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February 1-7, 2017 Vol. 18 Iss. 36

Lake Junaluska forgoes merger with Waynesville Page 4 Federal hiring freeze will have local impacts Page 8

CONTENTS On the Cover: Now that the wildfires that ravaged Western North Carolina a couple of months ago are no longer active, U.S. Forest Service officials are beginning to assess the aftermath damages and create a plan of action for the spring.

(Page 26) Holly Kays photo

News Lake Junaluska forgoes merger with Waynesville .................................................... 4 Lake Junaluska fire district in the works ...................................................................... 6 Haywood room tax increase isn’t a slam dunk .......................................................... 7 Federal hiring freeze will have local impacts .............................................................. 8 Huge expansion planned for Hazlewood Ingles ........................................................ 9 Tribal council gets results of chief investigation ...................................................... 10 Restoration House to serve Swain residents .......................................................... 12 WNC progressive group gaining momentum ..........................................................13

Opinion Newspapers with real reporters and editors matter .............................................. 14

A&E WNC welcomes songwriter Hayes Carll ..................................................................18

Books Hillbilly Elegy author can’t shake the label ................................................................ 25

The Naturalist’s Corner

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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).

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news

Lake Junaluska forges go-it-alone path after abandoning merger with Waynesville

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER fter five years of trying to merge with the town of Waynesville, the Lake Junaluska community has given up and charted a new course for its future.

The residential community of 765 homes ringing Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center had pinned its future on a merger with Waynesville, but that’s now water under the dam.

“A decision was made that we have put enough energy into this and we have not been successful,” said Jack Jack Ewing Ewing, executive director of Lake Junaluska Assembly. “We realized our pursuit of annexation with the town of Waynesville wasn’t going to happen and have made a conscious decision to pursue a model of sustainability in the absence of annexation.”

Lake Junaluska leaders spent five years trying to pull off a merger with Waynesville. They carried out methodical and costly studies.

They went through exhaustive public input.

They conducted surveys and petitions. And they lobbied their case before state lawmakers.

It was all in vain, however.

Lake Junaluska’s merger with the town of Waynesville hinged on approval by the N.C. General Assembly. Three bills were introduced over the years — in 2013, 2014 and 2015 — and they were all blocked, largely due to opposition from N.C. Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville.

Lake residents who spent years tirelessly advocating for the merger aren’t harboring resentment toward those who fought against it, however, Ewing said.

February 1-7, 2017

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“They have not in any way attempted to show anger or animosity about it. We did our best. We gave it a shot. It didn’t work. It’s OK. Let’s move on,” Ewing said. “I think it is one of the greatest things about Lake Junaluska today.”

Ewing said there’s been no “I told you so” on either side. Those who were against the merger haven’t gloated over the community apparently being able to make it on its own.

And those who were for a merger aren’t sitting on their hands and letting the community fail in order to prove a point.

“Here’s the reality at the moment, let’s make the best of it,” Ewing said of the resounding philosophy.

The large majority of residents supported a merger, according to surveys and petitions.

Nonetheless, the minority who opposed it mounted a prolonged opposition campaign to block it at the Republican-controlled state legislature.

Those who supported the merger aren’t angry with those who engaged in an end-run of the process, said Jimmy Pennell, chair of the Junaluska Community Council.

“You can’t play the blame game,” Pennell said. “We are trying to bring the community together. We don’t like division.”

To that end, the rest of the nation could take a cue from Junaluska on how to engage in weighty philosophical debates without devolving into hostility — a culture that’s due in part to the lake’s historical roots as a Methodist community..

“We have a lot of retired pastors who live here and they have a lifetime of experience in negotiating and resolving disagreements peacefully,” said Alan Jackson, an elected member of the Junaluska Community Council.

While Jackson was for merging with

Waynesville, he’s come to terms with the position to throw in the towel.

“They essentially made the decision it was a dead issue. And they’re right about that,” Jackson said.

Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown had an uncanny knack for coming up with wedding analogies at each juncture of the merger plan.

When the idea was first postured, Waynesville and Lake Junaluska were merely courting. They eventually became engaged.

We did our best. We gave it a shot. It didn’t work. It’s OK. Let’s move on. I think it is one of the greatest things about Lake Junaluska today.”

— Jack Ewing, Lake Junaluska Assembly executive director

Brown equated the dual engineer studies to a prenuptial agreement. And the financial analysis — sizing up how much Waynesville would spend providing services to the community versus the property tax revenue it would get in return — was compared to a dowry.

But it fell apart at the final step, which Brown called the parental blessing from state lawmakers.

“To continue my marriage analogy, somebody stood up at the wedding and said ‘I object’ and the preacher wasn’t allowed to go forward,” Brown said last week. “We were standing at the altar, but I guess the bride’s mother didn’t like us.”

Brown said the town of Waynesville stood

Smoky Mountain News

A fix-it list for the record books

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BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER Think your honey-do list is long? Wait until you meet Jack Carlisle.

It will take two decades and upwards of $10 million to systematically fix the maze of crumbling, century-old water-and-sewer pipes running below Lake Junaluska’s neighborhoods. It’s not exactly the job he signed on for.

“I thought my tenure here would be short lived,” said Carlisle, the public works director for Lake Junaluska Assembly.

Lake Junaluska, a community of 765

at ready to pursue annexation if Presnell was removed from the picture in November’s election.

“We thought an election might cure that,” Brown said.

While there had been little talk of the merger over the past year, most assumed it was just in a holding pattern, pending Presnell’s defeat or victory in November.

But it turns out Lake Junaluska had grown tired of waiting and in late 2015 had already resigned itself to chart a new path alone.

Even under the most ambitious and optimistic timeline, a merger wouldn’t have possible until summer 2018. A bill would have to get introduced and approved in 2017, a referendum of town residents and lake residents would have to be held to assert support, and the logistics of the merger executed.

Ewing said the community couldn’t remain in a holding pattern for that long and had already decided to move on.

Rekindling the engagement wouldn’t be a simple matter at this point.

“If we start over again, we would be starting over again,” Brown said.

The studies would be too dated, the public input would need to be repeated, and the analysis revisited. To say it’s off the table forever, however, would also be premature.

“Sure it could come back at some time in the future, but what we do know is this executive director, this community council and its public works director are not spending any time thinking about annexation,” Ewing said.

Brown said the town is fine with that decision, although he still believes the merger was a good idea.

“It was a win-win situation,” Brown said.

“But there are any number of good ideas that have never been implemented.”

Brown said Waynesville and Lake Junaluska are still inextricably linked in spirit. Their symbiotic relationship and willingness to work hand-in-hand for the greater good of both communities will continue.

“We did that before and will do this afterwards,” Brown said.

homes anchored by a sprawling retreat center, was poised to merge with the town of Waynesville when Carlisle came on board in fall of 2014.

“I thought I would be walking the community through the process of turning the reins over,” Carlisle said.

The merger was but a mirage, however, and is now off the table. Carlisle became the owner of an 800-pound gorilla — namely the enormous list of infrastructure repairs — but is taking it in stride.

“Operationally and strategically, we made a sharp right turn and got on with business,” Carlisle said. “We dropped the hammer and started going through the list.”

At a pace of $500,000 a year, Lake Junaluska is repaving streets, replacing hydrants and fixing leaky, corroded water-and-sewer lines.

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Left: Jack Carlisle, public works director for Lake Junaluska Assembly, holds a corroded pipe showing signs of two previous patching jobs that was finally replaced for good as part of a long-range infrastructure repair strategy. Becky Johnson photo

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Is Sugar Addictive?

Is sugar “as addictive as cocaine?” These are both things you may have seen floating around the internet.

Claim: Sugar is addictive because it lights up the pleasure centers of our brain like a drug.

Taking it apart: Stimulation of the pleasure center of the brain can be caused by “drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex and foods” (not only sugar). I have even read that seeing cute pictures of babies, puppies and kittens will stimulate the pleasure center of our brain.

When the pleasure center of the brain is activated, the neurotransmitter dopamine is released. Dopamine has many roles in the body including helping regulate movement, sleep, and learning, but it has also been implicated in those with issues with addiction. The studies that made headlines specifically linking sugar to addiction-like behavior however, were done in rats and therefore translating that to human behavior is not necessarily accurate.

February 1-7, 2017

What’s the bottom-line? Reducing our consumption of sugar sweetened foods and beverages may be helpful in improving health and reducing the risk of certain diseases (if you instead make more nutritious choices) and helping with weight loss. But remember, the grams of sugar on the Nutrition Facts panel doesn’t just mean white cane sugar but also molasses, honey, sorghum syrup, dehydrated cane juice, agave syrup and many more.

Are there individuals who rely on sugar-sweetened beverages and foods to help enhance their mood or those that lack control when presented with sweet treats? Certainly! As far as sugar being as addictive as cocaine…the chances that you would hold up a bank to buy a bag of candy or have severe withdrawal symptoms as you would if you were addicted to a drug are slim to none, but it sure does grab headlines and your attention!

See the complete post at www.inglesinfoaisle.com Source: www.psychiatry.cam.ac.uk/blog/2016/07/21/ sugar-addictive-probably-not-say-cambridge-neuroscientists/

Smoky Mountain News

“We have embraced a model of sustain“And by fix, I mean replace and refurbish ability in the absence of annexation,” said — not Bandaid,” Carlisle said.

Ewing.

It’s an important distinction. For Thanks to the increased fees, Carlisle is decades, Lake Junaluska ignored its waternow tackling $500,000 a year in infrastrucand-sewer lines, tackling only the worst of ture repairs. leaks with a patch-it-up approach.

“We are a pay as you go system,” Ewing Compounding the problem, water-andsaid. “We’ll just keep chipping away at it as sewer rates were artificially low, with noththe funds are available.” ing being set aside to tackle the inevitable With such a long list, deciding what to backlog of repairs that would result down tackle was daunting. An engineering assessthe road. ment of Lake Junaluska’s infrastructure conWhen it finally came time to the pay ducted as part of merger planning has the piper, the scope of critical infrastrucserved as a template to guide the work, ture repairs seemed so enormous —$10 backed up by public works staff. million, according to two independent “I verified with our operational folks to engineer analyses — that merging with the say ‘If you had the check book in your hand town of Waynesville seemed like an attractoday, which would you do?’” Carlisle said. tive solution.

“They know what’s under the ground.”

But after four years of trying for a mergRepairs have been working. Leaky pipes er, Lake Junaluska couldn’t keep waiting for were resulting in huge water losses. Lake a savior. It had to fix its own infrastructure, Junaluska buys water wholesale from the and that meant paying up to get it done. town of Waynesville and resells it to its own Water-and-sewer fees doubled, and residents, but 35 percent of the water it was homeowner fees went up by 30 percent.

Despite the initial sticker shock, the commu“As residents, we were hopeful our nity gets it, said Jack Ewing, the executive direcrate increases would provide tor of Lake Junaluska. It’s a adequate capital for them to dig in message he’s tried to convey since he came on and make repairs. It is certainly doing board seven years ago. the job.”

“One of the things I said was ‘We can’t operate — Tim Phelan, Junaluska Community on a shoe string anyCouncil representative more,’” Ewing said.

A couple members of buying was lost on the front end due to the Junaluska Community Council have leaks and not being recouped through cusraised issues lately over what the conference tomer billing. center should absorb versus what residents “Those are dollars flowing down the should foot the bill for, and have taken creek,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle to task to justify and account for Water loss is now less than 25 percent. capital improvement expenditures, accordLake Junaluska homeowners on average ing to community council minutes.

But the conference and retreat center has are paying more and getting fewer services than they would as part of Waynesville. been saddled with the same fee increases Lake residents not only pay higher waterthat residents have, even charging itself the property owner’s fee based on the property’s and-sewer rates, they pay for their own street and gutter maintenance, security force and dollar value. trash pick-up. They also pay separately for “One of the things we believe is people fire department protection. That would all who benefit from the services they receive be included in their property taxes if they should contribute their fair share,” Ewing were had merged into Waynesville’s town said. “Even though the costs have gone up limits, and they would see lower water and significantly we continued to thrive.” sewer rates as well.

Ewing has earned a reputation as a turnWaynesville offers economy of scale, around man since he came on board seven compared to the higher per capita overhead years ago. of a small community going it alone.

Historically, Lake Junaluska was But Tim Phelan, an elected representapropped up by a $1 million annual subsidy tive on the Junaluska Community Council from the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the who was against the merger, said the current United Methodist Church. Nonetheless, strategy is working and proves a merger wasthe conference center was still losing n’t necessary. money, losing guests and suffering from “As residents, we were hopeful our rate shabby, tired facilities when Ewing came increases would provide adequate capital for on board. them to dig in and make repairs. It is cerBut for the past five years, the confertainly doing the job,” Phelan said. ence center has not only launched a major While Community Council Chair Jimmy campus improvement master plan — from Pennell had supported the merger, he agrees Terrace Hotel renovations to dining hall the new path is working. and auditorium remodeling — but has still “Who’s to say that one would have been ended every year in the black, and done so better than the other,” Pennell said. “We without the subsidy. To boot, the confersaid ‘Let’s go back to the drawing board.’ We ence center has given out $450,000 to aren’t going to sit here and do nothing. employees through profit sharing over the We are just taking a bite at a time.” past five years.

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news

Lake Junaluska fire district in the works

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER he recent addition of eight full-time firefighters to the town of Waynesville — at a cost of $530,000 per year — required a 4.75 cents per $100 property valuation tax increase last June.

As Waynesville officials searched for ways to make those hires more financially sustainable, they were again reminded of the widespread inequality in what residents pay for fire protection, something they now seek to address.

About 10 cents per $100 property valuation is added to property tax bills in Waynesville for fire protection; property owners outside the town are assigned to fire districts, where they pay from 6 cents to 11 cents for every $100 in assessed property value.

Residents of the Lake Junaluska Assembly, however, have probably the best deal, aside from a few homeowners outside town limits who paid nothing at all, due to clerical errors or omissions.

For years, residents at Lake Junaluska paid a flat fee of just $4 a month per water connection for fire protection from the town.

“It was kind of an unfair playing ground,” said Waynesville Fire Department Chief Joey Webb. “You’ve got some people who were paying $4 per month on their water bill — it doesn’t matter if you’ve got a $100,000 house, or a $500,000 house — you were paying $48 per year. What we’re trying to do is make it fair for everybody.”

Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown said that $48 per year amounted to “about $50,000 a year over the last, say, seven or eight or nine or 10 years.”

At a June 7, 2016, board of aldermen meeting — right around the time the budget impact of the new firefighters was being

February 1-7, 2017

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Waynesville Fire Department Chief Joey Webb calls the proposed district the ‘right thing’ to do.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

debated — Brown and the board doubled that fee to $8 per month, resulting in approximately $51,000 in additional revenue — still a deal, considering the relatively high assessed values of many properties at the assembly.

A resident of Lake Junaluska paying a flat $8 per month is equivalent to what a Waynesville property owner pays on a property assessed at $96,000.

“That is not a proportionately fair amount for those residents to be paying,” Brown said. “I’m not asking them to repay us, I’m just simply saying going forward they should pay more.”

Brown made good on his pledge to introduce some equity into the equation Jan. 10 when the board unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Haywood County Board of Commissioners to create a fire service district encompassing the assembly as well as the Reinhart, Knollwood and Shingle Cove subdivisions.

Only county commissioners have the

power to create such a district.

Chief among the aims of the resolution is that moving forward, that $8 fee will become instead a fee based on a percentage of assessed value of the property, similar to other districts.

“It’s still not necessarily proportionately the same as somebody in Waynesville would pay, or the south Waynesville fire district, but it’s much more equitable than it’s been in the past,” Brown said.

The town estimates that a 6 cents per $100 property valuation in the proposed Lake Junaluska fire district, would gross an additional $100,000 per year, bringing the total contribution from Junaluska residents from around $50,000 per year in early 2016 to around $200,000 per year beginning July 1, 2017.

Brown admits it’s hard to envision opposition to the measure.

“I don’t see any argument against it whatsoever, other than some backhanded statement that, ‘Oh this is Waynesville trying to

Transitional district taking shape along Howell Mill Road Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER he Jan. 24 rezoning of three tracts along Howell Mill Road signals a continued effort by the town of Waynesville to appease homeowners and businesses, maintain the residential character of the area and create a buffer from Russ Avenue’s heavy commercial traffic.

Parcels on Abel Lane and Misty Lane join those just across the street on Calhoun Road, Howell Mill Road and Palmer Hill Road in the Howell Mill Urban Residential district.

Formerly part of the Howell Mill Medium Density Residential district, these parcels can now hold 16 units per acre, or 24 with a special use permit. Formerly, the limit 6 was eight units per acre.

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Existing pedestrian amenities and proximity to Russ Avenue retail establishments — not to mention the Waynesville Recreation Center — make the area attractive for residential development, but another aspect of the district appealing to many is that it also allows low-impact professional services like insurance agencies or hair stylists to set up shop.

Such up zoning could make mixed-use and multi-family developments more attractive to developers. A study released by the Haywood County Affordable Housing Task Force late last year indicated that local salaries aren’t keeping pace with housing prices and minimum wage workers have to clock 86 hours a week just to afford average area rents.

Market economics suggests that those rents could be driven down by allowing developers to build in greater densities.

Subdividing the fixed overhead costs involved with permitting and grading could result in lower rent for tenants.

“Working with developers over the years, it’s all about the numbers,” said Patsy Davis, task force co-chair and executive director of social service agency Mountain Projects. It’s very difficult to do that with smaller numbers of units.”

Including the parcels already rezoned to Howell Mill Urban Residential from the DC Plus Packaging facility east to Vance Street, there are 17 parcels with frontage on Howell Mill Road — 10 on the north side, and seven on the south side.

sneak through the back door what they couldn’t do through the front door, i.e. annexation [of Lake Junaluska],” he said.

“And of course that in and of itself is just simply not on the table anymore (see story, p. 4).

The assembly had made their announcement publicly, back in October, that they’re going forward on their own, and we are not going to actively seek any annexation. It was always them asking us. So it is not an effort to do that whatsoever.”

There is one sticking point, however, that may need to be hammered out.

Property taxes are collected on both improved and unimproved properties. Right now, Waynesville only receives revenue from Junaluska residents with a water meter. Once the district is created and begins billing as a percent of assessed value on property tax bills, owners of vacant lots would be paying for protection they probably don’t need.

Chief Webb, who was recently named “Career Chief of the Year” by the Western North Carolina State Firefighters’ Association, stressed that how ever it ends up shaking out, it’s not a quality (or quantity) of service issue for the department, which protects $1.9 billion in property — it’s an equality issue.

“This doesn’t change anybody’s fire protection. We just want to make it fair and equitable for everybody,” he said. “It’s not fair for some people to pay 6 cents per hundred if they have a $500,000 house, and another person with a $500,000 house paying $96 per year. It’s just a matter of doing the right thing.”

Based on that, Brown thinks commissioners will be receptive to Waynesville’s request to create the new district as municipal budget season begins.

“I think if you look at it from just rational discussion, I would think that they would favorably approve it. In light of the fact that almost every other area in the county is either in a fire district or in a municipality, it seems somewhat ironic that Lake Junaluska is not,” he said. “And it’s only because we’ve been providing them the protection for a lot less. Should we have done that years ago? Maybe. Is this an opportune time to do it? Hopefully.”

If they were all rezoned from medium density to urban residential, they’d contain just over 23 acres that could support 368 units at 16 units per acre, or 554 units at 24 units per acre.

Last August, Davis estimated that North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District needs about 11,000 such units to satisfy demand.

Regardless of the number of residential units that actually end up being built on Howell Mill Road, Davis says she’s “thrilled” with the prospect and that it could make a sizeable dent in Haywood County’s affordable housing deficit.

Prior to the rezoning, the Waynesville Board of Aldermen found the request in accord with the town’s comprehensive land use plan, which issues guidelines for the area through 2020. Work on a new plan is expected to begin within the next few years.

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority board approved another proposal for increasing the county’s room tax from 4 percent to 6 percent.

File photo

2016 room occupancy tax rates Western North Carolina • • • • •

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How the tax works

U

nderstanding how the room occupancy tax is collected and spent is a fairly simple process, but as always, the devil is in the details.

The North Carolina General Assembly enabled both counties and municipalities to collect room occupancy taxes in 1983; since then, guests renting non-exempt cabins, condos, homes, hotel rooms and B&Bs have paid a small percentage of their rental rate to the owner, who collects and remits the money to the county and municipality each month.

More than 80 of the state’s 100 counties and more than 90

• •

Around the state • • • • •

Cabarrus County......................6 percent Cumberland County.................6 percent Durham County........................6 percent Forsyth County......................... 6 percent Guilford County........................3 percent (plus 3 percent in Greensboro and High Point) • Mecklenburg County................ 6 percent (plus 2 percent for NASCAR museum) • Wake County............................ 6 percent

(Source: April 2016 Magellan Strategy Group report) opponents support the current version.

Maggie Valley Alderman Mike Eveland — a member of the TDA board and manager of Maggie Valley Inn — voted in favor of the TDA resolution, which was presented to the TDA board by Maggie Valley Alderman Phillip Wight.

Wight is the only remaining elected official who voted no on the previous proposal to increase the occupancy tax. Since that time, the TDA has left approximately $1.2 million on the table.

Once presented, the resolution wasn’t

of the state’s 533 municipalities have such a tax.

In most — including Haywood County, which charges 4 percent — revenue is administered by a Tourism Development Authority.

That 4 percent is divided into two accounts. Into one goes 75 percent of revenue; from that account, two-thirds of the revenue must be used for promotion of the county itself, and the remaining one-third must be used for tourism-related expenses.

Into the other account goes the remaining 25 percent of revenue; that account in turn is further divided into one separate account each for Canton, Clyde, Lake Junaluska, Maggie Valley and Waynesville, based on zip codes.

Shah refused to cite specifics or whether he thought the TDA wasn’t putting heads in beds, but his spending concerns were indicative of the opposition the previous plan saw.

He eventually voted yes on the resolution after TDA board members allayed his concerns, stressing the greater role each zip code would have in allocating revenue under the new plan.

TDA Chairman Lyndon Lowe explained how that new plan compares to the old.

“It’s very similar, except that everything came back [to the TDA] as a lump sum [under the old plan],” he said. “But the new proposal has half of that coming back to the zip codes, so they feel better about it.”

With competing local ideologies aligned — both on the income and the expenditure side of the equation — and the clock continuing to tick toward the March 29 deadline for the filing of local bills, will local leaders be able to convince Presnell to play ball?

“I don’t know,” said Lowe. “Since Phil Wight feels more confident in it, I feel pretty good about it. But I just don’t know.”

Smoky Mountain News

ported the measure as long as his constituency wanted it — was defeated in 2016 by Bryson City Republican Mike Clampitt.

Clampitt told The Smoky Mountain News in November he wanted to hear from the TDA, the chambers of commerce and the county commissioners before making any decisions on a then-rumored renewed effort.

The only undisputable argument put forth against raising the room occupancy tax is just that — it’s a tax. Given the anti-tax statements Clampitt made during his campaign, his support is far from assured.

While running for reelection, Davis said he’d leave it up to voters to decide through a referendum on the ballot, meaning he’s neutral on the matter, at best.

Also in November, Presnell said “I do not vote for any occupancy tax — not just in my district. It’s just an additional tax. It’s not a tax on the people that live there, but it is on the people that visit there.”

Presnell did, however, indicate her willingness to listen to her constituents on the matter.

When she does, she’ll again find near-unanimous support for the hike on a local level.

Every Haywood County commissioner supported the idea during the election.

Executive Director of the Haywood Economic Development Council Mark Clasby said in November that the EDC still supports it, and spoke in favor of it before the TDA in January.

Local officials from Waynesville to Clyde to Canton support it.

Even some of the previous measure’s

Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, blocked the most recent shot at the increase in 2013. Since that time, the TDA has left approximately $1.2 million on the table.

February 1-7, 2017

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER very few years, elected officials at the local and county levels of government dribble the ball down the court, passing it back and forth while advancing toward the hoop with the kind of unselfish teamwork that usually results in an easy layup.

But Haywood County’s hotel room occupancy tax increase hasn’t yet gone through the hoop. Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, blocked the most recent shot at the increase in 2013.

Now, local officials again have the ball in their court, hoping to convert their rebound into two points.

And the clock is ticking; on Jan. 25, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority unanimously passed a resolution calling for an increase in the county’s tax on overnight stays in hotel rooms from 4 percent to 6 percent.

The game plan is similar to the 2013 effort — agree on some guidelines, determine where the money goes, ask for supportive resolutions from municipalities and put two points on the board before the buzzer sounds.

To do so, however, they’ll again have to get past Presnell, who played tenacious defense last time. In 2013, Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, took the ball from local officials but were stymied in their attempt to pass the bill.

Further, Presnell may have more defensive help this time around. Queen — who sup-

• • •

Buncombe County....................6 percent Cherokee County...................... 4 percent Clay County..............................3 percent Graham County........................3 percent (plus 3 percent in Fontana Dam, Lake Santeelah, and Robbinsville) Henderson County....................5 percent (authorized up to 6 percent) Haywood County.......................4 percent Jackson County........................ 4 percent Macon County.......................... 3 percent (plus 3 percent in Franklin) Swain County...........................4 percent Transylvania.............................5 percent (authorized up to 6 percent)

without discussion, although it might be overkill to call TDA member Pratik Shah’s statements “opposition.”

Shah, general manager of the Best Western Smoky Mountain Inn in Waynesville, recognized the anti-tax argument, stating that tourists have a “finite budget” and “have to make a decision on how they want to spend that budget.”

But the crux of his concerns during the meeting — in which he indicated he’d vote ‘no’ on the resolution — centered around spending accountability.

“I just wanted to make sure that funds we’re going to be asked to collect are going to be used to turn around and generate economic development in Haywood County,” he said in an interview last week.

news

Room tax increase isn’t a slam dunk

Within those zip codes, two-thirds of revenue must go toward promotion of that jurisdiction, with the remaining onethird to be spent on tourism-related expenses within the jurisdiction.

Haywood County’s TDA collected $303,818 in the 1 percent account alone from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016.

All five municipalities experienced moderate growth over the previous year, with Clyde posting 82 percent growth and Lake Junaluska posting 41 percent growth. Maggie Valley grew 8 percent and Waynesville 20 percent, collecting $94,751.

Since 2008, Waynesville’s collections have topped $600,000 and helped fund events like Folkmoot and the Apple Harvest 7 Festival.

Park Service, Forest Service halt hiring of seasonals as spring approaches

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER blanket freeze on federal hiring is having a local impact as the agencies tasked with managing Western North Carolina’s roughly 1.5 million acres of public land halt the hiring of seasonal employees responsible for keeping the area’s national parks and forests safe, clean and educational for the millions of visitors who seek them out each year.

The freeze stems from a Jan. 23 executive order issued by President Donald Trump. It requires an immediate stop to the hiring of federal employees for 90 days or until the executive branch can complete “a long-term plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through attrition.” The freeze means that current vacancies in federal agencies, including the National Park Service and National Forest Service, can’t be filled, but locally the larger impact will come from its implications for seasonal employees.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has 190 permanent employees, but 80

Smoky Mountain News

February 1-7, 2017

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seasonal employees. The Blue Ridge Parkway has 151 permanent employees across its 469-mile length, and 125 seasoned employees. The national forests in North Carolina rely less heavily on seasonal employees, employing 188 people across the four-forest system and five to 10 seasonals in a given year.

“It can potentially delay the opening of facilities, because the seasonal workforce along with the permanent staff are the ones

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Blue Ridge Parkway National Forests of North Carolina

that get the facilities open and then clean them up so they can be used,” said Kevin FitzGerald, a Waynesville resident who ended his long career with the National Park Service as deputy superintendent of the Smokies.

Unlike national parks further west, the Smokies and the Parkway both start seeing high visitation well before Memorial Day. Facilities open on a staggered schedule beginning in early March and continuing through the end of May, with seasonal employees beginning employment on a similarly staggered schedule. If the hiring freeze

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lasts the maximum length of 90 days, then hiring couldn’t begin until April 23, after the visitor season is well underway.

“It puts the supervisors kind of behind the eight ball to get these folks trained and geared up and ready to go,” FitzGerald said.

“If you delay until March and we have a mild spring, March is pretty darn busy because that’s when spring breaks start occurring at the colleges.”

The delay could be a significant handi-

Federal employment in WNC

“

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Federal hiring freeze will have local impacts

Job openings 5 0 18

cap to the Park Service, which has been steadily serving more and more people as the years go on. In 2015, the most recent year for which data is posted on the Park Service’s main site, the Parkway was the most visited national park system unit in the nation, with 15.1 million visits. The Smokies was the most visited national park, with 10.7 million visits. In 2016, the Smokies broke its previous visitation record, logging 11.3 million visits.

Unlike most national park units, neither the Parkway nor the Smokies are able to charge for admission, so visitation increases don’t come with a corresponding budget increase. Between 1998 and 2015, the budget has waxed and waned, with a high of $21.1 million in 2010 — all figures are in 2015 dollars — and a low of $17.7 million in 1999. In 1998, the budget was $17.9 million, and by 2015 it had risen to $18.8 million.

Fitzgerald said the Smokies increasingly relies on cheaper seasonal employees.

Also, any vacancies or job openings that existed when the executive order was given can’t be filled until the hiring freeze ends.

Currently, the Smokies has five open jobs and the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests have nine. The Parkway has no open jobs. The number of actual vacancies, though may be higher and will likely continue to rise as the hiring freeze persists.

HIRING FREEZE NOT UNUSUAL FOR NEW ADMINISTRATIONS While the hiring freeze will have a tangible impact on WNC’s federal land management agencies, it’s not unusual for a new administration to call for a hold on hiring.

“Every administration puts a freeze on hiring, because every administration has promised to reduce the size of government.

That’s what they do,” said FitzGerald, whose tenure with the Park Service spanned nine presidential elections.

“It’s not necessarily a Republican thing or a Democrat thing,” agreed Christ Cooper, head of Western Carolina University’s Political Science and Public Affairs Department. “We’ve had a few targeted hir-

ing freezes but there haven’t been this kind of large scale hiring freezes in a while.”

Some aspects of the freeze and what it might mean in practice, however, are not yet clear. The executive order does not apply to military personnel and states that the head of any executive department or agency can exempt positions that it “deems necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities.”

For many types of Forest Service and Park Service jobs, an argument could be made that the position is necessary for public safety. So the actual impact of the hiring freeze could vary greatly depending on how the agency head interprets the phrase “public safety.”

“That’s the great unknown here,” Cooper said. “A lot of executive orders, the devil is not only in the details, but it’s in the interpretation of the details, and that’s what we’re still trying to figure out.”

TRUST LACKING BETWEEN PARK SERVICE AND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION However, for the Park Service the hiring freeze hasn’t been the only impact from the new administration. A spirit of confrontation between Trump and the Park Service emerged on Inauguration Day when the agency retweeted a post from New York Times writer Binyamin Appelbaum showing side-by-side aerials shots of crowds at Obama’s 2009 inauguration and Trump’s 2017 inauguration, with Trump’s crowd appearing to be much smaller.

Following the inauguration, the administration asked the Department of the Interior to temporarily stop using Twitter.

According to a report from CNN, the administration said this was out of a concern that the account had been hacked.

“Friday afternoon there was guidance sent out to suspend our Twitter operations,” said Dana Soehn, management assistant for the park. “Within about 30 minutes of receiving that guidance we received further guidance that instructed us we were able to go ahead and continue tweeting about safety or emergency response. Then the next morning around 10 a.m. we received guidance we could reinstate our Twitter platforms.”

According to Cooper, the reaction was “unusual and perhaps unprecedented.”

“It is setting up the perception of a fault line between federal bureaucrats who are doing the work of the federal government and the head of the executive branch,” Cooper said. “I think there’s an expectation of trust between the head of the executive branch and the people that are working under him, and it appears so far that that trust may not extend to this administration.”

An anonymous band of Park Service employees, including some from the Smokies and the Parkway, responded by founding a website and social media pages for Alt National Park Service, which calls itself “the official ‘resistance’ team of U.S. National Park Service.’”

Huge expansion planned for Hazlewood Ingles I

and will “substantially” increase sales tax and ad valorem tax revenues.

The existing store encompasses an area of 36,492 square feet; after construction, it will measure 72,111 square feet, an increase

of 35,619 square feet.

The application also claims the expansion will generally improve the area overall, citing both Ingles’ desire to coordinate with the town to make unspecified improvements

Big changes are in store for the Brown Ave. Ingles.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

“We are looking forward to bringing new amenities to our loyal customers in Haywood County, including the recent changes to the Barber Road location and this summer’s construction at the Brown Avenue location.”

— Ron Freeman, Ingles CFO and spokesman

to Brown Avenue as well as plans to replace and relocate an existing storm sewer line on the property at its sole cost.

Schematics show a façade nearly identical to the Russ Avenue location, and the placement of the Gas Express on the southeast corner of the parcel, fronting Brown Avenue.

This expansion, however, is contingent upon the town granting Ingles’ request for amendment to the Hyatt Creek Regional Center district, creating a “conditional district.”

Within the state of North Carolina, conditions placed upon rezoning are generally unenforceable, as laws specify uniformity for buildings throughout zoning districts.

Property owners like Ingles, however, may request a new zoning district with conditional uses. In this case, the company seeks exemptions or “variances” to be thought of as an “overlay,” according to town Development Services Director Elizabeth Teague. Ingles is asking for exemptions on several minor requirements in the current zoning district, namely parking lot locations, landscaping guidelines, and the amount of permissible signage.

A public hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14, during the town board’s regular meeting to allow for citizens to express concerns or speak in support of the project; aldermen are expected to vote on the matter immediately following the hearing.

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ngles Markets Inc. is growing in Waynesville again — this time, on Brown Avenue in Hazelwood.

While the opening of Ingles’ glitzy Russ Avenue location garnered rave reviews for its airy, spacious feel last summer, the Brown Avenue store remained in the shadows, pale in comparison to its baby brother up the road.

But this summer, shoppers can expect to shop at a Brown Avenue Ingles almost doubled in size, with more parking, an electric car charging station, bicycle parking and a bus stop.

The 6-acre parcel will also include the construction of an Ingles Gas Express similar to the one at the Russ Avenue location.

“We are looking forward to bringing new amenities to our loyal customers in Haywood County, including the recent changes to the Barber Road location and this summer’s construction at the Brown Avenue location,” said Ron Freeman, Ingles CFO and spokesman.

Plans filed with the town of Waynesville show benefits not only for customers, but for the town as well.

Exhibit ‘A’ of the company’s application for a map amendment to the town’s land development standards claims that the development will create “many” new jobs

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Cherokee council considers results of investigation into chief’s administration Chief says report is retaliatory and “tainted with half-truths”

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER umors have been flying on the Qualla Boundary since an investigation into contract awards and human resources actions under Principal Chief Patrick Lambert’s administration was completed last week. The report, a redacted copy of which was posted on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Council Facebook page, states that the investigated actions “deviated from the Cherokee Code and other documented policies and processes.”

“It was very concerning to me,” Council Vice Chair Brandon Jones, of Snowbird, said of the report.

Lambert, meanwhile, was quick to dismiss the claims against him.

“The claims asserted in the report are tainted with half-truths that would lead one

February 1-7, 2017

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to believe that misconduct has occurred,” he wrote in an official letter posted on his public Facebook page. “This report is onesided and is meant to paint a picture that appears to show that wrongs were committed by me … Each of the accusations are easily defendable and were made to help an enrolled tribal member.”

THE FINDINGS The findings are divided into two reports, one outlining the results of an investigation into how tribal contracts were awarded and the second reviewing personnel actions and organizational changes in the tribe’s Human Resources Department.

Both reports were completed by the tribe’s Office of Internal Audit.

The contract report reviewed all contracts worth $44,000 or more and select contracts worth $15,000 to $43,999 executed between Oct. 1, 2015 — four days before Lambert was sworn in — and Sept. 30, 2016. The report found that four of 68 contracts worth more than $50,000 and two of 28 contracts worth

members signed off on.

The Human Resources investigation also alleged wrongdoing, stating that the department had deviated from the code and from policies and procedures in nine different areas.

In many cases, the justification for these findings is difficult to determine by reading the publicly available copy of the investigation. Entire sentences — in many cases, the sentences that presumably detail how a policy was violated — are redacted, rather than just the particular names or numbers that would violate privacy if published. This is true for five of the nine sections.

However, four sections did include unredacted — though brief — justification for the findings.

• According to the report, 11 of 35 “hires, promotions and transfers for manager and above positions, excluding political appointments” were not advertised before the hiring decision was made. The report references Chapter 96 of the Cherokee Code, which requires such positions to be advertised before being filled.

• The tribe’s Executive Committee, composed of the Principal Chief and the Vice Chief, is tasked with carrying out tribal laws and overseeing day-to-day operations.

According to the report, Lambert “solely executed personnel actions requiring Executive Committee approval without knowledge or input of the Vice Chief.”

• The report alleges that Lambert made “significant changes” to the tribe’s organizational structure without approval from Tribal Council. Cherokee

F

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less than $50,000 were executed incorrectly.

For instance, the report says, a March 2016 contract that allocated $18,000 for the purchase of time clocks actually resulted in a $182,000 expenditure. Similarly, a November 2015 contract that allocated $25,000 for forensic auditing was amended to $65,000 without Business Committee approval, the report says.

Lambert’s letter, meanwhile, contends that the report didn’t include any of the responses he’d shared with the OIA to explain the discrepancies.

The report lists a $383,000 solid waste disposal contract among those that didn’t have proper Business Patrick Lambert Committee approval, but according to Lambert the expenditure wasn’t a contract at all — it was a continuation of a Memorandum of Understanding that had been signed off on by several past chiefs. MOUs are not legally binding documents, Lambert wrote, and they don’t go through the same process as contracts.

Similarly, he wrote, the report lists a $62,000 contract for expanding and renovating the Tribal Executive Office among those that didn’t have documented Business Committee approval.

The contract was amended to $628,000, the report reads, but according to Lambert the contract was part of a larger renovation contract that six of eight Business Committee

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LAMBERT’S RESPONSE

Lambert maintains that there is justifica,tion for every item listed in the report. For dinstance, the report claims that Human -Resources violated tribal policies by appointging an interim manager while a manager was salready in place. h “The program manager was going to be dout for a period of time on the ‘Remember the

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Lambert implied that the investigation had been retaliation for measures he’d taken to “get to the bottom of crimes having been committed.”

When Tribal Council met yesterday (Jan. 31) for its annual Budget Council meeting, Lambert addressed the investigation issue head-on. He implied that the investigation had been retaliation for measures he’d taken to “get to the bottom of crimes having been committed.”

In April 2016, Lambert delivered preliminary findings from a forensic audit of spending practices during the 12-year administration of former Principal Chief Michell Hicks, citing numbers that implied large expenditures to personally benefit government employees. He turned the results over to the FBI. The FBI is currently investigating possible wrongdoing at the Qualla Housing Authority, according to an Oct. 4 letter the U.S. Department of Justice delivered to Program Director Charlene Owle. Six Tribal Council members sit on the Qualla Housing Board, and three of the six have held that position since 2009.

“Anything less than what we’ve been doing, looking into the wrongdoings to get to the bottom of crimes having been committed would be a disservice to the people,” Lambert said. “Trying to retaliate against someone taking those actions is just wrong. I won’t stop.”

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CLOSED-DOOR DISCUSSION The report stems from Tribal Council’s August 2016 decision to launch an investigation into Lambert’s hiring and firing prac-

OTHER INVESTIGATIONS

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Removal Bike Ride,’” Lambert wrote. “And, on this issue, I need to add that I actually solicited Tribal Council advice on selecting an interim manager.”

Lambert also stressed the difference between an action of the Human Resources Department and an action of the Principal Chief.

“It’s no surprise to anyone that the Department of Human Resources has been the subject of much talk and controversy,” he wrote. “Countless tribal employees and enrolled members have their own stories and experiences with HR and all too often it’s not good. It’s about who you know, who your family is, or what you have — not what you know or what you can bring to the Tribe …

There are big changes coming to HR and I know you can’t wait, because it is necessary to create a fair system and break away from this old cronyism system that has permeated our lands forever.”

Lambert wrote that he had provided responses to the OIA for each of the items listed in the report but did not see information from his responses in the report.

“I am prepared to share the responses (I provided to OIA on December 21, 2016) with the public to ensure that the truth is known,” Lambert wrote.

The Smoky Mountain News requested a copy of these responses but did not receive a reply to the request as of press time.

tices after Vice Chief Richie Sneed told Council that he’d been “repeatedly approached” by employees who felt their rights to due process had been violated.

Councilmember Travis Smith, of Birdtown, made a spur-of-the-moment move to order an investigation, and the motion carried narrowly with 55 percent of the vote.

Councilmembers gathered in a closeddoor meeting Monday, Jan. 23, to review the findings.

“I know the gossip mill is really flying right now, but so far Council has just agreed to issue the redacted copy to the people and to the press,” Jones said.

Lambert called Council’s closed-door meeting last week a “clear violation” of tribal law. The Cherokee code authorizes Tribal Council to hold closed meetings, but only after convening in open session and declaring the reason for going into closed session.

There is a finite list of acceptable reasons to go into closed session.

Last week’s closed meeting, which all 12 councilmembers attended, did not begin with an open session as required by tribal law. However, said some councilmembers, that doesn’t mean a law was broken.

According to an email from Smith, the meeting “was not an official session of council.”

It’s not unusual for councilmembers to discuss government business outside of official session, agreed Jones.

“We meet all over the place all the time and we don’t come into session,” he said.

State and federal open meetings laws typically include provisions stating that a quorum of members of any government board can’t gather outside an official meeting and discuss government business. However, tribal code contains no such provision. It does not define what is and is not a meeting.

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code states that it’s within the chief ’s authoroity to create an organizational chart but that -the chart is subject to Tribal Council mapproval. . • According to the report, some tribal eemployees — the number is redacted — did gnot receive payouts of seniority bonuses, -merit awards and cost of living adjustments ein a timely manner. The employees in ques-tion worked for the tribe during the time nperiods for which the money was being paid tout but were not employed at the time they swere issued.

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Restoring hope for a community

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ntil last year, the old house languishing on Academy Street on Bryson City United Methodist Church’s property was seen as a nuisance.

“The church was thinking about just giving it to fire department for burning practice,” said Catherine Gantt, president of The Restoration House committee.

But Gantt and several other fellow church members were able to see potential in the dilapidated structure and decided to turn it into a community asset instead.

What began as a liability for the church will soon be turned into a place of hope for Swain County residents. The church received a grant from The Duke Endowment in February 2016 to restore the old house and to cover some first-year operating expenses.

Renovations of The Restoration House have been ongoing for the past year with plans to have the facility open some time this month.

The house will provide emergency shelter for the homeless, a free medical clinic, kitchen, washer and dryer and will be staffed with volunteers who can provide The Restoration House on Academy Street in Bryson City will soon a list of resources for be home to a free medical clinic, emergency homeless shelter and those in need.

“We want to take the other community services. Jessi Stone photo holistic approach by it’s been the most gratifying thing I’ve ever helping people’s mind, body and spirit,” done medically.” said Gantt. “We want it to be a place where In addition to receiving medical treatpeople are welcome and where they feel ment, the clinicians offer prayer to patients, comfortable.” and VanMiddlesworth said most people The house will have a main lobby with a have been open to that service as well. volunteer receptionist and bookshelves full Gantt said prayer would also be offered of resources for people. Another room will contain a couple of trundle beds and recliner along with other ministry services at The chairs for emergency situations when people Restoration House — though it’s not a prerequisite to receive help. need an overnight place to stay. It’s not a “We obviously want to offer prayer huge space, but Gantt said it would be able because we think it helps, but it’s not someto fit at least five people per night. thing you have to do,” she said.

A kitchen will provide a place to make Gantt said The Restoration House would food. The house will also have a laundry not have been possible without the help of room and two large bathrooms — one of community organizations and businesses which is ADA (Americans with Disabilities who have made donations to the cause.

Act) compliant.

Everything from the flooring, sheetrock and In the backyard are several raised beds furniture has been donated. that will be the beginning of a community “We’ve gotten more than we could ask garden. Volunteers will plant fruits and vegfor — it feels like everything is really coming etables that can be utilized by anyone in together and it’s exciting,” Gantt said. need. Swain County students will also help For more information or to make a with the garden while learning about organdonation, visit ic farming and sustainability. www.brysoncityumc.org/restorationhouse/.

“We hope to create some kind of barter-

February 1-7, 2017

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ing system for the garden because we’ve found most people want to give back in some way instead of just taking,” Gantt said.

The Swain County Caring Corner, the free medical clinic that has been operating out of the church for the last year, will be relocating inside of The Restoration House.

The clinic will have two examination rooms and a storage area for supplies. In dire situations, Gantt said the examination rooms could be made into a makeshift beds to shelter more folks in the winter months.

Since getting the free clinic up and running last January, the clinic has been meeting a growing need in Swain County. Dr. Frank VanMiddlesworth — who recently resigned from Swain Community Hospital amid changes to the emergency department he adamantly opposed — is the one who got the clinic up and running. He said the clinic has already had more than 240 visits from 109 different patients since opening. He has seen patients who haven’t been to a doctor in 10 to 15 years because they either don’t have insurance or can’t afford their deductibles and co-pays.

“Several patients have been able to catch problems in time but we had two people die in their 40s and 50s because they had developed cancers too far gone to help,” VanMiddlesworth said. “But overall

WNC progressive group gaining momentum W

Protesters with the Progressive Nation WNC group hold up signs outside the Haywood County Courthouse. Jessi Stone photo

On Tuesday morning, many members of the group were out in front of the Haywood County Justice Center with protest signs for what they call “Resist Trump Tuesday.” A few protesters at a time went into Congressmen Mark Meadows’ local office to discuss their concerns with staffer Beverly Elliott.

Diane McPhail of Highlands — who was a John Kasich supporter during the election — said she came to speak to Meadows’ staffer about her concerns regarding Trump’s Chief

‘Indivisible’ citizens group forms in Sylva There will be a meeting of the Indivisible Sylva NC group at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Jackson County Public Library.

Indivisible Sylva NC is a non-partisan citizen’s group devoted to resisting President Donald Trump’s agenda through local action. The current focus of the group is protecting the Affordable Care Act from being dismantled before a viable replacement is in place.

Indivisible Sylva NC started as a Facebook group after the publication of the “Indivisible Guide” online by a group of former congressional staffers who witnessed first-hand the effectiveness of opposition to then-president Barack Obama’s legislative initiatives.

All are welcome.

Haywood Regional Haywood man arrested Haywood Republicans recruiting with job fairs for murder hold convention Wayne Littrell, 72, of the Coleman Mountain community of Haywood County, was arrested Sunday, Jan. 29, and charged with the murder of his wife Mary Littrell, 66, at their home on Hawk Mountain Road.

A call was made to 911 in reference to a husband shooting his Wayne Littrell wife at around 9:30 p.m. Sunday. When deputies arrived, they detained Littrell for questioning and later in the evening he was charged with murder.

The Haywood County Republican Party will hold its 2017 annual convention on Saturday, Feb. 4, at The Barkclad Building, 5095 Old River Road, Waynesville.

The meeting will include registration and training beginning from 1 to 2 p.m.; the election of precinct officers and delegates from 2 to 3 p.m. and a credentials committee meeting at 3 p.m.

Republicans had to be registered by Jan. 31 to be able to vote at the precinct meeting on Feb. 4 and must be elected as a delegate at their respective precinct meeting in order to vote at the county convention.

828.506.0205.

Free tax help in Sylva Volunteers will be available to assist people with federal and state income tax preparation and filing from Feb. 3 until April 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Friday and Monday at the Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva and by appointment from 3 to 6:45 p.m. every Tuesday at the Jackson County Public Library.

Taxpayers are requested to bring picture identification, their own and their dependents’ Social Security cards or a statement from the government that includes their Social Security numbers, copies of their 2015 tax return, and any W-2s, 1099s, 1098s, interest and dividend statements for 2016 and other documents necessary to complete their returns.

For more information, contact the senior center at 828.586.4944 or the library at 828.586.2016.

Smoky Mountain News

Haywood Regional Medical Center will be recruiting talent along with other employers at upcoming regional job fairs.

Fairs will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 1 at Western Carolina University; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 2 at Southwestern Community College and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 22 at Lenoir Rhyne University in Asheville.

Haywood Regional is looking to hire registered nurses, an RN care team coordinator, food services positions, coder/abstractor, LPN, environmental services tech, pre-arrival representative, surgical tech and a part-time ultrasound technologist. myhaywoodregional.com/careers or call 828.452.8290.

February 1-7, 2017

Trump makes another controversial decision to protest.

“Doing what we do is exhausting — especially right now,” White said to the group Monday night. “But we have to support each other.”

But not everyone involved in the progressive group is a Democrat and not everyone voted for Clinton. Progressive Nation WNC is not affiliated with one party, but White said the group acknowledges that working within the two-party system however flawed is the most effective way to effect change. If the Tea Party can take control of the Republican Party to push it to the extreme right, White said the group could push the local Democrat Party to be more progressive and active.

The group plans to partner with other progressive groups in Asheville and throughout the region to plan rallies, marches and protests against the Trump administration’s agenda.

The group also discussed joining forces with the Moral Monday Movement by holding a Moral Monday rally in Sylva on Feb. 11 in conjunction with the larger rally planned in Raleigh.

Strategist Stephen Bannon.

“I’m an old friend of Mark Meadows and I’ve spoken to him at length recently on the phone and now I’m even more concerned about the role of Bannon and the unwise restructuring of the National Security Council,” she said. “I came today because I trust Mark Meadows to take this into serious consideration as our representative — this is about the very foundation of our democracy.”

Hannah Ensley, a senior at Pisgah High School, was perhaps the youngest constituent to show up with a sign in front of the courthouse Tuesday morning and wishes more people her age would get involved at a grassroots level to effect change.

“I’m here today out of necessity — turning 18 and about to be a full-time citizen, I want to live in an America that I can be proud of and where people care about each other no matter what walk of life they come from,” she said.

Carl Matthews of Waynesville said he was rallying to support his family’s rights.

“I am in a same sex marriage and we have three adopted children — two that are of Hispanic decent and one African American child,” he said. “They are all American citizens but they could still be subject to racial profiling and discrimination.”

The progressive group meets at 5:30 p.m. every Monday at the Waynesville Armory.

Follow the group “Progressive Nation WNC” on Facebook for updates about meetings and upcoming rallies.

news

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR hat started as a small group of likeminded people helping each other deal with aftermath of Election Day has now morphed into a progressive political action team with more than 400 supporters.

“We started this as a support group following the election because we had a lot of feelings about it,” said Chelsea White, one of the organizers for Progressive Nation WNC. About 15 people showed up for the first meeting in Waynesville after Election Day and then numbers dropped during the holidays. But the group had resurgence after Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 — about 40 people showed up to the Waynesville Armory on Jan. 23 and about 100 showed for the Jan. 30 meeting.

White says the group has already outgrown the Haywood Democratic Headquarters where they first met and now is outgrowing the Armory space as well.

“With this number of people we’re freaking invincible,” she said as she stood on top of a chair in the middle of the crowd trying to be heard by everyone.

With about 400 members on its Facebook group, and more than 100 on its email list, White, Amber Kevlin and Natasha Bright — who all worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign locally — decided they had to turn their post-election pity party into a call for action to keep the groups’ momentum going.

The group has been sending postcards, emails and making phone calls to their congressmen in Washington, D.C., to tell them they are unhappy with a number of President Donald Trump’s actions so far in office — the temporary ban of citizens from seven predominately Muslim countries from entering the country, repeal of the Affordable Care Act, plans to build a wall along the Mexican nborder, the pending confirmations of Betty dDeVos as the Secretary of Education and Sen. oJeff Sessions as the Attorney General and plans to move forward with the Dakota Access and Keystone pipeline projects.

The list goes on and it seems every day

13

Opinion Newspapers with real reporters and editors matter I Smoky Mountain News

was surrounded by newspapers growing up. Dad worked for the government in the 1960s and we lived in Alexandria, a suburb of D.C. Every day we had five newspapers delivered to the house.

Dad started reading when he got home and only stopped to eat supper. You could try to talk to him when he was reading, but he didn’t hear you unless you could get him to lower the paper. If you wanted to hang around with him, you might as well sit down and pick up a paper yourself.

By reading all these papers, all of us in the family learned to detect the slants of the different papers. The Washington Post and Washington Star were pretty consistent; the Wall Street Journal ignored Washington unless there was a dollar sign in the story; the Raleigh, Alexandria and Waynesville papers ignored Washington news completely.

“News” was defined by what the papers covered: if they covered the story, it was news; if they didn’t, it wasn’t. There were reporters and editors in every paper making the decisions. The papers competed with each other, both for new stories and new details on old stories.

Washington was filled with people in government who

Trump’s bigotry exposed in immigration order To the Editor: The very first section of President Donald Trump’s order banning immigrants from seven nations refers to the plane attacks in 2001 that wreaked havoc in New York City, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. He writes: “... several of the 19 foreign nationals who went on to murder nearly 3,000 Americans ....” weren't properly vetted by the State Department.

Guess what? Of those 19 terrorists, not one came from the seven countries Trump must have picked out of a hat. No, they came from three of our major “allies” — Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates and Egypt, along with one or more from Lebanon. Ask our President why those three major allies got a pass. Is it because they buy our jets and we buy their oil? George Bush, Barack Obama and now Trump have all refused to even sanction those three nations.

Who are we, as a nation, being executive ordered to become? You and I are far more at risk of harm from a family member or friend.

Yet we are told to reject oppressed refugees, most of whom are women and children, for what valid reason? Our actions in doing so put even more pressure on nations vastly poorer than ours to open their arms and hearts, or just let people die.

Worse yet is the wrapping of Christianity into this cake of hatred and bigotry. The facts counter Trump's lie that Christians were severely denied entry while Muslims were waved through into this country. I can picture Jesus extending his hand to greet displaced women, children and men who have fled their countries in order to survive. I just don't see Him holding a sign telling “those

wanted to get things in the papers, to promote their issues and themselves. “Gossip” columnists at the papers (Drew Pearson at the Washington Post was the most famous) made it their business to publish embarrassing stories every day.

All of this history reads now like — well — history.

News comes to us now as a firehose of information, we are told. Some folks put “news” in quotations. Newspapers, and editors, we are told, are obsolete, since facts are what the speaker says they are. Lies, referred to as “alternate facts” by the liars, are not apologized for.

Well, not so fast.

My need for context, and editing, and questioning is more important now than ever. So long as the editors and the reporters take their jobs seriously then they have me — and an Guest Columnist audience — reading them. I don’t need someone to think for me: I need someone to ask questions for me and to remember what this guy said back when he was running for office, as well as what he is

Frank Queen

14

LETTERS people” to go back to their temporary tents and shacks.

Bob Clark Waynesville

No room for alternative news “Ignorance and misinformation, if allowed to prevail in foreign policy, handicaps the country’s security. In a world of complex and continuing problems, in a world full of frustrations and irritations, America’s leadership must be guided by the lights of learning and reason or else those who confuse rhetoric with reality and the plausible with the possible, will gain the ascendency with their swift and seemingly simple solutions to every world problem.”

— John Fitzgerald Kennedy, November 22, 1963 To the Editor, With the advent of the current executive administration in Washington, I believe that this is a quotation that should be resurrected and remembered. We, as a people, are frustrated with world and domestic events. But we should not, we cannot, allow these frustrations to overrule our reason, logic, and learning to allow “ignorance and misinformation” to become paramount in both our foreign and domestic policy.

There is no room for “alternative facts” in our political system. We must rely on the truth, the true facts, as proven by evidence, not as accepted by belief only. I realize that people with differing views may interpret the proven facts in far different ways, but that is a difference of opinion, not a difference of the facts.

If a fact cannot be vetted as true by evidence and empirical examination, then it is either an unfounded rumor or an outright falsehood (let’s define that as a lie). In either

saying now that he’s in. It is useful for me to read the words of a reporter who knows her beat and who reports not just the words, but the look on the speaker’s face and what the listeners said too.

The value of a newspaper (or magazine or scripted media) is not in getting the simple facts — the value comes when the writer and editor are serious about doing their jobs to question sources and recite context. A newspaper doesn’t need to check its website for “hits” and then report the stories that get more hits: if it does that, then the stories will be exactly what you hear at a barbershop and a beauty salon and will have exactly that much importance and value.

My Dad talked back to his newspapers, but his only real dispute with a paper involved Curtis Russ, the long-time editor of The Mountaineer, sometime back in the 1960s. No one remembers what the row was about, but after Pop sent a letter to the editor to Mr. Russ, Pop quit the exchange, repeating to me an old Washington adage: “Never argue with a man who buys his ink by the barrel.”

(Frank Queen is an attorney who resides in Waynesville.

He can be reached at frankgqueen@gmail.com.)

case, if not vetted as truth, then it does not belong in governmental policy or in tweets from the Oval Office.

Mr. Trump, please refrain from lying to the American people and expecting us to accept and believe the lies. Many of us may be smarter than you think.

Luther Jones Sylva

Internet availability a problem in WNC To the Editor: Regarding Scott McLeod’s piece last week about the availability of internet service (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/it em/19234), it is a big problem.

My husband and I moved to Maggie Valley from Colorado after he retired. The man who sold us his house had DSL. There is a DSL line coming to the house. After we moved in, we were told that AT&T would not give us DSL service because they were “capped out.”

First they told us that they would contact us. Then we were told that we needed to call them in the winter when they would have lines available. They told us everything except that Santa would give us a DSL line.

If we had known about not having internet we would not have bought this house. I have warned my friends and family across the country about the internet problem when buying a home. I don’t think we’ll be able to get what we paid for if we sell our home because everything now depends on internet.

We are on a fixed income. I am paying $130 per month for 40 gigs with Sprint.

That’s the best I can do. If I go over that, it's $50 per gig. I know because one month we had company and used 52 gigs. That's $600 in overage charges. Luckily, my husband

called Sprint and they gave us one month of “forgiveness.” It is absolutely frightening.

I feel like I am living in the 1800s and I don’t feel like anyone cares.

Carol Rooney Maggie Valley

Why rush to repeal ACA? To the Editor: I am writing to express my concern about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.” The dismantling of this important health care program has already begun by the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate and by President Trump through executive orders signed his first day in office.

I am a senior citizen, currently enrolled in Medicare. According to a report by CNN, repeal of the ACA will cause Medicare premiums to increase and costs for prescription drugs will also increase. Perhaps more importantly, the currently free preventative care services, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, would no longer be provided.

President Trump promised to leave Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security alone, but I have no faith this will be possible as the dismantling of the ACA is so complicated and confusing. Why the rush, wreaking this kind of havoc before having a replacement ready? President Trump recently tweeted “insurance for everybody,” which, quite frankly, has a very hollow ring.

What if there is no way to adequately replace the ACA and we’re headed toward a major health care crisis in this country? As it is, the United States ranks 37th in the World Health Organization’s ranking of world health systems. In my opinion, we can do a great deal better.

Nancy Bullock Canton

A once happy week now darkened

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.

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; slowsimmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

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

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.

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 oat-

Valentine’s Brunch Valentine’s

$1395

Sun. Feb. 12th 10 - 3

5

Specials

5 Specials 5 Days 5 Hours WE ARE SERVING THESE FIVE VALENTINE SPECIALS FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY, AND TUESDAY FROM 4PM TO 9PM.

Seafood Lovers

Pasta Lovers

Beef Lovers

Seafood Lovers Delight: Pan seared Flounder ,Grilled Shrimp on a Stix basted with butter garlic sauce, Shrimp Scampi,sample of Cole Slaw, and a side of Citrus Gazed Green Beans, brown rice and apples 16.99

Pasta Lovers Dinner: Tri colored three cheese tortellini covered in our house made alfredo sauce, stuffed shells covered with our house made red sauce and Mozzarella cheese, two meat balls with spaghetti and red sauce. 14.99

Prime Rib Lovers: 8 oz. cut of prime rib with house made Au Jus, sautéed button mushrooms, and a Baked Potato. 16.99

Fish Lovers Platter: Flounder Fried golden brown with Hush Puppies, sample of Cole Slaw, and a fresh Baked Potato. 14.99 Fish can be pan seared or broiled at no extra cost

CALL FOR RESERVATIONS

The Rendezvous RESTAURANT & LOUNGE At the Maggie Valley Inn

Rib Eye Lovers : Fresh hand cut 10 oz. Angus Rib Eye beef cooked to order, sautéed button mushrooms, and a Baked Potato. 17.99 Additional ounces available for Prime Rib or Rib Eye add 1.50 per ounce.

70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201

Smoky Mountain News

In my mind, I have this vision of the American shape (like on a puzzle or map) outlined in flames, barring anyone from getting in. Within the shape, people sit in their big houses, behind their smartphones or laptops, or in the Oval Office oblivious to those outside the shape, crying, starving, pleading. I see them on their knees begging for help from the one and only America, the country that was once the beacon of light for all immigrants.

But as always, there’s hope. And hope is so very powerful.

Our country is invigorated like never before. There’s a pulse beating through the nation, and while some may feel these recent laws and regulations are helpful, just as many, if not more, feel the opposite.

There are a number of ways to douse this proverbial ring of fire. Speak with your heart, write with your heart, play music with your heart, paint with your heart, create with your heart, love with your heart.

Whatever your talent, skill or strength, do it with your heart.

Do you have a heart? Then please use it because the only thing stronger than hate is love.

So yes, my family leaves for Disney World in several days, and I’m excited for my two little boys who have never been there. I’ve been planning the trip for six months and want to see all that hard work come to fruition.

But I can’t pretend my mind’s not on the millions of children who’ve only heard of Mickey Mouse from worn, second-hand books cast aside by wealthier countries. Further, I’m sure their last concerns are amusement park rides or wearing Magic Bands. They just want to see Mommy or Daddy and to know any emotion other than fear.

I try to keep these columns light and talk about the good in my life, in my community, and in our world. But on days like this where I’m struggling to see a lot of good, I can’t falsely write or cheerily talk about a trip to Disney World.

As the brilliant Albert Einstein said, “Hail to the man who went through life always helping others, knowing no fear, and to whom aggressiveness and resentment are alien. Such is the stuff of which the great moral leaders are made.”

Amen, sir.

(Susanna Barbee can be reached at susanna.barbee@gmail.com.)

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

February 1-7, 2017

BY SUSANNA BARBEE COLUMNIST We leave for Disney World this weekend.

I should be more excited, but with all that’s going on in our country, I’m feeling a bit uneasy about life. It’s hard to get giddy about something as seemingly trivial as Mickey Mouse when refugee children have nowhere to go and our country is imposing travel bans.

I’ve written about my faith before in this column, and it seems relevant here. Not having grown up in a church, my faith is deep, personal and hardearned. It’s something I’ve fought for and something I protect. There have been very dark days in my life, and God singularly pulled me out of the mire.

When things happen I don’t agree with or make me uncomfortable, I rely on God’s whispers and my own intuition for guidance. Neither God’s whispers or my intuition are telling me that what’s going on in our country is OK, just or fair.

In fact, wasn’t Jesus the one who ignored the strict laws imposed by the Pharisees in lieu of compassionate servitude and doing what felt right in his heart?

I’m not going to make this a religious column, but including my viewpoint from this angle is important. I’m seeing posts on social media and hearing conversations in the grocery store alluding to the fact our country is doing what’s right by God. I couldn’t keep quiet and pretend to concur when in fact, I vehemently disagree.

Every being on this earth is vastly flawed, broken, lost. We find ways to be happy, feel hopeful, and move forward, but we still struggle. So why, as a country, pretend like we’re not? And why, oh why, turn away those who are fully broken and lost on every level?

A dear friend of mine, Hobey Ford, is a renowned puppet maker and puppeteer. I wrote an article about him for Smoky Mountain Living magazine a while back. He travels to war-torn countries and performs shows for refugee children. He told me some of the children he’s met have no idea where their parents and siblings are or if they’ll ever see them again.

But when these little eyes watch the puppets come alive, they alight with excitement and awe. Just like American children. I’m truly brokenhearted that we’re refusing to help innocent refugees, and I can only hope and pray that something will change.

I can also speak up and let it be known that I don’t agree with these actions, and I certainly don’t condone comments insinuating they are Godly acts.

tasteTHEmountains

15

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

Café

Deli & So Much More

VACATION’S OVER RE-OPENING Mon., Feb. 6 at 8 a.m.

MONDAY-FRIDAY 8-3 6147 Highway 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station)

meal, 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.

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 hand-cut 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201

February 1-7, 2017

breakingbreadcafenc.com • 828.648.3838

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

Real New Yorkers.

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Smoky Mountain News

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

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

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Dinner for Two

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

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Featuring: Calzones · Stromboli Subs · Pasta and More Mon.-Sat. 11 am to 9 pm · Closed Sundays

16

Valentine’s Days

Two 8oz. Hand-Cut Ribeyes with Choice of Side, Salad, Non-Alcoholic Beverage & a Special Dessert for Two!

Cataloochee Ranch 119 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, NC 28751 | CataloocheeRanch.com | (828)926-1401

35 EAST MAIN ST. • SYLVA 828.586.6532

tasteTHEmountains 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

and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available.

Located across from the Fire Station.

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.

TRAILHEAD CAFE & BAKERY 18 N Main Street, Waynesville.

828.452.3881 Open 7 days a week Monday-Saturday 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!

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400.

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville.

Using only the freshest ingredients in homemade soups, salads and sandwiches. Come in and see for yourself why Smoky Mountain Sub Shop was voted # 1 in Haywood County.

Locally owned and operated.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years (don't ask for the recipes cuz’ you won't get it!) Each Pizza is hand tossed and made with TLC. 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.

LIVE MUSIC 2/4 7-9 Allie & Frank 2/7 6-8 Tyler Kittle 2/9 Spoken Word w/ Forest Rivers "Peaceful Reflections" 2/11 6:30-9 Brother Bluebird Pre Valentine Dinner

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Dinner F r Two Only $36.99

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

Soup or Salad Choice of Two Entrées (Each served with one side kick.)

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AT THE DOOR

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Located Located inin Beautiful Beautiful Downtown Downtown Sylva, Sylva, NCNC www.MadBatterFoodFilm.com

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Sunday–Thursday 11 a.m.–10 p.m Friday & Saturday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

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Reservations Encouraged 828.587.2233 3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

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Valentine’s Special Dinner for 2 $36

includes 2 house salads, choice of 6oz Bistro Filet or Thai Shrimp Scampi each, choice of noodle, rice or veggie side each and choice of dessert to share!

Call for reservations.

Locals BOGO Special does not apply.

Smoky Mountain News

THANK YOU, HAYWOOD COUNTY, FOR VOTING US

382-20

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Order off the menu or choose 1 of 4 affordable packages that includes a bottle of wine, champagne or pitcher of local beer. Buy 1-Get 1 Free Dessert Crepes and $5 Flights of Beer. We will have 6 Specials those nights, plus our regular menu items.

February 1-7, 2017

SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800.

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.3551. Open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, the Tap Room Bar & Grill has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com.

WINE • BEER • SAKE

Open Thur - Tue 11:30-9 Closed Wednesdays

(828) 454-5400 BlossomOnMain.com

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

The love that we need WNC welcomes Hayes Carll

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER itting in the back of his tour van in a Texas parking lot on a recent cold prairie night, Hayes Carll takes a sip of Jameson from a small plastic cup, leans back into the bench seat and kicks up his boots.

He’ll be the first to tell you the world today is an odd — and sometimes confusing — place, and he’ll also be sure to remind you that the sky ain’t falling. Sure, there’s an increasing divide between who we are and where we’re going as a society. But, real compassion and understanding comes from seeing the other side as a piece of some large pie of humanity, rather than a segment of the population that needs to be alienated, or worse — eliminated.

Carll takes another sip from the cup and thinks about his impending sold out show that evening at the legendary Gruene Hall (the oldest dance hall in the state), a stone’s throw from the van in downtown New Braunfels. Over the better part of the last decade, he’s climbed the ranks of singer-songwriters, where his name gets whispered in the same breath as Jason Isbell, Townes Van Zant or James McMurtry, to name a few.

At 41, some might look at 20 years on the

optimism. There seems to be a lot of polarization in the country, and it has been like that for a long time, as I’ve written about for years. As an artist, there are those levels where you feel it’s your role to stay engaged and inform people. And then you look at it and say, well, most people who follow play probably don’t give a shit about what I think about the political landscape. I also don’t want to be part of the noise and get blocked out. It’s an interesting line. I want to be able to add something to the conversation — creatively or socially.

SMN: I think we as a people have a lot more in common than what we’re told.

HC: Yeah, that’s the major issue I keep coming across, this polarization and separation of the tribes — us versus them. And that’s what’s scary to me, and what Trump is really good at and using it to his advantage.

You can’t communicate with people who have different points of view if you’re demonizing them. Liberal or Singer-songwriter Hayes Carll will perform at conservative, if you can’t have a civi8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at The Grey Eagle in lized conversation with them, then you’re just yelling at each other and Asheville. Bobby Bare Jr. will open the show. treating each other as a monolith Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 day of show. group. Whether it’s a Muslim, www.thegreyeagle.com.

Mexican, Republican or Democrat, we’re not monoliths. That idea of treating these groups as monoliths is a disservice to our country. We can’t talk about these issues more because “they’re the enemy.”

Want to go?

“I love telling stories, performing in front of people, that high that comes from using those creative muscles and the energy that comes from connecting with people — there’s nothing like it in the world.”

S

— Hayes Carll

road as a grueling task. But, for Carll, he sees it as only the beginning of solving the great mysteries of life — where creative fulfillment, finding balance amid the cosmic chaos, and that internal desire to make a simple connection with fellow man bubbles to the surface of his beloved melodies.

Smoky Mountain News: As a touring artist and performer, what do you in the world today?

Hayes Carll: Well, it’s a scary time, you know? I try to be an optimist, and I try to be open-minded. But, a lot of things I believe in, and I believe make our country what it is, are being cast aside at an alarming rate. So, it’s hard to keep up and trying to stay aware of what’s going. I’d hate to pass judgment on anybody prematurely, but I’ve yet to see much in the language and tone of the controlling party at the moment that gives me a lot of hope or

SMN: What do you love about this life you’ve created? Why do you get up everyday and want to do this?

HC: Well, it’s something I don’t want to do everyday, being on the road. I still love touring, though. In my younger days, I was on the road 200-250 nights a year, and that’s not the life for me anymore. I’ve got a 13-year-old son, who I just dropped off to his mom, my ex-wife. And I’m in a relationship. My girlfriend is in New York. My kid is in Austin. And I’m on the road a lot. I love doing this, I can’t complain. It’s the job I’ve always wanted, and I’ve been incredibly blessed for the last 20 years. I love telling stories, performing in front of people, that high that comes from using those creative muscles and the energy that comes from connecting with people — there’s nothing like it in the world.

SMN: Are you happy with where you are today?

HC: Yeah, I’m in a good place. I realized a couple of years ago that I wasn’t happy. And it didn’t make sense to me because, by every measure, I was living my dream. In this industry, you’re on a hamster wheel. There’s always somebody doing better, and there’s always another milestone. And that’ll drive you crazy.

Finally, I had to say I’m the luckiest guy in the world to do what I get to do and if I’m not happy, I have to fix that, and I have. I keep coming back to this quote from my good friend Ray Wylie Hubbard, who said in a song of his, “And the days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, well, I have really good days.”

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Sunset outside of Wimberley, Texas. Garret K. Woodward photo

Ode to Butch Trucks, Texas sunsets

about the world today.�

Sitting on that tailgate, watching the Texas sun say goodnight until tomorrow, I thought of Butch, his immortal music, his devastated family, and the wise words he bestowed upon me. I continued to stare at the western horizon for several minutes after the sun disappeared.

The road is long, and bountiful for those with passion and thirst for what lies ahead.

These past two months have been quite the physical and emotional crossroads for the face I see in the mirror. There is an awakening within my being, and I’m trying to make sense of it — these thoughts, ideas and dreams — far away from my small apartment with the big porch in downtown Waynesville.

The beauty of venturing into the unknown — of yourself and of the open road — is that at some point you’ll start seeing the signs that you’re going in the right direction, of your intent and your ultimate purpose on this massive rock hurtling through outer space.

We’re headlong into a transitional phase of not only this nation, but also humanity in general. I remain optimistic, even with all the sadness and darkness enveloping what I see, hear and read nowadays. But, if you take your place in life — your town, job and everyday presence in society — and use it as a vehicle for positive change and progress, then we as a people will someday reach a plateau of compassion and understanding that will echo into the impending generations and centuries.

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

Popular blues/folk singer Heidi Holton will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

5

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828.634.7813 From porcelain veneers, crowns and bridges to facelift dentures and dental implants, Dr. Highsmith can transform the appearance and restore the health of your smile.

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Smoky Mountain News

Popping the tailgate down in my truck, I jumped up, my eyes The “Songwriters in the Round� series will gazing straight ahead. continue with a “Valentine’s Songwriter�

In front of me was the fading evening featuring Henry Hipkens at 6 p.m. sunset of a crisp early evening in Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Balsam Mountain Inn. the Texas Hill Country, some 30 miles southwest of Austin.

No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Ol’ Dirty Cracking open a beer, I saluted Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) at 9:30 p.m. the explosion of color in the endSaturday, Feb. 11. less sky, bursting with red, orange and yellow.

The Women of Waynesville (WOW) will host a For several years now, it has wine-tasting fundraiser for member Becca been a mission of mine to wander Swanger, who is running for the 2017 Mardi these wide-open spaces. It’s a Gras Ball queen to raise money for the landscape that offers as much as Haywood County Schools Foundation, from it takes away, where one finds 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at the Cork & themselves in survival mode Cleaver (Waynesville Inn). through scorching summers and First Baptist Church (Waynesville) will host unpredictable winters. There is acclaimed youth pianist Timothy Noble at 3 something so beautifully hauntp.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. ing about this state — it really speaks to such deep pockets of Allman Brothers Band — an American icon the curious nature within my soul. — who tragically passed away last Tuesday.

And with the oddly mild temperatures Word of his death spread like wildfire, while these past couple of weeks, I find myself meandering endlessly down back roads, sim- all I felt was sick to my stomach amid images ricocheting around my head of us hanging out ply turning off the main drag and drifting together last year when he played Asheville. out into this vast ocean of dirt, rock and When I started out as a music journalist cedar trees surrounding the old pickup truck some 11 years ago, my goal was to track hauling down the road, the pedal pushed down these rock-n-roll legends and write closer to the floorboard with each empty their stories. I didn’t want to ask them dumb stretch of pavement. questions or be a fan boy. I truly wanted to They say you can do a lot of thinking have a real and honest conversation with when you’re on the open road. And that’s these musicians I have such admiration for. why I continually chase those opportunities And Butch was — through and through — to merge onto the highways and dirt routes a kind and beautiful soul, gracious enough to that cover America like a circulatory system give me some of his time to chat and ponder exposed for all to see and wander atop. (www.smokymountainnews.com/ Earlier that morning, news broke about archives/item/17494). I’ve been lucky enough Butch Trucks, the legendary drummer for the

February 1-7, 2017

HOT PICKS 1 2 “People stop me to tell me that 3 my teeth 4 are beautiful.�

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

to spend countless hours conversing with artists I had years before only thought would be a dream just to be in their presence. I love what I do, and I love being able to interact with our melodic heroes, sharing with y'all the true depths and glorious lives of melodic adventure that resides below their road-dog skin.

I’ve been listening to the Allmans nonstop since I got word on Butch’s passing. The music is just about a half-century old, and just as sonically glorious and politically relevant today as it was back then. Their music is the human condition, for good or ill. And Butch always promoted the good. You’ll be missed, Butch, but “the road goes on forever.�

When I posed my final question of our interview together, I asked Butch about being an atheist and if he was optimistic about the future. He said he was, even if he’d become more cynical with age.

Then he told me: “What I’m really enjoying is that my youngest daughter just had a child, and I’m sitting here [in Florida] with my blood pressure as low as its been in decades because I get to rock him to sleep every night. You know, sometime when he grows up he’s going to wonder why the second movement of Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony resonates so much, and that’s because I sing it to him every night. He goes immediately to sleep and I’ll rock him for an hour — it’s wonderful. I do have so much hope for him, and for my other grandchildren. It’s like Kurt Vonnegut said, ‘There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’And I really try to remind myself of that before I get angry

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arts & entertainment

On the beat Ol’ Dirty Bathtub plays WCU on Feb. 2 The 2016-17 First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Concert and Jam Series at Western Carolina University will continue with Ol’ Dirty Bathtub on Thursday, Feb. 2.

The group’s 7 p.m. performance will be held in the ground-floor auditorium of H.F. Robinson Administration Building. It will be followed by an 8 p.m. jam session in which local musicians are invited to participate.

Sponsored by WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center, the First Thursday concerts and jam sessions will continue through this spring, with programs from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.

The events are free and open to the public. Pickers and singers of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part in the jam sessions, which also are open to those who just want to listen.

For more information, call the Mountain Heritage Center at 828.227.7129.

Smoky Mountain News

February 1-7, 2017

WCU students play with Asheville Symphony

20

Western Carolina University student musicians will join members of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra for a performance of orchestral masterworks at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, in Cullowhee.

Presented at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, the event is part of the ongoing Artist-in-Residence Program, a partnership between the WCU School of Music and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra that brings professional string musicians from the orchestra to perform with woodwind, brass and percussion students.

The program includes “Finlandia” by Sibelius and “Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture” by Tchaikovsky. The concluding piece will be “Enigma Variations” by Elgar, with a special presentation by Confessore describing the interesting origins of the composition, described as a musical sketch of the composer’s friends and close acquaintances.

Through portraits projected on a screen, as well as musical examples, the audience will be introduced to the characters before the piece is performed in its entirety.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students and children, and can be purchased at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or by calling the box office at 828.227.2479. Proceeds from the performance will benefit student scholarships.

For more information about the Artistin-Residence Program, contact the School of Music at 828.227.7242.

Balsam Mountain Inn welcomes Hipkens The “Songwriters in the Round” series will continue with a “Valentine’s Songwriter” evening featuring Nashville act Henry Hipkens at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Balsam Mountain Inn. Well-known for his modern standards, Hipkens’ songs have been recorded or performed by Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis, Tim O’Brien, Maura O’Connell, Claire Lynch, Robin and Linda Williams, Maryann Price and Trout Fishing in America. He performs regularly at the Bluebird Café in Nashville.

Hipkens will also be joined by singer-songwriters Pat Bergeson and Annie Sellick.

Tickets are $49, which includes a buffet dinner.

828.456.9498 or www.balsammountaininn.net.

PMA TO ROCK WATER’N HOLE Local reggae/rock act PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill in Waynesville. www.facebook.com/pmamusic.

Berry brings hits to Strand Country music singer-songwriter John Berry will perform an acoustic show at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 2, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Active as a recording artist since 1979, he has recorded more than 20 studio albums, including one platinum album and two gold albums. In his career, Berry has also charted 19 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the No. 1 single "Your Love Amazes Me" from 1994 and six additional Top 10 hits: "What's In It for Me," "You and Only You," "Standing on the Edge of Goodbye," "I Think About It All the Time," "Change My Mind" and "She's Taken a Shine."

A Country Weekly article said of Berry, “John's greatest strength is his pure, soulful tenor.”

And a 2006 interview with The Entertainment Nexus described him as “one of the most remarkable voices in music.”

Tickets are $35 per person. For tickets, visit www.38main.com.

On the beat

A community music jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, 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. 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.

FROG LEVEL GETS THE BLUES Popular blues/folk singer Heidi Holton will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Free. www.heidiholton.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.

• First Baptist Church (Waynesville) will host acclaimed youth pianist Timothy Noble at 3 p.m. Feb. 5. A love offering will be accepted.

A collection of canned soup will also be accepted to feed the hungry in the community, which will be donated to the food pantry at the Haywood Christian Ministry.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Feb. 1 and 8, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Feb. 2 and 9. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Somebody’s Child (Americana) Feb. 4 and Andalyn (rock/Americana) Feb. 11. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. 828.349.2337 or www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Crystal Bright & The Silver Hands (cabaret) Feb. 3, Paul Weber & The Scrappers (honky-

ALSO:

• Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will host Allie & Frank at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 and Tyler Kittle (jazz/Americana) 6 p.m. Feb. 7.

828.586.1717.

• The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Selah (Christian/pop) with special guest Missy Robertson of TV’s “Duck Dynasty” at 7 p.m.

Feb. 4. Tickets start at $18, with VIP packages available. The Booth Brothers (Christian/pop) will also perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, with tickets available at $20 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.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 Andrew Rickman (acoustic/rock) Feb. 3, DJ Night Feb. 4 and Positive Mental Attitude (reggae/rock) Feb. 10. All shows begin at 9 p.m.

Musicians Jacob Jones, Jessie Stephens & Friends will provide a lively evening of bluegrass and old-timey mountain music on Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Historic Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva.

As part of the Jackson County Genealogical Society’s second program of the year, this annual concert has become one of the JCGS’s most popular events. Refreshments will be served and JCGS activities will be shared beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by the program starting at 7 p.m.

All JCGS events are free of charge and the public is welcome. For more information, call 828.631.2646.

Smoky Mountain News

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Heidi Holton (blues/acoustic) at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 and Chris Minick (singer-songwriter) 9 p.m. Feb. 11. All shows are free. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• 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.

Auditions for the Mountain Community Chorus will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, in the Clegg Recital Hall at Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia.

For 43 years, the Mountain Community Chorus has been entertaining the residents of Western North Carolina, North Georgia and Eastern Tennessee with seasonal concerts, which are open free to the public.

The audition will be followed by the first

Geneaological Society hosts courthouse music

February 1-7, 2017

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Bob Zullo (guitar/pop) Feb. 3, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) Feb. 4 and 11, and James Hammel (singer-songwriter) Feb. 10. All events begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

tonk) Feb. 4, Alex Culbreth (folk/blues) Feb. 10 and Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) Feb. 11. All shows are free and begin at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nonamesportspub.com.

Mountain Community Chorus holds auditions

rehearsal of the 12-week season in preparation for the concerts on April 28 and 30. All rehearsals are held at Young Harris College on Monday evenings from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Persons who have a heart and voice for fine choral music, from classical to pop, secular to sacred, are invited to join.

The membership fee for each season is $20 to cover the purchase of music to be sung by the chorus. www.mountaincommunitychorus.org or 706.897.4267.

arts & entertainment

Bryson City community jam is Feb. 2

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arts & entertainment

On the street Take better photos with your smartphone The Sylva Photo Club will present “Improving Smartphone Photography” at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Cullowhee Methodist Church on the Western Carolina University campus.

Tony Wu will be leading a panel of members to provide ideas on how to improve pictures, accessories and apps to improve images.

“Share and Tell” will follow with the theme of “Relationship, Friends, Love.” Bring up to six photos representing this theme, or photos taken with a smartphone.

Cost for this program is $5 donation for visitors (applied to membership).

Membership to the Sylva Photo Club is a $20 donation, $10 for students per year. s y l va p h o t o c l u b. w o rd p re s s . c o m , Facebook at Sylva Photo Club, sylvaphotoclub@gmail.com or 828.226.3840.

All aboard the wine and cheese train

February 1-7, 2017

“Uncorked” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in the Bryson City Train Depot.

The GSMR is partnering with Lee’s at

the Depot in Dillsboro and also with Baxley’s Chocolates in Sylva.

The event is a specialty full service alladult first class ride in a private car. A narrator will be onboard to discuss the wines selected to accompany a sampling of local cheeses and a freshly made surf and turf meal.

Age 21 and over only. Tickets are $119 per person. www.gsmr.com or www.greatsmokies.com.

Scots-Irish program to be held in Swain “Family, Faith and Freedom” will be the program for the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Swain County Regional Business Education in Bryson City.

Mark Davidson of Blount County, Tennessee will present the heritage, faith, and history of the Scots-Irish people who once lived in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee.

In 2000, while teaching at William Blount High School, Davidson developed a curriculum known as Appalachian Studies.

Now in his retirement, he teaches non-credit classes through the “Our Appalachia” series at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus.

Free and open to the public.

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From Hwy. 19/23 take Exit 104 towards Lake Junaluska; continue 1/2 mile to Haywood Medical Park on the left.

WOW Mardi Gras fundraiser The Women of Waynesville (WOW) will host a wine-tasting fundraiser for member Becca Swanger, who is running for the 2017 Mardi Gras Ball queen to raise money for the Haywood County Schools Foundation.

The fundraiser will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at Cork & Cleaver (Waynesville Inn restaurant).

Tickets are $20 a person, which includes four wine tastings and snacks. All proceeds go to Swanger’s queen campaign and will ultimately benefit the schools foundation. Half of whatever is raised for her campaign will be used to establish a WOW scholarship to be awarded to a graduating senior in May. For tickets, call 828.550.9978 or visit www.facebook.com/Womenofwaynesville/

• “What’s normal? How do you measure mental health and well-being?” will be the topic for the Franklin Open Forum, which will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6, at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin.

Those interested in an open exchange of ideas (dialog, not debate) are invited to attend. For more information call 828.371.1020.

• The Balsam Mountain Inn will host a “Valentine’s Package” through Feb. 28. Add a candlelit dinner for two, fresh flowers, champagne, souvenir flutes and freshly baked cookies for an additional $125 to the room rate. To reserve, 800.224.9498.

ALSO:

• “Beach Week” will be held through Feb. 4 at the Hudson Library in Highlands.

Activities will include a “Game Day,” storytelling, viewing the night sky, movie screenings, a picnic at Hudson Beach, and more.

For more information, call 828.526.3031 or click on www.fontanalib.org.

• There will be a “Winter Blends” red wine tasting at 7 p.m. Feb. 2, at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. $20 for five wine samples with a bread and cheese pairing. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

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

Feb. 4 and 11 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. Feb. 4 and 11 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.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 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.

• There will be a Valentine’s Day Party from 6 to 10 pm. Feb. 14 at the Sneak E Squirrel Brewery in Sylva. Live music provided by the Twelfth Fret during the event. Dinner will be $37 per couple for an Italian-inspired menu and include one beverage per person. There will also be playing two rounds of the Newlywed game, one for couples married more than five years starting at 7 p.m. and one for couples married less than five years starting at 9 p.m. One winning couple from each group will get their dinner for free. Call 828.586.6440 for more information.

On the wall 4:30 p.m. Immediately after the round table discussion, there will be a gallery talk with Guest Curator Dr. Stephanie Beck Cohen from 5 to 6 p.m. and a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. In addition to the reception events,

‘Liberian Quilters,’ images courtesy of Guest Curator Dr. Stephanie Beck Cohen. there will be an Artist Talk on “Cultural Diplomacy, Why Art Matters” from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 22, and a curator talk on “Art in Embassies” from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. Thursday, March 23.

All events are free and open to the public.

For further information or to schedule a tour, visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or call 828.227.3591.

WCU to screen ‘Mango Dreams’

N.C. Arts Council grant programs The 2017 grant application season has launched and guidelines and applications for the North Carolina Arts Council’s seven grant programs for organizations are now available.

The deadline for receiving 2017-18 grant applications is Wednesday, March 1, and applications must be completed electronically through the North Carolina Arts Council’s online portal.

To be eligible for Arts Council funding, an organization must: • be nonprofit (or an organization that has applied for nonprofit status using fiscal agent).

• have been producing quality arts programs for at least two consecutive years.

• have prior-year organizational cash operating expenses of at least $20,000.

Please read eligibility and program requirements carefully and contact the appropriate staff prior to submitting your application.

For more information, visit www.ncarts.org/ resources/grants/grants-organizations.

• Paint Nite Waynesville will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. $2 off beers for anyone painting. Food truck and live music from singer-songwriter Chris Minick will also be onsite. Sign up on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page (search event: Brush N. Brew) or call Robin Smathers at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• An “Abstract Expressions” exhibit will run 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.

ALSO:

• The next meeting of the Western North Carolina Woodturners Club, Inc. will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Alternative School in Sylva. Alex Bolden plans to demonstrate the various methods to mount a bowl blank on the lathe. The school is located on Skyland Drive. Drive to the back of the school to the woodworking shop.

Visitors are always welcome. The club

Open call for artists The Waynesville Public Art Commission is sending out a “Call for Artists” for a new piece dedicated to the Plott Hound.

The Plott Hound originated in Hazelwood (an area of incorporated Waynesville) and is the state dog of North Carolina. All information related to the specifics of the project, the location for the finished product and an overview of the Plott Hound characteristics are included in the packet.

For more information, contact Amie Owens, assistant town manager at aowens@waynesvillenc.gov.

meets the first Tuesday of every month.

• “The Magic Starts Here” exhibit will run through Feb. 25 at The Bascom in Highlands. Featuring numerous students from the Master of Fine Arts program at Western Carolina University, there will be a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at The Bascom. www.thebascom.org.

• The “Women Painters of the Southeast” exhibition will run through May 5 in the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. 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.

Smoky Mountain News

The next film in the Southern Circuit series at Western Carolina University will be “Mango Dreams.” It will be shown at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the University Center theater in Cullowhee.

The film tells the story of a Hindu doctor with dementia and a Muslim rickshaw driver forming an unlikely friendship as they journey 1,000 miles across India in a rickshaw.

All showings in the Southern Circuit Film Series are free for everyone.

The event is part of the Arts and Cultural Events series at WCU. For more information about the ACE series, contact Brandon Lokey, assistant director for campus programs, at 828.227.7206 or by email at bklokey@wcu.edu.

The Western North Carolina “Artists Count” project is hosting a series of exhibitions to highlight the rich visual contributions made by area artists.

The first such exhibit, “Smoky Mountains Sampler” is now open at the Welcome Center north of Asheville on Interstate 26. Eighteen artists from Jackson and Swain counties are included in the premier exhibit along with six illustrated panels that direct visitors to places where they can see and buy art. Sites include artisan studios, galleries, museums, shops, and community organizations in Bryson City, Cherokee, Dillsboro, and Sylva.

The “Artists Count” project was inspired by the fact that Western North Carolina is celebrated for its heritage arts and crafts, but there is a gap between the excellent work produced here and its exposure to wider markets. Data suggests that 60 percent of surveyed craft consumers came from outside the state.

The project strives for authenticity and promotes “homegrown” entrepreneurs.

The six display panels are aimed at helping to connect visitors to the arts and to encourage them to buy local art during their stay.

Artists in the exhibition include potters Susan Coe and Ed and Kari McIlvaine along with painter Barbara Robinson from Bryson City. Artworks from Cherokee include a cornhusk doll by Polly Rattler, a “Seven Clans” bowl by Dean Reed, a mask

by Judson Bradley, and a basket by Ramona Lossie.

February 1-7, 2017

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at the Bardo Arts Center is currently showcasing the exhibition “Soft Diplomacy: Quilting Cultural Diplomacy in Liberia” through May 5. There will be a reception on Thursday, Feb. 9.

Curated by Dr. Stephanie Beck Cohen, “Soft Diplomacy” explores quilts made in Liberia, West Africa, and gifted across the Atlantic Ocean as part of cultural diplomacy with the United States. During the 19th century, American settlers carried this artistic tradition to Liberia. In the centuries that followed, quilts served as both an anchor to their American heritage and a medium through which Liberian women visualize their daily lives and their nation’s history.

“Soft Diplomacy” demonstrates the strength, endurance, and changing nature of textiles and the relationships between the women who make them, their patrons, and collaborators. The exhibition brings together Liberian quilts used in political exchange, depicting political and national themes for the first time, highlighting the works of Liberian women from the 20th and 21st centuries who visualized cultural memory and trauma before, during and after Liberia’s civil war.

The series of events related to this exhibition begins on Thursday, Feb. 9, with a roundtable discussion on, “Africa, Cultural Exchange and Soft Diplomacy” from 3:30 to

Sylva artist Sharon Bunting is showing a series of colored pencil drawings, while Isabella R. Jacovino is exhibiting a digital print. Blown glass by Judy McManus and digital photography by Teri Leigh Teed are also on view.

Cullowhee artists Neal Howard is showing her woven silk, metalsmith William Rogers is displaying a set of forged candlesticks, painter Susan Lingg has a watercolor on view, and Lee Budahl is showing a trompe l’oeil painting. Glenville is represented by Beth Bowser with a fused and slumped glass piece and Ken Bowser who is showing an oil painting.

Smoky Mountains Sampler is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, Jackson County Arts Council, and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. The inaugural exhibit will remain on view until July.

arts & entertainment

WCU ‘Soft Diplomacy’ exhibition

Jackson and Swain artists showcased

• “Stitch,” the 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 23 levels welcome. www.haywoodlibrary.org.

Smoky Mountain News

February 1-7, 2017

arts & entertainment

On the stage

24

WCU presents ‘This Is Our Youth’ The 2016-17 Mainstage theatre season of Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen will continue with “This Is Our Youth,” a snapshot of the moment between adolescence and adulthood for three wayward residents of New York City.

Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3 and Saturday, Feb. 4, and at 3 p.m. on Feb. 4 and Sunday, Feb. 5, in the Black Box Theatre of WCU’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

The play tells the story of two college dropouts, Dennis and Warren, who live in an Upper West Side apartment in 1982.

Dennis is living off his family’s wealth, and Warren has stolen $15,000 from his own father.

Both are caught up in the “Me Generation” of the 1980s, but both simultaneously reject the elitist world of their parents, according to Jayme McGhan, director

of the School of Stage and Screen.

Tickets are $11 for WCU faculty and staff, and seniors; $16 for adults; and $10 for students on the day of the show and $7 in advance.

Waynesville historical speakers series starts

Events like international dinners, a quilt show, historical lectures and family-fun programs like “Spookmoot” were made possible by such support.

The menu will include a first course that is chef ’s choice amuse bouche (chef ’s selection); second course choice of either Caesar salad or tomato bisque; third course choices of Tuscan pasta, chicken marsala or Italian shrimp scampi, and fourth course dessert of California cheesecake with a choice of chocolate port or raspberry port sauce.

One glass of wine or nonalcoholic beverage and taxes and gratuities are included in the fundraising cost of $60 per person.

Visit www.folkmoot.org to purchase tickets online or call the office, 828.452.2997 to purchase tickets over the phone. Tickets are not available at the door.

The Town of Waynesville Historic Preservation Commission will host a series of speakers to inform the public on the rich and fascinating stories behind some of the historic places within the community. Talks will be held at 4 p.m. in the Town Hall Board Room.

• “Old Times, Old Places, Old Ways” by Ann Melton on Feb. 2.

• “William Holland Thomas” by Gavin Brown on March 2.

• “Country Roads: Pathways to Our Artistic Heritage” by Libba Feichter on April 6.

• “Local history and The National Register” by a panel of local historians on May 4.

For more information contact the Town’s Development Services Department at 828.456.8647.

Folkmoot wine, food fundraiser is Feb. 9 In its efforts to bring more year-round cultural programming to the region, Folkmoot is partnering with The Classic Wineseller for a fundraising event to purchase stage curtains in the Sam Love Queen Auditorium.

The evening will feature wine, live music and food from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

With its strategic plan to renovate the Historic Hazelwood School and fill it with arts and cultural programming, Folkmoot has solidified and strengthened its partnerships with organizations like Haywood Regional Medical Center, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

Tickets are available online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or by calling the box office at 828.227.2479.

‘Live via Satellite’ ballet, theatre

The Highlands Performing Arts Center will continue the “Live via Satellite” series with The Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow and The National Theatre of London.

• 12:55 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5: The Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow’s encore performance of “Swan Lake.” At moonlight, on the banks of a mysterious lake, Prince Siegfried meets the bewitched swan-woman Odette. Completely spellbound by her beauty, he swears his faithfulness to her. However, the prince realizes too late that fate has another plan for him.

• 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11: The National Theatre of London presents a production of “Amadeus.”

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

Books

Smoky Mountain News

25

Hillbilly Elegy author can’t shake the label “Southern Appalachia is a region about which, perhaps, more things are known that are not true than any other part of the country.”

— John C. Campbell arly in J. D. Vance’s passionate tribute to his “hillbilly roots,” the author recalls “the Hillbilly Highway.” The term was applied to the network of roads that ran from the Southern Appalachians to the industrial towns of the North. Vance notes that this stretch of highway became famous due to the awesome numbers of cars with tags from Kentucky, Tennessee Writer and the Carolinas that packed the roads to Dayton and other northern cities on the days before and after holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas). Usually, the term is derogatory, coined by alarmed northerners who saw their cities flooded by hillbilly transplants.

Vance provides ample facts that reveal that the migration was mutually beneficial. Due to a shortage of labor, Dayton had developed a vigorous recruiting program designed to recruit a southern work force. It proved highly successful since places like Dayton, Flint and Detroit were all filled with hillbilly settlements. All of these transplants immediately set about establishing closely knit neighborhoods where they continued to practice a lifestyle that preserved their beliefs and customs ... one of which is going home for the holidays.

In addition, Vance reminds the reader that the Scots-Irish are a “distinctive subgroup, the most persistent, unchanging culture in the country. Their family structure, religion, politics and social lives remain unchanged,” whereas other cultures are quick to abandon traditions and customs.”

Having said this, Vance launches into a personal history where he readily catalogues the problems involved in attempting to live in two worlds: Middletown, Ohio (location of the factories), and his grandmother’s house in Kentucky. It is an astonishing account of the author’s childhood, his education, his military career (Marines), his years at Yale Law School and his current Ivy League life. It is an aston-

Gary Carden

E

ALSO:

fired. She rarely injured anyone. His grandfather did not work and had never been employed. His actual father had vanished after Vance was abandoned, and Vance went through five “wouldbe” fathers, several of which he liked, but all of them vanished at his mother’s whim.

An alcoholic, Vance’s mother finally became a heroin addict. In later life, she was repeatedly placed in mental health facilities.

However, despite her offensive language and short temper, Vance’s grandmother was the Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance. HarperCollins, 2016. 264 pages. most stable member of the “crazy Blanton family.” Although in by his grandparents, and Vance recounts a she had a manic hatred of pedophiles and series of stories that reflect his home life. His homosexuals, she gave Vance a place to sleep, grandmother carried a pistol all of her life, and when confronted by officials of the law or taught him how to fight when bullies plagued him, and through it all and stubbornly repeatstore clerks who angered her, she drew it and ishing biography.

Vance was born to an alcoholic mother who gave him up for adoption. He was taken

ed a kind of mantra, “My children will have a better life than I have.”

Since Vance had been a timid child and had trouble asserting himself, he does conclude that his grandmother made him finish school. After his grandfather died, Vance attended Ohio State where he experienced a growing depression and finally, he joined the Marines. At this point, he undergoes a nearmystical experience. Although Vance attributes his survival to his grandmother, it is the Marines that gives him confidence and finally fills him with a need to venture into the Ivy League life where he pursues a legal career.

The last part of Hillbilly Elegy is a summing up of Vance’s reason for writing this book. He is painfully aware that he is an anomaly. There are thousands of young, deserving hillbillies who will never make it to the Ivy League. Why? The obvious answer is that they do not have the resources, and anyone reading this book will be equally aware that the majority of us will not have the intervention of someone who is in a position to help. J. D. Vance is blessed by always being at the right place at the right time.

In one candid section, the author admits that there were times when his successful rise to a prominent position in the Yale Law School would have been halted if someone had not told him he was wearing the wrong clothes. He had to give up the Marine combat boots and not long after he had found Joseph E. Banks, he found that he had to move to another preferred clothing store. He also notes that the fact that he had waited until he was in Yale School to find “a suitable wife.” He also confesses that Usha has saved him from numerous disasters. Thanks to Usha he knows which fork to use, which wine to order, which hand to shake. Sounds a bit like a “trophy wife”: intelligent, beautiful and capable since she, too, is a lawyer.

Vance insists that in spite of the six-figure income, the prominent position, and the fact that he vacations in the Bahamas and attends the Metropolitan Opera, he still feels like a hillbilly. Recently, when he attempted to share one of his favorite restaurants with a Yale Law School companion, his friend was not favorably impressed and branded Cracker Barrel just another greasy roadside cafe. That offends me, too. Time to call Granny.

(Gary Carden can be reached a gcarden498@aol.com)

• Poet Herisson Chicas will read from 8 to 10 p.m. Feb. 8 in the UC Illusions at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. www.wcu.edu.

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Tracing the fire’s path Wildfire impacts range from barely there to complete char, but true effects remain to be seen

Fire brushed by a sign affixed to a tree near Wayah Bald but left it mostly legible.

Holly Kays photo

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER t’s a warmer-than-average January day, the contours of the mountains visible from the highway beneath a thin covering of leafless tree branches under a half-blue sky. A U.S. Forest Service Jeep travels west on U.S. 74, bypassing Franklin and hanging a right for the winding road that leads to Wayah Bald.

The vehicle pauses for a moment as it traverses a valley framed by Wayah’s upwardreaching face. The slope is mottled with patches of darkness that could almost pass for cloud shadows.

They’re burn scars.

Of the roughly 48,000 acres of wildfire that emanated from the national forests west of Asheville this fall, the area around Wayah Bald is perhaps the most accessible spot that was subject to severe burning. Here, 100-foot flames torched the landscape before changes in topography forced things to calm down.

I

WAYAH BALD The fire makes its presence felt gradually as the Jeep climbs the gravel road en route to the parking area. Patches of leaf litter have disappeared, consumed by a low-intensity, creeping burn. The fire didn’t have the strength to jump the road, but on the east side stumps and tree bases are charred here and there, the ground blackened in places. It’s the kind of burn that will disappear without a trace in the space of a year or so, its effects invisible to the untrained eye.

As the road climbs through a series of hairpin turns, however, the evidence of a gently licking fire gives way to the remains a fullon inferno.

Entire trees stand bare, uniformly black

from top to bottom. What had been a rhododendron thicket persists as a tangle of twisted, charred arms. The ground is black and crispy, eliciting a satisfying crunch when stepped upon. More than a month after the fire was defeated, the smell of ash hangs in the air, the branches making charcoal etchings on any patch of skin or fabric that would chance to brush against them.

“So, have you seen any orcs yet?” Forest Service botanist Gary Kauffman jokes to his colleague Cathy Dowd, public information officer for the forest.

He’s scrambled down the slope a ways to test the soil for its ability to absorb water.

Sometimes, fire can heat the soil enough that it repels water — a condition called hydrophobocity that creates risk of landslides and flooding in the face of heavy rain. In a survey that Kauffman and a team of other specialists completed immediately after the fires, all the locations they tested exhibited some level of hydrophobocity.

This time around, Kauffman calls up the slope with some good news. The dribbling of water he’d released into the soil took a little longer to absorb than you might expect, but it did absorb. That impermeable layer he’d observed a month ago seemed to be breaking down.

Kauffman returns uphill, the same way the fire came when it roared up to Wayah Bald.

Fire travels faster uphill, rising flames preheating the fuels above them. This blaze was encouraged by winds that wafted it stronger and stronger — the perfect scenario for an intense fire. Most of the trees up here will probably die, Kauffman says. But maybe not the shrubs, whose roots seem to be mostly intact.

“What may result from this is a heath bald,” Kauffman says. “It’s much harder

because of all the rhododendron for trees to come up through, so it may be this dense thicket with just a few trees.”

The 60-foot Wayah Bald Tower is still standing, its stone walls free of char. But where it was once capped by a wooden roof, an array of interpretive signs annotating the view, the tower is bare. The fire consumed all of those burnable materials — likely the result of an escaped ember, Kauffman theorizes, since there’s no evidence of flames licking the sides of the structure.

The Appalachian Trail heads north behind the tower, the blackened remains of an azalea patch quickly giving way to a forest that obviously escaped the fate afforded the dead trees at the summit. The char becomes spottier.

There are some burned stumps, some trees blackened at the base, mountain laurels whose evergreen leaves hang dead and brown.

But at the same time, leaves and sticks are still visible on the ground, and moss still grows green on logs and rocks. A test for hydrophobocity yields negative results.

“At this point, the fire was starting to go out,” Kauffman explains. “Even though there was continuous fuel, it didn’t burn.”

The trail crosses a private, dirt road, and so does the fire — but not without sacrificing another level of intensity. And as the trail continues parallel to the road for a piece, it’s apparent that the fire wasn’t strong enough to jump the trail after already having jumped the road.

From this vantage point, the burn looks about like it does in the majority of the affected acres. According to the Forest Service’s Burned Area Report — a document that Kauffman helped complete — the burn severity for 98 percent of the 35,953 acres evaluated for the report ranged from unburned to

low, with only 1 percent experiencing moderate burn and less than 1 percent experiencing a high-burn severity.

TELLICO GAP Tellico Gap, where the Jeep heads next, is somewhere in that low to moderate range.

The usual layer of fallen leaves mostly absent, the ground looks a lot darker than you’d expect for a deciduous forest floor. It’s apparent where the heat was concentrated, as rhododendron leaves are brown below about head height and green higher up. However, the area is far removed from the obvious inferno that swept through Wayah. Not even the leaf litter is burned uniformly, with islands of unburned ground floating amid larger patches where bare soil is visible.

Kauffman does a couple hydrophobocity tests — things are absorbing just fine in this area, it seems — and keeps an eye out for garlic mustard. The invasive herb has been known to grow in areas nearby, and the bare ground exposed by the fire could create opportunity for it to spread. The aggressive plant might then displace native species, which are better sources of food for insects and wildlife.

The Forest Service secured $55,000 to treat areas for invasive plants across nine different wildfire areas in Western North Carolina. Kauffman was keeping his eyes open, as it’s easy to pull the weeds when they’re small in size and number. If the problem proves to be bigger than just a few plants, the earlier in the season it’s dealt with, the better.

“If you treat it early, you get less unneces-

S EE FIRE, PAGE 28

FAQ: The effects of WNC’s 2016 fire season DID THE FIRES HURT WILDLIFE? Prescribed burning is often used as a tool to benefit wildlife by regenerating their habitat, and in the case of the slowly creeping ground fires that accounted for most of the burned area, wildlife are usually able to get out of the way as flames approach.

However, not all species are that mobile. The noonday globe snail, listed as threatened, is the focus of significant concern. (see page 30) The species is only known to inhabit a 99-acre area of the Nantahala Gorge, and 85 percent of those acres burned. Wildlife biologists are still assessing how the fire might have impacted its population, or if the species has some kind of mechanism — such as burrowing — available to avoid the flames.

In the short-term, other wildlife species could face hardship from the fires, Wilkins said.

“Parts of that, I’m sure it had a huge impact because you basically eliminated most of the winter forage, whether it’s acorns that are on the ground still edible or forbs and other brush species that would help carry them through the winter,” he said. “I’m sure it’s had a localized impact.”

However, that impact would unlikely be large enough to affect overall populations, Wilkins said, and long-term the fires will result in a flush of green in the understory that will ultimately benefit wildlife.

WILL THE FIRES INCREASE THE CHANCE OF FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES?

Typically, spring fire seasons tend to be more severe than fall fire seasons. The humidity is lower, winds are gustier, and the sap flowing through the trees makes them more volatile, Wilkins said.

So, while fuels are pretty wet right now, the region is still in drought. The potential for a spring fire season will depend on what the weather does over the coming months.

“We could hope for a normal or light season, but right now they’re predicting the potential for a drier than normal spring,” Wilkins said.

In the Asheville office, Public Information Officer Cathy Dowd is preparing for just that possibility, compiling information about key contacts, the area’s fire history and firewise behavior to have at the ready. The last time the region saw a significant fall fire season, in 2007, a significant spring fire season followed.

“Everybody’s really keeping an eye on the weather and the drought because we could also go into fire restrictions again,”

South of the Smokies, 58 miles of the A.T. run through North Carolina and are maintained by the Nantahala Hiking Club. Of those 58 miles, 26 were part of the burned area, said Bill Van Horn, a member and past president of NHC. Of those 26 miles, about 90 percent experienced pretty mild burning, Van Horn said, about the same level you’d get with a prescribed burn. However, about 10 percent burned hot, consuming wooden anti-erosion features on the trail and creating hazards like holes in the ground and dead trees.

“We’ll be working on it probably for a good six months, and that will put off some of our other normal maintenance,” Van Horn said.

The pieces of the trail most affected by the fire are also the most remote — with the time it takes to drive and then hike to the trouble spot, an eight-hour day yields only about four hours of work.

Then there are the hazardous holes created when the fire consumed tree stumps that the trail’s original builders left in the ground when the A.T. was first built, back in the 1930s.

“Once it started burning it burned slowly and it burned completely, so instead of having that wooden stump there you have nothing but ash,” Van Horn said. “When the rain comes it just compacts it and we have to deal with these holes.”

The holes can create a hazard for hikers, who might inadver-

DID THE FIRE CREATE MANY OPEN SPACES?

The contentious forest management planning process has been underway for years now, and one of the central points has been disagreement over the need for more young forest habitat — also referred to as early successional — in the forest. Some believe that the proportion of young forest habitat is way too low and hindering the health of wildlife populations, particularly of game species, while others believe that protecting existing Botanist Gary Kauffman looks old-growth forest should be the priority.

Either way, it doesn’t seem that the fires over the burned ground surrounding the Appalachian Trail moved the needle in terms of existing condigoing north from Wayah Bald. tions.

“I would say the amount (of young forest Holly Kays photo habitat) the fires created would certainly be less than 5 percent, maybe less than 1 percent, of the fire area,” Kauffman said.

The fire was mostly a slow-moving, lowintensity affair. It will likely benefit fireadapted tree species, reinvigorate plant growth and reduce the risk of wildfire reigniting those same areas for a number of years — but it didn’t create too many meadows.

“The fires didn’t affect what we want the forest to be in the future, nor did they have an immediate effect on the steps we need to take in that direction,” said Michelle Aldridge, planning officer for the Forest Service.

While the Forest Service will incorporate new information on the burn’s impacts into the plan as it goes along, there’s no call to tently plunge a foot into them while carrying a heavy pack. The NHC go backwards in the process, Aldridge said. is working to find any ash-filled stump holes out there.

The fires will have at least one impact on the planning process, On the whole, though, the A.T. didn’t come out too badly, Van however. Many of the same staff responsible for helping develop the Horn said. plan were called out to respond to the fires, so staff lost about two “We were lucky,” he said. “We had 10 shelters out there and 10 months of time that ordinarily would have been devoted to developprivies and none of them were damaged. That was due totally, I ing the plan. In addition, just before fire season hit the Forest think, to the Forest Service going in there before the fire got there.”

Service decided to add an additional chapter to the plan, one that looks at particular “special places” that people mentioned in their comments. While the current timeline calls for a draft plan to be ERE ANY STRUCTURES LOST released this spring, Aldridge says late summer is now the earliest Despite more than 150 homes being evacuated as flames the document will be released, and it might not be ready until fall. advanced, a hunting cabin near Wayah Bald was the only casualty “It’s not just fire season that’s causing the delay,” she said. on private lands near the Nantahala National Forest.

“It’s a strengthening of the plan, and we think it’s more important However, the Forest Service itself did see some notable losses. to take that time now than to wait and have those discussions The wooden boardwalk at Whitewater Falls near Cashiers burned later.”

27

Smoky Mountain News

IS A SPRING FIRE SEASON LIKELY?

HOW DID THE FIRES AFFECT THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL?

February 1-7, 2017

The U.S. Forest Service’s Burned Area Report identified several areas where there is a high risk of flooding or landslides due to loss of vegetation and water-repellent soil.

However, with more than a month elapsed since the report’s Dec. 12 completion and multiple heavy rains in the rear-view mirror, there haven’t seemed to be any issues. Many areas that the team completing the report initially observed to have water-repellent soil seem to be absorbing water much more readily.

“Even after these rain events we did not see much soil movement or erosion potential from the hydrophobic soils,” Kauffman said.

The report included a list of risks resulting from the fires, colorcoding them by severity. Areas listed as being at a high risk for flooding or landslides were: n Nelson Ridge Road and Vineyard Road. Increased risk of flooding. n Locust Tree Road, Crawford Cove Road, Wayah Bald Road.

Increased risk of flooding. n Poplar Cove Road. Increased risk of landslides and flooding. n Winding Stairs Road. Increased risk of landslides and flooding, as well as hazard trees, debris and rolling rocks. n Partridge Road. Increased risk of landslides and flooding.

Dowd said.

To a degree, though, the fire season could depend on the scruples of people in the area. Of the 20-plus fires that burned through WNC last fall, only one is thought to have resulted from natural causes. The rest were caused by humans, either accidentally or on purpose. All the fires are currently under investigation.

outdoors

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

completely, leading the Forest Service to close the area indefinitely until the walkway can be rebuilt.

“It burned up almost everything. We just wondered if maybe the person who started it put some gasoline or something on the wood, just torched it,” said Gary Kauffman, botanist for the Forest Service. “That’s going to take quite a while to fix and it’s very expensive, so the trail there may be closed for a year.”

The Forest Service has secured funding to rebuild the walkway, said Nantahala District Ranger Mike Wilkins, and it’s hoping for the project to be done by July 1. The price tag is likely to run between $150,000 and $200,000.

About 55,000 people visit Whitewater Falls each year, and it’s “one of our county’s greatest assets” for tourism, said the Jackson’s tourism director Nick Breedlove.

However, he doesn’t expect the temporary closure to have too much impact on the county’s ability to bring in tourists, as Jackson isn’t in short supply when it comes to impressive waterfalls.

The fire also burned the roof off of the historic Wayah Bald Lookout Tower. No money has yet been appropriated for that project, and Wilkins said he has no estimate for how much it might cost.

However, a local timber framer has offered to donate the labor, and some other folks have offered to supply materials in a public-private partnership to rebuild the site — firmer plans should be in hand within the month.

The Forest Service also lost six interpretative signs, which will cost about $800 apiece to replace.

W

?

outdoors

FIRE, CONTINUED FROM 26 sary contamination of other herbs because they’re not up yet,� he explained.

Luckily, garlic mustard doesn’t appear to be a problem at Tellico — yet. He’ll be back to check again before the winter is out.

direction from which the fire came is obvious. The trees look untouched from the bottom of the gorge, but look downslope and you can see that the bases are charred from the uphill side.

It’s here that Kauffman finds the first

Kauffman and Dowd also spend a minute searching for snails. They’re all over, empty shells bleached white. But they don’t find any representing the one species they’re looking for, called the noonday snail. The species has been documented only on a 99-

NANTAHALA GORGE

Smoky Mountain News

February 1-7, 2017

Winding down from Tellico and through the Nantahala community toward Almond, evidence of fire recedes and then disappears, replaced by the peaceful scenes of a rural region where life flows along largely independent of the outside world.

But then the road turns toward the Nantahala Gorge, and gazing up the rugged mountainsides reveals that the fire touched here, too. Dead treetops populate the peak, and closer to the road the telltale blackness scatters along the forest floor and climbs up the bases of trees. “Of anywhere you would not expect it to burn, it would be here,� Kauffman says.

The gorge is moist, humidified by the Nantahala River running through it. And it’s protected by steep slopes on either side — fire would have to climb downhill for quite a ways to reach the bottom, and fires typically have a hard time retaining their fury on the descent.

The Jeep seeks out a pull-off, and its occupants scramble up the side of the gorge.

Even getting off the road requires a running start, and then a half-climbing hike as fingernails grip the dirt. Looking down, the

truly hydrophobic soil of the day, present in a small patch of harshly blackened ground surrounded by fuel that was barely consumed. The water droplet flops over, coating itself with grainy soil and laying there, bloblike.

acre area of the Nantahala Gorge, and 85 percent of those acres were burned in the fire. “Most creatures could get away from the fire,� Kauffman says. “Snails, it’s a little bit harder to move.�

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Fire roared uphill to Wayah Bald, scorching trees top to bottom with 100-foot flames, but after crossing the road its power diminished, as shown by the contrast between blackened trees on the right and barely burned ones on the left. Holly Kays photo

But when it comes to the snails, as to most everything else associated with impacts from the fires, Kauffman’s firmest conclusion is that we’ll just have to wait and see.

Fires can be good. They can reinvigorate plant life, improve habitat for wildlife, and reduce fuel loads so that the chance of wildfire stays lower going forward. But they can also cause issues, as in the case of the noonday snail, or when it comes to creating hazards from fallen trees, flooding, invasive species or loss of structures.

Often, it’s impossible to really ferret out what those impacts will be until some time has passed.

Kauffman recalls the surprising outcome of the Silvermine Fire that burned in Madison County during the spring of 2016. “It looked like while the fire was hot, it didn’t have really high-intensity flames and it didn’t char a large amount of the tree, nor did it seem to affect the soil layer, but a lot of the trees for 100 acres are dead,� Kauffman said.

From snails to trees to trails, the ultimate verdict will likely come at the end of a waiting game that extends through the next season. “For most things, it’s too early to tell,�

Kauffman said.

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n Learn how to make a fairy garden with a hands-on demonstration from Annie Burrell, coowner of Rabbit Creek Pottery, 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Sylva Presbyterian Church. The demonstration is offered as part of the Sylva Garden Club’s regular monthly meeting. nballiot@gmail.com. n A search for wintering water birds and other species, led by birders John and Cathy Sill, will

circle Lake Junaluska the morning of Saturday, Feb. 10. Organized by the Franklin Bird Club, the outing will offer a carpool from Franklin.

Sign up at 828.524.5234. n Sediment pollution and its effects on waterways will be discussed at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Rendezvous Restaurant in Maggie Valley. Led by Hartwell Carson, a Riverkeeper for the French Broad River, the presentation is offered as part of Trout Unlimited Cataloochee’s monthly meeting.

Drought on the retreat A week of rainy weather put drought on the retreat, with the classification of extreme drought absent from North Carolina for the first time since Oct. 11, 2016.

The latest drought map from the U.S. Drought Monitor, published Jan. 24, shows Macon, Graham, Cherokee and Clay counties as the driest in the state, classified as experiencing severe drought. The 11 westernmost counties adjacent are classified as experiencing moderate drought, with 20 more classified as abnormally dry.

By comparison, the previous week’s drought map showed 35 counties experiencing a drought classified as moderate or greater. Currently, only 15 counties inhabit those classifications.

Drought maps are updated every Thursday and available at www.ncdrought.org.

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National Park wants Scenic Byway designation for Newfound Gap Road The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hoping to get Newfound Gap Road designated as a National Scenic Byway, and a draft of the corridor management plan that the park must have in place to seek that designation is open for public comment through Feb. 24.

The road, also known as U.S. 441, is already a designated state scenic highway in both Tennessee and North Carolina, but park officials believe it could also qualify for the national designation.

The corridor management plan would guide the management of the byway to protect its important qualities. While not a decision-making document, the plan would provide a framework for future planning.

In reviewing public comments, the park would like to learn what significant experiences are currently available to visitors traveling Newfound Gap Road and whether any additional steps or strategies should be considered to help maintain the corridor’s outstanding qualities.

View and comment on the plan at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/grsm.

Information entered on this site is subject to the Freedom of Information Act and can be made publically available.

Information on National Scenic Byways is available at www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways.

Grant to help kids explore the Great Smokies A $20,000 Google Field Trip Days grant will help the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont give more kids and school groups access to its immersive environmental education programs.

The grant, which is part of the National Parks Foundation’s Open OutDoors for Kids Program, will support scholarships for underserved youth to take part in Tremont’s three-day educational program in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “We need the support of our community to get youth outside and active in nature, so our deepest thanks go out to these wonderful donors whose support creates lasting impacts on the next generation,� said Jen Jones, Tremont’s president and CEO. The Google Field Trip Days grants are part of the NPF’s $350 million Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks and will make it possible for about 1,700 underserved children to visit national parks for participation in multi-day immersive environmental education programs.

Tremont is a nonprofit education partner of the Smokies, hosting 6,000 youth and adults from more than 30 states each year to live and learn in America’s most-visited national park.

Run toward spring outdoors

It may be winter, but running season is just around the corner, with registration already open for some races. n The seventh annual Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K will take off at 8 a.m.

Saturday, April 1, at Western Carolina University. Half marathon runners will embark on a 13.1-mile journey through campus, along the Tuckasegee River and around the Cullowhee community, while 5K walkers and runners will tour the campus. $40 for the half marathon and $20 for the 5K through March 5, with proceeds used to help WCU students with professional development, presentations and travel to conferences. halfmarathon.wcu.edu or valleyofthelilies@wcu.edu. n The Friends of the Lake 5K Road Race and Walk will be held 9 a.m. Saturday, April 15, at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. The event will feature a 5K run and walk, as well as a fun run for kids under 10. $25 through March 31, with a t-

Explore night skies Runners get going at the Valley of the Lilies race at Western Carolina University.

WCU photo

shirt included. Proceeds benefit maintenance and improvements for the grounds,

lake and recreation areas at Lake Junaluska. www.lakejunaluska.com/run.

Fee to rise for senior parks passes

Senior passes to visit the national parks are scheduled to get more expensive, with the fee for the lifetime America the Beautiful pass to increase from $10 to $80.

The fee increase is part of the National Park Service Centennial Act, which President Obama signed into law Dec. 16, 2016. The additional revenue is supposed to help pay for projects and services in the national parks.

The pass, which is available for U.S. citizens and permanent residents 62 and older, provides access to federal recreation sites for the passholder and up to three other adults in the same vehicle. The $10 fee will remain until the new rules can be implemented. There is no firm date when the fee hike will take effect.

Passes can be obtained in person at any federal recreation site and are good for the passholder’s lifetime.

Astronomical observation will go public with a slate of stargazing events planned this month at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman.

Scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Feb. 3, 4, 17 and 18, the sessions will allow participants to join PARI astronomers scanning the night skies for planets, nebulae, colored stars and other objects using the institute’s telescopes.

The Feb. 3 and 4 sessions will feature observations of Venus, Neptune, Uranus, the Orion, Nebula and colored stars M31 and M33. Feb. 17 and 18, Mars will join the mix as it journeys across the western sky to form a group conjunction with Uranus and Venus. $15 per person and free for children 10 and under, with reservations required before 3 p.m. the day of the vent. Register at www.pari.edu or 828.862.5554. Events may be canceled in case of poor weather.

February 1-7, 2017

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Polar Plunge comes to Lake J outdoors

A parade of brave folks — or foolish, depending on your take — will leap into the wintry waters of Lake Junaluska at 11:30

Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION Saturday, February 4th (aka, “Super Bowl Saturday”)11:30 am Lake Junaluska Assembly Beach (next to swimming pool)

100% of proceeds benefit Youth Education Programs PRIZES AWARDED TO BEST COSTUMES, TOP INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISERS & TOP TEAM FUNDRAISER! FREE T-SHIRT FOR ALL PLUNGERS. HOT CHILI LUNCH, BONFIRE, & DOOR PRIZES AVAILABLE FOR ALL

$25 to be a Plunger, $10 for under age 18 or FREE by raising sponsorships Visit www.crowdrise.com/5thannualpolarplunge for complete registration information or to donate Registration packets can be requested at

tumed plungers take the leap from the dock at Lake Junaluska Beach or dip a toe in the chilly water via a shore assault. And for those who would like to participate, registraPlungers penetrate the tion is open right up shore during a previous to the start of the Haywood Waterways event.

Association Polar Plunge.

The event will feaDonated photo ture bonfires, lunch, trophies and prizes for best costumes and top fundraisers.

All proceeds benefit environmental education programs such as Kids in the Creek, which gives Haywood County’s eighth graders a chance to get some hands-on environmental education splashing in the water. $25 for adults and $10 for those under a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, to raise money for 18, or free by raising sponsorships. Register Haywood Waterways Association’s environat www.crowdrise.com/5thannualpomental education programs. larplunge or call 828.476.4667.

Spectators are welcome to watch the cos-

info@haywoodwaterways.org or 828-476-4667.

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February 1-7, 2017

A crash course in winter tree identification will be offered 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, in the Craggy Mountain Wilderness Study Area near Barnardsville, offering first-hand experience in examining a variety of species over the course of an easy 3-mile hike.

Hosted by the Wilderness Society’s Southern Appalachian Office, based in Sylva, the workshop will be led by the organization’s regional director Brent Martin and landscape planner Hugh Irwin.

The course will cover basic tree identification and phenology, including writing and identification exercises that consider branch structure, buds and bark.

Free, with RSVP required due to limited group size. Michelle Ruigrok, michelle_ruigrok@tws.org.

Build your own fly rod A master in the art of fly rod building will share his craft during a two-month rod-building class beginning Feb. 7 at Haywood Community College.

Tommy Thomas, former president of the National Chapter of Trout Unlimited, will guide students through a different facet of the building process at each class, with sessions 7-9 p.m.

Tuesdays and Thursdays through April 4. Students will leave the class with a rod they built or restored themselves. $350 with all supplies included, though students are welcome to bring their own bamboo rod to restore. Part of HCC’s Continuing Education Creative Arts Program.

Register at creativearts.haywood.edu/contact or 828.565.4240.

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Advanced fly tyers will have the chance to learn from a pro 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians in Bryson City.

Shannon Messer, owner of Appalachian Flies and manager of the Orvis shop at Blackrock Outdoor in Sylva, will be teaching the class. Participants will learn to recreate traditional Appalachian flies like the Charlie Whopper, Adams Variant, Palmer and Thunder Head.

Free. Materials provided, but participants should bring a vise and tools. Space is limited.

Register with Messer at 828.226.2060 or appalachianflies@gmail.com.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Applications are being accepted for the Haywood County Farm Bureau Scholarship. Students must be graduating seniors, currently enrolled in a Haywood County school or enrolled in a two- or four-year school and a resident of Haywood County. 2.5 GPA or better.

452.1425 or Karen_greene@ncfbssc.com.

offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Small Business Center, Room 5108. Register or get more info: 627.4512 or SBC.Haywood.edu.

• Haywood Regional Medical Center will have representatives recruiting talent at an upcoming regional job fair from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Feb. 1 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Apply online or search opportunities: MyHaywoodRegional.com/careers or 452.8290.

• A TED talk discussion on “How to Speak so People Will Want to Listen” will be offered on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at the Waynesville Library. 15-20 minute talk followed by discussion. Registration required: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

• The third annual Harry Potter Book Night is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Feb. 2 at Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Games, activities, magic tricks and light refreshments. 524.3600.

• A seminar on QuickBooks 2 will be offered through Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 3-6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, in Room 203, Building 200, in Clyde. Presenter is Alicia Sisk-Morris, CPA PLLC. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Mountain Community Chorus will hold auditions for its upcoming season at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, at the Clegg Fine Arts Building, first floor, at Young Harris College in Georgia. Tenors are in great demand. Info: 706.897.4267 or www.mountaincommunitychorus.org.

• Volunteers will be available to assist area residents of all ages with federal and state income tax preparation and filing from Feb. 3-April 14. Hours are 10 a.m.3 p.m. every Friday and Monday at the Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva and from 3-6:45 p.m. on Tuesdays or by appointment at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. For appointments: 586.2016. For tax preparation assistance in other counties, visit: www.aarp.org.

• Haywood County’s Big Brothers Big Sisters Social Event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 9, at Boojum Brewing Taproom in Waynesville. Open to anyone interested in volunteering. 273.3601.

• Youth for Christ’s Outdoor Mission Camp is opening its doors to youth from every Haywood County church starting at 5 p.m. on Feb. 12 in Maggie Valley. Eat dinner, participate in a talent show, go for a hayride and sled (weather-permitting). Located at 3190 Fie Top Road. RSVP: 926.3253 or 336.529.9932.

• Registration is underway for a regional conference entitled “Growing Partnerships with Outdoor Tourism and Local Communities” that will be offered by Western Carolina University from 9:15 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. Ways to grow demand for outdoor tourism that contributes to the region’s economy will be discussed. Registration: $139. A TDA pre-conference workshop on the fundamentals of operating a tourism development authority will be offered from 1-5:30 p.m. the day before (Feb. 27). That workshop costs $29 with conference registration. Register: tourism.wcu.edu, 227.7397 or 800.928.4968.

• Progressive Nation WNC meetup is held from 5:30-8 p.m. each Monday at the Old Armory at 44 Boundary Street in Waynesville. For like-minded progressive and Democratic activists wanting to share ideas and action steps. Questions: Amber.Kevlin@aol.com.

• The 2017 grant application season has launched and guidelines and applications for the North Carolina Arts Council’s seven grant programs for organizations are now available. The deadline for receiving 2017-18 grant applications is Wednesday, March 1 and applications must be completed electronically through the North Carolina Arts Council’s online portal. For more information, visit www.ncarts.org/resources/grants/grantsorganizations.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • “Financing Your Business” is the topic of a seminar

• A program entitled “Choosing a Legal Structure” will be presented by Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6, at the Jackson Campus. Part of a business startup series, which will meet each Monday through March 27. Registration required: www.southwesterncc.edu/sbc. Info: 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

• “How to Start a Business” is the topic of a seminar offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Small Business Center, Room 5108. Register or get more info: 627.4512 or SBC.Haywood.edu.

• A Planetarium “IMPACT!” featuring Southwestern Community College chair and physics instructor Matt Cass is set for 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, in the Macon County Public Library Living Room in Franklin.

Discussion on the reason behind some of NASA’s current missions. Impact! Is a portable planetarium. At 6 p.m., Cass will introduce the film “Back to the Moon for Good.” 524.3600.

• “How to Price Your Product or Service” is the topic of a seminar offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the Small Business Center, Room 5108. Register or get more info: 627.4512 or SBC.Haywood.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

Monday, Feb. 6, at McDonalds on Russ Ave. in Waynesville. 273.3601.

• Folkmoot and the Classic Wineseller will hold a fundraising event from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 20 Church Street in Waynesville. Evening will feature wine, live music and food. Fundraiser is to purchase stage curtains in the Sam Love Queen Auditorium. $60 cost includes one glass of wine or nonalcoholic beverage. Purchase tickets at Folkmoot.org or call 452.2997.

Tickets not available at the door. Folkmoot info: 452.2997 or info@folkmoot.org.

• The Women of Waynesville (WOW) will host a winetasting fundraiser for member Becca Swanger, who is running for the 2017 Mardi Gras Ball queen to raise money for the Haywood County Schools Foundation, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at the Cork & Cleaver (Waynesville Inn).

• A charitable pint night is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 16 at Blue Ghost Brewery in Fletcher to benefit Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A program entitled “Salamanders and Storms: Climate Change in the Smokies” will be presented, 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 • 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 and to apply: 452.8301, stop by the information desk in the lobby or volunteer@haymed.org. Anyone interested in becoming a hospice volunteer can call 452.5039.

• Greening up the Mountains Festival is seeking artists, 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.

HEALTH MATTERS

• “How to Find Your Customers” is the topic of a seminar offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at the Small Business Center, Room 5108. Register or get more info: 627.4512 or SBC.Haywood.edu.

• Preparation for Childbirth classes will be taught by a certified childbirth educator from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays 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.

• Registration is underway for a Wilderness First aid class that will be offered from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Feb. 18-19 at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. $195. Class introduces you to techniques to care for the ill or injured in the backcountry. www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• An open discussion about Swain Community Hospital’s emergency department, which is open 24 hours per day, will be offered from 12:30-1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, in the hospital’s Main Hall Conference Room. 488.4013.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • A charitable pint night benefitting Great Smoky Mountains National Park is scheduled for 4-11 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, at Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville.

Fifteen percent of sales will support Friends of the Smokies. FriendsOfTheSmokies.org.

• The 5th Annual Polar Plunge Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek & Environmental Education, hosted by Haywood Waterways Association and Lake Junaluska Assembly, is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Lake Junaluska Beach. $25 (or $10 under 18). www.crowdrise.com/5thannualpolarplunge, 476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County will receive 20 percent of sales made from 5-8 p.m. on

33

• “Detox your Life Naturally,” an eco forum, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall in Franklin. Avoiding side effects of chemicals used in everyday products. Presented

by Dr. Linda Sparks, N.D., of Blue Ridge Natural Health.

524.3691. Covered dish supper at 5:30 p.m.

• “What’s normal? How do you measure mental health and well-being?” will be the topic for the Franklin Open Forum at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6, at the Rathkeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin. Open exchange of ideas (dialog, not debate). 371.1020.

•”Breastfeeding A-Z” will be offered for expectant mothers from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays, Feb. 9, April. 27, Aug. 31 and Nov. 9 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. Taught by Board-Certified Lactation Consultants. MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

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 • “Your Amazing Newborn” classes will be offered for new parents from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays, Feb. 16, May 4, Sept. 7 and Nov. 16 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• 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.

SPIRITUAL • “Family Faith and Freedom” is the topic for the Feb. 2 meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society. The meeting’s at 6:30 p.m. at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center in Bryson City. Presented by Mark Davidson.

• A new mindfulness group will meet from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursdays from Feb. 9-March 16 at 166 Branner Ave., Suite C, in Waynesville. Cost: $25 per person or $40 per couple per session. Registration required: 703.609.9107 or dchristiano@yahoo.com.

• An opportunity to worship, ski and participate in fellowship will be offered in a retreat Feb. 10-12 at Lake Junaluska, Cataloochee Ski Area and Wolf Ridge Ski Area. Music by The advice (worship band); speaker is Duffy Robbins. http://tinyurl.com/zfo3k7w.

POLITICAL • The Haywood County Republican Party’s annual precinct meetings will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Barkclad Building at 5095 Old River Road in Waynesville. Must be a registered Republican by Jan. 31 to vote at the precinct meeting. Info: 506.0205.

• A meeting of the Indivisible Sylva NC group is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Non-partisan citizen’s group devoted to resisting President Donald Trump’s agenda through local action.

Bswift4252@gmail.com or 507.1678.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • Haywood Ramblings will feature a presentation entitled “Old times, Old Places, Old Ways” by Ann Melton from 4-5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Waynesville Town Hall Board Room. Melton has written eight books on Waynesville and Haywood County history. Presented by the Town of Waynesville Historic Preservation Commission.

wnc calendar

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Skyland Care Center will host a Valentine’s Day meet-and-greet party for residents and the aging community as a whole from 2-4 p.m. on Feb. 14 at First Baptist Church in Sylva. 586.8935, ext. 1014.

A&E FOOD & DRINK • There will be a “Winter Blends” red wine tasting at 7 p.m. Feb. 2, at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. $20 for five wine with a bread and cheese pairing. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• The “Songwriters in the Round” series will continue with a “Valentine’s Songwriter” evening featuring Nashville act Henry Hipkens at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Balsam Mountain Inn. Tickets are $49, which includes a buffet dinner. 456.9498 or www.balsammountaininn.net.

February 1-7, 2017

• The Rail Line and Wine Experience “Uncorked” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in the Bryson City Train Depot. The GSMR is partnering with Lee’s at the Depot in Dillsboro in carefully selecting the wines, and also with Baxley’s Chocolates in Sylva. All passengers receive a souvenir stemless wine glass, four samples of selected wines and five chocolate samples. Age 21 and over only. Tickets are $119 per person. www.gsmr.com or www.greatsmokies.com.

• There will be a Valentine’s Day Party from 6 to 10 pm. Feb. 14 at the Sneak E Squirrel Brewery in Sylva.

Live music provided by the Twelfth Fret during the event. Dinner will be $37 per couple for an Italianinspired menu and include one beverage per person.

They will also be playing two rounds of the Newlywed game, one for couples married more than five years starting at 7 p.m. and one for couples married less than five years starting at 9 p.m. One winning couple from each group will get their dinner for free.

586.6440.

• The Balsam Mountain Inn will host a “Valentine’s Package” through Feb. 28. Add a candlelit dinner for two, fresh flowers, champagne, souvenir flutes and freshly baked cookies for an additional $125 to the room rate. To reserve, 800.224.9498.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • 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.

Smoky Mountain News

• Western Carolina University student musicians will

34

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 join members of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra for a performance of orchestral masterworks at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. $15 for adults; $5 for students and children. 227.2479 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (string band) will perform at 7 p.m. on Feb. 2 as part of the First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Series at Western Carolina University’s Robinson Administration Building in Cullowhee. An 8 p.m. jam session will follow. 227.7129.

• Country music singer-songwriter John Berry will perform an acoustic show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Tickets are $35 per person. www.38main.com.

• The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Selah (Christian/pop) with special guest Missy Robertson of TV’s “Duck Dynasty” at 7 p.m. Feb. 4. Tickets start at $18, with VIP packages available. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• The Bolshoi Ballet’s performance of Swan Lake will be presented live via satellite at 12:55 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center in Highlands. Tickets: highlandspac.org, at the door or 526.9047.

• Timothy Noble (piano) will perform at 3 p.m. on Feb. 5 at First Baptist Church in Waynesville. Canned soup will be collected and donated to the Food Pantry at Haywood Christian Ministries.

• Poet Herisson Chicas will read from 8 to 10 p.m. Feb. 8 in the UC Illusions at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. www.wcu.edu.

• Jacob Jones, Jessie Stephens & Friends will perform bluegrass and old-timey mountain music at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Jackson County Genealogical Society’s monthly program in the Community Room of the historic Jackson County Historic Courthouse in Sylva. Refreshment served at 6:30 p.m. 631.2646.

• The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Booth Brothers (Christian/pop) will also perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10, with tickets available at $20 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• The National Theatre of London presents a production of “Amadeus” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at The

We are proud to accept insurance plans from these local employers:

Highlands Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org, at the door or 526.9047.

• 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

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • A reception for the exhibition “Soft Diplomacy: Quilting Cultural Diplomacy in Liberia” will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee. Exhibit will run through May 5. 227.3591.

• The Western North Carolina “Artists Count” project is hosting a series of exhibitions to highlight the rich visual contributions made by area artists. The first such exhibit, “Smoky Mountains Sampler” is now open at the Welcome Center north of Asheville on Interstate 26.

• Abstract art will be exhibited through 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.

• “The Magic Starts Here” exhibit will run through Feb. 25 at The Bascom in Highlands. Featuring numerous students from the Master of Fine Arts program at Western Carolina University, there will be a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at The Bascom. www.thebascom.org.

• New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

FILM & SCREEN • “Mango Dreams,” a film that’s part of the Southern Circuit series, will be shown at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Western Carolina University Center theater in Cullowhee. The story of a Hindu doctor with dementia and a Muslim rickshaw driver forming an unlikely friendship while traveling 1,000 miles across India in a rickshaw. Free for students; $20 for others.

Bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• “Hidden Figures” is showing at the Strand on Main on Feb. 1-2. at 7 p.m. www.38main.com for ticket prices.

• “The Acountant” is playing at the Mad Batter Food & Film on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Free.

586.3555.

• “Queen of Katwe” is playing at the Mad Batter Food & Film on Friday, Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Free. 586.3555.

Outdoors

• A three-month ceramics exhibit at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum is currently in Cullowhee. Fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or 227.3591.

• Sky Trek public observing events will be offered from 6-8 p.m. on Feb. 3, 4, 17 and 18 at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman.

Observations of Venus, Neptune, Uranus, the Orion Nebula and colored stars M31 and M33 will be featured on Feb. 3-4; the Feb. 17-18 observations will add Mars to the mix. Cost is $15 per person; 10-and-under are free. Register and pay at www.pari.edu or by calling 862.5554. Info: schappell@pari.edu.

• 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.

• Haywood Community College’s Continuing Education Creative Arts Program will hold a fly rod building class starting Feb. 7. Class meets from 7-9 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday through April 4. Info or to register: creativearts.haywood.edu/contact or 565.4240.

• The “Women Painters of the Southeast” exhibition will run through May 5 in the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. www.wcu.edu.

• Trout Unlimited Cataloochee will have its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 7 at Rendezvous Restaurant in Maggie Valley since the second Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. Presenter is Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper for the past 11 years.

• An “Abstract Expressions” exhibit will run 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 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.

• 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.

• A crash course on learning how to hike the Appalachian Trail will be offered from 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, at REI in Asheville. Food and equipment selection will be discussed. Sign up: rei.com/learn.

• John and Cathy Sill will lead a birding trip on Feb. 10 to Lake Junaluska in search of wintering water birds and other species. Sponsored by the Franklin Bird Club.

Meet at 8 p.m. at Bi-Lo parking lot in Franklin to carpool. Sign up: 524.5234.

Puzzles can be found on page 38.

These are only the answers.

Call today to learn more about your specific coverage

DR. COY BROWN

828.456.3211 smokymtneye.com

PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

AUCTION

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

Rates:

■ Free — Lost or found pet ads.

■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads, ■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

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

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

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www.smokymountainnews.com

February 1-7, 2017

SEEKING OFFICE ASSISTANT For Busy Healthcare Office. Must be a Team Player Displaying Strong Work Ethic with the Ability to Effectively and Enthusiastically Multi-Task While Paying Close Attention to Detail. Positive Outgoing and Effective Communicator Who Enjoys People and Strives to Provide Excellent Customer Service. Proficient Computer Skills Required. Healthy Lifestyle is Important. Must be Available Mon.-Fri. 8a.m.-7p.m.

Bring Resume to Our Office: 73 W. Main St. Sylva, NC

EMPLOYMENT FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Audio Visual Technician, Dean of Corporate and Industry Training, Critical care Paramedic & RN Instructor, Certified Nursing Assistant Instructor, Automotive Systems Technology Instructor, Program Coordinator-Collision Repair & Refinishing For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer DRIVE WITH UBER. You’ll need a Smartphone. It’s fun and easy. For more information, call: 1.800.861.0329 SAPA DRIVER TRAINEES NEEDED! Learn to drive for Stevens Transport! No Experience Needed! New drivers can earn $900+ per week!

Paid CDL Training! Stevens covers all costs! 1.888.748.4137 drive4stevens.com

EMPLOYMENT WEATHERIZATION SPECIALIST Mountain Projects Inc. is currently accepting applications for a full-time Weatherization Specialist in Haywood County.

Must have experience with Weatherization Rehab, General Carpentry, Plumbing and Electrical experience in Construction Industry is needed. Please apply at MPI 2251 Old Balsam Rd Waynesville, NC 28786 or www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES Needed! Train at Home for a new career now at CTI! No Experience Needed! Online Training can get you job ready! 1.888.512.7122 HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. careertechnical.edu/nc

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

HEATHER A PETITE SHORT-HAIRED TORBIE GIRL ABOUT ONE YEAR OLD. SHE IS SWEET AND AFFECTIONATE, LIKES TO PLAY WITH HER CAT TOYS, AND WILL BE A DELIGHTFUL FAMILY COMPANION FOR HER LUCKY ADOPTERS.

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BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

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.

FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Biology Instructor, Coordinator for Military Programs. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer LOCAL DRIVERS WANTED! Be your own boss. Flexible hours.

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COMM. PROP. FOR RENT PROFESSIONAL MEETING SPACE Located in Waynesville, Holds up to 90 People. Suitable for Seminars, Family Gatherings, Worship, Ect. Kitchen Area, Wifi/ Screen. For More Information and Rates for ROOM 1902 Call 828.454.7445 or 828.551.8960 BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

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CAVALIER ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

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OFFICE HOURS: Wednesday 12:30pm - 4:00pm & Friday. 8:00am- 4:00pm 50 Duckett Cove Road, Waynesville

OFFICE HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 4:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Phone # 1-828-456-6776 TDD # 1-800-725-2962

Phone# 1.828.273.3639 TDD# 1.800.735.2962

Equal Housing Opportunity

This is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

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36

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

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MEDICAL

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February 1-7, 2017

WNC MarketPlace

Super

38

PLAYFUL BREEDS

CROSSWORD

Truman?

81 Gunfire noise ACROSS 86 Pindar work 1 Deluding deliberately 87 Heavy cart for 8 Stiff cat hair haulage 15 Capital of Morocco 88 Ejects 20 Of the side 91 — Alto, California 21 Plane for short hops 92 Fund for the future 22 Put a hex on 94 Dog’s felt-tip pen?

23 Dog having no 98 — Vicente bounds?

99 Drum machine 25 “I repeat ...”

100 Property claims 26 Gal pal, in Grenoble 101 Dog that doesn’t 27 Parts of lbs. dial long-distance?

29 Bring to ruin 107 Latin love 30 Dog hanging out with 108 Detroit-to-Charlotte pride members? dir.

39 Gawk rudely 109 Golfer McIlroy 40 Restrained with 110 Circle measures shackles 112 Hit by a dog?

41 Bit in trail mix 122 Heart’s place 42 British money depict- 123 French “Stephen” ing a dog?

124 Resembling element 45 Capital of Indonesia #50 49 Hollywood’s Raines 125 Speediness 50 Edible mushroom 126 Electrified 51 Sack fiber 127 Made irate 52 Catering hall receptacle 53 Take eager advanDOWN tage of 1 Atty.’s degree 55 Equaling a dog’s 2 Retired NBAer Ming level of coziness?

3 “Addams Family” 60 Plant pore cousin 63 “When I was — ...”

4 NBA nylon 64 With 32-Down, Lucille 5 Made a pained sound Ball’s partner 6 Motown singer Terrell 65 Dog carrying a con7 Stan’s “Swiss Miss” tainer of high-fat co-star spread?

8 Lived 73 Verdi song 9 That man’s 74 Cozy recess 10 Audit gp.

75 Old heads of Iran 11 Racecar fuel additive 76 Dog along with Mrs. 12 Chiang — -shek

13 Glorifies 14 “The Godfather” character Carlo 15 TV maker 16 Capital of Maine 17 Ranch iron 18 Brief digression 19 Carpentry joint part 24 Harder to grab hold of 28 Haydn work 30 Ripped off 31 St. — Girl (beer brand) 32 See 64-Across 33 Memo words 34 Nabisco’s — Wafers 35 Prefix with 20-Across 36 Sugar pie 37 H.S. subj.

38 Zaps in the microwave 39 “— Out of My League” 43 Whacked, biblically 44 Thus far 45 Wine vessel 46 Indian money 47 Tie up tightly 48 #1 Rolling Stones hit 51 A tribe of Israel 54 Subj. for U.S. aliens 56 Burlap bags 57 Camera inits.

58 Scottish refusals 59 Gator’s tail?

61 Mork’s girl 62 First little bit of progress 65 BLT part 66 Wear slowly 67 Buenos — (capital of Argentina) 68 Comedy bit

69 Weeding aid 70 Cuban hero Jose 71 Deep fissure 72 President before DDE 77 Noble goal 78 Dialects 79 Equine loser 80 Hercules player Kevin 82 Spring month 83 Sulu player George 84 Coeur d’— (Idaho city) 85 Rocky crags 89 Atop 90 Gender determiners 93 Like Russia before 1917 94 Visualize 95 Chance, old-style 96 Pt. of NCAA 97 Siding (with) 99 Yasmine of “Baywatch” 101 Pine relative 102 Nebraska city 103 Ciphers, say 104 Kefauver of old politics 105 Terra- — 106 Hatch of politics 111 Ending for Tokyo 113 Copa’s home 114 Fun and games, for short 115 Printer fluid 116 Butyl ender 117 Lipstick color 118 The Indians, for short 119 Aperitif with white wine 120 Scrape (out) 121 Beatty of “1941”

answers on page 34

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Answers on Page 34

Noonday globe snail. cretive commons photo

The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Twice threatened n the land of the noonday sun, there lives a noonday snail. The noonday globe snail, Petera clarkia Nantahala is a medium-sized snail, about three-quarters inch wide and one-half inch high. This little slimeball is known only from about 2 miles of high calcareous cliffs in the Nantahala Gorge in Western North Carolina.

It is a denizen of the damp, living on wet cliffs intersected by small streams and waterfalls. No nouveau snail, the noonday globe prefers old forests with mature trees, a diverse plant community, lots of humus and lots of calcium. The calcium is the monkey on its back – literally: calcium is the main component of the snail’s shell and wet slopes with calcareous rocks are not an easy find in the land of the noonday sun.

The noonday globe was listed as threatened in July 1978. While it was likely never too widely distributed, it surely had more room to roam before railroads and highways came to the gorge. Not only did the road and rail usurp real estate, but clearing for the infrastructure opened the canopy, sending ol’ Sol’s rays deep into the land of the noonday sun — drying things along the way. And if

I

you’re a pretty cool snail the last thing you want is to be basking in the sunlight.

We are learning about this critter at a, well, snail’s pace. We don’t know how it reproduces (we assume it’s snail-like), we don’t know what it eats (we assume it’s snail food) — other members of the genus Petera feed on the mycelia of fungi. Sure, it all seems pretty secretive and sedate, but don’t be fooled — when it’s wet outside, like a heavy mist or light rain, well then P. c.

Nantahala might be found struttin’ its stuff right out on top of the ground.

Can we be bothered with a snail? I mean there’s a lot of really BIG stuff happening — sheesh, there’s a Super Bowl Sunday for god’s sake. Most of us never even knew that in this big ole world, stuck in the middle of some god-forsaken cliffs in a wrinkle of time called the Nantahala Gorge there lived a snail that was a different species from other snails. Should we care?

We could talk about how in these times extinction is an endless blur while speciation continues on a timeline that has become entirely foreign to us. Also Leopold put it pretty succinctly: “The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, “What good is it?" If the land

mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”

The fate of this slimy, innocuous little cog is in question. The Tellico Fire burned through the noonday globe’s habitat. I walked part of the Tellico Fire with Josh Kelly of MountainTrue. We hiked in along

Wesser Creek Trail and at one point found the shells of snails that did not make it. This was not noonday globe habitat and I don’t have any idea of fire intensity or severity in the noonday globe’s habitat, but I know for some snails the fire was bad news.

No one will know the fate of the noonday snail in the land of the noonday sun till later this spring when biologists go in to survey the population. I don’t know about you, but I’m pulling for the little slimeball.

Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached at ddihen1@bellsouth.net.

February 1-7, 2017 Smoky Mountain News 39

February 1-7, 2017 Smoky Mountain News

UPCOMING SHO OWS:

40

MARCH 17 & 18

MAR RCH 24

MARCH 31

APRIL 6