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January 11-17, 2017 Vol. 18 Iss. 33

Sylva ponders need for a Main Street director Page 3 Waynesville hears opposition to Russ Avenue project Page 12

CONTENTS On the Cover: Air traffic at Macon County Airport continues to grow as local, state and federal agencies continue to provide funding for expansion improvements that aim to boost the economy. The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s new 10-year transportation project plan includes another $4.5 million to extend the airport’s runway by 1,000 feet. (Page 6)

News Sylva ponders need for a Main Street director .......................................................... 3 Sequoyah Fund embezzler sentenced ..........................................................................9 Neglected Canton dogs still need homes ................................................................ 10 Canton dives in to pool project .................................................................................... 11 Waynesville hears opposition to Russ Avenue project ........................................ 12 Focus groups needed to discuss Swain ER changes ..........................................13 Special Olympics looking for volunteers .................................................................. 14 Changes are coming to downtown Franklin ............................................................ 16 Dilapidated structures plaguing Franklin ....................................................................17 Health News ...................................................................................................................... 19

Opinion Looking for more ideology, less politics...................................................................... 20

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Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Emily Moss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . emily@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smliv.com Scott Collier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Becky Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . becky@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Gary Carden (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Barbee (writing).

CONTACT WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786 P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585 SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 P: 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789 INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786

A&E The Infamous Stringdusters hit WNC ........................................................................24

Outdoors World’s largest wilderness medicine classroom opens ...................................... 34

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January 11-17, 2017

Nothing like old-time boardinghouses ........................................................................ 47

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Downtown vacancies prompt concern Sylva ponders need for a Main Street director

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TIME FOR A CHANGE? For some downtown business owners, however, the volume of vacancies is proof that Sylva should think seriously about hiring a Main Street director. The town hasn’t had one since 2011, when Dowling was hired for the part-time position. The following year she was promoted to town manager, and with budgets tight the town board decided to put her in charge of the Main Street program as well.

Stay in the Loop The Sylva Board of Commissioners will hold its first budget work session of the year at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Sylva Town Hall, immediately following its regular meeting at 9:15 a.m.

on the agenda. They told the town board that it’s essential that Sylva have a dedicated Main Street director.

“We thought like every other small town there were festivals and events, but there’s not,” said John Wermuth, who opened End of Main with his life and business partner Mark Bryant this summer, arriving from Atlanta.

“So that was sort of disappointing for us. We never knew who to talk to as far as promoting Main Street.”

He and Bryant are “very pro downtown business manager” — Sylva needs a more organized approach to downtown development, he said.

“When we have a concern about Main Street, we have to put it on Facebook so some other business owner will say, ‘Go to this person.’ That was sort of hard for us to realize,” Wermuth said.

The merchants got mixed reactions from commissioners during the November meeting. Commissioners David Nestler and Greg McPherson expressed support for hiring a director, with McPherson commenting he’d like to see it as a recurring budget item.

Mayor Lynda Sossamon suggested that those in attendance — including board members — attend a meeting of the Jackson County Commissioners to discuss the subject with them. And Commissioner Harold Hensley asked where the money for such a position would come from — taxes were already high enough, he said.

A QUESTION OF FUNDING Two months have passed since then, and commissioners will soon start planning the 2017-18 budget. The Main Street program

will be a subject of discussion.

“It’s definitely going to be part of the budget discussion. It’s a priority for me,” Nestler said. “Our downtown has a lot of potential, and you have to invest in your downtown if you want to see it come to fruition.”

“I think we need one,” agreed Commissioner Barbara Hamilton. In addition to organizing festivals and such, the town needs someone to focus on economic development and keep the town board in tune with what is happening in the business community, she said.

But the perennial question is, where would the money come from?

“Nobody wants to hear that because they think we’re being negative, but that’s just the way things are,” Hamilton said. “I wish we did have a much bigger budget and we could afford all these things.”

Sylva raised its tax rate by 42 percent last year, a reaction to decreased property value and rising expenses. But even that substantial tax hike was barely enough to keep the town solvent on a no-frills budget.

Nestler, however, feels that the financial part of it would be more likely to work out if the board made an upfront commitment to providing the position.

“I think the town should commit to the position and then if we want to look for funding from other sources we can, but I think we should say, ‘This is worth us paying for,’” Nestler said.

The money wouldn’t necessarily have to come completely from the town’s general fund, he said, but the conversation should start with a commitment to make the posi-

Smoky Mountain News

Dowling understands that, from the business owners’ perspective, the model is “not ideal,” but “when that decision was made by the board, the revenue shortfall was so incredible that there wasn’t really another choice.”

It’s not easy for one person to do two jobs, and some things have fallen by the wayside since 2011. The town holds fewer events than it used to, for instance.

Dowling pointed out that there are some advantages to a dual town manager/Main Street director, especially when it comes to getting the town and the Main Street Association to work in unison.

“There are things that have improved,” Dowling said. “The National Register (of Historic Places) District, having the (N.C.) Main Street Conference here. Our Main Street Program is now accredited.”

But there are plenty of downtown business owners who say they think Sylva needs a separate Main Street director.

A contingent of them showed up to a town meeting Nov. 17, when a discussion about the Main Street director position was

Despite some storefronts being vacant, open signs are lit throughout the downtown at businesses selling everything from antiques to clothing to local brews. Holly Kays photo

January 11-17, 2017

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n unusual number of “for rent” signs have been cropping up in downtown Sylva lately, and the vacancies have town leaders and business owners wondering what this forebodes in the year ahead.

“Whenever there’s a major closure, we don’t feel the effects of it until the following tourist season,” said Bernadette Peters, who owns City Lights Café. “This year was great.

Especially when businesses close, the other businesses tend to see the increase from that because everybody’s concentrating their dollars in the businesses who are there.”

But that effect typically ends, Peters said, once people learn that fewer options are available.

“My concern is more for next year,” she said.

Until recently, Peters also owned Evolution Wine Bar, which now accounts for one of the downtown vacancies. She sold her shares in Evolution to her business partner, who opted to reimagine it as a bottle shop.

Evolution is now located in the Sylva Plaza.

Peters called the move a “brilliant idea” that will require much less overhead than the downtown space.

Like Peters, John Bubacz is responsible for one of the downtown vacancies but is still a member of the Main Street community. And, like Peters, he sees 2016 as a successful one for business. His coffee shop Signature Brew closed in September when the N.C. Department of Revenue called in a tax debt, Bubacz said, but he still operates the Sylva Convenient Mart and maintains Signature Brew as a coffee roasting company, which sells its wares inside the Convenient Mart.

Humanité Boutique moved into Signature Brew’s former space, leaving the boutique’s previous location vacant.

Despite the year’s challenges, Bubacz said that both Signature Brew and the Convenient Mart doubled their sales over 2015. He recently began to sell beer, wine, sake and cider and plans to launch a home delivery service this spring. And with “Three Billboards Over Ebbing, Missouri” — a starstudded film made in Sylva last spring — slated for release this year, Bubacz sees plenty of promise in 2017.

But still, there are the vacancies. They’re troubling.

“In the 16 years I’ve been in business, I haven’t seen this many for rent,” he said.

There are 10 vacant spaces in the town’s B1 district, which includes the core of downtown along Main and Mill Streets. In a town the size of Sylva, that’s a lot. This time last year, downtown sported seven vacant spaces.

“There are different situations in a lot of the vacancies,” said Town Manager Paige Dowling, who also serves as the town’s Main Street director. “Some of it’s the price of the

property, or that the property owner doesn’t want to rent — they want to sell. There are a lot of different factors playing into the vacancies.”

It’s impossible to pinpoint one common cause, downtown merchants agreed.

Some, like Steve Dennis of Hollifield Jewelers, see the “For Rent” signs as part of the normal ebb and flow of a small town.

Businesses start, they fail, they succeed — the patchwork is always shifting. As the thirdgeneration owner of a 57-year-old Main Street business, Dennis has seen the cycle repeat many times.

“I’ve been here long enough to see the ebb and flow,” Dennis said. “That’s the natural way that those townships work. Obviously you’d like to see more vitality — open doors, signs on windows — but I’ve seen a lot of businesses come and go.”

S EE SYLVA, PAGE 4 3

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Timeline for Mill Street lane reduction will depend on town budget One-lane road expected to increase parking without causing traffic backups

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ill Street in Sylva will go from two lanes to one when a 2016 decision from the Sylva Board of Commissioners goes into effect. However, the timeline will depend on the town’s ability to fund the plan in the upcoming budget year.

In August, the town approved a resolution asking the N.C. Department of Transportation to close the left lane of Mill Street from its intersection with Main until it reaches Landis Street at the other end of downtown. The idea was that the closed lane could be converted into parking spaces, addressing concerns from Mill Street business owners that their shops lack sufficient customer parking.

Initially, estimates put the cost of the project at $45,000 — a substantial sum for a small town with a bare-bones budget.

However, a revised plan will nearly cut the cost in half, to about $23,000.

Smoky Mountain News

January 11-17, 2017

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Much of the savings comes from rethinking the type of traffic light that would need to be purchased. The town decided against purchasing traffic lights that change based on whether or not a waiting vehicle is detected, opting to go with more basic lights instead.

Of the $23,000, about $13,000 has already been spent. The town has already purchased pedestrian flashers that will go in at the Landis Street intersection.

The question, however, is what the board will do about sidewalks.

Commissioners have repeatedly discussed the disjointed sidewalk situation on Mill Street and expressed the desire to do something about it. It would make sense to address that issue while the lane reduction is completed, but sidewalks can be expensive.

Sidewalk upgrades are not part of the $23,000 estimate.

“If they really want to look at sidewalk expenses, that’s going to be a bigger expense,” said Town Manager Paige Dowling.

Budget talks for 2017-2018 are just beginning, with the town board’s first work session scheduled for Jan. 26. If the board comes up with funding for the project, then

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Vacant storefronts like this one — formerly home of Evolution Wine Bar — have some downtown business owners worried. Holly Kays photo

“I’ve been here long enough to see the ebb and flow.

That’s the natural way that those townships work.

Obviously you’d like to see more vitality — open doors, signs on windows — but I’ve seen a lot of businesses come and go.”

— Steve Dennis, Hollifield Jewelers

Town board members discuss their options for increasing Mill Street parking during an October work session. Holly Kays photo it could be completed sometime this year.

But if the money isn’t available this year, then the timeline will grow longer.

The town is still working out some other details in addition to the sidewalk question.

The locations of loading zones and handicapped spaces still need to be pinned down, Dowling said.

The idea to take Mill Street down to one lane came from a de facto experiment run after a downtown fire in 2014 resulted in one lane being temporarily closed and used for parking instead. Some in the downtown community felt that might be a good long term arrangement, saying that the lane closure didn’t appear to impact traffic that badly and their businesses benefited from having ample parking close by.

To keep traffic flowing after the lane

reduction is complete, the DOT plan calls for removal of the light at the Spring/Mill/Allen Street intersection. Traffic would no longer be allowed to turn onto Mill Street from Spring Street, and a stop sign would be installed at the intersection of Allen and Mill.

Support for the plan was not unanimous among town board members. The initial vote, held on Aug. 28, 2016, prevailed 3-1, with Commissioner Mary Gelbaugh opposing the action. The plan is “a pretty expensive fix to a problem that I don’t see as a problem,” she said in a follow-up interview.

Commissioner Harold Hensley, who was absent at the Aug. 28 meeting, voiced opposition to at least one component of the plan during a work session last fall, saying that taking out the Spring Street light would “open up a keg of worms.”

SYLVA, CONTINUED FROM 3

THINKING ABOUT

tion a top priority. Then they could figure out how to pay for it.

Over the mountain in Waynesville, a Municipal Service District tax pays for salaries and operations at the Downtown Waynesville Association. Property owners in the core of downtown pay an additional property tax of 20 cents per $100, on top of the regular town tax of 48.57 cents per $100.

But Sylva is not Waynesville. For one thing, it’s much smaller. Sylva’s population was 2,603 in 2013, according to an estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau, while Waynesville’s was 9,739. Paying a director via a Municipal Service District would likely require a tax too high to be a net benefit to business owners.

“We’re a small town,” Dowling said. “I think there are three towns in North Carolina that have populations below 5,000 that have Municipal Service Districts, and not all of those use it for a director’s salary. A lot use it for projects.”

The challenge, Peters said, is that even though Sylva is home to only 2,600 people, it serves many more than that. Western North Carolina towns like Sylva tend to see high volumes of tourists who are wooed by the presence of retail and restaurant diversity, downtown aesthetics and festivals — all of which a downtown director would promote.

PARTNERSHIPS

Peters feels a line item in the town’s budget wouldn’t be enough to provide a downtown director.

“I just think we need to look creatively at multiple sources,” she said.

Maybe the town could fund some. Maybe the county could fund some. Maybe the Tourism Development Authority could fund some.

The idea of kick-in from the county and TDA has been making the rounds, spurred by an editorial from The Sylva Herald newspaper that called point-blank for a TDA-funded director. The TDA, whose budget comes from Jackson County’s 4 percent occupancy tax, is tasked with using those funds to further spur tourism in the county. In 2015-16, its budget totaled $932,000.

TDA Director Nick Breedlove, however, disagrees with the suggestion that the TDA fund a Main Street director for Sylva. He released a statement expressing the desire to “correct inaccurate perceptions and information” on the topic.

“While we applaud the idea of a Main Street director/downtown director for Sylva, that responsibility does not rest with the TDA,” Breedlove wrote. “The Jackson County TDA was created

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Ginger it up

...Flavor in 2017 Still looking for coconut and sea salt flavored chocolate bars, popcorn, or beverages? You are SO last year…while those flavors are still around, it looks like this year’s flavor will be GINGER.

January 11-17, 2017

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news

No, not ginger ale, I’m talking about ginger in teas, beverages, yogurt, snack bars, granola and more. You may have been exposed to ginger in Asian dishes like stir-fry or in desserts like gingerbread; but the use of ginger as a flavor has exploded out into new and different categories.

Ginger has long been valued for anti-nausea and motion sickness properties (http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/ginger ), though it doesn’t always perform as well or better than over-the-counter or prescription remedies.

You can purchase ginger in a few forms. The knobby root is available in the produce section at Ingles Markets, use the tip of a spoon to peel away the brown skin and then slice into slivers to add to a stir fry dish or steep in hot water with lemon and add some honey to sweeten for a naturally caffeine-free brew. Powdered ginger can be found in the spice and herb section and this can be used for smoothies, baking or to add to rubs or seasonings for meat and seafood. Candied ginger is , well, candy and best enjoyed in moderation.

Smoky Mountain News

specifically to promote travel and tourism users pay an upfront impact fee for the costs and to serve as the marketing organization associated with increased use. The idea is that for the entire county, which also includes the by charging new users, fees remain lower for communities of Cashiers, Cullowhee and existing users.

But for a new business — especially a new Dillsboro.”

The Jackson County TDA’s budget is actu- restaurant, which requires a significant ally smaller than that found in neighboring amount of water and sewer capacity — the counties, Breedlove wrote, and its marked upfront cost can be daunting, $20,000 or growth in recent years should be seen as more. If a new restaurant moves into a space proof that the organization’s current strategy that was formerly occupied by another restaurant, no impact fee is required, but if is working.

“The fact that we can achieve double-digit the last user in the space was a non-restaugrowth speaks volumes to the ability of the rant, then the fee is required.

TDA and our partners to get the absolute best return on any marketing investment,” Breedlove wrote. “November noccupancy tax collections owere up 34 percent over the same period last year, and website traffic is up 1,100 percent over the same time last year. Every available dollar is reinvested back into marketing. Diverting any of these dollars from the TDA budget would have a significant impact on the TDA’s mission to position Jackson County as premier tourist destination.”

For his part, Nestler feels that if a Main Street director position is going to materialize, it’s up to the town to make it happen.

“If we just keep waiting for someone else to pay for things for us, they never hap- Owners John Wermuth (pictured) and Mark Bryant are pleased pen,” he said. “I’m interested with how sales have gone during their first six months at End of Main, but they would like to see a Main Street director in hearing from other people, other ideas for having other position added to further boost downtown. Holly Kays photo entities help fund this posiTtion, but I don’t think that’s very realistic.”

According to Peters, the effect on the It’s important to be realistic, Hamilton restaurant community is tangible.

“In our walkable downtown we have four Sagrees. But that’s why she’s still unsure how feasible it is for the town to foot the bill. restaurants now. At one point we had nine,” “You have to be practical in decisions you she said. make, and finances kind of handicap us,” she It’s a trend that will need to be reversed if said. downtown is to thrive, she said. t “If you want to revive a downtown, you real good restaurants, then the retail e THER ISSUES get comes and then the residential comes as a e d Hiring a downtown director would have result of that,” she said.

TWSA has been making an effort in its share of benefits, but it wouldn’t necessarrecent years to be more business-friendly. In ily be a fix-all silver bullet.

Various downtown d ymerchants have various ideas as to what 2015 it launched an allocation rental program, which allows participants to rent allo-would boost the district’s vibrancy. cation for a monthly fee rather than coughing Dixie Brendle of Dixie Mae Vintage d up a large sum of money to purchase it.

Market, for instance, blames the conversion m However, some feel there is still work to be of Main Street’s left lane to a left-turn-only s rlane for many of her business’s troubles. The done. TWSA and the town board are currentttraffic pattern makes backups common, she ly coordinating to put TWSA Director Dan said, and deters some customers from ventur- Harbaugh on the board agenda sometime soon to discuss the issue. ,ing downtown.

“Water and sewer are huge for economic “If one person doesn’t know how to paralA development,” Dowling said. “That’s a lel park, it backs up traffic all the way to Mark e given.”

Watson Park sometimes, and it frustrates o They’re thorny issues that won’t be easy -me,” she said. “We’re not exaggerating. We’ve to hash out, with solutions that will always be seen it for two years.” n The Tuckasegee Water and Sewer resource-bound. But nobody denies the ,Authority is also a common topic of conver- importance of finding an answer.

“We’ve got to keep this Main Street esation. TWSA manages water and sewer throughout Jackson County, but unlike many going,” Wermuth said. “What else does Sylva utility providers it uses a model in which new have?”

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Another runway extension in the wings for Macon airport

future board in four to six years that actually has to give the money. Tate said the current board wouldn’t put a future board on the hook for that kind of money if it didn’t think it was in the best interest of the entire county.

“Probably the biggest complaint I’ve heard from people is ‘we don’t have an airplane so it doesn’t help us any,’ but indirectly it affects all Macon County residents. Our largest employers use it on a daily basis, and those businesses would move elsewhere without the airport,” he said. “This decision will affect the county budget for several years, but it’s an important thing to do for the good of the county overall.”

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Macon County Airport proved useful during the November wildfires when firefighters and rescuers from around the country used it as a central staging area. Bob Scott photo

County contributes to $4.5 million project

Smoky Mountain News

January 11-17, 2017

BY J ESSI STONE N EW E DITOR ith the last Macon County Airport runway extension project barely in the rearview, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has approved another $4.5 million airport project to make the runway even longer.

The last expansion project in 2011 extended the runway from 4,400 feet to 5,000 feet for safety reasons — the same reason why local officials say the runway now needs to be expanded to 6,000 feet.

“It’s still four to six more years until it actually happens, but it’s in the pipeline,” said Miles Gregory, chairman of the Macon County Airport Authority.

Though the project is still years away from Miles Gregory construction, it is included in NCDOT’s newly released 10-year transportation plan. Macon County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a 10 percent local match for the project last month, marking the second time the county has contributed $450,000 toward a runway extension project in the last five years.

Commission Chairman Jim Tate, who served as the board’s liaison to the airport authority for many years, said he was excited about what the future expansion will mean for Macon County and the rest of the region.

“It will be great for Western North 6

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Carolina to have an airport of that capacity,” he said. “The airport usage has gone up consistently every year since I’ve been on the board and it continues to grow.”

Gregory said the 1,000-foot expansion was needed to improve safety and make the airport accessible to more types of aircraft.

While the last extension has helped increase traffic into the small airport in the Iotla Valley, he said landing is still difficult for most planes.

“Traffic has increased considerably since we did the extension to 5,000 feet — pilots have no trouble taking off now but landing is still a problem,” he said. “They’re burning out their brakes trying to get stopped so this will be an added safety feature.”

COSTLY INVESTMENT The county, state and federal taxpayer money that has gone into maintaining and improving the Macon County Airport has been substantial.

In addition to the $900,000 worth of local contributions made to runway expansion projects, the county has also approved annual funding to the Macon County Airport authority for capital improvements and other DOT improvement projects.

In 2013, commissioners narrowly approved allocating $290,000 to the airport authority so that it could leverage a $2.5 million Federal Aviation Authority grant. The grant covered the cost of expanding the width of the runway from 75 feet to 100 feet, repaving the runway and adding new lights along the airstrip.

The county allocates between $40,000$50,000 a year for airport operating expenses

“Probably the biggest complaint I’ve heard from people is ‘we don’t have an airplane so it doesn’t help us any,’ but indirectly it affects all Macon County residents. Our largest employers use it on a daily basis, and those businesses would move elsewhere without the airport.”

— Jim Tate, commission chairman

and occasionally assists with capital improvement costs. Over the last three years alone, the county has allocated more than $420,000 for the airport in the annual budget.

While some taxpayers think the money is well spent considering all the benefits the airport provides, others think only a select few are actually benefitting from the millions being poured into the airport.

“Commissioners have been tremendously supportive of the airport, but it’s not a cost to the county — it’s an investment — a good investment,’ Gregory said. “If we’re going to have an airport we need to have the best one we can afford — it will pay off.”

While the current commissioners approved the $450,000 match, it could be a

Gregory can share a number of anecdotal stories that show the economic benefits that come with having an airport in Macon County.

“Last year a jet came in on a Thursday and four teenaged girls got off. I talked to the pilot who was from Kentucky and he flew them here from the university to the Old Edwards Inn for a wedding — there are several incidents like that — those people pay a good deal of taxes while they’re here,” Gregory said.

Those people pay property tax on their second homes or they rent hotels and pay the occupancy tax, they buy groceries and they pay sales tax when they shop in Franklin and Highlands. Gregory also pointed out that plane owners pay a hefty personal property tax to the county, which goes into the county budget every year.

Cherokee and Harrah’s Casino also benefit from the airport. Many of the casino’s big musical acts use the airport, including Tony Bennett.

“Lots of second home owners use the airport and in fact, 50 percent of the airport usage has a final destination of Highlands and Cashiers,” Tate said.

The Macon County Airport may only employ a handful of people, but it helps support hundreds of jobs in Macon County.

Companies like Drake Enterprises that employ 900 people and Duotech Services that employs 50 people can speak to the advantages of having an airport close by.

Duotech owner Dan Rogers said the airport is essential to his defense company that needs to fly its technicians and engineers all over the country to meet with customers.

Being able to fly out of Macon County on a private jet cuts down on his trip time compared to flying commercially.

“From a business standpoint the airport is invaluable — especially when the closest airports are hours away in Atlanta or Charlotte — you really can’t put a price on it,” Rogers said.

Drake CEO Phil Drake said the airport allows his business to visit multiple cities in one day.

“Some weeks we fly six days. Some days we go to two or three different locations returning to Franklin on each leg,” Drake said. “My pilot recently had a day that he was in Myrtle Beach, Teterboro, New Jersey, and Cincinnati, Ohio, in the same day, which would be impossible without the airport in Macon County.”

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Macon County Airport history timeline

• 1998 — The North Carolina General Assembly established the Macon County Airport Authority and the county deeded the land and facilities over to the authority. Peggy Milton and Neil Hoppe, owners of Franklin Aviation, received a 20-year contract from the county to manage Macon County Airport — that contract expires in 2018.

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“You should sit up front in the cockpit one dark and rainy night and get a firsthand look at why it would be so much safer with the additional 1,000 feet added to the runway.”

• 2012 — A plane crash at the Macon County Airport kills five people.

• 2013 — Macon County commissioners narrowly approve providing a $290,000 local match in order to get a $2.5 million grant from the FAA and DOT to repave and widen runway from 75 feet to 100 feet.

• 2016 — DOT wants to complete another $4.5 million expansion project to lengthen the runway from 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet.

Commissioners voted unanimously to support the project, which will require another 10 percent match — $450,000 — from local coffers.

and Jackson and Swain counties, and also Rabun County (Georgia) because it’s centrally located and offers better facilities,” he said.

“We need it to fly officials here to check out different spots — if we don’t have an airport, we’re out of the picture completely.”

SAFETY CONCERNS The question remains — does adding another 1,000 feet to the runway really make that much of a difference as far as safety is concerned?

Macon County Airport’s runway is already longer than Jackson County Airport’s 3,200-foot runway and is only slightly shorter than Andrews/Murphy Airport’s 5,500-foot runway.

But local pilots say it will make landing much safer and will also enable more types of planes and jets to utilize the airport.

Drake, CEO of Drake Enterprises, and his pilot David Phillips use the airport on almost a daily basis.

Phillips said the expansion from 5,000 feet to 6,000 would improve safety conditions, especially while flying at night and during heavy rain and fog.

“You should sit up front in the cockpit one dark and rainy night and get a firsthand look at why it would be so much safer with the additional 1,000 feet added to the runway,” he said. “The approach speeds in the Citation CJ2+ jet can be as high as 135 miles per hour. The runway looks really short at night in the rain.”

Duotech CEO Dan Rogers has used the airport for his business travel since 1989. He said the previous runway expansion project has been helpful in improving safety for pilots. Larger jets also need more runway space to land compared to smaller single-

S EE AIRPORT, PAGE 8

An aerial view of the Macon County Airport as private pilot Bob Brown comes in for a landing.

Bob Brown photo

By the numbers • The Macon County Airport has an annual economic impact of $12.2 million.

• The airport supports 110 jobs with an annual payroll of $1.8 million • Macon County taxpayers have paid for the following airport projects — $450,000 for an airport extension in 2011 — $290,000 for repaving and widening 2013 — $450,000 for next runway extension 2016 Source: N.C. DOT Division of Aviation 2016 study

Macon County contributions to Macon County Airport Authority Fiscal Year Operating Expenses Capital Expenses TOTAL FY 16-17............................ $53,800....................................N/A................................ $53,800 FY 15-16............................ $43,000...............................$283,334.......................... $326,334 FY 14-15............................ $40,000....................................N/A................................ $40,000

Smoky Mountain News

t — David Phillips, pilot l . a “If we had to fly out of Asheville or -Atlanta, it would take three days because we would have to fly out the day before a meetsing, and then fly home the day after,” Drake -said. “So it is not at all practical for us to fly ecommercially to those cities.” s Both companies said the airport was not a major factor when deciding to open a busitness in Macon County — mostly because the nairport was still fairly primitive. But Drake said it is a major factor in whether the compasny can stay in Macon County in the future. s Gregory said the airport helps existing ebusinesses and is something potential indusstries are looking for when they select a location dto set up shop. Having the airport gives Macon hCounty a better shot at landing new jobs. n “This is for future development — this airport will be a tremendous asset to Macon

• 2011 — The 600-foot extension to the runway at Macon County Airport is completed to the tune of $4.5 million. The project was paid for with a combination of federal, state and local dollars.

January 11-17, 2017

l t . y e w d a ” • 2009 — Macon Airport Authority receives criticism over a proposed runway extenr e y Drake employees specifically travel to dWashington, D.C., and Nashville, Tennessee, toften. Because of the Macon County Airport, ythey can make stops in both cities in one day yand still make it home for dinner in Franklin.

The airport allows employees to have the high -quality of life offered in Macon County while galso having a high-tech job that typically yrequires you to live in more urban areas.

sion from 4,400 feet to 5,000 feet after an archaeological assessment called the site one of the more significant areas in the state because of some 400 Cherokee burials and artifacts.

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y t e k . e y r d - • 1969 — Macon County airport was opened under county ownership. l t f • 1995 — A husband a wife died in a plane crash trying to land at Macon County Airport.

Macon County Airport is located about 3 miles outside of downtown Franklin in the rural Iotla Valley community. Jessi Stone photo

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AIRPORT, CONTINUED FROM 7

if we had the runway extended,” he said.

However, a report from the National Transportation Safety Board indicated that the runway length had nothing to do with the crash. The cause of the crash was determined to be a “the pilot’s failure to maintain flying speed resulting in an aerodynamic stall. A factor was sun glare,” according to the report.

engine planes.

“From a safety standpoint, it gives you plenty of buffer for the pilots trying to land,” he said.

The expansion from 5,000 to 6,000 won’t make much of a difference for Rogers’ landings, but he said it would open up the airport for more private jet traffic. For example, he PLIT ON SUPPORT said XOJET, which provides private jet charter trips, is interested in utilizing the Macon The expansion and improvement projects County Airport but can’t right now because at the airport haven’t exactly been met with of the runway length. enthusiasm from the entire community.

“For my purposes it’s not a big difference, Before the last runway extension project but nowadays you have commercial flights was formally approved, several residents in coming in here from NetJets and others that the Iotla Valley near the airport were fly individuals from one place to another and “If we’re going to have an airport we those jets need 5,000 to 6000 feet of runway,” he need to have the best one we can said. “The amount of afford — it will pay off.” peripheral business the airport brings in is hard — Miles Gregory, chairman of the to measure.”

Macon County Airport Authority There have been two incidents within the last 20 years at the Macon County Airport that adamantly opposed to the project because resulted in death. Back in 1995, a husband they thought it would mean more disturbing and wife crashed trying to land on the run- vehicle and air traffic in the area. way. In 2012, another plane crash near the While the board was unanimous in the latairport killed the five people on board. est vote to expand the runway, commissioners Gregory said both of those incidences were divided on the previous runway project. might have been avoided if the runway was Commissioner Paul Higdon and former comlonger at the time. missioner Ron Haven voted against providing “In 1995, that couple went into the field the $290,000 matching funds in 2013 for the and flipped — that would not have happened repaving and widening project. For Haven, the

Smoky Mountain News

January 11-17, 2017

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A future runway expansion project will allow larger private jets to utilize the Macon County Airport. Jessi Stone photo airport just didn’t clearly show the economic benefits the project would have for all residents of Macon County.

Even more controversial was when the airport authority and commissioners began discussing lengthening the runway from 4,400 feet to 5,000 feet back in 2009. With Cherokee burial sites and artifacts surrounding the airport property, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians was not happy with how Macon leaders were handling the sensitive expansion project.

The authority agreed to remove 25 percent of artifacts on the site, but Cherokee wanted 100 percent removed. They authority claimed it would cost too much — estimated $2 million — to remove all the artifacts and instead contracted with TRC Environmental of Chapel Hill to recover 25 percent of the

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artifacts for $535,000.

Several residents threatened lawsuits because of the project, but nothing ever came to fruition and the project was completed in 2011 after working through a lengthy environmental permitting process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Despite the concerns about the increase in vehicle and air traffic in the rural community, Gregory said he hasn’t heard any complaints since the expansion was completed nearly five years ago. He said many people in the county couldn’t even tell you where the airport is located because they never notice the air traffic, which mostly occurs between Thursday and Sunday.

“Of course you have some people who’d rather have it somewhere else, but we can’t move it,” Gregory said.

North Carolina aviation serves everyone in our state. The economic reach of airports extends far beyond pilots and operators by supporting: • Time-sensitive, high-value cargo and freight transport • People, both for business and pleasure travel • Fire fighting and medical emergency • Search and rescue • Military • Agriculture • Aerospace industry • Tourism

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Luker reaches agreement with health department for permit approval

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“It’s all driven by rules and laws,” she said.

In fact, the codes that Jackson County health employees enforce are actually state laws. Even though health inspectors are county employees, when they’re enforcing those state laws they’re considered to be acting as agents of the state. Luker’s original suit was filed against the Jackson County Department of Public Health, but he had to adjust the petition to name the N.C. Department of

Caney Fork General Store. File photo Health and Human Services instead.

Luker, however, maintains that he wasn’t imagining the political aspect of his permit denial and says he’s “110 percent confident” the suit would have been successful if he hadn’t dropped it.

“I think there was definitely some foul play there,” he said. “I’m not going to change that statement at all.”

With the permit in hand, Luker is now free to launch his deli line, though he hasn’t done so yet. Prior to the permit denial, he said, he’d spent about $60,000 on kitchen equipment to get the deli line going.

However, he won’t be able to benefit from the current setup for that long. Caney Fork General Store is under condemnation due to

Sequoyah Fund embezzler sentenced

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER mbezzling nearly $1 million from The Sequoyah Fund in Cherokee will land the organization’s former executive director in federal prison for more than two years, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger decided at a Dec. 15 sentencing hearing.

In June, Nell Leatherwood pleaded guilty to 50 counts related to an embezzlement scheme she conducted between January 2010 and her resignation in November 2013. Over the three-year period, Leatherwood repeatedly misused the corporate credit card for

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personal expenses, with the bills later paid using Sequoyah Fund dollars without the knowledge of the organization’s board members, according to court documents. Those charges totaled about $900,000, though court documents noted that “thousands of dollars” in purchases made by “another individual” were included in that number. However, the other individual was not named.

Nell Leatherwood Court documents showed that Leatherwood embezzled money through another means as well. Between December 2012 and November 2013, the prosecution said, Leatherwood wrote 47 checks to herself from The Sequoyah Fund

account, forging board members’ signatures in order to cash the checks or deposit them for her own personal use. The checks totaled about $65,000, court documents say.

Maximum penalties for 49 of the 50 counts to which Leatherwood pleaded guilty are 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, with one of the counts carrying a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

However, Leatherwood will serve only 27 months in prison with no fine. While the judgment gives a penalty of 27 months for each of the 50 counts, the sentences are to be served concurrently, meaning all at the same time instead of one after the other.

In addition to prison time, Leatherwood will be required to pay a $5,000 assessment, as well as $545,708 in restitution to The Sequoyah Fund. She won’t have to pay inter-

will own that building. We’re not taking all of the property, but we are taking the building.”

The process has been delayed by issues with getting permits for gas tanks at the new location, Adams said, so Caney Fork General Store won’t close until the new location is ready. That’s expected to happen by June 1.

Luker was first approached about the road project on Oct. 2, 2015, Adams said, with an offer made on March 16, 2016. However, the acquisition cost of the property has not yet been determined. Compensation for the property is based on business income and property value, Luker said, so while neither he nor Adams could say for sure, it seems likely that adding a deli line would increase the amount of compensation at least somewhat.

est, however, and she will be required to pay only $50 per month, beginning 60 days after her release. At that rate, it would take 909 years to complete the restitution payment.

Established in 1997 and reorganized in 2006, The Sequoyah Fund operates under the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as a community financial institution, issuing loans and financial services on the Qualla Boundary to encourage community development. Tribal dollars and grants from nontribal sources — including substantial ones from the federal government — fund the organization.

Russ Seagle, who took over as executive director when the embezzlement scheme was discovered, said that the organization has since revised its policies and procedures to prevent such a thing from happening again. These days, duties involving financial transactions are divided up between multiple people, so that no one person can handle a transaction from start to finish and thus fall prey to temptation.

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Smoky Mountain News

Nell Leatherwood will serve 27 months and pay restitution

its proximity to a road-widening project on N.C. 107. While the building itself doesn’t fall inside the right-of-way, the well will be lost as part of the road project. With no other way to get water to the parcel, said Ted Adams — the N.C. Department of Transportation’s division construction engineer — the property will be a total take.

“We have filed condemnation on it,” Adams said. “Once we can relocate him we

January 11-17, 2017

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ecently elected Jackson County Commissioner Mickey Luker has dropped a lawsuit he filed in June contesting a permit denial handed down from the Jackson County Department of Public Health.

“At the end of the day it resulted in a new (health) director and her willingness to come in and bring a new leadership to that team and to sit down at the table and say, ‘How can we make this work?’” Luker said.

Luker, who owns Caney Fork General Store along N.C. 107, had applied for a wastewater permit in order to add a deli line to his business. Luker filed a voluntary dismissal of the case on Oct. 31, 2016, before his Election Day victory over incumbent Mark Jones.

After filing the voluntary dismissal, Luker said, he went into mediation with the health department and made a final decision to stop pursuing the lawsuit after the permit was issued in December.

According to Shelley Carraway, who took over as health director in August, nothing changed as far as the health department’s recommendations to reverse the denial.

However, she said, she made continued communication a priority and met with Luker on multiple occasions to discuss the permit.

“It really may have felt different and came out a little different, but really nothing changed,” Carraway said. “He did his research and asked a lot of questions. We went out there several times. He was great to work with.”

Luker completed the required repairs and was granted his permit.

Luker made his original application on

Nov. 4, 2015, to reconnect his deli line to the existing septic system. The property was inspected on Nov. 13 and again on Nov. 1 of that year. The permit was denied due to damage to the septic system, said Jamie Dellinger of the health department. A Feb. 24, 2016 letter informed Luker of the denial. Between the application and the denial — on Dec. 21, 2015 — Luker filed to run for commissioner on the Republican ticket.

He requested a contested case hearing and on June 3, 2016, he filed a suit in the Office of Administrative Hearings alleging that his permit denial was politically motivated.

“The Jackson County Commission is predominately Democrat,” Luker’s June court statement reads. “The Petitioner is owned by … a Republican who is running for County Commissioner against an incumbent Democrat opponent who also sits on the Board of Public Health.”

Jones, the incumbent Democrat in question, vehemently denied the accusation, saying that members of the Board of Health aren’t even part of the conversation when it comes to the approval or denial of particular permits.

“To make an accusation like he did in this lawsuit, it’s totally unfounded,” Jones said last summer.

Carraway supports the perspective that a Board of Health member would have little opportunity to influence the fate of an individual permit.

“The Board of Health never gets into the day-to-day stuff,” she said. “I don’t think our Board of Health folks even know what cases we’re working on.”

The board works more at the organizational level, making decisions about the overall system of operation, Carraway said.

Even a health department employee, she said, would be hard-pressed to manipulate the outcome of a permit application based on personal feelings.

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Jackson commissioner drops lawsuit

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Neglected Canton dogs still need homes

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How to adopt

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DR. COY BROWN

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER n a case that stunned Western North Carolina residents last November, 137 dogs were found being kept in varying states of neglect on a property outside the town of Canton.

Although none had to be euthanized and most of them have found permanent homes, some — including more than a dozen puppies — are still available for adoption.

While many were shipped out of state or sent to area animal welfare organizations, Sarge’s Animal Rescue still has a mother and several puppies, and Duke’s Animal Haven still has almost 20 dogs available for adoption.

“We ended up with 35 total, and 15 of those were puppies that were just a few days old, or newborns,” said Helen McLeod, president of Duke’s.

Duke’s ended up with the worst of them — the dogs requiring the greatest amount of medical care or socialization.

“We like the ones that tend to be special needs and need a little care, a little extra attention,” McLeod said. “We once had a dog from the Haywood shelter that took a year and a half to adopt, because she was a bait dog.”

McLeod said Duke’s is known for accepting such cases and working to nurse the dogs back to health.

“We spend a lot of time with them, playing with them, picking them up, kissing them, loving them, getting them used to people holding them, things like that,” she said.

“And we have spent a lot of time on medical, like with Violet — she got baths twice a week for at least a month. And then she had med-

Duke’s Animal Haven will hold a special adoption event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21, at the PetSmart in Waynesville. All remaining puppies from the Canton hoarding incident will be there, awaiting a permanent home.

Duke’s President Helen McLeod encourages those interested to apply to adopt at least a week before the event because the organization requires a reference from a veterinarian; absent that, Duke’s will do a home visit.

Violet the dog today after months of care at Duke’s Animal Haven. Cory Vaillancourt photo

ication on top of that for her skin issues.”

In the Canton situation, McLeod theorized that since the dogs were living in a single trailer or chained up outside on the property, they were not socialized and didn’t interact with strangers.

“People take their dogs out to PetSmart, or take them to the lake and walk,” she said.

“They were not getting that. The older ones, we just spend a lot of time with them, be very patient with them, and we make sure that when people come to adopt them, that they understand that they’re going to be work – you’re not taking home

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“All we look for is that it’s a safe place,” she said. “We don’t want to pull up and find another hoarding situation,” she said.

Additionally, Duke’s conducts wellness checks after three days, three months and a year.

The adoption fee for the dogs— which are spayed or neutered and immunized — is $100; the puppies will also be micro-chipped.

Duke’s will also accept donations at the event, including blankets, bedding, food or money.

For more information, call 828.734.0267 or visit www.dukesanimalhaven.org.

Canton dives in to pool project

ty has been working with them to ensure they don’t relapse and begin hoarding again.

“I would expect there will be some citations,” he said, speculating that they could include hoarding, failure to vaccinate the animals, and animal cruelty.

The owners voluntarily surrendered the animals to Haywood County Animal Services, which sprung into action by renting a disused warehouse in Hazelwood for use as a temporary intake shelter, where dogs were cataloged, cleaned, fed and immunized.

“They’re still cooperating, and it’s not unreasonable to expect some leniency based on their ongoing cooperation. We’re just hoping to prevent a reoccurrence,” Teague said.

Freightliner — won’t be repeated next year, he said, adding that the town was also poised to retire long-term debt on some equipment in the coming years.

The board seemed pleased by these options and didn’t receive any public com-

More than $300,000 will come from sponsorships and private donations, including a $200,000 sponsorship by Champion Credit Union in exchange for naming rights. ments on the proposal. Aside from Alderman Gail Mull’s husband Doug and Canton Recreation Program Coordinator/Certified Pool Operator Keith Corbeil, not one person showed up to the meeting.

Thus with a motion by Alderman Ralph Hamlett and a second by Mull, the board unanimously resolved to pursue BB&T’s offer.

Violet the dog in early November, after being found on a property outside the town of Canton. Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

a perfect pet. They need some adjustment time, some work.”

Some of the dogs, McLeod said, display a marked fear of men in particular.

“It could be abuse, it could be somebody just being stern with them,” she said.

“They’ve not had a good social interaction with men. Strangers — and it tends to be men — they stand up so high, they’re over them, I think that bothers them. I’m not saying that these animals were abused, but they were definitely neglected.”

Haywood County Animal Services Director Doyle Teague said that the residents of the property, James, Angela and Kenny Croft, haven’t yet faced charges, but the coun-

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER Someone from the town of Canton will soon approach the Haywood County Board of Commissioners, hat in hand.

Their goal? To secure a contribution toward the construction of a replacement for Canton’s historic public municipal pool.

Thanks to a resolution passed Jan. 3, Canton officials will formally request $50,000 from the county.

Although the county declined to entertain such a request last year, this year could be different.

“It behooves us to take a look at it. It’s a big [economic] driver for them,” said Commissioner Mike Sorrells. “I think I would

look at it with an open mind, how much it would be and how it would affect us.”

Commissioner Bill Upton — himself a Canton resident — echoed Sorrells.

“We’ll have to look at what kind of contribution they’re talking about, and what the county’s budgetary needs are around budget time,” he said.

Fellow Cantonian and newly elected Republican Commissioner Brandon Rogers said he recognized the need for the pool.

“I’m willing to listen,” said Rogers.

Also willing to listen is Rogers’ fellow Republican Commissioner Kevin Ensley, who said as much when asked last week.

Kirk Kirkpatrick, chairman of the board, said that he’s waiting for more information but wasn’t opposed to letting Canton make its case.

“As always, we like to listen to all the information before we make any decisions,” Kirkpatrick said.

January 11-17, 2017

by Canton than the 40-year USDA loan would have required. It was this point — the higher yearly payments — that caused the most consternation amongst the board.

Much like a family sitting around the table trying to fit a new purchase into the household budget, aldermen recognized the need for the loan, and felt the payments were generally affordable, but were worried about making those payments should a natural disaster, economic downturn or other unforeseen calamity occur between now and 2032.

BB&T offered a loan of $1 million, of which Hendler-Voss estimated the town would need $775,000. With that amount as principal, he said the town’s first-year payment would total about $74,000. Over time as principal is reduced, the payments would drop to the low-$50,000 range near the end of the term. The USDA loan payments would have been about $45,000.

Hendler-Voss countered board concerns over possible future revenue fluctuations by proposing a number of spending solutions that would help mitigate the town’s outlay.

Several one-time payments — like the $30,000 budgeted for town rebranding and the $45,000 incentive to Western Carolina

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Will Haywood take the plunge?

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER own of Canton officials faced a “sink or swim” moment Jan. 3 when, in a special public hearing, they had to decide whether or not to move forward with plans to seek commercial financing for the town’s beleaguered pool project.

Mayor Mike Ray and town aldermen didn’t really have much of a choice; after securing two substantial grants and committing $500,000 of the town’s fund balance to the project’s estimated $2 million cost, they were stunned to learn that they wouldn’t be able to count on a $1 million USDA loan as part of their funding package when the federal agency reallocated funding for the loan program earlier this fall.

Without commercial financing to plug that hole, the project would have no hope of moving forward. Given that the current pool cannot be reopened under its current conditions, aldermen either had to face the first summer without a public pool in Canton in more than 70 years, or take the loan terms offered.

“If the current pool project was abandoned and there was no longer a municipal pool, that action would betray not only Canton's future recreational opportunities, but also the great memories families and citizens associated with our pool’s past,” said Alderman Zeb Smathers.

Two banks responded to the town’s request for proposals. Unfortunately for the town, Asheville-based HomeTrust Bank’s proposal was immediately disqualified due to its attempt to collateralize something other than the pool itself.

Canton Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss said that the Local Government Commission — whose approval is needed for the town to move forward on the pool — wouldn’t consider such loans.

That left Winston-Salem bank BB&T as the sole responsive bidder. BB&T’s terms, however, ended up being a blessing in disguise. The USDA loan would have had a 3.25 percent interest rate over a 40-year term, but the commercial loan’s terms offered a 2.89 percent interest rate over 15 years, saving the town thousands in interest.

However, the shorter loan term from BB&T would require higher yearly payments

“Between the absence of one-time payments and the impending retirement of some long term-debts, my confidence the loan payments won’t become burdensome rests on what the ‘knowns’ are at this time,” said Smathers. “Any project can be delayed if decisions are based on the unknowns. Though we will suffer setbacks, I have full faith in Canton's future and its citizens. If problems arise, it’s important to be flexible and adjust our priorities if need be. The pool project was a priority of the town board and the mayor because it is a priority of our citizens. I’m also confident that this project will be the first step in a reenergized recreation program and opportunity not just for Canton, but all of Haywood County.”

The loan will become part of a funding package that involves more than a dozen entities and plenty of grassroots supporters.

Since spring, the town has been selling commemorative bricks that will help pave the way to the new pool, literally and figuratively. Corbeil, who’s taken up the task of selling the bricks, said that sales are going well, and bricks are still available for purchase through the town.

Two grants — one from the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and one from the Glass Foundation — will total $400,000 toward the project.

More than $300,000 will come from sponsorships and private donations, including a $200,000 sponsorship by Champion Credit Union in exchange for naming rights.

Also passed at the meeting was a motion authorizing town officials to ask the Haywood County Board of Commissioners for a contribution toward the pool.

Data cited by Hendler-Voss states that a full 70 percent of pool users aren’t from Canton and therefore pay no taxes to help support the pool, but do purchase tickets at the same price as Cantonians.

While it’s supposed that the bulk of that 70 percent comes from within Haywood County, commissioners declined to entertain such a request last year.

This year, on Jan. 3, Brian Broom of Asheville accounting firm Dixon Hughes Goodman reported to the commissioners that his firm’s audit of the county’s 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) showed the county’s fund balance had increased from about 24 to about 27 percent since 2015. Broom said that the state becomes “very concerned” when fund balances approach 8 percent, and the county’s own policy calls for a fund balance of at least 11 percent.

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Only opposition heard for Walnut Street widening

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER lthough work on the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s proposed improvements to Russ Avenue won’t begin until 2022, Waynesville residents have already been persistent and vociferous in their opposition to the Walnut Street segment of the project.

For the second time in less than a month, Mayor Gavin Brown and Waynesville aldermen invited the public to speak out on the controversial $18 million plan, which as currently presented would widen a segment of Walnut from where it meets Russ Avenue to North Main Street, obliterating more than a dozen century-old trees along with brick retaining walls, stairways and much of the character that makes the short stretch of road one of the most unique in the region.

But for the first time, representatives of NCDOT and the engineering firm associated with the project, which is titled “Russ Avenue DOT Project U-5839,” were in attendance to hear from concerned citizens firsthand.

“We hear you,” said Brian Burch, NCDOT Division 14 construction engineer.

Whether or not NCDOT alters its plans, however, is another matter. The project is meant to address projected traffic growth on Russ Avenue through the year 2040, from the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway south to the railroad bridge at Walnut Street.

Instead of terminating there, however, it continues on to Walnut where it terminates at North Main Street, where traffic growth isn’t projected to grow substantially during that time period.

More than 70 people — some standing, some dragging chairs into the aisles — packed Waynesville’s town hall hoping to have their say Jan. 5.

And as with Dec. 13, not one person voiced support for the Walnut Street portion of the project.

January 11-17, 2017

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Kristy Carter, a transportation engineer with Waynesville-based J.M. Teague Engineering and Planning, was brought in by the city as an impartial expert to help answer questions and ensure the meeting progressed smoothly.

At the outset, she divided the project into six segments, the first two being Walnut Street from North Main Street to Boundary Street, and then from Boundary Street to Russ Avenue.

When she asked those in attendance to raise their hands if they had concerns with those first two segments of the project, approximately 90 percent of the room did so. Just two people expressed concern over the remaining four segments of the project, which progresses up Russ Avenue to the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway.

Due to the substantial amount of people present, Carter attempted to avoid repetitious comments; the first to speak against the project was attorney Charles McDarris, who owns two properties on Walnut and has perhaps been the most ardent detractor of NCDOT’s proposal.

In methodical fashion, McDarris utterly dismantled any and all arguments that might support the Walnut Street widening, as he’s done before the board previously.

When asked, 90 percent of the room said they agreed with McDarris’ points; just two or three others added arguments McDarris hadn’t raised, but not one person spoke in support of the Walnut Street widening.

Burch — while saying he recognized arguments against the widening — countered by saying that Walnut Street wasn’t ADA compliant, and could face drainage issues from aging infrastructure in the future unless something was done soon.

Resurface it and make it ADA compliant, but do not expand the asphalt footprint, McDarris said as a muted cheer arose from the audience.

As with other local issues, the contention surrounding the Russ Avenue project centers

Smoky Mountain News

To tax or not to tax?

Waynesville considers adding another tax-exempt parcel

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER

It isn’t often that citizens avail themselves of the public comment session offered by local governments.

That’s just what happened, however, when Michael Tate took the podium at the Haywood County Board of Commissioners meeting Jan. 3.

Often, those who take advantage of the opportunity to speak before a city, town or county are anticipated, as in the case of the county’s recent deliberations over firearms possession on county property or the new animal shelter.

Tate, however, was a surprise.

“I stand before you this morning to request permission to bid 12 or buy the real estate owned by the county at 10 Calvary Street,”

A capacity crowd looks on as J.M. Teague Engineering and Planning Transportation Engineer Kristy Carter (center) facilitates a public hearing on NCDOT’s Russ Avenue plan. Cory Vaillancourt photo

End of public comment period draws near Those who wish to comment on Russ Avenue DOT Project U-5839 have until the close of business on Jan. 13 to contact NCDOT; call 828.631.1146 or email Wanda Austin at whaustin@ncdot.gov before then. For more information on the project, visit www.ncdot.gov/projects/russave.

around the oft-competing ideas of encouraging progress and preserving the culture and history of the town’s built environment — concepts, McDarris said, that don’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive.

“I think if you approach progress from the aspect of knowing your history, understanding your history and remembering your history, it helps you progress in a more natural way and makes progress more defined,” McDarris said. “I have talked to well over 100 people and no one supports the widening of historic Walnut Street.”

he said.

Strangely, an agenda item later in the meeting was to request approval for the county to negotiate a sale with the Town of Waynesville over the very same parcel.

“If you would go down Pigeon Street to the Head Start that is put on by Mountain Projects, right behind that is an old building that is not in good condition,” said County Manager Ira Dove. “The county owns three lots that were acquired through tax foreclosure.”

The lots Dove and Tate were referring to are located on Craven Road and straddle Calvary Street; they total just over three-fourths of an acre and have a taxable value of $27,300.

Tate’s vague plan for the parcels includes an “events center” upon which he didn’t elaborate, but the town of Waynesville hopes to turn it into a park instead. Both would probably necessitate the closure of Cavalry Street.

Commissioners seemed surprised that another party had shown up to express interest in the purchase, however, their lines of questioning assumed Tate’s purchase would not be exempt from property taxes, while Town of Waynesville’s would be.

“We have an amount of cash money into this so far,” Dove told commissioners, adding that the county had expended nearly

According to the published agenda for the Town of Waynesville’s regular board meeting Jan. 10, aldermen were to consider a formal resolution to NCDOT expressing the sentiment of its citizens. It is expected that the town will oppose Russ Avenue DOT Project U-5839, or at the very least, the Walnut Street portion thereof. That action was slated to occur after The Smoky Mountain News’ press time on Tuesday; check www.smokymountainnews.com for the results of that meeting and more coverage of the issue.

$16,000 toward the acquisition of the properties and that some tax payments are still due on them.

Waynesville Town Manager Rob Hites said he expected to spend between $60,000 and $100,000 to acquire the parcels, demolish a dilapidated structure and create a “sheltered area.”

Given that no formal offers had been made to the county for the parcels either by Tate or by the town, no action was taken at the meeting regarding ownership of the lots.

The Town of Waynesville, however, appeared poised to take action at its Jan. 10 meeting. An agenda item was listed for the meeting directing officials to obtain the property from the county, and work with the county “to redevelop lots on Calvary Street as a community park.”

Back in September, Waynesville aldermen voted to annex another tax-exempt parcel at 1023 Dellwood Road, measuring 2.82 acres and home to the Shining Rock Classical Academy. Alderman Gary Caldwell called it “part of our growth,” despite the fact that the school won’t pay property taxes, just as a park located on the Calvary Street would be likewise exempt.

Tate did not respond to repeated requests for comment on this story; as of press time, the Waynesville Board of Aldermen had not yet taken action on the item either.

wain Community Hospital is looking for small groups of residents to be part of ongoing focus groups to discuss changes occurring in the hospital emergency department On Jan. 3, the emergency room at Swain began using a new model in which the ER is staffed with providers and nursing staff for 16 hours of the day (8 a.m. to midnight) and the remaining eight hours will be staffed with an “in-house provider.” That in-house provider working overnight may not always be a physician — it could be a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant.

Although hospital administrators said the change would not impact the level of patient care at the ER overnight, some people in the community, including county commissioners, are worried about how the change may impact overall services.

Emergency Services Director David Breedlove recently told commissioners he was concerned about how the change might increase the number of EMS transports from Swain County to Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva.

However, hospital administrators say they don’t expect an uptick in transports because the overnight admittance at Swain is so low. Also, many critical patients admitted to the Swain ER need to be transported to a different facility anyway.

“The purpose of the meetings is to help our community understand the ED is not closing and will continue to meet the emergency needs of the region, said Lucretia F. Stargell, Swain Community Hospital administrator. “We had heard some lingering concerns from members of the community that perhaps some misunderstanding about the new model remains.”

The hospital did not send out an official press release to the media but reached out to churches in Bryson City, the Swain County Chamber of Commerce and posted an announcement on Facebook.

Stargell said the hospital wants to keep the focus groups small — 8 to 10 people per session — to hopefully create an intimate conversational environment as opposed to a public forum. Focus groups were scheduled for Friday, Jan. 6, and Tuesday, Jan. 10, but no one showed up. Since the inclement weather could have kept people at home on those days, Stargell said more focus group sessions would be scheduled.

“We haven’t had any response yet and we will add as many sessions as needed,” she said.

To find out about when the next sessions will be held, call 828.488.4013.

news

Focus groups needed to discuss Swain ER changes

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January 11-17, 2017

There’s never been a better time to be a U.S. Cellular® customer. Because now you’ll get up to $250 back on any new Smartphone.

16GB or higher plan required

Smoky Mountain News

Things we want you to know: Shared Connect Plan and Retail Installment Contract required. Credit approval also required. A $25 Activation Fee applies. A Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee (currently $2.02/line/month) applies; this is not a tax or government-required charge. Additional fees (including Device Connection Charges), taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas apply and may vary by plan, service and phone. Offers valid at participating locations only and cannot be combined. See store or uscellular.com for details. Device Protection+ Required: Minimum monthly price is $8.99 per Smartphone. A service fee/deductible per approved claim applies. You may cancel anytime. Property insurance is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida and provided under a Master Policy issued to U.S. Cellular. You will be the certificate holder on U.S. Cellular’s Master Policy for loss/theft benefits. Service Contract Obligor is Federal Warranty Service Corporation in all states except CA (Sureway, Inc.) and OK (Assurant Service Protection, Inc.). Limitations and exclusions apply. For more information, see an associate for a Device Protection+ brochure. $100 Promotional Card Offer: Offer eligible for new line activations and upgrades. New and current customers who choose a Shared Connect price plan 16GB or higher and activate a new Smartphone are eligible to receive a $100 U.S. Cellular Promotional Card in store. Up to $150 Offer: Available on new lines and add-a-lines only. New and current customers who activate a new Smartphone $399 or higher, port in a number, turn in a qualifying device and choose a Shared Connect Plan 16GB or higher are eligible to receive an additional $150 U.S. Cellular Promotional Card in the mail. Customers who are on a Shared Connect Plan 16GB or higher prior to the promotion are not eligible. U.S. Cellular Promotional Cards issued by MetaBank,® Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Valid only for purchases at U.S. Cellular stores and uscellular.com. Card will be received in 6–8 weeks. Turned-in Smartphone must be in fully functional, working condition without any liquid damage or broken components, including, but not limited to, a cracked housing. Devices with cracked screens will be accepted as long as the device meets all other requirements. Smartphone must power on and cannot be pin locked. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. © 2017 U.S. Cellular

@SmokyMtnNews 13

news

Folk Art

WCU professor gets award for archaeological excellence

CORNBREAD & OTHER ARTISTS

Ben Steere, WCU assistant professor of anthropology and co-director of Cherokee Studies Programs (left), shows the intricacies of pottery shards to students (left to right) Carley Brookshire, Chekara Gayle, Brandi Delp and Ashley Bostian in the archaeology lab in the McKee Building. Donated photo estern Carolina University’s Ben Steere, assistant professor of anthropology and co-director of Cherokee Studies Programs, is recipient of the Principal Chief Leon D. Jones Award for Archaeological Excellence, presented by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The award is given for outstanding service to the tribe in the endeavors of archaeology and historic preservation by the Tribal Historic Preservation Office, and was recently presented to him in ceremonies at the

January 11-17, 2017

W

Volunteers, athletes sought for Special Olympics aywood County Special Olympics officials are forming a Local Program Committee so that the program can reach more potential athletes and volunteers.

“We want these volunteers to reach deeper into the community,” said Tim Petrea, the Haywood County Coordinator of Special Olympics. “The thought by many is that Special Olympics is just one day a year.

Actually, it is much, much more, and the more community support we get the more we can do.”

Petrea wants to have a Summer Games in June, Winter Games in January, an Equestrian Tournament in August and also hopes to find athletes to participate in the Fall Tournament in Raleigh.

In order to make the expanded programming successful, Petrea has planned several meetings over the next few weeks to recruit volunteers and plan for future events. Future meetings in addition to the Jan. 16 Local Program Committee meeting include a 6 p.m. meeting on Jan. 23 and at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 13, both at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Any volunteers or potential coaches

Smoky Mountain News

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Cherokee Archaeology Symposium, held in Cherokee.

Steere has conducted extensive research over the past five years on Cherokee towns and mounds, and has mapped locations. He also has examined the native people’s evolving household construction, as well as trade patterns and lifestyles.

Prior to the late 19th century, the mountain valleys of the region were marked by dozens of platform mounds and townhouses built by the Cherokee and their ancestors.

The work that earned Steere the award is ongoing.

Archaeologists working in Western North Carolina and the Eastern Band share a common concern about the need for an improved and expanded understanding of the archaeology of the Cherokee heartland, Steere said.

“Ours is a collaborative effort with the Eastern Band,” he said. “The field work, documentation and research is looking into their birthright, their history, and we have to remember that extends well beyond the Qualla Boundary. You have to respect the sites, the current landowners, and build bridges that benefit collective knowledge.”

The collaboration is representative of a broader movement he refers to as indigenous archaeology, which is research done with, by and for an indigenous community.

“Conducting projects while respecting traditional Cherokee beliefs about the treatment of sacred places, graves and ceremonial objects leads to better understanding and contributes to the preservation of Cherokee culture,” he said.

Steere obtained his doctoral degree in anthropology from the University of Georgia in 2011. He joined the WCU faculty in 2015 and also serves on the Southeastern Archaeological Conference Public Outreach Committee.

The award also recognizes teaching from a Cherokee perspective.

“We’re looking forward to an upcoming summer field school in archaeology on the Qualla Boundary,” Steere said. “This will continue our community-based research and strengthen the WCU and Eastern Band ties even further.”

For more information about Steere’s work, contact him at basteere@wcu.edu or call 828.227.2944. For more information about the Cherokee Studies Programs at WCU, visit cherokeestudies.wcu.edu.

“Red Guinea Chicks Stacker”

by Cornbread

SPECTACULAR SALE - ONE DAY ONLY! Saturday January 14 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Leicester Community Center 2978 Leicester Hwy.

Special Olympics Local Program Committee Meeting • 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at Waynesville Recreation Center • For information, email tpetrea@waynesvillenc.org are encouraged to attend.

For the spring/summer season specifically, Petrea has a need for coaches to help with aquatics, track and field, bowling, cycling, gymnastics, power lifting, softball skills and volleyball.

In addition to adult volunteers (over 18 years of age), Special Olympics is seeking Counselors in Training (ages 13-15) who want to work with school age children in summer and seasonal day camps. To be considered, potential counselors must attend the Outdoor Leadership Training in June.

Petrea said this is a great opportunity for mature youths looking for references and volunteer hours.

Committee positions include:

• Competitive Chairperson — Will recruit and manage a team of volunteers for each competitive event.

• Family Chairperson — Will work yearround to increase family involvement with Special Olympics and to increase community awareness.

• Fundraising Chairperson — Will work year-round to develop and implement projects to raise money to support the local Special Olympics programs.

• Outreach Chairperson — Will develop plans and activities to bring more support and participants to the program.

• Public Relations and Education Chairperson — Will increase community awareness and promote capabilities of persons with intellectual disabilities.

• Training Chairperson — Work to ensure year-round quality training opportunity for athletes by working with schools, coaches, officials and others.

• Volunteer chairperson — Establish and monitor volunteer recruitment, training and evaluation. tpetrea@waynesvillenc.org.

Haywood Habitat accepting homeowner applications

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Haywood Habitat for Humanity is seekeing qualified homeowners for homes located -in Haywood County. r Applicants must attend one mandatory oinformation session eprior to application. eInformation sessions dare scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, aJan. 12, at Long’s sChapel United yMethodist Church; .10 a.m. Saturday, -Jan. 21, at Haywood County LibrarytWaynesville; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, at lHaywood County Public Library-Canton. d Habitat houses are sold at the organizaetion’s cost with a zero interest mortgage to

keep monthly payments affordable. Families are required to invest 300 to 400 hours of volunteer “sweat equity” into the construction of their home. All applicants must be

Join us for a FREE ENROLLMENT EVENT Jackson County Department of Social Services 15 Griffin Street, Sylva

residents of North Carolina for a minimum of 12 months and living in Haywood County at the time of application. www.haywoodhabitat.org or 828.452.7960.

Honor MLK with day of service

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De-clutter your life

Altrusa’s Waynesville Chapter will hold othe 20th annual Soup and Cornbread Day -from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, at First United Methodist Church, 566 Haywood Street, Waynesville. d Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for dchildren 12 and younger. All proceeds go toward scholarships for Haywood County students. Tickets are available at the door.

If your New Year's Resolution was to accomplish some cleaning in your home then Clutter Bugs is for you.

Clutter Bugs, a program to eliminate clutter in your home and life, will be offered from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Jackson County Extension Center in Sylva. The program is free but registration is required.

Call 828.586.4009 to register.

Walk-Ins Welcome!

Please call for an appointments or if you have any questions contact Melissa or Sara in Jackson County at 828-400-7012 or 828-476-9090

Smoky Mountain News

The Jackson County Public Library will offer a free class on Google Photos at 5:55 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18, in Sylva.

Google offers free unlimited storage for photos. Learn how to upload and arrange your photos, create albums that you can share with others, edit, and label your pictures.

You must already have a Gmail account to participate. Participants will need to have basic computer skills, such as typing and the ability to use the mouse, to be successful in this class.

Volunteer Roger Bacon will lead the free class with assistance from library staff member Laura Chapman. Class size is limited to the first 16 people who sign up. To register, call 828.586.2016.

Meet with Certified Navigators to Enroll Financial Assistance May Be Available

January 11-17, 2017

Library offers Google Photos class

Beginning Friday, Jan. 6, the District Attorney’s Office will hold regularly scheduled office hours each week in l Robbinsville. r The District Attorney’s Office will be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. every Friday to give residents of Graham County an opporh tunity to talk to staff about minor traffic y infractions, victim’s rights in pending cases, concerns regarding the administration of k justice in Graham County, or just to get to know District Attorney Ashley Welch and l the staff.

828-349.7241. p t

Altrusa to hold Soup & Cornbread Day

You’ve got Affordable Health Insurance Options

Thursday, January 12th, 9-3

n a 5 n Citizens recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day since it was established in 1986, are h encouraged to volunteer on the third Monday every January to honor King’s vision of service. m The local Jackson NAACP Branch encourages everyone in the community to participate with area nonprofits — Mountain Projects, The Community Table and other preg ferred service groups — in recognition of this historical day. e All organizations and individuals performing service projects on Jan. 16 — are invit- ed to the Western Carolina University campus for a MLK Unity March. Participants d should plan to arrive by 2 p.m. in front of the Hines University Center at the fountain. s Alpha Phi Alpha has been hard at work along with WCU Intercultural Affairs, the Black Student Union, The Jackson WCU Student NAACP Unit and the Latino Appreciation s Students to plan this year’s MLK Unity March. r n t

DA office expands hours in Graham

GET COVERED JACKSON

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Franklin facelift Changes are coming to downtown Franklin

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR owntown Franklin will be undergoing plenty of changes in 2017 and for the next few years as the town works to improve sidewalks and traffic patterns and the state begins new road projects.

Preliminary work has already begun to replace Town Bridge over the Little Tennessee River. The North Carolina Department of Transportation project is estimated to continue until summer 2018.

DOT is also beginning to prepare residents for a major intersection project that could begin in early 2019. The state hasn’t made any final recommendations yet, but Franklin could have up to four new roundabouts once all is said and done.

Lastly, the Franklin Board of Aldermen is currently looking at proposals for a streetscaping master plan to examine the current one-way traffic pattern on Main Street and improve the appearance of the East Main Street corridor,

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BRIDGE REPLACEMENT

Smoky Mountain News

January 11-17, 2017

The $3.5 million Town Bridge replacement has been contracted out to Buckeye Bridge LLC and work is underway. Before Christmas, a construction team closed off the left lanes on the eastbound sides of Main Street for some prep work that will make it easier for traffic to be diverted to one side of the bridge during the replacement.

After the widening and repaving is complete on Big Bear Lane, the town’s waterlines will have to be moved from the old bridge to the remaining bridge. Buckeye will need to replace the existing 8-inch waterline with a 12-inch line that runs across the bridge.

“We had some utilities — water and sewer lines — that needed to be moved so we had some lane closures but tried to minimize the impact by doing it at the best time possible,” said Mitchel Bishop, DOT assistant division construction engineer. “We moved the lines to attach to the downstream side of the bridge remaining in place.”

When demolition work begins on the bridge — which could be as early as February — all traffic will be diverted off the old bridge across Big Bear Lane to the remaining bridge. The two lanes on the remaining bridge will then be used for twoway traffic.

The diverted traffic pattern will continue for a year and a half since the project won’t be complete until July 2018.

Bishop said the end result would be a brand new bridge that will be wider than the last so that there is room for a sidewalk across 16 the structure.

ROUNDABOUTS The DOT is also looking at possibly installing up to four roundabouts in the downtown Franklin area starting in January 2019. Mike Reese, DOT regional congestion management engineer, recently came to Franklin to discuss the pros and cons of roundabouts with town officials. While roundabouts are more costly to construct — an estimated $600,000 per roundabout — Reese said they keep traffic moving, reduce the number of traffic accidents and have lower maintenance costs over the years.

Franklin already has two roundabouts — one near Commons Plaza and one near the Franklin Library on Siler Road. DOT is looking at the possibility of installing new ones at the existing intersections of Wayah Street and Depot Street (near The Franklin Press office), Wayah Street and Porter Street (near the Franklin Chamber of Commerce office), Georgia Road and Womack Street and Georgia Road and Maple Street (near Resurrection Lutheran Church).

Using roundabouts to relieve traffic congestion may be confusing for people at first, but Mayor Bob Scott said roundabouts have been effective all over the world and will be effective for Franklin as well.

“If you think about it, traffic signals impede traffic. How many times is someone held up by a red light when there is no traffic coming from either the left or the right?” he said. “Traffic signals are expensive to install, maintain, and during power outages everyone is on their own, but roundabouts don't rely on electricity and there is little maintenance on them other than that which is required by normal wear and tear.”

Scott also said roundabouts lend themselves to the town’s beautification efforts because they can be landscaped and designed with aesthetics in mind rather than being an eyesore with poles, lights and wires.

“Once people get used to them, I believe they will be an advantage to any town,” Scott said. “The success of them will be related to the public's attitude toward acceptance of them.”

STREETSCAPING The town will also be looking at a number of proposals to improve parking and streetscaping in downtown in the coming months.

During a planning workshop back in October, the board agreed to consider three downtown parking proposals that have been submitted to the town in the past and discuss the options prior to the next budget year. The proposals look at several options, including changing Main Street from a one-way street to a two-way street.

This isn’t the first time the town has reviewed parking issues — it seems to be a reoccurring conversation for many small downtowns, including Franklin. Franklin commissioned a parking analysis study in

Mike Norris, director of planning and recreation with McGill Engineering firm, gives a presentation to the Franklin Board of Aldermen regarding a streetscaping master plan. Jessi Stone photo

“Once people get used to them, I believe they will be an advantage to any town. The success of them will be related to the public's attitude toward acceptance of them.”

— Bob Scott, Franklin mayor

November 2013 that was completed by J.M. Teague Engineering and Planning.

Mike Norris, director of planning and recreation with McGill Engineering, gave the board a presentation during its Jan. 3 meeting regarding his firm’s streetscaping master plan proposal.

“Parking is always a commodity in the downtown areas — it’s a good problem to have,” he said. “It means we have a lot of active storefronts generating traffic.”

Norris said McGill’s proposal would make recommendations for improving pedestrian and vehicle safety, enhancing the aesthetics downtown and examining options for increasing parking. While downtown Franklin currently has 30-degree-angle parking on Main Street, Norris said the town may want to consider the idea of switching to 45degree-angle parking to pick up more downtown spots. However, the width of Main Street would prohibit the town from doing 45-degree-angle parking on both sides of the street. If one side had 45-degree-angle spots, the other side would need to be only parallel parking spots.

“The other option is parallel parking on both sides — I know there is some resistance there and I understand that,” Norris said.

Slowing vehicles down on Main Street

has been a major goal for Mayor Scott.

Norris said that could be achieved with simple streetscaping measures like bulbouts and curb extensions. Crosswalks could be made more visible to increase pedestrian safety by creating a public plaza space that extends out into the roadway and shortens the crosswalk length. Norris said those types of projects have been very successful in other downtown projects he’s completed.

Whatever the town wants to do, Norris said public input throughout the master plan process would be critical.

Alderman Barbara McRae asked if the master plan would include any recommendations regarding the traffic patterns downtown.

Norris said traffic patterns we’re included in the scope of the project but that it could be added into it.

“We’ve done a number of projects converting one way (streets) to two way,” he said.

“Other communities have had great success even though there was resistance at first.

What they’ve found is you’ve got more eyes on downtown from a different direction.”

McGill’s master plan proposal comes with a $15,200 price tag. Once the plan is complete, Norris said McGill would work closely with the town and DOT to look for project funding opportunities to implement the recommendations.

Last month, the board approved a letter of support to the DOT for a sidewalk project on Depot Street that would require a local match from town coffers. The DOT plans to fill in the sidewalk gaps on the westbound side of Depot Street and build new sidewalks on the eastbound side of the street from East Main Street to Wayah Street. The project cost is estimated to be $262,800 and the town’s required match would be $52,560, which would come out of Powell Bill funds.

The project ties in to Franklin’s effort to make the town more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists by connecting some of its disjointed sidewalks and greenways.

A property owner is refusing to make repairs to his Pauline Avenue home that is in violation of the town’s Minimum Housing Standards ordinance. Donated photo

Town board discusses how to enforce minimum housing standards

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Smoky Mountain News

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Overgrown brush, rotting floors, collapsing roofs, vermin and asbestos.

Dealing with deteriorating structures isn’t a new issue for the town of Franklin, but the slow legal process has the town board wondering if there is a more efficient way to handle the growing problem.

The town has a Minimum Housing Standards ordinance that allows Town Planner Justin Setser to take action when a dwelling is believed to be unfit for human habitation, but the process is long and arduous. Formal complaints need to be filed, inspections have to be done and property owners have to be located before the town can even start the process of getting the property cleaned up.

Mayor Bob Scott said he’s been exploring several areas of Franklin that he’s never seen before and finding the dilapidated house problem is This home on Brittney Lane in Franklin is just one of many more prevalent than the dilapidated structures that has violated the town’s ordinance. town realizes.

Donated photo “We’ve got literally a couple of dozen places that are Alderman Billy Mashburn said he would as bad or worse than this place is — some of be opposed to a more proactive approach to these places are dangerous,” he said, referthe ordinance. He said having five people ring to a Pauline Avenue home. write a complaint prevented the appearance Based on board consensus in the past, of the town going after people’s property for Setser has been addressing out-of-complino reason. ance homes on a complaint-driven basis.

“We don’t want to task him with tracking Setser won’t begin the mitigation process unless he has five letters from residents com- down dilapidated houses — he has other

January 11-17, 2017

plaining about the same property, but Scott suggested taking on a more proactive role in cleaning up these properties.

Scott said requiring five complaint letters could be burdensome for neighbors who may fear repercussions for expressing concern for someone else’s property.

“Neighbors might think they can’t do anything without a formal letter,” he said.

“No one is in a better position to judge this type of thing than Justin.”

Alderman Barbara McRae said Scott made a good point and that she hadn’t thought about neighbors being fearful of coming forward to complain.

“I’m with you as long as we’re careful about it and it doesn’t look like were persecuting people,” she said.

“That’s when the contractor found parts of the floor was missing — you can see through to the crawl space — so that turned the house into a dilapidated state,” Setser said.

At that point, the property owner decided it would be best to tear the house down.

He went through the county to obtain asbestos removal and demolition permits, but later found out that the high amount of asbestos in the house will cost more than $8,000 to remove in addition to $15,000 for demolition and landfill costs.

“The owner is now refusing to tear it down — he’s going to refuse to fix the floor and the roof so now it’s at a standstill and his 90 days are up,” Setser said.

Town Attorney John Henning Jr. said the No. 1 goal is always to work out the compliance issues voluntarily before taking the matter to court.

“Justin does a good job trying to make sure we have voluntary compliance, which is why it takes so long,” he said. “But the involuntary process is going to be necessary at this point.”

Henning said the town could file suit against the property owner to order him to fix the property or file suit against the property itself. That latter option takes longer but the end result can allow the town to move forward with demolition. The town could then put a lien against the property for the cost it incurred and pursue reimbursement in civil court.

Both options are being considered, but the board took no formal action on the issue.

news

Dilapidated structures plaguing Franklin

things to do,” he said.

Setser said he also preferred the fivecomplaint approach to give the process legitimacy as opposed to making the decision by himself. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the authority to take action in specific circumstances.

“If I can’t get five letters and there is obviously a problem, I can take action — it’s just a slow process,” he said. “Let’s not change the ground rules — let’s just work on educating people.”

Setser had come before the board on Jan. 3 to address a specific Minimum Housing Standards violation at 456 Pauline Avenue.

He received five complaints regarding the property last summer and began the process of issuing a violation notice based on the exterior conditions. He visited the vacant house in late June and found deteriorating conditions making it unfit for human habitation.

He tracked down the owner in Florida and sent him a letter to appear at a July 20 public hearing in Franklin to discuss the violation and how to bring it into voluntary compliance.

“There was a lot of overgrowth — the property owner said he hasn’t been to it in 20 years,” Setser said. “We requested he clean the brush off around the house and fix the caved in roof and deteriorating porch.”

The homeowner complied and hired a contractor to do the clean-up work within 90 days as required by the town’s ordinance. However, when the contractor entered the inside of the home, more problems were found.

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Smoky Mountain News

January 11-17, 2017

Mountain View Park - 3BR, 2BA $155,000 #3133864

DISCOVER COMMUNITIES… AT HOME AND ON THE GO! beverly-hanks.com Get details on any property in the MLS. Go to beverly-hanks.com and enter the MLS# into the search.

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Fontana Lake Estates 7BR, 6BA, 3HB $8,750,000 #3180933

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Health

Smoky Mountain News

HRMC welcomes first baby of 2017 Hospital CEO Rod Hackelroad helps parents Ashly and Michael welcome baby Adalynn into the world at 9:24 p.m. Monday, Jan. 2, at Haywood Regional Medical Center. Weighing in at 8 pounds and 1 ounce and measuring 22 inches, she was the first baby to be born at HRMC in 2017. Among the celebrations, HRMC presented gifts to the new family, which included a basket full of diapers and wipes, blankets, swaddle blankets, clothes, embroidered blankets, a baby health care and grooming kit, along with a Medela Pump in Style breast pump, a $500 value.

Sign up for health insurance by Jan. 31 Open enrollment for Marketplace Health Insurance continues until Jan. 31, 2017. Free, local, in-person assistance is available to help you create or update your Marketplace account; enroll or change your 2017 plan; or apply for an exemption to avoid the penalty for not having health insurance.

Once open enrollment closes, people will be required to have a qualifying life change to get a special enrollment period. Native Americans and their spouses may be eligible to enroll year round with proof of tribal membership.

In Haywood County, call Mountain Projects to schedule an appointment at 828.452.1447.

Rally for healthcare in Sylva A Rally for Healthcare will be held from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, at the fountain in downtown Sylva.

Sponsored by several local organizations, the rally is part of a national Day of Action. Jackson County citizens will speak in support of government programs that are vital to the health of all Americans. Congress is considering significant changes to Medicare and Social Security, despite election-year promises to leave those programs alone, and has started the process to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

HRMC now accredited as Chest Pain Center Haywood Regional Medical Center has received Chest Pain Center accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care — the accrediting arm of the American College of Cardiology.

Hospitals that have received SCPC accreditation have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. They also serve as a point of entry into the

Hospitals limit visitation due to flu activity Mission Health affiliates and Haywood Regional Medical Center are limiting hospital visitation because of an increased number of positive flu cases.

Visitors under the age of 12 and those who do not feel well are encouraged to call patients rather than visit them in the hospital.

Harris hospital to hold blood drive

healthcare system to evaluate and treat other medical problems, and they help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.

To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, Haywood Regional Medical Center engaged in rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack.

Lifestyle changing classes offered in Swain The Swain County Health Department is providing a series of lifestyle changing classes to improve the health of area residents.

Though anyone can register, the classes are geared toward type 2 diabetes prevention. The program kicks off on Jan. 30 with a screening of the film “Hungry for Change” at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Then, beginning on Feb. 6, group classes will be offered and individual sessions with trained lifestyle coaches will help prevent at-risk individuals from developing type 2 diabetes.

People interested in attending should contact Trish Hipgrave, of the Swain County Health Department, at 828.488.3198. Scholarships are available.

McPherron joins Harris Orthopaedics Harris Regional Hospital has hired board certified orthopaedic surgeon Anthony McPherron to Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.

McPherron will begin seeing patients Feb. 6, at the practice, which is located on the second floor of Harris Regional Hospital. McPherron practiced at Southwest Virginia Orthopedic and Spine in Blacksburg, Va., where he served as an orthopaedic surgeon for Virginia Tech University Athletics, New York Yankees Minor League Baseball Pulaski affiliate, and Bluefield College Athletics. He also serves as a consultant for the New Orleans Saints NFL training camp. www.myharrisregional.com.

Harris Regional Hospital, in partnership with the American Red Cross, will kick off the new year with a blood drive 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, outside the hospital’s main lobby.

All blood types are needed. Call 1.800.REDCROSS to make an appointment. The sponsor code is “Harris” and donors will need to bring photo identification. Visit www.redcrossblood.org for more information or to make an appointment.

Time to test for radon January is National Radon Action Month, and residents are encouraged to make plans now for testing the radon levels in their homes.

Radon is the odorless, colorless gas that is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. A limited supply of radon test kits are being made available through the NC Radon Program website. Once the supply of free kits have been exhausted, the NC Radon Program website will return to providing short-term radon test kits at a reduced cost of $6, a kit retailed at $15. www.ncradon.org.

HRMC offers parent education program Haywood Regional Medical Center’s parent education program aims to educate and prepare expectant parents, family members, and even siblings on how to welcome a new baby into a family. n Preparation for Childbirth — a four-week series and will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays Jan. 12 through Feb. 2, March 30 through April 20, June 1-22, Aug. 3-24, and Oct. 12 through Nov. 2. n Your Amazing Newborn is a onetime class that will be held from 7-9 p.m. Thursdays on Feb. 16, May 4, Sept. 7, and Nov. 16. n Breastfeeding A-Z is a one-time class being held from 7-9 p.m. Thursdays on Feb. 9, April 27, June 29, Aug. 31, and Nov. 9. n Big Brother/Big Sister is a one-evening preparation class for children who are about to bring a new baby into their family. This class is suitable for children 310. n Mothers Connection is an on-going social gathering for mothers and their babies that will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays excluding holidays.

Visit MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or call 828.452.8440.

19

• Enroll for an Affordable Healthcare insurance policy during a free enrollment event with healthcare navigators from Mountain Projects from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at Jackson County Department of Social Services, 15 Griffin St., Sylva.

828.400.7012 or 828.476.9090.

• Enroll for an Affordable Healthcare insurance policy during a free enrollment event with healthcare navigators from Mountain Projects from 1 to 6:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Waynesville Library, 678 S. Haywood St. 828.452.1447.

ALSO:

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health has hired two new providers to the clinic — Nurse Practitioners Nancy Peneff and Amy Krutsch.

Call 828.586.8994 to make an appointment.

• Haywood Regional Medical Center is holding a free tired leg/varicose vein educational program at 5 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Vein Center at Haywood Regional Medical Center on the second floor. To register, call 828.452.8346.

• Swain Community Hospital, in partnership with the American Red Cross, will host a blood drive 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, at the east end of the hospital. Call 800.REDCROSS or visit www.redcrossblood.org for an appointment.

• A program “Kitchen Sink Remedies for Cold and Flu” will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, at the Waynesville Library, 678 S. Haywood St. Dr. Linda Sparks, ND, will give an informational talk on illness and natural remedies.

No registration required. In case of inclement weather, the program will be rescheduled for Feb. 3.

20

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Looking for more ideology, less politics A

Not TDA’s job to hire downtown director To the Editor: Given the recent suggestion in The Sylva Herald that the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority possibly fund a downtown director for Sylva, we appreciate the opportunity to clarify the function of the TDA and correct inaccurate perceptions and information that has been presented.

We also would like to note that no one from the town of Sylva has reached out to the TDA to make any request regarding such a position or to discuss such a position with the TDA. While we applaud the idea of a Main Street director/downtown director for Sylva, that responsibility does not rest with the TDA. The Jackson County TDA was created specifically to promote travel and tourism and to serve as the marketing organization for the entire county, which also includes the communities of Cashiers, Cullowhee and Dillsboro.

The goal of our efforts is to drive the economy through tourism, not just in Sylva, but across Jackson County as a whole.

Tourism is one of the top economic engines for Jackson County, and the program of work we have put in place has seen double-digit

became a senior citizen. Their ideology shifted over time, something some conservatives can’t accept.

When I was a freshman at Appalachian State University in the fall of 1978, my World Civilizations professor was Dr. Alan Pousteau, a mad genius of a history professor. He gave us several reading assignments, among them The Social Contract by the Frenchman JeanJacques Rousseau. The Editor book by the Enlightenment philosopher, written in 1762, argues that we must give up certain freedoms in order to form civilized societies. The decisions about what laws to pass — what freedoms we give up to the state — must be made by the people. That’s democracy.

This book influenced our founders, and for me the concept of a social contract makes perfect sense. We all give up something, but we all should do so in an equitable manner: what I give up — i.e., what I pay in taxes, what I face as far as rules and regulations — should be the same as my neighbor, so it is fair. That’s why the fight for equal rights for

blacks, women, gays and the LGBTQ community is something I support wholeheartedly, and also why I think a progressive tax system is more than fair.

I’m also a small businessman. I ran a subcontracting carpentry partnership when I was in my late 20s in Raleigh, and now I’ve owned this newspaper for almost 18 years. I pony up federal and state payroll taxes and pay unemployment insurance, contribute to Social Security and my employees’ 401K plans.

I also have to follow rules and laws that are a direct result of the way the U.S. Constitution has been interpreted over the years, particularly First Amendment directives about what I can and can’t say about individuals and corporation or else have to face libel or slander suits. Other state and local regulations determine where I can place newspaper boxes, what kind of legal advertising I can publish, and on and on and on.

But you know what? I don’t wish all those rules would just go away, and I don’t want the so-called bureaucrats who enforce them fired or those government agencies they work for abolished. Capitalism works best when regulated; smart, talented people will still rise to the level of their abilities.

If I’m going to accept the fact that having a civilized society means we can’t always do what is in our own best interest, I insist on

occupancy tax increases. What this translates into at the end of the day is more jobs for the people in our community as businesses gear up and open in our county to serve needs created by increased visitation.

More people dining in our restaurants, shopping in our stores, and buying chocolates and coffee, that is where the more than $176 million in tourism spending annually comes to life. Our river outfitters, our restaurants, our gas stations, our grocery stores, boat rental facilities, guide services — all of these livelihoods and more are supported by tourism. Tourism touches every industry, directly supporting more than 1,700 jobs in our communities.

These accomplishments are due to the strategic marketing efforts that have been implemented over the past several years — development of a website, e-newsletter, visitors guide, branding, advertising, public relations and social media campaigns — all marketing efforts carefully created, implemented and continuously monitored for effectiveness, to promote the entirety of Jackson County.

This also includes significant funds to promote festivals and events, in Sylva and throughout Jackson County, across all marketing channels to draw overnight and day visitors to the County. In addition to providing logistical support to the entities planning these events, the TDA reinvests in our commu-

nities through a grant program in which we have given more than $90,000 to local events.

The Jackson County TDA has one of the most robust marketing programs in the region, operating on a budget less than that of many other counties. The fact that we can achieve double-digit growth speaks volumes to the ability of the TDA and our partners to get the absolute best return on any marketing investment. November occupancy tax collections were up 34 percent over the same period last year, and Website traffic is up 1,100 percent over the same time last year. Every available dollar is reinvested back into marketing.

Diverting any of these dollars from the TDA budget would have a significant impact on the TDA’s mission to position Jackson County as premier tourist destination Sylva has a vibrant downtown that is thriving, and our Jackson County Chamber of Commerce does an excellent job at event creation, promotion and support. We have some new events rolling out this year they’ve created that we’re excited to share soon.

They are an excellent partner with the TDA in creating a visitor experience in Jackson County and we look forward to continuing to work with them to attract visitors to Sylva and all of Jackson County.

Nick Breedlove, Director Jackson County Tourism Development Authority

Scott McLeod

s the holidays drew to a close, I began preparing for the reporting we will do on the upcoming session of the North Carolina General Assembly and kept watching President-elect Trump and the Congress — Republicans and Democrats alike — jousting on several fronts.

In this still politically charged post-election atmosphere, I found myself trying to define my own beliefs and establish my own footing, as I know countless ideological debates lie ahead. Why do I support certain actions, programs and leaders over others?

When did my fundamental political beliefs come together to form the basis of what I believe today?

For most of my adult life I’ve considered myself a progressive rather than a liberal, someone who believes that capitalism in general and large institutions in particular — including corporations — work best when government lays out a clear set of reasonable rules. Government is not evil, but instead necessary and at times enlightening. Think of the words and actions of people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and FDR. My father and mother were Southern Democrats, conservative in lifestyle, but progressive in beliefs. My mom was a huge John F. Kennedy fan, and my father had changed his views on many social issues by the time he

open government so I’ll know how and why decisions were made. That belief, perhaps, helped lead me to this profession. I began writing editorials and columns in high school about openness, and still hold that belief as one of the sacred cornerstones of our democratic ideals.

When the GOP leaders in Raleigh met in special session and hastily passed HB2, I was as mad about the process as I was the law. When in December the same legislative leaders once again made fundamental changes to state government without open debate, I was enraged as much about the “how” as the “what.”

In the end, I hold much more respect for ideological convictions than I do for political beliefs. Yes, my ideology informs my politics, but I think the opposite is much more dangerous and is one of the root causes of the legislative and congressional problems of the last few years: politics is replacing ideology, and so we have constant stalemates or constant power grabs instead of compromise and problem solving.

The optimist in me believes this is just a blip on the timeline of this country, and that heartfelt, intellectual debate to solve important issues comes back into vogue. One can only hope.

Reach Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com.

Rep. Meadows should have recused himself To the Editor: The Oxford Dictionary of the English Language defines ethics as: “moral principles or code.” The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) was established in 2008 to be a nonpartisan organization that looks into complaints as to ethics violations of the rules of Congress. The complaints can come from other members of Congress, from the executive branch of government, or indeed, from the public. It is the OCE’s job to investigate these complaints to determine if they have merit and then report them to the Congressional Ethics Committee.

It is then up to this bi-partisan committee of Congress to determine if any congressional rules have been violated and if any disciplinary action should be taken. The findings of the Office of Congressional Ethics are open to the public. There’s the rub. No congressman wants his constituents to be aware that he may have violated the “moral principles or code” of his job or of society as a whole.

Last Monday, Jan. 2, the Republican House of Representatives members met in private session and voted to basically gut the

S EE LETTERS, PAGE 21

Waiting in a winter wonderland

JAN. 21· 9

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Chris Cox

CLASSROOM AT THE FUN FACTORY FRANKLIN, NC

@SmokyMtnNews

TO REGISTER CALL: JIM SOTTILE (FORMER DETECTIVE NYPD)

828-349-0322

WWW.PISTOLINSTRUCTORNC.COM

To the Editor: Is it just me? Or are any of your readers just a wee bit concerned about (this is hard to say) President-elect Trump’s continuous barrage of incomprehensible tweets, pronouncements and otherwise just plain ignorant takes on world affairs.

Kind of reminds me of the old Reese Witherspoon movie “Clueless.”

And for all you Trump supporters out there ... you’ve been snookered. What we’re stuck with, at least for the next four years, is a pompous, self-absorbed reality TV star who has absolutely no idea about what it takes to be president. He has denigrated the FBI, CIA, NSA and every intelligence agency to the point that he will have zero credibility upon taking office. Not to mention the plethora of honest, hardworking citizens of this country, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation or political party.

He recently claims “to know a lot about hacking” and suggests we go back to courier and snail mail to communicate with the world rather than use computers.

Donald ... do you realize you have tweeted yourself into infamy? Do you understand our entire civilization including our nuclear defense system and our entire city, county, state and federal support systems are run by computer? Maybe we should go back to the pony express, horse and buggies and manual labor.

Trump’s “bromance” with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is equally puzzling. He questions whether Russia could possibly be behind the hacking of our election system and, recently, an utility system in New England. I can only imagine Putin chomping at the bit, waiting for the village idiot to take office. Let the puppet show begin.

Even members of the top Republican leadership have questioned Trump’s worldviews. Is the President-elect really ready to assume leadership of the greatest nation on earth? And I emphasize the fact that it is, and has been great, long before Trump was conceived.

I think not. God help us see this through. Our future depends on it.

Kurt Volker Otto

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Smoky Mountain News

As the snow began to pile up outside, we retreated to our own corners of the house. I logged onto Facebook and already people were posting pictures of snowy driveways and decks and birdhouses. I glanced at the time and realized that Tammy would be 30,000 feet in the air at the very moment and not be seated in the best Mexican restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi, if not for that same snow.

One thing about Tammy: you can put her in any type of adverse situation in any city in America, and she will find her way to the best chicken chimichanga the town has to offer. It is her special gift.

Ordinarily, she would be thrilled to be trying out a new city’s best Mexican food, but when the inevitable text came telling me about it, there just was no heart in it.

She didn’t even send a picture of her entrée, which spelled “depression.”

On Saturday morning, the temperature outside nudged tentatively above zero, like a rabbit poking its head out of a hole. I opened the front door so the dachshund could go out to potty. He paused at the door, took one sniff of the bitter air, and then looked at me as if I were trying to teach him how to do algebra. No thanks, you go ahead. I’ll pee on the bathroom rug while you’re not looking, if it’s all the same to you.

My daughter decided to make homemade creampuffs from a recipe she found on Pinterest, and my son was downstairs watching those hilarious prank videos on YouTube. As I was making coffee, I got another forlorn text from Tammy.

Another flight canceled. She wondered if it would be “worth it” to rent a car, then drive from Mississippi to Charlotte, and then from Charlotte to home. One more flight cancellation, and she would be investigating the purchase of cross-country skis.

I told her to stay put. I bet her that the best Mexican restaurant also served up some killer fajitas. She said she could not spend another whole day in a hotel room watching Scrubs re-runs while crocheting.

After we ate some creampuffs, I convinced the kids that we should wait to go sledding until Mom got home. This bought me some precious time to watch re-runs of The Wire while eating leftover Christmas party-mix made out of pretzels, Chex cereal, and mixed nuts. Which goes great with cabernet, in case you ever wondered.

Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com.

OCE of most of its duties and power. It was a closed meeting not open to the total members of the House of Representatives.

I have several concerns with this action.

First, the exclusion of the Democratic representatives from the discussion shows that there was no intention of allowing open debate of the issue. I realize that the Republicans have the power to ram items like this through the Congress by virtue of control of both the House and the Senate, but any vote that affects the governance of the country, and thereby, the people, should be open for debate and an exchange of opinions and ideas.

Secondly, because this was a closed meeting, our congressional representatives are not required to inform the public as to how they voted. Rep. Pat McHenry, R-Gastonia, was quite willing to announce that he voted against the proposal in that he believed that any changes to the OCE should be subject to open debate.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has refused to let his constituents know how he voted on this issue. He says that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the issue because he is currently under investigation by the OCE. Notice that he has not stated that he abstained from voting, only that he will not tell the public how he stands on the issue. This implies that he did, indeed, vote.

This is the third point. Rep. Meadows is currently under investigation for paying his former chief of staff $58,125.00 for performing no duties. The OCE report stated: “There is substantial reason to believe that Rep. Meadows retained an employee who did not perform duties commensurate with the compensation the employee received and certified that the compensation met applicable House standards, in violation of House rules and standards of conduct ….” As Rep. Meadows is under investigation by the OCE, the ethical thing to do in this situation was to recuse himself from the closed debate and abstain from voting. He obviously did not do so, and is therefore in violation of “moral principles or code.” The problem, Mr. Meadows, is not how you voted, but that you voted on this issue at all.

Luther Jones Sylva

Trump just too ignorant for the job

January 11-17, 2017

My wife was stranded in Mississippi.

She was supposed to get home late on Friday night, but then the big snowstorm came. We ended up with 4-6 inches, which in the North would be considered a flurry.

In the South, it means we have to shut her down for a spell.

While I was in the Food Lion — which felt like Times Square on New Year’s Eve, except with people clutching gallons of milk instead of glasses of cheap champagne — my wife was getting the terrible news that her flight to Columnist Charlotte had been canceled and the kids were getting the awesome news that school was closing early.

We weren’t really out of milk, but we were running low on food. I had no choice but to join the teeming masses in the grocery store unless we wanted to spend the weekend on a diet comprised of two small cans of mandarin oranges, a cup of stale cereal, and half a head of brownish lettuce.

Ordinarily, the first good snow of the year might make me a little giddy — snowed in, a day off work, playing board games with the kids, reading a good book with a glass of cabernet, buried beneath a pile of blankets with my trusty dachshund glued to my hip like a weird, furry sidearm.

But, with Tammy stuck in Mississippi for who knew how long and the forecast assuring us that temperatures wouldn’t crawl much past single digits over the entire weekend, I just could not muster much enthusiasm for it.

By the time I got home, the snow was pelting everything in sight and the roads were already turning white. The kids were jumping all over the place, jabbering in unison about all of the great and heroic adventures we have in the snow, including snowball fights, making snow cream, and sledding at the fairgrounds, an annual Cox family ritual that ends with a pile of dripping clothes and a feast of hot dogs, tater tots, and hot chocolate.

“Goody, goody,” I said, imagining us out there in four degree weather with the wind sneering at me and my face feeling like a pin cushion. “Won’t that be great? Now let’s get these groceries out of the car. Watch out for the cabernet!”

“The what?”

“Never mind, I’ll get that bag.”

LETTERS, CONTINUED FROM 20

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3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

21

tasteTHEmountains

Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Saturday 12 p.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tues.

Sun. 12-9 p.m.

Sandwiches • Burgers • Wraps 32 Felmet Street (828) 246-0927

Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 BLOSSOM ON MAIN 128 N. Main Street, Waynesville.

828.454.5400. Open for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Mild, medium, to hot and spicy, our food is cooked to your like-able temperature.

Forget the myth that all Thai food is spicy.

Traditional Thai food is known to be quite healthy, making use of natural and fresh ingredients, paired with lots of spices, herbs, and vegetables. Vegetarians and health conscious individuals will not be disappointed as fresh vegetables and tofu are available in most of our menu as well as wines and saki chosen to compliment the unique flavors of Thai cuisine.

January 11-17, 2017

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

Real New Yorkers.

Real Italians. Real Pizza.

Smoky Mountain News

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

An Authentic Italian Pizzeria & Restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge.

Just to serve you!

Featuring: Calzones · Stromboli Subs · Pasta and More NOW OPEN

Mon.-Sat. 11 am to 9 pm · Closed Sundays

243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde 22

828-476-5058

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

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

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Monday through Saturday. Dinner 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available.

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

Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are.

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

Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3p.m., Full Menu 3 to 9 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials starting at 5pm every day.

Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 am to 9:30 am – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 12:00 till 2 pm. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays, featuring steaks, ribs, chicken, and pork chops, to name a few. Bountiful family-style dinners on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herb-baked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer.

The evening social hour starts at 6 pm, and dinner is served starting at 7 pm. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations.

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

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

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

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine.

Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more. Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events.

Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

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

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

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet.

Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

828.476.5058. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. A full service authentic Italian pizzeria and restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge. Dine in, take out, and delivery. Check out our daily lunch specials plus customer appreciation nights on Monday and Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m. with large cheese pizzas for $9.95.

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

Open nightly for dinner at 4 p.m.; Friday through Sunday 12 to 4 p.m. for lunch. Daily luncheon special at $6.99. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome.

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

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Winter hours: 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Joey’s is a family style restaurant that has been serving breakfast to the locals and visitors of Western North Carolina since 1966. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites.

Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

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

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner.

The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

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

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

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

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

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

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

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

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

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoors, outside on the patio or at the bar.

Reservations appreciated.

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and

desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer.

Outdoor and indoor dining.

Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Full service bar and restaurant located in the center of Maggie Valley.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska.

Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano.

Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95.

Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available.

Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties.

SALTY DOG'S SEAFOOD & GRILL 3567 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.9105. Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through

SMOKEY SHADOWS LODGE 323 Smoky Shadows Lane, Maggie Valley 828.926.0001. Check Facebook page for hours, which vary. Call early when serving because restaurant fills up fast. Remember when families joined each other at the table for a delicious homemade meal and shared stories about their day.

TRAILHEAD CAFE & BAKERY 18 N Main Street, Waynesville.

828.452.3881 Open 7 days a week MondaySaturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You will find a delicious selection of pastries & donuts, breakfast & lunch along with a fresh coffee & barista selection. Happy Trails!

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0927. Open Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday noon to 9 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. Opened in May 2016, The Waynesville Pizza Company has earned a reputation for having the best hand-tossed pizza in the area. Featuring a custom bar with more than 20 beers and a rustic, family friendly dining room. Menu includes salads, burgers, wraps, hot and cold sandwiches, gourmet pizza, homemade desserts, and a loaded salad bar. The Cuban sandwich is considered by most to be the best in town.

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Outd oors

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IT WILL BE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

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628 E. Main St. Sylva NC 828.586.1717 soulinfusion.com

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Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food 23

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

The Infamous Stringdusters.

Winds of Change

The Infamous Stringdusters hit WNC

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER They are the bridge.

In the bluegrass world these days, it seems there are two camps of thought and performance — neo-traditional and progressive. On one side, you have the “old school” of Larry Sparks, Doyle Lawson and those who truly adhere to the likes of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. On the other, are those who stretch out a little bit, where the lines between bluegrass, Americana and soul are blurred, acts likes The Steep Canyon Rangers, Greensky Bluegrass and Yonder Mountain String Band.

And then there’s the bridge — The Infamous Stringdusters. A modern style newgrass ensemble, but with their feet firmly planted in traditional pickin’ and grinnin’ circles, the quintet is one of the few acts truly embraced by jam and Americana circles, and also recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Association.

With their latest album, “Laws of Gravity” (out Jan. 13 on Compass Records), the Stringdusters push further ahead in their pursuit of bluegrass perfection. For them, it’s

about learning the unknown depths of the tricky and sacred language that is bluegrass.

And in an often-crowded market of dime-adozen groups aiming to follow in the footsteps of the legends that came before them, it’s also about finding your own unique voice and captivating identity — something the Stringdusters continue to prove each day, onstage and in the studio.

Smoky Mountain News: With the new album, there’s a sense of urgency and political intent with it. What did you think about Meryl Streep’s speech last night at the Golden Globes?

Andy Hall (dobro): [Laughs]. I did see it. I think it’s really cool and interesting that people who have a mouthpiece speak up. But, there are different opinions on that. Some people wonder why you should care about the opinion of an actor? And that’s legit, too. You certainly don’t have to. But, as musicians and artists, that’s kind of what we do. Bring attention to things. We have a mouthpiece. This is all choice here, personal choice in what people think and feel. It’s a take it or leave it kind of thing, and I think it’s great that people speak out. Good art can’t always be safe and quiet, and not ruffle any feathers. You’ve got to ruffle some feathers sometimes. It has to be a dialogue. We just want to have a conversation and bring light to things.

SMN: I thought, too, that the cover art for “Laws of Gravity” is pretty powerful.

AH: The song “Gravity” was a bit of the inspiration for that. You have this boat that’s about to go over a waterfall. You can see from the physics of the picture, it looks like the boat will keep going and fly straight. And for some people, they think the country is going over this precipice, but there is this bit of hope and we can sail off into the sunset.

SMN: In the bluegrass world, there are seemingly two sides — neo-traditional and progressive. What do you see with these two camps? Is there a divide? And are the Stringdusters the bridge?

AH: You can definitely see the divide. But, it can be more of just an observation. I feel like we have been able to ideally bridge that gap of the traditional and progressive worlds. To be honest, a lot of it comes down to how people like to experience music. Some people want to

sit quietly, not be disturbed and take in the music in a more traditional way. Other people want to dance, socialize, see their friends and feed into the energy of the band and the crowd.

It’s not a problem at all. It’s just what people prefer. I was young and found traditional bluegrass. I started out playing electric guitar in high school, was a metal head, fell in love with the Grateful Dead, and then next thing you know, I found bluegrass. Moved to Nashville.

For us, what we’ve tried to do is spend the time and energy to become well versed in our instruments, and in that bluegrass tradition.

There is a language to bluegrass and it takes years to learn. You kind of have to dive into it to really understand the in-and-out of how to do it. We wanted to learn the language and use those skills to make our own music.

SMN: And you have people like Peter Rowan and Sam Bush, who were considered outsiders back in the day, are now looked at as elder statesmen of bluegrass.

AH: Totally. They were absolutely the hippie outsiders. It’s great. It’s all an evolution. I’m sure one day the Stringdusters will be the old farts of bluegrass if we’re lucky enough.

Personally, I’m able to float through those different worlds and be comfortable. As a band, we like a standing crowd feeding off of the energy of the performance, and we feed off of their energy. It isn’t a play, it’s an interaction, and that’s what we like to cultivate.

SMN: What is it about bluegrass that sets it apart from other genres?

AH: When you find bluegrass, it’s like discovering an entire ancient city. You stumble upon this whole culture and sound, and it may be completely new to you. The high harmonies and fast picking, the nuances, it just attracted me.

SMN: What has a life playing music taught you about what it means to be a human being?

AH: I think that circles back to having some kind of responsibility. When you’re a performer, you realize that people are looking at you and listening to what you have to say. If you have a lot of people looking at you, why not try to be a role model, be a good person and have something of value to say? There’s a lot of power in being a musician, and why not use that power for good?

Want to go?

Newgrass act The Infamous Stringdusters will be performing at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, at The Orange Peel in Asheville. Billy Strings opens the show. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 day of show. www.theorangepeel.net.

For more information on The Infamous Stringdusters, and on their new record, “Laws of Gravity,” visit www.thestringdusters.com.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

In the presence of the Founding Fathers

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logue, they’d probably tell you and me (and all of us) that what remains at the end of the day is the will to get up tomorrow and keep fighting. America was not constructed overnight, nor will it be perfected and straightened out in that same timeframe.

There is so much fear and sadness running rampant in our world today. And a lot of it in our daily lives comes from what we see, hear and interact with on the television, radio and computer. But, when you truly pull yourself out of that nonstop routine, and take a moment to see the big picture, you’ll see that today is just another day, with yesterday already in the history books, tomorrow yet to be determined.

And it’s that “yet to be determined” that dictates you, in how you react to that notion. I see “yet to be determined” as a chance to make real, honest and positive change in my backyard. Think globally, act locally, as they say.

Saying goodbye to the Natural Bridge, I smiled at it, glancing once more at the “G.W.” on the wall. I thought of the founding fathers, the unknowns they faced, the unknowns that are currently at our doorstep.

One step at a time back up to winding staircase, I made it back to the parking lot.

Putting the old pickup truck into drive, I merged onto the interstate, the nose of the vehicle pointed towards Western North Carolina. Onward.

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

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5

“I found myself wondering if where I was standing was exactly where Jefferson and Washington stood, and if they saw what I saw, and wondered what I wondered — what does it all mean?”

20% off

January 11-17, 2017

I decided to not wear the hardhat.

Standing underneath the magnificent 215-foot high ancient rock arch at the Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia, I found myself in awe of Mother Nature’s creativity, and also of the history attached to the property.

Driving solo from Brooklyn to Waynesville following New Year’s Eve, I made it as far as Lexington, Virginia, in one shot as my eyelids became heavy, my body restless to get out of the truck. Browsing Priceline.com on my smart phone, I came across a few last minute hotel deals for under $60, Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia. Garret K. Woodward photo most of which came with horrendous reviews for cigarette burns in the sheets, mold in the ceilings.

Wondering if I should just sleep in my truck and resume the drive in the morning, I decided to expand my search to the next No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host The town south — Natural Bridge.

Dirty Soul Revival (rock/blues) at 9:30 p.m.

And what popped up was the Friday, Jan. 13.

Natural Bridge Historic Hotel, Librarian George Frizzell will present an priced at $52 that night. Looking overview of newspapers in Jackson County at the profile photo of this majesfrom the late 19th century to the present at tic building, I couldn’t believe a 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, in the Community place like this was that inexpenRoom at the historic Jackson County sive. But, when I rolled up to the Courthouse in Sylva. enormous structure, I was greeted with a smile and a $52 room The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will (off-season). host Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) at Though I had heard of the 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21.

Natural Bridge before, I’d never A production of “Romeo and Juliet” set in post pulled off the interstate to see it Civil War America will run at 7:30 p.m. Jan. first-hand. When I awoke in my 13-14, 20-21 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 and 22 at massive fluffy king size bed the the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in next morning, I opened the Waynesville. shades to reveal a bowl of mountains surrounding the hotel. The The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host lady behind the counter informed Bohemian Jean (acoustic rock/pop) at 7 p.m. me the Natural Bridge was mere Friday, Jan. 20. yards away from where I was standing in the lobby.

Made up of rock 500 million It was Jefferson who said of the bridge, years old, the arch was known as the “Bridge “The most sublime of Nature’s works.” And, of God” by the local Monacan Indians. And as I gazed up at it, I agreed. Seeing as it was it was here, in 1750, a young George the off-season, I was pretty much alone while Washington was surveying the property for strolling the trails, the nearby gift shop, cafeLord Fairfax, with Washington’s “G.W.” initeria and learning center all closed up until tials still visible on the left wall of the bridge. spring. I could hear dead leaves rustling and Twenty-four years later, Thomas Jefferson swirling around my pace, old boots atop my purchased the property for his personal feet kicking pebbles down the dirt path. leisure and to preserve it for future generaI found myself looking up at the trees, tions, to which it has since become an interthe rock walls and stream, and wondering if national destination, known for years as one where I was standing was exactly where of the “Seven Wonders of the World.”

Jefferson and Washington stood, and if they

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arts & entertainment

This must be the place

saw what I saw, and wondered what I wondered — what does it all mean?

Once I located the “G.W.” initials carved in the left wall, I stared at them with curiosity. That right there was where our nation’s founder and first president climbed up 23 feet and left his mark, as a member of the British Empire, 26 years before he rose up with his friends and created the land by which I was birthed from.

I let out a deep sigh, my eyes moving along the walls, head aimed upwards to the top of the arch, some 55 feet higher than Niagara Falls. I thought of Washington, of Jefferson, of the Monacan tribe, and of where we are today as a county, a people.

This year may seem like a crossroads in our history, but it’s just another year, a subsequent chapter in this ongoing saga that is America — the greatest social experiment ever conceived. This year, 2017, is no different than the chapters titled “1776,” “1812,” “1861,” “1917,” “1941,” “1963,” “1975,” or “2001” for that matter.

What would Washington and Jefferson think of the here and now? Besides the confusion of modern technology and lack of grammatically correct and respectful dia-

Log on. Plan a trip.

And start kicking back.

25

Open call for JAM students The Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) in Haywood County now has space available for new students.

Sponsored by the Haywood County Arts Council, JAM is an after-school program that provides young people instruction and performance opportunities in Mountain Heritage Music on traditional Appalachian instruments.

The JAM program enables students in grades 4-12 to learn to play fiddle, banjo, and guitar in Appalachian styles from well-known musician teachers. The JAM sessions are held at Canton Middle School from 3:30 to 5 p.m. each Tuesday through April 18.

“It’s exciting to see what music education can do for students at a young age,” said Lindsey Solomon, executive director of the HCAC. “Not only does JAM expose students to the music of our region, and show them how to learn together, but we have former students that have decided to make this kind of music their life’s work — earning scholarships to local workshops and colleges.”

There is a $75 spring semester fee per student (approximately $5 per class), with siblings discounted to $40 each.

Stop by the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville to pick up a registration packet

or print from the links on their website, www.haywoodarts.org. Please contact the Haywood County Arts Council at 828.452.0593 or info@haywoodarts.org with enrollment questions. Loaned instruments are available on a first come, first served basis.

Registration deadline is Sept. 5.

A community music jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City.

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 — year-round.

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.

Smoky Mountain News

Open call for Haywood Chorus The Haywood Community Chorus will begin its spring season with rehearsal at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville.

Rehearsals will be every Monday evening from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in preparation for the May 7 spring concert. Music for the 2017 spring concert includes traditional, classical, as well as contemporary works.

Membership fee to cover the costs of music is $25, and no audition is required. Tenors are in great demand. Joining together with fellow music lovers, learning new music, singing familiar pieces, and making friends are what choral music and HCC is all about.

For questions, call Laura Schnabel at 828.557.9187.

@SmokyMtnNews 26

Are you over 55?

Want to learn piano?

Bryson City community jam

January 11-17, 2017

arts & entertainment

On the beat

The Haywood County Arts Council is offering everyone aged 55 or older a unique learning opportunity. The “Mind the Music” course is basic piano lessons specially created for seniors by instructor Susan Huckaby.

“Our students go from zero to ‘Amazing Grace’ in a matter of weeks,” Huckaby said. “It’s wonderful to see people discovering an entirely new perspective on who they are and what they can do. And they’re having fun every step of the way.”

Huckaby, who holds advanced degrees in music, has taught piano for 35 years. The concept for “Mind the Music” came to her when visiting her parents in skilled nursing facilities. Their love of music never faded. The joy it gave them and other residents was inspiring.

Huckaby soon found herself thinking of ways to extend that joy to people in the wider community.

“Susan’s program is unlike any other.

Small classes, lots of personal attention, and a no-stress environment,” said Lindsey Solomon, executive director of the HCAC. “It’s a perfect fit with the Arts Council’s core mission of engaging as many people as possible in the practice and enjoyment of the arts.”

As the elements of the program came together, First United Methodist Church stepped up to provide a space. And, in autumn 2016, 18 people sat down to play

the first notes of what could become a lifetime of music.

The program’s name is taken from a line in the old Revolution-era song, “Yankee Doodle.” The name also refers to the interaction between music and mind, and to the significant mental and physical benefits of playing a musical instrument.

Huckaby cites a recent scholarly article that describes research showing that playing a musical instrument “is a rich and complex experience that involves integrating information from the senses of vision, hearing and touch, as well as fine movements, and learning to do so can induce long-lasting changes to the brain.”

Another source, associated with UCLA, notes that “research suggests that playing an instrument is associated with a lower risk of dementia and cognitive impairment… It’s not so much about how well you play or what you play. It’s that you play.”

The Haywood County Arts Council and Huckaby will offer a Winter Session of “Mind the Music,” beginning in late January. Anyone interested in participating should register by Friday, Jan. 13. You can register at the Haywood County Arts Council, located at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville.

For more information, call the Arts Council at 828.452.0593 or visit www.haywoodarts.org/senior-piano-lessons.

On the beat arts & entertainment

AMERICANA AT THE CLASSIC WINESELLER Americana act Tina & Her Pony will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• The Canton Armory will host “Winter Pickin’ in the Armory” at 7 p.m. every first and third Friday of the month. The event includes mountain music, vintage country, clogging and dancing. Doors open at 6 p.m. Free. www.cantonnc.com.

• Derailed Bar & Lounge (Bryson City) will have music at 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

828.488.8898.

ALSO:

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Jan. 11 and 18, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Jan. 12 and 19. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Karaoke Throwdown w/T&J Entertainment at Jan. 14 and Sol Rhythms Jan. 21. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. 828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host The Dirty Soul Revival (rock/blues) Jan. 13, Russ

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic with Jimandi at 5:30 p.m. on Thursdays, “Funky Friday” with Bud Davis at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Isaish Breedlove (Americana) at 7 p.m. on Saturdays. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. All are welcome. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host a weekly Appalachian music night from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays with Nitrograss.

828.526.8364 or www.theuglydogpub.com.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Russ T. Nutz (honky-tonk) Jan. 13, Log Noggins Jan. 14, Ginny McAfee (singersongwriter) Jan. 20 and Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) Jan. 21. All shows begin at 9 p.m.

Smoky Mountain News

• Heinzelmännchen Brewery will host a “Cure for Cabin Fever” with Kenry Wong (singersongwriter) and a potluck from 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Jan 12 and 26. Bring a dish to share while enjoying Henry playing the guitar and mandolin. The brewery will also provide a dish as well as plates, utensils and napkins. 828.631.4466

• Oconaluftee Visitors Center (Cherokee) will have an old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m.

Jan. 21. All skill levels welcomed.

January 11-17, 2017

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Tiny & Her Pony (Americana) Jan. 13, Jay Cruz (piano/pop) Jan. 14 and 21, and Bohemian Jean (acoustic rock/pop) Jan. 20.

All events begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

T. Nutz (honky-tonk) Jan. 14, Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) Jan. 20 and Pleasures of the Ultra Violent (punk) Jan. 21.

All shows are free and begin at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will host a Low Brass Festival Guest Artist Rehearse at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 and 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 13 in the Coulter Building. There will also be a Coffeehouse Concert with Elenowen at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 in the UC Illusions. www.wcu.edu.

27

arts & entertainment

On the wall • An “Abstract Expressionsâ€? exhibit will run Jan. 12 through Feb. 25 in the Gallery & Gifts showroom at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. The exhibit will feature several local artists. Free and open to the public. www.haywoodarts.org. • A “Miniature Birdhouseâ€? workshop will be held by the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Craft Group from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Sylva Extension Office. The class is free. Bring a lunch. To register and for the supply list, call 828.586.4009. • A showcase on the life and times of Horace Kephart will be on display through March 31 in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University. In 1904, Kephart was 42-year-old librarian when he came to Western North Carolina looking for a fresh start in the Southern Appalachian wilderness. Over the next 27 years, his numerous articles and books captured a disappearing culture, provided practical advice for generations of outdoor enthusiasts, and spearheaded the movement to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 828.227.7129 or www.wcu.edu.

ALSO:

Smoky Mountain News

January 11-17, 2017

• The “Women Painters of the Southeastâ€? exhibition will run through May 5 in the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. A reception will be held at the museum from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 19. www.wcu.edu. • The Adult Coloring Group will meet at 2 p.m. on Fridays in the Living Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. An afternoon of creativity and camaraderie.

Supplies are provided, or bring your own. Beginners are welcome as well as those who already enjoy this new trend. kmoe@fontanalib.org or 828.524.3600. • “Stitch,â€? the community gathering of those interested in crochet, knit and needlepoint, meet at 2:30 p.m. every first Sunday of the month at the Canton Public Library.

All ages and skill levels welcome. www.haywoodlibrary.org.

The art of photographic illusion of human presence in these surroundings that attempts to portray a vision influenced by dreams, memories and experiences.

The program will focus on the technique and process of creating Tenesaca’s photographs from choosing the location to post-processing in Photoshop. It will be accompanied by a short overview of the history of photography that focuses on collage, transfer, and combination of photos ‘Eggs for Breakfast’ by Byron Tenesaca. Donated photo in order to create a new photograph by The Sylva photo Club will present “Illusions� by Byron discussing old processes that lead to the current; Tenesaca at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Cullowhee Photoshop. The audience will have the option of participatMethodist Church on the Western Carolina University campus. ing on a small collaboration where he will demonstrate the Tenesaca is a visual artist with focus in painting and photechnique and details that are crucial to bringing forth these tography. After graduating from WCU in 2015 with a BFA in surreal photographs.

Studio Art, he was selected as the recipient of an artist’s resiA “Share and Tell� segment will follow with the theme of dency at The Bascom in Highlands. alternate viewpoints. Members should bring three to six His current works seek to create a subconscious docuimages on a USB thumb drive. mentation of various spaces in Western North Carolina actiFirst time visitors are free but on subsequent visits, vated by the inclusion of varied light sources, objects and donate $5 per meeting which accrues for four visits upon the human presence. Treating photography as performance which they become full member. Suggested membership art, his recent work has given him a new role as set director, donations are $20 per year and $10 for students. where he’s searching for locations that evoke in him a memFor more information, text or call Tony Wu at ory. In one still image, he records a narrative performance 828.226.3840.

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On the street

WNC to honor MLK There will be events in Haywood and Jackson counties to celebrate the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

LAKE JUNALUSKA

Chef Ricardo Fernandez will be hosting a Mountain Cooking Club class from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Fernandez was the former coowner/head chef of Lomo Grill. The classes celebrate local ingredients and seasonal fare. His classes combine his native Argentine cuisine with influences from Spain and Italy, the home of his parents.

• A wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m.

Jan. 14 and 21 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.586.6300.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Jan. 14 and 21 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host a wine tasting on Wednesdays and a craft beer tasting on Thursdays. Both events run from 4 to 8 p.m. There will also be tapas from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. www.classicwineseller.com.

ALSO:

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. Eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

A G U A R A N T E E D G R E AT N I G H T O U T

year the Jackson County NAACP will be marching alongside its newly formed WCU Student Unit in the annual WCU MLK Unity March. Once the march beings, there will be an advance toward three prearranged locations. At each location, will be brief remarks on different topics, such as stories from the Civil Rights Movement. The march will culminate upstairs at the Hines Center in the Main Ballroom. Participants will discuss and review their experiences of the march.

Refreshments will be provided. www.jacksonncaacp.org.

The menu for this class will include a parsnips, ginger, coconut and chili pepper soup; chicken rollatini with prosciutto, spinach, asiago cheese, and more; and a double chocolate Belgium bourbon espresso crème brulee.

Class fee is $65 plus a $1 Mountain Cooking Club 2016 membership fee. To reserve your space, mail a check (payable to Ricardo Fernandez) to Suzanne Fernandez at 3553 Panther Creek Road, Clyde, N.C., 28721. Reservations confirmed upon receipt of payment.

828.246.7465 or chefricardos@gmail.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

Mountain Cooking Club in Waynesville

The local Jackson NAACP Branch encourages everyone in the community to participate with area nonprofits — Mountain Projects, The Community Table and other preferred service groups — in recognition of this historical day. All organizations and individuals performing service projects on Jan. 16 are invited to the campus of Western Carolina University for a MLK Unity March. Participants should plan to arrive by 5 p.m. in front of the Hines University Center at the fountain.

Jared Johnson, President of Alpha Phi Alpha at WCU, reports that his fraternity has been hard at work — along with WCU Intercultural Affairs, the Black Student Union, The Jackson WCU Student NAACP Unit and the Latino Appreciation Students — planning this year’s MLK Unity March. This

The “Robert Burns Dinner” will be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, in the Tartan Hall at the Franklin Presbyterian Church.

Burns, the national poet of Scotland, is the only poet or musician that has a worldwide celebration. It is on or near his birthday, Jan. 25. He is also known as the Ploughman’s Poet.

Burns was a farmer, but not a very productive one. His poems and songs were Robert Burns noted for preserving the Gaelic language and the passion he had for the everyday beauty and life of the common folk. He overturned a field mouse’s home one day.

He was so affected by this, that he wrote “To a Mouse.”

From intimate groups gathered in a pub to larger more formal celebrations, toasts are raised to Burns. The dinner has become a tradition in Franklin. The event will include the calling of the clans, presentation of the haggis, recitation of “Ode to the Haggis,” poetry and songs of Burns,

January 11-17, 2017

All are invited to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by participating in a weekend of activities from Saturday, Jan. 14 through Monday, Jan. 16 at Lake Junaluska. This weekend of celebration is sponsored by the Haywood County MLK Committee.

On Saturday, the Pride March will begin at 11 a.m. at Harris Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church and conclude at the Colonial Annex in Canton. The Pride March typically draws over 100 participants each year. On Sunday, a Commemorative service will be held at 3 p.m. at the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Canton. Elder Sandy Smith of Canton, will be preaching at the service and the Western Carolina University Gospel Choir will provide music and song. The weekend will culminate in the 27th Annual Prayer Breakfast at 8 a.m.

Monday in the Lambuth Inn Dining Room at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

Rev. Stephanie Hand, Church Vitality Strategist for the Western NC Conference of the United Methodist Church will be the featured speaker.

Special music will be provided by Todd Alston and Rockell Scott and Taylor Scott-Whiteside. Tickets for the prayer breakfast are $17 for adults and $8 for children and students.

A portion of the proceeds will go to the Eggleston-Osborne Scholarship fund in memory of Wilbur Eggleston and Elsie J. Osborne, two African-American educators of Haywood County whose educational, unwavering influence and determination have impacted many local families.

For more information about any of the events, call Tammy McDowell at 828.215.0296.

WCU

singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a five-course dinner and live music.

Tickets are $35 for adults, $20 for children under age 12. Advance tickets are now on sale at the Scottish Tartans Museum and Heritage Center in Franklin.

828.421.7771.

arts & entertainment

Celebrate Robert Burns, Scottish heritage

29

On the stage arts & entertainment

‘Romeo and Juliet’ at HART

‘The Sleeping Beauty’ will be showing in Highlands. Donated photo

January 11-17, 2017

‘Live via Satellite’ opera, theatre The Highlands Performing Arts Center will continue the “Live via Satellite” series with The MET Opera and The Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow.

• 12:55 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21: The MET Opera’s “Romeo & Juliette” by Gounod. There will be a pre-opera discussion beginning at 12:30 p.m. led by Beverly Wichman. When Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo starred opposite each other in Manon at the MET in 2015, the New York Times said, “The temperature rises nearly to boiling every time Damrau and Grigolo are on stage together.” Now they’re back as opera’s classic lovers, in Gounod’s lush Shakespeare adaptation. Bartlett Sher’s new production has already won acclaim for its vivid

18th century milieu and stunning costumes during runs at Salzburg and La Scala. Gianandrea Noseda conducts the sumptuous score.

• 12:55 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22: The Bolshoi Ballet’s “The Sleeping Beauty” by Tchaikovsky. On her 16th birthday, a curse by the evil Carabosse causes the beautiful Princess Aurora to fall into a deep slumber for 100 years. Only the kiss of a prince could awaken her. In this resplendent and magical classic, the Bolshoi dancers take us on a dreamlike journey through this classic fairytale complete with jewel fairies, a magical kingdom, a youthful princess and a handsome prince in this purest style of classical ballet. The Bolshoi’s sumptuous staging with its luxurious sets and costumes gives life to Perrault’s fairy tale unlike any other.

Tickets are available at www.highlandspac.org, at the door or by calling 828.526.9047.

Smoky Mountain News

WCU ‘Step Afrika!’ show, spoken word The Arts and Cultural Events series at Western Carolina University continues into the New Year. WCU’s Martin Luther King Week will host a presentation by “Step Afrika!” with spoken-word artist Kyla Lacey at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, in the Bardo Arts Center.

Honoree of the American College Personnel Association’s “Poet of the Year” award, Lacey tells her story of love, loss and redemption with a comical twist through the art of spoken word.

“Step Afrika!” is the first professional dance company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. The company began in 1994 as an exchange program with 30 the Soweto Dance Theatre of Johannesburg,

South Africa, and has expanded to become an international touring company presenting performance, residencies and workshops worldwide.

Tickets for presentations taking place at the Bardo Arts Center will be available at the box office and online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu, or by calling 828.227.2479.

Tickets purchased in advance are significantly discounted: $5 for students; $13 for WCU faculty and staff; $18 for general admission; and $15 per ticket for groups of 20 or more. On the day of the event, regular ticket prices apply: $10 for students; $18 for WCU faculty and staff; and $23 for general admission. www.wcu.edu.

The cast of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in rehearsal at HART. Donated photo A production of “Romeo and Juliet” set in post Civil War America will run at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13-14, 20-21 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 15 and 22 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

The production will be staged in the new Fangmeyer Theater, but is the first in the Feichter Studio Winter Theater Festival. The Feichter Studio is the third performance space at HART and named in honor of HART founders, Rex and Elizabeth Feichter. The intimate 65-seat theater space is a favorite among theatergoers for its intimacy.

Dwight Chiles, director of the upcoming production wanted to play in HART’s newest theater space, however, so the first show will be the only one in the winter season in the new Fangmeyer Theater. This imaginative production features a cast that includes: Romeo: Henry Williamson, Juliet: Josephine Thomas, Lady Capulet: Julie Kinter, Mercutio: David Anthony Yeates, Friar Lawrence/Prince: Samantha Lebrocq, Tybalt/Paris/Nurse: Allen Law, Singers: Christine Caldemeyer and Dwight Chiles.

In addition to the show, Harmons’ Den Bistro will also be open for dining all performances. The bistro is the first thing patrons encounter when they enter the new theater and it has already developed a reputation for its excellent menu. Patrons don’t have to be seeing the show to dine in the Bistro, but reservations are recommended.

They can be made by leaving a message on the box office line or going online to Open Table, which is accessible from HART’s website. Patrons can also see the menu on the website. Prior to all Sunday performances the bistro will be offering a brunch buffet.

Reservations can be made by calling the HART box office, or going online to www.harttheatre.org. The studio performances are general admission seating, but often sell out, with reservations recommended. When calling for the studio season, patrons are asked to simply leave their name, the number of tickets they wish to reserve and for which performance, and a phone number. Calls will not be returned unless the performance is sold out, or bad weather forces a cancelation.

• The Highlands Performing Arts Center will continue the “Live via Satellite” series with The National Theatre of London. The production will present legendary actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen in Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. The broadcast will be followed by an exclusive Q&A with the cast and director Sean Mathias. Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org, at the door or by calling 828.526.9047.

ALSO:

arts & entertainment

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32

Books

Smoky Mountain News

Books from different ends of the spectrum

Jeff Minick

Opposites attract, so the old saying runs.

We’ve all known friends, husbands and wives, and lovers who match this adage, and the same can sometimes hold true for books. This week, for example, rupi kaur’s milk and honey and William F. Buckley Jr.’ s A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century snagged my attention. I can hardly imagine two books more different from each other. milk and honey (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2016, 196 pages, $19.99) serves up a collection of poems and drawings by IndoCanadian poet rupi kaur. (The lower-case letters are deliberate here. kaur avoids capital letters). A self-described feminist photographer, Writer performer, and poet, kaur first gained fame for posting an online photo of herself lying on a bed with a menstrual bloodstain on her sweat pants. She is known as the Instapoet for her posts on Instagram. milk and honey sold enough copies to win a place on the New York Times Best Seller list.

When I first began reading the book, the poems entranced me, as obviously they did many others. kaur’s short, pithy lines instantly grab the reader’s eye: “i am a museum full of art/but you had your eyes shut”; “you look like you smell of/honey and no pain/let me have a taste of that”; “you have sadness/living in places/sadness shouldn’t live,” The brevity of these poems is what gives them their power.

Yet parts of milk and honey make for painful reading, and I am not referencing the subject matter, which includes rape, incest, love lost, and love denied. kuar is 24 years old and only began writing poetry seriously in 2013, and her youth and amateurish literary skills break through in many of these verses.

Moreover, some of the poems are trite, bits of thought or philosophy that entertain on a first reading, but transform into fluff with a second look. Here’s an example: “you’ve touched me/without even/touching me.” The line might win praise for a middle-schooler or make an appearance in a song on Pandora’s Adele station, but from her it seems inane and humorous.

The “museum” piece cited above lost its allure for me when several pages later this poem pops up: “i was music but you had your ears cut off.” I burst out laughing when I read this one, both because of its mimicking of the other poem and because I imagined some guy with both ears lopped from his poor bleeding head. This unfortunate poem also begged for parody: “i was perfume/but you had a head cold” or “i was champagne/but you were chewing bubble gum” might do for starters. milk and honey doesn’t make it in my cup of tea.

A Torch Kept Lit: Great Lives of the Twentieth Century (Crown Forum, 2016, 324 pages, $22) contains more than 50 eulogies written by William F. Buckley for National Review, a conservative magazine he founded in 1955.

Like milk and honey, A Torch Kept Lit is also touted as a New York Times Best Seller. Divided into these chapters — “Presidents,” “Family,” “Arts and Letters,” “Generals, Spies, and Statesman,” “Friends,” and “Nemeses” — this collection contains Buckley’s farewell to many well-known men and women, a good number of whom he met.

What surprised me about A Torch Kept Lit was the variety of different public figures included in the book. Readers unfamiliar with National Review except by way of its reputation would justifiably think of Buckley as an uptight conservative, a suit wearing wingtips, yet those who remember his television show Firing Line or who have read some of his work know him as

an adventurer and an enthusiast with a zest for living whose acquaintances were as diverse as his interests.

This eclecticism is evident here. Editor James Rosen has included not only a number of eulogies written for conservatives — Whittaker Chambers, Barry Goldwater, Milton Friedman, Russell Kirk, and others — but also those several written for such liberal Democrats as John Kenneth Galbraith and Lyndon B. Johnson, literary and music figures like Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Jerry Garcia, and Elvis Presley, and iconic figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Princess Diana, Allen Dulles, and David Niven.

Readers looking for biographical sketches of the famous from the twentieth century won’t find them in A Torch Kept Lit. What they will find, however, are Buckley’s admiration and love for many of these people, his encounters with them, and his take on their influence on the United States. Nearly always his tone is one of kindness and largesse toward his subjects. In his brief essay on Elvis Presley, for instance, Buckley asks why people visit Graceland and answers his own question by saying of Presley that he was someone “truly singular and mythogenic, who contributed to his own legend his suicidal ending as a victim of the drugs he inveighed against with the strange, disquieting, appealing innocence that marked his entire life.”

Another example: of Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita and other novels, Buckley writes of his old friend and his wife “I said goodbye warmly, embracing Vera, taking his hand, knowing that probably I would never see again — never mind the artist — this wonderful human being.”

An excellent collection of writings by a gracious and generous man.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher.

Minick0301@gmail.com)

History of Jackson County newspapers Librarian George Frizzell will present an overview of newspapers in Jackson County from the late 19th century to the present at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 12, in the Community Room at the historic Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva.

Titled "Our History, Heritage, and Headlines,” the Jackson County Genealogical Society program will cover the various highlights and the diverse themes chronicled in newspapers such as the Webster Herald, Jackson County Journal, Ruralite, Cashiers Chronicle, and Sylva Herald.

All JCGS events are free of charge and the public is welcome. For more information, visit them on Facebook or call 828.631.2646.

• New York Times bestselling author Dr. William R. Forstchen will present his newest work, The Final Day, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 14, at Carolina Readiness in Waynesville. The book is follow up to One Second After and One Year After. 828.456.5310 or www.carolinareadiness.com.

ALSO:

Journaling for creatives The Mountain Artisan “Expressive Journaling Workshop” will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Waynesville Public Library.

Are you into the expressive arts?

Are you a writer, songwriter, musician, dancer, choreographer, visual artist, photographer, or any variation on the theme? Come and view examples of journals — from written works to idea books — to artist reflection books and beyond. This hour long workshop will introduce you to your passport to definition, fluidity and cohesiveness as an expressive artist.

It will be inclusive of all persons at any stage of the development of their art.

The workshop will be led by local area artist and musician Betina Morgan. It will include an instructional talk by Morgan, as well as a free journal to get you started.

Sign-up required: 828.356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

January 11-17, 2017

Smoky Mountain News

33

34

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

A growing mark Outdoor school opens world’s largest wilderness medicine classroom in Cullowhee

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ust north of Cullowhee, at the curvy, gravel terminus of Cane Creek Road, sits the building containing the world’s largest wilderness medicine classroom.

Landmark Learning, a nationally accredited school offering a variety of courses in wilderness medicine, started using the building in May, though there’s still heavy equipment in view as fine-tuning continues. The 8,000-square-foot building contains a 2,400square-foot classroom, a commercial kitchen, and a student lounge. Up an even steeper hill than the one that leads to the main building is a pair of dorm-style cabins and a terraced camping area, which together can accommodate 36 people.

“It’s a passion we have, and it’s not only a passion for being outdoors and being active, but it’s a passion for the type of people we keep running into,” said Mairi Padgett, who started Landmark Learning with her husband Justin Padgett in 1996.

It’s a passion that’s been producing results. When Mairi and Justin first launched

J

EMT students run a scenario in Landmark Learning’s new classroom. Holly Kays photos

the business, they were the only staff members and leveraged their apartment to double as their office, recruiting a first-year roll of 46 students. But they didn’t stay that small for that long.

“We’ve been growing continuously since 1996 about 10 percent per year, very consistently,” Mairi Padgett said.

PLANNING FOR GROWTH In 2000 they purchased the 30-acre property on Cane Creek Road and in 2001 built their first classroom, which is located next door to a refurbished 1927 cabin that serves as Landmark’s main office. The campus holds a tent pad that accommodates 13 tents and a bunkhouse holding 16 people.

It took Landmark only four years to outgrow the space. To meet demand, the school began renting facilities throughout Western North Carolina to run their courses. But that didn’t seem like the ideal long-term plan.

“Very quickly, we realized that it’s just easier for us to run everything here,” Padgett said.

The staff at Landmark is intimately famil-

iar with the lay of the land along Cane Creek.

Running classes there, it’s easier to assess risk and to devise high-quality scenario drills that are appropriate for each specific group.

So, four years ago Landmark bought a 10acre parcel abutting the initial piece of land.

And two years ago, work started on the new building. They got their certificate of occupancy from the county on May 5, 2016, and ran their first course there three days later at full capacity.

It’s easy to see that Padgett is proud of the new addition to campus. The building itself is a bit industrial looking, gray and made of stainless steel and concrete. But it’s 100 percent recyclable, fireproof and made with labor and materials purchased from local companies.

“The vast majority of money that was used to build this went directly back into our community,” she said.

That’s a substantial sum — Padgett said she expects Landmark to max out the $1.2 million loan it procured for the project by the time all the finishing touches are done.

The top floor has a large commercial kitchen — complete with individual food cubbies for each student — a lounge area, and what will soon be Landmark’s new administrative offices. The area is full of natural sunlight and a significant upgrade from the refurbished cabin where staff currently work.

The classroom is located on the bottom floor of the new building. It’s an open area with closets to store equipment for each class, a horseshoe of desks and chairs, and a small breakout room at the back that Padgett said will eventually become a scenario room made

to look like an apartment. Outside, there’s a rare spot of flat ground for outdoors scenarios and a faux trail system — it dead-ends after a short run — where students can simulate backwoods rescues.

It wouldn’t be correct to refer to the two floors as upstairs and downstairs, however, because there are no indoor stairs. That’s on purpose.

“The more we can get folks to move, the better we can get them to sit still in class,” Padgett said.

Up the hill from the new classroom — the hill in question is so steep that only staff members are allowed to drive up it — are the dorms and tent area. There are two dorm buildings, each containing eight beds and four showers, with central heat and air. That’s an improvement over the original dorms, which have only two showers to serve anyone staying in one of the 16 beds or 13 tent spaces.

And the view isn’t too shabby. From the dorms students can look across to the opposite slope, which is fully wooded and destined to remain that way due to a conservation easement.

“It really gives our students the feeling that they’re in the wild, even though we’re 10 minutes from Super Walmart,” Padgett said.

FILLING A NICHE The old campus has its charm too, with many students expressing some strong nostalgia for its backwoods feel. But the christening of the new campus doesn’t mean the old one will disappear — with the new building open, Landmark can now run two different classes at once, a great benefit in light of ever-growing demand. When only one of the campuses is being used, Landmark will also have the option of renting out the second one.

From the initial roll of 46 students that the Padgetts taught in 1996, Landmark’s student count has burgeoned over the years to numbers topping 2,700 in 2016.

“We have a lot of returning students,” Padgett said. “When we run a Wilderness First Responder recert, we have 30 students 30 days out with a huge waiting list. We do get a lot of people who say, ‘That was the best experience I’ve ever had. Those were the best instructors I’ve ever had and I want to return there.’”

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why Landmark has seen so much growth throughout its relatively short history. Padgett believes that the affinity that she and Justin have for the kinds of people who tend to flock to outdoors courses plays a role. She also believes that the type of environment they try to build is important — one that fosters teamwork and collaboration to build enthusiasm among staff and students.

“I think we had an initial passion to be with the people that were doing the things that we did and creating a way for them to access these trainings that until then were not very accessible in

Build your own fishing leader

A program aimed at helping pre-schoolers get their feet wet in the world of sports will be starting up in Waynesville this month.

Open to children ages 4 and 5 as of Feb. 1, the Smart Starts Sports Development program will be held 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays starting Jan. 31 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. A variety of baseball and soccer equipment designed just for 4- and 5-year-olds will be used to enhance skill development in a fun

A leader building workshop offered 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Jan. 20, at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, will give a tutorial on building effective fly fishing leaders and result in constructions for participants to take home.

Participants will learn how to choose a leader’s length and weight for more effective fly fishing. Everyone will leave with a furled and hand-tied leader they’ve built themselves.

Free and open to ages 12 and up. Space is limited. Register at www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/Education-Centers/Pisgah/Event-Registration.

The Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education is located off of U.S. 276 near Brevard.

828.877.4423.

atmosphere.

Space is limited. $65 covers registration as well as a kit of age-appropriate sports equipment. The registration deadline is 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 17, and a parent meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Administered by the Youth Development branch of the nonprofit National Alliance for Youth Sports and the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department.

outdoors

Sports development program for pre-schoolers

Get up close with fly tying at WCU The new kitchen area allows students to look after their own food needs while staying at Landmark.

the Southeast,” Padgett said. “So we saw a niche we could fill.”

Landmark doesn’t offer its own certifications — they’re not into “reinventing the wheel,” Padgett said. Rather, the school seeks out the best curricula and the best instructors to bring wilderness education to people in the Southeast.

Landmark’s growth is certainly to its credit, but it’s not the only outdoor education school seeing gains over the last couple decades. The National Outdoor Leadership

HAYWOOD COUNTY Local Program Committee Meeting at the Waynesville Recreation Center

January 16th at 6:00 PM All persons interested in being a part of this committee are strongly encouraged to attend, promote, enlist other volunteers, and discuss major program needs

Feel free to share on your social media to help recruit anyone interested in being on the committee. Please make plans to attend and bring others who wish to make a commitment to our Haywood County Special Olympics Program.

Smoky Mountain News

Landmark Learning has a full schedule of classes lined up for the year ahead, covering a variety of aspects of wilderness medicine. It’s important to sign up early, as classes tend to fill up. n Wilderness Upgrade for the Medical Professional. Cullowhee, Jan. 23-27. n Wilderness First Responder Recertification.

Cullowhee, Feb. 3-5. n Wilderness First Responder. Cullowhee, Feb. 11-19. n Wilderness First Aid. Cullowhee, Feb. 18-19. n Community Relief Medic. Asheville, Feb. 25-26. n Wilderness First Aid. Cullowhee, March 4-12. n Wilderness First Aid Recertification.

Cullowhee, March 17-19.

For tuition prices, registration and a calendar for the remainder of the year, visit www.landmarklearning.edu.

January 11-17, 2017

Get certified

School, the nation’s largest provider of education in wilderness medicine, has seen about the same level of growth as Landmark has — a consistent 10 percent per year, Padgett said.

“I definitely think the interest is there and the interest is growing,” Padgett said. “I think that more and more folks reach a certain age and maybe they’re dissatisfied with their corporate life and they’re looking for other alternatives.”

Landmark sees a large number of people in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are mulling a career change, or thinking about early retirement, Padgett said.

“People like the idea of seasonal work,” she said.

The rhythm of ski patrolling in the winter, raft guiding in the summer — or whatever other seasonal activities an individual might be drawn to — can seem an attractive change from the continuous monotony of some office jobs.

“We’re also getting a lot of interest from folks that are leaving the service, who have these exceptional skills in the field but are not ready to sit at a desk,” Padgett said.

Those ex-military types can find a home at Landmark, honing their outdoors skills toward a job that will provide the physical activity they need in their day.

That need to be outside, to move around, to explore — it’s something that the folks at Landmark understand.

“We’re all outdoors, we’re all expeditionminded and we’re here for the long haul,” Padgett said.

A fly-tying demonstration led by Cashiers angler Matt Canter will be offered 3 to 5 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 12, at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center.

Canter, who has been fishing ever since hooking his first one at age 2, is a WCU grad who works with Brookings Anglers.

The demonstration is part of WCU’s ongoing Appalachian Living craft and skills series. While they’re there, attendees can view fly-fishing artifacts once owned by Horace Kephart, a transplant to Western North Carolina who was one of the strongest proponents of creating the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The artifacts are part of the exhibit “Horace Kephart: Revealing an Enigma” on display through May 12.

Free. 828.227.7129.

WAYNESVILLE

PARKS AND RECREATION 828.456.2030 or email tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov

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Smoky Mountain News

Health, Hope and Ha appiness thru Midlife and Be eyond Join us for a free education seminar and dinner d as Kathy Walsh, NP covers topics ranging from heart dissease, diabetes and menopause management to stress balance and weight loss.

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Bear baiting and more trapping policies among proposed wildlife rule changes A public hearing seeking input on this year’s round of proposals from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will be held 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the Haywood Community College auditorium, with written comments accepted through Feb. 1.

Proposed changes include: n Allowing bear baiting with unprocessed food — on private lands only — during the first half of bear season in the mountains and during the entire bear season in the coastal plains.

Adopting the proposal would make permanent a temporary rule that was adopted last year. The goal is to increase bear harvest and to “reduce the inequity� between hunters who use dogs and hunters who don’t use dogs. n Allowing trappers to use unused tags purchased in one season during the following season. The rule change aims to reduce the regulatory burden on trappers. n Establishing the 1,925-acre William H. Silver Game Land in Haywood County as a six-day-perweek game land with an introductory either-sex deer season. n Creating a third archery season segment in the Western deer season for antlered bucks only, to open the Sunday immediately after the last day of gun season and closing Jan. 1. The measure was requested by local hunters and implementation will have negligible impacts on the deer population, according to the Wildlife Commission. n Allowing bank angling on Lake Calderwood in Graham County under a reciprocal agreement between North Carolina and Tennessee, which manage the state line lake jointly. The rule change, requested by Tennessee, would mean that anglers with North Carolina licenses could fish the Tennessee side of the lake and visa versa. The agreement is already in place for anglers fishing from a boat but not for anglers fishing from the shore. n Redefining “youth� as anyone under 18 years old and allowing youth to participate in youth either-sex deer hunts, Youth Deer Hunting Day, Spring Youth-only Wild Turkey Season, Youthonly Delayed Harvest Trout Water Season and any youth hunts on game lands. n Eliminating the use of paper big game harvest record sheets. Instead, hunters would report big game harvest by phone or online. Adoption of the proposal would complete the conversion from paper to electronic harvest data, a process that began with wild turkey harvest reporting in 2003.

The full proposal is available at ncpaws.org/PAWS/WRC/PublicComments/PublicE ntry/ProposedRegulations.aspx.

Written comments can be submitted online at ncpaws.org/PAWS/WRC/PublicComments/ PublicEntry/ProposedRegulations.aspx, at the public hearing, through email to regulations@ncwildlife.org or by mailing to Rules Coordinator, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699.

The 19 wildlife commissioners will vote on the proposals at their Feb. 16 meeting. Approved proposals would take effect Aug. 1.

Hikers rescued after three days in the woods outdoors

A day hike in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area of the Pisgah National Forest turned into a days-long ordeal culminating with a massive rescue effort when two hikers got lost off-trail Thursday, Jan. 5.

The hikers, both males, first called for help Friday morning, when they contacted 911 by cell phone to say that they were lost but uninjured, remaining stationary while waiting for help.

Haywood County first responders immediately shipped out to locate the hikers, but search efforts Friday proved unsuccessful, hampered by frigid temperatures and snowfall. The hikers called 911 again Saturday morning to report that they had been able to start a small fire and had found a makeshift shelter. However, they said, they were very cold and completely out of food and water.

Help poured in as the weekend progressed, with helicopter crews and nearly 100 ground-based rescuers from more than two dozen local, state and federal agencies assisting. Five specially trained and equipped mountain rescue teams sponsored

by N.C. Emergency Management were called in to help due to steep terrain, below-freezing temperatures, snow and ice. As the winter storm dissipated, air resources were requested to help find the men, whose chances of surviving another night were very low. The search was hindered by poor cell phone reception and the fact that the phone died before it could be triangulated.

Icycle bike race returns to Fontana

Thermal imaging allowed a State Highway Patrol helicopter crew to find the hikers shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7.

The crew then relayed the coordinates to the N.C. Emergency Management Helo Aquatic Rescue Team, which was located in Asheville, before leaving the scene to refuel.

Night had fallen when the N.C. HART crew arrived, requiring night vision goggles and a third helicopter — a National Guard

machine equipped with thermal imaging — to relocate and pick up the hikers.

The men were flown to Asheville, where local EMS crews picked them up around 7 p.m. for transport to the Mission Hospital.

They were discharged on Jan. 8. The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, State Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted in the search as well.

A crash course on winter camping will be offered 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, at REI in Asheville.

With cold weather, snow and short days to contend with, winter camping requires some special skills and equipment compared with camping in the other three seasons. Taught by REI winter camping experts, this course will cover how to plan, how to stay warm, how to choose the right gear and what to expect when setting up camp and staying overnight.

Free, but space is limited. Register at www.rei.com/learn.html.

Diane E. Sherrill, Attorney

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Smoky Mountain News

Jan. 18 & Feb. 15

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January 11-17, 2017

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A two-day mountain biking extravaganza is coming to Fontana Village Resort Jan. 2829, offering both a nighttime downhill race and a daylight cross-country race.

The Icycle Mountain Bike Event will start up at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, when registration opens, and the downhill course will be open for practice from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The downhill race will start at 7:30 p.m., with a route that includes the super-fast and wide-open Turkey Chute Trail — the trail drops 900 feet in 1.2 miles and features jumps, berms and minor rock gardens.

The 7-mile cross-country race will begin at 10 a.m. Jan. 29, climbing 1,100 feet on some of the finest single-track around, with the varied terrain including rocks, roots, creeks and wide-open passing lanes.

A variety of categories are available for both races, separating racers by ability as well as by bike type. $30 for one event or $50 for both.

Presented by Pisgah Productions. Held rain, snow or shine. Register at www.pisgahproductions.com/events/icycle.

1478 Dellwood Rd., Waynesville NC 28786

828.926.8484

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37

outdoors

Drought severity lessens in WNC

January 11-17, 2017

Wet weather over the past week has put a dent in the severity of drought in Western North Carolina.

According to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map, published Jan. 5, only three counties in the state are classified as experiencing extreme drought — down from six in previous weeks. Graham, Jackson and Swain counties have been downgraded to severe drought conditions, a designation shared by nine other WNC counties, including Haywood, Buncombe, Transylvania, Madison and Henderson counties.

Waynesville test farm’s history to be unpacked A program exploring the past and present of the Haywood County Extension Service’s Mountain Research Station will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

Kaleb Rathbone, superintendent of the research station, will be speaking on research farm experiments past and present, how those experiments have benefited farmers and crops, and how the extension service helps farmers and gardeners.

Free. Part of the Tuscola Garden Club’s monthly meeting. 828.246.0437.

Smoky Mountain News

Harrah’s recognized for environmental policies

38

Macon, Clay and Cherokee counties, however, are still in extreme drought. Prior to Dec. 8, they’d all — along with Swain, Jackson and Graham counties — been in the category of exceptional drought, the most severe drought designation offered by the U.S. Drought Monitor. The last year the exceptional drought designation was used in North Carolina was 2008.

Drought maps, completed by the U.S. Drought Monitor, are updated every Thursday and available at www.ncdrought.org.

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort earned recognition for reducing its environmental impact when Green Key Global bestowed it a 4-Key rating last month.

The rating is based on the results of a comprehensive environmental self-assessment. Facilities can be awarded a rating from one to five keys, with five being the

highest possible.

According to Ray Rose, regional vice president of resort operations, Harrah’s reduced its laundry use by 9 percent, as measured by weight, during 2016. More recently, the resort launched a housekeeping opt-out program at both the Murphy and Cherokee locations. The program rewards guest with $20 of free slot play for opting out of housekeeping service, which then reduces linens and unnecessary cleaning. www.greenkeyglobal.com.

Master Gardeners wanted in Macon The Macon County Master Gardener program is looking for applications from the next crop of aspiring plant experts.

A short course in horticulture provided annually by N.C. Cooperative Extension, the program aims to help home gardeners better understand gardening and plants. Master Gardeners receive 42 hours of training in subjects ranging from handling pests to lawn care to growing a wide variety of plant types. Those who complete the course will become certified Master Gardeners.

Classes will start on Feb. 17. Get an application at macon.ces.ncsu.edu or by calling 828.349.2046.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Homeowner applications are being accepted by Haywood Habitat for Humanity. Info sessions are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church; at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Waynesville Library; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Canton Library. More info: haywoodhabitat.org or 452.7960.

• To celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Haywood County MLK Committee has planned a weekend of celebrations including a Pride March starting at 11 a.m. on Jan. 14 at Harris Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in Canton; a commemorative service at 3 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Canton; and the 27th annual prayer breakfast at 8 a.m. on Jan. 16 in the Lambuth Inn Dining Room at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. Prayer breakfast tickets are $17 for adults and $8 for children and students; a portion goes to the Eggleston-Osborne Scholarship fund. 215.0296.

• In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., Western Carolina University will hold a week of events from Jan. 16-21 in Cullowhee. A Unity march with three prearranged stops with remarks on different topics starts at 2 p.m. on Jan. 16 starting at the university’s Central Plaza Fountain; “Soul Food for the Soul” is at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17; A dinner and movie event featuring “Remember the Titans” is from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at Illusions in the University Center; legendary high school football coach Herman Boone of “Remember the Titans” fame will speak at an event from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, in the A.K. Hinds University Center Grandroom; Step Africa! with Kyla Lacey is at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center; and a Day of Service is on Jan. 21. jacooper@wcu.edu, 227.2595 or www.wcu.edu/experience/connect-and-join/intercultural-affairs/mlkjr.aspx.

• A family movie honoring the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Info, including movie title: 488.3030.

• Advance tickets are available for a Chinese New Year Celebration featuring Chinese food, crafts and traditional activities. Presented by Folkmoot and Western Carolina University’s Office of International Programs & Services, the event is from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, in Waynesville. Advance tickets are $8 for kids; $10 for adults and $35 for families of four or more. At the door, tickets are $10 for kids, $12 for adults and $40 for families. 452.2997. info@folkmoot.org.

• Mike Wolf, Frank Fritz and their team are excited to return to North Carolina. They plan to film episodes of the hit series AMERICAN PICKERS throughout the region this fall. If you or someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the pickers can spend the better part of the day looking through, send us your name, phone number, location and description of the collection with photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 855.old.rust.

• Cruise in Maggie Valley event is held from 1-5 p.m. every Sunday at 2771 Soco Road. Vendors: $10 per space. Cruising@MaggieValleyAntiques.com.

• Qualla Boundary Historical Society meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Everyone is welcome.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Haywood Community College will offer a series of skill building classes comprising Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Lutherie. HCC Professional Crafts alum

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. and local Luthier, Bill Weinert will lead the series. Each of the classes can be found at www.creativearts.haywood.edu: Intro to Lutherie (Cigar Box/Stick Dulcimer), Intermediate Lutherie (Appalachian Banjo/Lap Dulcimer), and Advanced Lutherie (Guitar/Fiddle). Please call 565.4240 for more information or to register.

• Haywood Community College Continuing Education Creative Arts is pleased to announce an expanded selection of music classes spearheaded by local musicians Julie and Bryan McConnell. Classes will include vocal, percussion, and two levels of string classes with an emphasis on practical theories and physical techniques. For more information on these classes or to register, please call 565.4240.

• “Our History, Heritage and Headlines” is the topic of the January program of the Jackson County Genealogical Society, which meets at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 631.2646 or visit the club on Facebook.

• Registration deadline is Jan. 13 for “Mind the Music,” a course of basic piano lessons specially created for seniors offered through the Haywood County Arts Council. Instructor is Susan Huckaby, who’s taught piano for 35 years and holds advanced degrees in music. www.haywoodarts.org/senior-piano-lessons or 452.0593.

• Budgeting 101, part of a teen workshop series called “My Financial Future,” will be offered from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Canton Library. Learn how to build a monthly budget and squeeze more out of each paycheck. Registration required: 648.2924.

• Registration is underway for an American Red Cross Lifeguard Training Certification course that starts Jan. 17 at Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center in Clyde. Course fee is $235 for members and $255 for nonmembers. 452.8056.

• “Sex, Lies & Snake Oil: The strange career of Jackson County’s Doctor John Brinkley” – a multimedia presentation by historian Jon Elliston – will be offered from noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at Lord Auditorium at Pack Library in Asheville. jonelliston@gmail.com.

• One-on-one computer lessons are offered weekly at the Waynesville and Canton branches of the Haywood County Public Library. Lesson slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Canton and from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. Sign up at the front desk of either library or call 356.2507 for the Waynesville Library or 648.2924 for the Canton Library.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • A charitable pint night is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Blue Ghost Brewery in Fletcher to benefit emergency fire relief efforts in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A program on elk in Western North Carolina will be offered, and a specialty batch Centennial White IPA is on tap to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.

• Save the date: Mardi Gras Ball benefit for the Haywood County Schools Foundation is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Laurel Ridge Country Blub. Sponsored by Entegra Bank.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Greening up the Mountains Festival is seeking artists,

Smoky Mountain News

mountain crafters, environmental and food vendors to apply for a booth in its 20th festival, which is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 22. Applications available at www.greeningupthemountains.com, or call 631.4587.

• Haywood Regional Medical Center is currently seeking volunteers of all ages for ongoing support at the hospital, outpatient care center and The Homestead. For info or to apply: 452.8301 or stop by the information desk in the hospital lobby. If specifically interested in becoming a hospice volunteer: 452.5039.

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

HEALTH MATTERS • An acupuncture clinic for Haywood County veterans to help with effects of PTSD will be offered at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Jan. 11 and Jan 18, and at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, at Waynesville Wellness. 356.5577.

• The Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Action Team of Healthy Carolinians of Jackson County will meet at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Group’s goal is to increase physical activity and healthy eating. 587.8292 or lizcochran@jacksonnc.org.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. For info or to make an appointment: www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2767.

• A prenatal breastfeeding class for pregnant mothersto-be and support persons will be offered at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 12 at the Haywood County Health and Human Services in Waynesville. Registration required: 356.2207 or 452.2211.

• A “Woman to Woman” event on “Health, Hope and Happiness through Midlife and Beyond” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, at Harris Women’s Care in Sylva, across the street from Harris Regional Hospital. Featuring nurse practitioner Kathy Walsh. Info and RSVP: 631.8894.

• Preparation for Childbirth classes will be taught by a certified childbirth educator from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays from Jan. 12-Feb. 2, March 30-April 20, June 1-June 22, Aug. 3, Aug. 24 and Oct. 12-Nov. 2 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• A Rally for Health Care is scheduled for 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, at the fountain in downtown Sylva. Part of a national Day of Action; sponsored by several local organizations.

• A “Live and Learn” program is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, in the Gaines Auditorium at Bethea Welcome Center in Lake Junaluska. Topic is: “A Matter of Balance: Fall Prevention.” Led by Natalie Malis. Sponsored by the Junaluskans. 564.3906.

• A “Last Chance Haywood!” enrollment event for Affordable Healthcare Insurance is scheduled for 1-6:45 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Waynesville Library.

Meet in-person with certified marketplace navigators from Mountain Projects. Walk-ins welcome, or call 452.1447 for an appointment. Enrollment ends Jan. 31.

• A tired leg/varicose vein educational program will be offered at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Vein Center at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde.

Led by Dr. Al Mina, MD, FACS, and Dr. Joshua Rudd, DO. Registration required: 452.VEIN. • Kitchen Sink Remedies for cold, flus and other acute illnesses will be presented at 2 p.m. on Jan. 27 at the Waynesville Library. 356.2507.

• The American Red Cross will host a blood drive from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30, at Swain Community Hospital in Bryson City. For info or to make an appointment: www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2767.

• Big Brother/Big Sister, a one-evening preparation class for children who are about to greet a new baby into their family, is offered for children ages 3-10 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• Mothers Connection, an ongoing social gathering for mothers and their babies, meets from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays excluding holidays at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses.

• Assistance with Marketplace Open Enrollment is available through Mountain Projects. Enrollment through the Affordable Care Act is currently open and lasts until Jan. 31. 452.1447 or 800.627.1548.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • Registration is underway for ski/snowboard lessons at the Cataloochee Ski Resort. For ages 8-up. Sundays for five weeks: Jan. 8, 22, 29, Feb. 5 and 12. Lesson is from 1:30-3 p.m.; lift ticket valid from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Lift only: $109; lift and lesson: $135. 293.2053 or www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• ZUMBA! Classes, are offered from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesdays, at the Canton Armory. $5 per class. 648.2363 or parks@cantonnc.com.

• The Canton Armory is open to the public for walking from 7:45-9 a.m. on Monday through Friday unless the facility is booked till spring. 648.2363. parks@cantonnc.com.

• “Winter Warm-Ups” will be offered from 10-11:15 a.m. on Mondays starting Jan. 16 and running through Feb. 29 at Sylva First Baptist Church. Movement exercises designed to increase flexibility, build strength and encourage more activity during winter months.

369.6909.

• Friday night skiing and snowboarding is being offered through the Jackson County Parks & Recreation Department starting Jan. 20 at Cataloochee Ski Resort.

Hours are 5-9 p.m. on Jan. 20, Feb. 10 and March 3. $25 lift only; $35 for lift and rental; $45 for lift, rental and lesson. www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

POLITICAL • The Swain County Democratic Party will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 13 at 122 Everette Street in Bryson City.

Joe Sam Queen will speak about changes to be expected for the 2017 election cycle.

• The Jackson County Democratic Party will hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at party headquarters on Mill St. in Sylva. Agenda will be planning for the year ahead.

• The Jackson County Republican Party will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 23, at Ryan’s in Sylva. Arrive early to eat. Plans for the Jackson County Republican Party Convention will be discussed. 743.6491 or jacksonctygop@yahoo.com.

• A lunch-and-discussion group will be held by the

wnc calendar

League of Women Voters at noon on the second Thursday of each month at Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. RSVP for lunch: lwvmacon@wild-dog-mountain.info or 524.8369.

through Jackson County Parks & Recreation Department. $20. Classes will meet at 10 a.m. every Tuesday starting Jan. 31 for 10 weeks. For ages 5-15. www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

when humans aren’t around will be shown at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. PG; 90 minutes. Info, including movie title: 524.3600.

• Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor has coffee and an open public discussion with Highlands residents from 11 a.m.-noon on the last Friday of each month at Hudson Library in Highlands. www.fontanalib.org or 526.3031.

• A Tuesday Library Club for ages 5-12 meets at 4 p.m. each Tuesday (except for the fifth Tuesday on months that occurs) at the Canton Library. Hands-on activities like exercise, cooking, LEGOs, science experiments and crafts. 648.2924 or kpunch@haywoodnc.net.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • Librarian George Frizzell will present an overview of newspapers in Jackson County from the late 19th century to the present at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, in the Community Room at the historic Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva. 631.2646.

• Chef Ricardo Fernandez will be hosting a Mountain Cooking Club class from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

• A “Theme Team Book Club” is now being offered by the Waynesville Public Library. The group meets quarterly from 2-4 p.m. on the first Friday of the month.

356.2507. Refreshments provided by the Friends of the Library.

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hourlong storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays at the Canton Library and at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. For ages zero to six. 648.2924.

• Canton Book Club meets at 3:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, at the Canton Library.

648.2924.

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hourlong storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 11 a.m. on Fridays at the Canton Library. For ages zero to six.

648.2924.

Fernandez was the former co-owner/head chef of Lomo Grill. Class fee is $65 plus a $1 Mountain Cooking Club 2016 membership fee. To reserve your space, please mail a check (payable to Ricardo Fernandez) to Suzanne Fernandez at 3553 Panther Creek Road, Clyde, North Carolina 28721. Reservations confirmed upon receipt of payment. 246.7465 or chefricardos@gmail.com.

KIDS & FAMILIES • Homeschool book explorers meets at 2 p.m. on Jan. 16 at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

January 11-17, 2017

FOOD & DRINK

• A program called “Imagine”, an art program for children 8-12 meets at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Program contains art, writing, and drama. 586.2016.

• Evening story time is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Jan. 12 at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

• Registration deadline is 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 17 for the Smart Start Sports Development program, which is open to children ages 4-5 as of Feb. 1, through the Waynesville Recreation Center. $65 fee. Meet from 5:30-6:30 p.m. each Tuesday for six weeks starting Jan. 31. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• A special family story time celebrating Winnie the Pooh’s birthday will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600. For ages 0-5.

• “Plug In and Read Digital Storytime” is at 11 a.m. on Jan. 18 at the Waynesville Library. 356.2507.

• Fines Creek Story time is at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 18 at the Fines Creek Library. 627.0146.

• “Mommy/Daddy and Me” open gym is available for parents and kids to play or do arts and crafts from 10-11 a.m. on Fridays, Jan. 20-Feb. 24, at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. For ages 3-5 with parents present; no preregistration required. $1 per child per day.

Smoky Mountain News

A&E

• Stories, songs and a craft are offered for ages zerosix (and caregivers) at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

• Sing & Sign Storytime will be offered for ages 0-5 at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 23, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Construction Zone! will be held at 4 p.m. Jan. 25, at the Canton Library. The library will supply the LEGO® building blocks, you supply the imagination! For children ages 6-12. For more information, please call 648.2924. Continues on the 4th Wednesday of the following months.

• A Winter Reading Challenge is underway at Haywood County libraries. Stop by any county library for a reading bingo card. Complete challenge by Feb. 1.

• The Canton Library offers a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) program each month. At 4 p.m. on third Tuesday. Children ages 612 are welcome to attend. Please call 648-2924 for more information.

• Registration is underway for Homeschool P.E.

• Crafternoons are at 2:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• Library Olympics will be held at 2 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. Children age 5 and up get active through relay races, bingo, mini golf.

586.2016.

• Get Moving, a program for children ages 5-12 to encourage children to live a healthy life through exercise and healthy eating, will be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. 648.2924 • Full STEAM Ahead, a program for children ages 5-12 to allow them to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics through fun hands-on activities. Program open to the first 15 participants, at 4 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at Canton Public Library. 648.2924.

• Family Story Time is held on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 0-6. Stories, songs, dance and crafting. 648.2924.

• Storytimes are held at 10 and 10:40 a.m. every Thursday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• After-School Art Adventure will be on from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays at The Bascom in Highlands.

For ages 5 to 10, Art Adventure is a class that explores the creative process of drawing, painting, printmaking, clay, sculpture, fiber art, and crafts by utilizing a variety of media. The students will investigate some of the most popular techniques and theories in art history and will be exposed to contemporary as well as folk art traditions. Tuition is $40 for a fourclass package. www.thebascom.org.

KIDS MOVIES • Rogue One is now playing at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. Jan 11-12 at 7 p.m. www.38main.com.

• Moana playing at The Strand on Main in Wayesvile on Jan 13 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 15 at 1 p.m. www.38main.com.

• A family friendly movie will be shown at 9:45 a.m. on Jan. 11 at the Waynesville Library. 356.2507.

• A current children’s movie about what pets are up to

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will host a Low Brass Festival Guest Artist Rehearse at 7 p.m.

Jan. 12 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 in the Coulter Building.

• Air Supply is on stage at Harrah’s Casino in Cherokee on Friday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. Ticket prices are $20 and up. www.caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee/shows

• “Cure for Cabin Fever” – live original music by Henry Wong and a potluck – is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays, Jan. 12 & 26, at Heinzelmännchen Brewery in Sylva. 631.4466.

• New York Times bestselling author Dr. William R. Forstchen will have a book-signing event for his newest work “The Final Day” from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Jan. 14 at Carolina Readiness Supply (72 Montgomery St.) in Waynesville. 456.5310 or www.carolinareadiness.com.

40

• “Art Beats for Kids” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City.

A new project every week. $20 per child, with includes lesson, materials and snack. To register, call 828.538.2054.

• Friends of the Library Concert Series resumes at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 at the Waynesville Library.

356.2507.

• Burns Night Dinner, a celebration of the birth and life of Robert Burns, is scheduled for 5-8:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 at Tartan Hall, First Presbyterian Church, in Franklin. Burns is the national poet of modern Scotland; credited with saving the folk music of Scotland. Five-course dinner; live music. Tickets: $35 adults, $20 children under 12. Tickets available at Scottish Tartans Museum in Franklin. 421.7771.

• “Brown Bag at the Depot” – an opportunity to gather with neighbors – is at noon every Friday at Sylva’s newest park at the corner of Spring and Mill Street along Railroad Ave. For info, contact Paige Dowling at townmanager@townofsylva.org.

• Graceann’s Amazing Breakfast is 8-10 a.m. every Tuesday in the Sapphire Room at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. $8.50 for adults; $5 for children.

Includes coffee and orange juice. 743.7663.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro.

Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

• A game day will occur from 2-9 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva. Bring dice, cards or board games.

586.6300.

• A wine tasting will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 586.6300.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 452.0120.

• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 452.6000.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT

• A production of “Romeo and Juliet” set in post-Civil War America is running at HART Theatre from Jan. 1322 in Waynesville. Performances are at 7;30 p.m. on Jan. 13-14 and Jan. 20-21 and at 2 p.m. on Jan. 14 and 22. Reservations: ww.harttheatre.org.

• The National Theatre of London’s presentation of “No Man’s Land” will be shown live via satellite at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center at 507 Chestnut Street in Highlands. Featuring actors Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Tickets: highlandspac.org, at the door or 526.9047.

• Haywood Community Chorus begins its spring season at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16. Rehearsals are from 7-8:30 p.m. every Monday at Waynesville First United Methodist Church. Spring concert is May 7. No audition required; membership fees are $25. Tenors in great demand. 557.9187.

• Tickets are on sale now for a presentation by Step Afrika! with spoken-word artist Kyla Lacey, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 20, in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University. Part of the Arts and Cultural Events series. $20 for non-students; free for students. Pre-registration required: tcbowers@catamount.wcu.edu (students) or hensley@wcu.edu (non-students).

• The MET Opera’s performance of “Romeo et Juliette” will be presented live via satellite at 12:55 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center at 507 Chestnut Street in Highlands. Tickets: highlandspac.org, at the door or 526.9047.

• The Bolshoi Ballet’s performance of “The Sleeping Beauty” by Tchaikovsky will be presented live via satellite at 12:55 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center at 507 Chestnut Street in Highlands. Tickets: highlandspac.org, at the door or 526.9047.

• Jamey Johnson is returning to Harrah’s Cherokee on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. https://www.caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee/shows • Michael Bolton will be preforming on Friday, Feb. 24 at Harrah’s Casino in Cherokee at 9 p.m. https://www.caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee/shows • Music and Clogging is held from 8-10:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays at the Stomping Ground at 3116 Soco Road in Maggie Valley. 926.1288.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • An expressive arts journaling workshop will be offered from 5-6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Waynesville Library. Instructed by Betina Morgan, local artist and musician. Registration required: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

• Coloring Club will be hosted on the second Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. at Canton Library.

Color pencils and color pages supplied. For ages 8 to 108. 648.2924.

• The Canton Armory will host “Winter Pickin’ in the Armory” at 7 p.m. every first and third Friday of the month. The event includes mountain music, vintage country, clogging and dancing. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Free. www.cantonnc.com.

• Beginners Chess Club is held on Fridays at 4 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 8-108 invited to participate. 648.2924.

• The Jackson County Cooperative Extension Craft Group meets from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17. Create a miniature birdhouse. Register: 586.4009.

Americana act Tina & Her Pony will perform at 7 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 13, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• A class on Google Photos will be offered at 5:55 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Led by Roger Bacon; assisted

by Laura Chapman. Sign up: 586.2016.

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Smoky Mountain News

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41

wnc calendar

• ADULTing 101 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays throughout January at the Canton Library.

648.2924.

• A “Miniature Birdhouse” workshop will be held by the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Craft Group from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Sylva Extension Office. The class is free. Bring a lunch. To register and for the supply list, call 828.586.4009.

• A Mountain Artisan Workshop is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the Waynesville Library. 356.2507.

• The Haywood County Arts Council will hold its annual meeting and 40th anniversary kickoff celebration at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Presentation and music to follow at The Strand. RSVP by Jan. 23: info@haywoodarts.org or 452.0593.

• Clutter Bugs, a program to eliminate clutter in your home and life, is offered from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Jackson County Extension Center in Sylva. Register: 586.4009.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • Abstract art will be exhibited from Jan. 12-Feb. 25 at the Haywood County Arts Council Gallery & Gifts at 86 N. Main Street in Waynesville. Featuring local artists.

452.0593, info@haywoodarts.org or HaywoodArts.org.

• A three-month ceramics exhibit at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum is currently in Cullowhee. Fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or 227.3591.

January 11-17, 2017

• The exhibit “Emissaries of Peace: 1762 Cherokee & British Delegations” features Cherokee clothing, feather capes, beads, and other artifacts. It is currently on display at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and is also available for travel. www.cherokeemuseum.org or bduncan@cherokeemuseum.org.

• Artist Melba Cooper will be exhibiting her stunning series of paintings, “POLLINATION,” at Cullowhee Mountain Arts’ (CMA) Studio in downtown Sylva. www.cullowheemountainarts.org/up-in-the-studioevents or 342.6913.

• The “Women Painters of the Southeast” exhibition will run through May 5 in the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. A reception will be held at the museum from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 19. www.wcu.edu.

• A showcase on the life and times of Horace Kephart will be on display through March 31 in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University. The Mountain Heritage Center’s Kephart Collection is composed of 127 objects, including Kephart’s tent, sleeping bag, backpack and the writing desk. The exhibit will display many of these objects in a campsite setting. 227.7129.

Smoky Mountain News

• An exhibition entitled “This is a Photograph: Exploring Contemporary Applications of Photographic Chemistry” is on display at Penland School of Crafts near Spruce Pine. 765.6211 or penland.org/gallery.

• New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• As part of the Arts Council’s Integrated Arts initiative, a sampling of works by renowned Macon County sculptor Nelson Nichols (www.nicholssculpture.com) will be displayed at this event. Executed in stone, bronze, and wood, Nichols’ sculptural body of work reflects his unique style, Spiritual Expressionism, encompassing anatomical/figurative pieces in classical realism, a series of abstract interpretations, a series illustrating universal/spiritual concepts, and an environmentally inspired series including sculptures of endangered/threatened species.

Admission is by donation; $7 is suggested. arts4all@dnet.net or 524.ARTS (2787).

Outdoors • A live video chat with a NASA engineer is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• A fly-tying workshop will be offered from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center in Cullowhee. Led by fly-fishing authority Matt Canter of Brookings Anglers in Cashiers. 227.7129.

• The Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council meets at 10 a.m. every second Tuesday at Rathskeller Coffee Haus in Franklin.

• Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute will host a program on “Is The Sky Falling” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, in Rosman. Reservations required by 3 p.m. on the day of the program. $20 for adults; $15 for seniors/military. Children 10 and under admitted free. www.pari.edu or 862.5554. Info: schappell@pari.edu.

• A program on building and starting minimum impact campfires will be offered from 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. Register by Jan. 13. $5.

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• A fly-tying beginner workshop for women will be offered from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, by the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians in the Project Healing Waters conference room of the museum at 210 Main Street in Bryson City. trout101@hotmail.com or 770.500.7420.

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 17 at Haywood Community College’s auditorium in Clyde on proposed changes to 39 agency regulations related to wildlife management, fisheries and game lands for the 2017-18 seasons.

Comments accepted through Feb. 1 at regulations@ncwildlife.org.

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is offering a “Leader Building” workshop for fly fishing anglers of all skill levels on Jan. 20 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Sign up: www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/EducationCenters/Pisgah/ EventRegistration.aspx. Info: 877.4423.

• Registration is underway for a fly rod building class that will be taught by Tommy Thomas, former president of the National Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Classes are from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting Feb. 7 at Haywood Community College. Cost: $350 – all materials included. 565.4240 or clschulte@haywood.edu.

• The Tuckaseigee River Chapter No. 373 of Trout Unlimited meets at 6:30 p.m. on first Tuesday of each month from September through May at United Community Bank in Sylva. Dinner is $5.

• The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians has moved to Bryson City and is open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Monday through Saturday.

FlyFishingMuseum.org.

7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Rd, Open to the public. 369.3916.

• A community tailgate market for local growers is open from 3-7 p.m. every Wednesday at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers. 734.3434, info@villagegreencashiersnc.com or www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Registration is underway for the Assault on Black Rock, a seven-mile trail race scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, in Jackson County. $25 pre-registration; $30 on race day. www.raceentry.com ($2.49 fee for registering online). Info: 506.2802 or barwatt@hotmail.com.

HIKING CLUBS • Hike of the Week is at 10 a.m. every Friday at varying locations along the parkway. Led by National Park Service rangers. www.nps.gov/blri or 298.5330, ext. 304.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have a 5.5-mile hike with an 800-foot ascent on Sunday, Jan. 15, at Shut-in and Hardtimes Road. Info and reservations: 296.7537 or lgblue@bellsouth.net.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take an easy, 1.4mile hike, with an elevation change of 150 feet, on Sunday, Jan. 15, on Lakeside Drive Trail. Info and reservations: 369.6820. Visitors welcome.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate, five-mile hike with an elevation change of 700 feet on Saturday, Jan. 21, from Rock Gap to Glassmine Gap on the Appalachian Trail. Info and reservations: 772.263.3478. Visitors welcome.

FARM AND GARDEN • Tuscola Garden Club will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska. Kaleb Rathbone of the Haywood County Extension Service will present a program entitled: “The Haywood County Extension Service Research Farm – Past and Present.” 246.0437.

• The N.C. Cooperative Extension in Macon County is accepting applications for participation in its 2017 Master Gardener program. Tentative start date is Feb. 17. Application or info: 349.2046 or macon.ces.ncsu.edu.

• The Jackson County Farmers Market will be held 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays at the Community Table building on Central Street in Sylva until outdoor hours resume at Bridge Park in March. Due to snow and cold temperatures last weekend, the Jackson County Farmers Market will have its first market of the year as well as its group seed order on Saturday, Jan. 14. The market will be held first weekend each in January and February. Info: 393.5236. jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.

• The Macon County Poultry Club of Franklin meets at

OUTDOOR CLUBS • The Jackson County Poultry Club will hold its regular meeting on the third Thursday of each month at the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office. The club is for adults and children and includes a monthly meeting with a program and a support network for those raising birds. For info, call 586.4009 or write heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

• The North Carolina Catch program, a three-phase conservation education effort focusing on aquatic environments, will be offered through May 15. The program is offered by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Free for members; daily admission for nonmembers. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Cold Mountain Photographic Society is a camera/photography club for amateurs and professionals who want to learn about and share their knowledge of photography with others. Must be 18 or older to join.

Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the second Monday of each month in the conference room of MedWest Health and Fitness Center, 262 Leroy George Drive in Clyde. More information at www.cmpsnc.org or info@cmpsnc.org.

Puzzles can be found on page 46.

These are only the answers.

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

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 45

www.smokymountainnews.com

January 11-17, 2017

WNC MarketPlace

Super

46

CROSSWORD

centers of this puzzle’s eight longest answers 71 Tabloid “monster” ACROSS 1 Separates by a bound- 75 Kilmer or Guest of film 76 Descartes of rationalary ism 9 Rues 16 “Mamma Mia!” group 77 Homeboys’ howdies 79 Moral lapses 20 Perennial Italian 80 Marked with a very encore 21 Place to spend drams cold iron, as cattle 86 Picnics, e.g.

22 James Brown’s style 23 Arriving where there’s 88 In an unstrict way 89 Elongated fish no outlet 90 — Sea (Asian body) 25 Kind of wrestling 92 Problematic plant 26 Weak in the — swelling 27 One more than bi93 Old Giants great Mel 28 Tight spot 94 Vase variety 29 Baggins of “The 95 Shout just before flyHobbit” ing 30 “Calm down!”

97 Small monastery 36 Ga. hours 100 During each 39 Any of les Antilles 102 Bullfight yell 40 Works in a gallery 103 Decade divs.

41 Stem (from) 104 Celebrity advocate 42 One the Blessed for UNESCO Virgin’s titles 47 “Gangnam Style” rap- 110 Torn apart 111 DiFranco of folk rock per 112 Play scenery 48 Sit-ups work them 113 Semicolon’s cousin 50 River vessel 117 Out of port 51 Unrefined metals 118 Hiragana or 52 Like sports cars, katakana, in a sense briefly 123 Injury, in law 54 Common lot sizes 124 Dessert style 56 Assertions 125 Ticketmaster specifi58 Instruction in force cation indefinitely 126 Payment to play 61 Web programming cards language 127 Sorcerers 62 “— really help if ...”

128 Exits 64 Day to “beware” 65 Suffix with Benedict DOWN 66 Ford bombs 1 Taunt 68 They’re hidden in the CENTRAL ZOO

2 “I love him like —” 3 “The Eternal City” 4 — light (filming lamp) 5 Touch, e.g.

6 Texter’s “Wow!” 7 Hissy 8 Boots, e.g.

9 Bike spokes, say 10 Before, in poetry 11 Key with one sharp 12 Stinging insect 13 Military foe 14 Baking pan 15 Unhappy 16 Home of St. Francis 17 Broad street 18 Stinging insect 19 Chilly 24 Airport landing: Abbr.

29 “It’s chilly!”

31 Avila aunt 32 Just about 33 “N’est ce —?”

34 Ingests too much of, informally 35 180-degree turn, informally 36 Break out of 37 Fended (off) 38 Voices below altos 43 Not at all advanced 44 Grazing spot 45 Hi- — screen 46 Suffix with 40- or 50Across 47 Oh-so-prim 49 Latvia was one: Abbr.

52 All that — bag of chips 53 Biographer Leon 54 Top-rate 55 Toyota of the 1980s 57 Cotton thread type 59 Pointed a firearm

60 Knife in old infomercials 63 “Noah” director Aronofsky 67 Sluggish 69 “Hud” co-star Patricia 70 Rural hotels 72 Wiry 73 Film director Bergman 74 Elia pieces 78 “Fa-a-ancy!”

80 Mel’s brassy waitress 81 Rodent’s last meal, maybe 82 Gregarious sort 83 Gem mineral 84 “The Raven” poet’s initials 85 — Hill (R&B quartet) 87 Bill’s film bud 91 Faith forsaker 94 Geller of mentalism 95 City area, for short 96 Rorem of art songs 98 Form a thought 99 BYOB part 100 Neighbor of Colombia 101 Key with one sharp 104 Persona non — 105 Bolivian city 106 Horse relatives 107 Witness 108 Earthy hue, to a Brit 109 Pothole sites 114 Suits’ degs.

115 Portion (out) 116 Comic actor Roscoe 118 Maxilla locale 119 Former boxing king 120 Reds great Roush 121 Sawmill item 122 Big name in water filters

answers on page 42

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Answers on Page 42

Nothing like old-time boardinghouses Editor’s note: This column first appeared in The Smoky Mountain News in January 2011.

A

George Ellison

were served each day. Serving times for each meal were posted and the proprietor expected boarders to be on time. Most guests honored this system as a matter of courtesy.

They also realized that those arriving late had less — or sometimes very little — to eat.

Some of the rooms had bath facilities.

These cost more. Most guests shared a bath, which always seemed to be located “Just down there at the end of the hall.” A guest taking too much time or using up all of the hot water would hear about it from his fellow guests. If the habit persisted, the proprietor would weigh in.

There was always a common sitting, reading, and TV room used primarily during the winter or just before meals were served. When the weather was fine, there was also a front porch with rocking chairs.

In my experience, the last true boarding-

chased and renovated the establishment, opening in 1997 as the Historic Calhoun Country Inn. Family style meals are still served, but the current operation is not a true boardinghouse in most regards.

Although many of the guests return from season to season, none are of the long-term or permanent variety. Most are vacationers.

“Until 1966, the business was known as the Calhoun Hotel,” said Hyde. “It was operated by Granville Calhoun and his family. My mother, Alice Hyde, worked at the Calhoun Hotel for 30 years. That’s why I converted to the old name.

“As far as I know the Swain Hotel as operated by the Copes was the last true boardinghouse west of Morganton. I stayed in a lot of places when I was looking for a suitable location of my own, and it was the only one I encountered.

“I remember when mother was working at the Calhoun Hotel that the Simonds family would come and stay for the summer. He operated a real estate business and had a sign right there in the front yard. She operated a clothing store.”

I stayed in the Swain Hotel on two occasions in the early 1970s shortly before deciding to move to Bryson City. For some reason, memories of those visits — once by myself and once with my wife and three

children — remain vivid.

Mrs. Cope, who orchestrated the meals, had jet-black hair, powder-white skin, and was something of a character. Her specialties were fried eggs and biscuits and gravy for breakfast; sliced cured ham, mashed potatoes, and apple sauce for dinner; and pork tenderloin or chops, baked sweet potatoes, and blackberry pie for supper. Fried chicken was reserved for Sunday dinners.

Mr. Cope was one-armed but could perform any maintenance task with great dexterity.

All of our fellow guests were exceedingly cordial but not intrusive. Most were working-class and dressed accordingly for meals.

One elderly couple dressed up for meals.

They were permanent residents. He was the only man in the dining room with a coat and tie. Everyone got along. Everyone was exceedingly courteous about passing food and not taking too much. Personal matters, politics, and religion were not discussed.

Weather was the primary topic at each meal, but hunting and fishing were well within bounds. Children were made over.

The black-and-white TV in the sitting room was always turned off right after the evening news. All in all, the boardinghouse provided the context for a functional and agreeable lifestyle.

(George Ellison is a naturalist and writer.

He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

January 11-17, 2017

The Calhoun Hotel in Bryson City.

house in this region was the Swain Hotel located on Everett Street in Bryson City.

From 1967 until 1996, it was owned and operated by Mildred and V.L. Cope. Swain County native Luke Hyde, an attorney, pur-

Smoky Mountain News

re there boardinghouses still operating here in the Smokies region?

There are, of course, hotels, inns, bed-and-breakfasts, and motels galore. But I’m wondering about the true, old-fashioned boardinghouse, which flourished throughout the region until the middle of the 20th century.

Unlike any of the establishments mentioned above, a real boardinghouse had several distinctive features. It would often come into exisColumnist tence as an expansion of the proprietor’s original home site; or, it was sometimes established in a renovated commercial structure of some sort.

Rooms would sometimes be let out for overnight guests. For the most part, however, a boardinghouse catered to those staying for at least a week. And it wasn’t unusual for them to stay either for an entire season or even on a permanent basis.

Workingclass guests were as common as vacationers.

Long-term boarders were often adopted into the proprietor’s extended family. Concern for his or her general welfare became a part of the socio-economic relationship.

Family style meals were the mainstay of a boardinghouse. Sometimes all three meals

BACK THEN

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P5880

2015 Dodge Journey SXT SUV

*Preowned $500 credit for trade in and financing with approved credit. Money down on leases.