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Feb. 27-March 5, 2013 Vol. 14 Iss. 39

Lodging owners sound off on proposed room tax hike

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Effective March 2, 2013 agent Blake Allman is concluding his relationship with Nationwide Insurance after 46 years of service in Bryson City and surrounding communities. We sincerely thank Blake and his staff for their years of dedication and service to both our policyholders and our company and we wish him nothing but the best according to Regional Vice President Lee Morton. Nationwide Insurance Company is committed to providing the same high level of support to our members currently serviced by the Allman Insurance Agency. Effective March 2, 2013 Nationwide Insurance Company will open a new office at 230 Main Street, Bryson City, NC, Phone 866-619-2929. Nationwide members can also speak to a service representative 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 1-877-669-6877.

On the Cover: State and federal wildlife regulators busted up a bear poaching ring last week, arresting dozens of people on charges of illegal hunting and baiting, among others. (Page 24)

News Robersons named champions of Waynesville Main Street . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Maggie lodging owners decried proposed tax increase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Macon County asks state for help funding remote school. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Church’s “Pancake Day” a decades long hit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Company tries to offer high-speed Internet in most rural areas . . . . . . . . . . 8 Jackson County, Sylva at impasse over joined ABC Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Cork and Bean expansion into the restaurant business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Federal sequestration to affect Cherokee health services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Waynesville delves into numbers of possible Lake J merger. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Local officials look at union of Junaluska and Waynesville . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Opinion Increasing Medicare coverage could decrease health care costs . . . . . . . 14

A&E Down-home, good fun found in Fines Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Outdoors Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

The Naturalist Corner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

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BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER hen LeRoy Roberson and his wife, Gale, opened an optometric business on Waynesville’s Main Street 35-years-ago, about a quarter of the storefronts sat empty. The street was a hub for locals who visited the bank, went to the doctor or picked up everyday odds and ends. The Robersons used to buy emergency office supplies, such as pens and pencils, at a five and dime that was where Pheasant Hill is now. But like most small towns across America, downtown commerce was drying up, as the epi-

center of Waynesville shifted to the auto-centric strip malls on the outskirts of town. It was the antithesis of today’s vibrant and bustling Main Street — a healthy mix of touristy galleries and gift shops, professional offices, from lawyers to insurance firms, and delectable eateries and coffee shops. The Main Street the Robersons put their stock in 35 years ago, and stuck by through thick and thin, wasn’t always such a sure bet. “It was a different time, and definitely interesting,” said LeRoy Roberson, owner of Haywood Optometric Care and also a Waynesville town alderman.

Unlike the quaint bench-strewn, treelined street of today, there was no landscaping or antique lampposts back then, and a tangle of overhead power lines ran up and down the street. “Tourism was an afterthought then,” LeRoy Roberson said. But, he added, Waynesville has adjusted well. Now, the power lines are underground, giving people an unencumbered view of the façades; the sidewalks are perfectly laid brick; old-timey-looking streetlamps decorate the street. The Robersons’ work and devotion to downtown were recognized last month at the North Carolina Main Street Annual Awards Ceremony, where they won the honor of “Main Street Champions.” As a mainstay of Main Street, the Robersons have been active in the Downtown Waynesville Association, which in addition to bringing the street’s merchants together, works to maintain and improve Main Street’s appearance. For that reason, people are more willing to invest in their own building’s appearance, LeRoy Roberson said, just as he and his wife did. Main Street nearly died out as businesses like Belk and Dollar General moved to the outskirts of town. But, during the last two decades, the strip of downtown storefronts has experienced a renaissance and transformed into a collection of small, locally owned businesses — a positive improvement in LeRoy Roberson’s opinion and one he’s had a bird’s eye view of. In fact, when he ran for alderman for the first time in the 1990s, one of LeRoy Roberson’s campaign priorities was supporting small businesses. When locally owned shops and restaurants are making a profit, they invest it back in the town. “They employ more people; they pay better; they return more to the community,” LeRoy Roberson said, spoken like a true Main Street Champion. The downtown Main Street shops also sell more items made in the U.S. and more unique products. “You can find things downtown that you can’t find in big box stores,” said Gale Roberson, who buys what she can from the Main Street mer-

Some Maggie lodging owners get hackles up over room tax increase

Valley Chamber of Commerce has also written a letter of support. The room tax increase ultimately must be approved by the N.C. General Assembly. The deadline to get a bill introduced this year is just two weeks away. The movement to increase the lodging tax caught some Maggie lodging owners by surprise. Several at the meeting Monday expressed that the process was moving too fast for their comfort. “We feel that the bill, as proposed, is being ‘fast tracked’ without adequate research as to its implementation and impact,” said Karen Hession, president of the Maggie Valley Lodging Association, reading an open letter from organization members. The Maggie lodging association met Friday to talk about the TDA’s proposal and, Hession said, the feeling toward an increase was mostly negative. “This is something they are strongly against,” Hession said.

The lodging association staunchly opposed the increase — which would be tacked on to the bill of overnight guests — arguing that it would drive away business. However, a number of individual lodging owners were not necessarily against an increase but rather disliked the way the idea arose and the lack of in-depth planning for how the tourism authority will spend it. Joanne Martin, owner of Fireside Cottages, recalled the idea of a lodging tax increase being mentioned briefly at meeting in Maggie earlier this year, but it came across as merely an idea floating around. Then the next week, Martin said, it was on the TDA board’s agenda. “I have a lot of reservations,” Martin said. “Where was this being discussed?” The tourism agency has worked quickly during the last few weeks to get support for the proposed 2 percent increase. With the TDA and board of commissioners’ blessing, state representatives will draft and introduce a bill into the N.C. General Assembly that, if passed, would

Main Street Champions recall changing face of downtown Waynesville

Smoky Mountain News

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

LeRoy and Gale Roberson of Waynesville were named “Main Street Champions” at the North Carolina Main Street Annual Awards Ceremony last month. The Downtown Waynesville Association nominated the couple for the state award. Photo courtesy of Garry E. Hodges

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen got an earful from hotel and motel owners Monday during a nearly three-hour meeting held specifically to hear views about a proposed increase to the overnight lodging tax. The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority and the county board of commissioners both unanimously approved the idea of a hike in the lodging tax — from the cur4 rent rate of 4 percent to 6 percent. The Maggie

chants and encourages others to do so as well. Gale Roberson joined the Downtown Waynesville Association board of directors in 2004 to keep up with the goings-on among neighboring merchants and help improve Main Street. As a town alderman, LeRoy Roberson has supported projects that beautified Main Street and brought more people downtown, including renovating the old town hall, constructing a new town hall and creating the Waynesville Public Art Commission, which led to several art installations that currently decorate Main Street. Although many improvements have been made to Main Street, there is always room for more. For the Robersons, the main, and perhaps only, downside to downtown is parking. A parking deck was built just down the street, but the couple said they wish there was more on-street parking and have heard comments from patients struggling to finds a spot near the doctor’s office during the busy tourist season. “That is a drawback,” Gale Roberson said. But both would much rather be on Main Street than elsewhere. “It’s so much nicer,” Gale Roberson said. Originally, they planned to open Haywood Optometric Care in a medical complex in Clyde but chose to setup shop on Main Street in Waynesville instead. And looking back, they are glad they did. “It’s more entertaining being on Main Street,” LeRoy Roberson said. In a medical complex, people come for one thing — an appointment. The traffic is a steady flow of patients. But Main Street today is a tourism hub, attracting lots of thru-traffic. People will drop in to buy a pair of sunglasses or have their glasses repaired. The location also exposes the doctor’s office and glasses shop to more potential customers. Rather than relying on people to find his business in the Yellow Pages or online, Haywood Optometric Care has a steady stream of people flowing past its door. “I get a different type of business,” LeRoy Roberson said. Plus, it makes for great people watching, and the couple can easily take their lunch break at one of downtown Main Street’s many eateries.

allow Haywood County to raise its lodging tax. However, the increase will not occur automatically even with the passage of the legislation in Raleigh. The county commissioners would have to hold a public hearing and formally enact the increase. Throughout the meeting, speakers insisted that the tourism authority nail down projects that the additional tax money could fund and how it would distribute the money. “We need a marketing plan; we need to know where it’s going,” Martin said. However, members of the tourism board and Mayor Ron DeSimone countered calls for a predetermined plan for how the money would be spent. The county should not draft guidelines and to-do lists for money it doesn’t have, he said. “You might be making a plan for something you can’t implement,” agreed Rob Edwards, a tourism authority board member and Maggie lodging owner. When the county upped its lodging tax from 3 to 4 percent several

Where they stand

What’s the room tax?

A 4 percent tax added to guests’ bills staying at hotels, motels, B&Bs and vacation rentals brings in $900,000 a year, which goes toward tourism promotions and initiatives aimed at luring even more tourists to the county. A 2 percent increase would bring in an extra $450,000 annually, specifically for tourism-related capital projects.

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Smoky Mountain News

years ago, the legislation dialed in on the process for divvying up and parceling out the money among geographic locales in the county and even set up a system of subcommittees to help oversee the money. However, Lynn Collins, executive director of the Haywood tourism authority, said there were still unknowns that were hammered out after the bill was passed, such as how to apply for the new money and more specifics about what it might fund. “Each of the communities did not have a plan for that money,” Collins said. “It sat there and built up until people figured out what it was for.” Speaker after speaker Monday said they did not believe that Maggie Valley was getting back what it contributes to the tourism authority. Maggie Valley’s motels, hotels and vacation rentals account for 55 percent of the total lodging tax collected in Haywood County. And thus Maggie should get back a greater share to spend in its own neck of the woods, on tourism initiatives that would specifically help Maggie, lodging owners argued. “It would be a fair team if we were all bringing the same amount to the table,” said Tammy Wight, a Maggie lodging owner. “Why do we want to give other people control of our percentage?” Maggie at one time was the tourism kingpin of the county and accounted for two-thirds of the total lodging tax revenue countywide. But Maggie has slipped, while Waynesville has gained during recent years. “We are actually losing percentage. We are not growing; we are dropping,” said TDA board member Beth Brown, adding that Maggie residents and business owners need to think about more than just the town. “We are not just Maggie Valley; we are Haywood County.”

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The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen will weigh in on the proposed 2 percent lodging tax increase on Thursday (Feb. 28). Haywood County Commissioners and the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority have unanimously supported the increase already, but it must be approved by the N.C. General Assembly. While no other towns had officially weighed in as of press time Tuesday, the tourism-centric community of Maggie is the only one where major opposition seems to be brewing. Maggie Aldermen Mike Matthews said he would support the tax increase if it has a sunset clause and if the committee that decides how the money is spent has geographically proportional representation. The part of the county that brings in the most revenue from the tax should have the biggest voice on the committee. “I want to say, ‘I am for it if’ …’” Matthews said. Alderwoman Saralyn Price and Mayor Ron DeSimone both voiced their support for the measure. Alderman Phillip Wight wanted more time to mull over the TDA’s proposed tax increase, so the board agreed to revisit the matter at its 9 a.m. budget meeting on Thursday at town hall.

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ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER he far-flung Nantahala School in the remote reaches of Macon County is putting a financial drain on local coffers, prompting county leaders to ask the state for extra money to cover the cost of operating such an isolated school. Nantahala School goes from kindergarten to 12th grade but has only about 100 students. The small student population makes for small class sizes — some grades with as few as five students. The cost of running Nantahala School comes out to $9,600 per student, with at at least one teacher per grade, plus a principal. “It’s a great school,” said Macon County School District Superintendant Jim Duncan. “But, certainly no other school costs that much to operate.” By comparison, Franklin High School comes out to about $4,700 per student. In Highlands School — which is also a K-12 school in Macon County — it costs just more than $6,000 per student to run. Nantahala School is one of the last of its kind. Nestled in the Nantahala National Forest, it is one of only three remaining K12 schools in the state — a modern rendering of the extinct, one-room school house. It also touts of graduation rate of 100 percent during the past few years, which may be expected of a school where a typical class size is six or seven students. That makes Nantahala very expensive to operate. It simply doesn’t have the critical mass of students to secure adequate state funding. The state uses a rigid school funding formula — one that assumes much larger class sizes than Nantahala has. The state kicks in enough money to hire one teacher for every 18 to 31 students, depending on the grade. When it comes to Nantahala, with far fewer students per class, the district doesn’t get enough state funding to cover each teacher’s salary, leaving the county to subsidize the remaining portion. County leaders are working with Sen. Jim Davis, R-Macon, to introduce a state bill that would make an exception for Nantahala School in the state funding formula. Duncan said if Nantahala were to be solely state funded, it would have seven teachers for all 12 grades, not the 13 it currently has, and only one or two high school teachers — a scenario, he said, is not realistic, academically speaking. Pupils in Nantahala are required to pass the same statewide exams other students take. “You wouldn’t have very much,” Duncan said. “Maybe some English and social studies and combined math and science, anything else would go by the wayside.” The county contributes between $260,000 and $275,000 a year to round out the $1 million

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Isolated and remote, Macon spends a pretty penny to keep Nantahala School afloat

or so budget for Nantahala School. Macon County lawmakers have consolidated some schools in recent years, combining smaller rural schools into single larger ones for efficiency purposes. However, shipping students from Nantahala, at the far northern corner of the county, to another school in the county isn’t practical, requiring a hour-drive one way. “We’ve got isolation issues,” Duncan said, “You just can’t pick up kids that early and transfer them down the Wayah Bald Mountain and then back up there.” The drain of Nantahala School is exacerbating the budget crisis Macon is seeing throughout the entire school district. Macon Schools will need $2.2 million from the county in the coming fiscal year to avoid cuts. Duncan said additional state funds for Nantahala School could help chip away at that figure. Davis’ bill will provide adequate state funding for one teacher per grade for Nantahala

Nantahala School is one of the last of its kind. Nestled in the Nantahala National Forest, it is one of only three remaining K-12 schools in the state — a modern rendering of the extinct, one-room school house.

School due to its remote location, exempting the school from the formula used elsewhere across the state. Its chances are unknown in this time of lean fiscal conservatism in Raleigh. The bill will have to successfully wiggle its way through two or more committees and a series of votes of approval by lawmakers. Two years ago, a similar bill was introduced that never made it to the floor, but Davis is optimistic. “The budget is tight,” Davis. “But you’ll never get it unless you ask.” One point of friction for Davis and Duncan is that there is already a law on the books that creates an exception for Ocracoke School because of its remote island location on the Outer Banks. Ocracoke is the other K12 in North Carolina — aside from the Nantahala and Highlands schools in Macon. Davis said that bill was pushed through by former state Sen. Mark Basnight, a powerhouse in state politics who hailed from the coast. “All we’re saying is that if the state is giving one teacher per grade level to Ocracoke, why wouldn’t the same formula apply to schools in the western part of the state,” Duncan said.

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Haywood flips for ‘Pancake Day’

pursuing a college degree in a related field of study. The scholarships are in memory of Charlie and MaryAnn Way, longtime volunteers and advocates of “Pancake Day.” “It lets people come out in the dreary winter, and today was certainly was a tough one with the weather,” said patron Karen Macke. Despite the rain, innumerable patrons began to trickle in, waving to a friend, relative or neighbor already sitting down, then immediately making a move for the grill line. “Hello” is a friendly word that continuously ricochets around the gymnasium with each new entry. “You’re late, man,” someone teased to

“Rain or shine, people know that the fourth Tuesday of February is ‘Pancake Day.’ People I don’t see but once a year come out for this.” — Steve Brown, “Pancake Day” organizer

The First United Methodist Church in Waynesville celebrated its 56th Annual “Pancake Day” on Feb. 26. For the last 25 years, Woody Griffin (left) has been the “designated buckwheat pancake cooker.” Garret K. Woodward photo “It has survived like the tradition of the Tuscola/Pisgah football game,” Brown smiled. “Rain or shine, people know that the fourth Tuesday of February is ‘Pancake Day.’ People I don’t see but once a year come out for this.” In its inaugural year, the group raised $500. Last year, proceeds were upwards of $22,000. More than 3,000 people chowed down on syrup-laden stacks of pancakes, bacon and sausage throughout the day at the bargain price of $7 per adult. The money raised goes towards funding church endeavors, building maintenance and endowment scholarships for people who are either going into the missionary or are

‘Pancake Day’ by the numbers* Attendance ...............................3,000-plus Proceeds ...............................$22,000-plus Pancake mix............................580 pounds Bacon......................................510 pounds Sausage ..................................415 pounds Butter......................................160 pounds Syrup.........................................55 pounds Coffee........................................34 pounds Milk.......................................1,820.5 pints * Numbers from 2012 event

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013 Smoky Mountain News

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER It’s 6:15 a.m., and Woody Griffin is ready. “It’s the calm before the storm,” he chuckled. Griffin is manning one of the many griddles during the 56th annual “Pancake Day” at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville Tuesday. For the last 25 years, he has been the “designated buckwheat pancake cooker.” “This is a community event that’s more than just pancakes,” he said. “Everyone enjoys coming out and being a part of this. It is important for a small town.” As more than 200 volunteers from the church’s congregation await the hungry masses, there’s a real storm outside. But a heavy downpour of rain doesn’t seem to dampen the spirits of these breakfast masters. The show has begun, and it won’t stop until way into Tuesday evening. “This really brings together the church and the community,” said Steve Brown, one of the head organizers. “It involves so many people, and they look forward to it every year. It’s unbelievable how this has become such a communitywide mission project for us.” What started in 1957 as a pledge campaign to pay for the construction of an educational wing at the church has evolved into a yearly celebration that seems to not only cure cabin fever but also fill the bellies of any within whiff.

another, though the doors opened just minutes ago. A few tables down, Erin Patton has attended the event for more than a decade. A chef herself, she likes how food brings together a community. “The food is delicious, and I don’t have to cook this morning,” she laughed. Nearby, 11-year-old Emma Leichssenring was all smiles. “I really like the bacon,” she said reaching for another piece. Soon, streams of elementary children stepped up to the line. Their eyes were as large as the pancakes themselves. They held up their plates, eager to consume as much of their favorites foods as they could muster. “Take all you want; we don’t want you to go hungry now,” said one of the volunteers behind the grill. Back in the kitchen, volunteer Ron Leatherwood was wading through endless trays of bacon. Born and raised in the church, he’s been to every “Pancake Day” since its inception. As a child, he remembers the old cramped quarters where everyone seemed to be stepping on top of each other. Since then, the large gymnasium and full-sized kitchen are optimum for the growing tradition. “‘Pancake Day’ is truly the essence of a community, where people work together, see their friends, make new ones and celebrate,” he said.

Thousands of Haywood County residents partook in “Pancake Day.” In 2012, more than 3,000 people attended the event. Garret K. Woodward photo

news Feb. 27-March 5, 2013 Smoky Mountain News 8

Wireless internet beamed into rural areas solves high-speed service conundrum BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER Jackson County could be going from zero to high-speed in no time. Two internet providers are laying plans to beam wireless internet into rural and remote reaches of Jackson — areas that until now have been underserved when it comes to high-speed internet access. “What we try to do is light up communities where they don’t have any other choices,” said Judy Chapman, manager of Dnet Internet services based in Macon County. Wireless has emerged recently as an answer to the “last mile” challenge rural areas face with high-speed internet access. Often, there simply aren’t enough customers per mile to make it worthwhile for cable, fiber or DSL companies to run their infrastructure into remote areas. “They require density per mile or else they won’t build that out,” said Andrea Robel, CEO and president of Vistanet, the other high-speed wireless internet provider planning forays into Jackson. “It is extremely expensive.” The higher one goes up the hollow, away from the city, the more likely it is that the service is nonexistent or inadequate. But beaming high-speed wireless internet through the air can be done with antennas and relays — far cheaper than running miles of cable to reach a smattering of houses — and is now seen as a financially viable business proposition by internet providers like Dnet and Vistanet. In fact, it seems a sort of wireless arms race is emerging in Western North Carolina, to tap into those customers, and at the same time bring them a service that is hard to come by. For some residents in Jackson County, unreliable Internet is a way of life. Mary Jo Cobb, a 74-year-old resident of rural Tuckasegee, said when her Internet goes out, it reminds her of the old days in the mountains, watching television with her father when the screen would fade to snow because a squirrel or a stick interfered with the signal. “That’s how I feel at times, I feel like there

must be a squirrel on the line,” Cobb said. “That’s how we have to do it in Tuckasegee.” But for others, such as her neighbor Thomas Crowe, a writer who works from a home office, having reliable Internet is essential for his livelihood. He said his service, provided over his phone line, fluctuates between tolerable and non-existent. And when it’s nonexistent, sometimes, it’s only a matter or minutes before the neighbors start calling and surveying as to whom still has a connection. Crowe described the service as sporadic. “Sometimes it’s very slow to the point you can’t even tolerate it,” Crowe said. “Sometimes there is no Internet and a little thing pops up and says ‘sorry can’t connect right now.’” However, according to a recent report by the Federal Communications Commission, the neighbors in Tuckasegee are some of the lucky ones to even have Internet. There are 19 million Americans without high-speed

High-speed wireless comes to rural Haywood Vistanet has begun offering high-speed Internet service in rural areas of Haywood County that until now, have had few if any option on the high-speed internet front. From Fines Creek to Lake Logan, the company is reaching rural areas by beaming wireless internet signals from towers. To find out if it is available in your area, contact 855.847.8200 or 828.348.5366 or vistanet.co.

online survey, gathering Internet speed tests and personal accounts of Internet accessibility to build an accurate map of Internet coverage in the region. About 200 people have replied to the survey, and Bowen said some speed tests reveal that what is billed as high-speed Internet — a standard set by the FCC — may not actually meet the standard. (To take the survey, go to www.main.nc.us/bbmap.) Often the connection is fast at downloading information but not at uploading data. That distinction may make the service adequate for the “You can’t operate a business casual surfer but inadequate for someone attempting to competitively if you’re not able to work from home and upload send large files. If you can’t upload, large files. “You can’t operate a busithen you’re just a receiver not a ness competitively if you’re producer.” not able to send large files,” Bowen said. “If you can’t — Wally Bowen, Mountain Area upload, then you’re just a Information Network founder receiver not a producer.” The Internet is not only a access, and about 50,000 residents in 16 matter of convenience. As the Internet has WNC counties, according to the FCC. (The become a tool of everyday life, connecting number doesn’t include satellite service, people to it, also connects them to basic services and economic and educational which can be an option but is costly.) But that number is drastically underesti- opportunities. “We need to focus on solving the last-mile mated, according to Wally Bowen, founder and executive director of the nonprofit problem,” Bowen said. “That’s our primary Mountain Area Information Network. The focus.” FCC’s estimate is based on information filed by telephone and cable internet service NET S PLAN providers. “What the companies report to the FCC Dnet is a major player in the internet doesn’t square with what’s on the ground,” provider landscape in the far western counBowen said. “Preliminary evidence is that what ties, and now hopes to grow its footprint in the carriers are telling the FCC is exaggerated.” Jackson County with wireless service. Dnet To test their claims, Bowen has started an is already offering wireless Internet in some

Waynesville to create new historic preservation guidelines A public meeting to discuss the benefits of historic preservation and proposed design guidelines for Waynesville’s historic districts will be held at 7 p.m., March 6, in the new town hall. Nationally renowned historic preservation consultant Philip Thomason of Thomason and Associates will talk about the creation of design guidelines for historic building alterations. Thomason’s presentation will feature a slide show of successful historic building renovations and the role design guidelines play in promoting successful historic preservation efforts.

D ’

This program will kick-off a design guidelines development project for Waynesville. 828.456.2004 or planning@TownofWaynesville.org.

MedWest-Haywood plans series of community focus groups MedWest-Haywood will host a series of community focus groups the first week in March to hear current perceptions of the hospital from Haywood County residents. “This will be an important step in finding out where we’re

parts of Macon and Graham counties. Dnet’s first foray into high-speed wireless internet service in Jackson could be up and running in March with a high-speed, wireless Internet transmitter on a tower it acquired on King’s Mountain. The King’s Mountain tower was initially controlled by Metrostat, a small internet provider in Sylva that also had a network of fiber optic lines. But Metrostat failed a year ago and the infrastructure was sold off — a process that took about a year to see through. “We’ve been trying to move on this for some time,” Chapman said. Under Metrostat, only one customer was using the high-speed internet signal beamed out by the King’s Mountain tower. Dnet hopes to get more customers on the tower. Chapman expects the tower on King’s Mountain to be just the first of many in Jackson County.

VISTANET’S PLAN

Close on Dnet’s heels is a company hoping to provide similar wireless service. The startup company Vistanet just began offering high-speed wireless internet service in parts of Haywood County. It hopes to begin putting up towers in Swain and Jackson counties as soon as mid-summer, said Robel. First, however, Robel wants to know where the demand is so the company can strategically locate its antennae’s that will relay the wireless Internet. Robel is asking anyone potentially interested in high-speed wireless internet service participate in a survey on their web site. “The more people we get signed up there, the faster we get out there,” Robel said.

meeting our residents’ needs and where we’re not. This level of transparency is essential in gathering input, both positive and constructive, so we can serve our community,” said Janie Sinacore-Jaberg, president and CEO of MedWest-Haywood. Participants will receive a handheld device and ask general, multiple-choice questions about their experience and expectations of their local hospital. The groups will be held at a number of locations including Waynesville, Canton, Maggie Valley and Clyde. Session size will be limited to 15 to 20 participants in each group. Each session will last 90 minutes. To sign up for one, contact 828.631.8889 or email andrea.robbins@haymed.org.

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Let’s Celebrate! GRAND OPENING PROFESSIONAL ARTS & CRAFTS/ INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITY

Friday, March 1, 2013 The public is invited to join the festivities. 11 a.m.

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

Dedication Ceremony HCC Auditorium

12:15 p.m. Ribbon Cutting Top Main Entrance, Professional Arts & Crafts/Instructional Facility

1-7 p.m.

Other Activities include dedication of

Mary Cornwell Gallery, self-guided tours, demonstrations and hands-on activities, a guest lecture and video history of the program.

Exhibition: Featuring artists from over 5 decades of alumni

Smoky Mountain News

Sylva and Jackson County are at an impasse on the creation of a single Alcoholic Beverage Control board to run the existing liquor store in Sylva and a new one proposed in Cashiers. Sylva currently has the only liquor store in Jackson County. But the county plans to open a new store in Cashiers following last year’s ballot measure approving countywide alcohol sales. The town and county were going to join forces and operate both stores in concert and share the profits, but have been unable to agree on the details. Sylva leaders fear the start-up costs and overhead of a new store could make Cashiers a drain rather than a boon. They want a guarantee that the reliable revenue from their store won’t be compromised — and want to isolate themselves from any losses incurred by the Cashiers store. “Protecting Sylva’s budget would be my main concern,” said Town Manager Paige Roberson. “And that protects the services for the taxpayers of Sylva.” Jackson County proposed a 60-40 profit-sharing arrangement in the county’s favor. But Sylva wants a profit floor the town would be guaranteed of not dipping below. Specifically, Sylva leaders want to ensure they would get at least $176,000 a year — which is the average annual profit it’s gotten over the past five years. That figure would serve as the baseline for five years, but after that the town wanted to use a consumer price index formula to adjust Sylva’s guaranteed minimum “take” going forward. “That was pretty much the stopping point in the negotiations during our last meeting,” Roberson said. The two parties have met several times since January. But as of now, it looks as if the county will form its own ABC board in March and forge ahead with opening a Cashiers store. There is still the possibility of the town and county ABC boards merging in the future, said County Manager Chuck Wooten. Wooten, who was in on negotiations, said commissioners were willing to guarantee Sylva a minimum profit based on its average earnings over past years. But the idea of attaching a consumer price index to guarantee profits indefinitely into the future didn’t seem appropriate. “We felt like it would just be best to leave it as it is,” he said. “That doesn’t mean there won’t be an opportunity to merge in the future.” A Cashiers store could cut into Sylva’s market share. Currently, Sylva splits 50 percent of its profits with the county, an arrangement written into state legislation establishing Sylva’s ABC board in the 1960s. If Jackson opens a store in Cashiers, the county would get all the profits from Cashiers and 50 percent of Sylva’s profits — unless Sylva manages to get the profit-sharing arrangement undone. Roberson said the only way to do that is by consent of both the town and the county, or petition the N.C. General Assembly to amend the original legislation. However, she said, the town has not explored that option as of yet.

news

Sylva and Jackson County can’t agree on joint ABC venture

For more information:

Please call 828-627-4522 or visit www.haywood.edu 9

news

Cork and Bean expansion boosts downtown Bryson dining scene

Scott Mastej posed outside Cork and Bean earlier this month as workers continued to transform the coffeehouse and wine bar into a local restaurant and gathering place. Caitlin Bowling photo

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER hen a building on a town’s main street sits empty, either because a business closed down or moved away, it’s usually a bad omen. But when the Byrson City office of the Employment Security Commission vacated its prime location in the heart of downtown last year, the empty storefront was a blessing for the owners of the neighboring coffee and wine shop Cork and Bean. Co-owners Scott Mastej and Ron LaRocque wanted to expand ever since they first opened about three years ago. “I think we wanted to do it from the day we started,” Mastej said. “We would not have been able to do it without this space next door.” For the last two months, the downtown favorite has been closed for a major interior expansion, including knocking out a portion of the wall that once separated it from the next door building to create a new restaurant space. Thankfully, the two buildings were once connected in the past, making the tear down relatively easy. A small, brick hall connects the two sides, which both feature lots of hardwood and medieval-looking, black metal light fixtures. The pair has commissioned a local artisan to create two specialty wood signs. Both will read “Cheers y’all” and tell patrons which room they are about to enter — either the dining room or gathering room. “It’s those little things,” Mastej said. “We were able to put personality into it.” The new side of Cork and Bean will be a full-service restaurant, offering the sweet and savory crepes that the shop is known for as well as more hearty menu items. Mastej said that the menu will likely change often and depend on what the chef and other kitchen staff feel inspired to make. “We have given them the creative license,” Mastej said, adding that everything will feature “fresh, local, organic ingredients.” The addition of a full kitchen will allow them to make menu items that they couldn’t previously, due to limited space for kitchen

Smoky Mountain News

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

Coming in March Cork and Bean in Bryson City will reopen next week. The coffee and wine bar has expanded its downtown Everett Street location, adding a full-service restaurant, more employees and a wider variety of drink options. 828.488.1934. equipment, which included only a microwave and crepe griddles. “Customers have requested new and different things, and we could not do that without a kitchen,” Mastej said. The old side of Cork and Bean has received its own remodeling. The coffee counter was replaced with a bar, and patrons can order up light fare, a coffee drink or alcohol beverages. Cork and Bean previously offered bottled beers and wine, but it will now include a full-service bar with a bartender serving up everything from glasses of wine to locally brewed beers to cocktails. Mastej and LaRocque are also looking into the possibility of having music of the singer-songwriter variety. The pair has gone all-out to upgrade their business, even driving as far a Pennsylvania for furniture. The hickory chairs that customers will sit in are Amish-made. LaRocque had to go through a non-Amish middleman to place and pick-up his order. Because the Amish can’t use phones, some businessmen will hire a non-Amish person to take phone calls for them, rather than relaying on handwritten, mailed messages back and forth. “It was the hardest thing ever,” Mastej said, but the chairs are “definitely something special.” While Cork and Bean previously fit about 35 seated customers, the new expansion made space to seat between 85 and 90 people. Not only has Cork and Bean expanding spatially, but it has also more than doubled its employees. When it temporarily closed in early January, the coffee and wine shop had eight employees. When they reopen, the staff will boast 10 new workers.

In terms of impact on Cherokee, Indian Health Services will take the hardest hit.

Kim Peone, chief financial officer for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, gave Tribal Council members and overview of how federal sequestration will affect the tribe earlier this month. Caitlin Bowling photo

Indian Health Services helps fund the Cherokee Indian Hospital and the tribe’s diabetes program, among other health services. The Eastern Band expected to get $26.9 million from IHS this year — more than half the tribe’s total federal funding. But Cherokee’s federal health funding could decline by $1.3 million under sequestration. “It could be very, very difficult for this community to respond to such a deep, deep cut,” said Casey Cooper, CEO of the Cherokee Indian Hospital. The hospital already has a list of services that it hopes to expand with the construction of a new hospital building, but the decrease in federal funds could force leaders to reduce the services it already offers — let alone expand. “It’s going to adversely impact the amount of care we can provide,” Cooper said. “We would have to scale back the scope of services we provide.” Cherokee Indian Hospital may also have to eliminate jobs to offset the cuts, though Cooper would not say if the hospital plans to lay anyone off yet. The hospital has some reserves but not enough to keep it running without evaluating how to cut its current operational costs. The loss of funds would affect enrolled members’ access to medication, primary care and specialty care, Cooper said. Sequestration also will significantly affect

Register your Relay For Life team today The West Haywood chapter of the American Cancer Society is signing up teams for its annual Relay For Life event in May. Relay For Life events are held overnight as individuals and

the tribe’s diabetes program, Cooper said. The program is part of a national special diabetes program for Native Americans, who have higher rates of the disease due to genetic predisposition. According to numbers from the Cherokee Indian Hospital, nearly 22 percent of enrolled tribal members have diabetes, whereas nationally only about 8 percent of Americans are diabetic. The Eastern Band receives about $1.5 million a year for its diabetes program, and while a 5.1 percent budget reduction would only mean a $76,500 cut, that could mean that fewer educational materials are available. Cooper said his biggest worry is how the sequestration will affect people’s daily lives, and thereby their health. “I would be more concerned about the impact on cultural determinants,” Cooper said. Unemployment and low education and low capital are “large determinations in the health of a population.” Cooper emphasized that the Indian Health Services is not a fattened pig in terms of funding. “With the Indian Health Services, we are already talking about an agency that has proven to be severely underfunded,” Cooper said. “We are not talking about a plush agency.” A 2003 study by the independent, bipar-

teams camp out with the goal of keeping at least one team member on the track or pathway at all times. Teams do most of their fundraising prior to the event, but some teams also hold creative fundraisers at their campsites during Relay. Relay brings together friends, families, businesses, hospitals, schools and faith-based groups aimed at furthering the American Cancer Society’s efforts to save lives by helping people

Tribal leaders had lobbied the federal government to exempt IHS from the impacts of sequestration. Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ programs, food stamps, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and child nutrition programs are immune from sequestration — so why not Indian Health also? “We just basically said, ‘It was logical that it would be coupled in with these exemptions,’” Peone said. But, IHS is still on the chopping block, as is funding for Cherokee’s Head Start program and the tribe’s department of transportation. Those three receive the largest federal appropriations. Cherokee DOT receives $4.8 million a year and will face a $246,000 cut. Head Start gets about $2.7 million annually. Therefore, a 5.1 percent cut would translate to $137,000. Each division, which oversees the programs facing cuts, will be responsible individually for figuring out how to offset them. However, the tribe’s finance office may place a moratorium on discretionary spending. “If this were to come into play, we probably would go into another cost containment. Maybe,” Peone said. “And it may not be tribal wide, it may be something in reference to the programs it affects.” While the tangible cuts to the tribe’s budget are worrisome, the Eastern Band, and towns and cities around the U.S., will also feel the side effects of the sequestration on the economy. “Whatever happens on a national level affects our economy, and then that economy trickles down to who we are locally,” Peone said. “If the market bounced, the play at the casino bounced.” Reports from national media have warned that the cuts at the federal level will result higher unemployment rates, prevent some needy families from getting necessary help, cause delays at airports and eliminate national park programs, among other ramifications. “It will cause a wave of pain,” Peone said.

stay well, by helping them get well, find cures and fight back. The theme for this year’s event is Hero’s of Courage. The next team captain meeting will be held at the Lake Junaluska Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12. Dinner and drinks will be provided. Relay will take place from 6 p.m. May 10 until 6 a.m. May 11 at Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. www.RelayForLife.org/westhaywoodnc or 828.254.6931.

Smoky Mountain News

HEALTH CARE SEES BIGGEST HIT

NO RESPITE IN SIGHT

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

BY CAITLIN BOWLING STAFF WRITER he Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians could see an estimated $2.2 million evaporate from its budget in March if Congress does not reach an agreement on the federal budget and mandatory, across-theboard cuts of 5.1 percent known as sequestration kick in. The threat of sequestration was supposed to be an incentive for divisive lawmakers to come to an agreement on where to rein in spending and where to raise additional revenue. The history of indecision and schism in Washington has tribal financiers expecting and planning for the worst. “Having gone to D.C., it sounds like it’s likely,” said Kim Peone, chief financial officer for the Eastern Band. Peone added that given her position, she errs on the side of caution rather than hoping that something won’t happen, whereas a politician may have the opposite mentality. The Eastern Band receives about $43.7 million from the federal government each year to fund various programs and departments, meaning the 5.1 percent cut would translate to $2.2 million. Many programs and departments typically funded by state government elsewhere in North Carolina are federally funded on the reservation — from road building to subsidized preschool for low-income families. The threat of sequestration felt like a slap in the face to Peone, who said the budget year started off positive. This fiscal year, the tribe had lifted cost containment measures it had in put in place previously to ride out the recession. “Here we are thinking we are on a good course, and we continue to be challenged by variables that we don’t have control over,” Peone said. She cited not only federal cuts but the closure of U.S. 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after a landslide in January, which could put a dent in casino revenue the tribe relies on. “It’s going to be impactful, and it’s a daunting thought to think, ‘Oh my God, we are going to have to go back to the drawing table,’” Peone said.

news

With sequestration threat looming, Eastern Band preps for the worst

tisan U.S. Commission on Civil Rights showed that IHS was underfunded by at least 41 percent. “The federal government spends less per capita on Native American health care than on any other group for which it has this responsibility, including Medicaid recipients, prisoners, veterans, and military personnel,” the report stated. Under President Barack Obama, IHS made positive strides, receiving increased allocations. But now, the department is facing cuts. “This is going to be such a setback,” Cooper said. “That is what is so catastrophic about it.”

A match made in heaven? Lake Junaluska a good news

Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown has honed his dating and engagement analogies as town leaders weigh whether to tie the knot with Lake Junaluska. They started innocently enough 10 months ago. “All we are doing now is talking on the phone and holding hands,” Brown said last summer, when the so-called courtship began. But the discourse has grown downright steamy recently. If Waynesville and Lake Junaluska decide to get hitched, state lawmakers must consecrate the union. And with a mid-March legislative deadline bearing down to get a bill introduced in Raleigh, town leaders decided it was high time to start writing the vows. “We need to at least reserve a wedding chapel,” Brown said two weeks ago. Brown, for one, seems smitten and doesn’t want to look back at Junaluska as the one that got away. “They may marry someone An ongoing series in The Smoky else,” Brown warned. Or perhaps Mountain News is exploring the decide to stay a spinster forever. future path of Lake Junaluska. Before Lake Junaluska can Last week, the 765-home compromise its hand, however, it munity surrounding the campus of needs the blessing of its extended the Methodist Conference and family: a task force, a community Retreat Center weighed the pros council and board of directors to and cons of being absorbed by the be exact. town of Waynesville. But the clock is ticking. A doThis week, Waynesville leaders or-die date to file for the necesconsider whether they want to take sary legislation with Raleigh lawon Junaluska. makers is just two weeks away. So In coming weeks, read about the Waynesville leaders were expected pending votes by decision-making to take the plunge this week — bodies, Raleigh’s role in approving a even though Lake Junaluska merger, and a major campus master hasn’t officially spoken up on the plan being undertaken by Lake subject of its own betrothal. Junaluska Conference and Retreat “We may have to ask their Center. hand in marriage before they say they want to get married,” Brown said. But Brown pointed out the wedding can be called off up to the last minute, even if a merger bill is already working its way through the halls of the legislature. “If we get engaged, that doesn’t mean we have to get married. If things turn up, like if an asteroid hits the dam,” Brown joked, “we can probably get out.” Inevitably, Brown’s relentless references to marriage prompted others to adopt the framework as well. “To use the mayor’s analogy of marriage, no marriage works unless both parties spend a lot of time and effort making it work, and that’s what we’ll need to do for this union,” said Pat Mayer, a Waynesville resident who has lived both in town and at Lake Junaluska over the years. Mayer then offered her opinion as matchmaker. “I want to say to Lake Junaluska, ‘Waynesville is a unique place to live and call home.’ I want to say Waynesville, ‘Lake Junaluska has a great deal to offer this town,’” Mayer said. Indeed, the mutual admiration was flowing last week as leaders from the two entities came to the table for a series of prenuptial talks. “Whatever comes of this we want you to know how grateful we are for this partnership we have been in, not only in the past but right now as we explore this opportunity,” Jack Ewing, the CEO of Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, told town leaders at a recent meeting. The feeling is reciprocal, according to longtime former Waynesville Mayor Henry Foy. “I want (Lake Junaluska) to know how much we appreciate them and how much they have meant to Waynesville,” Foy told Ewing in response. Waynesville leaders believe Lake Junaluska would be a good catch. “It will be a win-win for both communities,” Waynesville Town Manager Marcy Onieal said. Ewing, not wanting to speak out of turn before his extended family formally offers Junaluska’s hand, would only say that Lake Junaluska leaders are taking “a serious look at the possibility.” “So in other words I need to go find a wedding chapel?” Brown asked “We have one available,” Ewing quipped. — Becky Johnson 12

Smoky Mountain News

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

Lake Junaluska at a crossroads: continuing coverage

catch for Waynesville, but light on the dowry BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER dding Lake Junaluska to its town limits won’t be a windfall for Waynesville despite $775,000 in property taxes it stands to gain each year. Likewise, Junaluska wouldn’t be a financial drain on the town, according to the results of a highly anticipated engineering and feasibility study outlining the pros and cons of a merger. The findings of the $60,000 study commissioned by the town of Waynesville were released last week. On one hand, Waynesville would face $10 million in water, sewer and street repairs at Lake Junaluska over the coming decade if the town absorbed the 765-home community into its town limits. “If you look at the hard numbers you’re going, ‘Oh that’s an ugly pig,’” Mayor Gavin Brown said. But Brown said there’s more to the equation than that. “This is not about today, it is not even about this time next year. Ten years from now, 15 years from now, we will be a stronger community because of it,” Brown said of a merger. Waynesville Town Manager Marcy Onieal agreed. “I think the benefit is the intangible. We are getting a population of professional, very engaged, civic-minded people,” Onieal said of Junaluska’s residents. If not for the $10 million in infrastructure repairs Lake Junaluska needs, the bottom line looks a like a boon for Waynesville. The town would see a $4 million net gain over the next decade thanks to the additional revenue Lake Junaluska would bring in. “The town would have more critical mass to operate from and the economies of scale would benefit the town as a whole,” Brown said. Even after hiring an additional 10 or so town employees to provide services at Lake Junaluska — including garbage collectors, street workers, police officers and public works staff — the town would still see a bottom line gain of $4 million over the next decade. “They are cheap to take care of. They don’t have a lot of trash problems. They don’t have a lot of fights police have to break up,” Brown said.

STUDY CONFIRMS BENEFITS OF MERGER Waynesville’s intuitive hunch all along was that Lake Junaluska would be a financial boon, but town leaders have been holding out for a more definitive and concrete analysis from a study conducted by Martin-McGill Associates, an engineering and consulting firm out of Asheville. “Bigger picture, longer term, bringing those two communities together just makes sense,” Jessica Lang, a consultant with McGill Associates, told town leaders when presenting the study’s findings at a meeting last week. When viewed in broad strokes, that might be true. But the picture isn’t so rosy if you consider the hit Waynesville would take in the water and sewer arena. Factor in losses on the water and sewer side, and Lake Junaluska goes from being a cash cow for Waynesville to a break-even proposition. Lake Junaluska needs $3.8 million in street repairs and $5.6 million in repairs to its aging water and sewer lines, according to the study. Waynesville already has $20 to $25 million of water and sewer repairs and upgrades on its own long-range to-do list. The town doesn’t bring in enough in water and sewer fees from customers to pay for the repairs it already needs, let alone taking on the burden of additional repairs needed to Lake Junaluska’s lines. Brown said an increase in water and sewer fees is inevitable, regardless of whether Lake Junaluska is added to the town. “We would have to do that to maintain our own system whether Junaluska came in or not,” Onieal agreed. Waynesville shouldn’t be scared off by Junaluska’s estimated water and sewer line repairs, however, according to Lang. “The numbers look daunting, but the level of need over there is not abnormal. This is pretty normal,” Lang said. Communities across American are grappling with aging water and sewer systems in need of costly modernization. More importantly, the town can put off some of the $5.6 million of water and sewer repairs and $3.6 million in street repairs on the 10-year to-do list for

Lake Junaluska by the numbers ■ $190 million: total value of property at Lake Junaluska added to Waynesville’s tax base ■ $775,000: property taxes Waynesville would collect annually from Lake Junaluska at current tax rate and property values ■ $4 million: cumulative profit in Waynesville’s operational budget over 10-year period from taking on Junaluska ■ $7 million: cumulative loss over 10 years to Waynesville’s water and sewer fund from taking on Junaluska ■ 100 years: age of Lake Junaluska’s oldest water and sewer lines ■ $5.6 million: estimated water and sewer line repairs and upgrades Lake Junaluska needs ■ $3.8 million: estimated street repairs and upgrades Lake Junaluska needs

INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS

more than 30 percent of the water flowing through its pipes seeps out into the ground, never making it to a customer’s faucet. Currently, Lake Junaluska buys water in bulk from the town and resells it to its own residents. Waynesville is paid for the water that’s lost into the ground, even though it technically isn’t reaching anyone’s water meter. If Lake Junaluska becomes part of the town, the residents there would become individual water customers — Lake Junaluska would no longer act as a middle man buying and reselling the water. Waynesville could only charge Junaluska residents for their actual water usage — and so the town would have to eat the cost of the water lost from the leaky pipes. The town would actually see a net loss just in its water and sewer operations to the tune of $300,000 to $500,000 a year. Technically, the town could offset the

While the biggest budget boon for Waynesville should it absorb Junaluska is the $775,000 in annual property tax revenue from Lake homeowners, Waynesville stands to gain financially on other fronts as well. Adding Lake Junaluska to the town limits will give Waynesville a population boost — from its current census population of 10,000 to roughly 11,000. The bigger population means a bigger cut of state sales tax distributed according to population, as well as other pots of state money that use a population-based formula, Onieal said. In all, it could mean an extra $1.2 million annually for the town, including both property taxes and the bump in various funding streams. Waynesville has held two public hearings on the issue, but town residents were largely a no show. “If someone feels left out or not heard that is their own fault. There has been ample opportunity,” said Alderman Wells Greeley. “That is when you have a great democratic process when everybody has been given a chance to have their piece.” Waynesville leaders were expected to vote at their meeting Tuesday night, held after The Smoky Mountain News’ press time, on whether the town wants to absorb Lake Junaluska. Various entities at Lake Junaluska will be voting over the coming week on whether they want to join the town.

Smoky Mountain News

The shortcomings of Lake Junaluska’s water and sewer lines have been a driving force behind the merger discussions. Staring down the costly repairs, Lake Junaluska residents realized they would be facing considerable increases to their water and sewer fees — or a sizeable levy — to cover the cost. Joining Waynesville could soften the blow for Junaluska residents, thanks to economies of scale that come with being part of a larger town. “Their infrastructure is essentially in about the same state Waynesville’s is over all. We both have aging sections,” Onieal said. “But it is a lot easier to undertake those improvements and repairs the larger the system is.” Waynesville not only faces the prospect of water and sewer line repairs at Lake Junaluska, it will actually lose money on its monthly water and sewer operations at Lake Junaluska. Junaluska’s water pipes are so leaky that

Several boards will weigh in over the next week on which direction Lake Junaluska should take: merging with Waynesville or going it alone? ■ Waynesville Board of Alderman: vote likely at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 ■ Lake Junaluska task force: vote at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Harrell Center at Lake Junaluska. ■ Lake Junaluska Community Council: vote at 4 p.m. March 5 at Junaluska Welcome Center. ■ Mail-in survey of 800 Lake Junaluska property owners: results announced publicly March 7. ■ Lake Junaluska Board of Directors: discussion at 10 a.m. March 7 at Terrace Hotel Auditorium, with vote to follow on March 8. ■ N.C. General Assembly: vote in mid- to late-summer.

BENEFITS ATTRACTIVE

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

MERGER MITIGATES

A trip to the chapel

LONG-TERM news

Junaluska. “This is a worst-case scenario if we identify all the needs,” Onieal said. “Any time you do this kind of study you want to know what it would cost to do everything. Yes, these are all things that have to be done, but they aren’t things that have to be done on a specific time frame.” In other words, the town can beg off some of the $10 million in infrastructure upgrades listed in the study. “They can be dialed up and down depending on what absolutely has to be done and how aggressive you want to be about undertaking these projects,” Lang said. “The staff and board have to determine what can we afford to do and what has to be done.”

water and sewer losses with the windfall from property taxes it will rake in from Lake Junaluska homeowners — thus amounting to a wash. But water and sewer operations should be self-sustaining and self-sufficient, not propped up by property taxes. “That is not a good practice,” said Lang. That reinforces the likely increase in water and sewer rates. Waynesville’s water and sewer rates are currently 30 to 40 percent lower than of most areas in the region. “Town rates are low compared to their peers and could tolerate slight adjustments if needed to offset the loss in the water and sewer fund,” Lang said. Onieal said it’s never fun to spend money on water and sewer repairs and upgrades, which is one reason communities can end up with a backlog. “It is out of sight, out of mind. They don’t see the pipes. They just turn on the faucet and get water,” Onieal said. Lake Junaluska wouldn’t be guaranteed its own little pot of money to peck away at its own water and sewer needs. Instead, its $5.6 million in water and sewer repairs would be tossed in the heap with the roughly $20 to $25 million in water and sewer repairs the town already has on its own todo list. “There would be no sense that Lake Junaluska projects would take priority over the town of Waynesville or vice versa. They would simply all become town of Waynesville projects and be slotted in line accordingly,” Onieal said.

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Increasing Medicare coverage could lower healthcare costs BY MARTIN DYCKMAN G UEST COLUMNIST he United States spends twice as much on health care as most other modern nations, with less to show for it in terms of longevity and other true measures of health. The reasons why — and what we could and should do about it — make the March 4 edition of TIME probably the most important single issue of any magazine ever published. Steven Brill’s cover story, “Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us,” takes up nearly the entire edition. Anyone who cares about this — and who doesn’t — needs to buy or borrow the magazine now or download the article from TIME’s website. It’s a keeper. The big villains in Brill’s piece are the hospitals whose outrageous bills have nothing at all to do with what their itemized services cost them, profiteering by pharmaceutical companies and the manufacturers of artificial hips and other durable medical supplies, and a Congress that protects them. Since 1998, the health care industry has spent $5.36-billion — that’s money extracted from you on me — on lobbying

MV Lodging Association opposes TDA tax hike To the Editor: Contrary to articles recently published in our local papers, there is much opposition to the proposed law to increase the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority occupancy tax by an additional 2 percent, raising the taxes to an unprecedented 13 percent for people who stay in Haywood County lodgings. At a special called meeting of the Maggie Valley Area Lodging Association on Friday, Feb. 22, our membership had a chance to voice their opinions and concerns. Members who were not able to attend this meeting sent in emails that overwhelmingly indicated their opposition to this proposal. The Maggie Valley Area Lodging Association presented a position at a special Maggie Valley Town Board meeting on Monday, Feb. 25, at town hall in Maggie. A motion was made at our meeting that states: “We as an organization oppose the proposed legislation, as written.” This motion has unanimous approval. In addition, we feel that the bill, as proposed, is being “fast-tracked” without adequate research as to its implementation and impact. Sue Koziol Secretary/Treasurer Maggie Valley Area Lodging Association

State’s democratic ideals are fading fast To the Editor: Our founding fathers, framing our Constitution, created a representative democracy. They formed a republic, a government where the people vote for representatives to

Congress. Defense contractors, by contrast, invested a mere $1.53 billion in feathering their nests. There’s something frightfully wrong with a system that allows the CEOs of nonprofit hospitals to be compensated as much as $5.9-million a year, while it hounds strapped-out patients — even many with insurance — into despair or bankruptcy. It is beyond bizarre that those lacking insurance, who are least able to pay, are slammed with the highest bills. “Unless you are protected by Medicare,” Brill writes, “the health care market is not a market at all. It’s a crapshoot.” Patients have little to no informed choice of providers or treatments, a situation bound to get worse as hospitals apply their profits to swallowing up their competitors and making employees of previously independent physicians. Patients, he says, “have no choice of the drugs that they have to buy or the lab tests or CT scans that they have to get, and they would not know what to do if they have a choice. They are powerless buyers in a seller’s market where the only sure thing is the profit of the sellers.” The big hero in all this is Medicare. It administers claims

govern for them who reflect their views. This is an indirect democracy, a government by majority rule of the voters. The founding fathers also created a three-branch government. The executive, legislative and judicial branches are independent of each other assuring that no one branch seizes too much power. These founding principles of our government are under attack in the state of North Carolina. Throughout our history the right to vote has been expanding to include AfricanAmerican men, women and the nation’s youth (by reducing the voting age to 18). Today their basic right is under threat. If our state legislature passes a law requiring voter IDs almost half a million registered voters, mainly our youth, the elderly, the poor and minorities, would be denied their voting right. Supporters of voter ID argue this law will combat voter fraud. Voter fraud is almost nonexistent in North Carolina. After the election of 2010, state legislatures redrew their congressional districts reflecting population changes resulting from the census. The Republican-dominated state legislature redrew N.C. legislative districts, manipulating them to favor Republican candidates. A majority of North Carolina voters cast their votes as Democrats in the 2012 election. As a result of gerrymandered districts, Republican legislators hold over 70 percent of the seats. Some gerrymandering was practiced by past state legislatures. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” When elections are manipulated to favor one political party and not the will of the people, democracy is lost. There are currently court challenges to these gerrymandered districts that are not yet settled. House Bill 10, recently passed in the N.C. state Senate, would allow Gov. Pat McCrory to eliminate 12 special Superior Court judges and change the makeup of the state

far more efficiently than private insurers and has made a science out of paying hospitals only what it actually costs them, including salaries and other overhead, to do what they do. Brill’s research makes a powerful case for lowering — not raising — the age of Medicare eligibility, provided that people nearing 65 pay higher premiums or co-pays. He concedes that hospitals need more lawsuit protection if they are to stop performing so many costly scans and lab tests. Brill estimates that the U.S. pays $750 billion too much on health care every year, compared to other developed nations. He warns that it will get worse, under the new coverages rightfully mandated by Obamacare, unless the nation deals with the profiteering and other treatable causes. No summary as short as this can do justice to a report as magisterial as the March 4 TIME, but I hope this encourages readers to go to the source. We’ve been powerless buyers far too long. (Waynesville resident Martin A. Dyckman is a former journalist and the author of several books. He can be reached at dyckmanm@bellsouth.net.)

Board of Elections. These unnecessary changes would serve to consolidate political power in the hands of the governor and the Republican Party. Altering the structure of our state judiciary is a serious threat to the principle of separation of powers that is so basic to our democracy. Replacing members of the Board of Elections with political appointees would place greater power and influence in the hands of one party: Republicans. The above developments threaten to undermine the very foundations of our republic, a government representing the will of the people. Concentrating power in the executive branch endangers democracy. The state of North Carolina appears to be moving toward oligarchy, government by the few. History provides an example of possible disastrous consequences when one political party, dominated by a powerful executive, gains control over a government. “Evil triumphs when good men (and women) do nothing.” Citizens need to email, write or call elected officials. Speak up for democracy! Margery Abel Franklin

Writer spouted false facts about Obamacare To the Editor: A recent letter writer makes a number of unsubstantiated and flat out erroneous claims about Obamacare, otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These sound like talking points from some right-wing propaganda organ. First, the writer claims that Obamacare will cause the decline in the quality of medical care. There is absolutely no evidence for this.

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786. Second is the common theme that the ACA comes between the patient and doctor relationship. This too is bogus. Private insurance that denied payment for preexisting conditions certainly came between the doctor-patient relationship. Refusals by private insurance to pay for certain conditions have doomed many to death just as being uninsured has resulted in many deaths. Third, the writer brings up costs. Private insurance takes up to 30 percent of the premiums you pay for profit, advertising, multimillion dollar executive salaries, and other “overhead.” The writer also criticized the coverage of contraception as driving up taxes. Availability of contraception actually saves money. It is more expensive to cover pregnancy and birth than funding contraceptives. Finally, the writer claims that Congress passed ACA because of “bribes to fund state wish lists” without giving any examples or evidence for this. Again, propaganda without facts. People should start looking at the facts instead of propaganda. For example, the overhead (proportion of money not available for direct care) for Medicare is under 5 percent. The overhead for private insurance ranges from around 20 percent to more than 30 percent. Now tell me which is the more efficient

system. If we are to have a discussion, at least cite facts, not phony propaganda. Norman Hoffman Waynesville

Time to be rid of all Cherokee bear zoos

Not all doom and gloom in Dillsboro

Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it be wonderful ... to use local builders To the Editor: Wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it be wonderful if the building boom of million dollar homes in Jackson County supported this countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people? Hiring local contractors and skilled laborers, as well as employing the abundant resource of manual labor in the area would do much to alleviate the cost of social services and lift the spirits and quality of life of those whose people have lived here for centuries. Many of them are descendants of the ones who created the â&#x20AC;&#x153;mountain cultureâ&#x20AC;? that so enriches our lives and yours. Many of them perform and create works of art and craft themselves. These are the folks who live locally and will spend their incomes locally, improving the town and countryside. Hiring outside contractors may be alluring as to the initial bid (which, by the way, can be often overrun). Outsiders arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t familiar with the local building codes and steep slope ordinance codes that in the long run will make your homes more valuable. No one wants a home that slides off the mountain, into the river, or has a mudslide on top of it. The paychecks of laborers from out of state will barely make a dent in the local economy, as they will most likely be spent in chain motels, stores, and restaurants. The bulk of these monies go out of the state, as will the proceeds. Please help to preserve and protect the beauty that you have come here seeking, and you will in turn be respected and well served. Martha Thomas Sylva

Liberals arts education enriches oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life To the Editor: Scott McLeod (Feb. 6 SMN) pays tribute to the value of a liberal arts education. Even though I never earned a B.A. degree, my college and high school background in literature, philosophy, music and religion has greatly enriched my life. Bill Sullivan Raleigh

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YOUR GATEWAY TO CYCLING THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS!

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

To the Editor: Little has changed in Cherokee since a 1989 Parade Magazine cover story, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Are Our Zoos Humane?â&#x20AC;? named a Cherokee bear exhibit as one of the 10 worst zoos in America. Thus, I was very pleased to read your story, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cherokee entertains idea of bear sanctuary,â&#x20AC;? and learn that there is finally some talk about improving conditions for these magnificent animals currently languishing in pits and cages.Â Imagine if you (or your dog) were kept in a cramped cage or concrete pit,Â unable to express the simplest of natural behaviors, andÂ forced to beg for food from tourists.Â - Cherokee zoos have been repeatedly cited tby the USDA for inadequate housing, injury )hazards such as protruding nails and structurally unsound shelters, inadequate veterinary care for sick and dying animals, lack of sufficient space, lack of adequate foods, etc.Â And USDA standards are quite minimal.Â Several years ago, Bob Barker wrote the following to Chief Michell Hicks: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The pacing, begging and moaning evident in the bear displays in Cherokee are signs that their most basic needs are not being met â&#x20AC;Ś the archaic caging and public feeding must go.â&#x20AC;?Â At the time, Chief Hicks reacted with anger and denial.Â I commend him for finally acknowledging the need for change, although I am sorry to read that he opposes removing the bears from the reservation.Â I think the best answer is for these animals to be sent to bona fide sanctuaries to live out the rest of their natural lives in peace, and for the reservation to say no to captive animal exhibits. Stewart David Asheville

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tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville. 828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years. Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. ANTHONY WAYNE’S 37 Church St, Waynesville. 828.456.6789. Open for lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; open for dinner Thursday-Saturday 5 to 9 p.m.; and Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exceptional, new-American cuisine, offering several gluten free items. BLUE RIDGE BBQ COMPANY 180 N. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.7524. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. TuesdayThursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Blue Ridge BBQ is a family owned and operated restaurant. The BBQ is slow hardwood smoked, marinated in its own juices, and seasoned with mountain recipes. All menu items made from scratch daily. Featuring homemade cornbread salad, fresh collard greens, or cornbread and milk at your request. Old-fashioned homemade banana pudding and fruit cobbler of the season. Catering, take-out, eat-in. blueridgebbq@gmail.com. BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slowsimmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts. Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily. Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available. BOGART’S 35 East Main St., Sylva. 828.586.6532. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Serving classic American food and drink in a casual environment. Daily lunch and dinner specials. Children’s menu available. Call for catering quotes. Private room available for large parties. Accepts MC/Visa, Discover and American Express. BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection

of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank. HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837. Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m. Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Join us in our beautiful patio garden. We are your local neighborhood host for special events: business party’s, luncheons, weddings, showers and more. Private parties & catering are available 7 days a week by reservation only. CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1401. Mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Join us for cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays (weather permitting) and familystyle dinners on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Social hour starts at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m. Our bountiful family-style meals include prime rib, baked ham, and herb-baked chicken; cookouts feature steaks, ribs, chicken and pork chops, to name a few. Every dinner is complemented with an assortment of seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts, and we offer a fine selection of wine and beer. Breakfast is also served daily from 8 to 9:30 a.m., and lunch from 12 to 2 p.m. Please call for reservations. CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored. CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881. Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials. Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked salmon bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panni sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck. Private room available for meetings. CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva. 828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more. Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com. CORK AND BEAN 16 Everett St., Bryson City. 828.488.1934. Open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy organic, fair-trade, gourmet espresso and coffees, a select, eclectic list of wines, and locally prepared treats to go with every thing. Come by early and enjoy a breakfast crepe with a latte, grab a grilled chicken pesto crepe for

lunch, or wind down with a nice glass of red wine. Visit us on Facebook! CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville. 828.456.7179. Reservations recommended. 4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com. CORNERSTONE CAFÉ 1092 N. Main Street, Waynesville. 828.452.4252. Open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fresh meats purchased daily, great homemade breakfast, burgers made to order. Comfortable and friendly atmosphere, with curb service available. Make lunch easy and call ahead for to go orders. COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT 3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley. 828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service. FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA 1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley. 828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FRYDAY’S & SUNDAES 24 & 26 Fry St., Bryson City (Next To The Train Depot). 828.488.5379. Winter hours: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thur & Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fri & Sat. Fryday’s is known for its Traditional English Beer Battered Fish & Chips, but also has burgers, deep fried dogs, gyro, shrimp, bangers, Chip Butty, chicken, sandwiches & a great kids menu. Price friendly, $3-$10, Everything available to go or call ahead takeout. Sundaes has 24 rotating flavors of Hershey's Ice Cream making them into floats, splits, sundaes, shakes. Private seating inside & out for both locations right across from the train station & pet friendly. FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Mondays. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Come for the restaurant’s 4 @ 4 when you can choose a center and three sides at special prices. Offered Wed- Fri. from 4 to 6. frogsleappublichouse.org. GUADALUPE CAFÉ 606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877.

tasteTHEmountains Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews. Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood. J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817. Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated. JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

MAD BATTER BAKERY & CAFÉ Located on the WCU Campus in Cullowhee. 828.293.3096. Open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Earth-friendly foods at people-friendly prices. Daily specials, wraps, salads, pastries, breads, soups and more. Unique fare, friendly service, casual atmosphere and wireless Internet. Organic ingredients, local produce, gourmet fair trade and organic coffees. MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB 1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ 9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561. Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts. OLD STONE INN 109 Dolan Road, off Love Lane. 828.456.3333. Classic fireside dining in an historic mountain lodge with cozy, intimate bar. Dinner served nightly except Sunday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Signature dinner choices include our 8oz. filet of beef in a brandied peppercorn sauce and a garlic and herb crusted lamb rack. Carefully selected fine wines and beers plus full bar available. Open year round. Call for reservations. PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Opend for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoor, outside on the patio or at the bar. Reservations appreciated. PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville. 828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Bar open Monday thru Saturday; dining room open Tuesday thru Saturday at 5 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials. Live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

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SOUL INFUSION TEA HOUSE & BISTRO 628 E. Main St. (between Sylva Tire & UPS). 828.586.1717. Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday noon -until. Scrumptious, natural, fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and desserts. 60+ teas served hot or cold, black, chai, herbal. Seasonal and rotating draft beers, good selection of wine. HomeGrown Music Network Venue with live music most weekends. Pet friendly and kid ready. SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800. Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available. Located across from the Fire Station. TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill. THE TIKI HOUSE SEAFOOD & OYSTER BAR 2723 Soco Road, Maggie Valley. 828.944.0445. Fresh seafood made to order. Oysters raw, steamed, or fried. Handcut steaks. Live music, cocktails, pet-friendly patio dining with a nice fountain. Friday patio music starts at 7 p.m. and Saturday night after dinner. Live bands and a dance floor. THE WINE BAR 20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville. 828.452.6000. Underground cellar for wine and beer, served by the glass all day. Cheese and tapas served Wednesday through Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or later. info@classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

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MOONSHINE GRILL 2550 Soco Road, Maggie Valley loacted in the Smoky Falls Lodge. 828.926.7440. Open Wednesday through Saturday, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Cooking up mouth-watering, woodfired Angus steaks, prime rib and scrumptious fresh seafood dishes. The wood-fired grill gives amazing flavor to every meal that comes off of it. Enjoy creative dishes made using moonshine. Stop by and simmer for a while and soak up the atmosphere. The best kept secret in Maggie Valley. themoonshinegrill.com

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LUCIO'S RESTAURANT 313 Highlands Road, Franklin. 828.369.6670. Serving Macon County since 1984. Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Lunch Wednesday-Friday 11:30 a.m. until.Dinner Wednesday-Saturday 5 p.m. until. Owned and operated by Tanya and Dorothy Gamboni. Serving authentic Italian and continental cuisine including appetizers, pastas, poultry, veal, seafood, steaks and homemade deserts. Selection of wine and beer. Lunch and Dinner menus. Wednesday and Thursday nights only. 1 appetizer and 2 selected entrées with unlimited salad and Lucio’s famous garlic rolls for $24.95. Winter Special: half-off house wines, Friday and Saturday only. luciosnc.com

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

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25 years in the business. Over 4.5 million hotdogs served. A Maggie Valley vacation tradition! 1451 DELLWOOD RD. | WAYNESVILLE | 926-0734

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Smoky Mountain News

Want to go?

Age is but a number on your dance card

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER Darkness enveloped the vehicle as soon as it exited Interstate 40. Cruising around sharp S-curves in the mountain community of Fines Creek in the remote northern reaches of Haywood County, headlights peered across vast fields and by quiet farmhouses where inhabitants were winding down after another bountiful day. A heavy fog rolled into Western North Carolina as distant homes sparkled like far away stars in the sky. Barreling further into the country, and away from any semblance of town, it seemed you could drive off the edge of the earth if you kept pushing any longer. But then, a brightly lit building emerged like a lighthouse on the high seas, with dozens of vehicles surrounding the old stone schoolhouse. It’s Saturday night at the Fines Creek Community Center and that means it’s time to dance. Entering the large, aged gymnasium of the former school, remade into a community center, rows of tables filled one side of the basketball court while the other was headlong into a gyration frenzy. “I’ve just been dancing and going to music for [several] years, and I love seeing the people here,” said event organizer Fannie Dorlon. “I treat my people if there was 20 here the same as if there was 100.” What started as a semi-regular occurrence, where local music groups and dancers would come together has now morphed into a weekly hootenanny bringing in upwards of 125 people since Dorlan took over and kicked things off last October. Those who ran the past events were getting older and too tired to carry on the duties. Dorlan saw the opportunity to put some fresh blood and enthusiasm into the cherished dances. “I couldn’t find anything like this anywhere,” she said. “So, I came down here one night and asked if it was available to do every weekend. It was, and it’s been going every weekend since.” And going it is. Though a decidedly older crowd, the energy and vibration of patrons throws age to the backseat and steers right into the promise of a fun-filled evening. With beltbuckles the size of dinner plates, snakeskin boots and newly minted cowboy hats, gentle-

The weekly music and dance at the Fines Creek Community Center goes from 7 to 10:30 p.m. every Saturday throughout the year. Each week, different old-country, early rock-n-roll and mountain music groups grace the stage. Food, refreshments, 50/50 raffle and door prizes are available. Admission is $5 and students are free with paying adult. 828.627.1912.

First timers to the Fines Creek dance, Jonathan Hicks and his girlfriend Dana McGwire (foreground) think coming to events like these are not only important for relationships, but also for the strength of the local community. Garret K. Woodward photo

men tip their brims to their significant others or to a newly met friend, ultimately scratching another name off their dance card. At 71-yearsold, Audrey Worley has been clogging since she was a child. For her, it’s all about getting out and doing what she loves — dancing. “Haywood County has very few things like this to offer and I think it’s just wonderful here,” she said. “It’s a good tradition to have here and the exercise is great.” Twirling around the floor, couples move about like a carousel, gliding and swaying back and forth with their partner to the sounds of Jericho Hill, an old-country/early rock-n-roll quartet from Asheville. “We’re used to playing a lot of bars and this is really a family thing, which is what we really like about it,” said bassist Ed Chandler. “If somebody doesn’t keep this going, it’ll become a lost art, so we’re glad to be able to get in here and do this kind of thing.”

Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam changes date The Fines Creek Blue Grass Jam, held annually the past 15 years, will see a change in date this year from the last weekend in August to the second weekend of the month, Aug. 9-10. Attendance at the event has dropped over the past two years because of competition from other events held the same weekend, primarily the Haywood County Fair whose date was changed in recent years to the same weekend as Fines Creek, which is a family-friendly destination point for lovers of bluegrass music. Trisha Fricks is serving as chairperson for the event, assisted by Charles and Mary Ann Teague and a committee of volunteers. 828.627.3080 or finescreekgirl@yahoo.com or www.finescreek.org.

Grabbing a chilidog or some banana pudding, folks here sit and relax for a few moments before jumping right back up for a slow dance or up-tempo rockabilly selection. Wandering the Cracker Jack box gymnasium, one gets the sense if they closed their eyes and listened carefully they would be transported decades into the past, to a simpler time, one of chivalry, innocent laughter and cozy handholding. “We’ve been coming since she opened. The atmosphere is down to earth and you just feel like you’re home, it’s just a good place,” said Barbara Ross. “It’s a lot of older folks, but this is a tradition our younger people now have access to.” Sitting down next to Barbara is her husband Ralph. A longtime dance and rhythm aficionado, he’s appreciative of these events and how much they’ve meant to the community at large. “I like to dance to pretty music and it’s very sociable,” he said. “Oh, I thought there for a minute he was going to say pretty women,” Barbara chuckled. Manning the food table during a set break, Dolan’s boyfriend James Strickland knows the importance of preserving southern traditions. Keeping these events alive and going is a top priority for him. “It’s the heritage and trying to keep it going for the kids and grandkids,” he said. “This is the tradition of the mountains, especially with clogging, two-step and line-dancing, and people here are going to do it until they die.” Strickland points to the wide array of people in attendance. According to him, there are folks from Black Mountain, Hendersonville, Cherokee and as far away as Georgia. It’s about getting the word out and letting people know the real deal is happening in Fines Creek. “If you come once, you’ll come back,” he said. “There’s no drinking, no smoking and you don’t have to worry about hostility. We’re got a good turnout and everyone is enjoying themselves.” Tearing up a rug the entire night, firsttimers Dana McGwire and Jonathan Hicks are having a ball diving into the movements and music of their native lands. The couple sticks out, not just primarily for their young age, but for their exuberance to soak in every musical note and quickly fleeting moment in the room. “Mountain tradition is important and it’s just fun to get out and do this, which we like to do,” Hicks said. “It’s great to be here, to learn

S EE FINES CREEK, PAGE 19

The annual “Empty Bowl” fundraiser will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at The Open Door Soup Kitchen in Waynesville. Local potters donate handcrafted bowls, which guests can then buy — filled with soup — for a $20 donation to the Open Door.

Watch a portrait master in action

Chili contestant fee is $15 , or $10 for Maggie chamber members. 828.926.1686 or teresa@maggievalley.org.

Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual chili challenge from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 10, at the Maggie Valley Inn & Conference Center. The public judges the contest, with a $5 cover charge to get a cup for taste testing. Competitors will have four flavor categories to choose from: • The Chili Rustler: A cowboy’s chilihearty, bean and beef. • Chili Luau: A sweeter version using pineapple, chicken or any other lighter flavoring. • Chili Mex: A spicy version using rice, jalapenos, black beans and anything else packing “heat.” • Chili Hog Wild: Biker Friendly version using anything but beef – sausage, bear, deer, pork or meat of choice. Competitors are required to dress up in costume to match the category entered with 50 percent of the score based on taste and 50 percent of the score based on presentation.

Workshop for musical youth to hone their stage chops A workshop for youth who are performing mountain heritage music and would like to learn more about stage presence will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 2, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Hosting the workshop will be Judy Rhodes, who is a performer and has served as a judge for the Mountain Youth Talent Contests for several years. She is a songwriter, piano teacher and children’s choir director. This workshop is highly recommended for those participating in the Heritage Alive! Mountain Youth Talent Contest on Saturday, April 27, at the Greening Up the Mountains Festival in Sylva. The class is free and open to the public. 828.586.4009 or kerri_rayburn@ncsu.edu.

great Saturday night at the Fines Creek Community Center is wrapping up. At a nearby table, Canton Mayor Mike Ray is observing the jubilant crowd, most of which come and support “Pickin’ at the Armory,” a twice monthly mountain music and dance event held in the Canton Armory before it moves outside to recreation park in the summer. “This is the heritage of Western North Carolina, so it’s important that our community has a place to come and dance, for young people to come and carry on the tradition,” Ray said.

FINES CREEK, CONTINUED FROM 18 and see how the older generation does it.” “I like it here because I can shake a leg,” McGwire added. “This is important for relationships and for the community.” But, what about being a younger couple in a sea of elders? “There’s a lot of young souls here,” she smiled. The early evening slides into the depths of the crisp night. Couples are slowly trickling out the door to destinations unknown. Another

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Smoky Mountain News

Who’s the spiciest in WNC?

Held every Saturday night at the Fines Creek Community Center, the weekly music and dance event attracts droves of patrons from around Western North Carolina. Attendees come to clog, two-step or line-dance to the sounds of old-country, early rock-n-roll and mountain music groups. Garret K. Woodward photo

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

Multimedia artist and teacher Mark Menendez will demonstrate oil portrait painting techniques for the Art League of the Smokies at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. Menendez will demonstrate his unique method of portrait painting, from pencil drawing to pattern to finished portrait of a child. Attendees will learn many valuable techniques no matter your medium or genre or level of expertise. For over 30 years, Menendez has instructed thousands of students at all levels of expertise or education and currently offers classes in Andrews and Waynesville. He is a member of the Blue Ridge Watermedia Society, the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, The Color Pencil Society of America, and the Macon County Art Association. The event is sponsored by the Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools. It is free and open to the public. 828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us.cfta.

arts & entertainment

Potters unite to help feed the hungry

In addition to the handcrafted bowl by a local potter, the donation includes a simple meal of soup, cornbread, dessert and refreshments. Patrons are asked to keep their bowl as a reminder of all the empty bowls around the world. Jim and Karen Doyle have been attending the Empty Bowl fundraiser for years and have amassed a proud collection of the handcrafted bowls from the event. “We praise all the local potters that offer to make bowls, free of charge, and give them to the Open Door for this project,” Karen Doyle said. All proceeds from the dinner will go towards the effort to end hunger. 828.452.3846.

JOSH TURNER S AT UR DAY, M AY 11, 20 13

Little Big Town hits the stage in Cherokee

arts & entertainment

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Country group Little Big Town will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center. The quartet has been on top of the Billboard Country Albums Chart for several weeks with their critically acclaimed new album “Tornado,” featuring the band’s #1 hit “Pontoon.” Their previous albums produced several hits including “Boondocks” and “Little White Church,” which earned them nominations at the Grammy Awards, the Country Music Association Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and the CMT Music Awards. www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000 or www.littlebigtown.com.

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Little Big Town will play Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center on March 2.

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

Easton Corbin

Balsam Range welcomes Cordle, Jackson & Salley

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Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

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participated in many blockbuster tours with artists like Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Blake Shelton. Tickets are $45 per person. www.GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.

Country music singer Easton Corbin will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Corbin released his first album in 2010, which included two hits, “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll with It.” He has been nominated for multiple awards, won three American Country Awards and

Nationally acclaimed Western North Carolina bluegrass group Balsam Range will continue their winter concert series with special guest Cordle, Jackson & Salley at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at The Colonial Theatre in Canton. The multi-award winning “Trio” has had songs recorded by Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Loretta Lynn, Toby Keith, Patty Loveless, Joe Nichols, George Strait, Alan Jackson, and others. Awards include accolades from The Country Music Association, International Bluegrass Music Association, Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association and Gospel Music Association Tickets are $15 per person. The last concert of the series will be with International Bluegrass Music Association “Guitar Player of the Year” Jim Hurst on April 6. 828.235.2760.

The Corbitt Brothers Band invades WNC

Renowned southern rock outfit The Corbitt Brothers Band will be performing at 10 p.m. Friday, March 1, at Mulligan’s Sports Bar and Grill in Franklin, and at 9 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Rendezvous in the Maggie Valley Inn & Conference Center. A hard-driving rock sound with a wellrounded blend of blues and country, the Franklin-based group engages a crowd with explosive energy and magnetism. A $7 cover charge will start after 9 p.m. for the Franklin show, while the Maggie Valley performance is free as part of their “Tiki Freeze Party,” where patrons are encouraged to dress in summer/swimwear. There will be a special weekend room rate of $49 per night at the inn. www.corbittbrothers.com.

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Haywood Community Band holds open call for musicians

Carolina Arts Council. 828.456.4880 or www.haywoodcommunityband.org.

The Haywood Community band is holding an open call for local woodwind, brass and percussion musicians to join their group now in its 11th season of giving free concerts in the area. Band rehearsals are held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Grace In The Mountains Episcopal Church in Waynesville. The first rehearsal of the season will be March 7. The band gives free concerts the third Sunday of each month May thru October at the Maggie Valley Pavilion next to the Maggie Valley Town Hall. The band also performs on Memorial Day, July 4 and when called upon by civic organizations in the Haywood community. Donations of band instruments are also being sought to refurbish and loan to local school band students for their use. The band, in cooperation with band directors from Tuscola and Pisgah High Schools, select students in the spring for scholarships to attend summer music camp programs in the region. Monitory donations to the band are gladly accepted. The Haywood Community Band is supported in part by a grassroots grant from the Haywood County Arts Council and the North

‘Vagina Monologues’ come to WCU “The Vagina Monologues” will return to the stage at Western Carolina University at 7 p.m. March 1 and 2 in the A.K. Hinds University Center Grandroom. “The Vagina Monologues” is a series of 12 monologues by women that explore the spectrum of female sexuality, relationships and violence against women. Its production has become a near annual event at WCU. Eve Ensler, a playwright, performer and activist, wrote the play in 1996 after interviewing more than 200 women, including stories of violence against women and the struggles women face in society. WCU students and alumna are performing the monologues in recognition of V-Day, a global effort to stop violence against women and girls. Proceeds will benefit REACH of Macon County, the Clean Slate Coalition, the WCU Sexual Violence Awareness Fund and the VDay Foundation: One Billion Rising. Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. sacarter@wcu.edu or 828.227.2617.

HCC class creates stop-motion film

Turning paper scraps into handmade crafts

Learn how to transform recycled, reclaimed and new scrap booking papers into craft projects at workshop at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, at the Jackson County Library in Sylva. Hosted by James Stewart-Payne, partici-

Explore women’s role in Southern Craft Revival “Woman to Woman — The Southern Craft Revival” will be presented at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. The program focuses on the emergence of handmade crafts as an important industry in the Southern Appalachian region and commemorates Women’s History Month. A movement largely organized by women for women, it spawned cottage industries throughout the region and produced a new wave of American pioneers. These women of the Revival defined personal, professional and social roles for themselves, and created opportunities for less privileged women. The lecture and slide presentation will be given by Anna Fariello with Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library and the director of WCU’s Craft Revival Project. The event is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the Macon County Arts Council and the Macon County Library. www.artscouncilofmacon.org or 828.524.7683.

This steam bent white oak fixture “Pinch” is a creation by Matthias Pliessnig.

The twists and turns of wood bending The exhibit “Torqued & Twisted: Bentwood Today” will be running through March 22 at Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum. The exhibition explores the work of nine furniture makers and sculptors who use the technique of bending wood in innovative, unusual and eloquent ways. Bentwood came to symbolize the modern movement in furniture design, but it still offers a tempting territory for a range of aesthetic and formal explorations. The artists/designers in this exhibition push the limits of wood bending to create extraordinary functional and sculptural works of art that are conceptually challenging and expand our understanding and expectations of wood as a material. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, and until 7 p.m. Thursday. 828.227.3591.

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arts & entertainment

Haywood Community College students recently created a stop motion film called “Louie Loses a Lug Nut.” Stop motion, or frame-by-frame, is a technique designed to make an inanimate object appear to move on its own. The object is moved or manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when a series of frames are played in a continuous sequence. The initial idea stream focused on Louie the Car, who breaks down and needs information on repairs, which leads to him visiting the library to checkout a book. Students assisted in shooting the roughly 220 images, creating the title and credits, choosing sound effects, and photo editing. It was created by HCC’s Compensatory Education class, in partnership with the college’s Learning and Resource Center. The class is currently planning a training stop-motion film to be used at Haywood Vocational Opportunities. 828.627.4648.

pants will make a bouquet of paper flowers from pages of old magazines and also a simple garland of hearts to hang in your home. Some paper supplies will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring old magazines, large scrap booking papers, scissors and hot glue gun or stapler, if they have them. Free. 828.586.2016.

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Be A ConďŹ dent Home Buyer Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

MARCH 7TH

6PM

Downtown Waynesville Historic Citizens Bank Building

FIRST

TIME HOME BUYER OVERVIEW

After completing the overview youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able: s s s s s

se habla espaĂąol

$ESCRIBE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HOME OWNERSHIP 0REPARE FOR THE HOME SELECTION PROCESS 0LAN FOR LOAN APPLICATION AND CREDIT REVIEW %XPLAIN HOW TO MOVE FROM MAKING AN OFFER TO MOVING IN !SK LOTS OF QUESTIONS

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!N ATTORNEY LOAN OFl CER AND HOME INSPECTOR WILL PARTICIPATE TO PROVIDE SPECIl C ASSISTANCE ON YOUR LEGAL LENDING AND HOME CONDITION QUESTIONS

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

Final volume of Churchill biography a long-awaited gem illiam Manchester, author of a number of best-selling books, including The Death of A President, American Caesar, and Goodbye, Darkness, spent nearly 30 years writing a three-volume biography of Winston Churchill. Still a young man when I read the first volume, The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, in 1984, I was entranced by his account not only of Churchill but also of the Victorian Age into which he had been born and the Edwardian Era in which he won his first real measure of fame. Writer Manchester gave me and thousands of other readers more than the man: he recreated the world in which Winston Churchill had so exuberantly lived. The second volume, The Last Lion: Alone, appeared in 1988, and though not quite as exciting to me — it focused largely on the 1930s and the run up to war — it was nonetheless an excellent history. Churchill and a company of other figures from the time came alive in those pages. Like so many others, I eagerly awaited the third volume: Britain alone in the struggles against Nazism, Churchill’s friendship with Roosevelt, the aftermath of the Second World War and the new struggle against the Soviets. The second volume had appeared five years after the first, and I expected the same timeframe for the third. But the book never appeared. Year by year went by, and I would occasionally recollect that missing volume and wonder whether Manchester would ever bring out his final gift. I did not know then that William Manchester had spent those years suffering from a severe illness, and when I read in 2004 that he had died, I thought again with sadness on that incomplete set of books and felt sorry for Manchester, as I was certain he must have felt bitter regret at his failure.

Jeff Minick

Then came one of those little miracles of the book world: the third volume appeared in November 2012. By then, I had heard that a Mr. Paul Reid, a writer I must confess I had never read, had honored Manchester’s request to take up the book and finish it. As I found out more about Mr. Reid, I learned that he lived in North Carolina, in Asheville if I am not mistaken, and that he and Manchester were long-time friends. But even then I won-

dered whether the third volume would really appear. And then suddenly there it was — in the bookshops, online, in large stores. I am happy to report that Manchester and Reid’s The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 (Little, Brown and Company ISBN 978-0-31654770-3) has completed the banquet begun so long ago. Here is a volume that easily matches the other two in its breadth of history and in its finelywrought picture of the great man himself. In terms of its history, one great strength of the book is its account of Great Britain in 1940. Consequences in history may seem inevitable in hindsight, but after reading the first three hundred pages of this book, we truly realize how close England came to invasion and to losing the war. Because of their fine use of detail to underline their major points, and because both writers are deeply interested in human nature as well as events, we follow the history of 1940 as we might read a story: the German attacks, the collapse of the French, Dunkirk, England alone, the horrendous bombardments that raked London night after night, the staggering loss of ships and men in the North Atlantic, the desperation felt by the British as they prepared to meet — some of them armed with pikes — a full-scale invasion of their island. The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Defender of the At the center of all this Realm, 1940-1965 by William Manchester and Paul Reid. Little, mess stood Churchill. Later, when asked the year of his life Brown and Company, 2012. 1,233 pages that meant the most to him,

‘Young adult’ authors speak at City Lights in Sylva

Madman’s Daughter, which is the first book of a trilogy. The event is free and open to the public. 828.586.9499.

A trio of young adult genre authors will host a reading and panel discussion at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Beth Revis, Carrie Ryan and Megan Hansen Shepherd will discuss and read from their new books. Revis is the author the Across the Universe series and will present her latest installment, Shades of Earth. Ryan is the author of the Forest of Hands and Teeth series and has also been included in some recent young adult short story collections. Hansen Shepherd will present her novel The

Book captures artistic, cultural and historical facets of woodcraft Cherokee Carving, a new book by Anna Fariello of Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library, examines carvers active among the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in the early to mid-20th century. On sale through the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the book gives an overview of carv-

he replied, “1940 — always 1940.” He was 65 when he became prime minister, an age when most men begin slowing down, but “everyone who had been around him in 1940 remembered the Old Man’s astonishing, unflagging energy.” Of him that year, Reid and Manchester write: “To the British public, he had become the ultimate Englishman, an embodiment of the bulldog breed, with the pugnacious set of his jaw, the challenging tilt of his cigar, his stovepipe hat … He himself had always ignored dietary rules, and rarely paid a penalty for it, and he drank whatever he wanted, usually alcohol, whenever he wanted it, which was often.” Both biographers are quick to point out Churchill’s flaws: his dominance of conversations; his lack of administrative skills; his quick temper (coupled often, however, with a strong sense of chagrin); his penchant for projects and special operations. They also reveal his several efforts to lure the United States into a war. Men with long public careers are bound to make both enemies and mistakes, and Reid and Manchester don’t shy away from exposing those of Churchill. The philosopher and critic George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We can learn from the examples of history, though we must be careful how we apply what we learn. We may also — and this is, I think, a great gift of history and biography — take solace from the past. The struggles of others, the trials of great and common men, can grant us the comfort and courage we require to confront our own misfortunes, public and private. If nothing else, The Last Lion, now brought to completion, teaches us some of these lessons. It gives us a man who faced a dozen great ordeals in his own life and how he fought back, sometimes against great odds, with determination, pluck, and humor. If nothing else, Winston Churchill reminds us — and we need these reminders — that life was meant to be lived with grit and passion.

ing as a Cherokee tradition, including the creation of pipes, masks and figures, and touches on the bas relief technique, which produces a two-dimensional image on a flat plane. The last half of the book is devoted to short biographies of nine individual Eastern Band carvers. Cherokee Carving is the third and final installment of the From the Hands of our Elders series authored by Fariello to document Cherokee arts. The basketry and pottery books are available locally and have both recently been reissued as electronic books available for purchase through Amazon.com. Hunter Library and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation provided funding for the series. www.wcu.edu/library/DigitalCollections or 828.227.2499 or fariello@wcu.edu.

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

“Operation Something Bruin”

Dozens of rogue hunters busted in illegal mountain poaching ring

BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER ast week, state and federal wildlife officers began rounding up dozens of suspected poachers in Western North Carolina, bringing to fruition an undercover investigation that spanned several years across several rural mountain counties and penetrated the heart of an illegal hunting ring that targeted black bears. Undercover agents spent years gaining the trust of the rogue hunting community, imbedding themselves in the poachers’ social circles until they were eventually invited along on the illegal hunting parties. In all, more than 80 illegal hunters will likely be charged — and another two dozen or so questioned — in relation to nearly 1,000 wildlife crimes, ranging from illegally baiting bears to hunting deer at night with spotlights. The sweeping investigation encompassed a handful of counties in WNC — including Swain, Jackson, Macon and Haywood — and northern Georgia. The vast majority of violations were committed on National Forest land, with a few taking place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The first wave of arrests were made Tuesday, Feb. 19. However, as warrants are

issued and interviews conducted, Major Todd Kennedy, field operations supervisor with the N.C. Wildlife Commission, expected the number of charges and suspects would increase. Many of the rouge hunters were paid guides who took clients on organized hunts, collecting up to $1,000 for guaranteed kills. Kennedy likened the network of poachers using illegal hunting tactics to a wheel — a

core group of violators were at the hub with connections that extended out like spokes. Some were only distantly affiliated, but others worked together directly and hunted in groups. “The majority of the group is close friends or acquaintances,” Kennedy said. “But they’re all connected in a loose way.” At least 10 bears were killed illegally by the

A trap used by poachers to illegally hunt bears. NCWRC photo

poachers during the course of the four-year undercover investigation agents dubbed “Operation Something Bruin,” a pun that borrows from an old English name for a bear. Other bears were shot, but not necessarily killed while some were killed but not witnessed first-hand by undercover operatives. Some bears were illegally shot at from automobiles and boats. Others were hunted at night, as were deer, with the aid of spotlights. Some were hunted by guided parties on public lands that lacked the proper authorization. And still others were illegally trapped and released for a planned hunt. But the most common tactic was illegally baiting bears with food left in the woods, luring them to return to the same spot where they could eventually be shot, Kennedy said. Poachers baited bears on public land, even in bear sanctuaries within the national forests that are off-limits to bear hunting. Bait ranged from chocolate waste products to peanut butter, bought by the ton and placed in five-gallon drums. Once the bears’ behavior became easy to predict, the poachers could either wait and shoot them when they showed up to feed at the bait location or use the scent trail left by the bear to track it with hunting dogs, scare it into a tree and then shoot it, Kennedy said. A majority of the violations are criminal misdemeanors and carry a fine of $2,000 and a two-year hunting license revocation, Kennedy said. However, each crime committed on federal land has the potential to be elevated to a federal crime, as do those that involve transporting bears or their parts across state lines. And some of the suspects, it appears, went

S EE POACHING, PAGE 25

Honest hunters have little tolerance for renegade tactics BY ANDREW KASPER STAFF WRITER Shock waves rippled through the mountain hunting community last week as word spread of a sweeping undercover investigation targeting dozens of illegal rogue hunters. Wallace Messer, a bear hunter in Waynesville and treasurer of the N.C. Bear Hunters Association, said he wasn’t aware of such widespread unethical bear hunting. But considering the violators evaded game wardens for years, Messer postulated that the crooked hunting circles kept their activities secret from the honest hunters. “Them kind of people aren’t going to be out there hunting in front of somebody,” said Messer, who has been an active bear hunter for nearly 60 years. “They aren’t going to let me see them violate — I’d turn them in.” One aspect of the illegal activity, that of hunting within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and within bear sanctuaries in the national forests, especially troubled Messer. The N.C. Bear Hunters Association had been a proponent of keeping those protected lands closed to hunting — to provide bears respite from hunters and a place to rear their young. “Hunting (in the bear sanctuaries) could disrupt the raising cycle of the young,” Messer said “If we didn’t have the

Black bears were at the center of an illegal hunting ring that spanned Western North Carolina and northern Georgia.

bear sanctuaries, we wouldn’t have the bear population we have today.” That strikes at perhaps the most egregious aspect of the illegal hunting activity: wildlife populations can’t sustain that kind of pressure. He said bears he has chased on a hunt know to run toward the national park or one of the sanctuaries because there they will be safe. They’ll even risk crossing busy roads to get there. “That’s the only place the bear can lay down and not have someone bother him during hunting season,” Messer said. Dick Hamilton, a coordinator with the fishing and hunting program of the N.C. Wildlife Federation, said his organization supports strong enforcement of the wildlife laws for the benefit of its 4,500 or so members. He said effective enforcement ultimately benefits the lawful hunters and fisherman by assuring that unfair advantages aren’t used and limits are followed, leaving healthier wild game and fish populations. “You have to have good rules and then good law enforcement to enforce those rules,” Hamilton said. “Law enforcement is the cornerstone of good wildlife management.” Hamilton is the former executive director of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and has seen how covert operations are conducted from the inside. Most

POACHING, CONTINUED FROM 24

THE UNDERCOVER STING

“The majority of the group is close friends or acquaintances. But they’re all connected in a loose way.” — Todd Kennedy, N.C. Wildlife Commission

“The best source of information a game warden can get is firsthand information from hunters in the field.

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

Operation Something Bruin dates back to 2009, when a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer stationed in WNC began linking reports of illegal bear hunting activity. The reports, collected from the public,

eyewitnesses and other law enforcement agents, indicated there may be widespread illegal hunting in the region. Moreover, several “common denominators” were detected, said Russ Arthur, a supervisory special agent for the forest service’s southern region. “They just started matching up,” said Arthur. The hunch would eventually lead to the long-term undercover investigation. However, at the time, there was little the forest service agent, who identified the pattern, could do alone. Special agents with the forest service — a brand of officer separate from uniformed rangers and charged with more complex investigations — often over-

the season, and no agency had full-time officers solely dedicated to the project, which helped curtail the cost of the operation. The undercover assignments ranged from working in a sporting good store to gathering information from the outside though social media websites. To keep their cover up, some agents imbedded in guided group hunts even shot at bears, often missing the mark on purpose, but resulting in two kills during the course of the investigation. Meanwhile, files were kept on each of the suspects, amassing evidence for a potential trial. The government agencies involved in the investigation frequently consulted lawyers for guidance on when enough evidence was gathered for a conviction. Arthur, in his 29 years of experience in law enforcement, said the operation was one of the highly effective at targeting wildlife violators who are often hard to apprehend. “This is one of the best examples of cooperation I’ve ever seen,” Arthur said. “It might be the best.” Eventually, the task force was pushed to begin making arrests, due partly to the statue of limitations — typically two years for a misdemeanor — and the availability of resources to keep up the operation. When the arrests went down last week, more than 100 officers were dispatched to round up the suspects across the two states. In the first few days of mobilization, nearly 50 suspects were charged in North Carolina, and a handful in Georgia. Their crimes ranged as did their motivations, Kennedy said, from money for running illegal guided hunting trips to peer pressure to take the largest bear. But, Captain Thomas Barnard, a law enforcement supervisor with the Georgia DNR, said all of them had at least one thing in common the day arrests were made. “Nobody knew that we were coming,” Barnard said. “They were surprised when we knocked on the door.”

outdoors

beyond just illegal hunting tactics and attempted to capitalize on selling bear parts, from claws and hides to gallbladders valued in Chinese medicine. “There was a core group of them,” Kennedy said. “But they all had their own little niche.” Kennedy said miscellaneous bear anatomy was confiscated from the houses of violators: including the meat, claws, bearskin rugs, bear hides and gall bladders. Ornamental deer mounts made from deer illegally killed at night were also confiscated. The bear gall bladders were the most common part confiscated by law enforcement, Kennedy said. The gall bladders are typically cut out of the bear, freeze dried and then sold to foreign markets. The gall bladder is regarded as an aphrodisiac in some Asian countries. However, Kennedy said the suspected commercialization of illegal bear parts was minimal, something he attributed to a previous undercover sting in the 1980s targeting the illegal harvest of bear parts in the region. He said that operation has deterred the widespread taking and selling of bear parts since. “They still talk about Operation Smoky,” Kennedy said.

see large tracts of land, spanning A drum of bait used by 200,000 to poachers to lure wildlife 300,000 acres. to hunting spots. The geoNCWRC photo graphic reality, and sophistication of the violators, made detection difficult. It was at a special meeting of several wildlife agencies — U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the U.S. Forest Service and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources — that clues started lining up. The same illegal techniques used by the violators to perform hunts and escape being caught were identified by the various agencies across the region, and even state lines. Eventually, officers reached a consensus to begin an undercover operation. “Routine uniform patrol could not catch these people,” Arthur said. “The only way to see what was going on was to start the covert work.” What happened next was much like what you would see in a movie, Arthur said. The first two years were primarily spent getting to know hunters in the local communities. Each of the four agencies supplied officers from outside the area who wouldn’t be recognized to go undercover in hopes of infiltrating the suspected network of poachers. Sometimes 10 to 15 agents worked on the project at one time, before rotating out and returning to other job duties. The level of covert activity fluctuated with

— Dick Hamilton, N.C. Wildlife Federation

activity can be widespread. On average, the N.C. Wildlife Commission has one game warden per county in WNC. “Consider there’s only one wildlife officer for all of Jackson County,” Edwards said. “This should be an alert to our North Carolina General Assembly to understand there’s a major problem out here, and they’d better support our wildlife officers.” Edwards also warned that the real test of justice would take place in the courts, where prosecutors, judges and lawyers would determine the extent to which the violators are punished. In the aftermath of the operation, Edwards said a shared distaste for the poachers and a mutual desire for justice was bringing together honest hunters and wildlife advocates like himself — groups that are sometimes diametrically opposed. “We think this is a common ground for both hunters and those who value wildlife from a different perspective,” Edwards said.

ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS Although Operation Something Bruin will net hundreds of charges against dozens of suspected poachers, the true

quantitative impact of illegal hunting tactics on bear populations is harder to determine. Mike Carraway, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Commission, said the bear population in the mountains is so high that poaching probably had little effect on the numbers. However, the tactics used by the poachers could influence bear activity. For example, baiting bears with sweet foods can cause their teeth to rot, harm their health and alter their normal activity. “Bears have a sweet tooth,” Carraway said. “Once they experience it, that could lead them to seek out other candies as well.” And those other candies could be in places that bears aren’t wanted, such as in dumpsters, near communities or campsites. Earlier this year, backcountry camping was shut down in the Shining Rock area of the Pisgah National Forest due to a bear or bears raiding campsites for food. Carraway said more enforcement could help curtail illegal hunting tactics. However, budget constraints have forced a compromise between ideal management and realistic management. “Like any agency, we deal with however much money we get to cover the area that we have to cover,” Carraway said. 25

Smoky Mountain News

busts start with a tip from honest hunters or fisherman who spot irregular activity and report it. Suspicious lights at night, guns shots outside hunting season or random vehicles parked along the boundaries of national parks can be telltale signs of illegal hunting activity and are often easily spotted by other hunters and fisherman. “The best source of information a game warden can get is firsthand information from hunters in the field,” Hamilton said. “That’s our frontline of defense.” But even though Operation Something Bruin has thus far been seen as a success by the agencies involved and many wildlife and hunting advocacy groups, it points to a troubling systemic culture of illegal hunting, according to John Edwards, a wildlife advocate in Cashiers. “It’s a part of the culture here and in other parts of the country where people feel for some reason they have a right to do what they want to rather than what is best for the wildlife,” Edwards said. Edwards questioned whether the one-time operation would really get to what he saw as the root of the illegal hunting problem: an inadequate number of wildlife enforcement officers to cover large areas where Edwards said such illegal

outdoors

WCU trail system now open to the public Western Carolina University’s new trail system is open and ready for bikers, hikers and runners. About 100 people turned out

Saturday, Feb. 23, for an outdoor campus celebration to mark the trail’s formal opening. The trail system features 6.7 miles of narrow, single-track trail accessible from two points: the parking lot of WCU’s new Health and Human Sciences Building on Little Savannah Road and the pedestrian

tunnel under Highway 107 near WCU’s softball complex. The access point through the tunnel connects users to the trail via property of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. The trail took approximately one year to construct and was preceded by several years of planning. It was built with support from a $75,000 grant from the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation’s Recreational Trails Program and a $5,000 award from Specialized Bicycle Components. A $14,440 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation in 2009 funded initial development of a master plan for the project. WCU students and community members completed more than 1,500 hours of volunteer labor to help finish the project, said Josh Whitmore, associate director of outdoor programs at WCU and project coordinator. jwhitmore@wcu.edu or 828.227.3466.

Valley of the Lilies quickly approaching

Get tips on injury free running A free running clinic called “Keys to Injury Prevention and Efficient Running” will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee. Thomas Burns, a physical therapist and clinic coordinator for CarolinaWest Sports Medicine, will be on hand to provide the newest information on running efficiently, and staying injury free. Burns will give an overview of efficient running technique and discuss strength, flexibility, and balance necessary for running. He will also offer demonstrations of exercises, stretches and drills that individuals can use to prevent injury. 828.293.3053.

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

Sae Smyrl and his dog, Una, and Stephen Benson and his dog, Adele, take an inaugural hike on the Western Carolina University trail system. The 6.7-mile trail, with two access points, is formally open to the public. WCU photo

Runners still have time to sign up for Western Carolina University’s Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K at special early registration rates, but fees will go up Friday, March 1. Runners of all ages, including seasoned veterans and those new to the sport, will gather for the races on the WCU campus Saturday, April 6. The half marathon will begin at 8 a.m. and take runners on a pictur-

esque 13.1-mile journey through the WCU campus and along the Tuckasegee River. The 5K race and walk will start at 8:15 a.m. Online registration for the half marathon and 5-K is available at imathlete.com. Fees are $40 for the half marathon and $20 for the 5K through Thursday, Feb. 28. Beginning March 1, the fees increase to $60 for the half marathon and $25 for the 5-K. Online registration will close Tuesday, April 2, but race day registration will be available at $80 for the half marathon and $30 for the 5-K. halfmarathon.wcu.edu or valleyofthelilies@wcu.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

9 am • Pinnacle Park • Sylva 7 mile trail race 2700’+ elevation gain All proceeds benefit The Community Table of Sylva Visit us on facebook for more info Logo courtesy of SCC Graphic Design Students

Jackson County Department of Social Services 26

All participants who finish in 101 minutes or less will receive this belt buckle

facebook.com/smnews

outdoors

The Naturalist’s Corner BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Loosiana part deaux

Introductory classes in beekeeping will be taught in Macon County beginning March 9 and running through March 16. The basics of hive construction, honeybee biology, colony management, handling bees and harvesting a honey crop will be touched on, as will pest management. Each session will cover various aspects of beekeeping presented by local

No shortage of swamp lizards at Lake Martin. Cajun Country Swamp Tours photo

have to admit that when I met him I was instantly transported back in time to the years I spent living and working out of Lafayette, where that rich Cajun accent was as much a part of the ambiance as the thick, salty Louisiana breeze. And Shawn was not only amiable, with Cajun stories to tell, he was also knowledgeable about the swamp ecosystem, the native flora and fauna and adept at easing our crawfish skiff alongside, gators, snakes, turtles and nutrias. We couldn’t go into the rookery but we still saw white ibises, great blue herons, anhingas, great egrets, double-crested cormorants, a black-crowned night heron, one sleepy, photogenic barred owl and more. It was a wonderful (easy with kids) tour and one I highly recommend. You can learn about the tour online at www.cajuncountryswamptours.com or 337.319.0010. (Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.) beekeepers with times for questions and discussion. The class is open to all and materials are provided. The Cooperative Extension Office is located off of the Highlands Road on Thomas Heights Road at the top of the hill. Class schedule: ■ Saturday, March 9, 8:30 a.m.-noon ■ Tuesday, March 12, 6:30-9 p.m. ■ Thursday, March 14, 6:30-9 p.m. ■ Saturday, March 16, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Smoky Mountain News

Beekeeping class in Macon County

orizons H g n i s ur N r u o E x p a nd Y

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

What better place to start part deaux than Breaux Bridge along Bayou Teche? Firmin Breaux originally purchased the area that is now Breaux Bridge in 1771 from New Orleans businessman Jean Francois Ledée, who had acquired the land as an original French land grant. And, of course, Bayou Teche was already there, had been, in fact, for thousands of years, but not in it’s bayou form. Bayou Teche was the main channel of the Mississippi River up till about 3,000 years ago. And the Big Muddy is inching her way back, cozying up to the Atchafalaya but dams and levees and the Army Corp of Engineers are all there to see that doesn’t happen. I don’t know if it’s in the same spot where Breaux built his first bridge over the Teche, but there’s an old drawbridge on Bridge Street that carries you across the bayou in the heart of this quaint and colorful Cajun town. Breaux Bridge officially became the “Crawfish Capital of the World” back in 1959 and is home to the Crawfish Festival, one of the area’s largest annual fais do-dos. But we weren’t there for the mudbugs, we were there for the Cajun Country Swamp Tour. Cajun Country Swamp Tour is a Mom and Pop business that operates out of a public boat launch on Lake Martin about five miles south of Breaux Bridge. The guides for the tour are Butch Guchereaux and his son Shawn. Our vessel for the tour was a cool, modified “crawfish skiff ” with a bevy of captains chairs bolted to the bottom. The 20 or so foot V-hulled steel skiff can easily accommodate 15 adults but is designed to take you to the nether regions of the swamp. And the swamp is the Cypress Island/Lake Martin Swamp. It’s part backwater and part swamp and all teaming with wildlife. It is included in The Nature

Conservancy, Louisiana’s 9,500-acre Cypress Island Preserve. The south end of Lake Martin is a world-renown wading bird rookery with perhaps 20,000 egrets, herons, ibises, roseate spoonbills and others nesting in the cypresses and tupelos. Unfortunately for us (fortunate for the rookery), boat access to the rookery is banned from Feb. 15 (we were there Feb. 18) through July 31 to insure a productive nesting season. Shawn Guchereaux was our guide and I

outdoors

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Trout waters to close for re-stocking In preparation for its annual stocking program, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will close approximately 1,000 miles of hatchery-supported trout waters to fishing just after sunset on Feb. 28 and reopen them at 7 a.m. on April 6. The Wildlife Commission stocks hatchery-supported trout waters, which are marked by green-and-white signs, at frequent intervals in the spring and early summer every year. This year approximately 900,000 trout — 96 percent of which average 10 inches in length — will be put in creeks. Four percent of the stocked trout exceed 14 inches in length. While fishing on hatchery-supported trout waters, anglers can harvest a maximum of seven trout per day, with no minimum size limit or bait restriction.

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

Duke grants to aid education, environment Duke Energy is helping to fund new educational and environmental projects as part of its hydropower relicensing agreement in the Nantahala region. Projects include a new high school agriscience program, a youth environmental summer camp, and other educational programs and equipment that enhance soil and water conservation. Duke awarded more than $93,600 in conservation grants to local soil and water conservation districts. Funded projects include: • Jackson and Swain counties Soil and Water Conservation Districts: $34,000 to fund a natural resources youth summer camp (partnering with Swain County). • Macon County Soil and Water Conservation District: $10,950 to purchase equipment that reduces invasive plant species, promote awareness of invasive plant species along the Little Tennessee River Greenway, and host a landowner workshop for road construction.

Smoky Mountain News

WCU-ASU face off for “Battle of the Plug”

Western Carolina University in Cullowhee will go head-to-head with Appalachian State University in the “Battle of the Plug,” an energy conservation rivalry contest, from Feb. 18 to March 11. During the three-week competition, WCU will measure which campus residence hall saves the greatest percentage of energy as well as how the percent of energy reduction overall compares with about 200 other institutions, including Appalachian State. Last year, WCU won the “Battle of the Plug” rivalry contest by reducing energy usage 7.5 percent while ASU reduced energy usage by 2.4 percent. This year’s goal at WCU is to reduce energy usage by 10 percent, according to information from WCU’s Energy Management office.

Taking the Polar Plunge outdoors

Around 30 daring souls splashed and jumped into Lake Junaluska last Saturday for the first annual “Polar Plunge” to raise money for Haywood Waterways Kids in the Creek program. Becky Johnson, news editor for The Smoky Mountain News, was among the “deep water plungers” leaping head long into the 46 degree water from a dock extending into the lake, thanks to community donors who ponied up for the noble cause of Haywood Waterways — or maybe just to see her get dunked. The plungers sputtered to the surface and willed their flailing limbs to dog paddle back to the raging bonfire on shore. A second wave of plungers then rushed into the water from the Lake Junaluska beach, surging forward as far as they could — some to their waists, some to their necks and some over their heads — until common sense prevailed and they turned back. Silver painted toilet plungers were given out to top fundraisers and best costumes, which ranged from caped and hooded super heroes to hippies to mohawked punk rockers. The Polar Plunge was a huge success raising more than $9,000 for Kids in the Creek. The long-standing Haywood Waterways programs puts every eighth grader in the county in touch with water quality and aquatic biology through a series of hands-on science lessons during an all-day stream field trip.

Climbing event at Chimney Rock An event called “Climbin’ the Chimney” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 2 is an opportunity to for participants to scale Chimney Rock with regional climbing education organization, Fox Mountain Guides. Chimney Rock is located in Chimney Rock State Park, about 25 miles southeast of Asheville. Beginners will have the opportunity to climb on Vista Rock and rappel off a rock slab, while experienced climbers can try two difficult routes up the iconic Chimney. Two to four climbs and rappels are offered for $20 plus the cost of admission to the park. All equipment is provided and no experience is necessary. In addition to guided rock climbing, there will be climbing tactics and gear talks, climbing equipment demos and recreational climbing information. There will also be a guided group hike. www.chimneyrockpark.com.

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY | SA AT TURDAY Y,, A P R I L 6

HALFMARA AT THON.WCU.EDU

Tuckaseigee winding back onto Western Carolina University Tu uckaseigee River before be Western e Univ campus for the ﬁnish. Training T raining r Pr Program, roogram, T Technical eech echnical Running Shirt Shirt and “Goody Bag” included with race fee.

SPONSORS:

Smoky Mountain News

Join us on a scenic journey through the Cullowhee VValley alley and along the

Training T rraining Program includes: running group, 11-week progressive programs for beginners and advanced runners, professional guidance for nutrition, shoe ﬁttings, and other tips to help prepare runners for the race.

Proceeds Proceeds to support suppor t student professional professional development and travel.

RACE HOSTS: WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY | School of Health Sciences | Campus Recreation Recreation & W Wellness ellness 29

outdoors

E AT SR NU BO As IR

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Smoky Mountain News

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

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24 months

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18 months

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Visit us BEHIND the Construction Site

WNC Calendar BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Computer Class: Internet Safety, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, Jackson County Public Library. Space limited. 586.2016. • Dedication Celebration of Western Carolina University’s College of Health & Human Sciences Building, 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, 4121 Little Savannah Road, Cullowhee. • Networking After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, Sid’s on Main, Canton. Young Professionals of Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. Appetizers provided, cash bar available. • Grand Opening new Professional Arts and Crafts/Instructional Facility, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, March 1, Haywood Community College. 627.4522. www.haywood.edu. • Computer Class: Basic Email, 5:45 p.m. Monday, March 4, Jackson County Public Library. Space limited. Register at 586.2016. • Free seminar: How to Price Your Product or Service, 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, Student Center at Haywood Community College, Clyde. Sponsored by the Small Business Center at Haywood Community College. Arlene Childers of Going2Win Consulting in Morganton will be the presenter. Preregister at 627.4512. • Issues & Eggs, 8 a.m. Wednesday, March 6, Gateway Club, Church St., Waynesville. Speaker is Jack Ewing, executive director of Lake Junaluska, in celebration of the Lake’s 100th anniversary. • Computer Class: Intro to Excel, 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, Jackson County Public Library. Space limited. Register at 586.2016. • WCU School of Nursing Education Fair, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park Town Square, Asheville. No registration required; prospective students welcome. Reschedule date is March 16 in case of bad weather. Jessica Shirley, director of student services for the School of Nursing, jshirley@wcu.edu or 654.6506.

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Spark Companions fundraiser, 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 1, Country Traditions, Dillsboro. Wine tasting, book reading, silent auction. $12 entry fee includes an exclusive Country Traditions wine glass. Spark Companions is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping people pay vet bills, buy dog or cat food, etc. • Mardi Gras Ball, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, Laurel Ridge Country Club, to benefit the Haywood County Schools Foundation, $100 per ticket, black tie optional, sit-down dinner. Jenny Wood, 550.0550. www.thecmwgroup.com/mardi-gras-ball-tickets.html. • Yard sale, Saturday, March 2, North Canton Elementary School hosted by NCES fifth grade students to raise money for a three-day field trip to Camp Daniel Boone in March. NCE, 646.3444. • Indoor Flea Market, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March, 2, Haywood County Fairgrounds, Inc. • Foster Pet Adoption, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation’s Adoption Center, 256 Industrial Park Drive, Waynesville. Photos of pets available for adoption at www.sargeandfriends.org or www.petfinder.com. 246.9050. • Public meeting to discuss benefits of historic preservation, 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, Waynesville Town Hall Board Room, 9 S. Main St. (Police Department building), Waynesville. • Is belief in authority the most dangerous supersti-

Smoky Mountain News

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. tion?” Franklin Open Forum, 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub, 58 Stewart St., Franklin. 349.0598.

HEALTH MATTERS • Virtual Dementia Tour Series, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. Free, reservation required. Suzanne Hendrix, 452.2370, ext. 2816 or email: shendrix@mountainprojects.org.

RECREATION & FITNESS • Youth Swim Refresher Swim Course 6:25 to 7:20 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, March 4-6 and March 11-13, Reid Gymnasium pool, Western Carolina University, Cullohwee. $59. 227.7397 or http://learn.wcu.edu and select Conferences and Community Classes. • Grand opening of new fitness rooms at Central Haywood and Pisgah high schools, 1 p.m. Thursday, March 7. http://teacher.haywood.k12.nc.us/pepgrant/

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Welcome to Medicare presentation, 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. Presented by councilors from the Haywood and Jackson County County office of the North Carolina SHIIP (Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program). John, 356.2833.

A&E

• Whimzik DVD Release Performance, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, community room, Jackson County Library Building. The DVD was produced and directed on WCU’s campus and included collaboration with Arledge Armenaki, Bruce Frazier and students from the stage and screen department and the music school.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings

LITERARY (ADULTS) • Balaton Chamber Brass, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, Coulter Building, Western Carolina University. Features WCU music faculty members, Dan Cherry on trombone and Amy Cherry on trumpet. WCU School of Music, 227.7242.

• Comic Stripped: A Revealing Look at Southern Stereotypes in Cartoons, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, through Tuesday, May 14, Mountain Heritage Center, Western Carolina University. 227.7129.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • The Highlands Cashiers Players (HCP) present, Social Security, March 1-3, Performing Arts Center in Highlands. 526.8084, highlandspac.org/events/social/event_social.html • Balsam Range & Cordle, Jackson and Salley, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, Colonial Theatre, Canton. Tickets available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, Colonial Theatre Box Office, 53 Park St., Canton. • Music of Countries and Cultures, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 3, John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, Western Carolina University. Free. WCU School of Music, 227.7242.

ART/GALLERY EVENTS & OPENINGS • Clay demonstrations by Deborah Schwartzkopf, 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, room 151, John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee. Artist’s talk from 5 to 6 p.m. room 130 of the Bardo Arts Center. Joan Byrd, WCU School of Art and Design, 227.3595. • Spring Craft Event with James Stewart-Payne, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, community room, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. Free. Bring old magazines, large scrapbooking papers, scissors, and hot glue gun or stapler, if possible. Space limited. Register at 586.2016.

Mieko Thomson BROKER/REALTOR®

CELL: 828.226.2298

KIDS & FAMILIES • Traditional Music Performance Workshop for Youth, 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, March 2, Jackson County Public Library community room, Sylva. Geared for third through 12th grade students. Judy Rhodes, instructor. Register at Jackson County Cooperative Extension Center, 586.4009 or kerri_rayburn@ncsu.edu.

www.ncsmokies.com | homes@ncsmokies.com

• Mountaineer Little League Baseball tryouts 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2 and Saturday, March 9, Elks field, Waynesville. Sign up 30 minutes before tryouts. For questions, call 507.7027. • Mountaineer Little League Softball tryouts 10 a.m. Saturday, March 2, Dutch Fisher field. Sign up 30 minutes before tryouts. For questions, call 507.7027.

Easter Events • PEANUTS™ Easter Beagle Express 11 a.m. departure for Dillsboro, Friday, March 29, and Saturday, March 30, historic Bryson City Depot. 1½-hour layover on Friday and a 2-hour layover on Saturday. Join Snoopy, Lucy, Charlie Brown, and Easter Bunnies for old-fashioned Easter fun. Tickets start at $51 per adult, $29 per child 2 through 12. Infants 23 months and under ride free. Upgrades available. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

Literary (children) • Children’s Story time – The Tooth Fairy, 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

SHORT SALE CANTON

4BD/2BA, Well kept classic older home is a great for family. Partially restored to original crafted detail. Updated new roof, new Heat Pump in 2008. This could be a single family home or duplex or in law apartment. Spacious lot in town and gives you a large garden space. This is a short sale. MLS# W531740A $124,900

• Paws to Read, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016. • Family Night - Sensational Senses, 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, Jackson County Public Library, 586.2016.

2177 RUSS AVE. • WAYNESVILLE MOUNTAIN REALTY

828.452.9393

wnc calendar

CLASSES, PROGRAMS & DEMONSTRATIONS • Hand-dyed silk and fiber scarves workshop, 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, March 1, Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St., Franklin. 349.4607 or MCAAgallery.org. Pre-registration required. • Woman to Woman – The Southern Craft Revival Program, 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, Macon County Public Library meeting room, Franklin. Speaker is Anna Fariello, Craft Revival project director of Hunter Library Special Collections at Western Carolina University. www.artscouncilofmacon.org or 524.7683.

DANCE • Pisgah Promenaders Shamrock Special square dance, 6:45 to 8:45 p.m., Saturday, March 9, Old Armory Recreation Center, 44 Boundary St., Waynesville. Plus and Mainstream dancing with caller Ken Perkins. 586.8416 or 507.7270.

MUSIC JAMS • First Thursdays Old Time Music and Bluegrass: Locust Honey String Band, 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, Mountain Heritage Center Auditorium, Western Carolina University. Free.

MUSIC MAKERS • Haywood Community Band rehearsal, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, Grace In The Mountains Episcopal Church, 394 Haywood St., Waynesville. Rhonda Wilson Kram, 456.4880 or www.haywoodcommunityband.org.

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

Outdoors OUTINGS, HIKES & FIELDTRIPS • Off the Beaten Path” Guided Hike: Tree ID, 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, Chimney Rock State Park. No additional cost with paid Park admission • Climbin’ the Chimney, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, Chimney Rock State Park. $20 per person per climb, plus Park admission. http://chimneyrockpark.com/park/climbing, 284.8433.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS

Smoky Mountain News

• Classic Hikes of the Smokies information sessions, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, REI Asheville. Pre-register REI Hiking in the Smokies 101 at rei.com/asheville. www.friendsofthesmokies.org. www.smokiestrailsforever.org. • Running workshop: Keys to Injury Prevention and Efficient Running for the New Year, 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, Jackson County Recreation Center. • WMI - Wilderness First Responder (WFR) March 2-10 in Cullowhee. Nine-day comprehensive wilderness medical course is the national standard for outdoor trip leaders. Landmark Learning, 293.5384 or main@landmarklearning.org. • Hunter Safety courses, 6 to 9:30 p.m. March 4 to 6, room 309 Haywood Community College campus. HCC campus. Participants must attend three consecutive evenings to receive their certification. Free and no age limits. Must register online in order to attend any session, www.ncwildlife.org. • Map and Compass Navigation Basics, 11 a.m. to; 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10, REI Asheville. $30 REI members/$50 non-members. Register at http://www.rei.com/event/43656/session/66551.

PRIME REAL ESTATE

INSIDE

Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

ARTS & CRAFTS

MarketPlace information:

ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

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

AUCTION SPECTACULAR AUCTION!!! Friday March 1st at 4:30 PM. At Boatwright Auction in Franklin. Selling over 800 lots including quality furniture, glassware, primitives, antiques, collectables, used furniture, household, box lots & MORE!! Huge Auction you don’t want to miss!! View Pictures and more details: www.boatwrightauction.com Boatwright Auction, 34 Tarheel Trail, Franklin, NC. 828.524.2499 Boatwright Auction, NCAL 9231

Rates: ■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads. ■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150. ■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. ■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type. ■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad. ■ $35 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold. ■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words. ■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

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

FIREARMS AUCTION Early & Vintage Winchester, Parker, Remington, L.C. Smith, Lefever, Browning, Marlin, Ithaca, Smith & Wesson. ONLINE ONLY AUCTION Bidding ENDS March 4 - Bid NOW www.HouseAuctionCompany.com. 252.729.1162. NCAL#7889

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO

INC.

SC OV ER E

ATR

Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

FORECLOSURE AUCTION Of a portion of Albemarle Plantation w/ developable adjacent acreage, 1,500+/-AC of Undeveloped land & 52 Residential Developed Lots, 3/26/13 at 10am at Courthouse Door. Perquimans Co. Courthouse, Hertford, NC, Iron Horse Auction Co., Inc. 800.997.2248. NCAL3936. ironhorseauction.com

Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS STEVE WOODS, MANAGER

MON-FRI 7:30-5:30 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

456-5387

72548

3 COURT ORDERED AUCTIONS Home & Lot in Southern Pines, NC, 4+/-Acre Residential Land Tract in Hoke County, NC & House, Land & Condo Units in Cumberland County, NC, March 7th at 10am, 12pm & 3pm. See Website for Locations, Iron Horse Auction Company, Inc., 800.997.2248. NCAL3936. www.ironhorseauction.com NO RESERVE NO MINIMUM Auction. Sells Regardless of Price. Former Fast Food Restaurant in Newton, NC. Selling Online: February 28th. www.auctionEbid.com. Auction Management Corporation. 770.980.9565. NCAL#7403.

AUCTION GUN AUCTION 250 Guns/Ammo/Scopes. March 9 @ 9am, 425 Industrial Dr. Lexington, NC 27295. Colt/Winchesters/ Sterlingworths. Parkers - Brownings - H&K91 - M1Garands S&W500. LEINBACH AUCTION & REALTY, LLC. 336 764.5146. NCAL5871. Auctionzip.com ID# 5969 HUGE ESTATE AUCTION Of Paul M. Peters (deceased). Houses/Property/Vehicles/Shop Equipment. Saturday, March 2, 2013. 10am. 249 Brightwood Church Rd., Gibsonville, NC 27249. List & directions available at: teagueauction.com. 336.226.9862, License No. 192 3 AUCTIONS Auction 1: Industrial Fac., Comm. Land & 3 Modular Homes in Fayetteville, NC, at Holiday Inn Bordeaux, 3/4/13 at 11am. Auction 2 & 3: Industrial Equip & Home & Office Furn., Held Online, 2/26 to 3/5. Iron Horse Auction Company, Inc. 800.997.2248, NCAL3936, www.ironhorseauction.com

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS Needing siding, windows, roofs. 10 homes will be selected in your county this month for our showcase before/after remodeling program. Save hundreds. All credit accepted. $89/month 1.866.668.8681. DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions. Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson. Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING TRIM CARPENTER/HANDYMAN Projects start to finish. Any job no size too big or small, Free Estimates. Painting, Tile Work Replacement/New, Kitchen Remodeling, Bath Renovation, Honey-dolist, Doggie Doors, Bookshelves, Closets. References - Toll Brothers and American Home Place. Call Harold for more info 828.456.4000. SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

ELECTRICAL BOOTH ELECTRIC Residential & Commercial service. Up-front pricing, emergency service. 828.734.1179. NC License #24685-U.

CARS - DOMESTIC 2000 FORD MUSTANG GT Convertible. New custom paint, style bar, Mach I rims and lots of upgrades completed. Serious inquiries only. $10,000. Please call 828.226.7461. CAN’T GET A CAR LOAN? 100% Instant Approval! Bad Credit, Zero Down! Any New/Used Car, NO Dealer Necessary! Call 1.800.663.4201 or go to: www.AutoLoan60.com SAPA DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck Or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 877.752.0496. SAVE $$$ ON Auto Insurance from the major names you know and trust. No forms. No hassle. No obligation. Call READY FOR MY QUOTE now! CALL 1.877.835.8343. SAPA TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA DDI BUMPERS ETC. Quality on the Spot Repair & Painting. Don Hendershot 858.646.0871 cell 828.452.4569 office.

WNC MarketPlace

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES SEARCHING FOR AN Environmentally friendly franchise with strong recurring revenues? NaturaLawn of America is a nationwide system with over 25 years experience. Average location revenues in excess of $500k. For more information go to: www.naturalawn.com. SAPA

EMPLOYMENT CLEAN SLATE COALITION SEEKS Mature female to fill Night Support Position at transitional housing program for women in Sylva. Must have excellent communication skills and willingness to work with women in recovery. Free rent in nice suite plus $200 stipend each month. Send resume to PO Box 455 Webster, NC 28788 by March 5th. Call 828.506.4221 for more information.

EMPLOYMENT "CAN YOU DIG IT?" Heavy Equipment Operator Training! 3 Wk. Hands On Program. Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement Asst. w/ National Certs. VA Benefits Eligible. 1.866.362.6497 AVIATION CAREERS Train in advance structures and become certified to work on aircraft. Financial aid for those who qualify. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 877.205.1779. SAPA

Southwestern NC Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc.

www.smokymountainnews.com

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

PO Box 1230, Waynesville NC 28786 • www.southwesternrcd.org JOB POSTING: Executive Director POSTING DATE: February 28, 2013 APPLICATION DEADLINE: Fri., Mar. 15, 2013, 5:00 p.m.

POSITION SUMMARY: The Executive Director (ED) develops and implements initiatives to help utilize and conserve the tremendous natural resources of Southwestern North Carolina in order to benefit the people living in the area. The ED focuses on four primary areas of activity: non-profit management, fundraising, project management, and communications. The ED reports directly to the council’s board, works closely with numerous partner organizations and agencies, and supervises one staff position. ORGANIZATION SUMMARY: The Southwestern NC Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works with local communities to support resource conservation and development projects to benefit the people of Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain Counties, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. For additional info, please go online to: www.southwesternrcd.org POSITION DESCRIPTION - For a more detailed description visit: www.southwesternrcd.org Non-Profit Management (25%) - Fundraising (40%) - Project Management (20%) Communications (10%) - Other Duties as Assigned (5%) QUALIFICATIONS • Bachelor’s degree (or higher). • At least two years work experience in non-profit management, fundraising, project management, and/or communications. • Excellent communication skills, including writing, speaking, and listening. Experience creating website and social media content preferred. • Demonstrated ability to work well individually and as a part of a team, including previous membership on a non-profit board and/or previous staff support to a non-profit board. • Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs required; knowledge of QuickBooks preferred. • Valid North Carolina driver’s license required. • Preference will be given to those individuals with: a background in resource conservation and development; experience in identifying and alleviating problems related to economic development, the natural environment, and/or rural development; and experience recruiting others to assist with planning and implementing projects. COMPENSATION The Executive Director position is currently budgeted for 25-35 hours per week at $20 per hour, with paid time off after six months and a possible health insurance stipend. The position is supported by the successful fundraising efforts of the council board and staff. Salary growth will be based on satisfactory completion of the job requirements and available funds. HOW TO APPLY Please send a cover letter, current resume, and names and contact information for two references to Southwestern NC RC&D Council, PO Box 1230, Waynesville NC 28786, or ddudek@haywoodnc.net. The application deadline is Friday, March 15, 2013, 5:00 p.m. No calls, please.

EMPLOYMENT SUMMER JOBS APPLICATION For Summer Positions at Recreation Department - The Jackson County Recreation/Parks Department will be taking applications for Summer Day Camp staff and Sylva Pool Lifeguards and Pool Manager. Qualifications for both jobs are First Aid/CPR certification required, must be 18 years of age, must be able to work 10-12 weeks, and cannot be taking summer school classes. Applications are available at the Jackson County Recreation Center. For more info call the Jackson County Recreation Parks Department 828.293.3053. COMPANY DRIVER: Solo & Team OTR Lanes. Competitive Pay. Great hometime. CDL-A with 1 year OTR and Hazmat End. Sign-On Bonus $2000 Solo & $5000 Teams. 888.705.3217 or apply online at www.drivenctrans.com DRIVERS: Start up to $.40 per mile. Home Weekly. CDL-A, 6 mos. OTR Exp. Required. 50 Brand New Coronados You’ll be Proud to Drive! 877.705.9261.

EMPLOYMENT

AVERITT Offers CDL-A Drivers a Strong, Stable, Profitable Career. Experienced Drivers and Recent Grads. Excellent Benefits, Weekly Hometime. Paid Training. 888.362.8608. AverittCareers.com. Equal Opportunity Employer. DRIVER $0.01 increase per mile after 6 months and 12 months. $0.03/mile quarterly bonus. Daily or weekly pay. CDL-A, 3 months current exp. 800.414.9569. www.driveknight.com APPLY NOW, 13 Drivers. Top 5% Pay & Benefits. Credential, Fuel & Referral Bonus Avail. Class A CDL Required. www.ad-drivers.com 877.258.8782. BECOME DIETARY MANAGER (average annual salary $45,423) in eight months in online program offered by Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton. Details: www.ttcelizabethton.edu 1.888.986.2368 or email: patricia.roark@ttcelizabethton.edu

FOSTER PARENTS NEEDED The Bair Foundation, a Christian Foster Care Ministry, is looking for committed families willing to open their homes to local foster children & teens. Training, certification, reimbursement & support provided. Call Now 828.350.5197 DRIVERS Class-A Flatbed. Home Every Weekend! Up to 37c/mi. Both ways. Full Benefits. Requires 1 year OTR Flatbed Experience. 800.572.5489 x227. SunBelt Transport, Jacksonville, FL. DRIVERS - CDL-A $5,000 SIGN-ON BONUS For exp'd solo OTR drivers & O/O's. Tuition reimbursement also available! New Student Pay & Lease Program. USA TRUCK. 877.521.5775. www.GoUSATruck.com TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED Best Pay and Home Time! Apply Online Today over 750 Companies! 1 Application, Hundreds of Offers! www.HammerLaneJobs.com. SAPA

Puzzles can be found on page 37. These are only the answers.

EMPLOYMENT

GYPSUM EXPRESS Regional Hauls for Flatbed Company Driver Terminal in Roxboro. Ask about Performance Bonus coming April 1st & more. Melissa, 866.317.6556 x6 or go to: www.gypsumexpress.com MEDICAL CAREERS BEGIN HERE Train ONLINE for Allied Health and Medical Management. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. SCHEV authorized. Call Now 1.877.206.7665 or go to: www.CenturaOnline.com SAPA NEED MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES! Become a Medical Office Assistant at CTI! No Experienced Needed! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc 1.888.512.7122 OWNER OPERATORS: $5,000 Sign-On Bonus. Excellent Rates. Paid FSC, loaded & empty. 75% Drop & Hook. Great Fuel & Tire Discounts. L/P available. CDLA with 1 year tractor-trailer experience required. 888.703.3889 or apply online at www.comtrak.com

WANTED: LIFE AGENTS. Potential to Earn $500 a Day. Great Agent Benefits. Commissions Paid Daily. Liberal Underwriting. Leads, Leads, Leads. Life Insurance, License Required. Call 1.888.713.6020.

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FINANCIAL $$$ ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!! Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need $500-$500,000++ within 48/hours? Low rates. Apply Now By Phone! 1.800.568.8321. wwwlawcapital.com Not Valid in CO or NC. SAPA BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

FURNITURE HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price! 533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240 REMAINING FURNITURE LUMBER Walnut, Butternut, Cherry. Need to clear building, $3,250 Call for more info 828.627.2342 COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

LAWN & GARDEN HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com MANTIS DELUXE TILLER. NEW! FastStart engine. Ships FREE. One-Year Money-Back Guarantee when you buy DIRECT. Call for the DVD and FREE Good Soil book! 888.485.3923

HEAVY EQUIPMENT SAWMILLS FROM ONLY $3997.00 Make & Save Money with your own bandmill. Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com. 1.800.578.1363, Ext. 300N.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT EVER CONSIDER A Reverse Mortgage? At least 62 years old? Stay in your home & increase cash flow! Safe & Effective! Call Now for your FREE DVD! Call Now 888.418.0117. SAPA

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1.800.669.9777. .

Ann knows real estate! Ann Eavenson CRS, GRI, E-PRO

ann@mainstreetrealty.net

506-0542 CELL 72532

101 South Main St. Waynesville

MainStreet Realty

Low-Cost spay and neuter services Hours: Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon - 5pm 145 Wall Street

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Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED Best Pay and Home Time! Apply Online Today over 750 Companies! One Application, Hundreds of Offers! www.HammerLaneJobs.com. SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

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ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778 72137

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REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

Haywood County Real Estate Agents Beverly Hanks & Associates — beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • •

Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither — esither@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Smith — beverly-hanks.com Billie Green — bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Pam Braun — pambraun@beverly-hanks.com

BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

HOMES FOR RENT FURNISHED FOR RENT: FURNISHED LOG HOME Furnished 2/BR 3/BA luxury log home with great mountain views. Game room with full-size pool table, multiple decks, fireplace, W/D, central air/heat, 2-car garage. Gated community with paved roads and driveway. Available for lease - $975/mo. 828.926.8850

Haywood Properties — haywood-properties.com • Steve Cox — haywoodproperties.com

Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Rob Roland — robrolandrealty.com • Chris Forga — forgarentalproperties.com

HOUSE FOR RENT 2/BR 1/BA older farmhouse; some furniture available. Rural setting, great views, located on Macktown Gap Rd., Dillsboro. Great for young couple. No washer/dryer hookup. $550 per month. References and deposit required. Available March. Call 828.226.8572 for more info.

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com • Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

GEORGIA LAND SALE! Great investment! Relax & enjoy country lifestyle! Beautifully developed 1 Acre - 20Acre homesites. Augusta Area. Beautiful weather. Low taxes/Low down. Financing from $195/month. Call Owner 1.706.364.4200. SAPA

HOMES FOR SALE

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

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

MEDICAL ATTENTION DIABETICS With Medicare. Get a FREE Talking Meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call 877.517.4633. SAPA ATTENTION SLEEP APNEA Sufferers with Medicare. Get FREE CPAP Replacement Supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, prevent red skin sores and bacterial infection! Call 888.470.8261. SAPA DO YOU KNOW YOUR Testosterone Levels? Call 888.414.0692 and ask about our test kits and get a FREE Trial of Progene All-Natural Testosterone Supplement. SAPA FEELING OLDER? Men lose the ability to produce testosterone as they age. Call 888.414.0692 for a FREE trial of Progene- All Natural Testosterone Supplement. SAPA

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com

Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400

Realty World Heritage Realty — realtyworldheritage.com

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

• Carolyn Lauter — realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/1701

OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty www.smokymountainnews.com

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

• • • • • • • • •

remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.com Connie Dennis — remax-maggievalleync.com Mark Stevens — remax-waynesvillenc.com Mieko Thomson — ncsmokies.com The Morris Team — maggievalleyproperty.com The Real Team — the-real-team.com Ron Breese — ronbreese.com Dan Womack — womackdan@aol.com Bonnie Probst — bonniep@remax-waynesvillenc.com

Phone # 1-828-586-3346 TDD # 1-800-725-2962 Equal Housing Opportunity

Jerry Smith

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BEAUTY SERVICES MIA PERMANENT COSMETICS Is Haywood County’s Premier Permanent Makeup Clinic. We offer Custom Eyebrows, Eyeliner, Lip Liner and Shading. Eyelash Extensions, Eyelash Perm and Areola Pigmentation. For pricing, photos and more info, visit online at: www.miatattoos.com or call 828.619.0055. Let your outer beauty catch up with your inner beauty!

FOR SALE FOR SALE 82 inch ROWE Couch, great cond. $150. For more info 828.926.2760. GREAT LAKES 2-PERSON HOT TUB Like New, 46” wide x 78” long. Includes cover & pillow, 20’ of cable and circuit box. $990 for more info call 828.926.1648.

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72418

74 N. Main St. • Waynesville

CALL NOW TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 OR ads@smokymountainnews.com

72546

(828) 452-5809

www.Beverly-Hanks.com

A UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, Let Us Help! Personalized adoption plans. Financial assistance, housing, relocation and more. Giving the gift of life? You deserve the best. Call us first! 1.888.637.8200. 24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA ARE YOU PREGNANT? A childless married couple (in our 30’s) seeks to adopt. Will be hands-on mom/devoted dad. Financial security. Expenses paid. Nicole & Frank. 1.888.969.6134 MEET SINGLES RIGHT NOW! No paid operators, just real people like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and connect live. Try it free. Call now 1.888.909.9978. SAPA PREGNANT? Considering Adoption? Call Us First! Living Expenses, Housing, Medical and continued support afterwards. Choose Adoptive Family of Your Choice. Call 24/7. ADOPT CONNECT 1.866.743.9212. SAPA QUESTIONS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST? Any Question on the Bible is Answered. Bible Query. www.familyradio.com. SAPA YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com

SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION EARN YOUR H.S. DIPLOMA At home in a few short weeks. Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nationally accredited. Call for free brochure. 1.800.658.1180, extension 82. www.fcahighschool.org SAPA

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The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com

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SERVICES

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SCOTTISH TARTANS MUSEUM 86 East Main St., Franklin, 828.584.7472. www.scottishtartans.org. Matthew A.C. Newsome, GTS, FSA, SCOT., Curator & General Manager, Ronan B. MacGregor, Business Assistant.

SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for hands on Aviation Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance. 877.300.9494. ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE From home. Medical, Business, Criminal Justice, Hospitality. Job placement assistance. Computer available. Financial aid if qualified. SCHEV certified. Call 888.899.6918. www.CenturaOnline.com HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA From Home 6-8 weeks. ACCREDITED. Get a Diploma. Get a Job! No Computer Needed. FREE BROCHURE 1.800.264.8330 Benjamin Franklin High School www.diplomafromhome.com. SAPA

STEEL BUILDINGS STEEL BUILDINGS Save THOUSANDS on Cancelled orders. VERY Low Monthly payments. 5 Remaining. Must Go. 16x24, 20x26, 25x30, 30x40, 40x50 Call Now 757.301.8885.

YARD SALES NORTH CANTON ELEMENTARY School 5th graders will be holding a Yard Sale at North Canton Elementary School on Saturday, March 2nd from 8 am - 1 pm. This Yard Sale will be a fundraiser to help pay for the students to go on a 3 day, 2 night field trip to Camp Daniel Boone at the end of March. If you have any questions concerning this Yard Sale or would like to make a donation to help a student, please call NCE at 828.646.3444.

WEEKLY SUDOKU

Super

CROSSWORD

4 Thesaurus author 77 “... man - mouse?” 5 Humdrum 80 A nephew of Donald 6 - Paulo Duck 7 PC image file format ACROSS 81 Cam output 8 - the side of caution 1 Takes without right 82 Battlefield docs 7 Actress Alba or Tandy 86 Periods spent using a 9 Sis, e.g. 10 - -cone 14 Fine, rare violins batting-practice bat? 11 Give - shot 20 State in Mexico 89 Part of PS 21 Newspaper sales 92 “Vive -!” (French cry) 12 Concerned person 13 Steele’s collaborator pitch 93 Polar chunk 14 Yankovic and Gore 22 Present but not active 94 Livy’s 502 15 Bullfighter 23 Fruit tossed from a 96 Oral history 16 1980s game console ship? 98 Big top, e.g. 17 Edgy 25 Batting posture 99 Málaga miss 18 Wearing a disguise, 26 Manitoba Indians 104 Fled from for short 27 Topic in psych 101 Brazzaville? 107 Elvis Presley’s mid- 19 Office scribe 28 A, in Austria 24 Not dorsal dle name 30 Torch’s crime 29 iPod type 31 Beehive State dweller 108 Brief slumber 32 Novelist Tami 109 It may be permed 33 Always avoid men34 Building add-on 110 Ending for Ecuador tioning muralist Rivera? 111 Change the location 35 “Va-va- -!” 38 Gentle touch 36 Really rankle of a North Dakota city? 40 Whit 37 Appetite 117 Stiffly formal 42 Mauna 38 Beat of life 43 Clock or cat preceder 119 Occurrence 39 Japanese brew 120 11th mo. 44 Where old freight is 41 Prefix with culture 121 ETs’ craft sold? 45 Valleys 123 Show shame 47 Lacking firmness 46 Watchful 126 Champion 52 “- Croft: Tomb 128 Being green with old 48 Political poll abbr. Raider” 49 Talent 53 “The World According cards for a numbers 50 Pertaining to game? to -” (1982 film) 51 Dire destiny 133 Tolerate 54 G3 or G4 computer 55 Sprite maker 134 Stimulates 56 Chilean child 58 Tolkien hero 135 Crude shed 57 Mantel, e.g. 60 Island locale 136 Cease 59 “All untrue!” 62 Mil. enlistees 137 109-Across salon 61 Where some tourists 63 “... - quit!” (ultimaworker in Africa travel? tum ender) 138 Most unusual 66 Large ducks 64 Saroyan’s 68 Teachers’ union: Abbr. “My Name Is -” DOWN 70 High, wispy clouds 65 Watson player Bruce 1 Jarhead’s org. 71 President pro 67 Hard fat 72 Italian cheese sold in 2 Fly like a kite 69 Cleo’s snake 3 Not spayed, say Florida or Georgia? SUPER CROSSWORD GO WITH IT

73 Start for night or light 74 Sewn edge 75 Bit of advice 76 “- Joy” 77 Rip- - (swindles) 78 Wield power 79 Partner of ever 83 Star of “I Remember Mama” 84 Dance in a winding line 85 Use as a bench 87 GM’s Prizm, once 88 West-central Italian city 90 Not yet a jr. 91 Crime of disloyalty 95 “- Three Ships” 97 Cut film, e.g. 100 Roof boards 101 Radio’s Glass 102 Ripped up 103 Silky goats 105 Tax prep expert 106 Bellyached 111 Copied a cat 112 Sheeplike 113 Hawks 114 Listlessness 115 Plain to see 116 Christmas seasons 118 Homeric epic 122 Boxer’s weapon 124 Bosses of cpls. 125 Owl’s cry 127 No longer practicing: Abbr. 129 Shy 130 Brynner of Broadway 131 Hit CBS procedural 132 Shine, in some product names

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Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

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bi-monthly magazine that covers the southern Appalachian mountains and celebrates the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s environmental riches, its people, culture, music, art, crafts and special places. Each issue relies on regional writers and photographers to bring the Appalachians to life.

In this issue: Mountain couple explores art in life Renowned schools and studios foster creativity Mimicking nature with hook and hair Paul Marchandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s botanical beauties PLUS ADVENTURE, CUISINE, READING, MUSIC, ARTS & MORE

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Smoky Mountain News

Feb. 27-March 5, 2013

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866.452.2251

Re-learning those old, familiar (bird) songs Just take those old records off the shelf I’ll sit and listen to ‘em by m’self Today’s music ain’t got the same soul I like that old time rock and roll. — Bob Seger

George Ellison

like “old time rock and roll” too. And I recently got some of my old time records, CDs, iPods, etc., off the shelf. But what I‘ve been listening to are bird calls and songs. The birds are getting ready for the breeding season — and so am I, in my own way. I forget most everything from season to season, if not Columnist from day to day. Wildflower names have to be relearned. Bird calls and songs fade. So I return each year to self-imposed and self-taught remedial Bird Song 101. Throughout the year male and female birds of the same species use various call notes to stay in contact with one another or as signals of alarm. For instance, male and female eastern towhees whistle a call that sounds like “tow-hee.” Therefore the common name. During the breeding season, the male of the species uses the vocalization we recog-

BACK THEN nize as song in order to establish a breeding territory, attract a female, and warn other males of the same or competing species out of that territory. The male towhee’s song sounds for all the world like “drink-your-tea.” If you learn the phrases associated with specific calls and songs (“mnemonics” or memory devices), you will be able to identify most birds whether you can see them or not. Some birds can really sing. Rose-breasted grosbeaks “sound like robins that have had music lessons.” Scarlet tanagers, on the other hand, “sound like robins with a sore throat.” In my opinion, winter wrens emit the most sensational bird vocalization in the southern mountains: a musical series of bubbling warbles and trills that may last for five seconds or more. It doesn’t really require a memonic to be recognized. There’s nothing else like it. There are several bird songs that mystify people. You can hear their songs on a regular basis but never seem to locate the birds. Two of the most common are the yellowbilled cuckoo and the ovenbird. The yellow-billed cuckoo is a bird that is often heard but seldom seen. Along with the Swainson’s warbler, it is one of the most furtive birds that breeds in Western North Carolina. The cuckoo is known to farmers as

the “rain crow” because its hollow, lowpitched “kowp, kowp, kwop, kwop” vocalizations are often sounded just before a summer thunderstorm. The ovenbird resembles a thrush but is actually a warbler with an orange crown. It nests on the ground in an oven-shaped nest. All day long you can hear their rising “teach-teach-teach” vocalizations without ever seeing the bird except, at best, as a flitting shadow. There are numerous cassette guides to bird calls and songs. Although I don’t recommend the two-volume Stokes Field Guide to Birds (1996) by Donald and Lillian Stokes as an everyday field guide, I do recommend Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs

(Time-Warner Audio Books, 1997) by Lang Elliott with Donald and Lillian Stokes. For mnemonics, I like the Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding (Knopf, 1983). Some of my favorite mnemonics: • “I AM SO LAY-ZEE” (black-throated blue warbler) • “SWEET-SWEET HOW SWEET I AM” (yellow warbler) • “PLEASE-PLEASEPLEASED TO MEET CHA”” (chestnut-sided warbler) • “QUICK! THREE-BEERS” (olive-sided flycatcher) • “PEE-A-WEE” (eastern wood pewee) George Ellison wrote the biographical introductions for the reissues of two Appalachian classics: Horace Kephart’s Our Southern Highlanders and James Mooney’s History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. In June 2005, a selection of his Back Then columns was published by The History Press in Charleston as Mountain Passages: Natural and Cultural History of Western North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains. Readers can contact him at P.O. Box 1262, Bryson City, N.C., 28713, or at info@georgeellison.com.

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Smoky Mountain News Feb. 27-March 5, 2013