation terrain in Jackson County will move forward after the Clean Water Management Trust Fund Board voted last week to award $1.5 million toward its protection. “We’re excited that finally came to fruition,” said Jordan Smith, land conservation manager for Mainspring Conservation Trust. The land in question is divided into two separate tracts: the 441.5-acre Blackrock Tract and the 471-acre Shut-In Tract. The Blackrock piece adjoins Sylva’s Pinnacle Park and land that will soon become part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, while the Shut-in portion stems from the Blackrock Tract and touches the Nantahala National Forest and the Qualla Boundary. The Conservation Fund, a national nonprofit with state offices in Raleigh, has been working for years to get the land, currently owned by developer America’s Home Place, into public ownership, but the initial $4.25 million price tag was too much for Sylva and Jackson County — which The Conservation Fund initially approached with the ask — to fund. A new funding plan, announced earlier this year, split the land into two separate purchases, with Sylva and Jackson County each pledging $250,000 for the Blackrock Tract, to be combined with $1 million from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and $700,000 in private donations. That land would eventually be conveyed to the town of Sylva as an addition to Pinnacle Park. Mainspring Conservation Trust would take the lead on the Shut-In tract, hoping for $500,000 in Clean Water money to combine with $400,000 in private donations and $1 million from a local conservation partner. However, the plan hit a roadblock due to a legal scuffle between the N.C. General Assembly and Gov. Roy Cooper. Cooper alleged that the way appointments were made to certain boards, including Clean Water, gave the legislature an unconstitutional level of power over the government’s day-to-day operations. In an Aug. 31 ruling, a three-judge panel on the N.C. Superior Court agreed with Cooper, meaning that the board’s structure had to be rectified before the Clean Water board could vote. That meant a delay for the conservation project, because the board was originally supposed to vote on this year’s grant awards

Sept. 14. That meeting never happened. In October, instead of replacing any current board members with his own appointees, Cooper converted some of the board members appointed as legislative appointments to gubernatorial appointments. The goal was to allow the board to meet as quickly as possible to make its grant decisions, said Bill Holman, N.C. Director for The Conservation Fund. The board ultimately met in Raleigh Nov. 14-15 and voted to fully fund the requests from The Conservation Fund and Mainspring. “The Conservation Fund greatly appreciates the grant from CWMTF to help acquire the Blackrock property and expand Sylva’s Pinnacle Park,” said Holman. “The project will protect water quality, wildlife and the spectacular crest of the Plott Balsam

Giving Tuesday efforts to focus on students

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Plott Balsam conservation project gets funding

828.456.3021 HaywoodChamber.com 13

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

In-hospital hospice just not the same BY LORNA STERLING G UEST COLUMN ike many in the Haywood County community, I am concerned about the transfer of the in-patient hospice unit into the hospital. Like many, I am convinced that this solution diminishes substantially the quality of services hospice can offer. The granting of a certificate of need by the state for The Homestead only eight years ago was based on a clear demonstration of need. As the county has continued to age, it is difficult to believe that the need for hospice services has decreased. I experienced that need in 2016. My husband had Parkinsons disease for years. Peter was in the hospital when it became clear that he might be close to the end of his life. We wanted that end to be on his terms — at home, not in a nursing home, and definitely not in a hospital. Hospice services were suggested and we decided to take that route. Peter was transferred to The Homestead for a couple of days to be stabilized. We found it to be a lovely, calm and homelike place. And while he was there, I had time to reor-

GOP leader should be gracious in victory To the Editor: While I agree with Cecil GOP Precinct Chair Ted Carr’s statement in Cory Vaillancourt’s “Eastbound and down” article (The Smoky Mountain News, Nov. 14 edition, www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/ 25944) that there is a distinct difference between voters who reside in a farming community and those who live in a town or city, I strongly disagree that farmers are the only ones who “think for themselves.” Also, if Fox News is the primary information source for many of them, that may preclude their independent thinking. I found Mr. Carr’s comparison of Waynesville (Democratic) voters to mindless rodents who “follow the leader off a cliff ” to

ganize a place at home to care for him. Hospice helped me sort out where to place and learn to use all the equipment and supplies that would be needed. That time to prepare for this new phase of our lives was critical and The Homestead made it possible. Over the next weeks, in-home hospice provided essential nursing and other services while I carried out Peter’s day-today care. We were so thankful to be at home even if it was at times difficult and tiring. Importantly we knew we were not alone as we navigated this challenging time. There was many a night when I called the staff at Homestead with a question or concern, and if I had needed to have a break, Peter could have returned to Homestead at any time for a few days of respite care. As it turned out, Peter died at home on a sunny summer afternoon with friends nearby and his much loved dog at his side. If, however, he had been unable to stay at home at the very end, we were both comforted by the knowledge that he could have returned to The Homestead. There he would have been in a lovely peaceful room, with a patio door leading out to rocking chairs and gardens. Family and friends would have

LETTERS be unprofessional and highly offensive. As the official representative of his precinct, Mr. Carr should strive to promote civility between our two parties instead of making statements that only serve to polarize. Furthermore, I encourage Mr. Carr to do a little more research on the lemming. According to what I read in a Nov. 26, 2014, Smithsonian Magazine article, the belief that lemmings throw themselves off cliffs is a popular myth that originated in “faked documentary footage” from the Disney Corporation. In closing, I commend Mr. Carr and his wife for all the hard work they did to get their Republican candidates elected on November 6. At the same time, I want to remind him that the Christian faith he so strongly professes to follow teaches winners to be humble and gracious in their victory.

been gathered in comfortable spots throughout The Homestead. I could have spent time in a small chapel. Peter and I would have spent the last hours of his life in a place fully devoted to our comfort and desire for dignity. The importance of The Homestead and the in-home hospice services to us was incalculable, both practically and emotionally. It supported us throughout all phases of the last weeks of Peter’s life. Our experience is what Jenny Williams, community leaders and donors envisaged when they opened The Homestead in 2012. I believe the in-home services are incomplete without the services The Homestead offers and what it represents — a promise of care for one another. The solution of fitting up rooms in the hospital to mimic it is not what the community needs, wants or expects. I would urge our hospital leadership to work actively with the community to find ways to keep The Homestead open and to continue to grow the necessary role of hospice in our community. It is remarkable that our rural community came together to create the only in-home hospice facility west of Asheville. It is unthinkable that we would let it fail on our watch.

He needs to rethink his statements and issue an apology to the Democratic voters in Waynesville. Myrna Campbell, Chair Haywood County Democratic Party

Guest columnist omits history To the Editor: In the November 7 issue of The Smoky Mountain News, Guest Columnist Autumn Woodward related a harrowing story of detainment by Irish immigration officials who actually were performing the duties expected of immigration officials throughout the world. No doubt, however, such an experience is frightening. Woodward admits that their U.S passports held some strength and privilege, which she alludes to as a condition others entering the U.S may not have. In Woodward’s launch into the history of U.S. immigration, she recounts the vilifying of Irish immigrants who entered the U.S in the 1850s. What she has omitted is that as the Irish assimilated they and other Americans proceeded to vilify and hate the Italians, Greeks and middle Europeans who came to the USA in the early 1900s. Next were the Puerto Ricans and now immigrants from Mexico and the Middle East are in the unfortunate position once held by the Irish, Italians, Greeks and Puerto Ricans. We are even seeing maligning of white people, especially white males. Is all this a good thing? No! Is it a repeat of history? Regrettably, yes. However, there is a serious difference between many of today’s immigrants and those in the 1850s and early 1900s. Today we have people who seek to enter and do enter the U.S. illegally, which was not the case with

earlier legal immigrants. Of course we should stop the thousands who are marching towards and now have reached the United States seeking asylum. True asylum seekers would apply for asylum in the first country encountered. In the case of the present caravan that would be Mexico. The U.S. conditions of asylum are to be under fear of persecution on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or a particular social group. The conditions for asylum are not lack of a job, seeking a better quality of life and desire to uplift the lives of children. Perhaps the answer is that couples like the Woodwards and members of charity, church and private funding organizations join the marchers on their way back to their own country and then work with them to improve their lives and well-being there. The marching immigrants are of an age and ability to develop their own country. In the USA, President Trump rightly is improving the lot of our citizens. Unemployment level has tumbled to numbers unknown for decades, the economy is moving again, workers have seen pay raises and taxes are lower. These improvements benefit U.S citizens who should be the number one focus of our federal, state and county governments. Carol Adams Glenville

Hopes for a long life and many travels To the Editor: In response to the guest column in the November 7 issue regarding immigration, if

S EE STORY, PAGE 15

Susanna Barbee

facebook.com/smnews

Why own an Assault rifle? To the Editor: The Second Amendment states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Please note the first words: “A well regulated Militia ….” My mother used to ask me if I meant to do something she had forbade me to do. Then she would ask if I meant not to. I am reminded of this when I see more and more people being killed by military style guns. Do we mean for them to be killed? No! Of course not. But, do we mean for them not to be killed? As a gun owner and Second Amendment supporter, I mean not to allow more people to be murdered with an assault weapon. That is why I choose not to own one. I would be afraid it would wind up in the hands of someone who killed people. I would then have some sense of guilt over a needless death. By not owning an assault weapon in spite of the fact that I currently have the right to, I hope I am part of preserving “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” that our system of government is meant to secure for all people. Do you own an assault weapon? If so, why? Are you part of a “well regulated Militia”? Do you mean not to see more people murdered? Does America? Dave Waldrop Webster

Diane E. Sherrill, Attorney

Is a Will Enough? FREE LUNCHEON SEMINAR

11:30 A.M.-1 P.M. November 28 January 23, 2019

Best Western in Dillsboro Reservations Suggested

Smoky Mountain News

in-law spent the day with his family and my dad and I worked at the Open Door then came home, ate a plate of nachos and sipped whiskey while reminiscing and shedding some tears. Last year we spent the day at my new house in Maggie Valley. We did make the dressing but it didn’t quite feel the same. I was okay with the boys going with their dad again because I just didn’t know if I could put on a happy face, so I not only missed my mom but I missed my boys as well. Furthermore, making the dressing in my tiny kitchen without the Christmas parade on in the background felt like a pathetic antithesis of my childhood experience. This year I’m feeling hopeful. My sister is hosting a big Thanksgiving at her house in Great Falls, Virginia, outside of D.C. There will be around 15 people in attendance, including my boyfriend and two of his sweet kiddos. All together, there will be six children, three dogs and a lot of talkative adults so it should be loud and lively. My dad is flying up and the rest of us are leaving super-early on Thanksgiving morning for a holiday road trip. We probably won’t be making the dressing this year. With so many people eating and everyone arriving at different times, my sister decided to have the main dishes catered. We’ll be cooking a few side dishes, but I need the turkey juice as it cooks to truly make the dressing recipe. Since we’re having a cooked turkey delivered, I don’t think it will work, although I haven’t totally abandoned the idea. In life, it takes time to create a new normal. And I’ve learned that there needs to be some space between what was and what will be. If we’d tried to force a traditional Thanksgiving that first year after my mom’s passing, we would have been miserable. It will never feel like that again because she’ll never be here on earth again, but I know she would want us to develop new traditions and new happy memories. After two years of cumbersome Thanksgivings, I’m ready to have some cheesy festive fun this year with the people I love. Whatever you’ve got planned, enjoy yourselves. You may not realize it now but these are days you’ll one day look back on with the fondest of thoughts. Or conversely, if you have an empty seat at this year’s table, I’m so sorry. It never gets easy, but it does get better. To you and yours, Happy Thanksgiving! (Susanna Barbee is a writer, editor and digital media specialist. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)

November 21-27, 2018

unny how when you’re living in a moment, you don’t realize how truly special the moment is. Only later in life does the full onslaught of gratitude cover you like a warm nostalgic blanket. That’s how I feel when I reflect upon Thanksgiving days of the past. Every Thanksgiving morning, my sister and I would wake up and wander into the kitchen bleary-eyed and still wearing pajamas. As the Asheville Christmas Parade played on WLOS, my mom would be sipping coffee and have Columnist already cooked cornbread and biscuits, the beginning ingredients for my greatgrandmother’s dressing recipe. With the sounds of high school bands, sirens and dance troops in the background, we would help her break up the bread into tiny pieces. Later, we added turkey juice, thyme, onions and other items to make our family’s secret dressing recipe. The instructions say things like “a pinch of this” or “a dab of that” or “taste to check.” It’s one of those dishes, and I feel privileged that I now know how to make it. Once we got all the dishes going and the turkey was well on its way to being cooked, my grandparents would drive up from Greenville, S.C. and we would feast on a delicious meal and lots of sweet tea before taking naps or lounging in front of the TV. That night, we would pull out Christmas decorations and begin the shift from one holiday to another. When I had my own children, we would basically do the same thing except we drove to my parents’ house in Weaverville or they came to our house in Waynesville. Nevertheless, everyone in the family got in on the bread breaking so we could make our delicious dressing. Even when my boys were tiny toddlers, I would give them a biscuit or piece of cornbread to crumble up. Sometimes I’d look over and there would be crumbs on their faces, so I’m not sure how much bread actually made it into the bowl, but oh well. In 2016 after my mom passed away, we decided to sort of skip Thanksgiving that year. I guess we were protecting our hearts. The holidays were only a couple of months after her death and the thought of continuing our traditions without her felt like being stabbed in the heart. My boys went out of town with their dad, my sister and brother-

you live long and travel wide, you might look back on the Irish toilet experience as downright luxurious. Try riding the overnight train from Chang Mai to Bangkok. There is a hole in the floor of the train that goes down to the tracks. A curved metal bar to balance your behind on, if you choose to use it. In Japan they squat over a hole in the floor. A lot of toilets have no water in them, and at times you will find a bucket of water with a dipper to wash the toilet. Many countries do not flush paper products down the toilets. At the Folkmoot Center, they have waste bins in the toilets for those dancers that visit from those countries. In a fancy restaurant on Martinique in the Caribbean, there was a plank with a hole in it (similar to an outhouse) where you could not see the bottom. Tip: take a couple of plastic grocery bags and ball them up and put one in your purse and one in your carry on. They don’t take a lot of room and you will be surprised how often they come in handy. When you travel, look well dressed. Neat, clean and well groomed. Agents will go out of their way to help you. Smile and have a little humor. Agents take a lot of abuse from the public. Those who work in the airports around the world develop a sense of people and notice any small thing out of the ordinary. It could have been your husband’s beard, your braid, or your shoes or anything else. Sometimes they will take a passenger out of a certain line for no reason. Ask them if you can do anything to help make their job easier. When I return home from a foreign country (and sometimes want to kiss the ground), as our agents from customs and immigration have finished clearing me, I always say “Thank you for the job you do

and keeping us Americans safe.” You might just get a smile and make their day. I worked eight years in an airport in Hawaii. Happy traveling, and a warm Aloha. Jackie Alexander Waynesville

opinion

Thoughts on Thanksgiving and traditions

LETTERS, CONTINUED FROM 14

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559 W. Main St. • Sylva

tasteTHEmountains

Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

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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. 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,

Whatever the Occasion, Let Us Do the Cooking!

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,

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

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. 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.

Monday-Friday Open at 11am

Hall of Fame 2018 Restaurant, Cuisine & Service by Open Table Diners 5.20.18

•••

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Smoky Mountain News

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.

pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

828-456-1997

sandwiches, shareables and daily specials that pair perfectly with our beer. Cozy up inside or take in the mountain air on our back deck.”

Voted

Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food

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1941 Champion Dr. • Canton 828−646−3750 895 Russ Ave. • Waynesville 828−452−5822

Evening E vening feasts feasts. Casual lunches and breakfa br eakfa asts. And A nd the mile high peaks of the Great mile-high Great Smokies all around you. Call (828)926-1401 for reservations. And get a little taste of heaven, Catalooc chee style. style

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44 CHURCH STREET WAYNESVILLE 828-456-1930 Seasonal Hours, Call for Details

tasteTHEmountains 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. 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.

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.

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. Hand-tossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch. Casual family friendly atmosphere.

Sunday: 12pm-6pm Tue-Thurs 3pm-8pm Fri-Sat: 12pm-9pm Monday: Closed

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. 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. 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. 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.

AT BEARWATERS BREWING

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Retail Restaurant LIVE Music

Events begin at 7:15pm unless otherwise noted. Dinner & Music Reservations at 828-452-6000 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 (828) 246-0927

NEW SUNDAY MENU & HOURS 10:30 - 4:00 New Sunday Menu will include Breakfast Bowls & Hand-Tossed Pizzas

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Downtown Sylva • 828.586.3555

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

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Breakfast served all day!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23 Bob Zullo guitar, vocals. Jazz, James Taylor, Santana, Pop. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24 Joe Cruz piano, vocals. Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor + More. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30 ‘Round the Fire guitar, bass, percussion, vocals. Folk-Rock, Americana. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1 Joe Cruz piano, vocals. Beatles, Elton John, James Taylor + More. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 Dulci Ellenberger & Kevin Williams guitar, piano, vocals. Americana, Pop, Originals. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8 ANNUAL JINGLE BELL BASH w/Joseph Hasty rhythm guitar, vocals, Dick Hull jazz guitar, Danny Iannucci bass. Join the Singalong of all your favorite Christmas carols.

828-452-6000 · classicwineseller.com 20 Church Street, Waynesville, NC

WAYNESVILLE’S BEST BURGERS

Breakfast : Omelets, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy!

OPEN WEDNESDAY NOV. 21

Open Daily 7 am to 7 pm Closed most Wednesdays and Thursdays 2804 SOCO RD. • MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.0425 • Facebook.com/carversmvr Instagram- @carvers_mvr

Smoky Mountain News

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 and supporting the local food and local farm-to-table program. 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. Menus created to fit your special event. kaninis.com

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.

November 21-27, 2018

HARMON’S DEN BISTRO 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville 828.456.6322. Harmon’s Den is located in the Fangmeyer Theater at HART. Open 5:30-9 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

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

MON.-SAT. 11 A.M.-8 P.M.

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505 twitter.com/ChurchStDepot

facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Let the world decide Travers Brothership release latest album BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER ust about a decade ago, on a school bus somewhere on the back roads of Black Mountain, four teenage boys sat together and conversed excitedly about their mutual love of music. Two of them were twin brothers, Kyle and Eric Travers. The other two were friends Ian McIsaac and Josh Clark. Though the siblings had been playing music since they were kids, Kyle on guitar and Eric on drums, talk surfaced to start jamming out in their parent’s garage. Those endless hours of tinkering around with sonic tones and musical attitudes led to the formation of the Travers Brothers Band 10 years ago. That initial lineup of the brothers and McIsaac (keyboards) added in Clark (bass) full-time about five years ago, this time under a new moniker — Travers Brothership. It’s soul, blues and funk, but with a thick thread of nitty gritty rock-n-roll running right down the middle. You hear 1960s Motown and early British rock, and yet your ears also pick up on shades of 1970s Steely Dan and 1990s Widespread Panic — it’s all over melodic map, as it should be with all truly great and timeless music.

Watching the Travers Brothership live, the chaotic energy levels push in seemingly every direction. It’s a multitude of intricate musical talent and sheer passion pouring into their instruments, something music freaks from near and far felt was, perhaps, a lost art in the current rock scene — only to now be displayed in full by one of the most promising acts of the genre in recent memory. Smoky Mountain News: Real deal rock-nroll will always be made, somehow and somewhere. But, for the most part, it has greatly disappeared from the mainstream. What would attribute that to? Kyle Travers: One of the reasons it has disappeared is the issue with mainstream music — who gets to decide who records the best music in some of the studios and labels that put out the best music. That’s turned into padding the pockets in the easiest, most inexpensive way, rather than how it used in the old days, just trying to record the most creative and cool product you could search out. SMN: Asheville and greater Western North Carolina have a rich history of bluegrass and Americana music. What is your place in this area as a rock band? KT: The people in Asheville, a lot of them have a very eclectic taste in music. And many of them, what they care about is, “How good is it live?” and “If I’m going to go out and pay the

Want to go? The Travers Brothership album release party for “Let The World Decide” will be held at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23, at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 day of show. For tickets, visit www.pisgahbrewing.com. For more information on the Travers Brothership and to purchase the latest album, go to www.traversbrothership.com. ticket price, am I going to get what I think I deserve?” We fit in because we’re eclectic as well. Some people in Asheville think we’re a funk band, some think we’re a soul band, you hear a lot of rock-n-roll elements. SMN: And all that keeps you from getting pigeonholed… KT: Right. And we’ve gotten advice from people that tell us not to do that. They almost say, “I don’t feel like you’ve found your sound yet. You’re not playing just one genre.” But, for how we write music, for how we grew up all together, listening to music, starting off riding the bus together in middle school — one of was hard into Led Zeppelin, one of us was hard into The Beatles, one of us was into Modest Mouse, and one of us was into Rage Against the Machine. So, we all turned each other on to those different kinds of music. And I feel like as long as we’re putting out an earnest, honest creative output, the people in Asheville can usually respect that.

SMN: Well, I would assume that if people say you should be one thing or the other, it doesn’t faze you at all, because it’s whatever is comfortable where the band is… KT: And why would we ever want to pigeonhole ourselves? Why would we want to end up playing just one style of music? It just gets so mundane, in my opinion. I would never want to do that. And that’s one thing we want to do on this record — it’s going to be all over the place.

SMN: What do you think about that, where the four of you 10 years were jamming in a garage, and now you’re in Echo Mountain putting together a professional album? KT: It’s overwhelming sometimes. It wasn’t an immediate success story, by any means. We have worked hard — through blood, sweat and tears — to get to where we are. And we’ll keep doing that. Every year, more people find out about us and give us support. It’s crazy to look back at it, coming up with the idea of starting a band in the garage at 13 or 14 years old. And now, we’re playing these bigger festivals. [We learned early] how to get along and all those kinds of things bands struggle with. As far as my brother and I, even in elementary school, we decided this is probably what we want to do. And [after Ian and Josh] got onboard, that became the conversation. The advice we got was to “always stick with it.” We take it very seriously. We live by the principle that if we all stick together, it will eventually be successful. I think what motivates us to keep going as a unit is that we’ll be able make whatever kind of music we want.

Kyle (left) and Eric (right) Travers of the Travers Brothership at Echo Mountain Recording Studio in Asheville this past winter. Garret K. Woodward

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

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Smoky Mountain News

The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will I couldn’t believe she gave host “Black Friday” w/Humps & The Blackouts me a ticket. (psychobilly) at 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23. Thanksgiving 2001. I was 16 years old. Having just ate a Acclaimed country singer John Berry will host a quick meal with my family up special Christmas performance at 7:30 p.m. on the Canadian Border of Saturday, Nov. 24, at the Smoky Mountain Upstate New York, I jumped Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. into my rusty 1989 Toyota Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will Camry and bolted down the host Joey Fortner & The Universal Sound at 8 road towards Vermontville, a p.m. Friday, Nov. 23. tiny hamlet in the heart of the desolate Adirondack The twin sons of the late iconic actor/singer Mountains. Ricky Nelson, Gunnar and Matthew will host a Just outside of Vermontville special performance “Christmas with the was a quaint, cozy farmhouse Nelsons” at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23, at the on a small remote pond, now Highlands Performing Arts Center. frozen this time of year. That’s race, and also a large frozen turkey as a prize. where my high school sweetheart lived. And After everybody said their goodbyes and her family pulled up another chair for me at such, I walked out to where my dad’s minitheir dinner table. Being a notoriously late van was supposed to be. It was gone. I sat person, I rushed up Route 3, only to pulled and waited on the steps of the high school, over by a New York State Trooper going 55 in in the freezing cold North Country wind, in a 45 mile-per-hour zone. When the trooper my running shorts and long-sleeve t-shirt. A asked for my license, I couldn’t find it (a day later I found it under my seat). Thus, she gave handful of snowflakes started to fall, but my father was nowhere to be found. Nobody me a ticket and said in leaving, “Have a great was around. I was alone. Thanksgiving.” “Thanks a lot,” I muttered. This was 2000, before most of us even But, even in that moment, I remember had cell-phones. I sat there, cold and shiverthinking it wasn’t as bad as the previous ing, for almost two hours before a NYS Thanksgiving. The year prior, at age 15, I ran Trooper swung in and picked me up. He in the annual Turkey Trot, a 3.1-mile race brought me to my Uncle Scott’s house on the around my father’s hometown of Peru, New other side of town. I called my mother. She York. The starting line was at Peru High flipped out on my father who had thought I School. My father and I drove down to run it caught a ride with some friends and simply with my Uncle Scott. I ended up winning the

November 21-27, 2018

‘Rejoice, rejoice, we have no choice but to carry on’

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left me behind. To this day, I know of no one who could clock a faster time driving the 30 miles from my hometown of Rouses Point to Peru than my old man did that day to retrieve me. For the most part, Thanksgiving growing up was simply about a day off from school and eating as much of my grandmother’s legendary stuffing (covered in homemade gravy) before it was all gone until next year. But, as you get older, and everything in your daily life seems to speed up, Thanksgiving takes on a whole new meaning. It’s more about actual quality time with friends and family, many of which you may never see the rest of the year. This will be my seventh Thanksgiving as a resident of Western North Carolina. And in that time, I’ve only made it home for one of those holidays. Either due to weather or finances — and with a focus on being home for Christmas, which I try to make happen — I’m usually an “orphan” when Thanksgiving appears on the calendar. That first Thanksgiving living in Waynesville, in 2012, I actually spent it alone. With a cheap six-pack in the fridge and a turkey sandwich in my hand, I gazed out my living-room window onto Walnut Street, wondering what the hell I was doing with my life, and if my decision to pull up deep stakes in New York and head to Carolina was a smart one. But, then I would get invited to Thanksgiving gatherings by friends that have become family in Southern Appalachia. Two years were spent in Knoxville, another in Sylva, and one time in Asheville. Last year, I ended up in Charlotte with my (now ex-) girlfriend. My aunt and cousin had relocated from New York to Charlotte. It was a nice to spend the holiday with faces familiar and beloved from my youth. And also, to spend it with someone I loved, a significant other who made up for all those lonely holidays in years past. So, here we are. Thanksgiving 2018. The girl is long gone. Dearly loved and missed, but the memories of her smile and laugh remain. Reflecting on the year, I do have a lot to be thankful for. In terms of work, things are wild and bountiful, with lots of incredible projects on the horizon. No complaints on that front. In terms of my personal mindset and emotional state? It’s been scattered and shattered, zig-zagging between sporadic moments of happiness and sadness seemingly on a daily basis. And, for a lot of this year, I’ve disappeared or avoided friends and family — geographically and emotionally. I’ve hit the road, run away across the country, into the backwoods, into the depths of a metropolitan city, into hours of my headphones on with my favorite music, into my passion for the written word. I’ve felt kind of like a wounded animal hiding out in the woods. At least, that’s how I honestly feel. I’ve spent months working through all of these thoughts and emotions. Luckily, I have writing, live music and, most importantly, dear friends and loved ones I can reach out to either at noon or midnight — the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

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November 21-27, 2018

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The Cleverlys. The third annual “Art of Music Festival” hosted by Balsam Range will return Nov. 27 through Dec. 1. The events for this year’s festival will include the following: • Tuesday, Nov. 27: The Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/country) will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com. • Wednesday, Nov. 28: “Hillbilly Jam” at Elevated Mountain Distillery in Maggie Valley. Open jam begins at 6 p.m. All are welcome to bring their instrument or simply sit and listen. Admission is $5 per person. Children are free. www.elevatedmountain.com. • Wednesday, Nov. 28: The inaugural “Bluegrass Boogie” will take place at 7:30 p.m. in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. Performances by Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) and Darren Nicholson & Friends. An open jam will follow the show. Free and open to the public. www.boojumbrewing.com. • Thursday, Nov. 29: To officially kick off the festival, there will a special “Songwriting Show” starting at 6 p.m. at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Join Milan Miller, John Wiggins, Mark Bumgarner and Aaron Bibelhauser with Balsam Range’s Buddy Melton and Darren Nicholson for an evening of original music made by masters of the craft of songwriting. The event will also feature a traditional

Southern Appalachian barbeque included in the ticket price. Fresh beer will also be available, courtesy of BearWaters Brewery. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased in advance at www.folkmoot.org or by calling 828.452.2997. • Thursday, Nov. 29: Terry Baucom & The Dukes of Drive (bluegrass) will perform at 7 p.m. at the Colonial Theater in Canton. Tickets are $20. For tickets, call 828.235.2760 or visit www.balsamrangeartofmusicfestival.com. • Friday, Nov. 30: Night one at the Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska will include performances Balsam Range, Terry Baucom’s All-Star Band and Shenandoah (traditional country). Doors open at 6 p.m. Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets start at $25 per person with VIP and weekend ticket passes available. For tickets, click on www.balsamrangeartofmusicfestival.com. • Saturday, Dec. 1: Night two at the Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska will include performances by Whitewater Bluegrass Co., Harris Brothers (Americana), The Cleverlys (bluegrass) and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra with Chloe Agnew (of the group Celtic Woman) and Balsam Range. Doors open at 6 p.m. Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets start at $25 per person with VIP and weekend ticket passes available. For tickets, visit www.balsamrangeartofmusicfestival.com. The Master Level Workshops will be taught by the All-Star Band, which will take place on Friday, Nov. 30, at Lake Junaluska.

These workshops are for advanced players wanting to hone their skills and learn from some of the finest pickers in the music industry. Instructors will include Terry Baucom (banjo), Tim Stafford (guitar), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), Frank Solivan (mandolin) and Barry Bales (bass). Master Level Workshops require a ticket and pre-registration. Tickets are $50 for a three-hour session. For more information and/or to register, email: mandy.tenery@balsamrange.com. The festival workshops will take place on Saturday, Dec. 1, at Lake Junaluska. The schedule is as follows: • 9 to 10 a.m. — Terrace Yoga with Cami Glauser • 11 to 11:50 a.m. — Balsam Range (full band) at the Terrace Auditorium • Noon to 12:50 p.m. — Individual instruments in the Terrace Auditorium. Instructors include Buddy Melton (fiddle), Tim Surrett (bass), Caleb Smith (guitar), Darren Nicholson (mandolin) and Marc Pruett (banjo) of Balsam Range. • Noon to 1 p.m. — Songwriting in the Terrace Room with Tim Stafford, Milan Miller and Aaron Bibelhauser • 1 to 2:30 p.m. — Instrument building with Caleb Smith. • 1 to 3 p.m. — Dance in the Harrel Center with Uncle Ted White and Whitewater Bluegrass Co. For more information, visit www.balsamrangeartofmusicfestival.com.

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The twin sons of the late iconic actor/singer Ricky Nelson, Gunnar and Matthew will host a special performance “Christmas with the Nelsons” at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. The evening will be filled with traditional Christmas music, original songs, and lots and lots of reminiscing about their entire family. “Christmas with the Nelsons” tells the story of three family Christmases in the lives of America’s Favorite Family — The Nelsons.

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WCU ‘Sounds of the Season’

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The annual “Sounds of the Season” concert will be presented by Western Carolina University’s School of Music at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. The holiday musical tradition will include a jazz ensemble, percussion ensemble, the WCU Wind Ensemble and University Chorus, and the Western Carolina Civic Orchestra. Children from the Jackson County Youth Honors Chorus will perform. The family-friendly concert concludes with a holiday sing-along and an appearance by Santa Claus. “This surround-sound experience features many different ensembles performing from various locations around the auditorium,” said Lyn Ellen Burkett, WCU assistant professor of music. “The concert is fun for all ages and one of the most popular events on the calendar.” A ticketed event, proceeds benefit the School of Music Scholarship Fund. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for WCU faculty/staff and those 60 and older, and $5 for students and children. Group rates are available for advance purchase only. For tickets, visit arts.wcu.edu/sos or call 828.227.2479.

November 21-27, 2018

This heartwarming multi-media live concert experience stars the third generation of #1 Nelson Family hitmakers. They’ve been thrilling sell-out audiences worldwide for the past decade with their high-integrity “Ricky Nelson Remembered” show and their enthusiasm for this new production is infectious. For ticket information, visit www.highlandspac.org or call 828.526.9047.

November 21-27, 2018

arts & entertainment

On the beat Berry brings Christmas spirit to Franklin Acclaimed country singer John Berry will host a special Christmas performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Berry is a country music singer who has achieved great success throughout his 40-year career. He has received many awards and honors, including a Grammy nomination. He has recently embarked on his annual Christmas tour, “Christmas Songs and Stories with John Berry.” This show is filled with childhood stories, warm holiday memories, and traditional Christmas songs, including a show-stopping a cappella version of “O Holy Night.” During his career, Berry has recorded more than 15 studio albums, including one platinum and two gold albums. Nineteen of his songs have charted on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including one number one single, “Your Love Amazes Me.” Other hits

for Berry include, “Standing on the Edge of Goodbye,” “I Think About It All the Time” and “Change My Mind.” His pure, soulful tenor voice has led him to be described as one of the most remarkable voices in country music. His

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Wintervals Nov. 23. All shows begin at 8 p.m. www.facebook.com/balsamfallsbrewing. • Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 22 and 29. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com. • Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday, Joey Fortner & The Universal Sound Nov. 23 and the “Bluegrass Boogie” w/Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) and Darren Nicholson & Friends 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

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John Berry. rich and powerful voice shines in his latest single, “Beautifully Broken,” which is featured in the movie by the same name. Tickets start at $25 each. To purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

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• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Bob Zullo (guitar/vocals) Nov. 23, Joe Cruz (piano/vocals) Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, and ‘Round the Fire (Americana/folk) Nov. 30. All shows are free and begin at 7:15 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com. • Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host The Corbitt Brothers (Americana/rock) Nov. 2324. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.curraheebrew.com. • Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Hunter Grigg (singer-songwriter) Nov. 23, Noah Proudfoot Nov. 24 and Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/alt-country) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 27. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com. • Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART (Waynesville) will host karaoke and an open mic at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. All are welcome. www.harttheatre.org.

Smoky Mountain News

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Nov. 21 and 28, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Nov. 22 and 29. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com. • Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Kevin Fuller (singer-songwriter) Nov. 24 and the “Toy Run Fundraiser” w/Whiskey Soul 3 p.m. and Tina Collins Duo 5 p.m. Dec. 1 All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

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• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will Swamp Rabbit Railroad (folk) 7 p.m. Nov. 21, The Lost Chord (Moody Blues tribute) 8:30 p.m.

Nov. 21, Amy Steinberg (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Nov. 23, The Page Brothers (jazz) 5:30 p.m. Nov. 25, Ellis Paul & Tracy Grammer (folk) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25, The Rovery Mabe Band (bluegrass) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 27, Tough Old Bird (Americana) 7 p.m. Nov. 28 and Taylor Martin (singer-songwriter) 8:30 p.m. Nov. 28. www.isisasheville.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, Frogtown (bluegrass) Nov. 23, The UpBeats (rock) Nov. 24 and Dirty Dave Patterson Nov. 30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant (Waynesville) will host Vaden Papa Nov. 23, Trippin’ Hardie Nov. 30 and Swamp Rabbit Railroad Dec. 1. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. • Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an open mic night every Thursday, Aces Down Nov. 23 and 30, and Twelfth Fret (Americana/folk) Nov. 24. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.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. • 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. • Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will host a “Beard Competition” with The Colby Deitz Band (Americana/rock) 7 p.m. Dec. 1. 828.586.1717 or www.soulinfusion.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 Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host karaoke every Thursday, “Black Friday” w/Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) Nov. 23, DJ Kountry Nov. 24 and Whiskey River Band Nov. 30. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m. 828.456.4750.

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November 21-27, 2018

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hen I was a boy in Boonville, North Carolina, population 600 in the early 1960s, my mom used to take us shopping once or twice a year in nearby Winston-Salem. Once I asked her why we didn’t shop there more frequently. The stores offered far more variety, and the drive was less than 45 minutes. “We only shop there when we can’t find what we want in our town,” Mom said. “These are our friends and neighbors. They’re your dad’s patients. They need us, and we need them. So we always shop here first.” So, a housewife and mother of six gave me one of the most important economic lessons of my life. Here are 10 reasons for shopping locally, not only during this holiday season but also throughout the year. More of the money you spend stays in your community. For every $100 you spend in your community, $68 stays there. The merchants pay out the rest for goods and services. This is twice the amount for chain stores. There is, of course, even a greater disparity compared to online ordering from outfits like Amazon. The velocity of money — how quickly and how often money changes hands — is much faster on a local level. According to joshuakennon.com, “All else equal, the faster money travels (the higher the velocity of money) and the more transactions in which it is used, the healthier the economy, the richer the citizens, and the more vibrant the financial system.” An example: Rick owns an auto

repair shop. He heads to lunch at the local café. The waitress Rick and others tip goes to the manicurist in the late afternoon. The manicurist stops at the market to buy steak and salad fixings for the weekend. The grocer uses that money and more to buy a new tire on his van from Rick. This fast exchange of money is a sign and a cause of a vibrant economy. Buying local creates jobs. As it grows, that kitchen supply shop on Main Street will need to hire some help. The café and wine shop next

Holiday GUIDE

door will soon be hiring more wait staff. The taxes of these workers and others will help pay for the wages of another fireman for the town. Shopping in your hometown encourages entrepreneurship. When a young person fresh out of college sees a bustling community with lots of small shops, she will be encouraged to open that bakery she’s always dreamed of. Far more jobs are created by local businesses than by Amazon. Buying local allows you to build a rapport with small-business owners. The owner of the coffee shop asks about your son serving in the Marines; the waitress at the café remembers where you like to sit and what you like to drink. In short, you are part of a human community. Shopping local increases realestate values. Small towns with shut-

tered stores and deserted streets are unlikely to attract homebuyers. Towns and communities with active small shops, businesses, and restaurants do attract those homebuyers. Local business folks are more civicminded than the owners of large chain stores or the online companies. They are connected to the community, and are much more likely to donate to charities, coach Little League teams, and work to improve their neighborhoods. Non-profits also receive more support from local businesses. Local businesses invest their money locally. In other words, they buy or rent property, they shop locally, they use local services from barbershops to boutiques. That money they spend stays in the community rather than going to some outfit a thousand miles away. Local businesses pay taxes on property and income. A flourishing commercial district means each of these businesses is helping pay for local schools and other vital projects. Finally, these folks are your neighbors. Like you, perhaps, they are struggling to make a living, get the kids through school, and keep the house standing and the 10-year-old car alive and running. Buy from them, and you’re creating a stronger community, not just for the merchants but for yourself. Of course, shopping locally doesn’t always work, as my mother realized. If you want certain books and your town has no bookstore, then you head to Amazon or the nearest Barnes & Noble. (If possible, choose the latter, where at least the staff is local.) If you need some rare wine and your local market doesn’t carry that brand, then the same advice applies. But, this option should be a last resort. Remember: if you want to keep Main Street alive with shops and people, if you like having a busy commercial district near your home, the best way to keep those things is to spend your money there instead of with some retail giant or online behemoth. Give it a shot. Shop where you live. (Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher who, for more than a decade, owned a bookstore and a bed and breakfast in downtown Waynesville.)

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As consumer shopping habits shift further online, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) are likely to seek out small, independently-owned retailers when shopping online, including 59 percent who plan to Shop Small online this Small Business Saturday; even 40 percent of consumers say they will shop with a small retailer online this Cyber Monday. Among consumers who plan to shop on Small Business Saturday, nearly all (96 percent) said Small Business Saturday inspires them to go to small, independently-owned retailers or restaurants that they have not been to before, or would not have otherwise tried. “When shoppers spend locally at small businesses, communities win,” said National Federation of Independent Businesses CEO and President Juanita D. Duggan. “We encourage consumers to celebrate Small Business Saturday by shopping at small and independent shops and restaurants. We are proud to partner with American Express to promote small businesses.”

November 21-27, 2018

The “Small Business Economic Impact Study,” a county-level economic analysis on shopping small commissioned by American Express, provides a closer look at the economic benefits of shopping locally and the impact of small business on communities. The study found that if small businesses in the U.S. — defined as businesses employing fewer than 100 employees — were a country, they would have a GDP of $4.8 trillion, equivalent to the GDP of Japan, the third largest economy in the world. The study also demonstrated the extent to which small businesses support jobs locally. In addition to small businesses directly employing members of the community, spending by those small businesses and their employees in the area also supports local jobs. In fact, for every 10 jobs at a small business, another seven are supported in the local community. Now in its ninth year, 97 percent of consumers who plan to Shop Small on

A majority of consumers (94 percent) value the contributions small businesses make in their community.

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here’s some irony that the Small Business Saturday that was started in 2010 as a way to help small businesses get more customers was created by the giant corporation we all know as American Express. That said, the celebration has since become an annual shopping tradition on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. “What began nine years ago as an effort to support local stores during the holiday shopping season has become the Shop Small movement, bringing together millions of shoppers, small businesses of all kinds, civic leaders and organizations in thousands of towns and cities across the country,” said Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer at American Express. “Shopping small has a significant and positive effect on local communities, and we hope Small Business Saturday will help to amplify that effect during the crucial holiday shopping season. When we spend local, small businesses thrive. And when small businesses thrive, we all thrive.” Chambers of commerce around Western North Carolina have jumped on the effort, encouraging members to visit downtowns and other locally owned stores instead of doing all their holiday shopping online or at the big box retailers.

the day said Small Business Saturday has had a positive impact on their community, according to the “2018 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey,” another study based on a separate survey of consumers. The survey found that nine in 10 (91 percent) consumers believe it is more important than ever to support small businesses this holiday season, and 83 percent plan to do at least some portion of their holiday shopping at a small, independently owned retailer or restaurant — either in person or online. On par with previous years’ celebrations, nearly six in 10 (58 percent) U.S. consumers reported being aware of Small Business Saturday, and among those, 80 percent plan to go out and Shop Small at independently-owned retailers or restaurants on the day.

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Safety first when it comes to toys F not have the ability to use toys designed for older children, and such toys might not be safe for them to use, so it’s always best to stick to the age guidelines. • Avoid certain toys. Toys with sharp or rigid points, spikes, rods, or dangerous edges can pose a threat to youngsters. Avoid such toys, opting for toys with rounded and/or dull edges instead. • Stick to sturdy toys. Kids do not often treat their toys delicately. Toys

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

Holiday GUIDE

will be dropped or thrown, so choose sturdy toys that can withstand being dropped or thrown without breaking into tiny pieces. Tiny shards can pose a choking hazard to youngsters. • Purchase toys with the ASTM designation. ASTM International is an international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of products, including toys. Prevent Blindness notes that toys with the letters ASTM on the packaging have been tested and met

the toy standards set for by ASTM. • Avoid toys with parts that shoot or fly off. These types of toys can damage the eyes and lead to other acci-

dents or injuries. When shopping for toys for children this holiday season, shoppers must consider safety first.

HOLIDAY GUIDE

ew things compare to seeing the joy on a child’s face upon opening a holiday gift. Many adults remember holiday gifts they received as children, and holiday shoppers often try to look for gifts that will be just as memorable to the special youngsters in their lives. Shoppers might have kids’ smiles on their minds when holiday shopping, but it’s just as important to focus on safety when buying gifts for children. Prevent Blindness®, an organization devoted to ensuring everyone enjoys healthy vision from infancy through adulthood, offers the following tips to toy buyers who want to make sure they give safe gifts to kids this holiday season. • Read all warnings and instructions on the box. Before taking a toy to the check out line, give the packaging a thorough read-through, paying particular attention to product warnings and instructions. Such warnings are designed to keep kids safe. When buying toys online, only purchase toys that include the warnings within the product description. • Purchase age-appropriate toys. Kids’ toys come with age recommendations, which are typically listed on the front of the packaging. Stick to these recommendations. Kids might

November 21-27, 2018 5

What to get the beer drinker on your list

HOLIDAY GUIDE

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raft beer is having its moment, and nowhere is the craze as rabid as in Western North Carolina. According to the Brewers Association, the craft brewing industry experienced a 5 percent growth in 2017 and now accounts for more than 23 percent of the $111.4 billion beer market in the United States. Craft beer drinkers’ devotion to beer is perhaps only matched by their love of exploring new beers. The popularity of the geosocial networking service and mobile phone application Untappd, which allows its roughly seven million users to check in as they drink beers and share those check-ins with friends, is a testament to the passion many craft beer drinkers have for beer. Holiday shoppers with craft beer aficionados on their shopping lists can always purchase products from one of our local or regional brewers, which is always a great idea. Here, however, are some other gift ideas when shopping for that loved one who loves nothing more than hoisting a pint. • Pressurized growler: Craft breweries sell beer in cans and bottles, but many craft beer enthusiasts prefer to take their favorite ales home in growlers.

Holiday GUIDE

• Beer making kit: Craft beer enthusiasts who love to study how beer is made may appreciate a beer making kit. These kids typically are designed for novices, though shoppers also can find more advanced kits for beer lovers who have already begun to make their own ales, stouts and lagers. When shopping for a beer making kit, be sure to buy one that suits the space your loved has available. Some kits are ideal for apartments, while others require more space to set up. • Magnetic bottle opener: Magnetic bottle openers save beer loves the hassle of finding that ever-elusive

bottle opener. Easily attached to the refrigerator, magnetic bottle openers can be customized with a loved one’s name and some even include a pocket that catches bottle caps as beers are opened. Small magnetic bottle openers make great stocking stuffers. • Beer glasses: Though it might seem insignificant to non-beer drinkers, the glass in which beer is served goes a

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Growlers are glass bottles, often gallon-sized, that contain beer poured directly from the tap. This may make the beer taste more fresh than it might out of cans or bottles, and it provides beer lovers with that unmistakable draft beer taste. Beer sold in traditional growlers may not stay fresh for more than a couple of days. But a pressurized growler can keep beer carbonated and fresh for weeks.

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Technological gifts for students

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November 21-27, 2018

ifting students with tech is a surefire way to help them with their educations. In a Harris Interactive poll, 86 percent of teachers thought it was important or absolutely essential to use tech in the classroom. In addition, 96 percent of teachers felt technology increased student engagement in learning. Today’s students are more tech-savvy than ever before, so hot gadgets figure to be coveted items this holiday season. Here’s what to add to holiday shopping lists. • E-reader: Digital e-readers enable students to carry an entire library of books in one small device. Full backpacks or small dorm rooms bogged down by piles of books are a thing of the past. E-readers have highlighting and note taking features that can facilitate learning. • Digital assistant: Digital assistants pack a lot of intelligence into their diminutive size. When paired with smart home devices, digital assistants can be used to turn on lights or small appliances, making them an asset in a bedroom or a dorm room. • Smart bulbs or alarm clocks: The importance of lighting on mood and function has been well-documented. Innovative LED bulbs and technology can simulate various times of day and even be used for mood lighting. Instead of waking up to a blaring alarm buzzer, students afraid of sleeping in can set special lighted clocks to gradually brighten, simulating the rising of the sun. • Streaming media players: Devices like Roku, Amazon Fire stick and Apple TV can broaden media horizons. These players are paired with viewing apps (some free; others requiring subscriptions) that can do everything from stream TV, movies and music, and offer connectivity to the Internet. They’re a boon when setting up a functional student spot for hanging out. • Earbuds: Students can never have enough quality earbuds for personal use or school study. Whether walking around campus listening to music, using a classroom Chromebook or catching up on an audiobook, earbuds are a must-have for modern students. • Digital tracking devices: Students can keep tabs on prized possessions by using Bluetooth-enabled tracking devices. These plastic gadgets can be placed on or in items and paired with Android and iOS apps on smartphones. The user then locates the item through a locate network. • Computer workstation: Even though handheld digital devices are functional and in demand, a student can always use a quality laptop or desktop computer for writing papers or doing research.

— Irv Kupcinet 7

he fitness industry is booming and attracting new devotees every day. The growth of the fitness industry has included a surge in boutique fitness regimens. While major clubs offer classes, separate boutique clubs also are thriving. Clubs focusing on ballet barre, Cross-Fit® and Orangetheory® are just some examples of the booming boutique fitness industry. Holiday shoppers with fitness fans on their list can look to their loved ones’ love of physical activity when seeking inspiration for holiday gifts. Purchasing gifts for someone with a specific hobby or interest can often be daunting because enthusiasts may have firm ideas of what they like and want to use. While the same can be said for athletes and people who live active lifestyles, there are plenty of gifts that will appeal to those who embrace fitness as part of their lifestyle. • Bluetooth headphones: Music can inspire and get fitness buffs motivated. Bluetooth headphones connect wirelessly to most devices, and such headphones won’t get tangled up while running or hitting the elliptical at the gym. Select a pair that are lightweight and comfortable and securely fit in the ears for

ultimate convenience. • Reversible yoga mat: Active yogis know just how much a stretch session can work up a sweat. Throw in an hour of hot yoga, and perspiration will certainly be flowing. Everyone recognizes Lululemon for their comfortable workout attire, but the company also has a reversible yoga mat that wicks away moisture during yoga sessions. When gifting yoga mats,

Holiday GUIDE

throw in a yoga mat carrier as well. • Fitness tracker: Active people often like to track their progress during a workout or to see just how much they’ve been moving during the day. Fitness trackers are ideal for this. Different brands come at various price points to make giving easier on the budget. • Personal blender: Diet plays a big role in fitness, and many fitness enthusiasts enjoy protein shakes and smoothies as part of their daily regimen. A personal blender makes enough for a single bottle at a time. Some are designed so the blender tube is actually the receptacle that

can be carried on the go. • Suspension training kit: Many workouts are based on counterbalancing body weight to drive up resistance. Suspension training, like the workouts from TRX, utilize a network of straps so athletes can put their body weight to use in a variety of exercises. A portable kit can be set up wherever it’s needed. • Dumbbell set: Weight training can boost metabolism and strengthen

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bones and muscles. When athletes can’t make it to the gym, a home set of dumbbells can ensure they still get their strength-training sessions in. • Workout bag: A durable duffel bag that can tote a change of clothes, towel, equipment, and more to and from workouts is a gift any fitness enthusiast can enjoy. Outfitting fitness enthusiasts with the tools of the trade is a surefire way to purchase a holiday-gift hit.

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November 21-27, 2018

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November 21-27, 2018

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aking is a holiday tradition in many families. Gingerbread cookies may be the first baked goods that come to mind when people envision the holiday season, but celebrants need not limit themselves when preparing special treats for their families. Macaroons are one beloved baked good that busy holiday hosts may believe are too time-consuming to prepare. However, the following recipe for “Coconut Macaroons with Dried Cherries” from Laurey Masterton’s The Fresh Honey Cookbook (Storey) is easy to whip up and makes for a tasty holiday treat.

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1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut 8 egg whites Salt 1 ⁄4 cup dried cherries 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon honey, preferably orange blossom honey 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 2. Combine the unsweetened and sweetened coconut on a baking sheet. Lightly toast in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep close watch so the mixture does not burn, though you do want a nice toasted golden brown color. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. 3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. (If using a convection oven, leave at 350 F.) 4. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until the whites stiffen into firm peaks. 5. Fold the toasted coconut into

the egg white mixture. 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop tablespoon-size rounds, perhaps using a small ice cream scoop, of the coconut mixture onto the baking sheet. Press one or two dried cherries into the top of each macaroon.

Holiday GUIDE

7. Melt the butter and honey together in a microwave on high for 20 seconds. Drizzle the mixture over the top of each macaroon. Sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt. 8. Bake the macaroons for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned (watch carefully to avoid burning), or for 8 to 10 minutes if using a convection oven. The macaroons should be dry to the touch. You may need to bake them longer if it is a humid day. If you live in a dry area, these will keep well for a week. Chef’s note: If you want to be really fancy, melt some chocolate and dip each one halfway into it.

Happenings

• The Highlands Christmas Parade is at noon on Dec. 1.

HAYWOOD COUNTY

SWAIN COUNTY

• Maggie Gets Lit, the official beginning of the Christmas season and Lighting up of the Valley for the winter season. The event concludes with a community sing-around a Christmas tree and flipping a switch to light up Maggie Valley. Noon to 6 p.m. on Nov. 24. • Waynesville Christmas Parade is at 6 p.m. on Dec. 3.

• Handel’s “Messiah,” featuring a local choir and musicians, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 7, at Stuart Auditorium. Tickets at www.lakejunaluska.com/christmas or 800.965.9324. • Appalachian Christmas Craft Show from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, December 8, at the Harrell Center. • Sheila Kay Adams, storyteller, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 8, at Stuart Auditorium. Tickets at www.lakejunaluska.com/christmas or 800.965.9324 • The Lake Junaluska Singers Christmas Concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 8, at Stuart Auditorium. Tickets at www.lakejunaluska.com/christmas or 800.965.9324.

JACKSON COUNTY • “Christmas on the Green” – featuring a visit from Santa

• The Town of Sylva’s winter market and photos with Santa will be held from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1. Market is in the parking lot at Main/Landis Streets. Santa will be at downtown breweries and clubs starting at 9 p.m. • The 31th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” arts and crafts show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 1-2 inside the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University. $5 for a two-day pass. Children under 12 are free. Parking is also free. www.mountainartisans.net. • Sylva Christmas Parade is at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2, on Main Street. Theme is “Christmas Around the World.” • The annual “Sounds of the Season” concert by Western Carolina University’s School of Music is 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for WCU faculty/staff and those 60 and older, and $5 for students and children. Group rates are available for advance purchase only. arts.wcu.edu/sos or call 828.227.2479. • Western Carolina University’s Department of Campus Activities will present “The Nutcracker” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students

ou are invited on a journey this December that will explore the dream God offers in Jesus and the wild ride that awaits. JOIN US FOR SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP Contemporary Praise: 8:20 & 9:40 Modern: nine35 & eleven05 OPEN INVITATION TO EVERYONE Traditional: 11:00

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and WCU faculty and staff, and $15 for the public. For tickets and group sales, contact the Bardo Arts Center box office at 828.227.2479 or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. • Dillsboro Festival of Lights & Luminaries is held for two weekends, December 7-8 and December 14-15. More than 2,500 candles light up the town while shops and galleries stay open light with Christmas specials. • The 44th Annual Cashiers Christmas Parade is December 8 at noon with rain date Sunday, December 9 at 1 p.m.

MACON COUNTY • Franklin’s Annual Christmas Parade is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25. Theme is “The Joy of Christmas.” 524.3161. • The Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce’s first “Pictures with Santa” will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 30, at the welcome center. 828.524.3161.

• “Christmas Bazaar & Cookie Walk” will start at 9 a.m. on December 1 at 76 Main Street. Homemade cookies and treats, pecans, handcrafted art and other items for Christmas gifts. Old fashioned cookie walk. 828.488.8970. • The 44th annual Bryson City Christmas Parade will be held at 2 p.m. on December 1 in downtown. www.greatsmokies.com. • “Santa at the Museum” will be from 5 to 8 p.m. on December 1 at the Swain County Heritage Museum. Bring your camera or cell phone to commemorate this fun event. Cookies and cocoa served in the lobby. • The “Share the Joy” concert will Alma Russ (Americana/old-time) will be at 6 p.m. on Decmeber 1 at the Swain Arts Center. Russ was a recent contestant on “American Idol” and received yeses for the “golden ticket” from Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. Tickets are $10 or $5 with the donation of a new child’s toy. Toys will be donated to the Swain Family Resource Center.

Join us Friday, the 7th of December 4:00pm to 8:00pm • $1 a minute foot soaks, massages & mini facials • Free add-on to nail treatment (paraffin wax or charcoal clay) • Get your gift cards and gift baskets now • Wine and snacks • 10-15% off retail all day long • Enter to win a 30 or 60 minute treatment (100% proceeds go to local non-profit of choice)

November 21-27, 2018

The story of Jesus's birth is the fulfillment of a dream that goes back generations. The dream was that God would deliver God’s people with an anticipated Messiah who would save us from ourselves.

Dillsboro Festival of Lights & Luminaries. Jackson TDA photo

HOLIDAY GUIDE

• A Night Before Christmas in downtown Waynesville will be held Dec. 8. Live music, caroling, live nativity, wagon rides, Santa, shops open late, other special activities.

• The Town of Sylva’s official tree lighting is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, on the steps of the Jackson County Public Library. Holiday music performed by Western Carolina University’s choral group and Geoff McBride.

• “Breakfast with Santa” will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. on December 1 at the Rescue Squad Building. Pancake breakfast ($5). Bring your own camera. 828.488.3681.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

• Canton Tree Lighting Ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. in Sorrells Street Park to kick off the Christmas Parade at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 6.

and Mrs. Claus – is scheduled for 2-5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, at the Village Green Commons in Cashiers. Holiday music and tree lighting celebration at 5 p.m. Info: info@VillageGreenCashiersNC.com, VillageGreenCashiersNC.com or 743.3434.

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On the street Bryson City celebrates Christmas There will be a wide range of holiday events celebrating Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 1, in Bryson City. • “Breakfast with Santa” will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Rescue Squad Building. Pancake breakfast ($5). Bring your own camera. 828.488.3681. • “Christmas Bazaar & Cookie Walk will start at 9 a.m. at 76 Main Street. Homemade cookies and treats, pecans, handcrafted art and other items for Christmas gifts. Old fashioned cookie walk. Stop by and meet Gin-Gin the

‘Christmas in Sylva’ able food items to support the center’s emergency food box program. Advance tickets can be purchased online with an additional processing fee at www.ticketstripe.com/season-of-lightcelebration or by cash or check at the center, which is open Monday through Thursday from 2:30 to 6 p.m., and by appointment. Tickets also will be available at Blue Ridge Books and church offices of Grace Church in the Mountains and First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. In addition, tickets will be available at the door. Proceeds support the Pigeon Center, which offers affordable afterschool and summer enrichment programs for students, programs for seniors and veterans, emergency food boxes, historical preservation initiatives, community dinners and other programs and services. The event will be held at center located at 450 Pigeon Street in Waynesville in the former Pigeon Street School, which served African-American elementary school students before desegregation. For more information, visit pcmdc.org, email pigeoncommunityd@bellsouth.net or call 828.452.7232.

The annual “Christmas in Sylva” holiday will take place Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in downtown. The events are as follows: • 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30: Tree lighting, with a concert by the Western Carolina University Choral Group & Geoff McBride. The Luminaries will also be present. • Saturday, Dec. 1: Photos with Santa from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sassy Frass. Winter Market from noon to 5 p.m. in the Main Street lot. Photos with Santa for adults from 9 p.m. onward at cocktail clubs/lounges and breweries in downtown Sylva. The Luminaries will also be present. • Sunday, Dec. 2: Christmas Parade at 2 p.m. Parade will start at the Historic Courthouse and go down Main Street.

party” is open to everyone and there is no charge to attend. Items are needed for the auction, which include handmade crafts, artwork, subscriptions, sports equipment, tickets to area attractions, gift cards, gift baskets, and much more. Note that all items donated should be new or of a quality that you would be willing to give to someone as a gift. The SCGHS is a nonprofit, so donated auction items are tax deductible. The proceeds from the auction will be used to upgrade equipment and resources in the genealogy library. Items may be dropped off at the Society Library (200 Main Street, Bryson City) between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday. Items will be accepted through noon Dec. 5. 828.488.2932.

Items needed for holiday auction

• The “Polar Express” will depart on select times through Dec. 31 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. www.gsmr.com.

The Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society (SCGHS) is asking area businesses and individuals for your help. The annual “Holiday Shopping Auction” is scheduled for Dec. 6. This is an evening of live music by Jesse & Friends, fun and frivolity and an opportunity to do your holiday shopping by purchasing unique gifts via a silent auction. The “auction-

• The CommUnity Square Dance will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, at the Old Rock School in Webster. Caller Phil Jamison will teach and call all dances to live old-time music. No partner or fancy outfit required. pammanottus@gmail.com.

November 21-27, 2018

A “Season of Light Multicultural Holiday Celebration” featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres, music and sharing of customs from holidays around the world will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville. “We love to host this event because we get to highlight and celebrate the diversity in our community and our world in a way that is festive, fun and brings us together,” said Lin Forney, executive director of the Pigeon Center. At the drop-in, family-friendly event, guests visit areas of the center dedicated to Advent, Diwali, Fiesta de la Griteria, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas and Winter Solstice. Event hosts offer traditional holiday foods from the different holidays as hors d’oeuvres along with information, stories or games associated with the holidays and customs. The evening also features a dessert bar and concludes with a candlelight singing of “This Little Light of Mine.” Admission to the event is $10 for ages 13 and older, $5 for ages 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and younger with two nonperish-

Gingerbread Man. Presented by the United Methodist Women’s Group. 828.488.8970. • The 44th annual Christmas Parade will be held at 2 p.m. in downtown. www.greatsmokies.com. • “Santa at the Museum” will be from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Swain County Heritage Museum. Cookies and cocoa will be served. • The “Share the Joy” concert will Alma Russ (Americana/old-time) will be at 6 p.m. at the Swain Arts Center. Russ was a recent contestant on “American Idol” and received yeses for the “golden ticket” from Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. Tickets are $10 or $5 with the donation of a new child’s toy. Toys will be donated to the Swain Family Resource Center.

arts & entertainment

‘Season of Light’ holiday celebration

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Smoky Mountain News 23

arts & entertainment

On the wall ‘Hard Candy’ holiday craft show The 31th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” arts and crafts show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 1-2 inside the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University. This mountain tradition started in 1987 in Franklin with eight local artists. It has grown to more than 100 original artisans who sell their work at great prices. Expect a dazzling display of fine hand crafted creations such as Father Christmas dolls, fresh mountain greenery, and folk dolls. The ornament collectors always find new additions for the tree. Admission is $5 for a two-day pass. Children under 12 are free. Parking is also free. For more information, visit www.mountainartisans.net.

November 21-27, 2018

Balsam Arts & Craft Show The annual Autumn Balsam Arts & Craft Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, at the Balsam/Willets/Ochre Fire Department. Local hand-stitched and stamped greeting cards, crocheted and hand-sewn items, homemade fudge and baked goods, pottery, glazed pecans, oil paintings/prints, small hand-painted tiles and wooden spoons, jewelry, candles, matted/framed photos, baskets and chair caning, among other items. A portion of the entry fees will benefit the fire department.

Stecoah Drive-About Tour The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 23-24 in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville. With their studios open to the public, the self-guided driving tour highlights artisans who have built a livelihood with their creative talents. Media include pottery, beeswax lanterns and pillar candles, original paintings and drawings, fiber, quilts, photography, artisan cheeses and more. The tour includes: Nantahala School for the Arts (Southwestern Community College), Sawmill Creek Pottery, Gallery Zella, Stecoah Artisans Gallery, Yellow Branch Pottery & Cheese, Taylor’s Greenhouse, Wehrloom Honey & Essentials, and Junk ‘n’ Style. The Schoolhouse Café at Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center will be open during both days of the Artisans Drive About. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

New Macon library art exhibit

Holiday ARTSaturday returns to Cowee The Arts Council of Macon County’s free crafts and caroling workshop, Holiday ARTSaturday, will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, in the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center gym in Franklin. This annual event for elementary schoolage children and young families offers makeand-take evergreen swags, cards and decorations, free face painting by Macon Faces, caroling with keyboardist Lionel Caynon, and fun for all. The Joe and Claire Suminski Family sponsors ARTSaturday to honor the grandparents of Macon County. ARTSaturday is part of Cowee Christmas, the Heritage Center’s all-day celebration featuring open studios, arts and crafts demonstrations, shows and sales, live music, food, and more. Parking is free and there’s no admission charge. See schedule and details at www.coweeschool.org. ARTSaturday is produced by the Arts Council of Macon County. 828.524.ARTS or email arts4all@dnet.net.

‘There Is Almost Always A Choice’ by Justin Moe. The work of artist Justin Moe will be on display throughout the month of November in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. Moe is an outsider artist, DJ, graphic designer and musician who lives in Macon County. And this year has been a challenging and awakening year for him both physically and mentally. At the end of January, he herniated a disc in his back which came to rest on the sciatica nerve bundle of his right leg. This caused excruciating pain, immobility, sleepless nights, and some major depression until the doctors finally got his medications

dosed correctly to effectively manage his pain a month later. Six months later, he finally had surgery to fix it and is grateful to have come out of it all healthy, happy, focused, and “fixed.” He also stopped drinking alcohol due to the medications he was on. Prior to that, he was walking the ledge between being a casual drinker and being an alcoholic. These events contributed to a new strength and outlook on life. During many of those initial sleepless nights he would go in to his spare bedroom studio and create. Many of the works you see here were brought to fruition during that time.

Smoky Mountain News

Ellison to hold photography show

‘Auction Without Noise’ by Quintin Ellison.

Longtime journalist and photographer Quintin Ellison will hold an artist’s reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, in downtown Sylva at Cullowhee Mountain Arts at 598 West Main Street. The next day, at 10 a.m. (Saturday, Dec. 8), also at Cullowhee Mountain Arts, Ellison will talk about the highs and lows of shooting street photography in small, rural towns such as Sylva, Bryson City, Franklin and Waynesville. She’ll also discuss her efforts to record as much of the mountain culture as possible, in fear that one day, the traditional ways of life in Western North Carolina will be lost. To that end, she haunts local livestock auctions and farms, clogging dance events and more. Ellison mainly works in black and white, a holdover from her early days as a

reporter/photographer shooting film for darkroom development. She believes black and white photography, with its emphasis on shape, texture and line, is timeless, classic and never out of style. Ellison grew up in Bryson City and lives in Sylva, serving as general manager of The Sylva Herald. She has spent her three-decade journalism career in Western North Carolina, with stints at three additional newspapers: The Franklin Press, the Asheville CitizenTimes and The Smoky Mountain News. Her photographs will hang in Cullowhee Mountain Arts’ gallery space for about two weeks. They will be shown by appointment only after the Dec. 7 reception and Dec. 8 artist’s talk. For more information, call Ellison at 828.507.8697 or email qlellison@icloud.com.

On the wall arts & entertainment

• The “Christmas in the Mountains” indoor arts and crafts show will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Stecoah Valley Center. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com. • A “Beginner Step-By-Step” painting class will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays (Nov. 29) at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. RSVP by contacting Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560 or paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com. • Our Summerhouse Pottery in downtown Waynesville will host after-school art classes for elementary/middle-schoolers. Pottery/art classes will be held weekly for six weeks. Elementary (8-10 years olds) will be Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.. Middleschoolers (11-14 years olds) will be Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuition is $95, which includes all supplies. Class size is limited to eight. For more information and/or to register, contact Amy at amy@oursummerhousepottery.com or call 828.734.5737.

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• Mad Batter Food & Film (Sylva) will host a free movie night at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. For the full schedule of screenings, visit www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

November 21-27, 2018

• The Waynesville Fiber Friends will meet from 10 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of the month at the Panacea Coffee House in Waynesville. All crafters and beginners interested in learning are invited. You can keep up with them through their Facebook group or by calling 828.276.6226 for more information. • “Thursday Painters Open Studio” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Bring a bag lunch, project and supplies. Free to the public. Membership not required. For information, call 828.349.4607.

Smoky Mountain News

• A “Youth Art Class” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the Appalachian Art Farm on 22 Morris Street in Sylva. All ages welcome. $10 includes instruction, materials and snack. For more information, email appalachianartfarm@gmail.com or find them on Facebook. • Free classes and open studio times are being offered at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Join others at a painting open studio session from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays. For information on days open, hours and additional art classes and workshops, contact the gallery on 30 East Main Street at 828.349.4607. reclaim your weekend

visitnc.com/parks

arts & entertainment

What Are Cannabinoids?

On the table

Bosu’s tastings, small plates

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

Prostate Cancer Menstrual Cancer

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

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. 366 RUSS AVE, WAYNESVILLE | 828.452.0911

November 21-27, 2018

BiLo Shopping Center | facebook.com/kimspharmacy

Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host an array of wine tastings and small plates, available at The Secret Wine Bar within the shop. • Nov. 22/29: Five for $5 Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. Taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Stacy’s gourmet cuisine. • Nov. 23/30: Secret Wine Bar Night from 5 to 9 p.m.. Gourmet food, and a great wine & beer menu. • Nov. 24/Dec. 1: There will be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. 828.452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 24 and Dec. 1 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 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.

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On the stage

Smoky Mountain News

Experience a casual, relaxing atmosphere perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch. We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.

Open to the Public, 7 Days A Week! Call 828-926-4848 for reservations.

1819 Country Club Drive Maggie Valley, NC

M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M 26

WCU presents ‘The Nutcracker,’ ‘Holidays at the UC’ Western Carolina University’s Department of Campus Activities is looking to help get residents of the local area into the holiday spirit. The department will present “The Nutcracker” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. The stage production will be followed by “Holidays at the A.K. Hinds University Center” Dec. 5-6. • “The Nutcracker” will be performed by the Ballet Conservatory of Asheville. Tickets are $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff, and $15 for the public. For tickets and group sales, contact the Bardo Arts Center box office at

828.227.2479 or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. • “Holidays at the University Center” will feature an ice rink, “Build a Buddy,” a sledding hill, train ride, photos with Santa and more. The Ultimate Holiday Pass, which includes all of the activities, can be purchased for $15 at the University Center guest services desk. Individual activity pricing can be found at dca.wcu.edu. • There is free comedy improv class from 7 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday in Maggie Valley. 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 just call 828.316.8761 to RSVP for directions.

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

You can’t make this stuff up ne of my favorite and most often used aphorisms in this lifetime has been “you can’t make this stuff up.” This adage applies 100 percent to Michael Finkel’s recent national best-selling book The Stranger in the Woods (The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit). Gifted a copy of the book from a friend who had read my book Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods and who thought that I would enjoy reading about “the ultimate hermit,” Writer I dove right into the book and didn’t come up for air until I had reached page 203 at the end of the book. Michael Finkel is a journalist who has reported from more than 50 countries and written for such publications as National Geographic, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, and the New York Times Magazine, just to name a few. His “reporting” in this nonfiction biobook is stellar and in a more story-telling style than something that may have been penned for Vanity Fair or Esquire (which he has also written for). The story begins with the arrest of Christopher Knight after being caught stealing food from a summer camp refrigerator in the North Pond community near Albion, Maine. We follow Knight, step by step on his trek through the woods from his encampment into the mess hall for the summer camp. We can practically hear his heart beating from Finkel’s descriptive prose. Knight is caught in the act and is taken to the local jail by the police for questioning and for booking of multiple breaking and entering charges, which as it turns out, covers a period of 27 years. The rest of the book is a flashback covering the 27 years that Christopher Knight has been living in a tent encampment completely off the grid where he has not spoken to or interacted with any human beings during the course of all these years. This fact alone is practically beyond belief. As someone who lived for four years off the grid, my reaction to this story is, again, “you can’t make this stuff up.” And Finkel isn’t making anything up in The Stranger in the Woods, as the entire book is based on his lengthy interview sessions with Knight both during his custody in jail and afterwards. So, in a sense, even though

Thomas Crowe

the book isn’t written in the first person, this book is autobiographical, an as-told-to account of Christopher Knight’s life and lifestyle for those extraordinary 27 years. How does one explain the fact of having

lived alone in total isolation for 27 years? Finkel writes, “Knight thinks of himself both as a common criminal and as a Nietzschean Ubermensch — a superman, subject to no one else’s rules, a master of selfdiscipline capable of transcending the vapidity of life. His only real relationship being

between himself and the forest.” In his early twenties, Knight decided he’d seen enough of and lived long enough in the world of humans and their communities, drove his car from Portland up the coast of Maine to the Albion woods, parked the car at the end of a dirt road and started hiking with nothing more than what he could fit into his backpack. He found an isolated spot deep in the woods and set up camp. And here he remained for 27 years. When asked by Finkel why he decided to do this, Knight explained that he left the modern world because the world was not made to accommodate people like him. “He was never happy in his youth,” writes Finkel, “not in high school, not with a job, not being around other people. There was no place for him, and instead of suffering further, he escaped. It wasn’t so much a protest as a quest; he was like a refugee from the human race. The forest

offered him shelter.” So, how did Christopher Knight survive in the woods as a solitary and with no practical survival skills or knowledge? He read books that he pilfered from the summer cabins around North Pond — hundreds of them. And he stole food and supplies from these same cabins and from the summer camp kitchens that were located in that same general vicinity. Finkel’s writing about Knight’s descriptions of his forays on a monthly basis to different uninhabited locations in search of food and equipment that would aid him in his struggle for survival are like we, as readers, are also part of the team that is breaking and entering into the structure(s) alongside Knight. We witness his every move. His every thought. His reveries and frustrations of discovery and in coming up short. For the major part of this book we are living with Knight as the hermit, and it is not until the end of the book that we get to know him intimately and from a psychological perspective, as he shares his inner-most thoughts and beliefs in a few surprising conversations that they had during Finkel’s final meetings with the hermit after his brief incarceration and release from jail — including a couple chapters devoted to the social and psychological ideas of isolation and solitude. Finkel quotes a recent University of Virginia study that found that 25 percent of people questioned would rather subject themselves to electric shocks than to do nothing but sit quietly with their thoughts for 15 minutes. Or, as Knight explained to Finkel after quoting from authors such as Thomas Merton, Ranier Maria Rilke, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Lord Byron, Edward Abbey, the Tao Te Ching and Jack Kerouac from the reading he had done over the years, “The dividing line between myself and the forest seemed to dissolve. My isolation felt more like a communion. My desires dropped away. I didn’t long for anything. I didn’t even have a name. You’re just there. You are. To put it romantically, I was completely free.” Much as I’ve been asked over the years if I was ever lonely during my four years alone in the woods, my response was the same as Knight’s to this question. “I was never lonely,” he said. “If you like solitude you are never alone.” Thomas Crowe is a regular contributor to Smoky Mountain News and is the author of Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods. He lives in the Canada community of Jackson County and can be reached at newnativepress@hotmail.com

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

INVENTORY OF LIFE Twenty-year effort to count Smokies species adds 1,000 to science Paul Super, science coordinator for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, points toward a newly discovered lichen species that is named after him. Holly Kays photo BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER y late November, the trees at 5,000 feet are mostly bare, once-green leaves covering the forest floor like a brown blanket, obscuring the ground that had hosted all manner of wildflowers and shrubs and berries during the warmer months. Some people might describe the forest as dead or lifeless, but not those who know where to look. Paul Super, science coordinator for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is one of those people. Stationed up at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob, Super’s office is just a stone’s throw away from the Cataloochee Divide Trail and the upland forest surrounding it. The trees may be leafless and the previously green vegetation brown, but nevertheless life is everywhere. A grasshopper that’s managed to resist the recent chilly lows grasps a dried-out stem, centipedes and beetles hide beneath fallen logs, and all manner of moss and lichen cover the abundant tree trunks. It’s the lichens that have brought us out here — and that’s a sentence few people ever have occasion to say. As lichen scientist James Lendemer, of the New York Botanical Garden, put it, “the number of lichenologists in the United States and Canada that actually study lichen biodiversity you could count on probably one hand, and the number of them that are actually employed at an institution to do that full-time as professionals you can count on less than one hand.” “In the Eastern United States,” Lendemer added, “that would pretty much be me.” When Lendemer started studying Smokies lichen biodiversity 10 years ago, he was walking relatively untraveled ground, something that became evident when he began finding unusual species right and left — lichens that

had never been documented in the park before, and lichens that had never been described in science before. When Lendemer first arrived in the Smokies, about 400 species of lichen had been reported in its boundaries. A decade later, that number is at 831 — 37 of those are completely new to science. One of the new additions is the Pertusaria superiana, a green-blue species that tends to grow over top of mosses clinging to the bottom portions of oak trees. That’s the particular lichen that had initiated our outdoor excursion, because the species name “superiana” is an homage to Super, who has helped Lendemer and his research partner Erin Tripp, of the University of Colorado, coordinate research in the park. With favorable conditions abundant at Purchase Knob, the superiana grows all across the outdoor office of its namesake. Likewise, the new lichen species Lecanora sachsiana, Lecanora darlingiae, Leprocaulon nicholsiae and Heterodermia langdoniana — which Lendemer and Tripp also discovered — are named after current and former park staff members Susan Sachs, Emily Darling, Becky Nichols and Keith Langdon. Super said he considered the namesake to be an honor, particularly since the lichen is relatively common in the woods around Purchase Knob. “I’m very fond of my office here at Purchase Knob, and it’s right out there in the woods,” he said. “After I retire I will still have my lichen in the woods to watch over the place for me.” “It’s a huge honor,” agreed Susan Sachs, education branch chief for the park and namesake of the Lecanora sachsiana. “I joke with my dad that since I didn’t have kids this is going to be the family legacy. The name will go on. But it’s nice to be recognized for your education efforts — usually it’s scientists who are recognized in this way.”

Join the research You don’t have to be a scientist to help with the All Taxa Biodiversity Index effort. There are multiple ways to get involved. n Go to Discover Life in America science events, which are announced on the organization’s website and Facebook page. n Volunteer to help with ongoing studies, field surveys and more. n Intern through DLIA’s undergraduate programs, which include biology, photography and public relations positions. n Donate to help fund research efforts. More information about all of the above is online at www.dlia.org. Contact Todd Witcher, 865.250.1207 or todd@dlia.org.

BEYOND GIFT WRAPPING Lendemer’s and Tripp’s hand in more than doubling the number of known lichens in the park is certainly a notable achievement, but it doesn’t stand alone. Their work is just one part of a much larger endeavor — the All Taxa Biodiversity Index. The ATBI turned 20 this year, passing another significant milestone in the process. As of October, this effort to inventory every species living in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has resulted in the discovery of 1,000 species that are completely new to science. In total, 19,866 species have been documented, with 9,523 of those having never been found in the park before. In rough numbers, that means that one out of two species tallied had was new to the park, and one out of five had never been seen before — anywhere, at all. “When you think about it on any level, it’s mind-blowing,” said Sachs. The ATBI is a partnership of the park and

the nonprofit Discover Life in America, which was formed in 1998 to fund and organize the ATBI. It’s a shoestring operation, with just two paid employees and a slew of volunteers, yet it’s managed to provide nearly $1 million in research grants that scientists have used to leverage an additional $2 million. Todd Witcher, executive director for the past 11 years, said that it’s “pretty amazing” for the inventory to have reached racked up the numbers that it has. “I think a lot of people didn’t think we’d get this many,” he said. Sachs and Super have been working on the ATBI since the beginning, including 17 years together at Purchase Knob coordinating researcher visits and educational programs. “Paul and I have both used this analogy,” said Sachs. “Before we were managing the park for the ‘gift wrapping’ which is the stuff you can easily see — the birds, the trees, the flowers — but not focusing on what was inside of the box, which when you lift the lid, that’s all the little things, and the little things are what keeps the park running smoothly.” The ATBI hasn’t turned up any new-to-science mammals, fish, birds, reptiles or amphibians, though it has documented a handful in each category that are new to the park. But in large part, the discoveries have come in the lesser-studied categories — the project has documented 270 new bacteria species, 58 new fungi, 61 new beetles, 78 new algae. One of DLIA’s big contributions has been to search out and bring in specialists in some of these lesser-studied groups. In some cases, there are only a couple people worldwide qualified to do the work that needs to be done. Sometimes, solutions have to be creative. For example, said Super, for a long time there was nobody around who could identify centipedes, so Witcher hired an intern who made it a point to learn what he could by hanging around the lab of one of the only centipede specialists in existence. That intern was eventually able to spend a summer cataloguing centipedes. But, in other cases, the discovery has come where it was least expected. Vascular plants have been pretty well studied in the Smokies, so DLIA figured the ATBI wouldn’t turn up much else in that category. However, so far 104 new park records have been found and one new-to-science species. Super was there when one of those finds occurred, driving a group of botanists to park headquarters. Suddenly, one of the botanists pointed out the window at a shumard oak tree growing along the road and said, “That’s not on your park list, right?” It’s an odd, exciting feeling to find something new in a place as iconic as the Smokies. “I didn’t have any idea when I picked it up that it was going to be new for the park,” said Dan Pittillo, a botanist based in Cullowhee who has been working on the ATBI since its inception. “But, I was in a place that nobody else had scouted.” Pittillo found one of those newto-the-park plants decades before the

ATBI even launched — a spurge called the Euphorbia purpurea while hiking Hyatt Ridge in April 1979. When the ATBI was first being organized in 1997, Pittillo was at one of the initial meetings, and in the past five years he’s spent more than 50 days taking data in the field and processing his finds.

STRATEGY FOR DISCOVERY

than 800 square miles of rugged and diverse terrain, it hasn’t exactly been easy, but DLIA uses a three-pronged approach in an attempt to cover the park as thoroughly as possible. The first approach is office-based, with volunteers pulling old data from park files to tally species from historic records. Secondly, early on DLIA identified about 20 plots that it considered to represent the diversity of unique habitats in the park, attempting to catalogue all the species present in those areas. The third approach, however, represents the bulk of the work that’s occurred over the past 20 years. In this method, known as traditional sampling, the park and DLIA work

Species group

S EE ATBI, PAGE 43

New trail project announced A two-year effort to rehabilitate Rainbow Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now complete, and the next Trails Forever project has been announced — Trillium Gap Trail, a 6.6-mile path that intersects with the Rainbow Falls Trail at Mount LeConte. The rehabilitation of Trillium Gap Trail will take two years, beginning in May 2019, and will be conducted together with other critical work across the park on trails such as the Deep Creek Trail, Rough Fork Trail, Smokemont Trail and Noah Bud Ogle Trail. Trillium Gap Trail and associated parking areas will be closed from May 6, 2019, through Nov. 14 of that year, from 7 a.m. Mondays through 5:30 p.m. Thursdays. It will be open on federal holidays. Work will resume in 2020. Park officials celebrated completion of the Rainbow Falls project Wednesday, Nov. 14. The trail is on one of the park’s most popular trails and leads hikers to Rainbow Falls and Mount LeConte. Crews rehabilitated targeted segments along the trail to improve visitor safety, stabilize eroding sections and repair damage from the November 2016 wildfires. The project included installing more than 350 steps through steep, narrow corridors; creating nearly 600 feet of elevated trail surfaces, installing almost 400 drainage elements, placing more than 1,000 native stones along the trail and eliminating numerous user-created side trails that had caused erosion and wayfinding confusion. “The craftsmanship exhibited by the park trail crew is extraordinary,” said Deputy Superintendent Clay Jordan. “They create durable, functional trail corridors that support the high-volume hiker use of the Smokies in a manner that also reflects and protects the natural landscape.” American Conservation Experience youth interns contributed much of the labor for the project, with 44 interns working 41,360 hours and 162 volunteers contributing 1,576 hours over two years. The work is possible through Trails Forever, a partnership of Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The program funds a highly skilled work crew to reconstruct high-use and high-priority trails in the park and provides a mechanism for volunteers to work side-by-side with professional crews.

Smoky Mountain News

Number of records

ATBI species records for selected species groups

Friends of the Smokies and Great Smoky Mountains National Park representatives cut the ribbon Nov. 14 on the rehabilitated Rainbow Falls Trail. NPS photo

November 21-27, 2018

Much progress has been made, but the ATBI is far from over. If DLIA’s estimates are anywhere in the neighborhood of correct, there could be three or four times as many species out there to tally. About halfway through the project the organization started getting scientists to predict how many species in their area of specialty were likely to occur in the park, yielding estimates of 80,000 to 100,000 species. As more information and statistics have come in, that number has diminished to 60,000, but it’s still far above the roughly 20,000 species that have been found thus far. “It’s hard to protect places and things if you don’t really know what they are or what exists in those places,” said Witcher. “The first step would be figuring that out and finding out what’s there.” That’s what the ATBI has been aiming to do. Given that the Smokies covers more

outdoors

Lepidopterist John Brown collects butterflies during a bioblitz in 2000 while a mycologist documents fungi species (below) for the All Taxa Biodiversity Index. NPS photos

to attract scientists who specialize in classifying various groups of species to come do field work in the Smokies. Scientists collect specimens and also note other data points, such as the time of year, habitat and location where the organism was found. Some scientists just visit once, while others come back for multiple years running. Lendemer falls into the “multiple years” camp, a fact that’s thanks to his follow lichenologist Tripp. Tripp did her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina Asheville, and when she and Lendemer started getting interested in lichens, she suggested that they go take a look at the Southern Appalachians. That suggestion resulted in a 2005 trip to Gorges State Park in Transylvania County, and the following year Lendemer joined Tripp on an excursion to the Smokies. Before that trip, the understanding had been that lichens in the Smokies were pretty well studied. But their sampling that year yielded dozens of species that were new to the park, including 20 in a single 1hectare plot at Baxter Creek. “That’s a pretty clear indication that the whole place isn’t that well known,” said Lendemer. That initial spurt of discovery drove the scientists to return again and again, aiming to hike every trail in the park in search of lichen species. The discoveries just kept coming, with the current lichen tally now more than double the number of species known before Lendemer and Tripp started their work. A typical round of sampling involves walking a trail in search of a place to inventory. Then they’ll stop for an hour or two, attempting to find every lichen species in that hectare of forest. For every species found, they’ll take a sample, in the form of a cut-off tree twig or rock fragment. Those samples will go back to the lab, where the scientists will confirm their field identifications with microscopes, chemical tests and — in some cases — DNA sequencing. Then, they’ll package the samples into labeled specimens, describing and showcasing the species to make it easy for people to understand and appreciate what they’re looking at. For new species, the process is even longer. The scientists first have to eliminate all known species as possibilities and then use their expertise to determine which of all the countless species flung across the globe the lichen in question most resembles. Before the new species can become official, a paper documenting and describing it must be completed. The road from specimen to species-hood is a long one. “There’s really a lot of interpretation, because you’re stepping into the unknown and saying, ‘This is a thing we’ve never seen before. How do we know it’s something we’ve never seen before?’” said Lendemer. Professional scientists aren’t the only ones to have had a hand in the everincreasing ATBI species count. Citizen science — data collected by students, volunteers and other non-scientists — has also

outdoors

HCA Healthcare Expanding Access to Behavioral Healthcare Services

Understanding the Crisis. Behavioral health issues impact nearly everyone’s life, with one in every four individuals experiencing a diagnosable mental health or substance abuse disorder each year.

Addressing the Need. A new 120-bed behavioral health hospital with expanded outpatient programs will be built and staffed with experienced providers, supported by HCA Healthcare resources, best practices and experts. When completed, the new hospital will nearly double the inpatient behavioral healthcare capacity currently at Mission Health.

In North Carolina alone, four people die each day due to drug overdoses. There provide much-needed help to individuals struggling with addiction.

HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s largest acute care psychiatric providers, with more than 70 inpatient locations and more than 2,900 beds. Individualized, patient-centered comprehensive programs, dedicated to supporting the human capacity to change and overcome adversity.

Behavioral health has been a vital part of the care HCA Healthcare provides to our patients. And, with the growing demand to treat opioid addiction and other behavioral health issues, it’s as important as ever.

HCA Healthcare behavioral health services: advancing care, serving our communities and making a difference in the lives of our patients.

Smoky Mountain News

November 21-27, 2018

aren’t enough treatment facilities to

We invite you to learn more about HCA Healthcare.

caretogethernc.com 30

Care. Together.

ATBI, CONTINUED FROM 41

We also cater! Serving all of WNC.

Super frames the Pertusaria superiana lichen, which grows alongside a variety of other species calling this oak tree home. Holly Kays photo

body of information will go far beyond a simple list to a more cohesive understanding of how park ecosystems work, how best to protect them and how the loss of a single species can affect the myriad others that depend on it. Two years ago, the park launched an online species mapping tool that gives the probable range for hundreds of species found in the Smokies. “The ATBI gives you that baseline so you can do the long-term monitoring,” said Sachs. “Without a good baseline it’s difficult to know how things that create longterm change — both positive and negative — impact the ecosystem. Having a good foundation is critical.” As the ATBI has hit milestones and strengthened its process, DLIA has been working to share those successes with other parks and even countries interested in doing something similar. The ATBI is currently working with Chinese scientists to do an inventory in a subtropical area near the border with Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, and domestically it’s helping with endeavors at Acadia, Point Reyes and Boston Harbor Islands National Parks. “I think connecting people with nature in a real, scientific way helps the public better understand science,” said Witcher. “And I think that’s important in their support of why these species are important, why they should support the conservation of spaces and species.”

Prescribed burn planned at Cades Cove The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is conducting prescribed burns in the Cades Cove area, aiming to reduce wildfire risk, restore meadow habitats and maintain the historic landscape. The park planned to conduct burns between Nov. 19-21, but plans could shift due to weather. Weather conditions important to the burn schedule include moisture levels, wind speed and direction, temperature and relative humidity. Burn activities will result in fire activity and smoke, with firefighters and equipment set up along Sparks Lane and the western end of Cades Cove Loop Road. The road and historic structure will remain open, though brief delays and temporary closure may occur.

149 Park St, Canton 828-507-6209 www.hitthepitbbq.com

What To Do with Leftover (Canned) Pumpkin Canned pumpkin is an excellent source of beta carotene (vitamin A) and fiber so if you have extra cans of 100% pumpkin around, don’t let them go to waste and don’t think you just have to use them to make a pie. Here are a few ideas of what you can do with canned pumpkin. • Pumpkin quick breads, scones, muffins or cookies • Soups or add to chili • Parfaits or smoothies

Pumpkin Nog Smoothie 1/3 c. canned pumpkin 1/2 c. egg nog 1/2 c. milk ( or plant-based beverage) 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg 1/4 tsp grated cinnamon 1/2 c. ice cubes. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Sweeten as desired.

Smoky Mountain News

The ATBI is about more than just a species tally. Just as important as what is there is where it is, how its life cycle works, how its population is changing and what its presence has to say about the overall health of the environment. That last consideration is part of what got Lendemer into lichens. Lichens get all their nutrients and water from the atmosphere and are therefore very sensitive to air pollution. Really, every tree on the East Coast should be covered with lichen, Lendemer said — when lichen is absent, that means that something is amiss with the air quality. Her work with the ATBI got Sachs especially interested in snails, for a similar rea-

Tues.-Fri. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

November 21-27, 2018

STRENGTHENING THE BASELINE

Award-winning BBQ, brisket, and ribs, all with sides made fresh daily.

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played a significant role. Up at Purchase Knob, education is as much the goal as research. In addition to hosting ATBI scientists, the facilities welcome various student groups who come to learn about Smokies ecosystems and the scientific method. Sometimes, those lessons result in new finds for the ATBI. For example, over the years Super and Sachs have run an experiment in which a mini fridge with a hole drilled through the top and a UV light source is set out in the woods, plugged in. Overnight, moths flock to the light and then get trapped in the fridge, where the cold temperature slows down their bodily functions so that they’re still alive and well when the students come to retrieve and identify them in the morning. That and similar citizen science experiments have yielded records of 100 species of moths that had never been found in the park before, Super said. And for many of those species, professional scientists would have been hardpressed to document them. “Most species are active during warm weather, and that’s when most lepidopterists (butterfly and moth scientists) are going to show up in the park and work,” Super explained. “But there are a significant number that come out in a warm day in the wintertime, or this is the only time you will find them right now, so it’s too ephemeral when the right time is for a professional lepidopterist to look in the park. But, people who live around here can look for things much more quickly, much more opportunistically.”

son. In addition to being unexpectedly fascinating and easy-to-identify creatures, they’re also indicators of environmental quality due to the fact that their shells are composed of calcium. “During our years of poor air quality, we were noticing some of the calcium-shelled snails had a weakened pitting in their shells, which has gone away as air quality has improved,” she said. As the species inventory continues, the

outdoors

Bike ride will honor cyclist’s memory A memorial bicycle ride in honor of John Mudge, owner of Rolls-Rite Bicycles in Waynesville, will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23, starting at the Waynesville Recreation Park. Mudge, 71, passed away on Nov. 6. He was instrumental in the growth of cycling in Haywood County and helped lowincome people in need of a bike for transportation get a two-wheeled ride. He helped Bicycle Haywood N.C. in its pro-

gram to donate bicycles to the Haywood Pathways Center and worked hard to make Haywood County a safer place to pedal. Cyclists will meet at the Vance Street Park parking lot and ride for about 2 miles. All fitness levels, ages and bicycle types are welcome, though riders younger than 13 should be accompanied by an adult. Cyclists should gather at 12:45 p.m. to start the ride by 1 p.m. Bicycle Haywood N.C., which is hosting the event, will have club members on hand starting at 12:30 p.m. to inflate tires and provide bicycle safety checks. Bob Clark, bobclarklaw@gmail.com.

Bike through winter The Asheville Winter Bike League has begun, with rides offered weekly at 10 a.m. Saturdays through Jan. 26. Upcoming rides include: n Nov. 24 at Mills River Park in Fletcher. n Dec. 1 at Jackson Park in Hendersonville. n Dec. 8 at Bold Rock Hard Cider in Pisgah Forest. The league offers structured, long winter road training rides in a format that aims for a smooth, steady tempo that avoids rapid accelerations and decelerations for the entirety of the ride. Free, with riders asked to donate a few dollars to ride leaders and drivers. Learn more at bit.ly/2qS3YP8.

Pencil in the Plunge

November 21-27, 2018

A date has been set for the Haywood Waterways Association’s annual plunge event. The Plunge — bearing the tagline “freezin’ for a reason” — will be held at noon Saturday, Feb. 2, at Lake Junaluska. The Plunge is Haywood Waterways’ annual fundraiser to raise money for its environmental education activities in the community. Costumes are encouraged, and plungers can pay to participate or jump for free by gathering donations before the event. www.haywoodwaterways.org or 828.476.4667.

THANKSGIVING DAY BUFFET

Thursday, Nov. 22 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. $29.95 per person, $12.95 children 10 & under

MENU:

Smoky Mountain News

Cold Food Selections

Green Salad Bowls, Caesar Salad, Apple Waldorf, Deviled Eggs, Artisan Cheeses, Smoked Trout-Shrimp Salad, Creole Pasta Salad, & Grape-Walnut Chicken Salad

Desserts

Pecan and Pumpkin Pies, Fruit Cobblers with Vanilla Ice Cream, Cheesecake, & Carrot Cake

Reservations are required. Call 828-926-4831 or 828-926-4900.

1819 Country Club Drive Maggie Valley, NC

M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M 32

Hot Selections

Chef Carved Prime Rib, Chef Carved Baked Ham, Chef Carved Roast Turkey, Baked Salmon, Southern Style Green Beans, Sweet Potato Casserole, Broccoli Casserole, Scalloped Potatoes, Cornbread Dressing, Giblet Gravy, Eggs Benedict, Biscuits, Rolls, & Cornbread

An angler ties a new fly. SMN photo

Learn to tie a fly A weekly fly tying class has started at Outdoor 76 in Franklin, held 6 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday. All levels are welcome, and the class is

free. Anyone interested is invited to stop by, make some flies and get a craft beer from the taproom. Outdoor 76 is located at 35 East Main Street. 828.349.7676.

Pros to teach pickleball A pickleball clinic and demonstration will be held beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. The clinic will be taught by the USA Pickleball Association and sponsored by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. It is open to pickleball players of any skill level. Pickleball is an easy-to-learn sport suitable for all ages. Sign up at the Rec Center by Tuesday, Nov. 27. Free for members with a daily admission charge for non-members. Donald Hummel, dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov or call 828.456.2030.

Ski swap returns to Cataloochee Cataloochee Ski Area will hold its sixth annual Cataloochee Ski & Snowboard Swap Shop Saturday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Dec. 2. The consignment sale is operated by the Cataloochee Ski Patrol, with new and slight-

ly used clothing and gear for kids and adults offered at bargain prices. The sale will be held 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, with people wishing to sell items invited to register and drop off items 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, and 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.myconsignmentsale.com/index.php?S aleName=catswap.

Fallen rock causes Parkway closure near Asheville Tanbark Tunnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed until further notice after pieces of the tunnel’s natural rock ceiling began to come loose. To effectively route visitors away from the tunnel, the Parkway will be closed from milepost 355.3 at N.C. 128 north of Montreat to milepost 375.6 at Ox Creek Road near Weaverville. The detached rock fragment, found during a weather-related closure earlier this month, is about 4 feet by 3 feet and up to 12 inches thick. The rock has not fallen to the road and is currently being held up by a steel netting and rock bolt safety system installed on the tunnel ceiling for the purpose of catching any falling rock. Due to the rock’s significant weight, however, repairs are necessary before reopening the tunnel to visitors. The National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration are in the process of determining what repairs are needed. Weather permitting, Mt. Mitchell State Park will remain open and accessible while tunnel repairs are underway. Find real-time information about Blue Ridge Parkway closures at www.nps.gov/maps/blri/road-closures.

Celebrate watershed conservation outdoors

Enjoy food, fellowship and the chance to learn about watershed conservation efforts in Haywood County at the Haywood Waterways Association annual membership meeting, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Lambuth in at Lake Junaluska. Neil Carpenter of the Maggie Valley Sanitary District will be the guest speaker, discussing all the ways the district has been working to protect the headwaters of Campbell Creek, which supplies the town’s watershed. The evening will also include a silent auction, year-in-review presentation and an awards ceremony. The dinner is open to all, regardless of Haywood Waterways membership status. Auction items are still needed, with donations welcome. RSVP by Tuesday, Nov. 27. Dinner cost of $15 per person will be collected at the door. Christine O’Brien, 828.476.4667, ext. 11 or christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com.

Guests view art pieces on display. Bren Photography photo

Drink tea, support garden projects An afternoon of tea and crafts will raise money for garden beautification projects in Sylva, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the First United Methodist Church in Sylva. The Sylva Garden Club will provide tasty treats, with pecans and Christmas décor available for purchase. The suggested donation of $15 will be collected at the door, with all proceeds funding Sylva Garden Club beautification projects.

Smoky Mountain News

An art-focused fundraising event raised more than $40,000 for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation last month, allowing for education and improvements to continue along the 469-mile corridor. The gala and art show, “Of Valley & Ridge: A Scenic Journey Through the Blue Ridge Parkway,” was held Oct. 26 to 28 at Zealandia in Asheville, a collaboration of the Foundation and The Saints of Paint. More than 30 fine artists from Western North Carolina created pieces for the event. To donate to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, visit www.brpfoundation.org.

November 21-27, 2018

Art raises cash for the Parkway

outdoors

Activists fast for climate awareness A group of climate activists based in Asheville is nearly finished a 10-day Thanksgiving fast aimed at bringing attention to climate change issues. The fast is organized by Community Roots of Asheville with support from the Sylva-based Canary Coalition. It began at 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 12, with participants consuming liquids only until noon on Thanksgiving Day. “There is no longer any doubt that human activity is causing climate change and global warming much more rapidly than anyone in the scientific community had previously

believed,” said Avram Friedman, executive director of the Canary Coalition. “We have about one decade in which to dramatically reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and transition to clean, safe, renewable technologies, if we intend to avoid the worst consequences of climate change which could render our planet virtually uninhabitable for future generations.” Each morning, participants gathered at 7:30 a.m. to greet Buncombe County employees making their way to the county courthouse, afterward moving to the Vance Monument until sunset — weather permitting — with a prayer ceremony held at noon each day and followed by speakers from scientific and activist communities.

Sochan grows along a river. NPS photo

Learn about solar power A meeting exploring the ways faith communities can unleash the power of the sun will be held 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, at First Baptist Church in Asheville. Experts, congregational and community leaders will participate, as well as the director of N.C. Interfaith Power and Light. Sign up to attend at https://bit.ly/2zd8uMC.

Rare shrub seeds for sale

November 21-27, 2018

Alarka Institute in Cowee is now selling seeds from the Franklinia, one of the rarest shrubs in the world. Franklinia seeds have been collected only once in the wild, by 18th-centurty naturalist William Bartram. However, Alarka owners Brent and Angela Martin have harvested countless seeds from the Franklinia plants on

their property. “Our specimens are like family to us,” said Angela Martin. “And their pure-white and yellow-orange blooms are salve to August eyes when they arrive every year, smelling faintly of orange baby aspirin. They are visited by mostly big, black ants but also lightning bugs and all sorts of bees.” The seeds are available in packets of 24 for $10, plus $2 shipping. The purchase includes an email with exact growing instructions. Order online at https://bit.ly/2qFyifP.

Plan proposed to let Cherokee members gather sochan An environmental assessment for a rule that would allow members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to gather sochan in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is out for comment through Thursday, Dec. 13. The early spring leaves of sochan, also known as the green-headed coneflower, have traditionally been an important food source for Cherokee people, whose large territory used to encompass the area now covered by the park. The Qualla Boundary currently abuts the park boundary, but gathering any type of plant or plant part is uniformly prohibited in the Smokies. Under the proposed rule, up to 36 tribal members would be able to gather sochan each year, with participants selected through their respective community clubs on an annual basis. Permitees could be accompanied by up to five other EBCI members during gathering. The “turkey foot” of the perennial sochan plant — consisting of the upper three leaves as it begins to grow from the root in the spring — would be the only part that could be gathered. Permitees could gather a maximum of half a bushel per day and half a

bushel per week of the leaves, with an annual limit of 12 bushels. They would be required to use official collection bags provided by the EBCI Department of Natural Resources. The season would be limited from March 1 to May 31, a period that encompasses the time when early spring leaves are available at various park elevations. Gathering would be relegated to areas within 100 meters of official roads, trails or the park boundary, and should be done out of sight of high visitor use areas and research areas. The proposed rule stems from a 2016 rule that allowed the National Park Service to permit members of federally recognized tribes to gather plants for traditional purposes. The resulting Environmental Assessment analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the proposed action. The assessment is available at parkplanning.nps.gov/grsm by following the link for sochan gathering and clicking on “document list.” Submit comments through the website or mail them to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ATTN: Environmental Planning and Compliance, 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, Tennessee 37738.

Smoky Mountain News

Make your own wreath

The Haywood County Master Gardeners will hold their annual wreath-making event Saturday, Dec. 1, providing an incredible selection of fresh greenery, natural embellishments and knowledgeable Master Gardeners to teach the ropes. Sessions will be held 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville. Space is limited, and payment must be received by Monday, Nov. 26. Cost is $20 for one 16-inch wreath, $10 for those bringing their own wreath frame and $10 for each additional wreath. Garden gloves are available for $5 and bows for $3 or $5. Mail checks made out to Haywood County Cooperative Extension Service to Extension Wreath Workshop, 589 Raccoon Road, Suite 118,

Kathie Johnson shows off her freshly made wreath. Donated photo Waynesville N.C. 28786. Include name, phone number, email address, preferred session and size of any wreath frame you plan to bring. Proceeds fund horticultural projects and grants in Haywood County.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Registration is underway for Marriage Enrichment Retreats that will be offered three more times over the next year at Lake Junaluska. Led by Ned Martin, an expert in marriage counseling. Price is $699 per couple. Dates are March 10-12, Aug. 18-20 of 2019 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in 2019. Registration and info: www.lakejunaluska.com/marriage or 800.222.4930.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Department is offering a wide variety of courses. For a complete listing: www.haywood.edu. Info: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu. • “Bridging the Gaps between Technology and Native Peoples” will be presented from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the A.K. Hinds University theater in Cullowhee. Examine how tribes are becoming technologically savvy with native languages and customs. snsampson@wcu.edu or 497.7920. • Balsam Mountain Business Matters meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Great opportunity to network with other business owners. Meeting is held in the clubhouse of Balsam Mountain apartments located at 17 Wilkinson Pass Ln in Waynesville. lgaddy@balsammountainapartments.com. • Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center will host a Jump Start Summit for aspiring and current business owners from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28 in Sylva. Networking, information and resources on topics including money, bookkeeping, sales and marketing. Registration required: www.southwesterncc.edu/sbc, 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu. • Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will offer a workshop on securing event sponsorships from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Registration fee: $119 (includes lunch). For info or to register: 227.7397 or pdp.wcu.edu. • Registration is underway for a luncheon entitled “How to Grow Your Business with Email Marketing,” which will be offered through Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Speaker is Aaron Means. Registration required: www.southwesterncc.edu/sbc or 339.4211. • Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will offer a Grant-Writing Certificate program from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Dec. 4-7 at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Workshop instructors are Dr. Susan Fouts, WCU Director of Educational Outreach and Jack Smith, nationally recognized grantwriting trainer. Registration: $425 (includes lunch each day). Register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. accounting software system. Registration and more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Donations of winter clothing and fleeces are being accepted through Nov. 30 at Mast Store in Waynesville. Donations will go to students in the Haywood County School System; teachers will distribute to students in need. • Tickets are on sale now for the Literary Council of Buncombe County’s 11th annual Authors for Literacy Dinner & Silent Auction, which features a keynote from New York Times bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver on Nov. 29 at the Crowne Plaza Resort Expo Center in Asheville. $95 for general admission. Limited number of VIP passes available, including a meet-and-greet with the author. 254.3442, ext. 206 or www.litcouncil.com. • Annual “Holiday Shopping Auction” benefiting Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society is scheduled for Dec. 6. This is an evening of live music by Jesse & Friends, fun and frivolity and an opportunity to do your holiday shopping by purchasing unique gifts via a silent auction. The “auction-party” is open to everyone and there is no charge to attend. Items are needed for the auction, which include handmade crafts, artwork, subscriptions, sports equipment, tickets to area attractions, gift cards, gift baskets, and much more. Auction items may be dropped off at the Society Library (200 Main Street, Bryson City) between the hours of 8 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday. Items will be accepted through noon Dec. 5. 488.2932.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Haywood County Animal Shelter and Sarge’s will host volunteer orientation for working at Sarge’s Adoption Center on Wednesday, Nov. 28, at the shelter, 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. www.sargeandfriends.org.

HEALTH MATTERS • 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.

• Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center and regional agribusiness partners will hold a Regional Agribusiness Summit from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5, in the HCC Auditorium in Clyde. Info and to register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• A four-part series on creating a Wellness Lifestyle Enhanced with Essential Oils will begin on Thursday, Nov. 29 10:30 a.m. and continue for the next three consecutive Thursdays. This class will dive deeper into the use of essential oils for your wellness. Topics of discussion will be eating right, exercising, rest & managing stress, reducing toxin load, informed self-care, and proactive medical care. Participates are encouraged to attend all sessions but are not required. Free

• Haywood Community College will host American Bladesmith Society workshops on Dec. 7-8 (leather sheath) and Dec. 7-9 (friction folder). The tomahawk and friction folder classes cost $252; the sheath class is $190. Info: creativearts.haywood.edu or 565.4240.

• “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.

• Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center will offer a five-part QuickBooks Series on consecutive Fridays, Dec. 7 and 14, in building 200, room 203, on Haywood Community College’s campus in Clyde. Speaker is Alicia Sisk Morris. In-depth seminars on the

• Smoky Mountain High School and Tobin Lee (regional tobacco prevention manager) will host an educational parents’ night focusing on the basic facts of e-cigarettes from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 6, at the high school in Sylva.

Smoky Mountain News

• 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 Sylva. No Fee, sponsored by National MS Society. Local contact: Gordon Gaebel 828-293-2503. • “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. • 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

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 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. • 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. • 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 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. • A monthly grief processing support group will meet from 4-5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Homestead Hospice and Palliative Care in Clyde. 452.5039. • 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 • “Walk This Way” – a fitness program for safely exercising during the fall and winter – will be offered from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Mondays, Dec. 3, Dec. 17 and Jan. 7, at the Waynesville Library. • Waynesville Yoga Center will present “PostThanksgiving Buti Turkey Burn” from 10:30 a.m.-noon on Friday, Nov. 23, in Waynesville. $14. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com. • A CommUnity Square Dance is set for 7-9 p.m. on

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Saturday, Nov. 24, at the Old Rock School in Webster. Caller Phil Jamison will teach call all dances to live music by Cullowheezer. No partner required. Pammanottus@gmail.com.

• Line dance lessons will be offered from 7-8 p.m. every other Tuesday in Waynesville. $10 per class. Modern/traditional line dancing. 734.0873 or kimcampbellross@gmail.com.

• “Lets Get Movin’ at the Library” – yoga with local instructor Karen McGovern – is scheduled for 2-3 p.m. on four consecutive Mondays, Nov. 26-Dec. 17, at the Waynesville Library. Register: 356.2507 or Kathleen.olsen@haywoodcountync.gov

• A wide variety of yoga classes are offered daily through the Waynesville Yoga Center. For updated, current listings, visit: http://waynesvilleyogacenter.com/class-schedule.

• Waynesville Parks & Recreation Department will sponsor a USAPA Pickleball Clinic and Demon at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. All skill levels. Sign up at the Waynesville Recreation Center by Nov. 27. Daily admission for nonmembers; free for members. dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov or 456.2030. • The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is now offering pickleball on four indoor courts from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Equipment provided; free for members or daily admission for nonmembers. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

November 21-27, 2018

• 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. • 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.

• 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.

• The Wednesday Croquet Group meets from 10 a.m.noon at the Vance Street Park across from the shelter. For senior players ages 55 or older. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• 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. • Pickleball is offered from 9 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at the Old Armory in Waynesville. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov. • 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.

Smoky Mountain News

• Yoga classes designed specifically for those who have experienced trauma are being offered at the Fitness Connection in Waynesville. www.sonshineyoga.com.

• 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.

• Line Dance Lessons will be held on Tuesdays in Waynesville. Times are 7 to 8 p.m. every other Tuesday. Cost is $10 per class and will feature modern/traditional line dancing. 734.0873 or kimcampbellross@gmail.com for more information.

• Pickleball, a cross between tennis, badminton and ping-pong, will be offered from 9 a.m.-noon on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Old Hazelwood Gym in Waynesville. $3 per visit, or $20 for a 10-visit card. 452.6789 or iansmith@haywoodcountync.gov.

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• A meeting to explore the ways faith communities can unleash the power of the sun is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, at First Baptist Church in Asheville. Featuring experts as well as congregational and community leaders. Sign up: https://bit.ly/2zduMC.

• 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.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • “Medicare 101” – an informative session with John Chicoine from the Senior Resource Center - will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Registration is required: 356.2507 or Kathleen.olsen@haywoodcountync.gov.

• 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. • Cardio Lunch class will meet from noon-1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• The Waynesville Recreation Center will offer additional courts for pickleball for seniors from 7 a.m.-noon on Mondays through Fridays. For ages 60-up. Free for members; $3 for nonmembers. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Flexible Fitness class will meet from 4:30-5:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• 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.

• Pump It Up class will meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov. • 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. • Pickle ball is offered from 8 a.m.-noon on Mondays through Fridays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. 456.2030 or www.waynesvillnc.gov.

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60 and older get 20 percent off all purchases. Proceeds benefit the Sylva Library. • Pinochle game is played at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800. • Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

POLITICAL • Indivisible Swain County NC, nonpartisan group of concerned citizens committed to applying peaceful, persistent pressure on government officials, will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 26, at Guayabitos Restaurant in Bryson City. 488.1118.

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department has set a time for senior citizens (55-older) to play tennis from 9 a.m.-noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through Oct. 28 at the Donnie Pankiw Tennis Center in Waynesville. For players intermediate or higher skill level. $1 per day. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

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SPIRITUAL

• 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 • Senior croquet for ages 55 and older is offered from 9-11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Vance Street Park in front of Waynesville Recreation Center. Free. For info, contact Donald Hummel at 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov. • 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 at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Patrons

KIDS & FAMILIES • Auditions for Kids at HART’s production of Godspell Jr. will be held at 5 p.m. on Dec. 9-10. Performances are March 9-10 and 16-17 at HART in Waynesville. www.harttheater.org. • The “Polar Express” will depart on select times through Dec. 31 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. www.gsmr.com. • A Lego club will meet at 4 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Library provides Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up. Free. 488.3030. • Registration is underway for Lake Junaluska’s Winter Youth Retreats, which are held from December through February in Haywood County for middle school and high school youth groups. Two-night events start at $186 per person; three-night events start at $249 per person. To register or view schedule, including speakers, band and entertainers: www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth. Register: 800.222.4930.

KIDS FILMS • “Incredibles 2”, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 23 and Dec. 7 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555. • “The Grinch” is showing at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21 & 22 at The Strand On Main. See www.38main.com for tickets. • “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is showing at 7 p.m. on Nov. 23-25 & 28 and 10 a.m., 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. on Nov. 23-25 at The Strand On Main. See www.38main.com for tickets.

A&E FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • The “Art After Dark” in downtown Waynesville is hosted on the first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open

Puzzles can be found on page 42 These are only the answers.

Streets. Santa will be at downtown breweries and clubs starting at 9 p.m.

• Tickets are on sale now for an “Art of Music” festival, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Featuring Americana songwriters Milan Miller, John Wiggins, Mark Bumgarner, Aaron Bibelhauser and Balsam Range’s Buddy Melton and Darren Nicholson. Tickets: $30, available at Folkmoot.org or 452.2997.

• Breakfast with Santa is set for 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, 121 Schoolhouse Road, in Stecoah. $5 per person. Reservations preferred. 479.3364 or StecoahValleyCenter.com.

HOLIDAYS • Winter Lights at the N.C. Arboretum has begun. Nightly from 6-10 p.m. through Dec. 31. Tickets: $18 for 12-up, $12 for ages 5-11 and free for ages 4under. $15 for groups of 20 or more. Purchase tickets at www.ncwinterlights.com. • Lake Junaluska will host a Thanksgiving Lunch Buffet from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Nov. 22. $29.95 for adults; $13 for ages 4-11; free for ages 3-under. Reservations required: 454.6662. Info: communications@lakejunaluska.com or https://tinyurl.com/yawjnvmz. • Creekwood Farm RV Park will host “Light Up The Farm” for its Winterfest festivities at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, at 4696 Jonathan Creek Road in Waynesville. Details: 926.7977. • “Christmas on the Green” – featuring a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus – is scheduled for 2-5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, at the Village Green Commons in Cashiers. Holiday music and tree lighting celebration at 5 p.m. Info: info@VillageGreenCashiersNC.com, VillageGreenCashiersNC.com or 743.3434. • “Christmas with the Nelsons” is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 23, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center on Chestnut Street in Highlands. Traditional Christmas music, original songs featuring Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, sons of Ricky Nelson. Ticket info: highlandspac.org or 526.9047.

• The Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce will hold its inaugural “Pictures with Santa” event from 5:307:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, at 98 Hyatt Road in Franklin. Take your own, or utilize on-site photographer, who will email photos to you. 524.3161. • The Town of Sylva’s official tree lighting is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30, on the steps of the Jackson County Public Library. Concert of holiday music will be performed by Western Carolina University’s choral group and Geoff McBride.

• Tree Lighting ceremony at Oak Park Inn in Waynesville on Nov. 30. Tree lighting and activities for the children including hot chocolate and cookies. • The Sylva Garden Club will host a fundraiser Christmas Tea & Crafts from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the First United Methodist Church in Sylva. Suggested donation is $15 per ticket; proceeds fund SGC beautification projects. www.facebook.com/SylvaGardenClub. • Bryson City celebrates Christmas with a wide range of holiday events on Saturday, Dec. 1, in Bryson City. Breakfast with Santa from 8 to 10 a.m., Christmas Bazaar & Cookie Walk starts at 9 a.m. and Christmas Parade at 2 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com. • The Town of Sylva’s winter market and photos with Santa will be held from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1. Market is in the parking lot at Main/Landis

• A Season of Light Multicultural Holiday Celebration featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres, music and sharing of customs from holidays around the world will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville. Admission: $10 for ages 13-up; $5 for ages 6-12 and free for children under five with two nonperishable food items for the center’s emergency food box program. Advance tickets: ticketstripe.com/season-of-light-celebration. Pcdmc.org, pigeoncommunityd@bellsouth.net or 452.7232. • The “Hard Candy Christmas” Arts and Crafts Show will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1-2, at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center in Cullowhee. Featured artist is doll maker Sharon Blain Turner. Also featured: John Benton (master woodcraftsman), Mary Jo Gayer (weaving) and Ronnie Evans (musician). $5 for ages 13- up; free for 12-under. www.MountainArtisans.net or djhunter155@gmail.com. • Sylva Christmas Parade is at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2, on Main Street. Theme is “Christmas Around the World.” • Waynesville Christmas Parade is at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 3, on Main Street. Theme is “Jingle All the Way.” • “Holidays at the University Center” will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 5-6, at Western Carolina University’s A.K. Hinds University Center. Ice rink, a sledding hill, train ride, photos with Santa and more. $15 for all activities. Dca.wcu.edu. • Canton Christmas Parade is at 6 p.m. on Dec. 7, on Main Street. Theme is “A Wonderful Life in Canton.” • “A NIGHT before CHRISTMAS” in downtown Waynesville is scheduled for Dec 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. Live music, caroling, Bethlehem Market Place, Live Nativity, old-fashioned wagon rides, Santa, luminaries line the street. Shops, galleries & restaurants remain open. • The Shelton House Museum will hold an “Old Fashioned Christmas and Grand Illumination Event” from 4-7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 49 Shelton House in Waynesville. Carolers, hot chocolate, cider, baked goods and a visit from Santa. • Cherokee Christmas Parade will be help Dec. 15 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. from the Cherokee Bear Zoo to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

FOOD & DRINK • Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host five for $5 Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 22/29. Come taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Stacy’s gourmet cuisine. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

Smoky Mountain News

The Arts Council of Macon County’s free crafts and caroling elementary school-age children and young family’s workshop, Holiday ARTSaturday, will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, in the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center gym in Franklin. www.coweeschool.org. 524.ARTS or arts4all@dnet.net.

• “Christmas in the Mountains” – an indoor art and craft show and sale with visiting artisans – is scheduled for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, 121 Schoolhouse Road, in Stecoah. 479.3364 or StecoahValleyCenter.com.

November 21-27, 2018

• Franklin’s Annual Christmas Parade is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25, and registration is underway with a deadline of Nov. 21. Theme is “The Joy of Christmas.” $25 entry fee. 524.3161.

• 6th Annual Christmas Cheer with Breakfast with Santa is being hosted by First Presbyterian Church in Waynesville on Dec. 1. Fpcwaynesville.org.

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later for local residents and visitors. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host Secret Wine Bar Night from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 23/30. Gourmet food, and a great wine & beer menu. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com. • A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Nov. 24/Dec. 1 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 631.3075.

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• “Brown Bag at the Depot” – an opportunity to gather with neighbors – is at noon every Friday at Sylva’s newest park at the corner of Spring and Mill Street along Railroad Ave. For info, contact Paige Dowling at townmanager@townofsylva.org.

ackages/christmas, 800.222.4930 or communications@lakejunaluska.com.

• Graceann’s Amazing Breakfast is 8-10 a.m. every Tuesday in the Sapphire Room at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. $8.50 for adults; $5 for children. Includes coffee and orange juice. 743.7663.

• The annual Autumn Balsam Arts/Crafts Show is scheduled for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24, at the Balsam/Willets/Ochre Fire Department. A portion of entry fees benefits the fire department.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5-7 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.

• The Haywood County Public Library is offering online lifelong learning courses in over 30 subject areas, many of which offer continuing education units, through Universal Class. Free for library cardholders. www.haywoodlibrary.org or 452.5169.

• A game day will occur from 2-9 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva. Bring dice, cards or board games. 586.6300.

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” painting class will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays (Nov. 29) at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. RSVP by contacting Robin Arramae at 400.9560 or paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• A wine tasting will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 586.6300. • A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 452.0120. • A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 452.6000.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • John Berry will host a special Christmas performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets start at $25 each. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

Smoky Mountain News

November 21-27, 2018

• Elysium Park Band will perform from 7-9 p.m. on Nov. 30 at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. • “Share the Joy” concert will Alma Russ (Americana/old-time) will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Swain Arts Center. Russ was a recent contestant on “American Idol” and received yeses for the “golden ticket” from Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. Tickets are $10 or $5 with the donation of a new child’s toy. Toys will be donated to the Swain Family Resource Center. • The Brasstown Ringers community handbell ensemble will hold a Christmas concert at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2, at Robbinsville’s First Baptist Church. 837.8822. • “Sounds of the Season” concert will be presented by Western Carolina University’s School of Music at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. The family-friendly concert concludes with a holiday sing-along and an appearance by Santa Claus. A ticketed event, proceeds benefit the School of Music Scholarship Fund. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for WCU faculty/staff and those 60 and older, and $5 for students and children. Group rates are available for advance purchase only. arts.wcu.edu/sos or 227.2479. • The Brasstown Ringers community handbell ensemble will hold a Christmas concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, at Franklin’s First United Methodist Church. 837.8822. • The Western Carolina University School of Stage and Screen and Bardo Arts Center will present “Light Chasers” as part of a “Weekend of Dance” at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 6-8 in Hoey Auditorium in Cullowhee. Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for ages 65-up and $20 for adults.

• Tickets are on sale now for “Appalachian Christmas,” a weekend of music, meals and artistry from Dec. 6-9 at Lake Junaluska. Handel’s “Messiah” is Dec. 7. The Appalachian Craft Show, a performance by seventh-generation Appalachian storyteller and ballad singer and a performance by Lake Junaluska Singers will be held on Dec. 8. 38 www.lakejunaluska.com/specials_packages/holiday_p

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• Dogwood Crafters will offer a workshop on making paper Christmas stars from 10 a.m.-noon on Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Masonic Lodge in Dillsboro. Led by Joyce Lantz. Registration deadline is Nov. 21. Cost: $5. Register by calling 586.2248. • Make your own glass ornament for the holidays in a class offered on Nov. 30 at Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Cost: $30. Ages 13-18 may participate with a parent present. Choose a 30-minute time slot between 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Register: 631.0271. or www.jcgep.org. • Registration is underway for a Master Gardener Wreath-Making Event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville. Sessions are from 9:30 a.m.-noon and from 1-3:30 p.m. $20 for one 16-inch wreath. mgarticles@charter.net or 456.3575. • Local artist Caryl Brt will demonstrate handcrafted home accessories from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the HCAC Gallery and Gifts, 86 N. Main Street, in Waynesville. HaywoodArts.org, info@haywoodarts.org or 452.0593.

the Bardo Arts Center is pleased to announce the opening of its newest exhibition “Glass Catalyst: Littleton’s Legacy in Contemporary Sculpture,” which will run through Dec. 7. Littleton’s work and other glass artist will be on display. A key work in the exhibition will be a new acquisition to the Museum’s collection: a glass sculpture by Harvey Littleton entitled “Terracotta Arc.” Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Thursdays until 7 p.m. 227.ARTS or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. • Longtime journalist and photographer Quintin Ellison will hold an artist’s reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, in downtown Sylva at Cullowhee Mountain Arts at 598 West Main Street. Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. Ellison will talk about the highs and lows of shooting street photography in small, rural towns such as Sylva, Bryson City, Franklin and Waynesville. Photos will be on display at the Cullowhee Mountain Arts’ gallery space for about two weeks. They will be shown by appointment only after the Dec. 7 reception and Dec. 8 artist’s talk. 507.8697 or qlellison@icloud.com. • The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center will have a yearlong exhibition on “Defining America” through May 3 in Cullowhee. Info: 227.ARTS or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. • The Haywood County Arts Council is accepting applications for the “It’s a Small, Small Work” exhibit scheduled for November and December. Applications: director@haywoodarts.org or www.haywoodarts.org. • The Franklin Uptown Gallery has opened for the 2018 Season. The artist exchange exhibit will feature artwork created by members of the Valley River Arts Guide from Murphy. 349.4607. • New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

FILM & SCREEN • “Crazy Rich Asians”, will be shown at 7 p.m. on Nov. 24 & Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• Local artist Toni Caroll will demonstrate the jewelrymaking process from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the HCAC Gallery and Gifts, 86 N. Main Street, in Waynesville. HaywoodArts.org, info@haywoodarts.org or 452.0593.

• “Mission: Impossible Fallout”, will be shown at 7 p.m. on Dec. 8 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• Folkmoot will host a Second Saturday Market from 6-9 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the cafeteria of the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Folkmoot.org or 452.2997.

• “Smallfoot”, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• “The Equalizer 2”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • The Arts & Crafts Drive-about – a self-guided tour of eight studios and galleries in Graham and Swain Counties – is scheduled for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 23-24. For maps and info: StecoahValleyCenter.com/tour. • The eclectic art work of Isabella R. Jacovino will be featured in a show in the Backstreet Gallery Room of Gallery 1 at 604 West Main Street in Sylva. The exhibit will remain available for viewing and sale though Dec. 7. As a visual artist working with recycled materials, Isabella explores combining the aesthetics of steampunk, dieselpunk, street art, and interpretations on retro-futurism. Admission is free. art@galley1sylva.com. • A new art display featuring the work of Justin Moe will be presented throughout the month of November in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. • Sponsored by the Jackson County Arts Council, the November Rotunda Gallery exhibit will feature artist Barbara Ray Sitton at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. info@jacksoncountyarts.org or by calling 507.9820. • The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at

Outdoors

• Sons of the American Legion in Waynesville will have a Turkey Shoot at 9 a.m. every Saturday on Legion Drive. • Volunteers are being sought to help re-pot native azaleas from 9 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays through Thursdays at the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway. For info, and to schedule a shift: anorton@southernhighlandsreserve.org.

• Registration is underway for “Ecology of Chimney Rock” – a moderate hike scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 24, at Chimney Rock State Park. $23 adults; $8 for annual passholder; $13 youth (ages 5-15) and $6 per Rockin’ Discovery Passholder. Led by local naturalist Clint Calhoun. Advance registration required: chimneyrockpark.com. • The Asheville Winter Bike League offers rides weekly at 10 a.m. on Saturdays through Jan. 26. Upcoming rides: Nov. 24 at Mills River Park in Fletcher; Dec. 1 at Jackson Park in Hendersonville and Dec. 8 at Bold Rock Hard Cider in Pisgah Forest. Structures, long winter road training rides. Bit.ly/2qS3YP8.

• A blowgun and atlatl (Cherokee hunting methods) experience is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 26, at the Blue Ridge Hall lawn at Western Carolina in University. snsampson@wcu.edu or 497.7920. • Haywood County Animal Shelter and Sarge’s will host a dog handling class at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, at the shelter, 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Taught by animal behavior coordinator Caitlin Morrow. www.sargeandfriends.org. • A weekly fly-tying class is held from 6-8 p.m. every Wednesday at Outdoor 76 in Franklin. 349.7676. • Cataloochee Ski Area will hold its sixth annual Cataloochee Ski & Snowboard Swap Shop on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1-2, in Cataloochee. The consignment sale will run from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday. To register and drop off items for sale, go by the ski area from 3-7 p.m. on Nov. 30 or from 7-9 a.m. on Dec. 1. • The Haywood Waterways Association Board of Directors and staff will host a celebration of the Pigeon River Watershed from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at Lambuth Inn in Lake Junaluska. Holiday buffet dinner: $15 per person (pay at the door, cash or check). RSVP by Nov. 27: 476.4667 or Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com. • Registration is underway for “Winter Tree ID” – a moderate hike scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 29, at Chimney Rock State Park. $23 adults; $8 for annual passholder; $13 youth (ages 5-15) and $6 per Rockin’ Discovery Passholder. Led by naturalist and author Ron Lance, who will show how to identify trees without their leaves. Advance registration required: chimneyrockpark.com.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • The Turkey Strut 5K Walk/Run is set for noon on Saturday, Nov. 17, at Kituwah Farm near Bryson City. Hosted by Cherokee Choices. Registration is $15 through Nov. 13 and $20 after. $5 for 12-under and 59-up. Day-of registration is from 10:30-11:30 a.m. • The Sylva Rotary Club Turkey Trot is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 22, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Starts at the WCU fountain at the center of campus. $30 preregistration or $35 on day of. www.sylvarotaryclub.org/turkey-trot-5k.php. • “Gobble on the Green” – a 5K run/walk turkey trot – is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 22, at the Village Green Commons in Cashiers. Registration: $30. One-mile fun run (free) for ages 5-10 at 9:30 a.m. Advance registration required: RunSignUp.com/GobbleOnthe Green.

FARM AND GARDEN • The Jackson County Farmers Market operates from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays through Dec. 22 in the Bridge Park parking lot in Sylva. www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org. • Haywood County Extension is accepting applications for the 2019 Master Gardener class with training sessions scheduled for Tuesdays mornings from January through April. 456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net. • The Haywood County Plant Clinic is open every business day at the Haywood County Extension Center on Raccoon Road in Waynesville. To discuss any gardening problem, call 456.3575 or stop by.

HIKING CLUBS • Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate five-mile hike with an elevation change of 400 feet on Saturday, Dec. 1, from Jones Gap to White Rock Mountain off the Bartram Trail. Reservations and info: 524.5298. • Carolina Mountain Club will hold a 10-mile hike with a 1,600-foot ascent at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2, at Buck Spring to Clawhammer. Info and reservations: 684.7083, 606.7956 or dblanning@bellsouth.net.

PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

MarketPlace information: The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:

■ Free — Lost or found pet ads. ■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads, ■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150. ■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type. ■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background. ■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold. ■ $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. Up to 25 words. ■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com

Great Smokies Storage

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AUCTION

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FINANCIAL

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FINANCIAL

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CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions. Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson. Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316 CALL EMPIRE TODAY To schedule a FREE in-home estimate on Carpeting & Flooring. Call Today! 1.855.929.7756 SAPA ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The affordable solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1.855.808.9573 for FREE DVD and brochure. BATHROOM RENOVATIONS. Easy, One Day Updates! We specialize in safe bathing. Grab bars, no slip flooring & seated showers. Call for a free in-home consultation: 877.661.6587 SAPA GOT MOLDOr think you might have it? Mold can be hazardous to you and your family’s health! Get rid of it now! Call our experts and get a quote today! 844.766.3858 SAPA

WNC MarketPlace

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned. ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217 REPLACEMMENT WINDOWS $189 Installed. Economy White Thermal Window & Labor. Double Pane No Gimmicks Just $189!!! Free estimate Lifetime Warranty 804.266.0694 Fairways Windows STOP STRUGGLING ON THE STAIRS Give your life a lift with an Acorn Stairlift! Call now for $250 OFF your stairlift purchase and FREE DVD & brochure! 1.855.808.9573

CARS -

November 21-27, 2018

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CARS -

EMPLOYMENT

FREE AUTO INSURANCE QUOTES. See how much you can save! High risk SR22 driver policies available! Call 855.970.1224 GOT AN OLDER CAR, Van or SUV? Do the humane thing. Donate it to the Humane Society. Call 1.888.342.9355 SAPA

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- HOUSEKEEPING Full Time & Part Time Available: Maggie Valley Cabin Resort Seeks Energetic & Experienced Housekeeper. Weekends and Holidays a Must! Valid Driver’s License Required. For more info Call 828.926.1388 FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Barber Instructor Criminal Justice Instructor (10-month contract) Psychology Instructor (10-month contract) For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com/ Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer

EMPLOYMENT LICENSED THERAPIST: The Long Center for Psychology in Franklin is Hiring a Full-Time Licensed Mental Health Therapist with Child/Adolescent Experience. Send Resume to Dr. Long at: DrRLong@msn.com or fax to: 828.349.8983 AIRLINES ARE HIRING Get FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Financial aid for qualified students - Career placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866.441.6890

PET SUPPLIES & SERVICES USE SKIN BALM & TONEKOTE On Dogs and Cats to stop Scratching and Gnawing and Restore Luxurious Coat without Steroids. At Tractor Supply, or visit us at: www.kennelvax.com

USE DD-33 To control Fleas & Ticks on dogs & cats topically. Quicker Kill. Longer Redidual. Biodegradeable! At Tractor Supply; or visit: www.kennelvax.com

PATENTED FleaBeacon® Controls Fleas in the Home without Toxic Chemicals or Costly Exterminators. Results Overnight! N.C. Clampitt Hardware www.fleabeacon.com

USE KENNEL DIP To control Fleas, Ticks, Mange Mites & Stable Flies. Control Mosquitos where they breed! At Junaluska Feed Center; or visit: www.kennelvax.com.

MAGGIE VALLEY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Is seeking one or more persons for a part-time Choir Director and Piano Accompanist on Sunday Mornings. Please email or call for complete advertisement and application. aduncan@wnccumc.net 828.926.8036 DEDICATED REGIONAL ROUTES Owner Operators, Drivers, Fleet Owners. Weekly Settlements. Minimum 12 months 48-53' tractor trailer experience. 800.832.7036 ext. 1626, cwsapps@ilgi.com. www.cwsdedicated.com EARN BIG MONEY Part-Time From Home! Mailing Our Full-Color Sales Postcards. 800.313.0961. www.abminfo.com Referred By #8626. Steven K. OWNER OPERATORS, DRIVERS, Fleet Owners for DEDICATED Regional routes. Weekly Settlements. Minimum 12 months 48-53’ tractor trailer experience. 800.832.7036 ext.1626, cwsapps@ilgi.com. www.cwsdedicated.com

TIGER - A PRETTY GRAY TABBY SENIOR GIRL ABOUT TEN YEARS OLD. SHE HAS HAD GREAT CARE IN HER PREVIOUS LIFE, AND WAS SURRENDERED THROUGH NO FAULT OF HER OWN. SHE IS LITTLE RESERVED AT FIRST, BUT ONCE SHE KNOWS YOU'RE A FRIEND, SHE'S VERY FRIENDLY. TIGER'S ADOPTION FEE IS WAIVED TIL NOV. 30 "ADOPT-A-SENIOR-PET" MONTH!

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Climate Control

KAREN HOLLINGSED

Storage

www.smokymountainnews.com

Security: Management on site Interior & Exterior Cameras

Sizes from 5’x5’ to 10’x20’

BROKER ASSOCIATE

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MaggieValleySelfStorage.com torry@torry1.com Torry Pinter, Sr. 828-734-6500

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Climate Controlled

1106 Soco Road (Hwy 19), Maggie Valley, NC 28751

Call:

PET SUPPLIES & SERVICES

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74 N. Main St. Waynesville, NC

828.452.5809

Steve Mauldin

828.734.4864

smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St.,Waynesville

JerryLeeMountainRealty.com jerryhatley@bellsouth.net 2650 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley

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PET SUPPLIES & SERVICES

Prevent Unwanted Litters! The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10. Operation Pit is in Effect! Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes! Hours:

Tuesday-Friday, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

GOT LAND? Our Hunters will Pay Top $$$ To hunt your land. Call for a FREE info packet & Quote. 1.866.309.1507 BaseCampLeasing.com SAPA LAND FOR SALE? Reach buyers across the state in over 100 newspapers for only $375. Call this newspaper or Wendi Ray at NC Press Services, 919.516.8009.

BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112. OVER $10K IN DEBT? Be debt free in 24-48 months. Pay a fraction of what you owe. A+ BBB rated. Call National Debt Relief Now 844.235.9343. SAPA REVERSE MORTGAGE: Homeowners age 62+ turn your home equity into tax-free cash! Speak with an expert today and receive a free booklet. Call 877.280.0827 SAPA

HOMES FOR RENT UNFURNISHED CULLOWHEE HOUSE FOR RENT Available January 1st, 2019. 1 Mile from WCU, Across from Tuck River. 2/BR, 1/BA 1,000sqft 2 Acre Yard (Mowing Service Included), Propane (Hot Water, Stove, Heat) and Water Included. $1,400 Monthly. NO PETS. Email: Cullowheerental@gmail.com for Inquires.

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160. Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more information.

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Call/Text: 828-356-5280 marykay@mountainsarespecial.com

Ofﬁce: 828-564-9393 71 N. Main Street Waynesville, NC

Real Estate For Real People

Dan Womack BROKER

828.

243.1126

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 • Marilynn Obrig - mobrig@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 • Steve Mauldin- smauldin@beverly-hanks.com • Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com • Mike Stamey - mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

Emerson Group • George Escaravage - george@emersongroupus.com ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com • Pam James - pjames@sunburstrealty.com

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty

MOUNTAIN REALTY

71 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC

828-564-9393

Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com • Yvonne Kolomechuk - yvonneksells@kw.com

Lakeshore Realty

JUDY MEYERS (828) 734-2899 jameyers@charter.net

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Creek Realty • Ron Rosendahl - ron@mountaincreekrealestate.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com • Shirley Cole - shirleycole13@gmail.com Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com • Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

71 N. MAIN STREET • WAYNESVILLE remax-waynesvillenc.com

TRAVEL/ VACATION

The Real Team

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RE/MAX

EXECUTIVE

71 N. Main Street Waynesville

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

• 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 • Marsha Block- marshablockestates@gmail.com Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

smokymountainnews.com

BEHIND ON YOUR MORTGAGE? Denied a Loan Modification? Bank threatening foreclosure? CALL Homeowner Protection Services now! New laws are in effect that may help. Call Now 1.866.214.4534 SAPA

HOMES FOR SALE

BrLLocally Bruce uoca ce Own M McG cGOpe oper vatetedeedrn rn occaally Ow Owned wne ned ed & Op Operated pera rat

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents

November 21-27, 2018

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.

LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots! Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578

$641,00

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WNC MarketPlace

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest • Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 41

WNC MarketPlace November 21-27, 2018 www.smokymountainnews.com 42

SUPER

CROSSWORD

ODD MUSICAL COUPLE ACROSS 1 Travel aimlessly 5 Sport- -- (vehicle) 8 Marsh fuel 12 See 124-Down 15 “Well, this -surprise!” 18 Extents of estates 20 Enjoying an African trek 22 Biscotti tidbit 23 Start of a riddle 25 Swaying to and -26 “Heaven Can Wait” director Lubitsch 27 “... -- will!” 28 Diplomatic agent 29 Do injury to 30 Keeps hold of 33 Brit’s 26th letter 35 Religious recluse 37 Riddle, part 2 42 Little guys 46 Socratic “T” 47 Inch or mile 48 Garden flowers, informally 49 Riddle, part 3 55 Part of a list 56 Thing pulled by a milker 57 Prefix with flooey 58 Mexican moola 59 Desertlike 60 Little tyke 62 Animal pen 66 “-- a loss for words” 68 Bar drink 69 Riddle, part 4 73 To the -- power 76 Replay mode, briefly

77 78 80 83 85 88 89 90 95 97 98 99 100 106 107 108 113 114 117 119 120 121 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132

Sandy color Crotchety Runaway GI Seized auto, e.g. Ending for count Made less harsh Good score in diving Riddle, part 5 Lauder of fragrances James of “Slither” “How pretty!” “On the subject of ...” End of the riddle Inhale “-- Bravo” 50-50 chances Barren Pottery, e.g. Trident, e.g. The Evil One Pig -- poke Riddle’s answer VIP on the Hill: Abbr. Move to a new post Iffy issue Equine critter Get a total Hefty volume Put in words Got hold of

DOWN 1 Less cooked 2 Colour in a landscape 3 “Looks -- everything” 4 High-IQ organization 5 “I hate this!” 6 Driver’s prop 7 Gas brand up north 8 Forks over 9 Many an MIT grad 10 “Even -- speak ...”

11 Little mountain lake 12 Spiritual goal of Zen Buddhism 13 Hunted, with “on” 14 Lung-filling stuff 15 Inspire with foolish passion 16 Cry uncle 17 The “H” or “O” of H2O 19 Stuffy room 21 Footrace a little over 3.1 mi. long 24 Rice-sized pasta 29 Hatchet man’s roster 31 -- one (zip) 32 Kiss noise 34 Chinese statesman -Xiaoping 36 Chow mein additive, for short 38 Immaculate 39 Co. board member 40 At the apex 41 J.D. Salinger heroine 42 Actress Innes 43 Vocalist Paula 44 Evade slyly 45 Litigious one 50 Fishing net 51 Black-and-white whale 52 Figure skater Johnny 53 Morales of “NYPD Blue” 54 Lover of Juliet 61 “American Beauty” actress Birch 63 Ending for Gator 64 Big name in SUVs 65 Cochlea locale 67 Madison Ave. solicitor 70 Future sign 71 Ray of --

72 Feels regret over 73 Ibis’ homes 74 Fido’s prize 75 Prefix with carbon 76 Rained pellets of ice 79 Probe org. 80 From the top 81 Pulled chicken leftovers? 82 Ottawa natives 84 Start of a fairy tale 86 Clog, for one 87 Oilcan part 91 Rove 92 Lion’s home 93 Native resident 94 Extremely, informally 96 Greek vowel 101 Hankered 102 Bobbin stuff 103 NHL’s Toronto Maple -104 Time piece? 105 Optional SAT part 109 Egypt’s Anwar 110 In -- (as yet unborn) 111 -- diet (trendy regimen) 112 Act stealthily 113 Big name in credit cards 115 Lickety-split 116 The Magi, e.g. 118 Fanzines, say 121 Musical syllable 122 “Grand Hotel” studio 123 Big inits. for hunters 124 With 12-Across, mud wrap locale

ANSWERS ON PAGE 36

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Hooded merganser on a recent foggy morning at Lake Junaluska. Don Hendershot photo

The naturalist’s corner BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Eye on the lake ake Junaluska is an amazing resource. It is home to the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, the World Methodist Council and Intentional Growth Center and attracts visitors and guests from all around the world. Area residents flock to the wonderful walking trail for a little exercise and/or to simply enjoy the beauty. It is becoming a regular haunt for photographers. And the new boat landing has provided more access for fishermen. Walkers, runners, visitors, photographers and fishermen enjoy the lake yearround. But for one group of users, it’s September through May that has their hearts aflutter. From the beginning of fall migration till the end of spring migration birders keep a watchful eye on the lake, and for good reason. I need to track down a more current list of species recorded from Lake J — I would guess it’s starting to approach the 200 mark. I have a list compiled by Jonathan Mays, which I believe is only for 2004-2006, and it has 156 species. The list has at least 30 species of waterfowl including all three of the scoters — surf, black and white-winged plus common

goldeneye, Ross’s goose and cackling goose. Common loons along with white and brown pelicans have been reported from the lake as well as great blue heron, green heron, little blue heron, black-crowned night heron, great egret, snowy egret, cattle egret and sandhill crane. Other shorebirds include killdeer, spotted sandpiper, solitary sandpiper, greater yellowlegs, lesser yellowlegs, black-bellied plover, American golden plover, dunlin, willet, pectoral sandpiper, least sandpiper, western sandpiper and more. A new gull was added this year — lesser black-backed — as a result of Hurricane Florence. Gulls already on the list include ring-billed, herring, Sabine’s, Bonaparte’s and laughing. It’s easy to understand the focus on waterfowl at Lake Junaluska — it is, after all, a lake. And places for watching waterfowl in the mountains are limited. But there is also a lot of passerine (songbird) activity in spring and fall. Some of the rarer for the area include white-eyed vireo, warbling vireo, Swainson’s thrush, American pipit, Nashville warbler, blackpoll warbler, baybreasted warbler, pine warbler, Baltimore oriole and rusty blackbird. Everyone was thrilled last year when a

pair of bald eagles decided to set up nestkeeping at the lake. Alas, they didn’t produce any (known) chicks, but I have heard that eagles have been seen at the nest already this season so maybe they will try again. Ducks will be wherever you find them. They could be along U.S. 19 and/or near the wetlands area, or they may be out from the swimming pool or near the dam. Large rafts are generally migrating and looking for a place to rest. They usually settle in for a few hours, or if they hit the lake in the afternoon they might linger till the next morning before they’re off again. Other ducks, mostly diving ducks like ring-billed, scaup and redhead, in small

groups may stay for days or even weeks. And there are the ruddy ducks and American coots that seem to spend the entire winter on the lake. One of the best places to view migrating passerines is up near the cross where you can keep an eye on the spruces — which act like a magnet for Cape May warblers –— and the large oaks around the lodge and lake edge. So if you plan on going for a walk around the lake between now and May, you might want to keep a pair of binoculars handy. (Don Hendershot is a naturalist and a writer who lives in Haywood County. He can be reached at ddihen1@bellsouth.net)

November 21-27, 2018 Smoky Mountain News 43

n C a i h h r c i stmas a l a p p A at Lake Junaluska December 7-8 A storyteller is coming to Lake Junaluska New this year, storyteller Sheila Kay Adams will perform during Appalachian Christmas in November 21-27, 2018

Stuart Auditorium. Adams is a seventh generation ballad singer and storyteller who has been recognized nationally for her preservation of American culture

Smoky Mountain News

through folk music and traditions.

Reserved seating $23 General admission $18

Friday, December 7: Handel’s Messiah Concert – 7:30 p.m.

Kids 18 and under get in free for

Saturday, December 8:

general admission. Taxes apply.

Craft Show 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

NEW: Bundle all three performances for just $40!

Storyteller Sheila Kay Adams – 2 p.m. Lake Junaluska Singers Concert – 7:30 p.m.

All performances take place in Stuart Auditorium

GET TICKETS! lakejunaluska.com/christmas or 800-965-9324