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Houseboat owners fight to keep their property Page 9

Haywood schools keep high expectations during cuts Page 17

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On the Cover:

A display put together by Western Carolina University’s Department of Intercultural Affairs students for Black History Month aimed to draw attention to the issue of police brutality, but it ended up sparking a larger debate among the student body about race and civil discourse. (Page 6) Alec Simkiss/Western Carolinian photo News

Maggie Valley town center faces opposition

TVA may vote to remove all Fontana houseboats

Houseboat owners fight to keep their property

Haywood passes outdoor shooting range

Library renovation to address Internet access

Leaders discuss how to protect Judaculla Rock

Sylva leaders cheer affordable housing proposal

Haywood schools aim high during budget

Sen. Davis’ financial reporting late due to

Opinion

New charters stir emotions............................................................................................23 A&E

Ramblin’ man — A conversation with Butch Trucks................................................30

Outdoors

A.T. hikers aim for Maine after crowded spring start ............................................42

Back Then

Changing a flat in a rising

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Maggie Valley town center faces opposition

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Waste not Want not –Cut down on Wasted Food at Home

Who’s the biggest culprit when it comes to wasted food? Restaurants? Farmers? Schools? Hospitals? Supermarkets?

No, the biggest offender when it comes to wasting food in the United States is the typical American consumer, that means all of us. About 44% of the wasted food in the United States is attributed to what is not eaten and is thrown out in our own homes. For the next few weeks I’ll be talking about ways that we can waste less food and in doing so save money, reduce greenhouse gases and save valuable resources like water.

Week

#1. Be more conscious.

Look at your trash. What foods are you throwing out and why are you throwing it out? Did you buy or cook too much? Is the item bruised , damaged or discolored? Are you unsure of how to read the date and wonder if the item is still “good” to eat?

Businesses fear unintended consequences

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

There was a palpable sense of excitement in the air when Maggie Valley first unveiled its town center master plan. But with a couple of weeks to mull it over, some business owners are concerned the plan may have unintended and adverse consequences.

The town center proposal includes a long list of projects that aim to beautify the town, improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, attract more tourists and slow down traffic on Soco Road. Business owners are most concerned about a piece of the plan that would drastically change a quarter-mile of the roadway from the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds to Evans Cove Road.

Bee’s Blessing Shop in Market Square. “This plan would tear up all our parking lots and replace it with street parking.”

When she was looking for the perfect place to open her business in the valley 25 years ago, Tyson said she chose Market Square because of the convenient parking lot. She said taking that away would have a negative impact on her business. The parking lot has about 80 shared spots. According to the plan, there would be about 90 reverse-angle spots, but they would have to be shared by businesses on both sides of the street.

“It’s not safe and it will devalue our property,” she said. “If I didn’t own the building, I wouldn’t be fighting so hard against this plan, but I’m not ready to move on yet.”

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Instead of a four-lane highway, the quarter-mile of Soco Road would be widened and a large grassy median with trees and benches would be placed in the middle. There would still be two lanes of traffic on either side of the median, but reverse-angle parking would be added on both the right and left-hand sides of the median.

Businesses located in that quarter-mile stretch — all the Market Square shops, Guayabitos Mexican Restaurant, Cabbage Rose Gifts and Cataloochee Ski & Sports — would essentially lose their parking lots to accommodate the reverse-angle street parking.

“I’m all for making Maggie Valley better, but it doesn’t have to be something this huge,” said Barbara Tyson, owner of Aunt

Jackie Bradburn, owner of Apple Andy’s Restaurant in Market Square, rents her building but is still concerned about how the changes to Soco Road will affect the business she’s worked hard to build in the last year. She stuck it out all winter and is now looking forward to a busy summer season. Bradburn is especially worried about how her elderly customers and her delivery trucks can safely access her restaurant if the parking lot disappears.

“I want to beautify the town, but I don’t believe in cutting up the road,” Bradburn said.

“I could have opened my restaurant anywhere, but I came to Maggie Valley to make this a success. I don’t want to lose my dream after I’ve worked this hard to make it happen.”

Maggie Valley businesses feel like they have lost a lot of tourism dollars to Cherokee in the last decade, especially since the casino opened. Maggie leadership hopes the town center plan will attract more people to town

Barbara Tyson, owner of Aunt Bee’s Blessing Shop in Maggie Valley, is opposed to aspects of Maggie Valley’s town center plan that would take away the parking lot at Market Square and replace it with reverse-angle street parking. Jessi Stone photo

and get the Cherokee-bound traffic to stop for a day or two in Maggie.

Bradburn understands the desire to slow down traffic so people will stop in Maggie Valley on their way to Cherokee, but she said the split road and reverse-angle parking will only cause confusion and congestion.

“If they bottleneck us and make it an inconvenience to come through town, people will just take the highway to Cherokee,” she said.

Tyson said she would consider shutting down her business or selling it if the town moved forward with the roadway project, while Bradburn said she would look for another location outside the town center.

On the other end of Market Square, Pat Palmiere has owned Tarnished Swan Gift Shop for 26 years. He isn’t for or against the town center plan, but he definitely doesn’t like the idea of losing the parking lot.

“If it will help businesses I’m for it, but the construction alone will probably interfere with the businesses for a long period of time, and that wouldn’t be good financially for us,” he said.

Other business owners are glad to see the town looking at new ideas for improving Maggie Valley’s economy. Chris Chagnon has invested a lot in Maggie Valley in the last few years. As owner of the Maggie Valley Town Center Plaza, he said he’s helped bring 20 businesses into the valley. He also owns Soco Mountain Realty and Christopher’s in the Valley Italian restaurant and owns the building that Apple Andy’s is located in Market Square. Since he has tenants on both sides of the issue, he is hesitant to take a side in the town center debate.

“Anything Maggie Valley can do to improve tourism and life for the locals is a positive thing,” he said.

Dave Angel has also invested in Maggie Valley now as he works to get Elevated Mountain Distillery open this year in the former Carolina Nights dinner theater building. He was one of the few people who spoke in support of the town center plan at the last town meeting.

“I do support most aspects of the conceptual plan. The issues can still be debated,” Angel said. “But, the town manager mentioned at the last town hall meeting key grants that we need to apply for later this summer to reduce cost. We need a master plan approved to enable us to seek those funds while we continue the discussion.”

WHATDOTHEYWANT?

Tyson said keeping a business open in Maggie Valley has had its ups and downs. Business fell off drastically when the recession hit in 2008, but she said business has been up consistently for the last three years. Every shop in Market Square is actually occupied right now, which is a good sign of the economic turnaround. She doesn’t want to see the town lose that momentum by trying to make a four-lane highway into something it’s not.

But business owners aren’t opposed to everything in the town center plan — they like many of the other infrastructure elements. Palmiere said he likes the idea of the town constructing an ice-skating rink next door to him in the empty lot where Sweet Briar Motel was once located.

Bradburn and Tyson agreed that there were several empty lots in town that could be used for an ice-skating rink, more public bathrooms, a splashpad for kids and a memorial park to honor veterans.

“Anything for the youth would be great and I would love to see us honor our vets,” Bradburn said.

This is the towns’ third attempt at creating a comprehensive plan, and aldermen are still hopeful this one can come to fruition instead of collecting dust on the shelf like the Driving Miss Maggie and Moving Maggie Forward plans.

Angel said previous road studies from the N.C. Department of Transportation have shown that 20,000 cars on average enter Maggie Valley from the east near Jonathan Creek on a daily basis. By the time cars reach the proposed downtown, that number decreases to less than 10,000 cars daily.

Many of them are going straight over Soco to the casino. Angel said Maggie needs a plan that attracts more cars further into Maggie Valley.

“We need a plan that encourages visitors to stop and spend time in our stores, restau-

rants and visiting our attractions — a plan that achieves these goals will need to be bold to generate the positive changes we are looking for economically,” he said. “We need a plan that attracts a greater diversity of tourist. It needs to appeal to both young families and senior citizens. Maggie Valley is beautiful, rich in natural resources, and has a great story to tell. But, we need a plan that highlights our strengths and grows our economy.”

WHATWILLTHETOWNDO?

Tyson took a petition to the last Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen meeting with 300 signatures from people opposing the town center plan, though not all of them were residents or business owners. Her goal is to stop the town from moving forward with the plan before it’s too late.

“They keep saying the plan is only conceptual, but we won’t be able to change it once they approve the plan and start getting grants for it,” Tyson said.

Despite objections from the business community, the town leadership doesn’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The town has already invested $25,000, which paid for the engineering firm that helped put the plan together after gathering input from stakeholders for more than a year. The engi-

neering team presented a list of projects the town could tackle one at a time. The price tag for the entire wish list was $7 million, but the town wants to work toward prioritizing the projects before looking for grant funding.

This is also the towns’ third attempt at creating a comprehensive plan, and aldermen are still hopeful this one can come to fruition instead of collecting dust on the shelf like the Driving Miss Maggie and Moving Maggie Forward plans.

After hearing opposition to the town center plan during an April 11 meeting, Alderman Phillip Wight made a motion to scrap the plan, but the motion died without a second from the other board members. Mayor Saralyn Price was absent from the meeting so Mayor Pro-tem Janet Banks suggested scheduling a special meeting to discuss the subject when Price could attend.

Price said she wants to see as many people involved in the process as possible and will continue to gather feedback from business owners and residents before making any decisions.

“The main goal is to help Maggie Valley and that’s been the main goal all along,” she said. “This plan is not all or nothing — it doesn’t mean the exact plan would be used — it means that it can be changed to help the people, but the main thing is we can apply for money now that we have a plan.”

Jackie Bradburn, owner of Apple Andy’s Restaurant in Maggie Valley, said she doesn’t want her dream of owning a business destroyed by roadway changes in front of her restaurant.

Jessi Stone photo

Promoting civility

Online posts prompt discussion about race and inclusiveness at WCU

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

It started with a poster. Or, more accurately, with a collection of posters in the window of Western Carolina University’s Department of Intercultural Affairs. February is African-American History Month, and the display aimed to draw attention to the issue of police brutality, especially as it relates to race.

Some students took offense. In particular, a Facebook post by WCU student and campus EMS Chief Dalton Barrett went the Western North Carolina version of viral, drawing 81 shares and 58 comments.

“As a public service professional which has the biggest love for my brothers and sisters in law enforcement, it pains me to see such lies … My struggle with this organization is that instead of uniting cultures, they often times divide them by catering events/exhibits to only one specific culture,” Barrett wrote.

It seems that the lie to which Barrett referred was inclusion of Trayvon Martin in the police brutality display. The 17-year-old was shot in Florida in 2012 by George Zimmerman, who was a neighborhood watch volunteer but not a police officer. Zimmerman, who argued that he fired the shot in self-defense, was later acquitted of criminal responsibility.

Barrett’s post made no mention of race, and though he declined an interview for this story he said in an email that he wasn’t trying to get into a discussion about race — the conversation “did go a different way than I had intended,” he wrote.

The post drew a variety of reactions, from “Amen for saying what everybody was thinking” to “White people like you with your mindset are killing young black people.”

Ultimately, the ensuing discussion inspired the students at Intercultural Affairs to “decorate” the sidewalk around the fountain near the A.K. Hinds University Center with statements, written in chalk, aiming to reflect pride in their various cultures and ethnicities with phrases such as “my blackness is beautiful.”

“Some people were just wanting to display proudness within their race,” explained D’Myia Gause, a black student at WCU

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who’s in her junior year studying Spanish and speech pathology.

The chalk, which was on full display as WCU’s open house weekend came around on March 12, received a powerful backlash on Yik Yak, a smartphone app that allows users to post anonymous notes that appear on the feeds of other users in the local area.

Some of the posts espoused blatant racism.

“If it wasn’t for white people, all the black lives matter people would still be hunting lions with spears. Or drinking from the chocolate rivers in Africa,” said one post.

“When you act like a bunch of monkeys you get treated like a bunch of monkeys,” said another.

“Well if blacks can show their pride. I’m showing off my German pride with a nice big Nazi flag,” said a third.

In response to the postings, the Student Social Work Association

person are harboring these kinds of racist beliefs in their hearts?

“People are hiding inside a shell to say stuff, mean stuff, then they don’t say it around you,” he said.

For senior Cheniqua Arthur, dealing with racism on Western’s campus isn’t anything new.

“I think one of the biggest misconceptions about everything is that things are just now starting to get bad,” she said. “And

There’s no denying that Western’s student body is predominately white — 79 percent white, in fact, according to the university’s 2015 student body profile. Of the remainder, 6.4 percent are black, 5.6 percent are Hispanic, 3.7 percent are multi-racial, 3.1 percent are unknown or international, 0.7 percent are American Indian and 0.1 percent are Pacific Islanders.

Those numbers make self-segregation easy, said junior social work major Joanna Woodson, and maybe that’s part of the problem.

“I think most of the white students only hang out with the white students, and some-

organized a Black Lives Matter protest on Monday, April 4, drawing about 50 people of various ethnicities ranging in age from 4 to 70.

THEDAY-TO-DAYOFRACISM

For some black students at Western, the situation has been jarring, at best.

“It’s a great atmosphere here, but ever since the stuff that’s going on Yik Yak, I question myself,” said Cody Pearsall, a junior studying math education. “Why is Western doing this?”

Pearsall said his experience at WCU has been great thus far, and he hasn’t fielded any derogatory comments due to the color of his skin. But seeing what people were willing to say behind the safety of their keyboards with no names attached has given him pause. How many people who seem nice enough in

they’re not. They’ve been like this since

Before she even started classes as a freshman, Arthur recalls, an older student who was in the marching band with her bestowed some sage advice: “You just have to keep your head down until you graduate.”

It didn’t quite work out. One day in April 2014, she said, she was walking from her apartment when a car full of guys drew near, slowing down as it approached her.

“Hey bud, watch this,” the driver called to his friends, Arthur recalled. Then he yelled “I f***ing hate you” and swerved the car toward her.

“If I wouldn’t have moved out of the way, the truck probably would have hit me,” she said. She filed a police report, but nothing ever came of it.

That’s not the only time in the last four years racism has flown in her face. A friend of hers was harassed by a group of guys who threw rocks and used the “n” word. She said she’s had people tell her that they came to Western to “get away from you people.”

She’s still a WCU student, she said, because it’s too late to transfer and she feels like she has “an obligation to the students who are coming after me.”

times when I start a dialogue with someone, the answer is ‘I’ve never seen anything,’” said Woodson, who is white. “You don’t open yourself to seeing anything. There is overt as well as covert racism.”

Some of the Yik Yak posts reflected that.

“Why do black people think they’re more important than us?” read one.

“All this is doing is promoting the separation between white and black and creating racism, the only way to stop racism is to stop talking about it,” said another.

Enrique Gomez, a WCU economics professor who is also chairman of Jackson County’s chapter of the NAACP, disputed that logic. What may come across to some as oversensitivity is in fact often a response to built-up “micro-aggressions,” small interactions that combine to create something insidious, he said.

“We’re talking about thousands and thousands of tiny interactions that over time add up to a sense that they (minority students) might not be welcome,” Gomez said.

So, as opposed to the Yik Yak user’s comment that the only way to stop racism is to stop talking about it, Gomez said, the thing to do is to address it head-on — expose its reality to show people

About 50 students representing various ethnicities and campus organizations gathered April 4 to protest racism at Western Carolina University. D'Myia Gause photo

how they can help combat it.

“We are a majority white campus,” he said. “In order to deal with events like that we’re talking about the need for a cultural change, and one of the hallmarks of that cultural change would be bystander behavior. More and more white people would need to identify themselves as allies and be able to challenge the speech.”

THEADMINISTRATION’S RESPONSE

The original Facebook post was written on March 7, with administration becoming aware of the Yik Yak posts March 9 into March 10. Seeing what was happening, Dean of Students Kevin Koett invited students from Intercultural Affairs for dinner alongside some of the students who had posted negative comments on the Facebook thread. The evening went well, Koett said.

“It was a great conversation,” he said. “It was a very in-depth conversation. It was very impactful.”

But he couldn’t do the same with the students posting on Yik Yak, because that app is anonymous.

By March 16, the week before spring break began and a week after the original posts, Chancellor David Belcher had sent out separate emails to staff and students, updating them on what was happening and outlining his stance on the issue.

added, “it’s useless.”

Koett says he appreciates the frustration but doesn’t think the assessment is completely fair. There’s a lot more going on than email writing, he said, and the problem is knotty enough it’s not going to have an immediate fix.

“We can’t just wave the wand and fix some of these social injustices that are part of our society,” he said. “We have been very public and vocal to say that this is not something we’re going to do for the month of April and send you all home and say let’s forget that happened.”

WORKINGTOWARD INCLUSIVITY

There’s actually a lot going on to promote diversity and inclusivity at WCU, Koett said, and some of that started before this whole situation began.

He called the Yik Yak posts “racist, hurtful, offensive and frightening” in both emails, and in the letter to students he reminded them of the responsibility that goes along with the right to free speech.

“When we disagree, we must do so with respect for one another,” he wrote. “While we value our right to freedom of speech at WCU, we also value its responsible use … WCU will investigate any allegations of unlawful harassment.”

But some students are saying the administration’s response has not been strong enough.

“I think if we could get the university and the administration on our side about it, talk about it instead of a generic cute little email, that will be one of the most important things we can do right now,” Arnold said.

“If there’s no action behind it,” she

They’re not trying to hide the issue — during open house, Koett said, “We didn’t try to wash it (the chalk messages) away. We didn’t try to hide it.” They’re working with the Academic Affairs office to talk about how to bring the issue into the classroom and get students talking about it early.

“I think that the institution itself could probably do better in terms of first-year seminars or establishing a more direct conversation with issues of race for incoming freshmen,” said Munene Mwaniki, a sociology professor at WCU whose research focuses on race and racism.

Universities can be something like melting pots, where students with different beliefs and life experiences and worldviews all of a sudden find themselves inhabiting the same space. While most of Western’s recruitment comes from urban areas like Wake and Mecklenburg counties, it also draws quite a few students from the more rural — and often less racially diverse — reaches of the state.

WCU students protested racism on campus (left) following a flurry of racially charged posts on the anonymous smartphone app Yik Yak (above).

D’Myia

Gause photo

For instance, this academic year Intercultural Affairs moved to a new, highly visible location on the main floor of the A.K. Hinds University Center.

The week that the Yik Yak posts began, close to 400 students participated in a program called Tunnel of Oppression, during which small groups of 20 to 30 were put through an assortment of four different scenarios designed to teach them how to handle everyday situations in which prejudice might come into play. And last year, WCU began the process of hiring a chief diversity officer. On March 30, the university announced it had hired Ricardo NazarioColon, who currently serves as director of student activities, inclusion and leadership at Morehead State University in Kentucky. He starts on June 1.

“Hopefully he’ll be able to help us with some of the student campus culture issues that we’re talking about and dialoguing about now as well as helping us be more effective in recruiting a more diverse faculty and staff,” said Sam Miller, vice chancellor for student affairs.

The leadership doesn’t plan to wait until June to start moving forward, Koett said.

Civil discourse and the digital world

When it comes to Yik Yak, Facebook and Western Carolina University’s recent bout with racial tension, racism is one side of the issue. The art of civil debate is another.

“I think part of the challenge is we’re also dealing with a generation of students who don’t know how to communicate with each other,” said Kevin Koett, dean of students at WCU. “We’ve got a student population who doesn’t have the skillset to have face-to-face conversations where there might be some controversy.”

They’re “digital natives” Koett said, people able to integrate technology seamlessly into their lives but who sometimes lack the “faceto-face people skills to deal with differences and to discuss issues.”

The issue began on Facebook, where students could comment through a computer screen but had to put their names to their words. However, the posts that Chancellor David Belcher deemed “racist, hurtful, offensive and frightening” were made on Yik Yak, an app that lets users post anonymously.

“It’s quite surprising to hear some of them talk about how diverse the college campus is when this is a rural school. It tends to be less diverse than other universities,” said Mwaniki, who grew up in Jackson County but has only recently returned as an adult.

Students who haven’t had those personal relationships with people of other ethnicities growing up can be more prone to racism. They can also be less attuned to the challenges that minority students face.

“Some students are completely oblivious to what’s been going on,” Mwaniki said. “All of a sudden this chalk just shows up and it seems shocking to them. It feels out of nowhere to them.”

“I think that that’s why protest, why social movements are so important,” he added, “because sometimes whether it’s a community or the institution, they kind of take for granted or don’t really realize how different groups are experiencing their presence at these places.”

Koett says that this particular social movement won’t go by the wayside.

“I think students will see as we move forward that we are absolutely 100 percent committed to this issue,” he said. “We are committed to making a difference.”

The Intercultural Diversity students said they hope that’s true. But they expressed their optimism cautiously.

“It feels like walking in an avalanche,” Woodson said. “It’s almost the end of the year, and when we come back next semester everybody’s going to have all of this washed away.”

“The essential part from our perspective is to instill civil discourse,” said Enrique Gomez, an economics professor at WCU and chairman of Jackson County’s NAACP chapter. “What this phenomenon shows is students are not being exposed to the idea of responsible dialogue.”

The First Amendment allows for freedom of speech. But just because it’s legal to say, Belcher wrote in his email to students, doesn’t mean it’s good or helpful or right.

“Free speech is an important value of our community,” Belcher wrote. “While freedom of speech may, in some cases, protect words that are offensive or even hurtful, such language can be at odds with our community values of civility and respect.”

“We are in the process of just thinking about what we can do to shift campus culture,” Gomez said.

A lot of it will begin with reaching incoming students early and getting them to interact with their classmates from different backgrounds, said Munene Mwaniki, a sociology professor at WCU whose research focuses on race and racism.

“We aren’t, through our elementary and high school education, taught very well about how race operates in society, so a lot of people don’t really understand how race operates or how they’re privileged due to race,” he said. “I think the earlier that you can begin breaking these things down before these students begin self-segregating into these different clubs and organizations … it will hopefully help at least a little bit.”

The university has recently sponsored multiple opportunities for students to have these sorts of face-to-face experiences, including a scenario-based program on March 10 and a series of six discussion groups between April 5 and April 12 — two with faculty and staff and four with students. In all, more than 100 people attended the meetings.

“This is a caring community,” Belcher wrote in an email to faculty and staff, “and it is heartening that we are collectively working to have a higher level of discourse.”

TVA calls for removal of all houseboats

BY J ESSI STONE

DITOR

The Tennessee Valley Authority has proposed doing away with more than 1,800 houseboats that occupy various lakes under its jurisdiction.

If the TVA Board of Directors chooses to accept the staff’s proposal, owners of all the houseboats will be responsible for removing their property from the lake within the next 20 years.

Scott Brooks, a spokesperson for TVA, said the recommendation was made after researching concerns about the houseboats and gathering feedback from the lake communities for the last two years.

“Our biggest concern is the number of structures out there on TVA’s various reservoirs,” he said. “The process was initiated out of concerns about safety, sanitation and water quality.”

In addition to environmental concerns, the TVA also has issues with houseboats occupying public water without paying taxes, not meeting the TVA’s building regulations and hindering others’ access to water recreation. Brooks said a private developer wouldn’t be able to construct a subdivision on national park land and the same should be true for public waters.

“They’ve been using public property for private residential purposes or money-making ventures,” Brooks said.

As the number and various types of houseboats on TVA lakes has increased over the years, the amount of enforcement to make sure the structures meet TVA regulations has decreased. Marina owners on Fontana Lake say they haven’t seen a TVA cop patrolling the lake in years, and Brooks said that is one of the reasons the houseboats need to go.

“Over the last six years our police force has been altered. Patrolling waterways is not something we do anymore,” he said. “The enforcement of recreational boats is the responsibility of the state — the Wildlife Service enforces boating regulations.”

In 1971, the TVA amended its regulations to prohibit any new houseboats on its reservoirs, but without proper enforcement, the number has continued to increase and houses already on the lakes have been added onto and expanded without proper permitting.

PROBLEMSDON’TAPPLY TO FONTANA

Owners of floating houses on Fontana Lake in Graham and Swain counties say they understand the TVA’s concerns, but argue they aren’t the ones causing the problems. Since most of the TVA’s reservoirs are located in other states, Fontana owners feel they are being punished for the bad management of lakes in Tennessee.

“I know the problems they’re having in Tennessee — people are trying to privatize the lakes — I can see that’s a problem, but we don’t have these problems on Fontana,” said Tony Sherrill, owner of Alarka Boat Dock. “That’s

why it’s hard to understand for the people here. Our lake is public. People can boat, hunt, fish and camp anywhere they want.”

Sherrill and others on Fontana point to Lake Norris as a perfect example of mismanagement — the lake’s 900 floating houses are tied up and float out in the middle of the lake. Many are hooked up to shore power with power lines stretched across the water and some are dumping sewage into the lake.

Fontana has safeguards against all those issues. Marina owners aren’t allowing new houses to be built, all houseboats are tied securely to the water’s edge, most get their electricity from a generator and the counties have ordinances in place requiring proper septic removal.

Brooks said another issue was having floating houses occupy public waters while not paying taxes to anyone. While that might be true of some other lakes, floating house owners on Fontana assure the TVA they pay property taxes to Swain or Graham counties.

There was a push about 15 years ago to clean up Fontana and stop houseboat owners from polluting the lake with sewage and grey water. The Fontana Lake Users Association formed and lobbied officials in Swain and Graham counties to pass ordinances regulating houseboat waste.

Swain County Commissioner David Monteith said the counties secured more than $700,000 in grants to get a fleet of pump boats up and running to service the houseboats. Houseboats now collect their own sewage in tanks and have it pumped out and hauled ashore periodically by boat dock owners.

Monteith said the plan has worked out beautifully by cleaning up the lake and also making sure everyone on the lake is paying county taxes. Houseboat owners must display a sticker on the outside of their boat showing they are in compliance with the law and have to provide a copy of their pumping contract with a boat dock owner to receive the sticker.

“Now they all have flushable toilets and pay their taxes,” Monteith said.

The counties and private houseboat owners have all done their own water testing on Fontana since the counties passed these ordinances, and the results have been fairly consistent.

Swain County Health Department officials commissioned a large-scale water quality study in 2006. The sampling was done in multiple places for multiple days during the middle of summer when theoretically water quality issues would be the highest with a full lake of boathousers and high lake levels.

Only two testing sites exceeded the EPA limits for fecal coliform and only 15 percent of the sites exceeded 50 percent of the EPA limit for recreational waters. The study’s general conclusion was that the houseboats were not a significant contributor to fecal coliform present in the water. The primary source of fecal coliform originated from the feeding tributaries.

Bob Gurley, who has owned a houseboat for 12 years on Fontana, paid to have his own water quality test from Watertech Labs — an

Understanding the terms: floating houses and non-navigable houseboats

Floating houses are a modern version of the pre-1978 non-navigable houseboats. Floating houses are considered to be structures designed and used primarily for human habitation rather than for the primary purpose of recreational boating or water transportation. A boat no longer capable of navigation or water transportation, which is used for habitation, may be considered a floating house by TVA.

Non-navigable houseboat is the term found in TVA’s regulations that refers to early-era floating houses that existed on TVA reservoirs when TVA amended its regulations in 1971 and 1978. At that time, TVA grandfathered and issued permits to the existing non-navigable houseboats but prohibited new ones going forward.

EPA-certified testing lab — and all the results showed that the lake is in great condition as far as coliform, nitrates, turbidity and other indicators.

“He came back and said this water is good enough to drink if you had to,” Gurley said.

Scott Collins, whose family has owned a houseboat on Fontana since 1965, said the water is pristine and the counties and houseboat owners have all spent a lot of money to get it that way. However, he said the TVA wants to lump Fontana in with its other lakes and just be rid of the hassle of regulating floating houses all together.

“Every problem they’ve mentioned doesn’t apply to Fontana,” he said. “I’ve maintained our original TVA permit all these years, but I’m getting linked in with the Norris people who didn’t even register these huge houses on the lake and we’re getting punished for that.”

WHAT’SREALLYGOINGON?

Houseboat owners on Fontana have their own suspicions as to why the TVA is pushing so hard to get rid of all the houseboats.

Eric and Laura Sneed, houseboat owners who started a petition to present to the TVA,

think there are a number of factors TVA isn’t talking about. Perhaps the TVA is trying to downsize its operation, which leaves no funding for enforcing the houseboat regulations in place and bringing violating houses into compliance.

“They’re wanting houseboats off the lakes so they can do away with actual personnel that has to do paperwork for these kinds of things,” Sherrill said. “They should police these houseboats, but they don’t do it so this would save them money. I don’t see any other reason for it.”

Eric Sneed also thinks the TVA is getting pressure and complaints from environmental groups and mountaintop homeowners who have to look down and see houseboats on the lake. While the TVA points to water quality concerns, Eric said it has no concrete proof the houseboats are negatively impacting Fontana Lake.

Photos included in the TVA’s final environmental impact analysis show houseboats with portable toilets and wastewater discharge pipes being dumped in lakes, but none of the photos are from Fontana.

Houseboats on Fontana Lake are various shapes and sizes. Some of them meet current regulations while others don’t because of a lack of enforcement by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Jessi Stone photo

Houseboat owners fight to keep their property

BY J ESSI STONE

N EWS E DITOR

Scott Collins’ family has owned a houseboat on Fontana Lake since 1965 — that’s five generations that have made lasting family memories while enjoying a little rest and relaxation in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Collins’ great-grandfather immigrated to this area from the Netherlands about a decade before Fontana Lake was formed in 1944. He worked as a hydraulic engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority and helped build the dam. Collins’ grandfather spent a lot of time fishing on the lake and eventually built a fishing shack because there were no other places to stay back then. That fishing shack from 1965 is now a two-bedroom houseboat that the family still enjoys today. They travel from Asheville every other weekend during the season to stay at their houseboat.

“I was down there a week before I was born actually because my mother was there on Labor Day weekend of 1966, and we’ve had a constant presence there ever since,” Collins said. “It’s a big part of the family that’s been an identity type of thing for us to have this place in the Smokies we go in the summer.”

Collins and others can’t stand the thought of not being able to pass on that legacy and that property to the next generation, which could happen if the Tennessee Valley Authority moves forward with its proposal to remove all houseboats from the lakes in 20 years.

Bob Gurley of Morganton said he hoped some day to pass his houseboat on to his children and grandchildren to enjoy, but now that dream may be fading from view. It’s a place where his entire extended family has come together in the summer for the last 12 years.

Gurley remembers about four years ago when his 5-year-old grandson suffered from third-degree burns and was in excruciating pain at the hospital.

“The doctor told him, ‘Dallas, think of your happy place. Where is it?’” Gurley recalled. “And he said his happy place was Papa’s houseboat on the lake. It will devastate my kids and grandkids if they force us out.”

PETITIONPICKSUPMOMENTUM

TVA’s proposal to remove all 1,800 houseboats from its reservoirs would affect some 350 structures on Fontana Lake, but property owners aren’t going to let it happen without a fight.

Laura and Eric Sneed, who have heavily invested in their houseboat for the last three years, started a petition opposing the TVA’s proposal and it already has more than 1,600 signatures. They plan to present the petition and an alternative plan at the TVA’s May 5

meeting before a decision is made.

While the TVA stopped issuing new houseboat permits in 1978, the Sneeds purchased one of the older houseboats that had a grandfathered-in TVA permit because it was constructed before 1978 when the regulations changed. They spent thousands of dollars to fix it up, add on a dock and another smaller structure for more bedroom space.

“People have put their entire savings into these houses, and now TDA is basically saying because the number of houses have got-

Sound off

• The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Board of Directors will hold a meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 5, in Buchanan, Tennessee. Though the official agenda will not be released until April 28, the board might discuss and/or make a decision regarding a proposal to remove all houseboats from the lakes within the next 20 years.

• Comments can be submitted to TVA Board of Directors Board Services, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 6, Knoxville, TN, 37914; or emailed to board@tva.gov.

• For more information about the TVA’s proposal, visit www.tva.com.

• To learn more about the Fontana Families For Floating Houses’ efforts to stop the proposal from going through, visit www.fontanafamilies.com and sign their petition.

ten out of control, they’re going to remove all of them,” Laura said.

Last summer the TVA held a meeting and presented several possibilities for dealing with concerns over the houseboats. The options were to do nothing, not allow any new houses or have all of them removed within 30 years.

The Sneeds attended the meeting and weren’t too concerned when they left because it appeared the TVA was leaning toward allowing existing houses to stay while preventing any new ones from popping up.

“But then in February they announced they were looking at a 20-year sunset on all of them, even the ones that are grandfathered in,” Laura said.

TVA’s proposal also states that houseboat owners will have to remove their houses at their own expense, which could cost $5,000, $8,000 or more depending on the size of the structure.

“Some of these houses are huge — some people will either burn them down or just abandon them because they can’t justify spending that kind of money to get it off the lake,” Laura said.

Eric Sneed of Cherokee takes his pontoon boat out on Fontana Lake to get to his houseboat. Eric and Laura Sneed’s houseboat (below) is situated in a cove with a wide-angle view of the lake in front of them and Great Smoky Mountain Railroad tracks behind them.

“People have put their entire savings into these houses, and now TDA is basically saying because the number of houses have gotten out of control, they’re going to remove all of them.”

— Laura Sneed

Collins has one of the largest permits and would have to pay a heavy fee to remove his houseboat. If the government wanted to come take someone’s land under eminent domain, Collins said, they would have to compensate the owner. He doesn’t understand how the TVA can force people to leave at their own expense. If the proposal goes through, he said he wouldn’t spend the money on demolition.

“With two years to go I’ll pull the TVA

numbers off the house and push it off the bank,” Collins said. “Why would I pay a demolition company to come tear it down?”

HOUSEBOATSBOOSTECONOMY

Marina owners along Fontana Lake say they will go out of business if the TVA decides to get rid of houseboats.

Tony Sherrill has operated Alarka Boat Dock on the Swain side of the lake for almost 40 years. He has about 180 houseboats under his supervision. His crews are out on the lake every day making sure the floating houses are securely anchored and stay in the water as the lake levels ebb and flow.

“If they pass this it will close me down. I can operate for the next 20 years, but it will be downhill from the time they sign that paper,” Sherrill said. “People are done — they’re not going to update or maintain their houses for the next 20 years and my business will go downhill.”

Because of the 60-foot water level fluctuation during the year on Fontana, Sherrill’s

Jessi Stone photo

Even in mid-April the water levels on Fontana Lake are still very low but rising more than one foot a day.

TVA RULINGISCOMING

Brooks said the TVA has made its recommendations to the TVA board, but the public won’t know whether the topic and/or a decision will be reached at the May 5 board meeting until the agenda is released April 28.

“We don’t know if the board will be considering it or not,” he said.

The TVA board members are nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate, and each serves a term of five years. None of the current members reside in North Carolina.

The May 5 meeting will be held in Buchanan, Tennessee, more than six hours west of Swain and Graham counties. Monteith said he is planning to attend the meeting to express the county’s opposition to the TVA’s proposal.

“Do I think their minds are already made up? Probably, but it won’t stop us from trying,” he said.

Graham County has already passed a resolution opposing the TVA’s recommendation to remove all houseboats in 20 years, and Swain County plans to pass a similar measure this Thursday night. Marina and houseboat owners also plan to make the long trip to ensure their voices are heard.

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has also sent a letter to the TVA expressing his opposition to the sunset clause for

Facts about the TVA

• The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving more than 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states.

• TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity.

• In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

houseboats. In his letter to TVA President William Johnson, Meadows explains the importance of Fontana as a recreational asset and an economic engine for the region.

“I ask that any new policy put forth by the TVA fully consider the consequences for the local economy and community life,” Meadows wrote. “Furthermore, I ask that any proposal respect the legitimate interests of every stakeholder, whether they are houseboat residents, tourists, employees of local business or anyone who simply enjoys Fontana Lake.”

business is already dependent on how quickly the TVA fills up the lake each year. He said some years the lake season could be six months while other years it’s three months long.

Debbie Prince, co-owner of Prince Boat Dock with her husband David, said houseboat owners make up a majority of her business. If the 140 houseboats located in her marina go, so does the revenue.

“I basically feel like it would shut us down. We could still keep boats but most people have a floating house, so if the houses are gone, people will only bring their boat out for a day,” Prince said. “It will be detrimental to our business.”

In addition to the five marinas that exist on Fontana Lake, Prince said it was important to remember how many other businesses benefit from the revenue coming from houseboats — ice vendors, gas companies, bait and tackle shops, boat dealerships, convenience stores, restaurants and more.

“Most people coming from Atlanta or Canton — we have people coming in from all over — they’re not going to buy groceries in Atlanta, they wait until they get to Robbinsville or Bryson City,” Prince said. “We have customers leave the lake and go eat at restaurants and go zip lining and rafting or

go to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino to gamble.”

Swain County Commissioner David Monteith said there is no doubt the TVA’s proposal would be devastating for Swain and Graham’s economy by putting marinas out of business and hurting the tourism industry. Since a majority of Swain County land is occupied by national park land, Swain doesn’t have much private land to tax to raise revenue. The county heavily relies on tourism dollars.

For Monteith, this is just another jab at Western North Carolina by the federal government. When the federal government took Swain property to build the dam and create Fontana Lake in the early 1940s, a road from Bryson City was flooded and destroyed. The feds promised to rebuild the road but never did. Then they agreed in 2000 to give Swain County a $52 million cash settlement in exchange for not building the road back, but Swain has seen only $12.7 million of that settlement. The county decided last month to sue the federal government for the money owed.

“Back in 1940 they (the federal government) took 1,100 acres for the lake and in return how many schools and churches were flooded?” Monteith said. “And then there’s 44,000 acres they took for the park. They just took and took and took and now they’re taking the only income we got for this lake.”

Whether they are in compliance or not, the Tennessee Valley Authority is proposing to remove all houseboats within 20 years.

Jessi Stone photo

Jessi Stone photo

Haywood County passes outdoor shooting range rules

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

New rules are now in place to govern commercial outdoor gun ranges in Haywood County.

Commissioners approved the ordinance unanimously Monday after County Manager Ira Dove presented an updated version that incorporated several changes based on public feedback. Dove said the biggest concern from residents was the fear the ordinance would pertain to private ranges as well, but he assured everyone that the ordinance only governs money-making shooting range enterprises.

“It doesn’t include law enforcement ranges and it doesn’t include turkey shoots or educational events,” Dove said.

The initial draft of the ordinance required commercial shooting ranges to use the National Rifle Association’s guidelines for operating a safe range, but after hearing feedback from residents, Dove said the ordinance now allows commercial ranges to use guidelines from any recognized association.

Residents were concerned about a stipulation in the original draft that stated a commercial range would need to be a quarter-mile away from any other existing occupied buildings. People argued that standard would be impossible to meet, so Dove said the requirement was changed to 1,000 feet instead.

“That can be waived by the planning board if you can mitigate the safety concerns,” he said.

While a requirement of a 300-foot buffer from neighboring property lines will remain in the ordinance, Dove said there will be an exemption process through the county planning board if an owner can show the range will adequately absorb sound as not to disturb neighbors and properly contain ammunition.

“You can apply for a waiver if you can provide a proper plan to the planning board,” Dove said.

If existing commercial outdoor ranges want an exemption from the new regulations, Dove said they had to provide a site plan to the county within a 120 days after the ordinance goes into effect. The county isn’t charging any kind of fee to submit a site plan.

“You don’t need an engineer but you have to have a site plan so we know where it is located,” Dove said. “No fees will be charged to provide that document — we’re not trying to make money on this.”

While existing ranges can get grandfathered in, they must apply for a permit and adhere to the new ordinance if the range sells or is expanded. Dove said his staff worked hard to incorporate feedback from residents to create a business-friendly approach to the gun ordinance.

Prior to this ordinance, Haywood County had nothing in place to regulate how and where an outdoor range could be set up.

Commissioner Michael Sorrells said

the intent of the ordinance was not to prevent ranges from opening but to make sure they are safe for everyone involved when they do open.

“We want to make it as easy as possible to allow someone to continue to have these things,” he said.

The discussion over outdoor ranges came up a few months ago when the Francis Farm community was outraged over an indoor shooting range being proposed in their neighborhood. Residents begged commissioners to stop the range from coming to their community, but commissioners’ hands were tied because the county doesn’t have any land-use regulations in place.

They didn’t think an indoor range posed a threat to anyone’s safety, but they did start to have concerns about unregulated outdoor ranges. The commissioners then enacted a 60-day moratorium on commercial outdoor shooting ranges while they crafted an ordinance.

The discussion over outdoor ranges came up a few months ago when the Francis Farm community was outraged over an indoor shooting range being proposed in its neighborhood.

“I think this is reasonable and it protects the interest of all,” said Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick. “It protects that church out there in the community from having a gun range next to their property and provides a safe place for people who want to shoot their guns as well as people on surrounding properties.”

He urged all existing commercial ranges to go meet with the county planning department to get grandfathered in if they didn’t want to have to aide by the new regulations.

Commission Chairman Mark Swanger said the people he’d spoken to about the ordinance viewed it as a common sense measure that was needed to protect people from the noise and ammunition coming from these facilities.

During public comment, Francis Farm resident Vicki Rogers thanked the commissioners for passing the commercial outdoor shooting range ordinance but encouraged them once again to address the indoor shooting range issue.

Several gun-right advocates were present at the meeting but none of them made comments to commissioners regarding the ordinance.

For the entire ordinance, visit www.haywoodnc.net/files/BOCC/4-18-16/attach-5ranges-ordinance.pdf.

A 21st century library

Waynesville renovation to address public demand for Internet access

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFFWRITER

Howard David Glawson was tucked in to his usual spot at the public computer bank at the Waynesville library last Monday.

He doesn’t have Internet service at home. But Glawson regularly walks to library, wheeling his oxygen tank down the sidewalk with him, to do all the things people do online these days. This particular morning, he was checking the status of an online order from Amazon, emailing a relative in another state, and researching doctors.

Nearby, an elderly couple was leaned in to a computer, studying and discussing a Fidelity retirement account statement on the screen. Two monitors down, a young woman was filling out an online job application.

Across the library, Teri Leigh Teed was piloting her own laptop at a worktable. She usually works from home, but this morning sought the change of pace the library affords.

“It helps me mentally to get into a different venue,” Teed said. “I can focus. It’s quiet. It’s comfortable. It’s conducive.”

The library has seen a huge rise in patrons looking for somewhere to plug in, especially given the slow and spotty Internet coverage so many in Haywood County face.

“People are often sitting on the bench out front waiting for us to open in the morning with their laptop,” Haywood County Library Director Sharon Woodrow said. “One of the major functions of the library now is to provide that wireless Internet access for the community at large. But we don’t have the electrical outlets or proper seating areas for people to be able to bring in their devices and laptops to work on now.”

The library has always been the go-to place for public Internet, but it’s outdated technology and digital infrastructure isn’t keeping pace with the demand.

In a rural county where fast Internet service simply isn’t available in most places, the place people — from high school students taking online tests to job applicants doing online video interviews — turn is the public library.

But the library’s digital infrastructure isn’t fast or reliable enough to serve the need,

Woodrow said.

“Haywood County has so many people who live in areas without decent access,” Woodrow said. “The Internet is one of our major functions.”

The Waynesville library hopes to pull off a $1.2 million technology upgrade as part of a larger renovation and expansion that’s in the early planning stages.

Technology is only one piece of the total $6 million renovation that’s aimed at realigning the outdated facility to match the way people use libraries today.

“Many people think libraries are obsolete. But ours is being used more and more,” said David McCracken, a Haywood County Library trustee. “It has increased across all ages and groups, from youth to teens to seniors.”

The library collected more than 800 surveys from users last year to gauge where it is lacking and what people want. It hired a professional library consultant to analyze space needs.

An architect then turned the ideas into a concept drawing roughly outlining what the $6 million expansion and renovation will look like. The Library Foundation has paid for the work to date, totaling around $30,000, using private funds.

“The Haywood County citizens deserve to have their library be a fully functioning facility in the 21st century,” Woodrow said.

The slogan for the library renovation campaign is “Connecting the Community” — a message that highlights the role of the library beyond its wealth of books to lend.

Online

To see a preliminary concept drawing of the new floor plans, view this article at smokymountainnews.com.

“One

Waynesville library’s collection got high marks from the public in surveys.

“We do have enough stack space. We are not trying to get more stack space, but we are not going to cut it down,” Woodrow said.

As for the areas that are lacking? Pretty much everything else that a library is expected to be these days, Woodrow said.

of the major functions of the library now is to provide that wireless Internet access for the community at large. But we don’t have the electrical outlets or proper seating areas for people to be able to bring in their devices and laptops to work on now.”

— Sharon Woodward, Haywood County library director

The top-to-bottom renovation of the library would realign every inch of space and how it’s used and increase the total footprint with a rear addition that will push out the building’s back wall.

Upstairs, the additional square footage will house a new children’s wing — including a dedicated children’s activity room for story time, crafts and programs. Daily story times are currently held in the hallway of the library’s basement.

“The library ultimately connects every single person that is in Haywood County,” said Christine Mallette, co-chair of the campaign committee.

The library campaign has three moving parts, branded as the three R’s: renewal, rejuvenation and renovation.

With more than 38,000 cardholders in the county, lending and loaning books remain the tried-and-true anchor of the library. Just ask Lisa Nadel, who was rifling through the shelves of cookbooks Monday morning.

“It is just a plethora of ideas. This opens up the mind and stimulates the creativity. I mean, wow,” Nadel said, whose latest hobby is playing armchair chef.

When it comes to books — the number, diversity, selection and sheer volume — the

“As story times have grown, it is filling more and more of the hallway with traffic going in and out of the doors nearby,” Woodrow said.

The library is also a gathering place for families.

“Parents get to meet other parents and children learn to socialize. It gives children the opportunity to expand and broaden their view of the world as a whole,” Woodrow said.

Plans also call for dedicated teen and young adult section on the main floor of the library as well.

The expansion will address a chronic shortage of meeting

A steady stream of computer and internet users flow through the Waynesville library all hours that it’s open, one of the critical roles the library plays today that wasn’t envisioned when it was built in the early 1980s. Becky Johnson photo

Seeking support

Timeline in limbo pending commitment from county

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFFWRITER

Preparation and planning for a $6 million renovation and expansion of the Waynesville library have been playing out behind the scenes for more than a year, laying critical groundwork in advance of a community fundraising campaign that’s about to go public.

A broad coalition of library supporters has spent the past year studying the deficits and shortcomings of the outdated Waynesville library and developing a plan to overhaul it.

Consultants were hired, surveys conducted, a slogan developed, and an architect engaged to come up with concept drawings. A box of “I Y my library” buttons is even sitting in the corner of Library Director Sharon Woodrow’s office ready to give out.

“We have done a lot of work over the past year-and-a-half and want to take it to the next step in the process,” Woodrow said.

More than a dozen community members involved with the library campaign appeared before county commissioners last week to share their preliminary plans and seek the county’s endorsement.

The coalition of library supporters hopes to break ground on the project in early 2018 — but the timeline is contingent on funding. Library supporters have pledged to raise $2 million for the project, with hopes that the county will fund the remaining $4 million.

County leaders signaled their tacit support of the project in theory.

“I have been a big supporter of the library for a long time. I hope you are able to have a beautifully successful campaign,” said County Manager Ira Dove.

But county leaders said they would need more time to analyze and vet the proposal before making a formal commitment.

“Do not take this as a lack of enthusiasm for the project. I just wonder if the time frame is a little bit ambitious,” Haywood County Commissioner Chairman Mark Swanger said.

After hearing the library’s presentation,

other commissioners chimed in that they, too, support the library expansion in theory, but couldn’t commit on the spot.

“You have to give us a tad bit of time to digest it,” Commissioner Mike Sorrells said.

Library proponents appearing before commissioners last week were hoping for a vote of confidence and a pledge to help fund the project.

would be difficult to launch a fundraising campaign in earnest without a more formal commitment on the county’s part.

“We need a tangible agreement that we can count on to be able to write grants and engage the community to fully move this project forward,” Woodrow said.

Woodrow said the library campaign committee wants to start courting large donors and grants given the $2 million fundraising goal. But the project will appear hypothetical without a formal pledge from the county to fund the remaining $4 million.

“Anytime you have community buy-in and the community is willing to put some skin in the game, it makes it easier for us to look at. A good starting point is to educate the community on the importance of the library.”

— Mike Sorrells, Haywood County commissioner

“We need to have some sense of what you guys are thinking,” said David McCracken, a spokesperson for the library campaign who serves on the library foundation board.

McCracken said the board planned to launch its public fundraising campaign this summer, but can “pull back their fishing pole” for a while if need be.

“We can wait until you are more comfortable,” McCracken said.

“It’s not that we are uncomfortable,” Swanger clarified, suggesting it’s not a matter of if but merely when the county would provide funding. “You end up with a better product if you move forward methodically.”

In the meantime, Swanger said the library was free to launch its campaign whenever it wanted. In that regard, commissioners gave the library coalition their blessing to start fundraising even if they weren’t ready to give the library a hardand-fast commitment to a 2018 ground breaking.

The library coalition ultimately left the meeting in limbo on what its next move should be, however.

In a follow-up interview, Woodrow said it

“We want to keep going. We don’t want to lose the momentum we have already started,” Woodrow said in a follow-up interview. “In order for it to be successful we need a commitment from the commissioners.”

Commissioners had gone out of their way to impress upon the library supporters that they valued the importance of the library in the community.

“I know how important the library is,” Commissioner Bill Upton replied. “We need to find $4 million at some point in time.”

The question, however, is how soon the county could make that commitment, Upton said. A construction loan on the justice center will be paid off by the end of 2017, freeing up $1.5 million in annual payments that could be applied toward other projects at that point.

Commissioner Kevin Ensley also chimed in.

“It is amazing how many people use the library. I understand how important the library is,” Ensley said.

“The library is an economic driver, too. People move here because we have a great library. The library is a shining star.”

Despite not getting the exact answer they were hoping for, the library supporters said they appreciated the commissioners’ willingness to continue the conversation.

“I want you to know that your support in our efforts are really appreciated,” said Christine Mallette, the co-chair of the library’s fundraising campaign.

“I wanted to say thank you to all of you for at least in opening the door to us,” Woodrow added.

Woodrow is hopeful that continued conversations with county leadership over the next few months will be fruitful.

“I believe that the county commissioners are community oriented and will take the information we have given them and help us move our campaign forward quickly,” Woodrow said in a follow-up interview.

Sorrells commended the library coalition for coming to the table with a commitment to raise a portion of the project cost.

“Anytime you have community buy-in and the community is willing to put some skin in the game, it makes it easier for us to look at,” Sorrells said. “A good starting point is to educate the community on the importance of the library.” space.

“The libraries are such an important part of the community for meeting places,” Woodrow said. “One huge concern that has been brought up and has been apparent to us for a long time is the meeting space in the library.”

The single meeting room at the library is often booked, forcing community groups and clubs to be turned away. It also limits the number of in-house programs that can be held — from movies and concerts to lectures and visiting authors.

The renovation would nearly triple the size of the meeting and program meeting

space and create three flexible spaces that can be partitioned or opened up to accommodate different size groups.

The library is also crunched for space to curate and preserve local historical documents and photographs.

“We have started digitizing the history of Haywood County but we don’t have the room or the space to archive the history of Haywood County. That is a function of the library to preserve that history for the public,” Woodrow said.

The renovation calls for a larger historical archive and dedicated North Carolina collection room.

S EE LIBRARY, PAGE 13

The event begins on Main Street in beautiful downtown Waynesville & winds through neighborhoods & scenic farmlands to finish in Frog Level, a revitalized railroad district listed on the National Register of Historic Places

SPRING BINGO

Woodrow replied that the library already enjoys broad public support.

“The community I don’t think is going to be an issue,” Woodrow said. “We see the needs on a day in and day out basis.”

Woodrow said she also wants to keep the wheels in motion so the volunteer power amassed behind the project doesn’t fizzle out in a prolonged holding pattern.

“We have the momentum going, we have volunteers in place that are fully committed to a campaign,” Woodrow said.

Three organizations are poised to work in tandem on the campaign, including the library foundation, the Friends of the Library and the library board of trustees.

The library foundation has spent $30,000 to date hiring consultants to conduct a space needs assessment and feasibility study, as well as an architect to develop a concept drawing.

From the county’s perspective, the legwork is only a starting point, however.

“This project is still very, very, early in the process,” Dove said.

The legwork was not for naught, however. The visual aid was critical to effectively make their pitch and advance the conversation to the stage it is now. The library coalition also needed something concrete to base a cost estimate on before going to the county with a formal ask.

“We had to start somewhere — it was a chicken or egg kind of thing,” McCracken said.

The coalition of library supporters hopes to break ground on the project in early 2018 — but the timeline is contingent on funding. Library supporters have pledged to raise $2 million for the project, with hopes that the county will fund the remaining $4 million.

Now, county staff will work with library supporters to vet the preliminary project plans and decide where to go from here.

If and when the county endorses the renovation project, it will choose its own architect, which may or may not be the same one hired by the library coalition to develop the preliminary concept drawing.

THURSDAY, MAY 5TH

“We will be working with the library to take a good look at the facility they are conceptualizing and the needs they have,” Dove said in a follow-up interview. “We are grateful for the work of the people who have volunteered a lot of time and resources to the library so far to help bring about awareness.”

Vandalism at Judaculla Tips needed

Leaders discuss how to protect Cherokee landmark

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

When Jerry Parker walked by Judaculla Rock on March 26, he saw that some newer markings covered the rock’s millennia-old Cherokee carvings. A symbol written in white spray paint blazed the rock’s center, black paint circled a pair of round rises near the bottom, and sets of initials

taught lessons of the right way to do things. There’s proper ways to hunt. There’s proper ways to be a man. There’s stories about humbleness. There’s stories about when people do bad things, how do you react.”

While nobody today is sure how to interpret the glyphs on the rock, that’s not to say they don’t have meaning.

“Those are physical illustrations of the Cherokee landscape,” Howe said. “Being as old as they are, being as deeply imbedded in the cultural traditions as they are, that’s the kind of damage that’s being done.”

“This is not only the biggest and most densely carved (rock) in Western North Carolina, but it’s probably the most densely

Visitors

It’s possible that Wadkins could know something about the other recent vandalism incidents, but law enforcement doesn’t know for sure that the incidents were linked.

“I don’t have any evidence that they’re all exactly related, but it would seem logical,” Queen said.

Queen also said he can’t yet say for sure what the marking painted on the rock represents. However, Parker believes it’s a “pro era 47,” a combination of a 4 and a 7 that the American hip-hop collective Pro Era uses on one of its logos. The logo is supposedly intended to represent balance and peace but has been criticized for its similarity to a Nazi swastika.

In response to the vandalism, Jackson County hired the company Stratum Unlimited — which specializes in rock art conservation — to clean off the paint, a

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is currently seeking information on the whereabouts of Walker Chace Wadkins, 31, of Bryson City, in connection with vandalism at Judaculla Rock.

Report information to Jackson County Crime Stoppers, 828.631.1125.

the Cherokee people and to Western North Carolina as a whole.

“It’s a deeply embedded story,” Howe said of Judaculla’s importance to the Cherokee. “But the physical rock itself, this project showed that we’re all stewards of that rock, and it’s important now to the story of Western North Carolina. Yes, it was damage to a Cherokee cultural site, but this project has shown that now it’s damage to all of us.”

covered the beams of the boardwalk surrounding the historic site.

Parker, who is the rock’s unofficial caretaker and comes from the family that used to own the land in the Caney Fork area of Jackson County where the rock sits, said he was distraught at the “utter disregard that people have for things which are important and sacred and unique and one of a kind.”

“I have lived with the rock for 65 years,” said Parker, whose house is within sight of the rock. “I feel it’s a part of me, and when they do that it’s an attack on me.

Generations of family members before me have been stewards here.”

The Cherokee people would say the same, though their connection to the rock extends to a time long before Parker’s ancestors arrived on the continent. The rock is named for the slant-eyed monster Judaculla, considered a great warrior and hunter in Cherokee legend. The story goes that Judaculla scratched the markings covering the rock into its face with his seven-fingered hands.

“The various stories, those are oversimplifications of who Judaculla was,” said Tyler Howe, tribal historic preservation specialist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. “Judaculla was a teacher of the Cherokee. He

carved in the Southeast,” said Scott Ashcraft, archeologist for the U.S. Forest Service. “It’s intense.”

A STRINGOFINCIDENTS

The graffiti discovered at the end of March was just one in a string of recent incidents of vandalism at Judaculla, spread out over the space of a month or so. First Parker saw that somebody had chipped a piece of the rock off, a corner that formed a bowl-like shape on the lower end. It was after that the graffiti was discovered, and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department then placed a pair of security cameras in nearby trees. Just three days after the graffiti incident, cameras snapped images of a man stealing one of the interpretive signs installed around the area.

The sheriff’s office recently identified the man as 31-year-old Walker Chace Wadkins, whose listed address is in Bryson City, and is seeking to arrest him on charges of injury to personal property, misdemeanor larceny and possession of stolen goods.

Wadkins has spoken to investigators on the phone and led them to recover the sign but is not allowing himself to be arrested.

“He’s willfully hiding from us,” said Maj. Shannon Queen.

process that will take about four days and cost $3,800.

“Hopefully, all graffiti can be removed and that which cannot be removed will be camouflaged to match the surrounding rock surface,” said County Manager Chuck Wooten.

DAMAGETOALLOFUS

It’s good that the paint can be cleaned up, Parker said, but the vandalism still inflicts lasting injury to a site that’s been sacred to generations of Cherokee people. Every time paint is cleaned from a rock, a little layer of rock comes off with it.

“The rock can only withstand so many repeated insults like this,” Parker said. When he thinks back to what the rock and its carvings used to be when he was a child, and what they look like now, he’s saddened by the amount of denigration that’s occurred over that relatively short span of time.

“It seems the face of it is disappearing before my eyes in the last four decades,” he said.

That’s personal to Parker, who remembers a boyhood spent earning quarters from the tourists who would ask him to tell the legend of Judaculla. But it’s also personal to

Getting the rock to its current state was an undertaking that involved the Parker family, Jackson County, the U.S. Forest Service and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. In 1959, Parker’s father transferred ownership of the land where the rock sits to the county, hoping the government could do more for its preservation than he could with his limited resources.

But it wasn’t until six or seven years ago that work began in earnest to give the rock the status it deserved.

At that time, “the rock was literally halfburied,” Ashcraft said. “Half of it was underground just because of years of erosion.”

With input from the Cherokee as to how to do so respectfully, the group brought the rock to the surface, built a boardwalk around it and installed interpretive signs to tell the story of the site.

“I’m proud of Jackson County,” Ashcraft said. “For being a little mountain county of modest means, they really stepped up on this.”

The fact that someone sprayed graffiti over all that hard work, he said, is “beyond sad.”

KEEPINGTHEROCKSECURE

Going forward, the county will likely start talking about how to arrive at a more permanent security solution. The cameras that captured Wadkins’ image are battery-operated and not optimal for long-term use. It’s likely they’ll start discussing how to get some permanent cameras out there and methods for connecting them to a power supply.

“Since it’s in a more remote area of that community, it’s harder to protect because you don’t have as many people looking around and looking after it,” Queen said. Howe is hoping to see community ownership of Judaculla and sites like it continue to increase in the future, and that that sense of ownership will contribute to the rock’s protection.

“People are really starting to recognize that, yes, there are ancient Cherokee cultural sites, but it’s also part of the story of Western North Carolina now,” he said. “It’s part of your community story. Help us protect it. I think that’s where our strength lies in the future of protecting these sites.”

who had come to experience the Cherokee history at Judaculla Rock view graffiti sprayed over the ancient carvings. Holly Kays photo

Sylva leaders cheer affordable housing proposal

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

Sylva’s leaders are applauding a plan to build a new apartment complex across the road from Harris Hospital as a step toward addressing the town’s long-standing shortage of housing that’s affordable to workers on the low end of the income scale.

“It’s a great project,” said Commissioner Greg McPherson. “I love the idea.”

“We do need affordable housing for the workforce, and we don’t have much of that here in Sylva,” agreed Commissioner Barbara Hamilton. “We have such a small city limits that we don’t have a lot of land we can develop. I was impressed with it.”

The Village Overlook Apartments will be a 54-unit complex featuring one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments located on an 8.2-acre piece of land behind the buildings that used to house Nick and Nate’s Pizza and Smoky Mountain Obstetrics and Gynecology. It’s being built by Clemmonsbased KRP Investments, with plans to start leasing sometime in March 2018.

“We’re excited for the opportunity and hope we get funded so we can come up there and build it,” said Karen Perry, owner of KRP.

Of the $7 million development cost, more than $5 million would be funded through loans from the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and state Workforce Housing Loan Program, which offer lower interest rates than the market rate and will in turn allow KRP to offer lower rental rates than they otherwise would. However, KRP is still in the process of applying for and receiving those loans.

The complex will be open to people making 50 or 60 percent of the area median income, with 11 units geared to the 50 percent bracket and the remaining 43 units for the 60 percent bracket. A single person living in one of the one-bedrooms units who

makes 60 percent of the area median income, for example, would pay $569 for rent and utilities and need to show an income less than $22,740. A family of four living in a three-bedroom apartment for the 60 percent bracket, by comparison, would pay $786 for rent and utilities and need to show an income of less than $32,460.

The plans call for two apartment buildings that are two stories high on the front and three stories high on the back — “We’re going to nestle into the side of the mountain very nicely,” Perry said — as well as a clubhouse that would house classes, special events, an exercise room, a computer lab and washer/dryer facilities in addition to the hookups planned for each apartment unit. The development will also include covered patio areas and a playground.

“We absolutely want to build a community,” Perry said.

A 54-unit apartment complex in Sylva is expected to be move-in ready by March 2017.

Donated graphic

advance their own careers.”

Perry is excited about the location, as it’s within walking distance of a grocery store and pharmacy, and across the street from the hospital. The complex may well draw some of its residents from the hospital, she said.

According to code compliance officer John Jeleniewski, the location is also unlikely to scare up any not-in-my-backyard attitudes, as it wouldn’t be encroaching on an

cross the road to access the grocery store, they’d find themselves out of sidewalk.

“That would be something I guess that we (the town) would look at for ease of use,” he said.

After hearing what Perry and Jeleniewski had to say, commissioners voted unanimously to approve the conditional use permit needed to move forward.

“I’m all for it,” said Commissioner Harold Hensley. “I’m for almost anything

A resident committee would give residents the chance to take ownership in their home, and the development would offer classes in budgeting, health, nutrition and exercise, among other topics.

“As they are able to advance their careers and increase their income over time, they can live at this place for a while until they’re ready to move out,” Perry said. “It gives them an opportunity to succeed and to

“We do need affordable housing for the workforce, and we don’t have much of that here in Sylva.”

— Barbara Hamilton, Jackson County Commissioner

existing neighborhood or community.

“Introducing resident opportunities to this particular area of the town should expand the customer base for existing businesses and restaurants,” he told the town board.

And because a traffic light already exists at the road’s junction with the highway, the apartments aren’t expected to cause any traffic issues. However, to make the pedestrian traffic likely to emanate from the buildings safer, Jeleniewski recommended that KRP incorporate sidewalks connecting to the existing one by the Smoky Mountain OB/GYN building into their plans. However, McPherson observed, if walkers were to

that will build a tax base.”

Boosting the tax base is something that Sylva commissioners have held as a goal for a while, recognizing that the town has seen very few opportunities for expanded housing in recent years — in the past two years, only three new homes have been built in Sylva.

Some commissioners look to the town’s land use code as one possible fix. The lot sizes mandated, some say, are too large and prevent families from building smaller, more affordable homes on town property.

“We’ve just got to look for ways to help people have a home, because it’s hard,” Hamilton said. “It’s very hard.”

Haywood Schools aim to keep standards high despite budget challenges

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFFWRITER

Haywood County commissioners are once again standing by their commitment to public education, making good on a long-standing pledge to be one of the top counties in the state in local school funding.

Haywood ranks in the top 20 percent of school districts statewide when it comes to per student funding of public schools at the county level. And the money makes a difference, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte told commissioners last week.

Haywood County ranks 15th out of 115 school districts statewide in composite academic performance — a steady and impressive climb up from 40th place 10 years ago.

“Your funding does matter,” Nolte said at a county budget workshop last week. “We think it helps in a significant way. We perform better than a lot of people and couldn’t do that without the financial support.”

“You have done an amazing job,”

Commissioner Mark Swanger replied. “I commend you in being among the top school systems in the state given the obstacles that you face.”

Haywood County commissioners understand those obstacles better than most — two of them have been on the school board themselves, while Commissioner Bill Upton used to be superintendent.

“I’m glad to see the high standards we set when we were there are being upheld,” Upton joked.

“We appreciate the start you gave us,” Nolte quipped in return.

Despite the brief moment of levity, the budget workshop between school leaders and commissioners was a fairly sober affair.

While the county is giving the school system a modest increase in per student funding next year — clocking in at $2,022 per student this year, up from $1,982 per student last year — it falls dramatically short of what’s needed to stave off widespread budget cuts facing the school system.

Haywood County Schools has been reeling from a declining student body since 2008, due largely to out-migration in search of jobs and a lower birth rate during the recession years.

Although the demographic fallout of the recession appears to have finally stabilized last year, the school system was hit with another massive loss of students and funding — this time thanks to a rise in charter school attendance.

Haywood County Schools lost more then

190 students and $1.5 million to charter schools last year, mostly to the new start-up Shining Rock Classical Academy.

Shining Rock hopes to increase enrollment next year, which means more students may leave the traditional public school system. If Shining Rock meets its enrollment target, Haywood County Schools could be losing another 150 students — bringing the total financial hit from charters to more than $3 million.

In response to declining funding, Haywood County Schools has enacted a $2.4 million budget cut plan for next school year.

“We’ve had to make some really drastic cuts in our school budget,” Superintendent Anne Garrett said.

The cut that got the most attention was the closing of Central Elementary School, a move aimed at saving on overhead by consolidating Central’s student body into other nearby elementary schools.

“Our buildings are not at capacity and our classrooms have been smaller,” Garrett said.

But additional budget cuts have led to across-the-board reductions to everything from band, sports and chorus to vocational and dropout programs. The cuts also call for a reduction of 22 teachers.

County commissioners sympathized with the conundrum facing school officials. The loss of students to charter schools over the past year has meant less funding, but expenses don’t automatically drop just because there are fewer students walking through the doors.

“Most of the costs are fixed. There’s not a large amount of money that’s not fixed,” Upton said. “If we have 100 more students or 100 less students, those fixed costs remain the same.”

The school system has the same number of music, art, PE and computer teachers to pay, the same number of school resource officers, the same number of librarians and custodians, and not to mention the same amount of overhead.

“You still got to heat the buildings, you still have to maintain them,” Swanger said. “Really all you can do is trim until we reach the tipping point that another school can be closed. I don’t mean to start a controversy, but it is just math.”

Nolte agreed with Swanger’s assessment of the dilemma.

“We don’t want to close any. If enrollment stabilizes or increases, we will be OK. If not, maybe not,” Nolte said.

While the $2.4 million in budget cuts calls for a reduction of 22 teachers, Nolte hopes lay-

offs can be avoided through natural attrition.

The charter school isn’t the only factor behind the school system’s budget cuts. The state has also cut its per student funding for classroom education, exacerbating the problem.

Meanwhile, the school system has to find ways every year to pay for higher costs of doing business, from insurance rates to replacing activity buses.

For example, when state legislators passed out pay raises for teachers, the burden was

“Most of the costs are fixed. If we have 100 more students or 100 less students, those fixed costs remain the same.”

— Bill Upton, Haywood County commissioner

largely passed on to local school districts, who usually cover salaries of first-year teachers out of their own local budgets. The salary and benefit costs of a first-year teacher borne by the county has gone up $13,000, explained Angie Gardner, school finance officer.

Despite a massive outpouring from parents upset by the closure of Central earlier this year, only one person spoke at the school board’s public hearing on the budget Monday night — namely a father of two students who attend the Haywood County

Alternative Learning Center, who asked the program be spared from any budget cuts. It is slated to lose funding for four of its part-time teachers who work with dropouts to continue on a GED path.

Despite being heralded as a statewide model and its designation as a 21st-Century Learning site, the school gets no state funding to support it and is funded completely through grants and local dollars.

Students attending the Alternative Learning Center have technically dropped out of the regular school system, and thus don’t count in the county’s pupil funding allocation it gets from the state.

It’s one of the many budget fallouts that result from rigid state and federal policies. For example, the school lunch program seems to face almost impossible odds to stay within budget based on federal reimbursement rates for low-income students on free or reduced lunch plans. The reimbursement isn’t enough to cover the actual cost of serving the meals.

“We are losing anywhere between 59 cents and 23 cents for every lunch that we serve,” said Alison Francis, school nutrition director.

The only bright spot remained the modest increase in per student funding the school system will get from the county.

More than a decade ago, county commissioners worked out a deal with the school system aimed at diffusing the annual tug-of-war at budget time.

“We are most thankful for the per pupil expenditure you provide for us. I also thank you for the confidence you place in us,” reiterated Superintendent Anne Garrett.

Bill Nolte Anne Garrett

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Late campaign finance report traced to glitch

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFFWRITER

N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, is inadvertently 43 days late on his latest campaign finance reports due to a computer glitch in the state campaign finance database.

The N.C. Board of Elections is supposed to mail notices to candidates alerting them to upcoming campaign finance reporting deadlines, according to state statute. But Davis was left off the mailing list and never received the notice that went out in late February, and thus wasn’t aware of the March 7 reporting deadline. Election board staff in Raleigh cited an apparent coding error on their end.

This is Davis’ fourth campaign for state Senate, and his campaign treasurer has always relied on the notices to alert him when reports are due.

“I get mailings in advance of when every report is due. They come to both me and Jim. That is the most important piece of correspondence I get. But neither of us got any mailing,” said Don Swanson, Davis’ campaign treasurer.

Swanson was apologetic upon learning of the snafu from a reporter on Monday. However, the call from a reporter was the first he’d heard that a deadline for campaign finance reports had come and gone 43 days

Emergency management changes move forward

Haywood County is continuing with efforts to update and improve its emergency management ordinance — a local regulation that came under fire last year by a group of residents who thought the language violated their constitutional rights.

County Manager Ira Dove has spent the last year going over the ordinance to clean up and clarify the language and also update certain parts of it that no longer jive with state law.

“We spent a long time reviewing laws before we put the draft out a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “We gathered public feedback and have even gotten some feedback since we released it.”

Though not required by law, the commissioners held another public hearing at Monday night’s board meeting to allow one more chance for public comment, but no one signed up to speak on the subject.

North Carolina law requires each county to have an emergency management ordinance that outlines procedures to follow when the county is faced with a number of emergencies, from natural disasters to a hazardous waste spill. Dove said the county had declared a state of emergency four different times since passing the ordinance in 2009. The last state of emergency was called in January when Winter Storm Jonas was blow-

ago.

The same glitch that left Davis off the mailing list also meant Davis had not been flagged in the system as being late. In fact, Davis technically isn’t late. State statute requires the election office to notify candidates at least five days in advance of a reporting deadline, but in the absence of that notice, he can’t

ly the one who noticed Davis’ campaign finance report hadn’t been filed yet, bringing it to the attention of the state election office and the media.

“The people of the 50th District have a right to know who is contributing to the campaigns of their representatives.

Especially with a legislative session coming up, we need to know who might be influencing Senator Davis’ votes on key issues,” Hipps, D-Waynesville, said in a press release Monday.

Adding to the confusion, first quarter campaign finance reports were due much earlier than normal this year.

“Normally they are due the following month after the quarter is over,” Swanson said.

“The people of the 50th District have a right to know who is contributing to the campaigns of their representatives.”

— Jane Hipps, D-Waynesville

be considered late, explained Amy Strange, deputy director of campaign finance for the state election board.

“It’s the same concept as you can’t get a speeding ticket unless there’s a posted speed limit sign,” Strange said. Davis’ opponent, Jane Hipps, was actual-

ing through Haywood County.

Critics of the original ordinance claimed it gave too much power to the county manager during emergency situations, including the ability to dismiss public officials for failure to obey an order, control all resources (food, materials, services, fuel and wages), and force people off their property.

Language stating the county manager had the authority to “perform and exercise such other functions, powers and duties as are necessary to promote and secure safety and protection of the civilian population,” was also a concern for the group of civil liberty advocates.

To them, it meant county officials could seize their firearms during emergency situations.

Dove said language was added throughout the ordinance stating the county may only operate within the powers of the state and federal law. And since the courts have ruled it unconstitutional for governments to restrict lawful possession of firearms, the ordinance in no way allows the county to seize someone’s lawfully owned weapons during an emergency.

“The state law allows us to prohibit and restrict a lot of things but it doesn’t allow us to restrict lawfully possessed firearms,” Dove said.

Commission Chairman Mark Swanger said the commissioners would not answer questions about the ordinance during the public hearing nor would the board make a decision immediately following the hearing. The earliest commissioners will vote on the matter is during the May 4 meeting. — Jessi Stone, news editor

Which would be right about now. But this year, first quarter reports were due March 7, due to the earlier-than-normal primary.

Since Davis did not have a primary opponent, his campaign had not really ramped up for the election season yet, however, so Swanson said the accelerated schedule wasn’t on his radar.

“Well, I’ll be darned,” Swanson said

upon checking the state election board’s website while on the phone with a reporter. Although the campaign finance reporting schedule is posted online, Swanson said he hadn’t thought to check it, relying instead on the mailed notices.

Davis said he personally has little involvement with his campaign’s finances.

“My treasurer handles all of that. I don’t have anything to do with that side of it. I just send him the checks. He is a retired CPA and keeps everything in tip top shape,” Davis said.

When Davis got a call from a reporter Monday asking why his first quarter campaign finance report was so late, he said it would be unlike Swanson to miss the deadline.

“I will get in touch with my treasurer. He is normally pretty good about that,” Davis said.

Candidates are typically fined up to $50 a day if they fail to file campaign finance reports on time. Davis will not be fined, however, due to the database error, but will be getting a notice soon giving him his own personal deadline for the first quarter reporting.

Swanson said Davis took the mishap in stride.

“He is a very understanding guy,” Swanson said.

April 27, 2016

9:00am – 4:45pm

Experience a one day conference specifically designed to address the needs and challenges faced by current and prospective craft business owners. This one day event will provide the tools needed to move your business forward. $20 Registration Fee Sessions include: Image, Sell, Money, Plan, People, Protect

School of Nursing health symposium

Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing will host a sold-out audience for the second annual Western North Carolina Rural Health Symposium on Friday, April 22, at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park.

The symposium is one of the activities supported by a federal workforce diversity grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration that has allowed WCU and Mission Health in Asheville to partner in an effort to increase the quality of nursing care provided to patients in rural WNC.

The grant, worth just over $1 million, is for three years and helps WCU offer scholarships, monthly stipends and mentoring to eligible registered nurses with two-year degrees who are working to earn their bachelor’s degrees in nursing.

krcochran@wcu.edu.

Maggie Valley

celebrates Earth Day

The town of Maggie Valley is inviting the public out to help celebrate Earth Day at 10 a.m. Friday, April 22, at the town’s new greenway on Mountain View Drive off Moody Farm Road. With the help of the community and members of the Haywood Waterways Association, the town will have its first Earth Day planting.

Historian to address Haywood County NAACP

Sara Evans, who has authored several books on history and spends part of her time here, will speak to the Haywood County NAACP at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 23, at Jones Temple A.M.E. Zion Church. She will focus on growing up in the South in relation to learning about race. Evans grew up in South Carolina and Texas and spent all her childhood summers at Lake Junaluska.

Evans’ accomplishments as a historian include numerous books that explore social issues and women’s history. A Regents Professor Emerita, Evans spent her career teaching women’s history at the University of Minnesota after completing her Ph.D at the University of North Carolina in 1976.

35 Thomas Park Drive (just off of Pigeon Street), in Waynesville.

Franklin Police to provide free gunlocks

Since February, Safe Kids Macon County had distributed more than 500 free gunlocks to families in the community.

In an effort to help gun owners safely secure the weapons at home in the presence of children, Safe Kids Macon County has joined with Project ChildSafe to make available free gunlocks to local gun owners.

In the first four months of the year, the free gunlocks have been available at Macon County Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Center located at 1820 Lakeside Drive or at the annex building in town on Palmer Street as well as distributed at community events such as Saturday’s Buckle Up, Baby. To expand the program, the Franklin Police Department will now also have gunlocks available at their office.

Schools foundation hosts bingo fundraiser

The Haywood County Schools Foundation will hold its annual Spring Bingo fundraiser at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Canton Armory. Players have a chance to win $1,000 cash prize. Tickets are $20 for 20 games. All proceeds go toward the Foundation’s mission of providing scholarships to graduating seniors and classroom grants to Haywood County teachers.

828.456.2441.

Macon Health to host April Ladies Night Out

Danny Antoine with “Danny Antoine’s Karate Academy” will be speaking about physical and personal safety at the next Macon County Health’s Ladies Night Out on April 26.

The program will be held in the cafeteria at Angel Medical Center at 4 p.m. and at 6:30 p.m. The same presentation will be given at both meetings. All women are invited to attend one of these meetings and are asked to encourage all the women in their life, who are over the age of 13 years, to attend with them.

Donations will also be accepted for REACH of Macon County. Needed items are laundry detergents, canned tuna or chicken, microwaveable meals, Chef Boyardee, applesauce cups, assorted fruit cups, instant oatmeal packets, tomato soup, Capri Sun Roaring Waters, and popcorn.

‘The

Hunting Ground’ comes to The Strand

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Haywood Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Task force is sponsoring three free screenings for the public, with special invitation to high school and college students and their parents, of the award-winning documentary about rape on college campuses, The Hunting Ground.

The free, one-hour screening, appropriate for high school students and older, will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at The Strand Theater, 38 Main St., Waynesville. Following the screenings, members of the Task Force as well as trained sexual assault counselors will be available for questions and answers.

828.456.7898 or 828.452.2122.

Governor’s rep to meet with Cashiers chamber

Gov. Pat McCrory’s western regional director will update Cashiers Chamber of Commerce members and guests at the annual Legislative Update to be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, May 19, at Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club.

April Riddle, senior aide to the Governor, will discuss critical topics of concern including sales tax proposals, the recent bond initiative, economic investment incentives and other state issues. RSVP required as space is limited. $20 for members or $25 for non-members. Lunch is included.

828.743.5191 or info@cashiersareachamber.com.

Champion Credit plans

West Asheville expansion

Champion Credit Union based in Canton announced its plans to open a new office in West Asheville at 1000 Patton Avenue, which was previously occupied by Wendy’s.

Champion Credit Union was founded in Canton in 1932, making them the oldest credit union in the area. In 2015, they experienced their best financial year since opening, and are only looking to improve.

With Buncombe County being the largest county they serve, it was becoming more imperative to expand and broaden their reach.

The new office will feature state-of-the-art, secure technology in a welcoming and inviting atmosphere. Champion Credit Union plans to utilize local contractors and vendors for the renovation process, realizing the importance of helping to stimulate the local economy.

Mountain Radiance gives to W.O.W.

Mountain Radiance Medical Spa in Clyde recently donated more than $700 to Women of Waynesville.

After participating in W.O.W.’s charity bachelor auction in February, Dr. Allan Zacher wanted to give back to a woman’s organization that supports various other nonprofits in the

• Motion Makers Bicycle Shop is celebrating its 30th anniversary in Sylva and six years in Asheville by offering a special sale through April 24. Motion makers has spent the last few months going through a complete remodel so swing by and check it out at 36 Allen Street in Sylva or 878 Brevard Road in Asheville. www.motionmakers.com.

• Moonshine Hollar Country Fair inside Ghost Town Village in Maggie Valley is currently hiring seasonal help for its restaurants, maintenance crew and more. Email mbaccus@moonshinehollar.com.

community to help women and children of Haywood County. Mountain Radiance donated 10 percent of proceeds raised from a week in March, which totaled $780.

Yarrington Physical Therapy marks 10 years

Yarrington Physical Therapy and Sports Care, a family-owned outpatient physical therapy clinic in Waynesville, is celebrating its 10year anniversary this month. The clinic is owned and operated by Dr. Eric Yarrington, an orthopaedic physical therapist with 19 years of experience.

The clinic specializes in the treatment of sports injuries and non-sports orthopaedic injuries utilizing manual therapy and individualized exercise prescription. The clinic accepts all major insurance plans, and patients can often be seen without a physician referral. It is located just north of Old Clyde Road on N.C. 209 in Haywood Office Park North.

Macon hosts BizWeek Banquet April 21

Macon County Economic Development Commission will hold its annual BizWeek Banquet at 6 p.m. April 2 at Bloemsma Barn.

BizWeek honorees will be recognized during the event as well as the finalists and winner of the 2016 Macon County Young Entrepreneur of the Year. John E. Skvarla, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, will be the keynote speaker. Blue Ridge Outdoor Magazine’s Dusty Allison will also be a special guest at the banquet.

The BizWeek Banquet is free and seating is limited. Register at www.maconedc.com.

Entrepreneurship is topic of Issues & Eggs

“Shifting Business Culture: The Power of the Entrepreneurial Mindset” will be the topic of the next Haywood County Chamber of Commerce Issues & Eggs event from 8 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 4, at Laurel Ridge Country Club.

Katy McLean Gould, director of the Small

• Vance Tire & Automotive in Waynesville is now offering U-Haul services and products. Hours of operation for UHaul rentals are 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday. 828.558.4041.

• The Glenville Community Center, located on N.C. 107 North, is undergoing a total renovation, including a new entrance for the thrift store and expansion of meeting space that will be available for group rentals. Artist Steve Daniel’s “Welcome to Lake Glenville”

ventures that suit the

London-trained chef opens Absolutely Yummy Catering

Waynesville business owner Michelle Briggs has started Absolutely Yummy Catering while also taking over St. Andrews Square’s business in the Center for New and Expanding Business.

Briggs can meet the requests of any group from an intimate get-together to a large formal gathering. Through the newest venture of Pick-Up-and-Go lunches, Briggs offers fresh, made to order lunches that are not only affordable, but nutritious. And lastly, St. Andrews Square sells authentic Scottish food that is surprisingly hard to find in the eastern United States.

Briggs is a London trained master chef with a diverse background. She attended Thanet College in Broadstairs, England. The pick-up-and-go lunches are available at 144 Industrial Park in Waynesville weekdays from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

Business Center at Haywood Community College, will be the guest speaker. $13 for members or $15 for non-members. Register at haywoodchamber.com or by calling 828.456.3021.

Business proclaims 575 years’ experience

Terry Potts, owner and founder of Country Club Properties, announces the real estate agency’s team now includes 575 years of combined experience, with their recent two new additions.

Debra Coffeen and Debra Rogers, who each have more than 20 years’ experience, are now part of the team. Country Club Properties is a hometown agency that focuses on six country club properties, including Highlands Country Club, Highlands Falls Country Club, Wildcat Cliffs Country Club, Cullasaja Club, Old Edwards Club at Highlands Cove and Mountain Top Golf & Lake Club. Additionally, Country Club Properties sells just as much property off the clubs in the greater Highlands area. It also represents prime rental properties and has a full-time rental agent, Alicen Phillips.

mural will move to the front of the building to complement a total façade redesign. www.glenvillecommunity.com or carolynfranz@msn.com.

• ANTIK has recently opened up at 172 North Main Street in downtown Waynesville. The home décor and furniture store is open seven days a week and is offering a 20-percent discount through April on all coffee tables.

• Gallery Zella will hold an open house event from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at 18 Fry Street in Bryson City (above O’Neil’s Book

Shop). Browse 2,500-square feet of original paintings, sculptures and photography plus unique gifts, books, artisan jewelry and decorative art. Enjoy light hors d’oeuvres and live music.

• Rob Gevjan is opening an Edward Jones office in Canton and will hold a grand opening celebration at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 23, at his office at 152 Park Street, Canton. Various activities are planned, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. and tours of the office. A hot dog/hamburger lunch will be available.

Waynesville business owner Michelle Briggs has turned her businesses, Absolutely Yummy Catering and St. Andrews Square, into

needs of everyone at the Center for New & Expanding Business in Waynesville. Katy Gould photo

New charters stir emotions, but time is a healer

When we reported that Mountain Discovery Charter School and Swain County commissioners were working together to hopefully build a gymnasium, the symbolism of that relatively small venture almost went unnoticed.

Mountain Discovery was founded 15 years ago by an independent-thinking and hard-working group of Swain parents who beat the odds and started a school during the era when there was a 100-school cap on charters in North Carolina. Its leaders did not win many friends among Swain’s public school supporters and from county commissioners who provide funding to the school system.

Just like in many places across the country, it was feared the charter would siphon off high-performing students and their families, weakening the traditional public schools.

But Swain commissioners, perhaps, see that emotions have quieted and that, in this case, there can be a mutually beneficial outcome. By putting the wheels in motion to sell land for the gym to Mountain Discovery, the county could see a huge benefit. The charter school will then have to raise funds to build the gym. Once built, the school’s 180 students would use the facility for only a small portion of the time it could be used. Swain County’s

What HB2 is really about exerting power

To the Editor:

The motivation for HB2 has nothing to do with bathroom safety. The motivation was to slap down a local government that tried to assert itself. HB2 was a warning to all local governments that they have no power and need to abide by the General Assembly’s desires. It was also an opportunity to further oppress the citizens of North Carolina on topics totally unrelated to bathrooms.

If HB2 was about bathrooms, then why does a provision in the law limit minimum wages that local governments might require of contractors? What do minimum wage requirements have to do with sex and bathrooms?

Another provision of HB2 is that you cannot sue for age, race, or other discrimination in state court. Instead you would have to go to federal courts with greater expenses if you experience discrimination on the basis of anything not related to gender. What has not being able to use the North Carolina courts to do with bathrooms?

The answer is that the Republicans are trying to play North Carolinians for fools. They want people to talk about bathrooms and transgender people instead of the fact that our taxes and fees have gone up. The Republicans have raised DMV fees an average of 30 percent in 2016. This translates into $150,000,000 more that we will have to pay for registering our vehicles and other fees. Keep us talking about LBGT issues and maybe we will not notice that we are paying for the tax cuts given to the wealthy.

The same tactic was used with the infamous North Carolina Constitutional Amendment 1 on gay marriage. That got peo-

youths and adults would have an indoor facility for programming it currently can’t schedule. The county, in essence, will get to use a gym without having to pay for its construction.

And so it goes, the charter school and the county build a closer relationship and the early animosity fades further into history. Slowly and incrementally, as has happened with Summit Charter in Jackson County, so it will eventually happen in Haywood County with Shining Rock Classical Academy.

And that really is the point: new charters — like Shining Rock in Haywood — weaken the public school system’s foundation by siphoning funding and students. It hurts the public school system, particularly at first as school leaders adjust to the new reality. Emotions are high, feelings are bruised.

Unfortunately for Shining Rock, it opened its doors during an era of intense budget tightening from a GOP-led General Assembly that is generally critical of public schools. Legislative

ple all riled up on gay marriage so they would not notice that our education funding had been slashed. The Republicans use smoke and mirrors to claim they are funding education, but the fact is that every school district has had to lay off teachers, teacher’s aids, and other school personnel because they have less money to work with.

The motivation for HB2 is not bathrooms. It is a diversion and misdirection so we don’t talk about the real issues facing North Carolinians. We are paying more taxes so the rich can pay less. Our children are being shortchanged by reduced education funding. Our economy is the casualty of HB2. The Republicans are all about exerting their power not governing for the people.

Norman G. Hoffmann Waynesville

HB2 should be repealed immediately

To the Editor:

As members of the Reconciling Conversation Group of First United Methodist Church of Waynesville, we are striving to bring healing and reconciliation to our church family and the wider community by exhibiting love and acceptance for all persons regardless of sexual orientation and gender identities. The spirit of Jesus commands no less.

Thus, we are deeply concerned that:

• The recently passed law known as HB2 has deeply hurt and offended our LGBTQ members who are our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.

• HB2 exhibits a total lack of medical knowledge and scientific understanding as to what it means to be a transgender person in today’s

leaders have reduced per-pupil funding in many critical areas despite incremental increases in overall education spending. In other words, funding from Raleigh has not kept up with student population growth, salary increases for educators and overall needs, forcing schools to do more with less in the classroom. The state’s per-pupil spending and teacher pay are embarrassingly low.

The legislature’s refusal to fund public schools at an adequate level and Shining Rock’s opening both contributed to Central Elementary’s closing. That fact has also strained the relationship between Haywood’s new charter and public school supporters.

But time heals many wounds. The bottom line is that the new normal is school choice, whether passionate public school advocates like me support the movement or not.

In the end it’s about doing what’s best for students. A healthy, open relationship between the region’s charter schools and its traditional public schools is in the best interest of taxpayers and their children.

(ScottMcLeodcanbereachedatinfo@smokymountainnews.com.)

society. Without adequate investigation of the facts about transgender persons, it inflames our fear and mistrust of others.

• HB2 is a denial of basic human rights.

• HB2 ignores the precedent set by 19 states, the District of Columbia, and over 200 cities and countries that have passed laws, without incident, prohibiting discrimination against transgender persons in public facilities. We know of no cases of transgressions or offensive behavior occurring because of these laws.

• HB2 denies legal recourse to all persons who have experienced discrimination of any sort. We need to construct laws that enable all of us to live together in mutual understanding, trust and respect. HB2 stands in the way of this need. As followers of Jesus Christ who showed unconditional love to all persons, we strongly urge that this law be repealed.

For the group: Betsy Hardin, Kenneth Johnson, Douglas Wingeier, William Everett, Jim Hoyt

Socialism is not really such a dirty word

To the Editor:

So much paranoia about socialism. We can talk about socialism in theory, in practice, as mixed with other economic or political models to varying degrees, but what is this really about?

It’s about power, who has it, who doesn’t, and to what effect.

Capitalism, in its purest form, is antidemocratic. Rather than all adults having an equal voice through voting, the owners (or their managers) make all decisions within an organization in order to maximize profit for the owners, not necessarily for the benefit of the community.

Socialism, in its purest form, is a truer democracy. All adults in the community would vote for representatives who would decide on the price of food, gas, etc. Some key industries may be owned, run, or subsidized by the government for the good of the nation, ensuring, for example, that we are not dependent on foreign nations for our food, energy, transportation, or weapons.

Yet we know from history that neither pure capitalism nor extreme socialism (communism) work. The failures of communism are legendary, as there is little incentive for an individual to work hard, and one-party rule usually accompanies this, and that party controls the press (lack of transparency and therefore accountability) and becomes dictatorial.

As for pure capitalism, its excesses created conditions so bad that communism actually sounded better to some. Without appropriate government socialist intervention, child labor would still be allowed, workers could be forced to work seven days a week, there would be no overtime, no safety regulations, no minimum wage, no Social Security, no public parks, libraries, or roads, no clean air, water, food or drug standards, no police, fire or military force to protect us.

Today we see the results of too much corporate control of the government: lower taxes paid by the wealthy and corporations, therefore a larger tax burden for the working folks, leading to historically high income inequality, and government services being cut for the folks who need them the most.

Making socialism into a dirty word prevents serious conversations about the appropriate balance between capitalism and socialism.

Dan Kowal Franklin

Editor Scott McLeod

Kobe’s swan song turned out to be a masterpiece

“Donotgogentleintothatgoodnight, Oldageshouldburnandraveatcloseofday; Rage,rageagainstthedyingofthelight.”

— Dylan Thomas

Maybe it is because I have followed his career since he was a teenager playing high school basketball at Lower Merion in a Philadelphia suburb. Or maybe it is because I wanted to pay my respects to a basketball legend, one of a small handful of the greatest players ever to play the game. Most likely, it is because I have also seen my “game” diminished by the ravages of time, and I wanted to watch Kobe Bryant play his last game in the NBA as a simple act of brotherhood.

Whatever it was, I knew I had to see the game — the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Utah Jazz — even if it meant nothing in the standings, even if it meant staying up until the wee hours of the morning on a weeknight.

In his prime, Kobe’s athleticism bordered on the miraculous. He had the grace of a ballet dancer, the explosive power of an Olympic high jumper, and the strength of a steel mill worker. All of that combined in one body, and yet the things he could do physically were secondary to his incredible work ethic and his determination to win, both as an individual and as the leader of his team.

During the course of his 20-year career, there were conflicts and criticisms. Early on, other NBA players — even some of his teammates — regarded Kobe as a showboat, arrogant, even entitled. Part of this was his background. Unlike many NBA players, Kobe grew up in relative affluence. His father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, was also an NBA player.

But most of the problem was that Kobe was always preternaturally self-confident. It was not really in his nature

to “pay his dues” by being deferential to older, more established players in the league, and that was a problem from the start.

The Lakers had acquired the rights to Kobe — who was 17 years old at the time — from the Charlotte Hornets, while signing mammoth center Shaquille O’Neal to form what would eventually become one of the most dynamic pairs of athletes ever to play on the same team.

Critics wondered, with some justification, whether it would work. Who would be the alpha dog? Was Los Angeles big enough for both of those enormous egos? Indeed, it was a pretty turbulent ride and it didn’t end pretty, but that Laker team still managed to win three consecutive NBA championships before the inevitable break-up.

Without Shaq, Kobe and the Lakers struggled to find a new identity for a few years until general manager Mitch Kupchak traded for Pau Gasol, another supremely skilled big man, and on this version of the Lakers, there was never any doubt who was in charge, as Kobe led the Lakers to two more NBA championships, including one over the arch-enemy Boston Celtics in 2010.

There was some talk of Kobe winning a sixth championship — which would give him the same number as Michael Jordan, with whom he had been compared throughout his career — but it was not to be. Other, younger teams began to rise, and Kobe’s skills — and his body — began to show signs of deterioration. Three years ago, he ruptured his Achilles and had to sit out for almost a year. He worked hard and was able to come back, but he no longer had the lift he

once had. He might be able to make it as a role player, but come on. This is Kobe Bryant we are talking about. When he decided to come back for one more season — this season — I feared the worst, a version of Kobe that would be painful to watch, like watching Willie Mays playing out his last days as a Met, a pale shadow of himself. It didn’t turn out to be quite that bad, but it was pretty bad all the same. Kobe kept hoisting up shots, making a lower percentage of them than ever, and it was all too clear all too often that he just did not have the strength or quickness to fuel his competitive drive.

And the Lakers were truly dreadful, limping into the final game of Kobe’s storied career with a wretched record of 1665. At the very same moment that Kobe was suiting up for the last time, the Golden State Warriors were about to play the Memphis Grizzlies with a shot at breaking the NBA record for most wins in a season, a remarkable feat. On any other night, I would be tuning in to watch basketball history being made. But not tonight. Regardless of how ugly the Lakers game might get, I still had to watch Kobe.

I thought maybe Kobe would go for 20 points or so, soak in the ovations, leave the court with about five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, and hug everyone in sight, even Shaquille O’Neal, who was sitting in the front row, as a final farewell.

It became clear very early in the game that this was not the plan. Regardless of the outcome, Kobe was going to go all out one more time. No one else on the team wanted to shoot. They kept passing the ball to Kobe, and the shots kept going up. Some of them were going in, though there were more than a few bad shots, and even a groan-inducing air ball that had Kobe shaking his head.

Then came the second half, which I will never forget, because Kobe Bryant did something that I have never seen any-

Columnist

Chris Cox

The ‘rich’ show less empathy

To the Editor:

A recent research project with 200 students at University of California at Berkley explored the effects of wealth by randomly pairing them in a game of Monopoly.

One would be “rich,” the other “poor.” The rich got twice the starting money, double the amount when passing GO, and the chance to roll two dice while the poor player got only one. All played for 15 minutes while being recorded on video.

Results were consistent. At first, the pair would show puzzlement, noting the weirdness of the situation. But as the game proceeded, the rich persons began acting more physically dominant, pounding their piece while counting the spaces, and jubilantly raising arms in the air with each success. The rich person started talking about how they had “earned” so much more, claiming personal merit and achievement

one else do. He conjured his youth. He became the Kobe of old, making shots all over the court, daring opponents to guard him, willing his overmatched team to win. In the fourth quarter, he outscored the Utah Jazz by himself, finishing with a total of 60 points as the Lakers won the game. No one who saw it will ever forget it.

Golden State did win their game and break the record, winning a mere 56 games more than Kobe’s Lakers this season, but all

LOOKINGFOROPINIONS

The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786.

while ignoring the facts about the game’s original rigging.

The study concluded: “As privilege increases, compassion and empathy decrease and a sense of entitlement and favor become rampant. A moral code is invented to justify the privilege.”

As in the game, so in our economy. Could this be what Bernie Sanders is talking about?

Doug Wingeier Waynesville

anyone could talk about the next day was Kobe’s magnificent performance.

Dylan Thomas was right, old age SHOULD burn and rave at close of day. In the Staples Center in Los Angeles last week, it raved one last time as Kobe Bean Bryant raged against the dying of the light. Everyone is raving still.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who livesinHaywoodCounty.Hecanbereached atjchriscox@live.com.).)

tasteTHE mountains

Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251

AMMONS DRIVE-IN

RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR

1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville. 828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years. Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

APPLE ANDY'S RESTAURANT

3483 Soco Road, Maggie Valley located in Market Square. 828.944.0626. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Wednesday and Thursday. Serving the freshest homemade sandwiches, wraps, and entrees such as country fried steak and grilled flounder. Full salad bar and made from scratch sides like potato salad, pinto beans and macaroni and cheese.

APPLE CREEK CAFE

111 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.456.9888. Tuesday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to midnight. Sunday 11 a.m. to

10 p.m. We are excited to be on Main St. serving lunch and dinner with a full bar. Our menu includes items such as blackberry salmon, fettuccine alfredo, hand-cut steaks, great burgers, sandwiches, salads and more. Join us for live music every Friday and Saturday nights. Friday 6 to 9 p.m. live piano music. Saturday 6 to 9 p.m. live jazz music. No cover charge.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL

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

BOGART’S

303 S. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.1313. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Carry out available. Located in downtown Waynesville, Bogart’s has been long-time noted for great steaks, soups, and salads. Casual family atmosphere in a rustic old-time setting with a menu noted for its practical value. Live Bluegrass/String Band music every Thursday. Walking distance of Waynesville’s unique shops and seasonal festival activities and within one mile of Waynesville Country Club.

tasteTHE mountains

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ

6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Sunday 9 a.m. to 3

p.m. Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef owned and operated. Our salads are made in house using local seasonal vegetables. Fresh roasted ham, turkey and roast beef used in our hoagies. We hand make our own eggplant and chicken parmesan, pork meatballs and hamburgers. We use 1st quality fresh not preprepared products to make sure you get the best food for a reasonable price. We make vegetarian, gluten free and sugar free items. Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are.

BRYSON CITY CORK & BEAN

A MOUNTAIN SOCIAL HOUSE

16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934

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

CHEF’S TABLE

30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210

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

CHURCH STREET DEPOT

34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville. 828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh handcut fries. Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining.

facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

CITY BAKERY

18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881. Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to

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

CITY LIGHTS CAFE

Spring Street in downtown Sylva. 828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more. Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER

20 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue. Kitchen opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday serving freshly prepared small plates, tapas, charcuterie, desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT

3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley. 828.926.1820 Open Wednesday and Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

FILLING STATION DELI

145 Everett St., Bryson City, 828.488.1919

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

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA

1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley. 828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE

44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

GANKO EXPRESS

1896 S. Main St., Waynesville 828.246.9099 Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Serving a variety of Hibachi, Chinese, Thai and Sushi dishes.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY

U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817 Winter hours: Thursday through Dunday 12 to 4 p.m. for lunch and 4 p.m. to closing for dinner. Daily luncheon special at $6.99. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome. Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE

4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Winter hours: Friday-Monday 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Joey’s is a family style restaurant that has been serving breakfast to the locals and visitors of Western North Carolina since 1966. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION

U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel. 828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3

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

THE LUNCHBOX CAFE

100 Spicewood Dr., Clyde, 828.246.6296

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Serving up scrumptious breakfast, lunch and dinner all made with care in a welcoming environment. Subs, salads, sandwiches and more.

MAD BATTER FOOD & FILM

617 W. Main Street Downtown Sylva. 828.586.3555. Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Handtossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch. Beer and wine. Free movies with showtimes at 6:30 and 9 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Visit madbatterfoodandfilm.com for this week’s shows.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB

1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley. 828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine. Open seasonally for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ

9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561. Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast

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

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT

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

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily. Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Family style dining for adults and children.

PAPERTOWN GRILL

153 Main St., Canton. 828.648.1455 Open

7 days a week 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Serving the local community with great, scratch-made country cooking. Breakfast is served all day. Daily specials including Monday meatloaf, chicken and dumplings on Thursdays and Friday fish.

PASQUALE’S

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

PATIO BISTRO

30 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

tasteTHE mountains

lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer. Outdoor and indoor dining.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR

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

ROB’S HOT DOG SHACK

42 Montgomery St., Waynesville 828.707.7033. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rob’s serves gourmet hot dogs and has homemade side items. Outdoor and indoor dining, café style restaurant. Locally owned and operated. Family oriented business.

SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE

1941 Champion Drive. Canton 828-646-3750 Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available. Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties. Local acoustic music on Tuesday nights.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP

29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday

and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville. Using only the freshest ingredients in home-made soups, salads and sandwiches. Come in and see for yourself why Smoky Mountain Sub Shop was voted # 1 in Haywood County.

SPEEDY’S PIZZA

285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800

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

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL

176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville. 828.456.3551. Open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, the Tap Room Bar & Grill has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com .

VITO’S PIZZA

607 Highlands Rd., Franklin. 828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years.

Catch the Spirit of Appalachia will have a Traditional Heritage Walk in the Sylva Herald parking lot during the 2016 Greening Up the Mountains festival on Saturday, April 23, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in Sylva, N.C.

Heritage Walk returns to Greening Up the Mountains

Free event is April 23 in Sylva

Taking a step back in time to appreciate the heritage of craftsmanship of the mountains will be a special part of this year’s 19th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival.

Catch the Spirit of Appalachia is bringing back its Traditional Heritage Walk to the Sylva Herald parking lot for the Saturday, April 23 event. All of the crafters will be demonstrating and selling their traditional arts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Crafters like chair caner David Ammons will be participating.

“Caning comes in many disguises, but all of it is weaving,” said Ammons. “I watched Grandpa do only the herringbone weave from white oak splints. However, there are many forms of weaving ... wicker, rush, splint, shaker tape, rawhide, Danish cord, binder cane, and the 7-step method hand caning.

Caning dates back to before 4000 B. C., I have learned, and is still popular in most households today.”

For the second year, there will be a crawfish boil featuring traditional dirty rice, corn on the cob, boiled potatoes and crawfish on Back Street directly across from Eric’s Fresh Fish Market. Heinzelmannchen Brewery will also be providing beverages for the event.

5K RUNAND WALK

5K run and walk begins at Mark Watson Park at 9 a.m. Register online at www.imathlete.com or stop by the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. Race day registration begins at 8 a.m., and is $20.

SHUTTLESERVICE

A shuttle service will be available from the county Justice Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $1 per boarding, including children.

Organized by the Town of Sylva, Greening Up the Mountains features more than 200 vendors, representing arts, crafts, demonstrators, local schools, business, community, environmental, health, safety, children’s activities, and more. The festival will also provide many tasty food options and a plethora of regional musical acts performing on two stages.

For more information, call 828.631.4587, e-mail greeningupthemountains@gmail.com,visit www.greeningupthemountains.com, like the event on Facebook or call the Town of Sylva at 828.586.2719.

Photo courtesy of Greening Up the Mountains

Live music

Music will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the Mountain Youth Talent Contest at the Sun Trust Lot on Main Street. Music will be held throughout the day at both the Main Street stage and at the Bridge Park gazebo on Railroad Avenue. The music lineup is as follows:

Signature Brew Stage

• 9:30-11 a.m. — Mountain Youth Talent Contest

• 11-11:45 a.m. — Marshall Ballew

• 12-12:45 p.m. — Henry River Honey

• 1-1:45 p.m. — The Colby Deitz Band

• 2-2:45 p.m. — Kim Shuler

• 3-3:45 p.m. — Dirty Soul Revival

Bridge Park Stage

• 10-10:45 a.m. — Sugar Barnes and Dave Magill

• 11-11:45 a.m. — Red Honey

• 12-12:45 p.m. — PMA

• 1-1:45 p.m. — Andrew Scotchie and the River Rats

• 2-2:45 p.m. — Buchanan Boys

• 3-3:45 p.m. — Ol’ Dirty Bathtub

Arts, crafts and kids

M

ore than 30 arts and crafts booths and displays will be on Railroad Avenue, plus a full Farmer’s Market. Families can visit the “Kid’s Zone” where children can enjoy an inflatable slide, a candle-making workshop, balloons, arts and crafts workshop, and much more. Law Enforcement of Jackson County will be out to meet the public, there will be a DARE car display, and more in the “Safety Zone.”

Adopt a duck or several dozen to support the New Century Scholars students in Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. The Southwestern Community College Foundation will sell rubber duck adoption tickets for $5 each (or a quack pack of six for $25) as part of its annual “Ducks on the Tuck” fundraiser during the festival. Threethousand ducks will race down Scotts Creek near the Bridge Park at 2 p.m. There are many great prizes including a 40-inch flatscreen TV. Winners will be announced at the festival. All proceeds benefit New Century Scholars, which guarantees the opportunity of an SCC education to highpotential students without the worry of tuition and fees.

Only 245 more days ‘til Christmas!!

Start your shopping early...

Youth prepare to show their talents.

Donated photos

Face painting at Greening Up the Mountains.

Ramblin’ man

A conversation with Butch Trucks

For 45 years, drummer Butch Truck was behind the kit as the undulating force driving the legendary music of The Allman Brothers Band. And since the band retired from the road in 2014, Trucks has been on the road with his latest project, The Freight Train Band, which combines sets of Allman signature songs and Truck’s percussive jam talents. Kirk West photo

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER

For 45 years, The Allman Brothers Band took rock-n-roll and stretched it into the unlimited possibilities of blues and jazz. They were an empty canvas of melodic influences that encompassed broad, rich paint strokes of English hard rock pioneers Cream, jazz improvisation maestro John Coltrane, and Chicago blues master Muddy Waters.

At their core, the Macon, Georgia, based Allmans represented the “human condition,” the good the bad and the ugly of what America stood for — and also wanted to stray away from as the 1960s and 1970s ticked away — while the layers of an aggressively oppressive country peeled away like an endless onion of change and national dialogue. It was bridging the societal gap between the stifling, racist culture of Jim Crow laws within the southern states and the progressive mindset set forth by those who ventured beyond the Mason-Dixon Line for the better part of a century.

And as the anchor of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame act, drummer Butch Trucks, 68, still tends the fire of political activism, with music as his platform to promote and showcase a better world. It’s not some pie-in-the-sky ideal. Rather, it’s a deeply rooted mission from a man who has seen more than his share of, well, bullshit. It’s about realizing your neighbor isn’t a threat, for what’s truly scary is the mere fact

GKW: What do you think about that label of “Southern rock”? Do you think it dilutes what you were trying to do?

BT: I don’t know. I don’t particularly like labels at all. If we were anything, we were a loud jazz and blues band. I mean, we picked up where Cream left off and added jazz to the mixture. We’d go back and forth from strictly covering a blues tune to jazz tunes.

GKW: What was it like to play with the late Duane Allman (who passed away in a motorcycle accident in 1971 at age 24)?

BT: I had worked with Duane and [his brother] Gregg [Allman] in a band a year before Duane came to Jacksonville to start the Allman Brothers [in 1969]. And I have a propensity to back off if things weren’t going strong. I’d think it was my fault and I wasn’t playing very well. And Duane knew this. I don’t think he was going to have me in his

“I realized that my internal rage of being nervous and introverted had now been injected into the music. Duane reached inside of me and flicked on a switch. I realized that I may not be the best drummer in the world, but I could play.”

known. It was his vision and leadership that made The Allman Brothers Band possible. After he came back from King Curtis’ funeral, he talked a lot about his death. His laser focus was music, but he also wanted to live life at its fullest. He was either riding a motorcycle without a helmet and tripping on acid at a hundred miles an hour on slippery red brick roads around Macon or sitting and reading a book. He and I used to go fishing all the time, and I turned him on to Tolkien (Lord of the Rings). He dropped out of high school in the 10th grade and yet he was probably more educated than most college graduates. Hell, he taught himself algebra. He was sitting there, listening to these teachers and knew he was smarter, and would just go out and buy the textbooks himself. When we would pull into a town and have a free afternoon, Duane and I would just go buy a couple fishing reels and plastic worms and go bass fishing. And we’d sit on the lake and talk about who we were reading, talk about philosophy. We knew we’d get more out of our readings by discussing it, and we were able to open up some great things.

GKW: You’re a self-proclaimed atheist. Are you optimistic about the world today?

— Butch Trucks

you never engaged with that person two mailboxes away, that you’ve never shaken hands and smiled in the face of the glorious future we all have the potential to seize in the morning dew of an unknown day come to life.

The Smoky Mountain News caught up with Trucks as he ventured from his 12th-century farmhouse in southern France, onward into a current southeast solo tour, one which has him fronting a band that encompasses and pushes forward with the power and majesty of the Allmans’ key elements — love, brotherhood, and the capacity to see the light at the end of the tunnel of tomorrow, and also the day after.

Garret K. Woodward: What’s the legacy of The Allman Brothers?

Butch Trucks: What I’m most proud of is taking the door that Cream opened with rock improvisation and adding John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and jazz into the mixture. That’s our strongest legacy. It’s taking a tune, a melody, and then taking it apart. Charlie Parker is probably the greatest example of this. I mean, listening to Charlie Parker is like reading James Joyce. You’ve got to really dig into it, and if you really climb into what he’s doing, the melody is there, it’s like deep listening. And then the same thing with John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme,” an album that probably influenced us more than any album did. That, and his record “My Favorite Things.”

Want to go?

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Butch Trucks (The Allman Brothers Band) will bring his Freight Train Band to the stage at 9 p.m. Friday, April 22, at Isis Music Hall in West Asheville. The Rise Brothers will open. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 day-of-show. For more information or to purchase tickets, click on www.isisasheville.com or call 828.575.2737.

band with that propensity to back off. We were jamming one day, and I started to back off and he turned around and stared at me and starting playing this lick, as if to say, “Com’on dammit.” My first reaction was, “Oh, damn.” Duane did this a couple more times, and I realized that he was showing me up in front of hundreds of people. So, I threw it back to him, and we got into a musical fight, and when we finished he said, “There yah go.” I realized that my internal rage of being nervous and introverted had now been injected into the music. Duane reached inside of me and flicked on a switch. I realized that I may not be the best drummer in the world, but I could play.

GKW: Have you ever felt that spark playing with somebody like you did with Duane?

BT: Not on a continual basis. Being around Duane was a very special thing. He was, without a doubt, the most powerful and intense personality I’ve ever been around or ever

BT: I’m afraid I’ve been an optimist my whole life, but lately I’ve become cynical. About six years ago, I bought a 12thcentury farmhouse in the Languedoc region of southern France, way out in the middle of nowhere. The books we were reading when Duane died were by John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And if you see what’s happening with the American society, and you read Rousseau, it’s following the same pattern of Rome and France and any dominant society that ever was — once so much wealth and power gets in the hands of such few people, then it’s pretty much over.

GKW: But at the same time, you’re a proud grandfather, and that must shift your outlook on the world righting itself?

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

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

I stepped out of the airport and into the afternoon sunshine.

A moment later, my father rolled up in front of the terminal a few miles outside of Burlington, Vermont. It was another hour drive north and over Lake Champlain to my hometown of Plattsburgh, New York. A bluebird sky hung high over the Champlain Valley as my pops and I began our inevitable conversation.

“So, how are yah doing?” I asked.

“Ah, I’m OK. I’m OK,” he kept reassuring himself.

For a man who just lost his little brother unexpectedly last week, my dad was somewhat at ease with the whole situation. Being the patriarch of our extended family, he’d been the first one to get the phone call in the middle of the night from my aunt that my uncle has succumbed to a heart attack.

The apple orchards of Peru, New York. Garret K. Woodward photo

and greater Clinton County, a tired sun fading behind the ancient Adirondack Mountains to the west.

And with the funeral the following day, I was asked to speak at the mass. Approaching the microphone, in front of a large crowd at the church, with dozens standing outside the room due to a packed house, I scanned the room. They were all there. My parents. Aunts. Uncles. Cousins from California, New Hampshire and points elsewhere that I missed dearly and hadn’t seen in years. Numerous running friends of mine from my days as a fierce competitor.

I spoke of the idea of “time” and how we find ourselves grieving through the loss of a loved one. For me, I’d made amends with death a long time ago, due to countless friends and family members I’ve lost too soon over the years. And with mourning someone close who is no more, I approach from the angle of celebration, of recalling great times with those we hope to see again someday.

For many, there are three things that cause sadness through mourning — you feel cheated out of time, not telling that person you loved them enough, or you never righted the wrongs between the two parties. But, you must remember that we all have a finite amount of time on this earth and within the presence of those we couldn’t imagine living without.

HOT PICKS

1

Bluegrass legend Peter Rowan will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie Valley.

2

Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) will perform at 9:30 p.m. April 22 at No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) and 9 p.m. April 23 at The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville).

3

Films created by Western Carolina University students will be screened at the eighth annual Controlled Chaos Film Festival at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee.

4

The Colby Deitz Band (Americana/bluegrass) will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

5

Bosu’s Wine Shop and Feline Urgent Rescue (FUR) present the “If I have not but nine lives, let me fill them with wine” event from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 22, at the shop in Waynesville.

A decades-long beloved track and crosscountry coach at Peru High School (my father’s hometown just south of Plattsburgh), my Uncle Scott was as dedicated and passionate for athletics as he was for the students he taught in the classroom. He was a hardcore road cyclist and running enthusiast, one who got up every day and took to the open road, in search of not only fitness but also himself.

So, it came as a shock that, at age 60, my uncle (number 7 of eight kids) had transitioned into the great beyond. My father, being a steadfast and stoic rock for our family, took the death pretty deeply, as seen by his tears shed at the wake (a rare sight for me to witness). Over a thousand people lined up to pay their respects at the wake, which was in a funeral home bordering the endless, mesmerizing apple orchards of Peru

So, what does one do? Well, if you make sure to wake up every day and are aware of those three things above, then you’ll be better equipped to not only reinforce or rekindle love with those you care about, you’ll also have a keen sense of your place in the cosmos we often ignore or don’t appreciate the grandeur of.

Life is not about winning, it’s about having the will each day to get up, get out the door, and compete. And though my uncle was very successful in his endeavors, he would attest to that mantra written across the walls of my soul.

And as the weekend rolled along, I found the frowns of my family slowly switch to the sincere happiness of being around each other, even if it’d been years since we’d all stood in the same room. The tears were traded for cheers and salutes to my Uncle Scott, and to all of us, for coming together, pulling each other aside every so often, the words “it’s so good to see you” and “I just wanted to tell you that I love you” echoing genuinely off our tongues.

Come Sunday morning, I awoke from a deep slumber, from some haze of memories, stories and interactions. The previous three days felt like a haphazard rollercoaster of emotions and solidarity. And as I reached for my cell phone, there were messages from my cousins and extended family, wishing the best for the ongoing present and unknown future, with plans already in the works for a rendezvous sooner rather than later.

I walked into the bathroom and flicked the light on. It appeared that there were a few more grey hairs and wrinkles than when I’d left Western North Carolina for Upstate New York. But, that’s OK, for those wrinkles are well-earned, for all of us, just as time spent with loved ones is, too.

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

SATURDAY, MAY 7TH AT 3 PM

On the beat

‘King of Pop’ tribute show

The “Man In The Mirror” production will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

Direct from Las Vegas, "Man In the Mirror" captures the essence of a Michael Jackson concert complete with dancers and special effects. The show takes the audience through all the greatest hits of Michael Jackson. From the days of the Jackson 5, through some of Jackson’s last songs.

For tickets, visit www.harrahscherokee.com.

Kora master

to play Highlands

Sean Gaskell will host a performance of the Kora, an ancient 21-stringed West African harp, at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, in the Community Room at the Hudson Library in Highlands.

Gaskell will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the Koras musical repertoire in addition to some of his own personal compositions. The Kora roots stretch

back to the mid-1700s and feature traditional songs that praise leaders of high political status and those who helped expand the Mande Empire. Gaskell, having studied the Kora over multiple visits to its homeland in Gambia, released his first solo album “Kora Music of West Africa” in 2012. His primary teachers were Moriba Kuyateh and Malamini Jobarteh. He has opened for headliner acts such as Oliver Mtukudzi and the Black Spirits. This program is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by the Arts Council of Macon County.

828.526.3031.

Rowan returns to Cataloochee

Bluegrass legend Peter Rowan will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie Valley. Acclaimed for his work with bluegrass godfather Bill Monroe, Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia and other musical icons like David Grisman and Vassar Clements, Rowan is a renowned, Grammy award-winning performer, who is considered one of the torchbearers of bluegrass and folk music. Tickets are $65 per person, which includes a dinner buffet before the show a 6 p.m. www.cataloocheeranch.com or 828.926.1401.

MAGGIE VALLEY BANDTOPLAYIN WAYNESVILLE

Vine of the Mountains Church (Waynesville) will host ‘Bluegrass & BBQ,’ an adoption fundraiser for the Milan family featuring a silent auction and music from The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/bluegrass), at 5 p.m. April 23. $10 a plate (suggested donation). For more information, themilans@gmail.com.

WCU Wind Ensemble to perform

The Western Carolina University Wind Ensemble will be performing its final concert of the spring semester at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 25, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee.

The ensemble, under the direction of Margaret Underwood, visiting assistant professor with the WCU School of Music, will include works by Edward Gregson, Vincent Persichetti, Robert Kurka, J.S. Bach and Michael Gandolfi.

The eclectic program will feature the student concerto competition winner, tuba player Andre Thacker, performing the first movement of Gregson’s “Tuba Concerto.”

The event is free and open to the public. www.wcu.edu or 828.227.7242.

WCU bands spring concert

The Western Carolina University Concert Band and Symphonic Band will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee.

The Concert Band, under the direction of David Starnes, director of WCU’s award-winning Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, and Margaret Underwood, visiting director of bands and assistant professor of music, will feature works by Vaughan Williams, Grundman, Young, La Plante and Bryant. The performance will also feature guest conductor Mark Ewing Jr., the winner of the student concerto competition.

The Symphonic Band, under the direction of Starnes, will perform works by Bach, Grainger, Dello Joio, and a new piece by David Biedenbender. They also will be welcoming Underwood as a guest conductor.

Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. 828.227.7242 or music.wcu.edu.

WCU Spring Choral Concert

The talents of two Western Carolina University vocal ensembles — the University Chorus and Concert Choir — will be featured as the WCU School of Music presents its Spring Choral Concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at the Coulter Building in Cullowhee.

The University Chorus will sing a variety of compositions, including works by Handel and Stephen Chatman, along with a gospel arrangement by composer Robert Ray. The Concert Choir will present selections from “Messa da Requiem” by Giuseppe Verdi. Also featured will be “The Peace of Wild Things,” the poetry of Wendell Berry set to music by American composer Jake Runestad.

The event is free and open to the public. www.wcu.edu or 828.227.7242.

Come and Experience Sylva

HowWe KARE

KARE is Haywood County’s nationally accredited Child Advocacy Center whose mission is to end child abuse through advocacy, education and support. We serve children and families of Haywood County through intervention and preventative programs. Two of our preventative programs include Parents as Teachers and Triple P (Positive Parenting Program). Both programs are international, evidence-based programs with outcomes relating to the reduction in child abuse.

Parents as Teachers (PAT) is an earlychildhood, home-visitation program where parent educators provide information, support and encouragement to parents to help their children from before birth to kindergarten entry. PAT is designed to improve child outcomes by working with the parents to increase parents’ knowledge of effective parenting practices and child development. PAT also encourages parents to access community resources that support their activities as parents and the development of their children. Through increased knowledge of effective parenting practices and community support, parents are expected to experience positive attitudes toward their children and interact more effectively with them.

Home visits are just part of the program, along with group connections that meet at least once a month, developmental screenings and connections for families to needed resources. PAT believes that all children and their families deserve the same opportunities to succeed regardless of any demographic, geographic or economic considerations. PAT is available to any family in Haywood County at no cost where there is a child age 0-5 in the home. PAT is partially funded through SmartStart and the Region A Partnership for Children.

Triple P is a parenting program with thirty years of research to back it up. Triple P is based on five main princi-

Because of Parents as teachers, we are able to help our children thrive the best they can. They are there to bounce ideas with, inform and educate the best and creative ways to help a child grow.

pals, Creating a Safe Interesting Environment, Having a Positive Learning Environment, Using Assertive Discipline, Having Realistic Expectations, and Taking Care of Yourself as a Parent. Triple P works with parents to develop a plan of action to deal with child behavior problems and everyday struggles. The program takes the skills parents already use and helps the parent determine if what they are doing is working while also teaching new skills. Triple P parents are more confident, less stressed and more relaxed about their parenting. Children raised with Triple P feel better about themselves, do better in school and have less issues with behavior. Triple P is used in 28 different countries around the world and proves effective across cultures and socioeconomic classes. A recent population study in South Carolina has shown that Triple P reduces child injuries, child abuse rates, and the number of children in foster care. This program is open to any family with children ages 18months to 12 years at no cost.

For information on these programs, please contact KARE. 1159 N. Main St. Waynesville, NC 28786 828-456-8995 www.KareHouse.org

On the beat

• Andrews Brewing Company will host Heidi Holton (blues/folk) April 22, The Liz Nance Trio (Americana/folk) April 23, Andrew Chastain (singer-songwriter) April 29 and Somebody’s Child (Americana) April 30. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Apple Creek Café (Waynesville) will host an evening of jazz on Saturdays.

• The City Lights Café (Sylva) will host The Freestylers at 6 p.m. April 23. 828.587.2233. www.citylightscafe.com.

ALSO:

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Tina & Her Pony (Americana) April 22, Sheila Gordon (folk/rock) April 23, Mile Pilgrim & Don Mercz (jazz/swing) April 29 and Joe Cruz (piano/pop) April 30. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Evolution Wine Kitchen (Sylva) will host Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) during their anniversary celebration from 5 p.m. to midnight. April 20. Beer and food specials. 828.631.9856.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Ben Wilson 8 p.m. April 22, Tonology (rock/acoustic) April 29 and Mindframe (rock) April 30. All shows are free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Heinzelmannchen Brewing (Sylva) will host Henry Wong (singer-songwriter) during their 12th anniversary party from 6 to 8 p.m. April 21. The celebration will run from noon to 9 p.m. with craft beer specials, prizes, and more. www.yourgnometownbrewery.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night April 20 and 27, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo April 21 and 28. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host The Get Right Band (rock/funk) April 23 and Andrew Scotchie & The River Rats (blues/rock) April 30. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. in the yard. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com or 828.349.2337.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will hold a community music jam from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 21. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. Free. 828.488.3030.

• Nantahala Brewing Company (Bryson City) will host The Dirty Soul Revival (rock/blues) April 23, PlankEye Peggy (Americana) April 29 and Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana/bluegrass) April 30. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) April 22, PMA (reggae/funk) April 23, St. Christopher Webster with The Devils Cut and Glitter Bomb Burlesque (rock/blues) April 29 and The Dirty Soul Revival (rock/blues) April 30. All shows are free and begin at 9:30 p.m. www.nonamesportspub.com.

• The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host DJ Justin Moe April 22, Brother Bluebird April 23, Nick Prestia April 29 and John Phillip Brooks April 30. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Sagebrush Steakhouse (Canton) will host Tonology (rock/acoustic) April 26. All shows begin at 7 p.m. 828.646.3750.

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Mile High (rock) at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Andrew Rickman (rock/acoustic) will also perform on Saturdays. All events begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

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

• Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will host a jazz evening with the Tyler Kittle & Michael Colling Duo (with special guests) every other Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. with the next performance on April 26. www.soulinfusion.com or 828.586.1717.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host multi-instrumentalist Renee Allsbrook at 4 p.m. April 24. Admission is by donation. www.38main.com or www.soldiersheart.com.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will host Kevin Fuller (Americana/folk) April 22. Both shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. www.tippingpointtavern.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host High 5 (rock/R&B) April 23 and Brian Loy & Paradise 56 (blues/rock). All shows are at 9:30 p.m. There is also a weekly Appalachian music night from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays with Nitrograss.

• Vine of the Mountains (Waynesville) will host “Bluegrass & BBQ,” an adoption fundraiser and silent auction featuring The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/bluegrass), at 5 p.m. April 23. $10 a plate (suggested donation). For more information, themilans@gmail.com.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) April 23 and Joey Fortner (Americana/bluegrass) April 30. All shows begin at 9 p.m.

Festival returns to Hot Springs

The 19th annual French Broad River Festival will be held April 29 to May 1 at the Hot Springs Campground.

This annual grassroots festival has grown steadily from a one-night benefit party on the banks of the French Broad River to an all weekend festival featuring some of the best music in the area and a number of outdoor events in celebration of this beautiful river and setting.

Musical acts include Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds, Sol Driven Train, Snake Oil Medicine Show, Empire Strikes Brass, Cabinet, David Gans, Trongone Band, Sufi Brothers, Hank West & The Smoking Hots, Love Canon, Screaming J’s, Alarm Clock Conspiracy, 3 Little Birds, The V-Tones, Mark Schmick & Friends,

Acclaimed songwriter to play Franklin

Singer-songwriter James Rogers will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

From 1975 to 1983, Rogers traveled

Colby Deitz Band to play Sylva

The Jackson County Public Library will host a musical concert featuring the Americana act

The Colby Deitz Band at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 28, in the Community Room of the library in Sylva.

Having been on the road with his former band Mangas Colorado for over two years, Deitz was now stranded at his home in Cullowhee. He had been to hundreds of bars and music halls all across the Southeast, shared the stage with Grammy winners, and still, he wasn't happy. He knew he had to get back on the road no matter the cost. With some encouragement from his friend and current bass player, Seamus Moose, he decided it was time to hit the road again with a new project.

Station Underground and more.

This festival always has a few surprises such as a juggling fire show, kid’s parade, trapeze artists, fireworks, late night acoustic jams, and watch out for flying marshmallows.

Enjoy the outdoors by participating in the whitewater raft “race” on the scenic French Broad Section 9 (guides and rafts provided) that finishes at the festival, paddling “with the pros”, or the mountain bike race. And if you’re not feeling too competitive, you can take a nice hike on the Appalachian Trail or just hang out by the river, listening to the music.

For more information on the festival or to buy tickets, visit www.frenchbroadriverfestival.com.

throughout the country performing in large show rooms and in concerts with great artists such as Alabama, Suzy Bogguss, Roy Clark, Steve Martin, Ricky Skaggs and Dolly Parton. While trying to land a recording contract, he entered a talent contest at a theme park called Silver Dollar City. Out of 2,000 contestants, Rogers won the 1983 National Mountain Music Festival at Silver Dollar City in Pigeon Forge. Silver Dollar City became Dollywood in 1986.

In recent years, Rogers music has taken on a very patriotic tone with several songs featuring tributes to the Armed Forces and other causes that bring listeners closer to God and county. His song, “I Guard America,” was adopted by the National Guard as their official theme song in 1999. Tickets are $17 each. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

This program is free and open to the public. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

828.586.2016 or click www.fontanalib.org.

PETER ROWAN

,

Tuesday,

April 26 .

On Tuesday night, April 26, Grammy winner Peter Rowan will return to Cataloochee Ranch for a rare solo performance. This will be the legendary singer-songwriter’s sixth appearance at the Ranch, and the performance is expected to be a sellout. So come join us for a memorable evening of music, food and fun, with dinner at 6:30 pm and music beginning at 8:00. Tickets for dinner and the show are $65, and reservations are required. To reserve your space for this not-to-be-missed event, just call the Ranch at 828-926-1401.

Photo by Bill Harbin

Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds will be one of the headliners at the French Broad River Festival in Hot Springs. www.facebook.com/sistersparrow

On the street

Taste of Chocolate returns to Maggie

The 17th annual Taste of Chocolate Plus will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Maggie Valley Country Club.

This year’s categories are Amateur, Bed and Breakfast, Professional and Bakers

BBQ, craft beer and bluegrass

The “Beer, Bluegrass, BBQ Spring Celebration” will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at Outdoor 76 in Franklin.

Express your inner artist with Macon County Arts Council, learn more about trail systems in Macon County while visiting with the NC Bartram Trail Society

Jackson celebrates NC Beer Month

Whether you enjoy sipping a smooth golden ale, something hoppy or a dark IPA, Jackson County’s craft breweries have you covered for N.C. Beer Month this April.

• April 20 — Evolution Birthday. Music from Ol’ Dirty Bathtub. Great beer and food specials all night long. Evolution will remain open until midnight.

• April 20 — Earth Day Celebration at Innovation Brewing. Live music from Bird in Hand and a special IPA release.

Nominations sought for Mountain Heritage Awards

Choice. The Taste of Chocolate Plus is a fundraiser for the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center with all proceeds going to connect volunteers in the community and assist seniors with the NC SHIIP program. Sponsored by First Citizen Bank.

Tickets now on sale at the Senior Resource Center, Quilter’s Quarters, Blue Ridge Books, Chocolate Bear and Maggie Valley Club or call John at 828.356.2833.

and Nantahala Hiking Club, and enjoy lunch served by Smoky Mountain Bicycles. All proceeds go to the proposed Macon County Bike Park.

The food will start at 5 p.m. when local conservation group Main Spring Conservation helps us fire up the smokers. Food and beer will be available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit MainSpring Conservation Trust. Music will be at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. 828.349.7676.

• April 21 — Heinzelmännchen Brewery Anniversary Celebration. Food, entertainment and craft beer. Live guitar music with Henry Wong. This year's celebration includes a special release of Kirsch Bock. 4 to 9 p.m.

• April 25 — Sneak E Squirrel Brewery IPA

Mondays

• April 29 — Foothills Brewing Tasting

the Sapphire National Golf Club.

www.mountainlovers.com.

Western Carolina University is accepting nominations for the Mountain Heritage Award, an honor bestowed annually on one individual and one organization playing a prominent role in researching, preserving and/or interpreting Southern Appalachian history, culture and issues.

Nominations for the awards will be accepted through Thursday, June 30. The awards are presented at Mountain Heritage Day, the university’s celebration of traditional Appalachian culture that takes place on the last Saturday each September.

The university instituted the Mountain Heritage Award in 1976, and the first recipient was the late John Parris, a Jackson County native, career newspaperman and author. Parris, who died in May 1999, was widely regarded for his long-running “Roaming the Mountains” columns in the Asheville Citizen-Times. He helped establish WCU’s journalism studies program and championed the establishment of a center to preserve the traditions and cultures of the Western North Carolina mountains, which led to the founding of the Mountain Heritage Center.

Many of the icons of Western North Carolina’s traditional culture have received the award over the years, including Cherokee potter Amanda Swimmer and Clay County community leader Rob Tiger, and organizations such as the Jackson County Genealogical Society and the John C. Campbell Folk School. The university has

given two awards annually, one for a person and one for an organization, since 2007. One award was presented each year from 1976 to 2006.

Last year’s award winners were R.O. Wilson, a quintessential mountain man who has demonstrated moonshining and making shake shingles and has led local cemetery documentation, and the popular bluegrassgospel band Mountain Faith, nationally known for appearing on the NBC show “America’s Got Talent.”

Letters of nomination should not exceed five pages and should include the full name of the individual or organization being nominated, with a website address if applicable; the mailing address of the nominee; the founding date for organizational nominees; a list of the nominee’s accomplishments; a list of the awards and other recognitions received by the nominee; information about the nominee’s influence in the relevant field of expertise, such as crafts, music or organizational cause; and information about the nominee’s role as a teacher, advocate, leader or preserver of mountain culture.

Nomination letters may be hand-delivered to the Mountain Heritage Center at its new location in the Hunter Library building, Room 240; mailed to Mountain Heritage Center, 1 University Drive, Cullowhee N.C. 28723; or emailed to Pam Meister, interim director of the Mountain Heritage Center at pameister@wcu.edu.

Session at Evolution Wine Kitchen.

Pint and a Pie — Throughout April enjoy a pint of beer and an individual size pizza for only $10 at Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company located at

Bluegrass-gospel band Mountain Faith were a past winner of the Mountain Heritage Award.

File photo

On the street

• The “Spring Fling” will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Clyde First Baptist Church. Live music, barbecue, cornhole tournament, food concessions, and more. There will also be a car/truck/motorcycle show (registration at 7 a.m. with a $15 entry fee).

• First United Methodist Church of Sylva will be sponsoring a Trivia Night from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 29. The evening’s proceeds will benefit local missions including United Christian Ministries and Good Samaritan Clinic. Admission is $15 per person or $120 for a table of eight if you pre-register. Individual tickets may be purchased at the door for $20. trivia@corsair.org or 828.507.2793.

• The “Spring Bingo” event will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Canton Armory. Prizes and a change to win $1,000 cash. Concessions will be served. The event is a fundraiser benefitting the Haywood County Schools Foundation. Tickets are $20 for 20 games.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop and Feline Urgent Rescue (FUR) present the “If I have not but nine lives, let me fill them with wine” event from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 22, at the shop in Waynesville. Wine tasting and finger foods. Tickets are $30 and available at Bosu’s, which all proceeds going to FUR. Buy wine that night and get a 15-percent discount per case, 10-percent per bottle or a free cat. 828.452.0120.

On the stage

Shakespeare at HART

Thanks to a grant from the N.C. Arts Council, the Haywood Art Regional Theatre’s (HART) upcoming production of William Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” will address the theme of forgiveness in the Bard’s last four plays.

“The Winter’s Tale” will have performances at 7:30 p.m. April 22-23, 29-30 and May 5-7, and at 2 p.m. May 1 and 8 at the theater in Waynesville.

The story is of redemption, which ends with one of the most magical and heartwarming climaxes in all of Shakespeare. HART’s production is being directed by Steve Lloyd and the cast includes Lyn Donley, Dwight Chiles, Jason Williams, Josephine Thomas, Laura Gregory, Dr. David Hopes, Strother Stingley, Tom Dewees, R. J. Thompson, Jeff Messer, Nicholas Messer, Jacob Hunt, Sean Bruce, Tabitha Judy, Emma Heisey, Christine Caldemyer and Josh Merrell.

• The 22nd annual “Southeastern Mini Truckin’ Nationals” will be held April 23-24 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Open car and truck show. For more information, contact Jason at Bell’s Rod Shop, 865.742.7403. minitruckinnats@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/southeastern.nationals.

ALSO:

• “Designer Bag Bingo” returns at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Cat Creek Lodge in Franklin. There are 12 new designer bags to play for. Each of the 12 bingo games will play for one bag. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• A wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. April 23 and 30 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.586.6300.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. April 23 and 30 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. April 20 and 27 at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 828.452.6000.

• There will be a “Tasty Tuesday: Winter Seasonals” at 7 p.m. April 26 and May 3 at Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden. www.madanthonys.bar.

The grant has also made it possible for the theatre to commission an original score for the production from Sarah McCoy and Joshua Linhart who will be performing at each performance. Special discount tickets are available for the May 5 performance and special discount tickets are also available to students and teachers for all performances. To make reservations, call the box office at 828.456.6322 or click on www.harttheatre.org.

On the wall

Controlled Chaos Film Festival returns

Films created by Western Carolina University students will be screened at the eighth annual Controlled Chaos Film Festival at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee.

“There are all sorts of student-made films that will be showcased, including this year’s senior project film, ‘Love is the Longest Con,’ and free food, photo ops and more,” said Mikayla Ronnow, a student spokesman for the festival. “I think it will be the perfect night to put on your fanciest black tie, if you’d like, and provide encouragement to your fellow students in support of their artistic efforts while having a fun evening out.”

matter and are not suitable viewing for children. For more information, contact the Film and Television Production Program at 828.227.7491.

Along with “Love is the Longest Con,” there will be showings of a web series titled “Senior Nightmare,” two senior project documentaries and several other student-produced films.

Several of the films have mature subject

‘Kings, Queens’ film to close out series at WCU

The final presentation of the 2015-16 Arts and Cultural Events series at Western Carolina University will be the Southern Circuit series film “Kings, Queens & InBetweens,” a documentary about gender identity, to be screened at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, on the lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center in Cullowhee.

Through the personal stories of eight drag performers and their troupes in Columbus, Ohio, the film seeks to make a complex subject approachable for mainstream audiences, inviting viewers into a conversation about the distinct and important differences between gender, sex and sexuality.

“The topic is ever so pertinent to North Carolina right now,” said Francis Ann OrtizPineda, assistant director for campus programs, referring to the recent passage of House Bill 2, dubbed “the bathroom bill.”

The new law has stirred protest because of its provision requiring usage of gender-specific bathrooms according to the gender on the user’s birth certificate.

The documentary screening is free and open to the public. Discussion on topic will take place after the film at 9:30 p.m. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. An alternate screening room in case of rain will be Illusions at the University Center.

Tickets are $10 cash at the door. Proceeds and donations benefit the Motion Picture Student Project Fund, which helps students in WCU’s Film and Television Production Program with the cost of creating their senior thesis films.

www.wcu.edu.

The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is a program of South Arts. Southern Circuit screenings are funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

kingsqueensandinbetweens.wordpress.com or ace.wcu.edu or Ortiz-Pineda at 828.227.2612.

WCU ‘Next Wave’ exhibition

Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum is partnering with the WCU School of Art and Design to host an exhibition of works by first-year students in the Master of Fine Arts Program.

The “Next Wave” exhibition runs through Friday, April 29, featuring work by Brendan Best, Ali Burnette, Javier Fox, G. Vincent Gaulin, Martha Neaves, Zach Rogers, Don Sawyer and Charlotte White. A public reception and performance will be held to close out the installation, from 4 to 6 p.m. April 29.

The Fine Art Museum is located in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, with extended hours on Thursdays to 7 p.m. Admission and parking are free. The museum is closed on university holidays and breaks. To learn more about the exhibition, contact Ashcraft at tdashcraft@wcu.edu.

WCU photo

On the wall

• An “Alcohol Ink Course” will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Learn to mix and play with vibrant colors on any non-porous surface. Instructor will be Sharon Sandel. Class fee is $75, which includes materials. To register, contact Sandel: sharsand46@gmail.com.

• “Paint & Pour,” an Appalachian Art Farm Benefit, will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. www.madbatterfoodfilm.com.

• Involving all things “Star Wars,” a “Crafternoon” will be held from kids ages 512 at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, at the Canton Public Library. Open to first 15 children in attendance. 828.648.2924 or kpunch@haywoodnc.net.

• Riverwood Pottery will have a wheel-throwing pottery class beginning on Thursday, April 21, and continuing for eight weeks from 6 to 8 p.m. at their studio in Dillsboro. Cost is $160. There will also be a hand building pottery class from 6 to 8 p.m. April 26, with a cost of $160. For more information or to register, call 828.586.3601.

• A reception for the “Juried Undergraduate Exhibit” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. www.wcu.edu.

ALSO:

• “String Pieced Quilts” will be the topic of the High Country Quilt Guild meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at the First Methodist Church in Waynesville. Elsie Orrel will host the presentation, and also hold a workshop on the same topic the following day. highcountryquilters.wordpress.com.

• Local crafter Junetta Pell will be teaching a new basket making class for the Jackson County Extension Craft Club in Sylva. The class will be held at the extension office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 21-22. The basket she has chosen is a beautiful large tote with a wooden bottom and leather straps. Seating is limited for this class. Cost is $35 payable at time of registration. Bring your basket making material and snack/lunch. To register, call the Sylva Cooperative Extension office at 828.586.4009.

• After-School Art Adventure will be on from

3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays at The Bascom in Highlands. For ages 5 to 10, Art Adventure is a class by utilizing a variety of media. The students will investigate some of the most popular techniques and theories in art history and will be exposed to contemporary as well as folk art traditions. Tuition is $40 for a four-class package. www.thebascom.org.

• The Imagination Station children’s program will be held from 10 a.m. to noon April 30 at The Bascom in Highlands. Wake up to art. Bring your friends each Saturday to create a new art project. Projects include painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, and clay — the sky’s the limit. For ages 5 to 10. $20 per class. www.thebascom.org.

• The “Come Paint with Charles Kidz Program” will be at 4 p.m. April 28 at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. $20 per child. Materials and snacks included. 828.538.2054.

• “Stitch,” the gathering of those interested in crochet, knit and needlepoint, meet at 2:30 p.m. every first Sunday of the month at the Canton Public Library. All ages and skill levels welcome. www.haywoodlibrary.org.

• The fourth annual Birdhouse Bash is currently underway. Bring decorated birdhouses to the Second Blessing Thrift Shop in the Frog Level District of Waynesville by May 5. The birdhouses will be part of the silent auction at the “Whole Bloomin’ Thing” festival. 828.476.4231 or 828.734.1570.

• A community art group meets at 10 a.m. every Wednesday at the Hudson Library in Highlands. 828.526.3031.

• The film “The Revenant” will be screened at 7 p.m. April 20 and 22, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. April 23 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. There will also be a free screening of “The Peanuts Movie” at noon and 2 p.m. April 23 and 30. www.38main.com.

• The films “Science Café” (6:30 p.m. April 20), “The Revenant” (7:30 p.m. April 21), “Monkey Kingdom” (6:30 p.m. April 22), “Peanuts” (2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. April 23). “Fargo” (7:30 p.m. April 28), “Now You See Me” (6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. April 29) and “Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy” (2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. April 30) will be screened at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Free. www.madbatterfoodfilm.com.

A book about the good news and the bad news

Twenty-five years ago, a pediatrician told my sister that eggs were unhealthy and that she must never serve them to her children. Now nutritionists call eggs one of the perfect foods. Twenty years ago some health experts decried the consumption of coffee, claiming that it was a killer. Today numerous people laud the health benefits of this beverage. Educators have traditionally touted the benefits of homework, yet new studies claim that homework can cause burnout in students and exhaustion in parents.

more calories than Coke. Students will be glad to hear that too much homework of a certain kind actually diminishes learning, while food-

In The Good News About What’s Bad For You/The Bad News About What’s Good For You (Flatiron Books, 2015, 316 pages), Brooklyn-based writer Jeff Wilser attacks what he describes as myths regarding food, drink, physical fitness, work and lifestyle. (Note to readers: My book reviews are supposed to run around 850 words. Sorely tempted as I am to use Wilson’s title in full toward a word count, I will refer to the book as Good News/Bad News.)

Good News/Bad News is a gold mine of information, various studies and statistics. From The Good News About What’s Bad For You some readers will be delighted, and some appalled, to learn that bourbon may be better for our health than a glass of red wine, that fidgeting has positive mental and physical benefits (I need to keep this one in mind in regard to my younger students), that pot, video games, web surfing, and even porn may be good for us.

The Bad News About What’s Good For You is equally controversial and equally amusing. Annual physicals may bring no benefit whatsoever. We don’t need to overdo our consumption of water, but should instead drink it “when we feel thirsty.” Many fruit juices have

ing “may take a long-term toll on your brain.”

Behind all the facts, figures, conjecture and discussions with experts is Wilser’s word of wisdom for us all: moderation. Bourbon is good for you but not if you end up every evening trying to take your trousers off over your head. Homework can benefit students if it brings excitement and creativity to what they learned in the classroom. Everything in moderation: the ancient Greeks preached this idea, and so does Wilser.

The Good News About What’s Bad For You/The Bad News About What’s Good For You by Jeff Wilser. Flatiron Books, 2015. 316 pages.

ies may be disappointed to find that “we don’t have definite evidence that eating organic improves human health.” Watching too much news “is toxic to your body” while multi-task-

‘Library-Con’ in Waynesville

The Waynesville Public Library will host a Comic-Con-type event titled “Library-Con” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the library.

Organized by Youth Services Librarian Lisa Hartzell, “LibraryCon” will be a fun, family-friendly event for lovers of comic books and beyond. Comic-Cons aren’t just about comic books, but encompass all forms of fantasy and science fiction, as well as movies, TV shows, role playing games and even anime and manga. There will be workshops about comic book history, drawing comics and how to cosplay (dress up in costumes), plus a video game tournament and obstacle course for kids. Perhaps the most exciting part of the day will be the visits from special costumed guests, including characters from Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Star Trek and Batman to name a few. There will also be costume and

One of his most hilarious examples of this moderation has to do with MacDonald’s. He first brings up the “Super Size M”e movie. As he says, “the dude ate the equivalent of ten Big Macs a day.” No wonder he gained weight.

But Wilser then points out that in 2014, a science teacher, John Cisna, went on a MacDonald’s diet. The difference between his experiment and “Super Size Me” was that Cisna limited himself to 2000 calories per day. “For six months he ate nothing but MacDonald’s.”

At the end of his experiment Cisna had lost 61 pounds, and his cholesterol had dropped from 249 to 190. He went on to write My MacDonald’s Diet.

As Wilser writes, “MacDonald’s is not a miracle diet. MacDonald’s is not the reason we’re fat. MacDonald’s is just food. Some good, some bad. What we do with it is up to us.”

Moderation and personal responsibility: that’s the ticket to good health. •••

poster-drawing contests. Snacks will be provided, and there will be giveaways, such as free comic books.

Everyone is invited to dress in costume, whether as a superhero or other character. As this will be a family-friendly event, please make sure costumes are along those lines — no swords, light sabers or any other kind of weapon (pretend or otherwise).

www.haywoodlibrary.org or 828.356.2512.

Folk School welcomes Moore, Howard

The N.C. Writers Network West will sponsor The Literary Hour, a program of poetry and prose reading featuring Janice Townley Moore and Joan Howard at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

Another treat of a book is Bethanne Patrick’s The Books That Changed My Life: Reflections By 100 Authors, Actors, Musicians, And Other Remarkable People (Regan Arts, 2016, 294 pages, $24.95). Patrick, whose reviews and essays have appeared in many magazines and online publications, and who is the author of two other books, explains in her “Introduction” how Shusaku Endo’s Silence changed her own life. After reading this book, and after ecstatically describing it to a friend who told her she should study literature, Patrick switched from pre-law to literature. This experience eventually led her to interview others about the effects of literature on their own lives.

Like Wilser’s Good News/Bad News, Patrick’s collection is a “dipper” book, one that most readers will plunge into here and there rather than read straight through. I confess that at least half of the artists, maybe more, were unfamiliar to me, so reading the mini-bios at the end of each short essay was enlivening and educational.

But I was familiar with nearly all of the books mentioned and was pleasantly surprised that so many contributors selected what we regard as “classics” for the book that had changed their lives. David Copperfield, The Odyssey, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm, and many more: these old books still touch the hearts and souls of readers.

Second-tier books also brought recognition and appreciation. David McCullough’s John Adams, Herman Wouk’s Marjorie Morningstar, Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie (this one was chosen by Rosanne Cash, Johnny Cash’s oldest daughter and like her father a singer-songwriter): reading the essays about these and other books brought back my own moments of pleasure when reading these works.

A fine collection.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. He can be reached at minick0301@gmail.com.)

Moore, Professor Emeritus of English at Young Harris College, published a chapbook, Teaching the Robins, with Finishing Line Press. Her poems have appeared in Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, Southern Poetry Review, Connecticut Review, Journal of the American Medical Association, and in many anthologies. Her latest poem was published in Coming Off the Line: The Car in American Culture, published by Main Street Rag. Howard's poetry has been published in The Lyric, The Road Not Taken: The Journal of Formal Poetry, Lucid Rhythms, Victorian Violet, Our Pipe Dreams, Aurorean, The Deronda Review, Miller's Pond, Wild Goose Poetry Review, The Eclectic Muse, Red Fox Run: Writer’s Workshop 2013 and Georgia Poetry Society's Reach of Song 2012. She is a former teacher, member of N.C. Writers Network West, has studied German and English literature, goes birding and spends time in Athens and on the beautiful waters of Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee, Georgia

Writer Jeff Minick

Reading for Words on Works

The Jackson County Arts Council has been celebrating their visual artists whose work is currently being displayed in the Rotunda Gallery at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

These artists have all had art exhibits in the gallery over the last few years. The artists are: Norma Hendrix, Jon Jicha, Susan Martin, Gayle Woody, Jim Smythe, Joe Meigs, Tim Lewis, Erin Tapley, Doreyl Ammons Cain, Clint Hardin, Tim Jacobs, Dawn Behling, Greg McPherson and Matt Liddle.

The Words on Works exhibit is part of the Jackson County Arts Council’s 40th anniversary. The celebration will culminate at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, during the council’s membership meeting. There will be a public reading for anyone who has a Words on Work poem or short piece to share. www.jacksoncountyarts.org or 828.507.9820.

• Contributors to the annual journal KAKALAK will read their works at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. KAKALAK is an annual publication featuring North and South Carolina writers and artists. KAKALAK’s 2016 poetry and art contests will close May 15. A separate contest is held for best cover art. Additional information, including contest guidelines and a description of contest fees and awards, may be found online at Main Street Rag Publishing Company’s website, www.mainstreetrag.com. To reserve a copy of the journal, call City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.

• Beloved Southern Appalachian columnist Edie Hutchins Burnette will read from her new collection Mountain Echoes at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. The book extensively chronicles the life and history of Haywood County and Western North Carolina. You can purchase a copy of the book (from Jan-Carol Publishing) at the reading (www.blueridgebooksnc.com) or online at www.amazon.com.

• Author-Bryan Robinson Robinson will read from his mystery, Limestone Gumption at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Robinson’s experiences as a workaholic and psychotherapist inspired him to write Limestone Gumption, a murder mystery about a psychologist whose work addiction keeps him from facing his tortured past until he becomes a murder suspect. www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

• Macon County author and paranormal investigator Josh Franks will present his book True Events of the Paranormal at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. This collection of ghost stories and unexplained mysteries details Franks’ investigations across the nation and includes Jackson and Macon county locales. To reserve copies of the book, call City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.

THURSDAY, MAY 5TH

Hike your own hike

A.T. hikers aim for Maine after crowded start

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFFWRITER

It’s 4 p.m. on the Appalachian Trail, and while the sun will be awake for hours yet, “hiker midnight,” which strikes at 9 p.m., is drawing steadily nearer. A couple of hikers wander in from the trail, sighing as they slough their packs and plop down on the picnic table under the shelter roof, debating whether to press on toward the Walnut Mountain Shelter, 5 miles away, or stay here

for the night.

A third hiker soon joins them. Nick Hyde, a New Zealander known on the trail as “Mountainear,” looks grateful for an excuse to shed his pack and rest his legs. He’s tired, he says, and very sore. It isn’t long before he, as well as the other two hikers — Khanh

“Chicken Feet” Dung and Stan Walters — decide that this is as far as they’ll get tonight.

The decision basically determines whether or not they’ll be making it to Trailfest in Hot

Springs, 18 miles away. It’s Friday night, and camping here means that they won’t make it in time to partake in the Saturday festivities — free food, games and story swapping.

Trail festivals and stopovers in town are popular, but nowadays they’re far from being the only respite from solitude available to A.T. hikers. According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s estimates, nearly 900 people completed a thru-hike in 2013, with more than 2,000 starting the hike in Georgia. By contrast, from 1964 to 1988, the number of thru-hikers finishing the trek from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine fit comfortably under 200, numbers staying below 50 until 1974.

Overnight on the Appalachian Trail

To get a taste of trail life on the A.T., I set out on Friday afternoon with a pack, a dog and a friend to find a shelter and some hikers and some firsthand trail experience.

■ 3 p.m. Hit the trail. It’s a picture-perfect day, with the sun shining and a light breeze blowing through the 60-degree air. Max Patch is all green grass, blue sky and sunshine.

The grassy fields and sweeping views from Max Patch make the area a favorite spot on the Appalachian Trail for many.

Thru-hiker Khanh Dung settles down for some shut-eye at the Roaring Fork Shelter near Max Patch.

With the release of the movie “Wild” in 2014 and “A Walk in the Woods” last fall, the folks at the ATC have been scrambling to prepare for an expected 30 to 60 percent increase in the number of people setting out to thru hike this year.

As Walters — a 59-year old hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah — said, his friends at home have declared that he’s “out of his cotton-pickin’ mind.”

“’You’re going alone?’” they’d ask him. “’Yes,’” he’d reply. “Me and the 4,000 people here. You couldn’t be alone if you wanted to.”

There’s no number yet for how many people started or are expected to finish the trail in 2016. The ATC is still crunching the numbers, though there were definitely more hikers starting in February than is typical, and preliminary calculations indicate that use is up about 30 percent over last year — a significant spike, but less than the 60 percent worst-case scenario.

“We hope to have better and better data going forward so we can make important decisions about how to deal with what’s happening,” said Morgan Sommerville, regional director for the ATC.

PLENTYOFTRAILTRAFFIC

■ 4:20 p.m. I remember how long a short walk can seem when wearing a day’s worth of provisions, clothing and shelter on my back. After hiking 2.5 miles through stillbare forest — but with spring flowers making their first appearances — my hiking partner and I find the shelter and head on down to check it out.

■ 4:45 p.m. We chat for a few moments with the pair of hikers already sitting there, and then decide to explore down the trail a bit before returning for dinnertime. I’m quickly glad we did. Rhododendrons and moss make the walk a green one, and the chortling of Roaring Fork Creek puts me in a cheery mood.

■ 5:30 p.m. We arrive back at camp and look for a place to pitch our tents.

■ 6 p.m. It’s dinnertime, and we’re hungry. We walk over to the nearby shelter to join the hikers setting up their stoves and making a meal of ramen. Stories are swapped, questions asked, names exchanged. My excitable little dog is as hit, breaking the ice and making friends.

■ 8:30 p.m. The sun has disappeared and darkness is setting in. The hikers have disappeared as well, into tents or into the sleeping bags spread out on the floor of the shelter.

■ 9 p.m. Hiker midnight may be 9 p.m., but my friend and I are still a bit jet-lagged. We get out cards, talk over the day and play a few rounds of gin rummy before sleep.

There are definitely a lot of people on the trail, the three hikers agreed. The other packbearing people who filed off the trail with the narrowing of daylight concurred.

“I was surprised it was so crowded with people,” Dung said, adamant that he’s glad to be done with the portion of the trail that winds through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park regulations require hikers to stay at the shelters, and they’d regularly be crammed with 20 people inside the structure and another 30 or 40 camping in tents outside.

“I’m happy to get out of the Smokies,” said Dung, whipping out his phone to show pictures of the snow that had blanketed the trail for much of his walk through the park.

About 10 people wound up staying at the Roaring Fork Shelter that night, a sharp departure from the crowds of 60 Dung had experienced in the Smokies and a lot less than the caravan of people embarking from the trail’s start in Georgia, where the privies would sometimes be used to the point of overflowing.

■ 10 p.m. The wind is blowing, dogs are barking in the distance and the moon is making shadows on the tent ceiling. My own dog curls up in the foot of my sleeping bag, warm and tired. Sleep calls.

■ 6:30 a.m. First light breaks, and a single bird begins to sing. Others join him, and I contemplate getting up and facing the morning chill.

■ 7 a.m. Breakfast is instant coffee and a Clif bar. I hang around and talk to the hikers as they depart one by one.

■ 9:30 a.m. Time to leave camp and head back toward civilization. I wonder what it would feel like to go whole-hog, cultivate the mental toughness necessary to make it to Maine, and then I start dreaming of the warm shower waiting at home.

■ 11 a.m. Packs are in the trunk of the car, the engine’s revved and we’re heading back down the mountain to Interstate 40, Waynesville and the week ahead.

Holly Kays photos

As daylight fades, hikers relax and study up for the day ahead before an early bedtime.

“Every shelter that I stayed at in Georgia, I would say there’s 35 to 40 people around the shelter,” said Josh “Fish” Fisher, of Rome, Georgia, as he unpacked his stove and prepared for dinnertime.

All kinds of people, too. Super-fit, experienced outdoors enthusiasts embarked alongside overweight, overpacked people who had never spent more than a night or two on a trail in their lives.

“I was kind of shocked at how many people had never spent more than two nights camping in the backcountry before,” said Walters, who started the A.T. last year

similar story to Dung, who retired from his job in Long Island, New York, on March 4 and started hiking on March 22.

CULTIVATING MENTALTOUGHNESS

But physical preparation is only part of it. Ben Cross, a Texan who started the hike on his 29th birthday, is doing the trail partly to lose weight. He wants to shed 60 pounds by Mount Katahdin. He lost 10 in the first week but hasn’t weighed himself since. Bathroom scales aren’t common items on the trail.

“I’ve read that first you get physically tough and then you get mentally tough, so I think people who are going to make it have a mental attitude that it won’t necessarily be fun.”

— Melanie “Gamel” Harmon, A.T. hiker

but had to step off near Hartford, Tennessee, after a knee injury. He had just gotten back on the trail to resume his place from 2015. “Then they decide they’re going to walk 2,200 miles.”

Last year, he recalled, there were a couple of guys who didn’t even make it through the first night. Clad in cotton clothing and bearing an assortment of firearms, they’d realized quickly they were in over their heads, leaving their stuff at the shelter and coming back later with a vehicle to collect it.

“I was surprised there weren’t more lightweight backpackers,” said Melanie “Gamel” Harmon, 60, from the Knoxville area. “There were a lot of people who were overweight.”

As she spoke, she offered around a package of candy Peeps, gleaned from her last mail drop package. One of her seven reasons for wanting to hike the trail — listed on a typed document she keeps for encouragement in weak moments — is so that she can “eat whatever I want and as much as I want and not gain weight.” Harmon retired from her career in social services on March 23 and started the trail on March 25 — a

“The rule out here is, hike your own hike,” said Angel “Cash Money” Santana, of Bloomfield, New Jersey, taking a pit stop the next morning to speak with a reporter.

While hikers will sometimes buddy up for hours or days at a time, by and large they expressed a preference for hiking alone, experiencing the miles of snowy or sunny or leafy or bare-branched trail on their own. But by the same token, most said they enjoyed the camaraderie present at the trail shelters where they’d share the night with other hikers.

“I like the combination of the solo experience hiking during the day, then the camaraderie (at night),” Walters said.

“Out here, we’re sort of all equal,” said Harmon. “It’s how you treat each other and being in the same environment together and experiencing the same challenges. I don’t know where else that occurs.”

“Last night a couple other hikers and I stayed up at Max Patch overnight,” said Santana. “We saw the sunset and sunrise, and it was amazing to be able to see something like that. The camaraderie is something I’ve never experienced before.”

Of course, it’s quite possible that not all hikers feel the same way. Of the 10 who slept at Roaring Fork that night, three hikers swiftly disappeared to their tents, keeping to themselves rather than joining in the swapping of stories and trail talk at the picnic table.

The night got quiet, fast. That’s not always the case, Walters said, with some people definitely treating the trail like a “walking party.”

“There’s a lot of people who smoke a lot of weed,” concurred Hyde.

Plan an active Mother’s Day

For those wanting to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend in running shoes, a couple of 5K options are available.

■ At Kituwah Mound near Bryson City, known as the Mother Town, the Mother’s Day 5K Run/Walk will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The course ranges from paved road to farm road to trail, offering a complete review of the historic site. All proceeds will benefit the Cherokee Dialysis Support Group. $15 and $5 for people under 13 and over 59 through April 23, with prices increasing afterward.

Tara McCoy, 828.359.6783. www.runsignup.com.

■ A race circling from the Franklin Plaza to Siler Road and back via Wells Grove Road will celebrate mothers at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 7, in Franklin.

A Mother’s Love 5K will offer prizes to top finishers and donate a portion of registration fees to the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Center. $20. www.active.com

Law enforcement to benefit from Waynesville race

“I’ve read that first you get physically tough and then you get mentally tough,” Harmon said, “so I think people who are going to make it have a mental attitude that it won’t necessarily be fun.”

“It’s just if the pain is worth it to you or not,” added Walters.

Now 255 miles into the trail — just over 10 percent of the total distance — the crew gathered at Roaring Fork Shelter as darkness fell had a taste of how to answer that question.

“I think you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Fisher said.

There are those moments, Dung said, when it’s been raining all night and rain still falls on your wet tent and wet pack and wet clothes in the morning, and as you shoulder the waterlogged load smelly and wet you wonder why — and if — it’s worth it. But then there’s the riot of flowers just beginning to erupt in mid-April, which Dung documents carefully with his phone camera every time he comes across a new bloom. The freedom of living with everything you need for six months strapped to your back. The stripping-down of possibilities and necessities. And all of those are very individual experiences.

As far as whether that contingent of “partying hikers” is as bent on making it to Maine as people like Harmon, who have been fantasizing the thru-hike for 40 years — she has already hiked the whole thing in sections — it’s hard to say.

“I haven’t really conversed with them,” Santana said of the partiers. “They’re kind of in their own group.”

Still, he stands by the “hike your own hike” rule. If some people want to enjoy the trail with the help of substances, he said, that doesn’t have to impact his own journey.

A CHANGINGEXPERIENCE

The trail experience today is different than it was when the route was more wild, less traveled and farther from roads and telephones.

“You could go for days and not see a single person,” said 71-year-old Dave Patrick, a resident of Damascus, Virginia, who hiked the trail in 1990. “You get a lot of time to think.”

These days, the trail is most definitely a social experience. It’s different and it’s changing from what it once was. But the value is still there, at least according to the trail-weary hikers still intent on pressing through the miles to Maine.

“In some ways, this is a pilgrimage,” Harmon said. “Every day I am reminded of the simplest things in life that are incredible.”

Runners in the upcoming Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon, slated for May 14 in Waynesville, will have the chance to help the community by donating to the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and Waynesville Police Department during registration.

The funds will go toward the departments’ SWAT teams’ participation in the International SWAT Round Up in Orlando, Florida. SWAT team members help ensure the safety of all race participants by managing traffic at key intersections along the race route and at the finish line.

Registration is still open for the 13.1mile certified race, which starts on Main Street to wind through scenic neighborhoods and farmlands before concluding at the revitalized Frog Level Historic District. Cost is $60 to pre-register or $70 on race day. www.smokieshalfmarathon.com.

Take in the A.T. from Max Patch

An 11-mile hike from Max Patch will explore the Appalachian Trail on an all-day excursion Monday, April 25, led by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department.

The out-and-back trek to Lemon Gap will take in beautiful foliage as well as panoramic views from Max Patch, which is located in the Harmon Den area near the Madison/Haywood county line. The hike sports a total elevation gain of 1,800 feet. $8 for rec center members; $10 nonmembers. RSVP to Tim Petrea, 828.456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

Waynesville repeats Tree City USA

Waynesville is on a roll when it comes to its commitment to trees, earning the Tree City USA designation by the Arbor Day Foundation for the ninth year running. The designation means that

Waynesville has met the Arbor Day Foundation’s four requirements: having a tree board or department, a tree care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget amounting to at least $2 per capita and an Arbor Day observance and proclamation. Arbor Day 2016 is April 29.

“Being a Tree City USA acknowledges our commitment to preserving our urban forests, while providing opportunities for us to communicate the need for trees within our community,” explained Jonathan Yates, outdoor facilities manager and horticulturalist for the town.

Waynesville has been named a Tree

Community center gets rain garden, upgrades

A trio of grants has led to a rain garden, gym upgrades and renovation of the food pantry at the old Fines Creek School in Haywood County, which serves as a community center.

After several heavy downpours formed a lake around the school, the Fines Creek Community Association applied for a grant from the Community Conservation Assistance Program to build a rain garden to capture and handle future downpours. The garden includes a weir — a low dam to direct water when the garden overflows — as well as native plants, mulch and decorative local rocks.

Following that project, a grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area funded renovations to create a space for indoor functions, including acoustic baffling, repainting and renovations in two classrooms to provide a serving area with running water, a refrigerator and a stove. The Haywood County Community Foundation then provided funds to upgrade two classrooms to serve the increased needs of the Fines Creek Manna Pantry. Haywood County installed a new roof on the library and old cafeteria buildings.

The Eagle Lady says goodbye to N.C.

After more than 20 years in the Carolina mountains, The Eagle Lady — also known as Doris Mager — is preparing to give her

the Waynesville Public Library’s auditorium.

last birds of prey educational program before moving across the country to Washington. The one-hour presentation will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, April 23, at

Mager, who turned 90 in October, has worked with birds of prey for more than 50 years, caring for more than 80 injured eagles and countless other types of raptors during that time. In 1983, she established SOAR — Save Our American Raptors — and travels the country with her birds. She has plenty of stories to share about the birds and the importance of protecting them.

Mager insists that she is not retiring, merely relocating to be closer to family. She leaves North Carolina

Welcome back the migratory birds

Celebrate the return of migratory birds with a day of birding and educational programs at the Cradle of Forestry in America on Saturday, April 30.

The International Migratory Bird Day Celebration will kick off at 8:30 a.m. with a chance to bird with naturalist Vicky Burkey. Beginning and intermediate birders will learn about the species present and get a handle on bird characteristics and habitat preferences. From 1:30 to 3 p.m., a hands-on survival game called “Migration: Risky Business” will showcase the trials birds go to on their journey, and a live bird program with Carlton Burkey of Carolina Mountain Naturalists will wrap things up at 3 p.m.

With its summer season of events now underway, the Cradle of Forestry’s full lineup of events is online at www.cradleofforestry.org.

$5 for ages 16 and up; free for youth, with full access to exhibits and trails included along with event admission. America the Beautiful and Golden Age passports accepted. 828.877.3130.

State looks to combat aquatic invasives

With nuisance species steadily invading North Carolina waters, state officials have approved a plan designed to curb their onward march.

The Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan lays the groundwork for a coordinated effort among governments and their agencies in North Carolina to fight species that have been introduced to the state’s waters and are causing harm, as well as to prevent new introductions.

The plan ranks nuisance species in order of their impacts and includes recommendations to achieve its goals. Recommendations include developing a rapid-response strategy for new introductions; coordinating data collection on current and potential threats; establishing systematic reporting mechanisms and monitoring protocols; researching the economic implications of nuisance species; and leveraging funding to get the job done.

The plan is online at ncdenr.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/Water%20Resources/files/awc/ Aquatic%20Nuisance%20Species%20Management%20Plan%20-%20final.pdf.

Canine distemper found in Haywood

A heightened number of canine distemper cases has been found in Haywood County this spring, leading the county’s Animal Services and Health & Human Services agencies to ask residents to ensure pets are vaccinated and be careful about their contact with other animals.

In March, three raccoons — in Clyde, Ironduff and Waynesville — a fox in Maggie Valley and a dog on Rabbit Skin Road tested positive for the virus. Canine distemper is highly contagious, causing wild animals to

appear tame, confused and disoriented. These symptoms typically show in the later stages of the illness. There is no cure, and while the disease is often fatal, animals that survive usually suffer irreversible neurological damage.

All dogs are at risk, but puppies younger than four months and dogs that have not been vaccinated against canine distemper are at increased risk. Use caution when socializing puppies or unvaccinated dogs in places where groups of dogs gather.

Avoid contact and report any unusual behavior witnessed in a wild animal such as a raccoon, skunk, coyote or fox, to Haywood County Animal Services, 828.456.5338.

Doris Mager. SMN photo

Clean the Tuck

Western Carolina University students show off the bags that they will soon fill with trash from the Tuckaseigee River during the 32nd annual Tuck River Cleanup on Saturday (April 16). Both WCU students and local residents participated in the 32nd annual cleanup, the largest single-day effort to remove rubbish from a river in the nation, with about 860 volunteers this year removing tons of garbage from 27 miles of the Tuckaseigee River, said Jeremiah Haas, associate director for outdoor programs at

Base Camp Cullowhee, WCU’s outdoor programming organization. “This year we offered preregistration for WCU student organizations and clubs, and we saw an overwhelming number of 325 pre-register,” Haas said. “Great weather and a committed student body made this year’s Tuck River Cleanup a huge success. Volunteers filled a huge haul-a-way dumpster with garbage, including many bottles and tires found in the river.” A roadside cleanup also was part of the cleanup activities. The event is organized by the students and staff of Base Camp Cullowhee. WCU photo

Sylva commissioners launch cleanup initiative

A slate of monthly litter cleanups in Sylva will kick off at noon Saturday, April 30, at Bryson Park on Chipper Curve Road.

Sylva’s commissioners decided to start the program as a way to beautify the town while engaging with citizens and modeling good stewardship themselves. Commissioner David Nestler will lead the cleanup, which will conclude at 3 p.m. with volunteers invited to Bridge Park to wrap up the day with complimentary hot dogs off the grill.

Commissioner Barbara Hamilton will lead the next cleanup in May, with a date to be determined. The plan is for commissioners to rotate leadership of the monthly cleanups. David Nestler, 828.399.1462.

Celebrate Earth Day and plant a tree

Pay homage to Earth Day with a drop-in celebration 9 a.m. to noon Friday, April 29, at the Swain County Cooperative Extension Center at the old Almond School.

Educational opportunities, refreshments and free Norway spruce seedlings will mark the morning.

828.488.3848.

Waynesville holds spring mulch sale

Waynesville will have compost and double-ground mulch available for pickup 8 a.m. to noon at the town yard waste landfill April 21-23 and April 28-30.

For compost, prices per load are $10 for a regular pickup or trailer and $60 for a tandem truck.

For double-ground mulch, prices per load are $10 for a small pickup, $25 for a regular pickup, $100 for a tandem truck and $200 for a roll-off. An extra $10 or $20 will be charged for trailers, with extra charge depending on the trailer’s size. Tandem trucks and roll-offs will be allowed April 2830 only.

A limited amount of single-ground mulch will be available for $10 per load regardless of truck size.

Cash or check payments only. Loads must be covered. The landfill is on Bible Baptist Drive off Russ Avenue, near the bypass for U.S. 74. Go straight through the gate at the end of Bible Baptist Drive and see the attendant.

The sale will be canceled in case of wet weather. 828.456.3706.

Live with a lighter touch

Learn how to live a life that’s easy on the environment through a program offered at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, at the Jackson County Public Library.

Robert Franz, who built a small, ecofriendly home in Jackson County 25 years ago, will be speaking from experience. The economical, energy-efficient home allowed him and his wife to save money on design and construction and also by cutting their own firewood and growing their own food. As a result, they were able to retire early, and, as Franz says, “simply enjoy being alive in a beautiful place.”

Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. 828.586.2016.

HOMETOWN PRINT,

641 North Main Street, WAYNESVILLE, NC (3/10 Mile North of the Courthouse) 828-456-HAUS (4287)

641 North Main Street, WAYNESVILLE, NC (3/10 Mile North of the Courthouse) 828-456-HAUS (4287)

Explore Cataloochee’s past and present

A guided eco-trip to explore one of the best-kept secrets in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — Cataloochee Valley — will be offered by the Smoky Mountain Field School on Saturdays May 7 and May 28. Naturalist Esther Blakely will lead the class, titled “Historic Cataloochee Valley, Smoky Mountain Elk, and More,” with participants taking in the valley’s natural and cultural history as they walk the rugged valley to trace its history. Blakely will emphasize the 2001 reintroduction of elk, a native species that had been absent

Elk

from the mountains for 200 years. Tuition is $79, with space limited. The Smoky Mountain Field School is a collabo-

ration of the University of Tennessee and the park. www.smfs.utk.edu or 865.974.0150.

Fossils and minerals program in Franklin

The past will come to life with a program on fossils and paleontology, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at the Macon County Library in Franklin.

Paleontologist Richard Hightower will lead the presentation as part of the library’s Science Club, showing specimens of fossils and minerals while explaining how they were formed. Hightower and his wife, also a paleontologist, have also donated a fossil to the library.

828.524.3600.

Get whimsical with wildflowers

Spring’s ephemeral beauties will take center stage at Wildflower Whimsy, scheduled for May 6-7 at the Highlands Biological

Foundation.

The annual fundraising event will kick off with garden tours, a lecture and a live auction and wine reception on Friday, May 6. On Saturday the weekend will continue with a choice of four guided wildflower walks offering a range of difficulty, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Choices include a walk along Paw Paw Creek focusing on how geology impacts botany, a journey down the wildflower-ridden High Falls Trail, the lush banks of the Chattooga River and the biologically rich Gregory garden. $75 for members; $100 for nonmembers. The event will support the foundation’s three pillars — its botanical garden, laboratory and nature center. www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2221.

Become a weather vigilante

A grassroots effort to get a better handle on weather patterns in North Carolina is looking for volunteer weather monitors.

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network — or CoCoRaHS — began in Colorado in 1998 and has existed in North Carolina since 2007. Through CoCoRaHS, thousands of volunteers, young and old, document the size, intensity, duration and patterns of rain, hail, and snow by taking simple measurements in their own backyards.

The more volunteers participate, the better rain, hail and snow maps can be produced. Recently, drought reporting has become another important facet of the organization’s work, with COCoRaHS data now included in the National Integrated Drought Information System.

Volunteering is simple. Visit www.cocorahs.org and click on the “Join CoCoRaHS” emblem. After registering, take the simple online training, order a 4-inch rain gauge and start reporting. Official rain gauges are available on the website for $30 plus shipping.

Bloodroot. Kevin Fitzpatrick photo

graze outside the old Caldwell Barn. Esther Blakely photo

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Beginners Chess Club is held on Fridays at 4 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 8-108 invited to participate. 648.2924.

• Oconaluftee Indian Village is now opened for the 2016 season, located next to the Oconaluftee Visitors Center in Cherokee. The village is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

• Coloring Club will be hosted on the second Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. at Canton Library. Color pencils and color pages supplied. For ages 8 to 108. 648.2924.

• “Back Porch Old-Time Music Jam,” two hours of traditional Appalachian music at 2 p.m. on May 7 and May 21 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Visitors with an acoustic instrument to play are welcome to join this old-time jam.

• A presentation on the “Scots-Irish in the Southern Appalachians” will be offered by Flora MacDonald Gammon at 2 p.m. on April 21, as part of the “Live and Learn” series in the Bethea Welcome Center at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

• Western Carolina University is accepting nominations for the Mountain Heritage Award through June 30. Nomination letters may be hand-delivered to the Mountain Heritage Center at its new location in the Hunter Library building, Room 240; mailed to Mountain Heritage Center, 1 University Drive, Cullowhee N.C. 28723; or emailed to Pam Meister at pameister@wcu.edu.

• Registration is underway for a collection of Heritage Life Skills classes designed to help participants prepare to survive no matter what. The classes, which include everything from blacksmithing to breadmaking, will be held from April 29-May 1 at the Haywood County fairgrounds $100 for adults; single-day and student admission is $50. Organized by Carolina Readiness Supply. 456.5310 or www.carolinareadiness.com.

• A Relay for Life Cancer Survivors Dinner is set for 5:30 p.m. on April 30, at First Baptist Church in Bryson City. 788.3864.

• Library Con is scheduled for 9:45 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 30 at Haywood County’s Waynesville Library. Presentations on comic-book history, drawing comics, costume contest, obstacle course for children, video games, comic-book giveaways and raffle prizes. www.haywoodlibrary.org.

• Western Carolina University is offering a program called WCU Road Works to organization, communities that need a place to perform a self -contained event. 227.7028.

• Qualla Boundary Historical Society meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Haywood Community College’s summer and fall registration is underway through April 22 for new and continuing students. 627.4500.

• Tickets are on sale for the Swain Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet, which is scheduled for 69 p.m. on April 21, at the Fryemont Inn. Advance tickets are $30 per person. Week of the event, tickets are $35. Tickets available at the chamber.

• “How to Create Your Message Map” will be the topic of a workshop presented by Southwestern Community College from 2-5 p.m. on April 20, at SCC’s Macon Campus in Franklin. t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4211.

• The head of the largest private university in Ghana

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

(Kwesi Yankah, president of Central University) will speak at 3 p.m. on April 21, in Room 315 of A.K. Hinds University Center. The topic will be “Between 9-11 and National Tragedies in Africa: Comparative Perspectives.” klomotey@wcu.edu.

• The Swain County Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Banquet is at 6 p.m. on April 21, at the Fryemont Inn. $35 at the chamber.

• BizWeek Banquet is scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 21, at Bloemsma Barn. Annual Bizweek honorees as well finalists and winner of the 2016 Macon County Young Entrepreneur of the Year will be announced. Keynote speaker is John E. Skvarla, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Commerce.

• An open house is scheduled for noon-7 p.m. on April 23, at Gallery Zella on Frye Street in Bryson City.

• Training on the Library E-Resources – NC LIVE available on April 25 at 11 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Bring your electronic device if you have one. 648.2924.

• A financial aid workshop will be offered from 5-6 p.m. on April 26, at the Waynesville Library. Laura Misner of the College Foundation of North Carolina will cover topics like applying for financial aid and finding available grants and scholarships. Registration required: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

• The film “Most Likely to Succeed” will be presented at 5 p.m. on April 26 at the Smoky Mountain Performing Arts Center in Franklin. Free; concessions will be sold. N.C. teachers can earn .2 CEU credits by attending. 89 minutes. Film examines the history of education, revealing the growing shortcomings of our school model in today’s innovative world. This opportunity is made possible by WRESA and a generous grant through Cherokee Preservation Foundation. Info: Jennifer.Love@macon.k12.nc.us.

• Swain County TDA board meeting is April 27, at the Chamber office in Bryson City.

• “Stones and Bones’ will be presented by Mr. Richard Hightower on April 28 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• A Jackson County meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. on April 28, to promote the local economy for wood products made in N.C. and purchased by retail stores, local governments, school districts, colleges and universities. 704.880.5034 or harry_watt@ncsu.edu.

• A creative business plan series, offered by Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center, will be held from 2-5 p.m. on Thursdays through May 26. Each seminar is aimed at addressing needs and challenges of craft artists who have, or are thinking about starting, a business. Registration required: www.southwesterncc.edu/sbc. Info: t_henry@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4211.

• RSVPs are being accepted for a Group Travel Workshop for tourism owners and operators. The program, held by Haywood County Tourism Authority, starts at 10 a.m. on April 26, at the Waynesville Inn. Open to all tourism partners. RSVP: Ron@VisitNCSmokies.com.

FUNDRAISERSAND B ENEFITS

• The inaugural Shining Rock Classical Academy Open golf tournament is scheduled for April 21 at Maggie Valley Country Club. Captain’s choice foursome. Hole-inone prize is Ford Focus from Taylor Ford. Other prizes and raffle. Sponsorships available. http://srca.teamcfa.school/school/shining-rock-classical-academy-open/ or srcaopen@srca.school.

• Empty Bowl 2016 Fundraiser is scheduled for 4-8 p.m. on April 22, at the Community Table next to the Sylva Pool on Central Street. $20 at the door for choice of handmade bowl donated by local potters. Soups, desserts and live music. Raffle.

• Vine of the Mountains Church (Waynesville) will host “Bluegrass & BBQ,” an adoption fundraiser and silent auction featuring The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/bluegrass), at 5 p.m. April 23. $10 a plate (suggested donation). themilans@gmail.com.

• Tickets are now on sale for the 16th annual “Ducks on the Tuck.” The fundraiser for New Century Scholars is scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 23, at Bridge Park in Sylva. Adopt a duck for $5; first rubber duck to the finish line wins the grand prize – a 40-inch flat-screen television donated by Custom Sound and Security of Franklin. Ducks can be adopted from any current New Century Scholar or from Kathy Posey at k_posey@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4227.

• Spring Bingo will be held on April 23, at the Canton Armory. Fundraiser will benefit Haywood County Schools Foundation. Tickets are $20 for 20 games. Chance to win $1,000 cash. Concessions. Doors open at 6 p.m.

• Relay for Life is from 6 p.m.-midnight on April 23, on Main Street in Waynesville. Volunteers can decorate their window or a portion with purple and let customers know when Relay event will be; sell Relay footprints or cupcakes for $1 and stop by the night of the Relay to show support and walk with survivors and their families. Track signs and luminaries available for donations. Info: 627.6137.

• A White Elephant and Bazaar Sale is scheduled for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on April 23, at Macon Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. $20 donation includes lunch. Donuts and coffee from 9-11 a.m., hot dog plate sale from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; kids festivities from noon-3 p.m.; cake walk from 3-5 p.m.; motorcycle ride check-in at 12:30 p.m. Proceeds benefit Relay for Life. 524.7806.

• The “Beer, Bluegrass, BBQ Spring Celebration” will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. April 23, at Outdoor 76 in Franklin. The food will start at 5 p.m. Food and beer will be available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit Main Spring Conservation for the proposed Macon County Bike Park. Music will be at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. 349.7676.

• Designer Bag Bingo fundraiser is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on April 23, at the Cat Creek Lodge in Franklin. Chance to win authentic designer purses including Coach, Michael Kors, Doone & Bourke and Fossil. Silent auction. $25 includes food, beverage and five bingo cards. Tickets available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Info: 524.3161.

• Bethel United Methodist Church of Franklin will have a church picnic at noon on April 24, in Franklin. Hot dogs, chips, drinks and bake sale to benefit the church’s Relay for Life Team. Donations accepted.

• “Paint & Pour,” an Appalachian Art Farm Benefit, will be held at 7 p.m. April 26 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. www.madbatterfoodfilm.com.

• Trivia Night to benefit local missions is scheduled for 6-10 p.m. on April 29, at First United Methodist Church of Sylva. Proceeds benefit missions. Admission is $15 per person or $120 for a table of eight when pre-registering. Individual tickets are $20 at the door. For info or to register: trivia@corsair.org or 507.2793.

• A Mother’s Day sale event will be held from 11 a.m.2:30 p.m. on May 2, at the Haywood Regional Medical Center Gift Shop in Clyde. New gift ideas, free prizes, refreshments and reduced prices on winter merchandise. Proceeds benefit scholarships for students in nursing or medical-related fields at Haywood Community College. Info: 452.8232. http://tinyurl.com/hkr4qo7.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for:

■ Complete listings of local music scene

■ Regional festivals

■ Art gallery events and openings

■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers

■ Civic and social club gatherings

• The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority, who manages the Haywood County Quilt Trail (HCQT), is conducting a raffle program where you can enter to win your very own 4x4 foot quilt block. Raffle tickets can be purchased by calling 452.0152 or by stopping by the TDA visitor center at 44 North Main Street in Waynesville. The cost is $25 per ticket or five for $100 and are capped at a total of 10 tickets per person. The drawing will be held on Friday, May 6th. All proceeds from the raffle will go to benefit the future development and enhancement of the Haywood County Quilt Trail www.haywoodquilttrails.com.

• A seed money fundraiser is underway to benefit the new Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. The library furnishings fund receives 50 percent of sales receipts for each packet sold directly or 25 percent sold at SowTrueSeed.com; use the code MBL2016. 488.3030, ext. 128, jdelfield@fontanalib.org.

• Birdhouse Bash, an opportunity to create or decorate birdhouses for charity, is underway throughout April. Presented by Daydreamz project and Open Door Community Gardeners. Birdhouses will be auctioned off through a silent auction during “The Whole Bloomin’ Thing” festival on May 7 in Waynesville. Drop off birdhouses between 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Monday through Saturday at the Second Blessing Thrift Store in Frog Level of Waynesville. Info: 476.4231 or 734.1570.

VOLUNTEERS

• Folkmoot USA is seeking up to 20 guides to provide group support for the 33rd annual Folkmoot Festival. The 2016 guide duty begins July 15 and is complete on Aug. 1. Guides reside at the Folkmoot Center for the entirety of the festival. Applications are available at www.folkmootusa.org and are due by April 23.

Individuals interested in guide work should attend the Folkmoot Guide Leadership Workshop on from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23. To register for this workshop please contact Elizabeth Burson at 452.2997 or elizabeth@folkmoot.org.

VENDORS

• The deadline for vendor applications for Mountain Heritage Day, Western Carolina University’s annual fall festival of traditional Appalachian culture, is 5 p.m. April 22. The 42nd annual festival is Saturday, Sept. 24, in Cullowhee. Info and applications available at www.mountainheritageday.com. Info: 227.3039.

H EALTH MATTERS

• Franklin Health Fitness Center is offering 50 percent off entry fee throughout April. 369.5608.

• Dogwood Insight Center presents health talks at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

• “First Aid Every Parent Should Know” will be the topic of a Dinner with a Doc seminar presented by James Guerriere, M.D., at 6 p.m. on April 21, at Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center. 800.424.DOCS

(3627). Guerriere is a pediatrician with the Mountain Pediatric Group (452.8878 or www.mountainpediatric.com). Childcare available for a nominal fee.

• Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing is hosting a sold-out audience for the second-annual Western North Carolina Rural Health Symposium on April 22, at the Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park. Info: krcochran@wcu.edu.

• A Ladies Night Out featuring Danny Antoine speaking on “Physical/Personal Safety” is scheduled for 4 and 6:30 p.m. on April 26 in the cafeteria of Angel Medical Center in Franklin.

• A class on “How to Detox Your Life Naturally” will be offered by Dr. Linda Sparks N.D. at 10 a.m. on April 30 at Waynesville Wellness at 1384 Sulphur Springs Rd. RSVP: drsparks@blueridgenaturalhealth.com or 539.0440.

R ECREATIONAND FITNESS

• The second cornhole qualifying event for the 2016 Championships of Bags (COBS) will be held on April 23. It’s part of a Qualifying Series for players to earn points and automatic bids into big cash tournaments. Other dates in the Qualifying Series are May 21 and June 11. The championship events are July 21-24 with a minimum guaranteed prize pool of $50,000. Info: www.iplaycornhole.com/cobs or info@iplaycornhole.com.

P OLITICAL

• A lunch-and-discussion group will be held by the League of Women Voters at noon on the second Thursday of each month at Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. RSVP for lunch: lwvmacon@wild-dog-mountain.info or 524.8369.

• Macon County Democratic Women will hold their annual Potato Dinner fundraiser from 5-7 p.m. on

April 21, at First United Methodist Church. Take-out is an option. Tickets are $10 each or $5 for ages 12 and under. Tickets: 524.6564.

• A campaign kickoff fundraiser for Mike Clampitt, candidate for the N.C. House of Representatives 119, is scheduled for 5:30-8:30 p.m. on April 22, at the Haywood County Agriculture Center in Waynesville. Requested donation of $30 per person is payable at the door. “Poor Man’s Supper” of pinto beans, cornbread, chopped onions, drink and dessert.

• Historian and author Sara Evans will address the Haywood County NAACP at 1 p.m. on April 23 at Jones Temple A.M.E. Zion in Waynesville.

• The North and South Jackson County Republican Party’s monthly meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on April 25, at Ryan’s in Sylva. Meet at 5:30 p.m. to eat. 743.6491 or jacksonctygop@yahoo.com.

THE S PIRITUAL S IDE

• Faith Journal Workshops are held from 5:30-7 p.m. each Thursday through May 5 at First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. Info and RSVP: 524.3119.

• The fourth annual Impact Revelation Revolution with author and evangelist John Ramirez is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 22-23 at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. 342.4291; www.impactyouthoutreach.com.

AUTHORSAND B OOKS

• Student poet Allen Thomas and local poet Brent Martin will read from their work at 3 p.m. on April 20, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

•”The Literary Hour” – 60 minutes of poetry and prose – is scheduled for 7 p.m. on April 21, at the Keith House on the John Campbell Folk School. Co-sponsored by the school and the NC Writers Network West.

MAY 2016 BASE CAMPS:

WHITEWATER RAFTING AT NOC

MAY 13

Depart: 8 AM • Return: 5 PM

Members: $10 Non-Members: $12

Participants need to bring $50 cash on the day of the trip (This covers raft trip cost and tips). Enjoy a morning fully guided rafting trip on the scenic Nantahala River. Bring a snack and plan on enjoying a Dutch Treat lunch at the NOC Outdoor Center.

HIKE CHARLIES BUNION

MAY 26

Depart: 7:30 AM

Members: $10 Non-Members: $12

The rocky, treeless summit affords panoramic views of the Great Smoky Mountains, some of the best in the entire park. It's a 4-mile moderate hike (8 miles roundtrip). While you climb more than 1,600 feet in elevation, it's a gradual gain. Pack a lunch for an amazing picnic spot!

Poets and writers Janice Townley Moore and Joan Howard will be featured readers.

• Canton Book Club will be held on April 21 at 3:30 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. The club will meet on the third Thursday of each month. This month’s book is The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, copies available at the library. 648.2924.

• The Coffee with the Poet series is cosponsored by the Netwest program of the North Carolina Writers Network and gathers the third Thursday of each month at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Charlotte poet visual artist Jonathan K. Rice at 10:30 a.m. April 21. 586.9499.

• Author Danny Bernstein will make a presentation on National Parks of the South at 10 a.m. on April 22, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. http://hikertohiker.com.

• Author Edie Burnett will read from her book “Mountain Echoes” at 3 p.m. on April 23 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. 456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

• Macon County author and paranormal investigator Josh Franks will present his book True Events of the Paranormal at 3 p.m. April 23, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. This collection of ghost stories and unexplained mysteries details Franks’ investigations across the nation and includes Jackson and Macon county locales. To reserve copies of the book, please call City Lights Bookstore at 586.9499.

• Kim Michele Richardson will read from and sign her new novel GodPretty in the Tobacco Field at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

• Author Bryan Robinson will read from his mystery, Limestone Gumption, at 3 p.m. on April 30, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. 456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

• Contributors to the annual journal KAKALAK will read their works at 3 p.m. April 30, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. KAKALAK is an annual publication featuring North and South Carolina writers and artists. KAKALAK’s 2016 poetry and art contests will close May 15. A separate contest is held for best cover art. Additional information at www.mainstreetrag.com. To reserve a copy of the journal please call City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• The “Come Paint with Charles Kidz Program” will be at 4 p.m. April 28 at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. $20 per child. Materials and snacks included. 538.2054.

• Full STEAM Ahead, a program for children ages 5-12 to allow them to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics through fun hands-on activities. Program open to the first 15 participants. Program takes place at 4 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at Canton Public Library. 648.2924.

• The Imagination Station children’s program will be held from 10 a.m. to noon April 30 at The Bascom in Highlands. Wake up to art. For ages 5 to 10. www.thebascom.org.

• A DIY “Library Superhero Posters” event is set for 4 p.m. on April 20, at the Canton Library. Create your own library superhero poster to enter in the Librarycon poster contest. Poster due on April 30. All ages welcome. 648.2924.

• The Young Children’s Fair will be held from to 4 to 7 p.m. April 21, at the Cherokee Indian Fair Ground. Parents and children are welcome to come and enjoy fun, food, and family-friendly activities. FREE. www.visitcherokeenc.com or 828.359.6592 (ext: 2212).

• NC Science Festival event will be held April 21 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library for grades K-6. Children will enjoy hands-on activities, such as building 3-D geometry, shopping with funny money, and making math music. Family Story time at

10 a.m. will focus on “It’s Never Too Early to Get Excited about Math and join the library for a “It’s Math Party time at 6:30 p.m. for all ages. Ncsciencefestival.org or kmoe@fontanalib.org or 524.3600.

• Mountain Youth Talent Contest at the Sun Trust Lot on Main Street on April 23 starting at 9:30. Music will be held throughout the day at both the Main Street stage and at the Bridge Park gazebo on Railroad Avenue. heather_gordon@ncsu.edu

• Sing and Sign Storytime is offered on April 25 at 10 a.m. at the Macon County Public Library. Ages 0-5. 524.3600.

• Crafternoon, a children’s program for ages 5-12, is scheduled for 4 p.m. on April 26, at the Canton Library. Group will be crafting all things Star Wars. Info: 648.2924 or kpunch@haywoodnc.net.

• The children’s play “Chivalry Me Timbers! The Terrifying Tale of the Most Polite Pirates to Ever Sail the Seven Seas” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on April 26, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Science Club is at 3:30 p.m. on April 28, at Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

K IDSMOVIES

• Free screening of “The Peanuts Movie” at April 23 at 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Madbatterfoodfilm.com.

• The film “Monkey Kingdom” will be shown on April 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Madbatterfoodflim.com.

• Free screening of “The Peanuts Movie” at noon and 2 p.m. April 23 & 30 at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. www.38main.com.

• A family movie about Peter Pan, reset in World War II, will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on April 26, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. 488.3030.

• Children’s movie about a little girl’s emotions will be shown on April 30 at 1:00 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

FESTIVALSAND S PECIAL EVENTS

• Greening Up the Mountains Festival will host artists, mountain crafters, environmental and food vendors in the upcoming 19th annual event, which is April 23 in Sylva. www.greeningupthemountains.com, 586.2719 or at Sylva’s Town Hall. Info: 631.4587.

• Tickets are on sale for the 17th Annual Taste of Chocolate event, which will be held from 6-8 p.m. on April 23 at Maggie Valley Club. Tickets available at the Senior Resource Center, Quilter’s Quarters, Blue Ridge Books Chocolate Bear, Maggie Valley Club or by calling 356.2833. Proceeds go to connecting volunteers in the community as well as helping people on Medicare through the N.C. SHIIP program.

• Western Carolina University’s 14th annual jazz festival will feature an afternoon and evening of music, special guests and celebration from 1-10 p.m. on April 23, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building in Cullowhee. 227.3261 or pwlosok@wcu.edu.

• Clyde First Baptist Church will hold its Spring Fling from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on April 23. Live music, cornhole tournament, BBQ, hot dogs, biscuits and coffee. Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show registration starts at 7 a.m.; $15 entry.

• Tickets are on sale now for the 19th annual French

Broad River Festival, which is April 29-May 1 at the Hot Springs Campground & Spa. Numerous bands and entertainment acts, fireworks, flying marshmallows, a whitewater raft “race” and more. Tickets are $100 before April 20 and $110 at the gate if available. Children under 12 get in free. Tickets and info: www.FrenchBroadRiverFestival.com.

• Arts and crafts submissions are now being accepted for the third-annual Shining Rock Riverfest, which is 12:30-10 p.m. on April 30, in Canton. Submissions are due by 4 p.m. on April 25. Admission to the event is $10; free for ages 12-under. Event includes musical performances, local barbecue and a variety of handmade crafts for sale. Info: 648.2363 or www.shiningrockriverfest.com.

F OOD & D RINK

• Jackson County’s craft breweries are celebrating N.C. Beer Month throughout April. Breweries include Sneak E. Squirrel, Heinzelmännchen and Innovation. For more information about each one’s promotions in April, visit: www.yourgnometownbrewery.com; www.innovation-brewing.com and www.facebook.com/TheSneakESquirrel.

• Throughout April enjoy a pint of beer and an individual size pizza for only $10 at Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company located at the Sapphire National Golf Club.

• Heinzelmannchen Brewing (Sylva) will host Henry Wong (singer-songwriter) during their 12th anniversary party from 6 to 8 p.m. April 21. The celebration will run from noon to 9 p.m. with craft beer specials, prizes, and more. www.yourgnometownbrewery.com.

• Tickets are available for a wine-tasting and finger-food event presented by Bosu’s and FUR from 5-8 p.m. on April 22, at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. 15 percent discount per case; 10 percent per bottle or a free cat. Tickets are $30 each; available at Bosu’s 421.1290, 452.0120 or www.facebook.com/furofwnc.

ON STAGE & I N CONCERT

• The Western Carolina University Low Tech Ensemble will perform a concert of gamelan music at 7:30 p.m. April 21, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building on the WCU campus. www.wcu.edu.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will host the a “Electric Soul” concert with the CAT singers will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 22 in the Bardo Arts Center. www.wcu.edu.

• Western Carolina University’s Catamount Singers and Electric Soul, an auditioned student group of 12 vocalists and 12 instrumentalists, will perform a spring concert at 7:30 p.m. on April 22, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee.

• Tina and Her Pony will perform American folk music at 7 p.m. on April 22, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• N.C. Arts Council, the Haywood Art Regional Theatre’s (HART) will host the work of William Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” that address the theme of forgiveness in the Bard’s last four plays at 7:30 p.m. April 22-23, 29-30 and May 5-7, and at 2 p.m. May 1 and 8 at the theatre in Waynesville. Special discount tickets are available for the May 5 performance and special discount tickets are also available to students and teachers for all performances. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org.

• Emmylou Harris will perform her blend of pop, folk, gospel and blues at 7:30 p.m. on April 23, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• Waynesville-based singer and piano player Sheila Gordon will perform a musical tribute to Janis Joplin, Annie Lennox, Bonnie Rait and Stevie Nicks at 7 p.m. on April 23, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• There will be an Album release Party for the “Call it Joy” album by Renee Allsbrooks at 4 p.m. on April 24 at The Strand in Waynesville. www.38main.com.

• The Western Carolina University Wind Ensemble perform its final concert of the spring semester at 7:30 p.m. on April 25, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

• The Words on Works celebration culminates at 6:30 p.m. on April 26, during the Jackson County Arts Council’s membership meeting. Public reading for anyone with a Words on Work piece to share. 507.9820 or info@jacksoncountyarts.org.

• The Western Carolina University Concert Band and Symphonic Band will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. on April 26, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center to perform their final concert of the spring semester. Info: http://music.wcu.edu or 227.7242.

• Bluegrass legend Peter Rowan will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 26, at Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie Valley. www.cataloocheeranch.com or 926.1401.

• “American Idol” season seven winner David Cook and Secondhand Serenade will perform during Western Carolina University’s Spring Concert at 8 p.m. on April 28, on the Central Plaza in Cullowhee. 227.3751.

• Western Carolina University’s two vocal ensembles, the University Chorus and Concert Choir, will be featured at the WCU School of Music’s Spring Choral Concert at 7:30 p.m. on April 28, in the recital hall of Coulter Building. 227.7242 or http://tinyurl.com/oafrskd.

• The Colby Deitz Band (country, Southern Appalachian front porch string music) performs at 7 p.m. on April 28, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

• Traditional African music will be performed by Sean Gaskell at 7 p.m. on April 29, in the Community Room of the Hudson Library in Highlands. He performs on the Kora – an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. 526.3031.

• “Man in the Mirror: A Tribute to the King of Pop” will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. on April 30, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. 800.745.3000.

• James rogers (singer, songwriter) will perform at 7:30 p.m. on April 30, at Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets are $17 each. 866.273.4615 or GreatMountainMusic.com.

• The MET Opera “Elektra” will be April 30, at the Martin Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands. highlandspac.org or 526.9047.

• Haywood Community Chorus, directed by Kathy McNeil and accompanied by Kyle Ritter will present its spring concert, “Peace, Unity, and Freedom,” at 4 p.m. on May 1, at the Waynesville First United Methodist Church.

• Magician Mike Super, winner of NBC’s TV series “Phenomenon,” will perform at 3 p.m.

on May 1, at Western Carolina University’s John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. It will be the final performance in this year’s Galaxy of Stars Series. Tickets: $21 for adults, $16 for WCU faculty and staff; $7 for students. Tickets available at bardoartscenter.edu or by calling 227.2479.

• Cerebral Palsy survivor David Ring will be hosted at 6 p.m. on May 1 at Maggie Valley First Baptist, featuring Mountain Joy. 926.0065.

CLASSESAND PROGRAMS

• Lens Luggers will meet at 7 a.m. on Wednesdays from April 20-May 11, at the Waynesville Old Armory and car pool to field venues as part of the spring field photography program led by Bob Grytten. www.lensluggerworld.com and http://bobgrytten.com. Reservations: 627.0245 or bobgry@aol.com.

• Local crafter Junetta Pell will be teaching a new basket making class for the Jackson County Extension Craft Club in Sylva. The class will be held at the extension office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 21-22. $35. Bring your basket making material and snack/lunch. To register, call 586.4009.

• Registration deadline is April 23 for a Beginning Spinning Workshop at Haywood Community College. Class meets from 9 a.m.4 p.m. on Saturday, April 30.

• “Stitch,” the community gathering of those interested in crochet, knit and needlepoint, meet at 2:30 p.m. every first Sunday of the month at the Canton Public Library. All ages and skill levels welcome. www.haywoodlibrary.org.

• Riverwood Pottery will have a wheel-throwing pottery class beginning on Thursday, April 21, and continuing for eight weeks from 6 to 8 p.m. at their studio in Dillsboro. 586.3601.

• The Bascom’s Photography Resident Byron Tenesaca will instruct students in a variety of helpful techniques for the beginning photographer from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 23: Waterfall Photography and April 30: Retouching Old Photographs. At the center in Highlands. www.thebascom.org.

ARTSHOWINGSAND GALLERIES

• A nature-based sculpture project launched by Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum will feature outdoors art while promoting discussion of sustainability and aesthetics through Saturday, May 21, on the university’s multi-use trail. www.wcu.edu/museum, ddrury@wcu.edu or 227.2550. energy.wcu.edu or 227.3562.

• An exhibition entitled “This is a Photograph: Exploring Contemporary Applications of Photographic Chemistry” is on display at Penland School of Crafts near Spruce Pine. 765.6211 or penland.org/gallery.

• Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum will host an exhibition exploring the use and meaning of color in art till May 6 in Cullowhee. Fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or 227.3591.

• A student art reception will be held for South Macon Elementary School from 6-7 p.m. on April 21, at the Macon County Public Library’s Living room.

Jessica.carpenter@macon.k12.nc.us.

• A reception for the 48th annual “Juried

Undergraduate Exhibit” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. April 21, in the Fine Arts Museum at Western Carolina University. www.wcu.edu.

• “String Pieced Quilts” will be the topic of the High Country Quilt Guild meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 21, at the First Methodist Church in Waynesville. Elsie Orrel will host the presentation, and also hold a workshop on the same topic the following day. highcountryquilters.wordpress.com.

• The unveiling of a Frederick Law Olmsted sculpture will be held at 5 p.m. on April 22 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Parking fee will be lifted at 4 p.m.

FILM & S CREEN

• Adult movie time, 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Jackson County Public Library. Call for title of movie. 586.2016.

• Three screenings of “The Hunting Ground,” an award-winning documentary about rape on college campuses, will be offered in April (Sexual Assault Awareness Month) by the Haywood Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Task Force. at 7 p.m. on April 21 at the Strand Theater in Waynesville. 456.7898, 452.2122 or visit REACH’s Facebook page.

• The film “Science Café” will be screened on April 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Mad Batter Food and Film in Sylva. Free. Madbatterfoodflim.com.

• The film “The Revenant” will be shown on April 21 at 7 p.m. and April 22 at 4 p.m. and April 23 at 7 p.m. at The Strand in Waynesville. www.38main.com.

• The film “The Revenant” will be shown on April 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Madbatterfoodflim.com.

• A classic movie that takes literary cues from a Chaucer tale will be shown at 2 p.m. on April 22 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Movie is about a land girl, American GI and a British soldier in a small Kent town on the road to Canterbury. 524.3600.

• The final presentation of the 2015-16 Arts and Cultural Events series will be the Southern Circuit Film “Kings, Queens & In-Betweens,” a documentary about gender, that will be screened at 7 p.m. April 26, in the UC Theater at Western Carolina University. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for all others. www.wcu.edu.

• Morning Movie being held at Canton Public Library on April 27 at 9:30 a.m. Coffee, doughnuts and a new movie starring Tom Hanks (PG-13). 648.2924. Morning movie occurs on the third Wednesday of the month.

• The film “Fargo” will be shown on April 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Madbatterfoodflim.com.

• The film “Now You See Me” will be shown on April 29 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Madbatterfoodflim.com.

• Films created by Western Carolina University students will be screened at the eighth annual Controlled Chaos Film Festival at 7 p.m. on April 29, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee.

Tickets: $10 cash at the door. Proceeds and donations benefit the Motion Picture Student Project Fund, which helps students in WCU’s Film and Television Production Program. Info: 227.7491.

Outdoors

• Dates for the eight-day “synchronous firefly event” shuttle operating period will be announced April 26; a lottery will be open from April 29-May 2.

• Audubon NC’s Kimberly Brand will lead volunteers to recruit local nurseries to support ANC’s native plant initiative on April 20. kkppursell@gmail.com or 908.283.4546. www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org.

• RSVPs are being accepted through May 1 for Trout Unlimited-Cataloochee’s Spring Fun Day, which is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on May 7 at Camp Hope. Food, fishing, seminars and fun. Food is free for chapter member guests who bring a side dish or $8 for those who don’t bring a side dish. RSVP to tucataloochee427@gmail.com.

• The 66th annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage is this week in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org.

• Audubon NC’s Kimberly Brand will lead volunteers to recruit local nurseries to support ANC’s native plant initiative on April 20. kkppursel1@gmail.com or 908.283.4546.

• Franklin Tailgate Market is from 8 a.m.-noon every Saturday at 203 E. Palmer Street in Franklin. Info: collins230@frontier.com.

• A Bird walk along the greenway is scheduled for 8 a.m. on April 20 in Franklin. Meet at the Macon County Public Library parking area. 524.5234.

• A new documentary about photographer Sebastião Salgado’s discovery of pristine territories will be shown at 2 and 6 p.m. on April 20, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Salt of the Earth photographic documentary from around the world will be hosted on April 20 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• The Town of Waynesville’s Semi-Annual Mulch Sale is April 21-23 and April 28-30, at the Town yard waste landfill off Bible Baptist Drive from Russ Avenue, near the bypass. Compost and double-ground mulch available; Compost prices range from $10-60 depending on truck/trailer size; double-ground mulch ranges from $10-$200 depending on vehicle size. Single-ground mulch also available for $10 regardless of truck size. Payment by cash or check only. 456.3706.

• Michelle Ruigrok and Brent Martin will offer a presentation on the History of Wilderness in WNC at 7 p.m. on April 21, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Living simply with a lighter touch on the environment will be the topic of a program offered by Robert Franz at 6:30 p.m. on April 21, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

• An easy ride aiming to help people ease into a healthier lifestyle through cycling leaves at 9:30 a.m. Thursdays from the Canton Recreation Park, beginning April 21 and covering 8-10 miles. Road bikes are preferred. Nobody will be left behind. A partnership of Bicycle Haywood N.C., the Blue Ridge Bike Club and MountainWise. Michele Trantham, mttrantham@hotmail.com.

• Danny Bernstein, hiker & author of Forests, Alligators, Battlefields: My Journey through the National Parks of the South will be at the Macon County Public Library on April 22 at 10 a.m. 524.3600.

• A night of learning and commitment to better stewardship of the planet will be offered as part of Faith Climate Action Week starting at 6:30 p.m. on April 22, at Mad Batter Food and Film in Sylva, which will show Disney Nature’s Monkey Kingdom followed by Racing Extinction at 8:30 p.m. Ten-percent of proceeds will go to the Canary Coalition and Mountain True. Info on Faith Climate Action Week: www.faithclimateactionweek.org. Info about Friday’s event: ogletreese@gmail.com.

• A day of fun, Earth-friendly experiences and learning opportunities will be part of Gadugi Earth Day, which is from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on April 22, at the Acquoni Expo Center in Cherokee. Info: 359.6934.

• PARI will hold a presentation on the upcoming transit of Mercury, along with an evening of night sky observing, at 8 p.m. on April 22, in Rosman. $15 per person; children 10-under free. Reservations required: www.pari.edu or 862.5554.

• An Invasive Plant Species Removal will be held from 2-4 p.m. on April 22. Meet at Vance Street Park in Waynesville.

• The Nantahala Outdoor Center’s Spring Fling is set for April 22-24. Vendor fair and open mic night (Friday); Hometown Throwtown freestyle event; Kids Surf!, vendor fair, special whitewater release, live music (Saturday); second whitewater release (Sunday). www.noc.com/events.

• A presentation on birds of prey by Doris Mager will be held from 10-11 a.m. on April 23, at the Waynesville Library.

• Dr. Matt Poore will speak about the “Amazing Grazing” program from 9 a.m.-noon on April 23, at Stan Bryson Farm in Cullowhee. Major themes are improved profitability, improved health and well-being and improved environmental sustainability.

• The 22nd annual “Southeastern Mini Truckin’ Nationals” will be held April 23-24 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Open car and truck show. 865.742.7403. minitruckinnats@gmail.com or www.facebook.com/southeastern.nationals.

• A pasture management demonstration field day will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on April 23 in Glenville.

586.4009, 488.3848 or Robert_hawk@ncsu.edu. Caravan leaves Jackson Extension Center at 8 a.m. for the event.

• Earth Day Event is April 23 at the Nature Center for local environmental organizations. www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org.

• A stream clean-up of Richland Creek is scheduled for 9:30-11:30 a.m. on April 23. Meet at Vance Street Park in Waynesville. RSVP: Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 476.4667.

• Western Carolina Dog Fanciers Association, associated with the American Kennel Club, will hold its annual dog show from 8 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. on April 23-24 at the Haywood County Agriculture and Activities Center in Waynesville. Info: http://wcdfa.org or http://infodog.com.

• The documentary “Appalachian Impressions: Hiking the Appalachian Trail” will be shown at 2 and 6 p.m. on April 23, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 2:06. 524.3600.

• A bird walk along the Greenway is scheduled for 8 a.m. on April 27. Meet at Salali Lane. 524.5234.

FARMAND GARDEN

• Corneille Bryan Native Garden annual plant sale. Saturday April 30, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (rain or shine) J.B. Ivey off County Rd., Lake Junaluska. (top of the garden).

• Rain barrels are on sale for $90 apiece at the USDA Agricultural Service Center in Waynesville. 476.4667 or info@haywoodwaterways.org.

COMPETITIVE E DGE

• 5K Run and Walk will be held starting at 9 a.m. on April 23, at Mark Watson Park through the Jackson County Parks & Recreation as part of the Greening up the Mountains. $15 pre-registration fee through April 20. Register online at www.imathlete.com or stop by the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. Race day registration begins at 8 a.m., and the cost will be $20.

• Help underprivileged Pisgah High School students access food, clothing and other necessities by running in the Pisgah Pavement Pounder 5K at 9 a.m. on April 23, at the high school. $25 through April 21. www.iamathlete.com.

• Find your favorite costume, throw on a pair of running or walking shoes and get moving in the Costume Clash Stroll & Dash supporting the Swain County High School Marching Band, beginning at 10 a.m. on April 23, in Bryson City. $15-$30. Theresa Carroll, 828.488.2152 or tcarroll@swainmail.org. www.runsignup.com.

• A run commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 23, at the Acquoni Expo Center in Cherokee. $24. Free for JROTC and ROTC cadets. www.active.com.

MarketPlace information:

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

Rates:

■ Free — Lost or found pet ads.

■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads,

■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

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

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

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

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

Classified Advertising:

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

FRANKLIN FARMERS MARKET Saturdays 8am - 12Noon. Fresh Local Produce, Plants, Preserves, Baked Goods, Honey, Botanicals, Eggs - 200 Block Palmer Street, Franklin, NC.

AUCTION

ABSOLUTE AUCTION -

3 Commercial Buildings & 2 Acres. Saturday, April 30, 2016. 10am. 10073 US Hwy. 21 South, Roaring Gap, NC. Boyer Realty & Auction. 336.372.8888. boyerrealty@skybest.com. www.BoyerRealtyandAuction.com. Col. James R. Boyer NCAL1792. 336.572.2323.

AUCTION

Const – Trk. – Trl. - 4-26 Tues @ 8am LBT, NC. 10% BP. NCLN 858 www.meekinsauction.com

TAX SEIZURE AUCTIONWednesday, April 27, 10am. 196 Crawford Rd. Statesville, NC. Selling 6 Complete Restaurants Full of Equipment on One Day! All Types of Equipment & Seating. New Smallwares. Also, Ice Cream Shop, Health/Vitamin Store & Pet Store. 704.791.8825. NCAF5479. www.ClassicAuctions.com.

WAYNE BROCK ESTATE AUCTION

Live and Online Bidding April 30th, 10am, 900 Asaville Church Road, Anderson, SC. Farm Liquidation joeymartinauctioneers.com. 864.940.4800 for more info.

YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC!

Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson. Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316

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SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB. Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door. Anti-Slip Floors. American Made. Installation Included. Call 800.807.7219 for $750 Off.

BUILDING MATERIALS

HAYWOOD BUILDERS

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PAINTING

JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Interior, exterior, all your pressure washing needs and more. Specialize in Removal of Carpenter Bees - Cedar or Log Homes or Painted or Siding! Call or Text Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727

MOTORCYCLES

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CARSA-1 DONATE YOUR CAR For Breast Cancer! Help United Breast Foundation Education, Prevention, & Support Programs. Fast Free Pickup - 24 Hr Response Tax Deduction 855.306.7348 SAPA CAPITAL CLASSIC CARS Buying All European & Classic Cars. ANY Condition. ANY Location. Porsche, Mercedes, Jaguar & More! Top Dollar PAID. CapitalClassicCars.com Steve Nicholas 1.571.282.5153 SAPA DOES YOUR AUTO CLUB Offer no hassle service and rewards? Call American Auto Club (ACA) & Get $200 in ACARewards! (new members only) Roadside Assistance & Monthly Rewards. Call 800.867.3193. SAPA DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck Or Boat To Heritage For The Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. CALL 1.800.416.1496 SAPA

WE BUY DAMAGED VEHICLES! Top Dollar Offer. From Anywhere. All Makes/Models 2000-2015 Wanted. America’s Top Car Buyer! Call Now: 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

HVAC INSTALLERS NEEDED

Established, growing Heating & Air company in need of Residential Installers. Minimum 2yrs exp in HVAC Installation required. Must have Valid Drivers License and Hand Tools. Compensation: Hourly + Monthly Bonuses + Company Vehicle + Health Insurance + Retirement. Send resume or request application: WNCJobs@gmail.com

DRIVER TRAINEESPaid Cdl Training! Stevens Transport will cover all costs! No Experience Needed! Earn $800 per week! Local CDL Training!

1.888.748.4137 drive4stevens.com

RUN YOUR CLASSIFIED

In 101 North Carolina newspapers for only $375 for a 25-word ad. Call this newspaper or 919.516.8009 for details.

EXPERIENCED AUTO MECHANIC Needed for Light Mechanic Work. Must Have Own Tools. For more info come to Performance Auto Repair, 57 East Sylva Cir., Sylva or call Larry at 828.631.1957

HAYWOOD/BUNCOMBE COUNTY

VOCATIONAL SPECIALIST – ACTT

Meridian is seeking a Vocational Specialist to work on our Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) in Haywood County. This position offers a unique opportunity to work with individuals and businesses supporting people returning to the workforce. Bachelor’s degree, valid driver’s license and reliable transportation required. Apply at: www.meridianbhs.org

FTCC -

Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Systems Administrator Technician. Associate Degree Nursing Instructor. Grounds Technician.

For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com/. Human Resources Office. Phone: 910.678.8378

Net: http://www.faytechcc.edu. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

BUDDY MOORE TRUCKING

Is looking for OTR drivers to deliver various freight in the Southeast and Midwest regions. Must have 2 years experience in Van or Flatbed. $2,500 sign on bonus. Call 1.800.241.1468. SAPA

ATTN: DRIVERS$2k Sign-On Bonus. $$ Recent Pay Increase $$ Make over $60,000 your first year! Newer KW T660 and T680s. CDL-A Req.877.258.8782. drive4melton.com

FTCC -

Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Associate Vice President of Corporate & Continuing Education. Dean of Information Technology. Dean of Public Service. Disability Support Services Coordinator.

For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com/. Human Resources Office. Phone: 910.678.8378

Net: http://www.faytechcc.edu. An Equal Opportunity Employer.

JOB FAIR FOR MANPOWER AT CONMET IN BRYSON CITY

LOCATION: 1821 HWY. 19 SOUTH

TIME: 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. FRIDAY APRIL, 22nd SAME DAY INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE

SOUS CHEFS & LINE COOKS

Seeking Experienced and Creative Chefs/Cooks to Work in a Professional Team Oriented Kitchen. Our Restaurant Features Contemporary American Cuisine with a Southern Flare. Our Executive Chef is Looking to Add a Sous Chef and Line Cook to an Already Growing Successful Kitchen. Local Qualified Applicants Please Apply in Person. Out of Town Applicants Please Reply to: jndaniels7@gmail.com and Attach a Resume. We are Located at 16 Everett St., Bryson City, NC 28713 If Your Passionate about Cooking Please Apply!

VICTIM ADVOCATE/FORENSIC

Interviewer - Bachelor’s Degree in Human Service or related field with at least three years relevant experience, Master’s Degree preferred. Grant-funded position working with children and families impacted by abuse. Must demonstrate excellent communication skills and knowledge of child development. Forensic interview training provided for qualified candidates. Email resume and cover letter to: victimadvocateapplicant@gmail.com EOE.

HAYWOOD COUNTY Employment Support Professional (ESP)Supported Employment

The ESP functions as part of a team that implements employment services based on the SEIPS model.The team’s goal is to support individuals with MH/SUD obtain and maintain competitive employment. The ESP is responsible for collaborating with clients on creating and achieving their personal employment goals.They will also develop relationships with potential employers in the community in order to create employment opportunities for clients. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license with no restrictions and a bachelor’s degree or higher. Preference will be given to Qualified Professional and Certified Employment Support Professionals. Employment Peer Mentor (EPM) - Supported Employment

The Employment Peer Mentor (EPM) functions as part of a team that implements employment services based on the SEIPS model. The team’s goal is to support individuals with MH/SUD obtain and maintain competitive employment. The EPM is responsible for sharing their lived experience with MH/SUD challenges and how those challenges impacted employment. The EPM offers hope and motivation to others to seek employment, wellness and community integration. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license with no restrictions, be proficient with a computer, and qualify to be a Certified Peer Support Specialist in North Carolina.

MAPLE TREE VETERINARY Hospital is seeking a FT Client Care Specialist. Bring Resume & Briefly Interview with Management Team 4/27/16, 2:00-2:30. Send name to: staff@mapletreevet.com if you plan to attend.

NEED MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES! Doctors & Hospitals need Medical Office Staff! No Experience Needed! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc. 1.888.512.7122 NOW HIRING

Class A CDL Drivers! - Free Healthcare! Regional & OTR positions open. Pay starting at 40cpm. 1yr. experience required. Call 864.649.2063 or visit Drive4JGR.com. EOE.

THE NAVY IS HIRINGTop-notch training, medical/dental, 30 days vacation/yr, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419

Information Please Call 828.506.0578

MOUNTAIN CABIN NEAR Lake Lure, NC. $154,900 2 bed/2 bath on 1.68 acres w/stone fpl, large deck, mtn views, loft. 828.286.1666 broker.

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on an equal opportunity basis.

FOR SALE

BRUCE MCGOVERN

A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160. Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE FOR YOU

1 Month Free with 12 Month Rental. Maggie Valley, Hwy. 19, 1106 Soco Rd. For more information call Torry 828.734.6500, 828.734.6700 maggievalleyselfstorage.com

FINANCIAL

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA

LOWEST HOME MORTGAGE RATES & Fast Approvals by Phone!!!! Programs available for Good & Bad Credit. Call910.401.3153Today for a Free Consultation. SAPA

SELL YOUR STRUCTURED Settlement or annuity payments for CASH NOW. You don't have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1.800.316.0271.

FINANCIAL MEDICAL

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LAWN & GARDEN

HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC.

Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com

LAWN MAINTENANCE/MOWING Service, Based out of Whittier. Available to Work in Jackson, Swain and Haywood. Lawn Maintenance, Mowing, Tractor Services, Driveway Scraping. 828.269.8619 facebook.com/mountainlawnmaint

PETS

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Prevent Unwanted Litters! The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10. Operation Pit is in Effect! Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes! Hours:

Tuesday-Friday, 12 Noon - 6 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

A PLACE FOR MOM.

The nation’s largest senior living referral service. Contact our trusted, local experts today! Our service is Free/no obligation. Call 1.800.319.8705 SAPA

GOT KNEE PAIN?

Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a pain-relieving brace at little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients Call Health Hotline Now! 800.480.7503 SAPA

LUNG CANCER? AND AGE 60+?

You And Your Family May Be Entitled To Significant Cash Award. Call1.866.590.3140 for Information. No Risk.No Money Out Of Pocket. SAPA

SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB: Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door. Anti-Slip Floors. American Made. Installation Included.Call 800.701.9850 for $750 Off. SAPA

STRUGGLING WITH DRUGS

Or Alcohol? Addicted to Pills? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free Assessment.800.511.6075 SAPA

VIAGRA!!

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XARELTO USERS

Have you had complications due to internal bleeding (after January 2012)? If so, you MAY be due financial compensation. If you don’t have an attorney, CALL Injuryfone today! 1.800.531.0529 SAPA

Licensed & Insured. Call or Text John at: 828.380.1232 ashevillepropertyservices.com

SOCIAL SECURITY Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1.800.670.4805 to start your application today! SAPA

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS

Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available OFFICE HOURS:

Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962 Equal

JESAMINE - AN ADORABLE LABRADOR RETRIEVER MIX PUPPY ABOUT 10 WEEKS

FOR SALE

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PERSONAL

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Like some even distributions

Eye, to Yves

Inflated self

Walk in shallow water

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Answers on Page 50

Changing a flat in a rising creek

Forty years ago this coming July 5, my wife, Elizabeth, and I and our three children moved into a small cove just west of Bryson City. The kids are grown up now and doing their own thing in Sylva, Asheville and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

But we’re still here, where until not very many years ago the only way to reach the house in a vehicle was via a ford on lower Lands Creek just above our property line.

We discovered that crossing creeks is hard on brake shoes. They quickly deteriorate, especially in winter, and become truly dangerous. So for years, unless we absolutely needed to get all the way to the house, we simply parked the truck or van or whatever we happened to be driving at the moment on the far side of the ford and walked the quarter-mile or so to the house.

To cross the creek we used a foot-log perhaps 25 feet in length. My son and I downed a tulip poplar that, by sheer luck, fell just right. It was even level. All we had to do was wench it into place on either side of the creek.

We were all surefooted critters back then. When a handrail I made rotted away, we didn’t even bother to replace it. All I did was use a draw-knife to flatten the top of the log for better footing and a handsaw to crisscross the flat surface for better traction. By moonlight or starlight or no light at all — with or without flashlights — each of us could scurry across that log like a raccoon on the run.

(Okay, as Elizabeth will insist on pointing out, I did slip and fall off the foot-log into the creek from time to time. But it didn’t hurt much. And then there was the time when I fell and disappeared. When she didn’t hear me hit the water, she came looking and found me hanging upside down, holding to the log with both hands and both feet. It took me a while to see the humor in

that episode.)

These days the property above ours has been developed for cabin rentals. The owner rightly surmised that potential customers — mostly folks from urban areas wouldn’t want to drive their fancy low-slung vehicles across a creek to their cabins; so, he installed a large metal tile and diverted the creek through it and the roadway over it.

Presto! In one day a creek ford that had been used by humans for perhaps 10,000 years (give or take a year) disappeared. I’m referring, of course, to the earliest Indians who preceded the Cherokees in these mountains. To my knowledge neither the early Indians nor the pre-historic Cherokees ever bothered to make footbridges. But maybe they did. And they were certainly aware of the location of fords where horses and livestock could cross big creeks or rivers with some degree of safety.

We had our share of family adventures in the ford above our place. Nothing like having the engine conk out in January when your stranded vehicle is situated smack-dab in the middle of the creek. Here’s one of our creek ford adventures my son didn’t think was so amusing at the time.

Back in the early 1980s we owned a little Ford Courier truck that had the spare tire mounted underneath its rear end. To get the spare you had to run a metal rod through a small hole under the bumper and then plug the end of the notched rod into a socket. This allowed you to crank the tire attachment mechanism in reverse and thereby lower the tire for use.

Accessing the spare tire on that vehicle could be tricky in good weather on dry land.

One day as my son and I were coming home the truck decided to kill its engine and have a flat tire at the same time right there in the middle of the ford. (You have no doubt noticed that trucks have minds of their own.) It was raining cats and dogs and the creek was rising. We couldn’t push the truck out because it wouldn’t roll over the rocky bed of the creek with a flat tire. And we weren’t quite trifling enough to simply

leave it in the creek, although I will admit to considering that option.

It was difficult enough getting the rod through the hole under the bumper, but engaging it in the submerged socket up under the truck was all but impossible. We tried and tried and tried … nothing worked.

Finally, I asked my son to hold the rod

in place while I held my breath and went down under the water on the good tire’s side. After two failed attempts, I submerged myself for a third time and was finally able — more by luck than anything else — to slip the rod notch into the socket with my hand, thereby enabling him to lower the spare.

The story doesn’t end there, of course.

Have you ever tried to jack up a truck and change a tire in the middle of a creek? Have you ever had your truck washed off a jack by a torrent of water? Let’s just say that it took a while to fix the flat, push the truck out of the ford, dry it out and get it started again.

The foot-log is gone. So are the creek ford and the truck. In the end only the memories will remain. And they, too, will fade away.

(George Ellison is a naturalist and writer. He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

Columnist

George Ellison

Elizabeth Ellison illustration