Bill aims to ban drag in public Page 14
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On the Cover:
Smoky Mountain News Outdoors Editor Holly Kays spent a night out on the Appalachian Trail to chat with hikers about the things they carry and the things they jettison. (Page 28) Calling themselves “The Silverbacks,” brothers Thomas “Fuel Rod” Bussiere and Albert “Cruise Control” Bussiere and their friend Mike “CB Mike” Johnson (center) are hiking the Appalachian Trail together. Holly Kays photo
Law enforcement rallies support for DWI bills............................................................4
Celebrate the Pigeon Center this Saturday................................................................5
Ramey’s tax troubles go deeper than previously reported......................................6 Tribe adopts overdose tracking tool ..............................................................................7
After losing his son, Waynesville man still seeks solace..........................................8
Painttown Tribal Council candidates share their vision..........................................10 Firefly lottery opens Friday..............................................................................................11
Public records statute has troubling gap....................................................................12 NC bill would ban drag in public ................................................................................14
What happened to all the smiles..................................................................................18
We’ll trust commissioners on library controversy....................................................19
A&E
Neal Francis to play Bear Shadow festival................................................................20
On the road with Charles Frazier’s new novel..........................................................27
Outdoors
Pick your plants at Lake Junaluska..............................................................................30 Word from the Smokies..................................................................................................34
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As the May 4 deadline for crossover approaches in the North Carolina General Assembly, a last-minute push has begun to get a series of bills to crack down on drunk driving to the House floor.
In an effort to increase public awareness — and ultimately political pressure — for the bills, high-ranking law enforcement officers from around Western North Carolina, including several sheriffs, gathered on the steps of Jackson County’s historic courthouse for a small press conference. Jackson County Sheriff Doug Farmer kicked things off.
“The reason for this bill is to save lives,” Farmer said of one bill that would lower the legal limit for blood alcohol content while driving from .08 to .05. “That’s what law enforcement is all about.”
WNC Regional DWI Taskforce Director Ellen Pitt organized the presser and spoke after Farmer. Pitt noted that the National Transportation Safety Board recommended in 2013 that all states lower the legal limit to .05. So far, Utah is the only state to have followed that guidance. Pitt said that law has saved lives while not noticeably hurting businesses that rely on alcohol sales.
“Tourism and alcohol sales continued an upward trend, and everybody felt safer,” Pitt said.
Pitt told reporters that it’s time for legislators to consider how to save lives on the road and touted a recent endorsement from the North Carolina Sheriff’s Association.
“Our sheriffs have said ‘enough is enough,’” she said. “It's time for every elected official and appointed officials to salute and support these
visionary sheriffs. In this life saving endeavor, North Carolina can help Utah lead the nation and highway safety.”
The final speaker was Cherokee County Sheriff’s Capt. David Williams, a former North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper who has been instrumental in drawing attention to Clampitt’s bills. Williams discussed some of the companion bills to H 148. For example, H 146 would allow law enforcement to use roadside portable breathalyzer test results during probably cause hearings related to DWI charges. Right now, they can only say whether alcohol was present but may not introduce the actual number. Several states have already made this change.
HANNAH MCLEOD
STAFF W RITER
Residents in the Town of Sylva will be able to keep poultry in the downtown business district after commissioners voted to adopt an ordinance amending town code earlier this month.
The town first took up this issue last year when it contracted with WithersRavenel to update its Land Use Plan and Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance. At that point, several town residents spoke out against the proposed ordinance addressing poultry-keeping, most of whom were concerned for the chickens kept at the Jackson Arts Market in downtown Sylva.
When the ordinance came up for approval again at the April 13 meeting of the Board of Commissioners, no one showed up to speak during public comment.
The proposed ordinance was a modified version of what WithersRavenel proposed last year. The planning board spent several months creating the ordinance, which is more flexible in some districts, but as initially written, would have eliminated chickens from the downtown business district. It caps
the number of hens at 10 for lot sizes up to one acre and 20 for lot sizes over one acre. One rooster is allowed for every 10 hens.
While Commissioner Greg McPherson pushed for the poultry ordinance, he said that he did not want a full ban on poultry downtown.
“I think I might have been a little misunderstood when we talk about Level 1, B, poultry keeping is not allowed in the downtown business district,” said Commissioner Greg McPherson. “That is not what I said. I said I would like to not have roosters in the downtown business district.”
Commissioner Ben Guiney said that the ordinance was modeled after towns of a similar size, and that enforcement would depend on complaints, rather than spontaneous investigation by the town.
“The town is not going to be out counting chickens,” said Guiney. “If there is a complaint, that will flag it as an issue.”
Commissioner Natalie Newman inquired about grandfathering in people who have chickens in the downtown business district. Town Manager Paige Dowling said that because there is already an ordinance, the
— Ellen Pittrules being considered are additional standards in the zoning ordinance for separation and location and therefore current poultry keepers cannot be grandfathered in.
“The giant chicken in the room is the JAM market downtown,” said Guiney. “I think it’s important to know for those folks that enjoy the market and are there and the chickens that this is not an ordinance designed to go after any particular individual or property, it is a long-term ordinance that the town is setting up because ordinances talk about what kind of town we want in the future.”
Mayor David Nestler noted that while the ordinance was not written to address one single property owner, there is one property in the downtown business district that has chickens — the Jackson Arts Market. He suggested changing the portion of the ordinance that would have banned poultry keeping in the downtown business district to banning only roosters in the downtown business district.
Commissioner Ben Guiney argued for accepting the recommendation of the planning board, which would ban poultry keeping in the downtown district.
Mary Gelbaugh argued for the role of a rooster among a flock of chickens and pro-
Williams also discussed H 147, which would allow for a civil revocation of a driver’s license if a driver is impaired on a narcotic other than alcohol.
“This will bring parity to that,” Williams said.
H 211 would eliminate a mitigating factor that currently exists in DWI cases. Right now, if a driver is between .08 and .1, they are not punished as harshly as those who have more alcohol in their system.
“We don’t think that should be a mitigating factor when they’re still violating the law,” Williams said.
Finally, he discussed H 212, which would help those who complete sobriety court to dispose of a DWI charge to pay for reinstatement of their license while also helping pay for certain measures during the process such as an ignition interlock.
“If they're able to do that, then we feel that they're making a good faith effort, then we feel if they're able to do this in a sobriety court, then we feel that they should be punished through, or they should be rewarded for that,” he said.
Mike Clampitt, R-Haywood, brought the series of bills to the General Assembly at the beginning of this year. Those bills all currently sit in committee and must be heard by the May 4 deadline for crossover, at which point bills have to be out of the House to be heard in the Senate and vice-versa. Although that deadline is rapidly approaching, Clampitt told The Smoky Mountain News he remains confident.
“We’ve been mostly tied up with budget stuff,” Clampitt said. “I feel like we have good momentum right now and at the moment I’m very optimistic.”
posed allowing one rooster per 10 hens, even within the downtown business district.
The board ultimately adopted an amended version of the ordinance that does not ban poultry keeping in the downtown business district. Commissioner Guiney cast the only dissenting vote as he was in favor of passing the ordinance as it was recommended by the planning board.
The final version of the ordinance passed by the town board allows poultry keeping within the Town of Sylva’s jurisdiction, subject to certain standards.
Those standards allow chickens only on single-family detached dwelling units. They require all poultry to be contained, that chickens to be kept in a coop and pen, or portable chicken tractors, and such coops and enclosures may not include residential structures or garages. They require a minimum setback of 15 feet from all property lines or not within 50 feet of an adjoining property’s residential unit and that the coop and pen must be closer to the chicken owner’s primary residential unit than the neighboring residential unit.
The standards allow for up to 10 hens on properties less than one acre in size and up to 20 hens on properties over one acre. One rooster is allowed for every 10 hens.
“Our sheriffs have said ‘enough is enough.’ It's time for every elected official and appointed officials to salute and support these visionary sheriffs.
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT
P OLITICS E DITOR
Once upon a time, the old school on Pigeon Street was a striking symbol of divisiveness and inequality.
Since 2003, it’s undergone a remarkable transformation into a place that brings people together. Now, the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center has cause for celebration as it looks to an even brighter future.
“The Pigeon community was marginalized,” said Gregory Wheeler, a Haywood County resident and member of the PCMDC board for 11 years. “We supported ourselves. Back in the 1960s, the Pigeon community was family. Today, we are carrying on that tradition at the PCMDC.”
In 1954, the landmark Brown v. Board of Education desegregation case had been decided by the Supreme Court, but North Carolina didn’t exactly rush to comply with the ruling. Built in 1957, the Pigeon Street School was the county’s segregated school for Black children; Wheeler said it was built to appease the Black community while still keeping it largely separate from Whites.
Wheeler was a student at the school, and has vivid memories.
“What I remember is, the school we went to, our parents were involved in the school, our grandparents were involved in the school, and the cooks were our grandmothers,” he said. “We were surrounded by the community, and supported by the community. One of the most important things was, our teachers required we say the Pledge of Allegiance every day. They wanted to be sure we were upstanding citizens, going out into a world that would judge us.”
Once North Carolina’s schools were desegregated in the early 1960s, the county used the school as an instructional materials center, and the building languished.
Around 2003, a group called the Pigeon Community Development Club began to use the building in conjunction with another Haywood nonprofit called REACH. In 2009, the Pigeon Center became its own nonprofit.
Since then, the PCMDC has returned to its rightful place at the heart of the communi-
ty by serving marginalized communities with afterschool programs, summer enrichment sessions and as a gathering place for seniors.
On Saturday, April 29, the PCMDC will host an event commemorating some significant milestones, including one that occurred during COVID but couldn’t be celebrated at that time — just over two years ago, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The event is also meant to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the PCMDC’s summer enrichment program. The program, according to Executive Director Lyn Forney, isn’t child care — it’s meant to help kids through 9th grade sharpen academic skills. The class size is low, and the cost is based on a sliding scale.
Of late, the PCMDC has been relatively successful in fundraising; years of neglect had left the building in terrible shape, but major improvements have been made, including climate control back
However, the continuing need for funding — especially for things grants don’t cover — never really ends.
That’s why the event is also meant to announce the creation of a new fundraising campaign that will help cover staff salaries, insurance, utilities and other operational costs.
To help cover those costs, the PCMDC will begin selling bricks, engraved with the names of the donors or someone else the donors want to recognize. The bricks will be placed in the concrete walkway leading up to the historic school, so that future visitors will know who, exactly, helped sustain the continuing operations of the facility.
Forney said the event will feature desserts and drinks, as well as former students who, like her and Wheeler, can talk about what it was like when they studied there.
“You hear voices from the past when you walk in that building. Memories come flooding in,” Forney said. “Some of those students who were there, those were really their classrooms. We hope they can talk about the times they were there when it was in operation.”
On Saturday, April 29, join the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center for 450 Pigeon St.: A Celebration from 2-4 p.m. The event will take place at the Pigeon Center, 450 Pigeon Street in Waynesville and is free and open to the public. Learn more about the National Register of Historic Places designation, the summer enrichment program, and all the Pigeon Center has to offer. For more information, visit pcmdc.org or call 828.452.7232.
New details from the Haywood County Tax Collector’s office show that Haywood Republican Commissioner Terry Ramey, who until recently hadn’t paid his property taxes since 2012, also failed to pay property taxes for at least five years before that, resulting in nearly $1,600 in taxes being deemed uncollectable.
Back in 2022, Ramey, who’d lost in three prior bids for a Haywood County Commission seat, mounted yet another campaign. The Smoky Mountain News reported in September that Ramey, along with his company, Ram Dog Enterprises LLC, owed $2,906 in taxes dating back to 2012.
When confronted with the information, Ramey threatened The Smoky Mountain News multiple times for reporting on his delinquencies but also said he’d pay the bills if they were valid.
After a review by the tax collector and tax assessor, the bills were deemed valid.
In a Jan. 17, 2023, meeting of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners, Ramey made false claims to commissioners and to the public, saying he had set up a payment plan back in September.
Tax Collector Sebastian Cothran said no such payment plan existed, but Cothran did provide a payment plan signed by Ramey more than a week after he won the last spot on the commission on Nov. 8.
Ramey refused to answer questions from The Smoky Mountain News about his delinquent taxes, including why he’d never
paid them and whether he would have set up a payment plan if he’d lost his race for a fourth time.
Around that time and at the request of The Smoky Mountain News, the other four Haywood commissioners — all Republicans — weighed in on the situation with a joint statement, saying that Ramey should pay his taxes and stop threatening the media.
During that same Jan. 17 meeting, Ramey said that all of his taxes were “paid up to zero,” but that wasn’t true. At that very moment, Ramey still owed $2,122.84.
Because of the November payment plan signed by Ramey, Cothran said that Ramey was in “good standing” with the tax collector’s office and that garnishment action wouldn’t be pursued, but Cothran also said that per statute, Ramey was still considered delinquent.
Ramey remains delinquent and still owes more than $1,240. If he continues to make timely payments, he should truly be “paid up to zero” by July or August and will no longer be considered delinquent once that happens.
While it appears that the county will likely recoup all of Ramey’s past-due taxes dating back to 2013, an investigation by The Smoky Mountain News determined that the county may not be as fortunate with Ramey’s prior delinquencies.
In North Carolina, counties or municipalities cannot maintain an “action or procedure” to collect back taxes “unless the action or procedure is instituted within 10 years from the date the taxes become due,”
according to the governing statute.
According to documents provided by Cothran, between 2019 and 2023 Ramey ran out the clock on nearly $1,600 in taxes he failed to pay from 2008 through 2012 — money owed to the county that now can never be subject to collection action.
delinquencies to be written off, but in 2022, three bills from 2011 totaling $470.28 were dismissed. In 2021, the county wrote off one bill for $393.76. In 2020, it was one bill from 2009 for $222.62. In 2019, it was two bills from 2008 totaling $60.97.
All told, Ramey stiffed the county on nearly $1,598.64 in taxes, dating back to 2008.
The county’s accounting system only goes back to 2005 in most cases, according
“The county’s gonna get their money. I’m not trying to beat the county out of their money.”
to Cothran, who said that he couldn’t find evidence that Ramey owed anything prior to 2008.
Even though Ramey dodged nearly $1,600 in tax payments, Cothran did say that the county can still accept his payments towards the debt.
“The county’s gonna get their money. I’m not trying to beat the county out of their money,” Ramey said in the Jan. 17 commission meeting.
Two days later, the county wrote off Ramey’s 2012 tax bill, in the amount of $451.01, even though he’d signed a payment agreement stating he would pay it.
That was the last of Ramey’s 10-year
“While it is written off, we can still accept payment for it, we just take it off of our system as there is no enforcement we can do, since the statute of limitations has expired,” he said.
Ramey did not respond to a request for comment on this story, including whether he’d begin making payments towards the $1,600 in write-offs.
Canton’s 115th annual Labor Day festival — the oldest in the South — could take on a more somber tone this September in light of the impending June closure of the paper mill at the center of town, but organizers hope to keep the mood festive with today’s announcement of a major headliner.
From the Town of Canton’s press release:
Country music power hitter Sammy Kershaw with a chain of major hit records and sell-out tours will be headlining the 115th Canton Labor Day Festival presented by Champion Credit Union and sponsored by Ingles Markets. Often referred to as the “heir apparent” to the legendary ‘voice’ himself — George Jones — Sammy Kershaw helped make the 90’s a shining decade for country music. With his soulful sound and Cajun vocal kick Kershaw’s plan for country music is re-claiming its roots and recapturing the spirit that made it great.
The Canton Labor Day Festival is a celebration of all things made in Western North Carolina. As the oldest festival of its kind in the south, Canton Labor Day honors the blue-collar workers who power our economy with their bare hands and deliver the products and services upon which we all depend. The event will also showcase artisans and farmers from Western North Carolina with the Everything
Handmade or Homegrown Vendor Market, Classic Car show, Splash kids’ zone, Ultimate Air Dog Show and Food Truck Row.
“Canton Labor Day continues to be a great event for the Town of Canton, and we are honored to be a part of it again this year. The event continues to bring in visitors to experience our town and see what Canton is about. This is a great
way for us to show our support and help our community,” says Champion Credit Union CEO, Jake Robinson.
As the largest festival in Haywood County, the scope and reach of this event is felt throughout the region. With an estimated 20,000-person turnout in prior years, “This is an opportunity for the Town of Canton and our sponsors to come together and host not only an incredible event for the citizens of Canton and Haywood County but also expose the vast beauty and opportunities Canton has to offer. Having the continued ability to incorporate such talented musical legends and up-and-coming artists in the lineup is an exciting opportunity for the Town of Canton and visitors alike,” says Canton Town Manager, Nick Scheuer. “This event would not be possible were it not for the continued support we receive from our sponsors, Town officials and community.”
Live music will take place on beginning at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, and at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 5. For more information, visit cantonlaborday.com.
Last week, the Jackson County Commissioners approved a GREAT Grant agreement that will fund a project to connect more than 1,000 homes with broadband internet access.
“There is a definite and negative impact to lack of broadband in our community,” said Jackson County Director of Economic Development Tiffany Henry during a presentation on GREAT Grants last year.
GREAT Grants are state-funded grants available through the North Carolina Department of Information Technology. The grants are awarded to private providers of broadband services to facili-
tate broadband access across the state.
While broadband has been an issue in rural areas of the state like Western North Carolina since the inception of the internet, the Coronavirus Pandemic exposed the lack of connectivity as residents were required to work and attend school from home.
The grantee for deployment in Jackson County is Charter Communications, also known as Spectrum. The company is receiving a $3.8 million grant that requires about a 7% match from both Jackson County and the grantee — or about $675,000. Jackson County will contribute $300,000 of the matching funds and Spectrum will provide the remaining $375,000. The total amount going toward
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has become the first tribal nation to adopt a tool that gives real-time updates on where and when people are overdosing on drugs — essential knowledge in an evershifting and ever-raging drug epidemic.
“Collaboration and real-time data help save lives and drive short and long-term decisions,” Anita Lossiah, secretary for the Cherokee Police Commission and policy analyst for the EBCI, said during an April 13 Police Commission meeting. “So if we know what is actually happening on the ground in real time, then we are able to know if there's an outbreak of a bad drug in one highly dense area, or if it's more of a regional thing that we need to partner with local jurisdictions to try to make a bigger impact.”
The tool, called Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program — or ODMAP — is a federal database currently used by all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. It’s also used by 28 tribal nations, but the EBCI is the only one using the API data entry method, which ensures that data is added and updated in close to real time. The system logs the date, time and location of reported overdoses, as well as whether naloxone was administered and whether the overdose was fatal or nonfatal. These metrics are imported from data the tribe is already collecting. The tribe has the option to add other data fields in the future as well.
“It pulls that data into what we’re calling a tribal hub of data so that that can be provided to our tribal government for reporting, for analysis, for our internal purposes, but also again these fields that
Brian Cagle has been named regional vice president for the Asheville/Mountain region of Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks, Realtors, the leading real estate company in the Carolinas and a division of Howard Hanna Real Estate.
In this role, Cagle will be responsible for growing the Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks presence and market share in the Asheville/Mountain region of Western North Carolina. He will oversee 20 offices and more than 500 real estate agents and
employees.
Cagle joined then-Beverly-Hanks and Associates in 2007 after leading the Waynesville office in sales for a number of years. Since 2011, he has been Vice President-Managing Broker of the firm’s Main Street Waynesville office.
Cagle will continue to lead the Waynesville office until such time as the new leader is in place.
“Brian is a true servant leader who has continually answered the call in support of
the project to increase broadband access in the county is about $4.5 million.
“The county is using ARPA revenue replacement funds for this match. The $300,000 is intended to assist matching funding for a minimum total project cost of $4,497,486,” said County Manager Don Adams.
The project will provide additional connections for 1,118 homes that do not currently have broadband connection, as well as 38 businesses for a total of 1,156 new connections. The company has two years to complete the scope of work.
“We’re the last dollar,” said Adams. “In order for Spectrum to receive their last payments, they have to have the scope of serv-
are required for this federal database can just be automatically transported to their database for larger purposes,” Lossiah said in an interview.
North Carolina law enforcement agencies also use the real-time version of ODMAP, so the database can help improve communication and coordination between jurisdictions. For example, if law enforcement in Jackson County logged a spate of overdoses on county land near Cherokee, tribal law enforcement could quickly take action to prevent or respond to any related overdoses on tribal land.
The ODMAP project grew from a policy development initiative that Tribal Council approved with the goal of strengthening tribal governance. As a result, the EBCI Emergency Services Office starting using ODMAP shortly before the Coronavirus Pandemic emerged.
At that time, employees were entering the data manually. Then the tribe received a $650,000 federal grant from the Federal Comprehensive Opioid Stimulation and Substance Abuse Program to develop its internal ability to collect and compile data and to export as needed in near-real time. This allowed the tribe to expand ODMAP
his team, his industry, and for communities across our mountain home. His depth of leadership experience and incredible record in Waynesville and as a member of our leadership team have prepared him well for this position,” Hanks said.
A native of the region, Cagle grew up in Watauga, Haywood and Buncombe counties. He later attended Haywood Community College, Western Carolina University and Beacon University. This familiarity with the region provides him with a unique perspective, insight and appreciation for the mountains.
Cagle currently resides in the mountains of Western North Carolina with his wife, Shawn. They have two adult children, Luke and Lydia.
ices done.”
The project targets areas with internet speeds lower than 25 megabit download and 3 megabit upload. Single grant awards cannot exceed $4 million, and awards for projects in any one county cannot exceed $8 million.
The scope of the project will be concentrated in the northern end of the county. Planned connections include properties in Qualla, Wilmot, Dillsboro and Sylva, as well as the area northwest of Balsam.
Last year, at the request of Henry and county staff, the Jackson County commission allocated up to $600,000 of its $8.5 million ARPA funds as matching for GREAT Grants.
access to other tribal programs, including the Cherokee Indian Police Department, and to move away from manual data entry. Since March, the system has pulled overdose data from information that is already being collected.
The tribe’s expanded use of ODMAP comes as law enforcement continues to combat a raging drug crisis. During the Cherokee Police Commission’s April 13 meeting, Assistant Police Chief Josh Taylor said the department had averaged 53 calls for service a day over the past month, many of them due to drugs or drug-related crimes. The CIPD seized 605 grams of marijuana, 16 grams of cocaine and 49.7 grams of opiates during that time.
“Fentanyl is absolutely crushing us,” Taylor said. “We administer so much Narcan. There’s people that we’ve had to Narcan eight or nine times. It’s to the point where that individual don’t even go to the hospital no more. It’s very disturbing that that’s the mindset we have.”
Taylor said he now considers Narcan to be essential equipment for a day on the job.
“We use our Narcan almost as much as we use handcuffs,” he said.
The immediate grief of having to bury a child seems insurmountable, and the lifetime of what-ifs seem like enough to drag a person to unimaginable depths.
But what for most is horrific speculation is a reality for others. John Chapman Sr. knows.
Over the last 10 years, fentanyl has flooded the illicit drug market. But even before it was really on law enforcement’s radar, in 2009, John Sr. lost his son, John Jr., to a fatal fentanyl overdose. John Jr. was just 21 at the time, had a good job and seemed to be on the right track to live a comfortable and fulfilling life — and then in an instant, it was over. He fell asleep one night in his bedroom after ingesting fentanyl and never woke up.
As time goes on and John Sr. continues to deal with his own grief, he has taken more steps to help other grieving parents who’ve lost a child too early, whether to overdose or something else. John Sr. said some days are good and some days are bad, but the memory of his son and the pain of losing him are always there.
John Jr. was born Aug. 23, 1988, and was raised almost entirely by John Sr. He enjoyed sports and particularly excelled at wrestling. He also excelled in machine shop classes at Pisgah High School and went on to work at General Electric in Asheville after graduating in 2006. After John Jr.’s passing, Chip Singleton, the machining instructor and wrestling coach, established a scholarship in John Jr.’s name.
“Normally I get to award the scholarship at the banquet dinner that they have for all the Haywood County Schools Foundation that gives out the scholarships,” John Sr. said.
While Chapman figured his son was drinking socially and perhaps smoking some marijuana, he never imagined that opioids had entered the picture. Chapman believes that at the time his son tried fentanyl, he was not anywhere near a serious addict but was experimenting. In fact, that may have been John Jr.’s first time ever using fentanyl.
Once his son died, John Sr. began investigating his drug use.
“I looked back about a month, month and a half, I could see that he had been doing some pills, maybe,” John Sr. said. “Then I just stopped. I said ‘it's not going to benefit me to know how long he had been doing that.’”
While John Sr. stopped trying to understand what his son’s prior drug use looked like, his efforts to seek out the man who’d sold him the fentanyl intensified.
John Jr. and a friend has been experimenting with prescription opioid pills. The friend’s aunt had a boyfriend who sold the
friend two patches — the patches had been prescribed to the aunt by a doctor for pain. Westerman told the friend it was enough to last him and John Jr. for three days if they kept it in their mouths for short periods, “like chewing gum” Chapman said, enough to get the desired effect.
“It was an obsession,” John Sr. said, adding that he didn’t work for six months as he tried to find out more than he even wanted to know deep down inside.
Chapman decided to talk to the man who sold the fentanyl that killed his son. It didn’t take long to find him.
“I said ‘I got a couple questions for you,’” John Sr. recalled. “‘And the way I see it, you can answer one of three ways. You can choose to say nothing. And I'll learn to live with that. You can tell me the truth, which is what I really, really, really need. Or you can choose to lie to me, in which case you better start praying to whoever it is you pray to, because I'm gonna send you to meet him.’”
John Sr. said the man cried as told the truth. Chapman accepted what the man had told him, but he added that he spent the next month or two talking to the Canton Police Department to try to get them to bring charges in his son’s overdose death. John Sr. said he felt like they were putting him off.
“I've never been a big fan of cops … a lot of times I lived just on the other side of what would be legal,” he said.
Eventually, John Sr. spoke with Police Chief Brian Whitner, now retired, who said there wasn’t much that could be done about it. Now, there’s a death by distribution statute that can bring second-degree murder charges to a person who delivers a drug that another person overdoses on, but back then there wasn’t.
“[Whitner] said, ‘John, what do you want me to do?’ I said, ‘What would you do if it was your son? That's what I want you to do,’” John Sr. said.
John Sr., overcome by frustration, recalled a conversation he’d had on the phone with his own father, who urged him to slow down and consider what he hoped to accomplish versus what he would actually accomplish.
“I said, you know what I’m gonna do? I’m gonna kill him myself,” John Sr. said. “I told him in court he was a lucky man to be alive and that if it wasn’t for my parents, he’d be dead.”
Eventually, prosecutor Reid Brown brought the case before a grand jury and secured a second-degree manslaughter charge. A plea arrangement was agreed upon — an arrangement John Sr. said he was OK with. He was happy to at least see an admission of guilty and some degree of accountability.
John Sr. got to make a victim impact statement, but he said it didn’t make him feel any better. None of it made him feel any better.
John Sr. recalled his son’s funeral. People he didn’t even know, friends from school and work, showed up. But John Sr. felt like he was going through the motions — shaking hands, accepting condolences — all the while just wondering why.
Over time, the condolences, phone calls and drop-ins ceased but the grief held strong.
“Everybody else's life goes on, and I'm wondering, why was the sun still shining every day?” John Sr. said.
But as that tragic transition went on, John Sr. met several people who would help him along his way, both to understand what happened and how he could honor his son’s memory by trying to make a difference.
“I don't think I will ever move on, but early on, after my son had died, I had a couple of really good friends that were very helpful,” he said. “We sat on the porch until after bedtime on many nights.”
One friend Chapman eventually made after his son had passed was Bill Hollingsed, the former Waynesville Police Chief who’s long been vocal in Raleigh regarding bills he believes would curb the opioid epidemic. John Sr., who owned a flooring business, met Hollingsed when he did an installation in his house. Later, at a lunch a local church was holding for parents who’d lost children to overdoses, he ran into Hollingsed again.
“We became pretty close,” John Sr. said. “Over the years, I’ve done a lot of drug education work with him.”
Another was Ellen Pitt, who runs the regional DWI Taskforce but also spends time educating the public on narcotics and some-
times helps grieving families. John Sr. said he respects Pitt’s tenacity in her mission.
“Everybody listens when she talks; she don't waste any of her breath,” he said.
Perhaps most crucial was Pastor Bruce Cayton, who passed away in 2015 but led the congregation at Clyde’s Oak Grove Baptist Church for 31 years. Although John Sr. knew Cayton prior to his son’s death, the way Cayton was able to guide him through the trying time only strengthened his faith.
“He was without a doubt the best person I’ve met in my entire life,” John Sr. said. “He told me what I needed to hear at that time, that it was OK to be mad at God and that how you react in in a moment like this means everything in the world.”
John Sr. attended Oak Grove Baptist until Cayton retired and now goes to Pinnacle. He said his faith is still strong. Chapman described Pinnacle as a change of pace, a more modern church with more casual dress and “louder music.”
“It’s very convenient. I live a mile from there,” he said. “They had church three different times, so I couldn't come up with an excuse to no go. I started going there and, and I've been going there ever since to be honest. So that just felt like home to me.
John Sr. also met people who’d been through the same life-altering experience of losing a child to an overdose, including some who also attend church at Pinnacle.
Chapman dug into a program he’d heard about, Compassionate Friends, a group for anyone grieving the loss of a child, grandchild or sibling, not necessarily just due to overdose. He started going to meetings in Hendersonville and
Brevard, but those was too far, and he’d get home too late.
He founded a local chapter with the help of local counselor Robin Minick, who had wanted to starter a chapter before but was unable to since she hadn’t lost a child, despite counseling people who had. They started it in 2013 and now meet at Long’s Chapel monthly. People who attend the meetings simply tell their stories in whatever way they want to a room full of people who understand the depths of despair associated with losing a child. John Sr. said one never knows how telling their story may help another parent who’s struggling.
Once a year, Haywood County’s Compassionate Friends gather at Long’s Chapel for a special ceremony, during which each member lights a candle in memory of their lost loved one.
“Do I tear up? Sure I do,” he said. “But it makes me feel better every time I get to mention his name, because he's not being forgotten.”
Although COVID put a damper on the group for a couple of years, Chapman said they’ve gotten it going again and John Sr. even helped to start a chapter in Asheville.
An unthinkable epidemic
When John Jr. lost his life in 2009, fentanyl wasn’t on many people’s radar. Although the government began tracking illegal fentanyl and the danger is poses in 2005 and the DEA busted its first lab back in April 1990, it wasn’t until only about a decade ago that the Mexican drug cartels figured out they could receive shipments of fentanyl precursors from China and make the drug cheap.
That just so happened to coincide with the peak of the prescription opioid epidemic. Once the government cracked down on those prescribed drugs, illegal opioids, including heroin and fentanyl boomed.
In an interview with The Smoky Mountain News, Asheville Police detectives said they started seeing heroin in about 2013, and it wasn’t long before fentanyl entered the picture. Now it’s everywhere. Fentanyl immediately became known as the most dangerous opioid, given the small threshold between a therapeutic dose and a fatal dose.
“There was like two years of death before Narcan (a lifesaving substance that reverses opioid overdoses) became as widespread as it was. We were dealing with overdoses on a scale that really hard to keep up with,” said Capt. Joe Silberman, who heads up APD’s criminal investigations division, said.
Opioids caused 107,000 fatal overdoses last year, with the majority being caused by fentanyl. The drug’s dangers are well-documented at this point, and yet it’s as prevalent as ever.
Robert Murphy is the special agent in charge of the DEA regional office in Atlanta, which covers Georgia and the Carolinas. He said fentanyl is the “scariest” thing he’s ever seen over his whole law enforcement career. He noted that he was most shocked to hear that people were actively seeking fentanyl, despite its danger, and wouldn’t even be happy with heroin.
“That explains the enormity of the addiction with fentanyl,” Murphy said.
Since fentanyl is so potent and so cheap
for cartels to make, it’s now become prevalent in every corner of the United States, and it’s even found its way into other drugs, often without the user even knowing.
While counterfeit prescription opioid pills are common, so too are other drugs being laced with fentanyl, even uppers like cocaine. Murphy said when his own son went to college, he was afraid that he may end up using fentanyl, even while thinking he was just experimenting with drugs that have the reputation of being less harmful.
“I kept drilling it into his head,” Murphy said. “I’ve seen what it does.”
John Jr. had a sister. John Sr. said that while she was stubborn growing up, his son had a way of reaching her; they shared a unique bond.
“She could know something was coming from me, but he’d say it, and she’d be okay with it,” John Sr. said. “I know that sounds odd. But they were very close.”
John Sr. said the trauma his daughter has lived with the passing of her brother has echoed in the life of her daughter, John Sr.’s granddaughter. Even though she never met her uncle, John Sr. said she knows so much about him that it can seem like she was close to him.
“She’ll tell people about her uncle John,” John Sr. said. “I can’t believe that she never met him since she knows so much about him. I don’t think it’s affected her in a negative way really; I think it makes her understand her mom a little bit.”
He said his granddaughter has, in a sense, reinvigorated his sense of purpose, and he’s found a new kind of love. When she was born, he considered that the God he’d been mad at created that person, someone whose life he could cherish.
“And I got to thinking, well, I can be mad as hell at God for the rest of my life and be like I am now for the rest of my life, or I can
choose to be thankful for what He's given me,” John Sr. said. “At that time, I chose to be thankful for my granddaughter, and have been ever since. And now I have a second granddaughter.”
He recalled that one night when she was staying with him, she wanted ice cream and he said no. It was too close to bedtime.
“She said, ‘you don't love me, papaw,’” he recalled.
That hit him hard. Where new love grows, so does new vulnerability.
“I said, ‘Whoa, wait a minute, little girl. Do you believe that? It's OK to say that if you feel that way, but do you really think that I don't love you?’” John Sr. recalled. “She said, ‘Well no, Papa, I know you do. I said, ‘you just don't know how much you mean to me. You saved your papaw. Do you know that?’ She said, ‘I know that.’”
The CPA Practice Advisor released its annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey results. In addition to claiming five repeat categories, Drake Software’s solutions took first place in three more.
“We do not take this recognition lightly as it represents everything important to our users,” Drake Software President and CEO Dom Morea said. “While we are proud to take first in more categories than ever before, we remain most aware of being the tax preparation software of choice. Our constant aim is to bring our clients the most comprehensive and efficient tax preparation software in the industry.”
Drake Software’s first place categories in 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards:
• Tax Preparation Software — Drake Tax
• Tax Planning Systems — Drake Tax Planner
• 1099/W-2 Preparation — Drake Accounting
• Document Management and Storage — Drake Documents
• Client Portals for Firms — Drake Portals
• NEW Website Builders — Drake Software SiteDart Website Services
• NEW CPE Provider — Drake CPE
• NEW ASP/Hosted Solution Providers — Drake Software Hosting Powered by Right Networks
Mercy Urgent Care announced it has received partnership support from WNC Bridge Foundation to provide yearlong MercyMe healthcare memberships to 32 families in Western North Carolina. The recipients are primarily employees of nonprofit organizations in the five counties where Mercy Urgent Care’s eight facilities are located.
“Mercy Urgent Care launched MercyMe in 2022 to provide the lowest cost, highest access healthcare option possible for our patients,” said Mercy Urgent Care CEO Rachel Sossoman. “We’re pleased to partner with the WNC Bridge Foundation to build healthier communities across Western North Carolina.”
WNC Bridge Foundation is a communitybased charitable organization that works to provide funds to support and assist in meeting the many health challenges that face the people of Western North Carolina. In 2021, the foundation invested $6.2 million across the 18 counties of WNC, with $4.6 million in grant funding for local nonprofits.
Recipients of the WNC Bridge sponsored MercyMe memberships were chosen based on their ties to area nonprofits and need for healthcare access.
Launched in July 2022, MercyMe memberships offer comprehensive health care packages for individuals, families and employees for as little as $29 per month for an individual and $59 per month for a family of four. The essential plan includes up to three in-person or virtual visits per year, an annual wellness check, annual flu shot, and discounts on additional visits and services. The premium plan includes unlimited in-person or virtual visits per year, an annual wellness check, annual flu shot, and discounts on additional services.
The MercyMe memberships sponsored by WNC Bridge Foundation will provide a family of up to six members with six in-person and virtual visits per year, annual wellness checks and flu shots, plus discounts on additional visits and services.
Six candidates are hoping to earn one of two seats up for election in this year’s race for Painttown Tribal Council, offering voters a diverse set of education, experience and policy priorities.
Following the Primary Election Thursday, June 1, the top four vote-getters will go on to campaign for the General Election Thursday, Sept. 7, seeking one of two spots for the next two-year term beginning Monday, Oct. 2. These seats are just two of 12 Tribal Council seats on the ballot this year, with voters to select two representatives for each of six townships. Painttown, Wolfetown, Birdtown and Yellowhill all have enough candidates to warrant a primary race.
In Painttown, incumbents Dike Sneed and Sean “Michael” Stamper are seeking reelection. Challenging them are Andre Brown and Jeff Thompson, who both ran in the Dec. 15 special election that seated Stamper following the death of longtime Painttown Rep. Tommye Saunooke. In that race, which drew eight candidates, Thompson came in second and Brown finished last.
Carolyn West, an attorney who previously served as Tribal Council’s legislative counsel for six years, is making her first bid for elected office. Rounding out the ballot is Richard Delano Huskey, whose career thus far has been in IT.
All six candidates shared their experience, qualifications and priorities if elected with The Smoky Mountain News to help voters make their choice. Cherokee voters have until May 15 to request an absentee ballot, with voter registration for the Primary Election open through April 28. The EBCI Board of Elections is located in the Ginger Lynn Welch Complex at 808 Acquoni Road and available at 828.359.6361 or 828.359.6362.
Stamper, 32, has served on Tribal Council since Jan. 3 after winning the special election Dec. 15.
Stamper holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus on organizational leadership from Brevard College and spent 10 years prior to his election working for the tribe in positions spanning finance, higher education and public health and human services. He has served on the
Sequoyah National Golf Course Board of Directors since 2014 and has been appointed to several human resource committees.
If re-elected, Stamper hopes to continue working on the priorities he outlined during his campaign last year — community involvement and participation; transparency in all matters, including finance, legislation and day-to-day issues; and listening to the community and being the voice of the people. His aim, he said, is to “bring a foundation of trust and security to the position so that my community and tribe may prosper.”
Brown, 49, has been a business owner for more than 25 years, first operating a residential and commercial construction company and one year ago opening Hard Tymes Garage.
A U.S. Army veteran, Brown’s educational background primarily lies in construction, but he also holds law enforcement, auto and motorcycle certifications.
If elected, Brown’s top three priorities would be economic development focused on mainstream, all-ages family and local enjoyment, ensuring protection for the Minor Trust Fund and strengthening affordable housing for tribal members.
Sneed, 62, has represented Painttown on Tribal Council since 2019.
He joined Council after a 24-year career in law enforcement, beginning as a project cop and moving through the ranks, from patrolman to K9 officer to investigator to assistant chief. Sneed served as chief of police during the administration of former Principal Chief Patrick Lambert and ran for Tribal Council after retiring. Prior to entering the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program and his law enforcement career, Sneed worked
for Barkley’s Textile of Cherokee, Buncombe Construction and Ken Wilson Ford — he’s “not scared to hold down a job,” he said.
If re-elected, preserving and perpetuating the Cherokee language would be a top priority for Sneed. He also wants to improve food security on the Qualla Boundary, to include building a slaughterhouse and constructing a new greenhouse on tribal land. His third priority is to contain spending of tribal funds and better prioritize which ventures to pursue in the immediate future.
Thompson, 44, is currently manager for the Handicapped and Elderly Living Program — called HELP — of Snowbird and Cherokee County, as well as the area’s housing and building maintenance programs.
Holding an associate’s degree in business from Montreat College, he has 20 years of service with the tribe, the last five of which have been with the three programs he now oversees. Thompson is current pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
If elected, Thompson’s top priority would be fiscal responsibility — he said that “too often, there are questions that need to be asked that are never brought forth. The lack of transparency is very concerning to me.” Thompson believes that companies should be held more accountable for providing documentation and that better management of tribal finances will allow for improved healthcare, housing and language restoration efforts.
Huskey, 35, is a network administrator for the EBCI Office of Information Technology with more than a decade of experience in the IT field.
He holds a degree in cybercrime and computer information systems from Southwestern Community College and has worked for the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority as well as the EBCI.
If elected, Huskey would work on priorities that are “essential for building a strong and sustainable community,” including implementing a constitution that limits government power and enforces term limits, ensuring that all branches of government work together to create a fair and just system. His priorities would also include bring-
This year, Cherokee voters will choose a principal chief, vice chief, 12 Tribal Council representatives and three School Board representatives, but not all these races attracted enough candidates to warrant a primary race. The following candidates will run in the Primary Election June 1 for principal chief, Painttown School Board and Tribal Council representing Painttown, Wolfetown, Birdtown and Yellowhill.
Principal Chief
• Michell Hicks
• Gene Crowe Jr.
• Robert Saunooke
• Richard Sneed
• Lori Taylor
• Gary Ledford
Birdtown
• Cyndi Lambert
• Albert Rose
• Joi Owle
• Boyd Owle
• Jim Owle
Painttown
• Sean “Michael” Stamper
• Andre Brown
• Dike Sneed
• Jeff Thompson
• Richard Delano Huskey
• Carolyn West
Yellowhill
• T.W. Saunooke
• David Wolfe
• Stephanie Saunooke French
• Tom Wahnetah
• Ernest Tiger
Wolftown/Big Y
• Bo Crowe
• Andrew Oocumma
• Qiana Powell
• Chelsea Taylor
• Mike Parker
• Peanut Crowe
School Board Painttown
• Regina Rosario
• Micah Swimmer
• Keyonna Hornbuckle
ing new businesses and activities to the Qualla Boundary that aren’t reliant on Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and addressing the ongoing impact of inflation by providing tribal members with housing and land purchasing assistance, and by offering them opportunities to save or earn money through tribal programs.
West, 50, is an attorney practicing federal Indian law and criminal defense who also chairs the board for Qualla Enterprise, which is the tribe’s
The annual synchronous firefly viewing event at Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be June 4-11 this year, with a lottery for passes to attend open for entry 10 a.m. Friday, April 28, through 8 p.m. Monday, May 1.
There will be 960 total passes — 120 per night — issued, with results of a randomized computer drawing available Thursday, May 11. Winners will receive a vehicle pass to park one passenger vehicle with a maximum of seven occupants directly at the Elkmont viewing location. Lottery applicants may choose two potential dates to attend.
There is a $1 fee to enter the lottery, and successful applicants will be charged a $24 fee to cover the cost of awarding the passes, on-site portable bathrooms, supplies and personnel costs. Passes are non-refundable,
cannabis business.
non-transferable and good only for the date issued, with a limit of one application per household per season.
The synchronous fireflies, Photinus carolinus, emerge every year in late May or early June, putting on a show after dark as they flash in unison. Since 2006, the park has limited access to Elkmont during the eight days of predicted peak activity to reduce traffic congestion and provide a safe experience for visitors and fireflies. During the viewing period, only vehicles with a lottery reservation or registered Elkmont Campground and backcountry campers may access Elkmont after 4 p.m., including walking or biking the Elkmont entrance road or Jakes Creek Road.
To enter the lottery, search for “Great Smoky Mountains Firefly Viewing Lottery” at recreation.gov.
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West holds a J.D. and Indian law certificate from the University of New Mexico and is licensed to practice in two states and two tribal nations. Her other degrees include a master’s of public affairs and bachelor’s degree in crim-
inal justice, both from Western Carolina University, and an associate’s degree in paralegal technology from Southwestern Community College. Before going into private practice, she served as legislative counsel for the Navajo Nation 2014-2016 and for the EBCI 2016-2022. While in that role, she said, she learned that “community and community representation is at the core of representing one community as a Tribal Council representative.”
Carolyn West
If elected, West aims to establish a legislative committee system to ensure that Tribal Council thoroughly researches proposed legislation before taking action, update the Cherokee Code and launch an entrepreneurship program for young people who don’t want to pursue the traditional college route after high school.
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Across the state of North Carolina, the public’s right to know what its elected leaders are doing remains foundational to the principles of open government. But when elected officials— especially those suspected of wrongdoing — are asked for copies of their government-related communications, there’s absolutely no way to ensure that true and accurate records are being provided, and there’s absolutely nothing anyone can do about it.
Over the last couple of months, The Smoky Mountain News has made a number of public records requests when investigating Haywood County Commissioner Terry Ramey’s tax delinquencies.
Ramey has also parroted debunked claims made by Monroe Miller, a selfappointed local government watchdog best known for his conspiracy theories surrounding official misconduct. Among those is that there is $6 million missing from county coffers after a recent land deal, though there is no proof supporting this claim. This led SMN to also make public records requests for all of Ramey’s communications that pertain to county business.
Through working to get those requests filled, many problems with the request process were uncovered. When it comes down to it, public officials are trusted to provide their own records, meaning there is nothing compelling them to comply with the statute.
North Carolina’s public records statute is relatively broad; by definition it includes all physical or electronic records “made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business.”
All public offices and public officers, along with any state-created agency, are subject to the statute.
Certain records can be withheld. Most commonly, those are the proceedings of closed sessions, economic development discussions, some law enforcement-related materials and communications regarding personnel matters.
Other records can be released so long as certain information is redacted, like signatures, bank account numbers and other sensitive personal data.
Anyone can make a public records request, for any reason, and statute prohibits agencies or officials from asking requestors why they want the records.
Statutes don’t mention a deadline for the fulfillment of such requests but do stipulate they be completed “as promptly as possible.”
Reasonable fees may be charged, but usually aren’t unless the request involves significant staff time, photocopying or postage.
It’s the custodian of those records’ job to deliver the records.
As Haywood County’s chief information officer, Joey Webb Jr. finds himself coordinating public records requests that involve data, especially emails. Webb said there’s definitely been an uptick in the number of requests he’s fielded in the last two or three years, but there’s been no real way to measure the increase — until now.
Recently, the county purchased a request management system called NextRequest. Webb thinks the annual license costs about $6,000, but that could actually help save money and staff time by organizing requests so they can be fulfilled more efficiently.
“Sometimes people make really broad requests that just grind the staff almost to a halt,” Webb said. “It almost monopolizes staff time, dealing with just a few public records requests while we still have the daily business that we have to do.”
Buried on the Haywood County
management page for requestors, so they can keep track of every public records request they’ve ever made.
In the event that a request covers multiple departments with multiple custodians, the page shows who’s been assigned to perform which parts of the task. The portal also sends reminder emails to administrators and elected officials who haven’t yet completed their tasks.
One important time-saver included in the software is the ability to redact information on the documents as they’re received.
In the past, it’s been up to the custodian to use whatever means available — photo editing programs, or even a thick black marker — to obscure entries that contain restricted information.
This can be the most time-consuming part of any request, especially those that involve certain law enforcement records or information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Protection Act of 1996.
“As an example, there was an out-of-town media outlet who made a very large request to the health department during the pandemic,” Webb said. “So through that period, somebody had made a public records request for any email that contained certain keywords. The health department, dealing with HIPAA, had to review every individual record to make sure no confidential information was there. It was tens of thousands of emails.”
As records become available, they can be uploaded to the portal in real time rather than waiting for the entire request to be fulfilled before the results are delivered, as is often the case. Email notifications are then provided to the requestor.
The portal provides not only accountability to the requestor, but also provides tracking for the county on the number of requests processed and the amount of time staff spends on those requests.
One of the major ways the public can
Government Website is a link to NextRequest. Requestors can start by creating an account and making their specific request through the portal.
Requestors can’t be forced to use the portal, so the county must still accept requests delivered in any other legible way, but all requests will be routed through the portal so county administration can manage workflow. Likewise, the results will be delivered through the portal, although they can be fulfilled via an email or even with paper copies, at the requestor’s discretion.
After signing up and making a request, requestors receive an immediate confirmation email and a link to a page that shows the status of the request.
NextRequest also displays an account
keep abreast of the doings of their administrators and elected officials is to request a record of their communications.
“Government is always best when it is open,” said Tom Boney, publisher of the Alamance News. “People are always better served by having open government.”
Boney was recognized by the National Newspaper Association in 2021 with the First Amendment Award, which recognizes “valiant actions” by journalists after he was arrested and jailed for attempting to report on a courtroom hearing in 2020.
During the North Carolina Press Association’s annual conference in 2022, Boney said he thought that the Raleigh News & Observer regularly used to request communications from F
“Unfortunately, much of our legal system runs on the honor system. I get it, that that can be unsatisfactory.”
— Amanda MartinIt’s largely up to public servants to be knowledgable about, and to comply with, public records laws in North Carolina. File photo
county officials, and that it was a good idea.
Requesting communications from public officials, whether elected or appointed, is quite a bit different than requesting simple documents, like contracts, which are both known to exist and are clearly public records.
Like almost everyone else, public officials communicate in a variety of ways including emails, phone calls, texts or private messages on Facebook, Twitter or other apps and social networks.
Communication often takes place across a variety of devices – laptops and desktops, tablets and smartphones. Sometimes they’re personal devices, sometimes they’re government issue.
Usually, those communications are mixed in with personal messages about non-government business, like when a someone asks their spouse to pick up a gallon of milk on the way home from work. Such conversations are not public record, because they don’t deal with government business.
When a request for communications is made, the custodian of records, which in this case is the elected or appointed official, delivers those records.
But there’s absolutely no oversight of that process.
In short, requestors are left to rely on the official’s knowledge of and desire to comply with the statute by providing all materials that are public records, in all formats, from all devices — even if the records are politically damaging or are evidence of illegal activity.
“Unfortunately, much of our legal system runs on the honor system. I get it, that that can be unsatisfactory,” said Amanda Martin, general counsel to the North Carolina Press Association and a partner at Raleigh-based Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych. “There is no process to have someone look over the shoulder or verify that the right emails are being pulled and the right emails are being produced. You have a good case if you have some evidence otherwise, but in the abstract, we (perhaps foolishly) presume that people are following the law.”
On Jan. 10, The Smoky Mountain News made a public records request for all communications made or received by Ramey from the time he was sworn in on Dec. 8,
2022, through Jan. 8, 2023. This particular request took place before the implementation of the county’s NextRequest portal.
“We don’t have an easy way to capture phone call logs,” Webb said. “So the way we would do that is we would reach out to Ramey in this particular case, and say, ‘Hey, can you send us screenshots of all your phone calls, so that we can put those in this request?’”
On Jan. 20, the request was delivered. Ramey himself provided 20 screenshots from his cell phone, listing calls made and received. Of the 20 screenshots, all were heavily redacted. Only two showed the dates upon which calls were made or received. Assuming the records provided by Ramey are accurate, Ramey made or received only 26 phone calls pertaining to county business during his first month in office. Eight calls involved County Manager Bryant Morehead, seven involved Commissioner Brandon Rogers, four involved Webb and another four involved Commissioner Tommy Long. The final three calls were with Sheriff Bill Wilke, County Attorney Frank Queen and Commissioner Jennifer Best.
All of the calls were to or from elected officials or county administrators like Morehead, Queen and Webb. If the records provided by Ramey are accurate, that means Ramey did not make or take a single call from a constituent about county business during his entire first month in office.
Screenshots of Ramey’s texts, provided by Ramey, reveal that his only text conversations took place between fellow commissioners, the county manager and the county board clerk.
Requests for emails are handled a little differently, according to Webb. Since they’re stored on a county server, the county pulls a block of emails during a specific time frame and then sends them to the official — in this case, Ramey — who must then go through and redact anything they believe isn’t public record.
Again, there’s no oversight of this process to ensure that the official understands public records laws and is complying with them.
It’s also impossible to tell if emails were redacted or deleted by Ramey, whether legally or illegally. Statute makes the
Per the public records request delivered by the county, Ramey received 99 emails during that first month. Many were routine county business, including more than a dozen from the board clerk, but Ramey received more emails from Miller than from anyone else, a total of 31.
Of the 99 emails, one was sent to all commissioners asking for help with trash on Richland Creek Road. Others were from Miller, as well as Janet Presson and Sherry Morgan, both of whom commonly espouse debunked conspiracy theories during the public comment portions of commissioner meetings.
On Feb. 10, The Smoky Mountain News again requested communications from Ramey for his second month in office, a period from Jan. 9 through Feb. 8. Ramey produced screenshots for 100 calls made or received during that period.
None of the screenshots are dated, and there’s no way to tell if the screenshots reflect all calls made or received by Ramey during that month.
Additionally, none of the screenshots provided by Ramey contain any redactions; of the 100 calls, 29 appear to involve family members, including Ramey’s girlfriend. These calls are not likely government business, and therefore are not likely public records.
Another 10 appear to be robocalls and are not likely public records, and there are four missed calls from Citibank.
Ramey has refused to answer questions about his understanding of public records statutes and requests.
Screenshots further show 13 calls were either to or from elected officials or county administrators like Long, Rogers or Wilke and that 12 calls were to or from Miller, ostensibly about public business.
That leaves just 36 calls out of 100 that may or may not be true constituent concerns, not including Miller’s.
A third request by The Smoky Mountain News made on March 15 asked for Ramey’s communications during his third month in office, from Feb. 9 through March 8.
Ramey has so far refused to provide records of any telephone call activity for that month.
Megan Emily Tate, 29, of Sylva, was sentenced April 20 to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing a substance that contained fentanyl and caused two overdoses.
“Fentanyl is a highly potent substance that can quickly cause accidental drug poisoning. In many instances, victims do not know they are ingesting a potentially deadly drug until it’s too late,” said U.S. Attorney King. “The surge in fentanyl distribution is affecting families and communities everywhere. Law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, and local level are committed to dismantling fentanyl networks and holding accountable those who engage in the distribution of this dangerous drug.”
“Fentanyl is extremely dangerous and leaves behind a trail of devastation. Ms. Tate obviously had total disregard for the safety of others,” said Special Agent in Charge Murphy.
According to filed court documents and the April 20 sentencing hearing, in April 2021, deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Tate for suspected distribution of fentanyl. While Tate was in custody at the Jackson County Detention Center, she supplied two inmates with fentanyl, causing them to overdose. As a result, both overdose victims were transported to the hospital and one victim was placed on a ventilator. Both victims later recovered from their drug overdose. According to court documents, over the course of the investigation into the drug overdose incidents, law enforcement determined that Tate had supplied each victim with a substance that contained fentanyl, which Tate had concealed and later retrieved from her body cavity while in the detention center.
On January 30, 2023, Tate pleaded guilty to distribution of a mixture of substance containing fentanyl. She is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER
“I’d like to add one more thing,” Marigold Showers said.
She is sitting with her back to the garage-style window in Santé Wine Bar that looks out onto Sylva’s Main Street. It is a cool, cloudy day and the sun hasn’t made an appearance since early morning. But inside the cavernous bar, there is a bright, palpable energy.
Showers just wrapped up hosting “What the Cat Dragged In,” a bi-monthly drag show that packed out the small establishment. Performers and residents alike linger to chat, compliment and admire. Their faces are lit up, their voices abuzz with the energy that a good drag show demands from its audience. But today, among the excited chatter and lingering feel-good energy, there is an undercurrent of fear and anticipation.
“There has never been a world without trans people; there never will be a world without trans people,” Showers said.
Lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly introduced a bill this month titled “an act to clarify the regulations on adult live entertainment.” The legislation as currently written expands the definition of adult live entertainment to include “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest, regardless of whether or not performed for consideration.”
The bill would make it unlawful to engage in adult live entertainment on public property or in a location where the entertainment is in the presence of an individual under the age of 18.
According to the legislation, a person who violates the law is guilty of a Class A1
misdemeanor for the first offense and is guilty of a Class I felony on subsequent offenses.
One of the primary sponsors of the bill is Rep. Mark Pless, (R-Haywood), and Rep. Mike Clampitt, (R-Swain), is a secondary sponsor.
While drag performances and drag culture tend to flourish in more populationdense, metropolitan areas like Asheville or Charlotte, Sylva has become its own center of LGBTQ+ culture in Western North Carolina. In 2021, the town hosted its first annual gay pride parade, a celebration common across large American cities. It was made possible by grassroots groups like Sylva Pride, Sylva Queer Support and Education and Sylva Belles Drag, as well as several supportive local businesses. These groups not only foster community for LGBTQ+ people in Western North Carolina today, but also work alongside Blue Ridge Pride to uncover and record LGBTQ+ stories and histories through its oral history project and LGBTQ+ archive.
Sylva Belles Drag organizes and coordinates among drag performers in Sylva and the greater WNC to put on drag shows in the area.
“Drag culture is able to flourish [in Sylva] because we have so many new entertainers who wouldn’t have had a chance to do drag in surrounding towns,” said Showers. “They see the chance to do it here and there’s a lot of new entertainers, a lot of college kids, with interesting, bright and fresh ideas, and also there’s a great queer community in Sylva that are really passionate about drag and that’s what allows it to flourish.”
Between downtown Sylva and Western Carolina University, drag shows are a main-
stay of entertainment in Jackson County. Innovation Station in Dillsboro is home to the monthly Divas on Tap show, Lazy Hiker Brewery in Sylva regularly hosts the Mad for Drag show, and Dark Moon Cocktail Bar is the setting for Drag Karaoke every other Wednesday evening. Not only do these shows provide opportunities for entertainment, work for drag performers, visibility of and connection for the LGBTQ+ community, but they also provide opportunities for local businesses.
On this otherwise sleepy, dreary Sunday afternoon when Showers is speaking with The Smoky Mountain News, Santé Wine Bar is standing room only. After the show, a majority of patrons filter over to The Cut, another locally owned business, to get a cocktail and mingle.
Showers and her fellow drag queens are concerned about how this legislation will affect their ability to perform and draw income from drag shows, but more so, what other implications could come from the bill’s passage.
“It’s specifically dangerous because of how vaguely worded the legislation is,” said Showers. “It could literally endanger trans folks who are just out shopping at the grocery store who are doing anything wrong whatsoever. It could cause trans people who are out and about, living their lives, it could cause them to get a felony just for who they are, just because someone doesn’t understand when they see a trans person in public.”
This is a common complaint about the North Carolina legislation, as well as similar bills introduced in other states that aim to limit drag performance. LGBTQ+ rights activists are concerned that because of the way the legislation is worded, it could be
used to target trans people for expressing their gender identity in public.
“I think there might be an overreaction to that,” said Clampitt. “We could ‘what if’ anything to death.”
Then there is the economic concern for entertainers whose options for work would be limited.
“It can put trans and drag entertainers at financial risk by prohibiting them from this source of finances. It cuts off their bill money, their food money. There are many drag entertainers who do drag for a living and to take that away from them is completely ruthless,” said Showers.
Sponsors of the bill say the aim is to protect children. Rep. Jeff Zenger, (R-Forsyth), said the bill was filed in response to a video that went viral showing a drag queen performing at a community college in his district that enrolls students as young as 14.
“It’s just inappropriate for younger children,” said Clampitt. “It might be adult entertainment, but children should not have to be exposed to that type of thing and should not be modeled into that arena.”
When asked whether that argument holds standing, that drag entertainment is only appropriate for people over the age of 18, Showers compared drag to other types of entertainment that have a range of content.
“I would let them know that it's just like cinema, or it's just like music. There are movies and songs out there that are not appropriate for kids and there are movies and songs out there that are, and they are branded as such,” said Showers. “Movies have a rating, CDs and music will have an explicit content advisory, and our drag shows do the same. Our drag shows will say if there is a family-friendly show or if it’s a 21 and up show. It’s blatantly obvious on our promotional. There is no reason to fear that a child would be led into a 21-and-up show because we would not let them.”
While there is debate about the origins of the word drag, the concept has ancient roots. For hundreds of years, from ancient Greek civilizations throughout the 20th Century, women were often barred from performing in theater. Men regularly took the parts upon themselves and performed replete with dresses, makeup and exaggerated feminine characteristics.
Often referred to as female impersonators, the performance took on a new, more dynamic meaning in the context of vaudeville shows of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
However, the first person known to refer to themselves as a drag queen, or more specifically the “queen of drag” was a man by the name of William Dorsey Swann. Born into slavery in 1860, Swann organized a series of drag balls in Washington, D.C. throughout the 1880s and 1890s. He was arrested several times when police raided the events and is the first person on record to be arrested for female impersonation in the United States on April 12, 1888.
Today, drag is a form of entertainment that involves music, lip syncing, dancing, comedy and story- F
telling.
During Sunday’s show, Showers took her opportunity as host to speak about HB 673, to loud boos of agreement from the crowd, shouts of ‘no hate in my state’ and ‘no hate in the holler.’
“There’s a little thing called House Bill 673. It is among a laundry list of bills they have introduced that are against the transgender community,” Showers told the crowd. “Drag is not a crime, but they are trying to make it a crime. They could slap these people with a felony, and that’s pure evil.”
Showers implored her crowd to support the LGBTQ+ community by calling their legislator and voicing opposition to the bill.
“It is a violation of freedom of speech and freedom of expression,” said Showers.
While the bill is troubling for many in the LGBTQ+ community, it is not unique. Several states across the nation have introduced similar bills intended to limit drag performance, including the law in Tennessee that banned drag performance in public places or in the presence of minors.
In the North Carolina General Assembly this year there are several bills that aim to regulate freedoms of transgender people including the bill that addresses trans athlete participation, and three bills that restrict or ban gender-affirming care to
The Women’s History Trail project of the Folk Heritage Association of Macon County (FHAMC) adopted an activity in 2018 that was implemented in March as a part of Women’s History Month. This activity continues to be a celebratory event to honor a Matriarch in Macon County who has made steady and useful contributions to the community in categories such as education, government, heritage, arts and occupations.
On March 29, Sue Waldroop was recognized as the 2023 Macon Matriarch by the Women’s History Trail committee and honored with a reception at the Macon County Public Library.
Anne Hyder, chairperson of the FHAMC, opened the reception by sharing important background that highlighted Waldroop’s connection and commitment to Macon County.
She has served in various leadership roles throughout her life: Brownie Scout leader, chair of the Planning Board and the Board of Elections, League of Women Voters,
Heritage Association of Macon County Board Member/Secretary. She helped organize
and volunteered for several years at the annual Franklin Area Folk Festival.
Western North Carolina University’s English Studies Department invites everyone to a brisk evening of short fiction, nonfiction and poetry readings by students and featured faculty members. Along with students, faculty reading at the “Three-Minute Wonders” reading event are Mary Adams, Catherine Carter, Pam Duncan, Jeremy Jones, Ron Rash, Brian Railsback and Travis Roundtree. The event will be from 6:30-8 p.m. this Friday, April 28, at the Lazy Hiker in Sylva. $20 donations will be accepted at the door. All questions should be directed to Brian Railsback, who can be emailed at brailsba@wcu.edu.
“Migration of the Home Folk” is the title of the presentation for the May 4 meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society. In the 1800s, single family units, family groups and communities migrated to Western North Carolina. Among those families were the Crawford, Blanton,
Conner, Morrow, Paris, Queen, Hyatt, Sherrill families and others.
Bill Crawford, a lifelong resident of Jackson County, is a historian and genealogist with deep knowledge of life and events of Jackson County and WNC. Although he remains an active member of the Swain Society, he is a founding member of the Jackson Society. He is an alumnus of Western Carolina Teachers’ College and retired in 1991 after 35 years of working at Dayco.
The presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. May 4 at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center in Bryson City.
A National Day of Prayer service will be held at the outdoor amphitheater below the cross at Lake Junaluska at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 4.
The service will be an opportunity to come together to pray for the nation, and representatives from the community will lead all gathered in prayers for family, church, workplace, education, military, government and arts and media.
The service will be one of thousands of local National Day of Prayer events to be held across the country. In 1952, Congress established an annual day of prayer and, in 1988, that law was amended, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.
The theme for the 2023 National Day Prayer is “Pray fervently in righteousness and avail much,” and is based on James 5:16b: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Parking will be at Lambuth Inn with disability parking available by the cross. Seating will be available above the amphitheater for those who are unable to climb the steps. In the event of inclement weather, the service will take place at Memorial Chapel.
For more information about the National Day of Prayer, visit nationaldayofprayer.org.
A grant for $4,375 was awarded to the Haywood County Animal Shelter for its participation in the national Return to Home Challenge.
Maddie’s Fund is a national family foundation established by Dave and Cheryl Duffield to revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals. A total of 140 organization across the United States participated in this challenge, resulting in 10,324 dogs and cats being returned to their homes in October 2022.
In 2022’s challenge, the shelter instituted a “Free Ride Home” for animals picked up by shelter field officers. If the lost animal was microchipped or had an ID collar, the officers would take them home at no charge. Over 36 animals were returned during the month of October under this program.
Unfortunately, many stray animals have no identification on them when found in the field. Dogs are required to wear a metal identification tag inscribed with the dog’s owner’s name, address and telephone number securely attached to the collar, according to the Haywood County animal ordinances.
Field officers also carry microchip scanners with them and will scan both dogs and cats for ID to help reunite them with owners. Upon identifying and locating the owner, field officers will now take the animal home free. This applies to first time lost pets.
The Board of Directors and Staff of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce welcomed Magnolia Mission to the Franklin business community with a ribbon cutting celebration.
“Our goal at Magnolia Mission is to provide support, supplies and encouragement to current and prospective foster families, adoptive families, and birth families. We also aim to mobilize and equip the local community for foster care and advocate for vulnerable children,” said Director Becky Bennett. “I am thankful to our board of directors who work alongside me.”
Magnolia Mission offers crisis intervention in the form of a welcome basket that contains household essentials and some items for the child, a meal and a gift card for the family to use to get some child-specific items.
This crisis intervention takes place within 48 hours of a placement arriving. Pre-licensing items are also offered to bring homes up to state standards for foster licensing along with continued support to foster families while they have a placement, and a care basket of local goodies and a restaurant gift card when a placement leaves.
Events are hosted every other month for foster families and children to have some fun, and provide DSS appreciation every other month, as well.
“What we need from the community is financial support, along with volunteering to be on a care team, the commitment for a care team member would be about one to two hours a month,” Bennett said. “There are so many opportunities to come alongside the families and support the kids in Macon County, even without welcoming one of them into your home.”
For more information or to contact Becky Bennett, please call 828.371.1541 or email magnoliamission.macon@gmail.com.
During a recent trip to the grocery store I noticed that everyone looked stone faced. The only people who were smiling and looked lively were the children skipping alongside their caretakers. It made me realize that if people would smile a little more and not look so miserable, the world could be a brighter place. After I had this thought, I began thinking of other ways that we as individuals can add more light to a seemingly dark world.
In generations past, there was no 24-hour news cycle or social media. We woke up, went to work and school, attended afternoon activities, came home, ate dinner, watched a little TV and went to bed. If we wanted to watch the news, we had to be sure to catch it at 6 p.m. or 11 p.m.
Otherwise, you had to wait until the following day to find out what was going on.
This was our norm, so we didn’t think much of it. Upon reflection, it was nice to be oblivious all day and solely focus on the activities and events in our own little bubbles. Oh, how times have changed. We now live in a world of constant notifications, updates and news briefs. Many of us are on screens for a large part of the day, whether it’s for work or by personal choice.
Our brains and nervous systems have not evolved as rapidly as technology, and this discord is wreaking havoc on many people’s mental health. Additionally, there’s nothing we can do about the availability of stimuli. It’s probably only going to get worse and worse. There is, however, something we can do about our exposure to it. Further, there are some things we can easily do to offer more light into a world consumed with worry and fear.
The first action someone can take to offer more light into the world is to stop complaining. The act of complaining is
one of the lowest vibrational behaviors a human can exhibit. Not only is it annoying to other people, but it decreases energy levels and doesn’t accomplish anything. In fact, studies have shown that complaining impacts the brain and body. It makes you more likely to think negatively and impair your memory. MRI scans show that constant complaining can lead to shrinking of the hippocampus, the region in your brain responsible for cognitive functioning. It increases cortisol and can even shorten your lifespan because optimists tend to live significantly longer than pessimists.
Secondly, change your outlook on life. Instead of focusing on all of the sad, scary or frustrating events and situations in today’s world, focus on the good. We’re hardwired to worry. It’s an old mechanism that’s meant to protect us, but since we’re no longer foraging for every meal or running from lions, the adrenaline generated from worry gets stored in our bodies which exacerbates stress and negativity.
To help encourage a more positive outlook, we can do a few things to burn off this extra adrenaline. Exercise and enjoying nature are two of the best ways to metabolize adrenaline and calm the nervous system. It doesn’t have to be running or cycling or swimming. Something as simple as a long walk or gardening will accomplish this. Nature is always ready to offer reprieve. Most of us stay inside a large portion of the day due to work and personal responsibilities. We must be intentional about getting outside, absorbing vitamin D and relishing in the beautiful gifts offered by Mother Earth, such
as blossoming flowers, quiet hiking trails or running creeks. Another way to offer light is to look to our young people for inspiration. Children and adolescents still know how to laugh and enjoy the simple things in life. If we allow ourselves, we can let their positive energy elevate our own. The kids in my life are full of hopes, dreams and determination. I love watching them work hard at sports and school and dream big. I also am humbled by the way they eloquently navigate this very complicated world in which we now live. They are growing up amidst pandemics, mass shootings, extreme political unrest, climate change and other very heavy matters that were off the radar when many of us were growing up.
Lastly, we need to accept our world as it is and go into each day on the offensive instead of the defensive. We can intentionally put away our phones and computers to minimize access to the stream of information and updates. Life is never going to be like it was “when we were kids.” With that thought in mind, instead of missing the old days, we need to lean into the present and work hard to be a source of encouragement to those around us. That is the single best way to brighten our world.
Circling back to the beginning of this column, I encourage everyone to smile a little more. It’s as if we’ve forgotten how to smile at a stranger. We are all one human race, after all. Despite our many differences, we are social beings who seek connection. There’s a quote by Alan Ruffus that says, “Smile, your soul’s watching.” When we smile, we tell our soul to be grateful and that’s when true change begins.
(Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist with The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)
To the Editor:
Mr. Dan Kowal’s second letter to the editor (April 12 edition of The Smoky Mountain News) is a doubling-down on the insults and distortions of his previous letter and requires a response. I’m glad he spoke with the Macon and Jackson librarians, but their account is only one side of the story.
Ms. Hardison has only been the Macon librarian for about two months, and she was not involved in this controversy or personally knowledgeable about the vast majority of what occurred. Most of our dealings have been with the previous Macon head librarian and former FRL Director, Karen Wallace, and the newlyappointed director, Tracy Fitzmaurice.
In regard to the criticism about library forms, this is a new talking point from the FRL director, inaccurate in terms of key details and a total and utter distraction from the issues. First, several Franklin moms and dads attended a meeting of the Macon County Library Board at the Highlands library last August. At this meeting Karen Wallace provided us with the materials reconsideration forms. She also said point blank that submitting forms was not the only way to initiate a reconsideration of a book, its placement in a specific section or other library policies, and that showing up to a FRL board meeting and voicing a specific concern had the same effect. We got this directly from the Fontana Regional Director at the time.
So, we did both. We submitted some forms requesting books be moved from the teens section to the adult section and we attended meetings regularly and voiced our concerns. We were actually reluctant to use the forms, because we did not want that to give rise to charges that we wanted to remove or ban books, because that is not our goal. (Did you hear me? We do not want to ban or remove books. Full stop.)
Ironically, now Mrs. Fitzmaurice, Mr. Kowal and others want to make this debate about paperwork: “You didn’t submit the forms! You didn’t follow procedure!” If we had submitted more forms, we would have been criticized for that.
As to books being “properly vetted” as Mr. Kowal claims, that is highly debatable. We have spoken to the head librarians about their process of selection, and they’ve admitted that library staff do not read books before they are purchased and shelved, even if they have a lot of sexual content and are placed in the teen’s section. They give a lot of deference to glowing reviews found on various online sites and awards given to books, many of which are given specifically to books that feature sexu-
al topics, such as the Stonewall Award. These things carry more weight with them than the concerns of actual parents in the community and are cited in answer to our forms as to why they won’t move explicit books to the adult section.
Mr. Kowal goes on to accuse us of demonizing the library staff and “the LGBTQ community.” This is false, and an example of his demonization of us. We have never demonized LGBTQ people. That is a lie meant to “escalate fear, division, and disinformation within our community,” the very thing he accuses us of doing. And regarding library staff, we have clearly and consistently pointed out the flaws in their selection criteria for minors and their display policy, and challenged some of their actions and biases, but we have not attacked or vilified them personally.
Mr. Kowal slams concerned citizens for pointing out that the Fontana Regional Library directors and board have implemented policies that sexualize children. Wikipedia defines “sexualize” as “to make something sexual in character or quality or to become aware of sexuality.” When a child picks up a book from a display in the children’s section entitled “Julian Is A Mermaid” and sees illustrations of a little boy around age 5 repeatedly undressing down to his underwear, donning womens’ clothes, and joining a pride parade with adult drag queens, that is sexualization. When a teenager (or God forbid, an even younger child) picks up “Gender Queer” (now shelved in the adult section, but displayed in the teens section this past September) and views illustrations of two girls engaging in oral sex with the assistance of a wearable dildo, that is sexualization. Whether they intended to sexualize children is beside the point. Sexualization is the clear effect.
I’m glad that the FRL board and the Macon County Commissioners are going to sit down and attempt to renegotiate the terms of our agreement. It’s outrageous that after all we have invested in the Fontana library system over the past 79 years, they would confiscate all the library resources in our Franklin and Nantahala libraries (but not the Highlands library, oddly enough) if we voted to leave. That, and the policies that have subjected children to sexually explicit and sexualizing material have got to be seriously revised. We have followed the process, now we entrust this to our commissioners to resolve in the best manner possible.
Rebecca Tipton Franklin
Sitting backstage at the Asheville Music Hall, Neal Francis takes a moment to collect himself and think about where he stands right now — spiritually and artistically.
“The main thing is keeping myself centered, making sure I have a routine on the road practicing meditation,” Francis said. “I get in my head really easily, you know? I second guess everything and doubt myself. It’s easy to slip into that mode. I have to practice letting go of those thoughts because I don’t have control over them — but I can let them pass.”
The Chicago soul-rocker is on a rocket ship trajectory since the release of his acclaimed 2021 album “In Plain Sight.” A blend of soaring funk and searing rock-n-roll, Francis is as timeless as he is innovative.
“I want to go out there [onstage] and let the light shine through [to the audience],” Francis said. “And I’m constantly moving the goalposts. It’s about adaptation and moving forward — you reach a goal, then you’re already thinking about the next thing.”
And it’s no surprise that Francis may, perhaps, seem a little overwhelmed by the ride he and his band are on in real time. Francis quit drinking a while back in an effort to wrangle in his own personal demons after years of combating his emotions with booze.
“One of the ironies with alcohol is that it not only covers up anxiety, it actually spurs it on even more,” Francis noted. “And
[add that] to my Catholic upbringing — they institutionalized guilt and shame, where you can’t be happy.”
At the core of Francis’ lyrics is this keen sense of self-deprecation, partly from mining his own troubles with the Catholic church and his ongoing sobriety, but mostly from this comingof-age within the 34-year-old, his trials and tribulations cultivated into a bountiful, melodic harvest — in the same realm as iconic artists like Sly Stone, Dr. John, and Allen Toussaint.
“Another aspect of my meditation practice is just being in the present, recognizing where I am and having gratitude for this right now,” Francis said. “It’s really self-preservation because otherwise I’ll drift into the future, and there’s all sorts of fear in the future. And there’s all sorts of shame in the past, too — the present is the only place I should be in.”
When asked about his alcohol abuse, Francis is refreshingly candid, more so thankful for this second chance at life of where currently stands. Though acknowledged and embraced in hind-
The annual Bear Shadow music festival will take place April 28-30 at the Winfield Farm in Highlands.
sight, he looks at that raucous chapter of his life as a version of himself that Francis no longer identifies with, happily.
“And I know that person, he stills exists [in me] — he just doesn’t drink anymore,” Francis said. “This [right now] is the bonus round, man. Every day I wake is a bonus. The first step to knowing anything is realizing that you don’t know anything. And that’s liberating in a way — I don’t need to worry about anything except for what’s happening at this exact moment.”
With “In Plain Sight” now in the rearview mirror, Francis is already gearing up for the follow-up album, and in whatever direction the music and the inspiration may take him — this captivating musician at the crossroads of his artistic intent and inspiration.
“[This music] is my life — the vulnerability, narcissism, vanity. And I know these qualities exist within myself that I don’t like,” Francis said. “But, if I write about them, it’s a way of keeping it out in front of me. It’s me trying to be a better person each day.”
Aside from the recording sessions and incessant touring, the aspirations to wander down other creative avenues from fashion to film, Neal Francis is — at his essential core — simply a human being in a perpetual search for meaning in not only his own existence, but also that of his band and the sincerity of his stage show.
on
“I’m getting better at loving myself, and that can be tough,” Francis said. “When I’m onstage, I’m listening to my band and I’m playing along with them. I enjoy that experience, and it makes me happy. Hopefully, by extension, it’s making the audience happy, as well.”
Last Friday afternoon marked the first “Downtown After 5” on Lexington Avenue in the heart of Asheville. The unofficial kickoff to the summer and all of its impending shenanigans in the name of irresponsible enlightenment. A hot sun hung high above the city as the multitudes rolled in from seemingly every direction.
Heading into the crowd, it was a whirlwind of familiar faces and new ones, too. Rock music echoing from the massive stage underneath the I-240 overpass. Plastic cups of local craft beer and food trucks. Smiles and laughter. A scene of camaraderie and connectivity after the solitude and buckle down nature of winter and early spring.
And it was in that moment at-hand when I started to take inventory of what was unfolding before me. That every-so-often sense of self where, suddenly, you’re struck with the realities of time itself, its perpetual motion and onward ethos of “you’re either on the bus or off the bus.”
Especially when you live and work in the journalism world, where time is measured by deadlines and kicking this newspaper out the door every Tuesday afternoon.
Everything done by us reporters seems to get compartmentalized, each week a shoebox of stories and interactions, actions and reactions, thoughts and words, all strung together in a feeling of urgency and social responsibility.
But, this recent moment of clarity, of another inventory of the heart and soul within, was met with a wave of gratitude and sentimentality. The older you get, the more you are in tune with the cosmic universe swirling around you, at least hopefully that’s the case. Some folks just wander down the road of life oblivious to any and all things, regardless of outcome. More power to them, I suppose.
Me? I prefer to have a sharply honed antenna of my spirit open and vulnerable to the possibilities of all that surrounds my current place of body and mind. Whatever the case, I found myself gazing around “Downtown After 5,” at the large throng of faces known and unknown, all of those conversations and unique expressions.
What is everyone talking about? Are they happy? How was their winter? Any big plans this summer? Does anything actually matter when it comes down to life and death itself? The ebb and flow of humanity in constant motion.
Take a moment to collect your thoughts. Take a sip of that local craft beer and just let the music place. And remember to just be kind, that’s all that really matters, eh? Well,
on one of our first dates a few months ago — hand-breaded chicken tenders dunked in coconut milk with a basket of sweet potato fries (extra ketchup). We ate the meal with gusto, the occasional smirk exchanged between the two of us in ode to how much our lives have changed.
1
Western Carolina University’s Department of English Studies will present a benefit reading, “ThreeMinute Wonders,” from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the Lazy Hiker Brewing taproom in Sylva.
Coming into 2023, each of us entered the New Year with a fresh, empty calendar of obligations and social engagements, the fast, undulating rollercoaster of whatever gets thrown at a human being just tryin’ to hold steady, my brothers and sisters.
2
For its grand opening, The Blue Stage will host rock/soul act Topper at 7 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the venue in downtown Andrews.
Scanning ‘round the pub, a flood of memories appeared across my field-of-vision of long-gone days spent in that exact establishment. It was the summer of 2009 when I first crossed the threshold of the Westville. I was 24 and determined to make it as a writer — one with financial stability and enough money in the bank to order the filet mignon off the menu whenever I damn well please.
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The magical world of Lewis Carroll's timeless story “Alice in Wonderland” will be showcased onstage by Kids at HART at 7:30 p.m. April 28-29, May 5 and 2 p.m. April 30 and May 6-7 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
4
Poets Mandy Monath and Catherine W. Carter will discuss and share poems from Monath’s debut collection, “This is Like That,” at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
That day was also the first time I visited Asheville and greater Western North Carolina. En route back to my native Upstate New York following a cross-country trip to Burning Man in the desolate Nevada desert, Asheville was just another stop on an elaborate quest around America — in search of truth and passion within humanity through written word and that of my trusty photographer’s lens.
5
A rock-n-roll power trio tribute to the sound, music and vibe of Jimi Hendrix, Imij of Soul will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.
And I do remember who I was and how I was feeling back in those days. Frustrated, but persistent. Optimistic and ready to tackle any obstacles in the way, for “obstacles are opportunities.” I was, and remain, a hopeless romantic. Chasing down the written word was the name of the game at 24, and it is more so now at age 38.
Some 14 years later, there I was in that booth at the Westville, mere feet from the barstools my photographer and I inhabited during the Obama Administration. It’s been 11 years since I relocated from the North Country to Haywood County.
that and the “golden rule” is the only true directional marker from the heavens above. Be kind, dammit.
Like clockwork, I snapped out of my rabbit hole mindset when my girlfriend squeezed my hand and smiled at me. I smiled back in solidarity and appreciation for her kind aura and sincerity. By the time the sun went down, it was decided to try and find some dinner in West Asheville before everything closed.
Grabbing a seat at the Westville Pub, she and I ordered the same meal we requested
At 24, I had no clue that, three years later, I would be offered this gig at The Smoky Mountain News. And that I’d circle back to Westville that first week living in a new place, with no friends or connections in the area. Completely alone with $33 in my bank account, and with hopes of putting down deep roots in the mountains of Southern Appalachia.
“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?” my girlfriend said to me from across the booth, her signature radiant smile once again directed solely at me.
“Nothing much, just about the first time I came in here, and the first time we were here together,” I replied. “You know, we should hit up that steakhouse next weekend and order the filet — my treat.”
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
‘Pack up all your dishes, make note of all good wishes’
A rock-n-roll power trio tribute to the sound, music and vibe of Jimi Hendrix, Imij of Soul will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.
The show is free and open to the public. To learn about Imij of Soul, go to facebook.com/jimivibes. For more information, call 828.246.0350 or click on boojumbrewing.com.
Popular country/blues act Home Cooked Meal will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at the Nantahala Brewing Outpost in Sylva. Formerly known as Humps & The Blackouts, the East Tennessee band of melodic pirates is well-regarded for its mix of country, blues, honky-tonk and alt-country stylings. The show is free and open to the public. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.
A community jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.
Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, is 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, click on blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Blue Stage (Andrews) will host Topper (rock/soul) 7 p.m. April 28. Admission is
Regional blues/folk singer-songwriter Heidi Holton will perform at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City.
Holton is turning heads with her unique take on one of America’s oldest popular musical traditions: the blues. She began young, leaving Murphy to play in rock bands in Athens, Georgia, and New Orleans, Louisiana, before the blues called
and she answered.
She studied under the great Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna) and then disappeared to Alaska’s arctic interior to perfect her craft. She has then moved back to Murphy and is touring around the country.
$10. 828.361.2534 or gm@thebluestage.com.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and Imij Of Soul (Jimi Hendrix tribute) April 29. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Bo & Ed 7 p.m. April 29. 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, click on oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• First United Methodist Church (Franklin) will host the “Concert of Caring” with The Brasstown Ringers, Mountain Voices Chorus and Pinnacle Brass 6 p.m. April 30.
Donations will be going to the nonprofit CareNet in Franklin. For more information, email lkmsterrett@gmail.com.
• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For tickets, click on 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 p.m., Isaiah Breedlove & The Old Pines (Americana/indie) April 28, Kind Clean Gentleman (rock/soul) 5:30 p.m. May 2, Mitchell Russotti May 6 and Kevin & Paul 3 p.m. May 7. 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 semiregular 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 Trey Stephens (singer-songwriter) April 28 and Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriter) April 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.
The show is free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com. ALSO:
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Alter Bridge (rock) 7 p.m. May 13. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahscherokee.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night with Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday, Open Mic Night every Wednesday,
Adi The Monk April 29 and David Cheatham (singer-songwriter) May 6. 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 The V8s April 29. 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 The V8s April 28. 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, click on 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 Zip Robertson (singer-songwriter) April 28 and Heidi Holton (blues/folk) 5 p.m. April 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Nantahala Brewing Outpost (Sylva) will host Home Cooked Meal (Americana/country) April 29. 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) 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
• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m. Sundays, Tricia Ann (singer-songwriter) April 27, TrancEnd (rock/pop) 9 p.m. April 29, Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) May 4 and Spiro & The Conspirators (rock/blues) May 5. 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 “Music On The Slopes” April 27 and Seth & Sara May 4. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Easton Corbin (country) 7:30 p.m. May 6. Tickets start at $28 with priority seating available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on 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 a Community Jam 5:30 p.m. May 16 and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 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 Pic’ & Play Mountain Dulcimer Players will be resuming inperson 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 play-
For its grand opening, The Blue Stage will host rock/soul act Topper at 7 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the venue in downtown Andrews.
Known as the “Voices of Rock & Soul,” Topper is a legendary Atlanta-based band that’s been touring and recording for over 40 years.
Admission is $10 per person. Doors open at 5 p.m. As well, there will be an official ribbon cutting for The Blue Stage at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 5.
For more information, call 828.361.2534 or email gm@thebluestage.com. You can also follow The Blue Stage on Facebook.
• 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 Mountain Gypsy April 27, Wayne Bucker April 28, Keil Nathan Smith & Sudden Change April 29, Blackjack Country May 4, Tricia Ann Band May 5 and Outlaw Whiskey May 6. 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 Karaoke w/Jason April 28 and Rene Russell (singer-songwriter) 2 p.m. April 30. All shows 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 The Paper Crowns April 25, Trivia with Tom April 26, Keil Nathan Smith (singer-songwriter) 6:30 p.m. April 27, Tricia Ann Band April 28
ers. 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.
and The Super 60s 3 p.m. April 30. 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.
• 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 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.
The Appalachian Women’s Museum “Airing of the Quilts” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the museum in Dillsboro.
If quilts could talk, they would tell of decades of cold nights and warm bodies, of wrapping up babies and comforting the
rite of spring in the mountains. After a long winter with families snuggled under layers of warm handmade quilts, the warmer weather of springtime gave women a chance to freshen up and air-out these essential covers.
elderly. A quilt might tell of the loving hands that created it and even the individual pieces — the tan from a loved one’s shirt or stripes from an old tie — can tell stories of years past.
The airing of the quilts is a traditional
To honor this tradition, the AWM held its first event in 2018 with more than 65 quilts hanging on the wraparound porch, from clotheslines in the yard and on quilt racks and other surfaces throughout the first floor of the museum. There will also be a fabric scrap exchange, a quilt pattern and book exchange, raffle and music. Unlike previous events, organizers are allowing repeats for those who have something so special they want to air it again.
For more information, email the museum at events@appwomen.org or click on
The 20th annual “Thunder in the Smokies” spring rally will be held May 5-7 at the Maggie Valley Fairgrounds.
The oldest and largest motorcycle rally in the Great Smoky Mountains, the weekend celebration will feature live music, dozens of vendors, motorcycle shows/games, prizes and much more.
For more information, a full schedule of events and/or to purchase tickets, click on thunderinthesmokies.com.
There will be a contra dance class offered from 6:30-9 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.
No experience is needed to contra dance. All dances are taught. Beginners’ lessons start at 6:30 p.m., with dancing from 7-9 p.m. No need to bring a partner, but you’re welcome to do so.
You may also bring a closed water container and snack. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Masks are encouraged, but not required. Please don’t wear perfumes or strong scents.
Suggested donation of $10 per person, which helps pay for the musicians and callers for the evening. This project is hosted by the Arts Council of Macon County and supported by a generous gift from The James Edward Hudock Trust.
Justine Kastle, PA-C
Harris Pediatric Care
98 Doctors Dr, Suite 300 Sylva, NC 28779
Specializes in:
Newborns Infants (0-24 months)
Toddlers (2-4 years)
Harris Pediatric Care - Franklin
55 Holly Springs Park Dr, Franklin, NC 28734
Clinical Experience: Wingate University Physician Assistant Program
Children (4-11 years)
Adolescents (12-18 years)
The magical world of Lewis Carroll’s timeless story “Alice in Wonderland” will be showcased onstage by Kids at HART at 7:30 p.m. April 28-29, May 5 and 2 p.m. April 30 and May 6-7 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
Follow Alice down the rabbit hole and join her on her adventures through Wonderland. Meet the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts, as well as a host of other fantastical characters that will delight and entertain audiences of all ages.
The talented cast of 47, under the direction of Shelia Sumpter and student director, Savanna Shaw, brings energy and enthusiasm to their performances, ensuring that this production will be a hit with audiences young and old.
“We’re thrilled to bring this classic story
• “Spring Festival BBQ & Art Show” from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the Bryson City Wine Market. For more information, call 828.538.0420.
• “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.
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selec-
4/28 DOORS 6:00PM SHOW 7:00PM
to the stage,” said Shelia Sumpter. “Our production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ promises to be a fun and exciting experience for audiences of all ages. It’s a show that the whole family can enjoy together.”
As well, there are also spots available for tickets to the “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” after the Sunday performances, April 30 and May 7. Tickets for “Alice in Wonderland” and the “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” are available now.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. To make reservations, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org to make reservations online.
HART Box Office winter hours are 3-5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Beginning May 2, hours will expand from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. HART is located at 250 Pigeon St. in Waynesville.
MAGGIEVALLEYCLUB&RESORT
ClassicEggsBenedict
GardenScramblewithSpinach, ParmesanandFreshHerbs
StoneGroundGrits
ApplewoodSmokedBacon&Maple
Sausage
BlueberryPancakeswithMapleSyrup andHoneyButter
tion of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.
ALSO:
CHILLEDSALADS
LittleGemLettuces
CaesarSalad
MediterraneanVegetableSalad
SmokedSalmonwithTraditional Accompaniments
CharcuterieandArtisanalCheeses
CavatappiPastaSaladwithFresh
MozzarellaandCherryTomatoes
SlicedMelonandSeasonalBerries
LoadedBakedPotatoBarwith AssortedToppings&Condiments
SIDES ENTREES
GreenBeanAmandine
BrusselsSproutswithBaconand
Balsamic
CARVINGSTATION
RosemaryandGarlicRubbed
PorkLoin
LondonBroilwithHerbButter
DESSERTS
NewYorkStyleCheeseCake
FreshlyBakedCookies&Brownies
StrawberryShortcake
IceCreamSundaes
BraisedChickenCacciatorewith StewedTomatoesandRoasted
Peppers
ShrimpandAndouilleSausage
Gumbo
RESERVATIONSREQUIRED 828-926-4848 find us at: facebook.com/smnews
The “Art After Dark” kickoff for the year will take place from 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 5, in downtown Waynesville.
Each first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, live music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors alike.
Participants include TPennington Art Gallery, Twigs & Leaves Gallery, Haywood Handmade Gallery, Jo Ridge Kelley Fine Art, Sun Sohovich Art Gallery Studio, Green Hill Gallery, Curatory Gallery and The Corner Station among other businesses.
For more information, click on downtownwaynesville.com.
The Friends of the Greenway (FROG) will host an arts and crafts fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the FROG Quarters, located at 573 East Main St. in Franklin.
A wide array of artisan booths will be onsite. Vendor fees, food purchases and purchased raffle tickets will benefit FROG. Live music will also be ongoing during the event. For more information, call 828.369.8488 or click on littletennessee.org.
• 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 sustainability. 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.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals
and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, click on jcgep.org.
• 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/scc-locations/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.
Asheville’s award-winning author Charles Frazier has a new novel just out this month (“The Trackers,” Ecco/Harper Collins, April 2023, 324 pages). Unlike his previous books, this one doesn’t hunker down and focus mostly on Western North Carolina, but instead starts us out in a rural town in Wyoming where a painter, Val Welch, has traveled from the east coast to create a New Deal Depression-era mural commissioned for the local post office. For the first 100 pages or so, we’re in Dawes, Wyoming, at the sprawling ranch of a wealthy and politically ambitious 20th century impresario, cattle baron and art collector John Long and his Western swing-band singing wife, Eve, where Val has been invited to stay while painting his mural in the nearby town. In a book where we get Frazier’s typical wellresearched and detailed writing style, here we get a descriptive painting of ranch life and personality portraits of his main characters, which also includes Long’s right-hand man, Faro, who is a throw-back cowboy to the wild West and who has stories about his personal interactions with historical icons such as Crazy Horse and Billy the Kid.
Frazier eloquently and poetically describes this pre-post-Depression period: “Natural gas producers, the corporations and their interchangeable leaders. They want to keep the state and federal government from regulating their operations and profits in any way whatsoever. They want utter freedom, a total lack of restriction or responsibility. It felt like nothing could ever free us of the hard times we’d been living for
years — like sliding down the face of a massive wave toward another trough, like surfriders in Hawaii;” hinting more than a little at the times we find ourselves living in here in the U.S. at the moment.
And so, we’re settled in as Val begins his work on the post office mural, saying “I tried hard to take a smart-aleck tone toward everything, but I took the work itself as seriously as Baptist missionaries sharing the gospel and how art in every small town, right there in your face filling up a whole wall every time you bought a stamp, could elevate the country, maybe by only an inch, but every upward movement, however small, accumulates.” So, as Val gets friendly with locals and everyone at the Long Shot Ranch, all of a sudden Eve goes missing. With Long getting increasingly worried, if not frantic, he sends Faro and Val in different directions to towns with swing band bars and cheap hotels looking for Eve. When nothing turns up regionally, he pays Val handsomely to go west all the way to Seattle where he suspects she may have gone due to her past connection with the city. It turns out that Eve has taken one of Long’s precious paintings, a Renoir, upon her departure — for security and for big money should she need it. So, Val sets out in Eve’s sports car and Kerouac-like for the thousand-mile journey to the west coast, stopping at certain tourist destinations along the way. In Seattle, he spends his time in Hoovervilles, tent cities and raucous homeless camps with a photo of Eve in hand hoping someone will recognize her and have some helpful information. In the end, he does find someone who knows her and tells Val that she has come and gone.
Never the detective, Val is in uncharted
territory in a game of cat and mouse as he heads out next to St. Petersburg, Florida, in what he describes as a “tilt-a-whirl airplane.” He searches for and finds the family of Eve’s former husband, Jake Orson, in the swamps of Escambia County, thinking that they could know where Eve might be. All he gleans from this experience is anger and physical violence and not much information going forward except that “both Florida and the country are going to hell,” as he makes his way back to the Long Shot Ranch in Wyoming to report on his findings. After a brief, but much-needed respite and recovery from his Florida trip and a few glasses of champagne, Val heads out to San Francisco, based on new information that had come in from his earlier contact in Seattle.
After some time searching the clubs and cafes there in San Francisco, Val finally discovers Eve singing in a music bar with a modern jazz band. A series of conversations ensue with Eve being tight-lipped and Val pressing her for answers to questions Long has instructed him to find out — about the status of her former marriage to Jake Orson. By now, Jake has been informed of Eve’s marriage to the wealthy Long and is headed to San Francisco to try and cash in on some kind of divorce settlement or blackmail scheme.
We see Val falling for Eve and wanting to protect her from her aggressive ex, who shows up as expected with threats and demands for money. At this point and then trying to unsuccessfully sell Eve’s Renoir to several galleries, Val knows he’s in over his head. This is a seque for a long car chase from San Francisco, down Highway 1 along the Pacific coast to Santa Cruz, Bixby Canyon and Monterey and dirt roads and more uncharted territory. But Faro unexpectedly comes to the rescue and Eve finally tells everyone her secret as to why she left the ranch.
But the story’s not quite over and Frazier dives deep into his prose-writing skills and character development to round out the storyline of “The Trackers,” with time flying by and giving us the impression that we’ve just sat through a two-hour movie thinking we’d only been watching (reading) for about 15 minutes.
Thomas Crowe is a regular contributor to The Smoky Mountain News and author of the multi-award-winning non-fiction nature memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods.”
Western Carolina University’s Department of English Studies will present a benefit reading, “Three-Minute Wonders,” from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 28, at the Lazy Hiker Brewing taproom in Sylva.
The event will feature short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry readings by students, faculty members, and alumni. A $20 donation can be purchased in advance via Blackbaud or at the door. All proceeds earned will benefit undergraduate English Studies majors. Featured faculty members include, Mary Adams, Catherine Carter, Pam Duncan, Jeremy Jones, Ron Rash, Brian Railsback and Travis Rountree. Guests are encouraged to stay for an afterparty following the readings and watch performances from a live band. For more information, contact Brian Railsback at brailsba@wcu.edu or contact WCU’s English Department at 828.227.7264.
Idon’t own a bathroom scale, which means I had no way of measuring the exact weight of the rust-colored pack I strapped on my back before climbing from the base of Max Patch April 13. And that was fine, because I was just there for a quick overnight — 2.5 miles in to the Roaring Fork Shelter on the Appalachian Trail that afternoon, then 2.5 miles out the next morning.
The bag held all the essentials, plus some extras — a book, DSLR camera, notebook and way too much food for one night. Plus, of course, a leash and a bag of kibble for my four-legged sidekick. I didn’t think too hard about any of it. Over that short of a distance, an extra pound or two doesn’t mean much.
But the hikers sharing the shelter with me at Roaring Fork were in a different situation. Some were hiking sections, anywhere from a couple dozen miles to a couple hundred, but most were planning to walk the entire Appalachian Trail, starting on Springer Mountain in Georgia and ending at Mount Katahdin in Maine — 2,198.4 miles.
Over that long a trek, you need things like nail clippers, shower soap and multi-season layers that just aren’t necessary for a night or even a weekend on the trail. And every ounce matters. The further you hike, the heavier it feels, and the more you ask yourself — do I really need all this stuff?
By the time I made my way through the expanse of trout lily blooms skirting Max Patch in mid-April, more than 2,500 Mainebound hikers had left Springer Mountain in
2023. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, about a quarter of them are likely to finish the trek.
More than half of successful thru-hikers began their adventure carrying 15-25 pounds on their back, plus food and water, found a 2021 survey of A.T. hikers from thru-hiking website The Trek. The average weight comes in at 20 pounds. By the trail’s end at Katahdin, the average dipped to 16 pounds.
Those pounds must include everything a hiker needs for cooking, sleeping and shelter. They need to provide clothing for a spectrum of temperatures and weather conditions, a water filtration system and supplies for first aid and hygiene. There’s not a lot of space for extras.
But the average thru hike is two weeks shy of six months, and that’s a long time for a strictly no-frills lifestyle. Despite the physical cost of carrying any surplus weight, many hikers include one or two carefully chosen bonus items in their bags, termed “luxury items” in A.T. parlance.
A luxury item could be as simple as a good book to enjoy during the evenings or as specialized as a compact chair for lounging around the campfire. When asked what extra items they’d stowed in their packs, the hikers who slept at Roaring Fork April 13 gave a predictable spectrum of unpredictable answers. There was the man from England who carried deodorant and a button-up shirt to boost his sex appeal during zero days in town, and the woman from Virginia who toted a sewing kit and lucky rabbit’s foot on her walk home to Blacksburg. Some hikers named items that no longer had a place in their packs — one guy had carried a bath bomb around until he used it up in Gatlinburg, and another started the hike
with a flask of bourbon before deciding that the extra weight just wasn’t worth it.
“When you connect back with your core human needs of food and shelter, it creates a deep sense of trust within yourself,” said Maggie “Margaret” Williams, 19, who carries the sewing kit and rabbit’s foot. “It’s very empowering in the sense that you remember that you don’t need all the little things society tells you that you need in life, and that really, you’re much happier without all those things. And so I like to be reminded of that.”
parking lot, passing a parade of northbound hikers along the way. A woodpecker hammered away in search of bugs near the forest’s edge, marking the transition between the woodland and meadow songbird choruses. I made it back to my car around 11 a.m., just as the first wave of the day’s forecasted rain began to fall. I flicked on the headlights and started the windshield wipers, wondering how my new acquaintances were faring on the rainy trail toward Hot Springs, and, ultimately, Maine. Last year, 1,349 people made the
As always, “hiker midnight” came early at camp. The sun set shortly after 8 p.m., and the hikers retreated to their tents and sleeping bags soon afterward. The next morning, I packed up my tent — wet from a vigorous nighttime rain — and walked back to the
Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s 2,000-Miler Listing. As I settled back into the dry warmth of civilization, I wondered: how many of the hikers I’d met at Roaring Fork — and the “luxury items” they’d brought with them — would make 2023’s list?
“An extra pair of socks, that’s a big one for me because my feet stink really bad after a few days. Who else has three, four pairs of socks? I did have a bath bomb, I swear. I got to use it when we were in Gatlinburg. But the plug was messed up. I had to keep my foot on it when I was laying in the tub. It just helped me relax. It’s a muscle one, so it was supposed to be good for your muscles. I’d been watching the Joe Rogan podcast and he does sauna and soaks, like really, really, hot, so I’d been doing that for years now at this point. But the bath bomb thing, I don’t know, it just sounded like a good idea. As soon as we get into Hot Springs, I probably would [get another].”
“There’s a lot of downtime. I realized after the first couple of weeks that a book is too heavy. The only time I read is at night and I like to save my light for if I really need it, so I figured cards would be a good thing, plus a good social thing. And they’re durable.”
“I never found a pair of gloves that was actually waterproof that didn’t weigh an absolute ton. My hands keep warm because there’s enough space, so there’s air. They’re waterproof. I don’t have any luxuries, really. My mobile, and there’s so much you can do on your mobile.”
or three days, it wasn’t a problem. It weighed a little extra, but just a little nip of bourbon at night before you go settle in really hit the spot. Just kind of warms you up from the inside. But on a thru-hike I’m thinking, I did it on a sectional, I’ll do it on the thru. And yeah, about three days into it. I said, ‘Yeah, this thing weighs too much, I’m not even using it,’ and I ditched it. It’s gotta go. I said, ‘You know what, I’ll get a beer when I’m in town or something like that. I don’t need it anymore.’ Going up those mountains, every ounce counts.”
The Lakes, England
“A little stick roll of Old Spice deodorant. No one has deodorant here, so I feel like it is a luxury item. Every town I walk through I want to ask someone out, so Old Spice helps me. I also have my shirt as well. I bought a checkered shirt as a luxury item so I could look good in town.”
“I’m reading the ‘Lost City of Z.’ It’s just nice just to chill and get out of my own head. I usually read right before bed, that’s about it. It’s a heavier book, but it’s worth the weight to me.”
“My luxury item is a little flask of bourbon, a Nalgene plastic type flask. It would probably hold a pint of bourbon. My son and I, when we did sectional hikes, like two
“I started with living out of my car and then the car broke down. And then it just turned into just living out of the backpack. I’m using [the A.T.] to get home for the most part, to Virginia. I have noticed not a lot of people have what I consider my office and my art studio. So I have my sewing kit with an embroidery hoop and then patches that my great-grandmother was going to make a quilt out of, so I use them to patch all my things. So I just have a couple colors of thread and all my patches. I have like three books with me. My sketchbook. I only have paper maps. I have a taxidermied rabbit’s foot that my friend taxidermied themselves and a miniature cowboy hat for good luck and to remember my friends by.”
The Lake Junaluska Annual Plant Sale and the Corneille Bryan Native Garden plant sale will be held together 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the open-air Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym.
The landscaping team at Lake Junaluska will have more than 2,500 plants for sale including annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, house plants and a small section of hybrid roses. Several varieties of plants from the Corneille Bryan Native Garden will be for sale as well.
Plants range in price from $2 to $35 and can be purchased by cash, check or charge. Proceeds from the plant sale directly support landscaping at Lake Junaluska, where the grounds and gardens are open for all to enjoy and made possible through charitable giving. Proceeds from the sale of native plants will specifically benefit the Corneille Bryan Native Garden.
For more information, visit bit.ly/LJplant-sale or contact Melissa Tinsley at mtinsley@lakejunaluska.com.
The Nantahala Hiking Club will receive a $5,000 grant from funds raised via sales of the North Carolina Appalachian Trail license plate. The funding will help support NHC community and hiker outreach efforts such
as the Trail Ambassador Program, the ThruHiker Chow Down, activities with local schools and participation in festivals. Additionally, some funds will go toward trail maintenance equipment and supplies.
“Bloom with a View” will feature tens of thousands of flowers, including a bevy of hydrangeas.
Immerse yourself among tens of thousands of flowers during “Bloom with a View,” running May 1-14 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.
This floral installation features a bevy of hydrangeas, lilies, calla lilies and more displayed throughout the Arboretum’s gardens, walkways and promenades. Colorful and festive planters throughout the campus elevate bursts of blooms to eye level as guests wander through.
The exhibit is the first of its kind in the southeast, and only the second in the U.S. designed by the Dutch company IGMPR, which has created such displays worldwide in places like Italy and Shanghai — making “Bloom with a View” a world-class event. Built on a scale that is rivaled only by the Arboretum’s annual Winter Lights event, “Bloom with a View” involved the help and expert craftsmanship of local printers, plant producers, woodshops and Arboretum staff.
While the exhibit is on display, parking at the Arboretum will be $30 per vehicle. For more information, visit ncbloomwithaview.com.
APRIL 29, IS NATIVE AZALEA DAY AT THE N.C. ARBORETUM.
During this inaugural event, visitors can watch as plein air artists capture the blooms in paint and pen, or learn about the garden and its collection on a walking tour with Carson Ellis, curator for the Native Azalea Collection.
Walking tours will start at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Bent Creek Road at the entrance of the collection, with shuttles available from the Baker Visitor Center. Free with $20 parking fee.
The Waynesville Garden Club has collected 65 years’ worth of accumulated knowledge into a new booklet, “Garden Buzz,” which compiles more than 100 gardening tips.
The books include artwork from club members Cherry Stone and Barbara Brook, with proceeds funding the club’s beautification projects, conservation efforts, delivery of flower bouquets to local healthcare facilities and scholarships for high school students.
Books are available for $10. Purchase one Saturday, May 6, at the Lake Junaluska Plant Sale or Saturday, May 13, at the Whole Blooming Thing Festival in the Frog Level area of Waynesville.
Volunteers are wanted to help the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stock trout into the West Fork Pigeon River in Haywood County beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, May 8.
The group will meet at the upper Delayed Harvest parking area across N.C. 215 from the gun range, below Sunburst
The Franklin Farmers Market is taking vendor applications for this year’s market,
Do yoga in the company of alpacas with a new series of classes starting in May at Winchester Creek Farm in Waynesville.
Classes are offered Thursday and Friday mornings as well as Saturday afternoons, with offerings including Gentle Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission wants to know about any armadillo sightings in North Carolina as biologists continue to study their range expansion in the state.
To report sightings of the nine-banded armadillo, upload and share photos on the iNaturalist app or email them to armadillo@ncwildlife.org, along with the date, time and location of the observation. GPS coordinates are best, but a detailed location description is acceptable.
Armadillos lack thick insulation and must dig for most foods. Freezing conditions can cause them to starve or freeze to death, so mild winter temperature conditions are ideal for them. Given that North Carolina is experiencing fewer long stretches of below-freezing weather, armadillos are expanding northward.
“Whether armadillos continue spreading beyond their current range will be largely determined by climate,” according to Colleen Olfenbuttel, the Commission’s black bear and furbearer biologist. “The number of counties with confirmed observations is 28, stretching from Cherokee to Dare counties. This makes it likely the armadillo is expand-
Campground. Volunteers should bring a clean 5-gallon bucket and a friend or two. Waders are recommended but not required.
The goal is to help disperse stocked fish throughout the Delayed Harvest section to allow for a better fishing experience. tucataloochee427@gmail.com.
which runs through Oct. 31. The market runs 8 a.m. to noon every Saturday, and registration costs $35. For more information or for the guidelines and an application, contact Christy Bredenkamp at christine_bredenkamp@ncsu.edu.
Level 1 and Chair Yoga. Classes will take place under a covered pavilion with a concrete floor, surrounded by farm and mountain views as friendly alpacas roam nearby — and maybe even stop in to say hello. Every class will include a chance to interact with and feed the alpacas. For more information, visit winchestercreekfarm.com.
The nine-banded armadillo was first spotted in North Carolina in Macon County in 2007.
ing its range naturally throughout North Carolina, rather than being helped by human intervention.”
Native to Central and South America, armadillos have gradually expanded their range into the Southeastern United States. In 2007, the agency received the first confirmed sighting of a nine-banded armadillo in Macon County, and in the last 16 years has received more than 898 reports in 70 counties. Learn more at ncwildlife.org/learning/species/mammals/a rmadillo.
Gracious Plates Restaurant in Franklin is the newest A.T. Supporter in Franklin, recognized by the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council. The restaurant joined Franklin’s A.T. Mile 110 celebration with an event April 21 called “Happy Trails to You.” Learn more at atmile110.com.
The stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway from Blowing Rock to Balsam Gap is slated for pavement preservation work this year.
Work will begin at Bass Lake Drive near Blowing Rock this week, with paving at the Cone Manor House expected to start the week of May 8. Paving work will continue through the fall.
The project is split into two sections: miles 294-384 between Blowing Rock and Asheville, and miles 394-443 from south of Asheville to Balsam Gap. Work will take place in multiple locations within the identified sections. Once underway, park visitors
Explore through May with a slate of hikes offered through Haywood County Recreation and Parks over the coming month.
• On Wednesday, May 3, a 6.7-mile hike on the Cataloochee Divide Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will offer views, vistas and an elevation gain of 754 feet.
• On Sunday, May 7, a 5.2-mile hike on Flat Creek Trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will follow two creeks to pass through forests full of moss, grass and trees, ending with amazing views at Heintooga Picnic Area. Elevation gain is 687 feet.
• A hike celebrating the Year of the Trail will reach Wildcat Falls in Haywood County Saturday, May 13. The 4.5-mile hike start at a campsite on
The WNC Sierra Club will host a presentation on the newly revised Pisgah-Nantahala Forest Plan in person and via Zoom at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, in Manheimer Auditorium at UNC Asheville.
an old logging road and railroad grade, reaching a 60-foot waterfall with an elevation gain of 461 feet.
• Hike 10 miles from Big Creek to Walnut Bottoms in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Wednesday, May 17. Though lengthy, the trail is fairly easy.
• The challenging 4.6 miles to Blackrock via Black Rock Trail will offer incredible view Wednesday, May 24. Total elevation gain for this difficult hike is 1,233 feet.
• Complete 4.9 miles of the Art Loeb Trail with a point-to-point, mostly downhill, hike starting from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park require purchase of a parking pass. Hike registration is $10. Sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
University Heights in Asheville and available via Zoom with registration at uncaedu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tjyufutrt0og9cdsm3ljabsr_7o-ebb6rqe. Contact Judy Mattox with questions at 828.683.2176.
and neighbors can expect intermittent, shortterm closures at individual sites with short, single-lane closures of the mainline road as needed.
Project locations will be updated regularly at nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm.
Head out to FROG FAIR 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Town Bridge in Franklin to support the FROG — Friends of the Greenway — year-round. The event will include crafts, food and live music. For more information, contact frog28734@gmail.com.
A classroom in Western Carolina University’s Apodaca Science Building has a new name in recognition of a couple’s threedecade record of financial support and in tribute to a family’s history of providing dental services to residents of Jackson and surrounding counties for more than 150 years.
The 64-seat general classroom formerly known as Room 207 is now called McGuire Legacy Classroom. Every academic division of the College of Arts and Sciences uses it, including classes helping students prepare for dental school as part of WCU’s PreProfessional Program.
The WCU Board of Trustees approved the
new name in December and unveiled it during a ceremony Friday, March 3. Patrick McGuire, who retired from his dental practice in 2016, and wife Jeanne, who served for many years as office manager, recently made gifts and pledges to three of WCU’s colleges.
The contributions come in the form of a cash gift for the College of Arts and Sciences and two planned gifts for the Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts and the College of Education and Allied Professions. They will lead to creation of three funds, known as the Patrick and Jeanne McGuire Legacy Endowments in each college, providing experiential learning and professional development opportunities for students, faculty and staff in each college; support for initiatives that enhance the overall quality and reputations of the colleges’ programs; and support for initiatives that engage members of the Jackson County community.
Representatives will include David Reid of the N.C. Chapter of the Sierra Club, Josh Kelly of MountainTrue and Sam Evans of the Southern Environmental Law Center. They will discuss highlights from the new plan and point out the ways in which they believe it falls short of protecting critical resources in the forest.
The meeting will be in Room 102 at 1
Three years ago, researchers from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota captured the attention of biologists around the world with a surprising discovery. After observing a number of frogs, salamanders and newts under blue and ultraviolet light, the team found that every amphibian they tested could glow, or “biofluoresce.”
Although biofluorescence has been studied predominately in marine animals, the research revealed the trait to be much more widespread among amphibians than was previously known. Of the amphibians tested, several salamander species exhibited particularly striking biofluorescent patterns in response to blue light. Now, as the scientific community continues to explore the implications of such a fundamental fact of biology hiding in plain sight, a new study conducted in Great Smoky Mountains National Park could help explain how and why some salamanders glow.
In a paper published last month in the journal Scientific Reports, biologists Jonathan Cox and Benjamin Fitzpatrick describe the biofluorescence of the southern gray-cheeked salamander (Plethodon metcalfi) — a salamander found only in the Smokies and some high-elevation areas in Western North Carolina. After carefully capturing a number of southern gray-cheeked salamanders using sterilized plastic bags and gloves, the biologists exposed the salamanders to blue wavelengths of light while photograph-
ing them in a dark environment using specialized camera equipment.
“Both males and females have this dull green glow across their entire bodies, but under normal viewing conditions, this species is totally inconspicuous. It’s just black and gray,” says Cox. “For biofluorescence, there needs to be an outside source of light. That light energy is absorbed and then reemitted by the organism at a lower wavelength or color — in this case, blue is absorbed and reemitted as green.”
The study is the first to confirm and document biofluorescence in the southern graycheeked salamanders, but perhaps the most important finding of the study is the difference the biologists noticed between male and
female displays.
“For the males, I like to describe it as a starry-night pattern on the stomach. That pattern extends from the tip of his tail up to his throat, speckled the whole way down,” says Cox. “The female’s stomach doesn’t have speckling at all for the most part, unless the female is really big. And even in that case, the speckling only extended from her cloaca down her tail.”
This difference, which biologist refer to as “sexual dimorphism,” is often a strong indicator that a trait plays a role in mate selection. And according to Cox, salamander courtship can be a complex affair involving chemosensory signals, pheromones, and, for the southern gray-cheeked salamander, a choreographed “foot dance.”
“We noticed a pattern in some of these males where these speckles extended down every digit in parallel spots along each of their fingers and toes, so that's where we think they could be using it in their foot dance to get the female's attention,” says Cox. “Potentially this whole time they've been biofluorescing to one another, and we just had no idea.” Salamanders’ eyes may be much more attuned to register fluorescence than human eyes.
The Great Smoky Mountains have been described as the “salamander capital of the world,” home to at least 31 distinct species of salamanders. Smokies “sallies,” as they are affectionately called, range in size from the inch-long pygmy salamander to the eastern hellbender, the largest salamander in North America measuring up to 29 inches. They can be relatively nondescript, marbled, spotted, lined, long-tailed, blackchinned, or red-cheeked, and they make their homes in a wide range of habitats — from caves and rocky outcrops to streambanks and leaf litter. According to Cox, the unusually rich biodiversity of the Smokies
salamanders can be attributed to several factors.
“Having this really broad range of elevations, highly oxygenated streams, an abundance of microhabitats and rainfall, and lots of time led to a lot of diversification,” says Cox, who also notes that some Smokies salamanders may be particularly vulnerable to habitat disruption and climate change. “As climate warms and those high-elevation species have to move farther and farther up in elevation to find their habitat, eventually there's nowhere to go. Those peaks aren’t getting any taller, so eventually that habitat will run out as the climate warms.”
The Appalachian Mountains are among the oldest mountains on earth. Forming some 480 million years ago, they pre-date the development of bones and Saturn’s rings. In that vast amount of time, much has changed. In fact, the fossilized remains of extinct arthropods and cephalopods from ancient seas can still be found embedded within Smokies limestone. Some biologists speculate that amphibian biofluorescence could be a holdover from this long evolutionary past.
“Different colors are filtered out as light passes through the canopy of trees, and therefore, there’s a higher abundance of blue wavelengths of light near the forest floor. That same thing happens in the water column,” says Cox. “It's possible that this is a trait that's just been maintained because fish also fluoresce blue, and amphibians just maintained that trait as they've moved onto land and evolved.”
Much more is yet to be learned about the development and purpose of amphibian biofluorescence, but as Cox and Fitzpatrick’s research suggests, the salamanders of the Great Smoky Mountains may hold important answers.
“We still don't know exactly why they're doing it, and we don't know how they're doing it, but as soon as we do, it could open up a whole new ecological paradigm,” says Cox. “They've been doing this for millennia — it’s this whole world that we haven't been clued in on.”
Jonathan Cox completed his study on southern gray-cheeked salamander biofluorescence as an independent researcher working with Benjamin Fitzpatrick of the University of Tennessee, but Cox has since accepted a position as biological science technician at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cox and Fitzpatrick’s research was supported by the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center near Waynesville, North Carolina, and funded through grants provided by Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Association and Friends of the Smokies.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Jackson County Public Library is hosting Randi Neff from the Smokey Mountain STEM Collaborative at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, in the Storytime Room. Attendees will learn about the phases of the moon and make an Oreo Moon Phase Calendar. This program is free and open to the public.
• Haywood Community College will host Community Science Night 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 27, in the Hickory Building at Haywood Community College. There will hands-on, science-based activities. The event is free and open to all ages. For more information contact Tyler Beamer at tbeamer@haywood.edu.
• Volunteers are wanted to help the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stock trout into the West Fork Pigeon River in Haywood County beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, May 8. Stocking will take about three hours, with at least 25 volunteers needed. For more information contact tucataloochee427@gmail.com.
• A Feldenkrais class will be held 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, April 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.
• A Feldenkrais Mini-Workshop on “Experiencing a Flexible Chest” will be held 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, May 6, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Conference Room A1. A free introductory class will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, May 5. Bring a mat. Workshop costs $50, cash and checks accepted. 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.
• 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.
n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.
n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.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.
• 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.
• Move and Groove Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Thursday, at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Exciting, interactive music and movement story time ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Ashlyn at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or at 828.356.2567.
• 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.
• Haywood Community College is hosting an inaugural Car Show event 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 29, on the main college campus. For more information about the event or to register your vehicle, visit www.haywood.edu/carshow.
• 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.
• Chess 101 takes place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday in the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. No registration required, for more information call 828.648.2924.
• 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 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
• The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River is holding a spring fundraiser that will culminate with a live music event 2-8 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at Innovation Station in Dillsboro. For more information or to buy tickets, visit protectourwaters-wnc.org/ or text WATR2023 to 33100.
• A grand opening celebration for the Barbara McRae Cherokee Heritage Apple Orchard will be held 4-6 p.m. Saturday, April 28, in Franklin.
• Native Azalea Day at the N.C. Arboretum will take place Saturday, April 29, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Walking tours will start at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Bent Creek Road at the entrance of the collection, with shuttles available from the Baker Visitor Center. Free with $20 parking fee.
• Learn about the intersection of Black History and the Blue Ridge Parkway during a community lecture at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
• 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-fresh5k. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, to learn more contact Hart at 828.705.3842 or blackhart@haywoodministry.org.
• “Bloom with a View,” will take place May 1-14 at the N.C. Arboretum. The floral installation features a bevy of hydrangeas, lilies, Cala lilies and more displayed throughout the gardens, walkways and promenades. While the exhibit is on display, parking at the Arboretum will be $30 per vehicle. For more information, sot ncbloomwithaview.com.
• Hike on the Cataloochee Divide Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Wednesday, May 3, with the Haywood County Recreation and Parks. Hike registration in $10, sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
• Green Energy Park will offer a custom “Forged in Fire” two-day blade course from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. FridaySaturday, May 5-6. No prior experience required. Cost is $550, materials included. Space is limited, registration required. For more information or to register, contact the GEP at 828.631.0271.
• The Lake Junaluska Annual Plant Sale and the Corneille Bryan Native Garden Plant Sale will be held together 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the open-air Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym. For more information, visit bit.ly/LJ-plant-sale or contact Melissa Tinsley at mtinsley@lakejunaluska.com.
• Friends of the Greenway will host the Spring Arts & Crafts event, “FROG FAIR” from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 6 at FROG Quarters, 573 E. Main St. at the Town bridge in Franklin. Vendor spaces are available, volunteers are needed. For information email frog28734@gmail.com.
• Hike on the Flat Creek Trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Sunday, May 7, with the Haywood County Recreation and Parks. Hike registration is $10, sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
Billy Edward Cogburn
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.
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NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.23-E-189 Cynthia Farrell, having -
James Roy Green
Jul 19 2023
DRINKING PROBLEM?
Jul 19 2023
Executor 167 Beaver Run South Canton, NC 28716
EZ Log Structures
DONATE YOUR VEHICLE
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NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.2023 E 000216
Automobiles
1993 CADILLAC DEVILLE -
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INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate - Heritage
• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com
Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com
• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com
• Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com
• Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com
• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com
• Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com
• Ellen Sither - esither@beverly-hanks.com
• Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@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
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
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 -
Smoky Mountain Retreat
• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com
• Sherell Johnson - Sherellwj@aol.com
6 Brits call it a "lift"
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8 Make pointy, as a pencil
9 Hostile insect in a swarm
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