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March 4-10, 2015 Vol. 16 Iss. 40

Landowners sue Nantahala River developer Page 6

Lake Junaluska annexation goes for third try Page 17

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: On the Cover: J.P. Krol, the winter caretaker at LeConte Lodge, a hike-in only inn, shares his experiences from spending four winters on the third highest summit in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Page 32) Mount LeConte Winter, by Scott

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Hotaling, 2012 People's Choice Award, Landscape category, Courtesy Appalachian State University Outdoors Programs.

News Jackson business installs wireless Internet towers ..........................................4 Landowners sue Nantahala River developer ......................................................7 Neighbors at stalemate over barking dogs ........................................................8 New Smokies superintendent meets community ............................................10 Jackson grapples with fire tax question ............................................................12 Franklin considers allowing street banners ......................................................11 Haywood organizations consider moving in together ....................................14 Four arrested following out-of-hand Sylva Halloween party ..........................16 Lake Junaluska merger take three ......................................................................17

Opinion The delicious taste of the wait is disappearing ................................................18

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

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WNC writer releases debut novel........................................................................22

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Outdoors Life on LeConte ......................................................................................................32

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March 4-10, 2015

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Going the distance Jackson entrepreneur takes on the last-mile challenge of high-speed Internet in the mountains

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he gap between the haves and have nots in the world of high-speed Internet will get a little smaller this spring thanks to a start-up Internet company that will soon be beaming Internet service from towers in Jackson County.

Travis Lewis, a well-known businessman and entrepreneur with a long family history in Jackson County, has rolled up his sleeves to solve the formidable last-mile challenge in the mountains. Since the dawn of high-speed Internet, actually getting it to the doorsteps of people in remote reaches of Appalachia has been a problem.

“We are doing what they call the last mile.

We are getting out where cable doesn’t go, where DSL doesn’t go,” Lewis said.

Lewis will be erecting two wireless Internet towers in Jackson County in the coming weeks — one on Kings Mountain and one at the Jackson County Airport in Cullowhee — and hopes to go live with his first customers within a couple of months But it’s not been easy.

Wireless Internet has been heralded as a magic bullet to solve the “last mile” highspeed Internet woes in the mountains. The traditional high-speed networks — namely fiber, cable and DSL — are too costly to run into rural areas. There’s not enough customers per mile for companies to recoup their costs.

But wireless Internet towers theoretically have lower upfront costs, allowing them to reach places the bigger providers won’t go with their lines.

Still, there are only a couple of wireless Internet providers operating in the mountains. One is Sky Tek based in Murphy, which is run by Lewis’ cousin. It has about 1,500 customers, Lewis said.

Asheville is home to the longest-running wireless Internet provider, Sky Runner. A wireless Internet company called 3DB is in the start-up phase in Haywood County.

With so few in the game, it shows there’s still sizeable risk to make the business model work.

“So far right now, we haven’t got a first customer and I have $100,000 invested of my personal money,” Lewis said.

Lewis’ start-up company, called SkyFi, is a trailblazer in the world of wireless high-speed Internet providers.

As Lewis recoups the capital cost of his initial towers and infrastructure, he plans to expand to new areas — from the Balsams to Little Canada.

“I can’t afford to put all the towers up that 4 I need right now,” Lewis said. “We will need

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March 4-10, 2015

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SkyFi President Mark Zoran clips into one of the towers ready for installation. Holly Kays photo

20 to 30 towers all over the county to create a spider web effect. I am going to try my best, but now it may take me a while. It will be a build out.”

If SkyFi works, it will ultimately tell the story of a local entrepreneur stepping up to the plate to do what the major Internet providers have been unwilling to do so far.

Lewis is an established and well-known businessman in Jackson County. He manages his father’s family business Lewis Carpets and also has a payroll and accounting services company, which will handle the billing side of his SkyFi venture.

Lewis’ partner in the venture is Mark Zoran, who runs a local security systems business called Imperial Security.

“My specialty is customer relations and sales, Mark is the more technical guy, so we make a good team,” he said.

Zoran sees the unmet demand for highspeed first-hand when installing home security systems.

“The first thing that people ask when they build a house is ‘who is the Internet service provider?’ and my answer is ‘I don’t know.

You will have to call around and find out who thinks they can provide it,’” Zoran said.

A CAPITAL-INTENSIVE BUSINESS MODEL Two years ago, it seemed the new age of wireless Internet was almost here. Providers in both Haywood and Jackson had announced plans to begin offering highspeed Internet through the air, reaching people who didn’t have it at the time.

But neither came to fruition.

Andrea Robel, who wanted to start a wireless Internet service company in Haywood County called Vistanet, said the start-up costs

Wireless Internet towers theoretically have lower upfront costs, allowing them to reach places the bigger providers won’t go with their lines. were too high to recoup given the limited rural customer base.

“It is a very capital-intensive business. You can’t make it feasible,” Robel said.

The cost of the towers is only part of the picture. There’s the cost of leasing land for the tower to go on, the cost of running electricity to the towers and the power company’s fee to hook onto the electrical grid.

Plus, the wireless towers ultimately need to tie into a fiber backbone. If fiber doesn’t run near the tower site already, you have to run the fiber yourself.

“You have to bring fiber backhaul to those towers to connect to the outside,” Robel said.

Not every tower needs a hard connection to fiber. Wireless signal can be beamed from one tower to the next in a relay fashion. But service can only leapfrog from one tower to the next three times before signal strength is compromised, requiring hard line connections with fiber every few towers.

There’s also the cost of leasing bandwidth from whoever owns the fiber backbone — essentially buying bandwidth at wholesale rates from another Internet provider and then reselling it to your own customers at a retail upcharge.

Finally, there’s the added cost of building permits and tower permits with the county.

Lewis was able to avoid some of those start-up costs, however.

His primary tower will be installed along U.S. Business 23, where he can tap into an existing fiber backbone. From there, he will beam service up to his two mountaintop towers, and then back out to customers.

Electricity already runs to the Kings Mountain and airport sites.

As for leasing the tower sites, his primary tower is on commercial land he already owns.

The two mountaintop towers are on property owned by the county, which cut him a deal.

Instead of a flat fee, the county will charge him according to his customer base — $3 a month per customer, per tower.

And he also convinced Jackson County to waive the $4,000 tower permit fee. The steep

tower permit fees on the books were designed with cell towers in mind. The fee isn’t out of reach for deep-pocketed cell companies with a much larger customer base to tap. But for start-up entrepreneurs in the wireless Internet arena, it wasn’t feasible, Lewis said.

“We aren’t Frontier or AT&T,” Lewis said.

“That is money that could be going toward more tower spots if we didn’t have to pay those fees.”

Jackson County Planner Gerald Green said the county was already contemplating a vastly reduced fee for wireless Internet towers and had already drafted amendments to the county cell tower ordinance along those lines. So it wasn’t a stretch to go ahead and grant Lewis a fee waiver, since that is coming down the pike in an updated cell tower ordinance anyway.

County commissioners also recognized the desperately needed public service Lewis would be offering.

“I would love to see your business grow and flourish and get off to a good start. I am a potential customer like a lot of other folks out here,” Commissioner Chairman Brian McMahan told Lewis at a county meeting in February.

VIEWSHED DEBATE While Lewis got a waiver on his tower permit fee, his towers

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Speak up Take the Haywood County broadband survey to help quantify the unmet demand for high-speed internet. Surveys can be taken at www.haywoodnc.net/broadband.

The survey inspired a local businessman who was born and raised in Jackson County to take matters into his own hands.

“Basically it showed us there was a great need in Jackson County for our service. It helped me determine there is a need in this county for it,” said Travis Lewis, who has launched the wireless Internet company SkyFi. He hopes to hook up his first customers in the next month or two.

Ultimately, it’s this sort of Appalachian bootstrap ingenuity that may finally solve the last-mile conundrum of high-speed Internet in the mountains.

“Areas like ours are the last to see anything, partly because of our topography,” Webb said. “When you are a large Internet provider and you are looking to invest, you get much more bang for your buck in areas that are non-mountainous,” Webb said.

“And we can’t compete with the number of customers a larger area has.”

QUESTION: What are the different grades of meat and what does it mean?

ANSWER: The major grades of meat are: Prime, Choice, Select. These are known as “quality grades” and reflect the tenderness and juiciness of the meat due to marbling (fat content) of the meat.

At Ingles we only sell Prime and Choice cuts. A Prime cut would be what is typically sold in a hotel or a restaurant and is the highest quality in terms of tenderness and juiciness. The next highest grade is Choice and it is flavorful but has less marbling (fat) than a cut that is Prime grade.

could proliferate on the landscape.

A requirement in the cell tower ordinance forces cell companies to share towers where feasible, instead of each one building their own towers. But wireless Internet providers can’t share space with each other, Lewis said.

For starters, their towers are far thinner and don’t have room for extra antennas on them.

The narrower profile — only about a foot wide at the top — makes them less visible, Lewis said.

“You are not as likely to see them. They are very narrow at the top so we won’t get complaints about the viewshed. I don’t want to do something that makes my neighbors mad,” Lewis said.

Leaner cuts of beef with less marbling (that have the words round or loin) respond better to slow cooking methods.

Smoky Mountain News

must still meet the letter of Jackson’s cell tower ordinance — which namely governs how tall they can be.

Cell towers often come under fire for marring mountain views. But they’ve gradually been accepted as a necessary evil. The public values the viewshed but likewise wants cell service.

If wireless Internet service becomes the way of the future, a new wave of towers could bring renewed clashes over tower clutter on mountaintops.

Right now, there’s only a couple being proposed by Lewis. But he envisions a network of two dozen towers throughout the county. If more companies get in the game, each with their own suite of towers, they

“That is one of the purposes of our survey. It is deigned to show the need in those communities. It says ‘Here are people in these communities who say they would buy the service if it is available.’”

The high-speed Internet task force will hold its first open forum meeting with current and prospective Internet providers this month to share preliminary survey data and begin a dialogue.

Swain County is in the process of conducting a similar survey.

And Jackson County did one a couple of years ago — gathering demographic data on people eager for high-speed Internet, and then pitching the results to Internet service companies.

Fashion Show

March 4-10, 2015

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER hen the sun sets in rural Fines Creek, the little community library gets bumping.

It may be after-hours, but any given evening, a steady stream of cars comes from miles to sit in the parking lot. It’s the newest take on the long-standing tradition of parking, except this love affair is between man and his computer.

The parking lot outside the tiny library is the only hotspot for high-speed Internet in the remote northern reaches of Haywood County.

“We actually put the wireless radio in the window of the library to make sure it reached the parking lot,” said Joey Webb, Haywood County’s network administrator.

Rural farming communities like Fines Creek in Haywood County aren’t the only ones being left behind in the world of highspeed Internet. Many of the ritzy, high-dollar resorts in the mountains are likewise just too remote to get high-speed Internet from the traditional carriers.

Haywood County is in the midst of conducting a countywide survey to gauge unmet demand for high-speed Internet in rural areas, a project being carried out by a local broadband task force with support from the N.C. Department of Commerce.

“The survey has really just reinforced what our suspicions were. We very much suspected there were underserved and unserved areas in our county when it comes to broadband,” Webb said.

Ideally, the survey would set off a gold rush of Internet providers trying to get in on the ground floor of a hot market. Whether the plan pans out is “the big question right now,” Webb said. The most likely candidate at the table will be start-up wireless Internet providers that use towers to transmit highspeed service, instead of the traditional cable and DSL backbones.

Still, “There is an investment you have to make. And the question is ‘Are there enough clients in the radius of the tower to offset the cost of the equipment?” Webb said.

A WildLife Tradition news

Survey aims to prove rural Internet need to companies

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Landowners sue Nantahala River developer Mystic Lands developer accused of misusing funds

BY J ESSI STONE N EW E DITOR hen they bought up prime lots in the Mystic Lands development in Swain County, property owners envisioned living in a peaceful setting as close to nature as they could get.

But eight years later, they are entangled in a legal dispute with the developer, claiming the utilities and amenities that were promised to them never materialized, or had to be paid for out of their own pockets.

Litigation wasn’t in Mystic Lands Developer Ami Shinitzky’s plans either. He also didn’t anticipate the real estate crash and the great recession that hit the nation in 2007 just two years after he purchased the Mystic Lands property.

“I came here because I wanted to retire after selling my publishing company and have a quiet spot to write my book by the national forest,” he said. “I thought it was heaven on earth.”

Apparently, so did the lot owners when they bought into Mystic Lands.

“A lot of lot owners were very patient, especially with the circumstances, but eventually it gets to the point you’ve got to do something,” said Perry Polsinelli, a lot buyer from Atlanta who’s a party to the suit against Shinitzky.

The property owners’ story isn’t unique.

On the downhill side of the real estate crash, developers across the mountains failed to deliver on the grand plans they initially touted when selling high-end lots, leaving the trusting buyers not only without their promised golf courses and club houses, but sometimes not even a road to get to their lots.

Shinitzky’s story as a developer isn’t unique either.

“You buy the land and make a certain presentation of what you can deliver for infrastructure and amenities. Then you sell lots and the revenue pays for amenities and hopefully you get profit at the end,” he said. “In 2005, everything was rock and roll — we could do no wrong.”

The Mystic Lands includes three subdivisions — Mystic River, Mystic Ridge and Mystic Forest. Mystic River was the most controversial development, lining a narrow 35 acres along the bank of the Nantahala River that was divided into 32 lots.

Many rafters, kayakers and river outfitters protested the development out of fear it would destroy the natural beauty of the Nantahala Gorge. On the other hand, out-of-town nature enthusiasts who jumped at the chance to be on the water snatched many of the lots up as soon as they hit the market in 2005.

Polsinelli purchased his Mystic River lot in 2005 and is just now starting to construct his retirement home. While he wasn’t crazy 6 about the river property being developed, he

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March 4-10, 2015

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said the people buying property have a vested interest to protect it.

“I figured if it’s going to happen, I want a piece of it,” he said. “My main interest is to preserve it.”

Polsinelli and others also paid top dollar for their quarter-acre to one-third acre lots.

The average selling price in 2005 was $300,000 per lot.

PROPERTY OWNERS FILE COMPLAINTS In return for paying top dollar for riverfront property, property owners say they were promised things that still haven’t been delivered 10 years later.

Waynesville lawyer Bill Cannon is representing seven Mystic Lands property and homeowners.

Cannon said the lawsuit was served to Shinitzky at the Mystic Lands development a couple of weeks ago but no response has been received.

Tom Schreiber, another party to the lawsuit who purchased a lot in the Mystic Ridge subdivision, said his road up the mountain still hasn’t been paved like promised and it is a challenge for him to get up the road at times, much less have company over.

Meanwhile, Tom Anderson, who lives in Winston-Salem and built a second home in Mystic River in 2012, said property owners were not provided with a septic system as promised.

He and Polsinelli had to put in their own septic systems — a highly specialized and expensive one at that, known as the Bioreactor Membrane System, because of the proximity to the river and the high water table.

Polsinelli said the homeowners understand the recession hindered Shinitzky’s plans but ultimately, as the developer, it is his responsibility to live up to his obligations.

Schreiber agreed that property owners have been empathetic with Shinitzky and the sluggish economy that hindered lot sales, and thus a revenue stream to finish the development.

But it became a chicken or egg type situation. Shinitzky didn’t want to finish the amenities — including a clubhouse and an observatory — because no one was building.

Yet no one was building because there were no amenities, Schreiber said.

The clubhouse finally got built with the help of the existing property owners.

Schreiber said lot owners were asked to contribute in the form of a loan to Mystic Lands and $550,000 was raised to complete the clubhouse. He said the note was extended two times and Shinitzky just recently paid back the property owners.

He has no doubt that Shinitzky is passionate about finishing Mystic Lands, but he said the plaintiffs in the case want him to retire and turn the development over to the property owners association to operate. The property owners covenant says the declarant, Shinitzky, shall own the development for 20 years or when 95 percent of the lots are sold.

While Shinitzky claims that threshold hasn’t been hit yet, making him the legal owner of the development still, property owners aren’t so sure. They want Shinitzky to go ahead and turn over control of the development — including the shared roads, common areas, and property owners fund — so they can manage it themselves.

Whether 95 percent of the lots have been sold, thus triggering Shinitzky to turn over control of the development to property owners — is a matter of debate, since the number of lots is a moving target.

“He keeps certain lots off the market on the ridge, and he’s taking common area lots and splitting them up to sell,” Schreiber said.

Schreiber said the ideal outcome would be getting Shinitzky removed as the declarant so he is no longer able to appoint the property

the lawsuit, Shinitzky sold Randolph a lot in December 2006.

Randolph’s complaint is similar to the others — claiming he purchased the property with the understanding that his road would be paved, an observatory would be built next to his lot, common areas would be located next to his lot and electricity would be available during the second quarter of 2007. “… the representations made to the Plaintiff by the Defendants …. were false and fraudulent when made and the Defendants knew or reasonably should have known that the above representations to the Plaintiff were false and fraudulent when they were made to the Plaintiff,” the complaint stated.

Randolph claims the alleged misrepresentations have severely diminished the value of his property.

Trees remain on the ground after being cut down around this house in Mystic River subdivision right on the banks of the Nantahala River. Jessi Stone photo owner’s board of directors. He said the members should be allowed to elect their own board and set their own budget.

“The board’s always just rubberstamped everything because Ami can remove a board member without reason and appoint whoever he wants,” Schreiber said.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Shinitzky told members last summer that the property owners association owed him $280,000 because he overspent dues. That’s what spurred the lawsuit, plus the fact that Shinitzky has increased dues by 15 percent every year. Members were paying $700 a year in 2005. The cost recently reached $2,200 a year, and amenities still aren’t complete.

“He spent the money on development items,” Schreiber said. “Any normal developer would have gone bankrupt because the business model was broken.”

Randolph Properties also has filed suit against Shinitzky and Mystic Lands Development. Douglas Randolph is the managing member of the plaintiff. According to

For example, what was initially billed as a shared common area was instead taken back

by Shinitzky and sold for a lot instead, according to the suit.

Randolph also accuses Shinitzky of trespassing on his land to cut down large trees and excavate a road through the center of his property without consent, in order to reach the common area being turned into a lot.

In Shinitzky’s response, he admitted that roads were not paved and the electrical hookups weren’t available until 2014 but denied the claims about the observatory and common areas. He also denied using unfair and deceptive practices and that claims of financial losses were speculative. The defendant claims his entry on the plaintiff ’s land was lawful and asked that the complaint be dismissed.

SHINITZKY PUSHES FORWARD

Shinitzky said Mystic Lands has survived the worst of the economy, and he is disap-

S EE HOMEOWNERS, PAGE 7

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pointed the lawsuit complaints have surfaced just as he is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

He purchased Mystic Lands at top price and sold lots at the going rate. He sold 86 lots in two and a half years before the housing market bubble burst. Then only five lots sold within the next five years at a third of the price.

Shinitzky said most developers would have filed for bankruptcy and walked away, leaving the property owners with an incomplete development that would further devastate their land values.

“That’s not what we did here, because I built my own home here — it becomes personal because your customers are your future neighbors,” he said. “You do whatever it takes to sweat it out and hope it’s not too bad, but it was really hard.”

He said he’s invested personal money to have work completed and expressed appreciation to the property owners for contributing funds in order to complete the clubhouse. The completion of the clubhouse did make property owners feel more comfortable about moving forward with their building plans. There are now eight homes built in Mystic River with the ninth and 10th under construction.

While things seem to be on the uptick, Shinitzky fears the negative publicity surrounding the lawsuit will breed more fear and halt growth, which Shinitzky said will

only hurt the property owners and property values.

“They are willing to lose the war to win the battle. I don’t want to self-destruct,” he said. “Property values have declined everywhere — we can’t stop that — but there’s a difference between completely losing value by abandoning it. It would have been worse if I walked away.”

Shinitzky said the bottom line is that a majority of the property owners want him out of the equation. He said that would not happen until he feels Mystic Lands will be in the hands of people who will take care of it.

“I’ve worked on this for 10 long years.

I’m never going to walk away. I’m not going to let someone else write the Mystic Lands story,” he said.

Shinitzky denies stealing money from the property owners association as claimed in the lawsuit, saying the claims are not provable and are based on false testimony and misreading of the financial records. He said the timing of the lawsuits couldn’t have come at a worse time since his wife died four months ago.

“Why would I build my house and stay here? If you’re going to steal, you would take it and leave,” he said. “I’ve worked so hard. They want to damage me for no reason at all other than vengeance.”

His plan moving forward is to sell more lots so that he can continue paving the roads and finish the amenities. He said work should start this summer on the observatory.

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR mi Shinitzky, developer of Mystic River, understands why all eyes are on him as he works to develop lots for luxurious homes along the banks of the Nantahala River.

As someone who bought the property to enjoy the natural beauty of the Nantahala Gorge, he said, he has just as much vested interest in protecting the river.

“We’re going to be the most conscientious custodians of this river section,” Shinitzky said.

But some residents have noticed trees being cut down along the river they considered unnecessary and fear it could be in violation of the 25-foot trout buffer that is supposed to be undisturbed during construction.

The North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources has received complaints about development activities, but DENR Some residents have noticed directed the complaints back to Kevin Seagle, Swain County’s trees being cut down along the director of inspections. river they considered Stan Roberts, whose family owns a lot in Mystic Ridge, sent unnecessary and fear it could be Seagle an email claiming that he in violation of the 25-foot trout observed trout buffer violations at Mystic River in late January. buffer that is supposed to be Roberts said he witnessed at least a dozen large trees cut down undisturbed during construction. along the feeder stream that runs along the west side of the road and barrier from the road, so I planted 1,200 evermany of the stumps were within 6 to 10 feet of the stream. He said tractors and equipment green trees from one end to the other,” he said.

Tom Schreiber, a resident of Mystic Ridge were being used without a silt fence in place — a nearby development that is among three to keep mud from pouring into the river. that make up what Shinitzky calls Mystic Lands “It is a live water stream and therefore Development — and a plaintiff in a lawsuit governed under the state and federal laws against Shinitzky, said many residents were susregarding trout streams,” he wrote. “A reprepicious of the trees being cut down. Residents sentative from the EPA who happens to be a friend of one of the owners took extensive pic- were particularly upset that Shinitzky didn’t tures and termed the whole is a ‘crime scene.’” consult the property owners association memAfter receiving the complaint, Seagle said bers before cutting down the trees.

Perry Polsinelli, who purchased a lot in he went out to the subdivision on Feb. 6 to Mystic River in 2005, is now just in the process speak to the developer, Shinitzky, and show of getting his retirement home built. While he him what he needed to make sure the site doesn’t claim to be an expert when it comes to was in compliance. the trout buffer and other regulations, he too is “(Roberts) sent me an email of what was concerned about trees being cut down. going on, but it wasn’t written up as a viola“Our main concern is the environment — tion,” Seagle said. “It’s not as bad as (the the last resort is cutting down a tree,” he said. complaintant) said it was.”

Shinitzky said he is in good standing Seagle said there was nothing illegal about cutting down trees in the development with county and state inspectors and has full intentions of following the law to maintain and he didn’t see any runoff into the feeding stream or the river. He indicated in the report the beauty of Mystic Lands. Considering the river property was formerly a 200-site campthat it was a dry and sunny day when he ground, he feels certain the river is being inspected the property from 1 to 1:30 p.m. better protected under his development Seagle sent Mystic Lands a report stating what needed to be done to address an inade- standards for wastewater.

“The campground lavatories were not quate buffer zone. Shinitzky has 15 days to even rudimentary,” he said. “My conscious is bring the site into compliance before a reclear — I’ve never taken a short cut here.” inspection is done. The report was sent by

HOMEOWNERS, CONTINUED FROM 6

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Neighbors keep close eye on Nantahala

certified mail and Seagle hasn’t received a response yet.

The report called for a silt fence on the bank of the feeder stream and for a ground cover to be used in all areas of disturbance.

Seagle also said that regulations require no disturbance within 25 feet of the main creek and feeder stream and that erosion control measures needed to be maintained.

“We really protect the Nantahala River — it’s a huge tourism draw and fish habitat,” Seagle said. “Every time something is built there, a surveyor outlines a 25-foot trout buffer and they have to stay out of that.”

Shinitzky said the allegations were unfounded and that a disgruntled former property owners association employee made the complaints. He said all construction along the river was following strict environmental guidelines, including state-of-the-art septic systems that purify the water to drinking water quality.

Shinitzky said he had cut down as few trees as possible to build roads and the clubhouse, including 20 trees along the river. He paid $52,000 plus labor to purchase and plant two rows of evergreen trees that will grow tall and fast. He said the indigenous trees along the river needed to be removed so the evergreens would get enough sun to grow.

“We needed to create a visual and sound

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Noise complaints could shut down animal haven Neighbors at stalemate over barking dogs

Waynesville Attorney Chase Wells represents the McLeods in the case.

“Duke’s Animal Haven’s primary purpose is to keep dogs from Sarge’s (Animal Rescue),” Wells said. “They hold rescues temBY J ESSI STONE porarily for one to three weeks, then they’re N EWS E DITOR dispute between Haywood County sent to foster homes, are adopted or sent to neighbors could result in one couple another facility in another state where they’re shutting down a nonprofit operation more likely to be adopted out.”

Wells said the Wests started calling the that is near and dear to their hearts — or another couple selling a home where they’ve sheriff ’s office to complain about the barking dogs before contacting his clients. The Wests farmed for 40 years.

These seem like the only options since the then went to the magistrate judge and swore neighbors have reached an impasse in a dis- out charges against William McLeod for viopute over barking dogs. Helen and Will lating the county noise ordinance.

The case went to court Jan. 15 and the McLeod say they’ve done everything within their power to address the noise coming judge dismissed the claim because it charged from their nonprofit rescue animal shelter. the wrong person. William McLeod owns Judy and Steve West say the barking dogs are Pampered Pets, but the Animal Haven is a driving them mad and negatively impacting nonprofit corporation.

But Wells said he doesn’t think the case is their health.

“We’ve gone over and above what we had over because Judy West has threatened to to do to try and make them happy,” Helen bring a civil suit against the shelter.

“Presumably it would be a claim of nuisaid. “I think the only thing we can do is shut sance — it wouldn’t have much to do with the down. That would make them happy.” ordinance but would have to do with common law right of action for nuisances,” Wells said.

EGAL BATTLES If a civil suit is filed, he said, the Wests After mediation and a trial have failed to could ask for an injunction and temporarily solve the problem, it appears the only solu- shut down operations at the animal rescue.

Judy said the overarching issue was the tions may be extreme. The Wests may pursue lack of zoning within the a civil suit and try to shut Although the neighdown the shelter, or they “When did animal county. borhood where they live is will try to sell their home heavily residential, there’s and find somewhere quirights supersede no county zoning ordinance eter to live. human rights?” to prohibit someone from Judy said she and her opening a business or nonhusband would be meeting — Judy West profit rescue shelter. with their attorney in mid“I feel like the county is March before deciding how to proceed. If the Wests can sell their house going to have to enact some of these ordifor a good price, Judy said, that might be the nances to deal with these problems,” she said. best option. But it would mean the couple would no longer be able to do what they love HELTER OPERATIONS — farm their land.

Helen said Duke’s Pampered Pets has “We hate to give up farming and our fruits and vegetables and the tailgate market, operated for 12 years with no complaints but at our age, for our peace of mind and san- from neighbors. Even though it’s a boarding ity, I feel like we don’t have any other choice,” kennel, the McLeods have always tried to take in rescues from the community. In 2012, an she said.

The Wests live about 100 feet downhill inspector told them during a routine state from Duke’s Animal Haven, a temporary shel- inspection that they could no longer house ter for rescue cats and dogs located just off rescues under the private kennel.

A private donor then stepped in to fund a Stamey Cove Road. The McLeods have also owned and operated a boarding kennel, new facility to house rescues for Sarge’s. The Duke’s Pampered Pets, right next door to the facility has 14 runs that generally house one dog each or sometimes an entire litter of pupshelter, for 12 years.

Judy said the barking dogs at the shelter pies. The animal haven also has several rooms have disrupted her peace of mind since it for rescue cats.

“We hold transport dogs for Sarge’s opened more than a year ago.

“With the rescue shelter and the boarding before they send them to New Jersey,” Helen kennel, they can keep 40 dogs at a time,” she said. “They build up over a month before the said. “Sometimes it’s so unbearable you want transport, so 10 days before the transport it will be full and after transport it’s fairly to scream, and I do.”

The Wests filed a lawsuit against Duke’s empty for a couple of weeks.”

Sarge’s doesn’t have a contract with Animal Haven, claiming it violates Haywood County’s noise ordinance. The ordinance pro- Duke’s but rather a verbal agreement to hibits frequent and unnecessary noise, but house the dogs. Sarge’s pays $1,000 a month “frequent” is defined as occurring every four to the animal haven to offset the cost of utilihours and unnecessary is defined as “without ties, staffing and food.

Helen admits that the dogs do bark, but 8 any business or economic purpose.”

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Smoky Mountain News

March 4-10, 2015

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Craig Summers, manager of Duke’s Animal Haven, plays with a shelter dog named Kilo during feeding time at the shelter. Duke’s Animal Haven takes in dogs from Sarge’s Animal Rescue until they can be transported up to New Jersey for adoption. Jessi Stone photo

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mostly just during their feeding time in the morning from 8 to 10 a.m. and in the evening from 4 to 6 p.m. An employee takes a couple of dogs at a time outside to eat and do their business.

During a 4 p.m. feeding session, a few dogs could be heard from outside the facility, but the soundproofing material substantially muffled the noise. What could also be heard during the feeding was Judy yelling from her back porch for the dogs to be quiet.

Judy said the barking does continue most of the day. She said the dogs are quiet when no one is there, but when an employee is in the facility from 8 a.m. to noon and from 3 to 6 p.m., it is loud.

“It’s not continuous, but it’s enough to where it feels continuous,” she said.

Judy is still recovering from an infection in her lungs and has been on bed rest for several weeks. She said Steve has high blood

pressure and the barking dogs only exacerbate the problem.

“We can’t enjoy our deck,” Judy said. “You can hear them with the doors closed and the windows pulled down and the TV on.”

MEASURES TAKEN

Before any complaints were ever made, Wells said, his clients planted a row of tall pine trees and shrubs in front of the animal shelter and installed a privacy fence.

When the Wests filed the charges, the case was sent to mediation. Installing soundproofing materials was discussed, but the expense was an issue for the McLeods.

“My clients obtained a donation from a third party to pay for the material and installed it on the inside and outside of the building,” Wells said.

With materials and labor,

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Helen said, it cost more than $5,000 to install the soundproofing material.

The complaints have continued despite the soundproofing that is 100 percent guaranteed by the company to absorb internal echo. Wells added that the other dozen neighbors in the area have never complained to law enforcement about the noise.

Wells said the Wests installed a camera to record the noise they experience from the dogs when they are out in the runs.

“My clients used their own camera and have footage of the Wests yelling at the dogs and customers and making barking noises in an attempt to provoke the dogs,” he said.

Helen said she has talked to many of the other neighbors surrounding the shelter and the dogs have bothered none of them. She said the Wests tried to get neighbors to sign a petition to take to court, but no one would sign it.

Judy said she spoke to neighbors who said it did bother them, but they were unwilling to get involved because many of them board their dogs at Duke’s Pampered Pets.

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March 4-10, 2015

Judy and Steve West’s home is located bout 100 feet downhill from Duke’s Animal Haven. Jessi Stone photo

“We’ve gone over and above what we had to do to try and make them happy.”

— Helen McLeod

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Smoky Mountain News

While the McLeods say the Wests just don’t like animals, Judy said her children had plenty of pets growing up and they have nothing against animals.

Judy just doesn’t believe her rights should be tossed aside for cats and dogs.

“When did animal rights supersede human rights?” she said.

Helen said Sarge’s wouldn’t be able to save as many animals by transporting them to other states if it didn’t have the Animal Haven.

“Duke’s has been a successful boarding facility for many years, and it was a natural progression for them to expand their business. If Sarge’s dogs were not there, others dogs would be,” said Sarge’s executive director Laura Ivey. “The folks involved with Duke’s Animal Haven have supported Haywood County's transport program from day one. Last year alone, with their support, and Sarge’s own foster care program, we saved over 450 dogs through transport to our northern partners. There is no doubt that Duke’s Animal Haven’s help contributes greatly toward saving Haywood County’s animals.”

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Welcome to the better side of the Smokies New superintendent gets acquainted with parkside communities

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he new Smokies superintendent got his introduction to the North Carolina side of the park amid plates of snacks and the homey trappings of a bed and breakfast in Bryson City last week.

“This is the way I want to come into a community,” said Cassius Cash, who took up his post as superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Feb. 9.

“Not some meeting, not some flip chart. It’s about community.”

A group of about 30 politicians, outdoors enthusiasts and community members — representing Swain and other Western North Carolina counties — gathered at the Historic Calhoun House for a two-hour meet-and-greet that featured a few words from Cash and some welcome-to-theSmokies speeches from the movers and shakers gathered in the room.

But that was about as formal as it got, with the afternoon quickly turning into a more casual forum for attendees to grab a cup of hot cider, munch on a cookie and chat amongst themselves until the opportunity

Smoky Mountain News

Meet the new superintendent A second North Carolina meet-and-greet hosting new Smokies superintendent Cassius Cash will be held 4-6 p.m.

Thursday, March 5, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on U.S. 441 north of Cherokee. going to have a good relationship,” Cutler said.

Cash comes to the park following a year in which a string of three different acting superintendents took the helm while the Park Service sought out a replacement for former superintendent Dale Ditmanson, who retired in January 2014 after 10 years as head of the Smokies.

Good communication will be a hallmark of his time in charge, Cash told the group.

“Good science doesn’t always make good management decisions,” he said, so knowing the communities surrounding the

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Luke Hyde, owner of the Historic Calhoun House, chats with Smokies Superintendent Cassius Cash (right). Holly Kays photo park will be key to success. “Don’t test me on names, but I want to eventually learn every name in here.”

That sentiment — and Cash’s presence in general — left an impression on Bryson City Mayor Tom Sutton, a man whose childhood was spent enjoying the park surrounding his native Bryson City.

“I never met the old superintendent, so we’re glad to have him on the North Carolina side,” Sutton said.

The group did its best to impress on Cash during his time in Bryson City that Swain County is an important park entrance in its own right, that there’s no need for the North Carolina Smokies to play second fiddle to Gatlinburg and Townsend.

“I think there is a perception that the front

Who is Cassius Cash?

New Smokies superintendent Cassius Cash comes into his position as head of the largest national park east of the Mississippi with only five years of experience in the National Parks System under his belt, but park supporters don’t necessarily see that as a bad thing.

Prior to taking his post as superintendent of the Boston National Historical Park and Boston African American National Historic Site, Cash spent 18 years working in various leadership positions in the U.S. Forest Service. Luke Hyde, board member for Friends of the Smokies and Bryson City native, applauds Cash’s experience.

“I respect the man greatly because of his background in forestry, and I think that gives him an insight someone else might not have,” Hyde said.

As superintendent of the Boston parks, Cash worked with the city to open a new visitor center that now welcomes more than

door of the park is over there, and over here is the backdoor,” Sutton said.

Swain County residents are proud of the museum they established last year in the historic courthouse building, and of the Great Smoky Mountains Association bookstore that now occupies a portion of it. So proud, in fact, that they presented Cash with a painting of the building by Bryson City native Jackie Smith.

“We’re hoping the superintendent will place this in his office, and when he looks at it he’ll think of the good people in Western North Carolina and Swain County who support him and support the park,” said Larry Hyde, owner of the Historic Calhoun House and Friends of the Smokies board member.

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March 4-10, 2015

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came to bend Cash’s ear for a few minutes.

Diane Cutler, co-owner of Bryson City Bicycles and membership coordinator for the Nantahala Area Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, liked that.

“It’s a great casual meet-and-greet forum to get to meet people and really feel like you’re

5 million visitors annually, and he also helped secure $4 million to reopen the African Meeting House, the nation’s oldest black church still in its original location.

While working with the Forest Service, with which he began his federal career in 1991, Cash served as an administrative officer in Nebraska, district ranger in Georgia, civil rights officer in Mississippi and, before transferring to Boston, deputy forest supervisor in Oregon’s Rogue RiverSiskiyou National Forest.

Cash, a Memphis native, holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Arkansas and completed a non-degreeseeking program in wildlife management at Oregon State University. He’s excited to put his knowledge and experience to use as the Smokies’ 16th permanent superintendent.

“This is the Yellowstone of the east. This is the crown jewel if you want to be east of the Mississippi,” Cash said. “It’s not only a job, but it’s an honor.”

“I think our interest at this particular point is just trying to make sure that visitors to the park understand that there’s another big world out here that would be of interest to them,” said Swain County Commissioner Ben Bushyhead.

From what he saw last week, Bushyhead is hopeful that Cash will be willing to partner with gateway communities like Bryson City so that the park helps send tourists into the community and the community in turn points tourists to the park.

Another priority, said Friends of the Smokies board member Steve Woody, needs to be figuring out ways to get more kids out in the park.

“It’s a great big classroom,” he said.

Fortunately for Woody, Cash agrees.

“A lot of folks talk about diversity and the people who come to my park or don’t come to my park,” Cash said. “In my mind it’s a generational issue, and that cuts across all ethnicities.”

Attendees also brought up some more specific issues, like lack of parking at Deep Creek or the possibility of developing mountain biking trails in the park.

Cash said he looks forward to working through these and other concerns.

“Will there be bumps? Probably so, but that’s what all relationships are about,” he said.

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It’s not unusual for counties to have a separate tax collector and tax administrator — they are two separate positions in Buncombe, Jackson and Macon counties. ations over the past few years: its landfill, trash hauling, convenience centers, recycling processing, and the central repository for bulky items like sofas, old refrigerators or car batteries.

But the county still needs someone to oversee the contractors who handle the solid waste stream, and that person will be Francis. Francis was already a special project manager for trash over the past few years, leading the privatization transition.

Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick pointed out Francis is technically assuming the role of the departed solid waste director, and it is not a new position per se.

The last part of Francis new job description is program evaluator, who will work in a floating capacity.

“It’s another set of eyes if we have some issues or to analyze departments to help create efficiencies,” County Manager Ira Dove said.

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Buncombe, Jackson and Macon counties.

Commissioners also said Matthews didn’t have the experience to take on a larger management role of tax administrator, so the position would have simply been jettisoned or filled by someone else if the county hadn’t decided to keep Francis on.

The county does have the added salary load of Matthews’ — who gets $55,000 as tax collector — on top of Francis’ salary of $77,000.

But Francis will actually serve in a trio of capacities going forward tax administrator, trash and landfill manager and department and project evaluations.

On the trash side, the county has gradually privatized every aspect of the trash oper-

March 4-10, 2015

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER hen Haywood County’s long-time tax collector David Francis was narrowly ousted by a younger, inexperienced opponent in last fall’s election, county commissioners decided to keep Francis around anyway as a mentor for his successor Mike Matthews.

Keeping Francis on to train Matthews seemed a little awkward on the surface — since the two had just been campaigning against each other days earlier — but it was billed as a temporary arrangement to get through the transition.

County commissioners this week decided to make that arrangement permanent.

Francis said he already had a job in the private sector lined up, but would rather be where he is.

“I am happy to stay with Haywood County.

This is my home and I think we have done lots of good work in the past,” Francis said.

Before Matthews won the seat of tax collector, Francis had been serving in a dual roles: as both tax collector and tax administrator, which also oversees of property value appraisals, property assessments, mapping and land records.

Francis will keep the title of tax administrator, while Matthews fills the more narrow capacity of tax collector.

The changing of the guard in the Haywood County tax office exploded into a political drama following last fall’s election.

Republican activists who recruited and backed Matthews as a candidate felt slighted that the county would peel off the tax collector duties to give Matthews, while letting their crony Francis keep his larger administrative role.

Matthews said he was actually glad for Francis’ assistance and support, especially early on, but even going forward.

“He has been a huge help,” Matthews said. “We are up to speed now but it is nice to have his experience in the building where you can just pick up the phone and ask when something new comes up.”

It’s not unusual for counties to have a separate tax collector and tax administrator — they are two separate positions in

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Haywood’s old and new tax collectors settle into new roles

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Jackson grapples with fire tax question Commissioners, town leaders to decide if new tax is needed for fire departments

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ackson County’s elected leaders will be have a big decision to make over the coming month: to levy a fire tax forcing property owners in lower-value areas of the county to pay higher bills or watch local fire departments continue to struggle with old equipment and insufficient manpower.

“That’s something that our board is going to have to come to grips with over the next couple of weeks,” Jackson County Commission Chairman Brian McMahan told a gathering of the county’s elected leaders March 2.

The need is real, fire department leaders have told the county. In the CashiersGlenville district, for example, fire call volume has increased from 488 calls per year to 627 just between 2012 and 2014. In Cullowhee, the jump is more modest but still sizable: from 467 to 557.

As calls have increased, it’s become obvious that volunteer labor is not sufficient to meet the need. In Cashiers, that’s especially true. By and large, the volunteers who staff the department can’t afford to live in Cashiers. That causes increased response time, because volunteers have to drive from wherever their homes are.

“All of your good firemen have jobs and the people are finally making money now,” said Cashiers Fire Chief Randy Dillard. “It’s gotten to the point where it’s time to get something worked out for it.”

Currently, county funds pay for one fulltime position at each fire department, but that person isn’t there around the clock.

Dillard and Tim Green, chief at the Cullowhee station, believe they need to increase their budget enough to have a pair of firefighters at the station at all times.

“If I’m not in town, there’s no one to run fire calls,” Dillard said. “Our guys do a great job, but they’re all from Glenville, Pine Creek.”

Meanwhile, equipment is aging and departments are coming up short on the dollars to replace it. Currently, departments are operating on a combination of county dollars, fundraising and grants.

“The last two years that’s the reason our budget’s a little bit lower, because we haven’t had the money to spend to buy new equipment,” said Cullowhee Chief Tim Green.

So, commissioners have come back to the idea of a fire tax, something the previous board debated extensively in 2013. But they 12 never allowed the tax to go to a referendum

Smoky Mountain News

March 4-10, 2015

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vote as planned because only three of the seven fire chiefs really supported the idea.

“We felt like if it was going to be placed on the ballot and a majority of fire districts did not support it, the likelihood it would pass was minimal,” County Manager Chuck Wooten said.

At this point, commissioners are considering the option of taxing only the districts that have requested to be included, allowing those opposing the tax to simply continue to receive the same allotment from the county that they have been. However, the Cashiers, Cullowhee and Sylva departments have all said they support a fire tax in their district, so at this week’s joint meeting with elected officials from Jackson County’s towns, county leaders shared the particulars of the fire tax idea and asked municipal leaders to consider its merits.

“The commissioners, if they move this forward, would be interested in working with the municipalities to understand if you would like to see a service district established, and if a tax rate was established that would eliminate the need for the municipalities to levy a tax,” Wooten explained.

All of Jackson County’s incorporated towns already use tax dollars to support their respective departments. If the county decided to go the fire district route, commissioners would ask that the municipalities dissolve their own fire taxes in favor of funding through the service district. The lines dividing the county’s various fire districts have been in place for more than 20 years.

For the municipal officials who attended the meeting, that was a lot of information to take in all at once.

“There’s certainly a need for fire depart-

Call volume has risen for all Jackson fire stations in the past two years.

Footing the bill The concept of the fire tax is that each district would supply the dollars needed to meet the budget of its own local fire station. That money would come from a tax based on property value.

The catch, though, is that all property values are not created equal. In Cashiers, for example, the total tax base is $6.2 billion, while in Cullowhee it’s $1.2 billion. The average home in Cashiers is worth $472,900; in Cullowhee, the average is $208,500.

In addition, the rates necessary to keep the fire departments’ budgets afloat could well increase after Jackson County completes its property revaluation this year, because home values are expected to go down.

Take a look at the budgets for each of the three fire departments requesting a fire tax in their district and what the yearly tax might be for various home values.

CASHIERS Requested budget: $1.1 million Tax rate required: 1.95 cents per $100 of home value • A $472,900 property (the average) would contribute $92 per year.

• A $1 million property would contribute $195 per year.

• A $17.1 million property (the highest) would contribute $3,327 per year.

CULLOWHEE Requested budget: $649,000 Tax rate required: 5.67 cents per $100 of home value • A $208,500 property (the average) would contribute $118 per year.

• A $1 million property would contribute $567 per year.

• A $13 million property (the highest) would contribute $7,389 per year.

SYLVA (ALSO SERVING WEBSTER AND DILLSBORO) Current budget: $680,700 Tax rate required: 6 cents per $100 of home value • A $190,200 property (the average in Sylva) would contribute $114 per year.

• A $220,300 property (the average in Webster) would contribute $132 per year.

• A $252,500 property (the average in Dillsboro) would contribute $152 per year.

• A $1 million property would contribute $600 per year. ments, and there’s a lot of places that are hard to reach,” said Sylva Commissioner Mary Gelbaugh. “I need to give it some thought. I need to do some homework.”

“We definitely have to just evaluate it and look at the numbers,” said Forest Hills Mayor Kolleen Begley.

“We really just have to sit down with all the board members,” said Dillsboro Alderman Tim Parris.

They won’t have all that long to do it. In order to advertise a public hearing, work out the details of the tax and have it ready to go

by the time the fiscal year starts July 1, commissioners have to make a decision this month. McMahan asked for municipalities to pass a resolution expressing their support by March 23, if they were inclined to do so.

However, he stressed, the fire tax is far from being a done deal, and the board’s mind is far from being made up.

“We’re trying to look at all the options that we have available to us to try to meet these needs. This is just one of the options,” McMahan said. “We have not committed to doing this.”

Jackson planning board gets new leadership

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ith a slate of issues including steep slope development, cell phone tower construction and zoning rules for fracking facing the county, Sarah Thompson — formerly Sarah Graham — will be taking the helm as chair of the Jackson County Planning Board.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Thompson said. “It is a good board to work with and I enjoy conversations with diverse opinions, and that’s a lot of what we have there.”

Thompson is director of planning and development for the Southwestern Commission and has in the past directed the Downtown Sylva Association and served on the Sylva town board. She was appointed to the planning board in September 2013 by Democratic County Commissioner Vicki Greene.

She has tended to fall more on the proregulation side of votes during her tenure on the board as opposed to outgoing chair Clark Lipkin, whose votes have fallen on the anti-regulation side. Lipkin was originally appointed in 2011 by then-Commission Chairman Jack Debnam, an Independent.

“Clark’s term ends in December, and a key factor in not reappointing him as chair was that his term on the board would end before his term as chair would end,” said County Planner Gerald Green. “This is his second term and he is not eligible for reappointment. ” Commissioners voted unanimously to appoint Thompson as chair and board member Scott Baker as vice chair.

Thompson sees her new role as being largely organizational, giving everyone the opportunity to say their piece while still moving the discussion along.

“The planning board stays very busy and there’s always various ordinances that the commissioners want us to review, so we can’t spend two hours every month hashing out the same stuff,” Thompson said.

“She’s very pragmatic, very practical and always brings up great discussion points, so I think we’ll in be in good hands with her leading the group,” said Scott Baker, who will now occupy Thompson’s vacated seat as the board’s vice chair. Baker works as the vice president for information technology at Southwestern Community College and headed up the Cullowhee Community Planning Advisory Committee, a group tasked with developing planning standards for the Cullowhee community.

Baker is also looking forward to his new role and is positive about the direction the planning board is heading.

“It could be dangerous for a committee if everybody always agreed on everything,” he said. “Right now we’ve got a really good composition on the board of people with different viewpoints that bring in a lot of expertise in different areas.”

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Roomies at last?

Haywood Chamber, Tourism Authority and Downtown Waynesville Association talk about moving in together

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER aynesville’s old town hall on Main Street could be converted into a garrison for tourism, business and economic development agencies — a move that would save each of the entities money and promote teamwork.

Three agencies with partly overlapping missions inhabit three separate offices currently, all within three blocks of each other in downtown Waynesville.

Collecting the various entities under one roof has been broached in the past, but tabled. Now, the idea has been revived, spurred by the offer of free rent in Waynesville’s old town hall, which is largely empty of town offices.

“We realize more and more how much more efficient we can be when we all work together,” said CeCe Hipps, executive director of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. “The wheel is getting rounder.”

The plan would involve the Haywood Chamber and Economic Development Commission, the Haywood Tourism Development Authority and the Downtown Waynesville Association.

Convening the masterminds of tourism and business under one roof will allow for cross-pollination of ideas and initiatives.

Creative bantering can come more easily around a water cooler than over email. And logistically, collaborating on ad campaigns or coordinating festival weekends will be that much easier.

“We all work together anyway, but it would create some synergy amongst the

Waynesville’s old town hall could become the new headquarters for a collection of tourism, business and economic development entities. The plan is in the exploratory stages.

“It would be sharing, sharing, sharing,” Hipps said.

As for the town, it has more space than it needs at the moment, said Town Manager Marcy Onieal. Old town hall was once packed with more than 20 employees, but

Smoky Mountain News

March 4-10, 2015

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organizations,” said Haywood County Tourism Director Lynn Collins.

“We would all be in the know a little bit better,” Hipps added.

The chamber and tourism authority could also partner to operate a single visitor center, instead of each running their own as they do now.

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only four occupy it now.

Waynesville built a new town hall across the street from the old one a few years ago. It also remodeled the old Hazelwood town hall, which it inherited when Hazelwood folded and merged with Waynesville.

That’s led to a glut of town office and meeting space. With a little juggling, the four lone employees who are still left in the original town hall could be absorbed into the new town hall or old Hazelwood town hall, Onieal said.

Waynesville would offer the entities a long-term lease, but wouldn’t give up old town hall forever, Onieal said.

In the meantime, the building would remain a focal point in the civic arena.

Over the past year, the town aldermen have discussed doing more to support overall economic development. Offering rent-free space would be a substantial contribution to the cause, without having to make a monetary outlay.

“This is a way the town can contribute more to economic development and offer a cost savings to the agencies,” Onieal said.

Even though the town would offer free rent, it would come out ahead as well by divesting itself of utility costs for the old town hall.

A NEW ERA Moving in together is not to be mistaken as a merger. The tourism and business agencies would remain independent from one another, with their own director, own board and own budget — and their own specific focus.

It’s not the first time the chamber and tourism agency have considered moving in together. But discussions fell apart in the past, perhaps because it sounded too much like a merger instead of merely roommates.

“Before it was talked about bringing everybody under one umbrella,” Collins said. “I think the difference is now we are talking about collocating, but not getting married.”

Meanwhile, turf battles have simply subsided over time.

And perhaps most of all, the prospect of free rent — in a grand building at a premium downtown location no less — is a potsweetener just too good to pass up.

“Saving that much money, we would be foolish not to look at it,” Hipps said. “There is a lot of opportunity there.”

There’s also savings in overhead: shared internet and phone service, shared electric and heating bills, shared cleaning service, shared photocopier costs, and so on.

“We want to maximize limited resources instead of carving up that pie into smaller and smaller pieces,” Onieal said.

Hipps said at first blush, it seems the chamber could save more than $20,000 a year that could instead be put toward programs and projects.

Meanwhile, the timing is ideal

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pening on the same weekend. Hollifield said if two organizations want to advertise two different events, they could split the cost and have one on each end of the street.

“There’s a way to compromise without saying no,” he said.

Town Attorney John Henning Jr. said the town street and sidewalks ordinance prohibited the use of banners across the street unless approved by the town board. That language was later removed from the ordinance in 2013 and banners are no longer allowed. He said he didn’t want the town board to get into the position of having to regulate what language can and cannot be used on banners.

“If you want to allow it, it’s an easy change to the language, but I just don’t want the town deciding what the banners can

Waynesville Association, was neutral to the idea.

“We all function better working together, but we do that already. We do it anyway,” she said.

Phillips said free rent from the town would obviously be a great deal for the other entities.

But the Downtown Waynesville Association already gets free rent from the town. Phillips said she likes her current office across the street in the new town hall.

However, Phillips said DWA will move into the old town hall is that’s where the town tells them to go.

“We pretty much will be wherever they want us to be,” Phillips said.

The Haywood County Economic Development Commission would also move into town hall if the plan goes through. The economic development commission was recently brought under the auspice of the chamber. So wherever the chamber goes, the economic development commission goes too.

Based on the positive feedback during informal talks, Onieal said the town’s next step is to draft a written plan and proposal for the agencies to look at.

DR. TARA HOGAN, D.C.

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Smoky Mountain News

for the Haywood tourism authority, which was already in search mode for a new office site. It decided last year it couldn’t justify the high-dollar rent of its Main Street storefront and formed a committee to search out new locations.

The tourism authority’s Main Street office doubled as a visitor center, but the tourism board planned to find a smaller, cheaper office just for staff and get out of the visitor center business.

If the town hall deals works out, the tourism authority could stay in the visitor center game.

The large central lobby in the old town hall would serve as a visitor center, operated jointly with the chamber — which has longstanding visitor center of its own predating the one run by the tourism authority.

Being in the same building would also benefit the public, with what Collins called “one-stop shopping.”

The lines are often blurred between tourists, people moving to the area and entrepreneurs — niches served in tandem by the various agencies.

“They would just have to walk across the hallway instead of across town,” Onieal said.

Buffy Phillips, director of the Downtown

from years of suffering —

March 4-10, 2015

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Larry Hollifield, owner of American Computer Repair in Franklin, has been tasked with forming a committee and coming up with a plan to allow for street banners in downtown.

Hollifield spoke about the issue before the Franklin Board of Aldermen during Monday night’s board meeting. He said the town and the downtown merchants could benefit from having banners hung across the street to promote local events.

“It’s a very effective way to Downtown Franklin. reach people who don’t pick up the papers or see our fliers,” he told the board, adding that using banners would also cut down on advertising expenses.

Hollifield said he knew there were some concerns say,” Henning said, adding that it could about hanging banners across downtown become a First Amendment issue.

Main Street, including concerns about insurHe said he would like it to be allowed ance and liability. under the sign ordinance so that it wouldn’t He said the town’s insurance should be have to come before the board each time a sufficient and most banners are made of banner wanted to go up. lightweight, weatherproof mesh.

Mayor Bob Scott suggested Hollifield “I don’t see it as a hazard,” he said. form a committee to discuss the issue and Aldermen expressed concern that hangcome up with a plan to allow banners. ing a 3-foot-by-20-foot banner across Main “We have a lot of people here interested Street at the town hall might be a distracin the banners so I’m sure they’ve be willing tion. to serve,” he said.

“That’s fine, let’s put it at the first crossHollifield said he would form a commitwalk,” Hollifield said. tee to form a plan and bring it back to the Another concern is how to choose which town board for approval. event gets publicized if two events are hap-

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Franklin asks state for annexation exception

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR o accommodate potential future growth, the Franklin Board of Aldermen passed a resolution asking the North Carolina General Assembly to relax certain requirements for voluntary annexations into its town limits.

Town Attorney John Henning Jr. said the state statute prohibits a satellite piece of property from being annexed into a town if it is part of a subdivision — the entire subdivision would have to be annexed.

The other requirement is the 10 percent rule that states that satellite properties can only make up 10 percent or less of a town’s corporate limit area. Town Planner Justin Setser said Franklin isn’t even close to approaching that 10 percent mark.

Alderman Farrell Jamison asked what the downside would be to get the exemptions from the state.

Henning said the 10 percent restriction was probably in place to keep town’s from overextending themselves by taking on more property than they can service. However, that is not a concern for Franklin since its satellite property only makes up 1 percent of its total area.

The board unanimously approved asking Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, to introduce a local bill that would grant the town an exemption from the subdivision and 10 percent rule.

The annexation issue came up during the board’s January meeting when Steve Isaacs, president of Pioneer Petroleum Company requested the twon voluntarily annex 44 Lowery Lane off U.S. 441 South. Isaacs’ wants the property annexed so he can construct a new gas station. He told the board all 29 of his other stations are inside city limits, which helps lower his insurance cost and also allows him to sell alcohol.

The town authorized the town clerk to investigate whether the property meets all the qualifications for annexation, but Henning said Monday that the property didn’t meet the satellite annexation requirements because it is technically located inside a subdivision. However, the subdivision covenants expired 20 years ago.

Henning said even if the state approves the exemptions, the property in question would still have to go through the local annexation process before being approved.

Four arrested in connection with Sylva Halloween party

Austin Davis

Cody Jenkins

James Henry

Michelle Dillard

ABC Commission to discuss underage drinking The “Talk It Out” campaign, a new statewide campaign targeting underage drinking, will be the topic of discussion during a North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission meeting at 10 a.m. March 6 at the Mountain Projects office in Sylva.

“Talk It Out” is designed to give parents the right tools for talking to kids about the dangers of underage drinking.

Kat Haney, ABC Commission Coalitions director, will join the regional coalition leaders and Mountain Projects staff, to speak about the campaign. www.talkitoutnc.org. 828.586.2345.

WCU seeking student proposals Student proposals are needed for Western Carolina University’s third annual Discovery Forum, an event designed to encourage young people to share innovative

ideas for making their communities better places to live.

Proposals from students interested in participating must include an abstract of up to 500 words that identifies a problem, a proposed solution and the viability and sustainability of the proposed solution. Deadline for submission of proposals is 5 p.m. Friday, March 6.

828.227.7383.

Harrah’s to host job fair

A job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, March 16, at the Tri-County Community College in Murphy.

As Harrah's Cherokee Valley River Casino Hotel continues with construction, recruiters are kicking off a spring hiring campaign to start filling the more than 800 positions that are required before opening later this year. Due to the sixteen-week training periods, required for certain positions, the first job fair for the Harrah's Cherokee Valley River property will be focused on hiring 270 table games dealers and about 30 surveillance officers. www.caesarsjobs.com.

RESIDENTIAL HOUSECLEANING

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March 4-10, 2015

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Four arrests were made yesterday (March 3) in connection with a Halloween party last fall that allegedly involved underage drinking and resulted in the alleged statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl.

Austin Trent Davis, 19, and Cody Jacob Scott Jenkins, 24, were each indicted for felony statutory sex offenses. No bond has yet been set.

A recently unsealed search warrant revealed that investigators from the N.C. State Bureau of Investigations had searched Jenkins’ home in the days following the party when students at Smoky Mountain High School told a teacher about the party, the search warrant said. The warrant reported finding evidence including ingredients for Jell-o shots, a used condom and bedding.

James Wesley Henry and Michelle Watson Dillard were both indicted on one count each of obstruction of justice, with an unsecured bond set at $10,000 each by Superior Court Judge Marvin Pope.

Henry had been a deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office but was fired in February following several months of paid leave. He was reportedly seen attending the party.

The court date for Davis and Jenkins is set for April 15.

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BONDED & INSURED

New bill heads to Raleigh to join Lake J with Waynesville

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March 4-10, 2015 Smoky Mountain News

majority view — especially in light of what he sees as a proannexation bias bordering on propaganda by the leadership and administration of both the conference center and residential community.

“I believe the people of Lake Junaluska want, and expect, the information they’re given to be unbiased,” Davis said.

Those who support merging with Waynesville say it is vital from an economic perspective. Homeowner dues can no longer keep pace with the cost of meeting the community’s needs — particularly the looming price tag of major water, sewer and street repairs.

“It is a win-win situation for a community that has historically been very closely The residential neighborhoods that ring the campus of Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center have aligned with Waynesville,” historically operated as a de facto town. The 860-home community has century-old roots as a summer said Ed LaFountaine, the presretreat for Methodists. Max Cooper photo ident of the Lake Junaluska Property Owners Organization. “The effort continues to be with a special bill circumvents its whole equal to at least one-eighth of the annexed important for our community.” area’s perimeter. intention, opponents claim.

Walt Logan, a second-home owner at Lake “Well then, maybe it shouldn’t be “I always thought it was a little bit disJunaluska who is against annexation, dis- tasteful to try to do something that is differ- annexed if it doesn’t qualify,” Logan said. agrees that the lake needs rescuing. ent than what a statute calls for,” said Davis, a “That’s a safeguard so you don’t have non“The whole premise that there is a calami- lake resident against annexation. contiguous annexation. That’s a protection ty coming with the sewer pipes and the water But there’s a reason Lake Junaluska and the bill provides and they want to do an endlines is a false premise,” Logan said.

Waynesville can’t follow the annexation rules run around it.” as written.

“The reality is this is a unique animal and HANCES ARE GOOD EASURING SUPPORT cannot go through the usual channels of N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, who once again While there’s never been a formal vote, annexation, so it takes something special like agreed to introduce the bill on Lake Junaluska Lake Junaluska has twice gauged public senti- this to do it,” Sen. Jim Davis said.

Under the statutory criteria, an area being and Waynesville’s behalf, believes it will go ment for a merger. Two years ago, a mail–in survey went to every property owner and reg- annexed is supposed to adjoin the town limits. through this time. The litmus test of a formal election will hopefully assuage those who had istered voter at the lake. And last year, a petireservations. tion drive was held.

It is rare — and perhaps “It is a higher hurdle with this legislation Both showed overwhelming support by requiring a referendum of both Lake roughly two-thirds of registered voters. the first time ever — that Junaluska and Waynesville,” Davis said.

LaFountaine thinks a referendum will be a town or city has been Waynesville leaders support the merger, even more telling. but they aren’t driving it.

While two-thirds of registered voters required to hold a vote of “Our position has always been that we signed on at last year’s petition drive, that were ready to stand beside Lake Junaluska doesn’t necessarily mean the remaining third its current residents on with whatever they wanted to do,” said are against a merger, he said. whether they want to Onieal.

Some didn’t sign because they don’t really It is rare — and perhaps the first time ever care, or they simply didn’t get around to it — bring a new area into the — that a town or city has been required to hold and in an election, they probably won’t turn a vote of its current residents on whether they out to vote one way or the other, leaving even town limits. want to bring a new area into the town limits. fewer in the official “no” column.

“This is completely unprecedented,” Lake Junaluska has around 860 homes, but many are vacation homes, second homes But roughly a quarter-mile lies between the Onieal said.

Davis previously had no trouble getting or seasonal rentals. Only bona fide registered edge of Waynesville’s town limits and the edge the bill passed in the Senate. But when it voters who live at Lake Junaluska would be of Lake Junaluska’s closest neighborhood.

“It would not qualify under the current moved to the House for ratification, it lanable to vote in a formal election. Voter rolls show around 620 registered voters at the lake. statute because we don’t share a contiguous guished in committee for political reasons border,” said Waynesville Town Manager that aren’t entirely clear.

Marcy Onieal.

The key committee whose gates the bill ND RUN Even if the town annexed a narrow bridge of must pass through in the House has a new Opponents of a merger are decrying the property connecting its town limits with Lake chairman now, and that is expected to make a difference. tactics of special legislation in Raleigh. State Junaluska’s, it still wouldn’t be good enough.

The statute says the annexed area must “The landscape is a little bit different than law spells out statutory steps an annexation is supposed to follow. To sidestep that process share a common border with the town that’s before,” Onieal said.

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BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he Lake Junaluska community will make a renewed bid to merge with the town of Waynesville this year, this time with the added measure of a formal vote.

A bill will be introduced in the General Assembly this week, once again seeking the state’s blessing to make Lake Junaluska an official part of neighboring Waynesville.

It will be the third year in a row a Lake Junaluska merger has been floated in Raleigh.

Despite widespread support among lake residents to merge with Waynesville, it was stymied by behind-the-scenes political forces.

This time, the bill calls for a formal vote to sanctify the merger — two votes, in fact. One would measure support among residents of the Lake Junaluska community, and one would measure whether Waynesville voters want to add the 860-home community that rings Lake Junaluska to their town limits.

“It will be contingent upon a referendum of the voters of Lake Junaluska and the majority of Waynesville residents,” said Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, who has once again agreed to champion the bill in the legislature.

The formal votes are intended to provide an added assurance and comfort level for antiannexation holdouts in the General Assembly.

If the bill passes, the referendums would be held in conjunction with the Waynesville town board election this November. It is cheaper to piggyback on an existing election on the calendar. The legwork for an election, like programming voting machines and printing ballots, will be happening anyway.

But it could seem like an eternity for a community that’s been vigorously discussing and debating the issue for three years already.

“It is important that this be resolved in a way that people feel like they have been given an opportunity to ask questions and express their opinion and ultimately cast their vote,” said Jack Ewing, director of the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

“Our hope is we can discuss these questions in a civil manner we’ll all be proud of.”

An extensive series of community forums, information sessions, task force meetings, consultant studies and public hearings played out in 2012 and 2013, leading up to the first bill being introduced. More of the same will likely play out in the lead-up to the vote this fall, should the bill make it through Raleigh.

“We anticipate the support for this will be sustained. But we also want to make certain that questions raised over the course of these last two years will be given appropriate attention and that people are making their decision based on a solid set of facts and not hearsay,” said Ewing.

But John Davis, a property owner who is against a merger, fears the longer the debate drags on the more deleterious it is for the community.

“Let’s not embarrass ourselves, damage our reputation or further divide this community by pursing a legislative route,” Davis said.

Davis admits those opposed to a merger would have their work cut out to reverse the

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

The delicious taste of the wait is disappearing

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We need Marshall Plan for Middle East To the Editor: If we really want to defeat ISIL, restore calm, and some semblance of peace in the Middle East, we would take one third of what we are spending on war in the whole region and spend it on a Marshall Plan (some may remember that is what “won the peace” after World War II) to restore infrastructure, water and renewable power with less emphasis on fossil fuel so people can go about their daily lives and businesses in safety. Our bombing campaign and troops only provide recruiting tools for terrorists and disruption, displacement and death for civilians. So far the only "winners" are the war profiteers who are bankrupting the U.S. financially and morally.

If ISIL is such a serious threat to the U.S. that it requires a bill to authorize another open-ended use of military force, no such authorization should be granted without a clear plan, the re-instatement of the draft so we have enough troops to achieve it, and putting a 5 percent surtax on those making less than the congressional salary and a 10 percent surtax on those making the same or more (currently $174,000) to pay for the cost of the war. The tax will expire when the war is over.

Of course, it is not just “The Andy Griffith Show” that is available. Most anything you would want to see — television series, movies, documentaries, you name it — is there waiting for you, whenever you are ready.

Naturally, the kids have their own interests. My daughter enjoys watching anime and surfing YouTube for the latest music videos, while my son plays games on the Xbox that I would not have been able to fathom in those long hours I once spent playing Centipede and Asteroids in the local arcade. I have to admit that if these Xbox games Columnist had existed when I was his age, I would have gone to school only if forced to at gunpoint. He would play literally all the time if we did not enforce some limitations.

Limitations. That is just it, I think. There are almost no limitations on what we can do or how often we can do it. I can download and listen to any song or album in a matter of seconds. If a Rolling Stones’ song pops in my head, I can pull it up and play it instantly, or I can play the whole album, or I can play Stones albums all day long on one of the many streaming sites now available.

Still, convenient and amazing as it is, something crucial is missing from this experience. I have hundreds of records and thousands of compact discs in my music collection, and the majority of those come attached with some specific memory of having purchased them. Thirty years ago, if R.E.M had a new record coming out on a Tuesday in April, I would have anticipated its release for weeks. I would then make an hour-long drive to the Record Bar in Boone, where I would buy that and

Chris Cox

t must have been 20 years or more since I heard a futurist telling a skeptical crowd the extent to which technology would be changing the way we live. He said that we would eventually — probably in our own lifetime — have unfettered and instant access to just about every form of entertainment we could imagine. He said we would be able to watch movies on our phones, and listen to any recording ever made — from Louis Armstrong to Loretta Lynn — on the Internet, and get the news minutes after it occurred. He said we would literally have the world at our fingertips.

I remember thinking, who wants to watch a movie on a phone? I also remember thinking how cool it would be to have that kind of access. Just imagine: as a lifelong fan of “The Andy Griffith Show,” I would someday be able to watch any episode I wanted with one or two keystrokes! As a lifelong music fanatic, I would be able to listen to any song or album I wanted anytime — and anywhere — I felt like it, since everyone would be using laptop computers and we would be able to get on the Internet virtually everywhere we went. Our computers would become the centers of our lives. Everything would become so … easy and fast. Everything would be great, beyond our imagination!

Now, a couple of decades later, all of those predictions have come to pass. Every night, we can pull up all 249 episodes of “The Andy Griffith Show” and watch any of them anytime we choose. One night we might be in the mood for a little Ernest T. Bass, and the next we might want to watch “Opie the Birdman” or the kids’ favorite, “Citizen’s Arrest,” in which Gomer gives Deputy Barney Fife a ticket for making an unlawful U-turn in town. It is all there for us all of the time. Our remote control even has a Netflix button to make it even easier to access.

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS 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., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786.

If it really is a national security issue, we all need “some skin in the game,” not just 1 percent of us.

Jane Harrison Waynesville

Both parties are destroying our country To the Editor: Political parties have almost destroyed our country. The greed and self-interest of both political parties have consciously eroded the rights granted to us by God and protected by our Constitution. This document is unique in history and guarantees us that the government cannot infringe on the enumerated

two or three others, then drive back home and spend some time with my new records, holding each one in my hands, admiring the cover art, turning the jacket over to read the track listings on the back, all of this before I had even peeled off the cellophane. Then I would very gently take the record out of its sleeve, careful not to touch the grooves with my fingers, holding it aloft to check for warp or scratches, and then finally transporting it to my turntable.

I would then spend the next few hours in a state of total immersion and utter ecstasy, playing each side of each record while I slumped down deep into my listening chair to read the liner notes or study the images on the front of the album covers more closely. I would take as much time as I needed to let the songs slowly sink in, to decode the lyrics if I could, to determine whether this record was as good — or perhaps better! — than the last one, to sort out where it was alike and where it was different, to wonder what other R.E.M fans — who were all going through the very same process that I was going through at the very same time — were thinking about the new record.

I would have to wait to find out. Wait for Robert Christgau’s take in his “Consumer Guide” in The Village Voice.

Wait for the Rolling Stone review. Wait to compare notes with Paul at the Record Bar when I went back in a month or two for my next haul.

Now that experience is gone. It is true that my kids don’t have to wait. They may never know how completely delicious it was. Even a futurist couldn’t have seen that coming.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. His most recent book, The Way We Say Goodbye, is available in area bookstores and on Amazon. He can be reached at jchriscox@live.com.)

rights, yet in their unending thirst for power, the two parties have stripped us of many of our “inalienable rights,” leaving us at the mercy of runaway power grabbing political parties.

Our government and the two major parties have been on a binge of spending the futures of coming generations. They have destroyed the respect of our allies and diminished our ability to defend the country from aggressive adversaries.

If we are to take back the country, we must elect a President that is truly unencumbered by special interests and party pressure. Is it time to let the magic of free markets grow our economy and restore the job growth needed to allow all Americans to prosper as a direct result of their efforts. We have the tools of the greatest economic engine in the history of the world.

Accountability and responsibility must protect the allocation of the taxes collected from working Americans. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution is very specific as to the authority of the federal government, assigning all other activities to the states. Not being a constitutional lawyer, even I can understand what our founders meant.

Getting back to that division of powers will not be easy, but we must do just that to maximize the value of taxpayer money.

Shrimp on treadmills do not deliver full

value to the taxpayers.

Several departments in our government need to be completely eliminated, lowering the deficit and helping stop the growth of our debt.

An effective leader does not consider himself, or herself, the smartest person in the room. They surround themselves with qualified subordinates and then listen to them and let them do their jobs.

Would you support a business, non-partyaffiliated, candidate for President?

Bruce Gardner Waynesville

Too many people a big part of problem To the Editor: Religious folk love to talk about Armageddon and the Apocalypse with almost all major religions predicting some sort of end times. Who knows, maybe there’s some sort of ESP subconsciously telling us that eventually life, as we know it, will cease to exist on this planet. It’s happened before, several times in fact. Scientists tell us that at one point there were no more than a few thousand humans left.

Caught up in our own daily personal survival, we go through our daily routines with

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To the Editor: If you are over 65 (and maybe even younger) you will remember a wonderful phenomenon of the good old days. And what was this marvel? The doctor who made house calls!

What a source of comfort he was. As a child, I remember he would examine me, and then sit on the bed holding my hand and uttering soothing words. I bet many of you remember his cheerful bedside manner and the touch of his cool hand on your forehead.

Not every illness or injury is serious enough to warrant being in a hospital. But some are too serious for the poor patient to have to manage to drive to a doctor’s office (particularly in bad weather) and sit in a waiting room for half an hour.

But what has happened? Now, everything is “call 911” or ”go to Urgent Care.” But a house call? Never!

Now, 911 is important and can save lives.

Urgent Care is a good alternative from having to rush to a hospital. But, they are impersonal. And that’s the key word to describe medicine today.

Which brings an idea to mind. Are there three or four family doctors in Haywood County who would be willing to form a small consortium of “Docs who would make house calls?” Think about it. These few doctors could share patient information and take turns in making house calls. These calls would be made among their own patients, not necessarily the whole county at large. It might inspire other consortiums to be formed.

Not only would it provide a good income for the medical men involved, but would inspire great gratitude and comfort in the hearts of their patients.

And maybe bring back a little of the compassion of the good old days.

My husband and I would immediately become patients of any doctor who was part of this. Wouldn’t you?

JoAnna and Richard Swanson Waynesville

opinion

no thought to the future, much less the distant future, living for today only.

Environmentalists fuss about CO2 emissions but ignore discussing over-population for fear of bringing the wrath of the religious down on them. But over-population is the most threatening single issue we have on this planet as it requires humans to use up more and more of our natural resources and eventually our resources will be gone entirely.

No one knows for certain when — perhaps in 50 years or so — that the Middle East will eventually give out of oil, which is their only source of riches. Once that happens, they are doomed unless they can come up with some alternative power source such as nuclear power instead of oil. Even then they will not be able to feed their rapidly expanding population.

Egypt’s population alone will almost double at the current birth rate to 140 million by 2050, but with jobs for less than 20 million.

The result, along with much of the Middle East and Africa, is people are migrating to Europe and other countries. About 200,000 are expected to head for Italy this year alone.

Much of South America is over-populated with insufficient natural resources. The lack of jobs cause people to migrate to the United States where they can reside until our own resources disappear.

About 95 percent of Venezuela’s money comes from oil, and once that is gone, who knows what will happen?

Unfortunately, we don’t have finite resources either. Eventually, we will use up our underground water and when that happens farmers will be going broke by the thousands followed by national food shortages. Fresh water is our most valuable resource.

As our population grows and we can’t feed everyone, we may have to follow China in their forced abortions and allow only one child per American family. Worldwide, we may see abortions in the billions, perhaps even millions here in the U.S. Lack of fresh water to grow crops and the resulting starvation of millions will give us no other option.

Overpopulation is something that we need to begin discussions on.

Bob Wilson Franklin

641 North Main Street, WAYNESVILLE, NC (3/10 Mile North of the Courthouse)

828-456-HAUS (4287)

www.ThePrintHaus.com

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tasteTHEmountains 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 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.

828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years. Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken.

Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

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

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

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers,

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

Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are.

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials.

Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked trout bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panini sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck. Private room available for meetings.

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

Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3p.m., Full Menu 3 to 9 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials starting at 5pm every day. Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more.

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly.

Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. It’s winter, but we still serve three meals a day on Friday, Saturday and long holiday weekends. Join us for Breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m.; Lunch from 12 to 2 p.m.; and Dinner buffet from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with entrees that include pot roast, Virginia ham and herb-baked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. And a roaring fire in the fireplace. So come enjoy mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view.

Reservations are required.

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

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through

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. Friday and Saturday serving freshly prepared small plate and tapas-style fare. Enjoy local, regional, or national talent live each Friday and Saturday night at 7 p.m. www.classicwineseller.com.

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.7179. Reservations recommended.

4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com.

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

828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30

p.m., closed Tuesday. 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.

FILLING STATION DELI 145 Everett St., Bryson City, 828.488.1919.

Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sundays (in October) 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Locals always know best, and this is one place they know well. From the high-quality hot pressed sandwiches and the huge portions of hand-cut fries to the specialty frozen sandwiches and homemade Southern desserts, you will not leave this top-rated deli hungry.

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA 1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley.

828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

GUADALUPE CAFÉ 606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877.

Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews.

Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837.

Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m.

Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Join

Nutrition Facts serving size : ab out 50 p ag es Am ount per Serving

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Calories 0 % Daily Value * Tot al Fat 0g

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— Real Local People, Real Local Food — 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, North Carolina Monday-Friday Open at 11am

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828-456-1997 20

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.

282-218

Smoky Mountain News

March 4-10, 2015

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts. Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily. Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

tasteTHEmountains us in our beautiful patio garden. We are your local neighborhood host for special events: business party’s, luncheons, weddings, showers and more. Private parties & catering are available 7 days a week by reservation only.

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Winter hours; Friday through Sunday and Mondays, 7 a.m. to noon. Joey’s is a family style restaurant that has been serving breakfast to the locals and visitors of Western North Carolina since 1966. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Joey & Brenda O’Keefe invite you to join what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

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

828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Enjoy the lunch prices Monday through Sunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio.

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT 1303 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee (Located on 441 North at entrance to GSMNP).

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Family style dining for adults and children.

ORGANIC BEANS COFFEE COMPANY 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.668.2326. Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Happily committed to brewing and serving innovative, uniquely delicious cof-

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer. Outdoor and indoor dining.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Open Monday-Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m and Sunday 7:30 a.m to 9 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials.

MEDITERRANEAN

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TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito.

1863 S. Main Street • Waynesville 828.454.5002 Hwy. 19/23 Exit 98 SERVING LUNCH & DINNER CLOSED WEDNESDAYS

Burgers to Salads Southern Favorites & Classics -Local beers now on draft-

Live Music

SID’S ——————————————————

ON MAIN 117 Main Street, Canton NC 828.492.0618 • SidsOnMain.com Serving Lunch & Dinner

236-50

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400.

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

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

Locally owned and operated.

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

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available.

Located across from the Fire Station.

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Smoky Mountain News

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

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections.

Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoors, outside on the patio or at the bar.

Reservations appreciated.

282-211

March 4-10, 2015

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

828.586.3555. Open Tuesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Hand-tossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch. Beer and wine. Free movies with showtimes at 6:30 and 9 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Visit madbatterfoodandfilm.com for this week’s shows.

fees — and making the world a better place.

100% of our coffee is Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Organic, all slow-roasted to bring out every note of indigenous flavor.

Bakery offerings include cakes, muffins, cookies and more. Each one is made from scratch in Asheville using only the freshest, all natural ingredients available. We are proud to offer gluten-free and vegan options.

UPCOMING EVENTS 282-202

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

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to rapidly turn into worst-case scenarios). It is a style of writing that not only holds the readers attention, it also forces them to hold their breath. You find yourself slowly morphing into the story, where the fate and downward spiral of Jacob becomes your own albatross.

It is a style of writing that has held steady throughout the history of literature, throughout the sacred storytelling of Southern Appalachia, and now has its next torchbearer in an evolving craft that spills out of Joy’s fingertips with a reckless abandon.

THE JOY OF SELFDESTRUCTION WNC writer releases debut novel

Writer David Joy of Webster recently released his debut novel Where All Light Tends to Go (Putnam/Penguin), which follows the fictional story of a teenage boy from an outlaw family who is at the crossroads of living a life of crime or finally breaking the chains of predetermined fate. Alan Rhew photo

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER

D

avid Joy doesn’t look like your typical writer.

Then again, Joy isn’t your typical writer.

Stepping into Innovation Brewing in Sylva last week, I bellied up to the counter, ordered a drink and looked around for the whereabouts of my interview. Conversation swirled throughout the space about the impending Wednesday night snowstorm, with a few flakes already cascading down outside the foggy windows.

I scanned the room for Joy. There were clean-cut folks with button up shirts, some a tad shaggy with old jeans, with neither acknowledging my presence or attempts at eye contact. And yet, just as I was about to claim “ugly prom date” status, I turned around and there he was. Like a ghost who seemingly appeared from nowhere, Joy is a towering presence. Adorned in a camouflage hat, heavy work coat, muddy boots and a hearty beard, his handshake is firm and full of conviction, his voice low and soaked in a clenched jaw Southern drawl of apprehension and skepti-

cism, his words few but important and meticulously thought out.

We took refuge in a nearby booth. As I began posing questions to him, he became restless, even agitated. His eyes were always aimed over my right shoulder, only making direct contact to indicate the importance of a particular statement, all the while his left arm would rub and scratch its counterpart continuously.

Joy was nervous, and for good reason. In the coming week, his highly anticipated debut novel Where All Light Tends to Go (Putnam/Penguin) will hit bookstores nationwide. At 31, his life will surely never be the same following the release. He’s already jumping on a book tour (18 cities in 19 days across America), already wrote and sold a second novel, and is currently in the process of constructing a third.

Set in the backwoods and small communities of Jackson County, Where All Light Tends to Go is a Southern Appalachian crime noir, mixing the two most toxic substances known to humanity — love and drugs. The story follows teenage anti-hero Jacob and his longtime outlaw family, pitting one boy who wants more out of his life against a tidal wave of impending trouble, obligation and a predetermined destiny to fail. The unforgiving nature of this vicious cycle is made even more complicated when true love is thrown into the

Want to go?

Author David Joy will present his debut novel, Where All Light Tends to Go, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 6, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. To help celebrate Innovation Brewing has brewed a special “Where All Light Tends to Go” Stout. There will be free samples available during the reading at the bookstore and following there will be an after-party at Innovation to continue the celebration. Joy’s stories and creative nonfiction have appeared in Drafthorse Literary Journal, Smoky Mountain Living, Wilderness House Literary Review, Pisgah Review, and Flycatcher, and he is also the author of the memoir, Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman’s Journey. www.david-joy.com. mix. It’s about pleasure and pain, where the line is drawn, where the line is blurred, and what we as people do to either avoid or confront both emotions.

Hailing from the same rich literary vein of acclaimed Western North Carolina author Ron Rash, Joy seamlessly combines the small town character development of William Faulkner and seedy societal underbelly lore of Cormac McCarthy (where bad situations tend

Smoky Mountain News: You left Charlotte as a teenager and studied writing at Western Carolina University. Now you’ve been residing in Western North Carolina for over a decade.

What about this area appeals to you? Why do you still call it home?

David Joy: The landscape is one of the draws, but the people are why I’ve stayed. For a long time, I sat every morning drinking coffee with three men and listening to their stories. I go get my haircut by an old-time storyteller. I think when I moved here I was searching for something that had disappeared from where I grew up. I think, in a lot of ways, I was searching for the value set that existed with my grandmother’s generation.

A few generations back my family was tobacco and cotton farmers, and had been doing that in the piedmont of North Carolina since the late 1600s. What I found here was a space where those old values still existed, little pockets of the way things were before the world traded streams for screens. In a lot of ways it’s just like speck fishing for folks up here. There just aren’t that many places where you can still find streams where the only trout are native speckled trout, a fish that has lived here since the last Ice Age. There’s something nice about a place where the old ways hold out. There aren’t many places left like that, but they’re undoubtedly the most beautiful.

SMN: Is Jacob’s character a dime-a-dozen kid in Western North Carolina or just one piece of the puzzle in society?

DJ: To be honest, I don’t think he’s a regional character. His outlook on the world is defined by where he grew up, but the reality is you could set him up in that scenario anywhere. He’s not a dime-a-dozen kid, but is born into horrible circumstances. I started the book with an image of him. I remember being at a buddy’s house once, around here, and saw his kid standing over a pig having just killed it and recognizing how much power he had over life and death at an early age.

SMN: What do you think about Jacob being labeled an anti-hero?

DJ: That’s human nature having those flaws. The idea of a hero to me is a fallacy because everybody is flawed, no matter who you are. To be honest, the flaws are more interesting.

S EE JOY, PAGE 24

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley.

Garret K. Woodward photo

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

Bookstore Friday, March 6th at 6:30 p.m.

David Joy will present Where All Light Tends to Go

Saturday, March 7th at 3 p.m.

Avram Friedman will present The Silver Maple Conspiracy

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March 4-10, 2015

Come, stay and play!

Start your North Carolina mountain journey here.

Smoky Mountain News

Just as I took my first sip of beer I was told to turn around.

Outside the Tipping Point Brewing windows on Main Street, heavy snowflakes cascaded upon The DuPont Brothers (acoustic folk) will downtown Waynesville last perform at 7:30 p.m. March 13 at The Strand Wednesday night. Cars cautiously at 38 Main in Waynesville, and at 8:30 p.m. cruised through the intersection, March 14 at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City. with the snowfall increasing as the minutes ticked by.

Neil Simon’s comedy “Plaza Suite” will hit the “Cataloochee tomorrow?” my stage at 7:30 p.m. March 5-7 and at 3 p.m. publisher Scott McLeod asked March 8 at the Haywood Arts Regional from across our table.

Theatre in Waynesville.

“Sold,” I saluted my pint glass.

The Highlands Annual Chili Cook-off will be Overnight, layers and layer of from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. March 14 at the white powder coated Western Highlands Community Building.

North Carolina, creating a serene silence throughout our communiThe Jackson County Arts Council will host a ties as folks buckled down and got “Trashion Show” at 4 p.m. March 14 at the cozy throughout the evening.

Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Come morning, I found myself eagerly peering through the living The Carolina Cud Chewers (Americana/oldroom shades out onto a Winter time string) will perform at 9 p.m. March 6 at Wonderland in Southern No Name Sports Pub in Sylva.

Appalachia. My cell phone soon vibrated on the desk. It was Scott, few runs at lunchtime,” he optimistically stated. and he was outside ready to get first tracks at To my surprise one of the exits of the Cataloochee Ski Area in nearby Maggie Valley. rental shop enters a café. Maple donut and The roads heading out of Waynesville coffee in-hand, it was up Fie Top Road to the were quiet, even for 8 a.m. Snowplows were ski area. As a skier since I was a toddler, the still trying to clear U.S. 19 as we slowly entered Maggie Valley. Pulling up to the Skis excitement of hitting the slopes never wavers, not even at age 30. Like a little kid & Tees, I was in need of some equipment, on Christmas, I couldn’t wait for the vehicle seeing as I left my gear back up at my parto reach the base lodge, to unwrap my present’s farmhouse in Upstate New York. ent of mountain fun from the heavens above.

Behind the counter was professional With the slopes opening at 9 a.m., the skateboarder and snowboard aficionado clock said 9:02 a.m. as I clicked into my skis Jared Lee. Seemingly the one person in and meandered down to the chairlift, immediHaywood County who should definitely be ately getting on because the usual midday rush shredding Cataloochee that day, Lee had to of people hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet. not only man the rental shop, but also deal Riding up the lift, I had a bird’s-eye-view with all the eager faces ready to tackle the of heaps of untouched fresh snow. My legs mountain he so desperately wanted to tame and skis were continuously shaking, ready to himself. attack the groomed trails and curiously play“Hopefully, I’ll be able to get up there for a

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This must be the place

ful glades covering Cataloochee. As I neared the top, I could hear numerous “whoo-hoo” shouts echoing below from those ahead of me on the lift diving right into the wintry ocean of powder.

Finally at the top, I launched myself down the “Upper Omigosh” black diamond trail. Swaying back and forth, a crisp wind hit my face, with my skis disappearing beneath nature’s gift. Gliding down the hill, my mind became at ease, with all impending thoughts and daily responsibilities evaporating. Back down at the bottom of the hill, I skidded to a stop and took a deep breath — all was right in the world, again.

After several runs, the late morning masses began to arrive, and so did the aching in my leg muscles that aren’t used when I go running or mountain biking. The lines and lifts started to fill up. My solo missions up and down the hill were now accompanied by other playful adventurers looking for the same outdoor thrill I was.

On one ride up, the guy sitting next to me was from Atlanta. A real estate agent, who moonlights as a wedding DJ on the weekends, Richard skipped out on work and drove up to Cataloochee in hopes of fresh powder.

“This place is so beautiful,” he said.

“What a day, huh? Where are you from?”

“I live here in Haywood County, in Waynesville,” I responded.

“You’re lucky, man. I wish I lived this close to paradise.”

We parted ways at the top, to which I once again charged down the mountain.

Around lunchtime, the sun made an appearance as all the frolicking bodies surrounding me stopped momentarily to soak in the joyous moment.

Nearing the early afternoon, my legs were happily exhausted. It was time to pack up my gear and head for the lodge for a celebratory beer with Scott to conclude the day.

We spoke of how it’s days like today that justify why we choose to put down roots and thrive in Western North Carolina. To truly be part of this region, one must participate in the glory of the rich nature, people and heritage that runs deep here. Simply put, if you’re bored living here, then you’re probably boring.

Eventually, other familiar faces joined our table. We caught up on each other’s lives, rehashed beloved stories and were full of hearty laughter as we clinked our cups together. And as I looked around the table, at dear friends who were once strangers when I first moved here three years ago, I thought of what Richard said. I thought about my existence in Waynesville, Haywood County and greater Western North Carolina.

I thought of how right he really was — this is paradise found.

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

BlueRidgeHeritage.com

23

JOY, CONTINUED FROM 22 SMN: How close is Jacob’s story to your own?

DJ: I grew up in a pretty privileged home.

I made the story up. But, the truth is I grew up with a lot of kids whose reality was that, but it wasn’t mine. I read a review that said it was semi-autobiographical. I wrote what I know, that’s the people I grew up around. My whole life in Charlotte, the circumstances that I grew up around, were a lot like Jacob’s.

SMN: What about the vicious cycle of Jacob’s life and family?

DJ: Boys grow up and do what their fathers did. If your father laid rock, you lay rock, if he runs equipment, you run equipment, and the same is true with outlaws. The families that have been arrested have been getting arrested for years.

March 4-10, 2015

SMN: What does the book title symbolize?

DJ: It comes from a scene in the book where Jacob is trying to conceptualize the idea of heaven, and the only proof he can conceive is the light that burns out in someone’s eyes when they pass away. He imagines some place where that light must go and, “The place where all that light gathered back and shined was about as close to God as I could imagine.�

SMN: What is it about writing that digs the deepest in you?

DJ: I think it’s the fact that you can put something on a page that evokes emotion in someone you’ve never met. There’s just something magic about that act. There are books that I’ve finished that I’ve just sat and cried afterward, and the fact that someone could bring out that kind of emotion in me is incredible to think about. I think that’s true of all art. It’s the fact that something inanimate holds that kind of power.

SMN: Do you see the fine line between telling a story and perpetuating stereotypes?

DJ: I think as a writer you have an obligation. One of the things I want to talk about most is that your average person, the only thing they see out of Appalachia is violence, poverty, no opportunities and drugs. And those are things I’m writing about, not because that’s what I see in Appalachia, but because that’s the literature I’m interested in.

I think you have an obligation as a writer coming out of this area to say, “Yes these things do exist, but it doesn’t define us.� It’s not that these problems don’t exist — they do exist. You’ve just got to read through the police blotter. You see someone that keeps getting arrested for larceny, they’re typically not doing that to put food on the table,

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David Joy at Innovation Brewing in Sylva last week.

Garret K. Woodward photo

“I think when I moved here I was searching for something that had disappeared from where I grew up. I think, in a lot of ways, I was searching for the value set that existed with my grandmother’s generation.� — David Joy

they’re doing that to support a drug habit.

The reality is that for every one bad person, there are 10 good, and that’s Appalachia.

The difference is that when crime hits here, it hits close. We live in such small communities that we know the people and we know their families. In a big city, there are so many people and you’re disconnected from it.

SMN: Next week, you’re whole existence is going to change. You’re going to get to a level as a writer you’ve probably always wanted to reach. What do you think about that?

DJ: I’m scared to death. This morning I was doing an interview for somebody at NPR. Cosmopolitan magazine picked the book as one of their “50 Things To Do This Month.� I’ve had support from the New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Minneapolis Star Tribune. I’m scared to death. I’m scared sitting right here. I don’t talk to people. I don’t leave my house. I’m an extreme introvert. I mean, everybody in this brewery knows me, they’re some of my best friends, but if I walk in and there are more than five people sitting here, I’ll leave. I

haven’t always been this way. I’m just very skeptical of people.

SMN: What about the notion of finally getting what you’ve wanted?

DJ: I think you trade problems. When you’re a young writer and you’re not established, you’ve got all these problems. You’re sending out things, no publications to reference, nobody knows who you are. And that’s one set of problems, and this is an entirely different set of problems. But, I couldn’t be in better hands with my agent and publisher.

SMN: Now that you’re on the backside of your first novel, and already finished a second, what advice or lessons have you picked up and could share with up-and-coming or aspiring writers?

DJ: I think success or failure all boils down to who is willing to do the work. If you’re willing to put in the hours and keep your head down and recognize that you’re probably going to work for a decade before you have anything that holds weight, if you’re willing to burn a thousand pages because you recognize that it’s not worth a damn, then I think you can have it. That’s what writer Larry Brown said, “If you’re willing to hurt enough you can have it,� and that’s exactly right. When I wrote that first novel I was working two jobs. I left the house at 6:30 each morning and I walked back in the door at 10:30 that night. I wrote the novel in those hours in between, while the rest of the world slept. I did it because that’s what I wanted to do with my life. I sacrificed a lot of things to get where I am, and I think that’s what it boils down to is what you’re willing to sacrifice. I’m not very talented, but I’m stubborn as hell and will toe the line with the best of them. There are a lot of people who are a whole lot more talented than I’ll ever be, but I’ve just never been scared of work.

On the beat Lightning Bugs bring Americana to Canton

WCU to screen music documentary

The Haywood County Arts Council presents The Lightning Bugs in concert at 3 p.m.

March 15 at the Canton Public Library.

Fronted by Jenny and Jason Martin, the Americana group is from Asheville. They are well known for their indie and classic rock-nroll style, along with some old-time Appalachian gospel songs. The duo will be joined by George Sweet on cello.

In conjunction with the Haywood County Arts Council, the event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Free. www.haywoodarts.org.

Sylva library holds community dance

• BearWaters Brewing (Waynesville) will have Through The Hills (Americana/folk) March 6, Joshua Dean acoustically (singer-songwriter) 8 p.m. March 7, Ryan Cavanaugh Duo (singer-songwriter) March 13 and Somebody’s Child (Americana/folk) March 14. All shows are at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.bwbrewing.com or 828.246.0602.

• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have Sheila Gordon (piano/jazz) March 6, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) March 7 and 14, and the Kittle/Collings Duo (jazz) March 13. All shows begin at 7 p.m. $10 minimum purchase.

828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will have Craig Summers & Lee Kram at 6 p.m. March 5 and 12. Free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

STYX to play Harrah’s Legendary rock group STYX will be performing at 9 p.m. Friday, March 13, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

Tommy Shaw, James “JY” Young, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman and Ricky Phillips have had more live performances since 1999 than all of the combined previous years of STYX. With two Super Bowl appearances, Pollstar Box Office chart-topping tours with Def Leppard, Journey, Boston, REO Speedwagon and Bad Company, and two more studio albums, STYX continues to rule the stage. Their hits include “Lady,” “Come Sail Away” and “Mr. Roboto,” among others.

Tickets start at $37. www.harrahscherokee.com.

Macon library welcomes jazz trio The Too Human jazz trio will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 8, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

The hour-long concert will feature jazz standards from The American Songbook.

According to Sit ‘N Bull Concert Series host Dave Fishken, Too Human offers “some of the best darned songs you ever heard, played with a

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night March 4 and 11, and a jazz night March 5 and 12. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) will have The DuPont Brothers (acoustic folk) at 8:30 p.m. March 14. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have Carolina Cud Chewers (Americana/old-time string) March 6, Red Neck Romancer March 7, Pressing Strings (roots/rock) March 13 and Productive Paranoia (Americana/bluegrass) March 14. All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

ALSO:

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

March 7. All skill levels welcomed.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin)

depth of soul you rarely hear.” The trio is composed of Ellen Schwartz and Roger Bruno, a Massachusetts-based pair of critically acclaimed musician/songwriters, and Shannon Hoover, a bassist from Greenville, South Carolina.

This event is sponsored by the Arts Council of Macon County, supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. Entry is by donation. www.toohumanonline.com or arts4all@dnet.net or 828.524.ARTS.

will have The Old Hippie Band March 6, Nick Prestia March 7, Lip Syncing Battle at 6:30 p.m. March 11, David Spangler March 13 and The Stewarts March 14. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 828.369.6796.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will have Mark Lowry & The Martins (gospel) March 6, with tickets starting at $20; and Wade Hayes (country) March 7, with tickets for $15. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m. 866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will have Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) March 5 ($12 in advance, $15 at the door), The DuPont Brothers (acoustic folk) March 13 ($10 in advance, $12 at the door) and Sheila Kay Adams & The Scofflaws (Americana/bluegrass) March 14 ($15). All events begin at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a free Open Mic Night at 6 p.m. March 12.

www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Joshua Dean (singer-songwriter) at 9 p.m. March 6 and Chris Williams (singersongwriter) 8:30 p.m. March 13. Free.

• Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Cullowhee) will have DJ Lazar March 5 and the Travers Brothership (Americana) March 6. All shows begin at 10 p.m.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grille (Waynesville) will have Ashli Rose (singer-songwriter) March 6 and Carolina Cud Chewers (Americana/old-time string) March 7. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m.

Smoky Mountain News

• Canton Armory will have the Black Mountain Ramblers, Smokey Mountain Stompers and Southern Mountain Fire during “Pickin’ In The Armory” at 7 p.m. March 6. www.cantonnc.com.

www.facebook.com/styxtheband

March 4-10, 2015

A community dance will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 8, in the Community Room at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Dancing will include circle and square dances as well as contra dances. All dances will be taught and walked through before dancing. No previous experience is necessary and no partner is required.

Ron Arps will call the dance to the live music of Out of the Woodwork, a band made up on local musicians. The group invites anyone who plays an instrument to sit in with the band, to jam and learn how to play music for dancing. There will also be a potluck dinner following the dance at 5 p.m. Please bring a covered dish, plate, cup, cutlery and a water bottle.

Admission is a suggested donation of $5. ronandcathy71@frontier.com or www.danc ewnc.com.

STYX will hit the stage March 13 at Harrah’s Cherokee.

A screening of the acclaimed documentary “This Ain’t No Mouse Music!” with roots music icon Chris Strachwitz will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, in the UC Theatre at Western Carolina University.

Strachwitz is a detective of sounds, an archaeologist of deep American music, the antithesis of the corporate “mouse music” that dominates the American ear.

Born a German count, Strachwitz fled his homeland after World War II at age 16.

In the United States he discovered, and shared, a musical landscape that most Americans missed.

For the last 50 years, he has carried his tape recorder from sharecrop shacks to roadside honkytonks, from cantina dives to wild Blues clubs. His recordings on his independent label, Arhoolie Records, introduced Cajun music from Louisiana, Tex-Mex from Texas, and Blues from the country into the living rooms of the world. These recordings revolutionized the sound of music around the world.

In “This Ain’t No Mouse Music!,” film makers Chris Simon and Maureen Gosling join Strachwitz for a hip-shaking stomp from New Orleans to Texas, Cajun country to Appalachia, as he continues his passionate quest for the musical soul of America. www.wcu.edu.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will present an Upperclassmen Trumpet Rehearsal at 7 p.m. March 16 and a Faculty Recital with P. Wlosok & Friends at 7:30 p.m. March 17 in the Coulter Building. There will also be a Symphony Band concert at 7:30 p.m. March 16 in the Bardo Arts 25 Center. www.wcu.edu.

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March 4-10, 2015

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Smoky Mountain News

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On the wall

The National Coalition Against Censorship announced Anne Wade of Cullowhee as the winner of the 11th annual Youth Free Expression Project Film Contest, which asked teen filmmakers to explore censorship issues of the past, present and future.

Wade’s “Don’t Let Them Take Your Voice” is a black-and-white silent film addressing the topic of censorship in schools. Wade will receive a cash prize of $1,000. The top three finalists will be flown to New York City to attend the March 21 screening at the New York Film Academy.

“I’m incredibly honored,” Wade said. “It is my hope that the message presented by my film conveys the importance of free speech — not only in small-town America,

arts & entertainment

Cullowhee teen wins film contest

like the place I call home, but also throughout the world.”

“The imagination of some of these filmmakers really astounded me,” said Mayukh Sen, NCAC’s Program Associate for the Youth Free Expression Project. “A number of them showed a deft, complex understanding of free speech issues beyond their years.”

The panel of judges included Igor Vamos of The Yes Men; Keith Phipps of The Dissolve; young adult authors Chris Crutcher, Kami Garcia, and Ellen Hopkins; filmmakers Peggy Rajski and Jay Anania of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. They were also joined by the winner of last year’s contest, Ani Akpan from the Bronx.

The Youth Free Expression Film Contest is made possible by generous support from the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation and the New York Film Academy. The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is an alliance of 50 national nonprofit organizations dedicated to defending freedom of thought, inquiry and expression.

Folk School ‘Empty Bowl’ fundraiser

A Bladesmithing Symposium “Great Smoky Mountain Hammer-In” will be March 13-15 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. The three-day event will include knife making demonstrations, hands-on blade forging, knife show, auction, and more. Class times are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday. The registration fee is $65.

828.400.7815. Ken Hall photo

Jackson Arts Council ‘Trashion Show’

• There will be a talk by photographer Dawn Roe from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17,

• The drama “Whiplash” will be screened through March 5 at the Highlands Playhouse.

Showtimes are at 2, 5 and 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and also 2 and 5 p.m.

Sunday. Tickets cost $9. 828.526.2695 or www.highlandsplayhouse.org.

ALSO:

• “Birdman” (March 6-18) will be screened at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

For screening times, click on www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.

• The WHEE FRESH Western Carolina University MFA art exhibit will be on display March 6-14 at the Grove Arcade in Asheville. The showcase is put on by the Asheville Area Arts Council.

Smoky Mountain News

The Jackson County Arts Council will host a “Trashion Show” at 4 p.m. March 14 in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

This fundraiser will be a fashion show with clothing and accessories made of recyclable material along with a Couture collection donated from local businesses.

Suggested contributions can be made at the event, $20 for adults and $10 for students. There will also be a reception during intermission hosted by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. www.jacksoncountyarts.org or 828.507.9820 or info@jacksoncountyarts.org.

in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University. www.dawnroe.com or www.wdu.edu.

March 4-10, 2015

WANT TO LEARN BLADESMITHING?

An “Empty Bowl” fundraiser will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. March 14 in the dining hall at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

First, select a handcrafted bowl from a collection donated by area potters (extra bowls may be purchased at the event). Next, fill your bowl with a hearty meal of soup, salad, bread and dessert prepared by Executive Chef Steve Cipriano. Enjoy live music by the Dog Branch Cats. Take your bowl home with you to keep as a reminder of hunger in our local and global communities.

Don't forget the incredible Brown Bag Raffle for one-of-a-kind artworks.

Raffle tickets cost $1 each, and you can buy as many as you wish.

Potters include Harry Hearne, Julie Hearne, Rob Withrow, Diane Brown, Chris Jones, Natalie Moses, Deanne Buckner, Anna SullivanMorris, Pat Moretz, Peter Goundry, Roy Bamfield, Hannah Cooley and Mike Lalone.

Tickets for the “Empty Bowl” cost $30 and are currently available at the Craft Shop, Cherokee County Chamber and the United Community Bank of Hayesville. All proceeds from this event will go directly to the Clay and Cherokee County Food Banks. www.folkschool.org.

@SmokyMtnNews 27

arts & entertainment March 4-10, 2015

A

bi-monthly magazine that covers the southern Appalachian mountains and celebrates the area’s environmental riches, its people, culture, music, art, crafts and special places. Each issue relies on regional writers and photographers to bring the Appalachians to life.

Smoky Mountain News

In this issue:

Q&A with author Ron Rash Chattanooga Choo Choo • Mountain Trail Days Mountain festivals make a splash Trout derby anglers count their catch PLUS ADVENTURE, CUISINE, READING, MUSIC, ARTS & MORE

SUBSCRIBE: www.smliv.com OR

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866.452.2251

On the stage Donated photo

arts & entertainment

WIN A CARIBBEAN CRUISE

The comedy production of ‘Plaza Suite’ opens March 5 at HART.

Simon’s ‘Plaza Suite’ at HART Neil Simon’s comedy hit, “Plaza Suite” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. March 5-7 and at 3 p.m. March 8 in the Feichter Studio at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

“Plaza Suite” opened on Broadway in 1968 with George C. Scott and Maureen Stapelton in the leads. The play is made up of three acts, though HART will only be presenting two. There were originally four. All are set in the same suite at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Each act involves a different couple facing a different family dilemma. In the Broadway production, the same actors appeared in all of the scenarios.

Tickets cost $10 for adults, $6 for students.

828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org.

ALSO:

writer Boris Trigorin, the ingénue Nina, the fading actress Irina Arkadina, and her son the symbolist playwright Konstantin Tréplev.

Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for students. www.harttheatre.org.

• A Wedding Show will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Maggie Valley Club & Resort.

Discuss options about your special day with wedding and bridal experts. 828.926.4831.

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March 4-10, 2015

• A production of “The Seagull” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. March 13-14 and 3 p.m.

March 15 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

“The Seagull” is generally considered to be the first of Anton Chekov’s four major plays. It dramatizes the romantic and artistic conflicts between four characters: the famous middlebrow story

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On the street

The Highlands Annual Chili Cook-off will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the Highlands Community Building.

There will be live music, dancing and, of course, great chili, salsa and cornbread to sample. Prizes will be $100 or more in value and will go to Best All Round Table Decorations, Most Unique Chili, Most Traditional and Hottest. There will also be prizes for Best Salsa and Cornbread.

Tickets cost $25 at the door.

828.526.2112 or visitor@highlandschamber.org.

• The Jackson County Genealogical Society will host a program “William Sylva (Selvey?), Where did we get out name?” from 7 to 9 p.m.

March 12 in the Community Room of the Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva. Presenters will be George Frizzell and Lynn Hotaling.

828.631.2646.

ALSO:

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Smoky Mountain News

Chili cook-off in Highlands

• There will be a flea market from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 7 at the Haywood Country Fairgrounds in Lake Junaluska. www.haywoodcountyfairgrounds.org or 828.400.0602.

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Smoky Mountain News

Books

First novel by local writer strikes a chord ighteen-year-old Jacob McNeely, a shy high school dropout from Walter Middleton High School in Jackson County, North Carolina, seems resigned to a bleak future: As the son of Charlie McNeely, the biggest drug dealer in Cashiers Valley (and Laura, a mother who is a hopeless crack addict), his options are woefully limited. He can continue to endure his father’s contempt and Writer abuse as he performs menial (drug-related) tasks, or he can venture into the world outside the mountains ... a prospect for which he has no training or aptitude. (At one point, Jacob wryly notes that he could count the times that his father had been proud of him on one hand, even if he had lost two or three fingers in a saw mill accident.)

As time passes, Jacob realizes that he has not only become accustomed to his father’s criminal activities, but he has become an active participant in the distribution of drugs.

He has also moved beyond smoking pot and occasionally experiments with a variety of “recreational drugs.” When a crack addict named Robbie Douglas becomes a threat to the McNeely drug operation (which operates under the guise of a garage where Jacob is a mechanic), Jacob becomes an unwilling participant in Douglas’ torture and possible murder. Sometimes, when Jacob considers his growing involvement in criminal activities, he concludes that for many of his peers, a life of crime is a kind of “heredity,” in which the moonshiners of the past become the drug dealers of the future. In other words, he is a victim of his genes.

However, amid all of this bleakness and squalor, Jacob has found one singular, positive experience. Jacob has fallen in love with Maggie Jennings, a “town girl” who belongs to a different world: She is middle-class, affluent and ambitious; she also sees something in Jacob that she calls good and fine ... something no one else has seen. Jacob comes to perceive Maggie as a means of escaping from the hardscrabble existence in which he is trapped.

However, much of their relationship is undermined by Jacob’s belief that if he truly

Gary Carden

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will give his son the money he so desperately Jacob learns that his father has bought and paid for the needs to provide for Maggie’s education if services of Jackson County’s Jacob makes certain that Robbie never regains most powerful, shrewd and consciousness. Then, Charlie brutally murders the Cabe brothers, two drug addicts who corrupt lawyer named could testify against him. He then gives Jacob Queen, a man that Jacob the job of disposing of their bodies. In a describes as “a vole-faced peckerwood” who was “born with 14 rattlers and a button, the A feature interview with author David Joy can be sneakiest son of a found on page 22. bitch to ever come off Caney Fork.” (Author bizarre and memorable scene, Jacob ferries David Joy’s scathing the Cabe brothers in their truck into the middescription of Queen is dle of Glenville Lake and launches them into especially noteworthy, and the dark waters where he suspects that they includes mention of the will join other luckless victims who have witlawyer’s penchant for nessed something that must never be expensive status symbols: Cadillacs, whiskey revealed.

When Laura McNeely commits suicide, and Jos. A. Banks suits).

Since Jacob is the son of her self-destructive act seems to act as a catalyst. Suddenly, Jacob views his life with a the notorious Charlie painful clarity. The boy finds his mother’s McNeely, he is frequently body and realizes that at the moment she had harassed by the local highpulled the trigger of a gun belonging to his way patrol in the region father, she had been looking at a faded paintand is frequently cited for ing of an old Indian on the wall. minor traffic violations.

He must have been one of those old west Once more, the author of Indians ... He sat tall on the back of one of Where All Light Tends to those spotted Appaloosa horses. ... The old Go delivers a satirical Indian was just staring out into the open sketch of a posturing highplans, some place far off that would have way patrolman and /or been hell to get to. deputy that is a masterTo the grief-stricken boy, it seems that the piece of caustic wit, includWhere All Light Tends to Go by David Joy. G. P. Putnam’s Son, old Indian is looking for “the place where all ing the officer’s “theatrical 2015. 260 pages. light tends to go.” It reminds him of the fierce gestures” such as the donning of sun glasses, “re situ- light he had seen in the eyes of a dying wild loves Maggie, he will end their relationship hog. For Jacob, the yearning look on the old ating” his gun belt and then, giving his stern (she is going to college and he is doomed to Indian’s countenance and the expression on orders the driver to “remove his driver’s McNeely’s garage). However, his attitude his mother’s dead face were one and the same. license” — dramatic pause — ”slowly.” changes when Maggie’s plans to go to college The place where the light gathers was as close However, beneath the caustic wit, there is are destroyed by her father’s financial probto God as Jacob cold imagine. a growing sense of danger. As Jacob drives lems. Jacob decides to “finance” Maggie’s Jacob’s realizations come hard and fast aimlessly from Cashiers to Cullowhee, listenfuture with his own ill-gotten funds and pernow. He remembers his father’s penchant of ing to Townes Van Zandt on his tape deck, he haps go with her. leaving a small Bible on the bodies of those he casually notes evidence of corruption. The As Jacob goes about his daily life, watching owner of a local business, the Moonshine had killed. Why? Was it a way of marking his his father wheel and deal with the vagaries of victims? When Jacob returns to the garage to Mini Mart, is running a “shake and bake lab” his criminal operation, the boy comes to realright beneath the cash register.” The spread of get the money for Maggie’s education, he disize a bitter truth: greed for money and power covers that it is gone and his father has been covert greed and drug trafficking has become has a way of outweighing morality. murdered. Then, there is the man named commonplace and casual.

Everywhere he looks, he sees undeniable eviAs Jacob’s involvement in his father’s busi- Rogers, a man that Jacob had trusted ... a man dence: the local sheriff is “an old friend” of that had his own reasons to hate Charlie ... ness increases, so does his enmity for his Charlie’s and always warns the drug has Jacob been betrayed again? Even now, he father. When Robbie Douglas turns up alive dealer when troubles develop. If problems are hears his executioners outside. Should he go but unconscious in a nearby hospital, Jacob is serious enough to warrant legal assistance, to meet them? forced to agree to an unholy alliance: Charlie

Sylva environmental advocate to read from debut novel Avram Friedman, executive director of The Canary Coalition, will read from his debut novel at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 7, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The Silver Maple Conspiracy follows the journey of man born in the mid-20th century, his relationship with nature and the evolution of human consciousness toward the environment that he witnessed over his lifetime. The story is a vehicle for deep introspection into the plight of humankind and the planet it inhabits. The novel takes Avram Friedman in the streets of New York City during the Vietnam War, the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, the first Earth Day celebration, the back-to-the-land movement in the Pacific Northwest and, lastly, the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina.

Since 2000, Friedman’s work as executive director of The Canary Coalition, based in Sylva but operating on a statewide level, has revolved around issues of environmental, social, political and economic justice.

City Lights Bookstore, 828.586.9499.

March 4-10, 2015

Keller to hold energy medicine presentation

@Smoky MtnNews

Smoky Mountain News

Betsy Keller will present Donna Eden and David Feinstein’s books on energy medicine and talk about complementary medicine at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

This event is part of a weekend workshop that Eden and Feinstein will be holding in Asheville March 20-22. Award-winning authors, the couple works together to spread the word of energy medicine, which is based on the understanding that any physical, mental, or behavioral problem has a counterpart in the body’s energies and can be treated at that level. Every conceivable health problem, psychological challenge, or dysfunctional habit can be improved if not overcome by intelligently shifting the energies in the body.

Their books include Energies of Love, Energy Medicine, The Little Book of Energy Medicine, Energy Medicine for Women, Promise of Energy Psychology and Energy Psychology for the Energy Medicine Practitioner.

828.586.9499.

Discover the state you’re in.

1-800- V I S I T

NC

W W W. V I S I T N C . C O M .

31

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

32

The view from the top.

J.P. Krol, winter caretaker at LeConte Lodge (below). Donated photos

Life on LeConte Winter on the top demonstrates the harshness and beauty of nature

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ipping hot tea while swaddled beside a propane heater, warmth beaming as wind whips snowflakes around the mountaintop outside. A stack of books beside the bed, well-worn titles alongside new adventures, a selfreplenishing treasure trove of stories illuminated by kerosenefueled light. Outside, darkness obscuring what dawn will reveal to be an ocean-like view of mountains upon mountains, frosted with snow and seeming to bow before the 6,594-foot peak of Mount LeConte, the third highest summit in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

It’s a romantic image, an idyll about which a society steeped in virtual reality is still wont to fanaticize. But for the past four winters, those cozy evenings and frostbitten mornings have been J.P. Krol’s life.

“I did find it was easier to romanticize a little bit when I wasn’t there all the time,” Krol admitted. Spending day after day in the grasp of the mountains fully displays the glory of the outdoors, he said but it also drives home “just how mean nature can be.”

S

Follow the adventure J.P. Krol makes daily posts on the lodge’s blog, www.highonleconte.com/daily-posts.

Each post — titled with a lyric from whatever song he’s listening to while he writes — begins with the day’s weather report and then goes into a recap and reflection on the previous day’s adventures, paragraphs interspersed among an ample supply of photos.

the A.T. is finished with you.

“It kind of messes you up to a degree,” he said.

So, Krol left Bloomington. He found a summer job working on a trail crew in the Green Mountains of Vermont. But as the season’s end loomed, he had to start figuring out what to do next. Krol estimates he filled out 40 applications that fall, hoping to snag one of the limited winter positions available in the world of backcountry professionals.

He got a call back from LeConte and headed down south for his first — and possibly only — season. The job wore better than he’d expected.

“I thought at first maybe I’d do this for one or two years and that would be my time at Walden, so to speak, but now it feels likes I have a lot of friends here and a lot of folks who end up visiting and really enjoy being up here that I really don’t feel like I’m wanting,” he said.

QUIET DAYS “I relish these quiet days, knowing that the majority of my days in the coming year will be spent exhausting myself both physically and socially. It is an ideal opportunity to recharge mentally, recover physically and enter my next challenge with the proper mindset and appropriate confidence level.”

— Feb. 25, High on LeConte Krol is the winter caretaker at LeConte Lodge, a hike-inonly inn at the top of the mountain. The lodge closes between Thanksgiving and March 10, but someone has to stay around to keep an eye on the buildings, report mountaintop weather to the National Weather Service and just generally maintain a presence at the lodge.

“Somebody has to have a presence there to keep people from being tempted to break in,” said Tim Line, general manager at LeConte and an employee since 1977. “It’s also good to have someone up there to assist the [National] Park Service with rescues. We also have a lot of stuff that can’t freeze, so we need to keep heat on.”

So it’s a necessary position, but not one that includes a multitude of daily tasks. Each day, Krol wakes up around 7 a.m., checks the weather and calls it in to the Park Service’s dispatch center. He makes some coffee, writes something about his adventures from the previous day on the lodge’s blog, “High on LeConte,” and takes some pictures to go with the entry. By 9 a.m., he’s pretty much done with his duties for the day.

SOCIALIZING IN SOLITUDE SPOILED BY ADVENTURE “I get giddy when those first shafts of golden light cut through the thin spruces and set the trail afire … This is where my daily metamorphosis takes place. There is simply no way eloquent enough to measure, to grasp just what these experiences do to me. I am spoiled rotten and simply don’t know how I’d get a fix like this if I didn’t live in the mountains. They have worked themselves into the core of my being and are now an essential component for anything resembling a full life. Reality. Beauty beats bread.”

— Feb. 6, High on LeConte Originally from upstate New York, Krol studied at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, graduating in 2007 with a degree in philosophy, religion and sociology. He stayed around after graduation, working in the kitchen of a bakery in town. But in 2010, he took off to thru-hike the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail. He returned when he was done, but life back in Bloomington didn’t go as planned.

“I went back to my small town to have my normal life back, but I realized that wasn’t really going to work for me,” Krol said. You can finish the A.T., but that’s no guarantee that

“Yesterday evening my friends and I were treated to one of the best sunsets I’ve seen up here. I’ve jokingly started grading sunsets and knew straight away that this was due to be an A+. Clingmans [Dome] resembled a majestic whale coming up for air and the clear conditions let the orange glow linger long and long … It was another one of those evenings for which the right words just do not exist.”

— Dec. 31, 2014, High on LeConte Living in a primitive mountain cabin miles from any road isn’t quite the solitary experience one might expect, as it turns out. In the four winters Krol’s lived on LeConte, five days is the longest he’s gone without seeing another human being.

For most people, that’s still a pretty long time, but Krol’s domain gets some considerable traffic despite its remoteness and the difficulty of the hike up.

“Everyone who comes up here realizes it’s a burly hike, but if you’re interested in winter hiking in the southeast, this is one of a few places you’re going to go to,” Krol said.

He also gets a steady stream of visitors, probably two weekends out of three, who will come stay in the guest cabin, share some stories, go on a few hikes — and hopefully bring some fresh food to break up the

F

Reading list

monotony of oatmeal and canned soup.

They’re mostly people he hiked the A.T. with, or people he met in his native northeast who happen to be in the area. Krol’s guest cabin has a revolving door.

But there’s plenty of alone time, too, plenty of hours not filled by the duties of a job or the company of a friend. And there’s plenty of inconvenience associated with hauling water up from a spring, making an expedition to the outhouse every time nature calls, walking from cabin to kitchen whenever it’s time for a meal.

“You’ve got to like that lifestyle,” Line said.

Krol does.

“I don’t get to see as much live music as I used to, but it’s a different book or different hike every day, so that’s exciting,” he said.

“But as I get older I realize that’s more unusual.”

“We are all just visitors here, the plants and bugs and real mammals are the only ones who can truly call such a hostile place home. We need to take this seed of humility and let it flower into reverence, treating these places with the love and respect they deserve.”

— Dec. 23, High on LeConte Krol turned 30 just a couple weeks ago.

He’s still working seasonal, still migrating between New England and the Smokies. For

A day in the life

Wintertime on LeConte has a sparseness to it. The verdant landscape of summer is gone, the woods silent. Krol finds bobcat and fox tracks on a regular basis, but the most exciting sighting he’s had in his four winters atop the mountain is a fox, spotted last year. “Most of the animals are smarter than we are,” he said. They hang out at the lower elevations.

Micah McClure photo

The lodge got its start in 1925 as a tent camp to entertain dignitaries from Washington, D.C., back when talk of turning the Smokies into a park first started getting serious. Now, the collection of cabins and buildings accommodate an average of 45 visitors a night between March and November. Many people book their rooms a full year in advance.

“Weekends fill up real fast,” said manager Tim Line.

Many inn operators might say the same thing, but LeConte is unique in that no roads lead to it. Getting there requires a strenuous hike of 5 to 8 miles, and the lodge is supplied not by trucks but by a pack of llamas that make the trip three days a week during the season.

The lodge is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park but is run by a private company that has a contract with the Park Service. Since 1989, that company has been Stokely Hospitality Enterprises. www.lecontelodge.com

Snow cover tends to come and go — barring recent weeks, when there’s been a pretty steady snowpack going — but Krol’s learned the hard way to wear microspikes when hiking to avoid wiping out on hidden patches of ice.

Days are short, and bedtime comes soon after dark. The daily routine stays a lot the same, as do the contents of the pantry.

But to Krol, life at the top is anything but monotonous. Monotony is what he was fleeing when he opted for the seasonal life. For a guy who spends most days alone around a frigid 6,000-foot summit, the idea of “normal” American life sounds dreadfully dull.

He blames that perspective on his A.T.

Snow covers the world outside the cabin.

Krol photo

experience.

“Eight hours a day you’re seeing new stimulus,” he said. “To go back to a town and work a steady job, that ends up not doing it for you on some level.”

Outdoors, every day feels different, even if those days involve a rotation of the same trails, the same places. Today the light might paint different colors on the snow than when it reflected off yesterday, and the bright-colored bird that crowns tomorrow’s trail might be absent today. The way clouds race across the sky, the velocity of the wind, undulations of temperature — nothing ever stays the same.

“Every day I’m up here, I notice something,” Krol said.

Which, maybe, is what life on LeConte is all about: the gift of time to notice. The winters are long, nature is harsh and when reality melds with romanticism, the airbrushed façade crumbles. But even the harshness is beautiful, and it’s all-consuming, demanding that the lowly human occupying that tiny cabin notice, reflect and admire.

Smoky Mountain News

■ 7 a.m. Wake up.

■ 7:15 a.m. Call in the weather report — overnight low, high yesterday, temperature at 7 a.m., sky conditions and snow depth, if any — to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s dispatch office.

■ 7:30 a.m. Make coffee and start writing the day’s blog post, starring today’s weather report and yesterday’s adventures. Take a few minutes to go outside and snap some photos.

■ 9 a.m. Close the computer. Eat breakfast.

Decide what kind of day’s it’s going to be — time to hibernate with a book or head outside for a hike?

■ Sunset: Eat dinner, usually on a rocking chair sitting on the porch.

■ Dark: Go to bed. Spend an hour or so listening to music.

■ 8-9 p.m. Go to sleep.

“My chest tightened up and my body shivered, and then a funny thing happened — I adapted.

This was not temporary and I’d have to bear it until it broke me. My body was not necessarily cooperating at first, but our wills carry us farther than we assume is possible. We just need to give them more opportunities to unfurl their powers.”

— Jan. 8, High on LeConte

A primer on LeConte Lodge

March 4-10, 2015

A NEED TO BE INSPIRED

FULL-COLOR SPARSENESS

outdoors

Krol goes through 30 or 40 books every season, but in his opinion that’s not enough.

“Pretty much about this time every season I look at the big stack of books I didn’t get to,” he said.

Here’s a sampling of what’s stacked in his cabin right now: ■ Mary Oliver, various poetry ■ Henry Mitchell, Summer Boy and Between Times ■ Annie Dillard, various literature ■ Gretel Ehrlich, The Solace of Open Spaces ■ Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of Love ■ American Earth, various authors

some of the well-meaning dad types he encounters in his work, he said, that’s puzzling. They want to know what he’s doing next, what his “Plan For The Future” is.

Krol doesn’t have a “Plan For The Future.” What he has is a desire to be inspired, to be constantly in discovery.

Would he consider getting a year-round job sometime? Sure, but only if it was “in a place that inspired me and it was a job that challenged me in a way I wanted to be challenged.”

For now, these months alone in the woods are that inspiration, that challenge.

“It definitely makes it easier to be in touch with yourself and realize what your wants are versus your needs, just figuring out what works for you,” he said. “I don’t know if that works for everyone, but for me that’s what time in the woods kind of does for me.”

There are fewer options when you’re living alone on a mountaintop. There is no concert to go to, no friend’s house to swing by for dinner. There’s no car in need of an oil change or Walmart where you can drop $100 before even realizing it. There is only the snow, the trees, the views and the little camp with the kitchen, the cabin, a laptop computer and a stack of 40 books to read before the lodge opens up again.

“I went out for a short jaunt yesterday afternoon, just as the impressively raw weather was cresting. Freezing rain was flying sideways, leaving you to cinch your hood and shake your head at just how real reality can be. We are typically selective with our days in the backcountry, but when we limit ourselves to ‘nice’ days, we miss a great deal. I will remember the cruel winds whipping my face at Cliff Tops and the way the sleet was just solid enough to hurt more than every non-descript sunny day combined. I am the luckiest man alive.”

— Feb. 17, High on LeConte 33

outdoors

CRUISING

OUR WAY to

33 NC PRESS Awards IN 2014

Covering Haywood, Jackson, Macon & Swain counties.

EDITORIAL

March 4-10, 2015

1.

2.

3.

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FIRST

Arts and Entertainment Reporting Best Community Coverage Best Niche Publication Investigative Reporting

SECOND

5. General News Reporting 6. Profile Feature

THIRD

15. Best Food Ad 16. Best Color Restaurant/Entertainment Ad 17 .Best Color Apparel, Jewelry & Accessory Ad 18. Best Use of Color 19. Best Newspaper Promotion 20. Best Online Advertising 21. Best Single Sheet Insert 22. Best Retail Ad in Niche Publication

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10. General Excellence for Newspaper Websites SmokyMountainNews.com

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9. News Enterprise

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FIRST

23. Best Innovated Concept/Wild Card 24. Best Advertising Campaign 25. Best Niche Publication 26. Best Shared Page in a Niche Publication 27. Best Restaurant/Entertainment Ad in a Niche Publication

7. Investigative Reporting 8. News Feature

11. Duke University Green Rossiter Award for Distinguished Newspaper Work in Higher Education 12. N.C. Bar Association Media & the Law Award 13. Community Service - First Place “Hospital sale and its impact on community” “The Smoky Mountain News demonstrates that one of the most important community services a newspaper can perform is keeping readers informed about major changes in the community that could affect their lives.”

14. General Excellence - Second Place

“Lot of news inside made this a good read, and good looking too.”

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28. Best Real Estate Ad 29. Best Black & White Restaurant Ad 30. Best Black & White Apparel, Jewelry or Accessory Ad 31. Best Use of Color 32. Best Restaurant/Entertainment Ad in a Niche Publication

SPECIAL

33. Metro Plus award

outdoors

Kids gather ‘round during a tree program in Waynesville. Donated photo

Waynesville continues Tree City USA tradition Waynesville was named a 2014 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, keeping running a streak that began in 2008. The designation recognizes a town’s commitment to keeping healthy trees a prominent part of the urban environment.

“Everyone benefits when elected officials, volunteers and committed citizens in communities like Waynesville make smart investments in urban forests,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Trees bring shade to our homes and beauty to our neighborhoods, along with numerous economic, social and environmental benefits.”

To receive recognition, Waynesville had to meet four requirements: have a tree board or department, a tree-care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation.

Learn why earthworms are good for the garden

Fracking and landowner rights explained

Help track stream health by sampling aquatic critters Volunteers are needed to help monitor the number and diversity of small aquatic creatures in various Haywood County streams — which in turn offers clues about water quality.

A training from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at UNC-Asheville will provide the know-how necessary to sample creeks for benthic macroinvertebtrates.

Haywood Waterways Association coordinates water monitoring teams to regularly sample sites for baseline data, which can then be used to detect sudden or gradual changes in pollution. Volunteers from any county are welcome, and can be directed to the nonprofit waterways group in their home county.

The training will be provided this fall as well. RSVP to staff@eqilab.org or 828.333.0392.

Smoky Mountain News

An information session about fracking and its impact on landowner rights will be held from 7-9 p.m. Monday, March 16, at the Swain County Technology and Training Center in Bryson City.

Topics will include forced pooling, oil and gas leases, proposed legislation, tips for landowners, eminent domain and mineral rights. The meeting is sponsored by N.C. Cooperative Extension and Rural Advancement Foundation International.

Speakers from both entities who specialize in agriculture, environmental law, and policy research will present.

Last year, the N.C. General Assembly lifted the fracking ban, pending regulatory rules being put in place. Those rules have now been written by the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission, paving the way for fracking to begin this year.

Free. Dee Decker, 828.488.3848 or dee_decker@ncsu.edu.

The program will also be presented in

Hayesville on March 12. silas_brown@ncsu.edu

March 4-10, 2015

Earthworms aren’t always the most desirable pets, but a program at the Haywood County Public Library will explore their use as helpers in the garden and discuss how to raise them.

Avid gardener and former high school teacher Mary Ann Smith will share her knowledge about vermicomposting from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday, March 9, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium.

Worm excrement, called castings, fertilizes soil, and the channels worms make when moving through the soil aerate it and keep its density down. All of that is good for the garden.

Refreshments and door prizes will be part of this Friends of the Library event. 828.356.2507.

35

Fees increase at Glenville campground outdoors

Come hang out with us for a day of outdoor play!

Make a Mud Pie Build a Fort Explore at a Pond Scavenger Hunt Log Balance Beam & Stump Hop Fairy House & Pressed Flower Crafts Learn about organizations in our area that foster family-friendly outdoor H[SORUDWLRQ DQG ÀQG RXW DERXW UHVRXUFHV DYDLODEOH WR IDPLOLHV LQ :1&

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.NCARBORETUM.ORG

YOUTH OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP

Smoky Mountain News

March 4-10, 2015

280-119

Tuesday Afternoons | 5:00 - 6:30 | March-Oct

AGES7 12-1

Help breathe new life into Waynesville park Volunteers are needed to help remove invasive species from East Street Park in Waynesville, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 14, as part of a project to restore the stream ecosystem in the park and revitalize its facilities. The tiny neighborhood park is in the center of town, but often overlooked, underused and untended.

The undertaking started out as a school project for Katie Carr Messer, a low-impact development student at Haywood Community College. She and Ralphene Rathbone, a Waynesville resident, are working on the project after winning a grant from the Pigeon River Fund. Haywood Waterways Association is administering the grant.

Rain date is March 28.

One weekend activity per month at an offsite location where we give the participants a chance to put their outdoor skills to work in the wilderness.

Baseball program launches for preschoolers

($20 fee for each weekend event)

A beginning baseball program for 3 and 4-year-olds will help children develop the basic motor skills they’ll need to participate in youth baseball leagues later.

The Smart Start Baseball program will begin April 16 and will be held 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. every Thursday for seven weeks.

Deadline to sign up is 5 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and the program is open to children who are 3 or 4 as of April 1.

The $40 registration fee includes a ball, bat, glove, two koosh balls and a manual, all age-appropriate. The program is administered by the Youth Development branch of the nonprofit National Alliance for Youth Sports and the Waynesville Parks & Recreation Department.

Register at the Waynesville Recreation

3/28 | 4/25 | 6/16 | 8/8 | 9/19 | 10/25

ONE TIME REGISTRATION FEE OF $20 TUESDAY CLASSES ARE FREE FOR MEMBERS & $4 DAILY FEE FOR NON-MEMBERS

WAYNESVILLE

PARKS & RECREATION CALL OR EMAIL NOW! 36

campers, while the rates for sites with full hookups were $14 and $16, respectively. “We’re going through some updates and electrical issues, as well as some plumbing,�

Ellis told commissioners. “I think it’s a good time right now to go up on some of those fees.�

Ellis asked commissioners to raise fees by $3 per night for all sites, which commissioners agreed to unanimously with the amendment that fees for Jackson County residents would stay the same for all sites except for group camping sites, which would be Ralph J. Andrews Campground on Lake subject to an acrossGlenville provides a low-cost mountain the-board increase. getaway, but fees at the county-owned “I think that would park will increase slightly. File photo help our local people,� said Commissioner Boyce Dietz. “I think it would also encourCounty Recreation and Parks Director age them to use that, and we’d like more Rusty Ellis told Jackson County use.�

Commissioners, explaining that it hasn’t Ov average, only about 18 percent of the been raised at all in the 18 years he’s worked campground is full. Of those who have used for the county. The campground has signifiit in the past two years, 30 percent are from cantly lower rates than similar campJackson County while the remaining 70 pergrounds in the region, he said. The rate for cent came from elsewhere. a primitive campsite had been $10 for coun— By Holly Kays, staff writer ty residents and $12 for out-of-county For the first time in more than 18 years, fees at the Ralph J. Andrews Campground on Lake Glenville, which is owned and operated by Jackson County, will go up, but Jackson County residents won’t feel the bite.

The fee increase is overdue, Jackson

828.456.2030

or email tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov

Center. 828.456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

Boy Scout bass tourney slated for Fontana Lake A bass fishing tournament to benefit the Daniel Boone Council and Boy Scout troops in Western North Carolina will be held at Fontana Lake March 14-15.

The inaugural Daniel Boone Council Fontana Classic Bass Tournament will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, with winners receiving cash prizes and a chance to win a 2014 F-150 pickup truck if they catch the North Carolina State Record Small Mouth Bass.

The tournament, hosted by Fontana Village Resort and Boy Scouts of America, costs $150 per boat to enter by March 6 or $175 after that. www.2015fontanaclassic.kintera.org or 828.254.6189.

WNC farmers expand business through grants Balsam Gardens. SMN photo

ing areas. Bumgarner produces feed for his own cattle and also sells it to farms and feed stores.

■ Jim Ledford of 4 L Livestock in Macon County, who received $6,000 to transition his cattle operation to year-round managedintensive grazing. The rotational grazing system maximizes herd numbers, reduces feed cost, optimizes land space and maintains grasslands in an ecologically sound way.

■ Danny Barrett of Ten Acre Garden in Haywood County, who received $6,000 to add pick-your-own raspberry and strawberry

plants to his 10-acre fruit and veggie farm.

Barrett, who has farmed since 1967, hopes to create a unique agritourism experience for his customers through the expansion.

■ Patrick Jeremy Breedlove of Breedlove Farms in Swain County, who received $3,000 to upgrade his poultry-producing equipment. Breedlove produces game birds, laying hens and meat chickens but can fill only 30 percent of orders using his current equipment.

Since 2004, WNC AgOptions has awarded nearly $2 million to 423 farm projects. www.wncagoptions.org.

WNC conservationists honored Several Western North Carolina conservationists earned a spot in Wild South’s annual list of nominees for the Roosevelt-Ashe Conservation Awards, an honor that recognizes outstanding work to protect wild places and wild things in the South.

Paul Carlson, who recently retired from 18 years as executive director of Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, and Brent Martin, director of The Wilderness Society’s Southeast field office based in Sylva, were two of the three final nominees for outstanding conservationist.

Jeannie Nelson, who works out of LTLT’s Tennessee office, was the third nominee in that category.

In the outstanding educator category, James Costa, biology professor at Western Carolina University and director of the Highlands Biological Station, earned one of three nominations.

“These people are heroes that inspire through their dedication, their passion for a cause and their victories that leave a lasting legacy,” said Virginia Dollar, Award Selection Committee member.

Winners will be announced at Wild South’s annual Green Gala March 20 at The Orange Peel in Asheville.

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Smoky Mountain News

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outdoors

Farmers in Western North Carolina will branch out with new crops and alternative growing methods, thanks to 31 grants totaling $168,000 given out by WNC AgOptions.

The grants, funded by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, help farmers offset the risk of trying new ventures.

Steven Beltram of Balsam Gardens is one of those farmers. He received a $6,000 grant to expand his produce volume and transition to Certified Organic so that he can sell to large-volume buyers. Until now, Balsam Gardens has sold directly to customers at farmers markets, through farm shares and to farm-to-table restaurants.

“I believe that expanding our wholesale vegetable operation is the most important thing I can do to ensure financial sustainability for our farm and to support my family,” Beltram said.

Beltram will expand his 5-acre farm in the Balsam area on the Haywood-Jackson countyline to 15 acres, and will also begin growing in Buncombe County. The expansion comes on the heels of a successful 2011 WNC AgOptions project to include broilers and Thanksgiving turkeys in his poultry operation.

Other grantees in Haywood, Jackson, Swain and Macon counties include: ■ Bryan Bumgarner of Bumgarner Farms in Jackson County, who received $6,000 to expand his cattle feed processing and feed-

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outdoors

Smokies visitation sets records January was a record-setting month for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with 351,670 visitors, achieving a lifetime visitation of 500 million — more than any

A view of Cataloochee Valley. SMN photo

Smoky Mountain News

March 4-10, 2015

other national park service unit aside from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California.

Since the National Park Service began maintaining visitation records in 1979, January visitation has never exceeded

351,000. The record comes on the heels of the park’s busiest year in 14 years in 2014.

The new park superintendent, Cassius Cash, arrived just in time to celebrate the 500 million milestone.

“In my short time here, I’ve been able to see firsthand just how much people care about the park, and I look forward to continuing to work with our communities and partners to serve our visitors and protect these mountains for the next generation to enjoy as we have,” Cash said.

During January, visitation was up at all major entrances, especially at the Oconaluftee entrance near Cherokee. The 12,658 visitors entering there represented a 51 percent increase over January 2014.

The Cataloochee and Deep Creek entrances saw a 0 percent change from January 2014, but the Fontana Road entrance near Bryson City saw a 55.7 percent increase.

Complete statistics are available at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/.

The Haywood County Master Gardeners Association is adding nectar-producing perennials to the line up of its plant sale this year, an effort to help monarch butter-

Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed, and the caterpillars feed on that species exclusively. Donated photo. flies and honeybees — both of which are

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embattled species in Western North Carolina.

Milkweed, a vital food source for monarchs, will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, at the Cooperative Extension office on Raccoon Road in Waynesville. Cost will be $5 per plant, with one free for every two purchased.

Orders can also be placed ahead of time to guarantee your order.

Other plants offered through the Master Gardener sale must be pre-ordered by March 13.

828.456.3575, erin_freeman@ncsu.edu or mgarticles@charter.net.

Grow potatoes, share the harvest Seed potatoes are being given out to gardeners and growers in Haywood County who are willing to share a portion of their harvest to help the needy, donating part of their potato harvest to food pantries, soup kitchens or neighbors in need.

The seed potato project is an initiative of the Haywood Gleaners, which connects the disadvantaged with surplus produce.

Prospective potato growers can pick up potatoes 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, March 13 at Crabtree Community Center on Crabtree Road or 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at Ingles in Waynesville.

The rain date for the Ingles pick-up is 5-7 p.m. Monday, March 16.

Mary Alice Lodico, 828.452.0513 or Marian Phalin, 407.492.6861. haywoodgleaners@gmail.com.

Report spottings of the latest invasive plant: the fig buttercup

Call or stop by to see how much you can save.

38

Milkweed sale to help butterflies and bees

during March and April in an effort to determine whether the species is establishing footholds along waterways in other counties.

A training video covering how to spot the species is online at www.scnps.org/edu-

A new invasive plant species is springing up in moist, nutrient-rich soils across eastern North America and has been spotted in six North Carolina counties, including Swain.

Fig buttercup, Ficaria verna, is an early-blooming perennial whose showy yellow flowers belie its menace as an invasive.

While purposely planted in some gardens, it’s recentFig buttercup’s flowers may be pretty, but its aggressive growth is ly crossed the line choking out natives in its expanding range. Donated photo to become an aggressive invasive plant species threatening bottomlands. cation/citizen-science-invasive-fig-butterThe South Carolina Native Plant Society cup/ is enlisting people throughout the Report sightings to Southeast to keep an eye out for the plant FigButtercup@scnps.org.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Special Olympics Jackson County will be sponsoring Spread the Word to End the Word, at 4 p.m. on March 4 when Western Carolina University’s baseball team plays Valparaiso. First pitch will be thrown out by a Jackson County Special Olympian.

• “Is there truth in the media and where is it found?” will be the topic for the Franklin Open Forum at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, at Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin. For info, call 371.1020.

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

• A Maggie Valley downtown master plan meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 5, at Maggie Valley Town Hall. The public is invited to give input as J.M. Teague Engineering, a company hired by the town, and the master plan committee work to develop a downtown plan for Maggie Valley.

• “Beyond the Basics of Selling on eBay: Techniques for the Serious Seller” is the topic of a Haywood Community College Small Business Center seminar that will be held from 1-4:30 p.m. on March 4 in the Regional High Technology Center auditorium in Waynesville. Speaker is Nick Hawks. sbc.haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• “Bystander and Primary Prevention,” a brown-bag discussion that’s part of the “Whee Safe” series, will be held at noon on March 5 in the multipurpose room of A.K. Hinds University Center in Cullowhee. Hosted by Western Carolina University’s Emergency Services Department and Police Department. For information, visit police.wcu.edu or call 227.7301.

• An online job searching workshop will be offered from 1-2 p.m. on March 4 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. One-on-one help will be available after the class until 4 p.m. SCC employability instructor John Mitchell will be the presenter. Free; reservations recommended: 524.3600.

• The North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission will host a meeting about its new “Talk It Out” campaign at 10 a.m. on March 6 at MPI office in Sylva. Information: www.TalkItOutNC.org, www.mountainprojects.org/wnctips or 586.2345.

• Western Carolina University will host its third annual Discovery Forum, designed to encourage young people to share innovative ideas for making their communities better places to live, from 5-7 p.m. on March 24.

Submissions deadline is 5 p.m. on March 6. For info and requirements for proposals, call the WCU Honors College at 227.7383.

• A Second Sunday Community Dance is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on March 8 in the Community Room on the second floor of the old courthouse in the Jackson County Library Complex in Sylva. Circle and contra dances.

Local musicians are invited to jam or learn how to play music for dancing. Community dinner will follow at 5 p.m.; bring covered dish. ronandcathy71@frontier.com.

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will hold a public meeting from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on March 9 at the Haywood Community College Auditorium in Clyde to seek input on developing a management plan for Cold Mountain Game Land located in Haywood County. For those who cannot attend: visit www.ncwildlife.org and click on “Comment on Game Land Plans,” or write to gamelandplan@ncwildlife.org.

• A community meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on March 9 at the Beaverdam Community Center in Canton. Guest speaker Kelly Teague will discuss new GED requirements. Contact Judy Sellars (648.0552 or judysellars1067@att.net).

• A listening session to learn more about the issues affecting Latino residents of Macon County will be held at 6 p.m. on March 12 at the Sunset Restaurant in Franklin. Dinner provided kmcgaha@maconnc.org.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino Hotel is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on March 16 in the Enloe Building at Tri-County Community College in Murphy. www.casearsjobs.com or call 497.8859.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION •The new CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center, Phillip Wright, will be the guest speaker for the Haywood Chamber’s monthly Issues & Eggs program from 8-9 a.m. on March 4 at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. 456.3021 or haywoodchamber.com.

• The Western North Carolina Civil; War Round Table will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. on March 9 in Room 220 in the Jackson County Justice Center in Sylva. David Lake will present insights on the border war and guerrilla activities in Kansas and Missouri prior to and during the Civil War. A 5 p.m. dinner at Sylva’s Bogart’s and a 6:30 p.m. social hour will precede the event. For information, contact Richard Smith at 293.5924.

• Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center offers a free NC REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) seminar entitled “Business analysis and Operation” from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on March 9 at the SCC Jackson Campus. Reservations required: www.ncsbc.net. Tiffany Henry at 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

• Hunter safety courses will be held from 6-9:30 p.m. on March 10-11 at Haywood Community College, Building 3300, Room 3322. Participants must attend two consecutive evenings to receive their certification.

Free; no age limits; pre-registration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

• A computer class on file management for PC’s will be offered from 5:45-7:15 p.m. on March 11 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Free. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• A free resume writing class will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, at the Canton Branch Library. The class is offered by Goodwill’s Career Connections Center. Free; registration required: 648.2924 or visit front desk of the library.

• Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center offers a free NC REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning) seminar entitled “Financials for Small Business” from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on March 16 at the SCC Jackson Campus. Reservations required: www.ncsbc.net. Tiffany Henry at 339.4211 or t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

• A free community service workshop on bringing clean energy to homes and businesses in Western North Carolina will be held at 7 p.m. on March 17 at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cullowhee. Presented by Solarize WNC. For information, Allen Lomax (allen@allenlomax.com or 226.0506).

• Entrepreneurs and owners of existing small businesses will have the opportunity to vie for a share of $7,000 in prize money to help start up or grow their businesses when Western Carolina University hosts the inaugural LEAD: Innovation conference from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on

Smoky Mountain News

April 22 in the Health and Human Sciences Building in Cullowhee. $20 for general public; $10 for students; $25 for those participating in the “Rocket Pitch” and “Promising Business Acceleration” competition (includes one registration); $100 for investors or investor groups. All prices include lunch. Visit innovation.wcu.edu or contact Ed Wright at 278.8CEI. The submission deadline for the competition is April 1.

• A pharmacy technician certification program will be offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education beginning March 24. For info or to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • A Volunteer Orientation Meeting for anyone interested in moving animal welfare forward in Haywood County will be held at 10 a.m. on March 7 at the Haywood Spay/Neuter office in Waynesville. Call 452.1329 to register.

• Jack the Dipper will host a Girl Scout cookie booth at its Sylva location from noon-4 p.m. on March 7. Ten percent of the shop’s proceeds that day will go to local Girl Scouts. For info, call 328.2444, ext. 3407, or write lcrawford@girlscoutsp2p.org.

• The Highlands Annual Chili Cook-off will be from 6:30-9:30 p.m. March 14 at the Highlands Community Building. Live music and dancing with chili, salsa and cornbread to sample. Prizes valued at $100 or more will go to Best All Round Table Decorations, Most Unique Chili, Most Traditional and Hottest. There will also be prizes for Best Salsa and Cornbread. Tickets cost $25 at the door. 526.2112 or visitor@highlandschamber.org.

• A rummage sale event with fly fishing/fly tying items will be held on March 14 at Waynesville Bait and Tackle Shop. Donations can be made by contacting tucataloochee427@gmail.com or Ron and Sharon Gaddy at 377.0019. All money raised is used to support the overall Trout Unlimited Mission.

• The Sunday Drive for Life will be held from 1-4 p.m. on March 22 in Lower Lot 1 of Franklin High School.

Registration begins at noon. $15 entry free. Food and drinks will be sold. Raffles and 50/50 to benefit Relay for Life Awards for top 20, best manufacturers and Best in Show. All makes and models welcome. Spectator entrance is free; donations accepted. For info, contact Jacob Morgan 371.8198.

• The Evergreen Foundation will host grant information sessions in varying locations and times in the area starting March 25. Evergreen Foundation’s focus is on improving the lives of individuals who have behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disabilities or substance abuse issues in the state’s seven westernmost counties. To register or for more info, contact Denise Coleman at dcoleman@evergreennc.org or 456.8005.

HEALTH MATTERS • The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on March 11 at Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on March 12 at WestCare Health in Sylva.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 1:30-6 p.m. on March 13 at Little Brasstown Baptist Church.

• A pro bono clinic will provide physical therapy services from 6-8:30 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of every month on the first floor of the Health and Human Sciences Building in Cullowhee. 227.3527 or MAPPTClinic@wcu.edu.

39

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • Registration period for the Smoky Mountain Senior Games will be from March 16-April 10. Fee: $10 through March 27 or $15 from March 30-April 10. Games are scheduled for April 24-May 15. For everyone ages 50up. Info: 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org.

• Registrations for a spring golf league are being accepted through April 14 at Smoky Mountain Country Club in Whittier. Fee: $10 to enter and $20 for each week (includes nine holes and a cart). League starts with a meeting at 5:15 p.m. on April 14. Info: 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org.

• Haywood County Recreation & Parks Department is offering adult coed indoor soccer pickup games from 68 p.m. on Wednesdays through March 25 at Old Hazelwood Gym. For ages 18 and up. $3 per session or $20 for a season pass punch card. Daniel Taylor at 452.6789 or drtaylor@haywoodnc.net.

POLITICAL CORNER • All precinct organizations of The Macon County Democratic Party will hold their annual meetings at 6 p.m. on March 5 at their individual polling locations.

For contact info, call Shirley Ches at 524.9991. For your precinct poll location, call the Macon County Board of Elections at 349.2034.

• Swain County Democratic Women will met from 9-10 a.m. on March 7 at the Historic Calhoun House Hotel in Bryson City. All registered Democrats are welcome.

488.1234.

• Potential Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Ken Fortenberry will speak at 7 p.m. on March 10 at Organic Beans Coffee Company in Maggie Valley. After Fortenberry speaks, the floor will open for a question/answer session.

• The Annual Convention of the Macon County Republican Party will be held on March 14 at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. Keynote speaker is Nick Vaughn, former president of North Carolina Teenage Republicans, and student at Wingate University. Registration begins at noon. Precinct Meetings begin at 12:45 p.m., followed by convention business. All registered Republicans and Macon County teenagers may attend. maconcountyrepublicans@gmail.com.

• The Jackson County Annual Republican Convention will start at 5:30 p.m. on March 20 in the Heritage Room at the Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva. The election of Jackson County GOP officers, precinct officers and delegates to the district and state conventions are on the agenda. 743.6491.

• The Haywood County Annual Republican Convention will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 14 at the Canton Armory at 71 Penland St. Meetings to elect county officers and delegates to county, district and state conventions. 506.0939.

• Waynesville Aldermen meet at 6:30 p.m. second and fourth Tuesday of each month. Town Hall. 456.3515.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • Learn how to play Sodoku at 1 p.m. on March 4 at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. Free.

356.2800.

• A Creative Living class on Happy Bubbles is at 1 p.m.

wnc calendar

on March 9 at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. $10. 356.2800.

• The Silver Sneakers New Member Orientation will be held at 10 a.m. on March 11 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

Haywood County Real Estate Agents Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices • Eugene L. Strickland Gene@4Smokys.com BHHSGreatSmokysRealty.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates

• Registration for summer camp at Waynesville Parks and Recreation starts March 5. Camp dates are June 8-Aug. 14 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Camp is from 7:30 a.m.5:30 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays except for the week of July 4, when camp meets only four days. Early bird registration of $655 for members ($680 nonmembers) is available through April 30. Call 456.2030 or write tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

beverly-hanks.com • • • • •

Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither — beverly-hanks.com Brook Parrott — beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com

• The Canton Library is hosting a Tech Fair to highlight new technology offerings such as iPads and a Wii gaming cart from 3-5 p.m. on March 4.

Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com • Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com

• Come celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday during Family Story Time at 10 a.m. on March 5 for ages 0 to 5 years at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com • Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com

March 4-10, 2015

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

Emerson Group • George Escaravage — gke333@gmail.com

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com

Smoky Mountain News

realtyworldheritage.com • Carolyn Lauter realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7766 • Martha Sawyer realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7769 • Linda Wester realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7771

• Drop-in information sessions for Shining Rock Classical Academy, a new charter school slated to open in Haywood County for the coming school year, will be held on the following days/times at 52 Walnut Street in Waynesville: 8:15-9 a.m. on March 10, March 24, April 14, and April 28 as well as 4-5:30 p.m. every other Thursday from March 5-April 30.

• Youth golf lessons will be offered at 11:30 a.m. from March 11-13 at Smoky Mountain Country Club in Whittier. PGA pro Mark Todd is offering three 80-minute lessons.

Transportation and practice balls provided.

Register at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee.

Info: 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org.

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.com Mieko Thomson — ncsmokies.com The Morris Team — maggievalleyproperty.com The Real Team — the-real-team.com Ron Breese — ronbreese.com Dan Womack — womackdan@aol.com Catherine Proben — cp@catherineproben.com

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com • Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net 282-213

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 40

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will offer a youth outdoor leadership program for ages 12-15 starting with a mandatory meeting for parents and participants at 6 p.m. on March 5 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. $20 registration fee accepted there also.

456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Venture to Panama during Culture Club at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, at the Macon County Public Library. Guest speakers, books, photos, crafts and food from that culture will be enjoyed by all. 524.3600.

Realty World Heritage Realty

• • • • • • •

KIDS & FAMILIES • Innovative Basketball Training will be offered for girls and boys ages 6 and older on Sundays from March 1 through then end of May at Waynesville Recreation Center. Training for ages 6-11 will be from 4-5 p.m.; ages 10 and older is from 5-6 p.m. and ages 12 and older is from 6-7 p.m. Instructor is Derek Thomas. Cost is $80. 246.2129.

828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

• “Under the Stars” is presented by the Asheville Astronomy Club has been reschedule due to weather to 6:30 p.m. on March 12, at the Macon County Public Library. A telescope has been donated to the library to give children and others a hands-on opportunity to learn how to use the telescope and view the night sky. 524.3600.

• Registration for spring youth tennis lessons for ages 5-13 through Jackson County Parks/Recreation Department is March 16March 27. Lessons are available in three age divisions: 5-8, 9-13 and an advanced class for 8-13 (one completed JCPRD tennis lesson program required). Register at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee (no phone registration).

For info: 293.3053.

• Registration is under way for high-performance volleyball clinics for girls in fifththrough-eighth grades at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. Fee: $50. Clinics are held on Thursday evenings (6-7 p.m. for fifth-sixth graders; 7:15-8:15 p.m. for seventh-eighth graders) March 19-May 14. Info: 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org.

• A beginning baseball program for 3-4 year olds will be offered from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for seven consecutive Thursdays starting April 16 at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

Administered by the Youth Development branch of the nonprofit National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) and the Waynesville Parks & Recreation Department. Donald Hummel at 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov. Register at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

• Baby Storytime is at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Songs, fingerplays and stories for infants through toddlers. 586.2016.

• Between the Lines is held at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at Jackson County Public Library. A writing, art and creativity workshop for teens ages 12 and up.

586.2016.

6 at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. Marty Northrup from Columbus will be the caller. Western-style square dancing, mainstream and level. Everyone welcome.

Information: 371.4946 or highmountainsquares.com.

• Seated wine tasting, wines of New Zeland’s Hunky Dory Winery, let by industry professional Sara Helmcamp will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. on March 12 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. $5 per person or free with wine purchase. Reservations: 452.6000.

• A Bladesmithing Symposium (Great Smoky Mountain Hammer-In) sponsored by the American Bladesmith Society and Haywood Community College (HCC), will be held March 13-15 on the HCC campus. Includes knifemaking demonstrations, hands-on blade forging, knife show, auction and more. $65 registration fee. For info, call Ken Hall at 400.7815.

• A Wedding Show will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on March 14 at the Maggie Valley Club & Resort. All brides and vendors of all types are welcome. Elite wedding experts will be available for brides to discuss options. 926.4831.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT

• Sing and Sign Story Time, second and fourth Mondays, 10 a.m., Macon Public Library.

Designed for children 0-24 months, but all ages are welcome. 524.3600.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will present a Mountain Winds concert at 7:30 p.m. on March 4 in the Bardo Arts Center. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. www.wcu.edu.

•A community breastfeeding information and support group meets from 10:30 am.-noon on the first Saturday of each month in the main lobby of the Smoky Mountain OB/GYN Office in Sylva. Free; refreshments provided. For information, contact Brandi Nations 770.519.2903.

• The Darren Nicholson Band (bluegrass) plays at 7:30 p.m. on March 5 at The Strand in Waynesville. Tickets: $12 in advance; $15 on show day. www.38main.com or 283.0079.

• Macon County 4-H Needlers club, a group of youth learning the art and expression of knitting and crochet crafts, meets on the second Tuesday of each month. 349.2046.

KIDS MOVIES • Oscar winner Animated Feature Film, Disney’s “Big Hero 6” will be screened at noon and 2 p.m. every Saturday in March at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Free. Show times at www.38main.com or 283.0079.

• Saturday morning cartoons play for free at 11 a.m. at the Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• Free family movies are shown at 3:30 p.m. each Tuesday at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Disney, Hallmark and other familyoriented movies. Popcorn is provided by Friends of the Library. Each attendee receives one free movie checkout. 488.3030.

• Family movie time, 4 p.m. Mondays at Jackson County Public Library. Call for title of movie. 586.2016.

• Family movie time Thursdays, 3:45 p.m. at Albert Carlton, Cashiers Community Library.

Free with popcorn. Call for title. 743.0215.

A&E FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • The High Mountain Squares will host its “St Pattie’s Day Dance” from 6:30-9 p.m. on March

• Bluegrass musician Josh Goforth will perform as part of the First Thursday concert series at 7 p.m. on March 5 in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University. Free. www.wcu.edu.

• The opening of HART’s “Plaza Suite” was rescheduled due to weather to March 5 in Waynesville. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday. To reserve seats, call 456.6322 or visit www.harttheatre.org.

• Mark Lowry (Christian comedian, songwriter and singer) and The Martins (Christian musicians) will perform at 7:30 p.m. on March 6 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets: $20 and up. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• County music singer Wade Hayes will perform at 7:30 p.m. on March 7 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets: $15. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• The Too Human Jazz Trio will perform at 3 p.m. March 8 in the Living Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Admission is by donation. arts4all@dnet.net or 524.ARTS. • Balsam Range’s Winter Concert Series will include the Snyder Family Band in a 7:30 p.m. show on March 7 at the Colonial Theater in Canton. Balsamrange.com or 235.2760.

• The Dupont Brothers play at 8 p.m. on March 13 at the Strand in Waynesville. Tickets: $10 in advance or $12 on show date.

• Classic rock band Styx will play at 9 p.m. on March 13 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

Known for hit songs like “Mr. Roboto” and “Come Sail Away.” Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800.745.3000.

• “The Seagull” will be performed from Friday through Sunday, March 13-15, at HART Theatre

in Waynesville. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for students. harttheatre.org or 456.6322.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will present an Upperclassmen Trumpet Rehearsal at 7 p.m. on March 16 in the Coulter Building. www.wcu.edu.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will have a Symphony Band concert at 7:30 p.m. on March 16 in the Bardo Arts Center. www.wcu.edu.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will present a Faculty Recital with P. Wlosok & Friends at 7:30 p.m. on March 17 in the Coulter Building. www.wcu.edu.

• Grammy-winning songwriters The Don Juans (Jon Vezner and Don Henry) perform at 7:30 p.m. on March 19 at the Strand in Waynesville. Tickets: $18 in advance or $20 on show day. 283.0079.

• Linda McRae plays at 7:30 p.m. on March 26 at the Strand in Waynesville. Tickets: $18 in advance; $20 on show day. www.38main.com or 283.0079.

• Ventriloquist Lynn Trefzger and comedian Glenn Singer performs at 7:30 p.m. March 27 at WCU’s Bardo Center in Cullowhee. This show is part of the Galaxy of Stars Series. Season subscriptions are $120/adults; $110/WCU faculty and staff; $45 students and children. Single-show tickets are $21/adults; $16/WCU faculty and staff; $15/person with groups of 20 or more; $7 students and children. Tickets and info at: 227.2479 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin) will have Nick Prestia at 8 p.m. on March 7. Free. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 828.369.6796.

• BearWaters Brewing (Waynesville) will have Joshua Dean Acoustically (singer-songwriter) at 8 p.m. on March 7. www.bwbrewing.com or 246.0602.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin) will have a Lip Syncing Battle at 6:30 p.m. on March 11.

Free. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 369.6796.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have Pressing Strings (roots/rock) at 9 p.m. on March 13 Free.

586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin) will have David Spangler at 8 p.m. on March 13. Free. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 369.6796.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will have an Open Mic Night at 6 p.m. on March 12. www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.

• Enjoy hits of the Beatles, Elton John, and James Taylor at 7 p.m. on March 14 when Joe Cruz (piano, vocals) returns to the Classic Wineseller’s Steinway piano in Waynesville.

• Saxophonist Tyler Kittle and guitarist Michael Collings perform jazz at 7 p.m. on March 13 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

• Somebody’s Child (Americana/folk) will perform at 7 p.m. on March 14 at BearWaters Brewing in Waynesville. www.bwbrewing.com or 246.0602.

• Ryan Cavanaugh Duo (singer-songwriter) will perform at 7 p.m. on March 13 at BearWaters Brewing in Waynesville. www.bwbrewing.com or 246.0602.

• Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) will have The DuPont Brothers (acoustic folk) at 8:30 p.m. on March 14. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Chris Williams (singer-songwriter) at 8:30 p.m. on March 13. Free.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have Productive Paranoia (Americana/bluegrass) at 9 p.m. on March 14. Free. 586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have the Kittle/Collings Duo (jazz) at 7 p.m. on March 13. $10 minimum purchase. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin) will have The Stewarts at 8 p.m. on March 14. Free. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 369.6796.

BOOKS & AUTHORS • Betsy Keller will give a free presentation on complementary medicine and Donna Eden and David Feinstein’s books at 5:30 p.m. on March 5 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. To reserve copies of Eden and Feinstein’s work, call 586.9499.

• Webster author David Joy will present his new novel “Where All Light Tends To Go” at 6:30 p.m. on March 6 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. The book is set in Jackson County and tells the story of Jacob McNeely, a young man in a fight against his fate. Innovation Brewing created a “Where all Light Tends to Go Stout,” free samples of which will be available during the reading and in an after-party at the brewery. To reserve a copy, call 586.9499.

wnc calendar

• Sheila Kay Adams and The Scofflaws will play at 7:30 p.m. on March 14 at the Strand in Waynesville.

Tickets: $15.

• Joe Cruz (piano, vocals) performs at 7 p.m. on March 7 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

• Avram Friedman will read from his first published novel “The Silver Maple Conspiracy” at 3 p.m. on March 7 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Friedman’s novel describes an in-depth journey of a man born in the midtwentieth century, living in the deep Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. To reserve copies, call 586.9499.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • Dye Eggs, potpourri, a Jackson County Extension and Community Association group, will meet at 9:30 a.m. on March 5 in the Conference Room of the Community Service Center in Sylva.

• A family-friendly performance by comedian Glenn Singer – “El Gleno Grande” – is set for 5 p.m. on March 28 at the Strand in Waynesville. Tickets: $12 adults/$6 for children 12 and under. www.38main.com or 283.0079

NIGHTLIFE • Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have a jazz night March 5 and March 12 at 8 p.m. www.innovationbrewing.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will have Craig Summers & Lee Kram March 5 and March 12 at 6 p.m.

Free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Cullowhee) will have DJ Lazar at 10 p.m. on March 5.

March 4-10, 2015

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night on March 4 and March 11, begins at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Tuck’s Tap & Grille (Cullowhee) will have the Travers Brothership (Americana) at 10 p.m. on March 6.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Joshua Dean (singer-songwriter) at 9 p.m. on March 6. Free.

• Through the Hills will perform at 7 p.m. on March 6 at Bearwaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. No cover charge. bwbrewing.com or 246.0602.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub (Franklin) will have The Old Hippie Band at 8 p.m. on March 6. Free. www.rathskellerfranklin.com or 828.369.6796.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grille (Waynesville) will have Ashli Rose (singer-songwriter) at 9:30 p.m. on March 6.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have Carolina Cud Chewers (Americana/old-time string) at 9 p.m. on March 6. Free. 586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Sheila Gordon (blues, jazz, gospel, popular music) plays at 7 p.m. on March 6 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grille (Waynesville) will have Carolina Cud Chewers (Americana/old-time string) at 9:30 p.m. on March 7.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have Red Neck Romancer at 9 p.m. on March 7. Free. 586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

41

wnc calendar

• An indoor Flea Market will be held from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on March 7 at the Haywood County Fairgrounds. haywoodcountyfairgrounds.org or 400.1704. Future flea market dates are: April 4, May 2, June 6, July 11, Aug. 1, Sept 5, Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 12.

• The Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild will have its March meeting at 9:30 a.m. on March 9 in Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Waynesville. Anyone is welcome. The 2015 slate of officers will be elected and the March meeting’s focus will be on fabric design and manufacturers.

524.4530.

• A three-part REAL Professional Craft Artists Series will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesdays, from March 10-24 in Creative Arts Building Room 7105 A&B at Haywood Community college in Clyde. Speaker in Tonya Snider.

• “Making an Easter Basket – Bring Easter Cards for Shut-ins” will be the topic of a lunch and learn through the Jackson County Extension and Community Association group on Thursday, March 12, in the Conference Room of the Community Service Center in Sylva. $5.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • An exhibition featuring a selection of portraits created by Russion-born artist Bora will be on display through March 6 at Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum. fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or call 227.3591.

• An education gallery featuring the work of Paul Farmer, a Western Carolina University Master of Fine Arts candidate, is on display through March 7 at the Bascom in Highlands. Free. 526.4949.

March 4-10, 2015

• The WHEE FRESH Western Carolina University MFA art exhibit will be on display March 6-14 at the Grove Arcade in Asheville.

• A “Trashion Show” featuring clothing and accessories made of recyclable material will be held at 4 p.m. on March 14 at the Jackson County Arts Council.

Show will also include a Couture collection donated from local business. The public is invited; suggested contributions are $20 for adults and $10 for students.

A reception at intermission will be hosted by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. For info, visit www.jacksoncountyarts.org, call 507.9820 or write info@jacksoncountyarts.org.

• Photographer Dawn Roe will speak from 2 to 3:30 p.m. March 17, in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University. www.dawnroe.com or www.wdu.edu.

Smoky Mountain News

• Western Carolina University will celebrate the artwork of local students with the 2015 Jackson County Youth Art Month exhibit from March 1 through March 23, in WCU’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. A reception will be held from 1-3 p.m. March

22 to announce this year’s winners. Free. Lobby is open from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Info: 227.3598 or etapley@wcu.edu.

•An exhibition of paintings entitled “Tracking time” by Anna Jensen of Asheville and Karen Ann Myers of Charleston, S.C., is on display at Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum in Cullowhee through March 27. www.fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or 227.3591.

• “Ends of the Earth,” a photographic display of images taken in Antarctica by Martyn Lucas, is on display through March 29 at the Bascom in Highlands. A reception and artist talk will be held from 5-7 p.m. on March 21. Free. www.thebascome.org or 526.4949.

FILM & SCREEN • The drama “Whiplash” will be screened through March 5 at the Highlands Playhouse. Showtimes are at 2, 5 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $9. 526.2695 or www.highlandsplayhouse.org.

• Oscar winner for best show, “Birdman”, rated R, will be screened Friday through Sunday, March 6-8; Tuesday and Wednesday, March 10-11; and Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. For showtimes, visit www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.

• A classic movie will be shown at 2 p.m. every Friday in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room.

524.3600 or www.fontanalib.org/franklin.

•Registration for Greening Up the Mountains 5K Run & Walk begins March 9. The event is April 25. Register at www.imathlete.com or at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. $15 includes a short sleeve shirt. Info: 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org.

• Brad Daniel, a professional fly fishing guide, will discuss the proper way to handle and release fish at 6:30 p.m. on March 10 at Rendezvous Restaurant and Lounge in Maggie Valley. tucataloochee427@gmail.com.

• An opportunity to ski Beech Mountain on March 14 is being offered by the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. Register by March 11. Leave at 6 a.m.; return at 9 p.m. Info: 293.3053, recjacksonnc.org.

• A public information meeting in response to public concerns about proposed legislation related to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and its possible impacts on landowner rights will be held from 7-9 p.m. on March 12 at the Clay County Courthouse in Hayesville. For information, contact Silas Brown at 389.6305.

• The Jackson County Genealogical Society will host a program “William Sylva (Selvey?), Where did we get our name?” from 7-9 p.m. on March 12 in the Community Room of the Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva. 631.2646.

• A movie will be shown at 2 and 6 p.m. on Thursdays in the meeting room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. For movie title call: 524.3600.

• A meeting to discuss environmental threats and other topics related to the overall health of WNC’s national forests will be held at 10 a.m. on March 13 at Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Asheville. For more information on the French Broad River Garden Club Foundation: visit www.FBRGCF.org. For directions, visit www.trinityasheville.org.

Outdoors

• The public is invited to join PARI astronomers for an observing session of the spring night sky at 7 p.m.

March 13 at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in Rosman. The evening’s activities will include a tour of the PARI campus and celestial observations using PARI’s optical or radio telescopes.

Reservations required by 3 p.m. on event date. $20 per adult; $15 for seniors/military; $10 for children under 14. Register at www.pari.edu or 862.5554. For more info, contact Christi Whitworth at cwhitworth@pari.edu.

• A public open house for welcoming new Great Smoky Mountains National Park superintendent Cassius Cash has been rescheduled for 4-6 p.m. on March 5 at the Oconaluftee Administration Building near Cherokee.

• The Macon County Beekeepers Association will meet at 7 p.m. on March 5 at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Road. Public Invited.

• Trout fans are invited to help the Trout Unlimited Cataloochee chapter stock the West Fork of the Pigeon River, 10 a.m. March 5. Volunteers can bring a fivegallon bucket and trash bags; waders recommended.

The group will meet at a parking lot past Lake Logan and before Sunburst Campground off of N.C. 215.

• A tree phenology monitoring training will be held by Great Smoky Mountain National Park rangers from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on March 7 at the Oconaluftee

• Hiker and outdoor gear designer Judy Gross will give a presentation from her hike of the Colorado Trail at 7 p.m. on March 13 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. For information, contact Olga Pader at olgapader@frontier.com or Mary Bennett at 369.0421.

Volunteer opportunities are open to anyone from 11th grade and up. RSVP required: staff@eqilab.org or 333.0392.

• An opportunity to join volunteers in removing invasive species from the East Street Park will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on March 14 in Waynesville.

• The inaugural Fontana Classic Bass Tournament will be held from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on March 14-15 on Fontana Lake at the Fontana Village Marina. All proceeds go to the Daniel Boone Council to support local programs for local Boy Scout troops. Registration: $150 per boat before March 6 or $175 up to tournament start. Participants have shot at 2014 F150 from Andy Shaw Ford if they catch state-record smallmouth bass. Register or get more info at www.2015fontanaclassic.kintera.org or 254.6189.

• A public information meeting in response to public concerns about proposed legislation related to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and its possible impacts on landowner rights will be held from 7-9 p.m. on March 16 at the Swain County Technology and Training Center in Bryson City. Contact Dee Decker at 488.3848 or dee_decker@ncsu.edu.

• The Swain Clean & Green, a pizza social, will be held at 6 p.m. on March 17 at the Swain Senior Center.

• The Discover Life in America Conference will be held March 19-21 in Gatlinburg at the Park Vista. The theme “Every Living Thing” will include presentations on snails and sponges, field trips in botany, birds and geology and educator-oriented workshops. www.dlia.org • The Southeastern Recreation Research Conference will be held March 22-24 in Asheville, giving parks and recreation researchers and managers a chance to hear the latest research in outdoor-based leisure, recreation and tourism. www.serrconference.org • Western Carolina University’s fifth annual Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K will be held on Saturday, March 28. Fees are $60 for half marathon and $25 for the 5K. Info: http://halfmarathon.wcu.edu or valleyofthelilies@wcu. edu.

• A 5K Open Water Swim is set for July 12 at Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee, Ga. Register before early season pricing changes on April 1. Special prices for groups or teams of 20 or more. Register at active.com.

Info: 389.6982.

• Smoky Mountain Overnight Relay will be held on April 17-18. Registration is open through April 10.

Teams comprised of six or 12 runners cover 212 miles of trails and country roads. 545.8156 or gavin.young@noc.com

• Training for basic stream ecology, macro-invertebrate identification and field sampling will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on March 14 at UNC Asheville.

282-223

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92

$

20’x20’

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828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828 42

Administration building in Cherokee. After training, volunteers will be assigned to a phenology plot for which they will college data multiple times throughout the growing season. Contact Dana Soehn (865.436.1207 or dana_soehn@nps.gov).

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

Puzzles can be found on page 46.

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44

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Monthly Bonuses! Stop-Off, Layover, Detention, Short-Haul Pay! 877.704.3773 FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following position: Network Administrator. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office. Phone: 910.678.8378. Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu. CRC Preferred Employer. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

LOCAL CLOTHING GIFT & ACCESSORY BOUTIQUE Seeking an experienced retail sales associate with customer service background. Must work during Holidays, enjoy helping others while building relationships, have extensive retail exp., be self-motivated and have knowledge of apparel & trend landscape. Opportunities for growth based on performance.

Serious & Long Term Candidates Need Only Apply! Email Resume & Contact Info to: HBoutiqueHR@gmail.com MAD BATTER IN DOWNTOWN SYLVA Is hiring for a full time Night Kitchen Manager. Pay based upon exp.

Please call or come by Tues. - Fri., between 2 - 4pm. 828.586.3555.

MONEY FOR SCHOOL Potentially get full tuition & great career with U.S. Navy. Paid training, medical/dental, vacation. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419

KEN WILSON FORD SALESPEOPLE NEEDED GREAT Product • GREAT Place to Work!

If you have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE, NEAT APPEARANCE AND DESIRE to become the very BEST, we offer you the career of a lifetime!

NEED MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES! Doctors & Hospitals need Medical Office Staff! No Experienced Needed! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Reports millions of new jobs in fields that require less than two years of education. Train in just a few months for a rewarding new career in an in-demand field! Visit CareerStep.com/newcareer or call 1.866.553.8735 today.

SAPA WELDING CAREERS Hands on training for career opportunities in aviation, automotive, manufacturing and more. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call AIM 877.206.4006.

LAWN AND GARDEN HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com SAWMILLS FROM ONLY $4397.00Make & Save Money with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com.

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648-2313 1-800-532-4631 I-40 AT EXIT 31 CANTON

Pet Adoption NATE, MITCH, AND TULLY Three, male siblings. They are Lab mixes (2 black, one black and white.) They are 12 weeks old and weigh from 14-17 lbs.

They are up-to-date with shots and are neutered. These pups are happy, healthy, and full of life. Call 828.508.1301.

PEBBLES A 4 month old, female, grey and white Chihuahua. She might be purebred, but we don’t have any papers. She weighs just 7 lbs., is up-to-date with shots, and is spayed. Due to her age, she is not fully housebroken. She has special pricing. Call 828.293.5629.

BARNUM A purebred, 3 year old, male, 28 lb. Beagle. He is sweet, good on a leash, and a good watch dog.

He is used to being in a household with other dogs. Call 586.5186.

JULIE A 2 year-old, female Pit Bull.

She is spayed, up-to-date with

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!

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11 - 5 pm or by Apt. 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

shots. weighs about 45 lbs., and is housebroken. She had a accident which required removal of her left hind leg. She was abandoned by her owners who left her with the vet who did the surgery. She loves to play at her foster home with another dog there who looks just like her.

She handles her condition beautifully. Call 828.788.3056

BANDIT An adolescent, neutered, black cat. He tries to answer the telephone. He is litter box trained. Call 877.273.5262.

ARF’S NEXT LOW-COST Dog and cat spay/neuter trip is March 23, 2015. Register in advance at ARF’s adoption site in Sylva 1-3 on Saturdays.

Spaces are limited, so don’t wait until the last minute to register. You should not bring your animal to registration. Do bring income documentation if you wish to apply for free or other low-income discounts. For more information, call 877.273.5262.

ARF (HUMANE SOCIETY OF JACKSON COUNTY) Holds rescued pet adoptions Saturdays from 1:00 - 3:00 (weather permitting) at 50 Railroad Avenue in Sylva. Animals are spayed/neutered and current on shots.

Most cats $60, most dogs $70.

Preview available pets at www.a-r-f.org, or call foster home.

SMITTY Domestic Shorthair cat – orange tabby & white. I am about 2 years old, and I’m a very handsome boy with big round eyes. I’m laidback and affectionate, and would love to curl up in your lap. I get along fine with other cats. Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at: adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

treatment for heartworms, but am ready to go to my forever home anytime. I get along well with other dogs of all sizes, but should go to a home with cats (I like to chase them). Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at: adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

BROOKLYN SPIKE -

Call Bill Gourley or Riley Vernon at 828-648-2313 for an appointment.

T003-1794834

WNC MarketPlace

EMPLOYMENT

Retriever Mix dog – blonde/golden. I am about 3 years old, and I’m a loving boy who will follow you all over the house and curl up at your feet when you sit down. I also love to play outside, and pull the stuffing out of my soft toys.

Right now I am finishing up

Pit Bull Terrier Mix dog – black & white. I am about 2 years old, and I’m a cute girl looking for a forever home. I like car rides, already know “sit”, and I behave well in a fenced area. I do not get along with other dogs very well though. Adoption fees vary; if you’re interested in me, please contact Pam at: adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

ASHEVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY 828.761.2001, 14 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC 28806 We’re located behind Deal Motorcars, off Brevard & Pond Rd.

FINANCIAL

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FURNITURE COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

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67 ACRES CULLOWHEE Borders USFS, Includes 2/BR 2/BA 1,600 sq. ft. House & 480 sq. ft. Workshop. $399,000. www.918gapbranch.blogspot.com For More Details, or Call 828.586.0165 DEEP WATER ICW HOME AUCTION: Cape Carteret NC Canal-Dock Bulkhead Pool. WILL SELL > $399K! MAR 14. Mike Harper 843.729.4996 (NCAL8286). www.HarperAuctionAndRealty.com for details.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination� Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on an equal opportunity basis.

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

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Mike Stamey

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Ron Breese Broker/Owner 2177 Russ Ave. Waynesville, NC 28786 Cell: 828.400.9029 ron@ronbreese.com

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March 4-10, 2015

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

LEASE TO OWN

VACATION RENTALS

WNC MarketPlace

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

Each office independently owned & operated.

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March 4-10, 2015

WNC MarketPlace

Super

46

CROSSWORD

SUPER CROSSWORD APRIL DILEMMA ACROSS 1 Lump 5 Showed sorrow 9 Anthony of “Boston Public” 14 Jambalaya ingredient 19 Hammett hound 20 Where to find an onager 21 Songwriter Greenwich 22 Spine-tingling 23 Fertile soil 24 Tumble 25 Java joints 26 - -garde 27 Start of a remark 31 Herriot title start 32 Vigoda or Saperstein 33 Slippery character?

34 Brit. fliers 37 Singer Manchester 41 Celt 44 Faucet 47 94 Across highlight 49 Pants part 50 “The Jungle Book” boy 52 Cask 54 Part 2 of remark 57 “Love - the Ruins” (‘75 film) 58 Neon 60 Cap or dolman 61 Bookstore section 62 Bog 63 Precambrian 65 In honor of 66 Snick and -

68 - above (somewhat 4 Mead’s milieu superior) 5 Breakfast treat 69 Part 3 of remark 6 Morales of “NYPD 75 Baseball family Blue” name 7 Disagreeable sort 76 Antitoxins 8 Hard to believe 77 Mouth piece?

9 Priam’s wife 78 Long or Peeples 10 Cheer 79 Solidarity leader 11 - Romeo 81 Forger’s need 12 Mortgage, for one 83 Cultural 13 Actor Arnaz 88 Wear away 14 Serenity 89 Carthaginian 15 Disgust 90 Part 4 of remark 16 Composer 93 Comic Rickles Khachaturian 94 Bizet opera 17 Deep red 96 Nasty 18 Volleyball divider 97 “How sweet -!”

28 City on the Danube 98 Cpl.’s superior 29 Kind of kiln 100 Type of fuel 30 Fenwick or Carter 101 Porgy and bass 34 Snitches 104 Fast flier 35 Inland sea 105 He gives a hoot 36 Prix 107 Cooke or Donaldson 38 Baton Rouge coll.

108 Male swan 39 Cloth finish 110 End of remark 40 - Mateo, CA 121 Biblical city 41 Errs 122 “That’s -” (‘54 tune) 42 It darkens your 123 Actress Thompson doorway 124 Gymnast Korbut 43 Bird-to-be 125 “West Side Story” 45 Join role 46 Follow 126 Porsche propeller 48 “- you for real?”

127 Tel 50 2001, to Tiberius 128 Crucifix 51 Skater Midori 129 Texas’ state tree 53 Publisher Conde 130 Marvell marvels 55 At any time 131 Coty or Clair 56 Brewer or Wright 132 Dweeb 57 Orlon, for instance 59 Part of Q.E.D. DOWN 61 Tofu base 1 French Sudan, 62 Occupation today 64 Sail through 2 From 65 Cozy cloth 3 Command to Fido 67 Tons of time

69 Mild cigars 70 Fermented tea 71 Deplored 72 Shock 73 Word with baby or snake 74 Inauguration Day event 75 Filled with wonder 80 Instant, for short 82 Coq au 84 - polloi 85 ‘87 Streisand film 86 Egyptian deity 87 “- la vie” 89 Supportive of 90 Princess bruiser 91 Klutz 92 Plastic - Band 95 Bill of Rights grp.

96 Interoffice communique 99 Honda competitor 101 Wimsey’s creator 102 From C to shining C? 103 TV’s “Scooby- -” 106 ‘81 John Lennon hit 107 Senator Thurmond 109 Borg of tennis 110 Actress Skye 111 Bank’s backup org.

112 Clammy 113 “Typee” sequel 114 A bit of Beethoven 115 Weekend warriors: abbr.

116 Donated 117 Frigga’s fellow 118 South African plant 119 Sikorsky or Stravinsky 120 Diane of “Chinatown” 121 Weaken

answers on page 42

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WEEKLY SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Answers on Page 42

The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

A Golden secret

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Golden eagle at bait-site on Purchase Knob. Donted photo Carolina from Cherokee to Surry and as far south as Rutherford. And she notes that telemetry units (N.C. has outfitted four birds with GPS units) have provided another layer of information regarding the habits and movements of golden eagles across WNC during the winter. She noted that unlike the “open-spaces” birds of the west, eastern golden eagles appear to like remote forested areas along ridge tops. “We often find them perched in trees just below ridgetops, perhaps hunting from these locations,” Kelly said.

Paul Super, the science coordinator for the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, told

me that the Park Service knew of the research and because the Park Service and the Appalachian Highlands Learning Center like to work with regional researchers, “… we created a ‘camera site’ at Purchase Knob.”

Super said that the site, which was set up around the second week in January, seemed to primarily be feeding coyotes and neighborhood hunting dogs until Feb. 15 when a mature golden eagle showed up.

This research is in its infancy and I hope to be able to report on it as it grows and its data is examined. In the meantime, it proves that even in the wintertime it’s important to remember to look up!

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)

Smoky Mountain News

newsdesk crafts

T

March 4-10, 2015

here is one winter visitor to our North Carolina Mountains that is probably happy the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed and is not burgeoning with sightseers and thrill-seekers like it is the rest of the year.

That visitor would be Aquila chrysaetos canadensis, the North American golden eagle. There is certainly a mystique about this bird, North America’s largest raptor. It is fairly common out West and is thought of as a bird of wide-open areas. But there is a small – 3,000 to 5,000 – population of golden eagles that breed in northeastern Quebec and migrate throughout the Appalachians.

This bird, from preliminary research, appears to be a forest dweller that eschews human contact.

Chris Kelley, Mountain Diversity biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, has been a part of a team studying golden eagles in North Carolina since 2011.

“We began testing the waters in 2011 and really got up and running in 2013,” Kelly said. The umbrella Kelly (NCWRC) and partners are working under is the Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group – described on their website (www.egewg.org) as, “… a collaboration of biologists and wildlife managers from the U.S. and Canada dedicated to developing a more complete understanding of golden eagle life history and ecology throughout eastern North America.”

This collaboration that includes at least 20 institutions from the U.S. and Canada was awarded Wings Across the America’s 2013 Research and Management Partnership Award and is headed by Todd Katzner, research biologist at West Virginia University.

This is such a wonderful project on so many levels: The collaboration of so many researchers shows as Michaels Rains, director of the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station notes, “We all accomplish more when we join forces.” And the impetus

for this research shows how thoughtful scientists and resource managers are trying to cope with today’s realities. According to Katzner, “The goal of this project is to develop high-resolution spatial maps showing migration corridors of and habitat use by eastern golden eagles in regions of high potential for wind development. These maps can then be used to guide safer development of wind energy while also protecting a suite of species similar to golden eagles.”

Resource managers are quickly thrown under the bus by “clean energy” proponents if they dare speak about environmental consequences of alternative energy methods and/or mechanics, and by “conservation/environmental” groups if they are perceived to be advocating in favor of methodologies that may have environmental impacts.

The reality is that fossil fuel dependence is expensive, unclean and ultimately unsustainable and the transition to “clean” energy is not without its own set of environmental consequences. The Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group and collaborations like them across the country are to be commended for their efforts to get ahead of the curve.

It’s exciting here at home, too. Just like “Discover Life in America” is showing us how little we actually know about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this golden eagle study is showing how little we know about this magnificent winter visitor. Kelly notes that one site in Mitchell County recorded more than a dozen different birds.

The study relies primarily on action-motivated trail cameras set up in proximity to bait (carcasses, mainly road-killed deer, but hogs in the case of Purchase Knob) plus researchers in blinds and sometimes cannon nets are employed to capture birds and outfit them with GPS units that will track them across their winter habitat and follow them to their breeding grounds in Canada.

Kelly noted that birds (since the inception of the study) have been recorded from 14 counties across the mountains of North

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A fundraiser to promote Colon Cancer Awareness presented by Franklin High School FBLA

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