Smoky Mountain News | December 29, 2021

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Western North Carolina’s Source for Weekly News, Entertainment, Arts, and Outdoor Information

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022 Vol. 23 Iss. 31

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s Greg Ormont Page 16 Public lands in Western NC won big in 2021 Page 22

CONTENTS On the Cover: Just as the end of one year signifies the beginning of another, it’s also a time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. Perhaps the hardest days are behind us and perhaps they are still to come, but as we enter the third calendar year of this infernal global pandemic, all we can do is soldier on with kindness and compassion, trying to help each other out along the way.

Nah, screw that – this week, we’re all about poking fun at the places and faces that made news in 2021, because if we couldn’t laugh at each other (and ourselves) we’d all be dead by now. So take this issue with a grain of salt because it’s all in good fun and remember, if you weren’t spoofed or satirized in this year’s annual Spoof Awards and Fake News Freakout issue, well, there’s 367 more days for you to qualify in 2022.

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Opinion How valuable is the survival of local news? ............................................................14 Universal intelligence and hope for the New Year ..................................................14

A&E Greg Ormont of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong ..........................................................16 Reading our way into the New Year ............................................................................21

Outdoors Five ways public lands won big in 2021 ..................................................................22

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

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Spoof Awards 2021

IS IT 2022, OR 2020 PART 2? ooking back to early 2021, we all thought this was going to be our year. I mean, how could it be any crazier than 2020?

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

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This image, taken in August in Canton, pretty much sums up 2021. Cory Vaillancourt photo

THE PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD This year was a challenging year in so many ways, but that was especially true in Western North Carolina.

While still dealing with the remnants of a global pandemic as well as the greatest threat to American democracy since the War of 1812, residents of Haywood County (and, to a lesser extent, Buncombe County) were also subjected to flash flooding that killed six and displaced hundreds.

On Aug. 17, heavy rains began to fall and by late that afternoon, dozens of people in Bethel, Canton, Clyde and Cruso were already trapped.

Fire, EMS and law enforcement agencies sprang into action as elected officials worked up the chain of command to secure resources and aid. Volunteers and churches immediately began setting up temporary shelters and processing donations of food, clothing and personal hygiene products.

Restaurants, bars and musicians quickly scheduled fundraisers. Private citizens –

rather than run from the mucky mess that coated the eastern part of the county – ran towards the devastation, helping strangers shovel mud from flooded basements and recover family heirlooms, like photo albums, that had been washed away in the furious floodwaters.

Such was the outpouring of support in this tight-knit region that at one point, Haywood County officials had to ask people to stop donating items because there wasn’t enough space to store them. In the end, nonprofit Hope for Haywood raised more than $1 million towards recovery efforts, and a charity concert hosted by Haywood County’s own Balsam Range embodied the “grit and grace” of a county that’s used to being kicked when it’s down, but ultimately refuses to stay down.

Chances are, you’re one of the people mentioned above—– a first responder, an elected official, a volunteer, a donor, a concertgoer, a business owner. You didn’t have to help. But you did. You’re the reason this community is now stronger than it was before the flood, and the reason why there’s now a real, enduring meaning to the hashtag, #HaywoodStrong.

Well, can you say increasingly-crazy politics, a seemingly never-ending pandemic, a disastrous flood and yet visitors and newcomers alike still streaming to these wonderful mountains in search, perhaps, of some healing salve. All kinds of news, some that warms the heart and some that drags down the soul.

But before we move on, The Smoky Mountain News once again takes a look back to reflect on the last year of news. Some of the headlines that have graced our pages could pass for a satire headline from The Onion, but sadly, they’re all too real.

However devastating and infuriating the news has been this year, it’s still important to find a little bit of humor in the absurd.

Our annual Spoof Awards and Fake News Freakout pay tribute to the people, places and events that have made 2021. Congratulations and condolences to those who have earned an award this year.

We appreciate the laughs among the tears and hope you can find the courage to laugh at yourselves as well. If you didn’t make the cut this year, there’s still plenty of time in 2022 to leave your mark.

Pianos piled outside of the Ward Piano Company in Canton are a testament to the devastating floods in Haywood County last summer. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Spoof Awards 2021

Cullowhee Valley School stole the running for the Woke Citizens Award when it voted to retire its outdated Rebel mascot, personified by an old Confederate general.

Use of the mascot had been in place since the 1950s, though imagery of the general mascot had waned in recent years. Students and parents alike expressed the need for a mascot that all students could unite behind and get excited about. The Jackson County School Board listened to those concerns and voted to allow CVS to retire the rebel and choose a new name and mascot.

Cullowhee Valley School is now represented as the Wolves, after an extensive nomination and voting process among the student body.

THE WTF AWARD The first-ever award for mismanaging and destroying a longstanding community institution goes to … that longstanding community institution itself.

Founded in the mid-1980s by some of the most prominent Waynesville citizens of the

THE CARPETBAGGER AWARD As if Henderson County native David Madison Cawthorn’s meteoric rise to fame wasn’t surprising enough, Cawthorn’s Nov. 11 announcement that he’d run for reelection not in the district that elected him but instead in a newly-drawn district that he doesn’t live in, has set a new bar for political opportunism in Western North Carolina.

That’s a bold statement, especially considering the district’s previous representation.

Another carpetbagger — wealthy Florida/Cashiers real estate developer Mark Meadows — somehow managed to convince working class rural conservatives that he understood their struggles and would advocate for their welfare, until he unceremoniously resigned from Congress just in time to leave those working class rural conservatives without a voice in government while then-President Donald Trump passed some of the largest government spending packages in history.

Meadows went on to help perpetuate Trump’s “big lie” and discussed ways in which to overthrow the United States government through, of all things, a hilariously primitive PowerPoint presentation.

Smoky Mountain News

All teachers everywhere are recipients of the Bullsh*t Award every year for what they have to put up with, whether they are recognized for it or not. But in the midst of their third pandemic school year, the award hits home a little harder.

Teachers have navigated online learning; teaching in-person and online; teaching while wearing masks; teaching while schools are at the center of nasty political difference and debate; teaching while North Carolina legislators are unable to pass a budget for public schools … the list goes on.

However, those legislators, and news sources alike, touted a “big win” for teachers as they passed the new state budget which included a whopping 5% raise for our chronically underpaid educators. Over the next two years, teachers on a beginning salary can look forward to earning about $1,750 more, an amount legislators hope will more than compensate for historically low pay.

Jeffrey Delannoy photo

Cawthorn’s had little legislative success as a freshman member of Congress in a minority party, but much like Meadows, Cawthorn has seen massive success in hitching his wagon to a wealthy New York property developer who somehow managed to convince working class rural conservatives that he understood their struggles and would advocate for their welfare.

In following Meadows’ example as the face of the Trump Right, Cawthorn shocked pundits and politicos with his decision to abandon the people of Western North Carolina, leaving some voters feeling used and disenchanted for the second time in less than two years.

What’s more surprising is that during his 2020 campaign, Cawthorn repeatedly referred to his Democratic opponent, a Shelby native who’d spent decades serving across the globe in the United States Air Force, as a “carpetbagger” for retiring to Asheville and running for Congress.

In a delicious dose of irony that would make the Bard himself blush with envy, Cawthorn’s new district includes — yup, you guessed it — Shelby, making Cawthorn the carpetbagger as he now campaigns there in hopes of returning to Congress in 2023.

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

GOOD SPORT AWARD (A.K.A. BULLSH*T AWARD)

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WOKE CITIZENS AWARD

era, the DWA had a proud history of helping to remake what was once a run-down, mostly-vacant Main Street. The DWA’s first major victory was in burying the tangle of power lines running up, around and through the heart of Waynesville’s picturesque commercial hub, making it that much more aesthetic and alluring to visitors and locals alike.

In the years after, the DWA engaged in beautification efforts and organized festivals and events designed to draw attention, visitors and — most importantly — economic activity to downtown.

But then, somewhere along the line, incompetence, mismanagement and a distinct lack of oversight began to creep into the taxpayer-funded nonprofit. Much of the blame fell on longtime Executive Director Buffy Phillips, who narrowly survived an attempt by the DWA’s board to oust her in 2019 over performance issues.

Things only got worse from there for the DWA, and after Phillips expressed frustration at the lack of enthusiasm for her downtown programs, she supposedly threatened to retire during a meeting in early 2021.

This is where things get weird — board members present during Phillips’ rant refused to talk to The Smoky Mountain News. She didn’t return phone calls about her employment status, nor did then-Chair Carolyn Brunk. A public records request made by SMN was at first ignored, until sporadic, random documents began to show up, revealing a deeply concerning level of financial and regulatory disorganization not usually found in public bodies.

Waynesville aldermen took note, and in April held a public hearing to solicit input on the future of the organization just as the DWA’s contract to manage the town’s municipal service district came up for renewal. The DWA subsequently submitted a renewal application that was mostly received as laughable and unprofessional, including photocopied four-year-old letters of support from now-retired public officials, and listing among its board members at least one person who’d died months earlier, as well as another that had long since moved out of town.

Aldermen refused to renew the contract and in a very unusual special meeting on Aug. 12, nearly took the DWA under town control, but backed down at the last minute and put the DWA on notice that it had better start following the law and demonstrating more accountability.

That warning apparently went unheeded, as a Sept. 9 meeting called by the DWA violated public notice requirements, with at least one board member unsuccessfully attempting to blame Waynesville’s town manager for their own error.

Days later, the town assumed management of the municipal service district, leaving the 35-year-old organization without its only source of income, thus rendering it moot.

Aldermen are currently working on creating a town-administered replacement organization that can follow the law and (hopefully) make those visionaries who founded the DWA all those years ago proud once more.

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Spoof Awards 2021 MOST LIKELY TO GET MY VOTE AWARD The winner of this year’s “most likely to get my vote award,” goes to John Hinton.

While other politicians seem to have drifted from the understanding of what voters really want, Hinton gets it. It’s money.

Hinton, in what he described as a prank, sent a personal note and a bank note ($1 bill) to a friend, asking him for his vote. And he did so without drawing the ire of the North Carolina Board of Elections. After a short investigation, the board found insufficient evidence of a violation of vote buying.

Needless to say, voters are eagerly awaiting his upcoming exploits in local politics.

Hopefully with current inflation, voters can look forward to even more incentive to cast a Hinton vote.

SASHAY MY WAY AWARD

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

When legendary Drag Queen RuPaul kicks a queen off his reality tv show for up and coming drag queens, he sends them off into the sunset saying, “sashay away.” But if RuPaul had seen the action at Sylva’s inaugural pride parade this summer, he might have said “ooh, sashay my way!”

Sylva Pride, Sylva Queer Support and Education, the downtown Sylva community and several other community stakeholders

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Wall Street Books got booted. The building that the book store resides in has changed hands and unfortunately, a used bookstore isn’t in the plans for those new owners. This winter, bookstore owners are currently in limbo, on the hunt for a new home with an estimated 50,000 books in tow.

According to hearsay, plans for the soonto-be vacated building include a restaurant and bar. Perhaps to pay homage to the recently departed literary haven, they should call it “Tequila Mockingbird.”

came together to make the first-ever, Sylva Pride Parade a success. Community members of all ages, races and orientation were able to celebrate their love for the vibrant queer community.

In addition to the parade, there was a family-friendly drag show at Bridge Park, because when it comes to tolerance and inclusion, you’ve got to start em’ young. Are other mountain communities thinking “I wish a pride parade would sashay my way?” We hope so.

THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT AWARD After 27 years of loyal service to the Main Street merchant community in Waynesville,

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER AWARD As the late, great rocker Tom Petty once opined, “The waiting is the hardest part,” and it sure seemed that way as Haywood County attempted to recover from disastrous floods this past August.

While the county cleaned up, and spent millions to do so, elected officials and private citizens eagerly looked for news from the White House and President Joe Biden about a possible disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

A federal disaster declaration would mean that 75 percent of the cost of cleanup would be reimbursed by the federal government, and the remaining 25 percent would be reimbursed by the state, letting local taxpayers off the hook. If the federal declaration did not

occur, the state would pay 75 percent of the cleanup costs, and the county (read: its taxpayers) would be responsible for the rest.

Three weeks after the floods, there had still been no word from Biden about the declaration, despite letters of support and lobbying efforts coming from elected officials including senators Tom Tillis and Richard Burr, Congressman Madison Cawthorn, Gov. Roy Cooper, Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, Haywood Commission Chairman Kevin Ensley and others.

Adding insult to injury, some states affected by the very same storms that took six lives and caused millions in property damage here in Western North Carolina – Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, even New York and New Jersey – received their disaster declarations less than three days after the incidents.

Mississippi received theirs on the same day Hurricane Ida hit.

Biden even toured affected areas in New York and New Jersey, and expressed his “deepest condolences for the sudden and tragic loss of life due to flash flooding in Tennessee” on Twitter, but never set foot in Haywood County, never sent a message of support to Haywood’s flood refugees, never mentioned the tragedy in national media, nothing.

FEMA officials explained to The Smoky Mountain News that the declaration process was intricate and meticulous and difficult and time-consuming and blah blah blah … look, we don’t really care – where is our declaration?

Spoof Awards 2021 news

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Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers (left) guides U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis on his second tour of flood-ravaged Canton in September. Cory Vaillancourt photo

THE MR. CONGENIALITY AWARD

Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath NEW RESOURCES FROM USDA FOR BUDGET SHOPPING

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Smoky Mountain News

The USDA has introduced a new app to make money saving shopping easier. This new free tool can be downloaded to your phone or tablet or viewed on your computer and shows budget shopping tips in your area (based on your zip code) as well as budget-friendly recipes for top foods. See: Shop Simple with MyPlate | MyPlate https://www.myplate.gov/app/shopsimple Example: For potatoes it shows food storage tips, serving ideas and recipes like potato salad, potato cake and potato soup.

(They will be gradually adding more and more foods and resources to this free app) The app will also show food retailers in our area (like Ingles Markets) that accept SNAP benefits.

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

And what a year it was for Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers.

While still shepherding the rejuvenation of his tiny mountain mill town’s central business district through the Coronavirus Pandemic, Smathers and family were dealt an unexpected and devastating blow of their own.

On Aug. 2, Smathers’ brother-in-law Jonathan Jorstad — a gregarious, popular and well-known member of the community — unexpectedly passed away.

Two weeks after that, the deadly flooding that ravaged Cruso made its way downriver to the same place it always does — downtown Canton.

Once could hardly have blamed Smathers if he’d curled up into a ball and hid out in his basement, paralyzed by the magnitude of personal and public grief and loss.

But Smathers did the exact opposite.

Along with Canton’s Board of Aldermen (Gail Mull, Dr. Ralph Hamlett, Kristina Smith and Tim Shepard), Smathers became the face of the flood as he worked tirelessly to secure aid from Washington and from Raleigh, and gained national recognition in the process.

Beginning the day the floodwaters receded, Smathers began a seemingly endless schedule of meetings and phone calls designed to ameliorate the crisis.

In between meetings, the Democrat Smathers hosted regular press conferences not only with elected officials like Sen.

Thom Tillis, Gov. Roy Cooper, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore, but also with county officials and first responders — almost all of whom are Republicans.

Smathers lobbied the White House regularly for a FEMA declaration that was slow in coming, pressing for federal aid while reassuring constituents (many of whom do not live within the town limits of Canton).

He did most of that in his trademark suit and tie, looking like a slightly more backwoods version of cartoon secret agent Sterling Archer, while the rest of the county slogged around in muck boots and waders.

It wasn’t all tie clips and wing tips for Smathers, though. On the night of the flood, as the Pigeon River poured into homes near Canton’s ABC store, Smathers went out to check on his sister and on Alderman Dr. Ralph Hamlett, eventually rescuing Hamlett and his daughter and a neighbor from the waters rising around their homes by carrying them through the water, on his back, to his truck.

Remarkably, through all the interviews and press conferences Smathers conducted, he never mentioned his heroics even once — until asked directly by The Mountaineer newspaper some days later.

Were it not for that interview, the world may have never known.

That’s why Smathers is this year’s “Mr. Congeniality,” for going above and beyond the call of duty in difficult circumstances with a sense of dignity and class that has made Canton, and Haywood County, proud.

Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

@InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936 Ingles Markets… caring about your health

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Spoof Awards 2021 Finally, 22 days after some folks in Haywood County lost their lives and homes, Biden finally issued the declaration that many were starting to think would never come – unfortunately bringing to mind another Petty song title, “You Got Lucky.”

BEING A WOMAN AWARD Maggie Valley Town Planner Kaitland Finkle has experience in her field, multiple master’s degrees and a clear, coherent way of sharing complex information. So why then do the Maggie Valley Planning Board and Maggie Valley Board of Alderman regularly ignore her zoning recommendations in favor of their own ideas? Is it because these boards have their own agendas? Is it because board members actually understand zoning law and regulation better than the person employed by the town to be an expert on these issues? Or is it because this is still what it is like to be a woman?

One of the few elected officials to argue for following Finkle’s recommendations, Alderman Tammy Wight said “We have an employee here with a double masters, she has gone over this, studied this and I’m going to go with her recommendation.”

THE GRINCH AWARD

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

The Grinch Award goes to Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran, but not for the rea-

sons you may think. We know the Grinch — and law enforcement — gets a bad rep, but we forget that the Grinch wasn’t all bad, and in the end, he came through for Whoville to make Christmas a magical time for all.

Just like the Grinch, Cochran realized the true meaning of Christmas is more than gifts, it is about love, forgiveness and togetherness.

To spread the holiday joy, Sheriff Cochran arranged for inmates to reunite face to face with their loved ones during the month of December. He also led a fundraising campaign to ensure those inmates could provide Christmas gifts for their children.

“They say that the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes that day! And then the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches, plus two.”

So thank you, Sheriff, for showing the true size of your heart this year. It’s been a tough couple of years. We have every right to feel a bit grinchy right now, but we can also choose to spread love instead of hate.

THE RUMBLE AWARD Rumble is a women’s newsletter started by the female staff members at The Smoky Mountain News. The tagline for Rumble is “Fearless, Curious, Generous” — all words used to describe Barbara McRae, who passed away in March after a long battle with cancer.

McRae served as editor of The Franklin Press for many years and served on the town

Barbara McRae.

Mr. Grinch—not such a mean one, after all.

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THE MONKEYWRENCH AWARD

THE 37 VENUE . COM 8

council for two terms prior to her death. She was a journalist, a historian, a naturalist and conservationist and so much more to those who loved and admired her contributions to Macon County.

McRae’s legacy will continue to live on through the many projects she contributed to, including the Macon County Women’s History Trail and the Nikwasi Initiative.

To recognize her service and her tenacity, The Rumble team is proud to make McRae the first honoree of this award.

E V E N T S @ T H E 37 V E N U E . C O M

This award goes to the members of the Waynesville Task Force on Homelessness who were hell bent on not doing anything to solve the problem of homelessness in Haywood County.

When the Town of Waynesville established the task force two years ago, its purpose was for the group to make some meaningful recom-

mendations on how to address the problem.

However, some appointed members saw the homeless people as the problem while others saw our societal systems as the problem.

Coming at the issue from those two different viewpoints created a lot of gridlock during the process. It felt like the members who saw homeless people as the problem wanted to sabotage any efforts that would actually address the issues that lead to homelessness, preferring to monkey wrench any attempts at progress.

By the time the task force made its final recommendations this September, it was uninspiring to say the least. While some task force members — especially those that work in the nonprofit world — wanted to see a no barrier shelter created, the only real recommendation members could agree upon was for the town to hire additional staff — a CARES coordinator. The other recommendation didn’t have much teeth — just a goal of expanding shelter capacity in the county and pursuing other affordable housing options.

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THE GAMBLER AWARD As Kenny Rogers famously sang, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.” Franklin’s long-time mayor Bob Scott knew it was time to fold ‘em and walk away from his late-in-life political career that he loved so much. He probably could have won another term in office but decided not to seek re-election and give someone else a turn at the helm.

He may have retired, leaving Jack Horton to take his place, but we know he’s not going anywhere. Scott was a newspaper man long before entering the world of local politics.

And you know what they say, there’s no such thing as a former journalist. That kind of curiosity and sense of duty doesn’t go away with age.

There’s no doubt Scott will stay involved in the happenings in Franklin and chime in with his two cents when important issues arise — whether it’s welcomed or not. So if you see or hear him on his soap box, just know he’s earned the right to remain relevant.

NICOLAS CAGE AWARD

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022 Smoky Mountain News

This one goes to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which, like the muchmemed Hollywood actor, just seems to be in everything these days.

The tribe closed out 2020 with a contentious decision to buy a casino operation in southern Indiana — its first gaming enterprise outside tribal lands — and a groundbreaking ceremony at its 200-acre property along Interstate 40 in Sevier County.

As the year progressed, the EBCI added sports betting to its two casinos in North Carolina and opened a massive addition to the resort in Cherokee that aims to get the tribe into the convention business.

Meanwhile, its business arm Kituwah LLC continued to move ahead with development plans for the I-40 property, in June announcing that the Texas chain Buc-ee’s would become the first tenant and planned to build the world’s largest convenience store on the property.

Kituwah LLC and its subsidiaries have been investing in myriad other business pursuits as well, both local and distant, including but not limited to cannabis growers, processors and dispensaries; government contracts; real estate investments; housing; and upgrades to the Cherokee Phoenix Cinema.

The LLC now owns property scattered across the region as it seeks to help the tribe diversify the source of its prodigious income in the face of oncoming competition to its extremely lucrative casino enterprise.

At the same time, EBCI Holdings LLC, which the tribe created to oversee commercial gaming ventures like the one in Indiana, hopes to expand its business interests, this month earning Tribal Council approval to invest $12 million in new gaming technologies and to start planning an “experiential and interactive sports bar” on the I-40 property.

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Spoof Awards 2021

The newly opened expansion at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort includes 83,000 square feet of convention space and 725 hotel rooms. Holly Kays photo The ending credits are still to come, so we’ll hold off on the Oscars for now — but the Nic Cage Award is based on volume, and as of the end of 2021, the EBCI is more than qualified to win it.

THE HAPPY HOUR AWARD

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

Residents of the Qualla Boundary and Robbinsville can now join the rest of the state in a collective 5 p.m. ‘cheers’ after voters in those jurisdictions chose to lift some of the

last alcohol bans still in effect in North Carolina.

After multiple attempts spanning more than a decade, a referendum seeking Cherokee voters’ approval to allow beer and wine sales by the glass or by the package, as well as liquor sales at a store to be run by the Tribal Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, passed this September with well over half of voters in favor. Nearly twothirds — 62.7% — of voters endorsed allowing beer and wine sales at “qualified estab-

lishments” such as restaurants and hotels.

Measures permitting retail beer sales and an ABC package store, meanwhile, had slightly lower rates of approval with 57.6% and 59.3% of voters, respectively, answering yes to those proposals.

In Robbinsville, voters faced a series of seven referendum questions aiming to allow beer and wine sales in a variety of formats.

Only about 200 people participated in the election, so while all seven measures passed, some squeaked by on extremely narrow margins. Only two votes separated the ayes from the nays in the question regarding off-premises wine sales.

While Graham County, of which Robbinsville is the seat, remains North Carolina’s only dry county, visitors and residents alike can now tip their glasses in more places than ever before in Western North Carolina.

IMPROV AWARD The Cherokee Tribal Council displayed profound mastery of improv’s cornerstone rule of thumb, “Yes, and,” as it spent much of the year inventing reasons not to consider an ordinance seeking to lift the tribe’s hard-line ban on same sex marriage.

Tribal member Tamara Thompson first submitted the ordinance for June council, expecting that, as occurs for every ordinance ever placed on the agenda, it would be

deemed read and tabled, and then considered for a vote in July.

That didn’t happen. Instead, Council members left it out of the motion that brought the other newly introduced ordinances forward to the July agenda. Chairman Adam Wachacha said the ordinance would now be considered dead, citing a section of the Cherokee Code that does not in fact contain a provision backing up that declaration.

Thompson resubmitted the ordinance for July, and the same thing happened. When it appeared on the agenda for the third time, in August, Tribal Council finally — albeit with a divided vote — allowed it to be read into the record.

When the ordinance came up for a vote in September, it elicited two hours of discussion but still met opposition from the majority of Council members, who voted to keep in place a 2014 tribal law adopted to “protect the institution of marriage” following court cases that struck down gay marriage bans nationwide.

As a sovereign nation, the EBCI was exempt from the effects of that ruling.

The gay marriage ban is a slap in the face to the tribe’s homosexual members, speaker after speaker told Council this September, sometimes through tears. But it is also largely symbolic. Tribal members can register homosexual marriages at the county courthouse, and the tribe extends full faith and credit to marriages recognized in such other jurisdictions.

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M ONDAY-F RIDAY 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE P LAZA 828-456-5387 • WAYNESVILLETIRE . COM This fall, the century-old Confederate soldier statue (left) and newly created sculpture depicting Harriet Tubman (right) painted a clear contrast in downtown Sylva. Holly Kays photos

THE TALE OF TWO STATUES AWARD The Town of Sylva and Jackson County share this award for the two opposing statues that occupied downtown Sylva this fall.

The first, depicting an unnamed Confederate solider, has stood in place since 1915, while the second, portraying abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman, is a traveling exhibit by Cashiers sculptor Wesley Wofford that just arrived in September and will be gone by the time this paper publishes.

While it’s been around for more than a

century, the Confederate statue came under fire amid a nationwide debate on the place that Confederate monuments should have in the modern public square.

Last year saw a pair of opposing protests, along with hours of public comment and debate before both town and county commissioners. Ultimately, county commissioners decided to keep the Confederate statue in place. This year, they installed new plaques on the base to cover the original, pro-Confederate messaging.

To say those changes did little to mollify the statue’s opponents would be an understatement, but Harriet Tubman’s arrival brought widespread celebration.

THE ‘COOL MOM’ AWARD Amy Poehler’s character in “Mean Girls” memorably conferred this title on herself back in 2004, and like that character, the recipient of this award found herself doing something stupid in an effort to make herself more likeable — though in this case toward a bear, not a teenager — and instead ended up making things worse for everybody.

That recipient, of course, is the woman who took it upon herself to toss peanut butter balls to a bear in Cades Cove this spring, earning a citation and heavy press coverage of the dangers of allowing bears to eat human food.

THE MR. MIYAGI AWARD We’ve been told that participation trophies are the devil, but we’re also certain that everybody who has lived through 2021 deserves one. This award, dear reader, is your participation trophy.

With the same deftness displayed by the beloved “Karate Kid” character, you’ve masked on, and you’ve masked off … and masked on, and off, and off and on and off and on. And off. And on. You’ve navigated, the best you know how, through changes in mandates, case counts, best practices and erratic swings of public opinion. It hasn’t been easy, and believe us when we say that we get it. As this award’s namesake says, “Whole life have a balance, everything be better.”

Here’s to a better, more balanced 2022.

Smoky Mountain News

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to 1,909 black bears, according to a recent study. Warren Bielenberg photo

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

The region’s bear population is perhaps higher than it’s ever been since European settlement, and so is the number of people who live and vacation in the mountain area. All this has led to an uptick in conflicts between bears and people, including the second fatal bear attack in Smokies history in September 2020 and the first bear attack on Blue Ridge Parkway lands in at least 25 years this September.

If bears and people are to foster a harmonious co-existence, humans will need to ditch the ‘cool mom’ approach and get better at sticking to the rules.

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT FAKE N EWS E DITOR ell, here we are. It’s the 394th of December 2020, and not much has changed in the way of misinformation being reported as legitimate news. In fact, there seems to be more fake news in the real news than real news in the real news.

We’ve got fake news about the 2020 election (Trump won!), fake news about the insurrection (just normal tourist stuff!), fake news about critical race theory (they’re teaching my kids to hate white people!), fake news about the vaccine (there’s a microchip in it!), fake news about redistricting (it’s fair and not at all racist or partisan!) and, of course, fake news about COVID-19 (it’s fake!).

I don’t know about you, but I blame four decades of underfunding public education for producing generations of students too stupid to tell the difference between the plausible (we did indeed land on the moon in 1969) and the implausible (the moon is fake!).

If you don’t think this is a threat to our democracy, I urge you, watch Mike Judge’s cult classic 2006 film “Idiocracy,” in which a dystopian society ruled by fast food corporations waters their crops with energy drinks and the most popular show on television is simply clips of a man being hit repeatedly in the genitals, to great comedic effect.

We here at The Smoky Mountain News pride ourselves on thorough, in-depth coverage of the issues that matter to our community and our country, and we also take pride in producing fake news just one time a year.

This is that time.

Unlike most other media outlets, at least we tell you when we’re about to do it.

Hannah McLeod and Holly Kays contributed to this fake news report, which is fake.

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

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Smoky Mountain News

REP. MADISON CAWTHORN

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THINKS SOMETHING BUT DOESN’T SAY IT For perhaps the first time in his nascent political career, conservative firebrand Madison Cawthorn (R-Henderson) entertained a fleeting notion but somehow failed to annunciate it.

“He just considered it for a moment, but then he thought better of it,” reads a statement from Cawthorn’s comms team regarding the still-private thought. “If there’s anything he’s learned in the People’s House, it’s that some things are better left unsaid.”

The 26-year-old Cawthorn spent his first year in Congress voicing a number of concepts worthy of note, starting with his “stop the steal” speech immediately preceding a

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SEASON

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Fake News FREAKOUT!

Trump rally on Jan. 6, 2021.

He went on to say that kids should drop out of college, that women are “earthen vessels,” that Dr. Anthony Fauci is a “demon doctor” and that he wants to gain more ground for Western North Carolina conservatives by running for reelection in a congressional district in which he does not reside.

Outrage over Cawthorn’s non-utterance triggered Twitter’s woke mob, which was quick to respond by demanding Cawthorn say something, anything — preferably controversial or incendiary — so that they could mock him by making fun of his disability, his divorce and his chin.

Cawthorn’s failure to speak the idea out loud forced cable news networks OANN and Newsmax to cancel Cawthorn’s 37 scheduled appearances that night, replacing them with a three-part, nine-hour biography of MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and a 1979 performance by country music superstar Lee Greenwood live from the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, respectively.

AREA TOURISM AGENCIES ANNOUNCE EXCITING NEW VIRTUAL TOURISM OPTION After consecutive years of record-breaking visitation, tourism development authorities in the mountain region are banding together to take the 2022 tourist season to the next level with a new virtual tourism package.

“We so deeply appreciate every person who chooses Western North Carolina as their vacation destination, but we appreciate them even more when they visit without actually coming here,” said Haywood Tourism Development Authority spokesman Kyle Perrotti. “That’s why we believe this new virtual tourism package will be a win for everybody.”

While anyone with an internet connection can visit the virtual vacation website free of charge, those who purchase the package will receive a package full of equipment to have an immersive experience that provides all the hallmarks of an authentic analogue vacation without the hassle.

Visitors will receive patented “curvy road goggles” that replicate the nausea many people experience while hurtling around mountain roads in the backseat of the family minivan, and upon “arriving” at any of the system’s designated popular hiking trails, they’ll be asked to perform a hair-raising parallel parking job along the side of a shoulderless road and spend the next halfhour navigating, step-by-step, the remaining distance to the trailhead. “There’s a really

Legislators offered a sneak peek at the latest revisions to North Carolina’s congressional maps.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

slow person driving in front of me” and “I didn’t realize I’d lose signal here” filters further enhance the experience.

“I was planning to take the family out to Bryson City this summer to tube Deep Creek and hopefully pet a bear, but once I found out about this virtual option, I cancelled the hotel reservation and put in my order immediately,” said Charlotte resident Boris McBoring. “The way I figure it, I spent good money on this couch, so why go spend a week resting my rear on rocks and picnic tables when I could just park it on this leather beauty the whole time?”

As of press time, McBoring was on his sofa, breathing heavily with exertion as he attempted a virtual hike on Alum Cave Trail.

PANT-WEARING OPTIONAL IN WNC SCHOOLS After the long and difficult battle with anti-masker parents, school boards in the region have learned their lesson. No matter the cost, school authority should not infringe on personal freedoms.

This month when parents began to raise concerns about the lack of mobility students have while wearing pants, school boards were quick to take the side of concerned parents. Pant-wearing will be optional in almost all Western North Carolina schools at the start of the new year.

“My son comes home every day tired, crying, extremely uncomfortable because he is made to wear pants all day long,” said one teary-eyed mother at the local school board meeting. “He has almost no mobility, and the staff don’t even give those kids any pants breaks. None!”

Parents are claiming the requiring of pants is an infringement on personal freedoms, bodily autonomy and simply “a step too far.”

Though pants will be optional, several school boards have issued strongly worded statements urging parents, students and staff to wear pants while indoors, on school property, for the good of the whole.

NC NOW ONLY STATE THAT DRAWS CONGRESSIONAL MAPS IN PENCIL A ruling handed down last week by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit means that maps of congressional district boundaries in North Carolina will henceforth be drawn in pencil, exclusively.

The ruling comes after some of the state’s congressional maps were subject to litigation and/or thrown out in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 as racist and/or partisan gerrymanders.

Following the 2020 census, a lengthy public hearing process on constitutionallymandated redistricting played out, with speakers of all political walks voicing their opposition to gerrymandering. At the conclusion of the process, the new maps passed by the Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly gave Republicans a 10-4 advantage in a purple state saw Republican presidential campaign victories of less than 2 points in 2020 and less than 4 points in 2016.

Ensuing lawsuits over the newest round of racist and/or partisan gerrymanders have halted candidate filing for the 2022 elections twice – thus far – and resulted in a postponement of the Primary Election from March 8 to May 17, 2022.

The “pencil only” order is, however, expected to speed up the Republican-controlled North Carolina General Assembly’s process of drawing new racist and/or partisan gerrymanders once each set of old ones are overturned by courts.

BEARS PACK PUBLIC MEETING TO PROTEST PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT, SETTLE FOR PEANUT BUTTER BUYOUT In an unprecedented display of intraspecies solidarity, all 7,000 of Western North Carolina’s resident bears descended on a Jackson County

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Congressman Madison Cawthorn (RHenderson) attempted to bring a decorative pineapple mug though airport security this past February, but the freshman Western North Carolina rep insists it was a simple mistake.

“Five months ago, while boarding a flight, Rep. Cawthorn erroneously stowed a decorative pineapple mug in his carry-on instead of his checked bag,” reads a statement from Cawthorn’s comms team regarding the incident.

Outrage over Cawthorn’s possession of a decorative pineapple mug in an airport triggered Twitter’s woke mob, many of whom opined that responsible decorative pineap-

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ple mug owners don’t simply “forget” where their decorative pineapple mugs are stowed and that Cawthorn should be prohibited from owning or possessing decorative pineapple mugs in the future.

Cable news network OANN immediately interrupted its new cooking-themed “Recipes of the Insurrection” program to launch 24-hour coverage of “decorative pineapple mug-gate,” while Newsmax hastily unveiled its “Cawthorn-athon,” an uninterrupted panel discussion on the constitutional rights of decorative pineapple mug owners, helmed by attorneys Lin Wood, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani and Lionel Hutz.

MAGGIE VALLEY, GATEWAY TO RETIREMENT In a last-ditch effort to stall construction at Ghost Town in the Sky and get rid of RV parks and campgrounds once and for all, Maggie Valley has decided to redraw DOT improvements for Soco Road to include a gateway to the town.

Construction will take place just past the turn into Jonathan Creek, which residents of Maggie Valley have decided is the ideal location for RV parks, campgrounds and affordable housing.

“This isn’t a ‘not in my backyard’ situation,” said one proponent of the plan. “It’s

more of a … ‘it fits better in your backyard’ kind of thing.”

Entry through the gate and into the town of Maggie Valley will require proof of retirement and citizenship but is subject to the discretion of the guard on duty. Though thrilled about their latest endeavor to keep growth and development out of what will soon be called “Maggie Valley, Gateway to Retirement,” town officials are concerned at the viability of keeping non-retirees from passing through the gate as there will only be retirees available to work shifts at the entry.

In the case that non-retirees are able to slip past the astute guards, the town plans to have a generally unwelcoming, and at times hostile, environment to discourage folks from wanting to enter the moribund community.

MAN VOWS TO BOYCOTT LOCAL NEWSPAPER AFTER READING NON-VIEWPOINT-AFFIRMING JOKE Waynesville resident Graham Grumperson has vowed to never pick up another issue of “that filthy rag best used as kitty litter” — his personal term of endearment for The Smoky Mountain News — after reading a disturbing joke in the paper’s annual Spoof Awards and Fake

News Freakout edition.

Grumperson reported that he’d been paging through the lighthearted issue while enjoyably chuckling at joke after joke that seemed to cater to his pre-existing beliefs and positions. That’s when he came across a barb that appeared to poke fun at one aspect of his self-confirmed worldview instead of — as should occur in a righteous and orderly world — using those other people as the butt of the joke.

“I couldn’t believe that the paper would print something like that, implying that there’s anything funny at all about my way of being and doing,” Grumperson said.

“Frankly, it’s irresponsible to do so, when those other people are out there thinking all those other things that are so much worse for truth and democracy and humanity and happiness and rainbows and smiles. Not to mention babies! Think of the children!”

Grumperson is putting his deep offense into action and has vowed to never purchase another issue of the free community newspaper. However, he said, he may someday agree to start reading the opinion section again, so long as his wife first tears out any letters written by people who are wrong.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn somehow not in news this week (see TWITTER WOKE MOB, p. 65)

Smoky Mountain News

DECORATIVE PINEAPPLE MUG

Affordable housing. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

REP. MADISON CAWTHORN STOPPED AT TSA WITH

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Planning Board meeting last week to protest a slate of proposed developments and associated anti-garbage buffet policies.

Bearing cardboard signs with words etched in jelly, the bears brandished slogans such as “We’ll camp out until you pack out,” and “No man caves in our bear caves.”

“We may be a minority in this county, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a voice,” said the bears’ leader, later identified as Joseph “Brother” Berenstain. “As proposed, this development would render all my favorite beehives worthless, and don’t get me started on Blueberry Hill.

We’re here, and we’re not leaving until you vote no to this atrocity!”

Berenstain spoke to a mostly empty room, as those in attendance for the quasijudicial hearing, which county ordinance required prior to approving such development requests, fled the room at the sight of 7,000 bears headed their way. The board, however, was trapped at the back of the room and unable to leave.

“So, I can’t do that, Mr. Berenstein, since county ordinance states a quasi-judicial hearing must be held before any definitive vote, and unfortunately you’ve scared away all the lawyers,” said Chairman Mark Letson, a definitive tremble in his voice.

“But after the proper noticing period for a rescheduled hearing we can certainly take this matter up again.”

“No!” Berenstein roared. “Vote no now!”

The board members looked at each other, uncertain of what to do, until Planning Board Member Emily Moss had an idea.

“Here!” she said. “Have some crackers!”

Moss produced a handful of peanut butter crackers from her purse, displaying them to the crowd of bears before hurling them out the open window. Smelling the peanut butter, the bears began to salivate and rushed out the door in hopes of scoring one of the delicious treats. When the last bear left, Planning Director Mike Poston locked the door, then duct-taped it, and then barricaded it. Brian Barwatt hurriedly moved to end the meeting, with a second from Joyce Cooper.

Letson banged his gavel.

“Meeting adjourned.”

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Opinion How valuable is the survival of local news?

Smoky Mountain News

“A democracy ceases to be a democracy if its citizens do not participate in its governance. To participate intelligently, they must know what their government has done, is doing and plans to do in their name. Whenever any hindrance, no matter what its name, is placed in the way of this information, a democracy is weakened, and its future endangered. This is the meaning of freedom of press.

It is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.”

— Walter Cronkite I’ll get out of this business while it still is a viable business.

I’ve fed that line to dozens of people over the last few years, but what about my friends and colleagues who remain in the journalism profession? And what about voters and taxpayers and our civic dialogue?

A we enter 2022 and I stare at my 62-year-old self every day in the mirror, I’m obsessing on the future of this industry and all the people who could be affected by its decline.

Mostly, I worry that our country will suffer if local news outlets go away. That sounds heady, but all I ask is for people who do care about their communities to look around and wonder what it would be like to have no credible local news sources?

There are several studies out there to look at, but the truth is the United States has lost about 2,000 newspapers over the last 15 to 20 years. Those same studies have also shown that when communities lose local news coverage, governments impose higher taxes, take more risks with tax money, voter participation declines, and community engagement in civic

affairs drops precipitously. The news deserts are too plentiful, and those citizens suffer for it.

It’s obvious, though, that there is a much larger and fundamental problem looming in the world of mass media than the decline of print journalism: it’s the decline in being able to determine truth from lies.

Print journalism and regular newsrooms — even those at all digital organizations like the Huffington Post or BuzzFeed — are regarded as old and stodgy in today’s fast-paced social Editor media environment when news and cultural events are blasted instantaneously into the digital world and then take on a life of their own. But the fact is that the journalism standards that have evolved over the last 100 years since the heyday of sensational yellow journalism have served this country well.

We try to be fair and impartial in our news coverage. We will always correct a mistake. We value readers and their input into stories and what we should cover. We work to make sure important issues are discussed in the public sphere, which we hope helps citizens and leaders make better decisions that will improve our quality of life.

All credible news organizations make the distinction between news and opinion very clear. And none of us in local media claim to be anything close to perfect. We make mis-

Scott McLeod

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takes, and the quality from one organization to the next varies. But we always try to improve, to fix what’s wrong and we always are held accountable by you, the readers.

And therein lies the value of local news organizations versus so much of what is found online — we admit our vulnerabilities and don’t try to bash anyone and then slip behind the wall of anonymity offered to everyone in the digital arena.

We’re there at the next meeting, at the next public hearing, in line behind you at the grocery store.

Anonymity and distance are also what helps many online purveyors of news distort reality, making it difficult to ascertain fact from fiction. By now we’ve all heard the term “echo chamber,” that online place where any of us can have any crazy idea about some issue or some politicization validated.

It’s a sad state.

News gathering organizations have faced all kinds of challenges, ranging from online media giants monopolizing digital advertising, corporate ownership, social media and just the cost of doing business. We love it when we see stories from The Smoky Mountain News on Google’s news feed, but we get nothing for it.

I got into this business because that intersection of local news stories and public policy thrilled me, because I felt it was important for people to know what was going on and be able to take part in the discussions about the place they call home.

There will always be a need for informed public discourse.

Happy New Year.

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

Universal intelligence and hope for the New Year

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life and where I want to go.

Two books within the past month have been especially influential. One is called “Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype”

by Jungian analyst, author and poet Clarissa Pinkola Estés.

In this book, she writes of the animal that lives inside all women and how when it is suppressed through cultural, social or familial conColumnist ditioning, women often experience depression, restlessness and even anger at others in her life.

The animalistic nature manifests as creativity. Through art, writing, poetry, dance, music, design work or gardening, women can tap into that wild side. This book resonated with me because there have been numerous times in my life where I’ve felt very restless if my creativity is being suppressed or suffocated. Listening to this book was a good reminder to nurture that part of me; otherwise, I suffer the consequences.

The other book is called “You’re a Badass”

by Jen Sincero. In this one the author digs deep into the concept of universal intelligence. Bear with me here because this philosophy can sound a little woo woo, but I’ve felt

Susanna Shetley

read a quote recently by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones that said, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.”

When I reflect upon my life, as we often do at the end of one year and the beginning of another, I can think of a number of influential people who’ve come and gone from my world, many of whom affected the trajectory.

I also think of the powerful books I’ve read.

With a mom who was a librarian and a dad who was an English teacher, books were a significant part of my childhood. Each afternoon, while waiting for my mom to finish filing library cards and preparing the space for the following day, I would walk up and down the aisles perusing book spines, often pulling one out to read or skim the pages.

Through high school, college and adulthood, I’ve continued as an avid reader and love both tangible and audio books. Before Audible, I listened to numerous audio books while driving, those thick plastic cases full of CDs or cassette tapes a permanent fixture on the passenger seat of my car.

Now that Audible is an option, I have a monthly membership and typically run out of credits before the month’s end. Over the past few years, I’ve listened to a slew of novels, as well as inspirational and self-help books, mostly by female authors. I love this latter type of genre. It never fails to leave me invigorated and motivated to assess where I am in

the power of universal intelligence and you can too, if you allow it.

Essentially, universal intelligence is that which is bigger than our limited mind. It’s the force of the universe, which will guide us in the direction we desire if we can stay quiet and observant long enough to catch the signs.

Other names for universal intelligence are luck, coincidences, miracles, intuition or a divine guidance. Basically, it’s that which helps us accomplish what may seem impossible in light of physical limitations in our everyday world.

While it is accessible to everyone, it’s tricky to tap into. The distractions, thoughts, stressors, emotional turmoil and general chaos of modern life can constrict our access.

To tap into this important inner voice, try the following exercise. Get quiet and still, wait five minutes to let the surface, trivial thoughts bounce in and out of your mind, then begin to focus on your breathing. From a still mind, formulate and release a question or issue on which you seek insight. An example would be, “Is this the right choice for me to make?”

Once the question is released, project your awareness out into the world like an everexpanding bubble. Listen for answers in the stillness and look for answers in the outer world through messages, interactions, an inner whisper, a song lyric, movie scene or anywhere else. You simply must be aware.

Further, tune into your body and feelings.

If a step or decision feels good to your body, if

it gives you a sensation of warmth or positivity, go with it. If a choice, commitment or action makes you feel anxious or brings tightness in your chest, reconsider. Finally, you must trust the messages. Trust your gut. Trust your heart. Trust your body.

You may be rolling your eyes right now thinking, “I have to get kids to school, work an eight-hour shift on my feet all day, then feed kids dinner and get them to bed. Who has time to tap into universal intelligence?”

My advice is to make the time. Start with just a few minutes of quiet time. Five minutes of quiet time per day can make a world of difference. Begin with one small decision you’re struggling with and go from there.

Remember, universal intelligence is available to everyone.

As we embark on a new year, I encourage you to read more books, engage with charismatic, positive, creative people, and work to tap into the endless reservoir of universal intelligence that’s anxiously waiting to guide you in the right direction.

The last two years have been consecutive Pandora’s boxes and we may be in store for a third. With that being said, there is one encouraging quote we can hang onto it. It says, “And as all the undesirable contents left the jar, Pandora catches hope before it can escape.”

(Susanna Barbee is an editor, writer and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com).

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

Smoky Mountain News

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effort into making these shows happen.

It’s extra visual elements going on and some gags around New Year’s Eve, which are really fun and exciting to plan. We’ve been able to kind of see our vision through in a larger sense. So, it’s not just fun covers, we’re also able to bring in some extra elements that the crowd would never expect.

DAWN A NEW DAY

Greg Ormont of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR n the long, storied history of jam bands and the rollicking aura of time and space surrounding each unique musical entity, comes the notion of artistic themes and pure mischief at the hands of those on both sides of the microphone.

For Baltimore, Maryland-based group Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, the quartet is wellregarded for its keen sense of self, one of immense improvisational talent, and also using its platform to elevate not only its sound and scope, but also the experience of the listener in the midst of a performance — a sacred setting where Pigeons truly shine as a pillar of the modern jam era.

And with its annual New Year’s Eve celebration just around the corner, the band is once again calling the Harrah’s Cherokee Center– Asheville its headquarters for another goround of its highly-anticipated pranks, costumes and song selections — all amid an unfolding scene of music and madness only found at a live show.

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.

Smoky Mountain News: Pigeons is based out of Baltimore. How would you describe that scene? What makes it unique?

Greg Ormont (lead singer/guitarist): The club that like everyone goes to here is the 8x10. It’s a tight room, about 350-person capacity. But, it really feels like 200. And that’s where you see the same people every time. So, while it’s not a massive jam scene, it’s certainly tight-knit, which is what I think sets our scene apart.

When I moved to Maryland for college, my guitarist, who grew up here, would take me to the 8x10 all the time. We’d catch The Bridge (a legendary Baltimore jam/rock act) shows where it was sold out every week — and every week was different, no repeats.

Eventually, The Bridge sort of passed the torch to us when they started playing less. And we got to do some residencies at the 8x10 [to fill that jam-band void]. It’s where we started playing theme shows more regularly. So, as we talk about our upcoming New Year’s Eve show in Asheville, we’ve been doing themes for well over 10 years, with part of the reason doing those 8x10 shows.

With those New Year’s Eve shows, we had to push ourselves musically to create some new cover ideas or teases or mashups of our own songs — to not only stretch our material, but make it exciting for the fans, and for us.

And it’s been so much fun that we still do it to this day.

Want to go?

Beloved jam-band Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will hit the stage for “Arena 54 New Year’s Eve: An Intergalactic Disco Celebration” at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, in the ExploreAsheville.com Arena at Harrah’s Cherokee Center–Asheville.

Openers for the Dec. 31 concert will be Keller Williams and Funk You. In preparation for the holiday showcase of sound and spectacle, there will be an intimate kick off concert at 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 30, at The Orange Peel in Asheville.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to pigeonsplayingpingpong.com and click on the “Tour” tab.

SMN: And I would surmise at the core of the ethos of the band is always challenging yourself — musically and artistically.

GO: Oh, absolutely. I mean, we have a lot of songs now. It would be very easy to stop writing and ride the songs that people know and play less unique sets. But, frankly, that’s just not fun.

Each time we play, it’s fun. But, it’s the most exciting when we’re doing something new, which goes for the band as well as the fans — it’s the ethos of the jam scene. With these particular theme shows, we put a lot of time and

SMN: Why is the spectacle aspect of your shows so important?

GO: Well, we’ve been inspired by the bands that came before us. And I also come from a theater background. So, as a kid, I did plays and musicals. I’m very comfortable with costume changes, big crafts and the visual aesthetics.

But, I would say, more than any of that, our inspiration comes from the band Phish. Before Pigeons started playing our New Year’s Eve shows, guitarist Jeremy [Schon] and I would see Phish for New Year’s — every year, no matter where they were. And we’ve seen some really cool gags and visual elements at those shows that stuck with us for life.

With New Year’s Eve, I think people pour a lot of expectation and excitement into it. We kind of take it as our job to exceed those expectations and to make it more of a spectacle — something beyond just a balloon drop, something more to write home about, this really exciting memory.

It’s a task we don’t take lightly. It feels like an honor to be able to kick off someone’s year, and that they trust us in showing them a great time. We want to make good on that expectation, and also scratch all of those creative itches as musicians and creators of the moment — it’s a beautiful thing.

SMN: Your band name comes from experiments by famed psychologist B.F. Skinner, in regards to his “principle of reinforcement.”

How does that theory play into what we love about live music and art?

GO: That’s a really interesting question. I don’t know if anyone’s ever asked me that, and I can tell you, I’ve been asked about the band name more times than I can remember.

Well, I mean the process of teaching pigeons to play ping pong is about establishing habits, and those habits can be positive habits, too. And I think, as it relates to live music, we’ve all grown to trust ourselves to be open to new music, to be vulnerable or amongst likeminded people to try new things. And the habit that forms from that is really rewarding.

If you take a risk on a new band and you give it a genuine shot, typically your reward will be a great time. And that goes for meeting friends, at live shows and just living life, in general.

If you respond to the positive stimuli, you get positive results, just like when B.F. Skinner flashed a light in front of a bird to make them hit a ball. The crux of all that is, at least with human nature, you’ll get shown the stimulus.

You’ll get flashed the light, but it’s your choice if you’re going to take the bait — to take the ride and get the reward.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

The summit of Poke-O-Moonshine. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

When the winter comes, keep the fires lit, and I will be right next to you

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Americana/rock act Arnold Hill will be hitting the stage for a special “New Year’s Day Bash” at 9 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 1, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in downtown Waynesville.

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The 8th annual “New Year’s Eve Ruby Drop” celebration will kick off at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, on Main Street in Franklin.

2 3 4

Western Carolina University’s Dulcimer U will hold its annual Winter Weekend event Jan. 6-9 in the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska.

Stayat

Maggie Valley Club & Resort thisWinter!

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

The popular “Keyboards After Christmas” piano ensemble concert will return as an in-person event at 6 p.m. Jan. 8 and 4 p.m. Jan. 9 at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville.

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Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Anna Barnes (Americana) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 30.

walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Eventually, I was far enough into the forest where the trails were untouched by humans.

The only tracks seen were of passerby critters. I came across rabbit tracks intersecting with fox tracks intersecting with deer tracks, only to then spot dog paws with no human footprints, which means hunting dogs during a recent black powder outing.

I thought of all my past runs around this place and how different the trails look each time: spring, summer, fall, winter. I thought of my dad, who still jogs here a couple times

Smoky Mountain News

ll bundled up and sitting on the frozen, snowy summit of Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain in the heart of the Adirondacks of Upstate New York on Christmas Eve, I let out a sigh, my breath visible in the 12-degree weather.

It wasn’t a sigh of frustration, more so of the heaviness of the year, which always seems to roll into you like a wave crashing to shore when New Year’s Eve appears on your radar. It was a sigh of being able to push through, and to seek the silver linings in a world seemingly gone mad.

Poke-O-Moonshine is a serene and steep climb through the silent snow and ice pack: 3.2 miles roundtrip with a 1,279-foot elevation gain. The old abandoned fire tower at the top is still holding steady, as per usual in this frozen landscape we call the North Country.

Atop the summit on Christmas Eve, thinking about everyone in my life, wherever they may be in this universe. Love to each and every single one of you. My heart and soul were filled with gratitude to be able to climb that damn mountain, to pursue a life that fulfills my creative urges in the realm of the written word, to surround myself with friends and family second-to-none.

A day or so later, I stopped at Wickham Marsh (Port Kent, New York) for a sunset trail run. One of my go-to spots to disappear into the woods. The parking lot was empty at this state wildlife management area. Just me and my thoughts along silent, snowy backwoods trails.

For the first half-mile or so, there are tracks evident of cross-country skiers, dog

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animal) flying over my position. It was serendipitous and wondrous to cross paths with the black crow just when I feel like I'm at an existential crossroads in the grand scheme of things. I looked up and smiled at the majestic bird. Again, gratitude for the moment at-hand.

Yesterday, I wandered into Point Au Roche State Park (Plattsburgh, New York).

I've been swimming there and enjoying the beaches since I was a toddler, running its vast trail system since middle school. It is my true physical and spiritual refuge when I'm back home in my native North Country.

Another sunset run, trotting down snowy trails and once again alongside the 107-mile long Lake Champlain, a massive body of fresh water I grew up on and yearn for whenever I'm far away from here. In another month, it’ll be frozen-over. For now, the waves hit the shoreline and recede back, over and over again.

My restless mind, body and soul mulling over endless thoughts and visions with 2021 coming to a close. A new, fresh and unmarked calendar to be hung on the walls of my memory. The sounds of my running shoes crunching through thick snow and ice, the cold Arctic air swooping down from nearby Canada.

I think of you (and you, too) out there, wherever you may be in the here and now. I hope you find peace and serenity in your own respective journey as, like clockwork, the ball drops in Times Square and we wind up another unknown year yet again.

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

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

a week. He will turn 80 this coming March.

And I thought of my late Uncle Scott, who used to live nearby and head for these trails for a run, too. He's buried just down the road in the snow-covered ground, his soul somewhere out there in the ether. I hope he's at peace wherever he roams these days in the great beyond. It was then in that moment, I realized that I was wearing his old running tights and windbreaker. At the far end of one of the trails, it was thick ice over a small pond and trickling river where it was mud and mosquitoes just this past July on my last trek through there.

Circling back to the truck, I let out another big sigh, my breath again visible in the cold December air. It wasn't a sigh of sadness, but one of sincere and genuine gratitude: for this day, this run, this place, this moment in time and space of solitude in nature.

And it was this past Sunday when I found myself on Bloomingdale Bog Trail (Bloomingdale, New York). An old railroad line now used by outdoor enthusiasts yearround, I jumped on it as the sun began to fade. Just about 29 degrees with a light snowfall. Had the whole place to myself, not a soul around.

The trail goes for miles and miles into the depths of the Adirondack wilderness. Silence except for the crunch of my running shoes atop a thick snow and ice pack. Jogging through a tunnel of tall pine trees in the ancient forest. At one point, I heard an owl hooting in the distance.

When I turned around and started back to the truck, I saw a black crow (my spirit

1819 Country Club Drive, Maggie Valley, NC

M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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On the beat arts & entertainment

‘Dulcimer U’ winter weekend Anne Lough.

Arnold Hill.

‘New Year’s Day Bash’

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

Americana/rock act Arnold Hill will be hitting the stage for a special “New Year’s Day Bash” at 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 1, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in downtown Waynesville.

With its recent debut album, “Back to Life,” Arnold Hill sets to change the tone and tempo of what folks might expect on a given night onstage at their nearby bars and breweries in our mountain communities.

Formed in 2011, the Jackson County band is named after a road in Sylva where the musicians lived and practiced. In method, Arnold Hill adheres to the playful nature and creative possibilities that reside in a trio.

The unique formation can be a tricky line to balance, where you have enough space to explore musically, but also the same amount of space to expose vulnerabilities.

The show is free and open to the public. For more information on the group, click on arnoldhillband.com. You can purchase “Back to Life” on all online streaming services.

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Interested in learning the dulcimer?

The Pic’ & Play Mountain Dulcimer Players will be resuming in-person jam sessions at the St. John’s Episcopal Church basement fellowship hall in Sylva.

The group welcomes all beginners and experienced dulcimer players, including mountain (lap) dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players. Songs played include traditional mountain tunes, hymns, and more modern music. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of every month in the basement of St. John’s.

‘Keyboards After Christmas’ returns The popular “Keyboards After Christmas” piano ensemble concert will return as an in-person event at 6 p.m. Jan. 8 and 4 p.m. Jan. 9 at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville.

The program will also be recorded and released on Facebook and YouTube.

Although admission is free, tickets will be required for those who attend the concert.

Because of COVID, attendance is being limited to 250 per concert.

Pic’ & Play has been playing together since 1995. The more experienced members welcome new players, help them navigate their instruments, and guide them through some of the basics of tuning, strumming, and playing.

The mountain dulcimer, also known as a fretted dulcimer or a lap dulcimer, is a uniquely American instrument. It evolved from the German scheitholz sometime in the early 1800s in Appalachia and was largely known only in this region until popularized more broadly in the 1950s.

For more information, call Kathy Jaqua at 828.349.3930 or Don Selzer at 828.293.0074.

Tickets will be made available to the public beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 28, and can be picked up at the First Baptist Church office, which is open Tuesdays through Thursdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets must be picked up and will not be held at the door.

This year’s players are Anna Watson, Carol Brown, Craig Summers, Diane Combs, Hilda Ryan, Jerri Meigs, Kathy Sheppard, Kaye Sebastyn, Marna Dodson, Sarah Smith and Mary Ann Cooper.

For more information call 828.456.9465.

Western Carolina University’s Dulcimer U will hold its annual Winter Weekend event Jan. 6-9 in the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska.

“This event is for the beginner dulcimer player all the way to advanced players,” said Bobby Hensley, associate director of continuing education. “This is a wonderful weekend of music and fellowship and a great way to learn more about the mountain dulcimer.”

Participants will be able to choose classes based on their skill level during registration.

The registration fee will be $199 per person.

The fee for non-participating guests is $20.

Directors are Elaine and Larry Conger, with instructors Keith Watson, Ruth Barber, Jeff Furman, Anne Lough and Jim Miller.

Accommodations, classes and meals will all be located at the Lambuth Inn. Participants will need to book their room separate from their registration by calling the Lambuth Inn at 800.222.4930.

University COVID-19 guidelines will be followed during class time. For more information and to register, visit dulcimeru.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

On the beat

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Free and open to the public. For more information, click on blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and a “New Year’s Day Bash” w/Arnold Hill (rock/jam) Jan. 1. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations required.

828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Syrrup Jan. 7 and Alma Russ (indie/folk) Jan. 14. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Scott James Stambaugh Dec. 31. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m.

828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host a “New Year’s Eve Celebration” w/Arnold Hill (rock/jam) starting at 8 p.m. Dec. 31. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Alma Russ (indie/folk) Jan. 15. All shows begin at

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Blackjack Country Dec. 30, a “New Year’s Party” w/Carolina Freightshakers Dec. 31, Live Karaoke in the Smokies Jan. 6, Brian Ashley Jones Jan. 7 and The UpBeats Jan. 8.

All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host a WNC Artist Spotlight Open Mic Dec. 29, Anna Barnes (Americana) Dec. 30 and New Year’s Eve w/Ryles Monroe 9:30 p.m. Dec. 31. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.369.4080 or coweeschool.org.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

arts & entertainment

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday.

Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

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On the wall

arts & entertainment

On the street

Want to paint, sip craft beer?

RUBY DROP

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

The 8th annual “New Year’s Eve Ruby Drop” celebration will kick off at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, on Main Street in Franklin. The drop itself will be at 9 p.m. Presented by the Motor Co. Grill & Crabtree General Store. The event is free and open to the public. franklin-chamber.com.

wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.

• “Dillsboro After Five” will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in downtown Dillsboro. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. .mountainlovers.com.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events,

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva.

828.631.3075.

ALSO:

FREE

Robin Arramae of WNC Paint Events will be continuing her fun paint nights to bring you not only a “night out” but an experience that lifts your spirits.

Join others as Arramae shows you step-by-step how to paint a beginner level painting of the evening as you sip on your favorite local craft beer. This two-hour event should have you feeling better than you felt before you came. And you leave with a painting you created.

Events will be held at the following locations: 828 Market on Main (Waynesville), Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva), BearWaters Brewing (Canton) and Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City).

Please visit WNC Paint Events (@paintwnc) Facebook page, under “Events” for date and time of upcoming events. For pictures of previous events visit Arramae’s Instagram: @wnc_paint_events.

For pricing and to sign up, text Arramae at 828.400.9560. Space is limited. Drinks sold separately.

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. For more information, call The Uptown Gallery at 828.349.4607 or contact Pat Mennenger at

ALSO:

• “Art Works @ The Library,” a collaborative program between the Haywood County Public Library system and the Haywood County Arts Council, is currently showcasing works by artist Cayce Moyer at the Canton Library.

Working in traditional and mixed media, Moyer blends the worlds of high-brow and low-brow work. Classically trained at Savannah College of Art and Design, her portfolio includes drawing, sculpture, illustration, graphic design, murals, and set prop painting.

Voted #1 in Haywood County

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pm14034@yahoo.com. See more about Macon County Art Association at franklinuptowngallery.com and like, follow and share the Uptown Gallery on Facebook.

• Jesse Adair Dallas will be showing his artwork at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin through the month of December.

Open to the public. For more information, email jesse@enjoyarttoday.com.

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On the shelf

South: The Fight for Native Plants on the Brink of Extinction” (The University of North Carolina Press-Chapel Hill, 2021, 256 pages) might help get them through the cold evenings of January and February. Here

Jeff Minick

Elmore Leonard’s “Glitz ”and Louisa May Alcott’s “A Long Fatal Love Chase.” Farther along, we find Ray Bradbury chiding W.H. Auden for altering a poem.

I did have two quarrels with this collec-

a valuable book for those who enjoy reading about regional history as well as conservation of our natural landscape.

And for parents and teachers looking for creative ways to interest your students in reading, spelling, and writing, check out “Bringing Up Bookmonsters: The Joyful Way to Turn Your Child into a Fearless, Ravenous Reader” (The Experiment LLC, 2021, 278 pages). Here Amber and Andy Ankowski offer scores of ideas to make literature and reading fun and attractive to children. Their lively approach can be seen in the opening sentences of the book’s Introduction: Cover yourself in khaki and throw on one of those big, round explorer hats. Because we’re about to go on an adventure.

Past mountains of dirty laundry…

Across carpets boobytrapped with tiny toy landmines…

And deep into the lair of the legendary, elusive creature known as the bookmonster!

Georgann Banks points readers to 10 wild plants in danger of disappearing forever from our Southern landscape. Banks interviews botanists and conservationists attempting to protect these plants, takes us along with them into valleys and hills as they search for these beauties, and gives us the history behind the plants and the region in which they grow. Photographs of these men and women of science, and the native plants they are attempting to protect, add much to this narrative.

Also enhancing “Saving the Wild South” is Banks’s calm and clear but passionate prose. She is a fine writer who ably blends past and present into her story, making this

Smoky Mountain News

tion. First, it badly needs an index. I wanted to see whether the editors, or for that matter, The New York Times, had included certain writers in this salute to literature, in particular Pat Conroy, Anne Tyler, and James Lee Burke, but had no way to discover them here except by flipping through the last 50 pages or so.

And those last 50 pages seemed to me laced with political correctness. Here were lots of female authors and writers of color from America and from around the world, but white guys? There weren’t enough of them included to make up a game of poker.

For those who spend the winter dreaming of spring and flowers, “Saving the Wild

The bookmonsters are children, of course, “curious, imaginative, and able to keep themselves entertained for hours.”

Drawing on their professional experiences — Amber teaches children’s language and cognitive development at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Andy is an award-winning advertising creative director — and from lessons learned from their own children, the Ankowskis cover everything from enticing kids to read to family conversations at mealtime that help develop vocabulary. The “Bookshelf ” at the end of “Bringing Up Bookmonsters” contains a solid selection of recommendations of good children’s literature.

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning As I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” minick0301@gmail.com.)

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

Let’s kick off 2022 with a bunch of books.

You may have already boxed up the ornaments and carried the tree to the curb, but it’s still not too late in the holiday season to enjoy Shelley Shepard Gray’s “A Christmas Courtship” (Simon & Schuster, 2021, 306 pages). Set in Amish country, this romance novel features several courtships and budWriter ding relationships, including one between woodworker Atle Petersheim and his long-time heartthrob Sadie Mast, a widow and mother of three who is unaware of Atle’s attraction when she asks him to build a bedroom for her oldest son.

So how did an old guy like me get hooked into reading a romance novel? I don’t remember the initial impulse that prompted me to take it to the library’s check-out desk, but I’m glad I read this book. It gave me a break from the ugly headlines and bitter politics of our public square, and reading a book where violence and obscenity are absent was a delight. One scene that did amuse me occurred when a librarian encourages the shy bachelor Atle to read a romance novel for tips and advice on the ways of courtship. He is profoundly embarrassed by the book, hiding it away as he leaves the bookmobile, and I found his discomfort amusing, as like him I was reading a romance novel.

Best of all, no one in “A Christmas Courtship” asked the question: “Are you vaxxed?”

On that same trip to the library, I brought home “The New York Times Book Review: 125 Years of Literary History” (The New York Times Company, 2021, 368 pages). Edited by Tina Jordan with Nor Quasim, this weighty volume should delight bibliophiles. The editors have included a history of how the Times Book Review came into being, but the bulk of the book gives readers sample reviews, reflections on various writers, and a boatload of photographs and illustrations.

The “Times Book Review” is definitely a dipper book, meaning visitors can turn to any page at random and begin their explorations. On page 243, we learn that Stephen King, master of the horror novel, reviewed books for years for The Times, including

arts & entertainment

Reading our way into the New Year

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Smoky Mountain News

Outdoors

Five ways public lands won big in 2021 will boost tourism, economic development and quality of life in the mountain mill town.

The full master plan is expected to take about two years to build out and includes backcountry hiking and biking trails, overnight shelters, a playground and picnic pavilion, event lawn, greenway trail and more — all located adjacent to U.S. 23 just about 2 miles from downtown.

“The impact that it can have on us and the quality of life,” said Town Manager Nick Scheuer, “can’t be overstated.”

BIKING THE PLOTT BALSAMS

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS EDITOR or Western North Carolina’s outdoor enthusiasts, a toast to 2021 means a toast to the impressive slate of conservation successes that took place on the region’s public lands this year.

The challenges associated with welcoming ever-increasing numbers of new users to these backcountry gems aren’t going anywhere, as evidenced by crowded parking areas, toilet paper flowers and granola bar wrappers along trails, and continued — and sometimes violent — human-bear conflicts.

But today, we’re celebrating the good — newly conserved lands, expanded trail systems and volunteers who take it upon themselves to keep this beautiful region looking its best. As 2021 draws to a close, it turns out that there’s plenty to celebrate.

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ANTICIPATION ON CHESTNUT MOUNTAIN Canton’s Chestnut Mountain Nature Park project started the year out as a major headline, with Asheville YouTuber Seth Alvo calling on his subscribers in December 2020 to help fund a top-of-the-line bike skills park on a section of the 450-acre property. By February, he’d raised more than enough to fund the $200,000 project, and now Berm Park is all but finished, waiting until spring for final touches and a grand opening.

Berm Park is just one aspect of the larger vision for Chestnut Mountain, which Canton’s leaders see as a game-changer that

Grass and flowers are growing tall on Max Patch after new rules went into effect cracking down on overuse of the area. Holly Kays photo A bear crosses I-40 using a large culvert originally installed with just water in mind, not wildlife.

Wildlands Network/National Parks Conservation Association photo

The past year saw some confident strides forward in an effort to build the highest-elevation biking trail east of the Mississippi on 912 acres of ridgetop land in Jackson County.

Conserved in 2019 through a complex agreement involving the Town of Sylva, Jackson County, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Mainspring Conservation Trust, The Conservation Fund and private donors, the land is owned partly by Sylva and partly by the EBCI. Both governments agreed to work with Nantahala Area SORBA to develop concepts for a trail system there, which the nonprofit unveiled in February.

In a first-of-its-kind arrangement between the two governments, the EBCI and the Town of Sylva agreed to enter into a joint master planning process that will envision a single, cohesive trail system for the two properties rather than dividing it into two separate projects down the property line.

A master plan is expected to be complete by early 2022. Then will come the search for funding and, eventually, new trails in the Plott Balsams.

MAX PATCH MAKEOVER A viral drone photo taken in September 2020 showed the beloved bald in the Pisgah National Forest trampled down and covered with tents, blankets and trash — and that image spurred a surge of action.

This summer, the U.S. Forest Service issued a slate of new rules for recreation at Max Patch, most notably banning camping, large groups and off-leash dogs. And as pandemic fears eased, the Carolina Mountain Club reinstated a program it had begun just prior to COVID-19 that stations a volunteer at the trailhead, tasked with answering visitor questions and making sure everyone’s aware of the rules.

That all seemed to have an impact. Nearly a year to the day after the infamous photo was taken, grass and wildflowers had reclaimed the mountain. The crowds of picnickers and partiers had disappeared, replaced by smaller groups of hikers grateful for the restored experience.

“I actually saw birds fly,” said

Fire ant quarantine area expands

was planning to replace five bridges in the corridor — offering Safe Passage an unprecedented opportunity to impact infrastructure that will be around for decades.

The Harmon Den bridge at Exit 7, the first of the five, is under construction now and is scheduled Seth Alvo, the Asheville YouTuber who for completion in spearheaded the Berm Park project, May 2023. The flies off one of the course’s most bridge crosses impressive obstacles. Holly Kays photo Cold Springs Creek, and its underside will feature two purpose-made paths — one on either side of the stream — to allow animals to move from one side to the other. A 9foot fence will guide animals away from traffic and under the bridge. The structure will be the first of its kind in the state.

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The state quarantine area for the imported fire ant has expanded once more to include all of Granville and portions of Caswell and Person counties, meaning that 79 of the state’s 100 counties are now included in the quarantine area.

The imported fire ant was first identified in Brunswick County in 1957. As it spread and

became established, it was recognized as an aggressive pest of farmlands, pastures, residential areas and wildlife, and its painful sting makes it a nuisance and health concern to people, livestock and wildlife. In quarantine areas, residents and business owners need a permit to move plants, sod or related equipment into or through non-infested areas. In Western North Carolina, the quarantine area includes Jackson, Macon, Clay, Cherokee and Graham counties but excludes Swain, Haywood, Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe and Madison.

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

Mike Wurman, who took the 2020 drone photo. “I’ve never seen birds up here, because there’s always too many people.”

Wurman spoke while performing trail work during a National Public Lands Day event that drew 50 people to come help

PARKS with projects aiming to keep Max Patch beautiful. Their presence was a testament to the significance the place holds for so many people, and to the need for community buyin to safeguard the experience it offers.

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A collaborative effort that’s been gaining steam since 2017 got its first big win this year when the N.C. Department of Transportation announced that the bridge replacing the existing crossing at Exit 7 of Interstate 40 would include an underpass specifically for wildlife.

Safe Passage: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project, is a group of two dozen federal, state, tribal and nongovernmental organizations dedicated to providing safe ways for wildlife to cross I-40 and other area roadways. The organization spent its first two years collecting data on just how many animals die while crossing the highway in the Pigeon River Gorge, but during that period it started talking with the DOT and discovered that the agency

For the first time in more than three years, the state got a new budget in 2021 — and it included more than $500 million in funding for parks, trails and conservation projects over the next two years.

Included in that funding is $12.2 million to help buy the 2.5 square miles of former ranch property in Haywood and Buncombe counties that will one day become Pisgah View State Park, along with $29.25 million for a new Complete the Trail Fund, whose mission is to plan, build, promote and maintain North Carolina’s 12 official state trails. With $91 million for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and $100 million for the N.C. Land and Water Fund in the next two years — above the recurring funding those programs already receive — local projects are sure to get some dollars too as those organizations progress through their upcoming grant cycles.

“I think the pandemic showed us how much people want to be outside and need to be outside,” said Reid Wilson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, “and this budget is responsive to that.”

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Run the Frosty Foot Choose your challenge at the Tsali Frosty Foot Fest Saturday, Jan. 15, at Tsali Recreation Area in Swain County.

The day offers 8K, 30K and 50K race options starting at the Tsali Boating Access parking lot.

Space is limited, and registration ends Jan. 1. Sign up at runsignup.com.

Hike in the New Year

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

Give 2022 an adventurous start by participating in a 3.2-mile First Day Hike at Chimney Rock State Park, 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 1.

A park ranger will offer an informative discussion about the park’s history while the group strolls, hikes or bikes up the 3.2-mile entrance road, which is usually restricted to motor vehicle traffic only. However, no cars will be allowed on the road during this free early-morning hike.

The group will meet at the park entrance next to Old Rock Café at 8 a.m., and the park will provide shuttle transportation back down at the end of the hike. Everyone must exit by 10 a.m., though hike participants can return to the park afterwards at no charge.

828.625.1823.

SNOW REPORT

Walker Sisters Cabin closed due to safety concerns The Walker Sisters Cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be closed over the coming months due to safety concerns in the historic structure.

Park crews are concerned about recent movement around the chimney in the twostory cabin, located on the Tennessee side of the park 1.4 miles down the Little Brier Gap Trail from the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area. Noticeable cracks and buckling around the stone masonry need to be

repaired and stabilized to prevent further movement. The cabin, which was built in the 1800s and occupied by the Walker Sisters until 1964, is now closed to all use.

Funding from Friends of the Smokies’ Forever Places campaign will allow cabin renovations, including roof replacement, to occur during the 2022 field season. The historic farmstead and its outbuildings will remain accessible during the cabin closure.

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The Walker Sisters occupied the 1800s cabin until 1964. NPS photo

Pictured in front of the Retro Rest camper are Nancy Reeder, “Mingo,” Dani Hansen, Kristina Moe, Rachel Newcomb, Tim Litchford, Tasha Sebring and Colin Gooder. Donated photo

Franklin A.T. Council gets new member A new hiker hostel has joined the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council as an A.T. Supporter.

RetroRest828 is a glamper B&B hiker

hostel for women run by Deena Bouknight.

More information is available at instagram.com/retro.rest.828.

The FATCC is open to businesses, organizations and individuals interested in protecting and promoting the A.T. The next meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 10.

Contact franklinatcc@gmail.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

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Get ready to garden Grow your knowledge of vegetable gardening during a two-hour virtual class offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11.

Offered by the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Center, this course will cover site selection, raised beds, soil preparation, intensive gardening, extending the season, watering wisely and best practices, as well as a variety of topics related to

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

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Trout Unlimited group to meet in person The Tuckaseigee Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its first in-person meeting since 2019 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, at the United Methodist Church in Sylva.

The group will enjoy a meal, catch up, and then cover the business portion of the meeting, and then elect officers for 2022.

RSVP to lenehant@gmail.com.

league planned for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9.

Donald Hummel, dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov or 828.456.2030.

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Puzzles can be found on page 30 These are only the answers.

square foot gardening, including an efficiency expert’s garden, the 10 basics, the magic medium, planting and maintaining, and learning more.

Given via Zoom, the course costs $10 with registration open through Jan. 6. Sign up by clicking “Extension Gardener: Learn to Grow Series” at haywod.ces.ncsu.edu or email mgarticles@charter.net.

Swing into pickleball season

Play volleyball at Waynesville Rec Wednesday evenings will offer open volleyball play and practice at the Waynesville Recreation Center this month, with sessions held 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 5 through Feb. 9.

The sessions are open to people 18 or older as of Jan. 1, and free for rec center members. A group rate of $20 for six players is available for new and existing teams — the open play and practice is for all teams interested in league play, with an organizational meeting for the winter

Play pickleball at the Waynesville Recreation Center this January, with twiceweekly lessons and nighttime games starting next week.

• Lessons will be held 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays for beginning and seasoned players. Class size is limited, so advance registration is required on signup sheets at the rec center. Free for rec center members, with non-members charged the daily rate of purchasing a “ten play” pickleball card for $20.

• Pickleball Nights will be 5 to 8 p.m.

Monday and Tuesday, with new and experienced players alike welcome to partake.

Free for rec center members, with nonmembers charged the daily rate of purchasing a “ten play” pickleball card for $20.

Donald Hummel, dhummel@waynesville.gov or 828.456.2030.

WNC Calendar SUPPORT GROUPS • Dementia Caregivers Support Group, for those providing care for folks who are dealing with dementia, meets from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). For additional information call 828-476-7985.

• Al-Anon, for families and friends of alcoholics, meets every Monday night from 7-8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 77 Jackson St., Sylva. Enter at front of church through the door to the left of the sanctuary; meeting is first door on the right. The Church requests that you wear a mask if you are not vaccinated.

• Narcotics Anonymous meetings are back "live" in-person after a year of being on Zoom only. Local meetings are 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at Sylva First United Methodist Church in downtown Sylva. For more details visit ncmountainna.org.

A&E

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods.

Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.

• The 8th annual “New Year’s Eve Ruby Drop” celebration will kick off at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 31, on Main Street in Franklin. The drop itself will be at 9 p.m.

Presented by the Motor Co. Grill & Crabtree General Store. The event is free and open to the public. franklinchamber.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semiregular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Free and open to the public.

For more information, blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host a “New Year’s Day Bash” w/Arnold Hill (rock/jam) Jan. 1. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host a WNC Artist Spotlight Open Mic Dec. 29, Anna Barnes (Americana) Dec. 30 and New Year’s Eve w/Ryles Monroe 9:30 p.m.

Dec. 31. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host a “New Year’s Eve Celebration” w/Arnold Hill (rock/jam) starting at 8 p.m. Dec. 31. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Alma Russ (indie/folk) Jan. 15. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Syrrup Jan. 7 and Alma Russ (indie/folk) Jan. 14. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Scott James Stambaugh Dec. 31. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com • Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Blackjack Country Dec. 30, a “New Year’s Party” w/Carolina Freightshakers Dec. 31, Live Karaoke in the Smokies Jan. 6, Brian Ashley Jones Jan. 7 and The UpBeats Jan. 8. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

FOOD AND DRINK • “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.

• “Dillsboro After Five” will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in downtown Dillsboro. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. .mountainlovers.com.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • Jesse Adair Dallas will be showing his artwork at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin through the month of December. Open to the public. For more information, email jesse@enjoyarttoday.com.

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. For more information, call The Uptown Gallery at 828.349.4607 or contact Pat Mennenger at pm14034@yahoo.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Tuesday. Donald Hummel, dhummel@waynesville.gov or 828.456.2030.

• The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy’s Virtual Hiking Challenge is back with a call to complete 60 miles of trail in 60 day, kicking off New Year’s Day. To complete the challenge, participants must walk, run or hike 60 miles by March 1. Registration ends Feb. 1, but earlier registration means more time to log the miles. Cost is $25. Sign up at appalachian.org/event/sahcs-winter-hiking-challenge60-miles-in-60-days.

• The Tuckaseigee Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its first in-person meeting since 2019 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 4, at the United Methodist Church in Sylva. The group will enjoy a meal, catch up, and then cover the business portion of the meeting, and then elect officers for 2022. RSVP to lenehant@gmail.com.

• Alley Cat Youth Racing will return to Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley this winter, with the first races scheduled for Jan. 4 and 5. Middle school racing will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday nights starting Jan. 4, with age categories for riders ages 8-11 and 12-14. High school racing will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays. All races will be a modified giant slalom and use Nastar software for timing, so participants must register and sign a waiver at nastar.com. For more information, including pricing, visit cataloochee.com/programs/school-race-programs.

• Wednesday evenings will offer open volleyball play and practice at the Waynesville Recreation Center this month, with sessions held 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 5 through Feb. 9. Donald Hummel, dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov or 828.456.2030.

• Spend January hiking the Mountains-to-Sea Trail through Haywood County during a special series offered

by Haywood County Recreation. The first hike in the series — on Wednesday, Jan. 5 — will take Soco Gap to Howards Bridge, led by Kathy Odvody and Steve Szczepanski. The series will also include a difficult 6mile hike to Looking Glass Rock on Saturday, Jan. 22, led by Phyllis Woollen and Lisa Cook. Hikes cost $10.

Call 828.452.6789 to register.

• The Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council is open to businesses, organizations and individuals interested in protecting and promoting the A.T. The next meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 10. Contact franklinatcc@gmail.com.

• Grow your knowledge of vegetable gardening during a two-hour virtual class offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11. Given via Zoom, the course costs $10 with registration open through Jan. 6. Sign up by clicking “Extension Gardener: Learn to Grow Series” at haywod.ces.ncsu.edu or email mgarticles@charter.net.

• Choose your challenge at the Tsali Frosty Foot Fest Saturday, Jan. 15, at Tsali Recreation Area in Swain County. The day offers 8K, 30K and 50K race options starting at the Tsali Boating Access parking lot. Space is limited, and registration ends Jan. 1. Sign up at runsignup.com.

• The Wildlife Resources Commission is proposing a slate of changes to agency regulations for seasons in 2022-2023. Public comment is open through Monday, Jan. 31. This year, the agency’s furthest-west public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, at McDowell Technical College in Marion, and an online hearing is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20.

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• “Art Works @ The Library,” a collaborative program between the Haywood County Public Library system and the Haywood County Arts Council, is currently showcasing works by artist Cayce Moyer at the Canton Library.

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Outdoors

• Kick off the 2022 right with the Run in 2022 5K at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 1, at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee. Registration is $20, with T-shirts guaranteed to the first 100 people who register. The event aims to start New Year’s resolutions off on a positive note. Sign up at www.runsignup.org.

OFF

NEWSSTAND PRICE

• Give 2022 an adventurous start by participating in a 3.2-mile First Day Hike at Chimney Rock State Park, 8 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 1. The group will meet at the park entrance next to Old Rock Café at 8 a.m., and the park will provide shuttle transportation back down at the end of the hike. Everyone must exit by 10 a.m., though hike participants can return to the park afterwards at no charge. 828.625.1823.

• Pickleball lessons will be held 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center for beginning and seasoned players. Free for rec center members, with non-members charged the daily rate of purchasing a “ten play” pickleball card for $20.

Pickleball Nights will be 5 to 8 p.m. Monday and

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COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train Online to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional Now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain SURJUDPV IRU TXDOL¿HG applicants. Call CTI for details.

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DUMP TRUCK DRIVER B. H. Graning Landscapes is hiring a Dump Truck Driver. CDL required. Part time and/or full time availability. $17$22/hour. Pay is negotiable based on knowledge and experience. For more information please call 828.586.8303. Apply online or in person. www. bhglandscapes.com/employment-application.

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THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for an Adult Services Social Worker II. This position investigates reports of adult abuse and neglect and provides case management for substantiated adult protective services cases. This position also provides ongoing case management for guardianships, payeeships, individual and family adjustment services. Other duties include general intake and community outreach services. Requires limited availability after hours and on week-

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

ends on an as-needed-basis. Starting salary is $36,369.35, if fully TXDOL¿HG 0LQLPXP TXDOL¿FDWLRQV LQFOXGH D IRXU year degree in a Human 6HUYLFH ¿HOG 3UHIHUHQFH will be given to applicants with a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and experience providing Social Work services. The application for employment is available online at www.jcdss. org. Applications may be dropped off or mailed to the Jackson County Department of Social 6HUYLFHV DW *ULI¿Q Street, Sylva or the NC Works Career Center.

Applications will be taken until January 3, 3, 2022.

FACILITIES MANAGER FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF SYLVA is seeking a parttime FACILTIES MANAGER. The Facilities Manager is responsible for maintaining church buildings and performing or scheduling routine PDLQWHQDQFH $ TXDOL¿HG candidate will possess carpentry skills and knowledge of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. For more information or to apply, please contact Rev. Dr. Mary Brown, Senior Pastor at (828) 5572273 or marybrown@ sylvafumc.org. marybrown@sylvafumc.org OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF SYLVA is seeking D IXOO WLPH 2I¿FH $GPLQLVWUDWRU 7KH 2I¿FH Administrator is responVLEOH IRU WKH ¿QDQFLDO DQG

administrative operations of the church. This position directly manages and is responsible for all accounting and payroll functions, oversight of all accounts receivable and payable, maintenance of general ledger, and reconciliation of bank accounts. This position also works with support from RI¿FH VWDII WR PDQDJH membership database, RUJDQL]H FKXUFK ¿OHV DQG prepare communications such as email, newsletters, and bulletins. Degree in accounting and/or administration preferred; minimum two years’ experience required. For more information or to submit a resume, please contact Rev. Dr. Mary Brown, Senior Pastor at marybrown@sylvafumc. org. marybrown@sylvafumc.org WNC RECOVERY PROJECT: BILINGUAL Engagement Ambassador: Mountain Projects, Inc. is immediately seeking a fulltime Bilingual &HUWL¿HG $SSOLFDWLRQ Counselor and Hispanic outreach specialist to support a WNC grant project to increase insurance enrollments and decrease childhood poverty via outreach to QRQ WD[ ¿OLQJ FRPPXnity members as well as the uninsured. You will be responsible for EHFRPLQJ D &HUWL¿HG Application Counselor, enrolling consumers in individual health plans on the health insurance marketplace, translating materials into Spanish, understanding policies pertaining to the project,

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and conducting outreach with communities and RWKHU QRQ SUR¿W FRPPXnity agencies serving the targeted population. This position will require a 2+ years of experience in QRQ SUR¿W FRPPXQLW\ VHUvice roles with a strong emphasis on health equity and social determinants of health. Previous training as a community health worker, educator, social work, clergy, Peace Corps, or eligibility interviewing will be very helpful in this position.

Candidates must have at minimum an AssociDWH¶V 'HJUHH EH ÀXHQW in Spanish and English, SDVV D FHUWL¿FDWLRQ H[DP have reliable transportation, and be willing to travel to conduct outreach across the seven western counties of NC. Experience as a CPA or accountant helpful but not required. Pay begins at $19 dollars an hour.

This project is possible through a 3 year grant from the Dogwood Health Trust in collaboration with Pisgah Legal Services.

WNC RECOVERY PROJECT: OUTREACH SPECIALIST Mountain Projects, Inc. is immediately seeking a fulltime WNC Recovery Outreach Specialist for a 3 year grant funded project focused on decreasing

childhood poverty and increasing health insurance enrollments and access to health care. The project will target low income and hard to reach rural communities and will include education about IUHH WD[ ¿OLQJ VHUYLFHV at VITA sites in order to assist them with receiving tax credits and qualifying for health insurance through the exchange.

You will be responsible for coordinating and conducting outreach in the rural and remote areas of Western North Carolina, coordinating efforts with public service agencies, meeting individuals, tabling at events, distributing education materials, and discussing the program with key contacts in local communities.

Volunteer recruitment and development of community champions will be expected. This position will require 2+ years of H[SHULHQFH LQ QRQ SUR¿W community service roles with a strong emphasis on health equity and social determinants of health. Previous training and experience in community outreach, volunteer management, public speaking, social media, and proven community partner engagement is required. Candidates must have a minimum of an Associate’s Degree,

Phyllis Robinson OWNER/BROKER

(828) 712-5578

lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

The Only Name in Junaluska Real Estate 91 N. Lakeshore Dr. Lake Junaluska 828.456.4070

www.LakeshoreRealtyNC.com Conveniently located in the Bethea Welcome Center

Jerry Powell Cell: 828.508.2002

jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St., Waynesville

828.452.5809

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - esither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Rob Roland - robroland@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • • • •

Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com Steve Mauldin - smauldin@sunburstrealty.com Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436

EXP Realty • Jeanne Forrest - ashevillerealeat8@gmail.com

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com • Darrin Graves - dgraves@kw.com Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com • Lyndia Massey- buyfromlyndia@yahoo.com

Hansen & Hansen Mary Roger (828)

The Strength of Teamwork The Reputation for Results

400-1346

(828)

Ready to Serve You

400-1345

BROKER

243.1126

Call for FREE HOME VALUE EVALUATION

Pamela P Williams

RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL BROKER ASSOCIATE

71 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC

828-564-9393

www.wncmarketplace.com

Mountain Creek Real Estate • Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com

71 N. Main St., Waynesville (828) 564-9393

Dan Womack 828.

A Top Listing Agent & A Top Producer

CELL: (803) 528-5039 OFFICE: (828) 452-5809 EMAIL: PAMELAWILLIAMS@BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

• • • • • • • • •

remax-maggievalleync.com The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com Ron Breese - ronbreese.com Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net David Willet - davidwillet1@live.com Sara Sherman - sarashermanncrealtor@gmail.com David Rogers- davidr@remax-waynesville.com Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net

Smoky Mountain Retreat Realty • Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - Sherellwj@aol.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE

828.452.4251 ads@smokymountainnews.com WNC MarketPlace

29

SUPER

CROSSWORD

BROODING SEASON ACROSS 1 Examined by touching 9 Smart -- (know-it-all) 14 Alphas' opposites 20 All across the region 21 Indian city on the Yamuna River 22 "Gil Blas" novelist AlainRene -23 Blemish-resistant bar seat?

25 Male flower part 26 Earth lighter 27 Autumn chill 28 Sentry allowing nobody to nap?

30 Monet, say 34 Interstices 36 -- roll (hot) 37 Shoulder-hugging, hornhonking driver?

42 Thin and supple 47 Duck cousin 48 Actress Messing 49 More plucky 50 Lt.'s inferior 53 "I see mice!"

56 Ear-related 58 Indian city on the Yamuna River 59 Vehicle in a chase scene 63 Decorative pins worn by jockeys?

67 Yellow-and-black bird 68 16-Down, to Jacob 69 Flagged auto 70 Mao -- -tung 71 Bit of pasta that's really hard to find?

77 Bodily pouch 79 Spanish for "that" 80 Big pet food brand

81 "Infinite" rapper 84 Have pain from bending forward too sharply?

89 Tire type 90 Tolkien terrorizers 91 Up -- (stymied) 92 -- Lanka 94 Butter holder 95 More hideous 97 -- liver (meat product) 100 Harvestable 104 Work layoff, slangily 105 Dive to attack with perfect form?

111 Texter's "I think ..."

113 Neeson of "Darkman" 114 GMC pickup 115 Decide on Domino's for dinner?

122 Taylor of "Cleopatra," for short 124 Los Angeles' Playa -- Rey 125 Regular practices 126 Botching an April 1 prank?

131 Crops up 132 Ickily sticky 133 Enlarge 134 Quick 135 In any way 136 Power-supplying socket DOWN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Volkswagen model Maestro Toscanini Simple shed -- gow (casino option) Grain beard Up to, informally Paradise Blueprint TV spots "Show me"

11 College town in North Carolina 12 Toy train, when doubled 13 Quantity in a narc's bust 14 Former NFLer Merlin 15 Annual ritzy NYC fundraising event 16 Biblical birthright seller 17 Explorer Vasco da -18 Antiquing aid 19 Ship off, say 24 Petty quarrel 29 Saldana of the screen 31 "-- so you!"

32 Hem, e.g.

33 Lilted syllable 35 Prof's deg.

38 United 39 Israel's Abba 40 Opiate, e.g.

41 Raiment 43 Apple option 44 Close, as a community 45 "-- to you!"

46 Rub out 49 Person rubbing it in 50 Prefix with warrior 51 And not 52 Final washer phase 54 Noted Deco master 55 Furry fruit 57 Rocket paths 60 Pigeon noise 61 Balm plants 62 Betelgeuse or Antares 64 Clangor 65 How balloons float 66 Trump replaced him 72 Thief's bagful 73 "Bali --" 74 Autos such as Gremlins and Pacers 75 Belgian river

76 Spain's El -77 Teapot part 78 "I'm so frustrated!"

82 Water, to Gigi 83 Rangers' and Rays' gp.

85 Brunei locale 86 Mean whale 87 High point 88 One-named sports legend 93 Lyric penner Gershwin 96 Lived 98 Ball of mashed chickpeas 99 -- -fi movie 101 Electees, say 102 Greek letter 103 She baas 105 Swab 106 Film score composer Schifrin 107 Iago's wife 108 Hard trial 109 Bully's threat ender 110 Warehouse platform 112 Hardly tidy 115 Cartoonist Addams 116 Celestial instrument 117 Off-Broadway prize 118 French river or department 119 TV actress Swenson 120 -- suit (1940s duds) 121 Reverse alphabetical order 123 Bronze metal 127 Olive of "Popeye" 128 Lt.'s inferior 129 "Despicable Me" villain 130 Dewy, e.g.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 26

EH SUR¿FLHQW RQ FRPputer, pass an online FHUWL¿FDWLRQ H[DP WR EHFRPH D &HUWL¿HG $Splication Counselor, have reliable transportation, and be willing to travel in their personal vehicle to conduct outreach across the seven western counties of NC. Experience as a CPA or accountant helpful but not required.

Pay begins at $19 dollars an hour. This project is possible through a 3 year grant from the Dogwood Health Trust in collaboration with Pisgah Legal Services.

Home Goods

erage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-844-4968601 www.dental50plus. com/ncpress #6258

Pets CALICO CAT, PRIM 2-yr old girl, initially shy; warms up to be friendly, trusting.

Loves being petted, and purrs happily.

Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 publicrelations@ ashevillehumane.org

GENERAC STANDBY GENERATORS Don’t Wait! The weather is increasingly unpredictable.

Be. prepared for power outages. FREE 7-yr ext. warranty ($695 value!)

Schedule your Free InHome assessment today.

1-833-953-0224.

CASTILLO

Tree Service, Etc, Inc.

• Dangerous Tree Removal • Pruning • Creating Views

Medical DENTAL INSURANCE From Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Cov-

FREE ESTIMATES • INSURED

828-342-3024

saulcastillo7212@gmail.com

TERRIER MIX DOG, BROWN/BLACK &WHITE,TONKA 2-yr old boy, 28 lbs.

Playful; full of personality. Prefer to be your only pet. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 publicrelations@ashevillehumane.org USE SEAL N HEAL® On Dogs & Cats to Seal Wounds with a Bitter Taste to Prevent Gnawing, Allow Healing. At Junaluska Feed Center, 828-456.9267, www. ÀHDEHDFRQ FRP

Real Estate Announcements

WHITE-GLOVE SERVICE From America’s Top Movers. Fully insured and bonded. Let us take the stress out of your out of state move. FREE QUOTES! Call: 855-8212782

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise ‘any

SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 26 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

30

www.smokymountainnews.com

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

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 18 living with parents or legal guardians and pregnant women.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate in violation of this law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

Entertainment CABLE PRICE INCREASE AGAIN? Switch to DIRECTV & Save + get $100 visa gift card! Get More Channels For Less Money. Restrictions apply, call now! 1-888-5202338

Health/Beauty LIFE ALERT. 24/7. One press of a button sends help FAST! Medical, Fire, Burglar. Even if you can’t reach a phone! FREE Brochure. CALL 844-9022362

STROKE & CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Are leading causes of death, according to the American Heart Ass. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection! Contact Life Line Screening to schedule your screening. Special offer- 5 screenings for $149 call 866-563-3640 ATTENTION: Oxygen Users. Gain freedom with a portable oxygen concentrator. No more heavy WDQNV RU UH¿OOV *XDUDQteed lowest prices. Oxygen Concentrator Store 844-866-4793

Home Improvement BATH & SHOWER UPDATES In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 833-987-0207 UPDATE YOUR HOME With Beautiful New Blinds & Shades. FREE in-home estimates make it conve-

www.wncmarketplace.com

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Wanted to Buy FREON WANTED: We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. CerWL¿HG 3URIHVVLRQDOV &DOO 312-291-9169 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com

Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

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Smoky Mountain News Dec. 29-Jan. 4, 2022