Smoky Mountain News | April 3, 2024

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Western North Carolina’s Source for Weekly News, Entertainment, Arts, and Outdoor Information

April 3-9, 2024 Vol. 25 Iss. 45

Farm Bureau sounds alarm on disappearing ag land Page 9 New storyteller series focuses on conversations Page 22

CONTENTS STAFF

On the Cover: In light of a recent ruling that seems like it would eliminate real estate agents’ commissions, there’s been a lot of speculation and even misinformation about the potential fallout. The Smoky Mountain News spoke with a host of regional experts to see what the ruling will actually mean to home buyers and sellers, as well as real estate agents, in Western North Carolina. (Page 6)

News JCPS reconsiders partnership with Catamount School ........................................4 Waynesville grants golf club development request....................................................7 Farm Bureau sounds the alarm on disappearing agricultural land........................9 Women’s History Trail names seventh ‘Macon Matriarch’ ....................................10 Canton realigns staff to focus on recovery from flood, mill closure ..................12 Funds allocated to address foster care needs ........................................................14 Macon students speak up about coming NCHSAA changes ............................15 JCPS school board signs suicide screener resolution ..........................................16 WCU Global Black Studies program shines ............................................................17

Opinion Are the ‘deniers’ practicing better science?..............................................................20 Enjoying the Madness ....................................................................................................21

A&E New Pigeon Center storyteller series focuses on conversations ......................22 Hendrix tribute to rock Boojum......................................................................................24

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Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Jack Snyder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jack.s@smokymountainnews.com Tyler Auffhammer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tyler.a@mtnsouthmedia.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . amanda.b@smokymountainnews.com Maddie Woodard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . maddie.w@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Kyle Perrotti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kyle.p@smokymountainnews.com Hannah McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hannah@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Jamie Cogdill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing), Adam Bigelow (writing), Thomas Crowe (writing)

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

Outdoors A conversation with WNC coach, athlete Kevin Fitzgerald..................................30 Notes From a Plant Nerd: Hope for the Hemlocks................................................34

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‘Busting at the seams’

Smoky Mountain News

April 3-9, 2024

JCPS reconsiders partnership with Catamount School

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BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER The memorandum of understanding between Jackson County Public Schools and the Catamount School is up for annual review, and this year, JCPS is reconsidering the agreement that permits the Catamount School to operate on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School, where it occupies valuable classroom space in a system that needs all the room it can get.

“One of the things that we need is space,” said Superintendent Dana Ayers. “We need classroom space.”

The Catamount School is a laboratory school operating on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School.

In 2016, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a law that required the University of North Carolina Board of Governors to establish eight lab schools aimed at improving student performance in low-performing schools.

The UNC system selected universities to utilize their colleges of education to establish and operate these lab schools.

The Catamount School in Jackson County is run by Western Carolina University’s College of Education.

The lab school opened in 2017 and since that time, the Jackson County Board of Education has not received an update on the school. With the memorandum of understanding between JCPS and the Catamount School up for its annual renewal, Superintendent Dana Ayers took an opportunity to give a report to the board during its March 19 meeting.

Although the lab school operates on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School, it is an entirely separate school system.

According to the legislation, “the mission of a laboratory school shall be to improve student performance in local school administration units with low performing schools by providing an enhanced education program for students residing in those units and to provide exposure and training for teachers and principals to successfully address challenges existing in high needs school settings.”

Just because Western Carolina University is located in Jackson County, it did not have to choose to operate in the county.

“They could choose any school system in the area that

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they wanted to that had low-performing schools,” said Ayers in her report to the board. “We do have low performing schools and continue to have low-performing schools in Jackson County.”

While testing data for the 2022-23 school year showed eight out of nine schools in the county met or exceeded expected academic growth for the second year in a row, JCPS had four low-performing schools — Blue Ridge Early College, Cullowhee Valley School, Scotts Creek Elementary and Smokey Mountain Elementary.

According to the legislation, students are eligible for admission to lab schools if a student resides in a local school administrative unit in which a lab school is located and meets at least one of the following criteria — they are assigned to a low-performing schools, the student did not meet expected growth in the prior school year based on one or more indicators, the student is a sibling of a child who is eligible under the first two criteria or the student is the child of a lab school employee.

“When you look at those requirements, we have many JCPS students who would be eligible for that,” said Ayers.

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and feed students and it is easier to accommodate when we’re right there on the same campus,” said Ayers.

Since 2017, JCPS has paid more than $400,000 to the Catamount School.

The Catamount School occupies five classrooms and three offices at Smoky Mountain High School and shares gym, lab and cafeteria space.

This comes as the high school is in need of more classroom space. The school system has been in talks with Southwestern Community College to get more in-person instruction at Smoky Mountain High School and Blue Ridge School for the college and

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“I would like to point out the purpose of the Catamount School is to serve students that are not making academic progress and growth.”

—Superintendent Dana Ayers

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career readiness program. These classes are open to all juniors and seniors on their home campus, as opposed to having to drive to SCC. The school is also working to get an ROTC program, which it will need space for, and it is in need of additional space for the exceptional children program to provide specially designed instruction.

“We’re busting at the seams,” said Ayers, “with being able to expand more opportunities for our high school students.”

Another challenge is the blurred line between the Catamount School and JCPS. “People in our community are not always clear that that is a completely separate school system,” said Ayers.

Students who attend the Catamount School cannot participate in extracurriculars like sports or arts offered through JCPS. Following her report, board members asked Ayers to return to the board with additional information about the application process and whether the school is admitting all applicants since it has never reached full capacity. Board members also wanted to know why students are not accepted into the Catamount School from Jackson Community School.

The MOU between the two school systems is up for renewal in June. According to the agreement, JCPS is required to give the Catamount School a 20-day due diligence period of notice if JCPS does not want the Catamount School to continue operating on its high school campus.

“However, I would not want to do that,” said Ayers. “They are our neighbors; we have a partnership, even outside of the Catamount School we have a partnership.

So, if this board decided they did not want to house [the school] on campus again, I would want to let them know by the next board meeting to give them fair time to make a decision on what they would want to do further.”

April 3-9, 2024

However, the legislation also states that if a lab school has not reached enrollment capacity in a program, class, grade level or building by March 1, prior to the start of the next school year the lab school can enroll children who reside in the local school administration unit that do not meet the other criteria.

“One of the things I wanted you to see is that they have the opportunity to fill the school with students who meet that criteria and if they don’t fill it before March 1, they can take other students who don’t meet that criteria,” said Ayers.

The Catamount School does not open its application process until March 1, thus allowing the school to accept students without adhering to the criteria set out in the legislation.

Total capacity for the school is 75, with no more than 25 students accepted annually for each grade six through eight. The school has consistently had between 50-60 students since it opened, and currently has 57 students. Of those, 23% are EC (exceptional children) students and 28% are AIG (academically intellectually gifted) students.

“I would like to point out the purpose of the Catamount School is to serve students that are not making academic progress and growth,” said Ayers. “And it seems that their gifted population is increasing.”

As of 2021, the Catamount School had 10 full-time staff in addition to two consultants connected with the university. Of those staff, six are former JCPS employees.

“Unfortunately, we lose good quality people to go to the Catamount School,” said Ayers.

While there are only between 50-60 students at the Catamount School in any given year, JCPS has lost 171 students to the Catamount School over the years and gained back 96 of those.

Of the 171 students, 55 have transferred from Cullowhee Valley School, 56 transferred from Fairview School, which has never been a low-performing school, 38 have transferred from Scotts Creek to go to the lab school and 17 have gone from Smoky Mountain Elementary.

“They do typically come back to us in high school, but we lose them and their ADM in their middle grades years,” said Ayers.

ADM, or Average Daily Membership, is how the state determines funding levels for public schools in North Carolina. Schools are funded on a per-pupil basis depending on their Average Daily Membership.

Like charter schools, when a student opts to go to the Catamount School instead of Jackson County Public Schools, the money allotted them by the state follows them.

Jackson County Public Schools must pay the Catamount School for every student that chooses to attend.

However, while a typical charter school would get the entire per-pupil allotment from the public school system in which it operates, Jackson County Schools retains 30% of the allotment for students attending the Catamount School because JCPS is required to provide transportation and student nutrition for the school.

“We do have an obligation to transport

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news April 3-9, 2024

Settling for less

The NAR settlement may change the way homes are bought and sold in the United States, but not much. Stock photo

Plenty of questions remain over local, national impact of realtor settlement

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR recent multimillion-dollar court settlement involving realtor commissions has left many unanswered questions in the real estate industry, especially when it comes to who will benefit and who will be disadvantaged. Those answers will indeed come in time, but for now, at least one thing is clear — and those who say the settlement is key to ending the affordable housing crisis in the United States aren’t going to be happy.

“I think that’s an urban myth,” said Anne Marie DeCatsye, CEO of Canopy Realtors Association. “I can’t believe people are actually saying that.”

The National Association of Realtors has been embroiled in a number of lawsuits over broker compensation; however, the most recent action has its roots in a 2019 anti-trust lawsuit, Moehrl v. The National Association of Realtors, alleging an anticompetitive agreement had resulted in home sellers paying inflated commissions. But last fall, a jury decided in another case, Burnett et al v. National Association of Realtors et al., that the National Association of Realtors had conspired and colluded with several large real estate brokerages to raise, inflate or stabilize commissions. The NAR is one of the largest trade associations in the country, with more than 1 million members.

Plaintiffs, all home sellers in the Kansas City, Missouri, area, 6 signed listing agreements with realtors, agreed to pay a commis-

Smoky Mountain News

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sion on their sales and acknowledged part of the commission could be shared with a buyer’s agent due to cooperative compensation rules on how buyers agents would be paid.

These rules are usually established by a local or regional Multiple Listing Service, a comprehensive database of real estate listings; the rules MLS users, called subscribers, adhere to are meant to emphasize collaboration between real estate professionals in facilitating successful sales and to outline compensation paid by the seller to the listing agent as well as to the buyer’s agent.

The listing agent, in addition to earning their own commission, usually includes the commission rate for buyer’s agents in the MLS system. All commissions are negotiable; however, if a homeowner or a listing agent were to offer a lower-than-average commission to a buyer’s agent, the thought is that buyer’s agents would steer buyers away from those properties, because the buyer’s agent would earn less on that sale. Absent these rules, plaintiffs argued, sellers would have paid less in commissions; however, sellers actually figure those commissions into the sale price, passing them onto buyers so that sellers can net what they need to make the deal happen.

The NAR contended that the existing commission structure made the market more competitive and provided value to both buyers and sellers. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri rejected those arguments, noting that commission rates of 5% to 6% had remained unusually steady for a long period of time, suggesting a lack of competition.

The jury found that the NAR, along with HomeServices of America, Keller Williams Realty, RE/MAX and Anywhere Real Estate (parent company of Century 21, Coldwell Banker Real Estate and Sotheby’s International Realty) had violated the

Sherman Anti-Trust Act and owed the class-action defendants nearly $1.8 billion in damages.

Anywhere Real Estate and RE/MAX settled, but HomeServices of America and the NAR vowed to appeal.

HomeServices continues to fight on, but the NAR came to a $418 million settlement agreement with plaintiffs on March 15 rather than potentially face a much higher judgment.

DeCatsye has been CEO of the Canopy Realtor Association since 2001. Canopy is the 17th largest Multiple Listing Service in the country with more than 22,000 subscribers. In 2023, transaction volume for the entire 26-county Canopy MLS service area was $24.9 billion, including $4.95 billion in the 13county Asheville region. She also has prior experience on the National Association of Realtors’ board of directors, currently serves on the legal action committee and feels the NAR was right on the facts — and right on the law — but that the cost of defending the suit was becoming too much to bear.

“The lawsuits were kind of frustrating, because I think we all feel that the way the MLS system works has been to the benefit of the consumer,” she said. “The rules that the plaintiffs’ attorneys were alleging were somehow a violation of antitrust law are actually very pro-consumer, and it was completely being distorted.”

Her opinion on who the settlement actually benefits is clear.

“I keep thinking the winners are going to be the plaintiffs’ attorneys,” DeCatsye said.

The NAR did not admit wrongdoing as a condition of the settlement, which is still subject to court approval and will release the NAR and its members, along with most realtor associations and their MLS systems, from liability.

But the settlement is about more than the millions in damages the NAR will likely pay over the next four years.

New rules will change how business is transacted and also could affect everything from home prices to the number of realtors working in the industry. For one, buyer’s agents’ commissions can no longer be listed on the MLS. Buyer’s agents and listing agents could work something out, but absent that, home buyers will have to be very clear with their agents as to what they can expect to be paid, and by whom.

DeCatsye has further concerns over unintended consequences for an industry that is currently responsible for as much as 18% of GDP — the total value of all goods and services produced in the country.

Tom Mallette shares those concerns.

“One thing that this proposed settlement is going to do is, it’s discriminating against first-time homebuyers, it’s discriminating against minority buyers and it’s discriminating against veteran buyers,” he said.

Mallette has been in the real estate industry for 20 years, the last 17 as owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Maggie Valley. Around 20 agents work across Western North Carolina as independent contractors out of his BHGRE office, which in 2023 did 265 transactions with a combined volume of about $71 million.

According to Mallette, since first-time homebuyers sometimes have to save for years to come up with a down payment and the funds to close on their loan, complete inspections and pay all the other fees associated with buying a home, adding another fee to pay their buyer’s agent isn’t helpful.

Military veterans who qualify for home loans through the VA are not permitted to roll their buyer’s agent payments into their loans, so they too will have to pay out-of-pocket for the service, if they want it.

“We already have an affordability issue in housing,” he said.

“And if you take another 2% to 3% on top of that, it’s going to shut a lot of buyers out of the marketplace. There’s a lot of things that are coming out of this that [suggest] there was not a lot of thought on a very high governmental level. ”Nationally, buyers will need to sign agency agreements with their buyer’s agents, but as one of only 13 states that already uses them, North Carolina is ahead of the game.

“We’re going to be doing business the way we’ve probably pretty much always done it,” Mallette said. “A couple of things will change. We

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won’t necessarily know what our compensation is so we’ll have to research that and figure out what that’s going to be in those buyer agency agreements.”

That said, sensational headlines speculating on a mass exodus of agents from the industry are probably just that — sensational.

While listing agent commissions remain negotiable and aren’t in jeopardy from the settlement, buyer’s agent commissions aren’t likely to change much either. It’s a service for which those who utilize it must pay. Those agents, in turn, bear the overhead of remaining licensed and subscribing to an MLS, among other things. Plus, listing agents value the buyers those buyer’s agents bring. However, like in any other industry, those agents hovering on the fringes of profitability will likely find some other way to put food on their table.

“Realtors will get much better at their craft, as far as explaining the especially buyer’s agency, and the value that we provide to the transaction,” Mallette said. “Those who don’t adapt will get out. Nobody likes change, and those who really don’t like it will just avoid it, and they’ll just get out of the business.”

There’s also been a series of mainstream media stories with more sensational headlines suggesting a windfall for buyers and sellers, including a CNN story that proclaimed the 6% “standard” commission is “no more” — doubly

wrong, likely based on the hope that the NAR settlement will have a massive, instant and positive effect on the national affordable housing crisis.

“I would argue commissions have nothing to do with affordability,” Mallette said. “It’s all supply and demand.

We’re 7 million homes short in the United States right now.

Seven million. When you have a good house come on the market and you have a ton of buyers just waiting for the right house to come, we have multiple offers. That’s what’s driving up home prices, not the commission. It’s a cost of doing business, but not a driver for home prices.”

DeCatsye agrees with the supply-side causes of soaring home prices.

“Bottom line, just because this is happening, it’s not going to produce more inventory,” she said. “We’re still in an inventory shortage, and we still have high interest rates, relatively speaking. So this change in how the commission is paid is not going to affect that.”

Affordable housing advocates aren’t exactly celebrating either. Brooke Smith, assistant executive director at local social service agency Mountain Projects said that although they primarily focus on the rental end of the industry, ultimately, housing cost ends up influencing rents directly.

“When the owner of a home has to pay more for a house, their mortgage is higher, so they have to pass that cost along

to somewhere, so if they’re renting their homes and the cost is passed along to the family who’s renting the home, that looks like higher rents,” Smith said. “We do see that a lot with landlords that want to come on our [section 8] program.

They say, ‘Well, I have to have this amount of money, because that’s how much my mortgage is.’”

Smith said she couldn’t forecast what, if any, effect the settlement would have on affordability.

Patsy Davis, longtime executive director of Mountain Projects, didn’t seem overly enthusiastic that the settlement alone would have an impact on housing cost in Western North Carolina.

“I’ve been following the realtor settlement,” Davis told The Smoky Mountain News. “While I’m sure this will help many when selling or purchasing a home, it’s also been my experience that realtors give back. An example is the Canopy [Housing] Foundation. They have funded multiple grant requests for our organization and I’m hopeful that their support and generosity will continue.”

Instead, Davis and other affordable housing advocates are adopting a wait-and-see attitude.

“I think it’s too early to make that determination. I guess we’re going to have to see,” she said. “Our home prices are so incredibly inflated because of our beautiful area, only time is going to tell if that’s going to help us.”

Real estate supply increasing, but so is demand

North Carolina — Buncombe, Burke, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Swain and Yancey.

Overall, sales of single-family homes, condos and townhomes rose 7.2% year-over-year and 6.3% month-over month through February. Pending contracts rose 9.3% year-over-year.

But the biggest surprise was that new listings rose to 1,973, an increase of 21.8% as compared to last February.

“Sellers throughout the region continue to react positively, bringing more supply and helping to meet rising demand,” Barnes said. “Rising supply will help home prices throughout the region continue stabilizing, and signals a healthier market for buyers, especially if new listing growth continues.”

In Buncombe County, the epicenter of Western North Carolina’s affordable housing crisis, things seem to be heading in the right direction. Inventory rose 22.3%, good for a two-month supply, compared to just 1.4 months last February. Year-over-year, median sale price ($429,895) declined by 3.3%, average sale price ($530,335) declined 8.4% and average list price ($610,657) dipped 2.9%.

Haywood County saw a 31.3% increase in inventory in February, one of the largest increases in Canopy’s 13-county western jurisdiction, but still ended up with only 2.2 months of supply.

Median sale price ($334,500) and average sale price ($379,349) declined by 4.4% and 13 percent respectively, year-over-year, however the average list price spiked 14.9% to $453,257.

New listings in Jackson County increased 35 percent year-overyear, with supply of 3.8 months. Over that same period, median sale price ($395,000) and average sale price ($564,091) rose 19.7% and 43.2% respectively, but average list price increased 32.4% to $727,274.

“The market is still complex,” said Barnes, “so buyers should enlist the assistance of a buyer’s agent and ask about down payment resources, as nearly 70% of listings in Canopy MLS qualify for down payment assistance.”

Similar supply increases were noted in other counties.

For more information on area real estate data as gathered by Canopy MLS, visit carolinahome.com/market-data/monthlyreports.

Critically low housing inventory has been steadily rising across the region since last fall and average sales prices have slipped slightly in some counties, but an uptick in pending contracts — signaling strong buyer demand — means relief from the soaring housing costs in the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area still isn’t on the immediate horizon for buyers.

“It’s good to see growth in new listings across the MSA,” said Steve Barnes, a member of the Canopy MLS Board of Directors and VP/Managing Broker with Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks Realtors in Waynesville. “But with supply nearly wiped out during the pandemic, we’re just not back to healthy levels, so our recovery is essentially from rock bottom, and we’re still a long way off from a healthy and balanced market, which has about six months of supply and favors neither buyers nor sellers.”

The Canopy Realtor Association covers territory in the Catawba Valley and the Charlotte area, as well as 13 counties in Western

New homes coming to the Waynesville Golf Club and Inn are for illustrative purposes and don’t necessarily depict the exact footprint of future development. Town of Waynesville photo

Smoky Mountain News

On March 26, Council voted unanimously to approve the planning board’s recommendation, albeit with a slew of concessions related to driveways, landscaping and side-

walks. The development will be bisected by a lane and served by a cul-de-sac at the east end.

Single family homes were already permitted within the existing zoning district, and the proposed 13 homes fall far below the maximum base density of six units per acre. Lot sizes will range from half an acre to nearly an acre.

Lot owners will be members of the golf club, although officials associated with the project didn’t say if membership would be included with the lot or if owners would be required to purchase a membership as a condition of ownership.

Another housing development proposed by Raines for the other side of the course off Longview Drive was rejected by the planning board at their March 18 meeting. A much higher density was proposed there, with 12 units on 3.5 acres.

Although Raines could have brought that development to Council to see if they’d agree with the planning board’s rejection, the public hearing was pulled from the agenda on March 27. Raines hasn’t announced plans for what will happen to that plot of land.

— Cory Vaillancourt, Politics Editor

April 3-9, 2024

aines Company can now move forward with plans to open up development for 13 custom-built single-family homes on 11 acres off Greenview Drive and adjacent to the rejuvenated Waynesville Golf Club and Inn after Waynesville Town Council concurred with a prior planning board recommendation.

Built in 1926, the course had become somewhat dated and worn, along with the 1930s-era clubhouse and other amenities. In 2021, Raines purchased the 165-acre site, which included the 27-hole course and 111 guest rooms, for $9 million. Company officials proposed $25 million in improvements, including to the course and guest rooms.

Contractors got to work quickly, and the club reopened in July 2023 with a redesigned 18-hole course and rehabbed rooms.

At the time, developers also noted the possibility of future residential expansion; three of four rental cottages have now been completed, with a concrete pad in place for the fourth.

The Waynesville Planning Board recommended a zoning map amendment and conditional district rezoning for the project on March 18 by a vote of 6 to 1.

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR he Haywood County Farm Bureau’s legislative breakfast is an annual tradition where the usual topics of conversation include crop prices, ever-escalating expenses, fuel and fertilizer costs, migrant labor policies, subsidies and what is — and isn’t — in the federal government’s current or proposed Farm Bill. But this year’s gathering, held at Lake Junaluska on April 1, took on a darker tone concerning a major issue that certainly is no joke.

“Today we’re going to talk about something special, something different,” said Don Smart, president of the Haywood County Farm Bureau. “We’ve lost a lot of farmland.

This county 40 years ago had nearly 80,000 acres of farmland. We’re down to less than 50,000.”

Although agriculture isn’t Haywood County’s largest industry, it is North Carolina’s largest industry. Nationally, a full 10.4% of all full- and part-time jobs, more than 22 million, are directly related to agriculture and the hard work of just 1.9 million farmers.

The slowly dwindling number of farms and farmers, however, presents more than just an employment catastrophe waiting to happen. Agriculture is an economic issue, a food security issue, a national security issue, and at least in Haywood County, an identity issue.

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cross the United States, there are more than 850 million acres of farmland or woodlands, and 350 million of them are considered “prime.” Last year, the state passed the $100 billion mark for agricultural products, at least $30 million of which flowed into Haywood County’s economy.

Smart said that Haywood County has already lost 80% of its prime farmland.

“We got 10,000 acres of cropland, about 20,000 acres of pastureland and the rest is timber land. What our problem is, we can’t manage it,” he said. “We waste it. You go into European countries, they don’t waste it, they don’t build houses everywhere. They don’t go out in a 20-acre field and put up a house.”

Ryan Manning, farmland preservation program coordinator with the Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation District, explained it as the price of growth in a state that’s been twice named by CNBC as the top state for business and is a perennial top-three destination for people moving to new states.

“The American Farmland Trust last year released a study saying that North Carolina was the second most at-risk state in the union for loss of farmland between now and 2040.

The prediction is, if we continue current development trends we’re looking at losing another 1.6 million acres of farmland across our state,” he said. “That’s a big number, especially when you look at our total farmland in the state somewhere around 8.5 million. Looking at losing another 1.6 million of that is quite, quite disturbing.”

While there are various conservation and easement programs that can help to preserve farmland — North Carolina has recently crossed the 36,000-acre mark — there’s still a long way to go, according to Rathbone, and easements aren’t the ultimate solution.

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Farm Bureau sounds the alarm on disappearing agricultural land

easement in the coming weeks, then another 200 acres at a cost of $750,000 and further down the line, another 400 acres.

Although he didn’t know the exact total for the county, Ferguson believes it’s fairly substantial.

“We’re touching probably 500 to 600 acres just in the past year,” he said.

All those acres mean nothing without people actually willing to farm them; Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) said that now that his grandkids live on his family land, they are the eighth generation to do so. Many schools across the region offer coursework in farming, but that’s in danger of vanishing too.

“Every year the state, federal government is trying to cut our funding for these programs,” said Jimmy Rogers, a longtime member of the Haywood School Board. “That’s allowing us not to have as much funding and to offer the kids as many opportunities as we can.”

Corbin’s neighbor, Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Macon) serves as House majority whip as well as vice-chair of the agriculture committee. A farmer himself, Gillespie lamented the

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Manning said that the state’s conservation program had a record number of applications last cycle, which was almost double the amount that they had the previous cycle.

Those 100 applications, however, would cost around $60 million, but the trust fund only has about $20 million in its budget.

“Farmland preservation, it’s about protecting the farmland itself, but you’re not going to save farmland if farmers aren’t profitable,” Rathbone said. “Looking at ways to help improve profitability in our in our state for our farmers is key.”

The General Assembly recently appropriated $10 million for each of the next two years to recruit more agricultural manufacturing and processing facilities to the state, and Rathbone says they’re looking at ways to deploy that funding.

Smart sees that as a chance to capitalize on the state’s growth.

“We’re losing land, but these people coming in here present us an opportunity to sell these rich Yankees something,” he said.

Austin Ferguson, who works in preservation with the county soil and water office, said that last September they’d closed on three easements totaling more than 175 acres at a cost of $475,000. They expect to close on another 180-acre

lack of attention paid to the state’s vanishing farmland, and also addressed comments by Terry Rogers, a farmer from Crabtree, about foreign investment in American farmland.

“China is buying up our farmland,” Rogers said. “That don’t need to be happening. They own 384,000 acres of farm and range land in this country.”

That’s less than 1% of all foreign-owned land and only 3.4% of agricultural land, but based on the preponderance of statements at the breakfast, it’s clear that every acre counts.

Gillespie helped write H463, the NC Farmland and Military Protection Act, which would prohibit adversarial foreign government acquisition of certain lands, including those within 25 miles of an American military installation.

The bill passed the House by a margin of 114-0, but still awaits its chance in the Senate.

Amid ongoing economic diversification in a post-mill Haywood County, Rathbone wants to be sure there’s never a “post-agriculture” Haywood County.

“North Carolina is changing in a lot of ways, quicker than we can keep up,” he said. “With that growth comes change and that change is inevitable in a lot of ways, but the challenge that I leave with you this morning is, we’re going to make sure we don’t lose who we are in that process.”

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“We all know the truth, which is that North Carolina is growing and changing rapidly,” Manning said. “And that growth often comes at the expense of farmland.”

If things continue as they are, Haywood County is projected to lose another 4,400 acres, or about 9% of all remaining farmland.

Since 2021, Haywood County native Kaleb Rathbone has served as an assistant commissioner to N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, overseeing agricultural programs and small farms in Western North Carolina. In speaking to the federal, state and local officials gathered at the breakfast, Rathbone said the preservation of farmland, statewide, has been Troxler’s top priority.

April 3-9, 2024

If things continue as they are, Haywood County is projected to lose another 4,400 acres, or about 9% of all remaining farmland.

Haywood County Farm Bureau President Don Smart speaks during a breakfast event at the Lambuth Inn. Cory Vaillancourt photo

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Women’s History Trail names seventh ‘Macon Matriarch’ al, national and global mission work.

BY THERESA RAMSEY The couple moved to Franklin in 1965 SPECIAL TO SMN when Harold was appointed the assistant ith the opening of the Women’s director of Macon Program for Progress.

History Trailhead at Women’s Harold started a self-housing program that History Park and the unveiling and was the forerunner of Habitat for Humanity dedication of “Sowing the Seeds of the in Macon County. In addition, Wasrstler Future” sculpture to the Town of Franklin, supported her husband in the establishment the Folk Heritage Association of Macon County/WHT continues their celebration of of the county-wide Head Start Program, and Women’s History Month by recognizing this she worked with ladies in the community as part of the Homemaker Training Program, year’s WHT Macon Matriarch, Betty also started under Harold’s tenure as Warstler.

Director of MPP. On March 27, members of the Women’s History Trail (WHT) leadership and Folk Heritage Betty Warstler, along with her husband, Herald, have Association of Macon given decades of service to Macon County. Donated photo County (FHAMC) met at Warstler’s home to present her with their annual award.

“Certificate of Appreciation in recognition for your lifelong dedication to the people of Macon County through community service,” it read. “With a heart for missions, a voice for the most vulnerable people in our society, and your many years of willingness to give selflessly to help others, you are the perfect choice for this year’s WHT Macon Matriarch Award.”

Surrounded by family and friends, Warstler shared stories of her time in Franklin, particularly mission-minded projects which were underway in her craft room. At almost 95 years old, Betty continues to work tirelessly to create items to benefit Franklin First United Methodist Church missions, especially their annual They also established Maco Crafts in Bazaar.

1969, a non-profit craft co-op aimed to proA notebook on the table logging records vide a venue for local crafters to earn a susof her work tells her story: 4,771 hot mats, tainable living. Maco Crafts Co-op allowed 91 grocery bags, 140 blessing banks, hunmembers to sell their wares, and the memdreds of children’s outfits for children in bership was under a juried invitation to Honduras and many more fabric, wood and maintain that high craft standards be stained-glass items.

Warstler and her husband, Harold, start- reflected.

Warstler’s work helping those in need ed stained-glass and woodworking groups at has come in many shapes using her varied FUMC to teach members how make items talents throughout the years. In a 2012 letter that could be sold to benefit church mission to the editor, she and her husband wrote projects. More than three decades ago, she that their service to Macon County is really shared her ideas about raising money for just a reflection of the love they see. missions to the Laura Jones UMW Circle of “One of the many things we appreciate which she was a member. Together, their about living in Macon County is that most group worked to organize the first churcheveryone seems to have a high degree of carwide yard sale which later morphed into its ing for each other,” they wrote. “You can see annual bazaar. This flagship fundraiser held and feel it when you enter a local business every July is sponsored now by the entire and find a donation jar on the counter for congregation at Franklin’s FUMC and has someone who has had an unfortunate expegrown leaps and bounds, raising more than rience.” $700,000 to provide funds for local, region-

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Canton realigns staff to focus on recovery from flood, mill closure

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR he Town of Canton, still beset with myriad issues related to both natural and human-caused disasters, took an unprecedented step by shuffling one administrator into a newly created position and promoting another — saving taxpayer money and making history at the same time.

“The position of town manager is now more important and includes more things than ever before,” said Mayor Zeb Smathers during a March 28 meeting that started with one town manager and ended with another.

“But we’re also at the same time faced with an equal task, how we basically build back the economy, maintaining who we are with the same character and values.”

After a motion passed unanimously by the town’s governing board, Town Manager Nick Scheuer was redesignated as the town’s recovery and resiliency manager. The position will be grant-funded, meaning taxpayers will no longer be responsible for his salary.

Scheuer first came to Canton in April 2018, when he was hired as the town’s assistant manager under then-Town Manager Jason Burrell. At the time, Scheuer was a transportation consultant with the North

April 3-9, 2024

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Canton Assistant Town Manager Lisa Stinnett (left) and Town Manager Nick Scheuer listen to speakers during a meeting of the Town of Canton Board of Aldermen/women moments before assuming their new roles. Cory Vaillancourt photo Carolina Department of Transportation’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Division. Burrell departed in April 2021 after he’d served four years as manager and eight as an assistant to previous town managers including Seth Hendler-Voss, prompting Scheuer’s promotion to interim manager. Around the same

time, Stinnett, then town clerk, was promoted to assistant manager. Barely three months later, Scheuer, along with the rest of town administration and its governing board, would be thrust unwittingly into a tragedy that no one saw coming.

On Aug. 17, 2021, extreme flooding on

the Pigeon River killed six people and caused millions of dollars in damages to townowned infrastructure, including its police, fire and town hall buildings — not to mention homes and businesses along the normally placid waterway running through the middle of town.

Scheuer quickly assumed a pivotal role working with local, state and federal agencies on recovery and mitigation projects, all of which remain well underway.

Less than 18 months after the flood, another tragedy — on March 6, 2023, one of the largest employers in the region, Pactiv Evergreen, announced without warning that it would soon end operations at its 115-yearold paper mill in Canton, throwing about a thousand employees out of work.

Scheuer, still dealing with flood recovery projects, again became a central figure in helping to plot the course of a post-mill Canton, where the future of the 185-acre paper mill parcel as well as its wastewater treatment plant that had treated the town’s wastewater for free for decades, is located.

Time is quickly running out on a two-year grace period during which Pactiv must continue to operate the plant at its own expense.

“Nick Scheuer helped save this town — from water, from financial ruin,” Smathers said. “He’s done it with character, he’s done it as family, he’s done it as a team player and he’s done it as our friend.”

Assistant Town Manager Lisa Stinnett, however, was right there with Scheuer all the while, taking on

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an outsized role in the town’s day-to-day operations alongside a staff stretched to its limits and working out of temporary office space ever since the flood gutted the William G. Stamey Municipal Building on Park Street.

Smathers called Stinnett, who started in the town’s recreation department 32 years ago, “not just a Canton success story but an American success story” moments before she was promoted to acting town manager. Stinnett became the first female town manager in Canton’s long history, just as women’s history month drew to a close.

The moves serve a twofold purpose: Stinnett’s promotion gives her the authority to make decisions on the town’s day-to-day operations, which in turn frees up Scheuer to focus on economic development and the massive recovery efforts ahead.

“I’m thrilled to be able to sit here and say we know exactly who can step into this role to make sure that the day-to-day is on point. And we have complete confidence.”

— Kristina Proctor, Canton alderwoman

April 3-9, 2024 Smoky Mountain News

“We are blessed in the town of Canton to have them,” Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull said.

“And we are so thankful that we’ve had this opportunity to make history and to kind of look where we are — we are still alive, still surviving, still with a future.”

Longtime Alderman Ralph Hamlett expressed confidence in Scheuer and Stinnett and took a moment to recognize the historic nature of the action.

“I think people will be delightfully amazed and probably wonder, ‘Where have the women been for so long?’”

Both Alderman Tim Shepard and Alderwoman Kristina Proctor lauded Scheuer and Stinnett, but Proctor singled out Stinnett for specific praise.

“I think this is very on-point for us to be in a position to say we believe in you and we know your leadership style. You’ve got the relationships with the people, and you’ve got the drive and understanding of the town, and you’ve got the expertise,” Proctor said.

“I’m thrilled to be able to sit here and say we know exactly who can step into this role to make sure that the day-to-day is on point.

And we have complete confidence. Thank you for being up for this task, because it’s not a small one.”

Much about the new staff classifications remains undefined or tentative including Scheuer’s exact title, the duration of Scheuer’s role and Stinnett’s promotion and what will happen to the both of them down the road.

Stinnett, along with town CFO Natalie Walker, will now lead the town through the rest of the annual budget process, culminating in the town’s first true post-mill budget, which is due by July 1.

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Funds allocated to address foster care needs

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he Jackson County Department of Social Services has faced incredible challenges over the past year associated with placing children in foster care. Now both the state and the county are providing funding to try and alleviate that problem.

“Last calendar year was tough; we spent 189 nights in our building with foster children that didn’t have a place to stay,” DSS Director Cris Weatherford said in a report to the county commission. “And that’s probably more than any other county in the state.”

Last July, the county approved a stipend pay plan to compensate employees that needed to stay in the DSS offices in order to care for these children.

“I would like to say that all the time that our staff spent in the office would not have happened without the support of the stipend policy that you guys helped us with,” Weatherford told the board. “Not everybody’s there for the money but when you can receive something a little extra for doing something that’s a lot extra, it means a little bit more. So, I really think that helped cover our bases through that time.”

There are currently 88 children in Jackson County DSS care, including five young adults in the 18-to-21-year-old program.

This is a voluntary agreement signed with the young adult to stay in the system and help them transfer into adulthood.

Of the 83 children in DSS care, over 40 of those are placed outside the community.

“To me, that’s not good,” said Weatherford. “I would like our children that are experiencing our foster care system to at least be able to stay in our community.”

So far this year, in January staff had 25 nights spent with three different children in the agency. In February, staff spent 21 nights with seven different children.

April 3-9, 2024

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“We have seen some improvement since the end of February, we’re hopeful that that can continue,” said Weatherford. “We worked tirelessly with the folks at Vaya to try to locate placements and make those placements happen and it’s just a difficult job.”

But while placing individual children is important, it does not address the larger, systemic issue. There is currently a higher rate of children coming into the system versus those that are exiting the system.

“Our efforts are being compounded year after year of not being able to get children out of the foster care system,” said Weatherford.

“There’s so much wrong with how things are working. And all the different players and decision makers that need to be at the table, to get them in the same spot, to really hear what the issues are, has been just really challenging to do.”

Much of that problem has to do with the backlog in the court system.

The 43rd judicial district, which runs from Haywood County west, has a 40% continuance rate on cases.

“When there’s too few judges for each county, we have too few parent attorneys to represent the parents that we’re involved with, it bogs down our court system tremendously and we’re not able to progress these cases fast enough so we end up with kids staying in foster care longer than they should be,” Weatherford said. “The longer children are in foster care, the worse their outcomes are going to be as an adult.”

According to Weatherford there were 432 children in foster care in the 43rd judicial district as of December, and 13 parent

attorneys to serve all those cases.

“Any encouragement we can give our elected officials in that regard, that our district really needs some support — it’s really having a profound negative impact on the children we’re serving — is what it’s going to take to get some movement in that area,” said Weatherford.

As part of an effort to alleviate the immediate problem, the state provided emergency funds to county departments of social services in February. Jackson County received $20,000 for the current fiscal year and will receive $49,000 in the upcoming fiscal year.

“These critical funds come at a time when an average of 32 children are living in DSS offices each week because there is no place for them to go that is appropriate for their care,” a press release from NCDHHS read.

During its March 19 meeting, the county commission allocated $650,000 to purchase a facility where children in DSS care can stay when they don’t have foster care placement.

The county set aside $40,000 for repairs and maintenance, and $610,000 for purchasing the building. Of that total, $500,000 was supplied in a grant from Dogwood Health Trust and $150,000 was allocated from the county’s fund balance.

“I preach it to everyone I know, if there’s anything you can do, in terms of being a foster parent, financial contributions are wonderful, even taking it to the next level of ideas and how we move forward,” Chairman Mark Letson said. “It’s important to keep all of this information in mind…I appreciate you all’s hard work.”

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Two plead guilty to drug trafficking in separate cases

Cherokee County Investigator Parker Morgan arrested Jackson on Feb. 2, 2023, following a traffic stop on U.S. 19 near the Graham County line. Jackson did not have a valid driver’s license.

Jackson admitKayla Renee ted he had a used syringe, and, in his Stroud. File photo left shoe, officers found a bag of fentanyl.

Cherokee County investigators arrested Stroud in February 2022 after she sold heroin in two controlled buys, once on Feb. 17, 2022, and again on Feb. 21, 2022.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Jason Arnold prosecuted the case. Superior Court Judge Steve Warren presided.

District Attorney Welch thanked the Cherokee County Sheriff ’s Office, singling out the narcotics unit.

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Two people in unrelated cases pleaded guilty to trafficking charges in Cherokee County, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.

Coty Jackson, 31, of Murphy, and Kayla Renee Stroud, 41, of Marble, each received active sentences. Both must serve a minimum possible punishCoty Jackson. ment of 70 months and up to maxiFile photo mum possible punishment of 93 months.

Additionally, each must pay a statemandated $50,000 fine.

Smoky Mountain News

if they were to participate in FHS sports, count in the Average Daily Membership of Franklin High School in NCHSAA data that determines the classification in which it will compete. The more students in a high school, the higher classification that school participates in.

The realignment into expanded classifications would not take effect until the summer of 2025 and would use data from the first month of the 2024-25 school year.

Importantly, Noe pointed out that NCHSAA has not yet determined what the cutoff will be for ADM numbers within each classification.

“We’re kind of under the whistle of trying to figure out what’s going on so that we can give you a decision and then just kind of go from there,” said Noe. “In the past it wasn’t a huge deal because we had the space for it. Because of this year and the new classifications is why it’s becoming such an issue and such a concern for everybody, because now there is no space for it.

That’s why it’s coming up and that’s why it’s a huge deal now.”

Regardless of what the NCHSSA decides, MEC athletes made it clear that they want to be included in FHS sports moving forward.

Lilly Coker submitted a letter to be read during the public comment period. Coker is a soccer player for FHS and used her public comment to shine a light on all the high performing athletes that are enrolled at MEC. “Freshmen and sophomores were promised before applying to MEC that we would be able to play sports and go to MEC, so it would be unfair to take that away from us,” Coker said.

April 3-9, 2024

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER acon County Early College student athletes took to the public comment period during the March 25 school board meeting to speak out against the possibility of not being allowed to play Franklin High School sports, as has long been the norm.

“It’s important for you guys to understand the impact of your decision on MEC students,” said Lacey Prince, a member of the cheerleading squad. “We’re not just kids to be dismissed.”

During the March 25 meeting, Chief Academic Officer and Director of Federal Programs Mickey Noe gave an update on the upcoming North Carolina High School Athletic Association realignment that is the cause for concern among MEC athletes.

FHS is currently a 3A high school. As it stands now, the classifications for high school athletics in North Carolina go as high as 4A. The NCHSAA is considering extending the highest classification up to 8A. “That is a pretty big, significant jump, but officials believe the growth in the state of North Carolina in the next several years is going to be unbelievable,” said Noe. “The reason they’re growing their classifications is because of how many teams you can fit in the playoffs.”

In order to meet that growth, the state is expanding classifications.

Right now, there are nearly 25 MEC students that participate in athletics with Franklin High School. Because of this, the entire student body of Macon Early College, along with students from Bartram Academy

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Macon students speak up about coming NCHSAA changes

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Unintended consequences Jackson County school board signs suicide screener resolution

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he North Carolina General Assembly passed the Parent Bill of Rights in August of last year, and now school systems in the state have found a potentially life-threatening oversight in its language.

“It’s not a hurdle to say that I need parent permission to survey a student or evaluate a student, but it becomes a hurdle when you’re looking at a student who is exhibiting suicidal ideation,” said Jackson County Public Schools Superintendent Dana Ayers.

Across the state, school systems are creating resolutions that support an exception to the parent bill of rights for suicide risk screeners. Ayers brought a version of this resolution before the school board during its March 19 for board members’ consideration.

“We are wanting you all as a board to support signing this resolution to send on to higher ups,” said Ayers. “Not so that we would implement it immediately but so that our state, the General Assembly could recognize that not being able to do a suicide risk screener could be more harmful to a student than first getting permission from a parent.”

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The Parent Bill of Rights requires that schools receive parent or guardian permission for students to participate in any type of survey assessment or questionnaire that could reveal mental or psychological problems of the student.

Because of that language, this also applies to suicide screeners.

A suicide screener is different than a full risk assessment. The purpose of a screener is to determine the immediate risk of a crisis situation and is typically conducted prior to a full risk assessment. It is more vague and less intrusive than a full risk assessment.

“We would still need parent permission for a full risk assessment, but the screener would be the first step,” Ayers said. “You would do that first and then communicate with the parent.”

This process for handling students that are experiencing suicidal ideation is laid out by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and is only now becoming a problem for school systems, because they are now required to contact and obtain permission from a parent prior to conducting the quick impact suicide screener.

According to Ayers, the screener involves asking some basic questions in order to address the suicidal ideation.

“If you all agree to sign this, it would go to the general assembly and show collectively, hopefully, many districts across the state

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April 3-9, 2024

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

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notice, so long as notice and the results of such screener are provided after the screener is conducted.”

If the change is made through the General Assembly, the school system would are pushing for this technical change that would allow us to address students in need,” still try to contact a student’s parent or guardian, but it would not delay the immediAyers told the board. “Because ultimately … when a student is exhibiting these character- ate screening process if contact could not be made. It would also still inform the parents istics, I would want the practical things to of the results of the screening as quickly as occur to make sure that we’re keeping this possible. child safe and alive.”

“I think it’s important to reiterate one The resolution says that in order to more time that the parents bill of rights in “quickly respond to prevent harm to stuour opinion was not intended to cover suidents who present as a potential risk of suicide risk assessments,” said Board Attorney “We feel pretty Chris Campbell.

“But the way they optimistic if school wrote the law … it clearly applies to districts will point this.” this out to the The board of education unaniGeneral Assembly, mously approved they’ll address it.” the resolution, which will now — Chris Campbell be forwarded to the General Assembly. No changes to current policies or cide, the Jackson County Board of Education processes will be made unless the General Assembly addresses the resolution. request the general assembly adopt an “We feel pretty optimistic if school disamendment to the Parents Bill of Rights that tricts will point this out to the General permit schools to conduct a suicide risk Assembly, they’ll address it,” said Campbell. screener without prior parental consent or

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very year, the National Council for Black Studies, the preeminent professional Black studies organization, recognizes one academic program for outstanding achievement with the Sankore Institute Award.

This year’s award recipient was Western Carolina University’s Global Black Studies program.

The GBS program offers innovative curriculum that leads to a minor. Enrollment has grown rapidly since its inception in 2022 with students showcasing excellence in research, community engagement and campus leadership.

Jasmine Burgess, a freshman double major in marketing and management, is pursuing the minor in GBS. She said Walton’s teachings encourages questions, curiosity and critical thinking.

“Dr. Walton is the first Black male educator I have ever encountered within my academic career. The GBS minor has enabled me to interact with educators with diverse backgrounds and knowledge to give me a more enriched curriculum than other fields,” Burgess said. “The minor will help me establish my identity as a Black woman, prepare myself with the academic knowledge to navigate American society and expand my view of the world and my culture.”

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David Walton, who heads up the program, said GBS offers a diverse array of students the opportunity to study the Black experience. Donated photo Khadija Nicole Davis, a senior psychology major, said the program has helped navigate the complexities of diversity when working with clients from various backgrounds.

“The interdisciplinary nature examines the intricate interplay of race, gender and other identities in shaping human behavior and mental health outcomes,” Davis said.

“This intersectional lens not only enriches research and practice but also empowers me to advocate for social justice and equity within marginalized communities.”

Davis also extended an invitation to WCU students to consider taking a GBS class, regardless of their academic interests.

“The GBS minor provides a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of Black culture, history and experiences.

Whether you’re passionate about history, sociology, literature, or any other field, GBS courses offer a transformative learning experience,” she said.

Brian K. K NOLAND 828.734.52 201

RESIDENTIAL & COM MMERCIAL

Smoky Mountain News

“GBS has filled a critical need by allowing more students to see themselves in our curriculum and allowing more students to understand the history and culture of Black people in our world. I particularly am excited that our GBS students have been attending professional meetings and becoming immersed in Black studies as an academic discipline,” said Dave Kinner, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Heading the program is David Walton, who said that GBS offers a diverse set of students – Black, white and a host of international students – an opportunity to study the Black experience through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary lens. Students from any major can study in the GBS program.

“We offer students a chance for selfimprovement. GBS can enhance students professionally and better prepare them for a diverse world. The program can also serve as an intervention to racist thought, and it helps WCU to recruit and retain more Black students,” Walton said.

brian noland@ brian.noland@ @allentate.com lentate com 74 N. Main St.,, Waynesville, NC

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Smoky Mountain News April 3-9, 2024

news

Community Almanac

Smoky Mountain News

Get your Lake Junaluska activity pass Lake Junaluska Outfitters summer activity passes are now available. The passes provide admission to the lakeside pool all summer long, as well as discounts on recreation, shopping and dining at Lake Junaluska. Passes are valid from May 24 through Sept. 2.

The 2024 Summer Activity Pass benefits include: • Free admission to the Lake Junaluska swimming pool during valid dates for the number of people on the pass.

• 10% discount at Junaluska Gifts & Grounds.

• $5 discount on a round of golf with cart at the Lake Junaluska Golf Course.

• 10% off kayak, canoe and paddleboard rentals (up to number of people on pass per day).

• One complimentary round of mini-golf per day.

• One complimentary rental of tennis/pickleball rackets for use at our tennis/pickleball courts per day.

• 10% dining discount at The Terrace Hotel and Lambuth Inn dining rooms (cannot be applied to any other discounts or special offers).

Passes are now available online https:bit.ly/LJSAP2024.

Lake Junaluska summer activity passes are now available. Donated photo

Marianna Black Library prepares for summer The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City is now releasing its dates for the Summer Learning Program 2024. Area children and parents can begin registering for a summer of reading and activities from June 10-15.

The Summer Learning Program 2024 theme is “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” The Reading Adventure is for seven weeks, from June 16 to Aug. 3. Children earn prizes every week for reading or being read to, for only 20 minutes a day. The library welcomes any feedback about what kind of programs and activities you and your kids would like to enjoy this summer.

There is also a STEAM based program called Discovery Club on the first and third Tuesday of the month from 3:45-5 p.m. for school age kids, ages 7-13. Also, for school age kids there is Creative Kids Art Club, on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, from 3:45-5 p.m. In this program, kids will enjoy using their creativity while engaging in arts and crafts.

Preschool Storytime Adventures are every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. This is an opportunity for kids ages 3-6 years old to enjoy plot-based stories, flannel storyboard time, silly songs with movements and other participatory activities.

Additionally, there is a new baby and toddler time called Bounce and Rhyme. This is on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 10:30 a.m.

The Marianna Black Library is located in down-

town Bryson City, on the corner of Academy and Rector Street. Anyone who would like to sign up for a kids program or has any questions can contact Allison Reid at 828.488.3030, ext. 130 or send an email to areid@fonanalib.org.

Haywood Young Democrats named Chapter of the Year

New cell tower bridges coverage gap in Jackson

Last month, at the Young Democrats of North Carolina’s 89th Annual Convention, the Haywood County chapter was awarded the title of Chapter of the Year. This is the second consecutive year of the Haywood County Young Democrats receiving this award.

The award was presented by YDNC President Dorian Palmer and Vice President Anna Rios at a luncheon where Young Democrats from all across the state were present. Gov. Roy Cooper, Attorney General Josh Stein, Democratic State Party Chair Anderson Clayton and many other high-profile North Carolina politicians and candidates were also in attendance.

Thanks to a new wireless communication tower perched atop Southwestern Community College’s Jackson Campus, a strong digital signal has replaced the once “dead-zone” between Sylva, Cullowhee and Webster.

Scott Baker, SCC’s Vice President for Information Technology, worked with Vogue Towers over the past couple of years to get the new tower installed just above the college’s Summit Building.

Verizon Wireless contracted with Vogue, as one of its tower build partners, to find a solution for improved coverage in and around the campus area of SCC. Vogue is the asset owner of the structure and handled all aspects of leasing, permitting and constructing the tower. Coverage began streaming from the 180-foot spire on Dec. 29.

Space is available for other wireless carriers to add better service for their customers in the future. Vogue also provides tower space on its towers to emergency management services for no charge.

Compensation that the college receives from Vogue Towers for a ground lease will go into a fund to support student scholarships at Southwestern.

Migration of the Scots-Irish People to Western North Carolina On April 15, the speaker series “Where We Live: History, Nature and Culture” will host a program on the immigration of Scots-Irish people to our area.

The program will use images and artifacts to showcase the 18th century migration of peoples from England and Ireland to North America. Many

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of these people eventually made their way to Western North Carolina, and many of their descendants are still among us today. During the presentation, we will discuss adaptations the Scots-Irish people made to the new places they found themselves in, in farming, textile production and other activities.

The speaker will be Education Associate Peter Koch of Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center. Koch holds an M.A. in public history from North Carolina State University and is on the boards of the WNC Civil War Roundtable and of Civil War Trails.

The program will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Cowee School Arts and Heritage Center in Franklin.

The lecture series is designed to give people an opportunity to learn more about our local area, from many different angles, and to enjoy a pleasant, informative evening together.

WNC Community Enhancement Grants Awarded The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) awarded nine WNC Community Enhancement grants totaling $82,117 to support charitable organizations and eligible public agencies engaged in projects in downtowns or commercial corridors that enhance appearance, infrastructure, or the pedestrian experience. Here are the grants that were awarded to organizations within The Smoky Mountain News’ four-county coverage area: • $10,000 to Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau (BGCP) for a beautification project along public sidewalks beside the organization’s building in Cashiers. BGCP is part of a community corridor that includes the Cashiers Fire Department, Fishes and Loaves food bank, Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center, The Village Green, Albert Carlton Library, outdoor ball fields, a playground, and a community dog park. Grant funds will support the purchase of (and thereby make permanent) an existing temporary art installation. The purchase is part of a larger effort to beautify landscaped areas adjacent to Frank Allen Road, including the establishment of a pollinator garden and the placement of a flagpole and American Flag.

• $10,000 to Town of Maggie Valley to purchase an addition to the Maggie Pavilion, which is located next to Town Hall. The new open structure will be placed adjacent to the present building to provide open air seating for pavilion events. Funds from the Town will be used to purchase new commercial grade picnic tables to be used below and beside the new structure. The Maggie Pavilion is used throughout the year for individual events, band concerts and group meetings.

To apply, organizations must be tax-exempt and located in the Qualla Boundary or one of the following counties in Western North Carolina: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania or Yancey. Priority will be given to projects located in rural or other under-resourced areas. The next deadline is June 10.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Are the ‘deniers’ practicing better science?

I

Let’s not go back in time To the Editor: In North Carolina we have a candidate for governor who is alleged to have said, “I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn’t vote … We want to bring back the America where Republicans and principles and true ideas of freedom rule.” There’s a lot to unpack in that statement, but what strikes me foremost is what it would mean to women.

In the beginning of this country American law was based on English Common Law wherein it was understood that the “very being and legal existence of the woman is suspended during marriage, or at least incorporated into that of her husband, under whose wing and protection she performs everything.” (Blackstone Commentaries) It wasn’t until 1848 that women, chafing under that idea of servitude, organized to petition the government for the right to vote.

Over the course of the next 70 years, a period in history marked by protests, arrests and hunger strikes, this request was repeatedly denied. It was only due to the inclusion of western states, who throughout this time granted suffrage to women, that the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on August 26, 1920. But the right to vote was only the beginning of the fight for civil rights for women.

Fighting for the right to use birth control, to determine the size and timing of their families, became paramount. That and the right to work, doing away with discrimination in hiring practices, the right to work while pregnant and the right to equal pay for equal work were

to humanity’s existence is climate change, and that not even nuclear conflict poses a similar danger. That sounds too sure, too certain, and certainly hyperbolic and very unscientific. It is more like an apocalyptic religious prediction. Yet if you’re a climate scientist whose research findings cast any doubt on that prevailing theory you’re labeled a denier just like Semmelweis and your results are not going to get published nor are you going to get money for your research.

Similarly, during the COVID lockdowns, doctors who suggested any deviation from the government’s party line were ostracized. For instance, we Guest Columnist now know the virus most likely came from the Wuhan lab, yet to suggest that in 2020 was anathema to the doctor who said it. Same with scientists who had non-consensus opinions about masks, or letting kids return to school. Read about the “Great Berrington Declaration” to see what happened to top scientists at Stanford, Oxford, Harvard and the like, who dared to have a different opinion, yet now have been proven right.

Furthermore, Sweden’s choice not to close schools and businesses now appears to have been a wise one.

Climate change activists in particular have created a prob-

Steven Crider

don’t deserve to be called a scientist, but maybe I’m at least a fringe scientist after spending 50 years doing engineering and then medicine. What I learned about science during that half-century is that it is not about being right, but about finding weaknesses in prevailing theories. Its attitude is ever-skeptical. It is all about uncertainty, not certainty.

Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) was a Hungarian physician who practiced medicine before the discovery of germ theory.

He is famous for … washing his hands. In his day, the medical consensus was that washing hands before examining patients was unnecessary, and so, Semelweis and his physician colleagues serially examined pregnant women with bare, unwashed hands. On a different hospital floor, similar groups of pregnant women were being cared for by midwives, who did wash their hands between patients. The result: postpartum deaths from infections were 18% for the physicians and 6% for the midwives.

When Semmelweis pointed this out, instead of effusively thanking him and immediately changing their practices, his fellow physicians stuck to the “settled science,” labeled him a denier, continued their deadly examinations and eventually drove Semmelweis — a true medical hero — insane.

What theories today do we accept as being settled but in fact are wrong?

For example, President Biden has said that the sole threat

LETTERS among the many social injustices addressed over the next century. According to the “Timeline of Legal History of Women,” between 1920 and 2020, over 50 laws and Supreme Court rulings were passed that addressed the injustices under which women had lived. These were decisions and laws that

made it easier for women to have agency to be their own person.

In 1971, before I married, my prospective mother-in-law encouraged me to open a bank account and get a credit card in my own name. However, it wasn’t until 1974 and the

lem of credibility by pushing their claims of catastrophe so far that the only possible way out is to spend trillions and submit ourselves to an authoritarian global government because that is the only way we can be forced to change our behaviors that they say we must do or else be damned. The science is not settled on climate change despite activists and journalists blaming it for causing every severe weather event, including extreme cold and snowstorms this winter. I even heard one report which blamed climate change for causing increased earthquake activity.

Anyway, we humans are much better at adapting to change than mitigating it, especially when the change is going to be more gradual than the alarmists would have us believe.

When temperatures vary 10 to 20 degrees from high to low on any given day, it’s hard to convince the lay public to live on less and the poor of the world to remain in subsistence-level poverty to prevent an overall increase of 2.5 degrees in average global temperature over the next 50 years.

We are not doing science when only certain results are acceptable. We must return to scientific skepticism which allows opposition. Enough absolutism about what we call “the science” which is anything but real science. Let us at least ponder the lesson of Semmelweis.

(Steven Crider is retired physician who lives in Waynesville. He can be reached at crittersteve@gmail.com.)

passing of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act that women were guaranteed the opportunity for both.

Born in 1920, my mother-in-law lived through all the legal and social changes which were responsible for her concern for me as a woman. She knew that the freedom to be my own person was not easily won and she encouraged my autonomy. I am glad she is not alive today to see women’s fundamental rights coming under attack and being threatened by this election.

We need to pay attention to what candidates say. If they can think it, if they can say it and they are given the power, they can do it.

The rights we think are enshrined in the law are never guaranteed.

Witness the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, and the rumblings of outlawing birth control and other methods of family management. If all the means of reproductive control are taken away from women, as well as their partners,

we could find ourselves back in the time before women could vote. My mother-in-law was right to be concerned.

Margaret Pickett Highlands

Lawmakers should support our schools To the Editor: Since the beginning of the new year, I have seen several photos of Sen. Kevin Corbin (RMacon) handing out oversized checks in some of Western North Carolina’s counties. I guess the message of these photos is that the senator has used his clout to bring these funds to the district. If that’s true, I think it’s great and I urge him to keep it up. Sen. Corbin should continue to use this clout during the upcoming short session of the General Assembly to properly fund some of the urgent needs of this area.

Our local schools are facing impending budget gaps due to the end of federal money provided in response to the pandemic. Our healthcare systems are stressed if not overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the General Assembly is considering expanding cash vouchers for private schools and additional tax cuts for the wealthy.

I urge Sen. Corbin to reject those attempts and instead make sure that state funds are used for the benefit of our local schools and people. When we have fulfilled our responsibility for public health and public education, we will all be better off.

Adam Tebrugge Cullowhee

Enjoying the Madness

Susanna Shetley

I

Smoky Mountain News

It started in the fall when the NC State women’s cross country team was having another extraordinary season. Meanwhile, we had two cross country runners in our house who were having strong freshmen seasons for Tuscola High School. We watched the NCAA Cross Country Championships on TV where the NC State women finished first for the third year in a row.

The NC State football team also had a great season. After our kids competed in the 3A Cross Country State Championship, we drove to Raleigh and attended the NC State vs. Miami football game where the Wolfpack beat the Hurricanes, 20-6. Several weeks later, I enjoyed watching NC State beat Carolina in football. My favorite player to watch this season was Payton Wilson.

Then basketball season started where both the men’s and women’s teams had strong initial showings. The women continued to play well while the men’s team ebbed and flowed, which was frustrating to watch since this particular group of guys was supposed to be a strong team.

The ACC tournament began and something switched on for DJ Burns Jr., DJ Horne and the rest of the Wolfack. They have been on fire and it’s been a blast for supporters.

Even the Carolina and Duke fans I know are pulling for NC State. You can’t deny how much fun this team is to watch, especially Burns.

Some people are calling them a Cinderella team, which I guess in a way they are, even though they clearly have skills that put them at the level of the top-seeded teams. I just think it took them a little longer to finally trust one another.

I looked up the definition of Cinderella team on fanarch.com and it said, “The key characteristics that define a team as a Cinderella story encompass their underdog status, unexpected success, and the element of surprise. These stories often involve a team that is perceived as having little chance of winning, yet they navigate through challenges to achieve remarkable victories.”

To me, this perfectly sums up the tournament surge demonstrated by the Wolfpack. As for my NCAA bracket, I have NC State winning the entire thing and am apparently part of the small 1.94% of people who have them in the Final Four.

As a couple cherries on top, the NC State gymnastics and wrestling teams were also crowned ACC champions this year. With so much heavy stuff going on in the world, it’s fun to watch sports and experience the emotion of everything, especially when it’s your favorite team in the spotlight. As we go into the Final Four weekend, all I can say is Goooo Pack!

(Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist who lives in Haywood County. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)

April 3-9, 2024

t’s March Madness, and as a graduate of North Carolina State University, I am thoroughly enjoying it. We Wolfpack fans haven’t had much to celebrate in the way of basketball for a long time, so watching both the men’s and women’s teams progress to the NCAA Final Four has been quite the exciting experience.

In the fall of 1997, I submitted college applications to my four top choices — UNCChapel Hill, UNCWilmington, North Carolina State University and Appalachian State University. I also applied for the North Carolina Teaching Fellow Scholarship.

UNC-Chapel Hill was Columnist my first choice, but one thing led to another, and after receiving the Teaching Fellows scholarship, I decided to attend NC State and am so glad I did.

During my freshman year, a group of us attended a men’s basketball game at Reynolds Coliseum which was fortuitous since that was the last year the men competed at that site. Since 1999, only the women have played at Reynolds while the men have played at PNC Arena several miles from campus.

While a student at NC State, you couldn’t help but hear stories about the legendary Jimmy V, as well as the 1974 and 1983 men’s teams. In fact, during the basketball game we attended at Reynolds, David Thompson and other members of his team were honored at halftime.

Herb Sendek was the basketball coach while I was a student and from what I remember, the teams were pretty good during those years but never made it far in the NCAA tournament. Additionally, those were the days of Phillip Rivers and Torry Holt playing for the football team, so it was a fun time to be a student. I also worked at a longstanding pizza joint called Two Guys, located on Hillsborough Street, directly across from the campus, where people came in droves to watch NC State sporting events as well as Carolina Hurricanes games. It was a very festive, fun place to work and nothing but Wolfpack memorabilia decorated every wall.

As the years progressed and I became a mom to two little boys, we would stop by NC State on the way to the Carolina coast each year and take an annual photo in front of the Memorial Belltower. Then, as time often does, the years went by in a blurr and other than watching football and basketball on TV, I don’t have too many thrilling memories centered around Pack sports.

Until this year.

@SmokyMtnNews 21

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Storytellers series lineup set The inaugural Pigeon Community Conversations with Storytellers Series kicks off at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center next week, examining the purpose and power of storytelling in underrepresented Western North Carolina communities. Through live storytelling, readings, music and focused questions, the series will showcase award-winning storytellers from the African American, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Latinx and communities.

Tickets are $10 for community members, $7 for seniors 65 and older and $5 for students. Children 12 and under are free. Purchase tickets in advance at pcmdc.org, or at the door. Series passes are available at a discount. Refreshments will be available for purchase.

All events begin at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month, through August. Sponsored by Friends of the Haywood County Public Library, The Smoky Mountain News and Janet & Bob Clark. The Pigeon Center is located at 450 Pigeon St. in Waynesville.

April 11 · Adama Dembele Frontman for Asheville-based Zansa and a culture keeper with Lake Eden Arts Festival for more than a decade, Dembele brings 700 years of cultural tradition as a 33rd generation musician and storyteller. In 2015, his family’s home and music center in Abobo, Ivory Coast — a connection between the rich, distinct melodic heritages of Western North Carolina and West Africa — was demolished by the Ivorian government over environmental concerns.

May 9 · Ann Miller Woodford Woodford interprets the history and culture of African Americans in Western North Carolina through visual storytelling with passion, determination and natural curiosity. The Andrews native’s massive 2021 anthology of regional Black history, “When All God’s Children Get Together: A Celebration of the Lives and Music of African American People in Far Western North Carolina” serves as an enduring testament to largely forgotten families from marginalized communities.

June 13 · DeWayne Barton A veteran and artist with a focus on Affrilachia, Barton is the CEO of Hood Huggers International, a community development social enterprise rooted in the Burton Street community.

Barton uses creative expression and experience to promote neighborhood-based revitalization initiatives. In 2023, he released “The CAP Playbook: Phase One,” which Mountain Xpress recently called, “a vision for creating a sustainable, inclusive and economically empowered culture in historically marginalized communities.”

July 11 · Marsha Almodovar Almodovar is a mixed-medium painter who uses her art to highlight social justice issues and recently published, illustrated and authored a Spanish-language children’s book, “Mucho Mucho.” In 2023, she was awarded the 2023 Tzedek Impact Social Justice award.

Aug. 8 · Annette Saunook Clapsaddle Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award winner Clapsaddle is an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians whose debut novel, “Even As We Breathe,” was a finalist for the Weatherford Award and named one of NPR’s best books of 2020.

Pigeon Center program director Tausha Forney will lead the Pigeon Community Conversations with Storytellers Series, through August.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

The art of the tale Pigeon Center storyteller series focuses on conversations

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER tories abound in these here mountains, almost as countless as the towering trees that cloak those familiar slopes. But beneath the canopy, if you look close enough and listen hard, there’s a whole other crop of them that rarely see the light of day.

“For a long time, we haven’t been able to tell our stories outwardly,” said Tausha Forney, program director at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center and host of the inaugural Pigeon Community Conversations with Storytellers Series that begins April 11. “We’ve been able to tell them to each other and inside our communities, and that’s where they have lived. But we’re able at this point, because things have shifted in the world, to get them out.

People can actually see our real experiences, who we are, how our lives are, and just understand a little better so that hopefully, there’s a little bit more compassion, some empathy, some connection and relationships that start to grow.”

Founded in 2009, but with historic roots that run far deeper, the Pigeon Center has long been known as the center of an Appalachian community that is in danger of disappearing altogether, but the stories and songs of Western North Carolina’s Black community aren’t the only ones that can be overlooked.

That’s what gave Forney and board members Evan Hatch and Allison Lee the idea to create the series, which will bring five distinguished guests to the Pigeon Center for public performances once a month through midsummer.

But in an organization that’s best known for catering to children — afterschool programs, a summer enrichment course, holiday events and meals and the like — it was the tremendous success of an author event last year with Jackson County’s David Joy that really got things moving.

“We’re always trying to get more adults in the building,” said Lyn Forney, Pigeon Center executive director and Tausha’s mom. “We all love books around here. David Joy’s name came up, so once we got that all planned, the community showed up and they wanted more.”

While authors DeWayne Barton, Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle and Ann Miller Woodford certainly fit that mold, the art of the tale isn’t solely revealed in the yellowed, dogeared pages of a favorite old book and the storytellers series

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is reflective of that — Adama Dembele is a 33rd generation musician and storyteller from Ivory Coast. Marsha Almodovar is a mixed-medium painter who uses her art to highlight social justice issues.

“Dance is a great way to tell stories,” Tausha said. “Visual art tells stories. It tells them from the perspective of what you experienced as the person viewing the art, but also you get to see a piece of the artist inside and experience their story — what influenced them to make it.”

Often, that influence can be seen as a culture’s way of selfpreservation.

“Storytelling is important for all cultures,” said Clapsaddle, Thomas Wolfe Award-winning author and enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who closes out the series Aug. 8. “It’s the way that that we have passed down our origins, our value system. I think it’s the primary history of this world. Storytelling in any form is essential to who people are, and their worldview. Knowing the worldview of a diverse population, I think, helps us to be better humans on this earth.”

Southern Appalachian tradition reveres the work of legends like Horace Kephart, Wilma Dykeman, Gary Carden, Charles Frasier and Ron Rash — with Joy’s recent, gritty Appalachian noir foreshadowing his membership in that exclusive club — which is all the more reason to highlight the art of Black, indigenous and Latinx storytelling.

“It is certainly an art form,” Clapsaddle said. “And like any art form, it takes time and it takes studying the work of others who are much better at it than you may be. Effective storytelling reflects a sense of introspection, and in really ensuring that all the thoughts on paper have received the attention they need to be to be clear. What probably makes it an art form is its ability, in a reflective nature, to reach people across differences.”

Not simply a presentation or a lecture, the storytellers series is a two-way affair; it’s structured as a casual conversation that allows for audience engagement. Tausha will lead the events and moderate the discussion.

“I am just hopeful that it brings people together to experience some community around words, around literacy, around art, around history, around storytelling and preservation,” said Tausha, who hopes to expand the series for next year’s run. “All those things are wrapped up in storytelling, so I’m just really excited about it because I think it’s a really great opportunity for us to showcase voices that don’t necessarily get shown.”

HOT PICKS

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

‘Beg, steal or borrow two nickels or a dime to call me on the phone’

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Africa, Indiana, is on the Ohio River. Garret K. Woodward photo

A special stage production of “Constellations” will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 5-6, 12-13 and 2 p.m. April 7 and 14 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

EVENTS

Celtic Sunday ys W/The Carter Giegerich Trio - 2-55 pm Incredible Celtic Folk - Every Sunnday Relaxation along with your Guinness! n

A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

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Thursday, April 4th

"Challenge Me, Art by Differently Abled Artists” exhibition will run through April 7 in the Handmade Gallery at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville.

Friday, April 5thh

Imij of Soul (Jimi Hendrix tribute) will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

Saturday, April 6th

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It was early morning and I decided I wanted to go for a run. Aside from live music and writing, running is my favorite thing to do in this universe. That said, when I travel, my “souvenir” from a place is to go for a jog in it. I feel you can’t really get to know a town, city or landscape without getting out of the car, moving at your own leisurely pace and doing the most important thing in life: listening.

Thus, while here in Owensboro, I was looking for a place to jog. I didn’t feel like trotting the sidewalks and pavement of downtown Owensboro, at least not then. So, I tracked down a dirt road across the river in the unincorporated township of Africa, Indiana. I could see this vast farmland right across the water from my hotel room in Owensboro. There must be something out there.

Using Google maps, I stumbled upon the River Road. A desolate dirt route along the river and a tree line bordering an enormous farm field. Drove over the bridge and crossed the state line into Indiana. Where the South transitions into the Midwest.

Parked the truck and started my run. Old trees who have experienced numerous floods. Old stop signs covered in bullet holes. Wildflowers and the sounds of birds on nearby branches in the early spring air.

While in motion and finding the ideal pace, I thought of how Lewis & Clark traversed this area over 220 years ago. I thought of Owensboro and the legend and lore of Bill Monroe, the “Father of Bluegrass,” growing up in these parts. I thought of Nate, wondering where he was right now in the ether. And I thought of nothing and everything, which is what happens in the midst of a glorious run of sweat, dust, rhythm and sunshine. How wild and wondrous, eh?

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Smoky Mountain News

lifelong love of the Grateful Dead.

The Dead were the one band Nate and I bonded over the most. More than anything else, he and I shared this eternal bond of being Dead Heads. There was simply nothing like cruising around in Nate’s car and blasting the Dead when I was teenager, windows rolled down along some backcountry road. Still isn’t, truth be told. I loved him so much and will always miss him. But, that photo, sent to me at this juncture of my life, put the biggest smile on my face.

The next morning, I awoke with the majestic Grover Cary Bridge just outside my hotel window overlooking the ancient Ohio River. At night, the bridge is lit up with an array of rotating lights and colors. During the day, several large barges float by, slowly transporting tons of grain up and down the river — to and from Owensboro, onward to wherever.

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April 3-9, 2024

ello from Room 623 at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Just about six and a half hours from my humble abode in Waynesville. Russ Avenue to U.S. 276 to Interstate 40 and backroads through Southern Appalachia to get here.

The reason is the opening of the new exhibit, “Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey,” at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in Owensboro.

As a lifelong Dead Head, a longtime bluegrass freak and someone hosting a couple of artist panels at the HOF this past weekend, it’s been quite a full circle kind of thing being here.

For starters, the Grateful Dead is the single biggest influence on my life. Nothing was ever the same for me once I heard the music and embraced the ethos of exploration, compassion and camaraderie when I was just a kid, nine years old to be exact. And lead singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia was at the heart of that.

The Dead has always been about personal freedom — to not only be yourself, but to also seek out the unknown beauty of people, places and things in this big ole world. Have adventures. Pursue wisdom. Radiate love. Be kind. Dammit, be kind. All of these things were placed in my emotional and spiritual toolbox while I began to wander the planet on my own following high school, college and impending adulthood.

And yet, before all the Dead came to fruition, Garcia was (and remained) a bluegrass freak, pickin’-n-grinnin’ all through the late 1950s and early 1960s folk and roots scenes in his native California, only to later form the groundbreaking acoustic ensemble Old & In the Way. In a “pinch me” moment on Thursday afternoon, the first panel I hosted was titled, “Garcia: Legend & Lore of a Bluegrass Freak,” I moderated an hour-long conversation with Peter Rowan (Old & In the Way), David Nelson (New Riders of the Purple Sage), Eric Thompson (Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions), Pete Wernick (Hot Rize) and Sam Grisman. In front of a packed room of a couple hundred eager onlookers, the panel talked at-length about their respective interactions, collaborations and memories of Garcia.

Even at an hour, we really truly only scratched the surface of this ongoing, eternal dialogue. For a Dead Head like myself, who discovered bluegrass through Old & In the Way, this moment in time was surreal and poignant. It meant so much. It really did.

Following that panel, I wandered out of the HOF and was in search of a quick meal

before the next series of events and gatherings was to take place at the museum and surrounding local businesses. Tracking down the nearby Brew Bridge, I sauntered in and ordered a barbecue sandwich, domestic draft beer to boot.

Sitting at the bar counter, I asked the bartender if he could put on the NCAA basketball tournament. He said he couldn’t seeing as it was “Star Wars Trivia Night.” Folks were coming in soon to play and they needed all the TVs. A few minutes later, dozens of faces rolled in, each sporting Star Wars T shirts, light sabers and costumes. I smiled in appreciation for the enthusiasm shown.

And it was in that moment when my Aunt Chrissy texted me. It was a photo of my late cousin, Nate, and myself. I’d never seen it until that moment. By best guess, it looks like us at Dave Matthews Band at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) sometime when I was in college. I want to say 2006-ish. My arm around him, big smiles and young faces eager to explore the world.

Anyhow, Nate was the older brother I never had. And I still grieve his passing three years ago, deeply. Regardless, it is just so wild for me to be wandering around, immersed and involved in this Jerry Garcia exhibit at the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in Kentucky this weekend, all as I reflect on my

Jazz artist John Brown will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, at the Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville.

arts & entertainment

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arts & entertainment

On the beat John Brown will play Hayesville April 5. File photo

‘John Brown: An Evening of Jazz’ Jazz artist John Brown will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, at the Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville.

Brown, a versatile artist hailing from Fayetteville, is renowned as a bassist, composer, educator, and actor. Currently residing in Durham, Brown is a distinguished graduate of the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the School of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

His remarkable journey includes serving as Vice Provost for the Arts, Director of the Jazz Program and Professor of the Practice of Music at Duke University. With a rich background in classical and jazz, Brown’s musical odyssey began at the age of nine under the tutelage of the late Susan Ellington. He has since left an indelible mark on the music scene.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults; $20 for students, military and ages 65 and older; and $10 for children ages eight and under.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to thepeacocknc.org, call 828.389.ARTS or email boxoffice@thepeacocknc.org.

April 3-9, 2024

Hendrix tribute to rock Boojum Imij Of Soul will play Waynesville April 6. File photo

• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and open to the public.

828.497.1015 or facebook.com/angryelkbrewingco.

Swing at 5:30 p.m. and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday.

Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays with Ridgetop Dave (Americana) April 6. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main St. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7-9 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. For more information, go to blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia 7 p.m. Thursdays, “Open Mic Night” 10 p.m. Thursdays, Imij Of Soul (rock/soul) April 6, Superhero DJ Party 8:30 p.m. April 12 and Red Dress Amy April 13. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host “Sinatra & Friends” w/Ron Lee (swing/jazz) 7 p.m. April 13. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host an Open Mic Night 6-8 p.m. April 12 and semi-regular live music on the weekends. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to coweeschool.org/music.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Thursdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at the Farm” sessions on select weekends. For more information, go to oldedwardshospitality.com.

A rock-n-roll power trio tribute to the sound, music and vibe of Jimi Hendrix, Imij of Soul will hit the stage at 9 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

The show is free and open to the public.

To learn about Imij of Soul, go to facebook.com/jimivibes. For more information, call 828.246.0350 or go to boojumbrewing.com.

Bryson City community jam A community jam will be held from 67:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer or anything unplugged is

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invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs.

The music jams are offered to the public

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host The Well Drinkers (Americana/bluegrass) 7 p.m. April 18. For a full schedule of events and/or to purchase tickets, go to folkmoot.org.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” w/We Three

each first and third Thursday of the month — spring, summer, fall.

This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts.

For more information, call 828.488.3030.

• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host White Water Heathens April 6, Doug Ramsey (singer-songwriters) April 12 and Rock Holler (classic rock) April 13. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host “Blues & Brews” on Thursday evenings, “Sunday Bluegrass Residency” from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the “Salon Series” with Lillie Mae (Americana/indie) 8:30 p.m. April 18. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandermountainhouse.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic w/Phil” Wednesdays, Shane Meade (indie/soul) April 6 and Sarah Gwendolyn (singer-songwriter) April 13. All shows and events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

ALSO:

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Karaoke on the second/fourth Friday of the month, Ray Ferrara (singer-songwriter) April 6 and The V8s (classic rock) April 13. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

On the beat

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host a “Community Music Jam” at 6 p.m. on the first and third Thursday of each month.

Free and open to the public. All musicians and music lovers are welcome.

828.488.3030.

• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or call 828.926.1717.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an “Open Mic w/Frank Lee” Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Otto Community Center (Otto) will host James Thompson (country/folk) 6 p.m. April 5 and a Celtic & Old-Time Jam 6 p.m. April 11.

Bring a beverage and snack of your choice.

Free and open to the public. go2ottonc.com or 770.335.0967

• Pinnacle Relief CBD Wellness Lounge (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (indie/soul) 3 p.m. April 13. Free and open to the public. facebook.com/pinnaclerelief or 828.508.3018.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796.

• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke w/Russell” every Monday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.926.9105.

• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on Sundays. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 or

• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Keil Nathan Smith (singer-songwriter) April 4, Andrew Scotchie & McKinney (indie/rock) April 5, Celtic Road Jam 4 p.m. April 6, Shane Meade (indie/soul) April 11 and Very Jerry Band (Grateful Dead tribute) April 12. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• SlopeSide Tavern (Sapphire) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.743.8655 or slopesidetavern.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Tim Hawkins (singersongwriter/comedy) 7 p.m. April 6 and The Drifters (soul/oldies) 7:30 p.m. April 12. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 866.273.4615.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host a Community Jam 5:30-7:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will Karaoke with Lori (no cover) April 4, Topper April 5, Ricky Gunter April 6, Caribbean Cowboys (pop/oldies) April 11, Tricia Ann Band (country/rock) April 12 and Outlaw Whiskey (classic rock/country gold) April 13. All shows are $5 at the door and begin at 8 p.m.

828.538.2488.

• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.944.0686 or valleycigarandwineco.com.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m.

828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to eatrealfoodinc.com.

• Find more at smokymountainnews.com/arts

BY TONYA D. HARWOOD SPECIAL TO SMN n 2004, my life was completely changed when one of my twin boys was born with Down Syndrome. Initially, I felt as though my world had crumbled, envisioning the worst possible outcomes.

However, as this little boy, named Jake, grew and nestled his way into our hearts, I came to realize that we had so much to gain from this experience. Jake has single-handedly revolutionized our family’s perspective on the world.

As the executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, I have the unique opportunity to host an exhibit that will offer Haywood County a glimpse into this extraorJake is the son of HCAC Executive dinary world.

Director Tonya D. Harwood. Donated photo I’m excited to announce a very special art exhibit at the HCAC Handmade Gallery. Entitled “Challenge Me, Art by Differently Abled Artists,” this exhibition will run through April 7.

The gallery will not only showcase the vibrant artwork created by my son Jake, but also feature the remarkable works of other differently abled artists we have had the privilege of meeting organizations such as The ARC of Haywood County, Haywood County Special Olympics and Haywood Vocational Opportunities.

This exhibition serves as a celebration of the remarkable abilities possessed by individuals with different abilities. It is a testament to the power of art to transcend barriers and foster understanding and appreciation. We invite you to join us in this inspiring journey, as we explore the boundless creativity and resilience of these exceptional artists.

Together, let us embrace the beauty of diversity and recognize the immense contributions made by differently abled artists.

For more information, please go to haywoodarts.org.

I

Susan Ho o ooper RESIDENTIAL BROKER ASS S SOCIATE (828) 400-1078 susan hooper@allentate susan.hooper@allentate e.com com

As a resident of Haywood County for over 35 years, I have developed a deep understanding of the local real estate market. Being an active participant in the community and staying informed with the latest trends and developments in the area, I have established myself as a local expert.

As a real estate professional with an unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction, I am the right choice for you when it comes to buying, selling, or investing in property in Western North Carolina.

I’m dedicated to leveraging my knowledge of the region’s unique characteristics to help you achieve your real estate goals. Don’t hesitate to contact me today to learn more about how I can guide you through the real estate process and make your dream a reality.

Susan Hoopeer is one of the most proffeessional rreal estate agents Ihave ever known. IIspeak not only as an out of (North Carolina) state property seller, but as a former agent myself in both Te Texas an nd Florida. I know the time and skillls it takes to buy and sell properties wh hile providing the best customer servvice p possible throughout g the process. Susan excelled in every wayy. She and Iworked together (1,000 miles apart) ffo or more than seven months where communication was a key. y. That communication resulted in two property off ffeers in a ffo our-month listing, the second one ending in a successful sale. I couldn't be more pleased working through the process with Susan. I highly recommend her to an nyone who wants to work with the very best.

— Suzanne L. Cruver

Smoky Mountain News

• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.586.1717 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.

• Sauced (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9585 or saucedwnc.com.

April 3-9, 2024

• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host John Brown (jazz) April 5, Kanstyx (Kansas/Styx tribute) April 6 and Darin & Brooke Aldridge (bluegrass/Americana) April 13. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to thepeacocknc.org or call 828.389.ARTS.

facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.

arts & entertainment

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Cody Marlowe (rock/country) April 5 and Shane Meade (indie/soul) April 12. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

On the wall Haywood Arts differently-abled exhibition

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Smoky Mountain News April 3-9, 2024

arts & entertainment

On the stage

‘Constellations’ will run on select April dates at HART.

arts & entertainment

HART to present ‘Constellations’ Donated photo

A special stage production of “Constellations” will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 5-6, 12-13 and 2 p.m. April 7 and 14 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Join Roland, a beekeeper, and Marianne, a quantum physicist, as their relationship unfolds in a kaleidoscope of scenes, revealing diverse outcomes shaped by tiny choices and chance events.

This captivating romantic drama delves into the mesmerizing world of multiverse theory, exploring the boundless possibilities of love. Brace yourself for an emotionally charged experience that goes beyond the ordinary as “Constellations” invites you to ponder the intricate threads of destiny and love.

Suitable for all audiences. To reserve your seats, call the box office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org.

On the street Want to learn contra dancing? but you’re welcome to do so.

You may also bring a closed water container and snack. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Please don’t wear perfumes or strong scents.

Admission is by donation, which helps pay for the musicians and callers for the evening. First-time attendees and children are admitted free.

The event is produced by the Arts Council, Friends of Contra Dance in Macon County and the Macon County Public Library.

For more information, call 828.524.ARTS or email arts4all@dnet.net.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, go to waynesvillewine.com.

ALSO:

• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines.

Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.

Smoky Mountain News

On the table

April 3-9, 2024

There will be a contra dance class offered from 6:30-9 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Contra dance is considered the most accessible and sociable of all dances, with participants moving in two long facing lines or in groups, and with frequent partner changes. With its roots in the British Isles and France, contra dance has become a traditional American dance form.

No experience is needed to contra dance. All dances are taught. Beginners’ lessons start at 6:30 p.m., with dancing from 7-9 p.m. No need to bring a partner,

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Smoky Mountain News

April 3-9, 2024

arts & entertainment

On the wall

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Abstract art, surrealism showcase Artwork by Ralph Verano will be on display through the month of April at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Verano was born in a small town in Southern Central New York State.

He became fascinated with art at a very early age when his grandfa‘Grav 1A’ is a work by Ralph Verano. ther would draw comic Donated photo characters for him.

He graduated from Buffalo State College with a degree in graphic design. After living and working in Florida for 30 years, Verano’s love of the mountains eventually brought him to settle in Franklin.

Verano’s character-driven art represents his love of abstract art and surrealism with a desire to create something unique and original. His work has evolved over time because of his willingness to experiment with different techniques, ideas and styles.

Verano has always felt that discovery is the most important element in his work and the need to challenge himself is what maintains his interest in the thing that has been his passion since he was a child.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, visit rverano.blogspot.com.

• “Artisan Alley” will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 13, on Phillips Street in Franklin. Homemade gifts, crafts and antiques. franklin-chamber.com.

• “Far From Home” art exhibition featuring works by Jesse Butner will be displayed April 5-May 3 at the Lo-Fi Gallery in Sylva. Mixed media collection. Opening reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 5, at the gallery, which is located at 503 Mill St. For more information, email lofigallery@yahoo.com.

• “Youth Art Month” will be held through March at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Artwork from local Macon County students K-12 will be on display. For more information, call 828.349.4607 or go to franklinuptowngallery.com.

• “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will run through June 28 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. This exhibition brings together a selection of baskets, pottery, carving, painting, photography and more. To learn more about the exhibition and reception, please go to arts.wcu.edu/spark. The Fine Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.

• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio located at 1283 Asheville Road.

Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring, mixed media, acrylic painting and more. For a full list of classes, visit cre828.com. For more information on CRE828, email dawn@cre828.com or call 828.283.0523.

• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. The gallery is open from

noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, go to galleryzella.com or call 517.881.0959.

• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. They welcome photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images at the monthly meetings. For more information, email waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net or follow them on Facebook: Waynesville Photography Club.

ALSO:

• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information and a full schedule, go to haywoodarts.org.

• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, go to jcgep.org.

• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to signup, go to southwesterncc.edu/ scc-locations/swain-center.

• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, go to dogwoodcrafters.com/classes or call 828.586.2248.

On the shelf

Anna Barren

F

he finds himself caught up in a web of drama, intrigue and foreshadowing. Of course, his reputation precedes him, which is a natural opening to his involvement. A fellow passenger, Linnet Doyle, is known by the papers as the “wealthiest woman in England” and she has come with her new husband, Simon, on their honeymoon.

However, they are not alone. Behind them follow his spurned lover and her ex-best friend, Jacqueline de Bellefort. Linnet approaches Poirot with the request that he deter Jacqueline. Poirot refuses to take the commission but nevertheless attempts to talk sense into Jacqueline and convince her to drop whatever plans she may have and to leave the past in the past. Unfortunately, he

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is unsuccessful and Jacqueline continues to trail the newlyweds.

At the outset, it seems that Jacqueline’s only goal is to bother them by her mere presence. It works out very well, as they are irritated and unruffled by her enough to barely

be able to enjoy their time together. In their attempts to shake her, they decide to lastminute stay on the Karnak (along with Poirot), contrary to their initial plans to get off for another destination. Nevertheless, Jacqueline somehow ends up remaining on the steamer too.

That’s when things heat up. Colonel Race, an old friend of Poirot, joins the group and confides in Poirot that he on the trail of a murderer who he knows is onboard the ship. Confrontations and violence ensue, casting the whole set of passengers into the realm of suspicion. Unexpected alibis battle unexpected motives, leaving the reader to wonder what’s really going on. Poirot himself can’t seem to solve the murder mystery before bodies begin to pile up and expensive jewelry is stolen. Suddenly, histories of jealousy and motives of revenge emerge from the passengers’ quarters and it appears that nearly everyone on board has some semblance of a motive for the first death.

As a teenager, I was always a big fan of Christie’s works, but the intricacy of her style eluded me then. She manages to weave an abundance of characters and their backstories together without once being confusing or losing the sense of simplicity that keeps the plot straightforward.

Personally, I enjoy trying to figure out the mystery as I’m reading so I appreciate this book in particular because all the characters are stuck on a ship. There is no unseen murderer who I have not yet encountered in the story.

I had forgotten the power of good mystery novel. Since a young age, I ate up anything of the mystery genre: Boxcar Children to Nancy Drew to Agatha Christie. Now I’m an even more appreciative reader of Christie.

Her style has a fascinating efficiency that is unpredictable, keeps you hooked and is wrapped up in an unexpected bow. The best thing about her repertoire is that there doesn’t seem to be an end of new mysteries I’ll be filling my summer with!

(Anna Barren teaches fifth grade and is a lifelong lover of books. annab4376@gmail.com.)

April 3-9, 2024

or me mystery novels are summer.

They are captivating, enjoyable and the perfect thing to read on a vacation.

With the warm weather approaching too slowly for my taste, I’ve found myself longing for the hotter days of free time. Since I can’t change the forecast, I can at least capture that feeling of peaceful leisure; and to do so, I grabbed a mystery novel from my shelf.

However, time’s been tight and I wanted a reliable author I Writer knew could dupe me so I went with “Death on the Nile”

by Agatha Christie (William Morrow Paperbacks; Reissue Edition, 2011, 352 pages).

For those who may not be as familiar with Christie’s works, her mysteries often feature either Hercule Poirot, an eclectic, French detective or Miss Marple, an elderly spinster with savvy sleuthing capabilities. Some of her books have neither, but “Death on the Nile” is a Poirot mystery.

But before the reader knows he’s there, Christie introduces a host of other characters who are seemingly random and unrelated. And indeed, that’s what they are until they find themselves riding on the same steamer, the Karnak, touring the Nile River.

Among the passengers there are many, but to name a few: the French detective, a famous British socialite and her husband, an Italian archaeologist, a young, outspoken communist, a German doctor, an aging romance novelist stuck in the past and a haughty, rich American woman along with her entourage.

The steamer’s goal is pure holiday and even Poirot is off-duty in this book — until

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Smoky Mountain News

Rhythm of the run

Kevin Fitzgerald is a well-known runner and coach in Western North Carolina. Donated photo

A conversation with WNC coach, athlete Kevin Fitzgerald

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER ecently, Kevin Fitzgerald left his Waynesville home and made the long trek up to West Virginia University to watch one of his former athletes, Tuscola High School running standout Eva Rinker, compete at the college level. For Fitzgerald, it was a moment of immense pride to be there and cheer on Rinker.

“I’m just happy to be able to come up and watch her experience this because she’s had a great freshman year [at WVU] — it’s just fun to see it play out [for her],” Fitzgerald said.

Head coach of the Tuscola boys and girls track and field and cross-country teams, Fitzgerald has been at helm of the positions for several years.

“I tell these kids often in practice — ‘nothing in life is ever really, truly given to you, you have to earn it,’” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald was also coaching swimming for the better part of a decade. The culmination of his coaching endeavors is aimed at encouraging young minds to reach for the stars through hard work and aspring to break barriers with their talents and skillsets.

“When kids are good at something and if they have good coaches, they generally will stick with it because they see the reward for the effort they’re putting in,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s a lot of work and a lot of hours and dedication to help young people reach goals — all of this is the foundation they’ll have as adults for goal setting.”

Growing up in Winston-Salem, Fitzgerald led a pretty normal life for a kid of the late 1960s and 1970s. He got involved in sports in middle school, only to soon find a love for track and field and cross-country.

“My father ran cross-country in New Jersey in the 1930s and 1940s, and I was always intrigued by it,” Fitzgerald said.

“I’ll never forget how sore I was after those first couple of practices. But, once I got over that initial pain and soreness, I liked it, it was fun and I had a great coach.”

And a great coach he was, leading Fitzgerald to two state titles during his junior and senior year at R.J. Reynolds High School. The same coach won three more consecutive championships in a row following Fitzgerald’s graduation. With the success of his own coaching in recent years, Fitzgerald see it as a full circle kind of thing reflecting on his father and what he taught him.

“I don’t consider myself to be a motivator. I consider myself to be someone who works with motivated people to achieve their goals,” Fitzgerald said. “And the ones that are motivated, the ones that show up and come to practice every day, ready to work, are the one that’ll go to the state meet because they’re motivated to get better.”

Aside from coaching, Fitzgerald is also heavily involved in the annual Gateway to the Smokies race. Taking place Saturday, April 6, in downtown Waynesville, the halfmarathon (13.1 miles) and “Mighty 4 Miler” have become a cherished event for local and regional runners. To note, proceeds from the “Mighty 4 Miler” will benefit the Riley Howell Foundation Fund “In the last three years, we’ve raised almost $20,000 for the foundation,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s a great cause to be part of and we’re hoping for a great turnout this year.”

A well-known and acclaimed Western North Carolinian in his own right — in the fields of running, swimming and cycling — Fitzgerald looks at his life in motion as a way to not only be healthy and mobile, but also simply find deep enjoyment and fulfillment in doing so.

“There’s a social aspect to it, too — the people I run with, the people I train with,” Fitzgerald

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The Riley Howell Foundation Fund’s (RHFF) yearly fundraiser race, the Mighty Four Miler, will take place at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, in downtown Waynesville.

Locals are invited to participate in the fourth annual race by running or walking inperson, and folks who are eager to support RHFF from afar are invited to participate in the race virtually.

RHFF was created to honor the legacy and memory of Waynesville native Riley Howell who sacrificed his life to save his classmates and lost his life to gun violence. On April 30, 2019, Riley Howell was in class at UNC Charlotte.

Seven minutes in, shots rang out and in a split-second decision, Riley chose to fight. He would not live to know that his actions saved others. Riley died as he lived — selflessly, bravely and in service to others. In memory of his courageous act and to honor a remarkable young man, the Riley Howell Foundation Fund supports organizations that benefit victims of gun violence.

All registration proceeds will go directly to the foundation’s operational costs so that RHFF can continue to support victims of gun violence. Visit rileyhowellfoundation.org to register for the Mighty Four Miler’s in person and virtual race options and to learn more about RHFF. Online registration for both the in-person and virtual race closes at 9 p.m. on April 4. Late registration for the in-person race is available in-person April 5 and on the morning of April 6 at Wells Event Center in Waynesville.

said. “I swim a couple times a week, bike four days a week and run between all of that. [Rotating through these] sports has allowed my body to be able to do all of these things for a lot longer.”

At 65 years old, Fitzgerald is clocking half/full-marathon times of those decades younger than him. Like his coaching practices, Fitzgerald is all about putting in the work to hit milestones and break personal best times.

With the marathon, which is 26.2 miles, Fitzgerald has run 19 of them, five of which being the storied Boston

Marathon — the crown jewel of the running world. His personal record (PR) for the Boston Marathon was two hours and fifty-two minutes, putting Fitzgerald at a 06:35 per mile pace. He was 56 years old then. “[At Boston], people lining the entire course,” Fitzgerald recalled. “When you turn onto Boylston Street, you’ve got only 800 meters to go. You give it all you got.

You give everything. The people are screaming and carrying you with their voices. Chills going up and down your back — there’s no place else like it.”

outdoors

Run for Riley at the fourth-annual Mighty Four Miler

All registration proceeds will go directly to the Riley Howell Foundation Funds operating expenses. Donated photo

Ready to lace up?

Below are some tips from Kevin Fitzgerald for those looking to possibly get into running.

• Invest in a good pair of running shoes and work with a reputable running shoe retailer to determine the right shoe for you.

• Consider having a gait analysis done, which is well worth it for injury prevention.

• Set reasonable goals, build mileage slowly and follow a plan.

• If weight loss is the goal, lose some pounds with non-weight bearing activities (swimming, spinning, hiking, walking) first, then begin running.

• Start running with a friend(s) as companionship and encouragement are a bonus.

• It takes 21 days for form a habit, so keep at it and be consistent.

• Most importantly, have fun.

MA AY Y 3 0 TH, 31 ST, & JUNE 1 ST 10 A M - 5 P M

Kevin Fitzgerald coaching former Tuscola running standout Eva Rinker. Donated photo

Gateway to the Smokies Presented by The Smoky Mountain News, the fourth annual Gateway to the Smokies halfmarathon and four-miler will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 6, at 285 North Main St. in Waynesville.

For more information, to view the course and/or to sign up for the race, click on gloryhoundevents.com. Online registration ends at 9 p.m. Thursday, April 4. Those interested in running the race can also register onsite on the day of the event.

All finishers will receive a commemorative medal. Spectators are welcome at both the start and finish areas of the race. Proceeds from the “Mighty 4 Miler” will benefit the Riley Howell Foundation Fund.

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outdoors

Panthertown friends hiring public engagement position Friends of Panthertown is hiring a part-time trails and stewardship assistant.

Whoever fills the position will help with trail programs, education programs, sustainable trail management, volunteer engagement, public outreach and special

conservation projects. They will be responsible for assisting with on-theground conservation efforts, maintaining and restoring trails, monitoring ecosystems, collaborating with stakeholders and leading programs focused on public land conservation, backcountry stewardship, sustainable recreation outdoor ethics and Leave No Trace principles.

The deadline to apply is April 15.

Anyone interested should send a resume, cover letter and three references to friends@panthertown.org.

File photo

The climbing route closures give the nesting pair a needed buffer while allowing climbing in other areas. Donated photo

Rock climbing restrictions will protect young falcons The U.S. Forest Service and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) are temporarily restricting activities on or near several cliff and rock face areas in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests to protect nesting peregrine falcons

and their fledgling. As climbing has grown in popularity nationwide, the national forests have become hot spots for the sport. They are known for long, traditional routes in beautiful areas with excellent rock quality. The climbing route closures give the nesting pair a needed buffer while allowing climbing in other areas. To learn more about climbing closures throughout the Carolinas, visit: carolinaclimbers.org/content/peregrineclosures-2024.html.

Smoky Mountain News

April 3-9, 2024

Wildlife commission to open trout waters

32

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 1,000 miles of Hatchery Supported Trout Waters at 7 a.m. April 6. The season will run through Feb. 28, 2025.

The Wildlife Commission has posted the full Hatchery Supported Trout Waters stocking schedule on its website to give trout anglers opportunities to plan fishing trips in advance.

The schedule is searchable by county and month and provides information on what days each water is being stocked.

Hatchery Supported Trout Waters are open to public fishing; however, many of those miles are privately owned so officials with the Wildlife Commission urge anglers to respect the property they are fishing on and remember that landowners can take away access if they feel

Waynesville Rec hiring summer camp counselors Waynesville Parks & Recreation is currently hiring for summer camp counselors for Base Camp 2024.

The organization is looking for counselors who would be willing and able to work all eight weeks of camp, with one break week given July 1-7. The department needs counselors excited to work with kids and being outdoors all summer long. Experience with children is preferred, but not required; however, a genuine interest in working with children is required.

Counselors will enjoy their time creating a fun, safe, and inviting atmosphere for all children of all ages For more information call 828.456.2030 or email hjones@waynesvillenc.gov.

NOC to open high-end bungalow accommodations File photo

their property is being misused.

For a complete list of all Hatchery Supported Trout Waters, as well as trout maps, the complete stocking schedule, and daily stocking updates on Hatchery Supported Trout Waters, visit the Wildlife Commission’s trout fishing page.

The Nantahala Outdoor Center unveiled its newest lodging, The Hemlocks by NOC. Available for bookings this June, these eight posh bungalow-style cabins feature king rooms, private deck and kitchenettes. Nestled on a ridgeline, the bungalows are designed to blend in with their natural surroundings.

In celebration of The Hemlocks’ grand opening, NOC will donate $2,000 to the Hemlock Restoration Initiative. This contribution supports the critical work of preserving hemlock trees, which play a key role in river ecosystem health by filtering and cooling water, stabilizing banks, and supporting aquatic life.

For more information on the Nantahala Outdoor Center and its offerings, visit www.noc.com.

Explore the partners behind The Hemlocks project at studio-shed.com, tinkerma.com and morganconstruction.com.

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Now is a great time to submit soil samples

Award winning author Mark Warren will discuss his book, “Survival Tricks of the Trail,” at 6 p.m. on April 11 at the Macon County Public Library on Siler Farm Road in Franklin.

Warren teaches nature classes and primitive survival skills at the nationally renowned wilderness school, Medicine Bow. A free raffle will be given at the program.

Experts are using the spring weather to remind people to test their soil if that has not been done in the last two to three years. Testing is also appropriate when starting a new garden or lawn, planning to purchase topsoil, or if significant amounts of compost have been added. There are no state laws on topsoil quality, so it is best to test topsoil before purchasing.

Peak-season soil testing fees are set to expire April 1, and homeowners and community gardeners are encouraged to collect their samples now to be ready to submit them after that date.

Anyone interested in soil testing can visit ncagr.gov/divisions/agronomic-services/soil-testing/homeowners uniquely designed for them.

Information for online soil submissions and accessing reports is found at apps.ncagr.gov. A link on the Agronomic Services homepage for PALS is provided.

A full list of lab services can be found by visiting the division’s website at ncagr.gov/divisions/agronomic-services. Contact the Agronomic Services Division at 919.664.1600 with any questions.

Mark Warren. File photo

Hike Haywood County

Smoky Mountain News

Haywood County Recreation will host a series of spring hikes throughout April.

Here’s a look at what’s coming up.

• April 10 — Buck Spring Trail from U.S. 276 This trail is a gradual, pleasant climb that dips into coves and rounds the nose of many ridges with hardwoods in the coves and mixed hardwoods on the ridges. Total distance is 6 miles and only has an elevation gain of just 400 feet. Hikers meet up at 9 a.m.

• April 20 — Shining Rock from Black Balsam This is a long 9.7-mile hike with an elevation gain of 1,621 feet. This hike is considered difficult based on the distance.

Guides will meet registered hikers at 8 a.m.

• April 28 — Balsam Gap to Standing Rock This hike will go from Balsam Gap Ranger Station to the Standing Rock Overlook. Total round-trip distance is 5 miles and has a rating of C-1 with an elevation gain of 1,302 feet. Hikers will meet at noon.

• April 13 — MST from Fork Ridge Overlook to Waterrock Knob Hike to Waterrock Knob from the Fork

Ridge Overlook. This is a 5.25-mile round trip hike with easy elevation change until the steep stairs at Waterrock Knob. Hikers will meet at 9 a.m.

• April 17 — Polls Gap to Cove Creek This is a strenuous 11.7-mile point to point hike from Polls Gap trailhead to Cove Creek. As it is in the Great Smoky Mountains Park, a parking pass will be required. Hikers will meet at 8 a.m.

• April 18 — Hiker Prep Course Class will be taught by SAR trainer Steve Kuni from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn what to always have in a pack and what to do when running out of daylight. Meet at the Standing Rock Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, milepost 441.4, at 10 a.m. Bring a chair, water, snacks and your usual hiking pack.

• Warbler Migration at Max Patch — April 27 Howard Browers will meet birders at 7:30 a.m. and head to Max Patch. There will be a moderate hike at the bald, about 2 miles round trip. Limited loaner binoculars available for use.

All hikes are subject to cancellation due to weather conditions. Go to haywoodcountync.gov/recreation to register for all activities

April 3-9, 2024

File photo

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34

n springtime, all things are possible.

Everything around you that is alive is imbued right now with the same hopeful energy. Everything is new, fresh and buzzing with renewed vigor, growth and hope.

Everything is filled with the potential for hope, joy, elation, life and possibility that are the emotions and energy of Springtime.

For many, the word springtime evokes images of warm weather and sunny days. I’d like to remind everyone that warm weather all the time is really descriptive of Summer.

Springtime brings all weather, and often in the same day. Warm, cold, rain and snow, frosts and flowers are all components of springtime, the freezethaw-freeze-thaw cycle that takes us out of dormant winter and into summer’s growth.

And it is in springtime that all things are possible.

In springtime, there is hope. I recently got the opportunity to walk in the woods and Hemlocks once dominated the Southern Appalachian region, talk with Dr. McBug, a.k.a. Richard but due to the wooly adelgid infestation, their population has McDonald of diminished significantly in recent years. Adam Bigelow photo Symbiont Biological Pest Management Co. On the day I write this, the last Friday in whose research and work with the Hemlock March, I am as filled with the same hope, joy, trees (Tsuga canadensis and Tsuga carolinielation and exuberance that is imbuing all life ana) and the tiny exotic invasive insect that in the northern temperate world. Today has been decimating them up and down the marked the beginning of my ninth year of east coast of the US, the hemlock wooly teaching about spring wildflowers with the adelgid (Adelgis tsugae) has given me hope, first in the series of weekly wildflower walks where I had thought there was none. that will continue on most Fridays throughI had thought that this tiny invasive out the season. And while my spirits were insect, which was accidently introduced to already buoyed with sharing my love of the United States on nursery stock of hemnative wildflowers with the attendees on my locks from other parts of the world, had walks, learning of and witnessing the spread done its damage and that the hemlocks were of those predatory beetles has filled me with on an inevitable decline leading to extinchope for the hemlocks, where before, I had tion. I had given up hope. But it is springnone. time, and all things are possible.

Even on my walks today I referenced that Sure, so many large and old hemlocks the hemlocks were dying. Some time ago I throughout Southern Appalachia have been wrote a requiem poem for the dying hemdecimated by the initial infestation and locks. But I should have known that this spread of the adelgid insect. But it turns out wasn’t the end for the mighty hemlock trees. that if a hemlock reaches a state where less For this world we live in is not linear but is than half of its needles are infested (45%) cyclical. And Nature knows what she is then it will grow normally and begin to doing. She knows how to heal. And she is thrive. Especially young trees and saplings. begging for our help. And help is on the way.

What is helping these trees to reach this (Adam Bigelow lives in Cullowhee. He leads state of equilibrium? An introduced insect weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and called Laricobus nigrinus, a type of toothoffers consultations and private group tours necked fungus beetle that loves to eat the through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. adelgid insects so much that it’s all they eat. bigelownc@gmail.com.)

I

B k online Book li at: t

Puzzles can be found on page 38 These are only the answers.

These beetles are known as host-specific predators. And they are out there, in the forest right now helping to save the hemlocks.

And it is working.

The adelgid won’t ever really go away, but with the help of the predatory beetle the infestation can be brought into a state of equilibrium where the damage wrought by the insect is not enough to kill the young trees, which will then have a chance of growing into the tall, stately stream-cooling trees that the old, dead hemlocks once were. And that is a balance that I believe we can all live with.

WNC events and happenings

Nutrition Facts serving size : about 50 pages

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m. to noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.

• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists.

• Cowee School Farmer's Market is held Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin.

The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • The Pollinators Foundation offers weekly Mindful Movement Qigong classes for all ages to reduce stress and improve health and well-being. Classes take place 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. For more information visit thepollinatorsfoundation.org or contact Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com 828.424.1398.

• The Pollinators Foundation and The Share Project host weekly Happy Hour Nature Walks 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Lake Junaluska. The group meets at the Labyrinth. For more information visit thepollinatorsfoundation.org or contact Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com 828.424.1398.

CLUBS AND MEETINGS • The Western Carolina Cribbage Club meets every Monday at 6 p.m. An eclectic group of young and old, male and female. The group supplies boards, cards, pegs and are always willing to help those still learning the finer points of the game. For more information contact kei3ph@bellsouth.net.

• Chess 101 takes place 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library.

For more information, email Ashlyn Godleski at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2567.

• Knit Night takes place at 5:30-7:30 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at The Stecoah Valley Center. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP is recommended: 828.479.3364 or amber@stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• A Novel Escape Book Club takes place at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month at the Novel Escape Bookstore (60 E Main St, Franklin). Every other month one book is selected for discussion. On alternate months the meeting is round-table discussion in which participants share what they’ve read lately. For more information call the bookstore at 828.369.9059 or visit anovelescapefranklin.wordpress.com.

• Silent Book Club takes place at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Novel Escape Bookstore (60 E Main St, Franklin). Bring your own book and whatever makes you feel cozy and enjoy a quiet, uninterrupted hour of reading amongst friends.

KIDS AND FAMILIES • Lucky LEGO STEAM, a St. Patrick’s Day-themed STEAM edition of LEGO Club will take place at 4 p.m.

Wednesday, March 13, at the Jackson County Library.

For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.586.2016.

• A special "Rain and Rainbows” themed family night will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at the Jackson County Library. There will be light refreshments along with science experiments and activities.

For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.586.2016.

• On Mondays, the Macon County Library will host Lady Violet, a King Charles Spaniel service dog, for children to practice their reading skills. Children who feel nervous reading aloud to an adult tend to feel more comfortable with a pet or a service animal. Sign up for a time to read with Lady Violet or to one of the library’s reading friends at the children’s desk or call 828.524.3600.

• On Tuesdays, Kelly Curtis will offer reading services to families from 3:30 -5:30 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. Families may sign up for a 30-minute time spot at the children’s desk or by calling 828.524.3600.

• Creative Writing Club will take place at 3:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. The writing club is intended for ages 8-12. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

Have a cold beer or wine and walk down memory lane

• Mother Goose Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Wednesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children from birth to 2 years old. For more information, contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

• Wiggle Worms Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Tuesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.

• Next Chapter Book Club Haywood is a fun, energetic and highly interactive book club, ideal for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The group meets every second and fourth Monday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

• Storytime takes place at 10 a.m. every Tuesday at the Macon County Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Toddler’s Rock takes place at 10 a.m. every Monday at the Macon County Library. Get ready to rock with songs, books, rhymes and playing with instruments.

For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Culture Talk takes place at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. Travel the world from inside your library. This event features guest speakers and food sampling from the location being discussed. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

• Art afternoon takes place at 3:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Macon County Public Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.

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Smoky Mountain News

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• Move and Groove Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Thursday, at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Exciting, interactive music and movement story time ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Ashlyn at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or at 828.356.2567.

April 3-9, 2024

• Mountain Area pregnancy Services and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor work together to provide a casual support group for prenatal and breastfeeding individuals from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, 177 N Main St. Waynesville, NC. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information, please call 828.558.4550.

• The Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library Creative Writing Group meets 10:30 a.m. to noon on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.

For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

pets welcome w • veterans disscount 35

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Monday for your ad to run again FREE $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less) Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4 Boost in Print Add Photo $6 Bold ad $2 Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4 Border $4

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No.2024E 000130 Robert Lee Reeves, KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH $GPLQLVWUD WRU RI WKH (VWDWH RI Robert Paul Reeves RI +D\ZRRG &RXQW\ 1RUWK &DUROLQD WKLV LV WR QRWLI\ DOO SHUVRQV KDYLQJ FODLPV DJDLQVW WKH (VWDWH WR SUHVHQW WKHP WR WKH XQGHUVLJQHG RQ RU EHIRUH Jun 27 2024, or WKLV QRWLFH ZLOO EH SOHDGHG LQ EDU RI WKHLU UHFRYHU\ $OO SHUVRQV LQGHEWHG WR VDLG (VWDWH SOHDVH PDNH LPPHGLDWH SD\PHQW Administrator 141 Green Valley Rd. Waynesville, NC 28786 NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No.2024 E 000156 &\QWKLD / &DUGZHOO KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH $GPLQLVWUD WRU RI WKH (VWDWH RI Ethel Jean Wilks RI +D\ZRRG &RXQW\

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NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No.2023 E 000649 0LFKDHO $QWKRQ\ (ONLQV KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH $GPLQLVWUD WRU RI WKH (VWDWH RI Jessie Elizabeth Clark RI +D\ZRRG &RXQW\ 1RUWK &DUROLQD WKLV LV WR QRWLI\ DOO SHUVRQV KDYLQJ FODLPV DJDLQVW WKH (VWDWH WR SUHVHQW WKHP WR WKH XQGHUVLJQHG RQ RU EHIRUH Jun 13 2024, or WKLV QRWLFH ZLOO EH SOHDGHG LQ EDU RI WKHLU UHFRYHU\ $OO SHUVRQV LQGHEWHG WR VDLG (VWDWH SOHDVH PDNH LPPHGLDWH SD\PHQW Administrator 136 Northridge Dr. Canton, NC 28716

%REE\ -RH -DFNVRQ -U KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH $GPLQLVWUD WRU RI WKH (VWDWH RI Bobby Joe Jackson Sr RI +D\ZRRG &RXQW\ 1RUWK &DUROLQD WKLV LV WR QRWLI\ DOO SHUVRQV KDYLQJ FODLPV DJDLQVW WKH (VWDWH WR SUHVHQW WKHP WR WKH XQGHUVLJQHG RQ RU EHIRUH Jun 13 2024, or WKLV QRWLFH ZLOO EH SOHDGHG LQ EDU RI WKHLU UHFRYHU\ $OO SHUVRQV LQGHEWHG WR VDLG (VWDWH SOHDVH PDNH LPPHGLDWH SD\PHQW Administrator 184 Hillside Rd Waynesville, NC 28786

Home Goods

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VDLG (VWDWH SOHDVH PDNH LPPHGLDWH SD\PHQW JANET MARIE “SUSIE” GAVIN, Executrix F R 6FRWW 7D\ORU 95 Depot Street Waynesville, NC 28786

April 3-9, 2024

WNC MarketPlace

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“WORKING CATS” Asheville Humane Society has cats available who are best suited to life in a barn/farm, warehouse, etc. Fully vacD cinated and spayed/ 2 neutered. (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE $OO UHDO HVWDWH DGYHUWLVLQJ LQ WKLV QHZVSDSHU LV R VXEMHFW WR WKH )DLU +RXVLQJ $FW ZKLFK PDNHV LW - LOOHJDO WR DGYHUWLVH µDQ\ \ SUHIHUHQFH OLPLWDWLRQ RU - GLVFULPLQDWLRQ EDVHG RQ D UDFH FRORU UHOLJLRQ VH[ Z KDQGLFDS IDPLOLDO VWDWXV U or national origin, or an inWHQWLRQ WR PDNH DQ\ VXFK SUHIHUHQFH OLPLWDWLRQ RU GLVFULPLQDWLRQ¶ )DPLOLDO VWDWXV LQFOXGHV FKLOGUHQ XQGHU OLYLQJ ZLWK SDUHQWV RU OHJDO JXDUGLDQV DQG SUHJQDQW ZRPHQ 7KLV QHZVSDSHU ZLOO QRW NQRZLQJO\ DFFHSW DQ\ DGYHUWLVLQJ IRU UHDO HVWDWH LQ YLRODWLRQ RI WKLV ODZ $OO GZHOOLQJV DGYHUWLVHG RQ HTXDO RSSRUWXQLW\ EDVLV

Recreational Vehicles 2015 FLEETWOOD EXCURSION 35E 2015 Fleetwood Excursion 35E, 37Ft, Less than 69,000 miles, 300 HP Cummins Diesel Pusher, 6 Speed Allison Transmission, Freightliner Chassis, 6000 Diesel Onan Generator, Less than 3,000 miles on tires, 3 TV’s (1 outside), Outside Shower, Inside Vacuum System, 2 Air Conditioners, Bunk Beds, Sleeps Approx. 6-7. Lots of Storage Inside and Out, W/D Connection, Full Size Fridge, Convection/Microwave Oven, Blue Ox Tow System, More Extras, 1 Owner-NO Smoking or Pets Asking $127,900. (229) 886-2455 audrey.warren1949@gmail.com

38 North Main Street | Waynesville

THE #1 NAME IN HAYWOOD CO. REAL ESTATE!

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400.9029

(828)

ron@ronbreese.com

LANDEN K. STEVENSON

Broker/Realtor® (828)

734.3436

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Hayw y ood Co. Real Estate Agents

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landen@wnchometeam.com melissa@ronbreese.com

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See Virtual Tours of listed homes at

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38 North Main Street | Waynesville

THE #1 NAME IN HAYWOOD CO. REAL ESTATE!

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Broker/Realtor®

400.9029

(828)

ron@ronbreese.com

LANDEN K. STEVENSON

Broker/Realtor® (828)

734.3436

MELISSA BREESE PALMER Broker/Realtor®

734.4616

(828)

landen@wnchometeam.com melissa@ronbreese.com

WWW.RONBREESE.COM

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828.506.7137 Amy@IJBproperties.com 18 S Pack Square, Asheville, NC 28801 April 3-9, 2024

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37

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ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

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WNC MarketPlace

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434 Champion Drive, D Canton, NC 28716 21 Hollon Cove R Rd, Waynesville, Waynesville NC 28786

April 3-9, 2024

WNC MarketPlace

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Smoky Mountain News April 3-9, 2024