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December 16-22, 2015 Vol. 17 Iss. 29

Waynesville board divided on town manager support Page 10 WNC arts councils look ahead to 2016 programs Page 28

From Our Family To Yours,

KIDS OF ALL AGES

LOVE OUR TOYS!

CONTENTS On the Cover: Christmas tree farmers in Western North Carolina are reporting a great year in sales. Many of them have already closed up for the season after selling out of all their 7- and 8-foot Fraser firs. They attribute the uptick to more families making a tradition out of their search for the perfect Christmas tree in the mountains. (Page 6) Jessi Stone photo

News WCU chancellor pledges vetting for Koch money ................................................4 Canton reaches settlement for Camp Hope ............................................................9 Town board divided on town manager support ....................................................10 Dillsboro sees new business growth ......................................................................14 Breedlove to resign as Webster mayor ..................................................................16 Phone apps causing disruption in Swain schools ..............................................17 Residents weigh in on Cashiers cell tower ............................................................18 Jackson appears set to OK development plan ....................................................19

PING PO NG TA BLES

Opinion It’s really OK to just let kids be kids ..........................................................................23

A&E WNC arts councils look ahead to 2016 ................................................................28

AIR HOCKEY

Outdoors Water a centerpiece of Cherokee culture ..............................................................40

Back Then

POOL TABLES December 16-22, 2015

The smelly truth about stink bugs ..............................................................................55

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December 16-22, 2015

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WCU chancellor pledges transparency, faculty involvement to vet controversial Koch money

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER estern Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher announced to faculty this week that he would engage their input and oversight in crafting the terms and conditions of a $2 million grant from the politically charged Charles Koch Foundation.

Many faculty had expressed concerns over the creation of a WCU center dedicated to free enterprise, a libertarian-leaning economic philosophy espoused by the conservative network of the Koch brothers, and were disheartened when university leaders barreled ahead with their approval of the center earlier this month.

To help assuage fears that the Koch Foundation is trying to buy its way into WCU’s lecture halls, Belcher has pledged to appoint a faculty committee to review the gift contract between WCU and the Koch Foundation and presumably ferret out any overt or hidden strings that may be attached — although Belcher has said he won’t allow any.

An existing university policy — policy 104 — calls for this sort of faculty review, but technically it is triggered only if a gift has presumed “curricular implications.”

Belcher said he would err on the side of caution.

“In this case, because there are many concerns that the gift might result in an infringement of academic freedom, I am going to go ahead and involve an ad hoc committee just to assure and reassure people,” Belcher said. “Because there is so much concern about this I will appoint an ad hoc review committee and let them be involved.”

That’s the right move, according to many faculty.

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December 16-22, 2015

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DROP IN THE BUCKET The endorsement by WCU trustees of a free enterprise center earlier this month was contingent on outside funding from the Koch Foundation. But nothing has been formally penned yet.

Other than a visit from two Koch Foundation representatives in early fall for a meet-and-greet with top WCU brass, communication with the Koch Foundation has been handled almost entirely by Dr. Ed Lopez, an economics professor with longstanding ties to the Koch network.

While faculty are eagerly awaiting their first glimpse of what the gift agreement may

entail, and will then turn their attention to wordsmithing the contract between WCU and the Koch Foundation, there are outstanding concerns over the unspoken implications the Koch funding will carry.

WCU is among dozens of universities across the country grappling with the conundrum of Koch money.

The Koch brothers and their various funding arms awarded $108 million to 366 colleges and universities from 2005 to 2014, seen as part of a subtle strategy to use scholars to steer political policy and influence the collective consciousness of society.

“They use funding as traction to change the intellectual climate on campuses, and that’s what this is about,” Kinser said.

The Koch Foundation gift is one of the biggest gifts WCU has ever landed — if not the biggest gift ever.

WCU has gotten only six gifts in the past decade that topped $1 million. The Koch gift is the only one out of those to hit the $2 million mark.

But, collectively, WCU has gotten $30 million in outside gifts over the past decade, not counting grants.

Nearly lost amid the media mayhem over the controversial Koch gift, WCU proudly announced another $1 million gift last Friday — from the homegrown accounting firm Dixon Hughes to benefit the accounting program in the College of Business.

WCU has made a concerted effort to ramp up outside giving in light of state budget cuts in recent years. Last year, WCU set a record in outside gifts, bringing in $3.8 million.

But the increased reliance on outside gifts makes the university vulnerable to donors — perhaps not through overt stipulations but by leading the university to take up whatever mantel of study a donor is willing to underwrite.

“I understand we are under an aggressive new giving campaign, but that must be tempered with common sense and a sensible business case for the gifts,” Dr. Patrick Gardner, a professor in the Kimmel Construction School, wrote during faculty comments.

Faculty who have voiced support for the free enterprise center questioned why this gift is getting so much attention, when theoretically any gift comes with an implied mission of the donor.

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“I would say it is best for the university to go through this process, because it would show we are following the policy and that it is not up to the eye of the beholder whether there are curricular implications,” said Todd Collins, director of WCU’s Public Policy Institute.

Before Belcher’s announcement Monday, faculty weren’t sure whether policy 104 would be triggered automatically, or if they would have to lobby to make it happen. But Dr. Brent Kinser, an English professor, said Belcher made the right call given the climate among faculty.

“I do not anticipate the chancellor or his team will try to slide David Belcher around policy 104 if there is the slightest hint or suggestion there are curricular issues,” Kinser said. “It will help make sure it conforms to the will of the faculty, so that any slight perception or misperception about what this thing is, is rectified. This is why these policies are in place. I am confident that’s what is going to happen.”

Dr. David McCord, chair of the faculty senate, said he hopes faculty will embrace an “energetic implementation” of policy 104.

“A lot of my colleagues — smart, energetic, engaged colleagues — are frustrated by what they perceived as substantial glossing over of faculty concerns,” McCord said, citing the trustees’ approval of the center despite an overwhelming resolution by the faculty senate opposing it. “There is a temptation to check out, but we need to engage rather than disengage. That is our job, we

need to be the guardians of the mission of the university.”

Belcher acknowledged the faculty review of the gift agreement could slow things down, but so be it.

“When one is working with donors sometimes time is of essence, but particularly in cases where there may be some question, it is important to take the time necessary so we can all ensure the integrity of our institution is sustained,” Belcher said.

Meanwhile, supporters of the Kochbacked free enterprise center have cried foul over academic freedom issues as well. They accused faculty on the other side of the issue of trying to shut down the study of viewpoints they don’t agree with.

“Academic freedom and tolerance of varying views is our intellectual capital,” Dr. Ed Wright from the College of Business wrote in support of the free enterprise center. “Dismissing the gift of $2 million on the basis that the giver’s political views conflict with the more liberal views (of faculty) seems silly to me.”

But Dr. John Whitmire, a philosophy professor, said it’s a false choice: turning down the money is not tantamount to shutting down academic freedom. Critics of the free enterprise center aren’t suggesting faculty can’t study what they please.

The question, instead, is whether WCU wants to lend its name to a cause by creating a center for it.

“A center carries a level of institutional legitimacy. A center represents an institution in a way an individual faculty member doesn’t,” Whitmire said. “We are talking about the mission and identity of the institution.”

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Despite the steady flow of outside gifts WCU receives, this will be the first time policy 104 has been triggered.

The policy dates back to 2008, when a similar faculty controversy broke out over $1 million in outside funding from the BB&T Foundation. The gift had strings attached that were unpalatable to many faculty at the time — namely by dictating the philosophical and political viewpoint of the professor being hired with the BB&T money and by imposing course content for students.

An ensuing uproar among faculty over academic freedom from outside influences led to the creation of policy 104.

To Todd Collins, the director of WCU’s Public Policy Institute, what’s playing out at WCU is a microcosm of how policies are born at every level of society.

At the nucleus of almost every policy, there’s a singular episode that sets off a chain reaction. At WCU, the BB&T gift drove faculty to come up with parameters that would head off or neutralize a similar problem that might arise in the future.

Policy 104 will now have to prove its mettle for the first time since it was put on the books seven years ago.

Faculty that wrote the policy were careful not to get in the weeds over the type of gifts allowed, or even whether academic criteria can be imposed.

Instead, it provides a check-and-balance through a faculty committee that would be tasked with analyzing a gift agreement.

“How do we write a policy or law after a specific instance that is general enough to apply to all future instances?” Collins said.

“We can’t anticipate everything that will happen but that’s what a good, effective, policy attempts.”

But remembering that such a policy is on the books often comes down to institutional memory.

“A problem comes up, you don’t think about it for 10 years and you can forget this

policy is in place,” Collins said. “This is an issue that, luckily for us, hasn’t come up very often.”

The criteria initially imposed by the BB&T Foundation in exchange for its $1 million gift in 2008 was ultimately rewritten as a result of faculty pushback.

It initially required WCU to make Atlas Shrugged — considered a Bible of libertarian economic philosophy — required reading in College of Business courses and required a copy of Atlas Shrugged to be given out to every business major their junior year.

That criteria was tempered as a result of faculty pushback that maintained outside donors should not be permitted to dictate what professors teach, or force professors to teach a particular viewpoint to students.

New wording made it clear that BB&T would like for professors to assign portions of Atlas Shrugged to students, but left it up to “their sole and unfettered discretion” whether to do so.

The donor also initially stipulated that the professor bearing the BB&T Distinguished Professor of Capitalism title had to “work closely with the Ayn Rand Institute and have a reasonable understanding and positive attitude toward Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism.”

While that language Ed Lopez was formally struck, WCU’s job posting for the position in 2011 nonetheless called for a professor who was “at least familiar with, if not actively receptive to, the writings of Ayn Rand.”

Lopez, the professor now at the center of the Koch funding, answered the call and was hired. In his time at WCU, he has been an active advocate of the free enterprise school of thought, and collaborated closely with think tanks that promote a libertarian and conservative agenda, according to a review of his email communications with outside, his published papers and his conference groups.

Even if there is no stated ideological litmus test for faculty hires embedded in the Koch gift agreement, some faculty have expressed concerns over the unspoken expectations.

Three new economics professors would be hired under the banner of the free enterprise center. All three positions have been advertised already, and incidentally, Lopez ran the wording of the job descriptions past the Koch Foundation before they were posted, according to email records.

The job descriptions make reference to the free enterprise center, even though it had not been approved at the time they were posted, and some faculty fear that will influence the pool of applicants who may apply — amounting to an “a priori ideological requirement for faculty hires,” according to written comments from Dr. Elizabeth Heffelfinger.

“I am concerned that the influence that may be exerted may limit any hiring of faculty with perspectives counter to that of the funder,” agreed Dr. Kae Livsey from the nursing school.

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“It seems to me that every person or organization that donates funds to a university has an objective to influence the performance and outcomes of the university,” Dr. Scott Huffman, a chemistry professor, wrote in faculty comments on the issue.

John Hardin, the director of university relations at the Charles Koch Foundation, said outside funding at universities is “entirely commonplace,” pegging the collective outside funding at colleges and universities in North Carolina over the past decade at $24 billion.

“Colleges and universities welcome these gifts, because they benefit both students and professors. Students gain from the expanded access to new ideas and concepts.

Professors gain opportunities to teach new classes and expand their research interests,” Hardin wrote in a guest column to the Asheville Citizen-Times last week in response to the WCU funding controversy.

“Most importantly, private funding helps further the transformative ideas and pioneering studies that have long been a hallmark of American education.”

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Christmas tree industry growing strong

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ith more than 25 million real Christmas trees sold in the United States every year, growing Christmas trees is a thriving industry for farmers in North Carolina.

“I think real trees are holding their own,” said Tom Sawyer, owner of Tom Sawyer Christmas Tree Farm in Cashiers. “There’s been more of a resurgence of people lately who want the real deal.”

Growing any crop comes with risk, because the success rate depends on weather conditions, the quality of seeds and the ability to sell the crop once it’s ready to harvest.

Luckily, real Christmas trees are still in high demand.

“It’s the centerpiece of people’s holiday,” said Jennifer Greene, executive director of the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association.

“Whether they scale back on size or not — which we did see for a couple of years — people who are real tree buyers are pretty faithful to that because it’s a tradition.”

North Carolina Christmas tree facts

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Smoky Mountain News

December 16-22, 2015

SUPPLY AND DEMAND

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Many of the tree farmers in Western North Carolina say they have had great sales this year, and Greene said that is the general consensus of farmers statewide. While there was a large oversupply of Christmas trees nationwide several years ago, she said the number of trees being grown now has come back down.

“There are patterns of fluctuation just like any crop, but unlike cabbage or cattle, Christmas trees have an eight-year growing cycle so it takes a while to see the patterns in the industry,” Greene said.

Brian Boyd, owner of WNC Christmas Tree Farm in Waynesville, said finding enough seedlings for planting each year is becoming more difficult because of the big surplus growers experienced probably about eight years ago.

“Seedlings are hard to come by. A lot of growers have to place their order a couple of years ahead,” Boyd said. “The overabundance pushed out a lot of the guys who were growing seedlings so now it’s created a shortage.”

Boyd said he’s been able to order some seedlings from places in North Carolina, but he also had to order some from Michigan to have enough for his annual planting of about 2,000 trees. He prefers local seedlings because Fraser firs are native to North Carolina terrain and weather.

“I’d rather get them all from North Carolina because Fraser firs seedlings are more acclimated to this area,” he said. “They have more snowfall up North so the seedlings are coming from areas still covered in snow during our springtime, which creates stress for them.”

Don Nesbitt, owner of Nesbitt Christmas Tree Farm in Clyde, said the most recent glut of Christmas trees did have a negative impact on his farm for a couple of years. Farmers had

Kathy Wright’s Christmas tree gets loaded up at Osage Farms in Scaly Mountain.

Wright and her family have been traveling from Georgia for the last 10 years to get their Christmas trees there. Kathy Wright photo

“Right now it’s to the point where tree prices are pretty competitive again — there’s not an over abundance of them so that tells me there must be a huge demand for them again.”

— Don Nesbitt, Nesbitt Christmas Tree Farm

to sell more of their trees wholesale and at a much cheaper price to be able to move them all. The cheaper wholesale prices were more appealing for shoppers than paying more to cut one down themselves on the farm.

“But right now it’s to the point where tree prices are pretty competitive again — there’s not an overabundance of them, so that tells me there must be a huge demand for them again. Hopefully that means more people will start planting more seedlings.”

SEASON COMING TO AN END Even with a couple of weeks to go until Christmas Day, many of the tree farms are already closed for the year. They may have some pre-cut trees available, but choose and cut is no longer an option.

Nesbitt Christmas Tree Farm is closed for the season. Nesbitt said he plants only about 8 acres of Fraser firs and sells between 500 to 700 each year.

“Since we had such a good year, we decided to close down so we’ll have enough trees for next year,” he said.

David Boyd, owner of Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm just down the road, has a much larger operation each year. With more than 4,000 trees sold this year, he had to end the choose and cut on the farm on Dec. 10 — much earlier than usual. Boyd said the

farm usually stays open seven days a week during the season, but this year he scaled it back to just weekends and still sold out in a few weeks.

Nesbitt agreed that people are buying their Christmas trees earlier and earlier each year. While locals still seem to be buying their trees closer to Christmas time, Nesbitt said Thanksgiving week is the busiest time.

Families from South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee traveling to and from the area to see family for the holidays tend to pick up a tree to take home with them.

Sawyer has seen the same trends. While things are now slowing down at his farm, there is still a selection of choose and cut trees as well as pre-cut trees. He could sell most of

• North Carolina has about 1,300 growers producing Fraser fir trees on 40,000 acres.

• Fraser fir represents more than 98 percent of all species grown in North Carolina.

• Fraser fir is grown in Western North Carolina.

• The North Carolina Christmas tree industry is ranked second in the nation in number of trees harvested and cash receipts.

• North Carolina produces more than 19 percent of the real Christmas trees in the U.S. • The North Carolina Fraser fir Christmas tree is the most popular Christmas tree in North America and is shipped into every state in the U.S. as well as the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Japan and other points all over the world.

the trees on the farm this year, but any experienced tree farmer knows you have to keep so many of the 5- and 6-footers so you’ll have enough 7- and 8-footers for next year’s season.

Boyd said his tree farm — WNC Christmas Trees — will be open this weekend for choose and cut, but then he will be about cleared out of his 7- and 8-foot trees as well.

He doesn’t have a final count but estimates he’s sold more than 700 this year. He said he thinks he’s benefited this year because so many of the larger farms sold out early. Many locals who have waited to buy their trees are coming to his farm to find one.

“The farmers in the area all try to help each other out. If I’m running low I try to help them out by sending people down to Boyd’s if they’re looking for a bigger tree and vice versa,” he said. “We’re all in competition, but we try to help each other out.”

WHY BUY A REAL TREE? The North Carolina Christmas Tree Association is a nonprofit organization with

S EE TREES, PAGE 8

U.S Christmas tree purchase figures (in millions) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Real.............28.2 .........28.2 ...........27 ...........30.8..........24.5.........33.02 ........ 26.3 Fake............11.7 .........11.7...........8.2............9.5...........10.9..........14.7..........13.9

What the numbers mean The 2014 figures show that consumers in the U.S. purchased 26.3 million farm-grown Christmas Trees. Many factors can influence total trees purchased, including trees available for harvest, harvest conditions, weather conditions, number of consumers traveling for the holidays, number of retail outlets offering trees for sale and even the number of days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Source: National Christmas Tree Association

A real tree takes real work

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“The landscaping business slows down in November, so this allows us to work through the winter and keeps my guys busy.”

— Brian Boyd, WNC Christmas Trees

in Chattanooga, but the choose and cut on the farm is still the most popular choice.

At the height of the season — around Thanksgiving — Sawyer is able to employ 60 people at the farm, which he said is a huge benefit to the area. When the tourism season ends in Glenville and Cashiers at the end of October, so do the jobs.

“So we’re able to stretch the season out a little longer for people needing work,” he said.

ter to help with the choose and cut on the farm and to get the wholesale orders ready in October to ship out to Tennessee and other states.

“It takes a lot of manpower,” he said.

Don and Jan Nesbitt, owners of Nesbitt’s Christmas Tree Farm in Clyde, have been in the business for 45 years. While the business has gradually grown throughout the years, Don said it’s still a small operation compared to others in the area. With Don doing most of the planting, upkeep and cutting himself, he said 8 acres of trees was about all he could handle.

“Our property was originally an old apple orchard so we were looking for way to utilize the land,” he said. “We did pretty well so it grew a little larger. A lot of work has to go into it each year.”

Having a farm is never a 9-to-5 job, whether you’re growing vegetables or Christmas trees. Sawyer said you have to love the work to be able to keep it going year after year.

“I tell people all the time, it’s not a job or a profession — it’s a lifestyle of being a farmer,” he said.

December 16-22, 2015

Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm off of Jonathan Creek Road in Waynesville has one of the largest selections of Fraser firs in Western North Carolina. Jessi Stone photo

The art of picking the perfect Christmas tree

environment for Fraser firs to thrive since the cold weather and heavy rainfall aids in keeping the needles intact through the holiday season.

“Fraser firs love a steep slope — the steeper the better,” Nicholson said as he maneuvered an ATV slowly down the mountainside at Boyd’s.

North Carolina is the largest producer of Christmas trees, with more than 50 million Fraser firs being grown on 25,000 acres across the state. Fraser firs can reach a maximum height of about 80 feet with a diameter of 1 to 1.5 feet, but the most popular size is 7 to 8 feet tall.

It’s no easy task growing the most popular species of Christmas tree. When you go to cut down a perfect 8-foot Fraser fir, it’s been about 13 years or more in the making.

The 18-foot North Carolina Fraser fir displayed in The White House this year began as a seedling on Peaks Farms in 1990.

To estimate a tree’s age, Nicholson said, take the height of the tree and add five years.

Not to mention, Frasers require fairly specific conditions to grow. They only grow naturally at elevations above 4,500 feet in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

A lot of time goes into caring for these trees throughout the year just so people can enjoy them for one month of the year.

Smoky Mountain News

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Some like them tall and thin. Others like them shorter and thick.

When it comes to picking out the perfect Christmas tree, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Don Nesbitt, the owner of Nesbitt Christmas Tree Farm in Clyde, said even the most pitiful looking Christmas tree could be turned into a beautiful Christmas tree with good decorations.

“Every Christmas tree grown can look good if it’s decorated properly. My wife can decorate a Christmas tree that most people wouldn’t have looked twice at on the farm,” he said.

“There are more people wanting Charlie Brown trees now — they want ones that aren’t so well groomed. It just goes to show every tree has a possibility.”

From the tree farm owner’s perspective, you can’t go wrong as long as you go with a Fraser fir. Some tree farmers

grow several different varieties of trees for Christmas, but others say they simply go for the best of the best.

Darren Nicholson, who works at Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm, said Fraser firs make the best Christmas trees because they have the best shape, the strongest branches to hold ornaments, the best Christmas tree smell and last the longest.

“Fraser firs are the Cadillac of Christmas trees,” he said.

The 140-acre farm off Jonathan Creek Road in Waynesville grows nothing but Fraser firs. Whether you’re looking for a 9-foot Griswold Christmas Vacation tree or a 4foot Charlie Brown Christmas tree, Boyd’s has the Fraser fir you’re looking for somewhere on a steep slope.

Tom Sawyer, owner of Tom Sawyer Christmas Tree Farm in Glenville, agrees that Fraser firs are the best way to go — especially in North Carolina.

“On a scale of one to 10, Fraser firs are No. 1,” he said.

“They hold the needles the best, they smell the best and they just look like what you expect a Christmas tree to look like,” he said.

Fraser firs have a long history in North Carolina. The tree was named after John Fraser — a Scottish botanist who explored the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina in the late 1700s. Mountainsides offer an ideal

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR he Christmas tree business is not a getrich-quick kind of industry. Once a seedling is planted, it takes about eight years of growth before the tree can fulfill its Christmas destiny.

Tom Sawyer, owner of Tom Sawyer Christmas Tree Farm in Glenville, said being a tree farmer is not just a two-month business affair.

“I’m a CPA in real life but for some reason I thought it would be a smart idea to have a business with 12 months of expenses and only one month of revenue,” he joked.

Tom said the story of how he and his wife Myra Sawyer got into Christmas tree farming is a funny one. They were up from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, visiting their vacation home in Cashiers for Christmas and attended a New Year’s party at a neighbor’s house. When a gentleman at the party pulled out a big mason jar with a familiar clear liquid, he was happy to partake.

Perhaps he went a little overboard with the holiday spirit, because he woke up the next morning with no memory of the moonshine festivities.

“The next day when Myra woke me up, she said, ‘Do you realize what you did last night?’” he laughed.

Apparently he made quick friends with another man at the party who convinced him to go into the Christmas tree business with him. Shortly after that he bought 80 acres in Glenville and started growing Fraser firs — that was 27 years ago.

“When we bought the property we started planting 5,000 trees a year, and after eight years we finally had a crop to sell,” Tom said.

He continues to plant 5,000 trees each year to keep up with demand. The farm sells between 3,000 to 4,000 trees each year. The farm also sells trees wholesale to other suppliers and has a location where they are sold

In 1984, the first Fraser fir Christmas trees were planted at Boyd Mountain Farm off of Jonathan Creek Road in Waynesville, and seven years later that first crop was harvested. However, the farm property has been in the family for more than 100 years.

Our Choose N Cut began in 1999. Some of the trees there are now 25 years old. With more than 100 acres of trees, planting, fertilizing, trimming and other maintenance is a fulltime job that takes several people.

Brian and Gina Boyd own their own Christmas Tree farm just up the road from Boyd Mountain, WNC Christmas Trees.

Throughout the year, Brian does landscaping and irrigation work, but he started planting Christmas trees about 11 years ago on his property to supplement his income during the winter months.

“The landscaping business slows down in November, so this allows us to work through the winter and keeps my guys busy,” he said.

He uses 10 acres to plant about 2,000 Fraser firs each year along with other trees used for his landscaping business, including dogwoods and hemlocks. He occasionally has to hire a few more employees in the win-

7

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Christmas tree farm experience

December 16-22, 2015

Haywood County

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR eople can buy a real Christmas tree just about anywhere these days — from the big box stores to the side of the road.

But there is just something about taking a long drive through the mountains in the crisp winter weather to visit a farm and cut down your own tree. The strong scent of a Fraser fir and hot apple cider wafting through the air put people in the Christmas spirit.

Searching for the perfect Christmas tree in the mountains has become an annual tradition for many families. They come from all over the Southeast to Western North Carolina, not just for a tree but for a family experience they will remember for years to come.

Kathy Wright of Clayton, Georgia, has been going to Osage Farm in Scaly Mountain for 10 years to pick out a Christmas tree. She and her husband, Bruce, continue to go Kindergartners with Summit Charter School in Cashiers visit the Tom Sawyer every year because of the beautiful drive up Christmas Tree Farm in Glenville. Below: Myra and Tom Sawyer have owned their tree farm in the mountain, the large selection of trees Glenville for 27 years. Jessi Stone photos and the fair prices.

“But we go to the tree farm for a much bigger reason. It has “Almost all parents come here become a tradition — an adventure,” Kathy said. “Bruce and I with their kids to get a tree have come to need this experience. What we try to do each because their parents took them year is gather up the grandkids, to a tree farm when they were as close to Thanksgiving as possible, and generally we make at little and they want to bring back least two trips.”

During the Wrights’ tree that tradition for their kids.” hunt, which may take several — Tom Sawyer hours, there is usually a discussion as to which tree will be to come to the farm and hike up the mountain going home with them. to find their perfect tree. They can also see “’This one's too fat, too tall, too Santa here and have hot cocoa and cookies.” scrawny,’” Kathy said. “Purchasing the kids’ Boyd’s also has many restored cabins on and grandkids' tree is the first gift of Christmas. It is all about building those rela- the property families can stay in if they want to extend their trip further. Nicholson said tionships. This tradition sets the mood for families wanting to stay in the cabins over the season.”

Thanksgiving weekend have been on the Christmas tree farms in the region like acre farm offer 40 acres of Fraser firs, it also waiting list for several years, but they are Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm in includes a Christmas Elf Village. With variWaynesville and Tom Sawyer Christmas Tree available to rent all year long. The property ous elf-sized cottages, elf costumes for chilalso offers hiking trails, a fishing pond and Farm in Glenville go above and beyond to dren and visits from Santa Claus, the Elf peaceful, private setting. offer families a true Christmas experience Village adds a fun aspect for the family.

Tom and Myra Sawyer have put a lot of when they visit.

“People love to come up here and pick “People who come here every year to find a time and thought into making their tree out a tree — they come from all over,” Tom farm into a destination for families during tree come for the experience,” said Darren said. “And we’ve had the Elf Village for the the holiday season. Not only does their 80Nicholson, who works at Boyd’s. “People like

last six years and it’s been great.”

Tom said it also adds more time to each family’s visit to the farm. While finding a tree on the farm may be a two-hour affair, letting the children play in the Elf Village as the parents pick out a few gifts at the gift shop barn makes it an all-day event. The Elf Village offers a place for children to write letters to Santa, take pictures with Santa and other elves, make Christmas crafts, listen to someone reading Christmas stories, make s’mores in the fire pit and much more.

“Almost all parents come here with their kids to get a tree because their parents took them to a tree farm when they were little and they want to bring back that tradition for their kids,” Tom said. “People get busy with life they don’t have much time for family things.”

The Sawyers also added a wedding venue at the tree farm to generate more revenue throughout the year. An open-air barn with a kitchen provides a perfect setting for a reception, while the farm offers several options for the ceremony location.

“We really enjoy what we get to do here,” Tom said. “Two of the most joyous times in life are Christmas and a wedding, and we get to help people with both.”

Sawyer agreed that cutting down a real Christmas tree is not the same as cutting down a random tree in the woods. Not only are Christmas trees recyclable and renewable, but also Sawyer said they are good for the environment because of the amount of oxygen they produce. One acre of trees produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people.

“When you come to the mountains you smell fresh air but what you’re really smelling is the fresh oxygen they produce,” he said.

Brian Boyd said there are plenty of uses for a Christmas tree after the holiday season.

His farm sells trees with the root ball so that people can replant them after the holiday.

Trees can also be thrown in the woods to be used for bird habitats or in a lake to be used as a fish habitat.

Greene said the bottom line is that buying a real Christmas tree helps support American farmers, many of whom grow trees on the side to generate additional revenue for the rest of the year.

“It generates revenue that is distributed around the community through real estate taxes, income taxes and sales tax,” Sawyer said.

P

Smoky Mountain News

Christmas tree farms

TREES, CONTINUED FROM 6

the mission of representing its 250 members while educating the public about why they should opt for a real Christmas tree over an artificial tree.

Some people don’t see the need to cut down a real tree when they can purchase an artificial tree they can keep for 10 years or more. Greene responds to that by reminding people that Christmas trees are an agricultural crop grown for the specific purpose of 8 being harvested.

“When you buy a real tree, you’re buying an American-grown product,” she said.

“Most artificial trees are produced in China and pollution occurs during that process.

They are also made with non-biodegradable plastics.”

Even if a family uses an artificial tree for 20 years, Greene said the tree would still end up in a landfill at some point. A real tree, on the other hand, is recyclable and for every tree harvested, a farmer plants three more seedlings in its place to start the growing process all over again.

• • • • • •

Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm Nesbitt Christmas Tree Farm WNC Christmas Trees Mehaffey Tree Farm Dutch Cove Christmas Tree Farm Smoky Mountain Christmas Tree Farm

Jackson County • • • • • • • • •

Tom Sawyer Christmas Tree Farm Grandy Mountain Farm and Landscaping Hutch’s Mountain Trees Bee Bryson Tree Farm Chris Burrell Tree Farm Moss Tree Farm Pressley Tree Farm Long Hollow Tree Farm Buck Knob Farm

Swain County • Craig Farm

Macon County • J & J Tree Farm • Peak Experience Christmas Trees • Osage Farm

FUTURE OF CAMP HOPE

After four years’ worth of legal battles, the town of Canton has finally reached a settlement agreement that will allow the town to keep ownership of the 100 acres along the Pigeon River in Cruso. File photo

I

The Prelazes’ lawsuit claimed Canton hadn’t lived up to the requirement because the property was at one time leased out to a private company to run a summer camp that accepted children from outside the county.

“We did what was necessary to end the uncertainty of legal battles and those costs to remove the ever-present Sword of Damocles — the reverter clause.”

— Ralph Hamlett, Canton alderman

The town has already won two court cases against the plaintiffs, but the Prelazes made it clear they would continue to appeal the case as long as it took. Even though the town has to pay $175,000 to settle the case, that money is paying to get rid of the reversion rights owned by the Prelazes.

“The reverter clause is gone and at one point that wasn’t even an option so we are very pleased with the settlement,” said Alderwoman Gail Mull. “With that (reverter) hanging over our heads, they could keep taking us to court and it would be hard to make any decisions about funding Camp Hope in the future.”

The town has already spent more than $250,000 in legal costs during the last four years fighting to keep ownership of Camp Hope. Compared to the $1.5 million value of Camp Hope, aldermen say the cost is worth it. They also have a peace of mind knowing

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BATTLE FOR CAMP HOPE

The town of Canton denied their claims, but the Prelazes were hoping the courts would agree with them because it would mean they were next in line to receive the property.

When Champion gifted the property to Canton, they included a “reverter clause” that stated the property ownership would be turned over to the adjacent property owner in the event Camp Hope was not kept open to the public. The Prelazes acquired that revisionary interest in 2006.

NOW OPEN

December 16-22, 2015

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR t has cost Canton half a million dollars to keep ownership of a piece of property it already owns.

It’s been a long and frustrating situation for town leadership, but town aldermen were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief last Thursday when they signed a settlement agreement that will put an end to a four-year legal battle to keep Camp Hope. The price has been high, but everyone agrees that losing Camp Hope was not an option.

“You cannot assign a dollar value to the prized memories of those who have experienced the camp nor to those who will experience its potential,” said Canton Alderman Ralph Hamlett. “Without the resources that Canton was willing to invest to keep the property, what would have remained would have been the memory and regret for the forever loss of potential.”

Under the settlement agreement, the town has agreed to pay $175,000 plus survey costs to the plaintiffs — John and Deborah Prelaz. The Asheville couple that owns abutting property to Camp Hope filed a lawsuit against the town in 2011 in an attempt to gain ownership of the Camp Hope property.

Camp Hope is 110 acres of pristine greenway property along the East Fork of the Pigeon River that has been used for recreational purposes for more than 100 years.

Champion International Paper Company donated the property to the town in 1972 with a number of deed restrictions, including the requirement that the town keep the property open and available to local residents.

Now that a settlement has been reached, the town can proceed with plans to revamp the property and offer recreational opportunities for residents of Haywood County.

When the lawsuit was filed in 2011, community members came together to form Friends of Camp Hope with a mission of helping the town maintain the property.

The town took over the committee and turned it into the Camp Hope Commission to begin looking at ways to better utilize the camp.

Even during the legal battle, Canton Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss said the Camp Hope Commission has held volunteer work days to clean up the property and the facilities, updated the rental policies to allow people to rent parts of the property for events and is in the process of replacing the roof on the dining hall pavilion.

“The commission has not only helped to bring a lot of fresh ideas to the table, they’ve also rolled up their sleeves and have contributed sweat equity to the property,” said Hendler-Voss.

Now the town and the commission can really start to consider programs that will fit well at Camp Hope. The town wants to keep the property for passive recreational use, including fishing, hiking, mountain biking and possibly camping. The property includes 10 cabins that can be restored and used for rentals.

Hendler-Voss said the town has also been in discussions with Clemson University’s landscape architecture program about the possibility of the program’s students designing a master plan for the camp.

The Shining Rock Riverfest is a local music festival that has been held at Camp Hope for the last three years to raise awareness of the camp. The event was rained out in September but has been rescheduled for April 2016.

If there is any silver lining in the town’s legal troubles, it has been that the lawsuits have shined a brighter spotlight on the assets available at Camp Hope. For years the camp didn’t see much use, but now residents have rallied to keep it and utilize it.

“Camp Hope is a prized jewel which allows Canton citizens and other area residents to enjoy a respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life,” Hamlett said. “What will Camp Hope be? I don't know — we shall see. But I can tell you what Camp Hope is — it is ours.”

news

Canton finally claims Camp Hope — for good

that the case will not end up back in court.

“We did what was necessary to make sure that Camp Hope is forever Canton,” Hamlett said. “We did what was necessary to end the uncertainty of legal battles and those costs to remove the ever-present Sword of Damocles — the reverter clause.”

Alderman Zeb Smathers said taking back the reversion rights of the property was key to the settlement agreement so the town could end the potential for continued litigation.

“I feel we won. This brings an end to a very long and expensive journey,” Smathers said. “The future of Camp Hope will no longer be determined by lawyer fees and unknowns but by our own determination of what we want to do with Camp Hope.”

101 S Main St Waynesville, NC 28786 828-246-6176 9

news

Five signed up to run for Macon commission

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ive candidates are running for two commissioner seats in Macon County and there are still five days left to sign up for the race.

Current Commission Chairman Kevin Corbin’s District 2 seat will be up for grabs since he’s decided to run on the Republican ticket for the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Commissioner Paul Higdon said he plans to run for a second term as the District 3 commissioner but hasn’t signed up yet.

Higdon, a Republican, already has competition from fellow Republican Greg Boyer and Democrat Bobby Kuppers.

Republicans Karl Gillespie and Ron Haven and Democrat Charlie Leatherman have all signed up to run for Corbin’s open seat.

December 16-22, 2015

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Smoky Mountain High School student Mary Kelly was recognized for helping to save a man’s life at the Sylva Ingles. Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

Local teen’s actions save a man’s life

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All five candidates signed up are familiar faces in Macon County.

Greg Boyer is a Franklin lawyer who ran for District Court Judge in 2010.

Bobby Kuppers is a Franklin High School teacher and football coach who served as the District 3 commissioner for one term before being ousted by Higdon during the 2012 election.

Karl E. Gillespie, president of National Communications Inc., serves on the Macon County Planning Board and the Southwestern Community College Board of Trustees, but this is the first time seeking public office.

Ron Haven, a conservative Republican, has also served as a Macon County Commissioner in the past but was defeated during the last election by moderate Republican Gary Shields. Haven owns several motels and rental properties in Macon County.

Charlie Leatherman has also served as a commissioner before. While he was on the Republican ticket last time he ran for election in 2010, he has signed up to run as a Democrat this time around. He also is a former Macon County Schools educator and served on the SCC Board of Trustees.

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W W W. V I S I T N C . C O M .

Mary Kelly, a 16-year-old Smoky Mountain High School student, was recently recognized by Harris Regional Hospital for her quick actions that saved a man’s life.

Jackson County 911 Center received a call on Oct. 21 for a cardiac arrest at Ingles in Sylva. Upon EMS’ arrival they found a male subject lying on the floor in Kelly’s care. She said she heard a noise from the next aisle and when she went to check she found a man lying on the ground.

Kelly, who is trained in CPR and first aid, started CPR on the male patient and after about three rounds, the paramedics arrived and were able to provide advanced life support measures. The patient was then transported Harris Regional Hospital helipad where he was air lifted to Mission Memorial Hospital for further care and treatment. The male patient was released after a short stay in the hospital.

Kelly received her CPR training through

health science program at Smoky Mountain High School.

Kelly was presented with a plaque by the paramedics that responded to the call in appreciation of her fast thinking and the positive impact she has on this patient’s life.

LIFESPAN puts on Christmas show

Individuals with disabilities are putting on dinner and a show out of appreciation for staff and families at LIFESPAN Creative Campus in Waynesville.

The celebration will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at Calvary Road Baptist Church, 77 Sutton Loop, Waynesville. There will be caroling, a puppet show, dinner and more. This event will highlight the capabilities of people with disabilities and it them a chance to say thank you to friends, family, and all of their supporters.

828.452.1720 or sgeorge@ lifespanservices.org.

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER Marcy Onieal had mighty big shoes to fill when she walked through the doors of Waynesville’s town hall four years ago as the new manager.

For nearly two decades, the town had hummed along comfortably under the guiding hand of Lee Galloway. He was easygoing, affable, paternal — a boss people were happy to work for their entire careers. It was an easier era then, too. Budgets were flusher, the town was smaller, expectations of government were lower.

That’s a luxury Onieal wouldn’t get, and wouldn’t particularly want anyway. Onieal thrives when faced with a challenge, and she took her marching orders to heart.

“When I was hired, I was specifically asked to bring the organization into the 21st century,” Onieal said. “I was immediately tasked with taking on many significant culture-changing projects within a short period of time under extremely difficult economic and organizational conditions.”

Waynesville, like any institution with longevity, was a slave to its own legacies.

Galloway still personally signed every paycheck — more than 150 of them, every payday. Electric crews still used hand-drawn maps of the power grid. There was no routine evaluation of employees.

Onieal ushered in more modern practices and protocols, and raised the bar on what was expected of employees.

But it didn’t sit well with some.

“People learn to do business in their jobs in certain forms or fashions, and when you implement a new or additional requirement or idea they may say ‘I don’t see the value in it,’” Mayor Gavin Brown said.

Brown said it is a legitimate human reaction.

“From an employee’s perspective, they say ‘I have been doing this for 20 years. Does the value of what you’re asking me to do outweigh the change?’” Brown said.

Sometimes, the answer might be no — the turmoil of the change may outweigh the benefits.

And that’s the soul-searching the town of Waynesville has landed in as the town board weighs whether to keep Onieal.

To Alderwoman Julia Freeman, the changes Onieal has made have been necessary for the town’s continued progress and growth.

“The initiatives we have asked her to do, she has done a great job making those come to reality,” Freeman said.

But it has cost Onieal support among some employees, who’ve complained not-so-subtly around town.

“Change is difficult. There are those who are willing to accept changes and those who are not, and I think that is what we are facing right now,” Freeman said.

The majority of the town board — Freeman, Brown and former Alderman Wells Greeley — has supported what Onieal was doing.

“We are trying to make Waynesville a first-class, firstrate outfit,” Brown said.

But two aldermen — Gary Caldwell and Leroy Roberson — have been sympathetic to employees’ complaints. While neither would confirm they want Onieal to go, citing personnel matters, they are poised to force a vote on whether to dismiss Onieal (see related article.)

Onieal’s fate now seems to rest with the one new alderman who has joined the board following last

A

But it’s widely believed that Caldwell and Roberson want to dismiss Onieal.

When Greeley chose not to run for re-election, it set a new dynamic in motion: if the other four all got back on, they would be split two-to-two on whether to keep Onieal.

That’s landed Jon Feichter, the new guy on the town board, holding the swing vote on whether Onieal stays or goes.

“I was asked almost as soon as the election was done to weigh in on the

point in time,” Feichter said. “As an outsider, I heard lots of rumors and innuendo and comments. Since the election I have tried to essentially educate myself on the dynamics of that question.”

Feichter said he’s continuing in that mode.

Asked whether the town has been on the right track the past four years, Roberson said yes. Asked whether that reflects well on Onieal, Roberson instead gave credit to employees and the legacy of former town manager Lee

question of support for the town manager,” Feichter said.

Even before Feichter was sworn in, a rumor began circulating through town that a vote would be held at his very first meeting on whether to keep Onieal.

It would have been both awkward and unusual for the board to promptly take up the issue the same night they got sworn in, mere moments after they’d all taken the oath of office with their hand on a Bible and family members at their side.

And it would have cast an uncomfortable pall over the farewell reception being held for Greeley that night — a punch bowl and holiday goodies were on a table in the lobby for after the meeting.

Still, the rumor that a town manager vote might occur that night persisted, enough to turn out a small crowd at the meeting. But no such vote occurred.

“As a newcomer to the board I didn’t feel like I had enough information to make an informed decision at that

Galloway.

“Momentum has carried the town forward. The foundation for that was set,” Roberson said.

The divergence on the town board over Onieal’s leadership is uncharacteristic. Caldwell and Roberson, despite their lack of support for Onieal, have been in lockstep with the rest of the board on nearly every vote over the past four years.

There’s been no indication — at least in their voting record — that they felt the town was headed in the wrong direction under Onieal. Onieal has never proposed an initiative they voted against.

If Onieal is dismissed or forced to resign, the town would owe her six months of pay, plus more than three months of accrued sick, vacation and leave time, according to the terms of her employment contract. Onieal makes $112,000 a year, which is less than Galloway was making when he retired.

Town Manager Marcy Onieal (far left) gives a report to the Waynesville town board last week.

to continue the course. And despite a deep bench of challengers, all four who ran for re-election were voted back in.

But behind the scenes, a different narrative was playing out.

Two town board members were apparently displeased with Onieal and were already looking ahead to Election Day when a change on the board could flip the dynamic and give them the third vote they needed to push out Onieal.

It would all depend, however, on who snagged that fifth seat on the board and which camp they sided with.

Onieal has been safe in her job until now thanks to backing from three of the five board members — Mayor Gavin Brown, Alderwoman Julia Freeman and Wells Greeley.

Meanwhile, Aldermen Gary Caldwell and Leroy Roberson aren’t going on the record publicly against Onieal, citing personnel laws.

“I can’t get into any depth because it is a personnel matter right now,” Roberson said.

S EE DIVIDED, PAGE 12

Smoky Mountain News

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER move afoot by two Waynesville aldermen to push out Town Manager Marcy Onieal might seem incongruous with their campaign message in last month’s town election.

Four of the five town board members ran for re-election on a shared, similar platform.

With campaigns collectively centered on Waynesville’s progress, they touted the town’s success and pledged

December 16-22, 2015

Still trapped by the delicate dance of a new town manager, Waynesville’s Marcy Onieal faces a double-edged sword daily

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Waynesville town board divided on whether to keep town manager

S EE ONIEAL, PAGE 13 11

It will take as long as it takes.”

Alderman Leroy Roberson appears to be as resolute as Caldwell, but allowed that How things will go from here isn’t clear.

Feichter should get the time he needs to Caldwell is pushing for action sooner think about the question being asked. rather than later.

“I think he is going to analyze it and look “I would like it to happen pretty fast,” Caldwell said. “Our board is going to have to into it. That’s a good idea. He certainly needs to look at it,” Roberson said. meet and get on the same page.”

Feichter said he is hearing from people But Caldwell said in the end it will likely on both sides of the issue, and admitted it is come down to majority rules. hard in a small town to make objective decisions with personal relationships at play and people he respects on both sides.

“One of the joys of living in a small town is you know everybody,” Feichter said.

“Can I comWaynesville Alderman Jon Feichter gets sworn into office last week. pletely disassociate any Feichter is the only new alderman to join the Waynesville town board fol- kind of perlowing last month's election that centered on campaign pledge to continue sonal feelings the town’s mission of “Progress with Vision.” from my decision making? I am not sure I can go that far. But I also think “That is about the only way to get this that I can make a decision that doesn’t or settled,” said Caldwell. isn’t overwhelmed by personal feelings.”

Caldwell’s eagerness to call for a vote on Meanwhile, Onieal said she loves her job Onieal signals confidence on his part that he and hopes to keep it. has the three votes it would take to dismiss “I love this community for the same reaOnieal.

Feichter, however, pledged that he would son 10,000 other residents want to call Waynesville home, and I am committed to try to ensure the process is fair and deliberserving this community and leading the town ate, and that whatever decision is made is in organization for as long as I can be effective the town’s best interest. and my service is desired,” Onieal said.

“I believe that this process, this question As for what the future may hold? hanging over everyone, needs to be “Since the board has not yet discussed answered as soon as we possibly can. It is not good for the board, it is not good for the with me any specifics regarding rumors surrounding my continued employment with town, to have this question hanging over everybody,” Feichter said. “That being said, I the town, I simply cannot speak to what their thinking may be at this time,” Onieal said. don’t feel the need to rush into the decision.

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DIVIDED, CONTINUED FROM 11

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The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is now accepting funding applications for the 28745 (Lake Junaluska) zip code area.

This funding is for tourism projects that take place before June 30, 2016. The applications can be found at www.haywoodcountytourismdevelopment.com /partnership-funding.

The deadline for submitting funding applications is 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 8. Applications should be sent or delivered to the Haywood County TDA office at 44 N. Main Street, Waynesville.

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Mountain Projects houses the health insurance navigator program for the region. To make an appointment, call 800.627.1548.

ONIEAL, CONTINUED FROM 11

INSIDE POLITICS Onieal has been here four years now but hasn’t shaken the label of “new” town manager. It’s tough to be a newcomer in a small town, where street cred comes from remembering the name of long-ago burned down diners or how many people you recognize in the obituaries.

Onieal has faced yet another sensitive dynamic. As she ushered in changes — whether it was restructuring the public works department or creating a new nepotism policy — some long-time employees took it as an indictment of how they’d been doing things.

Why change what’s not broken? It was also an affront to those who deeply admired Galloway, who felt any stab at improvements

carried the unspoken message that the way Galloway did things wasn’t good enough.

Brown said that sentiment is misplaced.

“The comment has been made 100 times we hired her to move us on into the 21st century, that has no commentary on the job of the previous administration who got us through the 20th century,” Brown said.

Onieal isn’t one to coddle, however. She had little patience for internal politics and expected employees to get on board, yet respects that people respond to change differently.

“Change is difficult for most people regardless of the circumstances,” Onieal said. “Most of our employees have responded exceedingly well and have proven themselves to be employees of outstanding competence, skill, integrity and heart — true public servants committed to giving this community their all.”

During year-end reflections at a town board meeting last week, Onieal ran through a “greatest hits” list of accomplishments during the past four years, as well as challenges the town has had to overcome.

It was a daunting and tiring list, one Onieal described as a “tall order” and “tremendous challenge.”

“We have charged her to implement a lot of new initiatives and programs, and she has done that,” Freeman said.

Onieal has a no-nonsense, brass-tacks, analytical style that some aren’t used to, especially in a women in a small Southern town. A workaholic by nature, Onieal is faster-paced, more formal, more business-

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like than employees were used to.

“I think Mrs. Onieal has done exactly what we hired her to do and accomplished that. I think the problem is her style of doing things is what irritates people — not what she has done,” Brown said.

Brown said there should be more focus on Onieal’s performance, outcomes and results, not how well liked she is by employees who would have preferred a clone of Galloway.

“We can’t be running a popularity contest for our town manager,” Brown said.

Freeman questioned whether anyone could have lived up to Galloway in some employees’ eyes.

“It is difficult to step into any position where someone has been there for a long time before you who did things a certain way,” Freeman said.

Still, some say Onieal should have gotten more buy-in from employees before forging ahead with new practices. But others claim it was a losing battle to try.

Disgruntled employees with a direct line to two of the aldermen — Caldwell and Roberson — are clearly at the root of Onieal’s trouble, some of whom continue to stir the pot of dissent even though they retired or moved on.

With 170 town employees, it’s hard to know whether the handful of complainers represent the majority — or if they are a vocal minority with a bone to pick.

Brown said that question may be moot.

“Most revolts are started by the minority of people,” Brown said.

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month’s town election, Jon Feichter. Feichter is a huge Galloway fan. He believes the town was in great shape when Onieal took over — not a train wreck that needed fixing, he said.

“I’d say it was in great shape,” Feichter said. “And I think Lee Galloway was a great town manager.”

But he recognizes the difficult landscape Onieal walked into.

“It would be foolish to think any new manager could immediately come in and pick up where Lee left off, in terms of how he was doing it and what he was doing,” Feichter added. “Some change is inevitable.”

And even if Galloway had stayed on another five years, some of the changes would have come anyway.

“Some things would have changed regardless who the town manger was,” Feichter said.

Galloway was the right manager for Waynesville at the time, Brown said. He moved Waynesville ahead by leaps and bounds, assembling a good team of employees who carried Waynesville for a quarter of century.

“They provided a lot of value to this community,” Brown said.

But the stable of long-time managers that worked along side Galloway were on the road to retirement already when Onieal came in. Galloway was the first of five cabinet-level employees — including department heads and middle-managers — poised to hit retirement over a three- to four-year span.

“She has dealt with changes in long-term employees who retired and pushed this organization forward,” Freeman said.

But to some, it seemed like even more change, because each new hire to upper-level positions brought with it new titles, tweaked job descriptions and more new faces to get used to.

Incidentally, Galloway faced equally rocky times when he first started — including employee pushback against change and a crusade by some town board members to fire him. Galloway narrowly survived an attempt to oust him two years into his tenure and went on to serve as town manager 18 years, even winning over those who at one time were against him.

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Light at the end of the tunnel

December 16-22, 2015

Though there’s still plenty of room for improvement, things are starting to look up for the little town of Dillsboro.

Sweets, treats and hot drinks await customers inside Venturo’s (below). Holly Kays photo

Business growth in 2015 gives Dillsboro hope for brighter future

Smoky Mountain News

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ver since the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad left Dillsboro in 2008, the little town has been just barely chugging along. But if the last year is any indication, things could be turning around for the tourist-centered village.

“It’s exciting, and I think I see some light at the end of our tunnel that has been dark for several years,” said Debbie Coffey, town clerk for Dillsboro.

Part of that light comes from the new cohort of businesses that has filled up some of Dillsboro’s empty storefronts, a new chapter built on the foundation of stalwarts that rode out the hard times since 2008 — businesses like Dogwood Crafters, Treehouse Pottery, Oaks Pottery, Riverwood Pottery and Nancy Tut’s Christmas Shop.

“We usually see three or four new ones a year, and we usually have two or three a year we lose,” Coffey said, “so we are making slow progress in growing.”

If that’s the norm, then 2015 was a banner year for Dillsboro, with five new businesses moving in and low loss of existing businesses.

This year, Dillsboro welcomed Haywood Smokehouse, Our Place, Shampoochy, 14 Venturo’s Good Italian Eats, the Artsy Olive

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and Coach’s Bistro. While Hopberry’s went out of business, Our Place moved into the space, and Haywood Smokehouse took over the building previously occupied by Dillsboro Smokehouse. Bradley’s General Store closed, but the same owners moved into a smaller building to open a new business, Riverbend Frozen Delights.

“We’re doing a lot better than we did during the height of the recession, and I see us making progress,” said Mayor Mike Fitzgerald.

So far, the new businesses seem to be doing pretty well.

“It’s all word of mouth right now,” said Linda Venturo, owner of Venturo’s, a café and bakery that opened in late May. “It’s paying for itself, which is really good.”

“On the average, they probably spend at least 100 bucks apiece,” Steve Smith, who with his wife Stephanie sells locally crafted, country-style home décor items at their shop Our Place, said of his customers. “For such a small little shop such as we are, that’s great. We got a quota we try to meet every day, and to this point on an average we have met that.”

“We was taking dogs before we even opened the doors,” said Phillip Tomlinson, who opened the pet grooming shop Shampoochy on Dec. 1 with his husband Russell. “We were already doing groomings before we even opened entirely.”

It’s been a pretty great year, agreed Lisa Potts of Nancy Tut’s Christmas Shop. Potts has owned the store overlooking downtown

“It’s all word of mouth right now. It’s paying for itself, which is really good.”

— Linda Venturo

for more than 20 years, riding the wave of retail through the crest of the 90s and down through the valley of the recession. Based on the way 2015 is ending, she sees reason to be hopeful for the future.

“I think things are growing. Business is picking up,” she said. “My sales have increased tremendously (over last year).”

It’s hard to say exactly why that is.

Chalk it up to overall economic improve-

ment — the train’s pulling out coincided with the onset of the 2008 recession, hitting Dillsboro with a one-two punch — or to the town’s effort to define itself as something more than just an attraction for train riders, to the plummeting gas prices that have made travel more affordable this year or to the economic incentive ordinance the town council passed this year. Dillsboro gave its first cash grant — a $10,000 sum based on job creation, meant to offset startup costs such as water/sewer fees and deposit checks — to Haywood Smokehouse.

Whatever the reason, the results are encouraging.

“It’s not as good as when the train left, but it’s getting better than that period when it wasn’t here at all,” said Potts.

The train isn’t completely gone from Dillsboro. While the railroad no longer starts and ends trips from the Dillsboro depot, it will typically run several routes per week from the Bryson City station that include a 1.5-hour layover in Dillsboro. The spill-out of riders during that brief time period is still instrumental in keeping the town afloat.

“There isn’t a whole lot of (foot) traffic without the train or the holidays,” said Amy Garcia of the Artsy Olive, a shop selling olive oil, balsamic vinegar and paintings. The store opened in April, a second location for owner Jeffry Jurasinski, who opened his first store in Gatlinburg.

So the train is still important. The difference, business owners say, is that it’s no longer the sole source of retail life in Dillsboro.

“The railroad is a tremendous additional benefit to what’s already a pretty hopping little town,” said Joe Beasley, co-owner of Haywood Smokehouse. “I think as we work together to try to deliver more things for them to do here — that being people on the train or visitors in general — I think we’ll be in growth mode here.”

Beasley, who also owns the original Smokehouse in Waynesville, said he decided to open the second location in Dillsboro because of the short travel distance between the two restaurants and because of an inviting opportunity — the Dillsboro Smokehouse had closed, so he had a chance to expand his business into a space already suited to his needs.

It’s proven to have been a good decision, he said, and he’s “very, very pleased with the move.”

A plus for businesses like Beasley’s and Venturo’s is that they’re not geared exclusively toward tourists. While locals might not be interested in buying items from boutique stores at the rate needed to sustain those businesses, they do eat barbeque and drink coffee with regularity.

Drawing locals to Dillsboro can only be a good thing, said Potts, who believes her location between Venturo’s and Coach’s is partially responsible for her above-average sales this year.

It’s not just the restaurants that are hoping to target the local market, however.

“We really wanted to concentrate on the local people, because a happy customer’s going to be a repeat cus-

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Steve and Stephanie Smith are excited to be part of the Dillsboro community after moving their store, Our Place, from Cherokee into the old Enloe House.

Holly Kays photo

“We didn’t set out coming here based on the train. That’s just an added benefit. We really wanted to concentrate on the local people.”

— Steve Smith, Our Place

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December 16-22, 2015

tomer,” Smith said. “If we can get the local people to come in — train or not — that’s going to be our bread and butter.”

For its first two years, Our Place was located in Cherokee, but that business location was a bit difficult as the store’s country-themed rustic merchandise wasn’t a good fit for customers seeking Native American souvenirs.

“We were hoping to expand with our clientele coming from all different areas,” Smith said.

The Dillsboro location picks up the traffic that’s already headed to Cherokee via U.S. 441, but it’s also at the center of a crossroads for locals of Franklin, Sylva, Waynesville, Bryson City — a broader customer base.

“We didn’t set out coming here based on the train. That’s just an added benefit. We really wanted to concentrate on the local people,” he said.

While hope is in the air among Dillsboro merchants, it still wouldn’t be accurate to say that Dillsboro’s all recovered. Walk around town, and it’s not hard to find yourself standing outside an empty storefront.

“We’ve noticed it since we came back,” said Tomlinson, who’s from the area but recently moved back after a stint in Chicago. “Dillsboro needs a little bit of revitalization.”

Expanding the repertoire of festivals could be part of that. Dillsboro added a few new ones this year, and shop owners say that those weekends are instrumental in giving a boost to business. So much so that Venturo’s keeping notes so she can remember how to make the most of those events next year.

“Usually in the morning it’s kind of dead, but the day of the pottery festival everybody was here early,” Venturo said. “Next year, I’ll know what I need to do.”

Dillsboro’s not without its problems and challenges for the future. But on the whole — at least from Potts’ hilltop view — things are on the upswing.

“I’m real positive about it,” she said. “Very optimistic.”

15

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Jackson hires tourism director Breedlove to resign as Webster mayor, take the helm of tourism agency

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER t took only minutes for the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority to approve Nick Breedlove as its new contracted director last week, but for Breedlove that moment was months in the making.

While the 30-year-old Webster mayor, journalist and photography business owner has plenty of tasks to fill his time, when he first heard the TDA was fishing for a director, it didn’t take long for him to decide to throw his hat Nick Breedlove in the ring.

“They really need somebody that, day-today, boots-on-the-ground, wakes up and says, ‘This is my job, to promote Jackson County,’ and I am that person,” Breedlove said. “I can’t think of a better role for me to step into.”

Breedlove began laying the groundwork to apply for the job months ago, forming a corporation — NB Management — that

December 16-22, 2015

I

could handle the contract and developing a 52-page document outlining his qualifications and action plan if given the job.

Fortunately, the TDA board agreed that Breedlove was the man for the task, voting unanimously to offer him a oneyear $54,000 contract. The consensus was so easy to form that the board made the decision a full month earlier than originally planned.

“He has the enthusiasm we need to move forward in our marketing efforts,” TDA board chairman Robert Jumper said of Breedlove.

“We are thrilled to have you,” said TDA board member Sarah Jennings.

Unlike most of the five proposals the TDA received for the job, Breedlove doesn’t have a background in marketing and promotion. He’s never led a tourism agency before.

But, Jumper said, when looking at his proposal against those of the other four bidders, it wasn’t hard to decide who would do the best job of selling the county as a tourist destination. Breedlove is a Jackson County native, a Jackson County lover and he’s a master of the skills he’ll need to succeed, Jumper said.

“I think tweaking is better than a total overhaul of someone,” he said. “I think he’s got the tools. We just need to show him how to apply them to what we’re doing.”

Besides, Jumper said, the TDA wasn’t

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The timeline toward a TDA director • Dec. 2012: The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority forms, using a board of directors but no paid staff.

• April 2014: The TDA forms an exploratory committee to look into the possibility of hiring a fulltime director.

• Spring 2015: The TDA decides to hire the director as a one-year contracted job, not as an employee, and agrees on a scope of work to publish with a request for proposals.

• Aug. 2015: The bid submission period closes.

• Oct. 2015: The search committee conducts a first round of interviews with the five bidders.

• Nov. 2015: After a second round of interviews with the top two candidates, the search committee recommends Nick Breedlove for the job.

• Dec. 2015: The TDA votes unanimously to award Breedlove the one-year contract, paying $54,000 in monthly installments. necessarily looking for a marketer anyway.

They were looking for a manager, and in that capacity Breedlove is “the best qualified out of the five.”

In addition to running his own photography business and spending 13 years telling the stories of Jackson County people as a reporter for The Sylva Herald, Breedlove has served the past two years as mayor of the small town of Webster. In that time, he’s completed a laundry list of projects, including the town’s first-ever longrange planning effort, a door-to-door survey of town residents, a walking tour of Webster’s historic buildings and a wellattended Veterans Day celebration surrounding a newly relocated and restored World War II monument. As mayor, he’s also served on the boards for the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority and the Southwestern Commission.

“I think that I carry a great set of skills, and every organization that I have been employed or worked for or volunteered on the board of has benefited from my experience,” Breedlove said. “When my name is attached to a project, people know it will be a success.”

Breedlove plans to begin work with the start of the new year, using office space the TDA will rent in Dillsboro. He intends to spend his first weeks building a baseline understanding of the TDA and what it’s been up to in its three years of existence. As a reporter, Breedlove attended many of the TDA’s early meetings, but he wants to read through all the other minutes and news articles from the board’s activities.

“I want to gain a complete understanding of its history, actions the board has taken, marketing campaign endeavors that

have been successful and look at all of the organization’s history as a whole,” Breedlove said. “I think you need that background when you’re going into a group to accomplish things.”

At the same time, he’ll be working on his first project as TDA director, which will be conducting an audit of tourism resources in Jackson County. The audit will list all the assets that make Jackson County a place tourists can enjoy, including everything from restaurants to lodging to outdoor recreation. Breedlove would then combine that information with analytical data — where tourists are coming from, what kind of experience they’re looking for — as well as data regarding website and social media traffic.

“This is a document that we can reference,” Breedlove said. “It’s a data-driven process, so it will show us all of our assets, and we can use that data to help drive marking decisions.”

Later in the year, he’ll look through the TDA’s current policies and practices and give the board recommendations for improvement. He wants to conduct a poll to better understand local tourism and conduct a visioning session for long-term planning. The next phase would be to turn that information into a roadmap for the future.

If all goes well, the TDA could renew Breedlove’s contract for a second year or hire him as an employee.

“A lot of the skills I acquired as mayor will definitely be useful,” Breedlove said.

“Project management, keeping this on a tight deadline.”

“I don’t just reside here.

This place is home to me and I absolutely love it. I can’t think of a place I would rather live than Jackson County.”

— Nick Breedlove

Breedlove won’t be wearing the mayor’s title for much longer, however. He has sent his resignation to the town board, which will also mean stepping down from the two boards he serves on. He plans to leave The Sylva Herald by early January. His contract stipulates that he can’t hold any job that could be seen as constituting a conflict of interest, though Breedlove said that’s not why he’s resigning those roles. Time is the bigger issue.

“The reason I’m stepping down from these four roles is to focus solely on promotion of Jackson County,” he said. “I want to do one thing and do it extremely well, so to do that I want all my attention to be focused.”

Because, for Breedlove, promoting Jackson County will be more than just a job.

“I don’t just reside here. This place is home to me and I absolutely love it,” he said.

“I can’t think of a place I would rather live than Jackson County.”

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ew Smartphone applications are being developed every day, and many of them are helping teenagers keep secrets from their parents.

Even technologically savvy parents may have a hard time keeping up with the latest app trends circulating around high schools — and the moment you figure it out, students have moved on to the next one.

Swain County High School has experienced some issues recently with students using an app called After School. The application verifies a user’s school location by connecting to their personal Facebook page. If a user doesn’t have a valid school associated with his or her Facebook page, they aren’t able to log in to the app, which makes it difficult for administrators or parents to see what was being posted.

“It creates a forum for each school,” said Toby Burrell, public information officer for Swain County Schools. “The kicker for us is that the app itself is designed to keep whatever you post anonymous — it gives kids leeway to post what they want without being accountable.”

As with any social media or phone application that allows anonymous posting, it can

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lead to name-calling, cyberbullying and sexually explicit posts about other students. Even if students are not using the app during school hours, it can still cause a disruption at school.

Swain High Principal Mark Sale is trying to take a more proactive approach to the ongoing issue. When After School started creating a problem at Swain High, he held an assembly to educate students before it got out of hand.

“The staff of Swain County High School is continually concerned about the safety and welfare of our students. We recently learned of our students’ involvement with a free app, After School,” Sale said. “While we respect the rights of social apps like After School, we urge our students, parents and community members to use these social apps with great care. The apps cannot become a platform for hate or harassing or venomous messages, especially directed at students.”

Chris Baldwin, Macon County Schools superintendent, said he hasn’t been made aware of any issues pertaining to cyberbullying at any of his schools in the last few months.

“We have dealt with these issues in the past on a case-by-case basis,” he said. “We do work closely with parents and law enforcement when they do occur, and I suspect that these relationships do help to reduce the

“It gives kids leeway to post what they want without being accountable.”

— Toby Burrell, Swain County Schools

lewd or hurtful messages,” he said. “When we have legal authority to do something about it we do, but we don’t have that authority unless they are sending them at school or when it becomes so disruptive that it impacts the school.”

Nolte said Haywood County Schools has done some training for students and teachers about the dangers of “sexting” and other dangerous Internet usage in the past. However, he said there is no way teachers can constantly monitor all of their students’ phone use. He said parents, churches and other organizations should also help teach children to use social media appropriately.

“We all need to tell kids they need to be above it, that they shouldn’t hide behind a

digital platform to be rude and condescending to others,” Nolte said. “We should be teaching them that social media is not a place to misbehave anymore than they would be allowed to at home.”

Swain County Schools is asking parents to keep a watchful eye on the apps being used by their children. Now that administrators know how to access After School, students will likely find another app to use.

Administrators are also aware of an app called Calculator. Parents wouldn’t think twice about it being on their child’s phone because it does function as a calculator, but it also allows teens to hide photos they might not want their parents to see.

Another app called Poof was created for the sole purpose of allowing users to hide other apps on their phone from plain sight. If a parent sees the Poof app on their child’s phone, it should be an instant red flag.

Burrell urges parents to educate themselves on what social media and apps their children are using and talk to them if they are misusing it. If a parent is paying for their children’s phone, then they have every right to keep a record of their passwords for monitoring purposes.

High schools do allow students to have their cell phones at school as long as they aren’t a distraction during class. He doesn’t want to see a ban on cellphones just because a few people are misusing them.

“Most use the devices responsibly. I’m not one for banning something that’s used properly most of the time just because a few use improperly,” he said.

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Phone apps causing disruption in schools

occurrence of cyberbullying.”

Educating students at home and at school about the wrong and right way to use technology is sometimes the only thing parents and teachers can do.

Bill Nolte, associate superintendent for Haywood County Schools, said he’s seen similar issues at the high schools and middle schools as more students have access to smartphones.

“Apps and social media will continue to change and some kids will continue to send

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Cashiers residents sound off on proposed cell tower Final decision on application will come in January

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER proposed cell phone tower in Cashiers is drawing heated opinion from both sides, but it will be several weeks before commissioners make a final decision on whether to give the go-ahead for its construction.

With the lease on the tower that’s currently providing the bulk of coverage in Cashiers — located at the town’s crossroads — set to expire this year, the tower building company Crown Castle is looking for a new location, and the Zachary family believes that a spot on its 20acre property in the Gana Sita neighborhood fits the bill. Sitting above the plateau where the town spreads, the proposed location would cover nearly all the areas that the existing tower does and also extend coverage to some places not currently served by the existing tower, among them Mountain Area Family Medicine on White Owl Lane.

But not everybody agrees that Crown Castle’s plan is a good one. The strongest objections have come from Rick and Donna Barrs, who own land adjacent to the spot where the proposed tower would go. Though neither the Barrs’ home nor any other buildings are located on that parcel, the couple has said that their long-range plan is to build a development of cottages on the land. The proposed tower would be 137 feet from the property line, about as close as county ordinance allows, and the Barrs feel that the tower’s proximity would harm the buyer appeal of the development they’d like to build one day.

The Zacharys and Barrs already went head-to-head over the issue in June, when Crown Castle originally submitted its application for the tower. But at the time, Jackson County was in the final stages of revising its outdated cell tower ordinance. Crown Castle pulled the application, telling the county in a letter that it intended to resubmit the application once the ordinance revision was complete.

True to its word, the company sent a new application in mid-November, a little more than three

Smoky Mountain News

December 16-22, 2015

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months after commissioners passed the revised cell tower ordinance. Now, it’s up to commissioners to decide whether to give Crown the go-ahead to build.

Before they can do that, the ordinance requires that commissioners hold a public hearing and then preside over a quasi-judicial hearing — a forum that is essentially a court proceeding with commissioners sitting as judges. To be allowed to build the proposed tower, which would exceed the county’s 100-foot height limit, Crown Castle must prove that the proposed location is the best location for providing coverage and demonstrate that co-locating on existing structures won’t work to meet coverage needs. They must also show that their application meets county

What they said “If a new tower were to be located in the Gana Sita neighborhood, it should be placed in a location as far away from the neighboring property owners as possible so as to avoid harm to their property values and make it least physically and visually intrusive to those neighboring property owners.”

— Adjacent property owner Rick Barrs, reading from a petition he started. He said 127 people signed the petition.

“I’m a big property rights believer. I believe in our property rights and I believe if someone owns a piece of property and pays taxes on their property, they should be able to use their property for whatever legal use they have.”

— Pat Carlton, Cashiers resident and property owner “They (Crown Castle) want to build their tower because that’s what they do, but your wireless ordinance isn’t designed to promote towers. It’s designed to promote wireless service so people in the county can have it. Your top priority was to put a new antenna on an existing tower.”

— Craig Pendergrast, engineer and property owner in the Cashiers area, telling commissioners that the best place for a new tower would be behind the library.

“We love our peace and quiet, and we have tried to see the tower when the balloon (from the balloon test done to assess potential visibility of the tower) has gone up and we couldn’t see it. As far as we are concerned we have no problem with the tower being put where it is proposed to be put.”

— Jane Nardy, lifelong resident of property adjacent to the Zachary family “A 12-story tower in this location was an abrupt abomination of what could happen to a woodland of this nature … I would suggest that this tower is relocated to that site in the city limits instead of on beautiful woodland like this.”

— Mary Palmer Dargen, 20-year Cashiers resident and landscape architect

Rick Barrs, owner of the property adjacent to the proposed cell tower site, speaks against the application at a public hearing last week. Holly Kays photo requirements for cell towers and prove the need for any requested exemptions.

Last week, commissioners heard opinions from a packed room, with 17 speakers representing both sides of the issue during a public hearing preceding the start of the quasi-judicial hearing, which lasted for four-and-a-half hours before recessing to 9 a.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 5, at the Albert Carlton Library in Cashiers.

Once the second part of the hearing concludes, commissioners will deliberate and come to a decision.

This is not the only cell tower application on the county’s plate. The planning office is also reviewing an application from SBA Communications to build a 180foot monopole tower along U.S. 74 at the Cherokee exit. With demand for service increasing — both for calls and more infrastructure-intensive uses such as smartphone Internet browsing — more such applications are likely in the future.

What’s in the application?

■ The proposed cell tower would be a 120-foot-tall monopole, which is 20 feet more than the allowed maximum of 100 feet. However, trees around the proposed location are between 80 and 100 feet tall, so Crown Castle says the height is necessary to broadcast signal above the canopy and is requesting a conditional use permit.

■ The proposed tower would sit on property owned by the Zachary family in the Gana Sita neighborhood, just above Cashiers. According to Crown Castle, due to elevation variation and the location of water sources the only place on the 20acre property that would work for tower construction is a spot just 137 feet from the Zachary family’s property line with Rick and Donna Barrs.

■ Verizon wants to install its antenna on the tower, if built. The tower would be designed to accommodate three other carriers, but according to county consultant Larry Perry, the trees surrounding the tower would prevent signal broadcast from any arrays installed lower on the tower from reaching very far.

■ Crown Castle plans to lease a 100-by-100-foot area, which would accommodate a 60-by-60-foot fenced area around the proposed tower. A natural screen of 23 Leland cypress trees and 28 rhododendrons would be planted around the fence. The 18 base of the tower would be painted brown to blend into the surroundings.

“They (companies like Crown Castle) only compromise when they have no other choice. If you reject this application, they will have no other choice.

That’s the only way to stop this bully. They want to have what they want to have.”

— Dan Duckham, Cashiers “Small cells can cover our community more discretely and more thoroughly.

More expensive, yes, but by law the cost is not put on the subscriber.”

— Donna Barrs, owner of property adjacent to proposed tower site “I love to talk on my phone. I love to have Internet. I’ve had very poor service for several years — I have AT&T. The thing I’m concerned about is a bigger issue of land use … I’m just very concerned that we’re on a slippery slope of limiting use of property.”

— Keven Hawkins, Cashiers resident and planning council member “All of our residents have viewed the circumstances. The access will apparently be through a road that we maintain, and we have no objections at all to the current situation.”

— Jeff Kahn, Gana Sita resident “A private person could have a piece of land that the value could just be cut instantly by the use of a cell tower.”

— Marcia Shawler, Cashiers “I have people that are CEOs tell me if thy have to climb into the corners of clubhouses to close multi-million-dollar deals, that is holding us back economically, just as the Internet connectivity is holding us back.”

— Michael Cox, Cashiers real estate broker “I don’t have any preference whether this is approved or not approved. My question is about Big Sheepcliff (development), whether it was considered or not … We would like to be considered by the current company that wants to build a tower.”

— Jim Maultsby, member of Big Sheepcliff Property Owners Association in Cashiers “The spot that was picked was designed to be the least obtrusive, the most hidden back in the woods of any location with only 27 feet of the tower extending above the tree line. The existing tower on Slab Town Road is butt ugly, and even if Verizon antenna were put on top of it, the doctor’s office cannot get cell service from the Slab Town Road tower. They cannot get cell service from the butt-ugly tower that is in the middle of the crossroads.”

— Mark Zachary, property owner of proposed cell tower location

“I think it would be a good asset for the community.

I think it would be good for the tax base and I just think that overall it would be a positive thing for the community and the county.”

— Ray Trine, Cashiers resident

@SmokyMtnNews

283 North Haywood St. Waynesville david.mesimer@allstate.com

Insurance subject to terms, qualifications and availability. Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Co., Allstate Indemnity Co.. Life insurance and annuities issued by Lincoln Benefit Life Company, Lincoln, NE, Allstate Life Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL, and American Heritage Life Insurance Company, Jacksonville, FL. In New York, Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York, Hauppauge, NY. Northbrook, IL. © 2010 Allstate Insurance Co.

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Smoky Mountain News

Cashiers Realtor.

“Their (the Carlton family’s) integrity is impeccable and unquestionable,” said Cashiers resident Mark Zachary, who identified himself as a friend of the Carlton family.

“I think it would be outside the possibilities of their mores to not provide everything the people need.”

Though he’d voiced concern about the infrastructure aspect and possibility of broken promises, Trine also said that he supported the idea of the development. Construction has stagnated in Cashiers, and an expanded development like Chinquapin might be instrumental in increasing the tax base and livening up the development scene, he said.

“I think it would be a good asset for the community,” he said. “I think it would be good for the tax base, and I just think that overall it would be a positive thing for the community and the county.”

The development agreement is on the agenda for the Jackson County Commissioners meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Jackson County Administration Building.

David Mesimer (828) 452-2815

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A

county code compliance officer John Jeleniewski said that water system requirements are set by the state, that Chinquapin’s system meets all state requirements and that the system is more than capable of serving the community, with the potential to be expanded.

“They have an onsite system built, and it’s state-approved,” he said.

Other speakers lent their support to Chinquapin and to the Carlton family, who had owned the property before selling to Waterfront.

“The water is there, and just from an economic standpoint I can tell you that neither the Carltons nor this company would engage in this transaction if all these infrastructure issues were not resolved,” said Sam Lupas, a

Auto ~ Home Life ~ Retirement

December 16-22, 2015

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter holding a public hearing last week, at its next meeting Jackson County Commissioners will likely approve an agreement allowing the Chinquapin housing development near Cashiers to expand the capacity of its planned 200-home neighborhood to 400.

“They have done everything they need to do to comply with the requirements for modifying the development agreement,” said Commission Chairman Brian McMahan. “I didn’t hear anything last week that would say we shouldn’t move forward and approve the agreement.”

That’s not to say that nobody at the Dec. 10 hearing voiced opposition to the development. It simply means that, as far as county ordinances go, Chinquapin has met all the requirements it needs to in order to get the go-ahead to expand. Because the development predates the 2012 county ordinance regulating subdivisions, the only regulations it must meet are those set by the state.

Cashiers has been burned by developers before during the pre-recession building frenzy, so some residents advocated caution when it comes to believing that Waterfront Group, the new owners of the development, will do what they say they will.

“People paid good money for these properties, and now they don’t have water, they don’t have roads, they don’t have a decent homeowners association,” said resident Ray Trine of the predicament some area property owners have found themselves in since the recession. “I would ask that the Waterfront people supply the information necessary for the county to know that promises will be fulfilled and the buyers for this property will have access, they will have septic, they will have adequate drinking water.”

B. K. Jones, who has lived on property adjacent to Chinquapin for the past 18 years, had similar concerns, asking whether the water system currently installed on the property would be capable of supplying the 400 planned homes.

“The springs since we been there are slowly deteriorating down to a point now where on a drought they’re almost nonexistent on that mountain,” he said. “Everybody who lives on our side depends on the springs for some part of their water. If you’re going to build that many houses, you need to plan ahead to make sure your infrastructure’s in place before you approve it.”

When Jones directed a question at him,

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Jackson appears set to OK development plan

20 Church Street, Waynesville NC Paid in part by Haywood County Tourism • www.visitncsmokies.com

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news

Thank you to our 2015 Friends of the Lake corporate sponsors: Smoky Mountain News The Mountaineer Wells Fargo Bank, Waynesville Branch Sheppard Insurance Champion Supply Clark & Leatherwood RCF Construction Old Town Bank

Friends of the Lake 5K

March 26, 2016 SAVE THE DATE!

Registration information coming soon.

Smoky Mountain News

December 16-22, 2015

To become a corporate sponsor or a Friend of the Lake, contact the Development Office at 828-454-6680 www.lakejunaluska.com/friends-of-the-lake

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Health

Smoky Mountain News

Highlands-Cashiers Hospital honors Woodruff Highlands-Cashiers Hospital recently honored and thanked Jane Woodruff for her continuing devotion and support by dedicating a statue of her on the hospital campus.

Standing beside the statue of Woodruff is a statue of her long-time friend and fellow-supporter of HCH, Charlie Sheehan. Sheehan recently retired from the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Board of Directors where he served as chairman since 2009.

“Your sincerity and concern that the staff has the tools they need to give excellent care is clearly the focus of your generosity,” said Jackie Ring, President of HCH. “Although words are totally inadequate to express the depth of our appreciation, I speak for the staff and patients when I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Ring said.

Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing established the WHEE Wagon Program last spring to provide medically fragile children wagons with IV poles so they can play and just be a kid.

That became a reality recently when the School of Nursing donated two WHEE wagons to Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. The wagons range in cost from $225 for one with a permanently attached IV pole to $250 for one with a detachable pole that makes transporting the wagon easier. They are donated free of charge.

Those interested in making donations or purchasing a wagon should contact Hester at swhester@wcu.edu or 828.227.2898.

Stargell named onsite administrator in Swain Lucretia Stargell, vice president of business and service line development for Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital, will take on an expanded role as onsite administrator for Swain Community Hospital.

Stargell has worked for the hospitals since 2007 in marketing and communications leadership roles, including director of marketing, communications and physician recruitment and as chief community engagement officer.

In the newly expanded position, she will have a consistent presence at Swain Community Hospital, driving key initiatives and growth opportunities for the facility and community in addition to continuing her business development responsibilities for both Harris and Swain.

North Carolina in 2014 by the Association of Free Clinics, GSC provides care for 41 percent of the uninsured in its coverage area. In 2014, GSC provided 2,675 patient visits for primary care and more than 300 mental health visits.

828.454.5287 or www.gschaywood.org.

WNC vet receives achievement award Dr. Tami Shearer of Western Carolina Animal Pain Clinic of Sylva was awarded an Exceptional Achievement Award for the global advancement of acupuncture, herbal therapies, and other branches of Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

The award was distributed by the World Association of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine at the 17th Annual International TCVM Conference at the Chi Institute campus in Reddick, Florida.

Swain Family Care sees new patients Physicians at Swain Family Care in Bryson City are now seeing pediatric patients.

Swain Family Care, formerly known as Swain Medical Center, is now providing convenient, local access to pediatric care with experienced physicians Dr. Tammy Johnson and Dr. Dave Johnston, who are seeing patients under 20 years of age in addition to providing adult primary care.

Swain Family Care’s hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. The practice is located inside Swain Community Hospital at 45 Plateau Street in Bryson City.

828.488.4205.

Good Samaritan Clinic receives grant

Fifteen SCC radiography students start rotations

Haywood Healthcare Foundation’s 24th Annual Charitable Classic Golf & Gala raised $75,000 to benefit Good Samaritan Clinic.

Designated a Top Performing Free Clinic in

During the fall semester, 15 Southwestern Community College radiography students have begun their clinical rotations at a variety of area hospitals.

Notes • Dr. Travis Petricek is now providing surgical consults and performing minor office procedures at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital. Petricek is board certified in surgery and has been practicing at Angel Surgical Associates since 2009. He will see patients on the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital campus in Suite 304 of the Jane Woodruff Clinic, 209 Hospital Drive.

828.526.5045.

Left to right: Charlie Sheehan, John McCoy, Dr. Ronald Paulus, Jane Woodruff and Jackie Ring. Donated photo

WCU students donate to Harris Hospital

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On their first set of rotations, these students are working under the direction of radiography professionals and assist in the taking of X-Rays as well as other daily tasks. All the students are working toward a two-year associate degree. Upon graduation, they can work in diagnostic X-ray departments or continue to specialty areas like MRI, nuclear medicine, sonography, mammography, CT, radiation therapy or continue their education and work toward a bachelor’s degree.

Visit southwesterncc.edu.

Angel Medical Center to Use 3-D Mammography With the installation of Angel Medical Center’s new 3-D mammography unit, patients in Franklin and surrounding communities will soon have access to the most advanced technology available for early and more accurate screening for breast cancer.

Studies have shown a 15 percent reduction in callbacks with the new 3-D mammography equipment compared to the existing 2-D mammography units used at most hospitals across the United States. In addition, the 3-D technology allows for more than a 40 percent increase in the detection of breast cancers, especially for those in the early stages of development. One in every eight women will develop breast cancer during her life.

Harris to assist with health care enrollment Harris Regional Hospital will again this year provide resources for patients enrolling in the health insurance marketplaces by holding an Open Enrollment Event available to all members of the community looking to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment for the health insurance marketplaces began Nov. 1 and ends Jan. 31, 2016 For Harris, call 828.586.6264 or 828.586.7355. For Swain, call 828.488.4055 or 828.488.4218.

• Dr. Laurian Mohai and Dr. Carmen Mohai have joined as hospitalists at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Laurian Mohai has served as an internal medicine physician and hospitalist for the last 18 years. Carmen Mohai has served as an internal medicine physician and hospitalist for the last 17 years.

• Angel Medical Center was recently honored with a visit from Dr. Randall Williams — the new Deputy Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Health Services overseeing the Division of Public Health and the Office of Rural Health and Community Care. Williams met with several AMC leaders and discussed issues and challenges surrounding rural hospitals, including value of system affiliation, physician recruitment, women’s services in rural areas including obstetrics, staffing challenges for rural areas, behavioral health, value-based care and population health.

ALSO:

• Highlands recently beat Franklin in a wellness challenge organized by the WorkWell team at Mission Health. The winning team consisted of Pat Taylor, Derek Taylor, James Tate, Rebecca Shuler and Thomas Craig. These leaders walked a total of 768 miles over six weeks to Franklin’s 480 miles. During this period, the team members wore pedometers that tracked their steps.

• Mission Hospital has received another “A” grade in an independent review of 28 hospital safety measures in a recent report by the Leapfrog Group that rated more than 2,500 hospitals using government safety data and voluntary disclosure. Leapfrog, based in Washington, D.C., is one of the oldest and mostrespected external benchmarking agencies for hospitals nationwide.

• Haywood Regional Medical Center will begin a new round of quit smoking classes from 6-8 p.m. Jan. 12 through Feb. 23 in the Health and Fitness Center Conference Room. The cost is $25. Call 800.424.3627 to sign up.

Smoky Mountain News December 16-22, 2015

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

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It’s really OK to just let kids be kids

“OK, everybody, huddle up, huddle up!”

But nobody really seems to want to huddle up. Our point guard is standing at a slant, hands on his hips, looking at the scoreboard with a seething contempt. Home 2, Guests 12.

We’re the home team.

Our power forward looks at his shoes as if he has them under surveillance, as if they are about to make a break for it.

If they do, it will be our first fast break all day. His shoes do not move. And yet they seem to be fascinating.

Our shooting guard and center are playing some kind of game that they seem to be inventing on the spot. It involves elbowing each other, some obscure fifth-grade catch phrases, and a lot of giggling. They are not, in my estimation, fully aware of the gravity of this situation. Their team — the Guests — is beating our team up and down the court, chasing down every loose ball and every rebound, scoring on easy put-backs due to our utter failure to box out.

We are more spectators than participants, looking on with mild interest, like a group of kids at a birthday party watching an average magician. “Playing with energy” is an old basketball cliché, one that we apparently have not heard of.

We’re playing with all the energy of a garden slug. Imagine five garden slugs watching a magic trick. That is how we’re playing.

“Huddle up! Huddle up!”

False information from Sen. Tillis’ office

To the Editor: As a North Carolina citizen, I could not understand why our senators voted against a bill that would deny the purchase of a weapon by those persons placed on a “No Fly” terrorist watch list by the FBI. I called Sen. Tillis' office and spoke to Luke Blanchard, an administrative assistant on legislative affairs for Tillis. He told me that the U.S. Attorney General already has the power to block persons on the No Fly list from buying a gun. This is blatantly false and misleading. The Attorney General can only block that sale if they find some other reason, like documented mental illness or a criminal record, but being placed on the terrorist watch list by the FBI does not allow the Attorney General to block that sale.

In fact, according to General Accounting Office, between 2004 and 2014 out of 2,233 persons on the No Fly list that tried to purchase a weapon, 2,043 were able to clear a background check and purchase the weapon

We’ve got two minutes and 38 seconds left to make our “halftime adjustments.” One adjustment would be to make at least one pass that someone on our team could catch.

Another would be to get off more than one shot per quarter.

“OK, team,” says our head coach.

“We need to move the ball and look inside. We have to space out a little more and work on getting open for the pass.”

I am the assistant coach. My job is primarily to be supportive, offer whatever insights I can muster, and be sure that the players’ shoes are tied. It is my job to find the silver linColumnist ing, regardless of how poorly we play, even if we end up losing 24-4.

“Look, team,” I will say. “You’ve got your whole lives in front of you. You’re nine or 10 years old. Who is going to remember this in five or 10 years? And look at your shoes — every single one of them tied and double-knotted! Well done, team!”

Unfortunately, despite our carefully orchestrated halftime strategy, the second half was more of the same. The Guests continued to thrash us, scoring on their possessions while we dribbled our way into basketball oblivion. From what I could discern, our offense consisted of one of our players dribbling the ball near half court for about five minutes until two or more of their defenders closed in for the trap, at which point there would either be a jump ball or a wild scoop pass aimed in no particular direction.

On possession after possession, we would dribble, dribble, dribble, and the Guests would close in like cheetahs chasing a gazelle. It was like watching a National Geographic special. Cruel, relentless nature. The survival of the fittest.

I chanced a glance into the crowd of 50 or so and noted in

Chris Cox

(It is rare that I feel a need to “explain” a column, but I want to be clear that this week’s column is a satire of adults’ often warped perspective of youth sports, and not in any way a criticism of these young basketball players. They are a pure delight, win or lose. It is easy for parents and coaches to get caught up in wins and losses, but we should all remember that the real goal should be to let these children learn the game and to have fun while they are doing it. Let’s allow these kids to be kids. It doesn’t last long.)

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, N.C., 28786. and only 190 were blocked because there was some reason other than being on the No Fly list.

When I told Mr. Blanchard that information was completely false, he then began to justify Tillis' vote because many people have mistakenly been placed on a No Fly list, with Sen. Ted Kennedy being his prime example.

Once again, this information is completely false. According to the Transportation Security Administration, Kennedy was never on a No Fly list and never missed or had to cancel any flights. In 2004 Kennedy was briefly detained for further questioning

On possession after possession, we would dribble, dribble, dribble, and the Guests would close in like cheetahs chasing a gazelle. It was like watching a National Geographic special. Cruel, relentless nature. The survival of the fittest.

the third quarter a certain restlessness among our fans, one that gave way in the fourth quarter to a sense of doom, the inevitability of defeat. The gazelle would not escape. Nor would it pass the basketball. Dribble, dribble, dribble.

When the final horn sounded, both teams lined up and did the ceremonial “good game/hand slap” dance, and then cleared out of the gym and into the lobby to get snacks and juice. Bitter, bitter juice.

The parents were all standing around waiting on their players to get their snacks. Everybody was pretty quiet. Under different circumstances, I might call the prevailing mood “reflective,” but in these circumstances, I would describe it more as mild shock. What had they just witnessed? It was hard to say.

“Tough game, coach,” said one of the dads on his way out the door and into the blinding December sunshine.

“Only thirteen days until Christmas,” I said. “We’ve got the rest of our lives to look forward to!”

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. His most recent book, The Way We Say Goodbye, is available on Amazon and at regional bookstores.) jchriscox@live.com.

because there was someone named T. Kennedy that was on the No Fly list. Sen. Kennedy was cleared after a brief screening and caught his flight without any problem.

North Carolina citizens have the right to expect our government to keep weapons of war out of the hands of suspected terrorists.

They also deserve honesty and truthfulness from the offices of our senators, not myths and false and misleading information.

Ed Morris Franklin

Allow tree harvesting in new forest plan To the Editor: Please allow common sense to prevail in the forest management discussion. Trees are the ultimate gift — the gift that keeps giving.

While growing, they assist tremendously in carbon dioxide conversion. Young, vigorous, healthy trees assist wth the water table and the entire water cycle. Trees provide shelter, shade, create wildlife habitat and, once har-

vested, wood from trees provides thousands of products that we humans depend upon daily.

Obviously, early man needed fire, tools and shelter — wood was the answer.

Modern-day products contain wood derivatives: cough syrup, muffin mix, fabric softener, toothpaste, nail polish, tape, and film to name a few. Wood byproducts area also found in soft drinks, chewing gum paints, vanilla flavoring, cinnamon, hair spray, instant hot chocolate, maple syrup, crayons, baby food, STP oil treatment, lotion, glue, dishwashing detergent, aspirin and the list goes on and on. Trees indeed are the gift that keeps giving, even once transformed into other forms.

In the forest management dailogue, please allow responsible and sustainable harvesting to be part of the equation. Renewable and abundant, our native forestlands grow jobs and create brand new revenue. Trees are green, growing and givers. Trees give to man while living and for eternity as other magnificent wood products. Wood is indeed good.

Regan Fletcher Candler

tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.

828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years. Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken.

Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

APPLE ANDY'S RESTAURANT 3483 Soco Road, Maggie Valley located in Market Square. 828.944.0626. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Serving the freshest homemade sandwiches, wraps, and entrees such as country fried steak and grilled flounder. Full salad bar and made from scratch sides like potato salad, pinto beans and macaroni and cheese. www.appleandys.com

December 16-22, 2015

APPLE CREEK CAFE 32 Felmet St., Waynesville. 828.456.9888.

Traditional Lunch Monday-Saturday 10:30

a.m. to 3 p.m.; Family Style Lunch Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Family Style Dinner Wednesday-Saturday 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Home to an extensive build your own sandwich menu as well as specialty salads, soups burgers and more. With local ingredients and made-from-scratch recipes using a variety of good-for-you ingredients Apple Creek Cafe is sure to become your favorite spot.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts. Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily. Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

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

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

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef owned and operated. Our salads are made in house using local seasonal vegetables. Fresh roasted ham, turkey and roast beef used in our hoagies. We hand make our own eggplant and chicken parmesan, pork meatballs and hamburgers. We use 1st quality fresh not preprepared products to make sure you get the best food for a reasonable price. We make vegetarian, gluten free and sugar free items.

Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are.

BRYSON CITY CORK & BEAN A MOUNTAIN SOCIAL HOUSE 16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934.

Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to

3p.m., Full Menu 3 to 9 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials starting at 5pm every day. Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. We serve three meals a day on Friday and Saturday, and some Sundays.

Join us for family-style breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat.

Lunch from 12 to 2 p.m. In the evening, social hour begins at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 7 p.m., with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herb-baked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. So come enjoy mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations and more dining information.

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

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of”

Ring In 2016

We’ll feed your spirit, too.

AT

The Rendezvous RESTAURANT & LOUNGE At the Maggie Valley Inn

Cataloochee Ranch 119 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, NC 28751 | CataloocheeRanch.com | (828)926-1401

Hors d’Oeuvres Buffet 9 p.m.–Midnight Midnight Champagne Toast Dancing and Party Favors Midnight Breakfast Buffet

Smoky Mountain News

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APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

MUSIC BY

Stone Crazy $12999/COUPLE INCLUDES ROOM Single Rates Available

828-456-1997 24

blueroostersoutherngrill.com

— Real Local People, Real Local Food — 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, North Carolina Monday-Friday Open at 11am

Reservations Recommended

70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley • 828.926.0201

323-28

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

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

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

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials.

Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked trout bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panini sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck. Private room available for meetings.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch,

dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more.

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

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

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

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

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.3551. Reservations recommended.

4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 2 pm. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Chef Ed Kaminski prepares American cuisine from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com.

FILLING STATION DELI 145 Everett St., Bryson City, 828.488.1919.

Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sundays (in October) 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Locals always know best, and this is one place they know well. From the highquality hot pressed sandwiches and the huge portions of hand-cut fries to the specialty frozen sandwiches and homemade Southern desserts, you will not leave this top-rated deli hungry.

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

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

Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday

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

828.926.1820 Open Wednesday and Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed

RA

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December 16-22, 2015

From all of us at

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C heers to the

New Year

Celebrate New Year’s Eve

in

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1819 COUNTRY CLUB DR. MAGGIE VALLEY, NC RESERVATIONS REQUIRED PIN HIGH BAR & GRILLE 828-926-4848

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

GUADALUPE CAFÉ 606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877.

Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews. Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

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

Wednesday-Saturday dinner starting at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday Noon to 8 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome.

Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Winter hours: Friday-Monday 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Joey’s is a family style restaurant that has been serving breakfast to the locals and visitors of Western North Carolina since 1966. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles,

country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

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

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

LOS AMIGOS 366 Russ Ave. in the Bi-Lo Plaza.

828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy the lunch prices Monday through Sunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio.

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

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Handtossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch.

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

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ 9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561.

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT 1303 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee (Located on 441 North at entrance to GSMNP).

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Family style dining for adults and children.

ORGANIC BEANS COFFEE COMPANY 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

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

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

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December 16-22, 2015

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(828) 648-4546 MON-SAT: 7 A.M.-8 P.M. SUN: 8:30 A.M.-3 P.M.

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IN ANY DENOMINATION

ingredients available. We are proud to offer gluten-free and vegan options.

PAPERTOWN GRILL 153 Main St., Canton. 828.648.1455 Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Serving the local community with great, scratch-made country cooking. Breakfast is served all day. Daily specials including Monday meatloaf, chicken and dumplings on Thursdays and Friday fish.

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday.

Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoors, outside on the patio or at the bar. Reservations appreciated.

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer. Outdoor and indoor dining.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Open Monday-Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m and Sunday 7:30 a.m to 9 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400. Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads

are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville. Using only the freshest ingredients in home-made soups, salads and sandwiches. Come in and see for yourself why Smoky Mountain Sub Shop was voted # 1 in Haywood County. Locally owned and operated.

SOUTHERN BOOT, LOUISIANA CUISINE 67 Branner Avenue, Waynesville.

828.246.0053 Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Southern Boot serves delicious Louisianian food while providing a friendly music venue for musicians of all ages. Feel at home no matter where you’re from. Greeting all customers at the door with a smile.

Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

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42 Montgomery St. Waynesville 11-3 Monday-Saturday

CALL IN YOUR ORDER:

3483 SOCO RD. MAGGIE VALLEY 828.944.0626

Winter Hours: Open 9-5 Closed Wed. & Thurs.

323-17

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

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

323-54

REEKSIDE COYSTER HOUSE & GRILL

323-47

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP

HALF OFF an appetizer with any food purchase.

TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.

DINE IN ONLY. EXPIRES 1/1/16.

O PEN UNTIL 10 P. M . • C LOSED M ONDAYS O PEN UNTIL 11 P. M . F RIDAYS & S ATURDAYS

828.586.1985

438 Skyland Drive • Sylva

TWIN MAPLES FARMHOUSE 63 North Hill Street, Waynesville.

828.452.7837. Open for Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Located just two blocks from downtown Waynesville, Twin Maples is available for weddings, receptions, family reunions, birthday parties, showers, luncheons, corporate meetings and retreats.

Exit 85 to Skyland Dr., two blocks from McDonalds

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

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VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

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

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December 16-22, 2015

ROB’S HOT DOG SHACK 42 Montgomery St., Waynesville 828.707.7033. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rob’s serves gourmet hot dogs and has homemade side items. Outdoor and indoor dining, café style restaurant. Locally owned and operated.

Family oriented business.

323-71

tasteTHEmountains

176 COUNTRY CLUB DR. WAYNESVILLE, NC 27

28

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

The Art of Creativity

Heading west The art councils of Macon and Swain counties are also hard at work as the New Year approaches.

• The Arts Council of Macon County in Franklin celebrated its 40th year in 2015 with some new initiatives, including assuming management of the SilverArts (heritage, literary, and visual) component of the Macon County Senior Games, a late spring “Sundays on the Square” four-concert series featuring world, Celtic, American folk, and jazz music, and a series of monthly poetry nights, held at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub. Its mainstage concert series featured such internationally known musicians as the Richter-Uzur guitar/cello duo, organist Jack Jones, and the William Ransom-Yinzi Kong piano/viola duo, and the Land of the Sky Barbershop Chorus, among others.

The council just ended the year with its annual Holiday ARTSaturday, a free workshop for children featuring make-andtake cards and ornaments, and live holiday music. www.artscouncilofmacon.org.

Held every first Friday of the month from May through December, Art After Dark is put on by the Downtown Waynesville Association, one of the numerous groups and events supported by the Haywood County Arts Council.

2014 International Bluegrass Music Association “Entertainer of the Year” Balsam Range during the Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam, part of the Fines Creek Community Association, which receives funding grants from the Haywood County Arts Council. Garret K. Woodward photo

WNC arts councils find steady ground, look ahead to 2016

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER It is the litmus test of a community.

The arts. If you want to know how well a society functions, where its heart lies, then look no further than the strength and vitality of its creative minds and the art councils that support and showcase their work.

And within the rich and storied cultural fabric of Western North Carolina resides these councils, that are not only thriving, but growing and shifting focus, constantly moving entities that are as important to the perpetuation of Southern Appalachian talents and traditions as ever before.

With the two largest and most prominent councils in our region being Haywood and Jackson counties, The Smoky Mountain News took a peek at just what makes these organizations tick.

HAYWOOD Located in downtown Waynesville, the Haywood County Arts Council was ready and

eager to take on 2015, only to be shocked by the untimely passing of its executive director Elizabeth Haynes in April. By October, the council named Lindsey Solomon to take over the helm. In her first few months at the position, Solomon is already pushing ahead for a landmark upcoming year.

“I want to see the HCAC move to the next level by incorporating more types of art — dance, literature — that will reach more people,” she said. “The more people involved and passionate about what we’re doing, the more stable we are as an organization.”

The HCAC recently received a grant from Duke Energy that will be used to institute an artist resource center, one that will include five workshops for local artists and community members.

“The topics are still being determined, but I’m excited about moving our mission forward in this way,” Solomon said.

Another big change in 2015 was to rename its Gallery 86 space to Gallery & Gifts, a move that will emphasis the nature of the building, as to put more attention to selling and promoting art through its jury process and numerous exhibitions.

“Selling an artist’s work mean they earn income and we have money to put back into our programs,” Solomon said. “And having this steady income in addition to our generous donors will help us plan better future programming.”

These set objectives for 2016 complement the already strong activities supported and put on by HCAC, which include the Junior

• The Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City continued its work to showcase and present artisans from the county and beyond. The Art League of the Smokies programs brought together workshops, art screenings and lessons.

In August, the arts council hosted over 100 works by 26 Western North Carolina artists that was displayed during its Community Art Exhibit. There were also concerts, artist receptions and community fundraisers all in an effort to connect the dots of artists and residents. swain.k12.nc.us.

Appalachian Musician (JAM) program, Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival, Young Artist and Friends of the Library concert series, Art After Dark, and rotating gallery openings.

The council also provided grants from the North Carolina Arts Council that were delegated to the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, Haywood Community Chorus, Haywood County Schools Foundation, Voices in the Laurel, Fines Creek Community Association, and the Haywood Community Band.

“I think the HCAC — an arts councils in general — do much behind the scenes work in communities,” Solomon said. “The arts are an economic driver, they are educational, both as a standalone subject and as a supplement to other fields — the arts make the world a better place to live in. The HCAC has been around for almost 40 years and wants to continue to

S EE CREATIVITY, PAGE 31

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD Garret K. Woodward photo

NOW THROUGH DEC. 21

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HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

Giving Tree

December 16-22, 2015

So, you’re from Canada?

Not quite, but close. Growing up on the Canadian border, most folks there don’t really take notice Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have of where they live, or how odd it its 5th anniversary party with Ian Moore & Co. perhaps may seem to reside so close during the day on Saturday, Dec. 19. to a foreign country because, well, it’s always been that way, you know?

The Western Carolina Civic Orchestra will hold Born and raised in the tiny its annual Community Christmas Concert at town of Rouses Point, New York 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Jackson (population: 2,209), Canada was County Public Library in Sylva. always a mile north, with Vermont “Holiday Family Night� will be held from 6 to a mile east over the bridge across 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Haywood Lake Champlain. RP was the main County Fairgrounds in Lake Junaluska. town along the final stretch of U.S. Route 11, a 319-mile two-lane thor“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation� will oughfare that starts way down in be screened at 7 p.m. Dec. 16-18, 4 and 7 Binghamton and circles the westp.m. Dec. 19, 2 and 4 p.m. Dec. 20, and 7 ern side of the enormous p.m. Dec. 21-23 at The Strand at 38 Main in Adirondack Park, only to come to Waynesville. a screeching halt at the one intersection in my hometown.

Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will An 1820 limestone farmhouse, have an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party with my childhood home sat on the members of Porch 40 playing as a jazz trio at edge of town, where residential 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. properties transitioned into endgrilling out, moms sitting on the porch and less cornfields and open meadows. Silent, discussing the upcoming school year. We cold winters and curious, freewheelin’ sumswam in the lake when it was hot out and mers. To this day, I’m (and I say this proudice-skated on it when it was freezing. ly) automatically transported back home It was watching “Hockey Night In anytime I drive past a farm and the smell of Canada� on the CBC every Saturday (and cow manure hits my nose.

The town itself was something to behold, commenting on Don Cherry’s one-in-a-million sport coats). It was sneaking some beers a lost art of community, friends and family, from the garage fridge and heading down to as if directly sketched from some Norman the lake to meet up with your cronies. It was Rockwell portrait. Kids riding their bicycles driving around aimlessly on backroads as a down the sidewalk as dogs chase after them. teenager, cranking up the radio and figuring Dads drinking a cold Labatt Blue and

323-45

17th Annual

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

out what to do, whether it was tracking down a house party or ending up at the local bowling alley (which happened more times than not).

Our eyes were always aimed ahead, past the diner, grocery store, marina, streetlights and stop signs of our neighborhoods. We figured this town didn’t know who we were, let alone could ever know what we wanted or desired. We were going to play college basketball, join the military, become an MTV VJ or fashion designer, perhaps a doctor or racecar driver. All was possible in the minds of frustrated and determined youth.

I remember those faces, all of them.

Starry-eyed and bushy-tailed. We’ve all moved on with our lives, some figuratively, others literally. And thus comes all those things with growing up — marriage, kids, divorce, bills, 401k, etc.

I rarely get home anymore. But when I do, I tend to come across all those faces I remember. Whether it be at the gas station fueling up, in the produce aisle of the grocery store or saddling up next to me at the local watering hole. There are well-earned wrinkles, financial worries and personal insecurities on both sides of the conversation. And yet, the spark remains. I see it in their eyes. That spark that glowed so brightly when we jumped into an old Chevy Lumina headed for destinations unknown, some long lost Saturday night during high school that resembled the most ubiquitous of John Mellencamp melodies.

Those faces and that town know you the best, even if you beg to differ. Sometimes they speak deeper truths than what is seen in the mirror or felt when you’re sitting alone in a room, thousands of miles from where it all began, thousands of miles from where you thought stability was and how “if this spot could remain still, then I’d be happy forever.�

But, nothing remains still. Just when you think you have a grip on some semblance of a “normal� life is usually when it slips through your fingers. The key is to ride that flow, to roll with the punches, for none of us make it out of this world alive, so beauty is found in the depths of the unknown night and sacred morning dew.

The sun will rise tomorrow. And when daily life seems like some tornado blowing through your immediate existence, just take a step back from it all and reflect on the journey to this point. Remember that town you grew up in, those people who were there next to you in beginning, amid midnight shenanigans and teenage indiscretions. Remember that sense of who you really are, and what you’re really made of. Childlike wonder doesn’t just go out the window when you enter the “real world,� for the real world has always been your essence since the day you were born.

There’s only one hometown, your own.

And there’s only one home, which is wherever you lay your head down peacefully at night, ready and willing to take on tomorrow. Take no prisoners. Take no slack, jack.

Understand the power of you and yours.

And if the going gets tough, phone a friend (a childhood friend), as they used to say on that television show way back when.

The fiery glow hasn’t left your eyes, you just haven’t taken the time to stoke the coals.

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

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29

Pam Tillis to perform at WCU Country music star Pam Tillis will be a featured performer at a Galaxy of Stars Series performance at 3 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 24, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Tillis has been a force in country music since her first single recording hit the charts and has racked up 14 top five hits including six songs that hit No. 1, and has sold more than six million records. She was one of the first women in Nashville to produce her own album, and was awarded the coveted Female Vocalist of the Year award by the Country Music Association in 1994.

In 1999, Tillis became the first female country entertainPam Tillis will perform at the Bardo Arts Center er to ever star in a Broadway on Jan. 24. Donated photo musical when she appeared in Smokey Joe’s Cafe. She also has performed on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and “Late Night” with David Letterman and Conan O’Brien. Her acting credits include appearances on television series “Promised Land,” “Diagnosis: Murder” and “L.A. Law.” Tickets are $21 for adults, $16 for WCU faculty/staff, and $7 for students/children.

For tickets, click on bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 828.227.2479.

• BearWaters Brewing Company (Waynesville) will Max Gross Weight 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18, The Get Right Band (soul/rock) 8 p.m. Dec. 19 and Dave Desmelik (singersongwriter) 7 p.m. Dec. 26. www.bwbrewing.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have Joe Cruz (piano/pop) Dec. 18 and 26, and James Hammel (jazz/pop) Dec. 19. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m.

828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will have The Bobby Sullivan Trio at 5 p.m. Dec. 18. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Dec. 16 and 23, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Dec. 17 and 24. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will hold community music jam from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. Free. 828.488.3030.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Shwiggy Shwa Dec. 18, Luminous Dec. 19 and Loudmouth Karaoke Party Dec. 26. All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. www.nonamesportspub.com.

• A back porch old-time music jam will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee. All welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Mile High (rock) on Wednesdays. All shows begin at 8 p.m.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will have Jimandi (folk/rock) every Wednesday at 7 p.m. and a rotating series of local performers on Fridays at 9 p.m. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will have an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party with members of Porch 40 playing as a jazz trio at 7 p.m. Dec. 19. www.soulinfusion.com.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Red Leg Huskey (Americana) Dec. 18 and the 5th anniversary party with Ian Moore & Co. (Americana/Celtic) during the day on Dec. 19. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.tippingpointtavern.com.

Smoky Mountain News

December 16-22, 2015

arts & entertainment

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On the street

CREATIVITY, CONTINUED FROM 28

JACKSON President of the Jackson County Arts Council, Claire Collins joined the organiza-

“Cherokee Friends” will offer free programs for visitors throughout the month of December at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Programs will be held at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

Storyteller Jerry Wolfe will also be spinning his tales at 2 p.m. on Fridays.

Their talks and demonstrations will include dance, storytelling, history, carving, making fire, the chunkey game, use of the atlatl and more. They will be available to answer visitors’ questions about Cherokee cultural attractions, golf, fishing, and special events.

The Friends were selected for their ability to work with the public and their knowledge of the culture. The museum provided further training in archaeology, history, anthropology, and folklore, and provided access to Archives and Collections for research by the group. In addition, they learned skills like making fire with a bow drill, and created their own moccasins. They are dressed in the Cherokee style of the 1700s.

The program is funded by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. www.cherokeemuseum.org.

• The Cherokee Healing and Wellness Coalition will host the Wellbriety Snow Moon (Usgiwi) celebration and potluck lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at Cherokee Youth Center. The event will be honoring Brothers in the Wind Motorcycle Club for their service to the community. Please bring a traditional Cherokee food dish for the potluck lunch along with your favorite beverage. All are wel-

ALSO:

come. 828.554.6222 or 828.788.2132.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 19 and 26 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m.

Dec. 16 and 23 at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 828.452.6000.

• There will be a “Tasty Tuesday: Winter Seasonals” at 7 p.m. Dec. 22 and 29 at Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden.

Of the many programs supported by the Jackson County Arts Council, the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program is one of the most popular, where dozens of local students learn to play and perform bluegrass and mountain music. www.facebook.com/jackson-junior-appalachian-musicians-jam-program

tion as a way to give back and brighten her own backyard.

“An arts council exists to support local artists, educate children about the arts, and help incorporate arts into the community,” she said. “We want to provide more opportunities for community members to be involved in the arts and for artists to have an outlet to show their talents.”

Located in the historic Jackson County Courthouse in downtown Sylva, the JCAC (celebrating its 40th year in 2016) also receives funding from the North Carolina Arts Council, which is given to Junior Appalachian Musicians (Jam), Western Carolina Civic Orchestra, Western Carolina Community Chorus, Catch The Spirit of Appalachia, and the Jackson County Farmer’s Market Homegrown Art, among other programs. And for the last three years, the council has also provided dozens of grants to a multitude of artists in five counties through their Regional Artists Project.

Want to know more?

For more information on the Haywood and Jackson art councils, click on www.haywoodarts.org or www.jacksoncountyarts.org.

Smoky Mountain News

• Frog Level Brewing Company will host a “Tap Takeover” at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, at Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro in Sylva.

3:30 p.m.

• Jan. 20: Frozen Waterfall Ramble.

Join the group on this adventure to look at the winter version of our beautiful waterfalls. They will enjoy a dutch treat lunch on the route. Cost is $5 for members, $7 nonmembers. Departure time is 9:30 a.m.

• Jan. 27: Local Artisan Ramble. Join the group on this adventure to discover local artisans. They will stroll through their shops and discuss their craft. Lunch will be dutch treat at a local restaurant. Cost is $5 for members, $7 non-members. Departure time is 9:30 a.m.

828.456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

December 16-22, 2015

Waynesville Rec offers senior trips Seniors may begin registering for the following trips in January, which will be hosted by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. All trips are available on a first come, first serve basis.

• Jan. 6: Sierra Nevada Brewery Tour.

You’ll tour the $100 million Mills River facility, peering into the kettles, smelling the hops, and get an even more hands-on as you navigate the entire beer-making process. Cost is $10 for members $10, $12 non-members. Departure time is 9 a.m.

• Jan. 13: Dinner and a Movie. The group will travel to Biltmore Grand for a sit down meal and a film. Cost is $5 for members, $7 non-members. Departure time is

arts & entertainment

Interactive Cherokee history program

empower artists and share the great work they do for years to come.”

When asked what more the HCAC could do for the community, and vice versa, Solomon pointed to the constant need for new artist members and volunteers, and to spread the word on how intricate and important the council is to the cultural stability of Haywood County.

“The thing is, I’m still new, and I’m open to hearing ideas from community members on what more we can do,” she said. “I’m working with our board on what the coming months will look like — how we’ll expand and reach more people in 2016, how we’ll help further the arts in our area. I’ll be excited to see what we all can do together.”

Collins has 2016 in her crosshairs, with new activities and continued community initiatives already in the works.

“In April, we’re hosting our second annual Trashion Show, where we encourage members of the community and local artists to submit fashion items made from upcycled or recycled materials,” she said.

“We’re also planning to start a film discussion series that will invite the community to watch films and then have someone involved with the film to speak about the process of making movies.”

But for Collins, one her deeply personal goals is to restart a community theater company in Jackson County.

“I grew up involved in the Community Theater, and when I moved here the local theater group had just disbanded,” she said.

“That’s one of the things the council would like to see come back, especially a children’s theater.”

Like the Haywood County Arts Council (and most other councils nationwide), the

JCAC is also in need of new artist members and volunteers. Currently, the council doesn’t have a paid staff, so the need for volunteering and artisans is crucial to the survival of the organization. Add that into an increased effort to self-promote and display local works, and you have a council ready to turn a corner in terms of strength and endurance.

“Exposure to the arts is so important and enriches people’s lives everyday,” Collins said. “And I believe the arts council is moving in a positive and forward-thinking direction.”

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December 16-22, 2015

arts & entertainment

On the stage Cloninger to perform in Waynesville Acclaimed dramatist Curt Cloninger will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23, at the Vine of the Mountains Church in Waynesville.

Cloninger is a follower of Jesus, and a professional actor and writer.

He uses his comic and dramatic skills to present story, which moves an Curt Cloninger audience to see and feel God’s startling good news in fresh and creative ways. Since 1982, he has performed thousands of times for colleges, churches and conferences all over the world.

All are invited to attend an evening of Christmas-themed dramatic portrayals, carol singing, prayerful moments and refreshments. Nursery care available for ages 3 and under. owen@thevine.cc or www.curtcloninger.com.

• An “Appalachian Dance” class for kids will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Jan. 5, 12, 19 and 26 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Classes feature flat-foot dancing, buck dancing, clogging and square dance styles unique to the Haywood County mountains. For kids sixth grade and under. $40 per person for four classes. 828.452.2997 and info@folkmoot.org.

On the wall

Behling art exhibit opening The Jackson County Arts Council will host an art exhibit opening for Dawn Behling, the 2014-15 Regional Artist Project Grant Recipient, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, in the Rotunda Gallery of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Behling is a mixed-media artist who is inspired by nature, color, and texture.

While earning a BFA in Textile Design at East Carolina University, Behling discovered a love of screen printing, painting, and dyeing on various fibers. She continues to utilize screenprinting and her surface design sensibilities as her primary artistic outlet. The images she uses are either original drawings or photos from nature. Behling then creates screen-printed works on canvas, fabric, or paper that are embellished with watercolor, pastel, or dye.

In 2007, Behling moved to Western North Carolina to pursue an MFA in Studio Art at Western Carolina University. Since receiving her degree, Behling has continued to create art and exhibit her work in regional galleries.

Behling is currently a staff member at the WCU Fine Art Museum, where she enjoys her continued interaction with the WCU art community. She has also served on the Jackson County Arts Council Board, as well

Smoky Mountain News

The Haywood County Arts Council’s “It’s a Small, Small Work” will run through Dec. 26 at the council’s Gallery & Gifts in downtown Waynesville.

The show provides a unique opportunity for budding artists to exhibit their work, as well as the opportunity for more seasoned artists to test their boundaries. All pieces ready to be sold are exactly 12” or smaller, which includes ceramics, paintings, sculpture, jewelry and photography. Most prices will be between $50-$125, with nothing over $300.

This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division or the Department of Cultural Resources. www.haywoodarts.org or info@haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

• The “Come Paint with Charles Kidz Program” will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. $20 per child.

Materials and snacks included.

828.538.2054.

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careers to pursue projects that further their artistic development.

This opening will be held in conjunction with caroling on the courthouse steps at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Western Carolina Civic Orchestra Holiday concert at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the library. www.jacksoncountyarts.org.

• The film “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” will be screened at 7 p.m. Dec. 16-18, 4 and 7 p.m. Dec. 19, 2 and 4 p.m.

Dec. 20, and 7 p.m. Dec. 21-23 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Tickets are $6.50, with a $3.25 matinee pass for 2 and 4 p.m. showings. There will also be a free showing of “Shaun The Sheep” at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturdays through the month of December. www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.

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Regional Artist Project grants are awarded to artists in all disciplines on a regional basis through a competitive application and review process. The grant awards are funded by the North Carolina Arts Council and by a regional consortium of local arts councils. Regional Artist Project grants support professional artists at any stage in their

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On the holidays arts & entertainment

Christmas in Appalachia

A

s the temperatures drop in Western North Carolina, the fun only heats up. The holiday season here is filled with events and activities aimed to celebrate the best way we know how — with friends, family and visitors alike.

Families can partake in wagon rides, iceless skating, craft sales and art demonstrations, all the while enjoying authentic mountain music, clogging and parades through several downtowns. These are just some of the innumerable activities to be had. Each and every date, time and place found within this section, each community around the region opening their arms to share in the winter festivities.

It’s a winter wonderland out there. It’s yours for the taking, so reach out and grasp all Southern Appalachia has to offer.

BRASSTOWN • A Christmas party will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 19 at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Santa Claus will make a special appearance, and will listen to good girls’ and boys’ Christmas wish lists. Kids will also enjoy music, dancing, games, and refreshments. At 8 p.m. that evening, a Holiday Contra Dance will welcome couples and singles of all experience levels, including beginners. Listen to local musicians, bring refreshments to share, and catch the holiday spirit. www.folkschool.org or 828.837.2775.

Appalachian. www.psalmsofthesouth.com or 828.488.5705.

CANTON • “Breakfast with Santa” will be from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Canton Armory.

Pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage and bacon. All proceeds will go to the “Share The Warmth” program. Photographer will be onsite. $5 adults, $3 kids.

CHEROKEE • The Cherokee Lights and Legends Christmas will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturdays through Jan. 2 at the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds. Interactive displays of Cherokee legends, ice skating, carnival rides, bonfire, mini-golf, and more.

Admission is free, with varying prices for skating and other activities. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

• The Holiday Homecoming celebration will

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Smoky Mountain News

• The Polar Express themed train is now running at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. The classic children’s book comes to life as the train departs for a special visit at the “North Pole.” Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. The train arrives to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa boards the train, greeting each child and presenting them with their own silver sleigh bell.

Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the depot. For times and prices, click on www.gsmr.com or 800.872.4681.

• “Create Your Own Gingerbread House” will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Marianna Black Library. For ages 2-18.

828.488.3030.

• The Appalachian Toymaker & Storyteller will be making wooden toys and telling tales on select dates and times at The Storytelling Center of the Southern

December 16-22, 2015

BRYSON CITY

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arts & entertainment

On the holidays HOLIDAYS, CONTINUED FROM 33 be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Visitors will make hands-on crafts and participate in traditional activities. Then, from 1 to 3 p.m., the monthly acoustic old-time music jam session will have Christmas tunes permeating throughout the building. Musicians are invited to come play, and visitors are invited to sing along. Hot apple cider and cookies will be served on the porch with a fire in the fireplace during the event. The center is located along U.S. 441, two miles north of Cherokee. Free. Sponsored by the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

828.497.1904.

CULLOWHEE • “Christmas in the Park” will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Jackson County Recreation Park. Fire pit, light scenes and decorations in the park, with a special visit from Santa Claus. Refreshments for sale, as well. www.mountainlovers.com.

FONTANA

December 16-22, 2015

• The “Christmas in the Smokies” holiday celebration will run through Dec. 31 at Fontana Village Resort. Winter fun, holiday festivities and events. 800.849.2258 or www.fontanavillage.com.

Voices in the Laurel presents Christmas music Voices in the Laurel’s renown youth choir will perform a holiday concert, including selections from the timeless classic White Christmas, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, at Longs Chapel United Methodist Church in Waynesville.

Voices in the Laurel is an acclaimed youth and teen choir celebrating its 20th year under the direction of Martha Brown. The choir consists of three groups, ranging in age from 1st through 12th grade, as well as a special a cappella group and a strings group. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. 828.734.9163 or www.voicesinthelaurel.org.

FRANKLIN • The High Mountain Squares annual “Christmas Dance” will be at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 18, at the Macon County Community Building. Western style square dancing, main/stream and plus levels. www.highmountainsquares.com or 828.332.0001.

• Rockapella will perform at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Since the early ‘90’s when they first achieved national television fame on PBS’s “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?,” they’ve toured the globe and provided a funky powerful soundtrack to several generations of vocal music fans, while keeping it all fresh along

the way. Tickets start at $20. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• The “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. This beloved American holiday classic comes to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. Tickets are $12. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• The “Once Upon A Christmas” celebration will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at The Factory. Cookie decorating, scavenger hunt, crafts, and more. Stories with Santa will be at 2 p.m. There will also be a gingerbread house competition. 828.349.8888 or www.thefactory.bz.

HIGHLANDS • The Highlands Cashiers Players will have the “Mountain Voices” singing their annual holiday program at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. The group is a 40-person chorus based in Franklin. The chorus will open the evening with several selections from their popular Christmas program. Then, actors will present a dramatized reading from the 1943 novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the story of a young girl growing up in a poor Brooklyn neighborhood. The Voices will close the program with “Gloria,” one of their most powerful numbers, and the evening will conclude with refreshments served in the downstairs reception room. Free. www.highlandscashiersplayers.com.

• The Bolshoi Ballet production of “The Nutcracker” will be showed “Live in HD” at 12:55 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, at the

THE FAMILY CARE CENTER The holiday season is upon us.

Smoky Mountain News

Have you ever wanted to treat yourself to a “healthy new you”?

We can help you set your goals and reach them at the Family Care Center.

Call 828-554-5565 to make an appointment.

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77 Painttown Road (Hwy. 19) • Cherokee, NC

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On the holidays

it’s a snap

arts & entertainment

Concerto Pastorale by Giuseppe Sammartini, Carol of the Bells and Pachelbel Canon. The orchestra will be joined by area students who study violin and flute with Cathy Arps, Elizabeth Butler and Lori Richards. All children are invited to bring a rattle, toy trumpet or small toy drum, to play with the orchestra in the Toy Symphony. Free. 828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• The “Christmas Extravaganza” gingerbread man decorating with The Krektones will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, at The Cut Cocktail Lounge in downtown.

WAYNESVILLE Highlands Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $19 for PAC members, $22 for non-members, and free for children. www.highlandspac.org or 828.526.9047.

SYLVA

• The Christmas caroling and hayride event will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, at the First United Methodist Church. Hot chocolate and treats will be available. All are welcome.

828.586.2358.

• The Western Carolina Civic Orchestra will hold its annual Community Christmas Concert at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Jackson County Public Library. Sponsored by the library and the Jackson County Arts Council. The event will include a Christmas

• The “Twelve Days of Christmas” will run through Dec. 24 in downtown. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

• A “Polar Express” event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, at the Haywood County Fairgrounds in Lake Junaluska. www.haywoodcountyfairgrounds.com or 828.400.1704.

• “Holiday Family Night” will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Haywood County Fairgrounds in Lake Junaluska. Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, jump house, reading of The Night Before Christmas, screening of “The Grinch,” concessions, Smoky Mountain Model Railroaders, and more. $5 per person. Free for ages 3 and under. For a full schedule and times, click on www.haywoodcountyfairgrounds.com.

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

Forschen novel looks at collapse a year later n the spring of 2011, there appeared William Forschen’s One Second After, a novel set in Black Mountain, North Carolina, following an Electro-Magnetic Pulse attack on America. This sort of attack, which involves setting off nuclear devices in the atmosphere, kills the electronic systems in devices as varied as computers and cars.

According to Forschen, a professor at Montreat College, such an attack would throw the afflicted regions into a state of turmoil and return our America to the Writer pre-Civil War era.

His book is a terrifying account of what such a collapse would bring: the dead piling up in nursing homes, diabetics unable to receive treatment, widespread starvation, the unchecked spread of disease, the formation of bloodthirsty gangs, perhaps even cannibalism.

Now Forschen has issued a follow-up to this book, One Year After (Forge Books, Sept.

15, 2015, 303 pages). Here John Matherson, the military officer turn history professor in the first novel, leads the survivors of the Black Mountain community through its first year of struggles. After fighting off an army of renegades, Matherson and his people must scrounge for the basics of life: food, water, shelter, protection from outside renegades.

Then a different enemy comes on the scene. Matherson and his community find themselves forced to deal with bureaucrats who claim to represent a newly formed federal government. This government declares a state of emergency, effects a draft that will send young people to serve in widely dispersed military operations, and behaves in many ways as the antithesis of the former federal government.

One Year After offers some interesting points of view. Who would we trust in the wake of a catastrophe? Would local communities willingly band together to fight some

Intimidation, and Harassment In Obama’s Washington (HarperCollins, 422 pages, $27.99) takes a look at another side of tyranny. Here, rather than addressing the explosions of EMPs above the atmosphere, Attkisson, a reporter with the reputation of a “pit bull,” calls to task certain officials in the Obama administration as well as other politicians and many jour-

Jeff Minick

I

enemy far from home? How would we recognize a legitimate national government?

One Year After by William Forschen.

Forge Books, 2015. 303 pages.

Though not as tightly plotted or as exciting as One Second After, Forschen’s new novel does show us how the collapse of our technology — the electrical grid, the Internet, the ability to produce and ship basic goods such as food and medicine — would affect all of us.

One Year After also reminds us of the tyrannical nature of a government removed from the will of the people.

Sharyl Attkisson’s Stonewalled: My Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction,

nalists. She examines “the use of the administration’s hardball tactics” to suppress the work of investigative journalism.

Attkisson’s book is important for two reasons. First are her views on the presidency, particularly the Obama administration.

In her investigative work for CBS News — she delved into issues as varied as Benghazi and the Affordable Care Act — Attkisson found an administration unwilling to face up to its own blunders. This inability to take responsibility frequently led to deceptions and prevarication from the president’s staff and from the president himself. At one point, near the end of Stonewalled, Attkisson quotes David Kirby, another investigative journalist and “a self-described left-winger.” A year into the Obama administration, Kirby

reports meeting a friend, who asks him what he thinks of President Obama so far. “Well, I gotta say … At least when it comes to getting information out of the Obama people, I hate to say it, but it’s worse than Bush. Much worse.”

The friend never spoke to Kirby again.

Even more importantly, Stonewalled takes us into the newsrooms and editorial meetings of major news organizations and shows us how deeply mired these individuals and groups are in duplicity and fear. Some are progressives more intent on pushing the administration’s agenda than on reporting the news while others are afraid of reporting certain stories because of political or economic repercussions. Attkisson, who dug up and reported many negative stories about the Bush administration, wants all presidents, regardless of party, held to this same tough standard of facts and truth-telling. Again near the end of Stonewalled, she writes that she’s heard from “a great number of people who claim to be either liberal or down the middle or politically disassociated altogether, and want me to know that they support journalism that follows a story no matter where it leads.”

It’s no wonder, as Attkisson tells us, that a June 20, 2014 Gallup poll found public confidence in the news media at an all-time low and confidence in TV news ranking below the Internet.

When Richard Nixon was president, we used to hear a great deal about “the imperial presidency.” I haven’t heard anyone use those words in years, but maybe we need to pay more attention to how much attention we give a president. With each new chief executive, the power of the presidency grows. War and terrorism in the administrations of George Bush and Barack Obama have allowed both men to grow the power of the Oval Office.

Given the candidates running for office in 2016, we might do well to remember this: the powers of the presidency do not disappear with the man. To check those powers we need a national press less interested in taking side and more interested in investigation.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. He can be reached at minick0301@gmail.com.)

Poet series welcomes Janelle The “Coffee with the Poet” series will continue with Randi Janelle at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. She will share her poetry and also read from her novel, The Story: Deviation.

She has performed her poetry in New Zealand, Australia and regularly performs in Asheville. 828.586.9499.

December 16-22, 2015

Smoky Mountain News

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Cherokees and rivers Water a centerpiece of Cherokee culture

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ust like Haywood County’s watershed, fed by springs that all have their start inside county borders, Cherokee mythology surrounding places in Haywood is all about beginnings.

“All of the Cherokee myths and legends here in Haywood County are about origins,” Barbara Duncan, education director of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, told the crowd gathered at Haywood Waterways Association’s endof-year banquet last week.

“This is a fascinating parallel to me with the geography.”

For instance, there’s the place now known as Shining Rock, where Kanati and Selu, the first Cherokee man and woman, supposedly spent their lives. Haywood County is home to the origin of game, the oriCherokee towns were always built on the west side of a river so the people could begin each day gin of corn, and even to the oriby watching the sun rise over the water. Museum of the Cherokee Indian image gin of strawberries.

To the Cherokee, water is about more than just the flow of things would be gone.” also the source of legends about gateways to stories, Duncan said. It’s about the flow of life. other worlds.”

The Cherokee often drew upon the power “A river is described as a long man with his of that force.

That “long man,” Gunahita Asgaya, was a head in the mountains and his feet in the sea, “The Long Man was called upon for revered figure among the Cherokee. and so they have a concept of a watershed,” strength, for cleansing, for washing away sad“The river was highly respected because it Duncan said. “This long man was the source ness, for ailments,” Wolfe said. “The water saves all life,” said Jerry Wolfe, a Cherokee of drinking water and food and medicine. The beloved man and part-time museum worker. was used in so many ways.” rivers were a way of organizing towns, travel Because water was so important, the “Because if we didn’t have water, everything by dugout canoe and a way of navigating, but Cherokee lived by certain taboos to show their would die — plants, animals, people, all

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Haywood’s water quality heroes get recognition It takes a village to protect a watershed, and last week Haywood Waterways Association recognized some of the people and organizations that have done the most to support its mission during the past year and beyond.

The Smoky Mountain News took home the Big Creek Award for Partner of the Year, recognizing the paper’s years of environmental coverage supporting Haywood Waterways’ cause. In addition to helping readers understand the issues that affect water quality — not just in Haywood, but throughout Western North Carolina — the paper has helped promote Haywood Waterways’ events and accomplishments through stories, press releases and ads, as well displaying a commitment to make Haywood County a better place to live.

“Success in today’s world is dependent on forming effective partnerships,” said Bill Eaker, a Waterways board member. “Without them, we would not have been able to achieve much.”

Beth and Andrew Causey were named Volunteers of the Year

and accepted the Lake Junaluska Award. Since joining in on a Haywood Waterways cleanup of Lake Junaluska in 2013, the Causeys have become stalwart members. They’ve been regulars at stream cleanups and Kids on the Creek, an annual hands-on environmental education opportunity for Haywood County eighthgraders. They’ve worked through the Green Team at Waynesville United Methodist Church to get others involved in Waterways’ work and have taken the initiative to expand their knowledge by joining Waterways’ project assistant Christine O’Brien on a trip to collect sediment samples.

“They really wanted to know all they could about the streams of Haywood County, and Christine gave them that opportunity,” said Mark Ethridge, a Waterways board member.

Tim Richards was this year’s recipient of the Pigeon River Award, which honors a person or organization that has made significant contributions to protecting Haywood’s land and water

respect for it. It was forbidden to spit, pee, defecate or throw trash in the water because that was the body of the long man.

Saying it that way might frame the Cherokee as a superstitious people, but in reality the practice was right on when it comes to environmental stewardship, Duncan said.

“The results were clean water, clean fish, clean plants,” she told the Haywood Waterways crowd. “If people had this superstition today, your work would be much easier, wouldn’t it?”

Environmental quality was important to the Cherokee’s daily life. They used water to navigate, as transportation and as a food source. They’d construct v-shaped fish weirs — many of which are still standing today, a thousand years later — through which they’d drive fish living upstream into waiting nets and baskets.

But the life-giving qualities of water were spiritual as well as physical. Towns were always built on the west side of a river so that, as the morning sun rose above the trees, the people could turn east to face it across the river. The ritual was a physical and spiritual cleansing to start the day.

Water was such a vital force, in fact, that past tense is probably not the most appropriate way to describe the Cherokees’ relationship to it.

“The powers of the river are still considered to be important,” Duncan said.

A good example is the often-violent game of stickball, which, true to its name, involves a stick that’s used to hit other players. The game can get pretty physical and easily incite anger. But after the game is over — as well as before it starts — the players go down to the water.

“Any bad feelings — anger, grudges —are supposed to be left at that time, and they go back into their community with a good feeling,” Duncan said.

Water can also be a refuge, such as in the story about a bear pursued by a hunter.

According to the story, the bear jumped into a magic lake and was made whole again. Some people say

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resources.

“This year’s winner was a pretty easy decision,” Ethridge said.

Richards, senior program manager for the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, manages the Pigeon River Fund. The fund was created in 1996 to mitigate the environmental impacts of a hydropower dam that CP&L, the predecessor of Progress Energy, built on the Pigeon River, and since then has brought millions of dollars to Haywood County.

Richards, who is set to retire this year, has been in charge of awarding grants from the fund since 2004. Since then Waterways has received $645,000, which it used to leverage another $4.3 million in other grant dollars. The money, Ethridge said, means that Richards is partially responsible for every success Waterways has had — but it’s not just about the money.

“You’ve also been a great friend to Haywood Waterways and demonstrated deep concern for our well-being as well as the health of Haywood County’s waterways,” he said. “You’ve listened to us and helped us flush out ideas to make a solid project. You also weren’t shy to tell us when we were off our rocker.”

Celebrate black bears in Highlands

that “magic lake” is the sight of low clouds filling the mountain valleys, Duncan said, while others say there’s an actual location hidden deep within the Qualla Boundary.

The place is a body of water where three streams converge, but only one flows out.

Whatever the truth is, it’s hard to argue

outdoors

Black bears will be the stars of the show at Highlands Nature Center’s event “The Bear Essentials,” 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 19, at the nature center in Highlands.

Living with bears is a part of life on the Highlands Plateau, and the event will highlight the responsibility that fact lays upon inhabitants and visitors of the area. Event co-sponsors BEAR (Bear Education And Resources) Taskforce will present their program “Bears in the Backyard” at 2 p.m., and Arthur the black bear mascot will welcome everyone who comes by. Kid-friendly activities will abound, and representatives from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will be on hand to answer bear-related questions.

Free. www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2602.

A black bear climbs a trash can at the Highlands Nature Center. Donated photo

that the Cherokee stories, though ancient, contain some lasting truths about water and its vital importance.

“The thing about oral traditions is that, I think, a lot of scientific and very profound truths are encapsulated in a lyrical way,” Duncan said.

“Improving quality of life through pain management” A regional specialty hospital focusing on pain management and rehabilitation for pets.

Eighth-graders explore the water during the Kids in the Creek environmental education program. File photo

• Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy • Platelet Rich Plasma • Acupuncture • Herbal Formulas

• Pulsed Signal Therapy • Laser Therapy • Conventional Medications • Physical Medicine • Chiropractic & Massage Available

December 16-22, 2015

Western Carolina Animal Pain Clinic

Acupuncture and herbal formulas available for chronic medical conditions.

Dr. Tami Shearer, DVM From creek restoration to educational programming to cold-water cannonballing, it’s been an active year for Haywood Waterways Association. The watershed protection group’s list of accomplishments for 2015 includes: ■ Eliminating as much as 36,000 gallons of untreated wastewater from Haywood County streams by helping to get failing septic systems repaired.

■ Raising more than $25,000 for youth education programs through the Third Annual Polar Plunge, a February leap into the frigid waters of Lake Junaluska.

■ Teaching nearly 12,000 eight-grade students about the importance of clean water during the 18th year of the Kids in the Creek program — and extending the opportunity to adults for the first time with the inaugural Leaders in the Creek program.

■ Restoring the tributary to Shelton Branch running through East Street Park in Waynesville by stabilizing 240 linear feet of stream, with work still ongoing.

■ Providing a new erosion and sediment control training for contractors, who are the first line of defense against erosion and sedimentation.

■ Making greenway signs for the New Generation Leaders project to create a cohesive greenway system in Haywood County.

Dr. Shearer has been in practice for 29 years. She is one of only 62 veterinarians in the world with a certification in pain management.

Smoky Mountain News

Haywood Waterways Highlight reel

Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Western Carolina Animal Pain Clinic 1054 Haywood Road, Sylva, NC

828-586-3300 Learn more at www.shearerpethealth.com

323-49

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outdoors

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Smoky Mountain News

December 16-22, 2015

your friendly, local blue box — smoky mountain news

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State emissions control plan out for comment A state plan to comply with federal rules for controlling carbon emissions is now out for public comment, but the proposed rules leave out key points the feds had asked states to address.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because North Carolina, along with 23 other states, joined a lawsuit challenging portions of the Environmental Protection Agency rules that would restructure how energy is generated and consumed in the United States. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality â&#x20AC;&#x201D; formerly known as the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â believes those rules are outside the authority the Clean Air Act grants.

Therefore, DEQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposed rules address only its plan to make the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electricity generating units more effective. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only component of the federal carbon rule the DEQ believes to be legal under the Clean Air Act. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The proposed rule will have very little, if any, environmental benefit and many of the provisions regarding carbon capture and storage are overstated,â&#x20AC;? said DEQ Secretary Donald van der Vaart of the disputed portion of the federal rules. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This rule will not achieve significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and relies on unproven technology that could be technically and economically impractical.â&#x20AC;?

Environmental groups, however, have decried the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan as an ineffective document that is â&#x20AC;&#x153;designed to fail,â&#x20AC;? in the words of Gundrun Thompson, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is disappointing to see the Department of Environmental Quality once again putting politics before pollution cleanup,â&#x20AC;? Thompson said, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Instead of using the Clean Power Plan as a political football, DEQ should take advantage of the Clean Power Planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flexibility to design a plan that could continue boosting North Carolinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clean energy economy.â&#x20AC;?

The DEQ is working on a backup plan in addition to the one now out for public comment. If the lawsuit is unsuccessful, it will refer to this plan.

The comment period will extend through Jan. 15, with public hearings planned for Charlotte, Raleigh and Wilmington. Written comments can be emailed to daq.publiccomments@ncdenr.gov with â&#x20AC;&#x153;111(d)â&#x20AC;? in the subject line or sent to Joelle Burleson, Re: 111(d); Division of Air Quality; 1641 Mail Service Center; Raleigh, N.C., 27699-1641. www.ncair.org/rules/draft.

Groups agree on recommendation for forest plan Brevard up north to Big Creek. Popular spots included in this proposed recreation area include Mount Pisgah, Looking Glass Falls, Shining Rock Wilderness Area and Graveyard Fields. National Recreation Areas

are protected from resource extraction but allow a variety of recreation opportunities.

■ A 57,000-acre Grandfather National Recreation Area beginning west of the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area and ending just south of the Grandfather Mountain State Park.

■ Wilderness designation for 110,000 acres, which would allow non-motorized recreation but prevent use by mountain bikers and ATV drivers, as well as some management techniques such as logging and prescribed fire.

Signatories of the proposal are applauding it as a rare coming-together for more than 30 outdoor groups representing diverse interests.

The proposal for a National Recreation Area is being criticized by some stakeholders in the forest planning process, however.

Wilderness purists on one end of the spectrum don’t support the horse trading that went on with the mountain bike community, and feel too much access to mountain bikers was sacrificed in the compromise. On the other end of the spectrum, the hunting community and timber interests don’t support any national forest designation — wilderness or national recreation area — that would limit forest management practices.

The recommendation is online at www.ncmountaintreasures.org/conservationand-recreation-memorandum-of-understanding. Send comments to the Forest Service by Dec. 15 at NCPlanRevision@fs.fed.us or mail to the United States Forest Service Supervisor’s Office, 160 Zillicoa St, Suite A, Asheville, N.C. 28801.

New maps out for DuPont Forest

December 16-22, 2015

People wanting to explore DuPont State Forest now have three new tools at their disposal to navigate through the forest’s most beautiful trails.

Through a partnership with National Geograpic/Trails Illustrated, Friends of DuPont Forest has released an updated trails and topography map, a section pointing out the forest’s most popular trails and an app that keeps all that information stored on a smartphone.

“We think these are the best maps ever of the forest we love,” said Retta Allred, of Friends of DuPont. “Our partnership with National Geographic/Trails Illustrated has brought to the table a level of expertise that just isn’t available locally.”

The maps are waterproof and tear-resistant, produced with input from local trail experts and review by National Geographic. Proceeds will go toward forest improvements, trails maintenance and educational programs. Visitation at DuPont State Recreational Forest is expected to reach 650,000 next year, a four-fold increase over 2011.

Check for maps at local stores or order online at www.dupontforest.com/visit/maps/#waterproof.

Over the coming weeks, birdwatchers all over the state, country and hemisphere will head out for a marathon day of birdwatching as part of the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count.

Now in its 116th year, the count is perhaps the world’s longest-running citizen science project and creates an Wood thrush. invaluable Will Stuart photo archive of bird data to enhance our understanding of the state of birds today.

To get involved, find a count near you and contact the organizer for meeting details. No birding experience is necessary.

■ At 7:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 18, the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society will hold a count based in Highlands. Brock Hutchins, 404.295.0663.

■ On Saturday, Dec. 19, a count will cover the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg. Warren Bielenberg, web9272@msn.com.

■ On Sunday, Dec. 27, a count will cover the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Susan Hoyle, hoyleshrike@gmail.com.

■ On Saturday, Jan. 2, the Franklin Bird Club will lead a count based in Franklin. Rita St. Clair, rstcl10609@aol.com ■ On Sunday, Jan. 3, the Carolina Field Birders will conduct a count based in the Balsam area of Haywood County. Don Hendershot, ddimheadlightrepair@gmail.com.

A map of all bird counts worldwide is online at www.audubon.org/content/joinchristmas-bird-count.

outdoors

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER A collection of environmental and recreation-oriented groups has come out with a recommendation for two new recreations areas to be included the U.S. Forest Service forest management plan that’s currently being developed for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.

“It is an honor for us to endorse this memorandum of understanding, which supports the creation of special places and highlights the importance of the enjoyment of public lands both in front country and backcountry,” said Graveyard Fields.

Tom Thomas, president of Back Country Horsemen of North Carolina and member of the Conservation and Recreation Coalition for the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests.

The proposal includes: ■ A 116,000-acre Pisgah National Recreation Area covering the mountains west of the Blue Ridge Parkway from

Christmastime is for the birds

Smoky Mountain News 43

outdoors

Appalachian Farm School returns Giving small-to-medium-size farm ownThe Appalachian Farm School at ers the tools to create or revise business Southwestern Community College will plan for economically sustainable enterprisreturn for a second year starting Jan. 12, es, last year’s inaugural school drew 26 thanks to a $5,500 grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

The school will be held 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays from Jan. 12 to March 1 at SCC’s Swain Center in partnership with the N.C. Cooperative Extension and the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Sessions will include farm evaluation, goalsetting, product marketing, understanding the important numbers, issues facing agribusiness and funding options.

“When we launched this effort last year, we were blown away by the response from Christine Bredenkamp (fourth from left) of Swain County area farmers,” said Tiffany Extension oversees farm training in Bryson City. Donated photo Henry, director of SCC’s Small Business Center. “There is a farmers. The school is a program of the definite need for the Appalachian Farm Western North Carolina Food Policy School in Jackson, Macon, Swain counties Council and supported by CFWNC. and the Qualla Boundary, and this grant $75. Register with Henry at funding will allow us to have all the t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or resources we need to help area farmers con828.339.4211. tinue to be successful.”

Smoky Mountain News

December 16-22, 2015

Step into the robot zoo

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A robot chameleon sticks its tongue out at the N.C. Arboretum.

An exhibit using mechanics to show how real animals work is open through Jan. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.

Dubbed The Robot Zoo, the display reveals the magic of nature as a master engineer, including three robot animals and a variety of hands-on activities to illustrate fascinating real-life animal characteristics. Explore how chameleons change colors, platypuses sense prey with their bills and flies walk on the ceiling.

Free with standard parking fee of $12. www.ncarboretum.org.

Holly Kays photo

Tobacco growers OK required contribution for tobacco research

whether to continue the assessment be held every six years. The assessment requires a two-thirds majority to pass, which this vote seems to have achieved. The decision will be effective through December 2021.

A referendum vote asking whether tobacco growers wanted to keep giving a portion of their sales to tobacco research and education had no trouble finding support this fall.

As of Nov. 20, 67 of the 83 North Carolina counties affected had reported their results, yielding a passing rate of 95.1 percent.

Since 1991, the tobacco research checkoff program has allocated about $300,000 annually to tobacco-related research and extension projects at N.C. State University.

Growers pay 10 cents per 100 pounds of flue-cured and burley tobacco sold.

State law requires a referendum on

Get the 411 on cattle handling A workshop on cattle handling and infrastructure design will give a leg up to anyone interested in learning more about cattle, 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy Community Farm in Alexander.

Instruction will cover low-stress handling techniques, cattle behavior, breeding, loading and load-out facility design.

Free. RSVP to Chris Link at chris@appalachian.org or 828.253.0095, ext. 203.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • LIFESPAN is hosting an appreciation event from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, at Calvary Road Baptist Church in Waynesville. The dinner and show will be put on by individuals with disabilities out of appreciation for staff and families. 452.1720 or sgeorge@lifespanservices.org.

• A Wellbriety Snow Moon (Usgiwi) celebration and potluck lunch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, at Cherokee Youth Center. Door prizes will be given; Brothers in the Wind Motorcycle Club will be honored for its service to the community. 554.6222 or 788.2132.

• A back porch old-time music jam will be held from 13 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee. All welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• An Open Door Meal & Sing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at the First United Methodist Church of Sylva. The Old Friends Quartet will perform.

Community is invited. 586.2358.

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian will offer free programs on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Friday through Dec. 31. Cherokee Friends will provide guided tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; demonstrations at 2 p.m.

From 1-2 p.m. every Friday, Jerry Wolfe, Beloved Man of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will tell stories in the education wing. 497.3481, ext. 300, or www.cherokeemuseum.org.

• Qualla Boundary Historical Society meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Everyone is welcome.

• The N.C. Arboretum’s second-annual Winter Lights exhibit runs from through Jan. 2. Three-acre nightly walking tour featuring more than 200,000 lights. http://tinyurl.com/nerqsq9.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Sequoyah Fund will hold a Small Business Financial Management session on managing small business assets from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17. http://www.sequoyahfund.org/programregistration.html.

• The Town of Canton’s Business Forum is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Colonial Theater Annext. 648.2363 or lisa@cantnonnc.com.

• Registration is underway for Southwestern Community College’s second Appalachian Farm School, designed for new and existing, small-to-medium size farm owners to get the school they need to create or revise their business plans. The school will meet Tuesday evenings from Jan. 12 through March 1 at SCC’s Swain Center. Fee: $75. t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4211.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Contributions are being sought for the Glenville Area Historical Society’s historical museum, which plans to open next year. historicalsocietyglenvillearea@yahoo.com or 743.1658.

HOLIDAY GIVING • A Christmas cookie exchange and silent auction is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, at First United Methodist Church of Sylva. Stories will be read, Santa Claus will visit at 3 p.m. and hot chocolate, tea, cider and other refreshments will be served. Free; donation of two cans of food will be accepted for United Christian Ministries.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings

VENDORS • Vendor applications are being accepted for WinterFest Smoky Style, which is Feb. 26-28 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Weekend rental fee is $75 if paid by Dec. 15; $100 after. seaycharlesl@yahoo.com.

Sponsored in part by Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.

HEALTH MATTERS • Senior Life Solutions at Swain will offer a two-part educational series titled “Holiday Challenges – Dealing with Depression and Anxiety” from noon-12:45 p.m. on Dec. 17 and Dec. 19 at Swain Community Hospital in Bryson City. 488.4044.

• An Open Enrollment Event will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Dec. 17 in the Harris Regional Hospital lobby.

Resources will be provided for patients enrolling in the health insurance marketplaces as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment ends Jan. 31.

586.6264, 586.7355, 488.4055 or 488.4218.

• The Meditation Center will have grand opening Open House events from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, as well as Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 22-23, at 894 E. Main Street in Sylva. Door prizes. Non-profit organization with a mission to help visitors “find your peace” through meditation. www.meditate-wnc.org or 356.1105.

• A Health Talk presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Open Door for Spiritual Living in Sylva. Topic is socialization, how to socialize and why. 477.4380.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 30, in the Asbury Room of the First United Methodist Church in Sylva. mary@corsmary or 586.2358.

• A free, weekly grief support group will meet from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at the SECU Hospice House in Franklin. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized

by Jackson County Extension and Community Association – meets from 9-10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. It’s an effort to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. 586.4009.

• Al-Anon, a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who believe their lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking, meets at 10 a.m. on Saturdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 356.2800.

• “Health on Wheels” road ride, a relaxing social ride supporting physical and mental recovery from illness or injury – as well as anyone who hasn’t ridden in awhile – starts at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday at Canton Rec Park. For info, contact Michelle Trantham at mttrantham@hotmail.com or Melissa Rockett at mrockett@mountainwise.com/ • A Tuesday Meditation Group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

Smoky Mountain News

RECREATION AND FITNESS • A Ski Lake Junaluska youth event is scheduled for Dec. 30-Jan. 1 with skiing at Cataloochee Ski Area and Wolf Ridge Ski Area. Worship, ski and fellowship. One, two and three-night packages available. For info, contact Jennifer Martin at jmartin@lakejunaluska.com or 454.6716. www.lakejunaluska.com/ski. The same retreats will be available Jan. 15-18, Jan. 29-31, Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-15 and Feb. 19-21.

• The Canton Armory is open to the public for walking from 8-10 a.m. on Monday through Friday unless the facility is booked. 648.2363.

• Pickle ball is offered from 8 a.m.-noon on Mondays through Fridays at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

456.2030 or www.waynesvillnc.gov.

• A high-impact fitness class entitled “Pump It Up” will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. High energy, quick pace. Fee is daily admission or membership. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • Vine of the Mountains Church is hosting the Advent series “The Light that Leads us Home”, at 10 a.m. on Sundays in December at its location in the Frog Level district of Waynesville. www.thevine.cc.

• Christmas at Lighthouse Baptist with musical guest Blue Ridge is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, at the church, which is two miles south of Dillsboro.

Lighthousesylva.com.

• Vine of the Mountains Church in Frog Level will have a Christmas Eve Eve service on Dec. 23 at 7 p.m.

Acclaimed dramatist Curt Cloninger will perform. Free and open to the public. curtcloninger.com or www.thevine.cc • Winter Shabbat Services are held at 10:30 a.m. on the first and third Saturdays of each month by Congregation Bamidbar in the Fellowship Hall of Andrews Methodist Church in Andrews. 369.9270.

• First United Methodist Church of Sylva’s meeting times will be 9 a.m. for contemporary worship service and 11 a.m. for traditional worship service. 586.2358.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • The “Coffee with the Poet” series will continue with Randi Janelle at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. She will share her poetry and also read from her novel, The Story: Deviation. The Coffee with the Poet series is cosponsored by the NetWest chapter of the North Carolina Writers Network and gathers on the third Thursday of each month.

586.9499.

• Author Joseph M. Edwards recently released his autobiography “Life in Mikey’s Mind.” The book is a personal account of growing up in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He will host a book reading and signing at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at the First Baptist Church, with both in Waynesville. www.amazon.com.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Registration is underway for the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department’s January Senior Trips, which include a Sierra Nevada Brewery Tour (Jan. 6), Dinner and a Movie (Jan. 13), Frozen Waterfall Ramble (Jan. 20), and Local Artisan Ramble (Jan. 27). For details or to register, contact Tim Petrea at 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• A weekly manipulation card game group is forming through the Haywood County Senior Resource

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All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

Center. If interested, contact Michelle Claytor at mclaytor@mountainprojects.org or 356.2813.

• Senior croquet for ages 55 and older is offered from 9-11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Vance Street Park in front of Waynesville Recreation Center.

Free. For info, contact Donald Hummel at 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• A Hand & Foot card game is held at 10 a.m. on Mondays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

• Senior Sale Day is on the third Friday of every month at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Patrons 60 and older get 20 percent off all purchases. Proceeds benefit the Sylva Library.

• Pinochie game is played at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.

356.2813.

• Hearts is played at 12 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.

356.2813.

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.

356.2813.

KIDS & FAMILIES • The “Come Paint with Charles Kidz Program” will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. $20 per child. Materials and snacks included.

828.538.2054.

• The Appalachian Toymaker & Storyteller will be making wooden toys and telling tales on select dates and times at The Storytelling Center of the Southern Appalachian. www.psalmsofthesouth.com or 488.5705.

• Youth Outright, an advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in Western North Carolina, will hold a YOYO’s Middle School discussion group from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19. For more info, visit www.youthoutright.org.

• Youth Outright, an advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in Western North Carolina, will hold a white elephant gift exchange on Dec. 20. For more info, visit www.youthoutright.org.

• A “Board Games for Kids” event is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 29, at Macon County Library in Franklin. cdando@fontanalib.org or 524.3600.

• Youth Outright, an advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in Western North Carolina, will hold an Extended Safe Space meeting at 3 p.m. on Dec. 29. For more info, visit www.youthoutright.org.

• The Robot Zoo, an opportunity to see how real animals work by exploring biomechanics of robots, is on display through Jan. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. www.ncarboretum.org.

• Registration is underway for Folkmoot’s Appalachian Dance Class 101 for kids in the sixth grade and younger starting Jan. 5 in Waynesville. Flat-foot dancing, buck dancing, clogging and square dance styles. Classes meet from 6-7 p.m. every Tuesday in January. 452.2997 or info@folkmoot.org.

• Registration is underway for a Smart Start Sports Development program for 4-5 year olds at the Waynesville Recreation Center. $65 registration cost

wnc calendar

includes equipment, bag and participant manual.

Deadline to register is 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19; program starts Feb. 9. dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov or 456.2030.

ONGOING KIDS ACTIVITIES AND CLUBS • Wednesdays in the Stacks, “WITS”, a new program for children in grades 3-6, on the third Wednesdays of the month from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Macon County Library. WITS will include lots of fun games, prizes, and hands-on activities. This club replaces book club previous held on the third Thursdays of the month. 526.3600.

• Fun Friday, everything science, is held at 4 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Family Fun Night is at 6 p.m. on Thursdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Just Write is at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Teen Coffeehouse is at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Youth Outright meets every Sunday from 4 p.m. -6 p.m. at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville for ages 14-20. Youth Outright is a youth advocacy and leadership program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in 18 counties in Western North Carolina. www.youthoutright.org.

• Youth Outright meets the third Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville for ages 11-13. Youth Outright is a youth advocacy and leadership program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in 18 counties in Western North Carolina. www.youthoutright.org.

December 16-22, 2015

• Rock and Read is Tuesdays at 11 a.m. at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

• Teen Coffeehouse meets Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

• WNC Martial Arts will hold karate classes from 67:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Old Armory in Waynesville. For more info, contact Margaret Williams at 301.0649 or mvwilliams39@gmail.com.

• Full STEAM Ahead (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m. Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. ages 5+. 586.2016.

524.3600.

Smoky Mountain News

• Children’s Yoga is at 10:30 a.m. (for ages 3-7) and noon (for ages 8-11) on the second Thursday of each month at Canton Public Library. Sign-up required: 648.2924.

• A Teen Advisory Group meets at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month to discuss YA books and teen program events. http://haywoodlibrary.libguides.com/teen or 648.2924.

• Tennis lessons for ages 5-8 (5:30-6:15 on Tuesdays) and 9-13 (9:30-10:15 a.m. on Saturdays) are offered through the Jackson County Recreation Center. $45.

293.3053.

• Michael’s Kids Club will be held for ages 3-and-up from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at Michael’s in Waynesville. $2 per child for 30 minutes of creative crafts. 452.7680.

• A Lowe’s Build and Grow session for ages 3-and-up is scheduled from 10-11 a.m. on Saturdays at the Sylva (586.1170) and Waynesville (456.9999) Lowe’s stores. Free.

• Art classes are available for kids 10 and older from 4:15-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. $15 per class. 787.2865 or www.thebascom.org.

• Art Adventure classes are taught for ages 5-10 from 3:30-4:45 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. Theme: metal. Instructor: Bonnie Abbott. $20 per month. 787.2865.

• Free, weekly, after-school enrichment classes are offered by the Bascom and MCAA from 3-5 p.m. on Thursdays at Macon Middle School through a grant from the Jim McRae Endowment for the Visual Arts. To register, contact Bonnie Abbott at 743.0200.

•A Lego club will meet at 4 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Library provides Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up.

Free. 488.3030.

•A community breastfeeding information and support group meets from 10:30 am.-noon on the first Saturday of each month in the main lobby of the Smoky Mountain OB/GYN Office in Sylva. Free; refreshments provided. For information, contact Brandi Nations (770.519.2903), Stephanie Faulkner (506.1185 or www.birthnaturalwnc), or Teresa Bryant (587-8223).

• Science Club is held at 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month for grades K-6 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Macon County 4-H Needlers club, a group of youth learning the art and expression of knitting and crochet crafts, meets on the second Tuesday of each month.

For information, call 349.2046.

• A Franklin Kids’ Creation Station is held from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at uptown Gallery in Franklin.

Snacks provided. $20 tuition. 743.0200.

• “Plug in and Read,” a digital story time designed to help preschoolers (ages 3-6) learn early literacy skills, is held at 10:30 a.m. on the second Friday or fourth Monday of each month at Haywood County Public Library. Visit www.haywoodlibrary.org or call 452.5169 or 648.2924.

• SafeKids USA Blue Dragon Tae Kwon Do School offers defense training with after-school classes Monday through Friday and Saturday mornings. 627.3949 or www.bluedragontkd.net.

• “Baby/Toddler Sensory Play Time” is set for 10:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month in the Canton Library Meeting Room. For children ages three months to four years. Visit www.haywoodlibrary.org or call 452.5169 or 648.2924.

• A Lego Club meets the second Thursday of the month at 4 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. 526.3600.

• Anime Night is held for teens on the second Monday of each month at the Canton Library. For anime titles that will be shown, call 648.2924.

• Book Buddies for ages 0-3 is from 9:30-10:15 a.m. on Tuesday at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

46

at the Jackson County Farmers Market located at the Community Table, downtown Sylva. On the first Saturday of each month, there is a scavenger hunt with prizes. 399.0290 or www.jacksoncountyfarmermarket.org.

• Page Pals for ages 3-5 is from 10:30-11:15 a.m. on Tuesday at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

• Story time and kids can make their own piece of art from 10 a.m.-noon every Saturday during the Family Art event sponsored by the Jackson County Arts Council

• A Lego Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 3:30-5 p.m. at Waynesville Library. 452.5169.

• A Lego Club meets the second Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

• A Lego Club meet the second Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library.

743.0215.

• Explorer’s Club for kids will be held on the third of each month at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Intended for all ages, with a special emphasis on cultural learning for children. Each Explorer’s Club will feature special guests, snacks and crafts that all are pertinent to the theme for that month. 586.2016.

• Smoky Mountain Model Railroaders holds public viewing session from 2 to 4 p.m. the second Sunday of the month, 130 Frazier St. off Russ Avenue in Waynesville. The group runs Lionel-type 3 rail O gauge trains. smokymountainmodelrailroaders.wordpress.com.

• Teen time 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursdays at Waynesville Library. A program for teens and tweens held each week. Each week is different, snacks provided. 3562511 • Homework Help, 3 to 5 p.m. Mondays for students in grades 2 through 6, Canton Branch Library. Former schoolteacher turned Youth Services Librarian Katy Punch offers homework help on a first-come, firstserved basis. Katy, 648.2924.

•Teen Advisory Group, first Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. For ages 13-18. Teens can enjoy snacks while discussing popular young adult books, help plan events and displays for children and teens at the library, and participate in community service projects.

Canton Library, 648.2924.

• The American Girls Club meets at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The club meets one Saturday a month, call for details. Club is based on a book series about historical women. Club members read and do activities. Free. 586.9499.

• Teen Time, first, third, and fourth Tuesdays at 4 p.m. for ages 12 and up. Spend time with other teens talking about and sharing with each other. Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• A Teen Writing Group will meet at 6 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month at Jackson County Library, ages 12 and up. 586.2016 • Games for kids on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 4:30 p.m. at the Jackson County Public Library. Play a variety of games including AWE After School Edge Computers, board games and other fun activities. 586.2016.

• Projects and activities after school Fridays, 3:30 p.m. for school age kids at Jackson County Public Library. Get your hands dirty with science experiments, discovering animals and making easy recipes.

586.2016.

• Adventure Club on Tuesdays 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. for grades K-2 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Culture Club on the second Wednesday of the month, 1 to 2 p.m. for K-6 graders. Guest speakers, books, photos, crafts and food from different countries and cultures. Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Crafty Kids on the second Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. Children from Pre-K to fifth grade will meet after school and hear stories, share about what they are reading, play games and get creative with a craft.

Canton Library. 648.2924.

• Children’s craft time, fourth Wednesday, 3:45 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215 • The Wee Naturalist program, which is for children ages 2-5 (with a parent or guardian), is held from 1011:30 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays at the North Carolina Arboretum. Age-appropriate activities such as nature walks, garden exploration, stories, crafts and visits from classroom animals $7 cost per child; $3 more for each additional child in a family. Register at: www.ncarboretumregistration.org/Wee-Naturalists-forPre-K-2014-15-C264.aspx

KIDS MOVIES

The Strand in Waynesville. www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.

• The children’s movie “Polar Express” will be shown at 1 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21, at Macon County Library in Franklin. cdando@fontanalib.org or 524.3600. G; 100 minutes.

• A family movie will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Movie is a holiday adventure about Billy, who believes in Santa Claus even though his family insists the North Pole and elves don’t exist. For info, including movie title, call 488.3030.

• A children’s movie, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” will be shown at 1 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 28, at Macon County Library in Franklin. cdando@fontanalib.org or 524.3600.

• A family friendly holiday adventure movie will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 29, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Movie’s about a cantankerous Grinch. For info, call 488.3030.

KIDS STORY TIMES HAYWOOD • Mother Goose Time, a story time for babies and toddlers (5 months to 2 years) and their parents/caregivers, is held at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Waynesville Library. 452.5169 • Family Story Time, 11 a.m. Wednesdays at the Waynesville Public Library. Stories, songs, crafts.

452.5169.

• Movers and Shakers story time is at 11 a.m. every Thursday at the Waynesville Library. For all ages.

Movement, books, songs and more. 452.5169.

• Family storytime with crafts, second Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. at the Waynesville library. 4525169.

• Family Story Time at 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays for children ages 1-5, themed stories, music, and a craft.

Canton Library, 648.2924.

• Mother Goose Story Time at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays for babies ages 5 months to 24 months with rhymes, songs, stories, and free play. Canton Library, 648.2924.

• Rompin’ Stompin’ Story Time, Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. for children ages 1-5 — children get to sing, dance, and get out all their energy during this movement-filled story time. Canton Library, 648.2924.

JACKSON • Baby Storytime is at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Songs, fingerplays and stories for infants through toddlers. 586.2016 • Between the Lines is held at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at Jackson County Public Library. A writing, art and creativity workshop for teens ages 12 and up. 586.2016 • Kid’s story time Saturdays, 11 a.m., all ages at City Lights in Sylva 586.9449.

• Rotary Reader Kid’s Story time, Mondays 11 a.m. at Jackson County Public Library. A rotary club volunteer reads stories with children. 586.2016.

• Kids story time, Tuesdays and Fridays 11 a.m., Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. at Jackson County Public Library. Story time includes books, puppets, finger plays, songs and crafts. 586.2016.

• Pre-school story time, second Wednesday, 11 a.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.

• The film “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” will be screened at 7 p.m. Dec. 16-18, 4 and 7 p.m.

Dec. 19, 2 and 4 p.m. Dec. 20, and 7 p.m. Dec. 21-23 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Tickets are $6.50, with a $3.25 matinee pass for 2 and 4 p.m. showings.

SWAIN

• Free showing of “Shaun The Sheep” at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturdays through the month of December at

• Sing and Sign Story Time, second and fourth Mondays, 10 a.m., Macon Public Library. Designed for

• Preschool Story time, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., Marianna Black Library. After a book or two is read, the children participate in games, songs, finger plays, puppet play and make a craft to take home. 488.3030.

MACON

wnc calendar

A

bi-monthly magazine that covers the southern Appalachian mountains and celebrates the area’s environmental riches, its people, culture, music, art, crafts and special places. Each issue relies on regional writers and photographers to bring the Appalachians to life.

In this issue: Holiday Musings from Regional Writers Historic Postcards: Dispatches from the Smokies Santa Rappels Down Chimney Rock and Pigs Fly A Look at the Region’s Newest Inn Homes PLUS ADVENTURE, CUISINE, READING, MUSIC, ARTS & MORE

SUBSCRIBE: www.smliv.com OR

866.452.2251

December 16-22, 2015

MountainEats.com Let your smartphone be your guide!

Smoky Mountain News

• Find restaurants nearby • Read descriptions and explore menus • View photos and interactive maps It’s that simple!

An online dining directory for Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: 866.452.2251

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wnc calendar

children 0-24 months, but all ages are welcome.

524.3600.

• Paws 4 Reading, a family story time, will be held from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Macon County Public Library. Children can read to a therapy dog. (grades K-6). 524.3600.

• Toddlers Rock, first and third Mondays, 10 a.m., Macon Public Library. Music, movement and instruments (Designed for children 0-24 months, but all ages are welcome).

• Family Story Time for ages 0 to 5 years is held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Bilingual Story time – 6 to 6:30 p.m., second and fourth Wednesday. Program reads a children’s book in English and Spanish at the Macon County Public Library. 526.3600.

• Paws 4 Reading, a family story time, will be held from 3:30-5:30 p.m. every Tuesday at Hudson Library in Highlands. Children (grades K-6) practice early reading skills by reading to a canine companion. Info: www.fontanalib.org, www.readingpaws.org or 526.3031.

A&E FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Smoky Mountain News

December 16-22, 2015

• The “Christmas in the Smokies” holiday celebration will run through Dec. 31 at Fontana Village Resort.

Winter fun, holiday festivities and events.

800.849.2258 or www.fontanavillage.com.

• Cherokee Lights and Legends event will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 2 at the Cherokee Fair Grounds. Lights display, Santa Claus, synthetic ice rink, bizarre, food vendors, interactive legend exhibits and a 40-foot Christmas tree.

Food. Fireworks start at 9 p.m. $5 for everyone 13 and over; $3 for ages 6-12; children five and younger are free. friehusk@nc-cherokee.com, angehern@nccherokee.com, 359.6492 or 359.6473.

• A “Polar Express” event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, at the Haywood County Fairgrounds in Lake Junaluska. www.haywoodcountyfairgrounds.com or 828.400.1704.

• A Holiday Homecoming is scheduled for 10 a.m.noon on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee. Traditions surrounding an Appalachian Christmas will be presented along with hot apple cider and cookies. The park’s monthly acoustic oldtime music jam session will follow from 1-3 p.m.

497.1904.

• A Once Upon a Christmas event is scheduled for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Dec. 19 at The Factory in Franklin.

Unlimited attractions plus a $10 fun card for $19.99.

Cookie decorating, scavenger hunt, crafts, prize wheel, stories with Santa and more. thefactory.bz or 349.8888.

• A Letters to Santa competition is underway at The Factory in Franklin. Drop off your letter by Tuesday, Dec. 22. thefactory.bz or 349.8888.

• “Holiday Family Night” will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Haywood County Fairgrounds in Lake Junaluska. Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, jump house, reading of The Night Before Christmas, screening of “The Grinch,” concessions, Smoky Mountain Model Railroaders, and more. $5 per person. Free for ages 3 and under. For a full schedule and times, click on www.haywoodcountyfairgrounds.com.

• Story Time with Santa is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, at The Strand in Waynesville.

Photos with Santa and party favors. Sponsored by the Downtown Waynesville Association.

• The Holiday Homecoming celebration will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Holiday crafts, cider, traditional music and more.

• A Christmas party will be held from 1-3 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Santa Claus will make a special appearance, and will listen to good girls’ and boys’ Christmas wish lists. Kids will also enjoy music, dancing, games, and refreshments.

At 8 p.m. that evening, a Holiday Contra Dance will welcome couples and singles of all experience levels, including beginners. Listen to local musicians, bring refreshments to share, and catch the holiday spirit. www.folkschool.org or 837.2775.

• The “Twelve Days of Christmas” goes through Dec. 24 in downtown Waynesville. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

• Breakfast with Santa will be held from 8 a.m.-noon on Dec. 19 at the Canton Armory. Pancakes, biscuits and gravy, eggs, sausage and bacon. All proceeds will go to the “Share The Warmth” program. Photographer will be onsite. $5 adults, $3 kids.

• A WITS Christmas party for grades 3-6 will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at Macon County Library in Franklin. cdando@fontanalib.org or 524.3600.

• A Christmas caroling and hayride event is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20, at First United Methodist Church of Sylva. Hot chocolate and treats. 586.2358.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will hold a holiday community music jam from 6-7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17. Free. 488.3030.

• A Black, White and Fun All Over Children’s New Year’s Eve Party is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, at the Macon County Library in Franklin.

Stories, games, crafts, music and snacks. Wear black and white (or dress as your favorite animal). cdando@fontanalib.org or 524.3600.

HOLIDAY EVENTS

• Edward Jones Branch Office will hold a Christmas Open House from noon-2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17.

Refreshments and snacks. Staff from Teen Challenge will attend to share its ministry. 488.6098.

• The High Mountain Squares will host their annual Christmas Dance from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin.

New classes start Jan. 11. 371.4946, 342.1560, 332.0001 or www.highmountainsquares.com.

• Christmas in the Park is scheduled for 6-7:30 p.m. on Dec. 18, at the Jackson County Recreation Park in Cullowhee. Light scenes, decorations and the opportunity to visit Santa Claus. Refreshments will be on sale for $1 each. Fire pit for roasting marshmallows.

• The Haywood Dancers Christmas Party is from 8-10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, at Angie’s Dance Academy in 48 Clyde. All dancers invited. RSVP: 734.8726.

• The Polar Express themed train is now running at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. The classic children’s book comes to life as the train departs for a special visit at the “North Pole.” For times and prices, click on www.gsmr.com or 800.872.4681.

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

• Graceann’s Amazing Breakfast is 8-10 a.m. every Tuesday in the Sapphire Room at the Sapphire Valley

Community Center. $8.50 for adults; $5 for children.

Includes coffee and orange juice. 743.7663.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• There will be a free tasting and cooking demonstration from 5-7 p.m. every Saturday at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. Try a wide variety of wines while a gourmet chef prepares delicious treats that are available for purchase. Free. www.dillsborowineandgourmet.net.

• A woodturning demonstration will be presented by the Carolina Mountain Woodturners and the Southern Highlands Craft Guild from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville. Free. 712.6644 or www.carolinamountainwoodturners.org.

• “Wine on Wednesday” is set for 6-8 p.m. at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free wine tasting with dinner ($15 minimum) or $6 per person. 452.6000.

• An indoor flea market will take place from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Old Armory in Waynesville. Booths are $10 each for selling items.

456.9207.

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

586.6300.

• A wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva.

586.6300.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1 to 5 p.m.

Dec. 19 and 26 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• There will be a “Tasty Tuesday: Winter Seasonals” at 7 p.m. Dec. 22 and 29 at Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • The “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $12. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• Four-time Grammy winner David Holt will perform at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16, in the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. He’ll be joined by Josh Goforth. Tales and ballads. Free, donations go toward event programming at FUMC. www.fumc-waynesville.com or 456.9475.

• The Western Carolina Civic Orchestra will hold its fifth annual Community Christmas Concert at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Jackson County Library in Sylva. Sponsored by the library and the Jackson County Arts Council. 586.2016.

• “Mountain Voices” will sing in the annual holiday program for the Highlands Cashiers Players at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. Free. www.highlandscashiersplayers.com.

• Guitarist James Hammel is scheduled to perform at 7 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• The “Christmas Extravaganza” gingerbread man decorating with The Krektones will be held at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20, at The Cut Cocktail Lounge in downtown.

• Submissions are being accepted for The Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize through Jan. 30. Open to all writers. Submitted stories must be unpublished and not exceed 3,000 words. The winner receives $1,000 and possible publication in the Thomas Wolfe Review. For info, contact Nancy Williams at nwilliam@unca.edu or 250.2353. www.ncwriters.org.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • An art exhibit opening for Dawn Behling will be hosted by the Jackson County Arts Council from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, in the Rotunda Gallery of the Jackson County Library Annex. Behling is a mixed media artist inspired by nature, color and texture. In conjunction with the event, there will be caroling on the courthouse steps at 6:30 p.m. and a holiday concert by the Western Carolina Civic Orchestra Holiday concert.

• The 10th Annual Autumn Juried Group Exhibit of the Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association Asheville Region entitled “Southern Appalachian Splendor Through the Seasons,” will be hosted through the New Year by the Green Sage Cafe in Asheville. www.cnpaasheville.org.

• Fine Feathered Friends and Flowers, oil paintings by Mary Webster, will be on display at the N.C. Arboretum through Jan. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. www.ncarboretum.org.

• The “Star Wars: The FORCE of Popular Culture” exhibit is on display through Jan. 16 at the Western Office of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources in Asheville. Free. 296.7230 or jeff.futch@ncdcr.gov.

• Rockapella will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. A one-of-a-kind Christmas show. Tickets start at $20. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Haywood County Arts Council will host artists from the Haywood Art Studio Tour at the Gallery & Gifts Space in Waynesville. www.HaywoodArts.org.

• The Bolshoi Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker Life in HD will be presented at 12:55 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

Tickets: $22 for adults, $19 for members; free for children. 526.9047 or highlandspac.org.

• The Mountain Heritage Center is hosting the exhibit “Collecting for the Community,” an exploration of the diversity and variety to be found in Western North Carolina. Visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with extended hours until 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

• A New Year’s Eve dinner and show featuring Mean Mary and The Contrarys is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. $65 per person. 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Tickets are on sale for a performance by rapper Waka Flocka Flame, who will be on stage Thursday, Jan. 14, at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center. Advance tickets are $5 for students and $10 for nonstudents or $15 at the door. 227.7722 or ramsey.wcu.edu.

• Country music star Pam Tillis will be a featured performer at a Galaxy of Stars Series performance at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Tickets are $21 for adults, $16 for WCU faculty/staff, and $7 for students/children. bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• A contemporary exhibit is open at the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

The exhibit is intended to challenge the way beliefs about the natural world are formed. Entitled “Connections: Diane Fox & Beauvais Lyons,” the exhibit pairs photographs by Fox with lithography by Lyons. The exhibit remains at WCU through Friday, Jan. 15. The museum is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays with extended hours to 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Admission and parking are free. 227.3591 or fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.

FILM & SCREEN • A new movie will be shown at 2 and 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17, in the Meeting Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Movie is about a woman rebelling against a tyrannical ruler in postapocalyptic Australia. R; 2 hours. Free. 524.3600.

• Adult movie time, 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Jackson County Public Library. Call for title of movie. 586.2016.

Outdoors • A program entitled “Thinking About Backpacking on the A.T. ??” will be presented by Bill Van Horn, an Appalachian Trail 2,000-miler, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16, in the Meeting Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600. appalachiantrail.org.

• The Highlands Plateau Audubon Society will conduct its cumulative bird count at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 18. Chili lunch will be offered at the home of Bev and Hillrie Quin. For info, call Brock Hutchins at 404.295.0663.

• The Highlands Plateau Greenway will conduct its monthly work day from 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Dec. 19. If interested in participating contact Ran Shaffner at highlandsgreenway@nctv.com or 482.1451.

• A nighttime exploration of DuPont State Forest will mark the winter solstice from 7-9 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 20. Led by Mary Jo Padgett. Register by noon on Friday, Dec. 18, at action.mountaintrue.org/page/s/winter-solstice-hike. Free.

ON DELLWOOD ROAD (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 10-5 M-SAT. 12-4 SUN. 828.926.8778 tupelosonline.com

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• A classic movie will be shown at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18, in the Meeting Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Movie is about a soldier suffering from combat fatigue who meets a young woman on Christmas furlough from prison. 1:25. 524.3600.

4. #3 - free flier

Make this Christmas the stuff of legends.

• The Franklin Bird Club will lead a bird count on Saturday, Jan. 2, in Franklin. For info, contact Rita St. Clair at rstcl10609@aol.com.

December 16-22, 2015

• The Carolina Field Birders will conduct a bird county on Sunday, Jan. 3, in the Balsam area of Haywood County. For info, contact Don Hendershot at ddimheadlightrepair@gmail.com.

• Bear Essentials, an event focused on black bears, will be presented from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19, at the Highlands Nature Center. Fun and informational. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2602.

• The Jackson County Farmers Market is held each week until Christmas indoors at the Community Table on Central Avenue next to the pool and Poteet Park from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Info: jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com or jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.

• Guided tours of WATR Discovery Trails at Monteith Farmstead Park in Dillsboro can be scheduled by calling 488.8418. For youth or adult/civic groups.

FARM AND GARDEN

• The Macon County Poultry Club of Franklin meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Rd,.

Open to the public. 369.3916.

Bring your family for a stroll under the lights through fun, interactive displays that recount ancient Cherokee Christmas legends. Or come for the lighting of a 40-ft. Christmas tree, a visit with Santa, and a spin on our synthetic ice rink. There’s more inexpensive entertainment than we can mention, and admission is free. Grab your little elves and join us here at 545 Tsali Blvd., in Cherokee, NC.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Registration is underway for the Run in 2016 5K Run, Walk & Fun Run, which is set for 11 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Entry fees are $20 if received by Dec. 30 or $25 on race day. 293.3053 or jeniferpressley@jacksonnc.org.

HIKING CLUBS • Carolina Mountain Club will have an eight-mile hike from Pink Beds to Clawhammer and return on Dec. 16.

Smoky Mountain News

• Applications are being accepted for the Haywood County Extension’s 2016 Master Gardener Class.

Trainings are Tuesday mornings from Jan. 5-April 19.

Apply by Dec. 30. 456.3575 or sarah_scott@ncsu.edu.

December 5–January 2, each Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 6–9 p.m. (closed Dec. 24–26)

VisitCherokeeNC.com | 828.359.6490 49

wnc calendar

Elevation gain of 2,300 feet. For info, contact leader Randy Fluharty at 423.9030 or rfluharty54@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have an eight-mile hike with a 2,000-foot ascent on Dec. 20. For more info, contact leader Bruce Bente at 692.0116, 699.6296 or bbente@bellsouth.net.

• Carolina Mountain Club will hold a 7.5-mile hike with a 1,100-foot elevation gain on Dec. 27 at Bent Creek Loop. For info, contact leader Brent Martin at 587.9453, 371.0347 or brent_martin@tws.org.

• Carolina Mountain Club will hold a 5.4-mile hike with a 700-foot ascent on Dec. 27 at North Slope Trail.

For info, contact leader Stuart English at 384.4870 or stuengo@comporium.net.

• Friends of the Smokies hikes are offered on the second Tuesday of each month. www.friendsofthesmokies.org/hikes.html.

• Nantahala Hiking Club based in Macon County holds weekly Saturday hikes in the Nantahala National Forest and beyond. www.nantahalahikingclub.org • High Country Hikers, based out of Hendersonville but hiking throughout Western North Carolina, plans hikes every Monday and Thursday. Schedules, meeting places and more information are available on their website, www.highcountryhikers.org.

• Carolina Mountain Club hosts more than 150 hikes a year, including options for full days on weekends, full days on Wednesdays and half days on Sundays.

Non-members contact event leaders. www.carolinamountainclub.org • Mountain High Hikers, based in Young Harris, Ga., leads several hikes per week. Guests should contact hike leader. www.mountainhighhikers.org.

December 16-22, 2015

• Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, located in East Tennessee, makes weekly hikes in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as surrounding areas. www.smhclub.org.

• Benton MacKaye Trail Association incorporates outings for hikes, trail maintenance and other work trips.

No experience is necessary to participate. www.bmta.org.

• Diamond Brand’s Women’s Hiking Group meets on the third Saturday of every month. For more information, e-mail awilliams@diamondbrand.com or call 684.6262.

OUTDOOR CLUBS • The Jackson County Poultry Club will hold its regular meeting on the third Thursday of each month at the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office. The club is for adults and children and includes a monthly meeting with a program and a support network for those raising birds. For info, call 586.4009 or write heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

• The North Carolina Catch program, a three-phase

conservation education effort focusing on aquatic environments, will be offered through May 15. The program is offered by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Free for members; daily admission for non-members. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

sion office located on Thomas Heights Road next to Jim Brown Chrysler on Highlands Road. New members welcome.

• An RV camping club, the Vagabonds, camps one weekend per month from April through November. All ages welcome. No dues or structured activities. For details, write lilnau@aol.com or call 369.6669.

• Smoky Mountain Beekeepers meet at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month at the SCC Swain Center in Bryson City on Almond School Road. Open to anyone interested in honeybees. 554.6935.

• The Tuckaseigee River Chapter No. 373 of Trout Unlimited meets at 6:30 p.m. on first Tuesday of the month at United Community Bank in Sylva. Dinner is $5.

• The Franklin Walking Club meets at 10 a.m. every Saturday (weather permitting) at the Tassee picnic shelter on the Greenway at the corner of Wells Grove Road and Ulco Drive. All fitness levels are welcome, call Linda at 421.7613.

• The Cataloochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited meets the second Tuesday of the month starting with a dinner at 6:30 p.m. at Rendezvous restaurant located on the corner of Jonathan Creek Road and Soco Road in Maggie Valley. 631.5543.

• Cold Mountain Photographic Society is a camera/photography club for amateurs and professionals who want to learn about and share their knowledge of photography with others. Must be 18 or older to join. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the second Monday of each month in the conference room of MedWest Health and Fitness Center, 262 Leroy George Drive in Clyde. More information at www.cmpsnc.org or info@cmpsnc.org.

• The Cherokee Runners meets each month on the 1st and 15th of the month (if the first falls on Sunday, the group meets on the 2nd), at the Age Link Conference Room. Group runs are being held each Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. starting at the Flame. www.cherokeerunners.com.

• Mountain Wild, the local chapter of the N.C. Wildlife Federation works to preserve and increase wildlife and wildlife habitat of the region. Free programs and guest speakers held periodically at the WNC Nature Center in Asheville. Call 338.0035.

• Free Fly Fishing Classes are offered at River's Edge Outfitters in Cherokee every week. Participants of all ages and skill levels are welcome and encouraged to attend. Classes will be approximately an hour and half long. For more information contact Rivers Edge Outfitters at 497.9300.

• The Jackson-Swain Master Gardeners’ Association meets at 9:30 a.m. every second Wednesday at the Jackson Community Services Building on Scotts Creek Road in Sylva. Mike Glover at 736.2768 or lmgofish@gmail.com.

• Pigeon Valley Bassmasters Club will meet at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at J&S Cafeteria, Enka, Exit 44 off I-40. 712.2846.

• Macon County Horse Association meets at 7:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the Macon County Fairgrounds Alumni Building. Education program and business meeting. ddoster@fs.fed.us.

• The Macon County Beekeepers Association meets at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the exten-

• Swain County Trail Runners. Long run group meets 8 a.m. Saturdays at the Deep Creek Trailhead Parking Area in Bryson City. All runs are on trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or Tsali Recreation Area. All distances, paces, ages welcome. More information at 399.0989, 488.6769 or wdtreern@yahoo.com.

• The Sylva Garden Club meets at 9:30 a.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the Presbyterian Church in Sylva. cindyrparker@gmail.com.

• WNC Sportsman’s Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday night of each month at the Juke Box Junction Restaurant located in Bethel at the junction of US 276 and N.C. 110 wncsportsmansclub.com

Ongoing BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Free GED test-preparation classes offered by Southwestern Community College, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Mondays through Thursdays and 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Wednesdays and Fridays, SCC Swain Center, Room 101. Instruction in other college and career readiness activities including computer skills, resume writing, filling out job applications, job searches, college entrance exam prep, college applications, financial aid and more. 366.2000 or stop by the Swain Center.

• Guidance on looking for a job or gaining basic job skills will be available from 1-4 p.m. each Wednesday at the Macon County Public Library. One-on-one help from a Southwestern Community College employability instructor. 524.3600.

• Tech-savvy questions will be answered from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. every Tuesday in the month of January at the Jackson County Library. 586.2016.

• The Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley is now open for its 2015 season. The museum show-

cases one of the rarest collections of vintage motorcycles and antique automobiles. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors age 65 and up, and $6 for children. www.wheelsthroughtime.com.

• Entrepreneurship training available online through HCC Small Business Center through a partnership with Hewlett Packard and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. Access courses at www.ncsbc.net, call 627.4512 or kgould@haywood.edu. Information about upcoming workshops is available on the HCC Small Business Center website at SBC.Haywood.edu.

• Southwestern Community College cosmetology students are offering haircuts, manicures and nail tech services from 8 to 11 a.m. on a first-come, firstserved basis, on Tuesdays through Thursdays at SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. 339.4238, southwesterncc.edu or rmccall@southwesterncc.edu.

• Human Resource Development class, SCC Swain Center. Get help with resume writing, job searches, online job applications completions, and much more.

SCC Swain Center, Jennifer Ashlock, 366.2000 or Yvonne Price, 366.2002.

• Southwestern Community College offers "Employability" labs 8 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesday, room 104, Oaks Hall, Southwestern Community College, Jackson Campus; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mondays and Wednesdays, and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, Room 104, SCC Macon Annex; 8 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays, SCC Swain Center; and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays, Cherokee Vocational Center, Cherokee.

• One-on-One Computer Support Program available at the Jackson County Public Library. Individual appointments are set up by the Adult Services Department, 586.2016 for more information.

• Spanish Club Round Table Discussions, noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays, gazebo at the Macon Campus of Southwestern Community College.

• Entrepreneur Skills Network business skills meetings, 6 to 7:30 p.m. every Monday in the Jackson County Justice and Administration Building, Sylva.

Experienced and startup entrepreneurs are welcome.

586.5466 or esn4meetings@gmail.com.

323-58

Great Smokies Storage 10’x20’ $

92

20’x20’ $

160

ONE MONTH

FREE WITH 12-MONTH CONTRACT

828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828

50

• Haywood Bee Keepers Association meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the NC Ag center on Raccoon Road. hcbees.org.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

Puzzles can be found on page 54.

These are only the answers.

PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

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

PUBLIC NOTICE Regarding Swain Mini Storage, Located off Arlington Ave. Any Unit 30 Days or More Past Due will be Cleaned of any Contents & Items Sold to Recoup Past Due Rents on Dec. 30th @ 10 a.m.

Unless Payment Arrangements Have Been Made with Yellow Rose Realty, Located at 203 Slope St., Bryson City.

Thank You for Your Attention.

Rates:

■ Free — Lost or found pet ads.

■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads, ■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

ANNOUNCEMENTS MAY THE INCREDIBLE LOVE OF Jesus Christ be Alive in Your Hearts & Homes During this Holy Day Season & the Coming Year!

Dodie’s of Sylva

Classified Advertising:

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

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

R

DI

SC OV ER E

ATR

AUCTIONS Wagner's Auto Salvage, Durham Commercial Trucks, Generators, Vehicles; Lots Orange Co & Log Home Chapel Hill; 72 Acres Sanford Divided. 919.545.0412 www.RogersAuction.com.

NCFL7360.

ONLINE REAL ESTATE AUCTION 721 Moody Bridge Rd., Cullowhee, NC. 3br/2bath home and 10 acres.

Bidding starts Dec. 1st, 2015. Full details on our web site, BrooksAuctionServices.com 864.379.1011.

NCRE#25534.

NCAUC#9822.

Last Week, 50% OFF! Furniture, Glassware, Tools, Jewelry, Books, Toys & More!!!

Come get a Great Deal at 58 Commerce St,, Waynesville.

Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.

INC.

PE

Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

21ST ANNUAL ABSOLUTE AUCTION. Tues. Dec. 29 @ 8am, Lumberton, NC. 100 Const Items, 150 Trucks (35) 40' and 20' Containers. Will Sell At 12(noon) - Absolute Consignments will be taken until Dec. 17. www.meekinsauction.com.

NCLN 858 - 10% BP

ANTIQUE STORE CLOSING

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO

AUCTION

PUBLIC NOTICES

MarketPlace information:

FOR SALE 2007 Honda ATV Recon TRX 250TE, 2-Wheel Drive

Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs

LIKE NEW, ONLY 22 HOURS OF RUNNING TIME

828-456-5387

HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The Affordable Solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1.800.291.2712 for FREE DVD and brochure.

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control.

FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217 DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316 FIND THE RIGHT CARPET, Flooring & Window Treatments.

Ask about our 50% off specials & our Low Price Guarantee. Offer Expires Soon. Call now 888.546.0135 SAPA SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB. Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door.

Anti-Slip Floors. American Made.

Installation Included. Call 800.807.7219 for $750 Off. SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

323-78

LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS

MON-FRI 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

BUILDING MATERIALS

$2,500 Firm. Plus Loading Ramp.

May Be Seen At Shirley’s Quality Auto Care 5678 Georgia Road, Franklin, NC- 828.524.4885

RUN YOUR CLASSIFIED In 101 North Carolina newspapers for only $375 for a 25-word ad.

Call this newspaper or 919.516.8009 for details.

R

WNC MarketPlace

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES $1000 WEEKLY!!

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Free book exposes all. Limited offer. Watch the video now!

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EMPLOYMENT *NOW HIRING, Enrollment Specialist. Weekly Compensation By Direct Deposit, Training, Flexible Hours, Basic Computer Skills+. Must Leave Message for a Phone Interview. No Exceptions.

1.800.417.6360 Ext. 7201 www.CardNetworkSpecialist.INFO SAPA ATTN: DRIVERS $2K Sign-On Bonus. Make $55k+ a Year. Great Benefits + 401K. Paid Orientation. CDL-A Req 877.258.8782.

EMPLOYMENT FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Counselor-Health Programs. Dept.

Chair Early Childhood Education.

Sociology Instructor. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com /. Human Resources Office. Phone: 910.678.8378 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

AVIATION GRADS Work With Jetblue, Boeing, Delta, And Others- Start Here With Hands-On Training For FAA Certification. Financial Aid If Qualified.

Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 SAPA DRIVER TRAINEES Paid CDL Training! Stevens Transport will cover all costs! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Earn $800 per week! Local CDL Training!

1.888.748.4137 drive4stevens.com

December 16-22, 2015

WESTEN - AN EIGHT YEAR OLD TERRIER MIX BOY WHO MAY BE A SENIOR, BUT STILL HAS LOADS OF LIFE AND MUCH LOVE TO GIVE HIS NEW FAMILY. HE ADORES PLAYING FETCH WITH A TENNIS BALL, IS FRIENDLY TO EVERYONE HE MEETS, AND IS TOTALLY HOUSETRAINED. HE IS THE PERFECT DOG!

THE NAVY IS HIRING Top-notch training, medical/dental, 30 days vacation/yr, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419 AVIATION GRADS Work with JetBlue, Boeing, Delta & others - start here with hands-on training for FAA certification.

Financial aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance.

877.300.9494.

SELL YOUR STRUCTURED Settlement or annuity payments for CASH NOW. You don't have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1.800.316.0271.

NOW HIRING Class A CDL Drivers! - Free Healthcare! Regional & OTR positions open. Pay starting at 40cpm.

1yr. experience required. Call 864.649.2063 or visit Drive4JGR.com. EOE. NEED MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES! Doctors & Hospitals need Medical Office Staff! No Experience Needed! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc.

1.888.512.7122 CAN YOU DIG IT? Heavy Equipment Operator Career!

We Offer Training and Certifications Running Bulldozers, Backhoes and Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement. VA Benefits Eligible!

1.866.362.6497 SAPA

Mike Stamey

mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

828-508-9607

SOCIAL SECURITY Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1.800.670.4805 to start your application today! SAPA

FURNITURE COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

LAWN AND GARDEN HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS NOW! Home Every Week. Excellent Pay w/Benefits, 100% No Touch Freight, 75% Drop & Hook. Class A CDL w/1 Yr. Exp. Req. Call Today Call 888.219.8039.

WANT TO FLATBED? Call us! - Free Healthcare! Hiring Class A CDL Drivers for Regional & OTR. Pay starting at 40cpm. Call 864.649.2063 or visit drive4jgr.com EOE. WEEKLY HOME TIME For SE Regional! Earn up to $0.45 CPM w/bonuses. Plus $2500 Sign On Bonus! Call 888.408.5275 or SuperServiceLLC.com

321-61

FINANCIAL BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA

HIGH-TECH CAREER With U.S. Navy. Elite tech training w/great pay, benefits, vacation, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34.

Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419

COMET AN ADORABLE FIVE MONTH OLD BLACK KITTEN WITH A WHITE STAR ON HER CHEST. SHE IS LIVELY AND PLAYFUL, AND WILL SURELY BRING LOTS OF FUN AND LAUGHTER TO HER NEW FAMILY.

www.smokymountainnews.com

EMPLOYMENT

www.beverly-hanks.com

52

LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578 BLUE RIDGE MTNS NCViews, views, views! New 1,300 sf.

2bed/2bath cabin features loft, pict. windows, large stone fpl, huge deck. $154,900.

828.286.2981.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on an equal opportunity basis.

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

COMM. PROP. FOR RENT OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT Approx. 450 sq. ft., Kitchenette with Microwave, Sink and Undercounter Fridge. 2 Seperate areas for 2 Offices and a Storage Room in Back. All Heat, AC & Util. are Included at $695/mo. High Traffic Area at 850 N. Main St. Waynesville. Contact Sharon 828.421.8812

VACATION RENTALS NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS Winter Vacations Cabins, Condos, Homes. Pets Welcome! Nightly, Weekly & Monthly Rentals. Best Rates! Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock. Foscoe Rentals 800.723.7341 www.FoscoeRentals.com SAPA

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23

by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400 Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

www.smokymountainnews.com

December 16-22, 2015

WNC MarketPlace

Super

54

CROSSWORD

LITERAL LANGUAGE LESSON

77 Actor/singer Zac 78 Pizzelle flavoring 79 Eur. country or Can. ACROSS province 1 Brings together 80 Stephen of “The 7 Refrain from Heavy” 12 Wild prank 81 Old letter salutation 20 Toss again, as dice 83 Mountain cats 21 Took steps 87 Tail off 22 Wynton of jazz trum- 92 “Tobacco Road” novpet elist Caldwell 23 PANE 94 TORTILLA 25 Blows stormily, as 97 - Khan (Islamic title) wind 98 Ships transporting 26 Lessens in worth fossil fuel 27 Congeal 99 Troubles terribly 28 Plains tribe 100 CRUX 29 Baby’s first word, 104 Finish maybe 106 With 90-Down, side 32 “- heard worse” in a game that’s not vis33 CORNE iting 35 Rudimentary seeds 107 “How sad!”

37 Skull 108 DVR brand 41 Weed-chopping tool 109 Summer starts with 42 KIELBASA one 44 Requests desperately 113 At an unknown point 48 Sugary in the future 49 Car tire’s outer layer 115 BAGVAERK 50 “- la vie” 119 Poe poem 51 Suffix with press or 120 Dunne of film prefect 121 Make current 52 UFO crew members 122 Most cheeky 54 “How can - thank 123 Slacked off you?”

124 Usher, often 57 Archipelago part 59 Result of a belly flop DOWN 63 KOUCHUU 1 Israeli mentalist 67 Prudish type Geller 68 Garlic-seasoned 2 Fish-catching mesh mayonnaise 3 Lyric-writing Gershwin 70 Howling mad 4 Fibbed 71 Artist Bonheur 5 Writer Wiesel 72 LUACH 6 Abjectly servile 75 Shylock, e.g.

7 Tramway vehicle

8 Light tan 9 To - (exactly) 10 Adriatic and Baltic 11 Roush of the Reds 12 Symbol 13 Beauty shop 14 They’re leaned on for support 15 Horse cousin 16 Eye covers 17 New Olds of 1999 18 More terrible 19 Ruhr city 24 Of warships: Abbr.

27 Rock’s Moetley 29 Swabs 30 Declare openly 31 Equine hybrid 33 Pear-shaped false fruit 34 Immobilize at a rodeo 36 Will of “Blue Bloods” 38 Wish to undo 39 Simile center 40 Comaneci of gymnastics 43 Holy people: Abbr.

44 Flat cap 45 Steamboat pioneer Robert 46 Bully’s threat 47 Rip anew 50 Labor activist Chavez 53 Warm up 55 Writer Bagnold 56 Wang of fashion 58 Medicinal fluids 59 Orb 60 Opt for first 61 Many babies born in fall 62 Farming-related prefix

63 Rivers and Baez 64 “For - know ...”

65 Pizzeria orders 66 Toll producer 69 Statement of empathy 73 Pulver’s rank 74 Sherpa land 76 Hawaii-born president 79 Burning residue 82 Dormant 84 “A,” in Brest 85 Earth orbiter until 2001 86 Gauged 88 Suburb of Washington, D.C. 89 To boot 90 See 106-Across 91 Smurf or Rock suffix 93 Old Austrian emperors 94 Mediocre 95 Speaker systems, for short 96 Sphinx riddle solver 98 London’s - Garden 100 Makes it 101 Honolulu “hi” 102 Instills docility in 103 Singer LeAnn 105 - power 109 Actress Gilbert 110 Tip jar items 111 Queue (up) 112 Bullfight wear 114 - chi (martial art) 115 Stop existing 116 Rat-a- 117 Traveler’s path: Abbr.

118 “Quit - bellyachin’!”

answers on page 50

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SERVICES ACE PRESSURE WASHING Providing pressure washing for driveways, gutters, siding & decks (sealed or stained). We can also help with plumbing; such as installing toilets, garbage disposals, dishwashers and faucets. Call Steve today at 828.476.1097.

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WEEKLY SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Answers on Page 50

The smelly truth about stink bugs

W

George Ellison

ell, I knew it would happen sooner or later. Our house has been invaded by a herd of pygmy rhinoceroses, which is the plural form (I just discovered) of rhinoceros.

Actually, they aren’t pygmy rhinoceroses.

They just look like pygmy rhinoceroses.

They’re brown marmorated stink bugs, aka Halyomorpha halys in entomological circles.

I had to look up marmorated, too. It means having a marColumnist bled or streaked appearance, which I suppose refers to the markings around the outer edge of its body.

The brown marmorated stink bug is an agricultural pest, with approximately 100 crops worth $21 billion susceptible to damage. They feed on apricots, pears, cherries, corn, grapes, lima beans, peaches, peppers, tomatoes and soybeans.

The U.S. Apple Association estimates that in 2010 alone, the bug accounted for $37 million lost from apple orchards in the Mid-Atlantic region.

North Carolina crops that are susceptible to the insect include vegetables, fruits, nuts,

BACK THEN berries, corn and soybeans, which together are worth approximately $191 million annually in farm cash receipts.

To obtain their food, stink bugs use their stylets to pierce the plant tissue in order to extract the plant fluA brown marmorated ids. In stink bug. Donated photo doing so the plant loses necessary fluids, which can lead to deformation of seeds, destruction of seeds, destruction of fruiting structures, delayed plant maturation and increased vulnerability to harmful pathogens.

While harvesting plants the stink bug injects saliva, creating a dimpling of the fruit surface and rotting of the material under-

neath. The most common signs of stink bug damage are pitting and scarring of the fruit, leaf destruction and a mealy texture to the harvested fruits and vegetables.

The critter was introduced into Pennsylvania in the U.S. in the 1990s from China and Japan, where it is native. By 2009

stinkbugs had reached North Carolina.

They started appearing in the office at my house a couple of years ago. If I stay up late at night working on something, the light attracts them and they emerge along

with a hoard of ladybugs.

Ladybugs are sort of cute. But there’s not much about a brown marmorated stink bug that’s cute. About the size of a quarter, it has a snout emerging from a concave face.

When aggravated it emits a foul odor reminiscent of a waste disposal area or rotten eggs. The bug survives the winter as an adult by entering houses and structures in the fall. Twenty-six thousand stink bugs were found overwintering in one house. Once inside they will go into a state of hibernation, waiting for winter to pass.

But the warmth and light inside the house causes them to come out of hiding and either fly clumsily around light fixtures or land on my computer screen. What the world needs is a homemade, inexpensive brown marmorated stink bug trap. And sure enough, a google.com search turns up a variety of traps, including “The Best Little Stink Trap Ever”: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=VwUuHhWYvDA. (George Ellison is a naturalist and writer.

He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

December 16-22, 2015 Smoky Mountain News 55

AutoStarUSA.com Throughout the year, the Economic Community of the Haywood Chamber of Commerce spotlights a Business of the Month. At the end of the year, the Economic Community picks one of the featured businesses who is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and strongly involved within the community, as their Business of the Year.

280 Hyatt Creek Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786

This year, the team at Waynesville Automotive is proud to announce that the Haywood Chamber of Commerce has named them the 2015-2016 Business of the Year.

December 16-22, 2015

Throughout the year, they have sponsored numerous events within the community, including golf tournaments and the Holiday Cheer silent auction, served on Chamber of Commerce committees like the Welcoming Committee, and participated in several events, such as ribbon cuttings and new business ground breakings. These are just some of the ways that they have given back and shown their thanks to a community that continues to support and help their dealership grow and become a better business.

285 Hyatt Creek Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786

All of the staff at Waynesville Automotive would like to thank Haywood County for the great honor of being named Business of the Year. It has been an incredible year and they look forward to continuing to serve this great county for many more years to come. Waynesville Automotive would also like to send a big thank you to all of their customers, both new and old. It is because of you that they do what they do.

Next time you find yourself in the market for a new or used vehicle, or simply an oil change, stop in Waynesville Automotive, your 2015-2016 Business of the Year.

You can find more information about this great honor and how Waynesville gives back to the people in the community they call home on the Haywood Chamber of Commerce website directory and the Smoky Mountain News.

*Excludes additional shop supplies & hazardous waste fees. Excludes synthetics, diesels & some specialty vehicles. Not combinable with other offers. See Service Advisor for details.

CANTON

SYLVA

ASHEVILLE

ASHEVILLE OUTLET MALL

750 Champion Drive Canton, NC 28716

1188 West Main Street Sylva, NC 28779

2 Westgate Parkway Asheville, NC 28806

835 Brevard Road Asheville, NC 28806

(828) 492-0631

(828) 586-0202

(828) 581-0136

(828) 633-6681

Smoky Mountain News

CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED SPECIALS

2012 Chevrolet Malibu LS

2012 Jeep Liberty 4x4

2011 RAM 1500 SLT 4x4

2013 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4

STK # S2978A

STK # C4042

STK # 63204A

STK # 64404A

*Prices do not include taxes, title, license or $499 doc fee. See dealer for details. Subject to prior sale. Artwork for illustration purpose only.

56

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