On the Cover:
There are plenty of unknowns surrounding the sudden closure of Canton’s Pactiv Evergreen papermill. While some may wonder if Pisgah High School’s pulp and paper technology class would still be taught, there’s no reason to wonder anymore — it will carry on as strong as ever. (Page 10) Dylan Deitz holds up a freshly made piece of paper he manufactured in class. Hannah McLeod photo
Bill aims to regulate trans athlete participation............................................................4
Rep. Edwards silent on protecting seniors, veterans................................................5
David Wheeler turns attention back to North Carolina............................................6
Pulp and paper classes continue despite mill closure..........................................10
Cherokee to vote on proposed constitution..............................................................12
Ground breaks on Exit 407 entertainment district..................................................15
WCU budget forecast gives overview of university finances..............................16
Council votes to remove police cameras from tribe’s public records law........17 State, local leaders work to lessen impact of mill closing....................................19
Opinion
There’s nobody better, kid..............................................................................................20 Work together, resolve library controversy................................................................21
A&E
WNC bluegrass star shines bright in Music City....................................................22
First Smokies writers conference accepting applications....................................29
Outdoors
New book teaches kids how to be BearWise..........................................................30 Up Moses Creek: Beauty and the beast ..................................................................35
ESIGN & PRODUCTION: Jessica Murray.
IGITAL MARKETING S PECIALIST Stefanee Sherman.
Amanda Bradley.
Sophia Burleigh.
C LASSIFIEDS: Scott Collier.
N EWS E DITOR: Kyle Perrotti.
WRITING: Holly Kays.
Hannah McLeod.
Cory Vaillancourt.
Garret K. Woodward.
susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com
jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com
classads@smokymountainnews.com
hannah@smokymountainnews.com
garret@smokymountainnews.com
ACCOUNTING & O FFICE MANAGER: Amanda Singletary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com
D ISTRIBUTION: Scott Collier. .
classads@smokymountainnews.com
C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing)
WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786
P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585
SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779
P: 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789
I NFO & B ILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786
Copyright 2023 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ Advertising copyright 2023 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News is available for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person. Additional copies may be purchased for $1, payable at the Smoky Mountain News office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of The Smoky Mountain News, take more than one copy of each issue.
SUBSCRIPTION: 1 YEAR $65 | 6 MONTHS $40 | 3 MONTHS $25
written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath
I’ve been a Registered Dietitian for almost 30 years and have served in the US Army as a dietitian and worked in Public Health in South Carolina has a dietitian. In the last 10 years I’ve seen an increasing level of fear about food and the ingredients in food. I think much of this has to do with social media and click-bait (alarming) headlines. You could basically be convinced that anything you eat or drink and a variety of ingredients are harmful -- if you look hard enough.
1. Consider the source – Where did you hear or read this information? Is the website or person reputable? Do they have education, training and experience in food science, nutrition, or chemistry that makes them qualified to speak on these topics?
2. Conflict of interest – What’s in it for them? Are they trying to inform you or trying to scare you into buying expensive tests, alternative products or supplements?
3. Consider the context and content – How much of this food or ingredient do you consume and how often? For most products the ‘the dose makes the poison’ (quote attributed to the Swiss physician Paracelsus “https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/health-andsafety/the-dose-makes-the-poison/)
4. Curiosity and Caution – Stay curious and be cautious about the why behind the headlines. Is it based on good research and science or manufactured information designed to scare you.
Bottom Line: Don’t succumb to fear-based messages about food without checking the facts and checking with reputable sources. Eat a variety of foods.
McGrath - Dietitian
Abill introduced in the North Carolina House of Representatives would require middle and high school athletes to compete on the team of their sex assignment at birth. Last week lawmakers held a press conference in support of the legislation and multiple speakers cited an instance involving athletes in Macon and Cherokee counties to bolster their case.
“It would be unfair to our students if we ignored some of the biological realities that have measurable impacts on outcomes in sports,” said Sen. Kevin Corbin, R-Macon, during the press conference. “This bill sets out to fix those loopholes.”
There are 30 sponsors and co-sponsors of the bill, titled the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act,” including Corbin and reps. Karl Gillespie, (R-Macon), and Mark Pless, (R-Haywood). As it is currently written, the bill requires all teams to be expressly designated by the “biological sex” of the team’s participants — either male, female or coed.
The bill clarifies that athletic teams or sports designated for females, women or girls will not be open to students of the male sex, and that teams or sports designated for males, men or boys shall not be open to students of the female sex unless there is no comparable female team for a particular sport and the sport is not a contact sport. This would effectively ban female athletes from playing not only football, but also boxing, wrestling, rugby, ice hockey and basketball in places where female teams do not exist for those sports.
However, lawmakers claim that this language in the bill was a mistake and that it will be rewritten before it gets the chance to become law.
“We actually noticed in reading through it that line 15 and 16 make it sound like girls would not be able to participate in sports like football and wrestling,” said Corbin. “That’s not our intent at all. We will amend that in the process. It’s not our intent at all to limit females for playing, it’s to limit biological males from playing female sports.”
Several lawmakers and speakers at last week’s press conference cited fairness and safety for female athletes as the bedrock of the bill.
“This is common sense legislation,” said Sen. Joyce Krawiec (R-Forsyth). “It’s about ensuring fair competition in women’s sports.”
Sen. Vicki Sawyer (R-Mecklenburg), touted her experience and hard work as a high school athlete as reason for the legislation.
“Those very sports that fostered and guided my development as a young woman are under attack,” said Sawyer. “When we talk about men identifying as a woman to play sports, we hear about how we are accommodating their feelings. But there’s a big part missing from that conversation,
The legislation lays out that a student’s sex shall be recognized based solely on the student’s “reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” According to Corbin, this would be determined by a person’s sex on their birth certificate.
“When you register for school, you have to show a birth certificate, so it’s based on that,” said Corbin.
In North Carolina, to change the sex designation on a birth certificate, residents are required to present a North Carolina Driver’s License or valid State ID card that reflects the corrected sex to which someone is requesting it be amended on the birth certificate. A person can also file a certification of gender identity form for birth certificate amendment. Once the state accepts the forms and makes the amendment official, the resident can get an updated birth certificate with the Register of Deeds Office or North Carolina Vital Records.
However, if an outside party were looking at the birth certificate of someone who has amended their sex on the document, that party would be able to tell that the gender marker was amended. Whenever a birth or death record is amended, there is a track record kept on each document for how a record changes over time. The document would say who it was amended by, date of the amendment and what field on the record was amended.
It is unclear whether lawmakers would be looking for the current gender marker of middle and high school athletes for eligibility, or proof that the gender has been amended.
Rules currently in place under the North Carolina High School Athletic Association allow participation in interscholastic athletics for all students, regardless of gender or gender identification. Trans students who wish to participate on the team of their gender identification can undergo a process for eligibility on that team.
“The rules and regulations are intended to provide every student-athlete with equal opportunities to participate in athletics,” NCHSAA bylaws read.
According to NCHSAA Commissioner
Que Tucker, the default rule is that students participate in sports based on the gender of their birth certificate, except if there is not a comparable sports team available for their gender. If there is a situation where a student identifies differently from the gender listed on their birth certificate, there is a waiver request form that must be filed together with the student’s guardians and the member school.
“Everything is initiated at the school level,” said Tucker. “A principal and his or her team determines whether or not this is a student who identifies differently, and they submit the completed form along with substantiating documentation, such as something from the parent, something from a medical doctor, a psychiatrist, any interventions that have occurred. We want the healthcare professionals to be involved. It has to be something that has been relatively ongoing.”
Once that request is filed, all the information goes to a gender identity committee, made up of doctors, school administrators, a member of the NCHSAA Board of Directors, a school psychologist and someone with experience in the area of transgender students. The committee reviews the information and makes a determination to either approve or deny the request.
According to Tucker, there have been 18 such waiver requests filed in the entire state of North Carolina since the policy was put in place in 2019. Of those, one was denied, and one was never completed. Therefore, Tucker says, we’re looking at 16 athletes that would have been eligible if they followed through and played the sport between 2019 and today.
However, if it passes, the legislation in House Bill 574 would do away with the process in place at NCHSAA.
Sawyer was one of the speakers who cited the situation between Cherokee and Macon County Schools earlier this school year during the press conference.
In September, Cherokee County Schools Board of Education voted 5-1 for all schools in the county to forfeit all remaining matches against Macon County’s Highlands School JV and Varsity volleyball teams. The board cited safety concerns in its motion as
the reason for forfeiting. However, in minutes from the meeting, school board member Steve Coleman is recorded as having “addressed the safety concern for the female players facing a biological male player.” Additionally, board attorney Dean Shatley stated that based on his conversation with the president of the NCHSAA, “the president was not aware of any other injuries resulting from athletic play with a transgender athlete.”
The meeting minutes do not confirm that there is or was a transgender athlete competing on the Highlands High School volleyball team, but this did not stop speakers at last week’s press conference from citing the school board’s decision.
“You hear from some folks that there’s only a handful of athletes in North Carolina, that this isn’t a big deal,” said Sawyer. “Ask that young woman in Cherokee County if this is a big deal.”
Previous Chapel Hill High School basketball, volleyball and softball coach Sherry Norris also spoke in support of the legislation last week; she too used the case in Cherokee County as fodder.
“In the fall, when a six-foot male transgender athlete played on a team, he or she played at Highlands High School, went up and spiked the ball, it hit the female athlete from Hiwassee High School and knocked her to the floor,” said Norris.
When asked about supporters of the bill publicly citing unfounded reports of athletes from his district, Kevin Corbin said that’s not the genesis of this bill.
“I did not mention that particular situation, I personally didn’t want to point out any particular situation,” said Corbin. “That’s not why the bill was written.”
HB 574 is one of six bills introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly this session that aim to regulate transgender youth. In addition to three bills that address trans athlete participation — HB 574 and its companion bill SB631, as well as SB 636 — there are three senate bills that restrict or ban gender-affirming care for trans youth — SB 560, SB 639 and SB 641.
All are sponsored by Republican lawmakers who recently achieved a supermajority in the house after Representative Tricia Cotham switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican.
The issue of trans athlete participation in youth sports is also being addressed at the national level. Last week the Supreme Court heard a case regarding a West Virginia law barring transgender athletes from playing on female sports teams. A challenge to the law came from 12-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson, who wanted to compete on her middle school’s girls track team. The court did not reinstate the law, meaning that a lower court’s order putting a hold on the law will stay in place while legal battles continue.
P OLITICS E DITOR
The “Back off our Benefits” bus tour rolled into Asheville last week with one simple request — for Congress to protect Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and veterans’ benefits. Western North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards (RHenderson), who faced similar calls from Republican voters last fall, ignored them again.
“We’re asking Rep. Edwards to commit to his constituents that he will protect Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans benefits so that we can live and age with dig-
Rep. Steve Scalise. Ditto for Utah Republican Sen. John Thune and Georgia Republican Rep. Buddy Carter.
Less than a month ago, The American Independent reported that 13 other Republicans said they wanted to “fix” entitlement programs by tweaking eligibility requirements or raising the retirement age.
“[Edwards] is a member of the Republican Study Committee, and their plan changes the age of eligibility for some of these programs, which is in fact, a cut,” Packard said. “Republicans haven’t coalesced on any one plan, but all of their plans have something in common, which is cuts to
nity after a lifetime of hard work and paying in,” said Laura Packard, a national spokesperson for the tour.
Packard, of Denver, Colorado, is a cancer survivor who says that the Affordable Care Act saved her life. She spoke at an April 7 press conference in Pack Square Park, where a large placard outlined a pledge to protect the entitlement plans and asked Edwards to “stop prioritizing the wealthy over our livelihoods and health care.”
Thus far, they’ve been met only with silence from Edwards.
“We reached out to him; he was invited to attend today and to sign the promise, but you don’t see his signature because he did not sign it,” Packard said.
On Oct. 14, 2022, Edwards told The Smoky Mountain News that there was “absolutely no interest from Republicans to cut Medicare or Social Security,” despite reporting from Bloomberg three days prior that outlined Republican threats of entitlement cuts.
Edwards’ assertion suggests he’s ignorant of or misleading constituents regarding previous and continuing calls for cuts by congressional Republicans.
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee has called for such cuts. So has Louisiana Republican
the benefits we rely on.”
Leslie Boyd lost her son in 2008 after he was denied the care he needed. According to Boyd, her son’s birth defect was considered a pre-existing condition, so he was denied insurance coverage. Doctors, she said, knew he would die. Boyd said she visited Edwards, who was then a member of the North Carolina General Assembly.
“Instead of talking about what he could do to help people in need, Chuck Edwards looked at me and asked whether my son had a job when he got sick, as though he didn’t deserve to live,” Boyd said at the event.
Eric Ager, a Democratic state legislator from Buncombe County, also spoke at the rally.
“This is really just an effort to get people fired up and get people excited about making sure that Congress doesn’t take away the benefits that we need in America, and about taking care of regular people out here in the mountains,” Ager said.
The bus tour began in Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s home district and made stops in Arizona, Colorado and St. Louis before coming to Asheville. The tour will conclude in Washington, D.C. on April 17.
Rep. Edwards did not respond to multiple interview requests for this story.
As the man behind the controversial North Carolina-based American Muckrakers PAC, David Wheeler’s had an outsized impact on at least one recent congressional campaign, but in 2024, he’s looking to have that same impact on a race of his own.
Wheeler isn’t very well known to people outside the #ncpol Twitter hashtag, although he’s certainly gained some notoriety with current and former Republican elected officials and national-level influencers like Lauren Boebert, Madison Cawthorn and Sean Hannity.
He grew up just outside Des Moines in the 1960s, the son of prominent Iowa Democrats who gave him his first taste of electoral politics in what was ultimately a successful effort to oust a four-term Republican member of Iowa’s House. Wheeler was put to work knocking on doors and dropping campaign lit.
“I’m doing that when I’m 10 years old, sometimes by myself, because back then you could. I got ‘bit’ by politics, and to this day I can recall everything about that campaign,” he said. “Those relationships are almost like trench warfare because you see the candidate and their family and campaign manager and everybody at their best and their worst. I learned the value of loyalty and commitment to either a cause or a candidate and I carry that into almost everything that I do.”
After graduating from the University of Iowa in 1987 with a degree in political science, Wheeler went to work for a law firm providing corporate litigation assistance to Iowa Power and Light, chasing down insurance claims on behalf of the utility. In 1989, he moved to Chicago, continuing in insurance-related litigation for huge corporate clients.
He thought he’d one day be an attorney, but while in Chicago he fondly recalled his work as a student on the organizing committee of a local marathon, which he compared to a political campaign — fundraising, logistics, marketing. Wheeler soon left the legal world to join a company that organized the Chicago Marathon, one of the world’s most important for distance runners.
A few years later, he started his own company doing the same thing, which led to him becoming involved in the Moscow Marathon shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain. That, in turn, led to other events in London, Minneapolis and San Diego and also to a relationship with communications giant Motorola. Soon, he was producing in-house VIP
Despite losing their respective 2020 elections, Davis and Wheeler had both outperformed Joe Biden in several Western North Carolina counties. Wheeler said they felt they’d done something right, and had momentum, and wanted to build on it.
“We just kind of looked at each other and the natural inclination was, we’ve got to do something about Cawthorn,” Wheeler said. “More and more information started seeping out about him post-election that was contradictory to his public positions. So we started the PAC.”
The PAC’s actual name is American Muckrakers, but it’s probably best known by the title of its first website, firemadison.com. In an era of Democratic politics perhaps best encapsulated by then-First Lady Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go high” catchphrase, American Muckrakers made it clear they would follow their own road.
“Democrats are not known for getting in the mud,” said Dr. Chris Cooper, the Madison distinguished professor of political science and public affairs and the director of the public policy institute at Western Carolina University. “This is brass knuckle politics from the Democratic perspective. They were not trying to ‘do politics better.’ They were more than happy to get down in the muck — not only to rake it, but to roll in it.”
With Davis’ former campaign manager Graeme McGufficke serving as senior advisor to the PAC, Wheeler pored through old opposition research on Cawthorn, ferreting out the shiny bits.
events not only for Motorola but also for Abbott Labs and Caterpillar, involving large foreign customers and visits by the prime ministers of China and New Zealand, as well as the presidents of Argentina and Ukraine. Wheeler left Chicago in 2010 with his then-wife because they wanted to raise their kids in a less complicated environment. That environment ended up being Spruce Pine, in Mitchell County.
In 2018 and in 2020, Wheeler ran as a Democrat against incumbent Republican state Sen. Ralph Hise. Wheeler got creamed, both times — by 26 and 37 points, respectively.
“It was an immersion into North Carolina politics,” Wheeler said. “I know a lot of people won’t believe me, but it was one of the best experiences of my life, even having traveled to 50 countries around the globe. It was eye-opening, the poverty but also the wealth and everything in between. During that time, I got to know Moe Davis. You know, he’s not some people’s cup of tea, but he’s my cup of tea. I like him. I think he’s a good guy.”
Davis was the 2020 Democratic nominee for the 11th Congressional District seat that had been recently and unexpectedly vacated by Mark Meadows in December 2019. Eminently qualified — Davis is a retired judge and U.S. Air Force litigator — and a moderate on issues that drew him into conflict with national party leadership, Davis was pitted against a young unknown from Hendersonville who had the dual advantages of a heavily gerrymandered district and a close association with President Donald Trump, who was probably at the height of his popularity.
To say that the brusque Davis rubbed some people the wrong way would be accurate; however, it doesn’t give due credit to the 24-year-old Madison Cawthorn, who’d quickly become a charismatic, larger-thanlife embodiment of the MAGA movement in Western North Carolina.
During a bruising campaign, Cawthorn and Davis traded blows almost through Election Day, culminating in a 12-point Cawthorn victory and Cawthorn’s now-infamous victory tweet, “Cry more, lib.”
“The more we dug on this guy, the more we realized he was such a fraud and so full of it and so full of himself that we had to just keep going,” Wheeler said. “The more we became successful, the more people trusted us and the more information we started getting. And it was all tips.”
Cawthorn, meanwhile, hadn’t stopped courting controversy after his election night tweet; three days after he was sworn in, he gave a fiery speech at Trump’s “stop the steal” ellipse rally in Washington, D.C. and came under scrutiny for saying he was armed on the House floor.
Within four months of taking office, Cawthorn had drawn multiple challengers from both parties even though the General Election was still 18 months away.
“I think our initial introduction to most folks where we started to build some credibility was, we got a tip from somebody that works at the Asheville airport that Cawthorn had come through and had a gun and nobody was really pursuing that,” Wheeler said. “I’d learned early on with our organization that written F
words are great, pictures are okay, but video and audio is the way to really get the message across, so I called the airport and immediately asked for any audio or video, and they were forthcoming.”
Opponents hammered Cawthorn’s every move for a year and especially highlighted his poor attendance on the Hill.
The Muckrakers also wanted to draw attention to Cawthorn’s lack of in-district town halls; they said he was afraid to face voters, and even went so far as to buy a chicken costume to be used at events, although it was never actually worn.
Cawthorn, however, still looked to be a safe bet for reelection until a tactical misstep changed the dynamics of the race.
On Nov. 11, 2021, with newly drawn congressional maps still pending, Cawthorn announced that instead of running in the district that elected him, he’d run in a neighboring district. The move reportedly upset Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, since the district Cawthorn was moving into was purportedly drawn for the Republican Speaker of the North Carolina House, Tim Moore.
Cawthorn’s departure opened up a lane for Michele Woodhouse, Cawthorn’s NCGOP district director and heir apparent. Several other Republicans also jumped into the Primary Election, including then-Sen. Chuck Edwards of Hendersonville. Edwards had been rumored to be considering a challenge anyway, but never officially said anything until Cawthorn was already gone.
Less than three months later, courts struck down the pending maps. After the final redraw, Cawthorn’s new district had changed, and he was left with no choice but to run in his original district. Some constituents felt alienated. Edwards and Woodhouse weren’t going anywhere. Tillis and Moore hadn’t forgotten, while Wheeler and the Muckrakers sensed opportunity.
“We did some radio, we did several paid ads targeting moderate Republican women, trying to get them to vote against the guy,” Wheeler said.
They also encouraged Democrats to change their registration to independent so they could select a Republican ballot in the Primary Election and vote for “anyone but Cawthorn.” The move rankled establishment Democrats, especially in Asheville.
The Muckrakers doubled down by endorsing Wendy Nevarez, a moderate by way of the fact that she was the only Republican in the eight-candidate field actually willing to call Jan. 6 “an insurrection.”
In late March 2022, Cawthorn made some tawdry assertions about D.C. party culture, saying he’d been invited to sex orgies and seen prominent people using cocaine, prompting some observers to run to their keyboards and google “key bump.”
Then-Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy rebuked Cawthorn for making the comments, saying Cawthorn had lost his trust.
Still, Cawthorn was perceived as the frontrunner, if not neck-and-neck with Edwards, in the May 17 Primary Election — at least, until the last month of the campaign.
On April 18, the Muckrakers posted audio from a former Cawthorn staffer, Lisa
Wiggins, who’d filed an employment-related lawsuit against him. Wiggins said there were more liquor bottles in his Hendersonville office than there were water bottles, and that Cawthorn was a “habitual liar” and “just a bad person.”
Four days later, Politico reported on photographs of Cawthorn wearing women’s lingerie. Cawthorn said the photos were taken at a party on a cruise ship before his election and were just “goofy vacation photos,” but in light of his “coke orgy” comments and Wiggins’ assertions, the photos only added
Cawthorn called the video, shot before his election to the House, “crass” and equated it to tomfoolery, but the damage was already done.
“My phone blew up. Our website blew up. It was trending on the internet for several hours over the next couple of days and immediately ActBlue, the Democrats’ portal for fundraising, took us down because they saw it as anti-LGBTQ, which was ridiculous,” Wheeler said. “There was nothing anti-LGBTQ about it. As a sidebar, this is why Democrats lose — they pull this crap
“When I look at the party switching data, it’s clear some did switch from Democrat to unaffiliated, but they stayed there,” said Cooper. “So it really was a net loss for the Democratic Party.”
The most pressing question — how much credit could the Muckrakers take for Cawthorn’s loss — will probably never be answered conclusively, but Cooper said they definitely played their part.
to growing concern from Cawthorn’s Christian conservative base.
Four days after that, Cawthorn was implicated in a pump-and-dump crypto scheme for which he was later ordered by the House Ethics Committee to pay a $15,000 fine.
If the late scandals involving Cawthorn were beginning to paint a picture of a debauched young man who wasn’t up to the job, the Muckrakers’ next move would hit like a can of black paint all over the self-portrait Cawthorn had meticulously brushed since emerging on the scene in late 2019.
On May 4, the Muckrakers published a salacious video of Cawthorn, nude, in bed, making thrusting motions while in a compromising position with another man.
“We sat on it for more than a week,” Wheeler said. “I was not ready to just go with it, but then Cawthorn said something about us at one point, something that really triggered us — that essentially we were liars. We made the collective decision to just dump this, and bombs away.”
against their compatriots.”
Less than two weeks later, Cawthorn lost to Edwards in the Republican Primary Election by 1.57 points, or just over 1,380 votes out of more than 88,000 cast. Edwards’ margin of victory freed him up from having to appear in a runoff against Cawthorn.
Voters cited Cawthorn’s relative lack of maturity as a factor in their decision.
In such a close election, it’s more than plausible that Wheeler and the Muckrakers played a part in Cawthorn’s defeat.
“There is no question that unaffiliated voters coming over had an effect on Cawthorn losing,” Cooper said. “Whether that would have happened without the Muckrakers raising the salience of that idea, we’ll never know, but their basic strategy to get unaffiliated voters to vote in the Republican primary and to convince a certain number of them to switch parties to unaffiliated in the Republican primary worked.”
Some of those Democrats who changed their registrations never changed them back.
“I think Tom Tillis’ money was more important,” said Cooper. “And I think Cawthorn’s decision to leave the district was ultimately the most important factor. So did Muckrakers matter? Yes. Was it the most important factor? I don’t think so. But the primary was so close that I would say without any one of those three factors, Cawthorn is still our congressman.”
The role the Muckrakers played is all the more astonishing when considering the size of the organization and its asymmetrical campaign against a much larger, much more well-financed opponent.
“Even at the height of their size, it was the most grassroots of grassroots efforts and I’ve never seen anything like it in American politics,” Cooper said.
“We have never, ever claimed that we were solely responsible,” said Wheeler. “Madison Cawthorn is responsible for his loss. We just amplified his hypocrisy and a lot of the nonsense that he was spewing. But yeah, we’re very proud of what we did. I mean, we did it and at that time we had only raised maybe a hundred grand.”
Buoyed by the results of their Primary Election effort, the Muckrakers didn’t stop with Cawthorn and quickly turned their attention to the west.
“There was a group in Colorado that contacted us. And this was just a group of citizens that said, ‘Listen, can you come help us?’” Wheeler remembers. “I knew who Lauren Boebert was, but didn’t know much about her and the more I looked at her, she was Madison Cawthorn’s twin sister.”
Boebert is a far-right ally of Trump who espouses Qanon conspiracy theories and opposes the separation of church and state, LGBTQ rights, renewable energy, public education, the Violence Against Women Act and sex ed for high school students.
She dropped out of high school when she became pregnant and didn’t earn her GED until 16 years later, just a few months before her unexpected 2020 congressional victory.
Boebert’s husband, Jayson, was arrested and charged with assaulting her in 2004. He later served jail time for exposing himself to two women at a bowling alley and also worked in the natural gas industry while Boebert sat on the House Natural Resources Committee, which has a regulatory role.
The Muckrakers quickly set up a new website, fireboebert.com — with a logo that is, quite fittingly, a dumpster on fire.
“She’s a loudmouth. She’s ignorant. She’s not educated. She talks instead of thinks. She had ethical problems similar to Cawthorn. She’s righteous, like Cawthorn. She is a religious zealot and a Christian terrorist, as far as I’m concerned,” Wheeler said. “What we learned from Cawthorn was that these people, they’ve been bullies all their lives and they just get away with most things like a spoiled brat does, and so I said, this one … this one could be interesting.”
Using the same brash, brass-knuckle approach the Muckrakers used with Cawthorn, Wheeler went to digging on the whispers floating around Boebert’s highly conservative southwestern Colorado district, including her questionable ties to a county sheriff, her alleged time spent as an unlicensed escort and the several abortions she allegedly had.
Blowback ensued, much like ActBlue’s concerns over the Muckrakers’ “anti-LGBT” video of Cawthorn.
Wheeler and the Muckrakers later made clear that they weren’t trying to shame sex workers, only to draw attention to Boebert’s hypocrisy. The same with the abortions, says Wheeler — they weren’t impugning her choice, only her hypocrisy.
Around this time Davis, an informal advisor to the PAC, stepped away, although Wheeler says he remained supportive.
The allegations the Muckrakers published against Boebert probably fall below journalistic standards in terms of verification and have never been definitively proven, but Wheeler and the Muckrakers haven’t been sued by Boebert for them, either.
“Despite what our critics will say, we
have focused on facts, and I would challenge anybody to point to anything I’ve said on the record or anything we’ve published that wasn’t somehow backed up by facts or sources,” Wheeler said. “We’re not ‘TMZ for politics,’ but we hold these people accountable.”
Last June Wheeler sued Boebert in North Carolina for defamation and malicious prosecution after she badmouthed him on an episode of Sean Hannity’s television program. The suit was tossed due to venue, but Wheeler said it’s ready to be refiled in Colorado, perhaps as soon as this week.
According to Wheeler’s original suit, the PAC suffered a substantial decrease in fundraising following Boebert’s comments, dropping from around $20,000 a month to less than $4,000 a month.
Boebert’s 2022 reelection race was indeed interesting.
Cyndy Koures, news director at Grand
who is married to a woman, was having an affair with a man.
“The source for that would not talk to us. We could not track it,” Koures said. “I think from a bird’s eye view, whether there’s truth to those allegations on either side, it does not help the American voter want to vote. There’s a reason for low voter turnout. I think this kind of ‘dirty pool’ is part of it. That’s not holding a candidate or a sitting official accountable for their work, it’s bringing up things that happen in the dark, which, while I believe they can be relevant, I think it also turns off voters.”
Frisch came within 550 votes of defeating Boebert, who couldn’t even win her own hometown in a district that by performance and registration should have favored Republicans by 9 points.
After the narrow loss, Frisch announced that he’d give it another go and recently
that have tired of that. I think he fulfilled a need. He filled a niche. I don’t think he can take credit for the outcome.”
Instead, Koures — a journalist for more than 40 years who has an Emmy and was recognized as Montana’s best news writer four times — voiced concern over the state of American electoral politics that has made Boebert, Cawthorn and the Muckrakers relevant in the first place.
“I think there is a role for aggressive accountability journalism and I appreciate what he has done in that regard, or what that PAC has done in that regard,” Koures said. “I worry sometimes that just the name ‘Muckrakers’ indicates that they’re going to slug it out in the mud. Is that the way politics should go? I mean, I’m almost 60 years old and I’m freaking sick of being a reporter listening to candidates throw mud at each other. I am tired of it. And obviously I’m not the only one because voter turnout drops, drops, drops.”
A few weeks ago, Wheeler filed paperwork indicating that he planned to run as a Democrat against incumbent North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey in the 2024 election.
“Most people don’t know what the insurance commissioner does,” Cooper said. “Most people don’t know that it’s elected, and most people don’t know who’s in office. So anybody who can draw attention to themselves is going to have a fighting chance for a position like this, and David Wheeler is good at drawing attention to himself.”
Not all of that attention was good. Some Democrats remain upset over Wheeler’s tactics with regards to the independent registration ploy the Muckrakers pulled in Cawthorn’s Primary Election. Others echoed Koures’ concerns and cited Michelle Obama’s refrain. They still want to go high.
“This isn’t about everybody’s feelings all the time,” Wheeler said. “This is about winning and losing. The stated goal of this PAC was to get rid of Madison Cawthorn and we didn’t really care what the party thought, or wanted. It was about getting rid of Madison Cawthorn for the betterment of this part of the state as well as the country. I mean, the fact he’s gone I think is something that everybody would agree is a good thing. But at the time, some of the Democrats in Buncombe County weren’t very happy with it. Maybe they should focus a little bit more on winning instead of hurt feelings.”
Junction, Colorado’s, NBC affiliate KCCO, told The Smoky Mountain News that she felt a number of Republican factions in Boebert’s district had grown tired of some of her stances.
Don Coram, a Republican and former member of the Colorado House, challenged Boebert in the Primary Election, was handily defeated and went on to endorse the winner of the Democratic Primary Election, former Aspen City Council Member Adam Frisch.
Boebert didn’t exactly take the Muckrakers’ sexual allegations laying down, and a rumor began to circulate that Frisch,
notched some solid fundraising numbers for the first quarter of 2023.
Koures, however, isn’t so sure Wheeler and the Muckrakers had all that much impact on the Frisch/Boebert race.
“I think [Wheeler] did do some good things that brought to light underlying currents of that particular office and the old school, old boys’ network,” she said. “I think we would be foolish to attribute his efforts and that PAC’s efforts with the closeness of the race. I think there’s more at play here. There is a changing political atmosphere. [Boebert] is a firebrand and there are people
The burning question is if Wheeler’s run for insurance commissioner will turn into another dumpster fire.
“Yeah, that’s a good question because it’s difficult to win if your sole tactic is ‘attack,’ but that’s what the PAC did against Cawthorn,” he said. “That was our job.”
The insurance commissioner is one of 10 seats on North Carolina’s Council of State, including other relatively low-profile positions like labor commissioner, state auditor and commissioner of agriculture. Races are rarely competitive of their own accord, and instead are often decid-
“What we learned from Cawthorn was that these people, they’ve been bullies all their lives and they just get away with most things like a spoiled brat does, and so I said, this one … this one could be interesting.”— David Wheeler After Cawthorn, the Muckrakers shifted their attention to Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert. American Muckrakers photo
The bee is a great time to get together with friends and support a good cause.
announced that after a three-year hiatus, its popular “No Sweat” Adult Spelling Bee is coming back. The Bee will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, April 21, at First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. Kiwanis is looking for sponsors, spellers and spellcheckers who want to have a fun-filled evening of excitement and laughter. Each team is made up of three adult spellers who sit at a table with another team. Each team works together to decide how to spell the word. There is no embarrassment of having to
stand on a stage. If they misspell the word, they can buy back the word for $5 in the first round, $10 in the second round, $20 in the third round and continue in the contest. Word buys will not be available for the tiebreaker round. Every year, Kiwanis gives out grants of $30,000 or more, and the bee goes to support that effort. Each member of the winning team will win bobblehead trophies, a gift certificate to a local restaurant and bragging rights. The winning sponsor gets a traveling trophy to display for the next twelve months. The Kiwanis Club is asking anyone who wants to sign up as an individual speller, sponsor, or spellchecker to contact Pat Ryan at 901.351.2777 or prryanuthsc@gmail.com.
Join PreventT2 Participants in Making Healthy Changes in Haywood County.
Community members are preventing type 2 diabetes with the PreventT2 lifestyle change program offered by the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency. Guided by a trained lifestyle coach, participants learn the skills needed for lasting changes, such as losing a modest amount of weight, being more active and managing stress.
Participants learn how to eat healthy, add physical activity to their routine, manage stress, stay motivated and solve problems that can get in the way of healthy changes. PreventT2 participants receive a full year of support to maintain lifestyle changes. The group setting provides a supportive environment with people who are facing similar challenges. Together participants celebrate their successes and find ways to overcome obstacles.
Registration is open and classes are scheduled to begin at noon April 18. The program uses online format, with both telephone and video options. Thanks to a grant administered by NC State University, classes are free and include incentives. HHSA is excited to report that its program has preliminary recognition by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. To learn more about the program, call Megan Hauser at 828.452.6675 or visit haywoodcountync.gov/615/Health-Human-Services.
ed by races further up the ticket.
North Carolina is one of the most purple of purple states. Wheeler’s fate in 2024 rests largely on the performance of Democratic candidates for president and governor.
Wheeler and every other Democrat running for a Council of State office could have a strong showing if things go well for Democrats in those high-profile races. If they don’t, he probably won’t. But that doesn’t mean he’s helpless.
“What I can do is I can create a differentiation between the incumbent commissioner and myself, with facts,” Wheeler said. “Hopefully that can have an impact. Listen, if we find another face-humping
video, yeah, we’ll put it out because people need to know the facts. I don’t think that’s probably going to be the case, but we’re going to have to put out those facts.”
In fact, Wheeler says he’s already found something he wants to reveal — something that’s been sitting there, right out in the open, for some time now.
“Not because I get off on beating the crap out of somebody because you know he’ll beat the crap out of me in some way,” Wheeler said, “but I don’t think anybody knows anything about this commissioner, and they need to know the facts, especially when he holds himself out to be a man of the people.”
The paper mill has long been a staple of the Canton community, offering generations of residents the opportunity for regular work and steady pay. So it’s no coincidence that Pisgah High School offers three levels of Pulp and Paper Technology classes — a curriculum that provides students the opportunity to learn the basics needed to enter the paper industry.
But as the mill has announced it’s closing for good, upending the lives of over 1,000 employees and hundreds of families while devastating the community, it still doesn’t signal the end of pulp and paper classes for high school students.
On a recent Thursday morning at Pisgah High School, in a giant classroom at the back of F building, Wendell Godfrey’s pulp and paper class is already busy.
Half the space is home to what one would expect to find in any high school classroom — rows of desks facing a white board, but the back half of the same room houses a full paper-making lab.
The place is alive with the sounds of running water, machines whirring and students talking, all of which melds with the voices of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers singing “Islands in the Stream” loudly in the background. The lab corner of the room is ringed with paper-making equipment — a few 200gallon water tanks, huge steel boxes, presses, conveyor ovens and refiners that break down pulp.
At the center of it all is Wendell (W.C.) Godfrey, pulp and paper teacher at Pisgah High School. There are those in his class that will admit to signing up for pulp and paper purely because they love Godfrey; with over 20 years of experience, the teacher is a wealth of information for those even remotely interested in the industry.
Godfrey first took an interest in paper
while getting his chemical engineering degree from Clemson University.
“We had one class that had a section on paper,” said Godfrey. “So as a chemical engineer, you got the energy industry, paper industry, chemical supplies, the whole nine yards. I just interviewed with anybody that had anything to do with chemical engineering. Exxon wanted me to go down to Louisiana, Champion at the time wanted me to go to Ohio, and then Ecusta over in Brevard said come on in, so that’s where it all started.”
Ecusta Mill is a former flax pulping and paper manufacturing facility that was built in 1939 and stayed in operation until 2002. While working at Ecusta, Godfrey got his master’s degree in business from Western Carolina University. From Ecusta, he went on to work at Jackson Paper, after which he began consulting for the industry. Then he transitioned into teaching business at AB Tech, where he still teaches some classes, as well as Haywood Community College, where he started teaching Pulp and Paper Technology.
Over the years, what was then Blue Ridge Paper in Canton was having trouble attracting young employees. The pulp and paper classes were instituted to help bring young people in.
“They were seeing the average age in manufacturing was way high,” said Godfrey. “They had 400 people going out in four years.”
The question became, “How do you get new folks into your industry?” Godfrey said.
In an effort to get young people prepared for and interested in the paper industry, HCC began offering Pulp and Paper Technology classes, but administrators soon realized they needed to catch students even younger in order to prepare them for further education, or careers, in the paper industry, so the HCC class transitioned into a high school class at Pisgah.
“We quickly realized that we needed to
start at the high school level and build the program,” Godfrey said. “So that’s how we evolved to be here at Pisgah High School.”
Money allocated in 2012 allowed for an expansion at Pisgah High School, part of which made way for the pulp and paper lab. Most of the equipment in the lab was purchased with a grant from the National Science Foundation that was awarded to Haywood Community College when the class was hosted there. Once the class moved to Pisgah, HCC donated all the equipment to the high school.
The seemingly obvious connection between Pisgah High School and the Canton
paper mill strengthened quickly. In the beginning, students who took all the pulp and paper classes offered got a free pass on the entry-level test at the mill.
“That’s how it started,” said Godfrey. “And over the years, it’s evolved into getting looked at preferentially as you go through the hiring process because you have the technology behind. So, it wasn’t an automatic hire. But with the letter of recommendation from me then you got, so to speak, moved to the head of the line.”
Thursday morning, there are 16 students present in Pulp and Paper Technology II. Each mans the station they’ve been assigned, and collectively they move through the whole process, from making pulp to pressing and drying brand new sheets of paper.
Will Perry is an advanced studies Pulp and Paper Technology student, meaning he has taken all levels of the class available and is now working on an independent study with Godfrey, part of which includes helping students in the level II class. He and Godfrey both circulate around the stations answering questions and making sure everything runs smoothly.
After working his way through Godfrey’s classes at Pisgah, Perry had plans to work at the Canton paper mill following high school. He had been through a couple of steps in the hiring process and, coupled with Godfrey’s recommendation, a job was all but certain. When Perry heard the news about the impending closure, he was bummed, he says. Students in the class described similar reactions when they found out that the mill would be closing soon — they’re worried for the abundance of friends and family whose parents and other close relations will lose their jobs. Almost everyone knows someone who’s possibly facing the reality of
F
leaving town.
Dylan Dietz is among those students who is unsure what may be coming next; his father works at the mill. This morning Deitz is running the paper-making machine. He pours pulp into a giant steel box, then fills the box the rest of the way up with water. He watches carefully as the water drains, and he’s left with a paper-thin square of soggy white mush in the bottom. Next, handling the remains gingerly, he moves them into the steel press where he squeezes out as much moisture as possible. Then, he expertly peels what is starting to resemble a sheet of paper from the press, places it between two thick pieces of
about 100 came through his pulp and paper class.
But the mill’s shuttering doesn’t mean the pulp and paper classes will suddenly become irrelevant or that there won’t be opportunities to take the experience and education in paper making elsewhere. Godfrey is confident that pulp and paper will not only remain in place at Pisgah, it will also stay relevant despite the sudden closure. Right now, he is working to help find outlets for those students who had planned on pursuing work at the mill following high school.
Part of the class involves visits to several mills in the area, which not only allows stu-
paper and puts all of it into an Emerson Speed Dryer.
Deitz, kind and soft-spoken, says that in addition to being unsure of the future of his father’s career, he is unsure of what’s next for him. A junior in Pulp and Paper Technology II, with family at the mill, Deitz says he had planned on finding work there after graduation. Now, that’s no longer an option.
Of his 70 students this semester, Godfrey said that about 10 expressed direct interest in seeking employment at the Canton mill. Another five were interested in working for Wilsonart, a company that turns paper into laminate.
Of the 1,000 workers currently at Pactiv Evergreen in Canton, Godfrey estimates that
dents to observe real life work spaces but also builds connections for potential employment. Godfrey says the class will still have access to Jackson Paper; the tissue mill in Anderson, South Carolina; UPM Raflatac in Mills River that converts paper into labels; Wilsonart in Asheville and Fletcher which converts paper into laminate; and Jacob Holm Industries which does a paper-makinglike process but with nonwovens for products like diapers. During his interim, Godfrey taught for Domtar Packaging Mill in Kingsport, Tennessee, and so also has connections there.
“We still have that paper and paper–related industry in the area,” said Godfrey. “We’ve got some things that are available, it’s just not
in the backyard, which hurts.”
But the close connection between Pisgah and the mill did provide special opportunities for pulp and paper students that other mills don’t provide.
“When we go to these other places besides [the Canton mill], we just do a general tour,” said Godfrey. “When we went to [the Canton] mill, the mill became their lab. They would actually do evaluations of parts of the process, so we would get behind the scenes, instead of just taking the general mill tour.”
While there are plenty of students in the class worried about people that may be leaving town, there are also those who know friends and family that have been able to find other work close to home.
“I’ve met with corporate HR, I’ve been impressed with some of the things they’ve done with Haywood Community College, the career fair and all these kinds of things,” said Godfrey. “I’ve been impressed that they decided to abide by the contract they were trying to formulate even though it wasn’t approved, so some good things. They recently gave all the employees raises.”
As for Perry, the advanced studies student, he is originally from Wilmington. He’s located a mill on that end of the state where he plans to pursue work after graduation.
Godfrey has witnessed vast transformations in the paper industry during his 20-plus years. Throughout changes in the market and technological developments in the industry, his class remains relevant because students are learning the basics of what they need to know to get into the industry.
“The reason pulp and paper still exists today is because they want people to have some level of technical skills before you come into the industry,” said Godfrey. “So, you still get those same technical skills, you still get that same mindset, you understand the process, things mixing together, the logistics of how it fits together.”
As for the market, some of the changes are obvious.
“For particular markets, there have been some declines,” Godfrey said. “For instance, social media basically took over a lot of the newspaper.”
As we continue to march at break-neck pace into the digital age, Godfrey says that changes in digital technology have caused a decrease in the use of uncoated freesheet, a grade of printing and writing paper that used to be made at the Pactiv Evergreen Canton mill.
Similarly, cup and other drink container packaging was the bread-and-butter product of the mill in Canton. Godfrey says he’s seen a shift in the market that has made converting packaging — putting coding and printing on it and selling it to consumers — more profitable than manufacturing the packaging.
“If I was a manager at a mill, and I see my market starting to decline — and this would be years ago, like two years ago, you don’t just do this in a heartbeat — then I’m talking to corporate research, I am talking to my corporate marketing to figure out, what can we do to meet the existing and future industry?” said Godfrey. “I’m sitting here Monday morning quarterbacking, but there’s so many aspects to all of this. It just takes planning.”
Just like the students in his class, Godfrey is worried about the families and local businesses that depended on a local economy bolstered by the mill. He’s confident that he can work to connect those of his students interested in the industry with the resources and employers they need, but he too wishes that Pactiv Evergreen had found another solution, one that didn’t involve the loss of over 1,000 jobs.
“I understand business, I understand bottom line, I understand you’re traded on NASDAQ, or whatever you’re traded on, so you have to look out for shareholder equity,” said Godfrey. “But the planning? Two weeks before they announced the closing of the mill, they announced the shutdown of machine 20. You mean in two weeks you went from just idling one machine to shutting the whole mill down?”
Sgadugi members offered a variety of answers when asked what parts of the 24page document signaled especially important shifts from the charter. The proposed constitution is nearly quadruple the length of the charter, elaborating on aspects of tribal government that the charter mentions only in passing and dealing with topics that the charter doesn’t address at all.
Civil rights are in the latter category. The only people guaranteed rights in the charter, Arneach said, are first-generation descendants of tribal members, who are given the right to occupy property inherited from their enrolled parents for the rest of their life. By contrast, the proposed constitution includes an entire article on civil rights, outlining 11 protections guaranteed citizens of the tribe.
Tears, hugs and applause exploded through the Tribal Council chambers April 6 when the body unanimously passed a resolution placing a tribal constitution on the ballot for the Sept. 7 General Election.
“This is absolutely one of the best days that I have had in 22 years as a council representative for the Eastern Band,” Big Cove Rep. Teresa McCoy said as she gathered outside the Council House with members of the Community Club Council and Sgadugi Constitution Group after the vote. “I see a future going forward with unity and strength. I see law that is solid that will protect and defend our culture, tradition, our Indian community for the rest of our lives.”
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has not had a constitution since 1886, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the authority of the document the tribe had enacted in 1875. Today, the EBCI Charter and Governing Document sits in place of a constitution as the tribe’s highest law. But it is not a constitution. Charters govern organizations and corporations, while constitutions define the relationship between a government and its people.
“I have a letter from one of my great uncles trying to get a constitution through in the 1960s going through the BIA (Bureau
of Indian Affairs),” said Lloyd Arneach, who has led the Sgadugi Constitution Group since it began its work in 2017. “My father has been on a constitution committee for a few years, so it’s kind of a family thing. And to see it to this point, I think it’s just amazing.”
Sgadugi tried to get the referendum on the ballot during the 2019 election, but Council members said they didn’t think the document was “ready” and asked Anita Lossiah, who was representing Sgadugi, to withdraw it. The group then set its sights on a 2021 referendum approval, hoping to bypass the need for Tribal Council approval by getting 33% of voters to sign a petition to put it on the ballot. That didn’t happen either, but this year Cherokee voters will finally have a chance to vote the document up or down.
On April 6, Council approved the referendum unanimously, with no discussion. All members save Snowbird/Cherokee County Rep. Adam Wachacha were present for the vote.
“We worked diligently on this,” said Community Club Council Chairman Bunsey Crowe. “All our communities have that’s been present met numerous times to get us to where we are today. We feel like this is a living document. It’s not set in stone. A referendum will be a way to change anything that’s in it. But it’s for our tribe as a whole. That’s why we feel very passionate about this moving forward and letting the people have their say.”
Soon after he finished speaking, T.W. Saunooke seconded McCoy’s move to pass — which she made while Crowe was speaking — and every hand went up to put the
document out for a referendum vote. The resolution ordering the referendum now goes to Principal Chief Richard Sneed for a signature.
“Thank you for all your hard work in getting this together,” said Chairman Richard French. “It’s an honor to pass this resolution and put it out to the people to vote on it in the General Election.”
When asked why he believes the resolution sailed through so easily, Arneach pointed to a rising awareness among tribal leaders that tribal sovereignty is under attack.
Many of these are modeled on sections of the U.S. Bill of Rights and constitutional amendments, to include freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition; a right to own and use firearms; protection from cruel and unusual punishment; right to due process; protection from unreasonable search and seizure; right to equal protection under the law; a right to vote for tribal citizens 18 and older; and various protections that pertain to people accused of crimes — including right to a speedy trial by a jury of peers, right to counsel, right to be confronted with witnesses and obtain witnesses for the defense, right to be informed of charges and right to refrain from witnessing against oneself.
The section also mandates that the tribe fund and establish an educational system that promotes preservation of Cherokee language and culture. All powers not explicitly granted to the tribal government, the article concludes, are reserved for the people.
“Everyone’s now realizing we’ve got to get this done,” he said. “There’s so many signs, so many symptoms that we’re seeing that we can’t continue business as usual. We’ve got to establish ourselves formally, and that’s what this document does.”
For the referendum to be approved, at least 51% of registered voters must cast a ballot, and a majority of those must vote yes on the constitution. Turnout has been an issue with past referenda, but placing the vote during a chief’s election increases the chances of success on that front. During the 2019 principal chief election, turnout clocked in at 57.1%.
Under a separate article, the proposed constitution strengthens tribal members’ property rights. Currently, Tribal Council has the last say on property assignments — with a single vote, it can take away one person’s property and give it to somebody else. Under the constitution, Tribal Council would have authority to decide ownership of unassigned property only. Other property disputes would be decided by Tribal Court.
Another prominent addition is an article outlining the authority and composition of the tribe’s judicial branch, which the charter doesn’t mention at all. The current judicial branch is created through a tribal law that Tribal Council could repeal at any time.
Arneach said he’s especially pleased with the selection process the proposed constitution outlines for the chief
“We worked diligently on this. All our communities have that’s been present met numerous times to get us to where we are today. We feel like this is a living document.”
— Bunsey Crowe
justice. A panel consisting of Cherokee Community Club Council officers and active judges and justices of the tribal court would submit recommendations for the position to the principal chief, who would present them to Tribal Council for confirmation.
The Community Club Council would play a key role in another major component of the proposed constitution — the carrying out of Grand Council.
“That, to me, is including the voice of the people,” said Beloved Woman Carmaleta Monteith, who like Arneach has been involved with the constitution effort since 2017.
The charter deals with Grand Council — a tradition in which tribal members gather to vote directly on key issues facing the tribe — in a single sentence: “The Principal Chief shall have the right to call a Grand Council of all enrolled members to attend and he shall preside over such meeting.”
The last Grand Council, called by former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert as he faced impeachment in 2017, was the subject of a lawsuit due to the many aspects of Grand Council’s format and authority not addressed in that simple sentence. The proposed constitution, meanwhile, dedicates an entire six-section article to Grand Council — and tasks the Community Club Council, not the principal chief, with convening the body.
Representatives from all nine EBCI communities must be present for Community Club Council to call a Grand Council, the document says, and a public notice must be published at least 30 days in advance. The tribe’s general fund is to finance an annual budget, which the Community Club Council will oversee for the possible convening of a Grand Council. The agenda must be approved 30 days before the Grand Council is convened, and at least 30% of eligible tribal citizens must be present to have a quorum. Any resolutions approved by Grand Council will be placed on the next Tribal Council agenda for consideration.
The proposed constitution doesn’t give Grand Council the power to make law, “but knowing that this is the voice of the people,” Arneach said, it would be politically difficult for Tribal Council to refuse to enact the body’s recommendations.
Tribal Council itself would also look significantly different under the proposed constitution.
Currently, all 12 representatives face reelection every two years. The lack of staggered terms offers potential for a complete turnover — and loss of institutional knowledge — in a single election cycle. The short terms mean that representatives are in campaign mode for about half their time in office.
The proposed constitution would shift the legislative branch to staggered four-year Council terms. In the first election after adoption, the top vote-getter in each town-
ship would win a four-year term and the second-place candidate would win a two-year term. Thereafter, only one representative from each township would face re-election at a time. Moreover, representatives would be required to take a break every two terms, stepping down after eight consecutive years in office. However, they would be eligible to run in the next election two years later.
“It gives a chance for fresh voices, fresh ideas to come in,” Arneach said. “And if it doesn’t work out, you can elect someone that was in there and put them back in.”
This point is important enough that Cherokee voters will face a second referendum question seeking to ensure this change sticks even if the constitution fails. In March 2022, Tribal Council approved a referendum question for the September 2023 election seeking staggered four-year terms and a limit of eight consecutive years on Council.
In Monteith’s view, one of the most important changes in the proposed constitution is increasing the minimum age of Tribal Council candidates to 25, up from 18 under the charter. The change recognizes the science of how brains develop — most people’s brains aren’t fully mature until around 25. They’re certainly not completely developed by 18.
“Even though we don’t have many people that age running, at least it acknowledges that we understand how people need to have experience in order to make good decisions,” Monteith said.
fewer changes for the executive branch than for the legislative and judicial branches. The biggest change is clarifying the order of succession in case of an unplanned vacancy in the chief or vice chief office. Currently, the vice chief becomes the principal chief in case of a vacancy in that office, with a new vice chief to be chosen by Council — but with no
further information on how that choice is to be made. Should both offices become vacant, the Tribal Council chairman becomes principial chief and Council elects a vice chief.
The proposed constitution stipulates that Council must choose one of its own members to fill a vacant vice chief’s seat, and that the winner will be determined based on
25th Anniversary
unweighted votes, rather than the weighted votes used for passing legislation. It also requires that a special election be held if more than 12 months remain on the term, with the replacements acting only as interims until successors are elected.
Like Tribal Council members, chiefs and vice chiefs would be limited to two consecutive terms.
When it was first considered in 2019, Tribal Council criticized the constitution as lacking sufficient community input, saying it wasn’t ready for referendum. In the years since, the Sgadugi group has worked to ensure no such criticism could be leveled against it this time.
The group has continued to hold meetings — open to anyone who cares to join — and partnered with the Community Club Council to get input and buy-in from each of the community clubs. On March 13 and 21, Sgadugi and the Community Club Council met in joint session to review and approve the entire document, which they jointly submitted to Tribal Council. The meeting was open to the public and broadcast online.
“I think it’s a true representative Constitution for the people, by the people, because we’ve got statements, we’ve corrected words, we’ve changed variables just to make sure it was easy to understand so that people would know what they were trying to do,” said Trudy Crowe, a Community Club Council officer. “I’m excited.”
150+ vendors
Arts & Crafts
Beverage Arts
Food and more
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER
Kituwah LLC broke ground Tuesday, April 11, on a new entertainment district within its 200-acre property off Interstate 40 in Sevier County.
Dubbed Smoky Gap, the 20-acre district will be home to “major international attractions, restaurants, retail stores and much more,” according to a press release. It will be built to resemble an early 1900s Main Street with Americana-themed storefronts and a large clocktower. A future attraction
destination.
“Our tenants will operate alongside tribally owned businesses that will contribute to an overall destination guests must experience at the start of their Smoky Mountain vacation,” he said.
“This will be an experience for the ages,” added Chris McCoy, president of Kituwah Marketing. “We are committed to delivering unparalleled entertainment, breathtaking experiences, fine dining and the best shopping in the Smokies. People will be able to stop for a few hours or stay for a few days.”
According to the press release, the anchor attraction for Smoky Gap will open in 2025, but it will not be the first ribboncutting on the property. A Buc-ee’s convenience store will open this summer and will be the world’s largest for a short time until a slightly larger facility, now under construction, opens in Luling, Texas.
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER
An autopsy report released by the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the death of beloved Swain County educator Lambert Wilson a homicide caused by gunshot wounds to the neck, arms, chest and abdomen. It also reports a significant concentration of alcohol in his aortic blood.
Wilson’s death was protected from release by court order. When the four-minute call was made public Jan. 23, the contents indicated that Wilson’s death resulted from an altercation with a motel customer who feared for their life. The caller, whose voice is disguised on the redacted version of the recording, said that the motel owner had just attacked a person in their party. The caller then says that the motel owner has a gun and is pointing it at him or her. Four blasts follow that statement, consistent with the four gunshot wounds recorded in the autopsy.
The autopsy reports an alcohol concentration of 0.17 g/dL in Wilson’s aortic blood, more than double the legal driving limit in North Carolina. However, blood alcohol content measured during an autopsy may not match a person’s level of intoxication while alive, because after death the body produces an alcohol that is chemically identical to that ingested from alcoholic beverages. Wilson’s autop-
The press release did not name the facility, but it is likely The Cherokee Rose, an immersive walk-through show featuring the story of Cherokee heroism during World War II. The attraction is to be managed and designed by French theme park company Puy Du Fou. In May 2022, Tribal Council appropriated $75 million for the project, and in a January interview Kituwah LLC CEO Mark Hubble said the project was in the final design phase.
Hubble said that Smoky Gap is “a platform for partnership,” where the tribe is establishing, “longterm, mutually rewarding partnerships” with brands and companies that will make the entire property — called The 407: Gateway to Adventure — a
Additionally, 2025 will see the opening of a Marriott Courtyard on The 407 property. That’s also when the new Smoky Gap district will be ready to welcome customers. In phase 2 of the property’s development, Kituwah plans to open a destination resort that will aim to turn The 407 into an “overnight world-class destination,” according to a press release.
The EBCI is funding the project through Kituwah LLC, which is its business arm. The tribe bought the property for $13.5 million in July 2019 and since then has allocated $60 million to develop it in addition to the $75 million appropriated for the Puy du Fou project. It broke ground on the property in November 2020.
The project’s construction manager is Joseph Construction, and Knoxville-based OE Experiences is a co-development partner with Kituwah LLC.
Wilson, 68, was a Swain County native who spent his career as a teacher and principal in Swain County schools. In retirement, he served on the Swain County Board of Education and Southwestern Community College Board of Trustees. His death on Oct. 20, 2022, sent shock waves through the community and left unanswered questions hanging in the air.
Wilson was shot shortly before 10 p.m. while working at his El Camino Motel in Cherokee, but the Cherokee Indian Police Department never confirmed anything other than that an “incident” had occurred at the motel that night, refusing to say whether anyone had been shot or killed, or whether a potentially dangerous suspect was still at large. Reporting on Lambert’s death was based instead on other sources, such as a statement from the Swain County Board of Education and a copy of Wilson’s death certificate.
For months, the 911 call placed prior to
sy indicates he had ingested some alcohol prior to the altercation that claimed his life, noting that his stomach contents smelled of alcohol. A urine drug screen came back negative.
While both the autopsy and the death certificate record Wilson’s death as a homicide, this does not mean it will be treated as a murder. In legal terms, “homicide” means only that one human being caused the death of another. The definition includes murder and manslaughter, but also killings justified by self-defense or insanity. Thus far, no charges have been filed in relation to Wilson’s death.
In response to a new requirement from the UNC Board of Governors, Western Carolina University has adopted its firstever All Funds Budget Forecast — a document that, despite the name, is not a budget, said Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Mike Byers.
“It is not a budget. We don’t use it as a budget. We’ve reshaped the numbers that are in our actual budget. It’s really a forecast of what the next year will be,” Byers told the WCU Board of Trustees Finance and Audit Committee during a March 2 meeting.
The document is not organized in the way that Byers and his office find most useful for budgeting for the year ahead. Rather, it’s organized so that the BOG can easily see the full picture of WCU’s finances — the grand total of all revenues and expenses across the university and in each of 24 units within it. However, Chancellor Kelli R. Brown told the committee, she expects the document will improve transparency and stewardship at the university.
“Really the importance of this I think as we move forward is it allows us as stakeholders of the institution to better understand resource allocation moving forward, so we
can see that among the different areas, so for instance, within colleges,” she said. “It enhances our stewardship of our state dollars as we move forward, and improves transparency in campus engagement, which I think is really important to look at those expenses as well as revenues coming in.”
Byers said the BOG’s decision to require the All Funds Budget Forecast was not targeted at WCU but rather toward research institutions, which have “massive” overhead receipts and some non-state funding sources like grants that can be used to pay those expenses. Some BOG members wanted a better understanding of how those funds could be used to cover other overhead expenses within university operations, Byers said. The document could also be used to evaluate requests for fee increases.
“They wanted to be able to know what the institution’s capacity was and be able to ask questions: ‘Well, why do we need to increase this fee when you could maybe use this over here?’” Byers said.
The final All Funds Budget Forecast, which the Board of Trustees approved unanimously at its March 3 meeting, says that WCU expects to have a total of $307 million to work with in 2023-2024, of which 49% will come from state appropriations. Sales
and services are expected to bring in $64.5 million, tuition and fees $51.5 million, contracts and grants $30.3 million, gifts and investments $7.7 million and other revenues $2.1 million. Expenses are forecast to total $298.8 million, leaving $11.6 million in fund balance.
amount of revenue, at $30.7 million, closely followed by housing with $27.1 million and arts and sciences with $24.8 million. Sponsored research is by far the least-funded of the 24 units, with forecast revenues of $393,000.
Byers said that each of WCU’s fee-supported units are expected to maintain a fund balance equal to six months of expenses.
“The aggregation of that across all of our units is one of the reasons that WCU is so fiscally strong when it comes to credit ratings and the like,” he said.
WCU enrolls more than 10,000 students.
The 24 units include WCU’s six colleges, academic affairs, student affairs, financial aid, the library, sponsored research, university administration, business affairs, facilities, human resources, information technology, public safety, advancement, dining, housing, parking, athletics, student health and other auxiliaries. Of the 24, financial aid has the largest
The policy proved critical when the pandemic arrived in 2020. Despite sending students home and refunding meal plan money and rent revenues, he said, the university did not have to lay anybody off.
During its April 6 meeting, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council unanimously approved an ordinance change exempting police car and body cam videos from the tribe’s public records law. The vote comes on the heels of a Dec. 13, 2022, Cherokee Indian Police Department SWAT response in which officers fired at Murphy resident Jason Harley Kloepfer after he opened the door to his home with his hands held above his head, according to a home security video Kloepfer posted Jan. 18.
The ordinance, submitted by Cherokee Indian Police Department Chief Carla Neadeau, prevents videos from body cams, in-car cameras and law enforcement surveillance systems from being released under the tribe’s public records law, stating that subjecting them to the public records law “is not feasible nor in the public interest.”
After being read and tabled during the March session, the ordinance received a motion to pass and a second moments after coming to the floor April 6. Before the body could vote, Cherokee One Feather Editor Robert Jumper raised his hand to offer comment. Jumper said he understood the need to protect police but worried the ordinance as written would block the public from information that it should have a right to know.
“I understand the need for the protection of the PD and our police and I admire their work,” he said. “The only question I had was in the state they have a provision that you can go to the court and request the video, so I would ask that you consider having that included in the ordinance that there’d be some remedy in case the public does need to see a video.”
While body cam footage is exempt from disclosure under the North Carolina public records law, the statute lays out a process by which a person can seek a court order allowing its release. The law has been criticized as throwing up unnecessary roadblocks to transparency, but it does provide a pathway for footage to become public — even footage the sheriff in question might prefer to remain hidden.
Tribal code does not appear to have a similar process. Under questioning from Tribal Council, Neadeau said that video would have to be subpoenaed to be released. Ostensibly, this would occur as part of a civil or criminal trial pursuing certain charges or seeking relief on certain claims — not as the result of an individual seeking release of a certain video as a matter of public interest. Video of the Dec. 13 shooting had been subpoenaed — but two weeks later, criminal charges against Kloepfer were dismissed and the subpoenas were never executed.
However, in his comments to Council, Attorney General Mike McConnell said that
video could be released at the discretion of the chief of police and that the courts could be a recourse for public release.
“This just provides a default position that these things are not automatically released by demand,” he said. “Chief of Police could decide yes, this serves a good public purpose. Or if safety is a paramount concern, she can say no, it’s not appropriate at this time. Somebody still could go to the court and say, ‘Please let us see this. There’s a compelling interest for doing so.’ I think the mechanism is available. From the AG’s perspective, I think this is the proper route to go.”
McConnell did not respond to an emailed question asking under what circumstances a court could grant release of a video, but did, in response to a separate question, say that a court could impose restrictions on how footage produced as part of a civil or criminal case is shared.
Members of the CIPD SWAT team shot Kloepfer while responding to his home at the request of Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith, who said he believed his office to be dealing with a potential hostage situation. But the camera robot the SWAT team sent into Kloepfer’s trailer at 5 a.m. showed he and his wife, who he was suspected of harming, asleep and unhurt in bed. Responding to police commands, Kloepfer came to the door with his hands held above his head — at which point officers fired, hitting him twice.
In his original public statement on the incident, Smith painted Kloepfer as the aggressor, writing that officers fired after Kloepfer “engaged in a verbal altercation” and confronted them as he emerged from his camper trailer. Smith later said he didn’t know there were any issues with that version of events until Kloepfer posted the video a month later. He blamed the CIPD for the information in the apparently false initial story.
In a March 27 letter, District Attorney Ashley Welch asked to recuse herself from the case, implying that she had initially charged Kloepfer based on inaccurate information from Smith’s office and stating that she was now a witness in the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation case as a result of statements to her by Smith’s office.
Had Kloepfer not recorded the entire episode on his home security system, the public might have never been the wiser. The video clearly showed him holding his hands above his head at the moment he was shot.
Nobody mentioned the shooting during
the April 6 discussion in Tribal Council, however, and nobody except for Jumper expressed concern about placing such a strong barrier to public access of law enforcement recordings. The few representatives
Chairman Richard French. “This comes from the chief of police, and this is how she wants it. Everybody on the Council, anybody’s got any objection, speak up now or I’ve got a move on the floor to pass it as it is.”
Rep. Boyd Owle said he’s received some comments from constituents who want access “to certain things the police department does and that nature” but said he would ultimately defer to Neadeau’s wishes.
“I guess that’s what she wants. She’s at the helm of her department there,” he said, turning to Neadeau. “So you are you fine with this?”
“Yes,” Neadeau replied. “It doesn’t mean that it can’t be subpoenaed. So as long as it’s subpoenaed then we’re fine with that, because the camera footage off the body cams shouldn’t be public record. And it could be a privacy violation. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be subpoenaed.”
who offered comment indicated they saw protection for officers as the priority and cited a desire to give Neadeau “what she wants” in this matter.
“On this here, I think the chief of police are looking out for their law enforcement officers, and that’s what we hire them to do,” said
Tribal Council concluded its debate within five minutes and passed the ordinance unanimously, with Snowbird/Cherokee County Rep. Adam Wachacha and Big Cove Rep. Teresa McCoy absent. It now goes to Principal Chief Richard Sneed, who has 30 days to either sign it, veto it or let it pass into law unsigned.
Last week, Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers hosted Gov. Roy Cooper and a panel of elected Democrat and Republican leaders along with economic development officials, workforce analysts and environmental policy officials, all trying to prepare for the inevitable closing of the venerable old mill at the center of town.
“This is not a situation of partisanship back and forth,” Smathers said. “This is a focused effort to provide help, support and love to these mill workers, their families, their children — not just now, not just two months from now — as we find our way, moving into our new future, without Evergreen Packaging.”
First called Champion and then Blue Ridge Paper and now Pactiv Evergreen, the mill dates back more than a century and sits at the geographic and cultural center of the small mountain town. Over that time, it’s remained one of the county’s largest employers and boasts an average annual wage of more than $84,000.
The mill’s March 6 announcement that it would close its doors in June took many by surprise, especially workers. Despite a great number of unknowns, county and municipal governments were quick to react, as was the Cooper administration.
“I did call the mayor and ask how the people were and told him that we were going to mobilize local, state, federal [governments], businesses, nonprofits and that we were going to have an all-of-government approach to recovery for this area,” Cooper told media gathered at Canton’s Pisgah High School on April 6. “I just spent a very powerful hour with these local leaders.”
On March 16, Cooper penned a letter to Pactiv Evergreen CEO Mike King asking the company to reconsider the closing and warning that $12 million in state grants given to the company in 2015 would have to be repaid if Pactiv Evergreen moved forward with its stated plans.
Pactiv Evergreen CEO Mike King wrote Cooper back on March 21 but made no mention of the $12 million.
“We want that money back,” Cooper said at the press conference. “We want that money to go to this area, to make sure that you recover.”
House leadership in the North Carolina General Assembly also inserted a $5 million direct appropriation for Canton into the proposed budget, but it’s hard to say if it will end up in the final budget right now.
Whatever the case, it’s clear that the region will need every cent, as the ripple effect of the mill’s closing begins to manifest. As Smathers said during Cooper’s press conference, this isn’t a Canton crisis — it’s a
Carolina crisis.
Tom Tveidt, of Waynesville-based Syneva Economics, has gathered some sobering statistics that speak to the scope of the impact. Tveidt projects that manufacturing employment in Haywood County will drop from nearly 2,600 jobs to just under 1,700.
That cut will take the county from having 14.8% of its workforce involved in manufacturing down to 9.6%. North Carolina’s average is 10.1%, while the national average is 8.5%, meaning that Haywood County is more dependent on manufacturing jobs than the state or the country.
The average monthly earnings in Haywood County are about $3,900 for all industries. Manufacturing jobs average $5,346 while manufacturing jobs at the Pactiv
reported in the Waynesville Mountaineer that the facility would close. Although that’s not the case as of now, job cuts were announced there which could also affect the railroad’s business. Jackson Paper, in nearby Sylva, relies on the railroad as well.
“We’re hoping that they will come still, and take care of those folks,” Caldwell said.
Cooper said the state would apply for federal dislocated worker grants that will help with retraining. Haywood Community College has also offered scholarships to workers who will be affected.
Getting the mill’s 185-acre parcel back into productive use after the shutdown is also top-of-mind for many, however, the site is riddled with challenges. Foremost among them is the wastewater treatment facility, which also handles Canton’s municipal and residential water.
There’s an agreement dating back to the 1960s that says Pactiv Evergreen must con-
groundwater.
Tim Watkins, deputy secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality, said his agency was working closely with the mill’s owners to ensure there’s no environmental damage resulting from the closure of the plant.
“We also have enlisted and requested help from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to do an evaluation of potential contamination from the plant,” Watkins said. “We’re expecting to get some initial reports from the plant in the mid- to late April timeframe, based on sampling that was done in the groundwater.”
Evergreen mill average more than $7,000.
The loss of employment at the mill will have far-ranging implications on household spending, and therefore sales tax revenues that end up in local government coffers. Then there’s the people who work “for” the mill, but don’t actually punch a clock there. Suppliers, like loggers, will also be affected.
Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell brought up another critically important mill supplier that will be hit hard, and could take other businesses as far as Jackson County with it.
“The biggest concern we have in Waynesville right now is, you know we have Giles Chemical, and the railroad feeds the mill down there, that’s their largest customer. We are concerned about will they still keep feeding what Giles Chemical needs,” Caldwell said.
Estimates put Blue Ridge Southern Railroad’s mill business at around 70% of all operations, including Pactiv Evergreen’s Waynesville facility.
Earlier this month, it was erroneously
tinue to operate the facility for at least two years if the mill were ever to close. Now, for the first time in history, the issue is a ticking time bomb.
“We were talking with the local economic development people here on trying to get this property back on the market and trying to bring a business here that could provide similar support for this community,” Cooper said. “Obviously, it’s going to be up to this company what they do [with the site], but as part of the conversations that we have with the company about this $12 million that they owe the state, and about this wastewater treatment plant, we want to keep in mind that we want something there that can help move this area forward.”
Permitting and construction of a new facility will take far longer than two years once financing is in place.
Then, there’s the potential for environmental contamination. Although there are several active permits at the site, nobody really knows what, if any, environmental hazards may be lurking in the ground, or the
David Francis, the county’s economic development guru, said that despite the potential shortcomings with the sprawling site — it’s also in the flood plain and sustained damage from Tropical Storm Fred in August 2021 — there’s been lots of interest. Francis said six entities have already reached tal cleanup. So we have to go through each of those steps, before the mill’s ready for sale. They’ve got to have a clean product. There is interest there,” Francis said. “We can hopefully find somebody in the near future.”
Economic development discussions usually take place in private, so there probably won’t be anything to announce until all parties, including the mill, local governments and any involved state agencies, officially put pen to paper and strike a deal.
The first layoffs at Pactiv Evergreen’s Canton mill aren’t supposed to take place until June 9, and mill shutdown operations by the remaining workforce will likely continue well past that date, delaying any conversion of the site into something new.
“I’m confident that this area will bounce back,” Cooper said. “But there’s going to be a lot of pain between now and then.”
Ever notice how the sparkle in a kid’s eyes diminishes with age? The older I get, the more I want to be like a kid. I want to laugh with my whole body and get excited about little things like chocolate chips in my pancakes or blowing a dandelion.
Why do we have to be so serious when we grow up? As we age, life begins to center around responsibilities and schedules instead of joy and simple pleasures. The good news is we can change. Our brains are always capable of rewiring.
Abraham Hicks once said, “There is only a stream of well-being. You can allow it or resist it, but it flows just the same.” Human emotions such as control, shame and envy often block organic contentment.
Children are naturally skilled at welcoming in the flow of wellbeing while we adults tend to do everything we can to resist it. Again, my goal is to be more like a kid.
My younger son is on an 11U travel baseball team. We’ve been to two tournaments so far this year. At these events, I’ve heard parents yell, “Nobody better, kid!” when the boys are up to bat or on the mound. I’d never heard this particular phrase when attending other sporting events, so I started to wonder if it was specific to youth baseball.
I googled “Nobody better, kid,” and even tried to find a Tshirt with the phrase, to no avail. You can tell that when the boys hear it while out on the diamond, it encourages them. It doesn’t matter if other players are actually better. What matters is that the adults in their lives are their biggest cheerleaders.
To the Editor:
The first librarian that I remember was Sadie Luck, a grandmotherly type who dispensed Kleenex and wiped noses in a small room near the Lloyd Hotel in Sylva. I was still in the elementary grades, and I usually entered with several of my peers. Sadie knew us all.
She was my first experience with the wonderful world of books; she was also my first encounter with a kind of censorship. By the time I was 12, I had heard rumors about books that were supposed to deal with “forbidden subjects,” like Erskine Caldwell’s “Tobacco Road” or Mickey Spillaine’s “I, the Jury.”
However, each time I brought one of these books to the desk, Sadie gently took it from my hand, shook her head and said, “No, Gary Neil! You are not ready for this!” Then, she lead me to a shelf which contained, “My Friend, Flicka” or “Lassie, Come Home.”
Sadie Luck was right. I loved “My Friend Flicka” and all of the sequels by the same author; I even read “Lassie, Come Home” twice. But, now, here is the thing.
I still wanted to read Caldwell and Spillaine. In fact, my determination to find
Since my son has joined this baseball team, he’s grown as a player and a person. It’s irrelevant if they win every game as long as his skills are improving, he’s making friends and the adults involved are building him up and offering positive, constructive feedback.
Similarly, I was recently asked to be a guest for career day at a local elementary school. The event was held in the gym. There were numerous stations set up with community members representing a variety of careers, and I was there as an author/writer. At my table, I had copies of my children’s book, “The Jolt Felt Around the World,” as well as magazines and newspapers for which I write.
I was a little stressed about participating in the career day because I had a slew of other things I thought I needed to be doing that day, but I knew, from previous experiences, that the energy of the kiddos would inspire me.
Every group of students who stopped by my table was excited and chatty about career day. Not one of them answered “nothing” when I asked what they wanted to be
them was increased by the knowledge that they were forbidden to me. I found them, of course. It is my belief that anytime the adult world labels a book as harmful and pornographic, it establishes an instant need to become willful and resourceful: Find it!
I found “Tobacco Road” and “God’s Little Acre,” and “I, the Jury” and “My Gun is Quick.” There was the added knowledge that when I was 17, I could check out all of those books and Sadie didn’t say a word. Oh, she looked a bit disappointed in me for my poor taste, but there was also the unspoken feeling that now, “I was ready,” or as ready as I would ever be!
Sweet Sadie Luck! That wonderful little woman, who gave me some of the most wonderful books I would ever read, felt that some knowledge was best acquired at an age that is considered “adult.” She still continued to recommend books. She gave me Thomas Wolfe and Hemingway; and suddenly, she was gone.
I am 88 now, but I still wonder what Sadie would think of Cormac McCarthy, William Gay and David Joy. Yes, I still wonder sometimes if I “am not ready for this.”
Gary Carden Sylvawhen they grew up. Some of their responses included doctor, nurse, softball player, teacher, veterinarian, professional organizer, writer, artist and first female president.
They all had a light in their eyes. From my years as a teacher and a mom, I know there is nothing like a child’s beautiful mind. I told the students that if they have big ideas or love to draw or write, to put everything on paper. One day, these same ideas or drawings or snippets of writing may ignite a creative endeavor in their adult lives.
As my own children continue to grow up at warp speed, I find it an honor to help them navigate life and take on new experiences and challenges. As their mother, I obviously want them to be the absolute best versions of themselves. My older son starts high school next year and is excited about things like getting a job, taking college courses, high school sports and acquiring a driver’s license. My younger son starts middle school in the fall and is looking forward to middle school sports, being in classes with kids from other elementary schools and playing trumpet in the band.
These early years are the days when kids test their wings, knowing in the future they must fly on their own. I want them to see the beauty and amazement of the world beyond a phone screen or video game console. I want them to find a career and life that pulls them from bed each day with gusto.
More than ever, young people need a village of encouraging adults in their worlds. Likewise, more than ever, adults need to look to kids for inspiration. As I continue to venture along the ever changing landscape of motherhood, I will do so with three intentions — to choose love, spread light, and know that the universe has my back. Moreover, whether it’s in the dirt playing baseball, running a race on a track, or somewhere else, I will always try to parent with a positive, enthusiastic mentality and ensure that my children hear me say, “There’s nobody better, kid.”
(Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)
To the Editor:
I was wrong in my previous letter (“Use common sense with library controversy,” April 5, SMN). The library has not been stonewalling the concerned citizens. After publication of my previous letter about our library, I spoke with the directors of the Macon and Jackson county libraries.
I learned that our Macon County librarian, Abby Hardison, had agreed to curtail the PRIDE displays in the children’s section back in February. She also spent hours with some of the folks to help them buy Christian books for the library.
Further, while she provided a Request for Reconsideration to them to challenge certain books in circulation, the group has refused to return the form. Then they went on to the Macon County Commissioner meetings to complain and make spectacle, which shows that they are not serious about reasonable solutions or compromise. This alone should be grounds for the commissioners to disregard their request to withdraw from Fontana. They refuse to follow procedure, and instead prefer to escalate fear, division, and disinformation within our community.
The fact that none of this information made it in their full-page ad in the Franklin Press speaks volumes about their lack of integrity. Further, their accusations of an agenda by library staff to sexualize our children is an abject lie. It is character assassination, pure and simple.
As the librarians have explained many times to anyone who will listen, there are strict laws about materials in a public library. A single person cannot remove a book or other material, and there is a procedure that has been ignored.
Given the precedents of many court cases across this state and nation, materials that have been properly vetted cannot be easily removed, restricted or labeled based on content. One head librarian in North Carolina removed a book with the intention of de-escalating tensions in a community, only to be sued for doing so.
When libraries have been removed from consortiums and run by a county, they have all but fallen apart, even when the county spent millions of dollars to run it. More interesting is that libraries run by counties can still be sued for failing to include materials requested by their constituents.
We need to stop demonizing our professional library staff and the LGBTQ+ community. We need to ignore the
disingenuous campaign to vilify our librarians and work together for solutions.
We don’t need Macon County Pizza Gate conspiracies that damage and threaten real people’s lives. Let the librarians do their jobs in peace, and instead try to help with the many actual needs of the residents of Macon County. Our county commissioners have their hands full with these, and I have confidence that they will follow all relevant laws regarding our library and our sacred First Amendment rights.
It seems there is a case to restrict a few books in order to keep our children safe from graphically displayed sexual acts. When in doubt, take the time, follow the instructions and allow the process to work. It just might.
Dan Kowal FranklinTo the Editor:
What’s with the signs at Lake Junaluska?
“Danger: Runners and Walkers Use Walking Trail — Not Road.”
Have you seen these signs at Lake Junaluska? Did the lake put them up, or do they belong to the out-of-towners enjoying these mountains? While running at the lake I have noticed a sharp uptick in the number of old people pointing angrily towards the path when they pass me on the road. Some of them refuse to move over an inch. It behooves these motorists to remember the law. Vehicles have to share the road with pedestrians and bicycles.
Now, let me clarify. Yes, there is sidewalk and walking path around the entire lake. In a county with relatively little greenway mileage, all residents (and tourists) of Haywood are lucky to have an organization like Lake Junaluska that provides and maintains ample walking paths and sidewalks.
However, there are those of us in search of more than 2.1 miles, and we sometimes create looping routes around the lake, ones that often involve the roads in the surrounding area locals will know well.
There is one portion of the lake where the footpath does not run right alongside the road — the section of South Lakeshore Drive between the Access Road entrance (over by the dam) and the point where the footpath and the Lakeshore Drive are once again side by side (closer to the footbridge). This just so happens to be the only stretch I’ve seen angry motorists point me towards the path, and the only area I’ve seen these signs.
Here’s the thing: running on the road throughout this section offers a further distance, something some runners might be looking for. But, importantly, it also provides access to a side road, Hickory Hill Road, that cannot be accessed from the walking path.
See, on the most recent occasion when an angry motorist pointed toward the path when they passed me running on the road, I had just come down Hickory Hill Road, and
was headed towards the dam on Lakeshore. Did that driver (and these sign-putters) want me to dash across the grass after coming down Hickory Hill in order to get back to the footpath that I was on track to rejoin in less than a quarter of a mile? If I start my run on the access road and plan to run up Hickory Hill, should I take the footpath until I get to the turn, dash across the grass, and Lakeshore Drive, to get to Hickory? I’m not sure that’s the best solution.
After all, Lake Junaluska spends a lot of money to keep up its grounds and gardens.
If runners and walkers are supposed to stay on the footpath, does this mean one cannot walk or run up the hill to the cross? That it can only be accessed by car?
The bottom line is this — it doesn’t matter why someone might walk or jog this portion of the road. Your sign might give you comfort and the righteousness you need to stay the course, to not move over for runners on the road, but the law is the law. Share the road.
Sincerely, your neighborhood runner.
Sawyer Haney Haywood CountyTo the Editor:
Republicans defend weapons of war for civilian use even though those are only designed to take away life and then want to preach about how precious life is; therefore, this legislation proves their truth is aligned with being pro-birth rather than actually supporting human life.
If the “Human Life Protection Act of 2023,” otherwise known as H533, becomes law in North Carolina, it will only add misery to the lives of all women in the state and sets them on the path to being secondclass citizens. It’s not enough to be protected up until birth, and their self-righteous legislation continues to show that Republicans want you to not only live life their way, but under their religious conditions.
These are the same people Democrats had to fight for 13 years to persuade them to acknowledge that North Carolinians need health care, the same people that do not believe in increasing the living wage, that are defunding our schools and limiting education resources, that do not want people to express themselves beyond stereotypes of conservative and gender conforming dress codes, that don’t want anyone to love whom they choose; the list of their hypocrisy goes on and on. Big government Republicans are presenting yet another bill that infringes on our human rights to simply exist.
Republicans are showing exactly what they have lined up for the next governor. They’re taking away polling places, gerrymandering maps and suppressing voting rights as we speak, so they can pass these bills.
Leslie Carey 11th District Democratic Chair HendersonvilleLast weekend, guitarist Seth Taylor and his band, longtime bluegrass staple Mountain Heart, once again took the stage under the bright lights at the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I love getting to play other instruments onstage as well, but the guitar [and I] feel the most connected,” the 29-year-old said. “The guitar found me at such an early age, and we clicked — I feel like I never really made this decision [to pick it up and learn].”
Hailing from Bryson City, Taylor, a multi-instrumentalist, is well-known and regarded around “Music City” as a six-string virtuoso on the acoustic guitar, one where his name gets whispered in the same breath as Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle and Bryan Sutton, with Sutton also a Western North Carolina native.
“I got into music super early in life. I don’t remember it, but apparently, I asked for a guitar when I was two [years old],” Taylor said. “My parents and siblings don’t play music, but they’re all big music fans, so there was always music playing in my house. I always just wanted to play. And, by the time I was 15, I had my first touring gig.”
Aside from his relentless work on the road and in the studio with Mountain Heart, Taylor is constantly involved in a bevy of musical projects and ever-evolving session work. One new project, Woodbox Heroes, will release an EP on April 27.
Amid a slew of heavyweight musicians, Woodbox Heroes includes legendary bassist Barry Bales of Alison Krauss & Union Station and fiddle wizard Jenee Fleenor, the first woman ever to
be nominated and win the Country Music Association (CMA) award for “Musician of the Year,” which she’s now won four times (2019-2022).
“Being involved in so many different types of music as a session musician, I’m so thankful to have a bluegrass background to fall back on,” Taylor said. “While it can be super difficult to play, I love the simplicity of the music — I think we can all just relate to bluegrass music.”
But, in the here and now of early spring, Taylor is most excited about the public unveiling of his bluegrass super-group, Grass Of ’23. Taking place on April 15 at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville, the ensemble also includes Barry Abernathy (banjo), Mark Fain (bass), Darrell Webb (mandolin) and Ron Stewart (fiddle).
“Grass of ‘23 is the brainchild of my old boss and Mountain Heart bandmate Barry Abernathy. He called me several months ago with the idea of forming an ‘all-star’ band for this show,” Taylor said. “Some of my favorite musicians are involved, so I’m excited to see what kind of noise we can make. There are no plans for further dates or recordings, which makes this show feel even more special — one night only.”
The talented pickers have worked with musical icons Dolly Parton, Tom Petty, Martina McBride, Alan Jackson, J.D. Crowe, Dailey & Vincent, Joe Diffie, Rhonda Vincent, Lonesome River Band, Ricky Skaggs, Lee Ann Womack and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, among numerous others.
“The uncertainty [of the music industry] is really what keeps
most people in my position inspired to keep working. Because we never know what is going to work, and what people will relate to musically,” Taylor said. “That’s why I keep pushing to just create. I think seeing how excited people are to see shows post-shutdown makes me feel like we’re definitely supposed to be doing this.”
Looking at the current state of music — especially with Nashville at the center of the whirlwind of genres, artists and collaborations — Taylor views the unknown horizon and unfolding sonic landscape as bountiful as any previous era. To that, Taylor was part of Zach Bryan’s juggernaut 2022 album “American Heartbreak.”
“I [saw] how people embraced that [Zach Bryan] project, not only in Nashville, but the whole country,” Taylor said. “And being involved in the alt-country scene has opened my eyes to how excited young people are about music, as well — genre lines have blurred so much and I think that’s great.”
The debut performance of bluegrass super-group Grass Of ‘23 will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for grades K-12. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on stecoahvalleycenter.com or call 828.479.3364.
It was a spur of the moment decision.
Cold suds and hearty banter at The Scotsman in Waynesville on an otherwise quiet Tuesday evening. Leaning back into the bar stool, I suggested to my girlfriend that she and I should go see a baseball game.
Although I had just kicked last week’s newspaper out the door earlier that afternoon, and even if I was still somewhat disoriented from a full day of travel from Dallas, Texas, to Asheville the day prior, three tickets were purchased for “Opening Day” for the Asheville Tourists.
It was also the first “Thirsty Thursday” of the season. Dollar beers and $3 hot dogs under the bright lights of McCormick Field?
Sold. Count me in. As Humphrey Bogart once said, “A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz.” At $17.50 a ticket, I was able to find three seats right behind home plate, and eyelevel to the pitcher. Opening Day — Tourists facing off against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
By Thursday afternoon, the initial forecast of dark clouds and possible rainstorms in the area soon shifted to an early evening sunset of red, yellow and orange explosions of color in the heavens above. The warmth of an impending summer also swirled through downtown Asheville and our trio made the trek to the stadium.
Cruising into South Slope, it was the usual zoo of people, places and things. Golden retrievers and beautiful folks aiming to be seen, either in-person or via social media. And just as I noticed a large pickleball court in front of one establishment, my girlfriend pointed out a business that solely offers board games and tables to play them on.
“I feel like every time I come to South
Slope, I notice a half-dozen new things,” I said. “I mean, a board game spot? And it’s packed? Of course, it’s packed. Asheville — where any dream will stick to the wall so long as you’re passionate and pure of intent.”
Turning onto Short Coxe Avenue, the search for parking began. The once empty lots from years ago were now brand-new apartment complexes and shiny, crisp townhouses of modern designs. Old and abandoned buildings now long gone in the name of progress and visions for the future of Asheville.
“You know, where I first came to a game here over 20 years ago, we’d park in an empty lot that’s now that complex over there,” my buddy pointed to the left of the stadium. “Crazy how much this city has grown, and even in the last five years.”
Darting across the hustle and bustle of Biltmore Avenue, we lined up and awaited entry into McCormick Field. And, in that moment, a loud bang echoed across the stadium and through the parking lots. Apparently, a power outage occurred.
Though there was still power in the stands and concession areas, the scoreboard went dark and remained so throughout the entire game. It was uncertain how much longer the rest of stadium would remain lit as the darkness of Thursday night enveloped the city.
“Good thing the city finally made that agreement with the Tourists — this stadium doesn’t even meet Major League Baseball standards anymore,” a die-hard Tourists fan turned and said to me.
What the fan was referring to was the recent agreement between the Asheville, Buncombe County and the Tourists to make long overdue repairs to McCormick Field, the third-oldest minor league park in the United States. City leaders ultimately passed a measure for upwards of $37.5 million in upgrades to the beloved stadium and property.
Power outage? No matter. Underneath sporadic flickering floodlights, cheap suds
Kami Ahrens will present her new book, “The Foxfire Book of Appalachian Women,” at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
1
The “Appalachian Hootenanny” will be held from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.
2
Smoky Mountain Spring Fest will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
3
4
“Cabin Fever Craft Show” will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville.
5
Popular indie-folk act Kind Clean Gentlemen will take the stage at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.
and dogs were ordered with the help of a smart phone app. No sense in standing in line and missing parts of the game if you can use modern technology to your advantage, eh? FYI: the app is called “sEATz.” A few minutes later, a handful of beverages and steaming buns were handed over to our crew, smiles now ear-to-ear.
The crowd was restless without the scoreboard. It felt like the Twilight Zone. What's the score? What inning are we in? What's the pitch count? Halfway through the game, the power went out again, the baseball diamond going dark. The stadium announcer tried in vain to keep order in the stands. More beer and chaos.
Ultimately, the Tourists got their asses kicked, losing 10-0. The hit difference was 163. Brutal. At one point, I turned to the diehard Tourists fan again and asked, "Is Bowling Green that good or are we just that bad?" The fan smirked with a hearty sigh, "We're just that bad."
Win or lose, every baseball fan, young or old, knows that the essence of going a game is to reconnect — with friends and family, with your childhood, and ultimately with yourself in this current juncture. Going to the ballpark reinvigorates the heart and soul.
Something about baseball slows down time itself, where you can actually focus in on “the now” and “the moment” at hand. Much like live music or disappearing into the depths of Mother Nature, baseball has that same effect on the mind and body, where you return to your truest self, the version of “you” that radiates sincerity to others.
Leaving McCormick Field, plans were already made to return to the stadium for another game in the near future, perhaps in the coming weeks. Why not? Let’s see if those seats behind home plate are still available. Heck, I’m already craving another hot dog and genuineconversation.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
Renowned Haywood County bluegrass group Balsam Range will perform on Saturday, April 22, at Sorrells Park in Canton.
A fundraiser to support the Altrusa Scholarship Fund, gates open at 4 p.m. Live music will kick off with The Jeff Little Trio at 5:30 p.m. Balsam Range takes the stage at 7 p.m.
Since its inception in 2007, Balsam Range has become one of the most decorated and award-winning acts in the wide world of bluegrass music. The band has taken home the following International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) honors: “Entertainer of the Year” (2014, 2018), “Album of the Year” (2013, 2017), “Song of the Year” (2011, 2015) and “Vocal Group of the Year” (2014, 2015), with Melton named
“Male Vocalist of the Year” (2014, 2018) and Tim Surrett “Bass Player of the Year” (2018).
“It’s most meaningful to me to remember how the band has been able to help certain families,” said Balsam Range banjoist Marc Pruett. “[Whether it was] a child with cancer [or] a family whose home burned, and the fragile and old we helped feed through our efforts with Meals On Wheels, and the Backpack Program — for me, those are my accolades.”
Beer and wine available for purchase. Food trucks will also be onsite. Bring your lawn chair. Tickets start at $43 per person, with special VIP packages offered. Kids ages 6 and under are free.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to altrusaofwaynesville.org/purchase-tickets.
A regional Americana/bluegrass act, Granny’s Mason Jar will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City.
Following in the footsteps of Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Clarence White and Tony Rice, Granny’s Mason Jar brings together the talents of Jared “Blue” Smith (The Blue Revue, Bluegrass Lumber Company) and Aaron Plantenberg (Commonfolk, Big House Radio) to continue the tradition of flatpicking, travis picking and other traditional acoustic guitar styles.
Free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.538.0115 or go to mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, April 21, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee.
A four-time Grammy winner, Benatar is a classically trained mezzo-soprano. During the 1980s, Benatar had two RIAA-certified multiplatinum albums, five RIAA-certified platinum albums, three RIAA-certified gold albums and 19 Top 40 singles, including the Top 10 hits, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” “We Belong” and “Invincible.”
During the early days of MTV, Benatar was one of the most heavily played artists on the popular music channel. Her hits continue to be as unforgettable now as they were at the dawn of MTV, when Benatar emerged, fearless, fighting and forging a path for other female rock stars around the world.
Tickets start at $81 per person. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
Presented by the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), the “Appalachian
Hootenanny” will be held from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.
Starting at 6 p.m. there will be a community jam with the Haywood Ramblers, followed by a slew of other fun and artistic activities. Dancing will begin at 6:30 p.m. with music by Gap Civil and the Green Grass Cloggers. There will be dancing lessons taught to those ready to learn. Concessions provided by The Garden AVL food truck. Beer and wine will also be available for purchase. Tickets are $25 per person. Only 200 tickets are available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to haywoodarts.org.
A community jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.
The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — spring, summer, fall.
This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts. 828.488.3030.
• Altered Frequencies (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.342.8014 or alteredfrequencies.net.
• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier) will host Twelfth Fret (Americana) 5 p.m. April 29. All shows are free and open to the public. 828.497.1015 or facebook.com/angryelkbrewingco.
• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7-9 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. For more information, go to blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9
p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Rachel Bellavance (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. April 15. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” on select dates. Tickets start at $25 per person. For tickets, go to oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host the “Appalachian Hootenanny” 6 p.m. April 15. Tickets are $25. For tickets, go to folkmoot.org.
• Fontana Village Resort Wildwood Grill will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 800.849.2258 or fontanavillage.com.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30
Popular indie-folk act Kind Clean Gentlemen will take the stage at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.
Covering an array of original material and beloved covers, the duo features acclaimed blues-rocker Andrew Scotchie, frontman for Asheville group Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats.
Free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.454.5664 or go to froglevelbrewing.com.
will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796.
• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105.
• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.
• Sauced (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9585 or saucedwnc.com
begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 or valleycigarandwineco.com.
• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Rhoda & The Risers April 14, Karaoke with Jason Wyatt April 18, Trivia w/Tom April 19, Biscuits & Gravy April 20 and The Paper Crowns April 25. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.
• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.
p.m., Different Light April 14, Charlie Treat April 15 and Kind Clean Gentleman 5:30 p.m. April 18. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.
• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows are at 11 a.m. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main Street. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Jay Drummond (singer-songwriter) April 14 and Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriter) April 15. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo (rock/soul) 9 p.m. April 21. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night with Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday, Open Mic Night every Wednesday, Dalton Allen (singer-songwriter) April 14 and Shane Meade (indie/soul) April 21. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.
• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 6 p.m. Tuesdays, trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Open Mic 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Old Time Jam 6:30
p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or 828.926.1717.
• Moss Valley (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. Food trucks and beverages available onsite. Bring a lawn chair. Presented by Drake Software.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Twelfth Fret (Americana) April 14, Wyatt Espalin 5 p.m. April 16, Granny’s Mason Jar (Americana/bluegrass) April 22 and Alma Russ 5 p.m. April 23. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.
• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows behind at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. noc.com.
• Orchard Coffee (Waynesville) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.246.9264 or orchardcoffeeroasters.com.
• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.
• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin)
• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m. Sundays, Borderline (Americana/country) April 13, Motel Pearl (Americana) 9 p.m. April 14, Ginny McAfee (blues/rock) April 20 and Jackson Grimm & The Bull Moose Party (Americana/old-time) April 21. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.
• SlopeSide Tavern (Sapphire) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The North Carolina Symphony 7:30 p.m. April 19 (free). For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.
• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.
• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host Grass of ‘23 (Americana/bluegrass) 7:30 p.m. April 15 ($25 admission) and a Community Jam 5:30 p.m. April 18. 828.479.3364 or stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.
• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.
• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Tricia Ann (Americana) April 13, Jon Cox (country/rock) April 14, Tammy & The Tune Twisters April 15, JR Williams (singer-songwriter) April 20, Rock Holler (rock) April 21 and Carolina Freightshakers (classic rock) April 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.
• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host Tricia Ann Band (rock/soul) April 14, Tricia Ann (solo acoustic) 2 p.m. April 16, Karaoke w/Jason April 28 and Rene Russell (singer-songwriter) 2 p.m. April 30. All shows
• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.
• Wine Bar & Cellar (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.
• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. Donations encouraged. 828.200.2169 or eatrealfoodinc.com.
The Pic’ & Play Mountain Dulcimer Players will be resuming in-person jam sessions at the St. John’s Episcopal Church basement fellowship hall in Sylva.
The group welcomes all beginners and experienced dulcimer players, including mountain (lap) dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players. Songs played include traditional mountain tunes, hymns and more modern music. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of every month in the basement of St. John’s.
Pic’ & Play has been playing together since 1995. The more experienced members welcome new players, help them navigate their instruments and guide them through some of the basics of tuning, strumming and playing.
The mountain dulcimer, also known as a fretted dulcimer or a lap dulcimer, is a uniquely American instrument. It evolved from the German scheitholz sometime in the early 1800s in Appalachia and was largely known only in this region until popularized more broadly in the 1950s.
For more information, call Kathy Jaqua at 828.349.3930 or Don Selzer at 828.293.0074.
Featuring an array of local/regional artisans, crafters and musicians, the 25th annual “Greening Up The Mountains” festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in Sylva.
The premiere spring festival for Western North Carolina, the event attracts thousands of visitors and locals alike. Sponsored by the Town of Sylva, the festivities will once again take place in historic downtown Sylva.
Hitting the stage at Bridge Park, live music will be provided by Asheville Junction (10-10:45 a.m.), Seth & Sara (1111:45 a.m.), The Maggie Valley Band (noon to 12:45 p.m.), The Fuzzy Peppers (1-1:45 p.m.) Lua Flora (2-2:45 p.m.) and Bird In Hand (3-4 p.m.).
For more information and a full schedule of events, go to greeningupthemountains.com.
• Smoky Mountain Spring Fest will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville. Children’s activities, arts and crafts, food vendors and much more. This event is free and open to the public. 828.479.3364 or stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• “Easter Eggstravaganza” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. Egg hunt, food trucks, vendors, family-friendly activi-
ties and an appearance by the Easter Bunny. For more information, click on facebook.com/darnellfarmsnc.
• “Airing of the Quilts” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Appalachian Women’s Museum in Dillsboro. The airing of the quilts is a traditional rite of spring in the mountains. There will also be a fabric scrap exchange, a quilt pattern and book exchange, raffle and music. For more information, email the museum at events@appwomen.org or click on appwomen.org/quilts.
• Monday | CLOSED
• Tuesday & Wednesday | 11am-5pm (bar 6)
• Thursday | 11am-5pm (bar 6pm)
• Friday | 11am-5pm Lunch Menu 5pm-8pm Dinner Menu
• Saturday | 11am-5pm Lunch Menu 5pm-8pm Dinner Menu
• Sunday | 11am-5pm (bar 6pm)
perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch. We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.
The Smoky Mountain Roller Girls will kick off a new season of bouts versus the Upstate Roller Girl Evolution on Saturday, April 22, at the Swain County Recreation Center in Bryson City.
The team is an amateur women’s athletic roller derby league that aims to provide an outlet for fun, fitness and camaraderie among
its members and develop athletic ability and teamwork. SMRG endeavors to give back to the community that supports them through community building initiatives and charitable donations of time and activity.
Doors open at 4 p.m. with the first whistle at 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 presale or $8 at the door. Kids ages 11 and under are free. Bring your own chair. For more information, click on facebook.com/smokymountainrollergirls.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Emmy-nominated comedian/storyteller Chonda Pierce at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 23. Tickets start at $33.50 per person with VIP seating available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on smokymountainarts.com or 828.524.1598.
A special cooking class with Jenna Kranz from Uncomplicated Kitchen will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 19, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
Participants will use the new Charlie Cart, a teaching kitchen on wheels, to cook a meal that costs under $10 to make. This month, attendees will make massaged kale salad with feta, spring veggies and fresh herb vinaigrette.
“Uncomplicated Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Western North Carolina. We work to improve food security through educational outreach,” Kranz said. “Our mission is to teach community members how to plan meals, shop for ingredients and cook healthy, simple and affordable recipes. We bridge the gap between the food people have access to and the tools and knowledge they have to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their families.”
This program is in the Atrium and is free of charge. Sign-up is required as space is limited. For more information and/or to register, call the library at 828.586.2016.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.
• A free wine tasting will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.
tion of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.
• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on gsmr.com.
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selec-
• “Cabin Fever Craft Show” will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville. Presented by the Blue Ridge Artist & Crafter Association. downtownwaynesville.com/events.
• The immersive installation ”Courtney M. Leonard — BREACH: Logbook | CORIOLIS” is currently being showcased through May 5 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
Created by the Shinnecock Nation ceramic artist as part of Leonard’s BREACH series, the exhibition explores cultural and historical connections to water, fishing practices, and sustainabili-
ty. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Free and open to the public. For more information, click on arts.wcu.edu/breach.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, click on southwesterncc.edu/scclocations/swain-center.
• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, click on dogwoodcrafters.com/classes.html or call 828.586.2248.
BY F RANCES F IGART CONTRIBUTING WRITER
About this time last year, I was asked to be involved with designing the firstever conference for writers to be held within the boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The inaugural Tremont Writers Conference is the coordinated effort of two educational park partners: Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont and Great Smoky Mountains Association.
Now that the applications are flowing in, it’s exhilarating to see this unprecedented event becoming a reality. From Wednesday, Oct. 25, to Sunday, Oct. 29, some 20 writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will arrive in Townsend, Tennessee, and make their way to Tremont’s breathtaking campus tucked away beside the glorious Middle Prong of the Little River. They will be immersed in an intensive retreat of brainstorming and fine-tuning their work while learning about nature and writing in small groups led by three inspirational author workshop leaders.
“I’m most excited about getting out of the city and being in the Smoky Mountains in the fall,” says Frank X. Walker, who will lead the poetry cohort. “Nothing resets my internal clock and fuels my creativity like being surrounded by so much majestic beauty.”
I remember being thrilled when Walker became the first African American poet laureate of my home state, Kentucky. A native of Danville and professor of English, African American and Africana Studies at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Walker coined the term “Affrilachia” and co-founded the Affrilachian Poets.
His “Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers” won the 2014 NAACP Image Award for Poetry and the Black Caucus American Library Association Honor Award for Poetry. He has won numerous other honors and awards, and his most recent of 11 poetry collections is “Masked Man, Black: Pandemic & Protest Poems.”
When interviewers like me ask Walker what he is reading, his answer almost always includes his students’ work. In addition to teaching during the regular semesters, he spends several weeks every summer leading workshops around the country, including Cave Canem in Pennsylvania and the Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers in the mountains of Oregon.
“I’ll bring my wife and five-year old along, and we will get to enjoy hiking and exploring and reintroducing him to the great outdoors all over again,” he says.
At the Tremont Writers Conference in October, Walker will lead small-group poetry workshops each morning. His fellow author workshop leaders are award-winning
novelist Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle of Cherokee, North Carolina, working in fiction and Janet McCue teaching the selected nonfiction writers.
Though she lives in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, McCue is something of a celebrity among Smokies aficionados. She co-authored “Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography” (GSMA, 2019) with the late George Ellison, winning the 2019 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary
ers.”
Like McCue, Walker is a scholar of history and is currently working on multiple historical poetry projects, one dealing with Lewis and Clark and the other involving the Civil War. He says focusing on others’ writing and starving his own creativity for short periods of time always sends him back to the page inspired and ready to create something new.
“My favorite parts of the writing process are the generative and crafting stages,” he says. “It’s where good furniture is really made. Everything after that is just sanding and polishing.”
Award.
“George taught me the value of digression. ‘Trust in the reader,’ he advised, ‘she’ll catch up,’” McCue says. “I’ve been fortunate to work with talented writers on several projects, and my writing became stronger by working with a co-author.”
McCue is currently collaborating with filmmaker Paul Bonesteel on a biography of George Masa, whose photographs of the Smokies played an important role in the establishment of the national park.
“There are mysteries punctuating Masa’s life which Paul and I wrestle with; there are cultural nuances and linguistic distinctions that confuse us,” she says. “Presenting the information in a cohesive and compelling narrative is an ongoing challenge, and I am certain we will have discussions at the writers conference on structuring a story, on reframing a narrative. I’m hoping that new ideas and approaches will begin percolating in my brain as we have these conversations.”
McCue is now retired from a long career as a librarian at Cornell University, where she specialized in library administration and digital library development. She says the mentoring aspect of the Tremont Writers Conference has great appeal.
“Throughout my career as a librarian, I mentored other writers and librarians. In turn, I’ve been coached by everyone from swim instructors to grandchildren,” says McCue. “Grandchildren help my imagination just as swim coaches made sure I got to shore. We need all types of mentors as writ-
McCue enjoys the communal aspects of polishing her work: “Writing may be a lonely experience, but refining it is anything but solitary. Puzzling over approaches, sharing early drafts, revising your prose, sending it to an editor — each of those steps strengthens your narrative.”
Each afternoon at Tremont, writers will join experienced naturalists for guided explorations that spark curiosity and wonder through hands-on experience with the region’s cultural and natural history. Evenings will conclude with hearty dinners, fellowship with peers, and readings by writing faculty. Meals and lodging are provided.
Author workshop leaders and conference participants alike will benefit from the involvement of MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction writer Richard Powers, who will lead sessions at Tremont as well as a public craft talk at Maryville College on the final night of the conference. Powers is a park local, living in Townsend, Tennessee, and his two most recent works — “The Overstory” and “Bewilderment” — are both partially set in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Acceptance to the Tremont Writers Conference is based on manuscript evaluation, with chosen writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry notified by July 14. Limited financial aid is available. Additional information may be found and applications to participate in the event may be submitted online now through April 30 at writers.gsmit.org.
(Frances Figart (rhymes with Tiger) is the editor of Smokies Life and the Creative Services Director for the 29,000-member Great Smoky Mountains Association. Reach her at frances@gsmassoc.org.)
As days lengthen and temperatures rise, black bears begin to move around in the woods searching for insects, nuts and berries. They also look for food in the gateway communities outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
In sync with bears’ emergence, Great Smoky Mountains Association has just released a new book teaching kids the importance of bears’ natural foods and showing what can happen when bears are allowed access to the food humans eat or the scraps and trash those foods create.
“Mabel Meets a Black Bear” is written for children ages 5 through 10 to read with their parents and grandparents. Its main characters are twin girls who are vacationing with their mom and dad in a Smokies rental cabin near the park. Mabel is extroverted, her inquisitive mind moving so fast that her 10-year-old body can barely keep up. Louise is the narrator, an equally intelligent but quieter, less confident version of her sister.
When Mabel coerces Louise to join her in sneaking out of the cabin in the middle of the night, the two come face-to-face with a large bear that has been lured by snacks Mabel left out on the picnic table. The events that unfold teach the sisters a hard lesson.
Like my first kids book, “A Search for Safe Passage” (GSMA 2021), “Mabel” was spawned by a colleague’s request and a need for education.
Back in September of 2021, the Smokies BearWise® task force was meeting via Zoom, talking about the dire need to better educate tourists staying in rental cabins. These folks often arrive in the Smokies hoping to see bears but with no understanding that leaving
food and trash available to bears can end in their demise.
On a private message in the Zoom chat, Jeff Hunter, Southern Appalachian Director with National Parks Conservation Association, offhandedly wrote: “We need a children’s book about BearWise!” I laughed it off, but that night I found myself unable to ignore a phrase that kept coming into my mind, spoken in a kind of annoyed, scratchy, little-kid voice, “It was my sister Mabel ...” Where was this coming from, and who was saying it?
I asked myself, If I were going to tell a story that would teach young people about BearWise, what would that sound like? I knew the main lesson kids (and their adults) need to learn is: When
bears become food conditioned due to human behavior, they can end up hurting humans (often by accident), which then leaves wildlife managers no choice but to destroy the animals.
Lest you be thinking the “conflict bears” can just be moved somewhere else, it’s important to hear what wildlife managers have to say: “Though once thought to be an effective method of managing food-conditioned bears, relocation can prove fatal for bears,” says GSMNP Supervisory Wildlife Biologist Bill Stiver. “In a study of 32 GPS-collared bears relocated between 2015 and 2021, 62 percent were either harvested, killed on roads, or euthanized for causing conflict at their new location, while 22 percent simply returned to the original site.”
With all this in mind that evening after the BearWise meeting, I invoked a personal experience from childhood as a way to help me find my characters. Growing up in Eastern Kentucky, I liked to stay all night with my best friend Mary, who lived on a farm a mile off the county road. Farm chores demanded that Mary awake before dawn and go to bed before sunset. But when I came for a sleepover, I would force her to wake up in the middle of the night, and we would sneak out to see the moon, visit the chickens in their coop, and even ride the tame older calves in the warm, starry nights of summer.
“It’s time to get up,” a voice close to me said. I squinted and saw someone next to my bed.
It was my sister Mabel, lit up by the moon. And I knew she was waking me up way too soon.
Using this experience as a way to create a human–bear conflict scenario, I composed the entire rhyming verse of “Mabel Meets a Black Bear” in about a two-and-a-half-hour window, leaving it to “set up” overnight and returning to it in the morning to perform a few edits. And that was that. The real fun would begin some months later when GSMA’s Design Team Manager Karen Key and I would get to direct the work of our wonderful illustrator, Jesse White of Durham, North Carolina, for a whole year!
We also collaborated to vet both the text and illustrations with NPS’s Stiver, Kim Delozier of BearWild, Dana Dodd of Appalachian Bear Rescue, and the national BearWise message coordinators, LaVonne Ewing and Linda Masterson, who penned the “Be a BearWise Kid” section that follows the story.
Reps from big companies like Barnes & Noble and REI interested in
‘Mabel Meets a Black Bear, by Frances Figart is for children ages 5-10 to read with their parents and grandparents. GSMNA image
■ Never feed or approach bears
■ Secure food, garbage, and recycling
■ Remove bird feeders when bears are active
■ Never leave pet food outdoors
■ Clean and store grills
■ Alert neighbors to bear activity
The U.S. Forest Service will invest nearly $1.4 million in wildfire protection projects across the state as part of the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program.
The program will provide $649,000 to update 27 community wildfire protection plans in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Mitchell and Yancey counties as well as the Lansing community in Ashe County, plus $744,000 to create or update 38 community wildfire protection plans in Anson, Avery, Burke and Richmond counties.
The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and aims to help communities plan for and mitigate wildfire risks on tribal, state and privately managed land.
The Forest Service will announce another round of funding later in 2023, and additional communities will be able to apply. The number of selected proposals in future rounds will depend on available funding.
Join the 11th annual Statewide Star Party 6-10 p.m. Friday, April 21, at Innovation Station in Dillsboro.
“Pour One Out For Pluto” will feature a trivia event and activities centered around the dwarf planet Pluto. Attendees can then take their eyes to the skies to watch the Lyrid Meteor Shower and observe the moon and stars with telescopes. The venue also has a covered area that can be used to take a solar system trek with OpenSpace software from the American Museum of Natural History, so there will be fun to be had even if the skies are cloudy.
The free event is one of 35 statewide offering public skywatching events in the event supported by the N.C. Space Grant. The Statewide Star Party is also a signature event of the 2023 North Carolina Science Festival, which is now underway.
International Dark Sky Week is April 15-22, aiming to increase awareness about how light pollution can impact wildlife and human health.
According to the International Dark-Sky Association, light pollution is increasing at twice the rate of population growth, with 83% of the world’s population living under a lightpolluted sky. Light pollution has far-reaching consequences — it can disrupt wildlife, affect human health, waste money and energy and contribute to climate change.
Effective outdoor lighting reduces light pollution, leading to better quality of life for all. The IDA promotes solutions that allow people to appreciate dark, star-filled skies while enjoying the benefits of responsible outdoor lighting.
Learn more at idsw.darksky.org.
Award-winning science and nature writer Florence Williams will present her acclaimed book “The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier and More Creative,” 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.
Chosen as the first Arboretum Reads selection in 2019, The Nature Fix set the tone for how many people sought respite and healing in nature from the earliest days of the pandemic, and it’s still relevant three years later.
For more information, visit ncarboretum.org/florence-williams-the-nature-fix.
selling Mabel told us that loss, death and grief are trending themes right now in books targeted for young readers. That was a relief because, however fun the rhyming verse and however engaging the whimsical illustrations, I know the subject matter of a bear having died and leaving orphaned cubs is very difficult. Yet, without showing the extreme of what can happen when people make their food and scraps available to black bears, I would have missed the mark of educating kids and their families about the gravity of this situation.
With help from their parents and a wildlife biologist named Kevin, Mabel and Louise learn that human actions can mean death for bears who become food conditioned. At the end of the book, we see the twins 17 years later, each having found her own way to educate others “about keeping all food scraps away from black bears.”
“Mabel Meets a Black Bear” is about the intersection of people and bears in the Smokies, but its lesson applies to wildlife and people near parks and other protected lands everywhere. For human safety, economic stability and to protect an iconic life form not just in the Smokies but through-
out its territory, we need to stop the intentional and unintentional feeding of black bears in developed areas. Lodgings and businesses near protected lands are critical to modeling proper management of food and garbage. My hope is that many of these will purchase “Mabel” to share with the families who stay in gateway communities.
The Smokies BearWise task force is now partnering with the City of Gatlinburg to raise awareness of the BearWise Basics and to extend its existing ordinance on bearresistant trash containers to encompass areas outside the current ordinance zone. With Gatlinburg leading the way, the hope is that other park gateway communities will adapt the same policies and ordinances.
(Frances Figart (rhymes with Tiger) is the editor of Smokies Life and the Creative Services Director for the 29,000-member Great Smoky Mountains Association, an educational nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Reach her at frances@gsmassoc.org. This piece is an installment of her “Word from the Smokies” column. Purchase “Mabel Meets a Black Bear” at smokiesinformation.org. Get all the BearWise Basics at bearwise.org.)
Join the Benton MacKaye Trail Association and Partners of Joyce KilmerSlickrock Wilderness for a trail maintenance workday starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 22.
The group will meet at Tapoco Lodge on U.S. 129 and split into groups. Some volunteers will work up Tapoco Trail to Yellow Hammer Gap, while others will work on steps at the Burchfield Trailhead across the river from the lodge.
Bring water, trail lunch and gloves. RSVP to Nelson Ashbrook at nelsonashbrook@gmail.com.
Give back this Earth Day by helping out with trail work in the Pisgah National Forest Saturday, April 22.
Pisgah Project Day is an annual community workday from The Pisgah Conservancy in which volunteers, partners and local businesses come together to accomplish a long list of improvement projects on the Pisgah Ranger District. After a morning of hard work, the group will gather at Oskar Blues in Brevard for an after-party.
Volunteers will attack a variety of projects, with the Carolina Mountain Club leading the project at Sam Knob, a beloved trail starting from the parking lot on Black Balsam Road, off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
All volunteers, including minors, must register individually at pisgahconservancy.org/ppd-registration. The registration form gives the opportunity to list project preferences.
Some areas of the Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are now open for the first time since February.
Greenbrier Road opened as far as the ranger station April 7, allowing access to Old Settlers Trail and Grapeyard Ridge Trail with some roadwalking to the trailheads.
The road beyond the ranger station remains closed to vehicles, and some areas remain closed to all use while trail crews replace log foot bridges and reroute washed-out sections of trails. These closed area include Porters Creek Trail, Brushy Mountain Trail, Ramsey Cascades Trail and backcountry campsites 31, 32 and 33. Messer Barn is closed awaiting structural repairs.
Greenbrier Road was closed beyond the ranger station following damage from a July 2022 flood. In February, the entire area was closed for repairs, slope stabilization and culvert replacement. Trails are expected to reopen this summer.
In honor of National American Sign Language Day, educational programs will incorporate ASL at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 15.
The day will feature immersive stations where visitors can explore the park and learn related signs from 19 local ASL interpreters, including a guided walk on the new accessible path to John Oliver Cabin, historic demonstrations and tours at Cable Mill and Junior Ranger activities. At each station, participants can learn a sign and collect a stamp with that word in ASL. Most activities are shorter than 15 minutes.
Junior Ranger Activity Guides for ASL Day are available at the Cades Cove Visitor Center and Cades Cove Orientation Shelter. Visitors can earn their Junior Ranger badges by completing the book and participating in events throughout the day.
For more information, contact Jeanine Ferrence at jeanine_ferrence@nps.gov.
Botanist Adam Bigelow will present “Wildflowers of Southern Appalachia” 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 17, in the next installment of a lecture series underway at Cowee School in near Franklin.
Learn the names of the plants and hear stories that connect these flowers to each other, to the history of both Appalachian settlers and the Cherokee whose land we are on, to us in the modern world and to the ecosystem that connects us all. Bigelow will discuss edible and medicinal uses, insect pollinator relationships and how the plants can be grown, while showing photographs showcasing their beauty.
Bigelow leads guided plant walks throughout the region through his business Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions, teaches an organic gardening class at Western Carolina University and writes a regular plant column for The Smoky Mountain News. The program is part of the series “Where we Live: History, Nature and Culture” and will take place at 51 Cowee School Drive near Franklin.
The N.C. Science Trail, a year-round digital guidebook to North Carolina’s science adventures, launched this month.
Funded by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the N.C. Science Network, the N.C. Science Trail features more than 60 science-focused sites, including state parks, aquariums, gardens, nature centers and science museums.
The trail currently features two Western
Celebrate Earth Day noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.
The Earth Day Extravaganza will include a scavenger hunt in the Highlands Botanical Garden, nature art and DIY crafts with recycled materials and a 4 p.m. guided wildflower walk through the garden. Free, with no registration necessary. Event will be canceled in case of severe weather. For more information, visit highlandsbiological.org.
Children play outside at Highlands Nature Center. Colleen
North Carolina sites — Highlands Biological Station in Macon County and Gorges State Park in Transylvania County. However, more sites are expected to be added to the trail in the future.
The trail is fashioned after other cultural and food-based trails like the Blue Ridge Heritage Trail, the N.C. Civil Rights Trail, and the N.C. Oyster Trail and features program offerings, special events, citizen science opportunities and science travel itineraries for children and adults. It launched during and in partnership with the 2023 N.C. Science Festival. It partners with the
citizen science organization Science Across North Carolina and the Great Trails State Coalition, the organization managing the 2023 Year of the Trail activities throughout North Carolina.
To bring the trail to life, a grant from the state through the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources was awarded in August 2022 to InSitu Explorers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to science education for all N.C. residents.
Learn more at go.ncsciencetrail.org/website.
Spots are still available in the fifth annual Fire Mountain Inferno mountain biking event in Cherokee on April 22-23.
The race will be based at Bryson City Outdoors-Cherokee, with two days of enduro racing at Fire Mountain Trails. An entry fee buys two days of racing, with each
day featuring a new course. The event is open to all levels of racers.
The field is limited to 300 riders each day. Cost is $70 for adults and $20 for juniors 17 and under.
For more informaion, go to gloryhoundevents.com.
Nantahala Outdoor Center will kick off its 2023 season with the annual Spring Fling Celebration Saturday, April 22, at the NOC property in Swain County.
The day will feature an Upper Nantahala and Cascades river release, sales and deals on paddling gear and apparel, giveaways, live entertainment and boat demos.
The river release will occur 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with kids Earth Day activities
11 a.m. to noon. Kayak demos will take place on the riverside 3-6 p.m. as Asheville Junction offers live music.
Meanwhile, Jackson Kayak will offer three clinics, to be filled on a firstcome, first-served basis:
■ A ladies’ paddle and freestyle session will take place at 1 p.m., led by Junior World Champion Abby Holcombe and U.S. Team Member Emily Wade. The group will paddle from Surfing Rapid to the bridge, and ladies who are up for an hour of freestyle fun and instruction can continue on for onwater coaching from two of the country’s best
female kayakers.
■ At 2 p.m. Team JK will lead a fun float and paddle down the Nantahala. Team JK will help break down the river, find each place to play and make this run a JOY lap for all who join.
■ From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Team JK will demo Gnarvana boats on the Cascades, with all three sizes available for demo.
In addition to Jackson, Pyranha Kayaks and Dagger Kayaks will be hanging out on the
Learn how to stay safe in the woods with a course at 10 a.m. Friday, April 21, at the Waynesville Library and Sunburst area.
Search and rescue trainer Steve Kuni will teach what hikers should always have in their pack and what to do to stay safe and alive when out in the woods after dark. The course will include an indoor portion and a hands-on outdoor portion. Register at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
Run the first ever Farm Fresh 5K at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 29, in Waynesville, supporting Haywood Christian Ministry.
HCM, which operates one of the largest emergency food pantries in Western North Carolina, hopes to raise awareness for the importance of local, fresh, healthy food while raising money for its ongoing work of feeding members of the community and building economic stability. In 2022, HCM processed more than 1.18 million pounds of food and serves an average of 520 households each month.
“We know that to truly address food
insecurity, we need to build a robust local food system,” said Executive Director Blake Hart. “This is just the beginning of our focus on growing awareness and trying to resource Haywood County’s small local farms while staying true to our mission of feeding the hungry.”
Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the race will begin in front of the HCM Community Thrift Store at 9 a.m. Cost is $30 for adults and $15 for youth 15 and under. Register at hcmnc.org/farm-fresh5k.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available, both financial and gift donations to race winners. To learn more about sponsorship, contact Hart at 828.705.3842 or blackhart@haywoodministry.org.
A new archery range is open across the road from the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee.
The range, located at 231 Cullowhee Mountain Road, is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m., except holiday closures. When Daylight Savings Time is not in effect, it will close at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
All archers must check in at the rec center’s front desk. Cost is $1 for a day pass or $30 for an annual pass. No broadheads are allowed on the range. rec.jacksonnc.org
NOC boats, offering a chance to try their newest boats. Chris Hipgrave, Emily Jackson and the Hargrove family will be riverside to answer questions, and experienced retail and river guides will be there to help with any safety gear and apparel needs.
To learn more, visit noc.com.
These are only the answers.
BY B URT KORNEGAY
Birds were little more than nondescript flitting things to me that afternoon in January 1973, when I lay down on my bunk to sleep. It was on the second floor of a rundown WWII barracks at a Marine Corps airbase in southern California. I needed sleep because I worked nights in the base’s cavernous warehouse, Building 313, where my job was to find whatever parts the flightline mechanics needed to keep jet fighters and other military “birds” ready to bomb and strafe. But that afternoon not jet roars but soft, high-pitched, beckoning whistles came through the open door at the end of the barracks and woke me up. I walked out onto the stairway landing.
A large western juniper stood there. The tree was such a look-alike to the eastern red cedars I’d grown up with in North Carolina that, newly stationed in the West, I thought it was one. And there in its evergreen branches, almost in my face, were beautiful, feathered creatures eating the tree’s powdery-blue berries. Each bird stood out— pristine, clear-lined, vibrant, alert, with a swept-up crest, black facemask and yellow band across the tip of its tail. And each wing glowed with what looked to be drops of bright red wax. I’d fallen asleep Lance Corporal Kornegay, MOS 3072, aviation supply, at USMC Air Station El Toro — its insignia a musclebound flying red bull — and had been awakened as if by music at the dawn of creation, and I was glad to be alive.
After the birds flew off, I sketched their outline, added the waxy red dots, noted the “cedar berry” diet, then hurried to the base library, where I paged through nature guides until I came on a match: cedar waxwing. How could a bird be more aptly named than that!
The next day I bought binoculars and a Roger Tory Peterson field guide; and by year’s end, outdoors now every chance I could get, I had identified 150 birds in the book’s “Life List.” That very first sighting, cedar waxwing, was the one that opened my eyes.
So you can guess my delight recently when out of the blue a flock of waxwings descended on Moses Creek and landed whistling in the eastern red cedar beside our house. The tree was so berry-loaded it had a blue tinge, but after several days of feathered feasting, the waxwings left it evergreen again. Then they flocked to a holly.
I noticed that after gorging on the red holly berries, the waxwings flew to a black gum tree nearby where, stuffed, they slept side-by-side on its branches, as if to prop each other up. Later, they flew back to the holly for second then third helpings, each time returning to the same black gum branches looking so stupefied I thought they might fall off.
When I told a friend in Chapel Hill about it, he said he’d seen waxwings do that — fall out of a holly to the ground, drunk on berry wine! Terres’s “Audubon Encyclopedia of North American Birds” confirms it: “Waxwings… may gorge until they can scarcely fly; sometimes get drunk on over-ripe fruit.”
The holly berries are big — in human terms, the size of an apple. But the birds bolt them down whole one after another.
One afternoon I came across two waxwings lying on the ground below my study window. The first was stunned by its collision with the glass; the other was dead. Becky hangs fluttery strips of cloth on our windows to warn off birds, but those two must have veered off course from the holly — FUI, flying under the influence.
I put the stunned one in an empty shoebox and set it in a quiet place. Later, hearing stirrings inside, I cracked the lid to the sky. The bird flew out so fast I felt the wind from its wings on my hands.
Picking up the dead waxwing, I found that the more I examined it the more beautiful the bird became. Its jet-black eye mask was offset by fine white lines. Its yellow, olive, cream and brown feathers blended into colors I have no names for. Each puff of down on the breast looked combed and unique. And all this exquisite perfection rose out of dark, cruelly clawed reptilian feet.
Those feet reminded me that according to paleontologists, birds have evolved from theropod (“beast-footed”) carnivorous dinosaurs. I imagined myself coming on an eight-ton Tyrannosaurus rex lying beside the house choked to death on a hog-sized hunk of meat. Its crude, three-toed feet and distended belly point skyward. Nubbins of quills sprouted from red splotches on its absurdly tiny arms.
Every beauty comes with its beast. (Burt Kornegay lives in Jackson County.)
• The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m.-noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.
• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists.
• Cowee School Farmer’s Market is held Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin. The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.
• A Feldenkrais class will be held 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, April 12, 26 and May 3, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Conference Room A1. Feldenkrais uses gentle movement and directed awareness to help you increase ease of movement and improve flexibility and coordination. Walk-ins welcome, mats not supplied. Class costs $18-$25 on a sliding scale, to register or learn more call 505.438.9109 or email eetm2023@proton.me.
• Yoga for kids of all ages will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at the Macon County Library. Bring a yoga mat. For more call 828.524.3600.
• Mountain Area pregnancy Services and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor work together to provide a casual support group for prenatal and breastfeeding individuals from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, 177 N Main St. Waynesville, NC. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information please call 828.558.4550.
• Chess 101 takes place 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information, email Ashlyn Godleski at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2567.
• The Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library Creative Writing Group meets 10:30 a.m. - noon on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.
• Knit Night takes place at 5:30-7:30 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at The Stecoah Valley Center. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP is recommended: 828.479.3364 or amber@stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Sylva Writers Group meets at 10:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at City Lights Bookstore. For more information contact sylvawriters@gmail.com.
• Nantahala Hiking Club’s own Victor Treutel will speak on his new book “When Dogwoods Bloom” during a free program at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the Macon County Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org.
• Professor Bart D. Ehrman, Biblical scholar and author of six New York Times bestselling books including “Jesus” and “The Triumph of Christianity,” will speak
n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.
n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com
and answer questions at 7 p.m. Friday, April 14, at the Queen Auditorium in the Folkmoot Friendship Center at 112 Virginia Ave. in Waynesville. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door Tickets may be purchased at Blue Ridge Books or by calling 828.226.5921.
• Tremont Writers Conference, an intensive five-day retreat for writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry will take place Wednesday, Oct. 25-29. Applications to participate in the event may be submitted online now through April 30 at writers.gsmit.org.
• Creative Writing Club will take place at 3:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. The writing club is intended for ages 8-12. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Storytime takes place at 10 a.m. every Tuesday at the Macon County Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Toddler’s Rock takes place at 10 a.m. every Monday at the Macon County Library. Get ready to rock with songs, books, rhymes and playing with instruments. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Culture Talk takes place at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. Travel the world from inside your library. This event features guest speakers and food sampling from the location being discussed. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Art afternoon takes place at 3:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Macon County Public Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Art in the Gardens will take place April 2-May 15 at Lake Junaluska. Artwork by Lake Junaluska community artists will be featured in several of the 16 gardens throughout the grounds. For more information visit lakejunaluska.com/activities.
• Appalachian Dance Hootenanny will take place 6-9 p.m. April 15 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Tickets are $25. For more information visit eventbrite.com/e/appalachian-dance-hootenanny-tickets-520667258787.
• The 25th annual Greening Up the Mountains will take place 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in downtown Sylva. For more information and a schedule of events visit greeningupthemountains.com.
• A glassblowing class “Ornaments and Paperweights” will take place 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Pre-registration is strongly suggested, no experience necessary. For more information or to register contact GEP at 828.631.0271.
• “Meander in May,” the free, self-guided arts festival organized by the Highlands Chamber of Commerce/Visit Highlands, NC will return at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 20. For more information and a schedule of events visit highlandschamber.org.
• Paint and Sip at Waynesville Art School will be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. To learn more and register call 828.246.9869 or visit PaintAndSipWaynesville.com/upcoming-events. Registration is required, $45.
• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon-4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.
• A free wine tasting will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.
• Take a trip around the world with four different wines every Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m.-6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines. 828.538.0420
• Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.
• Happy Houseplants with Jacque Laura of Snake Song Shop will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Jackson County Public Library. Jacque will give tips on repotting, watering and general care that helps common indoor plants thrive. For more information call the library at 586.2016 or email jcpladults@fontanalib.org.
• Wired Wednesday, one-on-one technology help is available at 3-5 p.m. every Wednesday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information or to register, call 828.648.2924.
• Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St. Franklin, will be offering Children’s Art Classes Wednesdays afternoons. Adult workshops in watercolor, acrylic paint pouring, encaustic and glass fusing are also offered. Free painting is available 10 a.m.-3 p.m. every Monday in the classroom. A membership meeting takes place on the second Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. All are welcome. Call 828.349.4607 for more information.
• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m.3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.
• Wildflower Walks in the Corneille Bryan Native Garden will take place at 2 p.m. Wednesdays April 12, 19, 26, and May 3, at Lake Junaluska. Stroll the garden with an experienced volunteer. Space is limited, contact cbnativegarden@gmail.com to reserve a spot. For more information call 828.452.5840.
Visit www.smokymountainnews.com
n Complete listings of local music scene
n Regional festivals
n Art gallery events and openings
n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers
n Civic and social club gatherings
• Volunteers are needed for the Plateau Pickup at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, April 15. To participate, send an email to events@highlandschamber.org or call 828.526.5841. For more information about Plateau Pickup or other Highlands events, visit highlandschamber.org.
• The annual Tuck River Cleanup will commence on Saturday, April 15, inviting hundreds of volunteers to raft or walk 20 miles of the Tuckasegee River between Cullowhee and Whittier in search of litter. For more information, contact coordinator Martin Jacurso at 828.227.8804. Pre-registration is not available.
• In honor of National American Sign Language Day, educational programs will incorporate ASL at Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 15. For more information, contact Jeanine Ferrence at jeanine_ferrence@nps.gov.
• Botanist Adam Bigelow will present “Wildflowers of Southern Appalachia” 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 17, in the next installment of a lecture series underway at Cowee School in Macon County.
• Learn how to indulge your love of gardening despite age or mobility level during a two-hour program at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, at the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Office on Raccoon Road in Waynesville. Direct questions to mgarticles@charter.net or 828.456.3575.
• Learn how to stay safe in the woods with a course at 10 a.m. Friday, April 21, at the Waynesville Library and Sunburst area. The course will include an indoor portion and a hands-on outdoor portion. Register at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
• Join the Benton MacKaye Trail Association and Partners of Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness for a trail maintenance workday starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 22. The group will meet at Tapoco Lodge on U.S. 129 and split into groups. Bring water, trail lunch and gloves. RSVP to Nelson Ashbrook at nelsonashbrook@gmail.com.
• Nantahala Outdoor Center will kick off its 2023 season with the annual Spring Fling Celebration Saturday, April 22, at the NOC property in Swain County.
• Celebrate Earth Day noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Highlands Nature Center in Highlands. The Earth Day Extravaganza will include a scavenger hunt in the Highlands Botanical Garden, nature art and DIY crafts with recycled materials and a 4 p.m. guided wildflower walk through the garden. Free, with no registration necessary. Event will be canceled in case of severe weather. For more information, visit highlandsbiological.org.
• The Fire Mountain Inferno will take place Saturday and Sunday, April 22-23, at the Fire Mountain Trails in Cherokee. The event will feature two days of enduro downhill racing. For information visit gloryhoundevents.com.
• Run the first ever Farm Fresh 5K at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 29, in Waynesville, supporting Haywood Christian Ministry. Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the race will begin in front of the HCM Community Thrift Store at 9 a.m. Cost is $30 for adults and $15 for youth 15 and under. Register at hcmnc.org/farm-fresh-5k. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, to learn more contact Hart at 828.705.3842 or blackhart@haywoodministry.org.
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
Rates:
• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.
• Free — Lost or found pet ads.
• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*
• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE
• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)
• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4
• Boost in Print
• Add Photo $6
• Bold ad $2
• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4
• Border $4
Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.
Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585
classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.2023 E 000187 Teresa Saunders, having Mary Sue woodruff before Jun 22 2023, or Teresa Saunders 409 Hillside Terrace Dr Waynesville NC 28786
Announcements
ANOINTED GOSPEL SINGING
DONATE YOUR VEHICLE
Business For Sale
TURNKEY RESTAURANT BUSINESS FOR SALE
Electronics
HOME INTERNET NOW AVAILABLE
HOME CARE PARTNERS
BEGIN A NEW CAREER
Employment
DRINKING PROBLEM?
FT ADMIN ASSISTANT POSITION AVAILABLE.
BOOTS STEAKHOUSE IN DILLSBORO
MEDICAL BILLING
COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train
BEGIN A NEW CAREER
“WORKING CATS”
Asheville Humane Society has cats available who are best suited to life in a barn/farm, warehouse, etc. Fully vaccinated and spayed/ neutered. (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org
TREEING WALKER COONHOUND MIX, LADYBIRD 6 yr-old girl; energetic, curious. Loves cuddling and toys. Needs to be your only dog.
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage
• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com
Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com
• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com
• Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com
• Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com
• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com
• Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com
MEDICAL BILLING Train
Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ashevillehumane.org
Real Estate Announcements
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE
Home Goods
PREPARE FOR POWER OUTAGES TODAY
DON’T PAY For Covered
Homes For Sale
LONG DISTANCE MOVING:
Rentals
TIMESHARE CANCELLATION EXPERTS.
Pets
USE SEAL ‘N HEAL®
Entertainment
HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET – Final
• Ellen Sither - esither@beverly-hanks.com
• Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com
• Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com
• Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com
• John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com
• Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com
• Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com
• Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com
• Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@beverly-hanks.com
• Darrin Graves - dgraves@beverly-hanks.com
ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com
• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com
• Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com
• Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436
• Steve Mauldin - 828-734-4864
EXP Realty
• Ashley Owens Rutkosky - ashley.rutkosky@exp.realty
Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com
• The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com
• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com
• Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com
Lakeshore Realty
• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com
Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com
• Lyndia Massey- buyfromlyndia@yahoo.com
Mountain Creek Real Estate
• Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700
McGovern Real Estate & Property Management
• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com
Premier Sotheby's International Realty
• DeAnn Suchy - deann.suchy@premiersir.com
RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com
• The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com
• Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com
• Mary Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net
• Billy Case- billyncase@gmail.com
Rob Roland Realty
• Rob Roland - 828-400-1923
Smoky Mountain Retreat Realty
• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com
• Sherell Johnson - Sherellwj@aol.com
Here’s How
Sudoku puzzles are formatted
