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February 13-19, 2019 Vol. 20 Iss. 38

Hipps remembered for her passion, commitment Page 4 N.C. 107 planners struggle to find new solutions Page 10

CONTENTS On the Cover: A year after her 13-year-old daughter committed suicide, a mother encourages people to partake in 15 acts of love to honor her memory and encourage people to be kind to one another. (Page 6) Elira Bego-Cardoso. Donated photo

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News Hipps remembered for her passion, commitment ....................................................4 Records shed light on Jackson jail death ....................................................................9 N.C. 107 planners struggle to find new solutions ..................................................10 Tribe votes for Plott Balsam conservation ................................................................12 Budget talks get underway in Macon ........................................................................14 HCC president announces her retirement ..............................................................15 Cherokee artifacts at Plott Creek site? ......................................................................16 Haywood schools ask for calendar flexibility ............................................................17 Community Almanac ........................................................................................................19

Opinion Careers can wait; it’s time for some adventuring ..................................................20

A&E Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet celebrates 25 years ............................................24

Outdoors Elk fest coming to Maggie Valley ................................................................................34

The Naturalist's Corner

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How can something that doesn’t exist be declared extinct?................................47

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Woman from the west, for the west Hipps remembered for her passion, commitment

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR n the campaign trail, Jane Hipps of Waynesville was often called the “woman from the west, for the west.”

With a true passion for the people of Western North Carolina and a commitment to being a voice for the region, she was an active member of the community, her church and a two-time candidate for WNC’s 50th District Senate seat.

“She was a fierce advocate for the issues that mattered in Western North Carolina and the ways in which policies from Raleigh affected folks out here. She was concerned about the fact that one in four children go hungry and she wanted to take care of our mountains and streams,” said Julia Bucker, Hipps’ campaign manager and friend, during the 2014 and 2016 elections. “But when I think about her, I think about her passion for life.

Whatever was in front of her, she just did.”

A native North Carolinian, Hipps grew up poor on a big family farm. She moved to Waynesville in 1968 when she married Charlie Hipps, who served as a district attorney and a state senator. She was an educator and counselor most of her life while also raising three children and being a senator’s wife.

“Then when she retired she decided to go back to Vanderbilt at the age of 61 to get her master’s degree in nursing — I remember asking one of her classmates what it was like having her in class and he said she ruined the curve,” Buckner laughed.

Hipps graduated with honors and passed her boards to become a certified pediatric nurse practitioner. She was smart and quickwitted with an infectious laugh, Buckner added. She laughed at her own jokes, would never be caught uttering a negative words about others and always held tight to her Christian faith — even through two hard campaigns in which she was regularly attacked by the Republican Party and ultimately defeated by her opponent.

“Jane’s favorite verses were from

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Matthew 25 about feeding the hungry — she wanted to believe no matter who you voted for you should do your best to take care of your fellow man. She really took those verses to heart,” she said. “She had a prophetic voice — her call to be a Christian led her back to the political world.”

Buckner said it was an amazing experience during the last five years to see Hipps come into her own and pursue her own path after being such an attentive mother and wife for so many years. Shortly before her beloved Charlie passed away unexpectedly in 2003, she said he encouraged her to get involved in politics, which is what she eventually did.

Hipps was an active member of the Haywood County Democratic Party, serving in the past as president of the Haywood County Democratic Women, Region One Director and as a member of the State Executive Committee of the N.C. Democratic Women. With her background in public education and health care, those issues became her main platforms when running for Senate.

“Jane was a tireless campaigner, but what I admired most about her was her endless desire to learn. She thrived on the conversations she would have with voters on the campaign trail and after a long day of campaigning, she would often go home and read into the wee hours of the morning,” said Myrna Campbell, chairwoman of the Haywood County Democrats. “She was the embodi-

ment of the quote by Eleanor Roosevelt — ‘With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.’ Jane was always one to look ahead — not back.”

Fellow Waynesville Democrat Rep. Joe Sam Queen said Hipps had definitely left a strong legacy of what it means to live a passionate and committed life.

“I’ve known Jane for 30 years at least. She was a very accomplished educator and moved into health care and became quite a contributor there as well as a strong candidate,” he said. “She was articulate and just full of the right energy. She was one of our best.”

Hipps also garnered respect and friendship from leaders all across the state because of her work with the Democratic Party as well as her consulting work with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

“My wife Audrey and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Jane Hipps. We met Jane when she warmly welcomed us to Waynesville in fall 2016, and she was a true treasure for Western North Carolina and our entire state in her commitment to the better-

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ment of our society,” Associate Justice Michael Morgan, Supreme Court of North Carolina, wrote in a statement to The Smoky Mountain News. “She inspired all of us through her tireless dedication to public service. Jane’s legacy will safely endure through the countless lives which she positively influenced in her decades of work with young people in her professional career and personal life.”

For so long Hipps was frequently seen out in the community whether she was campaigning, volunteering or showing up to support the causes she believed in, but after the summer of 2017, she was noticeably absent. In a January 2018 Facebook post, Hipps announced she had recently been diagnosed with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome), a rare blood cancer.

Even with the devastating news that her condition was serious, Hipps maintained her positive and hopeful attitude about the future.

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A North Carolina native, Jane Hipps grew up on a farm. Hipps takes part in a community cleanup effort (left). Donated photos

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Sixth-grade science students and Jane Hipps grow vegetables and take care of the grounds at Mountain View Intermediate School. Donated photo

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husband, Christopher Midyette, of Raleigh; Western North Carolina. In the middle of two sons, William Travis Hipps and his wife, this trying time, I am incredibly blessed. I s have healthcare, food on my table and a roof Nadine, of Australia; and John Bates Hipps and his wife, Becky Simpkin, of Chapel Hill; over my head,” Hipps wrote. “I remain comone brother, William Bates and his wife, mitted to being a voice for the voiceless and Suzanne, of Nashville, Tennessee; and six am grateful for the opportunity to continue grandchildren. my work with the NC Justice Center and Some may wonder why her funeral servHaywood Community College. ices were planned for Feb. 14 — Valentine’s “To borrow a phrase from a Broadway Day — but Buckner said that’s the day she musical, each of us have 525,600 moments in a year. None of us know how many moments we have left, “My prayer for you is that you and as I face this new challenge, I ask again for your love, spend every one of your moments prayers and support,” she condoing your best to love and support tinued. “My prayer for you is that you spend every one of each another: feed the hungry, give your moments doing your best to love and support each drink to the thirsty, welcome the another: feed the hungry, give stranger, clothe the naked, provide drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, for the sick and visit those provide for the sick and visit those imprisoned. Our lives imprisoned. Our lives must be must be measured in love!” measured in love!”

Buckner said Hipps only returned home once to — Jane Hipps in a January 2018 Facebook post Waynesville since her treatments at UNC-Chapel Hill met Charlie back in 1967, so it feels right to began over a year ago. While she wasn’t celebrate their reunion. always ill, her condition required her to be “She met Charlie on Valentine’s Day in close to the hospital so she stayed in the 1967 when she crashed a grad party and saw SECU House nearby. him there. She was wearing a beautiful red “It was a roller coaster high highs and dress her mother made for her. He loved low lows,” she said. “She was a fighter music, he was in the band and he was a though. The thing about Jane is she never Methodist — so she thought, this is it,” gave up. Just three days before her death she Buckner recalled. said she needed to finish her nursing certifiA celebration of Hipps’ life will be held at cate. She just never quit.”

11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, at First United While she remained optimistic through Methodist Church of Waynesville. The famiher cancer battle, Buckner said the hardest thing for Hipps was not being able to be out- ly will receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 13, at Wells Events and side to tend to her garden or grow her own Reception Center. In lieu of flowers, donatomatoes as she did for so many years. tions may be made to SECU Family House, Hipps passed away Feb. 6 at UNC 123 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, Hospital at the age of 73. She is survived by N.C., 27517. one daughter, Elizabeth Jane Hipps and her

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‘She just slipped through our fingers’

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER t 13, Tuscola High School freshman Elira Bego-Cardoso was like almost any other American teenage girl — she liked popular music, boys, hanging out with friends and chatting on social media.

Elira, however, wasn’t like every other teenage American girl. She was different.

She was a first-generation American, the product of a mixed-race marriage between two immigrants. She was a high achiever. She skipped a grade. She excelled, even as she busied herself with extracurricular activities like band and winter guard.

But all the while Elira was twirling Tuscola’s black and gold flag in front of crowds on the field, she was privately unfurling bold red flags no one could see that would lead to a tragedy no one could believe.

Now, it has become her mom Ingrid Bego’s job to make sure no one forgets.

“I’ll never find out why,” Ingrid said.

“Maybe I’ll get more clarity and be able to help others but I think right now I just need to embrace this grief authentically. I will not pretend I’m OK. I lost my child. I will not pretend somehow that I have moved on. There is no moving on when your child dies.”

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xchange student Ingrid Bego found herself a long way from her home of Berat, Albania, but after graduating from a Kansas high school in 1997, she liked it enough that she decided to stay another year and attend college, which led to her undergrad degrees in German, Spanish and political science from Washburn University in Topeka.

She then married an African who’d grown up in Portugal rather than in the midst of his native Angola’s 27-year civil war. Together, they moved to the state of Washington, where she earned a master’s degree and a doctorate, and where their daughter Elira was born Feb. 13, 2004.

After teaching political science at colleges and universities in Colorado, Wisconsin and finally Nebraska, Ingrid and her family — now including Elira’s younger sister — moved to Lake Junaluska so Ingrid could take a position in the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University in June 2016.

“She didn’t want to move,” said Ingrid of Elira. “She had made friends in Nebraska. It was a small community, but she had a lot of friends, she was very social.”

Elira was about to enter the eighth grade at Waynesville Middle School, but before the term began, Ingrid took advantage of the summer break to take her daughters to visit family in Albania.

Even at that age, Elira wowed the Albanians with her fluency in their language to the extent that they had a hard time believing she wasn’t from Albania. There was one easy way to tell she wasn’t, though — Elira’s dark complexion more closely resembled that of her black Angolan father than it did that of 6 her white Albanian mother.

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Ingrid Bego (left) doesn’t want her daughter Elira’s tragic death to define her life. Donated photo “The brown girl from America that speaks Albanian,” Ingrid laughed. “She was the center of the attention. I have an extended family of hundreds of people, and they all thought Elira was the greatest thing ever. Albanians, we are touchy, no room for [personal] space, and she was so much like us.”

When summer drew to a close, they came home to their new surroundings and the whole family began settling in to new jobs, new schools, new routines, new circles.

Elira seemed to adapt famously and had little trouble making friends, even hosting a 10-girl sleepover for her 13th birthday on Feb. 13, 2017. Just a few months later, Ingrid began to notice subtle changes in Elira’s behavior.

“I think she was just angry at times, or frustrated,” said Ingrid. “Not always, but kind of pushing against me. I thought, ‘You know, she’s a teenager. Of course she’s going to push against me.’ I imagined we were so much alike that I thought it’s going to be a rough few years. She’s going to push. I’m going to push. We’re both strong-headed, so I didn’t make much of it.”

Elira was strong-headed about attending Tuscola High School that fall and had decided against Haywood Early College for one important reason.

“Band was her everything,” Ingrid said.

A trip to Disney World in Florida that November had been a source of excitement

for many Tuscola Band members, but according to Ingrid, Elira called her the day she was to return to North Carolina, and explained that something had happened.

“She had a fight with her friends at Disney,” said Ingrid. “It seemed like a group of girls she was hanging out with kind of turned on her, and from that day on — they were all in the band — they just stopped talking to her, stopped acknowledging her.”

Back at school, a lunchtime incident provoked further tensions, frustrating Ingrid.

“You can’t fix it for your kids,” she said.

“They sort of have to navigate on their own.

I’m supporting her, but I can’t just go and tell these people, ‘Be friends with my daughter.’”

As warm days grew scarce that fall, social media slings and arrows grew more numerous, making it clear who was in and who was out, who was cool and who was not.

“She struggled with that a lot,” said Ingrid. “Right up to Christmas break.”

Christmas was a series of tenderly illuminated Thomas Kinkade streetscapes burnished with 21st-century versions of Norman Rockwell’s vignettes — an Albanian woman who’d grown up under communism and her Angolan husband who’d fled a civil war and their mixed-race American-born children putting up a Christmas tree at their beautiful home on scenic Lake Junaluska. Let’s visit friends. Let’s exchange gifts. Let’s build a snowman. Mom is working on her book. Dad

is working. Everyone is rolling down snowswept hills and drinking hot chocolate and tonight we’re playing Uno, or dominoes. No school Monday. Let’s go bowling.

When Elira returned to school on Tuesday, things couldn’t have been more different than they were before the break.

“Mom,” Elira said. “They’re now acting like nothing happened. They sat with me today and laughed and joked. There’s just one girl,” — the one she’d quarreled with at Disney World — “and she’s the only one that is still treating me like I don’t exist.”

“Well,” said Ingrid, “who cares?” n 2002, Rosalina Wiseman published a book called Queen Bees & Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boys, and the New Realities of Girl World.

Wiseman’s groundbreaking and New York Times bestselling work confirmed what many current and former American schoolchildren have long known — girls and boys fight differently.

“That’s absolutely correct. Guys, by history and evolution, were raised to be warriors, to be fighters. According to research, boys tend to confront these things upfront. They’ll fight,” said Bob Cummings, prevention manager at local trauma, mental health and substance abuse recovery agency Red Oak Recovery. “Girls don’t physically go after one

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“It seems nowadays, as I wander the world of Instagram — as her — it’s dark out there. Kids are more and more feeling this way. It’s normal to them. It doesn’t ring alarm bells. They say things like. ‘I feel like I want to die,’ and nobody says anything. They just hit ‘heart’ and move on.”

— Ingrid Bego

“She was already gone,” said Ingrid of attempting CPR on Elira. “She was silent. I just had to breathe life into her, but deep down inside, I knew she was gone.”

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t the time of Elira’s passing, Alex Masciarelli was Tuscola’s assistant principal.

“I got a call from another administrator, and it was just such a shock. I think it was about 8:30 or 9 at night,” Masciarelli said.

“Completely shocked. I was just in disbelief trying to make sense of something like that.”

Masciarelli said he placed special focus on his freshmen, and was often the person to whom students having social difficulties would come.

“A lot of times kids would come into the office because they’re upset about somebody, they need someone to talk to, but she wasn’t on our radar,” he said of Elira. “I hadn’t had any kind of interactions with her like that.”

Bullies, the bullied and sometimes even friends of either would appear before Masciarelli, and he said he’d had success in sussing out the details of a beef and reducing tensions before they came to a head, but no such informants contacted him about Elira.

The in-school silence made Elira’s actions Jan. 12, 2018, that much harder to believe.

“Suicide is rare, thank goodness,” said Dr.

Bill Nolte, superintendent of Haywood County Schools. “We are saddened any time we lose a student, but when a student takes their life, it seems almost impossible to reconcile.”

Nolte was an assistant superintendent when Elira passed, but said that in his decades with HCS, he could hardly recall the last student suicide, sometime back in the 1980s. Nowadays, he said, the situation is much different.

“I do think society has changed a little bit in terms of the kind of bullying that took place when I was in high school back in the 1970s,” he said. “Even after that, it was what most of us old folks have in mind as the big rough loud guy walking around school, pushing people around, asking for their lunch money.”

It’s not that that guy’s gone, according to Nolte, it’s that he’s easier to spot and to address.

“The thing that we have now is, it’s more covert,” he said. “It’s social media and it’s definitely bullying, but not something that rises to the level to where the school can discipline someone — they’re sending someone a message, but they’re really not violating the school rules.”

Unless such after-hours conduct leads to some sort of in-school incident it’s hard to punish those responsible, but Nolte did say that dealing with modern-day social media

he aftermath of Elira Bego-Cardoso’s suicide has proven to be just as devastating for Ingrid’s family as the events of Jan. 12.

“There will be no closure for me,” Ingrid said. “Closure is a myth, unless Elira comes back and tells me, ‘Mom, this is what happened.’

And even then, she’s 13. Even she wouldn’t be able to tell me, ‘This is what happened.’”

Sadly, Elira’s younger sister was spared none of it.

“She’s devastated,” said Ingrid. “[Elira] was so big and so much to her — not just a sister.

She was such a big person, I can’t even explain.

We have grieved together, she and I. God, just a lot. She has lost her childhood, and her innocence. She lost her sister, and her mom.”

Ingrid’s insistent that she’ll probably never know what, exactly, led to Elira’s decision, but as time passed after her death, a troubling series of red flags began to emerge — far less visible than the ones she twirled out in the cold while practicing for winter guard.

Elira didn’t leave a note, per se, but rather a series of private scribblings, some of which were likely penned in the days leading up to that horrible January night.

“She wrote a lot,” Ingrid said. “Some of them are painful to read. She just wanted to escape. She talked about pain a lot. She talked about broken hearts. Betrayals.”

Some of Elira’s friends later told Ingrid that Elira had confessed to them that she wanted to

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he practiced flag over and over in the cold,” said Ingrid; Elira enjoyed the feeling of being part of a team, a thing bigger than herself, so making Tuscola’s winter guard squad was important to her.

Ingrid picked Elira up from practice that Thursday after break, and they resumed their Afro-European neo-American-Gothic life at Lake Junaluska — down the stairs with bags of groceries, awake late into the night watching an Albanian comedy.

“That’s the last night she slept,” Ingrid said.

The next day Elira was up early, dressed and ready for school. When Ingrid picked her up afterward, Elira seemed kind of down. At home later that day, Ingrid got back to her book, while her youngest watched a video on a tablet.

Complaining of the chronic stomach issues that sometimes afflicted her, Elira made some popcorn, sliced up a bowl of cherry tomatoes and retired to her bedroom.

Ingrid took her youngest with her to the gym, telling Elira they’d return in 45 minutes.

“We never locked our doors, but sometimes she would lock the door when she was alone,” said Ingrid. “When the door was locked, I already got a bad feeling. We walked in and didn’t see her. I saw her phone lying face down on her bed and I knew something terrible had happened.”

What had happened is every parent’s worst nightmare.

Elira Bego-Cardoso was a gifted student who hoped to study medicine at Stanford. Donated photo

bullying takes a broad, consistent, persistent approach that isn’t simply limited to the schoolhouse.

“We have to understand, this is a different creature. It’s different,” he said. “You want us to teach them how to do well on the ACT test?

We can probably pull that off. You want us to teach them to not be overweight, not to be sexually active at a young age, not to use illicit drugs, not to hurt other people or themselves? That’s harder.”

About a hundred or so Tuscola students availed themselves of school-sponsored grief counseling once they learned about Elira the following week; there were also classroom meetings held by HCS intended to promote a healthy, communicative relationship between students, teachers and administrators.

Since then, HCS has continued its antibullying training, and recently received a grant from the 30th Judicial Alliance that funds further training by email for every HCS employee who has an email address. Success, though, is contingent on finding the flags that fly under the radar and recognizing that academic intelligence and emotional maturity are two very different things.

“As schools, we’re trained to teach people academic skills and knowledge they can use to get into college, go to work, get a job certificate, and I am convinced there’s a big gap between knowledge and academic skills, and social emotional behavior,” Nolte said.

“People can know that smoking is not good for them, they still smoke. People can know that certain foods are not good for them, they still eat those foods. People can know that they’re supposed to be nice to people, and they’re not nice to people.”

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another, so they do the more passive-aggressive. They have more of a tendency to gossip and talk and form alliances to cause jealousy instead of just being upfront. It’s not as direct, but it’s definitely more effective.”

Cummings has spent decades in the substance abuse prevention field, and as such has seen firsthand how drug use and suicide are related though he also notes that bullying can similarly result in the impulsivity that leads someone to take their own life.

But while the destructive use of drugs usually takes place in the shadows, social media has given bullying a bright glowing rectangle from which to project the lowest moments of our lives, in perpetuity.

“Back when you and I were kids, if Joe didn’t like Fred, Joe would get his 10 friends and they might bully Fred and those 10 people knew about it,” Cummings said. “With social media, being bullied and talked about and shamed 24-7 and every time I get on social media I see my name on there and then with the whole exponential wave of social media, now we have 300 or 400 people that know it.”

That hits girls harder than boys, according to Nancy Jo Sales, author of the 2016 book American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Life of Teenagers.

Sales interviewed more than 300 teenagers aged 13 to 19 and found that social media has fractured interpersonal relationships to the point where it can affect the emotional and even physical well-being of young men and — especially young women like Elira, who as Christmas break drew to a close was still desperately trying to fit into the warm, cozy Kinkade landscape her immigrant parents had artfully painted for her.

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E LIRA, CONTINUED FROM 7 take her own life. They tried to be there for her, Ingrid said, but they simply couldn’t envision the able student, who’d skipped a grade and had nearly perfect marks, doing anything resembling what she ultimately did.

“It seems nowadays, as I wander the world of Instagram — as her — it’s dark out there,” Ingrid said. “Kids are more and more feeling this way. It’s normal to them. It doesn’t ring alarm bells. They say things like. ‘I feel like I want to die,’ and nobody says anything. They just hit ‘heart’ and move on.”

Cummings said that in addition to the litany of stigma that surrounds suicide, one that’s often overlooked is that of who, supposedly, won’t commit suicide.

“She was too brilliant, too bright to be the suspect,” Ingrid said. “Because she was quite capable, she never missed a beat. She had a 97 percent in math, 97 in English, star science student. It was very difficult for people to put two and two together.”

Cummings, a Hazelwood resident who last fall held a training at the Folkmoot Friendship Center on how to spot these flags and act upon them, said Elira’s behavior was unfortunately typical.

“What we find about suicidal people is that typically about a week before they attempt it, they’re dropping hints, but they’re dropping hints to specific people who they think maybe can help them,” he said. “It’s only in retrospect, when people start talking after suicide, that they start seeing the hints that were dropped, but that’s in retrospect — it’s too late.”

Cruel retrospect even haunts a conversation between Ingrid and Elira at the bowling alley that Monday before she passed away. The professorial Ingrid took the inflatable gutter guards as an opportunity to teach her daughters about notions of privilege and what being different truly means in today’s America.

“Gutter guards are kind of like privilege,” Ingrid told Elira. “If they don’t bowl straight, the rail catches them so they don’t drop all the way into the gutter. If we go the wrong way, we’re in the gutter.”

Instead, it was Elira who schooled the professor.

“Mom, really? You think your privilege is so low? Not compared to mine. Mom,” she said, “I’m a black girl.”

“I don’t know what role that played,” said

“As schools, we’re trained to teach people academic skills and knowledge they can use to get into college, go to work, get a job certificate, and I am convinced there’s a big gap between knowledge and academic skills, and social emotional behavior.”

Elira Bego-Cardoso.

Donated photo

Ingrid, looking back on it more than a year later. “I don’t know that she wanted to look at things this way, but she was very racially aware. I would say, ‘No, you’re not going to do what your white friends do, because they are not going to get in trouble and you will, so I need you to be very careful. We are foreigners, and you are brown.’”

Ingrid’s comments on class and race hint at a darker aspect of living in a county that’s 96.2 percent white where locals can often claim five to eight generations of continual habitation in the same region or county, if not the same small mountain cove.

“We moved into a static society, and we are transient,” she said. “If you are a newcomer to Haywood County, unless you’re Southern and of that culture — which I have nothing against — you don’t fit in. I asked her one day, because I would feel uncomfortable in certain situations, ‘Do you feel safe here?’”

“Yeah mom,” Elira said. “It’s just you. It’s because you’re not from this country.”

Ingrid is careful to note that she doesn’t expect 300 years of American social constructs to vanish overnight.

“It’s hard to break down the existing structures, because they are positive. It seems fostering, and it helps the community. But you have to make a really concerted effort to welcome the newcomers, if Haywood County wants to remain — to join — the 21st century,” she said. “Western [Carolina University, in Cullowhee] brings a lot of people from different backgrounds, and Jackson County has

the same issue. The schools have to make a concerted effort to recognize that people will come from these different backgrounds. If we want them to live here — assuming that we do — then we must welcome them and make a very concerted effort to welcome them.”

At the same time, Ingrid said that Elira wouldn’t want her to put people on trial over

By the numbers • 59 years worth of data from the World Health Organization say that males commit suicide at greater rates than females — 1.8 males per female across the world, and 3.6 males per female across the United States.

• 35 years worth of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that less than 3 percent of deaths by suicide come from the 10-to-14 age group. All other age groups hover between 13 and 20 percent.

• 17 years worth of data from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention say that blacks, Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders all experience the lowest rates of suicide by race, around 6 percent. Whites and Native Americans lead by far with 16 and 13 percent, respectively.

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Ingrid Bego has established a yearly scholarship fund for freshman female students of color in Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, preferably those playing the saxophone. To donate, visit www.elirasmom.com/donate-to-eliras-scholarship. To learn more about Ingrid’s 15 Acts of Love, www.elirasmom.com/home/2019/ 1/31/15-acts-of-love.

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bsent that closure that will likely never come for Ingrid Bego, she’s still determined to ensure that Elira’s life isn’t defined by her untimely, unnecessary death.

“I think there is healing in remembering her in ways that are meaningful,” she said.

“She touched so many people in such a short time she was here. I hope I have the same impact. I hope all of us think about what will be left behind when we leave.”

To date, Ingrid’s raised almost $10,000 toward establishing a scholarship at WCU’s music department in honor of Elira.

As what would have been Elira’s 15th birthday approached — Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 — Ingrid has also asked people to commit 15 acts of love dedicated to Elira’s memory.

“She was almost a Valentine’s baby, so her birthday always involved hearts,” she said. “I think the 15 acts of love, remembering and her with love, that’s really the future I think.

That’s how I’m going to move forward, instead of pointing fingers.”

The fingers that still point — at the newcomers, at the lonely, at the poor, at your kids or at mine who are just trying to live their lives and be kids — would be better used not to harass but instead to help, and to hold.

“I have a feeling, a desire, I guess, that had she given us some more time, that maybe I would have saved her. I don’t know. It’s all wishful thinking at this point,” Ingrid said.

“She just slipped through our fingers.”

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the perfect storm of racism, sexism, bullying and online harassment that eventually overwhelmed her.

“There are moments, I admit, I blame myself, I blame my husband, I blame the world. I can blame this wall,” she said, gesturing toward the turquoise plaster behind her head in the darkened corner of an Asheville teahouse. “Because there are moments I feel like I need to find something to hold onto, but those are personal, intimate moments of grief and I have to rise above that.”

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State law requires detention officers to lay eyes on each inmate at least twice per hour, with the frequency ratcheted up to four times per hour for inmates who are suicidal, mentally ill, intoxicated, violent or displaying erratic behavior. the SBI report is complete, it will be delivered to District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch, who will decide whether any criminal charges are warranted. Welch said she had not received the report as of press time.

Rice’s death marks the third in five years to occur at the Jackson County Detention

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including larceny of a horse, harassing telephone calls and possession of counterfeit currency. On Jan. 7, just nine days before the Jan. 16 arrest, Jackson County deputies charged Rice with violation of a post-release order, domestic criminal trespassing, interfering with emergency communication and simple assault.

State law requires detention officers to lay eyes on each inmate at least twice per hour, with the frequency ratcheted up to four times per hour for inmates who are suicidal, mentally ill, intoxicated, violent or displaying erratic behavior. According to the incident report cover sheet for Rice’s arrest, no alcohol or drug use was involved with the incident, but no information is available on whether she may have required the more frequent checks for one of the other applicable reasons.

Jail logs obtained by The Smoky Mountain News show that officers did check each of the pods twice within each hour during the time Rice was incarcerated.

This does not mean that the checks were performed every 30 minutes on the dot. In fact, state law specifies that the twice-hourly checks be performed “on an irregular basis.”

Of the 12 checks performed of C-Pod between the time Rice was incarcerated and found unconscious, four occurred after intervals of more than 30 minutes, but only two of those were 10 or more minutes off.

There was a 40-minute gap between checks at 1:40 p.m. and 2:20 p.m., and a 46-minute gap between a check at 3:09 p.m. and the next one at 3:55 p.m.

Similarly, of the 12 checks performed for pods D-G while Rice was incarcerated, six were more than 30 minutes apart and only two were 40 or more minutes apart — those gaps were the same 40-minute and 46minute intervals listed for C-Pod. The sheriff ’s office would not say which of the five pods is the women’s pod, where Rice would have been held, citing security reasons. Jail logs recording inspection times list C-Pod in one column and Pods D-G in a separate column.

Rice was taken to Mission Hospital in Asheville following a second 911 call that a detention officer placed at 7:10 p.m.

“This is Officer Bradley at the Jackson County Detention Center,” the caller said on the 911 recording. “I have an inmate that has collapsed and is not responding. Can we get some ambulances here?”

The dispatcher asked a few questions — how old is the inmate, is she breathing — to which Bradley didn’t have any immediate answers, asking instead how long it would be before someone arrived.

“I’m getting them on the way right now,” said the dispatcher.

Rice remained in the hospital until her death at 1:05 p.m. Friday, Jan. 18, the time

February 13-19, 2019

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hile unanswered questions remain in the recent death of 49-year-old Franklin resident Melissa Middleton Rice, which occurred on Jan. 18 while in custody of the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office, public records reveal new information about the hours leading up to her ultimately fatal collapse.

Rice was taken into custody Jan. 16 as the result of a 911 call placed at 9:09 a.m. that day. The caller identified himself as Rice’s ex-husband and said that he was calling from work, but Rice was trespassing at his home in Cashiers.

“My ex-wife, we’ve had nothing but trouble with, has just came up in the yard and has stolen a side-by-side Melissa and she’s running Middleton Rice around there somewhere and my girlfriend and my son are there,” the caller said, according to the 911 transcript.

“OK,” replied the dispatcher.

“She’s trying to get the Razor,” the caller continued. “She’s there somewhere with a white dog. My girlfriend just called me and saw her out the window.”

The dispatcher replied that they would send someone out to check and asked the caller what kind of vehicle his ex-wife had.

“I have no idea,” the caller said. “She’s had a (vehicle type redacted) but I don’t know if that’s what she’s in or what. You never know about her.”

The Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office dispatched Deputy Ridge Parris to the scene, where he apparently encountered quite a display. While no public records reflect the narrative of what happened, the list of resulting charges gives some indication.

Rice was charged with two counts of breaking and entering, domestic criminal trespass, simple assault, larceny of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, burning personal property, resisting a public officer, assault on a government official and assault on a law enforcement animal. According to the incident report cover sheet, she stole the caller’s ATV, a Polaris RZR, which was recovered by the conclusion of the incident, and burned the back single seat and Plexiglas in Parris’ vehicle, a 2018 Ford Explorer.

Rice was admitted to the Jackson County Detention Center at 1:32 p.m. that day.

It was not the first time Rice had seen the inside of the Jackson County jail. She’s been previously charged with multiple crimes in Jackson and Macon counties,

Center. Charles “Chuckie” Moose died by suicide there on Nov. 21, 2014, as did Steve Ross on March 13, 2015. The same two detention officers were on duty in both instances and did not perform visual checks as often as required by law, public records showed, with gaps as large as 106 minutes.

The SBI investigated Ross’s death, though not Moose’s, and Welch declined to file charges. The officers in question were suspended without pay for five days but then returned to work.

The 2014 and 2015 suicides occurred during a transition in leadership. When Moose died, Hall had just won his first elecChip Hall tion as sheriff but had not yet been sworn into office. At the time of Ross’s death, Hall was just over three months into his new job, taking over from a sheriff who had held the position for 12 years. However, Hall had spent the past 25 years working for the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office, before his election serving as second-in-command to the sheriff.

Following Ross’ death, Hall created a new jail captain position and entered into a contract with Georgia-based Transform Health Correctional Services to provide improved medical care for inmates. He also completed an updated policy and procedure manual and made some upgrades to the jail facility itself.

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Records shed light on Jackson jail death

also encoded as her date of release from police custody.

At the request of Sheriff Chip Hall, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation is looking into Rice’s death, something that SBI Special Investigator Kelly Oaks said is typical of situations when somebody is injured or dies in custody. She could not speak to whether any wrongdoing is suspected on the part of the detention center staff. When

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Déjà vu N.C. 107 planners struggle to find solutions to road dilemma

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter taking input from the more than 100 people who attended a Jan. 14 public forum and carefully combing their suggestions for the upcoming N.C. 107 makeover in Sylva, the Asheville Design Center generated a respectably long list of design alternatives to investigate.

But when the N.C. Department of Transportation returned its written responses to those alternatives, the answers were mostly variations of “we already looked into that, and it won’t work.”

“I feel like DOT is saying, ‘if you’ve got better ideas, please put them on the table. We’re open to them,’” said Chris Joyell, director of the Asheville Design Center. “But what we’re finding is they’ve been looking at this problem for eight years, and I don’t think there’s a lot of surprises left for them.”

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Joyell said that he was impressed to see that the DOT had explored even unconventional solutions, like putting bike lanes through the median rather than on the sides and building a one-way road parallel to N.C. 107 rather than expanding the blueprint of the existing road.

“It’s a little frustrating on our end because we love to find the silver bullet and bring new ideas to the table, but what we’re finding is a lot of these ideas have been kicked around already,” said Joyell.

Still, he believes that the ADC’s involvement — which is provided on a pro-bono basis using volunteer professionals in fields such as planning and engineering — will ultimately serve to reduce impacts.

For one, the organization is working to bring utilities like Duke Energy the Tuckseigee Water and Sewer Authority to the table earlier in the process than they otherwise would be. The hope is that this will allow their needs to be incorporated into the plans earlier than would otherwise occur, reducing the extent of utility easements ultimately required.

Joyell also hopes to accomplish enhanced pedestrian planning and to help fine-tune plans to reduce impacts on individual properties. The ADC could also help brainstorm some solutions that fall outside of DOT’s purview. Much of the right-of-way impact

“What we’re finding is [DOT has] been looking at this problem for eight years, and I don’t think there’s a lot of surprises left for them.”

— Chris Joyell, director of the Asheville Design Center

will come from the bike lanes and widened sidewalks planned for each side of the road — Joyell said the ideal solution would be to address those needs through a separated, greenway-like path that could run behind the businesses and cause substantially less disruption to current uses. However, such a path would fall outside the boundary of the N.C. 107 project, putting the town on the hook for what would undoubtedly be an expensive and complex project.

“It could be submitted to Strategic Transportation Prioritization as a standalone bike/ped project,” the DOT wrote in response to an ADC question on the matter. “If it scored well and got funded the town would have to pay a percentage of the entire cost, including right-of-way. It would be expensive, impactful

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and may not even be feasible.”

Preliminary plans for the N.C. 107 redesign were released last spring and drew widespread criticism when 54 businesses, one nonprofit and five residences were listed for relocation due to impacts from the project. Under the plan, the road — which currently consists of two lanes in each direction and one middle turn lane — would remain a four-lane road with restricted turns and entrances aimed at improving traffic flow and reducing accidents.

A February 2018 estimate put right-ofway work for the project at $47.6 million, with initial estimates in 2017 predicting $18.6 million for construction. Right-of-way acquisition is set to begin in January 2020. Because right-of-way is expected to take so long, the start of the two-year construction period has been pushed back from December 2021 to December 2022, Sylva Town Manager Paige Dowling told the board Jan. 24.

Winter weather has caused multiple delays to the ADC’s planned schedule to deliver its design recommendations, but the group hopes to meet with utility providers in February and to hold a work session with Sylva and DOT officials later this month.

From there it will develop draft recommendations, hold a public forum to gather input on those recommendations, and deliver a final document around mid-March.

Smoky Mountain News

February 13-19, 2019

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Would the DOT consider placing a center bike lane in the median?

A center bike lane would result in a wider footprint, because the 17.5-foot median includes many 12-foot turn lanes, leaving only 5.5 feet for the island and striping. A center bike lane would require 5 feet for each travel direction plus 5 feet of buffer on each side for a total of 20 feet, requiring the curbs to extend 5 feet wider on each side. A center lane would also create safety concerns as cyclists cross traffic to reach their destination on either side.

Is a one-way road parallel to N.C. 107 a possibility?

The concept was analyzed while developing Jackson County’s comprehensive plan in 2017, and terrain would prevent construction of a road that closely parallels N.C. 107.

To achieve an acceptable grade without moving vast amounts of earth, the road would have to curve around the ridges, resulting in longer travel times and less acceptable service than the existing road. Constructing the road would cause substantial right-of-way impacts, especially considering the need for multiple connections to N.C. 107.

Is a roundabout possible at the intersection of Main Street and U.S. 23?

A roundabout was considered in the feasibility study, but even a dual-lane roundabout could not handle the traffic unless a flyover bridge was added. However, a roundabout with a flyover bridge would cause substantially more property impacts than the current design.

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Responses from the DOT

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The above answers are paraphrases of a sampling of the many questions DOT answered.

To view the entire document, visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on this story. To see the community input ADC gathered on the road plans, visit https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ 1RvNsQdbj7HYaOyhgX0kdVlqlB-vyPJ04.

February 13-19, 2019

7 w , d hroughout the past year, members of n the public have offered up various ideas a for reducing negative impacts from the d d planned N.C. 107 project in Sylva. The Asheville Design Center ran many of these - ideas by the N.C. Department of , Transportation last month and received writ6 ten responses to each. e Would narrowing the lanes from 12 to 11 e feet reduce right-of-way while still allowing s the road to be functional? o The DOT considered narrowing the trave el lanes following a public meeting in February 2017, as doing so would reduce the e roadway width by 2 feet on either side, in o turn reducing impacts to adjacent propere ties. However, those reduced impacts could n be offset by easements needed to relocate h utilities. Also considering that wider travel . lanes will enhance safety and mobility for - drivers, DOT concluded that the lanes n should remain 12 feet wide. l If sidewalks and bike lanes were combined into a single 10-foot path on either side, would right-of-way decrease?

Combining the sidewalk and bike lane would actually increase the right-of-way by 2 feet. A standard 5-foot sidewalk would require a 10-foot flat shoulder width behind the curb, but with a 10-foot path a 15-foot shoulder is required. Also, Complete Streets requires a 14-foot outside lane, which would increase right-of-way. Vehicles waiting to exit driveways often block the sidewalk area, and drivers are less likely to see bikes riding on the sidewalk, creating a safety issue. The local government cost-share would be larger for a multi-use path too.

Rep. Queen holds town hall meetings Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, will hold a series of town hall meetings throughout the district on Saturday, Feb. 16.

The first will be held from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Haywood County Public Library Auditorium, 678 S. Haywood Street, Waynesville. The next meeting will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Jackson County Public Library Community Room, 310 Keener Street, Sylva, followed by the Swain County meeting to be held from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Marianna Black Library Auditorium, 33 Fryemont Street, Bryson City.

Lee McBride, an associate professor in philosophy at the College of Wooster, an Ohio liberal arts school, will be the next speaker in Western Carolina University’s Jerry Jackson Lecture in the Humanities series.

McBride will present “Ethics and Insurrection: Boldly Confronting Oppression” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in Room 223 of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

McBride currently is working on a book with the same tentative title, as well as a research project on ethics and insurrection.

For more information, contact Amy McKenzie in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at 828.227.3852 or amckenzie@wcu.edu.

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Tribe votes for Plott Balsam conservation Decision completes 912-acre conservation project

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n effort to conserve 912 acres along the Plott Balsam ridge in Jackson County cleared the final hurdle of a five-yearlong race last week when the Cherokee Tribal Council narrowly voted to contribute $1 million to the project.

“That watershed is going to be preserved forever,” Jay Coward, a Sylva attorney and longtime Pinnacle Park Foundation chairman, told Tribal Council as its members deliberated Feb. 7. “This is a perpetual thing. It’s going to make that one ridge dynamically special.”

The property in question abuts Sylva’s 1,088-acre Pinnacle Park, as well as the Nantahala National Forest, the Qualla Boundary and more than 5,000 conserved acres that are in the process of being transferred to the National Park Service. It’s rugged, high-elevation land featuring panoramic views, sparkling waterfalls and the headwaters of Blackrock and Shut-In creeks, which supply the tribe’s water.

Homebuilder America’s Home Place purchased it for development, but when the recession hit those construction plans began to look less feasible, and the company approached The Conservation Fund about selling the land for conservation instead.

The plan evolved over the course of multiple years, with the final agreement a complex arrangement involving the Town of Sylva, Jackson County, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Mainspring Conservation Trust, The Conservation Fund and private

Smoky Mountain News

February 13-19, 2019

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donors. Last year, Jackson County and Sylva both voted to contribute $250,000 apiece to purchasing the 441.5-acre Blackrock portion of the property, with funding completed through $500,000 in private funding and a $1 million grant from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. After the purchase, Sylva will own the property and add it to its existing Pinnacle Park tract.

Mainspring took the lead on conserving the 471-acre Shut-In Creek portion, landing a $500,000 Clean Water grant and securing $500,000 in private donations to round out the $1 million it hoped to receive toward the $2 million purchase price from the tribe, which would ultimately end up owning the property.

DEBATING DEVELOPABILITY But first, the partners had to get Tribal Council to vote yes.

The purchase was briefly discussed in the tribe’s Budget Council meeting Feb. 5, but because Vice Chief Alan “B” Ensley and Councilmember Bo Crowe, of Wolfetown, were both absent due to illness, council opted to table the vote for the end of the planned Tribal Council agenda for Feb. 7 so those officials could voice their opinions.

When the discussion began Feb. 7, Crowe and Ensley both expressed concern about the proposal. Crowe said his constituents who live nearby were worried that people using the conserved property would wander onto their adjacent private land, or that public rights-ofway would pass over their properties.

Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Joey Owle assured Crowe that the project would not require any right-of-way over tribal members’ possessory holdings and that the property’s topography would strongly discourage visitors from passing onto private holdings.

The team of nonprofit and government partners behind the conservation project celebrates Tribal Council’s approval of funding outside the council house Feb. 7. The team includes (from left) Mainspring Deputy Director Ben Laseter, Mainspring Land Conservation Manager Jordan Smith, the tribe’s supervisory biologist Mike Lavoie, Pinnacle Park Foundation Chairman J.K. Coward, EBCI Secretary of Operations Jeremy Hyatt, The Conservation Fund N.C. Director Bill Holman and EBCI Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Joey Owle. Holly Kays photo Ensley, meanwhile, told Tribal Council that he was against the project entirely. The proposed resolution asked the tribe to grant right-of-way access on Blackrock Road — which passes through tribal land — to Town of Sylva and Mainspring personnel. If the tribe simply refused to grant any rights-ofway on that road, ever, then the property — which “ain’t fit for anything but rock cliffs and growing mountain ivy,” said Ensley — would be inaccessible and remain undeveloped, he said.

“For the tribe to put a million dollars into

470 acres that can’t be developed to begin with is a total waste in my opinion,” said Ensley.

Others disagreed with that assessment.

“I think this is a good investment,” said Jeremy Hyatt, the tribe’s secretary of operations. “I think that the fact that we are protecting our watershed is enough in itself, especially when we’re paying half the appraised price for it. Water is our lifeblood.

We talk about it all the time.”

Besides that, the economic opportunities are huge, said Hyatt, citing the marked success of the still-fledg-

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However, some council members were less than thrilled that the tribe was being asked to pay $1 million for its portion while the two government partners in Jackson County were putting in half that between them.

“We’re paying double what they’re paying for about the same amount of acres,” said Vice Chair David Wolfe, of Yellowhill.

“I’m all for protecting our water and our natural resources, but I think Jackson County can do better than what they’re doing,”

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agreed Councilmember Tommye Saunooke, of Painttown, directing her comments at Coward. “You need to come up with more money up there instead of asking the tribe.”

Wolfe also worried about the implications of increasing traffic through the neighborhood without consulting with the handful of members who live up that way, though Owle responded that relying too much on those opinions could be unfair, since the tribe doesn’t do the same thing when deciding to build along busier corridors like U.S. 19 or U.S. 441.

Ultimately, Tribal Council approved the purchase — but barely. It passed with a weighted vote of 49-32, with 19 votes absent.

In favor were Councilmembers Jeremy Wilson, Boyd Owl, Perry Shell and Crowe, as well as Chairman Adam Wachacha. Opposed were Councilmembers Lisa Taylor, Richard French, Bucky Brown, Saunooke and Wolfe.

Councilmembers Tom Wahnetah and Albert Rose were absent.

The vote provided the final funding required to carry the project through to completion. The Conservation Fund is scheduled to close on the property with America’s Home Place this month, and in early April a separate series of closings — to take place consecutively in a single sitting — will result in the Shut-In tract being transferred to tribal ownership and the Blackrock tract deeded to Sylva, which will manage it as an expansion of the existing Pinnacle Park property that adjoins it.

Sylva and Jackson County both voted unanimously last month to approve a memorandum of understanding for the purchase and management of the Blackrock property, with the county voting Jan. 22 and the town Jan. 24. The agreement allows for all types of “passive recreational uses” including hiking, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, education and more, also stating that if the town decides to sell the property or restrict its use further, it would be required to refund the county its $250,000.

Editor’s note: This story was reported using online meeting videos, as Tribal Council’s April 2018 decisions to ban non-Cherokee media from its chambers prevents The Smoky Mountain News from attending in person.

February 13-19, 2019

ling Fire Mountain Trail System. That system has 10.5 miles of trail on 212 acres and has drawn a steady stream of mountain bikers to s town to ride the trails and spend money on m food and drink, with two successful outdoor n businesses locating in Cherokee as a result. . Last year, Fire Mountain hosted its first mountain bike race and drew 150 riders, a l level of participation that Hyatt said is o “unheard of ” for a first-year event. The ShutIn property offers opportunity to continue h expanding on that ecotourism niche. The negotiated conservation easement would allow for a variety of uses, including mountain d biking, limited hunting, sustainable harvest - of craft materials and food plants and more.

- “It’s not just cycling. It could be camping. , For all I know it could be hunting, horseback e riding. It could be a zillion things,” said . Hyatt. “I have been to this property. It’s not just rock cliffs. It’s beautiful.” s “I believe the statement was made earlier that there’s no use for that land,” added Owle.

“Well that’s just not true if you get outdoors and use it.”

Principal Chief Richard Sneed shared that point of view.

“We now have an opportunity through Mainspring Conservation Trust to get this property at half price,” he said. “It protects our watershed. We have the opportunity for economic development. We’re going through this long process to ensure our people have the ability and the right to harvest plants for food in the national park — that’s built into this agreement as well. Everything that is important to us is included in the language of that.”

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Budget talks get underway in Macon

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR t’s likely to be another tough budget year as Macon County commissioners are faced with a growing list of capital and security improvement needs, increased health care costs and stagnant property values.

Commissioners kicked off the 2019-20 fiscal year budget process with a three-and-ahalf hour meeting last Thursday to discuss the accomplishments of the past year and to look ahead at future needs.

Looking at the last year, County Manager Derek Roland and County Finance Director Lori Hall had some good news to share with commissioners — sales tax revenue is up 5 percent over this time last year, property tax collections are up more than $750,000 over last year and general fund revenues are also up over last year.

“2018 was a great year — we saw a slight increase in our fund balance, which puts us in a better position for our capital improvement plan and space needs analysis,” Roland said.

Derek Roland The county is currently in the middle of completing a space needs analysis and capital improvement plan that will help the county set priorities for infrastructure projects for the next 15 years.

Between the school system, community college and aging county buildings, the commissioners have a long list of needs in front of them.

In 2018, the county did complete an $800,000 renovation project to the R.C. Carpenter Community Building as well as a $350,000 renovation project at Highlands Civic Center and a roof replacement at the Macon County Detention Center. Though the budget was tight, commissioners also increased funding for the school system’s capital, operational and technology needs during the last budget year while holding its property tax rate steady at 34 percent.

Roland said he was also proud of the county’s “continued ability to provide efficient and high-level public services” to residents while dealing with the climbing costs of a county government. With more than 300

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February 13-19, 2019

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employees, 49 percent of the county’s general fund — about $22.8 million — goes to providing salaries and benefits.

Looking at the revenue side of the budget, 56 percent of the county’s revenue comes from property tax collections. The second most important revenue source is sales tax, which brought in more than $7.9 million for the county in 2018.

The 2018-19 budget of $51 million also included $400,000 toward efforts to expand broadband internet in Macon County and $400,000 to give county employees a 2 percent cost-of-living raise. The county moved more than $500,000 from its fund balance into its health care account to cover a 24 percent increase to its health insurance premiums.

“All these obligations were incurred in 2019 and we know we’ll have obligations in 2020,” Roland said. “We’ll need to discuss employee pay grade adjustments — not an overhaul, just tweaking — and will we give another COLA to employees. With health insurance, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be as bad as last year but still not a good year.”

DSS needs more child welfare employees, the sheriff ’s office is looking to hire four new positions, and grant funding for school resource officer positions will be ending.

On top of all these costs, the county is still at the mercy of the state budget as well, which usually isn’t approved when the new county budget is set to be adopted at the end of June.

One thing is certain — the latest revaluation showed that Macon County’s growth has been fairly stagnant over the last four years.

While property values have stabilized since the last revaluation in 2015, it also means the commissioners could be looking at increasing the county’s property tax rate in order to have a revenue neutral budget. Macon County Tax Administrator Richard Lightner told commissioners in December that they might have to increase the rate from 34 cents per $100 of value to 37 cents, but it’s too early in the process to know for certain what the final percentage will be.

COURTHOUSE SECURITY Improving security measures at Macon County’s Courthouse is one item commis-

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Superior Court Judge Bill Coward approached commissioners two years ago about the need for security upgrades to the building, which currently has multiple entry points. In response, Sheriff Robbie Holland put together a committee with representation from every agency in the courthouse to come up with recommendations to the board.

“We feel like we’re getting somewhere — the North Carolina Sheriff ’s Association came and did a review as did the Marshall’s Service and then we started doing our own reviews,” Holland told commissioners at the budget meeting.

Originally, the plan was to only have one secured entry into the courthouse, which would have created a lot of new expense for the county. Holland said the committee came up with a more affordable alternative that includes only having two entry points — one at the front of the building and one in the back. Each entry point will have metal detectors, X-ray machines and will be staffed with a sheriff ’s deputy. The estimated cost of the equipment is $58,000 and Holland is asking for four additional positions in the coming 2019-20 budget. With more than 20,000 people accessing the court system in Macon

County each year, he said these security measures are a necessity.

Standing before commissioners in the courthouse last week, Judge Coward said he was very much aware the back doors behind him were not locked or guarded.

“It makes my skin crawl. I deal with crazy people all the time in my job — they’re angry, they’re addicted to meth and they’re looking for someway to show how they feel,” he said.

Commissioner Karl Gillespie encouraged the sheriff to look into the possibility of leasing the equipment since security technology is changing so rapidly.

“I’d hate for us to get technology that will be out of date in a year or two,” he said.

Commissioner Ronnie Beale suggested going ahead and buying the equipment before the new fiscal year begins since prices will only increase the longer the county waits.

SCHOOL NEEDS Schools Superintendent Dr. Chris Baldwin thanked the commissioners for additional funds they allocated to the school system during last year’s budget process to prevent the school board from having to cut any essential staff or services.

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Haywood Community College President Dr. Barbara Parker announced her intent to retire, effective Dec. 31, 2019, at the college board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Parker has served as President of Haywood Community College since July 1, 2013. Prior to her role at the college, she dedicated over 30 years in the field of education with positions at Haywood Barbara Parker County Schools, Buncombe County Schools and Rutherford County Schools. Under her leadership, HCC has strengthened its role as a leader in education and economic development by providing excellence in education. Parker has worked tirelessly to fulfill the mission of HCC to meet the educational needs of our communities, promote student success in higher education and in the workplace and facilitate economic development.

A top priority has been to ensure that the college is training a qualified workforce for our county and our region. For students who continue their education at four-year universities, their preparation at HCC often results in them performing

above average in their bachelor’s degree programs. During her tenure, Parker has been very involved with community leaders, built upon local relationships and been an active member of several community organizations. As a result, HCC works hand-in-hand with area businesses of all sizes and has established partnerships with these organizations throughout the county.

A key accomplishment toward this goal was the opening of the Public Services Training Facility in 2016. The PSTF is a highly specialized building that allows HCC to safely and effectively train Haywood County’s fire, law enforcement, and EMS personnel.

“The board of trustees has been honored to have Dr. Parker as the president of HCC, and we will be losing an exceptional leader. Her tireless dedication to education and to the mission of the College has been exemplary,” said George Marshall, HCC board of trustees chair.

Parker recently led HCC through the reaffirmation of accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges, which required two years of planning and preparation. As part of this effort, the college created a new program called Navigating College to improve the student advising experience and promote student retention.

Parker is looking forward to traveling and spending time with her husband and family. Following the March 5, 2019 board meeting, the board of trustees will pursue filling the vacancy.

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Additional technology funds allowed the ring to the courthouse security measures and school system to purchase 400 new iPads to school safety improvements. replace the outdated ones students have been Commission Chairman Jim Tate agreed using. More capital funds allowed the school that school safety and courthouse security system to make much needed school safety need to be at the top of the priority list. improvements on several of the campuses.

“We need to get that moving. I don’t think “We added security fencing at schools, I could live with myself knowing we could provided access controls at several locations have made a difference if something ever hapand swipe card entrances and new alarms sys- pens,” he said. tems and cameras,” Baldwin said.

Knowing the increased cost of health However, more needs to be done. insurance is weighing heavy on Roland’s Baldwin’s budget request this year includes mind, Tate said he wouldn’t be opposed to funds for classroom door locks at the high allocating fund balance toward making the school, more swipe card entry systems at the county health fund for solvent. elementary schools, perimeter fencing at He said he’d also leave it to Roland’s disHighlands School and more. Looking at other cretion to figure out how the revaluation will maintenance needs, Baldwin said the fine impact the budget and the tax rate. arts building at the high school needs renova“I’m gonna have to trust your judgment. I tions, several parking lots need patching and had a great dream to hold it flat but after lisseveral windows need to be replaced at the tening to what’s going on in the schools and high school and South Macon Elementary. with security, you’re going to have to make For technology, Baldwin said $618,000 is that recommendation on what it takes to run needed just to maintain what the school sys- our county safely and efficiently and we have tem already has in place, including replacing to have that hard discussion on whether we old desktop computers, a new air condition- can make it happen,” Tate said. ing system for Iotla Valley, a new sound sysCommissioner Gary Shields said he wanttem at South Macon, fire alarm upgrades and ed to refocus on the needs of the Nantahala an exterior speaker system at Nantahala School.

The latest revaluation showed that “As for the operations budgMacon County’s growth has been et, we’re looking through a really murky glass right now,” he said, fairly stagnant over the last four adding that the state budget will likely impact the local budget years. While property values have when it comes to class size stabilized since the last revaluarequirements and mandated salary and benefit increases for tion in 2015, it also means the teachers. He anticipates needing commissioners could be looking at four more K-3 teachers, which should be funded from the state, increasing the county’s property but he’s concerned about whether the state will also fund tax rate in order to have a revenue the teacher assistants needed to neutral budget. go along with those teachers.

“Another concern is we’re seeing more and more trauma impacting stu- community where residents have been asking dents that have serious emotional issues. the county to address infrastructure needs.

Many of them are living with grandparents Roland said those proposed projects and their parents are incarcerated or other would be included in space needs analysis, things,” Baldwin said. “We need another which should be released in the summer. social worker or guidance counselor and Lastly, Shields asked commissioners not we’re looking at the possibility of adding to lose sight of what’s happening at Angel school based health clinics.”

Medical Center. With the sale of Mission While the state has increased pay for Health to HCA Healthcare, AMC is now a forteachers in the last few years and Macon pro- profit hospital under HCA. HCA has commitvides a 2-percent supplement for them as ted to constructing a replacement hospital well, Baldwin said the school system’s classi- along U.S. 441, leaving the old AMC building fied employees — maintenance workers, cus- in Franklin without a use. The purchase also todians, food service and receptionists — created the Dogwood Health Trust that will have not been included in those raises or sup- receive the proceeds from the sale to go plements. toward continued community health initia“They are the backbone of our communi- tives in the region. ty and they are some of the lowest paid in the “We need to stay involved in trying to community as well,” he said. “A 2-percent keep up with the new Dogwood Foundation supplement for them would cost us $96,000.” and things like that,” he said. “A lot of people want to ask us questions but I don’t know the answers — I don’t know if we’re not staying UDGET GOALS involved or we’re not being included in it, but After hearing from staff and department we’re expected to know whether were in the heads, Commissioner Ronnie Beale said it loop or not.”

Roland plans to make his recommended seemed pretty clear what the commissioners’ budget presentation May 14 before holding a goals should be for the upcoming budget.

“We’ve got some big decisions to make public hearing. Then commissioners will and things we need to go ahead with and stop have another month to discuss it before it has kicking the can down the road,” he said, refer- to be adopted by July 1.

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Cherokee artifacts at Plott Creek? Maybe so, maybe not

WITH A SILENT AUCTION

More than 200 apartments are currently planned for this 41-acre parcel off Hyatt Creek Road. Cory Vaillancourt photo

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER uring the protracted approval process of a proposed development that would bring around 200 new apartments to a 41-acre parcel of land near Waynesville’s Walmart, opponents threw everything but the kitchen sink at the project — everything, that is, except for the possibility of Cherokee cultural artifacts on the property.

Now that the site plan has been approved, twice (after a legal snafu that required the town to start the process again from scratch), some neighbors have raised an important question: what are the legal and moral duties of local governments and private developers to investigate such claims?

That question, in turn, has raised another — why won’t any of the neighbors, the developer or anyone from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, go on the record to discuss it?

“Any time you turn a shovel in this part of North Carolina, chances are you’ll turn up something,” said Ron Sneed, attorney from Waynesville’s planning board.

Sneed was one of few to speak publicly about the matter, but off-record sources from the ECBI said it wouldn’t be surprising if there was indeed a Cherokee settlement on or very near the parcel, which sits just south of Hyatt Creek Road and just west of the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway.

Unconfirmed reports from neighbors have said that it’s “an open secret” that a plethora of arrowheads have been found there since the area was settled by the Plott family centuries ago.

But the ECBI’s ability to become involved in developments outside the Qualla Boundary is limited, and is usually at the invitation of local governments or property owners.

Waynesville’s development services director Elizabeth Teague, who clarified what, exactly, the town’s powers are.

“Any time you’re using federal funds, you have to follow the National Environmental Policy Act,” said Teague. “This was put into place under the Nixon administration [in 1970]. It just means that if we’re spending federal dollars, then we need to make sure

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February 13-19, 2019

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we’re looking at environmental impacts, cultural impacts. Every so often, with a federally funded project, our historic commission will get a say. Our local division of the North Carolina environmental quality office in Swannanoa will also comment.”

The Palisades at Plott Creek isn’t a federal project, doesn’t use federal funds and won’t likely see any federal action.

“Outside of the federal process,” Teague continued, “for state and local projects, if [the town] were spending money on a property, we’d do a phase one environmental study, where you send somebody out there to go look at the land, see what’s there — endangered species, Indian mounds, or things that we need to be cautious of, if we move forward.”

The project isn’t a town project, either, but instead a venture by Gastonia-based Triangle Development.

“On the private side, there’s none of that,” Teague said. “With Plott Creek, what’s been interesting to me is a lot of people keep coming back on the town, like, ‘Why are you developing this here?’ This is not our project to develop.”

Triangle has thus far followed the town’s ordinances in moving forward with the project.

“What we look at is if they are compliant with our ordinance,” said Teague. “There’s a technical review commission. There’s water and sewer capacity analysis. There’s looking at floodplain. There’s looking at stormwater.

Now, when the town knows of issues, we ask them to do an environmental analysis.”

That analysis, outlined in section 15.4.1 of the town’s land development standards, is intended to identify natural features like trees, treelines, watercourses and wetlands, or endangered species, and then to evaluate the potential for conservation.

Social or cultural assets are not specifically enumerated in the standards.

“No, we don’t get into that. It’s more environmental. No one’s out there looking for Cherokee remnants,” said Teague. “But we’re always willing to work with the ECBI to identify areas of interest when we can.”

The owner of the parcel, Triangle Real Estate of Gastonia, did not return calls for comment on this story.

Haywood schools again ask for calendar flexibility

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19, but that’s still problematic and insufficient for a number of reasons; with weatherrelated cancellations, the current calendar can push the school year far into summer for some, but even without school closings, the current calendar forces students to take first semester exams after a lengthy — and often lazy — Christmas break.

“It’s been difficult for teachers to try to re-teach the material after Christmas to those students,” said Jim Harley Francis, school board vice chairman.

Although HCS has consistently been ranked in or near the top 10 percent of N.C.’s 115 public school systems, testing after break impacts test scores. It also makes it nearly impossible for high school students to take college courses because the colleges start weeks earlier.

“By being able to take those exams before Christmas and get that over with and start the new semester fresh, that also lines up with the colleges, so those kids that are taking those college courses can go head and start the new semester at the college, instead of having to finish up the previous [high school] semester while trying to start new classes at the college,” said Francis.

Nolte said he wasn’t asking for much.

“If we just had five days … if we could

start the Monday closest to Aug. 12, that would allow us to get our first semester in before Christmas,” he said.

The decision lies first in the hands of Haywood’s legislative delegation, who would need to agree to bring a local bill before the General Assembly.

“I introduced a bill to do just that my first term [2011] and it went nowhere in the Senate,” said Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin.

“Leadership has not changed, so there is no chance calendar flexibility will be given to local school districts. As you are probably aware, I am a local government guy. I am for giving local entities authority while holding them accountable. I fought the battle and lost.”

Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, has also fought that battle before.

“I call this the annual ‘mud-wrestling,’ over school calendar flexibility,” he said.

“Consensus is hard to build on this, but I will err on the side of supporting my local school board and county commissioners.”

Queen noted that business and industries want consistency, and that tourism — both east and west — is a big part of the opposition, and he’s mindful of their interests as well.

“My actual solution,” he said, “is universal broadband to every child’s home, so that a snow day doesn’t mean a lost school day.”

Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, said she has a calendar flexibility bill ready, but that another bill that she and colleagues are currently “tweaking” is on its way.

As of press time, more than a dozen counties have calendar flexibility bills pending early in this legislative session.

Moore County’s version proposes a start date around Aug. 10, but Randolph County’s Aug. 1 request takes it a step further. Forsyth preserves existing language regarding the Aug. 26 start date, but adds an exception that allows the calendar to align with local colleges.

Another group of counties seeks to strike altogether any mention of a start date, leaving it in the hands of local school boards to decide. Rep. Kevin Corbin, R-Franklin, has introduced just such a bill for his counties — Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon — but similar efforts are pending in Alamance, Caldwell, Catawba, Davie, Duplin, Johnston, Onslow, Sampson and Wayne counties.

“The local school board knows the community better, knows the area, so we have a better understanding of what our kids need, when we need to start school,” Francis said.

“That in turn will allow us to do more, accomplish more and offer more to our students.”

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER orth Carolina’s rigid school calendar law has been in place since 2004, but over the past few weeks, a pair of resolutions — one passed by the Haywood School Board, the other by Haywood County Commissioners — have again expressed a desire for changes in the “one size fits all” calendar. “‘One size fits all’ is not great, especially when you have hurricanes and illness that comes through, and especially the winter weather,” said Dr. Bill Nolte, superintendent of Haywood County Schools.

The state spans more than 500 miles from the sandy Outer Banks in the east to the rugged peaks of the Smokies in the west. That allows for tremendous variation in seasonal climate and makes Haywood County one of the few places in the country that’s prone to both blizzards, and tropical depressions.

Most schools, however, start on the Monday closest to Aug. 26, but as winter weather settles in, some schools face closures far more often than others. Haywood County students have missed 26 days of school in the last three years alone.

Haywood County has what’s called a “snow waiver” which means it can start the school year on the Monday closest to Aug.

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Community Almanac Fund for Haywood launches grant program The Fund for Haywood County held an information session for nonprofit organizations recently to share details about a new grant program that will reach more organizations through expanded grant purposes.

The Fund has grown through appreciation, annual donations from community and estate gifts to an endowment that is over $1 million.

The new grant program will continue to focus on four areas — people in need, food and farming, early childhood development, and arts and culture but lifts restrictions and expands grant purposes. The new grants are expected to be between $2,500 and $7,500. A complete description can be found at www.cfwnc.org/nonprofits/grantprograms.aspx?s=the+fund+for+haywood+county.

The Fund for Haywood County is an affiliate fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. Since 1994, The Fund for Haywood County, in partnership with CFWNC, has awarded 117 grants totaling $1,034,011.

To make a gift, donate online at www.fundforhaywoodcounty.org or by mail to P.O. Box 627, Waynesville, NC 28786-0627.

Alternatives to opioids Learn more about treating pain with fewer opioids during a program that will be held from 5:30 to 8:45 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, at Swain County Hospital (Dining Room), 45 Plateau St., Bryson City.

Attendees will learn the evidence-based analysis of the relative effectiveness of medications and their side effects, recommendations on how to improve treatment of acute and chronic pain, and how to recognize substance use/opioid use disorders.

This program includes up to three hours of controlled substances content. Dinner will be served at 5 and the program begins at 5:30 p.m. The symposium is provided by RENEW Bryson City and MAHEC. Register at https://mahec.net/event/57332.

Pathways to host Empty Bowl event Haywood Pathways Center will host its inaugural Empty Bowls fundraiser from 5:30 to p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at HART Theatre in Waynesville.

For $25, attendees select a bowl handcrafted by local WNC potters and enjoy various soups, bread and dessert donated by local restaurants.

The bowl guests take home serves as a reminder of all of the empty bowls in our community as well as the warm hearts that work to fill them.

Visit www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org to purchase tickets. 828.246.0332.

Train to be a mediator Mediation is a proven way to resolve disagreements in the workplace, at home, in your neighborhood, and in your community. Learn how to navigate conflict by taking part in Community Mediation Training offered by Mountain Mediation Services this March.

Mountain Mediation Services handles court-ordered mediations, family and business disputes, and helps children and young adults resolve issues ranging from bullying to misdemeanor offenses. With Community Mediation Training, you will qualify as a MMS volunteer.

The next Community Mediation Training will be held March 19-21 in Webster. The three day, 21-hour course meets the certification standards of the Mediation Network of North Carolina.

The tuition fee of $250 covers instruction plus manuals, handouts and refreshments. The number of participants is limited. Space is available on a firstcome, first-served basis and must be reserved by Wednesday, March 13.

For more information, contact Betty McRae at 828.341.5717. Register online at www.mountainmediation.org or email info@mountainmediation.org.

Nominations sought for SCC alum award Southwestern Community College is now accepting nominations for the SCC Foundation’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award.

Nominees must have graduated with either a certificate, diploma or degree from the institution known today as Southwestern Community College and previously as Southwestern Technical College (1979-1988), Southwestern Technical Institute (1967-1979) or Jackson County Industrial Education Center, a satellite of A-B Tech (1964-67).

Nominations for the award can be submitted in writing by someone other than a member of the potential candidate’s family. The form for nomination can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/ycgrb6be. Completed forms can be emailed to Kathy Posey at k_posey@southwesterncc.edu, along with any supporting information. Forms can also be sent in by mail, addressed to the Southwestern Community College Foundation; 447 College Drive; Sylva, NC 28779.

Smoky Mountain News

HCC receives $10,000 grant The Haywood Community College Foundation recently received a People in Need Grant from The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.

Funds from the $10,000 grant will be used for the Lavender Fund to eliminate barriers for HCC students.

The Lavender Fund was created to assist students with emergency needs that may hinder them from accomplishing their educational goals.

Barriers these students face may include lack of food, homelessness, transportation needs and funds for utilities or rent. During the 2017-18 academic year, the Lavender Fund provided over $4,400 in assistance to 15 students.

For additional information and giving opportunities at HCC, contact Pam Hardin at 828.627.4544 or pahardin@haywood.edu.

Disability agencies receive funding The Evergreen Foundation recently awarded $42,453 in third quarter funding to five agencies providing programs and services for individuals with behavioral health, substance use and intellectual/developmental disabilities.

HIGHTS received $10,235 as the cash match for a North Carolina Crime Commission grant which provides funding for youth crisis respite services in Jackson County; RENEW received $2,214 to purchase drug prevention education materials for Swain County Schools; Children’s Hope Alliance received $15,000 to make repairs and other improvements at the Hawthorne Heights youth home; Meridian Behavioral Health received $6,094 to assist with building a trainer base for staff training throughout Western North Carolina and The 30th Judicial Alliance received $9,000 to assist with the staff training costs of an innovative treatment program targeting individuals with PTSD. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with the next award cycle in March. Proposals for the March review are due no later than 5 p.m. Thursday, February 28. To learn more about the Evergreen Foundation or obtain a grant application, visit www.evergreenfoundationnc.org.

Community Table gets Food Lion donation The Community Table in Sylva has been selected to receive $3,000 from the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation just in time to help feed local residents. The Community Table will use the gift to purchase food through its partnership with MANNA Foodbank.

“We are so grateful to the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation for their generosity in awarding us this grant. The money will help us keep our pantry full, and will help us continue offering healthy, hot meals to those in need in our community,” said Executive Director Paige Christie.

Located at 23 Central Street in Sylva, the Community Table serves more than 27,000 meals a year, and provides Jackson County residence with more than 9,000 boxes of supplemental groceries annually.

19

• The Macon County chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina will meet from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 23, at the Jump Factory, 1024 Georgia Rd., Franklin. The ASNC provides a place for autistic adults and for families of children and adults with autism to meet, share and learn. Join the group for jumping and pizza. RSVP to maconchapter@autismsociety-nc.org.

ALSO:

• An information session on Medicare will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium, 678 S. Haywood St. There are several Medicare plans to choose from and selecting the right one can save you money and offer you peace of mind. No registration required. For more information, call John at 828.356.2833.

• REACH of Macon County will hold its third Annual Mardi Gras Dinner Party Fundraiser on Tuesday, March 5, at Root + Barrel Kitchen in Downtown Franklin. For tickets and sponsorship information, call 828.369.5544 and ask for Jennifer, or email reach@reachofmaconcounty.org.

• “Bowl for Kids Sake” will be held from noon to 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 16, at Sky Lanes, Patton Avenue, Asheville. Registration is $50 per person or $300 per team.

All proceeds benefit Haywood County Big Brothers Big Sisters. For more information or to register, call 828.273.3601.

• Haywood Hospice is currently looking for volunteers to help with reception duties, assist with grief groups or events, or work directly with patients and/or family by providing support, running errands, making phone calls, sitting vigil, or providing other support as needed. A training is scheduled for 9 a.m. March 25. For more information, contact Michael at 828.452.5039.

Opinion Careers can wait; it’s time for some adventuring W Smoky Mountain News

hen the text came letting us know that our daughter Hannah had arrived safely in Costa Rica, a sense of relief — mixed with pride — enveloped me.

To state the obvious, parenting is both complicated and never-ending. You get your kids to 18 and out of high school, you feel some small sense of accomplishment. If they choose college, you do your best to help out and provide whatever guidance you can. As they enter adulthood, the role becomes more complicated. You’re not quite on the outside looking in, but it sometimes feels that way.

When do you recommend the straight line, the career path, discipline, and the acceptance of all the trappings of adulthood? That word — “trappings” — has more truth to it than many would like to admit. The lifestyle associated with adulthood in America can trap you into a cycle that some don’t see coming: a house and the ensuing debt, the need for a steady job that pays the bills, a dependable car and that debt, perhaps getting caught up on those college loans, furnishing said house, keeping up said house, etc. Once children come along, the need and the craving for stability intensifies.

My father-in-law Bill, always the sage counselor, told my wife, Lori, this when we finally decided to buy a house, and I’ll paraphrase: “You’ll discover that it’s sometimes difficult to decide whether you own the house or the house owns you.”

True that.

None of this is in and of itself bad. No, it can be wonderful, especially if you are sharing it with someone you love, in a place you want to live, and with a job that is satisfying. It just has to come at the right time.

We need CLEAN Medicaid Expansion To the Editor: When it comes to health insurance, North Carolina has the sixth largest uninsured population in the nation. One in five Jackson County residents under the age of 65 is uninsured, nearly twice the state average.

Who would benefit directly from Medicaid expansion? People who work one or even two jobs but don’t make enough money to afford health care or qualify for Medicaid under North Carolina’s eligibility rules; or earn too little to purchase coverage plans using subsidies from the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). That would include at least 2,488 people in Jackson County, 2,549 in Haywood, and 833 in Swain. In North Carolina, half a million people!

More than 40 percent of N.C. residents have annual incomes below $17,236 for a single household or $29,435 for a family of three.

By expanding Medicaid, our communities could bring health benefits to fast food and restaurant employees, retail workers, cleaning and maintenance workers, production workers, construction laborers, veterans, our friends, our neighbors, ourselves.

Passing CLEAN Medicaid expansion legislation, a plan currently being considered in Raleigh (HB5 and SB3), would not only help

So, when Hannah graduated from college in May 2018, we never encouraged her to immediately find that serious job that would set her on that path. It was the same for her older sister, Megan. After college Megan spent a year working as an elementary school teacher at a private school in Dubai, traveled quite a bit in that region and Southeast Asia, worked a summer leading bike tours in California, and then relocated to Denver through AmeriCorps for a year before coming back to North Carolina and landing a job that she loves in Editor Raleigh. Get out of your comfort zone, do some “adventuring.” All the while she was working and supporting herself.

And so we circle back around to that text we received Sunday night from Hannah. She had a plan for doing some traveling but needed to save some money. She came home to Waynesville and worked two jobs to make that happen, finally departing this past Sunday for stint at a surf camp on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast. She can’t surf (yet), but she is a certified yoga teacher, is a helluva cook, is nearly fluent in Spanish and has a fantastic work ethic (if a proud dad does say so himself ).

So why would seemingly sane parents be so excited that their middle child has set herself up for what is basically a subsistence existence for at least six months, a trip that could — who knows — turn her into a permanent expat who may never return to the states? For Lori and me it’s obvious,

Scott McLeod

20

Join in Please join DownHome NC of Jackson County and Indivisible Common Ground WNC at a nonpartisan rally to support CLEAN Medicaid Expansion on Febgruary 14 at 4:30 p.m. at 500 Mill St in Sylva. Additional information may be found at www.ncjustice.org.

those who are currently uninsured, it would strengthen our communities through better health care. For example, Medicaid expansion would help fight the opioid crisis by expanding and/or maintaining access to addiction treatment. North Carolina had the second highest increase in overdose deaths in the country in 2017. And our rural hospitals would get a financial boost. Five rural hospitals have recently shuttered their doors and eight more are at risk of financial distress.

New businesses would become more interested in investing in our communities.

Estimates tell us that Medicaid expansion could create 305 jobs, bring in $103 million in business activity and $668,000 in new tax revenue for Jackson County. In Haywood it could create 115 jobs, $55 million in new business activity and $767,000 in new tax revenue. In Swain it could create 833 new jobs, $11 million in new business activity and $61,000 in new tax revenue.

Ninety percent of the funding for expan-

although perhaps not for everyone: adventure, excitement, the unknown. It’s something we have always admired and something that we know is key to a satisfying life, something we have tried to pass on to our children. A lifetime of work and a career will be there whenever you are ready for it.

I went to a bookstore the day before Hannah left looking for a book of Mary Oliver’s poems. The Pulitzer Prize winning poet had died a few weeks ago, and reading her praises and going back over some of her poems rekindled my admiration for her work. When I gave the book to Hannah, she squealed with excitement. She too had read the obituaries, thought she would like her stuff, but had not yet read any of it.

So as for why Lori and I believe this adventure is just what our daughter needs and deserves, I’ll let the poet explain, and wish my daughter well in her adventuring. From “The Summer Day:” I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

LETTERS sion would come from taxes we have to pay to the government. The cost of expansion would almost immediately be recouped by the jobs produced, by decreasing uncompensated costs to hospital emergency rooms, and by increased business activity and tax revenue.

We could lower costs even more and help more people if we also reduce unnecessary administrative hurdles such as excessive reporting requirements by passing the CLEAN Medicaid Expansion bill.

Joan Parks Whittier

Cat Museum will promote Jackson County To the Editor: I am opening The American Museum of the House Cat at a new location in April. I want to make this a landmark that will continue to bring the people who like cats to visit Sylva and the surrounding area. Since the museum opened in 2017, more than 12.000 people have visited. I have a person who has asked if I will be open in June. She is coming to the area from Amsterdam. The museum has become a place of interest to the world.

Together we can make it even better.

There is a lot of open space at the new loca-

tion. I’d like to offer this space to artists who will put something there that relates to the cat. It could be a sculpture, a painting on the outside wall of the museum. Anything that would cause “cat people” and any others who are interested and are driving along U.S. 441 to stop.

Once they visit the museum, we will urge and direct them to other attractions. We could use help inside the museum too. I am enlarging the mock carousel that we have. It carries eight antique carved carousel cats.

These will be placed in a circle under a carousel top, which will have eight rounding boards. These are about four feet long and two feet high. Each has a 16-by-20-inch frame in the middle.

I want to put paintings in each that will depict scenery and other attractions in our area. This would include: the courthouse, the Smokey Mountain Railroad, the Blue Ridge Parkway, local waterfalls, and anything else. I want local artists to paint these. I have matching frames. These will inform and attract interest. I could use a carpenter to help me built the carousel itself. There are others needs. Just ask what you can do to help promote northern Jackson County.

Are you interested? Want to display your art? Contact me by email hsims@catman2.org or call 828 476 9376.

Harold Sims Cullowhee

The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com.

Susanna Barbee

W

Politically, his experiences and observations led to a deep concern for social justice.

Many of his early poems focused on this topic, along with equality. His words gave a voice to the voiceless or oppressed.

One of his famous poems titled “I Am the People, the Mob,� highlighted the working class and their collective contribution to society.

I Am the People, the Mob I am the people—the mob—the crowd—the mass.

Do you know that all the great work of the world is done through me?

I am the workingman, the inventor, the maker of the world’s food and clothes.

I am the audience that witnesses history. The Napoleons come from me and the Lincolns.

They die. And then I send forth more Napoleons and Lincolns.

I am the seed ground. I am a prairie that will stand for much plowing. Terrible storms pass over me. I forget. The best of me is sucked out and wasted. I forget. Everything but Death comes to me and makes me work and give up what I have. And I forget.

Sometimes I growl, shake myself and spatter a few red drops for history to remember. Then—I forget.

When I, the People, learn to remember, when I, the People, use the lessons of yesterday and no longer forget who robbed me last year, who played me for a fool—then there will be no speaker in all the world say the name: “The People,� with any fleck of a sneer in his voice or any far-off smile of derision.

The mob—the crowd—the mass—will arrive then.

FRO OG LEVEL ‡ DOWNTOWN WA AY YNESVILLE

66

COMMERCE STREET ‡

W W W . PA N A C E A C O F F E E . C O M

Experience a casual, relaxing atmosphere perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch. We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.

Open to the Public, 7 Days A Week!

Daily hours: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Call 828-926-4848 Winter Menu Includes Hot Soups & Snacks for reservations.

Smoky Mountain News

Sometimes I feel like today’s America and especially our political leaders are making a mockery of forerunners like Sandburg. Many of his generation created a solid base focused on big dreams, wisdom, hard work and blending cultures to create the strongest nation in the world.

Lyndon B. Johnson described Sandburg eloquently when he said, “Carl Sandburg was more than the voice of America, more than the poet of its strength and genius. He was America.�

As my mom said it would, visiting Connemara affected me deeply. Sandburg’s life and work will continue to inspire and impact my thoughts and ideas.

Sandburg once said, “When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along.�

I’m hopeful the pendulum of America will soon swing the other way and we’ll again remember where we came from.

(Susanna Barbee is a writer, editor and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living, and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)

new ye y ar a r.. new menu.

February 13-19, 2019

hen my mom was living, she owned a tour company called Southern Comfort Tours. She opened the business in her 60s after retiring from 30 years in education. It was a lifelong dream and she made it happen.

Along with extensive trips, she offered small day trips around Western North Carolina and other areas of the Southeast. One of her day trips was to Hendersonville where she would take guests to places like Flat Rock Playhouse, Highland Lake Inn and the Columnist Carl Sandburg home. She loved talking about her itineraries and chattering about this location or that venue.

Carl Sandburg’s estate is called Connemara. She and I had a similar love for literature and history. Seemingly simple or casual experiences would pull at our heartstrings or affect us on an emotional level.

She always said Sandburg’s home did that to her and that I needed to visit. While she was living, I never did.

But recently I visited Carl Sandburg’s home on a press trip for our sister magazine, Smoky Mountain Living.

As we meandered through the rooms in Sandburg’s home looking at his massive collection of books, functional furniture, Zenith electronics, family photos, art work and musical instruments, I could feel happy spirits in the house. One could easily tell Sandburg and his wife were madly in love and the couple, along with their three daughters, adored one another and enjoyed a meaningful life in a beautiful place.

Before my trip to Connemara, I wasn’t familiar with Carl Sandburg quotes. When we entered the ticket area/gift shop, the first item in view was a T-shirt with the words, “Nothing unless first we dream.� It made me think of my mom’s tour company.

From nothing but a lofty dream, she created a flourishing business. It was like she was winking at me from heaven saying, “Well, sweet girl, I’m glad you’re finally visiting Carl Sandburg’s home.�

Throughout the tour, we learned about Sandburg’s incredible life. He embodied the American Dream. From Swedish immigrant parents, he was born in Illinois and grew up poor, one of seven children. He loved books and knew he wanted to be a writer at age 6, but he left school after eighth grade to work a series of jobs. He traveled the country as a hobo, falling in love with America and her people. Later, he delivered milk, was a traveling salesman, served in the Army, worked as a newspaperman and wrote many volumes of books, from children’s stories to poetry to biographies of Abraham Lincoln.

He won three Pulitzers.

opinion

Sandburg’s words are needed now more than ever

1819 Country Club Drive Maggie Valley, NC

M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M 21

REEKSIDE COYSTER HOUSE & GRILL Real New Yorkers.

Real Italians. Real Pizza.

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

VALENTINE'S DAY T WO FOR 128 D N.INNER Main St., Waynesville $45

Mild, Sweet or Spicy A PPETIZER (Chose one to share) •C RAB R ANGOON OR •OYSTER ROCKEFELLER

Join Us for Weekly

PASTA NIGHT! Wednesdays 3-9 p.m.

1295 incudes choice of salad, garlic rolls, choice of pasta and dessert.

$

243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde

828-476-5058 172 Sylva Plaza | Sylva

828-492-0641 All location hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Closed Sundays

LOVE OUR LOCALS

E NTREES •S TEAK OSCAR OR •S EARED A HI T UNA OR •PAN S EARED D UCK B REAST D ESSERT •C HOCOLATE CAYENNE M OUSSE OR •B LUEBERRY B READ P UDDING

828.586.1985

IN FEBRUARY!

483 Skyland Drive • Sylva

Buy one dinner, get one 1/2 off!

Exit 85 to Skyland Dr., two blocks from McDonalds

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.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner nightly at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Wine Down Wednesday’s: ½ off wine by the bottle. 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.

CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville.

828.452.6210. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

February 13-19, 2019

Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two

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

Reservations honored.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh 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 WiFi, 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,

blueroostersoutherngrill.com Monday-Friday Open at 11am

Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food

FEBRUARY 14-17

Come and enjoy a great dinner for two on those special nights for sweethearts!

WEDNESDAY 5-9 P.M.

THURSDAY 5-9 P.M.

SUNDAY 11 A.M-3 P.M.

———————————————

Rib buffet, fried chicken, vegetables, and a twenty-three item salad bar!

Piano Man & Angie

Buffet Brunch

———————————————

featuring turkey and dressing

Dinner Includes:

$11.95

Whatever the Occasion, Let Us Do the Cooking!

THURSDAY- SUNDAY

828-456-1997

Smoky Mountain News

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

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

Country Buffet

$11.95

$12.95

828.926.0201 22

tasteTHE mountains

At the Maggie Valley Inn • 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley

FOR ONLY

24.99

$

Two Smothered Chicken with Choice of Side, Salad, Non-Alcoholic Beverage

35 EAST MAIN ST. • SYLVA 828.586.6532

Meetings, Events, Parties & More Sun.–Thurs. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

1941 Champion Dr. • Canton 828−646−3750 895 Russ Ave. • Waynesville 828−452−5822

tasteTHE mountains desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

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.

KANINI’S 1196 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.452.5187. Lunch Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., eat in or carry out. Closed Sunday. A made-from-scratch kitchen using fresh ingredients and supporting the local food and local farm-to-table program. Offering a variety of meals to go from frozen meals to be stored and cooked later to “Dinners to Go” that are made fresh and ready to enjoyed that day. We also specialize in catering any event from from corporate lunches to weddings. Menus created to fit your special event. kaninis.com

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

828.476.5058. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 8 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.

FIREFLY TAPS & GRILL 128 N. Main St., Waynesville 828.454.5400. Simple, delicious food. A must experience in WNC. Located in downtown Waynesville with an atmosphere that will warm your heart and your belly! Local and regional beers on tap. Full bar, vegetarian options, kids menu, and more.

Reservations accepted. Daily specials. Live music every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m.

Open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Handtossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch.

Casual family friendly atmosphere. Craft beer and interesting wine. Free movies Thursday through Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows & events.

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.

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Open seven days a week! 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Joey’s is a family-friendly restaurant that has been serving breakfast to locals and visitors of Western North Carolina for decades. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE 101 Park St., Canton.

828.492.1422. Open Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Southerninspired restaurant serving simply prepared, fresh food sourced from top purveyors.

Located riverside at Bearwaters Brewing, enjoy daily specials, sandwiches, wings, fish

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

h Valentine’s h n

h

Weekend

Fixed-Price Specials Feb. 14-16

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

n h

Order off the menu or choose packages for $35 or $50 per couple 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. Live music included!

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

www.CityLightsCafe.com

Mon/Wed/Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday/Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tuesday

Sunday 12-9 p.m.

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

Featured Dishes: Fresh Fried Chicken, Rainbow Trout, Country Ham, Pork-chops & more

AT BEARWATERS BREWING

101 PARK ST. CANTON 828.492.1422

PIGEONRIVERGRILLE.COM

Wine • Port • Champagne Cigars • Gifts

828-452-6000

20 Church Street Downtown Waynesville

classicwineseller.com MONDAY - SATURDAY

10:00AM - 6:00PM

828-246-6996 429 Hazelwood Ave Waynesville Monday, Tuesday Wednesday Thursday, Friday Saturday, Sunday

7:30am-8 pm Closed 7:30am-8 pm 8 am-8 pm

WAYNESVILLE’S BEST BURGERS

Breakfast : Omelets, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy!

Smoky Mountain News

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February 13-19, 2019

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Smoky Mountain News

Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet celebrates 25 years T he Sylva-based Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet will present a concert celebrating 25 years of music, travel and fun together on Sunday, Feb. 17, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library.

Free and open to the public, the concert begins at 7 p.m. and will be preceded with a slideshow features the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet’s travels from around the world throughout the years. The quintet recently released its first album, “Celebrating 25 Years,” which also will be available for purchase.

Formed in 1993, the quintet has performed nationally and internationally, with a wide repertoire that includes pop, jazz, patriotic and standards, as well as commissioned works. The group then and now is made up of faculty from Western Carolina University’s School of Music and, until 2017, was WCU’s quintet-in-residence.

Current members are P. Bradley Ulrich, trumpet; David Ginn, trumpet; Travis Bennett, horn; Mike Schallock, tuba; and Zsolt Szabo, trombone.

The selections for the evening include “Escape” and “Galleons and Cutlasses” by Kevin McKee, “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba”

by Handel, “Four Hymn Tune Settings” by Paul Basler, “American Heritage Fantasy” by Bruce Frazier, “Dance of the Yao People” by Tieshan and Yuan, and “Contrabajeando” by Astor Piazzola.

Between musical selections, the musicians will share some of their favorite memories of past performances and tours.

Ginn and Ulrich are founding members of the quintet, which initially presented a concert each semester in the recital hall of the Coulter Building on campus, then concerts for Jackson County students and later other public school students from the region.

The group also played at local fundraisers for various causes, including a new public library, an arts council benefit and support for the high school band program, which led to events for charitable organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Foundation, Relay for Life and California wildfire victims.

“The early days, I think, was simply us desiring a creative outlet to satisfy our need to develop our musicianship in a professional, committed way,” said Ginn. “In the beginning, the group had never considered evolving into our tagline, ‘cultural ambassadors building international relationships through music.’

Sharing our music, especially the music from our Southern Appalachians on the international stage, didn’t enter our minds until 2004.”

That year, the quintet hosted an informal lunchtime “Welcome to WCU” concert for the incoming provost, Kyle R. Carter, with thenChancellor John W. Bardo in attendance.

At that concert, there was an announcement that the quintet had been invited to represent the university at a festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, through contacts of Ulrich.

Left: Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet, 2014: P. Bradley Ulrich (trumpet), Zsolt Szabo (trombone), Mike Schallock (tuba), David Ginn (trumpet) and Travis Bennett (horn). Right: Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet, 1997: (seated, from left) Robert Kehrberg, Ken Kroesche, (standing, from left) Alan Mattingly, David Ginn and P. Bradley Ulrich.

Chancellor Bardo loved the idea and needed elements came together to make an international tour happen, Ginn said.

“As our local vision expanded, so did our international vision,” said Ulrich. “We began with that tour to Russia in 2005, then England, Ireland and Wales in 2006, before performing at Carnegie Hall in 2007. Nearly every year since, we’ve set our sights on performing at the international sister schools of WCU and in places we never thought we would ever see, such as China, Jamaica and South Africa.

“To date, we have had performances and given master classes in 14 different countries around the world,” he said. “Over 25 years, we have had a total of nine different members of the ensemble and all have been a pleasure to perform with and get to know. This group is as much a family as it is an outstanding musical ensemble.”

Playing for an international audience is great, but there’s something about home, Schallock said.

“Contributing to the musical accomplishments of the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet has definitely been rewarding; however, I agree that the most meaningful rewards have been through service to the community and causes over the years,” he said. “Playing for our home audience is always great, even though it seems to bring with it a little extra pressure to perform to make it special.”

The quintet has proven to be an excellent recruitment resource for WCU’s School of Music, including performing for many of the top public school music programs in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia, members said.

Bennett joined the group in 2006.

“One of my very first gigs was a parade in Cherokee,” he said. “They had us sitting in the back of some kind of large military truck and we were trying to play a Sousa march while inhaling diesel fumes. That was quite a contrast to just a few months later, when we performed in Carnegie Hall.

“My favorite part of my job is playing with these guys,” Bennett said. “I’ve been in lots of

“Over 25 years, we have had a total of nine different members of the ensemble and all have been a pleasure to perform with and get to know. This group is as much a family as it is an outstanding musical ensemble.”

— P. Bradley Ulrich, trumpet

chamber music ensembles that are dysfunctional in lots of ways, but the members of the quintet really get along well and work really well together. Thanks to them, I’ve seen parts of the world I would never have seen otherwise.

I still pinch myself when I think that I’ve walked on the Great Wall of China, and sat on the southernmost tip of Africa.”

Szabo appreciates the opportunity to travel and share music. He recalls enjoying a more recent tour that took the quintet to his hometown in Romania.

“When the group spent time enjoying traditional Hungarian dishes in my mom’s living room will always have a special place in my heart,” Szabo said. “During the past five years, I discovered in SMBQ a wonderful group of colleagues who perform together at the highest international standards, and a warm and caring group of true friends. I couldn’t be happier and honored to be a member of this great ensemble. I’m looking forward to many more years of performing together.”

The comradery is something Ginn, too, especially values.

“Not only have members of the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet gotten along for 25 years, they are more like a family. And like other members of my family, they traveled the 13-year journey of my wife’s illness — early onset Alzheimer’s — with us,” Ginn said.

“Once, I even tried to quit the group because I felt I was holding it back because of my limited practice time and ability to travel. They said, ‘no.’ I’m so glad they did, as the group was the only thing I retained from my pre-diagnosis life. They patiently welcomed my wife Debbie as she accompanied me to hundreds of rehearsals, two recording sessions, and more than a few short tours. She was the group’s biggest fan, and the group played her two favorite pieces at her celebration of life after her death. Not many groups can claim that as one of their legacies.”

Former members of the quintet are Robert Kehrberg, trombone/tuba; Kenneth Kroesche, trombone; Alan Mattingly, horn; and Dan Cherry, trombone.

For more information, contact Ulrich at 828.227.3274 or www.smbq.org.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

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February 13-19, 2019

Why does it seem we’re all so unhappy these days?

Is it that we’re just more aware of our emotions and live in an age where — whether it’s socially acceptable or not — we lay everything out on the table? Is it the technology in our hands and our pockets we constantly post and scroll for subconscious self-value? Is it all the yelling, bickering and division constantly thrown in our face from TV, radio and the internet?

Well, truth-be-told, it’s all of the above. It really is.

Coming into 2019, I myself was at an emotional crossroads, debating my next move, questioning all the decisions in my life that led to the “here and now.” And yet, as I wandered down the Facebook stream, it seemed everyone else was in my boat, too — emotionally exhausted and spiritually spent.

Aside from the advent of the internet, two specific things have brought us to this Western Carolina University’s School of Stage point in our society: celebrity and Screen will present William Shakespeare’s culture/consumption and the “Twelfth Night” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14-16 and 24-hour news cycle. Yep. 3 p.m. Feb. 17 in the Hoey Auditorium.

That’s our entire digital landscape distilled into a two-headThe Asheville Brewing “Beer Dinner” will be ed monster, seeing as the idea held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, at Mad of celebrity and the power of Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant in Waynesville. politics are not mutually exclusive.

The “Valentine Cabaret & Dinner Show” will be But, the question remains: held at 6 p.m. Feb. 15-16 at the Smoky is there more chaos today or Mountain Center for the Performing Arts are we just focusing on it in Franklin. more? From my perspective, As part of the Winter Arts Smokies Style series, it’s the latter. We’re focusing “The ART of Chocolate” will be held from noon on it more. For example, how to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, in Waynesville. many documentaries and series about serial killers and Historian and author Barbara McRae will presbloody wars pre-Internet keep ent “Three Women of Cowee” at 6:30 p.m. popping up on Netflix and Monday, Feb. 18, at the Historic Cowee School Hulu? Madness and mayhem Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin. has always run alongside the evolution of humanity. historical reference is worth its weight in Heck, if you really (really, really) study your American history, you’ll see that every- gold, whether it be in casual conversation or simply making important decisions as in thing we think is a huge social issue and/or epidemic today, well, was just as much — if how to vote and being “the change you want to see in the world,” as they say. not more — a problem back in the day.

That said, America has never been Plain and simple, a frame of unimpeded

CASUAL FINE DINING WITH

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

great. We’ve had moments of greatness, but, in essence, we’ve been a rough-andtumble work-in-progress since our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

So, skip ahead some 243 years to where we stand today, a time and place where fear and paranoia triggers your anxiety each day and from every direction. Remember what President Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

And we get so consumed with what everyone else is doing that we easily lose sight at how much love and gratitude we have in our own lives. Scroll through other “more successful” peoples’ profiles, constant FOMO (fear of missing out) seeping into your thought process. The grass is always greener on the other side. And there’s also dog shit on that lawn, too, no matter how pristine it may appear from afar.

And there it is: “appearance versus reality.” The age-old battle between what you’re told and what actually is. Smoke and mirrors, where you find yourself whining, “Why can’t I have my cake and eat it, too?”

The choices in life, those options we see and crave, are usually what they seem to be at first glance — too good to be true. Turn off the phone. Log out of the social media account. Even for a day. Take inventory of your own life and surroundings.

Sure, there will always be things you want to change about yourself and your existence, which is fine, because selfimprovement and spiritual evolution as a human being is a great thing.

But, remember, that doesn’t mean you should look into a full-body mirror and tear yourself apart because you’re not a “social media influencer” splashing the waves on some exotic white sand beach with curves that bikini companies seemingly use as a design template.

So, the original sentiment circles back: “Why does it seem we’re all so unhappy these days?” In many cases, we are sadder than past generations, and a lot of it comes at the hands of ourselves, literally.

Leave the phone in your car and go for a walk in the woods, immersing yourself in the recharging powers of Mother Nature — none of us purposely live here in Western North Carolina to sit inside all day. Know your self-worth, where you’re actually a lot further along in your journey than what meets-the-eye, so long as you never lose sight of what it is you really want to do with your time on this earth.

And most importantly — make daily connections. Strike up a conversation with a stranger next to you. Make a new friend.

Expand your horizons. Don’t adhere to the same route you take every day. Switch it up.

Go to new places. Try new things.

Don’t feed into the urge of seeing what everyone else is doing on Instagram and Facebook. Do positive things for yourself.

Be selfless. And truly be compassionate towards others known or unknown, all while rekindling that fire within, a smile returning to the natural beauty of the one thing nobody but you can possess — your heart and soul.

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

a website to take you to places where there are no websites.

Log on. Plan a getaway.

Let yourself unplug.

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February 13-19, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the beat

Folkmoot ‘Songwriters in the Round’ The Folkmoot “Songwriters in the Round” series will present David Olney, Peter Cooper and Gwil Owen from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Begun in Balsam in 1996 and modeled after similar performances at Nashville’s Bluebird Café, the “Songwriters in the Round” series, now hosted by Folkmoot, presents signature in-the-round shows featuring Nashville area songwriters who pen the lyrics performed by country’s biggest stars. Many performances feature Grammy and CMA award winners, and all include writers of many top-ranked songs.

Master craftsman, acclaimed singer/songwriter and globe-trotting performer, Olney is well-known worldwide for his indelible songs and powerful live performances. Olney has released more than 20 albums over four decades, including six live recordings. His music has been prominently featured in ABC-TV’s “Nashville” and his stellar songs have been recorded by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Del McCoury, Tim O’Brien, The Wailin’ Jennys, Steve Young, Slaid Cleaves and many others.

A Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and producer, Cooper was the senior music writer and columnist for Nashville’s daily paper, The Tennessean. He is currently working at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum as museum editor. Named one of Nashville’s “10 Most Interesting People” by Nashville Arts & Entertainment magazine,

Cooper is also a session player, a producer who has worked with Todd Snider, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Fayssoux Starling McLean, among others, and is professor of country music at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.

Owen moved to Nashville as a songwriter in the 1980s. His band, The Thieves, was signed to Bug/Capitol Records and put out one record, “Seduced By Money,” in 1988 and a number of singles thereafter. Toni Price was the first to record Gwil’s songs on her debut album “Swim Away.” Since 1994 she has recorded over 30 Gwil Owen songs, and “Tumbleweed” was honored as song of the year at the 1995 Austin Music Awards.

Owen went on to be nominated for an Academy Award in 1999 for a song co-written with Allison Moorer called “A Softer Place to Fall,” which was featured in Robert Redford’s film “The Horse Whisperer.” The Gwil Owen/Kevin Gordon songwriting collaboration “Deuce and a Quarter” was recorded By Keith Richard and Levon Helm for the album “All The Kings Men,” which featured performances by Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana.

Gwil is also the co-owner of Howlin’ Books in Nashville and a noted visual collage artist.

Tickets are $25 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.folkmoot.org, email info@folkmoot.org or call 828.452.2997.

WCU welcomes U.S. Navy Band

Waynesville; Summer Davis and Avery Maples of Swain County High School in Bryson City.

Tickets are free, but seating is limited.

Visit arts.wcu.edu/navyband to reserve free tickets today. No more than four tickets can be reserved by one person. Tickets may also be reserved over the phone at 828.227.2479 or in person at the WCU Bardo Arts Center Box Office located at 199 Centennial Drive in Cullowhee. Box Office hours are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday until 7 p.m. The box office will also be open one-hour prior to this performance.

Please join us before the concert for the WCU Fine Art Museum reception for “Outspoken: Paintings by America Meredith,” a dynamic new exhibition celebrating Cherokee language and culture. The reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Bardo Arts Center Star Atrium.

Smoky Mountain News

Western Carolina University is pleased to present the U.S. Navy Band in concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall in Cullowhee.

The Concert Band is the United States Navy’s premier wind ensemble. This group includes 56 performers on flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, trumpet, horn, euphonium, trombone, tuba, string bass, harp and percussion.

This ensemble presents a wide array of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble repertoire. As the original ensemble of the Navy Band, the Concert Band has been performing public concerts and participating in highprofile events for over 85 years.

Local high school students will perform the “Washington Post March” by John Philip Sousa alongside the Navy Concert Band during the performance. Students participating include the following: Scott Alligood, Kyle Ammons, Becky Pechmann, Parker Smith, and Emily Yang of Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva; Cory Lapkoff and Jennifer 26 McHenry of Tuscola High School in

WCU Friends of the Arts fundraiser Musician Jim Witter will present his “Time in a Bottle: Celebrating the folk Favorites of the ‘60s and ‘70s” show as a

David Olney.

Jim Witter.

fundraiser for the Friends of the Arts at 3 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 23, in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Journey back to the era of the 1960s and 1970s coffeehouses, when the scent of clove cigarettes wafted through the air, when poets and musicians ruled the “open mic” scene.

War was raging abroad, cries for peace and love were in the air, this was the setting that launched the careers of many of our folk favorites: James Taylor, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin and more.

The concert is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

‘Pour 40’ tour rolls on Jackson County jam/rock act Porch 40 will continue its “Pour 40” tour with a special performance around our region.

Dates include 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at Bold Rock Cidery in Mills River (free); 9 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Innovation Station (Innovation Brewing) in Dillsboro ($5 at the door); and alongside The Colby Deitz Band at 9 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain ($7 advance/$10 day of show). www.porch40.com.

On the beat

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host Scott Stetson (singer-songwriter) Feb. 22. All shows are free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 14 and 21. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday and Modern Strangers (pop/rock) 9 p.m. Feb. 16. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• City Lights Cafe (Sylva) will host Andy Sneed Feb. 15 and Jim Elenteny Feb. 16. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.citylightscafe.com or 828.587.2233.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host The Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/country) 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 and Mama Danger (newgrass) Feb. 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART (Waynesville) will host karaoke and an open mic at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. All are welcome. www.harttheatre.org.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Shane Meade 2 p.m. Feb. 17 and The Remarks Feb. 23. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, The UpBeats Feb. 16, Gary Neil Carter Feb. 22 and STIG w/Chachuba Feb. 23. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant (Waynesville) will host AcousticEnvy Feb. 23.

All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m.

Country star in Franklin

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Somebody’s Child (Americana) Feb. 16 and Bird in Hand (Americana/folk) Feb. 23. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

Country music singer Jay Allen will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Allen found fame after releasing a song

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday.

Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, Mile High (classic rock) 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a Trivia w/Kelsey Jo 8 p.m. Thursdays.

he wrote for his mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. He debuted “Blank Stares” on stage as he embraced his mother and paid tribute to her in front of fans.

Eight different videos of that performance went viral with over 125 million views.

Allen’s tribute has been featured worldwide across media platforms such as People and Forbes magazines, ABC World Nightly News, Pickler & Ben, and many others.

Together with his band, The Stallions, Allen has helped the National Alzheimer’s Association raise over $26 million and he continues to tour to raise money and spread awareness.

Allen was born and raised in rural Iowa and discovered his love for performing at church. When he was old enough, he packed his bags, moved to Nashville, and worked day and night to reach his goal of becoming a professional singer.

He has released a five-song EP and celebrated his first hit single, “Sounds Good to Me.” He is set to release new music over the coming months, the first of which will be Allen’s debut single, “Whatcha Say.” This benefit concert has been organized

by Franklin High School’s Future Business Leaders of America as part of their community service project. Tickets are $10 per student and $20 per adult.

To purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and live music on Friday evenings. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

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

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, karaoke on Thursdays, The Rory Kelly Band Feb. 15, Karaoke Feb. 16, Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) Feb. 22 and West King String Band Feb. 23. All events at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.456.4750.

Smoky Mountain News

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Feb. 13 and 20, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Feb. 14 and 21. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

Jay Allen.

February 13-19, 2019

• The Colonial Theatre (Canton) will host Eli Mosley (country) at 7 p.m. Feb. 15.

Admission is $20. You can purchase tickets by going to www.eventbrite.com and searching “Eli Mosley Colonial Theatre.” www.elimosley.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host The Kennedys (acoustic) 7 p.m. Feb. 13, Chris Wilhelm & Friends (Americana) 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 13, Samson & Delilah present the music of Alison Krauss & Robert Plant (Americana) 7 p.m. Feb. 14, Divas Live! Valentine’s Edition (pop/rock) 8:30 p.m. Feb. 14, Margo Cilker & Field Heat w/An American Forrest (Americana/country) 7 p.m. Feb. 15, Taj Mahal Trio (blues) 8:30 p.m. Feb. 16, The Promise is Hope (Americana/indie) 6 p.m.

Feb. 17, Declan O’Rourke (Celtic) 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 17, Dryman Mountain Boys w/Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 and Robinson Treacher (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m.

Feb. 20. www.isisasheville.com.

arts & entertainment

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Liz Nance (singer-songwriter) Feb. 15 and Jody West (singer-songwriter) Feb. 16. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

@SmokyMtnNews 27

Smoky Mountain News

February 13-19, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the street

WWI exhibit at WCU Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is currently hosting an exhibit to commemorate World War I and the centennial of the end of hostilities in the “war to end all wars.”

“I Want You! How World War I Transformed Western North Carolina” is on display in the museum’s first floor gallery, located in Hunter Library. It features wartime images and artifacts, as well as examples of propaganda used to build support for the war effort. It highlights local individuals who served, such as Ransom Coward, a Jackson County soldier, and Lula Owl Gloyne, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who served as an Army nurse and a commissioned officer.

World War I took place from July 1914 until November 1918, with the U.S. involved in the European military action beginning in April 1917.

The exhibit was created by Mountain Heritage Center staff with support from the Library of Congress, WCU’s Special Collections and the “Defining America”

theme committee on campus, as well as the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. It will be on display through Friday, April 26.

This month, the exhibit will be supplemented by elements from the “North Carolina in the Great War” exhibit from the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

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

To honor and celebrate the region’s multicultural heritage, Southwestern Community College’s diversity committee will sponsor its inaugural Cultural Fusion Festival on Wednesday, March 27, on the college’s Jackson Campus.

The event’s theme is “How We all Got Here,” and it will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In conjunction with the festival, the committee will sponsor an arts, literature and video contest. Submissions are being accepted through March 1 (postmarked or received) in the following categories: • Art (multi-media) • Literature (poetry, short stories, prose) • Performance (video) “We’re excited about celebrating all the ways that people from entirely different parts of the globe have come together to create such a unique culture in Western North Carolina,” said Susan Cain, SCC’s Communications Instructor who is helping to coordinate the event. “This contest is the perfect opportunity to showcase all of the wonderful talent our region has to offer. We are hoping to draw a large number of entries.”

The winner of each category will receive a $100 prize. Committee members will determine the winners, who will be announced at 12:30 p.m. during the festival.

The competition is open to residents of Jackson, Macon, Swain Counties and the Qualla Boundary as well as to SCC students and alumni.

All work must be related to WNC’s fusion of multiple cultures, such as AfricanAmerican, Latino, Native American, Scotch-Irish and many others. Only previously unpublished work may be submitted.

Prose should not exceed 2,000 words.

All writing must be double-spaced and submitted on paper or via email attachment.

Each page must be numbered, and the author’s name, address, telephone number and email address should be included on the last page of each submission.

For more information, contact Cain at 828.339.4226 or s_cain@southwesterncc.edu.

• As part Cowee School’s “Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture” series, historian and author Barbara McRae will present “Three Women of Cowee” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, at the Historic Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin. www.coweeschool.org.

ALSO:

INDOOR FLEA MARKET AT THE OLD ARMORY Saturday, Feb. 16, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m 44 Boundary St., Waynesville The flea market will be held the third Saturday of each month. To sell items, booths are $10 each.

We are pleased to announce the opening of our third location in Haywood County at 33 Bennett Street in Waynesville. We are located just off Brown Ave below Hazelwood Tire and beside Pioneer Supply. Thanks to our customers, we are the largest self storage provider in Haywood County.

We offer the same Clean, Safe and Secure facility as our sites in Canton and Clyde.

For more info, call the Old Armory at 828.456.9207

WAYNESVILLE

PARKS AND RECREATION

828.456.2030 28

Submissions sought for SCC’s Cultural Fusion Festival

or email rlangston@waynesvillenc.gov

• NEW CLEAN, DRY UNITS • TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED • SECURITY CAMERAS • KEYPAD ACCESS 33 Bennett Street, Waynesville 7066 Old Clyde Road, Canton • 565 Jones Cove Road, Clyde

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On the table

Craft beer, gourmet dinner at Mad Anthony’s The Asheville Brewing “Beer Dinner” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant in Waynesville.

Four craft beer selections will be paired with four chef-created courses prepared by Chef Matt Kuver. All attendees will receive a gift from Asheville Brewing.

Tickets are $60, which includes tax and gratuity. Only 50 tickets available. Tickets are available for purchase at Mad Anthony’s.

828.246.9249.

‘Valentine Cabaret & Dinner Show’ The “Valentine Cabaret & Dinner Show” will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 15-16 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

An evening of Broadway classics, pop standards, heart-pounding love songs as a troupe of singing actors present dinner, fun, laughs and a few surprises, all served up live on the stage.

Space is limited. Advanced tickets suggested. Tickets are $20, which includes dinner and a show. 866.273.4615 or visit www.greatmountainmusic.com.

Presented in conjunction with the Christian Training Center International.

Presented by the Overlook Theatre Company.

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or visit www.gsmr.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host a “Valentine’s Wine Dinner” from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14. Four-course gourmet meal with wine recommendations for each course. Price is $44.99 per person plus wine. To make your reservation, call 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

ALSO:

• A “Valentine’s Day Dinner & Movie” will be held on Thursday, Feb. 14, at Firefly Taps & Grill in Waynesville. Prime rib dinner special for two with champagne and two tickets to see “An Affair to Remember” just down the street at The Strand at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $69 per couple plus tax and tip. For details and reservations, call 828.454.5400.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 16 and 23 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.631.3075.

Smoky Mountain News

• High Country Style — Enjoy chocolate treats as you shop.

• Mast General Store — Sample the many different chocolate candies all day long.

• Moose Crossing Burl Wood Gallery — Chocolate moose.

• Olde Brick House — Come by for your Hershey’s Kisses and when you purchase two chocolate teas, receive an additional tea of any type of equal or less value free.

• Pleasant Places — Complimentary chocolates with a $10 purchase or more.

• RE/MAX Executive — Balloon animals, hats and valentines from 3 to 6 p.m.

Chocolate surprise noon to 6 p.m.

• Sunburst Market — Chocolate heaven flourless cakes tasting and sparkling wines.

• The Jeweler’s Workbench — Master Chocolatier Timothy McGuire will be demonstrating chocolate making techniques and provide tastings from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sheri Burch, master metalsmith and jewelry instructor, will be hosting four of her student’s work along with jewelry making demonstrations throughout the day.

Steeplechase toffee tastings.

• The Kitchen Shop — A complimentary “Sweet Treat” with any $25 purchase.

Chocolate samples galore.

• The Strand — Hot cocoa and mocha lattes and the film “Chocolat” with the incomparable Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche at 1 and 4 p.m. Movie tickets are $5.

• TPennington Art Gallery — Chocolate Recipe Exchange with four special chocolate desserts, and a guessing game everyone can play with a giveaway to the winner.

• Twigs & Leaves Gallery — Dave & Judy Horn, owners of the Corn Husk Shoppe will demonstrate from 3 to 6 p.m. Marna Dodson on the piano. Array of chocolate treats will be served.

For more information, click on www.downtownwaynesville.com.

The tour is three hours starting at the Asheville Museum of Science with roundtrip transportation back to the museum.

The tour is open to all ages and is family friendly, with tickets at $85 per adult and $75 per child. The ticket price includes all educational talks, seed bombs, museum admission, one drink, and transportation.

Discounts are available for active and retired military service. Private tours are also available. For further details and to reserve your tickets, visit www.leapfrogtours.com and click on “tours,” or call 828.246.6777.

February 13-19, 2019

As part of the Winter Arts Smokies Style series, “The ART of Chocolate” will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, in Waynesville.

Sponsored by the Waynesville Gallery Association, several merchants and restaurants plan to offer entertainment, special chocolate surprises and other specials. Look for the “red hearts” designating the establishments with specials.

Take a photo with the “Queen of Hearts” mascot and collect a red beaded necklace.

Face painting is $5 per face. Bring school-age clothing to any gallery for “Clothes to Kids.”

From 3 to 6 p.m. gallery events will host artist demonstrations, music, entertainment and chocolate refreshments: • Affairs of the Heart — Complimentary chocolate hearts and “Spin the Wheel” for a discount or free prize.

• Beverly Hanks Real Estate — Hot chocolate bar from noon to 4 p.m.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub — Special chocolate beer on tap and complimentary chocolate cookies.

• Cedar Hill Studio — Artist demonstration by Ernestine Bucking and Cayce Moyer from 1 to 4 p.m., banjo and tongue drum music with Jeff McCoy 1 to 4 p.m.

Refreshments and many items in the gallery discounted 10-15 percent.

• Dillsboro Chocolate Factory — Buy five and get one free hand dipped chocolate, truffles and shooters.

• Ellie’s Fine Resale — Chocolate pretzels and a 25-percent discount on all merchandise.

• Firefly Taps & Grill — Decadent chocolate dessert and hot chocolate with Bailey’s cocktail.

• Haywood County Arts Council — Artist demonstration with Francoise Lynch at 2 p.m. Enjoy hot chocolate and the music of Betina Morgan on the harp from 3 to 6 p.m.

Introducing the new “Pint & Pollinator Tour,” a partnership between Waynesville businesses Leap Frog Tours and Spriggly’s Beescaping. This new and educational experience will run every from 1 to 4 p.m. every Friday in February and March.

Begin the journey by meeting at the Asheville Museum of Science to see Spriggly’s Insect Exploration Station. This exhibit space features a rotating series of interactive installations focused on the fascinating world of insects. Currently installed is an exhibit highlighting the habitat needed for insects during winter and inclement weather, titled, “Where do Insects Hide When it is Cold Outside?”

While at the museum, enjoy a special lesson in bees and pollination, along with seed bomb making. After the museum, the journey continues to the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center to see other nature exhibits, walk a short trail, and learn more about pollinators.

At the final stop, visit Whistle Hop Brewing Company for a pint of beer or a

non-alcoholic beverage of your choice. The brewery features select drafts which use fruit flavors and/or honey in the brewing process; both ingredients would not be possible without pollinators. After a drink, the tour finishes with transportation back to the Asheville Museum of Science.

arts & entertainment

‘The ART of Chocolate’

Bees, beer and more

• 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.

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Smoky Mountain News

February 13-19, 2019

arts & entertainment

On the wall WCU School of Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present the School of Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition 2019, which will be on display through May 3.

Outside of the classroom, faculty members in the School of Art and Design are active artists and scholars that make significant contributions to the arts. They regularly exhibit in venues across the globe, from New York to Los Angeles to Japan and speak at major conferences in their fields.

The School of Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition provides students and the public an opportunity to view recent work created by these distinguished faculty members whose primary research output is studio based.

Exhibiting School of Art and Design Faculty: Erin Adams, Tom Ashcraft, Heather Mae Erickson, Jon Jicha, Justin Morgan Kennedy, Kevin Kirkpatrick, Ron Laboray, Mary Anna LaFratta, Matt Liddle, Susan Alta Martin, Greg McPherson, Leigh Ann Parrish, Nathan Perry, Laura Sellers, Erin Tapley, and Richard Tichich The faculty in the WCU School of Art and Design bring to the studio and classroom a commitment to the process of innovation and skill-building as well as their range of experience as makers, collaborators, and researchers. Collectively, the faculty have received recognition and support from Fulbright, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National

Haywood libraries feature local art There will several local artisans on display at the Waynesville and Canton libraries through March.

Artists at the Waynesville Library will include Patty Johnson Coulter (painter), Linda Blount (painter), Jason Woodard (painter) and Mollie Harrington-Weaver (painter). Artists at the Canton Library will include Russell Wyatt (photographer) and Ashley Calhoun (painter). www.haywoodarts.org.

New Franklin art display

Artwork by Maryellen Tully will be on display in the Macon County Public Library during the month of February.

Tully creates 2D work in watercolors, acrylics, oils, dyese, 3D work in clay, metal, glass and found objects.

30 A Macon County Master Gardener and

Endowment for the Arts.

All WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public. arts.wcu.edu/biennial or call 828.227.3591.

HCAC ‘Juried Artist Exhibit’ The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) in Waynesville will be kicking off the new year with a variety packed show filled with the original art of 28 local artists.

The “2019 Juried Artist Exhibit” will run through Feb. 23. Each of the exhibiting artists went through an extensive jury process and are delighted to have their work in the gallery.

Artists included in this exhibit: Nancy Blevins, Barbara Brook, Grace Cathey, Melba Cooper, Wendelyn Cordwell, Velda Davis, Mary Decker, Helen Geltman, Nina Howard, Jo Ridge Kelley, Gregg Livengood, Susan Livengood, Francoise Lynch, Betsy Meyer, Betina Morgan, Melissa Moss, Cayce Moyer, Nathan Perry, Sue Reynolds, Denise Seay, Jennifer Sharkey, Maureen Simon, Melissa Enloe Walter, Christina Weaver, Rod Whyte, Haidee Wilson, Annelle Woggon and Russell Wyatt.

The “Juried Artist Exhibit” was launched in 2018 in order to feature juryselected artists who specialize in a wide variety of mediums — oil, acrylic, clay, watercolor, forged steel, cold wax, collages, wood, glass, fiber, jewelry, egg tempera, photography and mixed media.

For more information, visit www.haywoodarts.org.

past president of the Franklin Garden Club, her silk paintings are stylized interpretations of flora and fauna painted on 8mm silk. Her color palette is bright and eye catching, creating a sense of joy.

Tully holds a master’s degree in art education and has shared her techniques and aesthetic to a wide population through classes, workshops and demonstrations.

Her work has been exhibited extensively in Florida, northwest and the northeast. Her artwork is in both private and public collections throughout the United States and Finland. She is a member of Uptown Gallery located in Franklin, where other silk paintings can be viewed and purchased.

• A jewelry workshop with Allyson Gernandt will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, by the Nurture Wellness Studio in Bryson City. Make your own hammered sterling ring and earrings. Only $39 per person with all materials included. Register directly with Gernandt at 828.226.4480 or allysong78@gmail.com.

ALSO:

‘The Thunder Boys Release Game into the World’ by America Meredith.

Cherokee art showcase at WCU The exhibit “Outspoken: Paintings by America Meredith” will be on display through May 3 at the Fine Art Museum Gallery B in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

This showcase draws particular attention to the importance of language in Meredith’s work, bringing together paintings that incorporate Cherokee syllabary, reference Cherokee oral histories, and pair found-object text with visual imagery.

The WCU Fine Art Museum is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Free parking is available on site. www.facebook.com/americameredithart.

• The Jackson County Cooperative Extension will be offering a Stampin’ Up! card making class at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at the office in Sylva. Instructor and Extension & Community Association (ECA) member Debbie Douglas will show new Stampin’ Up! products that help to express creativity through paper crafting and card making.

Participants will create two cards to take home, one with a fishing theme and the other with a floral theme. The cost is only $3. Bring scissors, bone folder, glue, and tape runner.

To RSVP, call the office at 828.586.4009 to register. Class size is limited.

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” painting class will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. For more information on paint dates and/or to RSVP, contact Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560 or paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• “The Things They Don’t Teach You In School” series will hold an origami class in collaboration with The Bascom from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. No experience necessary.

All materials provided. For ages 18-30.

• The Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) Campus Theme, the “Defining America” exhibit brings together artists with different perspectives on the concept of “America” and asks visitors to reflect on the values, definitions, and assumptions attached to this concept. The exhibition will be on view through May 3 at the Bardo Arts Center. Regular museum hours at the BAC are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays until 7 p.m. For information, call 828.227.ARTS or visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• Haywood Community College (Clyde) Continuing Education Creative Arts will host “Introduction to Bladesmithing” March 1819, as well as the “Smoky Mountain Hammer-In” March 21-24. For more information about any of these classes, visit creativearts.haywood.edu or call 828.565.4240.

• Mad Batter Food & Film (Sylva) will host a free movie night at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

On the stage

and Maureen Stapleton. Later revivals starred Charles Durning and Julie Harris. The most recent revival in 2016 starred James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson. HART’s production will feature Judy Dybwad and David Spivey.

HART’s Center Stage Café featuring soups and panini will be open on the opening night of “The Gin Game,” beginning at 6 p.m.

Though seating for the studio is general admission, reservations are strongly recommended as productions regularly sell out.

There is also no late seating as the intimate nature of the studio makes it impossible to seat latecomers without disrupting the performance.

To make reservations for the show and café, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 or visit www.harttheatre.org.

Kiwanis Club ‘Cabaret Variety Show’

tiful Olivia, who is rejecting advances while she is in mourning over the deaths of her father and brother.

But, Olivia takes a fancy for “Cesario” instead. And Viola, in her disguise, already has fallen in love with Duke Orsino.

“Twelfth Night,” part of the School of Stage and Screen’s Mainstage theatre season, is recommended for all ages. Tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for seniors, and WCU faculty and staff; and $10 for students and children.

To purchase tickets, visit the box office of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center or call the box office at 828.227.2479.

Presented by the Kiwanis Club of Waynesville, the inaugural “Cabaret Variety Show” will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Enjoy a fun evening of family entertainment with bluegrass, Celtic and fun Jimmy Buffet music. Singing and dancing by 20 performers from Haywood County and greater Western North Carolina.

Attendees will have an opportunity to participate in a silent action and 50/50 raffle.

Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for children/students. Reserve your tickets by emailing boxoffice@harttheatre.org or calling 828.456.6322.

All proceeds will go to support Kiwanis Club grants to schools and organizations serving Haywood County’s children and youth.

Shakespeare comedy classic hits stage

ALSO:

• “Dancing Through the Ages” classes will be held at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15 and 22 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Join dance instructor Jada Bryson for a beginner dance class focusing on Baroque, Waltz, and English Country styles. They will host a grand finale ball at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23.

Everyone is welcome to participate. Partner and/or friend participation is encouraged, but not necessary.

• There is free comedy improv class from 7 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday in Maggie Valley. No experience necessary, just come to watch or join in the fun. Improv teacher Wayne Porter studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando, Florida, and performed improvisation with several groups. Join Improv WNC on Facebook or just call 828.316.8761 to RSVP for directions.

Smoky Mountain News

Students and faculty from Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen will present one of William Shakespeare’s most celebrated comedies, “Twelfth Night,” with performances at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14-16 and 3 p.m. Feb. 17 at the university’s Hoey Auditorium.

A tale of spurned love, mistaken identities and mischievous pranks, “Twelfth Night” (or “What You Will”) is believed to have been written around 1601-02 and has been popular with audiences for more than 400 years.

When Viola and her brother are shipwrecked and separated off the coast of Illyria, Viola disguises herself as a man named Cesario to protect herself and gain favor with Duke Orsino, the ruler of Illyria. Orsino befriends “Cesario” and sends him/her to deliver his hopeful love message to the beau-

• There will be an “English Country Dance” from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

Whether you come to a community dance, sign up for a weekend or week-long dance class, join in on the joy of moving to music.

Admission is $7. For more information, visit www.folkschool.org or call 828.837.2775.

February 13-19, 2019

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre winter studio season continues with the hit comedy “The Gin Game,” which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15-16 and 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at the theatre in Waynesville.

The Pulitzer Prize winning play focuses on two residents of a nursing home who strike up an acquaintance playing gin rummy. What begins as a light-hearted way of passing the time evolves into a high stakes competition. The play does contain some adult language.

“The Gin Game” opened on Broadway on Oct. 6, 1977 and ran for 517 performances.

The original production was directed by Mike Nichols and starred the married couple Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy.

They were succeeded by E.G. Marshall

arts & entertainment

‘The Gin Game’ at HART

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arts & entertainment February 13-19, 2019 Smoky Mountain News

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32

Books

Smoky Mountain News

33

A worthwhile book on raising children uch is made these days of “snowflakes,” slang for some of our young people. One online source defines snowflakes as individuals with “an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or are over-emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions.”

Some commentators even speak of a “Snowflake Generation.”

Yet in my 20 years of teaching seminars in literature, composiWriter tion, history, and Latin to homeschoolers in the Asheville area, I encountered only a few students who might fit this description.

Overall, the young people in my seminars kept their egos in check, respected their classmates, disagreed with some of their opinions without rousing rancor, and though hurt on occasion by some comment, shook off the barb and moved on.

In The Coddling Of The American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (Penguin Press, 2018, 338 pages), authors Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt reveal part of the reason why I remember so few snowflakes in my classes. According to them, this phenomenon swept through many college campuses between 2013 and 2017, and has, we may assume, now entered our secondary schools. By that time, my teaching days were coming to a close.

Lukianoff and Haidt begin The Coddling of the American Mind with what they call Three Bad Ideas. “What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker,” “Always trust your feelings,” and “Life is a battle between good people and evil people” are, according to the authors, “the three Great Untruths … they have their roots in earlier education and child-

Jeff Minick

M

hood experiences, and they now extend from the campus into the corporate world and the public square, including national politics …

These Great Untruths are bad for everyone.

Anyone who cares about young people, education, or democracy should be concerned about these trends.”

We then read of actual incidents spawned by these Bad Ideas: university administrators disinviting speakers because some students and faculty members fear hearing opinions with which they disagree; riots in places like Berkeley and Charlottesville; incidents in which radical students attack their schools for teaching courses in Western Civilization. We read of “witch hunts” against professors who make innocuous statements or commit microaggressions, and subsequently find them-

selves protested in their classrooms and on social media. We hear of students attacked by faculty members and classmates for thinking that runs counter to a university’s politically correct atmosphere.

At the same time, America in the last 10 years has witnessed a surge in mental illness, suicide, anxiety, and depression among its young people. In examining this development, The Coddling of the American Mind looks not only at such the influence of the Bad Ideas, but also at such factors as engagement in social media, the amount of screen time spent on various devices, the decline of play, and “paranoid parenting,” which also goes under the name of “helicopter parenting.”

Some of this helicopter parenting does come from over-zealous parents, but as Lukianoff and Haidt point out, it also derives from the pressures of society and the fear of being thought a bad parent for allowing children the independence that only 40 years ago was a given of adolescence and youth. Here is just one example: “In Bristol, Connecticut, in 2014, a woman left her daughter alone in her car while she went into a CVS pharmacy. This might sound bad to you, especially when you learn that it was summertime and the car windows were rolled up. An alert passerby notified the police, who were able to open the car door. The police reported that the child was responsive and in distress. But here’s the thing: the child was eleven years old. She had told her mother that she preferred to wait in the car rather than come into the store.”

An 11-year-old can’t roll down a car window if she becomes too warm?

Near the end of their book, Lukianoff and Haidt propose three psychological principles to counter the three Bad Ideas. First up is “Prepare the child for the road, not the road

for the child.” They next reject Bad Idea No. 2 with “Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your thoughts, unguarded. But once mastered, no one can help you as much, not even your father or your mother.” Finally, they throw away the idea of “bad people” and “good people”, and instead go to a line from Solzhenitsyn: “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

In addition, The Coddling of the American Mind offers dozens of practical tips for parents and mentors, promoting, among many other things, moderate risk-taking for children, unsupervised play time, summer camps, and mindfulness toward others.

The writers of this fine book know their subject both from research and from personal experience. Greg Lukianoff is the president and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

In closing The Coddling of the American Mind, this team offers a quote from Benjamin Franklin from a letter he wrote to Samuel Johnson: “Northing is more important to the public weal, than to form and train up youth in wisdom and virtue. Wise and good men are, in my opinion, the strength of a state: much more so than riches and arms, which under the management of Ignorance and Wickedness, often draw on destruction, instead of providing for the safety of a people.”

The Coddling of the American Mind reminds us of the importance of raising young people in wisdom and virtue. As the authors tell us, “This is a book about education and wisdom. If we can educate the next generation more wisely, they will be stronger, richer, more virtuous, and even safer.”

(Jeff Minick can be reached at minick0301@gmail.com.)

City Lights open mic The NetWest program of the North Carolina Writers Network will host an open mic night at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Folks are encouraged to bring their poetry or short pieces to share. Sign-ups begin at 6:45 p.m. for 10-minute reading session. The North Carolina Writers’ Network connects, promotes, and serves the writers of this state. They provide education in the craft and business of writing, opportunities for recognition and critique of literary work, resources for writers at all stages of development, support for and advocacy of the literary heritage of North Carolina, and a community for those who write.

828.586.9499 or www.ncwriters.org.

Wildsmith, O’Dell Underwood poetry reading Dana Wildsmith and Susan O’Dell Underwood will read from their latest collections of poetry, One Light and The Book of Awe, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Wildsmith is the author of a novel, Jumping, and an environmental memoir, Back to Abnormal: Surviving With An Old Farm in the New South, which was a finalist for Georgia Author of the Year. She is also the author of five collections of poetry.

Wildsmith has served as Artist-in-Residence for Grand Canyon National Park and for Everglades National Park. She lives with her family on an old farm in north Georgia and works as an English literacy instructor at Lanier Technical College.

O’Dell Underwood is currently a Professor of English and the Director of the Creative Writing Program at Carson-Newman University. In addition to The Book of Awe she has published two chapbooks, From and Love and Other Hungers.

For more information, visit www.citylightsnc.com.

34

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

ELK FEST COMING TO MAGGIE Event will celebrate elk, wildlife and the outdoors

An elk lets out a bugle.

Visit N.C. Smokies photo

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER new extravaganza will prance into the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds this year — the Smoky Mountain Elk Fest, an event years in the making designed to offer education and celebration of all things elk and of the outdoors in general.

“It’s actually been talked about for at least four years, and there have been several meetings where all the state agencies and regional agencies have come together and talked about it,” said Lynn Collins, executive director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority. “It was just a situation where there wasn’t anybody that would step up and spearhead it.”

The TDA decided that it would be that somebody, rallying a long list of partners to the cause — the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, The Conservation Fund, the Maggie Valley Sanitary District, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, the National Parks Conservation Association and the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce are all supporting the effort — and appropriating up to $25,000 as seed money for the event, which will be held Sept. 13-15.

“We had looked at doing this in August at first, but when everybody came up for a meet-

A

ing several weeks ago they said it would be really great if we could do it during the rut, because that’s the ultimate experience for seeing the elk,” said Collins.

The rut is the time of year in September and October when male elk compete to mate with females, putting on grand shows of clashing antlers and bone-chilling bugles.

While the festival itself won’t feature any live elk — there are ethical issues involved with placing a wild animal in a pen for public display — it will include opportunities for hikes and tours to view the elk in their natural habitat.

Collins envisions the festival as a combination of education and just plain fun, with music, wildlife craft booths, kids activities, creekside demonstrations and cultural performances offered in addition to educational speakers, outdoor excursions and demonstration booths from various state agencies and nonprofits. The weekend will also include a wildlife photography contest and a taste of the wild event.

“It’s going to be a lot of components rolled into one,” said Collins.

The announcement comes on the heels of the 18th anniversary of the elk’s reintroduction to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after 300 years of absence. On Feb. 2, 2001, more than 800 people witnessed the

Mark your calendar The inaugural Smoky Mountain Elk Fest will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, with events also held Sept. 13 and 15.

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority, which is spearheading the event, is seeking sponsors to help with festival expenses and other needs.

To learn more, visit www.smokymtnelkfest.com or contact Collins at 800.334.9036.

release of the first elk in Cataloochee Valley, with a total herd of 52 reintroduced by the end of 2002. Elk were once common in the Southern Appalachians but were eliminated through overhunting and habitat loss, with the last elk in North Carolina killed in the late 1700s and the last elk in Tennessee killed in the mid-1800s. The reintroduced elk were of the Manitoban subspecies, a different — though similar — animal to those that once roamed the Smokies.

“To see my first elk, I drove 2,200 miles,” said Joyce Cooper, co-chair of the Great Smoky Mountains Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. “Now I can drive 5 miles and see an elk. I’ve had elk on my property. They’ve been grazing on my hayfield,

which I never dreamed would happen in my lifetime.”

As the elk population has grown — there are roughly 150 of them now, with groups living in Cataloochee, Cherokee, Harmon’s Den and Maggie Valley — Haywood County has become known as a destination for wildlife watching. Visitation to Cataloochee Valley has exploded since the reintroduction, increasing from 65,400 visitors per year in 2000, before the reintroduction, to nearly 100,000 in 2018.

Conservation projects have blossomed around the elk as well, with the recently designated 1,925-acre William H. Silver Game Land near Maggie created in part to provide a haven of habitat for the growing herd. It was following the formal dedication of the tract in August that the event partners pledged their commitment to make an elk festival happen.

“When I go up to the visitor center to look at the elk and I’m just standing around in the crowd, nobody knows who I am. I just listen just to hear what people are saying, and it makes my heart happy to hear what they’re saying,” said Cooper.

While the growing elk population has spurred tourism and even resulted in a new TDA logo with an elk front and center, it’s also created problems. Elk often find a farmer’s hard-earned yields an irresistible snack, resulting in ongoing

The city of Pigeon Forge is gaining national attention for its work to safeguard the community against wildfires, having recently received the Wildfire Mitigation Award — the highest honor a community can get for outstanding work in wildfire risk reduction.

“The City of Pigeon Forge has been a wildfire risk reduction leader in Tennessee for more than a decade,” Tennessee State Forester David Arnold said. “Both their fire department and community development department have championed change to protect lives and save homes and businesses. Their past, ongoing and planned actions clearly demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to wildfire risk mitigation — within and beyond the city limits.”

Pigeon Forge, along with Gatlinburg, suffered heavy damage in 2016 due to an intense wildfire that swept over from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The city had been working to reduce wildfire risk in the years before the disaster and has ramped up those efforts since. Both before and after the wildfires efforts have included hosting a countywide workshop in wildfire risk reduction for community leaders, providing a curbside brush removal program for residents and becoming one of only nine pilot communities nationwide to test the

Ready, Set, Go! Program, which prepares home and business owners for evacuations.

Following the fires, in 2017, Pigeon Forge became a 2017 Firewise USA site.

conflicts between the large ungulates and the human communities that have worked to scratch out a living on this mountain land for the 300 years the elk have been absent. Homeowners in rural areas where elk live have found themselves fearing for

with people will solve some of those problems,” said Cooper.

Better education on how to safely coexist with elk is important — many visitors to the Smokies, for example, need to be reminded how important it is to keep at least 50 yards’ distance while viewing elk — and the festival might also help by raising money to address elk-related issues locally.

“Ultimately the goal would be to be able to from the net proceeds establish a fund that would be available for elk projects, such as building fences for farmers who have had some damage from elk or being able to make improvements to elk habitat, things of that nature,” said Collins.

The vision is to create a festival that will become self-sustaining, generating enough profit to put on the next year’s event while contributing to the fund as well. Collins also hopes to bring along a partner who would be willing to take the event over from the TDA within the next year or two.

“I’m excited,” said Cooper. “I hope it’s very successful. I hope we have a big crowd, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

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Smoky Mountain News

their children’s safety or grieving the loss of family pets stomped to death by the animals. Collisions between elk and vehicles can cause severe harm to both parties.

“That creates problems, but every problem has a solution, and hopefully sharing

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A typical male elk weighs between 600 and 700 pounds.

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February 13-19, 2019

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Learn how to establish and maintain strawberries, blackberries and raspberries with a seminar that will be offered on two upcoming dates — 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the Jackson County Extension Center in Sylva, and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Swain County Extension Center in Bryson City.

The course will cover site selection and preparation, proper soil conditions, fertility needs, spacing, trellising, weed control, choosing the right cultivar, pruning, training and harvesting, as well as control options for common disease and insect problems.

Free, with registration required to Christy Bredenkamp, 828.586.4009 in Sylva, or 828.488.3848 in Bryson City or clbreden@ncsu.edu.

Order fruit plants with 4-H The Annual 4-H Plant Sale is now underway in Macon County, with orders taken through Friday, March 8, and pickup April 3-4.

Plants for sale include grapes, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, apple trees, cherry trees, peach trees, pear trees and plum trees. All proceeds benefit Macon County 4-H. Order forms are available at the 4-H office, 193 Thomas Heights Rd., Franklin, or online at https://bit.ly/2GknmxY.

Tobacco Trust Fund accepting grant applications A grant program designed to support agricultural operations and rural communities is accepting applications through March 8.

The grants are offered through the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, which was established in 2000 to help farmers, tobacco workers and related businesses. Funding comes from tobacco industry annual payments as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement. The NCTTFC reviews, selects and disperses the funds to grant projects.

The focus for this year’s grant program is job creation in current or former tobacco-dependent regions and projects that have the potential to generate additional income for farmers. Past NCTTFC projects include farmers market improvements, cost-share grant programs for farmers, training for qualified farm family members in community colleges and support of more than 30 high school agricultural education programs.

For application information, visit www.tobaccotrustfund.org or call 919.733.2160.

The N.C. Arboretum in Asheville will offer a fun-filled day Saturday, Feb. 16, in celebration of the Great Backyard Bird Count, a worldwide event organized by the

ers of all ages are invited to help create a real-time snapshot of bird populations by reporting their sightings between Friday, Feb. 15, and Monday, Feb. 18. Participants

Participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count from anywhere in the world by logging observations at www.birdcount.org.

Spend February at Base Camp Thursday nights will be Base Camp nights at the Waynesville Recreation Center during the month of February, with activities held from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m.

Ages kindergarten through sixth grade will experience crafts, activities and environmental education at the new Base Camp Kids Zone.

Cost for the month is $20.

828.456.2030.

Play softball this spring An organizational meeting for adult and church softball leagues will be held at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is organizing the ISA Adult and Church Softball Leagues this spring, with entry fees to be based on the number of teams formed and games played in the upcoming season.

828.456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

Holly Kays photo

Scout in the snow

can count birds for as little as 15 minutes or for as long as they wish over one or more of the four days, completing those counts in their backyard or anywhere in the world.

Each checklist submitted helps researchers learn more about how birds are doing and how to protect them. Last year, more than 160,000 participants submitted their observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of bird populations ever recorded.

To participate, report sightings online at www.birdcount.org.

A weekend dedicated to helping Boy Scouts earn their Snow Sports Merit Badge will be offered Friday, Feb. 22, through Sunday, Feb. 24.

Lake Junaluska is offering an overnight package for Boy Scouts looking to earn

the badge, with Cataloochee Ski Area’s Ski Patrol working with the Scouts on downhill skiing or snowboarding.

Workshops on Saturday night after dinner will complete the badge requirements. www.lakejunaluska.com or 800.222.4930.

February 13-19, 2019

Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the arboretum will offer hands-on activities, bird crafts and live bird demonstrations. In addition, participants in the arboretum’s ecoEXPLORE program who submit six shares during ornithology season will receive an invitation to a special ecoEXPLORER-only program Feb. 16. The event is free with standard parking fees.

The Great Backyard Bird Count was launched in 1998, and this year bird watch-

outdoors

Great Backyard Bird Count coming to Asheville

Video series celebrates wetlands

Fund available for waterway restoration A grant program aiming to restore waterways impaired by nonpoint source pollution is accepting proposals, with a deadline of May 3.

The N.C. Division of Water Resources expects to receive $1.2 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fund projects this year. Eligible projects

include stormwater and agricultural best management practices and restoration of impaired streams. Grant funds may be used to help restore waterways in areas with approved watershed restoration plans.

Draft applications received by March 15 will receive preliminary review and feedback from staff. Applications and guidelines are available at https://bit.ly/2feAx3V. Recipients will be announced July 1.

Contact Rishi Bastakoti, rishi.bastakoti@ncdenr.gov.

Smoky Mountain News

The Dogwood Alliance released a new video series on wetlands for World Wetlands Day, which was Feb. 2.

The Wetland Wanderer series features the organization’s outreach manager Lucia Ibarra as she travels through our Southern wetlands. The series focuses on raising awareness for the value of wetlands for Southern U.S. communities and for the planet, highlighting the interconnection of wetland forest protection, climate change and community justice. Additional episodes will be added throughout February and March.

View the first video at youtu.be/ECVIpR48-ys. Videos will also be posted on the organization’s Facebook page.

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outdoors

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Smoky Mountain News

February 13-19, 2019

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Smokies hiking experts to share their stories The Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains nearly 900 miles of trail, and at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Nantahala Brewing’s Asheville Outpost, three people who have completed all 900 miles will share their stories.

Outdoor writer and hike leader Danny Bernstein, herself a member of the “900 Mile Club,” will moderate the panel, drawing out the stories of how each panelist succeeded at completing the Smokies 900Miler Challenge and insight into how people from all walks of life and of all ability levels can tackle the trails of America’s most-visited national park.

Panelists are: n Steve Pierce, a retired teacher from Marion. A hike leader for Friends of the Smokies and the Carolina Mountain Club, Pierce is closing in on a second lap of the park’s 900 miles. Pierce has also completed the South Beyond 6,000 challenge — summiting 40 peaks over 6,000 feet — summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, hiked the Salkantay route to Machu Picchu and walked the Camino Portugués. n J.P. Smith, a retired law enforcement

Be bear aware Learn how to safety store your food in the backcountry with a workshop offered 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at REI in Asheville.

REI’s expert guides will cover the basics of bear canisters and bear bags, and when and where to use them. The evening will include hands-on practice hanging a bear bag and instruction on bear awareness. $15 for members; $35 non-members. Space limited. Register at www.rei.com/events.

Break the glacier

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offer from Maggie Valley. J.P. was an Army Medic for six years and has walked the Camino de Santiago and cycled from Boone to Wilmington, in addition to completing the Smokies 900. n Dave Worth, a former National Park Service ranger in the Smokies. Worth thruhiked the A.T. in 2008 and currently holds the fastest known time for running the Smokies stretch of the A.T., as well as the record for running all the trails leading to the summit of Mt. LeConte. He completed the Smokies 900 in 2018.

Bernstein is an accomplished hiker in her own right, having completed the Appalachian Trail, Smokies 900, South Beyond 6,000, Mountains-to-Sea Trail and three routes of the Camino de Santiago. She is the author of four hiking and travel-oriented books and leads hikes for CMC, Friends of the Smokies and the Asheville Camino Group.

The event is free and organized by Friends of the Smokies. Proceeds from Nantahala Brewing’s Dirty Girl Blonde will benefit Friends of the Smokies for the entire month of February.

Paddlers will break the icy hold of winter with the Nantahala Racing Club Glacier Breaker, Feb. 23-24 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City.

This family-friendly slalom and downriver event serves as a good introduction

for first-time racers, with participants allowed to use racing or plastic boats. The slalom will start at noon Saturday, Feb. 23, and the downriver at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 24.

Pre-register online at www.paddleguru.com for $30 or register 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 23 for $35.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Volunteers will be available to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filing through April • 12: From 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays at the Jackson County Department of Aging and from 2:306:45 p.m. by appointment on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Outside of appointments, help is available on first-come, first-serve basis.

Library appointments: 586.2016. Info: 293.0074 or 586.4944.

• The WNC Nature Center will open its red panda exhibit on Feb. 14 in Asheville. Two new resident pandas are named Leafa and Phoenix. Sponsorships start at $25, and symbolic adoptions start at $25. www.wildnc.org or https://tinyurl.com/ychgs9js.

• Registration is underway for the Region 8 Western Regional Science and Engineering Fair, which will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 20-21, at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The largest STEM event held in Western North Carolina. For grades 3-12. For info and to register: http://camps.wcu.edu (click on “Science Camps and Programs”) or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a survival challenge entitled: “Can you survive one month in poverty?” The NC Poverty Simulation Experience is from 1-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. Register: aensley@mountainprojects.org.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

To Start a Business” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:308:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Balsam Mountain Business Matters meets on the 4th Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Great opportunity to network with other business owners. Meeting is held in the clubhouse of Vantage Pointe Homes at Balsam Mountain located at 17 Wilkinson Pass Ln in Waynesville. lgaddy@balsammountainapartments.com.

• The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will be starting a monthly documentary series called “DocuWednesday” at 4 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month. The movies will be shown in the beautiful movie theater in the Community Room. At the end of each movie, the staff member who selected that documentary will lead a short discussion with the public. If you would like to know what movie will be showing each month, please email Benjamin Woody at bwoody@fontanalib.org to be placed on an email list.

The first showing will be “Disruption.” 586.2016. www.fontanalib.org.

• Cashiers Area Chamber is seeking feedback to improve visitors’ experiences to the area. Take the survey at: tinyurl.com/y6w4uqyo.

• Haywood Community College will hold its Career Fair Open House from 1-4 p.m. on Feb. 28 at the college’s library in Clyde. Multiple industry professionals and university admissions counselors will attend. 627.3613 or jhilbert@haywood.edu.

• Registration is underway for Marriage Enrichment Retreats that will be offered three more times over the next year at Lake Junaluska. Led by Ned Martin, an expert in marriage counseling. Price is $699 per couple. Dates are March 10-12, Aug. 18-20 of 2019 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in 2019. Registration and info: www.lakejunaluska.com/marriage or 800.222.4930.

• Admissions of art, literature and performance/video are being accepted for Southwestern Community College’s inaugural Cultural Fusion Festival, which is Wednesday, March 27, on SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. Theme is “How We All Got Here.” Deadline for submissions is March 1. Info: 339.4226 or s_cain@southwesterncc.edu.

• Fontana Regional Library now offers anyone with a library card free access to eMagazines, for reading on any mobile device or computer. This new service joins our popular eBooks and digital audiobook`s selection — all available 24/7 from the library’s digital collection. To get started enjoying digital magazines as well as eBooks and audiobooks, visit e-inc.overdrive.com or download the Libby reading app. www.fontanalib.org.

• Registration is underway for a two-part workshop titled: “Business Plan Bootcamp – Get Focused and Plan” from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, March 1, at Haywood Community College’s Public Services Training Facility in Clyde. Offered by the college’s Small Business Center. For info or to register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Downtown Waynesville Association will hold a “Red Carpet” welcome event for Ian & JoJo’s Pizzeria & Restaurant at 10:50 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, at 18 North Main Street.

• Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment is accepting registrations for a “Better Communication Through Creative Play for Marketing and Sales Professionals” that will be offered from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, at WCU’s Biltmore Park location in Asheville. $99 (includes lunch). Register or get more info: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Are You Ready to Start a Business” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from noon-2 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “How

• A Six Sigma Whitebelt training will be offered from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, March 1, at Western Carolina University’s Biltmore Park in Asheville. Offered by WCU’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment; instructor is Dr. Todd Creasy, DM, MBA, MSc. Learn how to apply the five-step methodology of Six Sigma in product, process or service industries. Early bird registration: $249. After Feb. 1, cost is $279. For info and to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “How To Write a Business Plan” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Basics of Bookkeeping” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

Smoky Mountain News

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Your Small Business Taxes” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021.

Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a “Lean Thinking” workshop, which is offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Friday, March 29, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Early bird registration is $249 before Feb. 28. After, it’s $279. For info or to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for the Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment’s “Creativity in the Digital Age” workshop, which is set for 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, March 30, at WCU’s Biltmore Park instructional site in Asheville. Registration: $39. For info or to register: conferences.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Marketing Your Business” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “How To Find Your Customers” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Registration is underway for a seminar entitled “Financing Your Business” that will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 23, at HCC’s Regional High Technology Center in Waynesville. Part of the “Are You Ready to Start a Business series. Room 3021. Register or get more info: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Department is offering a wide variety of courses. For a complete listing: www.haywood.edu. Info: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu.

• The African-American Business Association Workshop & Meetup is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Arthur R. Edington Education & Career Center in Asheville.

• Evening classes for anyone wanting to obtain a high school equivalency diploma are offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays at Haywood Community College in Clyde. 627.4648.

• The Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the HF Robinson Auditorium at the Western Carolina University Campus in Cullowhee.

• Concealed carry handgun is offered every other Saturday 8:30am-5pm starting at Mountain Range indoor shooting range. Lunch provided. Class $60.

452.7870 or mountainrangenc@yahoo.com.

• Small business owners can find materials and services to support business growth at Fontana Regional Library’s locations in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties. Computer classes and one-on-one assistance also available. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• A meeting of current and former employees of the

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Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings Waynesville plant of Champion/Blue Ridge/Evergreen is held at 8 a.m. on the first Monday of each month at Bojangles near Lake Junaluska’s entrance.

• One-on-one computer lessons are offered weekly at the Waynesville and Canton branches of the Haywood County Public Library. Lesson slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Canton and from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. Sign up at the front desk of either library or call 356.2507 for the Waynesville Library or 648.2924 for the Canton Library.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Tickets are on sale for Haywood Pathways Center’s inaugural Empty Bowls event, which is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, at HART Theatre in Waynesville. $25 per person. Attendees select a bowl handcrafted by local WNC potters and enjoy various soup tastings. Bowls go home with guests as reminders of the empty bowls in the community and warm hearts that work to fill them.

• Tickets are on sale now for the third annual Mardi Gras Dinner Party Fundraiser for REACH, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, at Root & Barrel in Franklin. Mardi Gras attire, jazz band, New Orleans food and drink, king and queen crowning. 369.5544 or reach@reachofmaconcounty.org.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Haywood Hospice is seeking volunteers to help with reception duties, grief groups, working directly with patients, running errand and other support. A training session is set for at 9 a.m. on March 25. Info: 452.5039.

• Vendor and artisan applications are being accepted for the 22nd Annual Greening Up the Mountains Festival, which is April 27 in Sylva. www.greeningupthemountains.com.

HEALTH MATTERS • Southwestern Community College’s Therapeutic Massage program is offering sessions through its student-run clinic to the public throughout the spring semester. Massages range from 30-75 minutes and cost between $10-30. Appointments: http://tinyurl.com/ycl4pmu9 or 339.4313.

• “Breastfeeding A-Z” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Feb. 14, April 11, July 18, Sept. 12 and Nov. 14 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville.

Focusing on techniques for proper latching and comfortable positions for a baby and mom to get started.

Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• Registration is underway for a “Treating Pain Safely: Fewer Opioids & Better Results” – a controlled substances education opportunity for prescribers that will be offered from 5:30-8:45 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18, at Swain County Hospital in Bryson City. Registration:

wnc calendar

https://mahec.net/event/57332. Info: https://tinyurl.com/y9ddjdp5.

on Tuesdays throughout February at Laurel Ridge Country Club. Cost: $10. RSVP: 316.1344.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Feb. 19, on the Jackson Campus of Southwestern Community College in Sylva. Donors get a $10 WalMart gift card. 339.4305.

• Registration is underway for “Dance Tonight Waynesville” upcoming classes in “East Coast Swing.” Classes are held from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays throughout February at Waynesville Wellness. Cost: $10. RSVP: 316.1344.

• The Macon County Chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina will hold an info and networking event from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the Jump Factory in Franklin. RSVP: maconchapter@autismsociety-nc.org.

• A Medicare 101 program is set for 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Learn about different plans and how to choose the right one for you. 356.2833.

• A “Preparation for Childbirth” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays from March 7-28, June 627, Aug. 8-29 and Oct. 3-24 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• Registration is underway for a Community Mediation Training offered by Mountain Mediation Services from March 19-21 in Webster. Tuition: $250. Deadline: March 13. Info: 341.5717. Register: www.mountainmediation.org, info@mountainmediation.org or 631.5252.

• “Your Amazing Newborn” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on April 4, July 11, Sept. 5 and Nov. 7 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville.

Focusing on abilities, behavior, appearance and reflexes of your new baby. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

RECREATION AND FITNESS

February 13-19, 2019

• Valentine’s Day Partner Yoga: Bring a Friend for Free is scheduled for 6:45-7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $14. Register: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• There will be an “English Country Dance” from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. Whether you come to a community dance, sign up for a weekend or week-long dance class, join in on the joy of moving to music. Admission is $7. For more information, click on www.folkschool.org or call 837.2775.

• An organizational meeting for ISA Adult and Church Softball Leagues is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Info: 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Registration is underway for “Dance Tonight Waynesville” upcoming classes in Waltz and fox trot.

Classes are held from 6-7:30 p.m. on Mondays throughout February at Folkmoot. Cost: $10. RSVP: 316.1344.

Smoky Mountain News

• Registration is underway for “Dance Tonight Waynesville” upcoming classes. Classes are held from 3-3:50 p.m. (rumba, salsa); 4-4:50 p.m. (foxtrot, single-time swing); and 6-7:30 p.m. (waltz and foxtrot)

POLITICAL • The Haywood and Jackson Chapters of Down Home North Carolina will hold a public demonstration in support of legislation aimed a closing the Medicaid coverage gap at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, at 500 Mill Street in Sylva.

• N.C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen will hold town halls on Feb. 16 in Haywood, Jackson and Swain Counties: 11 a.m.-noon at the Haywood County Public Library Auditorium in Waynesville; 1-2 p.m. at the Jackson County Public Library’s Community Room in Sylva; and 3-4 p.m. at the Marianna Black Library Auditorium in Bryson City.

• “A National Security Briefing: Jihad in America” is set for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the Haywood Republican Headquarters, 297 N. Haywood Street in Waynesville. Featuring Chris Gaubatz, a national security consultant, speaker and conservative political activist. 246.9696.

• The Jackson County Democratic Party will hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 500 Mill Street in Sylva.

• The Macon County Democratic Men’s Club meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the Community room of the Lazy Hiker in Franklin.

• The Jackson County Republican Party will hold a monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at the Dillsboro Masonic Lodge. 743.6491.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a regular meeting at 1 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Justice & Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Room A201, in Sylva.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a joint meeting with the Board of Education at 3 p.m. on Feb. 20 at the Department on Aging’s “Heritage Room” in Sylva.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a Quasi-Judicial Public Hearing at 1 p.m. on Feb. 26, at the Justice & Administration Building in Sylva.

Purpose: To consider an application by Capital Telecom for construction of a 175-foot wireless communications tower at 19 Moose Lodge Road in Sylva.

Quality Trailers, Quality Prices

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • As part Cowee School’s “Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture” series, historian and author Barbara McRae will present “Three Women of Cowee” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, at the Historic Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin. www.coweeschool.org.

• Dana Wildsmith and Susan O’Dell Underwood will read from their latest collections of poetry, One Light and The Book of Awe, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. www.citylightsnc.com.

• The North Carolina Writers' Network-West will sponsor The Literary Hour on the third Thursday of the month unless otherwise indicated at the Keith House on the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

This reading is free of charge and open to the public.

• Canton Book Club meets at 3:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, at the Canton Library.

648.2924.

• Cookin’ the Books will be held at noon on the last Wednesday of the month at the Waynesville Public Library. A book club focused on cookbooks. All members choose a recipe from the book and bring it to share. The group will discuss the good and bad aspects of the chosen cookbook. 356.2507.

• Waynesville Book Club at 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at Waynesville Library Meet to discuss books, which are chosen by each member (taking turns) and provided by the library. New members are welcome. For more information, 356.2507.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES

60 and older get 20 percent off all purchases.

Proceeds benefit the Sylva Library.

• Pinochle game is played at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• A Canasta card game is set for 1 p.m. on Mondays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• A Parkinson’s Support Group is held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesdays of each month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.

356.2800.

KIDS & FAMILIES • Winter Youth Retreat will be offered Feb. 15-18 at the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center.

Energized worship and special activities such as skiing and mission projects. Info: www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth or 800.222.4930.

• Waynesville’s Base Camp Summer Camp will offer a variety of options for kids this year, and mandatory parent meetings are set for 6 p.m. on Feb. 19, Feb. 26, March 5 and March 7. Camp options include Outdoor Play, Discover Camp, Explore Camp, Creative Boot Camp and STEM Camp.

• An overnight package is available for Boy Scouts who earn their Snow Sports Merit Badge from Friday through Sunday, Feb. 22-Feb. 24 at Cataloochee Ski Area. Offer is by Lake Junaluska. www.lakejunaluska.com or 800.222.4930.

• Waynesville Recreation Center is offering Base Camp nights from 5:30-7:15 p.m. on Thursdays in February in Waynesville. Ages kindergarten through sixth grade experience crafts, activities and environmental education. $20 for the month. 456.2030.

• Registration is underway through March 9 for the Smoky Mountain Senior Games presented by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Center and the Cherokee Bird Town Gym. Games are April 1-May 3.

Cost: $15 per person plus additional fees for some events. For ages 50-up. Info: 586.5494.

• Registration is underway for a Boy Scout Ski Retreat that will be offered from Feb. 22-24 through the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center. Get hands-on experience at Cataloochee Ski Area. Info: www.lakejunaluska.com/boyscouts or 800.222.4930.

• The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• The Haywood County Arts Council will hold a JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) for fourth through sixth graders from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesdays from January through May at Shining Rock Classical Academy. Cost: $85. 452.0593 or bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

• Book Club is held at 2 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800 • A Hand & Foot card game is held at 1 p.m. on Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Senior Sale Day is on the third Friday of every month at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Patrons

• A Lego club will meet at 4 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Library provides Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up. Free. 488.3030.

• Registration is underway for Lake Junaluska’s Winter Youth Retreats, which are held from December through February in Haywood County for middle school

Puzzles can be found on page 46 These are only the answers.

pricing starting at $499

40

SPIRITUAL • Registration is underway for Guided Personal Retreats, which will be offered March 18-20, July 2224, Sept. 16-18 and Oct. 21-23 at Lake Junaluska.

Lakejunaluska.com/retreats or 800.222.4930.

• Down Home Haywood holds its monthly community meetings at 2:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at Canton Presbyterian Church. Tackling issues like healthcare, wages, housing and more. chelsea@downhomenc.org.

Trailer Center

financing available, ask for details

HaywoodBuilders.com 828-456-6051 | 100 Charles St. | Waynesville

Come taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Stacy's gourmet cuisine. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Registration is underway for Discovery Camp with weekly camps available June 10-Aug. 16 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Open to pre-K through rising eighth graders. Register: www.ncarboretum.org/education-programs/discovery-camp.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 631.3075.

KIDS FILMS • “Incredibles 2”, will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free.

586.3555.

• “Ralph Breaks the Internet”, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on March 1 & 9 and 7 p.m. March 9 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• “Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald”, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 15 and 7 p.m. on March 16 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free.

586.3555.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will offer a series of nature-themed films and documentaries shown at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of March in Highlands. For info on each show, call 526.2221.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 at Bosu Wine Shop in Waynesville.

452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

wnc calendar

and high school youth groups. Two-night events start at $186 per person; three-night events start at $249 per person. To register or view schedule, including speakers, band and entertainers: www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth. Register: 800.222.4930.

• Leap Frog Tours and Spriggly’s Beescaping will offer the “Pint & Pollinator Tour” from 1-4 p.m. every Friday in February and March. $75 Tour starts at Asheville Museum of Science and ends at Whistle Stop Brewing Company. Cost: $85 for adults; $75 for children.

Tickets include educational talks, seed bombs, museum admission, one drink and transportation.

Leapfrogtours.com or 246.6777.

• “Brown Bag at the Depot” – an opportunity to gather with neighbors – is at noon every Friday at Sylva’s newest park at the corner of Spring and Mill Street along Railroad Ave. For info, contact Paige Dowling at townmanager@townofsylva.org.

• Graceann’s Amazing Breakfast is 8-10 a.m. every Tuesday in the Sapphire Room at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. $8.50 for adults; $5 for children.

Includes coffee and orange juice. 743.7663.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro.

Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

• A game day will occur from 2-9 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva. Bring dice, cards or board games.

586.6300.

A&E • As part of the Winter Arts Smokies Style series, “The ART of Chocolate” will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, in Waynesville. Sponsored by the Waynesville Gallery Association, several merchants and restaurants plan to offer entertainment, special chocolate surprises and other specials. Look for the “red hearts” designating the establishments with specials. For participating merchants visit www.downtownwaynesville.com.

FOOD & DRINK

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City.

Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or click on www.gsmr.com.

• The Asheville Brewing “Beer Dinner” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 18, at Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant in Waynesville. Four craft beer selections will be paired with four chef-created courses prepared by Chef Matt Kuver. All attendees will receive a gift from Asheville Brewing. Tickets are $60, which includes tax and gratuity. Only 50 tickets available.

Tickets are available for purchase at Mad Anthony’s.

246.9249.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host five for $5 Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 21 and Feb. 28.

• HART will present “The Gin Game” from Feb. 15-17 in Waynesville. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 1516 and 2 p.m. on Feb. 17. Tickets: 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org.

• The Great Balsam Nashville Songwriters in the Round Series starts Feb. 16 at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. Info and tickets: https://tinyurl.com/y9ukvtes.

• Nashville Songwriters in the Round series will launch at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. Cost: $25 for adults; $12 for students. Info: www.folkmoot.org or 452.2997.

• The Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet will present a 25th-anniversary concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17, in the Community room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 227.3274 or www.smbq.org.

• Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Kiwanis Cabaret Variety Show, which is set for 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17, at the HART Theater in Waynesville.

Proceeds benefit children’s programs in Haywood County. Tickets: $20 for adults; $10 for students. www.harttheatre.org.

Smoky Mountain News

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host a “Valentine’s Wine Dinner” from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14. Four-course gourmet meal with wine recommendations for each course. Price is $44.99 per person plus wine. To make your reservation, call 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen will present William Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night” at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 14-16 and at 3 p.m. on Feb. 17. Tickets: $20 for adults; $15 for seniors, WCU faculty and staff; $10 for students and children. 227.2479.

February 13-19, 2019

FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 452.6000.

• Kiwanis Club of Waynesville will present the inaugural “Cabaret Variety Show” at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 17, at 250 Pigeon Street in Waynesville. Variety of singing and dancing by 20 regional performers.

Tickets: $20 adults, $10 children and students.

456.6322. Info: George.kenney@hotmail.com.

• Mad Batter Food & Film host free live music on

41

wnc calendar

every 2nd and 4th Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Located in beautiful downtown Sylva. 586.3555.

contact Robin Arramae at 400.9560 or paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• The United States Navy Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

• A comedy improvisation class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesdays in Haywood County. Led by improv teacher Wayne Porter, who studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando and performed improv with several groups. To RSVP and get directions, call 316.8761.

• Country music singer Jay Allen will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. This benefit concert has been organized by Franklin High School’s Future Business Leaders of America as part of their community service project. Tickets are $10 per student and $20 per adult. To purchase tickets, click on www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

• Jim Witter will perform musing from the 1960s and ‘70s at 3 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts in Cullowhee.

227.2505 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• Highlands Performing Arts Center will have dinner theater performances scheduled on March 21-23 and 28-30; and the full-length play “Calendar Girls” by Tim Firth, set for May 23-26 and May 31-June 2.

Highlandscashiersplayers.org.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • The Dave Drake Studio Barn offers a variety of ceramic and raku classes by appointment as well as weekly drawing, writers and community knitters groups. Info: 787.2865.

Smoky Mountain News

February 13-19, 2019

• “Dancing Through the Ages” classes will be held at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 15 and 22 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Join dance instructor Jada Bryson for a beginner dance class focusing on Baroque, Waltz, and English Country styles. They will host a grand finale ball at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Everyone is welcome to participate. Partner and/or friend participation is encouraged, but not necessary.

• “The Things They Don't Teach You In School” series will hold an origami class in collaboration with The Bascom from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. No experience necessary. All materials provided. For ages 18-30.

• Local artist Francoise Lynch will demonstrate oilpainting techniques from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville.

452.0593, info@haywoodarts.org or HaywoodArts.org.

• Ballroom Dance Lessons will be offered from 6-7:30 p.m. on Mondays through Feb. 25 at Folkmoot in Waynesville. $10 per class. Register: 452.2997. Info: dancetonightwaynesville@gmail.com.

• Paint & Pour night by Appalachian Art Farm will be hosted by Mad Batter Food & Film in downtown Sylva at 6:30 p.m. on March 5. Price for all supplies & class is $25. RSVP via Facebook. 586.3555.

• A jewelry workshop with Allyson Gernandt will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, by the Nurture Wellness Studio in Bryson City. Make your own hammered sterling ring and earrings. Only $39 per person with all materials included. Register directly with Gernandt at 226.4480 or allysong78@gmail.com.

• Jackson County Cooperative Extension will offer a “Stampin’ Up!” card-making class at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, in Sylva. Register: 586.4009.

• The Haywood County Public Library is offering online lifelong learning courses in over 30 subject areas, many of which offer continuing education units, through Universal Class. Free for library cardholders. www.haywoodlibrary.org or 452.5169.

• One Heart Singing’s winter term is through April 10 at 89 Sierra Lane in Franklin. No audition or need to read music. Try two sessions before committing. Meets from 6:30-8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Info: 524.3691 or 360.1920.

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” painting class will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided.

42 For more information on paint dates and/or to RSVP,

• “Bohemian Rhapsody”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 14, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15 and 7 p.m. Feb. 16 & 7:30 p.m. March 7 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva.

Free. 586.3555.

• “Bohemian Rhapsody” will be shown at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15-16 & 20 and 1 p.m. & 4 p.m. on Feb. 17 at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. See website 38main.com for tickets.

• Western North Carolina Woodturners Club will meet at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday every month at the Bascom in Highlands.

• “A Star is Born”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 21, 23 & March 2, and 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

• The Old Armory will host an indoor flea market from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on every third Saturday. Booths are $10 each for selling items. 456.9207.

• “Can you ever Forgive me?”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva.

Free. 586.3555.

ART SHOWINGS AND

• “Green Book”, will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on March 14 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. 586.3555.

GALLERIES • Artwork by Maryellen Tully will be on display in the Macon County Public Library during the month of February.

• The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) in Waynesville will be kicking off the new year with a variety packed show filled with the original art of 28 local artists.

The “2019 Juried Artist Exhibit” will run through Feb. 23. Each of the exhibiting artists went through an extensive jury process and are delighted to have their work in the gallery. The HCAC believes that original art by local artisans can be both affordable and collectable. www.haywoodarts.org.

• The exhibit “Outspoken: Paintings by America Meredith” will be on display through May 3 at the Fine Art Museum Gallery B in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University. The WCU Fine Art Museum is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. Free parking is available on site. www.facebook.com/americameredithart.

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present the School of Art and Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition 2019, on display through May 3. All WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public.

For further information, visit arts.wcu.edu/biennial or 227.3591.

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center will have a yearlong exhibition on “Defining America” through May 3 in Cullowhee. Info: 227.ARTS or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• The Haywood County Arts Council and Haywood County Public Library are presenting works from the following artists at the following locations through March: Russell Wyatt and Ashley Calhoun at the Canton Library and Patty Coulter, Linda Blount, Jason Woodard and Molly Harrington-Weaver at the Waynesville Library.

• Through April 26, Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center is hosting an exhibit to commemorate World War I and the centennial of the end of hostilities. “I Want You! How World War I Transformed Western North Carolina” is on display in the museum’s first floor gallery in Cullowhee.

227.7129.

• Entries are being accepted for The Bascom’s 2019 Member Show: “Rhythm Systems: Nature and Geometry.” Exhibition will be on display from June 15July 21. www.thebascom.org or 787.2878.

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

FILM & SCREEN • The classic “An Affair to Remember” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Valentine’s Day at the Strand in Waynesville. Tickets: $5.

Outdoors

• A recreational racing program for skiers and snowboarders of all abilities will run from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on non-holiday Saturdays through the end of the season. Cost: $10 for two runs or $20 for unlimited pass.

Lift ticket or season pass required. Register: www.nastar.com.

• The Great Smoky Mountains Association will have a “duck day adventure” from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, at Lake Junaluska. Expert birder Kevin Burke will lead the two-mile walk and identify as many ducks as possible. Cost: $45 or $30 for GSMA members. Proceeds benefit the park. Info: https://bit.ly/2G4ee09.

• The Great Backyard Bird Count will be celebrated from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Activities, bird crafts and live bird demonstration. Count is from Friday through Monday, Feb. 15-18. www.birdcount.org.

• A panel discussion featuring three hikers who’ve completed the “900-Miler Challenge” (every trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at Nantahala Brewing’s Asheville Outpost at 747 Haywood Road.

• Registration is underway for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s annual Business of Farming Conference, which is from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the AB Tech Conference Center in Asheville.

Cost: $75 before Feb. 1; $95 after. Register: https://asapconnections.org or 236.1282.

• Science Café will be hosted by Mad Batter Food & Film in downtown Sylva at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27. Come learn about ocean warming & Earth’s Greatest Mass Extinction. 586.3555.

• Learn how to safely roll a kayak at 7:30-8:45 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Free for members; daily fee charged to nonmembers. tommac207@bellsouth.net.

• Learn how to safely store your food in the backcountry with a workshop from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 28, at REI in Asheville. $15 for members; $35 for nonmembers. Register: www.rei.com/events.

• Registration is underway for a winter-plant identification workshop that will be held on Saturday, Feb. 29, at Macon County’s Serpentine Barrens. Cost: $65 (includes lunch). www.alarkaexpeditions.com.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • The Nantahala Racing Club Glacier Breaker is Feb. 23-24 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center near Bryson City. Slalom and downriver. Preregister for $30: www.paddleguru.com. Onsite, event day registration: $35.

FARM AND GARDEN • The annual Haywood County Extension Master Gardener plant sale is underway through Feb. 25.

Orders must be pre-paid. Pick up an order form at Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville, call 456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net.

• The N.C. Cooperative Extension Service will hold a seminar on establishing and maintaining a strawberry, blackberry and raspberry patch. Two opportunities: from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at the Jackson Extension Center in Sylva or from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at the Swain Extension Center on 60 Almond School Road in Bryson City.

• Orders are being accepted through March 8 for the Macon County 4-H club’s annual plant sale. Order forms: https://tinyurl.com/y4pjakzy. Info: 349.2046.

• Local farmers can stop by the Cooperative Extension Office on Acquoni Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every fourth Friday to learn about USDA Farm Service Agency programs in the 2014 Farm Bill. Info: 488.2684, ext. 2 (Wednesday through Friday) or 524.3175, ext. 2 (Monday through Wednesday).

• The Macon County Poultry Club of Franklin meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Rd, Open to the public. 369.3916.

HIKING CLUBS • The Great Smoky Mountains Association will have a nine-mile hike from 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 15, to Charlies Bunion. Cost: $45 or $30 for GSMA members. Proceeds benefit the park. Info: https://bit.ly/2UyuhXo. • Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate threemile hike on Saturday, Feb. 16 to Yellow Branch Falls.

Info and reservations: 743.1079.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have an 8.9-mile hike with a 1,900-foot ascent on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Cedar Rock Mountain. Info and reservations: 684.7083, 606.7956 or dblanning@bellsouth.net.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have a six-mile hike with a 1,650-foot ascent on Sunday, Feb. 17, at River Ridge Loop and Jack Branch trails. Info and reservations: 622.3704 or jckdalton9@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will take an 11-mile hike with a 2,000-foot ascent on Wednesday, Feb. 20 from the Mountains to the Sea Trail to Green Knob. Info and reservations: 704.877.7804 or waltersharon204@gmail.com.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate sixmile hike with an elevation change of 520 feet on Saturday, Feb. 23, from Warwoman Dell to Martin Creek Falls. Info and reservations: 369.7352.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate-tostrenuous 9.2-mile hike with an elevation change of 800 feet on Saturday, Feb. 23, on the Cataloochee Divide. Info and reservations: 456.8895.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate 4.5-mile hike on Saturday, Feb. 24, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Info and reservations: 788.2985.

OUTDOOR CLUBS • The Jackson County Poultry Club will hold its regular meeting on the third Thursday of each month at the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office. The club is for adults and children and includes a monthly meeting with a program and a support network for those raising birds. For info, call 586.4009 or write heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

• The North Carolina Catch program, a three-phase conservation education effort focusing on aquatic environments, will be offered through May 15. The program is offered by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Free for members; daily admission for nonmembers. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

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.

■ $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ 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

Great Smokies Storage NEW UNITS

UNDER

CONSTRUCTION

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AUCTION: Penn Fishing-Reels, Salt-Freshwater, Fly Fishing, Antique & Vintage Rods & Reels mostly NIB, Gear, Tackle, Lures, Knives, Bidding ENDS February 19th @ 6:00PM www.HouseAuctionCompany.com 252.729.1162 NCAL#7435 RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT AUCTION Wednesday, February 13th @ 10am. 201 S. Central Ave. Locust, NC New Scratch & Dent & Used Refrigeration, Stoves, Oven, Fryers, Ice Machines, Meat Equipment, more. 704.791.8825 ncaf5479 www.ClassicAuctions.com YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- Over 100 NC newspapers for a low cost of $375 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at: www.ncpress.com, Phone: 919.516.8009

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

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February 13-19, 2019

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EMPLOYMENT AIRLINES ARE HIRING Get FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Financial aid for qualified students - Career placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866.441.6890 CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: Mountain Projects Inc. is currently accepting applications for a Full-time CFO. Must be a CPA or have at a minimum a BA in accounting, business, fiscal management, or related field. Must have ability to multi-task and have strong oral & verbal skills, supervision experience helpful. Strong understanding of Non-Profit organizations is helpful. Out of area travel required periodically.

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A flexible training schedule during April, position will become Full-time in May. To be considered for this position, you must complete an application for employment at: www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA

COMPLETE HOME INSPECTION SERVICES

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EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

HAYWOOD PUBLIC TRANSIT DIRECTOR: Description of Duties and Responsibilities: Responsibilities include overseeing transportation services for residents of Haywood County, developing and updating policies and procedures, maintain driver and staff training programs, monitor vehicle utilization, and negotiate agency contracts.

Budget preparation and management, supervision of staff, grant application and management, public speaking and other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience Requirements An Associate degree in business, planning, public administration, logistics, or related field. Prefer a candidate with advanced knowledge about communitybased transit system operations, principles and practices, applicable federal, state, and local laws governing transit systems and funding sources to supplement transportation services.

Applicant must have a valid NC Driver License with a clean driving record.

Applications will be taken at Mountain Projects. Inc 2177 Asheville Rd. Waynesville, NC or: www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA LAND SURVEYING POSITION Morehead City, NC - Crew Chief or S.I.T. Pay $15-$21 per hour depending upon experience.

Email: Chase Cullipher: chase@tcgpa.com or Call 252.773.0090

FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Paralegal/Executive Secretary For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342, Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer BOATBUILDING CAREERS Bayliss Boatworks is Hiring!

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

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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.

CAVALIER ARMS APARTMENTS MOVE IN TODAY

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50 Duckett Cove Road, Waynesville, NC 28786

Phone# 1.828.456.6776 TDD# 1.800.725.2962 Equal Housing Opportunity

Carolyn Lauter

Climate Control

Storage

REALTOR/BROKER

48 SECURITY CAMERAS AND MANAGEMENT ON SITE

Sizes from 5’x5’ to 10’x20’

Climate Controlled

1106 Soco Road (Hwy 19), Maggie Valley, NC 28751 Find Us One mile past State Rd. 276 and Hwy-19 MaggieValleySelfStorage.com on the right side, torry@torry1.com across from Frankie’s Torry Pinter, Sr. 828-734-6500 Italian Restaurant

Call:

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

828-476-8999

Jerr yLeeMountainRealt y.com jerr yhatley@bellsouth.net 2650 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley

CELL

828.734.4822

Carolyn@BHGHeritage.com

1986 SOCO ROAD HIGHWAY 19 MAGGIE VALLEY, NC

828.558.0607 CarolynLauter.com

HOMES FOR SALE

BEHIND ON YOUR MORTGAGE? Denied a Loan Modification?

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CALL Homeowner Protection Services now! New laws are in effect that may help. Call Now 1.866.214.4534 SAPA BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

COMM. PROP. FOR RENT HIGHLY VISIBLE COMMERCIAL 440 Sq. Ft. Top Level Open Space with Bathroom & Easy Access on 1301 Asheville Rd., Waynesville.

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TRAVEL/VACATION

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Brian Noland RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONAL

bknoland@beverly-hanks.com

828.734.5201 74 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

828.452.5809

PET SUPPLIES & SERVICES USE VITATABS Once a day as a dietary supplement to promote general health and restore nutrients stripped by worming. N.C. Clampitt Hardware 828.488.2782, www.kennelvax.com

Laura Thomas BROKER ASSOCIATE —————————————

(828) 734-8478 lthomas@beverly-hanks.com

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices/Great Smokys Realty - www.4Smokys.com Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com • Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com • Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com • Marilynn Obrig - mobrig@beverly-hanks.com • Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com • Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com • Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com • Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com • Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com • Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com • Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com • Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com • Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com • Steve Mauldin- smauldin@beverly-hanks.com • Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com • Mike Stamey - mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

Christie’s Ivester Jackson Blackstream

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

• George Escaravage - george@IJBProperties.com ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com • Pam James - pjames@sunburstrealty.com

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com • Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

February 13-19, 2019

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STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

WNC MarketPlace

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Ellen Sither esither@beverly-hanks.com (828) 734-8305

BONBON - BEAUTIFUL CALICO KITTY ABOUT FOUR YEARS OLD. HER COAT PATTERN IS VERY DISTINCT, A STRIKING APPEARANCE. A SWEET, FRIENDLY GIRL, & WILL BE A FINE FELINE FRIEND FOR HER NEW FAMILY. FAIRLY MELLOW CAT & ENJOYS NAPPING OR GAZE OUT A WINDOW MORE THAN PLAYING WITH CAT TOYS.

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smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

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smokymountainnews.com

LOVEY - HANDSOME PUREBRED MINIATURE POODLE MALE ABOUT 10YRS OLD. HE'S HAD GREAT CARE, & APPEARS TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE (ALTHOUGH HE COULD LOSE A LITTLE WEIGHT). HE'S A SWEET, FRIENDLY GUY, WALKS POLITELY ON LEASH, AND ENJOYS GOING ON ADVENTURES. HE'S PERFECT FOR A RETIRED COUPLE OR SINGLE PERSON WHO WOULD ENJOY THE COMPANY OF AN OLDER, SETTLED DOGGY.

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com • Holly Fletcher - hollyfletcher1975@gmail.com • The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com • Ron Breese - ronbreese.com • Landen Stevenson- Landen@landenstevenson.com • Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com • Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net • Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net • David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com • Marsha Block- marshablockestates@gmail.com Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

WNC Real Estate Store

74 N. Main St.,Waynesville

828.452.5809

beverly-hanks.com

• Jeff Baldwin - jeff@WNCforMe.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 45

WNC MarketPlace February 13-19, 2019 www.smokymountainnews.com 46

SUPER

CROSSWORD

A SOUND CONCLUSION ACROSS 1 Live online workshop 8 Public poster 15 Malcolm- -- Warner ("The Cosby Show" actor) 20 14th-century music style 21 Arrives leisurely 22 Belittle 23 Certain frat member receiving his diploma?

25 Sing sweetly 26 Cove 27 Assuage 28 Muddy mixture 29 Met melody 32 Took way too much, for short 34 Gyro bread with lots of extra hidden calories?

37 Heavenly food made from very hot peppers?

41 -- -garde 42 Sauna stuff 43 Singer Acuff 44 Stew 45 Toon pic 48 San Francisco's -- Hill 50 Target number of coverage policies?

54 Download for an iDevice 57 Denmark's -- Islands 59 High trains 60 Detach, as a lapel mic 61 Randomly mixed stack of Bing Crosby and Bill Haley albums?

65 Folded a line into, say 67 With 24-Down, reduced-cost product 68 Glam rocker Brian 69 Lav

70 Aviary locale 71 Bridge, in France 72 Florida city 74 Fish dish that's a chef's specialty?

77 Rizzo in "Midnight Cowboy" 78 Platform that runs on iDevices 79 Ran easily 80 La. neighbor 81 Brass instrument with a dental product smeared all over it?

86 "O Sole --" 88 Sheepish 89 "-- well that ends well" 90 Alias initials 91 Idiot box 95 Provide 97 Hair dye produced in a county in southwest England?

101 Chatty bird with shiny gray plumage?

105 Pirate chant starter 106 Took a train, e.g.

107 Pilot a plane 108 Prefix with skeleton 111 Thin iPods 113 Swiss chocolate brand 114 Sitcom title woman living in a wasteland?

120 Actor Jason 121 Energize 122 Algebra rule 123 Totally love 124 Toronto Blue Jays' stadium, before 2005 125 Salzburg site DOWN 1 Joking sort 2 Be mistaken 3 Gp. with merit badges

4 Hoosier 5 Verb go-with 6 "Why" singer Frankie 7 Like a very clean film 8 Maven 9 Solitary 10 -- -Seltzer 11 Top-level 12 Fluttery tree 13 Tear 14 Stuff in the gene pool 15 "Charlie's Angels" costar Smith 16 Rudely brief 17 Native New Zealander 18 Of -- (somewhat) 19 Lotte of film 24 See 67-Across 28 Glide (over) 29 Belly muscles 30 Groove 31 Fury 33 Mended, as a sock 35 Works to get 36 With, to Luc 38 "Toodles!"

39 Rebels' yells 40 Sch. in the Big Apple 44 FDR's terrier 45 Reneges 46 -- Aigner (fashion brand) 47 Real-estate levy 49 Bundled up, as hay 50 Prefix for an element used in antiseptics 51 Mission to gather intel 52 "-- pasa?"

53 Not likely 54 Classifies 55 Ramses II, for one 56 Plaything dragged on a string 58 City in Nevada

62 63 64 65 66 70 order 73 74 75 76 78 82 83 84 85 87 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 109 110 112 114 115 116 117 118 119

Mega-meal "Fuer --" Gear piece Brilliant move Composer Ned Reverse alphabetical Japanese drama style Tosspots New York's capital Singer Piaf R&B's -- Brothers San Diego ballplayer One reuning Asian "way" Loc. of Kiev Exceeded, as a target -- -Cat Put a stop to -- Bo Dodging type Irk Forthright Skye of film California mountain Japan's largest island Zesty dip Vine-covered Group jargon Nervous -- (worrywart) "Whip It" rock band City in Utah Iron sources Film director Craven Ballpoint fill La.-to-Ill. dir.

Bruin Bobby Agnus -- (Mass part) Drs.' org.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 40

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Cougar from Yellowstone National Park. creative commons photo

The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

How can something that doesn’t exist be declared extinct? believe it was around Jan. 22 of this year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the eastern cougar officially extinct. I’m surprised there’s barely been a ripple regarding the notice and the removal of the eastern cougar from the endangered species list. But I have an idea why — and since I’ve invested no real sleuthing time to date, I assure you I could be wrong. I will try and lay it out in simple terms here and do a bit of that sleuthing before reporting back on Feb. 27.

We all know that there are more panther, cougar, catamount, painter, mountain lion, etc. sightings and/or anecdotes from Western North Carolina than one can shake a paw at. But for the sake of a starting place let’s talk about scientifically/biologically accepted references.

When I wrote about the big cat for Smoky Mountain Living Mmagazine this was the last accepted reference from this region: “The last report of a wild mountain

I

lion being killed in the Smokies was in 1920.

According to the story, Tom Sparks was herding sheep in Spence Field when a lion attacked him. Sparks said he fought the animal off, inflicting a deep wound in the cat’s shoulder. A few months later a mountain lion was killed near present-day Fontana Village; the cat’s left shoulder blade had been cut in two. It was believed this was the cat Sparks had wounded.”

And according to reports announcing the cat’s official extinction, the last two sightings in the East were in 1932 in New Brunswick and 1938 in Maine. Exactly what made these cougars “eastern” cougars appears to be where they were found.

Because when European settlers arrived on the East Coast cougars were a natural part of the fauna. But the settlers feared and loathed the big cats; they competed for game and killed livestock. Every day was open season on cougars, they were shot, trapped and poisoned. This arduous persecution along with destruction of habitat led to the extirpation of cougars across the East by the early 20th century.

It seems to be a convoluted game of “Guess What Kind of Animal I Am.” Cougars across North America were divided

into subspecies based on physical characteristics like size and color. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife still adheres to taxonomy established in 1946 by S.P. Young and E.A. Goldman that lists at least 15 subspecies of cougar in North America, and using this classification placed two of those subspecies, the Florida panther, Puma concolor coryi, and the “eastern” cougar, Puma concolor cougar, both on the Endangered Species list; the Florida panther in 1967 and the eastern cougar in 1973.

But a peer-reviewed study in 2000 using DNA from 186 individuals of the previously described 15 subspecies of North American cougars concluded that they were all one subspecies.

However, in reading reports regarding the “extinction” of the eastern cougar and the subsequent de-listing, cougar advocates are saying this action could remove loopholes and complications of introducing a species in an area where they are considered endangered, leaving states to decide what actions may or may not be taken.

So, I guess the question is: is it easier, with regards to reestablishing a species, to declare said species (or subspecies) extinct rather than updating the taxonomy to note that said subspecies never actually existed in the first place? Hmmm?

(Don Hendershot is a naturalist and a writer who lives in Haywood County. He can be reached at ddihen1@bellsouth.net)

February 13-19, 2019 Smoky Mountain News 47

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