Formed in 1984, the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary. A renowned theatrical playhouse located in Waynesville, the organization has become a longstanding beacon of culture, commerce and community for Haywood County and greater Western North Carolina. (File photo)
News
School board considers options for Jackson Community School........................4
Haywood County Recovery Court graduates second participant........................6
After fiasco, Congress fails to meet state’s hurricane recovery needs................8
Macon couple endows fund to diversify WCU Museum collections................10
Macon animal control in need of staff..........................................................................11 Community briefs..............................................................................................................13
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School board considers options for Jackson Community School
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER
Jackson Community School — Jackson County’s alternative learning center — is the most expensive school in the district per pupil, and now the Board of Education is considering whether it should invest more money into the aging building or relocate the small student population into a larger school.
“We want to serve students, that’s what our business is about,” said Superintendent Dana Ayers. “We also have a fiscal responsibility.”
The conversation around Jackson Community School came about in part because the building, which was constructed in the mid 1950s, is in need of a new HVAC system. The whole repair will cost the school system around $450,000.
Enrollment at the school is currently at the lowest point it has ever been, according to Ayers, with 48 students. Of those, 44 are high school students and four are middle school students. The school is set to receive two additional middle school students in January. Ten years ago, the school was serving 102 students.
“That number has declined over time and we collectively as a curriculum team and a leadership team are trying to figure out why or what we can do to address that,” said Ayers. “Our board also has an obligation to consider the cost and financial benefit to operate a school with less than 50 students.”
The goal of Jackson Community School is to serve students who learn better in an alternate setting, or those that have been suspended or expelled from other schools.
High school students are different. They can choose to attend the school, and there are many who choose that path. They can also be placed there by the superintendent, or they can be placed there by the Supporting Successful Transitions team, which meets every six weeks and consists of school counselors, principals, director of mental health, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent, student support services director and school social workers.
There are currently 17 full-time staff members and three part-time staff members working at Jackson Community School, some of whom work shared positions with other schools in the system.
is just over $10,000.
Actual per pupil spending at each school is determined by annual salary costs for staff within a school, combined with annual operation costs, divided by the student population. For Jackson Community School, which has annual operational costs on par with schools in the county — about $2 million a year — but far fewer students, per pupil spending is higher than at any other school.
In a presentation to the board at its Dec. 17 meeting, Ayers outlined three potential options for Jackson Community School. The first would be to keep running the school in the same location in the same format as it exists right now.
“The community school is an alternative model that doesn’t have one set student that they’re looking for,” said Ayers. “It is trying to find what we need to serve the students that we have and there’s no cookie cutter model for that.”
For middle school students, there are two ways to get to Jackson Community School; either a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team places them there, or they can be moved to the school via superintendent placement.
“Sometimes there are students who have severe needs or they are involved with law enforcement and there is a reason that they need to be placed in an alternative setting,” said Ayers. “Those students, middle school students, don’t choose to go to Jackson Community School.”
Jackson Community School is far and away the most expensive school for the school system to operate relative to student population. Jackson County Schools spends about $13,500-$14,000 per student annually, though this number varies by school.
For students at Jackson Community School, the school system is spending about $37,271 annually per pupil. The next highest per-pupil spending rate is at Blue Ridge School, at $26,586. Both Jackson County and Blue Ridge early colleges cost the school system about $21,000 per pupil. At the rest of the schools in the school system, per pupil spending is well below $20,000, with the lowest at Fairview Elementary and Smoky Mountain High School where per pupil spending
The second option would be to relocate Jackson Community School to the campus of Smoky Mountain High School for the high school students that make up a majority of the student population and relocate the middle school students to Smokey Mountain Elementary.
The third option would be to remain on sight and revitalize the strategies for an alternative school model.
“When I say that, revitalization, I’m thinking of something that’s going to make students want to come to school,” said Ayers. “What is it that we can do to entice students to come there so that we can support them and be a success with them.”
Regardless of what decision the board makes for Jackson Community School, Ayers said she believes that the middle school students at JCS should be placed in an alternative learning model at Smokey Mountain Elementary School.
“I feel like our middle school kiddos are really missing out on some impacts that they could have if they continued to be in a really small setting,” said Ayers. “The way it would look for those students because they are on an alternative model would be vastly different than the way it looks at the high school level.” Eventually, when the new middle school is built, that is where the alternative program will be housed for middle school students.
Relocation for the high school JCS students into Smoky Mountain High School would require a lot of shifting classroom space to accommodate an appropriate space. The school board recently tried to relocate the Catamount School — a laboratory school run by Western Carolina University — out of SMHS and into a different F
school building due to lack of available space. The Catamount School chose instead to move onto the campus of WCU.
Additional Southwestern Community College classes and two JROTC classrooms at the high school were part of the cause for dwindling space.
Ayers said that if the board decides to move JCS to the campus of Smoky Mountain High School, it will be important that the classrooms are close together.
“I want JCS to still have an identity,” said Ayers. “We will keep their school code, and it will be important for them as staff that they are able to work together and not be disjointed.”
If JCS were to relocate to the high school campus, JCS students could have dual enrollment and access many of the classes at the high school that are not currently available at the community school.
“They would have offerings that they don’t have on their current campus,” Ayers said.
Board member Kim Moore brought up another positive possibility for JCS operating on the high school campus.
“Sometimes when you don’t see things, you don’t feel like you can reach it,” Moore said. “Coming here would give them the opportunity to see, ‘if I can transition back into SMHS, or if I can transition out of alternative, I could start playing sports again, I could start doing other things again.’”
But Ayers also noted that not every student at JCS is looking to move back into a traditional learning setting.
“There are students who are placed there or choose to go there because they have experienced trauma in their life and they appreciate having the more individualized attention because there [JCS] they’re a little collective group,” said Ayers. “I don’t want it to come across that every student is there because they’ve been placed there because they’ve done something, because that’s absolutely not the case.”
the kids from the school system who had been suspended, and they had to stay in a room and be quiet all day and then leave and go home,” Dillard said. “That’s when it really became a behavioral adjustment place, and I was very much against that.”
Chairman Wes Jamison noted that while the school system is spending more per pupil on JCS students than at any other school in the system, an alternative school might be the kind of thing that should cost the school system more money.
“It just shows it does take a little more to get some students to a certain point in education than it does others,” said Jamison. “To me this is not a determining factor in whether or not we relocate that school.”
In public comment during the Dec. 17 school board meeting, three people spoke in public comment in support of Jackson Community School.
Jessica Blankenship had a child graduate from JCS at the end of last school year.
“If he would’ve stayed here at the high school, I don’t know where he would be,” said Blankenship. “They [JCS] took the time to get to know their kids one on one. He could not function in a classroom, in a normal setting, period. It didn’t matter.”
Blankenship said her child had an IEP and that when the school system realized he wasn’t successful in the classroom setting, her child was moved to JCS by superintendent decision.
“At 17 years old, he’s a high school graduate thanks to them,” Blankenship said. “Because if it was not for them, he may not be here. We don’t know. He would’ve been a drop out. But we couldn’t ask for a better school.”
“Integrating them back in a big building, I don’t think would be beneficial because you can’t take somebody who can’t function in a regular classroom and put them in the middle of a school and expect them to function,” Blankenship continued. “Not all kids are black and white. The world is not black and
“Integrating them back in a big building, I don’t think would be beneficial because you can’t take somebody who can’t function in a regular classroom and put them in the middle of a school and expect them to function.”
— Jessica Blankenship
Board Member Lynn Dillard worked in Jackson County Schools and was one of the staff who wrote the grant to create Jackson Community School at the outset. She said the school was originally formed to attract students who had become disengaged with their regular instructional process.
“How are we going to bring those people back in and make it exciting? So, we changed the whole instructional program; hands on, hands on, hands on,” said Dillard. “It takes a lot of work to accommodate those kinds of kids and keep them excited about coming to school.”
Dillard said the school was a “thriving” place.
“It stopped when they started sending all
white. We have a lot of rainbow kids that… you’ll never fit them in a square box and that’s what needs to be known and seen and they [JCS] make sure that happens for these kids that need it.”
If the school were to be relocated, Ayers said she could confirm that all JCS staff members would still have a job with Jackson County Public Schools.
The school board plans to take more than a month to consider its options for Jackson Community School. No decision will be on the table until at least the February school board meeting. In the meantime, board members have asked members of the public to share their thoughts on the topic and take part in the community discussion.
A moment to celebrate
Haywood’s Recovery Court graduates second participant
BY KYLE PERROTTI
N EWS E DITOR
Last Friday wasn’t Mark Beam’s first time facing a judge at the defendant’s table in Haywood County District Court, but it seems like it may have been the last.
Beam’s defense attorney, Jake Phelps, stood to address District Court Judge Monica Leslie. Phelps’ voice wavered as he evoked his client’s case number, and many in the gallery and the jury box wiped away tears.
“Your honor,” Phelps began. “I will make a motion on Mr. Beam’s behalf asking to withdraw his guilty plea.”
“The court will certainly allow the withdrawal of the plea,” Leslie said proudly.
A minute later, the charges entered against Beam, who was not so long ago on the verge of finding himself in prison as a habitual felon, were dismissed, and everyone rose to their feet to applaud Beam, the man of the hour. He was free to go on his way, a new man with a renewed sense of purpose.
The dismissal of the charges and the second chance Beam will now enjoy are possible because of Haywood County’s recovery court pilot program, which allows defendants who qualify to enter a special plea and enter into a program that offers a holistic approach to addiction recovery.
Through the program, participants have access to health care, employment and housing assistance. However, they are also subject to intense accountability. Participants go in front of a judge once every two weeks, and they also take drug tests and see a probation officer several times every week. During the early phases, they also submit to electronic monitoring. While slip-ups, even relapses, are expected, if someone isn’t committed to the program, a judge can send them back to regular court and jail becomes an immediate threat, if not an inevitability.
It took Beam 20 months to complete the program. While in the past, justice for Beam involved incarceration and restitution payments, now justice looks entirely different. It looks like freedom.
Beam’s graduation marked the second successful completion of the county’s program. The two judges who have presided over recovery court are Roy Wijewickrama, the former chief District Court judge who was last month appointed to Superior Court by Gov. Roy Cooper, and Leslie. Both were on-hand Friday, as were family and friends of Beam, Sheriff Bill Wilke, various court personnel and other program participants. The atmosphere was festive, a stark contrast from what most people see when they enter a Haywood County courtroom. Christmas stockings and giftbags were prepared for each participant, A full spread of both hot and cold options sat up near the
jury box, and, of course, there was cake.
Beam’s story is — beyond the fact that he beat an addiction that’d gripped him for over two decades — incredible. People in Waynesville may recognize him from a job he held at Hardee’s, where he worked over 40 hours per week making biscuits early in the morning. He held this job throughout active addiction, as well as recovery. In fact, from time to time, he was known to bring biscuits into recovery court for everyone to enjoy.
relapse at one point, and perhaps most challenging, he suffered a severe heart attack that required a hospital stay and the installation of a pacemaker. Committed to his recovery, Beam refused pain medication throughout his time in the hospital.
“That’s how strong this man is,” Leslie said. “I admire him so much, and I’m so grateful to know you, Mark, and I’m so thankful you’re here with us still, and that you’re just doing life on your terms. We’re just super proud of you today.”
During his heart attack recovery, Beam lost his house, and although he was able to find a new place, fate saw fit to test him further as the flooding caused by Hurricane
ceremony. While he grinned and laughed throughout most of his brief remarks, he also became emotional when considering just how far Beam had come. Phelps told a story that he thought demonstrated who Beam is and the resolve he’s shown — resolve that was necessary to finish the program. The story began after Beam had relapsed. He’d gotten back on the right track and tested clean when he went before Wijewickrama. As he tends to do from the bench, Wijewickrama had a question for the man standing before him. In this case, he asked Beam how he got back on the right track.
Phelps said Beam pounded his fist on the
During their speeches, Wijewickrama and Leslie both noted that the change in Beam was remarkable. When he used to stand in front of them, he was meek and couldn’t look anyone in the eyes. He was turned “inward,” as Leslie put it.
Beam was a frequent flyer in District Court, where over the years he faced a whole host of charges and convictions for crimes related to his addiction to methamphetamine.
“Mark really embraced this program and really took it to heart, did all of the treatment that we asked, really participated,” Leslie said.
And it wasn’t easy. Beam endured a
Helene in September left him homeless again. However, thanks to the people working hard in the recovery court and Haywood County nonprofit Mountain Projects, before long, he again was placed in a safe house.
“I wasn’t even expecting it,” he said. “And now I got a really nice place. I’m just on cloud nine. I have everything I want, things I don’t even need. I don’t even think about it.”
During his brief speech, Beam also highlighted another recent struggle.
“A few months ago, I caught COVID, got pneumonia,” he said. “I died during my heart attack, and I felt like I died again.”
Phelps also spoke during the graduation
defendant’s table.
“He said ‘because I refuse to contribute to my own demise,’” Phelps recalled.
“I couldn’t be more proud, more honored, to be sitting next to you at this time,” Phelps added, addressing Beam directly.
The keynote speaker at the graduation was Kevin Rumley, the coordinator of the veterans treatment court in Buncombe County. Rumley told his own recovery story to illustrate how addiction works physiologically. In his case, Rumley, a Marine Corps veteran, was severely wounded during a deployment to Iraq. From the “warm hug from God” of that morphine shot he received alongside that F
Mark Beam stands up in front of the crowd with Program Coordinator Amanda Seay. Kyle Perrotti photo
road near the Syrian border to his continuous opioid drip during his next year and a half in the hospital, he was hooked, and that opioid addiction would dominate his life for years.
Like so many others in the room, as Rumley’s addiction progressed, he hit rock bottom. At that point, he entered recovery and considers himself fortunate to continue down the right path. But Rumley was clear that it hasn’t always been easy and won’t always be easy. Hardship will create stress, which will create a desire to escape. It’s during those times that fortitude is a must. It’s the strength gained through recovery that can get a person through.
“It’s not what happens to us, but how we choose to respond. I have no doubt, Mark, that you are going to respond with wisdom and compassion and love.”
— Kevin Rumley, Buncombe County veterans treatment court coordinator
speed to launch the recovery court in Haywood. In addition to consulting with Rumley and other experts, Wijewickrama, Leslie and Seay each have had to do hundreds of hours of initial training and continuing education.
“We got so much information from other
thing I’ve done professionally,” he said.
The funding for the two-year program came from the state, but now that the pilot period is about over, money — in the neighborhood of a quarter-million dollars per year — will have to come from county government, whether that’s built into the budg-
“What recovery gave me was the ability to pick up the phone, call my doctor, call my support network, and say I am not doing OK,” Rumley said.
“It’s not what happens to us, but how we choose to respond,” he later added. “I have no doubt, Mark, that you are going to respond with wisdom and compassion and love.”
Despite Rumley’s candor in front of the happy crowd, he was too humble to talk about his own role in getting Haywood County’s recovery court off the ground. Wijewickrama told The Smoky Mountain News that Rumley was crucial in using his own experiences to get the personnel up to
people who’d been doing it a while that our heads hurt,” Seay said in an SMN story that ran last year. “We’ve been able to implement different things we’ve learned from others; we’ve tweaked our guidelines and expectations a bit.”
Because Wijewickrama is now a sitting Superior Court judge, District Court Judge Justin Greene, who has about a year on the bench, will take on the role with the recovery court alongside Leslie. Wijewickrama told SMN that while there have been challenges and not everyone has been able to stick with the program, when it works, it makes the effort worth it.
“To watch lives being transformed and to be a part of that has been the most fulfilling
be in prison at best, although he considers it more likely that he’d already be dead.
“The only thing I ever looked forward to was more drugs,” he said.
But things changed thanks to his hard work, and, of course, he had help along the way from his friends in the program. In recent years, it’s become common wisdom that the opposite of addiction is connection, and through the program, Beam was able to connect with others dealing with the same issues — that connection helped cultivate a sense of self-worth among the entire group.
In addition, Beam had support along the way from his girlfriend, Jennifer Whitlow. Beam had long known Whitlow, his sister’s longtime best friend. As he entered recovery and needed a stable place to stay, Whitlow opened up her home, and before long, the two were romantically involved. She said that prior to him starting the program, she wouldn’t have imagined he’d ever be in active recovery.
“To watch lives being transformed and to be a part of that has been the most fulfilling thing I’ve done professionally.”
— Roy Wijewickrama, Superior Court judge
“I am very proud of him. I don’t see him going back. I see him being one of the ones who makes it,” she said. “Two years ago when he came to me, I did not see that.”
“Some people need this God; some people need this program,” she added.
Also present at the graduation alongside Whitlow was Beam’s grandson, who Beam said was one of his greatest inspirations. Accountability is more front of mind when you know the next generation is watching and learning.
“I want to see him grow up,” Beam said. Those interpersonal connections, the realization that he was capable of and deserved meaningful relationships, changed Beam. While he used to struggle with eye contact and felt like he didn’t deserve happiness, much less recovery, things have changed. Several speakers at his graduation called him an inspiration.
et or it comes from grants. Wijewickrama said he’s a believer in the program, especially after seeing two graduations, two lives saved. But beyond understanding the moral imperative of saving people who are willing to put in the work, it takes people out of the already burdened justice system.
“We’re trying to stop that revolving door,” Wijewickrama said, adding that breaking the generational cycle of addiction likely prevents future generations from facing the same fate.
Beam is only the latest benefactor from this overall paradigm shift that has been seen across the country for decades but is now occurring in Haywood County. He is certain that were it not for the program, he’d
“He’s been a role model to so many people,” Seay said.
Following the ceremony, when asked how it felt to be considered a role model after all he’d been through, Beam chuckled and admitted that could take some getting used to, but it’s also something he’s proud of. In fact, his next step may be to become a peer support specialist, a role that will bring him into contact with people hoping to kick their own addictions. It’s his leadership, born of his newfound sense of self-worth, that may bring another soul out of the darkness.
“I think that’d be great,” he said. “If I believe I can help anyone else, I want to do it.”
Beam enjoys a moment with his girlfriend, Jennifer Whitlow, and his grandson. Kyle Perrotti photo
After fiasco, Congress fails to meet North Carolina’s hurricane recovery needs
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR
Hurricane Helene victims in Western North Carolina have eagerly been awaiting an expected holiday gift in the form of federal aid since the Sept. 27 storm pounded the region, but after nearly three months of wholly insufficient action in the General Assembly and a last-minute House vote in Washington, the only gift under the Christmas tree this year was pink bunny pajamas.
Less than two weeks after Helene struck, the Republican-dominated General Assembly passed a “first step” relief bill that provided around $270 million in aid, mostly to state agencies. Two weeks later, the General Assembly passed a second relief bill adding around $600 million in new aid. Notably, the bill did not include any direct grants to affected businesses still underwater with COVIDera SBA loans, as called for by local leaders.
Around that time, a report issued by the state’s budget director Kristin Walker estimated $53.6 billion in damages across 39 federally declared disaster counties. A proposal by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper for the General Assembly to use the state’s $4.7 billion “Rainy Day Fund” to provide $3.9 billion in aid, including $475 million in grants for businesses, was ignored.
As the General Assembly wrapped up preparations on a third relief bill, Western North Carolina officials continued to warn of impending economic impact to a region that had already lost most of fall’s busy tourist season, along with parts of Interstate 40 and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
When that third bill was unwrapped, it was decried as a sham — a Republican power grab directed at incoming Democrats who defeated them at the polls in November. No actual immediate flood aid was included in the bill, which pushed the General
Assembly’s total relief allocations to roughly $1 billion.
The three westernmost representatives in the North Carolina House, Mike Clampitt (R-Swain), Karl Gillespie (R-Macon) and Mark Pless (R-Haywood), voted against the bill in a rare display of defiance.
The bill was largely perceived as a “Christmas tree” bill, and not just because of its proximity to the upcoming holiday season —many legislators got to hang ornaments on Charlie Brown’s scrawny, pathetic pine and then proceeded to pretend it was beautiful.
Westernmost Sen. Kevin Corbin (RMacon) voted for the bill because childcare funding he’d asked for was included, but also pointed out that the General Assembly needed to preserve its reserves in anticipation of needing to provide a 25% match to expected federal aid.
Cooper vetoed the bill on Nov. 26, setting up contentious veto override votes in both chambers.
The Senate voted along party lines to override on Dec. 2.
Pressure mounted on the three House Republicans who voted against it to maintain their opposition in the House override vote scheduled for Dec. 11.
In hearings prior to the vote, Rep. Lindsey Prather, one of the most vocal advocates for state aid who also represents some of the hardest-hit areas, questioned Walker on the true state of the state’s finances.
“Right now, we have $9.1 billion unappropriated in reserves across a variety of accounts,” Walker said. “The governor's request would have pulled just about $3.5 billion out of those reserves, so you'd be left with about $5.5 billion still in reserve funds right now.”
In that same hearing, Clampitt passed along concerns from a business owner in Marshall and asked Mark White of the
a $3 billion economic impact. That particular shutdown had an outsized impact on Western North Carolina’s tourism economy, which is supported by federal assets like national parks.
Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers expressed his disappointment on X, saying, “Any member of the House or Senate who leaves Washington for their holiday without providing much needed help to the families and businesses of WNC deserves to be voted out in 2 years!”
Tillis, too, was clearly ready for the long haul.
“If Congressional leaders intend to leave DC before the holidays without passing disaster recovery,” he said on X, “they should be prepared to spend Christmas in the Capitol. I'll use every tool available to block a CR that fails Western North Carolina communities in need of long-term certainty.”
With a Dec. 20 shutdown deadline — and the Christmas holiday — rapidly approaching, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) cowed, tearing up the bill he’d negotiated with Democrats in favor of a stripped down, quick-fix replacement on Dec. 19.
state’s fiscal research division to confirm that there was no direct grant support to affected businesses — which White did.
Clampitt, Gillespie and Pless ended up dropping their opposition and securing the veto override, making the sham relief bill law. Pless, in a statement, expressed confidence that the feds would step in to help; U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis had publicly stated his support for a comprehensive $100 billion relief package for all states impacted by Helene.
Cooper, who had traveled to Washington with a local delegation, told The Smoky Mountain News that he’d asked for $25 billion just for North Carolina, a sizeable sum which would still leave the state with approximately $28 billion in unmet needs.
What they ended up with was about $9 billion.
Western North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards, who sits on the house appropriations committee, did not respond to an interview request by The Smoky Mountain News hoping to learn why the number was so small.
But the state appears lucky even to get the $9 billion. The initial House bill, in reality another 1,547-page Christmas tree, was primarily an effort to avoid shutting the federal government down over the holidays due to lack of funding but also contained a number of unrelated appropriations, including the $100 billion in funding Tillis (and later fellow N.C. Sen. Ted Budd) supported.
On Dec. 18, billionaire businessman Elon Musk, however, posted on X that the bill “should not pass” and said shutting down the government — and halting paychecks for many employees — would be “fine.”
Incoming leaders Donald Trump and JD Vance quickly fell in line, voicing displeasure with the bill.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, a five-week shutdown in 2018 caused
That bill failed miserably in the House and didn’t even earn a simple majority (a two-thirds majority was required for passage). Democrats opposed the bill due to a curious demand by Trump to suspend the debt ceiling. Traditionally, fiscally conservative Republicans have opposed raising the government’s borrowing limits as the first step to curtailing $36 trillion in federal debt. Nearly three dozen Republicans sided with Democrats on the bill, likely over the debt limit provision.
Finally, on Dec. 20, about six hours before a shutdown and more than 2,000 hours since Helene had hit, Democrats joined Republicans in passing the final version of the bill, which did not include a debt limit suspension or increase and may cost Johnson his speakership.
Again, the bill offers no direct grants to affected businesses — only more loans, and some Community Development Block Grant funds that may indirectly help some individuals, businesses and homeowners.
Combined with General Assembly allocations and the small amount of federal hurricane relief that will actually make it from Washington to North Carolina, the state will see unmet needs in the $40 billion range — more than the entire annual state budget.
But on a more positive note, declarations signed by President Joe Biden dramatically reduce the amount of state funds required for matching the federal funds. On Oct. 2, Biden increased the federal share of funding for public assistance, hazard mitigation and other needs assistance from 75% to 100% for the first 180 days of the disaster period. A subsequent action will keep the federal share at 90% for public assistance projects after the first 180 days.
Now that the entire premise of the General Assembly’s Scrooge mentality — preserving reserve funds for a federal match — has evaporated, the General Assembly could now loosen the purse strings if it so chooses, once it reconvenes for the long session in January 2025.
Macon County couple endows fund to diversify WCU Fine Art Museum collections
BY B ILL STUDENC
S PECIAL TO SMN
The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center will be broadening the scope of artists represented in its holdings thanks to contributions from a Macon County couple.
Franklin residents William Banks Hinshaw and Robin Markle Hinshaw recently made gifts and pledges totaling $125,000 to endow a fund to build and sustain equality in the permanent collections of the WCU Fine Art Museum.
The philanthropic support will help the museum make strategic purchases of artwork for its collection to create a more equitable and comprehensive understanding of contemporary American art for WCU students and members of the community, said Denise Drury Homewood, executive director of the Bardo Arts Center, part of the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts.
for the strategic growth of the museum’s collection with a focus on equitable representation of artists,” Drury Homewood said.
“This fund is designed to enable the museum to acquire artwork that amplifies the voices of historically marginalized artists in our collection, ensuring that their stories are shared with our campus community and the greater Western North Carolina region,” she said. “Though we have made strides over the years through initiatives such as the exhibition series ‘Cultivating Collections’ spearheaded by the museum’s curator, Carolyn Grosch, we recognize that museums play a role in determining what our society remembers, whose stories are told and what objects are deemed worthy of consideration.”
Practicing physicians as Markle and Hinshaw Gynecology in Franklin, the Hinshaws came to discover Western Carolina University shortly after their arrival in
Those conversations about adding the Hinshaws’ art from Latin America to the museum collection spurred discussion about possible financial contributions, he said.
“The departmental response to the offer of the art led to a better understanding of the needs of the department,” Banks Hinshaw said. “Frankly, donations of the kind we could make would have little impact at my alma maters of Duke and Stanford. But our interest in the subject, while unrelated to our professions, made a donation to WCU’s art department possibly being more meaningful and thus more desirable. Subsequent interviews with the staff and administrators have confirmed this opinion.”
WCU Fine Art Museum staff and its collection committee are currently in the process of evaluating the Hinshaws’ art collection as a step in the process of making that gift of artwork a reality.
Drury Homewood described her initial meeting with Banks and Robin Hinshaw as “a chance encounter.”
“For years, they have had a morning exercise routine of walking around campus. One day last winter, they just decided to stop into the Bardo Arts Center where I greeted them and invited them on an impromptu tour of the building,” she said. “We ended the tour at the Fine Art Museum and shared information about our collecting focus.”
That focus on contemporary art of the Americas includes any artwork made after 1950 by artists living and working in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, she said.
“This gift is exceptionally important because it provides funding in perpetuity for the strategic growth of the museum’s collection with a focus on equitable representation of artists.”
— Denise Drury Homewood executive director, Bardo Arts Center
“We connected over our shared interest in Latin American art,” Drury Homewood said. “After their visit, they invited Carolyn Grosch, our curator of collections and exhibitions, and me to their home to learn more about their collection of art by primarily Latin American artists. During our visit to their home and over the course of our conversations together, it became clear how much they value and support international as well as regional artists. I’m delighted that their interest will continue in this endowment.”
WCU Fine Art Museum staff and students in 2019 began an inventory of the artists whose works are included in the museum’s holdings.
“Like so many other collecting institutions, our research determined that the museum’s collection lacks representation by artists of color, women artists and LGBTQ+ artists,” Drury Homewood said.
That inventory resulted in the 2020 establishment of the WCU Fine Art Museum Collection and Acquisition Fund, the focus of which is to build and sustain equity in the museum’s permanent collection, through donations from community members and WCU faculty and staff, she said.
“Over the years, several donors have contributed to this fund, enabling the purchase of significant works of art. The endowment of this fund by Banks and Robin is a major milestone for the WCU Fine Art Museum, Bardo Arts Center and Belcher College’s ongoing equality work. This gift is exceptionally important because it provides funding in perpetuity
Macon County in 2000. Banks Hinshaw accepted an invitation to lecture at a class at WCU on the dangers of certain medications prescribed for osteoporosis, a subject he has followed and published on since 1995.
The Hinshaws became more aware of the university after they worked with a graduate from WCU’s doctoral program in family nurse practitioner and collaborated with another graduate of that program in a project to generate interest in a new Hospice House in Franklin.
“Much later, I had an idea that WCU might have an interest in my small collection of mid-20th century Latin American fine art that I deemed needed a permanent home,” Banks Hinshaw said. “Initially, offering these works to WCU was actually a result of proximity, but the response from the university, while delayed by the COVID-19 crisis, was so warm and generous that my wife and I became much more aware of the community involvement of WCU and the needs and aspirations of the museum.”
The Hinshaws’ gift was announced Thursday, Nov. 21, during a reception for the WCU Fine Art Museum’s current exhibition, “At the Table.” Continuing through Dec. 6, the exhibition is inspired by the university’s 2023-2024 campus theme of “Community and Belongingness” and ties in with recent conversations in the Western North Carolina community about the importance of having one’s voice heard and being offered “a seat at the table.”
Their gift comes as WCU approaches the public launch of its “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $75 million for the university’s academic, student engagement and athletics programs.
For more information about the “Fill the Western Sky” campaign or to make a contribution, visit westernkky.wcu.edu, call 828.227.7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.
To make a contribution in support of the WCU Fine Art Museum or the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts, visit the Friends of the Arts website at foa.wcu.edu.
George Brown, dean of the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts at Western Carolina University (left), and Denise Drury Homewood, executive director of Bardo Arts Center (right) meet with donors William Banks Hinshaw and Robin Markle Hinshaw. Donated photo
Macon animal control in need of staff
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER
After a team of volunteers converged on a Macon County Board of Health meeting to express concerns about the state of animal control, the department is requesting commissioners fund another full-time employee for the animal shelter.
“Right now, I’ve been asked to ask for this one full-time shelter attendant,” Public Health Director Kath McGaha told commissioners Dec. 10.
McGaha and Board of Health Chairman Jerry Hermanson came before the Macon County Commission during its Dec. 10 meeting to address concerns brought to them by the army of volunteers that keeps animal control up and running.
“We very effectively use these large groups of volunteers to do a lot of work at the shelter, it keeps our staffing very low and of course our costs very low,” said Hermanson. “But they pointed out a number of things of concern to the members of the Board of Health and so we asked the staff to do a complete dive into the operation, look at all the items that were brought up and look at in general where we are, where we’re going, what changes we’ve seen in the animal control effort that we’ve had in the last five or six years or so.”
According to Hermanson, several of the concerns from volunteers having to do with the physical property have already been taken care of.
“Our staff there is very aggressive at dealing with stuff, getting small grants to repair certain things and we were pleased to see that,” said Hermanson.
But in the review of the department, looking at both near- and long-term concerns, the department compared itself with other counties that have similar-sized animal control efforts.
“We hope this plan that we came up with will take us well into the future; there’s no capital expenditures in the near term, but there are in the long term,” said Hermanson.
According to Hermanson, animal control has been passed around between different departments within the county government over the years.
McGaha and animal control staff sat down with volunteers and found that their main concerns are with staffing, building infrastructure, community spay and neuter programs, the animal control ordinance and training for employees and volunteers.
McGaha said that the health department had worked with maintenance to address infrastructure concerns and that the department could handle training needs. However, both the animal control ordinance and the staffing shortfall would have to be addressed.
“We are planning on looking at one specific thing with the animal control ordinance which is the holding period for stray animals when we get animals in and that’s going to be kind of down the road,” said McGaha.
“The only thing that I’ve been asked, as of the most current situation, is to come to you to talk about our staffing situation.”
Staffing was the most urgent need expressed by animal shelter volunteers.
McGaha said the health department is requesting one full-time employee to be a shelter attendant. That employee would be responsible for feeding, cleaning and generally taking care of the facilities as well as the animals.
Currently the health department has two part-time environmental health technician positions that it has not been able to fill.
McGaha suggested shifting one of those positions over to animal control.
“They are the same grade, same amount of money; there’s no difference in the pay level, so that is something that we could do relatively easy,” said McGaha.
“The ordinance allows our animal control officers to issue citations, a $25 citation and then a $50 citation,” said Villiard. “That is the authority that they have unless the violation is directly addressing the North Carolina General Statute. So, they are kind of limited in what they can do.”
The board of health submitted a recommendation for the ordinance to be looked at a couple years ago and part of the recommendation was to shorten the hold time for animals at the shelter.
According to McGaha, the environmental health technician positions are often used more as a recruitment tool than anything else, like a paid internship for individuals coming out of Western Carolina University in their environmental health program.
“But we’ve never really had a place where we’ve been using both of them efficiently,” said McGaha.
With the health department shifting one position from environmental health, the county would only be adding one part-time employee to fulfill the request for one fulltime employee at the animal shelter.
The county budgets for one and a half shelter attendant positions, as well as three animal control officer positions, two of which are filled and one that hasn’t been filled for a while.
“The rest of the work is done by volunteers; we have a tremendous number of volunteers that come and help,” McGaha said.
Dr. Jim Villiard, population health section administrator for the health department says that, on average, animal control is operating with 25-30 volunteers.
“One thing I’d like to highlight is our animal intakes have increased dramatically,” said Villiard.
In 2020, the shelter took in 600 animals, and last year, it took in 1,400 animals.
“That puts a huge increase in workload with the same staff levels that we had in 2020,” Villiard told commissioners. “Of course, that’s a factor in worker burnout and stress on employees, so we’re asking our staff to do more with the same levels. I ask you just take that into consideration.”
Commissioner John Shearl asked what power animal control officers have in the county and described an event he experienced with a dangerous dog on Lake Emory Road.
COVID, and flooding from Hurricae Helene have caused already stressed animal control systems and animal shelters to depend more on volunteers who can shelter animals in their own homes.
“If the board would like to relook at that, that would be helpful,” said Villiard.
“They can only do what they are allowed to do… If the animal is back on their property when the animal control officer goes out there, there’s nothing they can do. They can only get them if they’re off property.”
Shearl also asked if the county could lease its facility and outsource animal control operations to a private organization. McGaha and Villiard said that most companies and counties that work in animal control are at or over capacity. Incidents like
“There is a minimal expectation as far as the requirement to address dangerous dogs and rabies control programs, so there is a minimal amount that we would have to maintain per statute,” said McGaha. “We’re very proud of the staff; they do a lot with the limitations that they have. And it is a struggle with animal control officers and what they’re allowed to do in the community, that is a constant struggle. So again, it would require looking at the ordinance and making sure that they have the authority to — and the state limits what we are even able to do — there’s things that we can improve upon, enforcement’s one of them.”
The commission did not approve an additional position for animal control; Commission Chairman Josh Young recommended that the board look into adding a position for animal control during the upcoming budget process. Commissioners did not say when or if they would address the animal control ordinance.
“I think we open a whole can of worms and create a long-term fix for this,” Young said. “I feel like you guys need some serious measures out there.”
As we celebrate this special season, we’re reminded of the blessings in our lives and the importance of faith, gratitude, and community. Your trust, loyalty, and friendship mean the world to us, and it’s an honor to work with you in achieving your real estate goals.
Wishing You a Joyful Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a New Year Filled with Happiness, Health, New Health, Opportunities, and Success.
With gratitude and faith,
THE PAMELA P ENNY WILLIAMS R EAL E STATE G ROUP Pamela Penny Williams, Sarah Corn, Linda Reynolds, Travis Bouck, Michael Weaver, Juli Rogers, Travis Rogers and Hayden Whitley.
office: (828) 248.04 6 9
Leadership class brings holiday cheer to elementary students
Last week, Waynesville area elementary school students received a special gift, thanks to the efforts of Tuscola High School's leadership class. The toy drive, created as by senior Meredith Bradshaw, was born out of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Although she had a few ideas before the hurricane, it became clear after the storm that her project needed to extend beyond the walls of Tuscola and make a meaningful impact on the community.
After discussing the challenges, the younger children faced during and after the hurricane, Bradshaw and her classmates felt a deep sympathy for what these kids had endured. As the holiday season approached, Bradshaw recognized that many families would be facing unique challenges, and she felt it was especially important for elementary school children to experience the joy of the season. She knew she had the opportunity to help make that happen.
Bradshaw decided to organize a toy drive, ensuring that every child would receive a toy to take home. Realizing that such a project wouldn't be possible without community support, Bradshaw and her class reached out to local businesses.
With sponsorships in place, Bradshaw coordinated with local elementary schools to determine the number of students and develop a plan for the toy distribution. The class then purchased a variety of toys. Once the toys arrived, Bradshaw and her classmates sorted them by school to ensure every student would receive a gift.
The final step involved delivering the toys to the schools. Thanks to the hard work of the leadership class, each school was visited, and students were able to pick out a toy to take home. The joy and excitement on their faces as they received their gifts were priceless, and the leadership class was thrilled to see all their efforts come to
other socioeconomic barriers.
• Swain County Schools, Bryson City — Allowing them to support after-school learning and care for students during the school system's spring 2025 semester.
• Western Carolina Pacesetters, Andrews — Allowing them to expand their Adventure Leader program and grow their roster of youth served.
Learn about ‘Rails Along the Oconaluftee’
Champion Fiber Company.
In this presentation, through the use of vintage photographs and maps of the railroads that were built up Straight Fork, Ledge Creek to Pin Oak Gap, and Indian Ridge beyond Pretty Hollow Gap, Ledford will highlight the history of the Appalachian Railway and the companies that owned the railroads and double-band sawmills in the Ravensford-Smokemont area.
Presentation will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive in Bryson City.
Bradshaw expressed her gratitude, saying, "I am so thankful to each of the schools for allowing my project to come to life and for their warm welcome. This experience was a powerful reminder of how important it is to give back to the community and to spread joy, especially during the holidays."
Health foundation invests in youth
Nantahala Health Foundation announced recent community investments in support of youth and young adults of more than $250,000.
The funds were invested in six regional organizations, all of which strive to improve health and wellness outcomes for underserved youth and young adults living, learning and earning in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties, as well as on the Qualla Boundary.
Grant recipients are:
• Graham County Schools, Robbinsville — Allowing them to share the success of their peer counseling program with other school districts in the region. The program pairs underperforming students with student mentors who share educational opportunities that would normally be out of reach due to socioeconomic barriers.
• Hawthorn Heights, Bryson City — Allowing them to expand mental health services to their youth residents, many of whom were left waiting for services due to the limited number of providers working in the region.
• HIGHTS, Sylva — Allowing them to connect underserved youth with education, employment, housing, independent living skills, mental health and substance abuse services.
• One Dozen Who Care, Andrews — Allowing them to provide underserved youth with opportunities to learn leadership and financial literacy, experience mentorships, and attend activities that would normally be out of their reach due to transportation and
Jerry Ledford will be presenting “Rails Along The Oconaluftee: The Appalachian Railway-Ravensford Story” at the Jan. 2 meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society. Construction on the Appalachian Railroad began in 1908 at Foering, now know as Ela, where it connected to the Southern Railway. By 1909, Parsons Pulp & Lumber, owners of the line, had extended the railway through Cherokee tribal land to the Indian School.
PP&L continued the line on thru the Oconaluftee River valley between two mountain ranges reaching the Ravensford area in early 1919 where they harvested timber from the 33,000-acre Ravensford watershed.
As the sawmills, planing mills and other facilities were established, the workers and their families moved in creating the bustling villages of Ravensford and Smokemont. The Appalachian Railway served both the Parsons Pulp & Lumber Company and the
Brick Paver fundraiser launches in Waynesville
Anyone looking for a way to give back to the community this holiday season can become part of the “Pave the Way For Kids To Play” initiative by buying a commemorative engraved brick paver. The Kiwanis Club of Waynesville and Waynesville Parks and Recreation are raising funds to benefit children and youth.
Each brick will be engraved to include the name of a loved one, an organization or business, or a special message. The bricks come in two different sizes, priced at $55 or $100. Adding a company logo is an additional $10 each.
For more information, visit bricksrus.com/donorsite/kwaync, or email presidentkiwanisinquiries@gmail.com.
The toy drive was organized by a Tuscola High School senior. Donated photo
Holiday china and an ode to Christmas
Several weeks ago, I read an article listing a number of holiday traditions that are disappearing, such as caroling, writing Christmas cards, setting the table for a formal dinner and shopping for gifts in person as opposed to online. At the time, I’d just written a column about shopping locally, which is something I believe strongly in and put into practice as much as possible. Living in a place like Western North Carolina with so many artists, craftspeople and unique small businesses, it’s quite easy to purchase incredible gifts in person.
I’d also just ordered Christmas cards. Granted, people don’t hand write notes as much as in years past, but I feel a good number of folks still send out tangible cards, which are always fun to receive in the mail. Additionally, caroling continues to be a popular activity in our small community with churches, families and other organizations offering opportunities to sing.
The item on the list that got me thinking was the one about setting the table for a formal Christmas dinner. My late mother had beautiful china dishes painted with holly leaves and berries. She always served the big meal on Christmas Eve because on Christmas Day, after we opened our gifts from Santa, we drove down to Greenville to visit both sets of grand-
Complaints aren’t founded in truth
To the Editor:
I have watched or even heard all the issues the Haywood County commissioners have faced during and after Hurricane Helene and also the first responders, Haywood County inspection department, well inspectors and of course on-site wastewater inspectors firsthand. Of course, let’s not all forget all the volunteers that helped with food, water and hygiene products that were donated.
It is very hard for me to continue listening to the ongoing issues of housing when I know we have codes to follow that are set forth by the international/North Carolina building, electrical, plumbing and fire safety codes. My general contracting company and electrical contracting company have worked with everyone to help with people affected to gain some type of normal life during and after the storm.
While I know there are many contractors in the area doing the same as we are, it is so hard for me to read an article in the local papers and the stories posted on the internet regarding the Haywood County Board of Commissioners not doing enough to help people to be able to have housing during this difficult time. I have seen truck drivers work many hours trying to haul stone to many areas washed out by the storm. This storm affected areas that had either never seen water this high (small streams that never reached above the bank level) or areas that have seen waters reach the area as seen by storms many other times in the past.
I am not sure what all FEMA is doing, but I know they have been in many areas where we have been working, as well as so many vol-
parents and other extended family members.
While she was cooking the ham and side dishes for the meal, she’d ask my sister and me to get the Christmas china and wipe everything down with a wet paper towel because after sitting unused in the cabinet for an entire year, they inevitably collected dust. The set didn’t only include dinner plates. We also had smaller plates for bread or salad as well as cups and saucers for tea and coffee.
When my dad sold the house he shared with my mom, the dishes were packed away and I hadn’t thought much about them, and since her passing, we’ve used our normal dishes to eat Christmas dinner. After reading the article about lost traditions, I went to the storage building and found the two boxes that contained my mom’s Christmas china. I spent the next day pulling them out, one by one, and wiping each down with a wet paper towel. This year we’ll be eating Christmas dinner on plates decorated with holly and berries.
As you prepare to celebrate this special season, I want to
LETTERS
unteers offering food and water. I know firsthand of at least two homeowners that have taken the funding from FEMA and moved away from Western North Carolina. Although they will be missed by their friends and neighbors, the place they did call home is still there and the memories they shared will always be remembered for years.
My family was from Graham County where they had no choice but to leave due to the Fontana Dam being constructed for World War II. I have read my grandmother’s journals many times to be able to understand how they felt since they were pushed out of the area, but they moved to Haywood County to work at Dayco, Wellco, Royal Pilkington (rag mill) and Lea Industries, which none of these companies exist here any longer. Did they complain about relocating? Of course they did, but I never read or heard anything bad about from my family regarding living in Haywood County. Is there anyone out there that remembers going to school to see their friends each day? Well, think about all the children this was taken away from due to the floods, but they were finally able to reach the goal of seeing their friends each day. Remember this also; getting up every day and going to work. Maybe you didn’t want to, but you were able to see all the co-workers that you made wonderful friends with over the years.
leave you with an ode and encourage your family to always embrace traditions, both new and old.
ODE TO CHRISTMAS
December arrives and the task is clear
To joyfully anticipate holiday cheer
Then it passes too fast with a flurry at the end
To ensure cookies are baked and presents sent
We plan and prepare so that all is right
Trim the tree with ornaments and lights
Gifts are wrapped in bows of red
The family sits down to break the bread
Children giggle and hope and pray
That when they awake on Christmas Day
Toys are found and stockings packed
Crumbs are left from Santa’s sweet snack
All this is fun and that we know
But it’s not what brings the true Christmas glow
Love and faith should be at the heart
Of this night that’s been blessed from the very start MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS! (Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist who lives in Waynesville. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)
and of course issuing permits to re-build are doing all they can to help people get back in their homes with keeping safety being a main priority since nobody wants anymore devastation.
I know of multiple families that are not
It is my firm belief most, if not all, people affected by Hurricane Helene understand building codes have to be met. The women and men completing the flood assessments
going to be able to spend time in their homes for Christmas this year throughout parts of Western North Carolina and my heart goes out to them since they have lost homes, belongings and loved one’s during the storm. Please understand everyone is giving 100% to help anyone affected by Hurricane Helene. It does not make any difference what your party affiliation may be, we are all human and can only do what we can to help people. With that said; let’s all stop laying blame on anyone and keep helping others so we can get back living a normal life here in the wonderful mountains of Western North Carolina where I like calling home.
A wise man once said; “Can we all not just get along?” It was my Dad. All of us should think about these words since my Dad was as simple as peanut butter & jelly. But these few words should be something everyone should look upon and try to, yes I said try, to allow them to resonate when times are really hard. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Dale Burris Haywood County
Columnist
Susanna Shetley
A class act
HART celebrates milestone, looks ahead
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR
It’s Sunday afternoon. And while many are either watching professional football on a glowing TV somewhere or simply trying to relax and prepare for the impending workweek, an array of cars put on their blinkers and pull into 250 Pigeon Street in Waynesville — home to the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre.
“I think part of being a human is chasing that feeling of being completely immersed in the moment, where time doesn’t exist and all that matters is the moment you are in with the people you are with,” said HART Artistic Director Candice Dickinson. “And you can really only know how that feels if you’ve experienced it.”
On any given Thursday, Friday or Saturday, the HART property lights up with live stage productions, most of which are soldout affairs — a truly impressive feat for any longtime theatre company, let alone one located in the rural setting of Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia.
“It takes a lot for any theatre to survive anywhere,” Dickinson emphasized. “And the fact that HART has been so loved and supported for 40 years now tells me just how important it is to our community of Waynesville, Haywood County and really Western North Carolina.
Forty years. Pretty much the same amount
of time this journalist has existed. We’re talking all the way back to the Reagan Administration. Back when the Cold War was still a thing and the Berlin Wall remained intact. Forty years of countless HART performances, this endless list of participating actors that cannot be accurately gathered or even fathomed.
“What makes HART so special?” Dickinson posed. “It’s the people. The people who make up our community and pour all of their love and dreams into our shows.”
And it all began right here in Waynesville.
In the early 1980s, the community theatre was initially an extension of the Haywood County Arts Council, with many notable residents taking part in the rag-tag productions. The shows bounced around the county between the former Strand Theater on Main Street in Waynesville, Haywood Community College (HCC) and Tuscola High School.
By 1984, the Haywood Arts Regional
Theatre was officially formed. Just four years later, a young Steven Lloyd, an incredibly ambitious and talented actor/director, landed in Waynesville as part of the “Visiting Artist Program” (known as the Edwin Gill Theatre Project) through the UNC system. As the representing artist for HCC in Clyde, Lloyd and his finely-tuned acting skills soon entered the realm of HART.
In 1990, with his two-year stint as part of the “Visiting Artist Program” coming to an end, Lloyd asked HART if the entity was interested in hiring him to become its executive director.
With the enthusiastic green light from HART, Lloyd began building atop the bountiful and vibrant layers placed before him.
“One of the reasons I knew I could grow this theatre was because everything that I did here drew packed houses at The Strand — the support for the arts in this community was unbelievable,” Lloyd told The Smoky
Mountain News in a 2022 interview. Throughout Lloyd’s tenure as executive director, HART grew exponentially into a nationally-renowned and award-winning theatre company. First came the partnership with The Shelton House in Waynesville, which allowed HART to build its 10,000-square-foot Performing Arts Center in 1997. In 2016, the property expanded with the creation of the 9,000-square-foot Daniel & Belle Fangmeyer Theatre.
“Waynesville was much more conservative, much more provincial back when I came here 30 years ago — we brought the world to Waynesville,” Lloyd said in a 2019 interview with The Smoky Mountain News. “We brought in lots of things that 30 years ago we wouldn’t have dreamed of going anywhere close to. And the community has changed. As we’ve progressed over those 30 years, people have experienced all of those different pieces and it’s changed their thinking. This community is so much more cosmopolitan now, and it’s still a small town.”
Between the Performing Arts Center (the space now dubbed the “Steve Lloyd Stage”) and Fangmeyer Theatre, there have been hundreds of productions (estimates of over 400), whether it be with professional and community actors/directors or within the popular Kids at HART program, which offers stage opportunities to local/regional youth.
“The buildings are one thing,
Candice Dickinson. File phto
Steven Lloyd. File photo
John Highsmith photo
but the things that happened in these buildings — all the people who met each other, children who have come into this world because of those people meeting, and the shows that were done to bring people together — this theatre changed this community,” Lloyd said in 2022.
To note, Lloyd stepped down as HART executive director on New Year’s Day 2023, with Dickinson taking over the position, now referred to as artistic director. Prior to taking her current position, Dickinson had long been involved with HART in numerous ways.
“HART really does have something special. It’s something I felt when I first worked at HART 15 years ago and something I still feel today,” Dickinson said. “It comes from all the dreams that created this space, dreams of a permanent home for the arts in these beautiful mountains.”
Although Dickinson worked in theatre companies around the country and in New York City, she realized her passion resided in regional theatre, only to circle back to Western North Carolina and soon finding herself back in the trenches at HART.
“[I wanted to be] somewhere where you are part of a community and can make a difference in that community through art,” Dickinson said.
At a recent performance of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the sincerity and passion radiating from Dickinson was clearly evident, whether it be personally greeting any and all attendees when they enter the building to helping out behind the concessions counter when things need to be taken care of. Dickinson’s values and work ethic are only matched by the same ethos of team-
work and camaraderie exhibited by her HART colleagues.
“I have learned more about the human experience and what it means to be a leader, wife, mentor, lover [and] rebel from theatre than I have from any other part of my life,” Dickinson said.
Dickinson’s determination and purpose in upholding HART is a testament to the enduring life and ongoing legacy of the organization itself — past, present and future.
“The joy that artists feel from working at HART ripples out and we see our audience numbers grow, our donor support grow and
our season audition numbers grow,” Dickinson said.
Each HART production includes a vast landscape of folks involved, from actors and directors to stage managers and set builders. Not to mention box office people and a slew of volunteers helping out around the massive facility. According to Dickinson, HART produces upwards of 20 productions each year.
“When the lights go down in the theatre, you are coming along for the ride,” Dickinson said. “And you only have one thing
S EE M EETING, PAGE 18
HART productions are a beloved WNC tradition. File phot
you can focus on for the next two hours — the story and the actors in front of you.”
Coming into the 2025 season, there’s already a full schedule of productions lined up through next November, with the stage lights to be turned back on come Jan. 24 with a kickoff performance of “An Iliad.” Regardless, what does remain is a theatre company filled with immense gratitude for its community, something only mirrored by its internal drive to always strive for greatness, onstage and off.
“If people can feel seen and heard in the space they create art, everyone feels it — the audience, volunteers, donors, staff,” Dickinson said. “HART would be nothing without its community and it is our constant goal to make sure that it is an enjoyable and supportive place to be for everyone.”
When asked about just what runs through her mind as the lights go down and the curtains open onstage each night at HART, Dickinson points to the two-way street of energy exchanged between actors and their audience — this realm of creativity, connectivity and compassion that has withstood the test of time and place in our endless universe of discovery and exploration.
“We are social beings. And when you come to the theatre for a show you are reminded of that, about how powerful we can be as humans, how capable we are,” Dickinson said. “It’s that joy and empathy and excitement that bounces from the actor to the audience and back again. It’s a feeling that everyone gets to see and feel when you attend a live performance — it’s why I believe that theatre will never die.”
Want to go?
The 2025 season at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will begin with a performance of “An Iliad,” which will run on select dates from Jan. 24 through Feb. 2.
Other upcoming offerings for this winter include: “Women & War,” “Valentine’s Day Cabaret,” “The Story of My Life,” “An Unexpected Song Cabaret” and “Something Rotten Jr.”
As well, there will be a special live music concert, “Cool Jazz: Featuring Alfredo Rodriguez,” taking place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30.
For more information, a full schedule of stage productions for the entire 2025 season and/or to purchase tickets, click on harttheatre.org or call 828.456.6322. You can also email boxoffice@harttheatre.org.
SNOW
Kids at HART. File photo
File photo
This must be the place
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
LOde
to the Futurebirds, ode to the ‘Heavy Weights’ of life
ast Thursday evening was a pure and present justification of why music (especially when performed live) has such an extremely deep and intricately intrinsic (and lifelong) hold on my heart and soul.
My brothers from another, the Futurebirds, rocked and rolled through The Orange Peel in downtown Asheville. And there I was, front row along the railing, all the way to the left side. It was in this effort to not only be as close to the stage as possible, but also observe the entire scope of the sacred, ancient two-way interaction between an artist and its audience.
To preface, the holidays tend to be a rough spot for me and have been for many years. But, it’s been especially hard this go-round and for a myriad of reasons as we all have in life: missing loved ones six feet under, yearning for loved ones thousands of miles away, things I could have said and done this past year (or years prior) that didn’t come to pass.
No regrets, just lessons learned, for good or ill. Hold steady and keep trying to be a better person than you were the day before. It’s not easy, but it is a goal to aspire toward each morning. I do know I’m loved by friends and family, this extended web of faces from around the country and beyond. And I do sincerely love what I do for a living, spending my days wandering and pondering with other folks — the gratitude is never, ever lost on that front.
But, as the Christmas lights and trees go up, the holly-jolly songs of yesteryear playing throughout seemingly every damn room I walk into this time of year, things seem to creep into my mind and pose a threat to my mental wellbeing. Luckily, I’m equipped with enough sense of self and of actual reality — enough personal resolve and spiritual transcendence to push ahead, come hell or high water.
It’s not easy sometimes, but I try to keep my emotions and actions above the waterline that is the abyss of the soul. And yet, 2024, for many obvious reasons, felt (and still feels) much heavier than past calendars on the wall of my small apartment kitchen and or along the vast corridors of my subconscious.
Thus, I found myself once again in the
presence of the ‘Birds. This group I’ve known, loved and befriended since that fateful St. Patrick’s Day in 2010 when I wandered into a long-gone dive bar and discovered my favorite band by total happenstance. The Jinx in Savannah, Georgia. I was 25 and the ensemble itself all fresh out of college at the University of Georgia in Athens. At that time, the indierock/alt-country outfit had only been around less than a year.
Since then, I’ve crossed paths with the ‘Birds all over America. Kentucky. Wyoming. Tennessee. Colorado. South Carolina. Onward and upward. Those intersections of time and place remain a joyous occasion to reconnect and spend quality time with a slew of incredible souls traversing this great big ol’ world in the name of truth, adventure, passion and purpose. I concur in solidarity within my own ethos.
In truth, the ‘Birds represent the entire gamut of the human condition: joy, sadness, grief, confusion, chaos, happiness, redemption, etc. All of which pushed through this wildly colorful melodic kaleidoscope meant to make your heart beat a little faster, your legs bounce a little higher, your soul vibrate mightily that you exist and you are worthy.
On this current holiday tour, the ‘Birds switched it up and decided to do two different sets. One acoustic, intimate and poignant. The other electric, full-throttle, this frenzy of tone and talent. No opener, either. Just the ‘Birds, you, and me. Just the way God intended.
During the acoustic set, guitarist Daniel Womack went into one of the ‘Birds rarer numbers, “Heavy Weights.” To me, I think it’s one of the group’s most haunting songs. It’s also my favorite ‘Birds tune. So, as you can imagine, a jolt ran through my body when the ‘Birds went into “Heavy Weight,” my eyes slightly watering from the emotion of the song, this slow release of heaviness from within me, somewhere way down in there.
“Quick to speak your mind/It’s all the same when you die/When you die/It’s in the night/It’s no surprise,” Womack howled, words that have ricocheted around my physical and emotional life since it was first released some 12 years ago — those songs immortal that echo out and ripple across the endless,
A renowned jazz/soul ensemble, the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center in Highlands.
3
A popular regional reggae/soul act, the Natti Love Joys will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.
4
Haywood County rock/country act Outlaw Whiskey will perform as part of the “New Year’s Eve Party” at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, at Unplugged Pub in Bryson City.
5
The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) “Small Works” exhibit will run through Dec. 31 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts showroom in downtown Waynesville.
infinite universe.
When the song ended, Womack stood behind the microphone and said, “That song is for our good friend, Garret Woodward, who’s out there somewhere.” I raised my plastic cup of Miller Lite from way over on the left side of the rail, first row. The band spotted me, with smiles and waves. It meant a lot, more so than anyone around me perhaps even realized.
As the ‘Birds exited the stage, I yelled over to Womack. He smiled, trotted over and gave me a big hug. A true embrace of friendship. Countless miles traveled in pursuit of longheld dreams coming to fruition in our creative lives, unfolding in real time, in ways you couldn’t even comprehend those many years ago at the starting line of your intent.
“It really means a lot that you played that song,” I said in a humble, more so somber tone. “It’s been a pretty rough holiday season on my end and that really meant a lot to hear.”
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, brother,” he replied with a sincere expression of compassion and understanding. “All the love, always, my friend.”
I shook my head in agreement. Another hug, this time the ole “until next time” one. Continue on our respective paths, only to run across each other again at some point down the road of life. And for that, I’m grateful — for genuine friendships amid the whirlwind sands of time, the ebb and flow of a rollercoaster existence we hold to with every ounce of our being.
I remain. And you do, too. We all do. And we will persevere, only to rise up again in our own time, once again claiming what it is that resides in every single one of us — that spark of light, imagination, connection and camaraderie we tend to ignore or forget about from time to time, especially in the here and now of the holidays.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
Adam Bigelow
Futurebirds at The Orange Peel.
Garret K. Woodward photo
On the beat
• American Legion Post 47 (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” 3 p.m. every Tuesday. Free and open to the public. 828.456.8691.
• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and open to the public. 828.497.1015 / facebook.com/angryelkbrewingco.
• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 / balsamfallsbrewing.com.
• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host an “Open Jam” 6 p.m. every Tuesday and Paul Bowman 6 p.m. Dec. 28. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.
• Bevel Bar (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.246.0996 / bevelbar.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host Doug & Lisa Dec. 28. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Blue Stage (Andrews) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.361.2534 / thebluestage.com.
Reggae, soul at Frog Level
Love Joys will play Waynesville Dec. 28. File photo
A popular regional reggae/soul act, the Natti Love Joys will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are located in The Gem downstairs taproom and begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 / boojumbrewing.com.
• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host Brian Ashley Jones & Melanie Jean (Americana/ country) 5 p.m. Jan. 18. For tickets and reservations, go to cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-events/live-music.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host Jon Shain & Piedmont Blues 2 p.m. Jan. 26 ($15 for adults, $7.50 for ages 6-16). 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org/music.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Team Trivia” Mondays and Adam & Joe 6:30 p.m. Dec. 27. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 / curraheebrew.com.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at The Farm” sessions on select weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.452.2997 / folkmoot.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Jazz On The Level” 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday, Sugah & Thuh Cubes Dec. 27, Natti Love Joys (reggae/roots) Dec. 28 and Jim Cook (singersongwriter) 3 p.m. Dec. 29. All shows begin at
A roots-rock-reggae band that has been playing live since 2003, the group consists of husband and wife duo Anthony “Jatti” Allen and Sonia “Marla” Allen (formerly Sonia Abel).
Jatti was previously the bassist for the reggae group The Congos, while Marla originates from the cult all female reggae group Love Joys, where she recorded two albums under the legendary Wackies label run by Lloyd Barnes (Bullwackie). Free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.454.5664 or go to froglevelbrewing.com.
Upstream Rebellion to play Sylva
Rising regional Americana/bluegrass act Upstream Rebellion will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 28, at The Junction Pub in Sylva.
Hailing from the depths of Western North Carolina, Upstream Rebellion is rooted in the intricate musical traditions of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountain
6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 / froglevelbrewing.com.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriter) Dec. 28. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.742.5700 / happsplace.com.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For tickets, go to caesars.com/harrahscherokee.
• High Dive (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.2200 / highlandsdive.com.
• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host “Blues & Brews” on Thursday evenings, “Sunday Bluegrass Residency” from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the “Salon Series” on select
ranges. The ensemble showcases a captivating blend of bluegrass standards and original numbers.
The show is free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.370.2090 or go to facebook.com/jctpub.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host Fabulous Equinox Orchestra (jazz/soul) 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30. 828.526.9047 / highlandsperformingarts.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic w/Phil” on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows and events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.586.9678/ innovationbrewing.com.
• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.226.0262 / innovation-brewing.com.
Natti
On the beat
• Junction Pub (Sylva) will host “Open Jam” on Sundays, “Marg Monday Karaoke” on Mondays, “Trivia” on Tuesdays, “Open Mic” on Thursdays, Upstream Rebellion (Americana/bluegrass) Dec. 28, “New Year’s Eve Party” 8 p.m. Dec. 31, Tyler Kemmerling (singer-songwriter) Jan. 3 and Rich Manz Trio (acoustic/oldies) Jan. 4. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.370.2090 / facebook.com/jctpub.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Ray Ferrara (country/rock) Dec. 28 and New Year’s Eve Party w/The Remnants (rock/pop) 9 p.m. Dec. 31. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 6:30 p.m. Mondays, The Remnants (rock/pop) Dec. 27 and New Year’s Eve Party w/DJ Mox 8:30 p.m. Dec. 31. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Listening Room (Franklin) will host Chris Rosser (singer-songwriter) 2:30 p.m. Jan. 5. Suggested donation $20. Located at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host “Open Mic Night” w/Frank Lee every Wednesday, Ron Neill (singer-songwriter) Dec. 28 and Mountain Gypsy (Americana) 5 p.m. Dec. 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m.
On the stage
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host comedian Dave Koechner 7:30 p.m. Dec. 30. For tickets, go to caesars.com/harrahscherokee.
ALSO:
• Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (Waynesville) will host semiregular stage productions on the weekends. harttheatre.org / 828.456.6322.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. mountaintheatre.com / 828.526.9047.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. smokymountainarts.com / 866.273.4615.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. thepeacocknc.org / 828.389.ARTS.
unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 / mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Old Edwards Inn (Highlands) will host live music in the Hummingbird Lounge at 5:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Free and open to the public. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com.
• Otto Community Center (Otto) will host James Thompson (Americana) 4 p.m. Jan. 3. Bring a beverage and snack of your choice. Free and open to the public. 770.335.0967 / go2ottonc.com.
• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 / facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.
• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Karaoke 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Trivia Night 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Madison Owenby (singer-songwriter) Dec. 26, Open Mic w/Dirty Dave Dec. 27 and Joe Munoz (singer-songwriter) Dec. 28. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796 / facebook.com/rathskellercoffeebarandpub.
• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) Dec. 26, TrancEnd (rock/pop) 9 p.m. Dec. 28, “New Year’s Eve Party” Dec. 31, Shane Meade (singer-songwriter) Jan. 2 and Spiro Nicolopoulos Blues Apocalypse (rock/blues) Jan. 3. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 / scotsmanpublic.com.
• Slanted Window Tasting Station (Franklin) will host a “New Year’s Eve Party” w/Alton Lane Band Dec. 31. 828.276.9463 / slantedwindow.com.
• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host a Community Jam 5:30-7:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.479.3364 / stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Trailborn (Highlands) will host its “Carolina Concert Series” on select dates. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.482.1581 or trailborn.com/highlands.
• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Mountain Gypsy (Americana) Dec. 26, Ellis Haven Band Dec. 27, Dirty South Band Dec. 28 and Outlaw Whiskey (classic rock/country gold) “New Year’s Eve Party” (reserved seating $30 per person) Dec. 31. All shows are $5 at the door unless otherwise noted and begin at 8 p.m. 828.538.2488 / unpluggedpub.com.
• Find more at smokymountainnews.com/arts
Orchestra rolls into Highlands
A renowned jazz/soul ensemble, the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 30, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center in Highlands.
All across America and around the world, audiences have fallen in love with these two sophisticated Southern gentlemen (Davis & Johnson) and the high-energy show featuring the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra.
Along with the greatest songs, the best original arrangements and phenomenal musicianship, these two bring their rich camaraderie and charm to the stage. Inspired by the style and swagger of legendary entertainers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., Davis & Johnson are making their own revisions to the Great American songbook.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandsperformingarts.com or call 828.526.9047.
Ready for classic rock, country gold?
Haywood County rock/country act Outlaw Whiskey will perform as part of the “New Year’s Eve Party” at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 31, at Unplugged Pub in Bryson City.
Formed in Haywood County seven years ago, Outlaw Whiskey has emerged as a popular band in Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia. A blend of original country and rock songwriting amid a bevy of cover tunes from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and other marquee acts, the essence of the group is musicianship and fellowship.
Recently, Outlaw Whiskey was recognized as “Band of the Year” (New Country: 50 & Over Category) by the North America Country Music Association, Int’l (NACMAI) for the second year in a row. Mike Holt took home “Male Vocalist New Country” and Gerald Scott was awarded “New Country Rising Star Song” for the melody “Dirt In Your Hands.” Reserved seats are $30 per person. For more information, call 828.538.2488 or go to unpluggedpub.com.
Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will play Highlands Dec. 30. File photo
Outlaw Whiskey will play Bryson City Dec. 31 Garret K. Woodward photo
On the wall
HCAC ‘Small Works’ exhibit
The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) “Small Works” exhibit will run through Dec. 31 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts showroom in downtown Waynesville.
The annual exhibit that expands the types of work for sale in the downtown Waynesville gallery, as well as who can display their work. Other than specially curated exhibits, which occur a couple times annually, this exhibit is the only one that allows any artist within the western mountain region to participate for a small fee.
With dozens of artists participating, the exhibit promises to be eclectic. Although the only requirement is that the pieces be 12 inches in any dimension or smaller, HCAC challenged participants who are making holiday themed works to consider artistic expressions that are multicultural in nature and celebrate the many different holidays — ways of celebrating and ways of experiencing holidays.
For more information, visit haywoodarts.org.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host “ArtWorks” at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Come create your own masterpiece. The materials for art works are supplied and participants are welcome to bring ideas and supplies to share with each other. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / vroberson@fontanalib.org.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host an adult arts and crafts program at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Ages 16 and up. Space is limited to 10 participants. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / vroberson@fontanalib.org.
ALSO:
• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio located at 1283 Asheville Road. Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring, mixed media, acrylic painting and more. For a full list of classes, go to cre828.com. dawn@cre828.com / 828.283.0523.
• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. galleryzella.com / 517.881.0959.
• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7
Haywood
Arts
to offer Helene support grants
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) in Waynesville has announced the launch of the HCAC Helene Support Grant.
Designed to provide financial assistance to HCAC artist members who have been significantly impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the application process is currently underway. Funding will range from $300 to $1,500.
The Helene Support Grant is intended for individual artists, providing critical relief as they recover from the storm’s impact on their lives and livelihoods. Eligible artists must be active members of the HCAC as of September 2024 and must be working in one of the following artistic fields: craft, literary, media, performing, visual or interdisciplinary arts.
• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host an “Oysters & Beer Pairing” from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4. Half-dozen oysters, three varieties, three beer pairings. Tickets are $25 per person. For more information, call 828.246.6292 or go to scotsmanpublic.com.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have its wine bar open 48 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 828.452.6000 / classicwineseller.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host semi-regular tap-takeovers from local and regional breweries on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.
p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. They welcome photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images at the monthly meetings. waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. jcgep.org.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. southwesterncc.edu/scc-locations/swain-center.
• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. dogwoodcrafters.com/classes / 828.586.2248.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular arts and crafts workshops. coweeschool.org/events.
Eligibility Criteria:
• Applicants must be an HCAC artist member as of September 2024 and be 18 years of age.
• Available to artists and creatives who have experienced loss due to Hurricane Helene, including loss of a studio, home, supplies or income.
• Applicants must have been affected by Hurricane Helene.
• This grant is intended for individual artists; nonprofits are not eligible for this opportunity.
The HCAC is committed to supporting local artists who contribute so much to the cultural fabric of our mountain community. With these funds, artists can begin to recover and rebuild after the storm’s devastation.
For more details about the Helene Support Grant and to submit an application, please visit haywoodarts.org/grants-funding or contact the HCAC at director@haywoodarts.org.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. waynesvillewine.com.
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. 828.538.0420.
• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. 800.872.4681 / gsmr.com.
On the street ALSO:
• “Christmas Light Show Drive-Thru” is running every day through Jan. 6 at the Great Smoky Mountains Event Park in Bryson City, except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. greatsmokies.com/events.
• “Ice Skating at The Yard” will be 4-8 p.m. Fridays and 1-8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at The Yard on Depot Street in Bryson City. For more information, go to facebook.com/theyardbc.
• “Enchanted Island Of Lights” will be shown 5-10 p.m. each day through Jan. 3 at the Oconaluftee Island Park in Cherokee. visitcherokeenc.com/events.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad photo
From book monsters to nuclear war
For all sorts of reasons, mostly having to do with research, the last two weeks brought more reading than usual my way, but with no single book finished for any possible review. One of these books, Pat Frank’s “Alas, Babylon” I read 58 years ago, while Anthony Esolen’s “Nostalgia” I needed I read just this last year. The other books — several biographies of Ronald Reagan; “Bringing Up Bookmonsters,” a guide for helping kids fall in love with reading; Daniel Pink’s “The Power of Regret;” and a couple more — I either skimmed or used the indices to locate the information I required.
me human. Regret makes me better. Regret gives me hope.”
“The Power of Regret” will be worth my reading in full when I have the time.
Published in 1959, when the Cold War was in full swing, “Alas, Babylon” tells the story of a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the West. While missiles obliter-
Some of this reading left but few impressions. Two of the books, however, brought some long thoughts.
“The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward” begins by recounting the story of the 44-year-old singer Edith Piaf winning international fame with her 1960 song “Non, Je ne regrette rien,” which translates, “No, I regret nothing at all.”
Bold words and boldly rendered by the diminutive chanteuse, yet three years later Piaf was dead from her addictions and decades of hard living.
The truth is, regret is part of the human condition, and the person who slaps on a tattoo proclaiming “No Regrets” draws this reaction from Pink:
“Embedded in songs, emblazoned on the skin, and embraced by sages, the anti-regret philosophy is so self-evidently true that it’s more often asserted than argued … Why rue what we did yesterday when we can dream of the limitless possibilities of tomorrow?
“This worldview makes intuitive sense. It seems right. It feels convincing. But it has one not insignificant flaw.
“It is dead wrong.”
To go through life without regrets, to live without hurting someone along the way or making some major mistake, is impossible. Using anecdotes, research in fields like psychology and economics, and lots of data, including his own World Regret Survey covering more than 16,000 people in 105 countries, Pink breaks our regrets into four basic groups. He then explains in detail what we can learn from remorse and how we can use that self-knowledge to lead better lives. If, for example, we regret not being kinder when we were young, as Pink does, then we resolve “to make kindness a higher priority.”
Pink ends his book with these words: “After a few years immersed in the science and experiences of our most misunderstood emotion, I’ve discovered about myself what I’ve discovered about others. Regret makes
United States in 1959 was 178 million men, women, and children.
That “Alas, Babylon” impressed me so deeply in my long-ago youth is a testament to its powers of description and conjecture. That it remains in print, in spite of being dated, speaks again to these powers.
ate many large American cities and military bases, one small Florida town survives this holocaust. The rest of the novel deals with the citizens who live there, most of them good people, who struggle to save themselves, their loved ones and neighbors, and the scraps of civilization still in existence.
In his Preface to “Alas, Babylon,” Pat Frank brings up a question asked him by an acquaintance, “a retired manufacturer, a practical man” before he began his novel: “What do you think would happen if the Russkies hit us when we weren’t looking — you know, like Pearl Harbor?”
Frank then writes, “It was a big question. I gave him a horseback opinion, which proved conservative compared with some of the official forecasts published later. I said, ‘Oh, I think they’d kill fifty or sixty million Americans — but I think we’d win the war.”
Keep in mind that the population of the
Riffling through Frank’s novel brought home two revelations. First, our culture has long laughed at the drills conducted in public schools 60 years ago, like ducking under one’s desk, as preparation for a nuclear attack. It’s true, such drills now seem antiquated and amusing, but what’s also true is that our society today is even less prepared for such a national emergency. What defensive measures has our government taken against a nuclear strike on the ground or the horrors that would descend on us from an attack by
Electromagnetic Pulse? Do you know the location of your public emergency shelters? Do such shelters even exist? Is there literature explaining what to do in case of a nuclear strike, either by a foreign power or terrorists, as there was in the 1960s? What rights do citizens maintain visà-vis the federal and state governments in a national emergency?
From “Alas, Babylon” to William Forstchen’s 2009 “One Second After,” writers have issued warnings about nuclear weapons. Keeping in mind the words and actions of some of our D.C. policymakers, Pat Frank’s novel stands as a stark reminder that children playing with dangerous toys will likely bring harm to themselves and others.
(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning As I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.”)
Writer Jeff Minick
Macon to address floodplain, Lake Emory Dam in new year
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER
After almost a year of work, discussion and often tense disagreement on the issue, Macon County is set to continue its pursuit of adjustments to its floodplain ordinances and considerations about possible removal of Lake Emory Dam in the new year. Not only did the effects of Hurricane Helene change the nature of these discussions, but new leadership on the county commission could impact the course it chooses.
On Jan. 2, the planning board is set to discuss both the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and the possible removal of Lake Emory Dam. The Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance is the third of three ordinances that were up for revision over the course of this year, and the removal of Lake Emory Dam, a topic of concern for over a decade, found renewed interest amid discussions regarding the floodplain.
While one of the three ordinance revisions has already been passed by the board of commissioners — in August the board voted to change the required land disturbance from half an acre to an acre before any plans are required for soil erosion control on a project in the Soil Erosion Sedimentation Control Ordinance — commissioners held off on final decisions on the Water Supply Watershed Protection and Flood Damage Prevention ordinances until January. Thanks to an outpouring of public opposition to revision of the ordinances, then Chairman Gary Shields decided to slow the process of changing the ordinances late this summer when the second two came before the commission and instead of holding a vote, sent the ordinances back to the planning board for review saying the commission would take them
back up in January.
Now, the planning board has had a chance to review one of those two ordinances — the Water Supply Watershed Protection ordinance. In October, it voted again to recommend a change to the ordinance that would allow RV parks to be eligible for special nonresidential intensity allocations (SNIA) in the watershed.
The planning board was set to consider the third ordinance — the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance — at its November meeting, but because the board failed to produce a quorum, it could not vote on a recommendation.
“It appears that a significant number of individuals failed to discharge their responsibilities, effectively resulting in a boycott of the floodplain discussion, thus depriving the commissioners of information they are entitled to expect, while confusing the general public,” the Water Quality Advisory Committee said in a Dec. 19 letter to the county commission.
Planning Board Chairman Jean Owen apologized for the lack of quorum following the meeting.
“I apologized to everyone in attendance and let them know that there would not be an ‘official’ meeting, but we welcomed anything they wanted to present,” said Owen. “As there was no official meeting, there was no recommendation to the county commissioners.”
The December planning board meeting was canceled, relatively common for local government meetings around the holidays. Now, the planning board is again set to take up the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance at its Jan. 2 meeting and vote on a recommendation for the county commission.
The potential revision to the Flood Damage
Mountain Ture; Town and County Emergency response personnel; first responders; the Franklin fire chief; Forward! Franklin; numerous independent experts who have consulted with the WQAC and our Franklin-based State Representative and State Senator,” the WQAC said in its latest letter to the board of commissioners.
However, the WQAC has also pointed out the robust public opposition to revising the watershed ordinances. Over the course of almost a year’s worth of meetings and hours of public input on the issue from dozens of citizens, The Smoky Mountain News can verify only two members of the public who have voiced support for revising the ordinances during public meeting.
“In view of the overwhelming opposition from your constituents, reinforced by sound technical advice, to approve these changes would be an act against your duty as representatives of all Macon County citizens,” the WQAC said in its Dec. 19 letter. “On the contrary, responding to the wishes of your constituents and leaving the ordinances unchanged will create goodwill going forward.”
Prevention Ordinance, which currently prevents placement of fill in floodplains, would allow for fill on up to 25% of the flood fringe area of any property.
The Water Quality Advisory Committee (WQAC) is staunchly opposed to changing the ordinance to allow for 25% fill, saying in its report on the issue that it instead advocates “for a variance process to allow for exceptions to the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance, while keeping floodplain protections intact.”
The WQAC is made up of nine volunteer members with careers in varying aspects of aquatic management, engineering, farming and planning. It includes Associate Director of the Highlands Biological Station and previous chair of Mainspring Conservation Trust Jason Love, previous member of the Macon County Planning Board and a contractor with experience in stream restoration and channel design Lewis Penland, Agronomist and Macon County Farm Bureau representative Kenneth McCaskill, Forensic Engineer and Mainspring Conservation Trust Board Member Ed Haight, Vice Mayor of Franklin Stacy Guffey, Business Programs Chair at Southwestern Community College Carolyn Porter, Executive Director of the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River Katie Price and engineer/author/white-water expert Doug Woodward. The committee is chaired by aquatic biologist Bill McLarney.
“A vote for the proposed changes to the two ordinances would be in opposition to the expressed wishes of the Towns of Franklin and Highlands; North Carolina Farm Bureau; Nikwasi Initiative; the Cherokee Tribal Heritage Preservation Office; every recognized environmental group in the region, including Mainspring Conservation Trust, WATR and
With the new year also comes new leadership on the Macon County Commission. On Dec. 2, Barry Breeden was sworn in as the county’s newest commissioner, replacing Paul Higdon, and Josh Young replaced Gary Shields as chairman.
Until he was sworn in as a county commissioner, Breeden had been serving as a planning board member and voted in favor of the recommendation to revise the Water Supply Watershed Protection Ordinance. Young, now chairman of the commission, serves as liaison to the planning board, and originally proposed changes to the ordinances. As chairman, it is now Young’s responsibility to formulate the commission’s meeting agenda each month, run meetings and call for votes when necessary.
While Young’s ownership of property in the area affected by the ordinance revisions raised questions from members of the public about his motives for the proposal, he has said he has deed restricted his land so that he will not benefit from the proposal.
What’s more, after long-time County Manager Derek Roland announced his resignation from the position, previous Emergency Services Director Warren Cabe was selected as his replacement.
While Cabe has not expressed his opinion on the ordinance revisions, many members of the public, as well as the WQAC, have noted that decreased regulations in the floodplain could lead to worse conditions during natural disasters and more dangerous work for emergency service workers. This became especially poignant after Hurricane Helene ravaged much of Western North Carolina with severe flooding and wind damage in September.
“All of this is very, very important stuff and I really just have one question. Why are we doing this right now?” said one speaker at the Oct. 3 planning board meeting. “Our region has suffered one of the worst catastrophes that I can think of… this can wait. F
Lake Emory Dam. Public domain photo
Rehab efforts begin on popular Smokies trail
The National Park Service (NPS) will begin a major rehabilitation on Laurel Falls Trail, one of the most popular trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The trail will close for 18 months starting Jan. 6, 2025, as crews make improvements to the trail and parking areas.
Through this rehabilitation, the NPS will enhance safety and the hiking experience for the more than 300,000 visitors who hike Laurel Falls every year. The park will construct new viewing platforms at the falls to improve visitor flow and reduce hazards associated with the slippery and steep area surrounding the falls. The park will also repave and widen the asphalt trail. The existing asphalt surface of the trail, first paved in 1963, is rough, uneven and includes sections with cracked and missing pavement, requiring frequent repairs. In addition, the park will install new signs and educational panels to provide guidance on wayfinding, bear safety and Leave No Trace principles.
The project will also provide critical upgrades to the trailhead parking area. These include the addition of roughly 50 parking spaces and the construction of a designated pathway with a guardrail to safely connect pedestrians to the trailhead. Improvements to the parking area are funded by recreation fee revenue from campgrounds and parking tag fees.
During the closure of Laurel Falls Trail, access to Laurel Falls will be closed from both Little River Road and the junction of Little Greenbrier Trail and Cove Mountain Trail. Furthermore, Sugarland Mountain Trail and its parking lot will also be closed, with no dropoffs or use permitted.
During this construction, park staff encourage visitors to explore the park’s extensive network of over 800 miles of trails and recommend alternative hikes offering similar experiences to Laurel Falls. Consider these alternatives:
• Baskins Creek Trail.
• Cove Hardwood Nature Trail.
• Cove Mountain Trail to Cataract Falls.
• Elkmont, Cosby or Smokemont Nature Trails.
• Gabes Mountain Trail to Hen Wallow Falls.
• Metcalf Bottoms Trail/Little Brier Gap Trail to Little Greenbrier School and the Walker Sisters’ Cabin.
• Little River Trail.
• Middle Prong Trail.
• Sugarland Valley Nature Trail.
Our people are suffering.”
While Macon County fared better than other WNC counties to the east, it was not spared the worst effects of natural disaster. On Friday, Sept. 27, Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Lau’s truck was seen submerged in floodwaters. His body was recovered the next day. Lau was the only confirmed death in Macon related to Hurricane Helene.
“Our mountains protect us, but they also funnel all that water into places that people don’t think of as being dangerous,” said Sarah Johnson during the October planning board meeting. “If you have any possibility of preventing it now, now is when you do that. Because I guarantee you that Asheville, Canton, Clyde, the rest of them, if they could go back a little bit and rethink some of the things, they would.”
Hurricane Helene caused over 100 deaths in Western North Carolina and an estimated $58 billion in damages.
“While other counties just to the east of us that were impacted by this storm are looking at ways to make their communities more resilient to these type of extreme flooding events, we have heard nothing from the Macon County Planning Board or the County Commission on ways to strengthen our com-
munity against extreme flooding,” the WQAC said in its letter. “Instead, the board is considering efforts to weaken existing protections.”
The planning board is set to take up both the Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance and discussion of Lake Emory Dam removal at its Jan. 2 meeting.
Today, Northbrook Power Management owns the dam at Lake Emory, the same company that owns the Ela Dam and inadvertently released a massive amount of sediment there in October 2021, blanketing the downstream reach and severely damaging its aquatic communities. Northbrook also owns the Mission Dam on the Hiawassee River.
In an effort to generate electricity for the local community, as well as income from tourism, in 1925 the Town of Franklin created Lake Emory by funding a $300,000 bond to pay for a 35.5-foot tall, 463-foot-long dam on the Little Tennessee river.
After one failed attempt to offload the dam to Northwest Carolina Utilities, the town eventually transferred title of the dam to Nantahala Power and Light Company in 1932, which later morphed into Duke Energy. Over the last several decades the lake has been plagued by the buildup of silt from storm damage and development activities upstream of the dam.
Laurel Falls. File photo
Burning permit requirement reinstated in WNC
The N.C. Forest Service has reinstated the requirement for open burning permits in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties.
The requirement for open burning permits was waived Oct. 12 through the authorization of House Bill 149, the Disaster Recovery Act of 2024.
Puzzles can be found on page 30
These are only the answers.
Burn permits can be obtained from any open authorized permitting agent or online at ncforestservice.gov/burnpermit.
When burning outdoors, recommended best practices include the following:
• Never burn on a dry, windy day.
• Never leave a fire unattended.
• Keep a water source, shovel, rake and a phone nearby.
• For additional best practices and wildfire prevention tips, visit ncforestservice.gov/fire_control/fc_firesafetyoutdoors.htm.
Drought conditions lessen in WNC
Conditions have improved in Western North Carolina over the last week. From ncdrought.org
some much-needed rain, taking the whole region out of drought conditions and into a “moderately dry state.”
After several weeks of increasingly dry conditions, Western North Carolina has finally seen
HCC hosts spring hunter safety courses
Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences and Natural Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer two opportunities for hunter safety courses in Spring 2025. Classes will be offered from 6-9 p.m. Jan. 8-9 and April 2-3 on the HCC campus in the Walnut building, room 3322. Participants must attend two consecutive evenings to receive their certification.
While the drought has left the region, counties in the eastern part of North Carolina are still in a moderate drought.
tion and wildlife management, wildlife identification, survival and first aid, specialty hunting and tree stand safety.
These courses are offered for the general public as a community service and are free of charge. There are no minimum age requirements; however, a written exam must be completed without assistance. Courses are taught by wildlife officers, hunter education specialists, and certified volunteer instructors. Certification is accepted in every state and province in North America.
More than a firearm safety course, instruction includes ethics and responsibility, conserva-
Pre-registration is required. Anyone interested in taking a hunter safety course must register online in order to attend any session. Course registration may be completed at ncwildlife.org.
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust conserves 54.45 acres of forested land
The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) announced the permanent conservation of 54.45 acres of forested land just two miles from downtown Highlands. Located along the majority of the lefthand side of Glen Falls Road, this pristine property is a vital part of the area’s natural beauty and ecological health.
This conservation adds almost a mile of protection to the East Fork of Overflow Creek, classified by North Carolina as an Outstanding Resource Water (ORW). Water that falls here (or seeps out from the mountain), flows from HCLT conservation easement, Frog Pond Farms, under N.C.106, across the newly conserved preserve before tumbling down the iconic USFS Glen Falls, flowing into Blue Valley.
This land has long been admired by locals and visitors alike for its lush, forested character, with many unknowingly passing alongside it on their way to the popular Glen Falls Trailhead. While many assumed this land was protected by the U.S. Forest Service, it was, in fact, privately owned and potentially at risk for development. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Marc & Beth Reisman and Hector & Mary Ann Villarroel, along with the support of HCLT’s Wildwood Fund, this land will be protected and stewarded into perpetuity.
This conservation effort is a critical step in safeguarding the health of Overflow Creek and Glen Falls and water that eventually makes its way to the Chattooga River. The land’s protection also ensures the conservation of vital wildlife habitats, rare and unique ecosystems, and helps maintain the scenic beauty that defines the Plateau.
“The conservation of this land is a testament to the power of community action and generosity,” said Lance Hardin, executive director of the HighlandsCashiers Land Trust. “By permanently protecting this forest, we are preserving not only an important watershed, but also the remarkable character of the Plateau that draws so many people to our beautiful corner of the world.”
The Land Trust encourages other individuals and groups who are passionate about the future of the Plateau and the surrounding areas to consider contributing to ongoing conservation efforts. To learn more about HCLT’s conservation work and how you can support land protection efforts in the Highlands-Cashiers area, please visit hcltnc.org or email info@hcltnc.org.
This conservation win adds almost a mile of protection to the East Fork of Overflow Creek, classified by North Carolina as an Outstanding Resource Water (ORW). Donated photo
Market PLACE WNC
MarketPlace information:
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
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• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)
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STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF HAYWOOD IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK 24SP000005-430
IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST from MAX GERRY ROBINSON, JR. and wife, TERRALENE ROBINSON to GENERAL AMERICAN CORP., Trustee, dated JANUARY 16, 2003, recorded in BOOK 546, PAGE 212; REFORMED MARCH 6, 2023, and recorded APRIL 20, 2023, in BOOK 1084, PAGE 2166, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY
Pursuant to an order entered March 26, 2024, in the Superior Court for Haywood County, and the power of sale contained in the captioned Deed of Trust (the “Deed of Trust”), the Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at auction (the “Sale”), to the highest bidder for cash on:
JANUARY 3, 2025, AT 10:00 A.M. HAYWOOD COUNTY COURTHOUSE 285 NORTH MAIN STREET, WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA the real estate and the improvements thereon secured by the Deed of Trust, less and except any of such property re-
leased from the lien of the Deed of Trust prior to the date of said sale, lying and being in Haywood County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows (the “Property”):
TRACT ONE: BEGINNING AT AN IRON PIPE SET AT AN OLD FENCE INTERSECTION POST AT SOUTHWEST CORNER OF RHINEHART TRACT (DEED BOOK 261, PAGE 688, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY) AND SOUTHEAST CORNER OF GREEN TRACT (DEED BOOK 172, PAGE 17, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY) AND RUNS FROM THE BEGINNING POINT THUS ESTABLISHED: S 88-11-20 W, PASSING AN IRON PIPE SET AT 170.85 FEET, A WHOLE DISTANCE OF 178.85 FEET TO THE CENTER OF THICKETY ROAD (S.R. 1513); THENCE WITH THE CENTER OF THICKETY ROAD THREE CALLS AS FOLLOWS: S 23-3726 E 109.74 FEET TO A POINT; S 33-22-40 E 86.90 FEET TO A POINT; AND S 52-32-13 E 99.41 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE LEAVING SAID ROAD AND RUNNING N 02-09-53 E, PASSING AN IRON PIPE FOUND AT 26.33 FEET, A TOTAL DISTANCE OF 235.42 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE SET; THENCE N 11-3830 W 4.06 FEET TO THE BEGINNING. CONTAINING 0.605 ACRES, AS PER PLAT AND SURVEY BY L. KEVIN ENSLEY, RLS, DATED 11-8-88, DRAWING NO. A-091-88, AND BEING A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY
DESCRIBED IN DEED
BOOK 208, PAGE 534, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. ALSO SEE PLAT BOOK A, PAGE 89, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY.
TOGETHER WITH AND SUBJECT TO RIGHT OF WAY FOR STATE ROAD 1513 TO ITS FULL LEGAL WIDTH.
BEING THE SAME PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN DEED DATED SEPTEMBER 29, 1999, FROM MAX GERRY ROBINSON, SR. (A.K.A. MAX GARY ROBINSON) AND WIFE, JEAN ROBINSON, TO MAX GERRY ROBINSON, JR. AND RECORDED IN DEED BOOK 475, PAGE 1012, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY.
TRACT TWO: BEGINNING AT AN IRON PIPE SET, SAID IRON PIPE SET BEING S 11-38-30 E 4.06 FEET FROM THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF RHINEHART TRACT (DEED BOOK 261, PAGE 688, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY) AND SOUTHEAST CORNER OF GREEN TRACT (DEED BOOK 172, PAGE 017, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY) AND RUNS THENCE FROM THE BEGINNING POINT THUS ESTABLISHED: S 27-57-09 E 142.65 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE SET; THENCE S 42-0211 W 111.66 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE SET; THENCE N 02-09-53 E 209.09 FEET TO THE POINT AND PLACE OF BEGINNING, CONTAINING 0.172 ACRES, AS PER PLAT AND SURVEY BY L. KEVIN ENSLEY, RLS, DATED 11-8-88, DRAWING NO. A-091-88,
AND BEING A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 396, PAGE 557, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. ALSO SEE PLAT BOOK A, PAGE 89, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. BEING THE SAME PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN A DEED DATED SEPTEMBER 29, 1999, FROM DEAN ROBINSON AND WIFE, MARY JANE ROBINSON, TO MAX GERRY ROBINSON, JR. AND RECORDED IN DEED BOOK 475, PAGE 1015, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. The record owner(s) of the Property not more than ten (10) days prior to the date hereof is Terralene Robinson. Parcel ID: 8657-19-7736 In the Trustee’s sole discretion, the sale may be delayed for up to one (1) hour as provided in Section 45-21.23 of the North Carolina General Statutes.
deposit, or a cash deposit of $750.00, whichever is greater, will be required of the last and highest bidder. The balance of the bid purchase price shall be due in full in cash or
to take place within thirty (30) days of the date of sale. The Substitute Trustee shall convey title to the property by non warranty deed. This sale will be made subject to all prior liens of record, if any, and to all unpaid (ad valorem) taxes and special assessments, if any, which became a lien subsequent to the recordation of the Deed of Trust.
This sale will be further subject to the right, if any, of the United States of America to redeem the above-described property for a period of 120 days following the date when has run.
The purchaser of the property described above shall pay the Clerk’s Commissions in the amount of $.45 per $100.00 of the purchase price (up to a maximum amount of $500.00), required by Section 7A-308(a)(1) of the North Carolina General Statutes. If the purchaser of the above-described property is someone under the Deed of Trust, the purchaser shall also pay, to the extent applicable, the land transfer tax in the amount of one percent (1%) of the purchase price.
To the extent this sale involves residential prop(15) rental units, you are following:
(a) An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to Section 45-21.29 of the North Carolina General Statutes in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold; and
(b) Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days’ written notice to the landlord. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
The Miller-Hogue Law Firm, P.C. 1130 Harding Place, Charlotte, North Carolina 28204
704-307-4330 / jmhogue@m-hogue.com
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.24E001655-430
Frank G Queen, having
of the Estate of Urpo E. Karppinen of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Mar 11 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Executor
154 N. Main Street, Ste 2 Waynesville NC 28786
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.24E000373-430
Joyce Ann Reece, having -
istrator of the Estate of Johnny Ray Ledford of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Mar 25 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Administrator 95 Depot Street Waynesville, NC 28786
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.24E001553-430
Jessica Burgess, having -
istrator of the Estate of James Michael Caldwell of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Mar 25 2025, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.
All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Administrator 415 Orion Davis Rd Waynesville, NC 28786
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