Smoky Mountain News | May 25, 2022

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

May 25-31, 2022 Vol. 23 Iss. 52

INSIDE SECTION: NOW HIRING

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: Taking the stage at Lake Logan for its first gathering since 2019 and the start of the pandemic, the Cold Mountain Music Festival on June 4 signals a return to normalcy for events around Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia. (Page 38) David Simchock photo

News HEMC flips the switch on new solar array ................................................................12 Familiar faces advance in Haywood commission GOP primary ........................13 Farmer, Buchanan win Jackson Sheriff primaries ....................................................14 Cawthorn’s loss means new dynamic in NC-11 race............................................15 Jackson County elects new school board members ..............................................16 Recount called in Macon Sheriff’s race ......................................................................17 Bill seeks more partisanship in Haywood County elections ................................18 WCU research takes aim at nuclear waste problem..............................................21 Big changes discussed for Cherokee Fair Grounds ..............................................22 Maggie budget proposes additional staff ..................................................................25

EDITOR/PUBLISHER: ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: ART DIRECTOR: DESIGN & WEBSITE: DESIGN & PRODUCTION: ADVERTISING SALES:

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING:

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION: CONTRIBUTING:

Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Shetley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Sophia Burleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sophia.b@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Kyle Perrotti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . kyle.p@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Hannah McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hannah@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing)

CONTACT WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786 P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585

Opinion Partisan local elections have different outcomes ....................................................26 Our attitude toward time makes a difference ............................................................27

A&E WNC festivals, events slowly return to normalcy ....................................................28 Making your business a success; making success your business ....................37

SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 P: 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789 INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 Copyright 2022 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ Advertising copyright 2022 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News is available for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person.

Additional copies may be purchased for $1, payable at the Smoky Mountain News office in advance. No person may, without prior written permission of The Smoky Mountain News, take more than one copy of each issue.

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Employees at Four Seasons Love Where They Work!

May 25-31, 2022

feels valued, “This is truly one of the best places to work. I love my team and leadership here and feel highly valued and appreciated for my contributions to our work. Having left Four Seasons for a brief period, I could not wait to come back when there was an open position again. This is the best place I have ever worked."

According to Nikki, working for this organization for the past 8 years has connected her with her cause and purpose as an RN. “To be a nurse is to love. Love is here. It’s part of our fabric at Four Seasons. Hospice care serves an essential Nikki, RN human need.

What greater gift is there than helping someone achieve and maintain a sense of comfort, peace, and dignity, not only as they approach the end of their life but also as they battle the ups and downs of facing a terminal illness? It is truly such an honor to be able to care for our patients and their families.

Being able to provide this intimate care at a time when they are at their most vulnerable is as much a gift for me as it is for them. It goes both ways, and I am a better human being for having met these phenomenal people.”

For more information about joining the team at Four Seasons, visit FourSeasonsCFL.org to view current job opportunities or call 866.466.9734.

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our Seasons, The Care You Trust, is committed to providing Trusted Care, Trusted Respect, and Trusted Purpose to their employees so that they can help them Grow, Thrive, and Love Where They Work! Four Seasons is grateful to serve thirteen counties in Western North Carolina and grateful to work with some of the happiest, most engaged employees around, with almost 96% stating that they feel valued, respected, and cared for in their workplace. In addition, over 96% feel that their job provides them a sense of meaning and purpose.

Four Seasons takes care of its team by offering competitive salaries, excellent benefits, flexibility, and balance. Shannon has served Four Seasons as an RN and leader for over 15 years. She explains, “I love where I work because I love the people I work with. Their dedication, compassion, and how they genuinely care ab out one another and work together to provide the best care for our patients and families Shannon, RN Leader really inspires me. That is why I do what I do, and why I work at Four Seasons.”

At our organization, the staff is listened to and respected, and leaders make decisions based on that feedback. Leaders aren’t just accessible; they actively seek out feedback from their team. RN Case Manager Sara explains how she

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In addition to its community environment, HRMC is a hospital that is also proud of its quality and technological offerings. It has its accreditation as a Chest Pain Center and Cath Lab and the AACVPR (American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation) certification for its cardiopulmonary rehab program, showing quality cardiac care from start to finish.

Haywood has also recently added robotic surgical tools for orthopedic surgery. As part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare, the hospital is supported by Duke University Health System’s world-renowned leadership in clinical excellence and quality care and LifePoint Health’s extensive resources and breadth of operational experience in community-based care Rachel shared, “In addition to what our - paid content -

May 25-31, 2022

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or 95 years, Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) has been the hospital the community turns to for quality healthcare close to home, providing a full range of inpatient, outpatient and emergency room services in a 154-bed facility. It’s also been a home for many like Rachel – who grew up and into their careers within its walls.

“When I was just old enough to work, I obtained my first job at this facility, pulling charts for physicians after school in 2012,” Rachel said. “Since that time, I have been with the system in several roles, including practices, Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center, and now the HRMC Women’s Care Center. There has never been a time when I have felt like a number. The CNO, CEO, and nurse managers know you by name and know your story.”

hospital offers to the public, all team members and administrators want the best for you and will do anything in their power to help you achieve your goals. I am currently enrolled in a master's degree program for nursing leadership through Western Carolina University. This will allow me to successfully lead my own team of nurses one day. Administrators throughout the facility have been nothing shy of amazing in helping me achieve this goal.”

Haywood Regional Medical Center is currently hiring for multiple positions, including RNs, recent nurse graduates, CNAs, and a number of other roles – many with sign-on bonuses. About working at Haywood, Rachel said, “You won't regret it! Every staff member at HRMC is friendly and welcoming to new faces. I cannot think of one time that I have felt unwanted or unneeded in this facility. I consider this organization family.”

For more information about careers at Haywood Regional Medical Center, visit MyHaywoodRegional.com/Careers. New nursing graduates may attend open houses at HRMC on March 1 from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm or March 2 from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. To learn more or RSVP, call Shannon Sorrells at 828.452.8353.

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“I grew up surrounded by the medical field,” shared Rachel Hyatt, BSN, RN. “My mom was the director of an ancillary Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) facility throughout my childhood. I spent many hours at this facility before and after school, to the point where I considered the staff my family.” It was this early exposure that led her to pursue her own career in the field – here at Haywood Regional Medical Center.

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Success for today, through the cooperative involvement of students, parents, educators, and the total community; preparation for tomorrow through academic achievement for all students and the development of thinking and reasoning skills; and learning for a lifetime which assures well-informed, productive citizens for the future.

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Our teachers are among the best in the state. Teachers develop lesson plans and instructional materials for subject area and translate lesson plans into learning experiences to develop pertinent sequential assignments, challenge students, and best utilize the available time for instruction. Teachers also promote a classroom environment that is safe and conducive to individualized and small group instruction and student learning. Teachers possess a wealth of knowledge of current teaching methods and educational pedagogy, as well as differentiated instruction based upon student learning styles.

Our custodians perform a variety of general and light grounds keeping work in the care and maintenance of assigned buildings and facilities. Duties include FOHDQLQJ ŴRRULQJ UHVWURRPV ZLQGRZV IXUQLWXUH HPSW\LQJ WUDVK UDLVLQJ DQG ORZHULQJ ŴDJ DV QHHGHG RSHQLQJ EXLOGLQJ DW WKH VWDUW RI ZRUNGD\ DQG ORFNLQJ down the facility at the end of day.

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EC TEACHER ASSISTANT (10 month position) Our EC teacher assistants perform a wide range of tasks in order to support the efforts of the teacher, meet the needs of all students, and ensure the provision of quality instruction. EC teacher assistants provide one-on-one assistance with academics and may lead small group activities.

TO READ FULL JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND TO APPLY, VISIT: www.haywood.k12.nc.us

TEACHER ASSISTANT (10 month position) Our teacher assistants aid teachers in implementing classroom programs, preparing materials, and facilitating activities to improve effectiveness of the classroom and school.

4XDOLƓFDWLRQV • High school diploma • Possession of an equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities for the position Ř 7KRVH TXDOLƓFDWLRQV UHTXLUHG XQGHU WKH SURYLVLRQV RI ŏ1R &KLOG /HIW %HKLQGŐ A. Associates degree, or B. Completion of 48 semester hours of transferable university or college credits

CHILD NUTRITION ASSISTANT (FT 6 hours/day, PT 3-5 hours/day) Our child nutrition assistants’ primary responsibilities are to prepare and serve meals to our students, staff, parents, and others. Duties include maintaining high standards of sanitation throughout the kitchen and cafeteria, observing proper safety practices, and caring for equipment.

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4XDOLƓFDWLRQV • High School diploma; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities • Must meet paraprofessional requirements of either holding an Associates degree or completion of 48 semester hours of transferable university or college course credits • Due to licensing regulations, Preschool assistants must have an Associates degree in Early Childhood Development Ř 0XVW EHFRPH LQLWLDOO\ FHUWLƓHG LQ D &ULVLV ,QWHUYHQWLRQ 3URJUDP VSHFLƓF program to be determined by HCS Exceptional Children’s Department) and PDLQWDLQ WKDW FHUWLƓFDWLRQ WKURXJK WKH SURSHU UHQHZDO SURFHVV

4XDOLƓFDWLRQV • Must be at least eighteen (18) years old • Must possess and maintain a current North Carolina commercial driver’s license with proper endorsements and a current Bus Drivers Pocket Card • Must pass a DOT drug and alcohol testing • Must never have been convicted of a DWI Offense

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2XU (& WHDFKHUV SURYLGH VSHFLDO HGXFDWLRQ VHUYLFHV WR VWXGHQWV LGHQWLƓHG DV GLVabled in accordance with state and federal regulations. Work involves developing and implementing the Individual Education Program in classroom settings that are compatible with the student’s age and developmental level. EC teachers are responsible for developing lesson plans, adapting materials and designing activities to assist EC students develop appropriate academic, behavioral, and social skills and to meet their IEP goals.

Our school bus drivers are in charge of providing safe transport for school children based on a schedule and route. Drivers must maintain a high standard of student conduct at all times. Drivers must also perform daily pre-trip and posttrip inspections.

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4XDOLƓFDWLRQV Ř 1&'3, /LFHQVXUH IRU DUHD DVVLJQHG • Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university in education, discipline applicable to teaching assignment

4XDOLƓFDWLRQV • High School diploma or its equivalency • General knowledge and experience of building cleaning practices, supplies, DQG HTXLSPHQW DQG WKH DELOLW\ WR XVH WKHP HFRQRPLFDOO\ DQG HIƓFLHQWO\ • Valid North Carolina driver’s license

4XDOLƓFDWLRQV • Possession of a valid TB test and health examination issued by the local county board of health or recognized medical authority Ř 6XIƓFLHQW HGXFDWLRQ WR UHDG WUDLQLQJ PDWHULDOV ZULWWHQ GLUHFWLRQV DQG PDNH arithmetic computations • Experience in quantity food preparation 9

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news

HEMC flips the switch on new solar array

Becka noted that despite any difficulties, because there aren’t any exposed footings on the mounts, the array is not just functional — it’s pretty nice to look at.

“It’s a very aesthetically pleasing system,” he said.

Considering the nature of his company, Becka keeps a close watch on the future of

Donated photo

“I would like to say that this system is a sign of HEMC’s commitment to clean energy and the environment, and they can produce this energy in a really cost-effective way, too. That’s a substantial statement to make.”

— Pisgah Energy owner Evan Becka

May 25-31, 2022

Seen from above, the solar array (above) features 1,430 panels spanning about 3 acres of land right next to HEMC’s headquarters. A large group of employees (below) from HEMC, Renewable Design Associates and Pisgah Energy were on hand to “flip the switch” on the new solar array.

Smoky Mountain News

BY KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR aywood Electric Membership Corporation installed its first-ever solar array to power its own headquarters’ operations, and its likely not the company’s last foray into that arena.

The “switch” was flipped on the array during a brief ceremony on May 12, a day so sunny that the system was operating at just about its maximum output of around 500 kw, or enough to power 75 homes. On an average day, the array will be able to supply enough power to cover most operations for HEMC headquarters, but on a particular sunny day during which the headquarters isn’t using too much power, it’ll even supply enough juice to make it to the grid and power some homes.

The array uses a series of inverters to convert the direct current produced by the panels to alternating current, which then goes through transformers to get stepped up to the current used by the grid via the Jonathan Creek substation.

Allen Watts is the owner of Renewable Design Associates, the Asheville company that completed the construction project.

Watts said this was his company’s first project in Haywood County, adding that he enjoyed working with HEMC and the design firm, Pisgah Energy, also out of Asheville.

Watts said that while some solar arrays — 12 especially those seen in personal applications

Kyle Perrotti photo

H

like homes or RVs — require deep cycle batteries, the grid has more than enough demand to pick up whatever power is being generated, so such storage wasn’t immediately needed.

“In this case, the grid is essentially being used as storage,” he said. “There will always be enough demand.”

Federal Rural Utilities Service funding was approved by the USDA last summer.

Last fall, ground was broken where the array — which features 1,430 solar panels on about 3 acres — would eventually sit.

Although the project didn’t offer any unwelcome surprises, there were a couple of

expected issues, including long lead times for solar panel components and the challenge of anchoring the array into abnormally rocky soil.

Pisgah Energy owner Evan Becka elaborated on some of the supply chain issues, noting that there was a 10-12-week lead time for racking materials, which came from Ohio.

“We’ve got some long lead times on inverters, as well,” he said, adding those took about eight weeks.

Becka also talked about difficulties installing the mounts for the array. To properly rack the panels, crews had to drill about 7 feet down into the rocky ground. However,

renewable energy. While he had concerns surrounding material lead times and potential tariffs that could pass extra material costs onto solar manufacturers, he also had reasons to be optimistic.

“It’s really promising from a policy standpoint on the federal, state and local levels,” he said. “Our company has already really benefitted by a lot of those state and local policies.”

Becka had high praise for HEMC for committing to such a large solar project to meet the needs of its own facility, as well as the greater community.

“I would like to say that this system is a sign of HEMC’s commitment to clean energy and the environment, and they can produce this energy in a really cost-effective way, too,” he said. “That’s a substantial statement to make.”

HEMC Chief Operations Officer Rex LaRowe noted that while the new solar array is the first of its kind for the company, they are looking at more.

“We’re looking at a smaller community solar project there where people can get panels for their homes,” he said, adding that they may do another array next to the Jonathan Creek substation.

LaRowe also noted that they are looking at doing a study to determine whether it makes sense to do a “storage project” that would provide power to operate the array in case power goes out on the grid.

“Most solar panels are just working when you have utility power there,” he said.

Like Watts and Becka, LaRowe was excited that HEMC could display its growing commitment to clean energy sources.

“We’re excited about having a renewable energy source for our system to be as green as we can and,” he said. “We’re looking forward to doing some more in the future.”

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Commissioner Jennifer Best led all candidates with more than 4,900 votes.

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Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath Q: I’ve just found out that I’ve gotten celiac disease and am a bit overwhelmed. Where do I start as far as what to eat?

A: It’s important to remember that celiac disease is an inherited auto-immune disease - that means that you are born with the genes/genetc code for celiac disease. It is very possible that others in your immediate family have those same genes, even if they don’t exhibit the symptoms of celiac disease. Currently the only treatment for celiac disease is to carefully follow a gluten-free diet.

Some good places to start with information are: • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/celiac-disease • The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine - hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/celiac-disease For dietary advice a dietitian, particularly one experienced with celiac disease, can help navigate how to eliminate gluten from your diet but maintain the nutrients you need.

For some basic information on the gluten-free diet: beyondceliac.org/gluten-free-diet/overview and the book “The Gluten Free Diet: A Definitive Resource Guide” by dietitian Shelley Case.

At your local Ingles Market look for the brown and white gluten-free tags on items throughout our stores. Be sure and double check any items before purchase to make sure they are gluten-free.

Smoky Mountain News

commissioner. He does, however, have plenty of experience running for commissioner.

He ran as a Democrat in 2016, and as a Republican in 2018 and 2020. He finished last in the Primary Election each time, meaning this year will be the first year voters get to see Ramey’s name on a November ballot.

James Nash, an HVAC contractor, finished in fifth place, three points behind Overhultz.

Best took 24 of Haywood’s 29 precincts, although in two of them (South Clyde and West Waynesville) by just one vote over Long.

“She was phenomenal,” Long said. “She campaigned hard, and the results showed it.”

The five precincts Best didn’t win were won by Long, who finished second best in all but 4 precincts. Overhultz claimed that honor, putting up strong totals in Center Waynesville and Hazelwood and only losing to precinct winner Best by a total of three votes in South Waynesville 2 and Saunook.

The only precinct not technically “won”

by Best or Long was Big Creek, a sparsely populated area nestled up near the Tennessee border in far northern Haywood County. Few registered voters live there, and Best only counted four votes, good for third place.

Overhultz scored a goose egg, Nash got two, and Long tied Terry Ramey with five.

There was no Democratic Primary Election held this year, as there wasn’t enough competition. Longtime Democratic commissioner and two-time chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick and Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes both got an automatic pass to November.

Dems couldn’t field a third candidate, so when voters go to the polls in November, they’ll be able to choose three commissioners from a field of five candidates — three Republicans, and two Democrats.

May 25-31, 2022

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR pting for experience over upstarts, Haywood County residents gave incumbent commissioners Jennifer Best and Tommy Long a vote of confidence in Tuesday night’s Republican Primary Election, and also pushed retired wrecker operator Terry Ramey on to November.

“I had good help,” said Best, who led the ticket with a whopping 4,918 votes, among the highest Primary Election totals in the past decade. “I really hope that the reason I was successful is that my desire to better the county is what showed, and that’s why voters voted for me. I’ve said all along I want to protect the uniqueness of Haywood County.”

It’s been a long journey for Best, who emerged on the commission thanks to a competitive, transparent appointment process shepherded by Haywood Republicans in 2020. Best filled the remainder of Mark Pless’ term, as Pless was elected to the General Assembly.

Long finished a convincing second to Best, less than three points off her 28.7% total. Long was followed by Ramey, who finished a distant third with 17.1% — just enough to squeak past Erich Overhultz for the third and final slot. Overhultz came in at 15.8%.

Long said he appreciated voters’ faith in him.

“The vote speaks for itself. People have placed their confidence in us. They realize the days we live in are trying times, and we’re battling a lot of issues that came up unexpectedly,” said Long, alluding to the Coronavirus Pandemic and the Pigeon River flood of 2021. “Now we’re dealing with hyperinflation, but at least we’re going into it in a strong financial position.”

Ramey doesn’t have any experience as a

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Voters pick Bryson, Wilke for November sheriff race in Haywood

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR aywood County residents are a step closer to learning who will replace a longtime lawman in December, after convincing Primary Election wins by private investigator Bill Wilke and retired Haywood County Sherriff ’s Office Chief Deputy Larry Bryson.

Wilke, a Republican, took a full 50% of the primary vote, besting second-place finisher Tony Cope by almost 6 points.

“Folks are ready for change,” Wilke said.

“Folks are ready to move the Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office forward in a direction that increases enforcement efforts, but also combines it with the whole of the community’s effort to address issues in a more modernized way.”

Cope, a captain in the Sheriff ’s office, changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican shortly before declaring his intent to run for sheriff in early 2021. That switch left Cope with the extra work of trying to convince Republican voters of his Republican credentials, and may have been one of the deciding factors in his defeat.

Republican Jason Hughes pulled just 369 votes, good for 5.2% and a distant third finish.

May 25-31, 2022

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Smoky Mountain News

Christopher’s easygoing manner, tireless involvement with community groups and dogged legislative advocacy leave big shoes to fill for Wilke or Bryson, who face a slate of challenges.

Their contest will likely be decided by how they intend to respond to issues like an elevated property crime rate, the ongoing opioid epidemic and a recent “constitutional sheriff ” movement that has citizens calling upon elected sheriffs to decide which laws, exactly, they intend to enforce — particularly in the realm of the Second Amendment, and with outside agencies.

There’s also the expected theme of experience, both within and without Haywood County.

“I still intend to bear down on the fact that Bill’s never worked in this county,” Bryson said. “He can tell people he’s worked in this county but he’s a private investigator. He doesn’t work criminal cases. I think I’m going to hammer down on my experience. I’ve held all the positions in the office and all those positions that would qualify you to hold the office of sheriff. I’ve been involved in all of it, hands on.”

Wilke doesn’t necessarily think having law enforcement experience outside of Haywood County is a bad thing.

“I’ve been closely associated with law enforcement activities in Haywood County and the state of North Carolina,” Wilke said.

“My association is independent of any state or federal agency. My knowledge is current and really not based on the experience of 10 years ago. Mr. Bryson hasn’t been in law enforcement for 10 years. I’m not sure what experience 10 years ago in Haywood County qualifies him to lead Haywood County, but mine does.”

Farmer, Buchanan win Jackson Sheriff primaries HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER epublican Doug Farmer and Democrat Rick Buchanan will compete to hold the office of Sheriff in Jackson County this fall after winning their respective primary races. Both men have an extensive background in law enforcement.

Doug Farmer beat his only opponent in the Republican primary, Andy Anderson, winning a whopping 91% of the vote to Anderson’s 9%.

“I’m humbled by the number of people that came out and voted,” said Famer. “Not just my supporters, but the number of people that came out and voted in general for all the candidates. I know I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. I’m not gonna let grass grow under my feet, I’m going to keep going after this the best I can.”

Farmer began his law enforcement career with 11 years at the Macon County Sheriff ’s

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Both Cope and Wilke posted a strong absentee ballot effort but Wilke prevailed with a net lead of 174 votes before Election Day, and a 238-vote win at the polls, for a total of 3,557 votes to Cope’s 3,142. Wilke won 20 precincts, mostly in Haywood’s eastern half, but also did well across the county’s more heavily populated core. Cope’s nine precincts were mostly in the less populated northern and southern reaches.

A retired Army military police instructor, Wilke grew up in Maryland but spent time as an Asheville police officer from 2000 through 2016 before becoming a private investigator.

On the Democratic side, Larry Bryson — who actually served as interim sheriff just before incumbent Democrat Greg Christopher was sworn in — ran away with the contest, capturing more than 58% of the vote.

Clyde Alderman John Hemingway won just three precincts, two of them in Clyde.

The wins netted him just 68 votes, while Bryson cruised in every other precinct, gathering a total of 2,203 votes.

“I called [Hemingway] a day after the election and commended him on conducting himself like a gentleman,” Bryson said. “He

has nothing to be ashamed of.”

Until recently, Hemingway owned a gun shop in Clyde. He currently serves as a training officer and corporal in the HCSO, instructing personnel in the use of force.

Bryson originally joined the HCSO in 1976 before serving as a Waynesville police officer for a decade. He then worked for Champion’s private security force at the mill in Canton but ultimately returned to the HCSO, where he served as a detention officer, a deputy sheriff, chief of detectives and chief deputy. He currently works part time as a U.S. Marshall.

When Sheriff Bobby Suttles abruptly resigned halfway through his term in Larry Bryson 2013, Bryson was appointed interim sheriff until the Haywood County Democratic Executive Committee selected Christopher, a highway patrol veteran, to serve.

Christopher served out the rest of Suttles’ term and was reelected Bill Wilke twice without opposition — a testament to his widespread appeal on both sides of the political spectrum. In March, 2021, Christopher, then 61, told The Smoky Mountain News he wouldn’t seek another term after a lifetime in law enforcement.

“God has been good to me, as have the citizens of this county,” Christopher said at the time.

Office. Following a short stint with the Highlands Police Department, Farmer spent a year in Iraq training that country’s police officers. In 2010, he went to work for the Sylva police Department, where he remained until he retired in 2019.

It was this work, he says, combined with the help of his supporters, that set him apart in the primary.

“I’ve done a lot of Doug Farmer work,” said Farmer.

“I’ve not stopped since I filed. I’ve got a lot of good people out helping me. I appreciate the help of everyone that’s helped spread the word, and just the good Lord above, if it wasn’t for the good Lord above I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. I’m thankful for that, but I feel blessed to represent the Republican Party to

win in November.”

On the Democratic side, Rick Buchanan won handily, defeating both previous Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe and Robin Gunnels to become the Democratic nominee for Sheriff of Jackson County.

“I’m very happy and very humbled,” he said.

Buchanan has been serving his community as a member of the Rick Buchanan Savannah Volunteer Fire Department for over 35 years and has been working at the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Department since 1991. He worked his way through the department beginning his career as a dispatcher, detention officer and patrol deputy. He has worked as an investigator and certified school resource officer, eventually moving up to ser-

geant, and is now a lieutenant. He was the only candidate, Democrat or Republican, who currently works in the Jackson County Sheriff ’s office, something he thinks contributed to his win.

“I had a humble response to an overwhelming request from so many in our community,” said Buchanan. “People know that I’m courteous, compassionate and respectful, and I’ll treat people the way that I wanna be treated. If they come to me with a need, I’ll do my best to try to help them.”

Buchanan won the race with 66% of the vote, while Ashe received 23% and Gunnels won 11%.

“I think that my being the one that’s currently employed with the Sheriff ’s office may have had something to do with it,” said Buchanan. “I’m up on all the current issues that’s going on. I’m going to put my feet on the ground and move forward the same way I did in the primary.”

@SmokyMtnNews

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“My friends, I genuinely believe we will take a victory out of today,” he said, the rapidfire clicking of camera shutters punctuating cheers from the crowd. “I believe that we will not have a runoff election and so we should be moving forward to a historic majority to rebuild America.”

An hour later, Cawthorn would concede to his Republican opponent. s soon as the early voting results dropped, so did the mood inside the tiny campaign headquarters. Cawthorn was down by almost 4,000 votes, right out of the gate to a three-term incumbent state senator — his own state senator — Chuck Edwards.

“We know that Cawthorn voters are normally people who show up day of,” Cawthorn told The Smoky Mountain News, about halfway through the night. “When we’re looking at it, we’ve seen that already [Edwards’] entire state senate district has basically all reported in. That’s his base of real support, his stronghold. His position is not completely tenable. We think that this race will tighten up.”

Cawthorn was right on two points. The race did tighten up, with Edwards ultimately prevailing by fewer than 1,400 votes out of almost 90,000 cast. Edwards won only three of 15 counties — basically, his senate district.

In the end, Cawthorn trailed Edwards by

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1.5%, but as Edwards had surpassed the 30% runoff election threshold, the contest was over.

Acknowledging the negative impact of his recent scandals, Cawthorn blamed a familiar cast of characters.

“When you see what’s going on in Washington, D.C., the coordinated strike that’s being deployed, it’s hard to sit back,” he said. “It’s using elements of the left-wing media, but it’s also coming from within my own party. It is being funded and coordinated by people within my own party.”

He also set a course that he’d follow in the days after the election, calling for the rise of something called “Dark MAGA” and publishing a list of “patriots” who’d stuck by him during trying times.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned since I’ve been in Washington is that we will never truly be able to defeat this authoritarian ideology that’s going on in our country if we don’t first really clean up our own party,” he said. “You never thought you’d be stabbed in the back so many times by the people that you thought were your friends.”

Indeed, Cawthorn’s seven Republican opponents seized upon every opportunity they could to attack him, largely skirting the steady stream of spicy videos and unsavory controversies in favor of his poor attendance record on Capitol Hill. Voters on Election

Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR uddled in a semicircle around a blacked-out glass door in the bay of a former auto detail shop in downtown Hendersonville, a few dozen supporters and a handful of national media outlets waited anxiously for Madison Cawthorn to appear.

It was a long way, even metaphorically, from Cawthorn’s vineyard galas of 2020; those days were perhaps the Golden Age of Trumpism, the highest heights of the magic carpet ride Donald Trump took Republicans on until, like Icarus drawing too close to the sun, everything melted away.

They dressed the place up anyway, with patriotic bouquets, motivational posters and the same campaign signs that had adorned Point Lookout Vineyards two years prior, when Cawthorn — who wasn’t so much a candidate as he was the shepherd of a movement — was touted as the future of the America First agenda.

But on the night of Tuesday, May 17, after the Primary Election polls had closed, Cawthorn sat with his closest advisors in a closed-off war room, eagerly awaiting his political fate. After a painfully long stretch of bad press documenting his numerous and public unforced errors as well as the more salacious aspects of his personal life, Cawthorn was now in the fight of his political life.

May 25-31, 2022

Rep. Madison Cawthorn speaks to a small group of supporters on Tuesday, May 17. Jeffrey Delannoy photo

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Cawthorn’s loss means new dynamic in NC-11 race

Day, most of them Republicans, told the Washington Post that Cawthorn’s perceived maturity was the real issue.

Edwards stayed generally above the fray, telling voters that he was the only person in the field who’d actually done the things everyone else — including Cawthorn — said they wanted to do.

“I believe that people in the mountains recognized that it was time that we had someone in Congress that has a proven, conservative track record of actually getting things done,” he told SMN on May 20. “I ran my entire campaign off of being an experienced legislator with proven track record of cutting taxes and balancing budgets. I believe that is what resonated with the voters of this district.”

Edwards said that Cawthorn was gracious and tactful in his concession, offering to help Republicans in any way he could.

Some Democrats, meanwhile, privately hoped that Cawthorn would win, seeing him as an easy target who’d alienated many establishment Republicans during his brief flirtation with running in a new congressional district.

Compared to Cawthorn, Edwards is squeaky-clean, although that doesn’t mean that the Democratic nominee, two-term Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, won’t try to tie Edwards to the dearth of leadership in NC-11 that predates even Cawthorn.

During a May 21 meeting of Democrats at Tuscola High School in Haywood County, Beach-Ferrara said that while Edwards’ style may differ from Cawthorn’s, his substance does not.

“The politics that Chuck Edwards brings to the race very much represent a continuation of what we’ve seen from Madison Cawthorn and Mark Meadows before him,” Beach-Ferrara said of Cawthorn’s predecessor, who abandoned his seat just before the federal government passed some of the largest spending packages in United States history. “It’s a mix of extremist positions, whether it’s refusing to call Jan. 6 an instruction, promoting the politics of division, or promoting personal gain in various ways over serving the people Western North Carolina.”

Beach-Ferrara won every single county in NC-11, and similarly avoided a runoff by taking 60% of the vote in a field of six. Katie Dean performed admirably by collecting more than 25% of the vote, but it wasn’t near enough to defeat Beach-Ferrara, who’s been perceived as the Democratic frontrunner since the day she entered the race.

Now, the General Election campaign begins with Edwards trying to regain the confidence of Republicans and unaffiliated voters repulsed by Cawthorn’s tenure, just as Beach-Ferrara tries to carry her liberal message outside the Buncombe bubble, into rural America.

“This is a Western North Carolina campaign,” she said. “That means being present in organizing and connecting with people and listening a lot in every single county across the district. We are ready to build on our momentum from Tuesday night.”

The 2022 General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

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Jackson County elects new school board members

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER his election cycle there were 10 candidates running for three seats on the Jackson County Schools Board of Education. Of those, Lisa Buchanan, Kim Moore and Lynn Dillard came out on top and will join the board this July. Though this is a non-partisan race, it is decided during the primary election.

Board chairman Ally Laird-Large was not seeking reelection and will be leaving the board alongside Margaret McRae, who also did not seek reelection. Abigail Clayton currently represents district two. She was seeking reelection but was defeated by Lisa Buchanan and will leave the board this July.

Lisa Buchanan won the race to represent district two, which covers Sylva’s North Ward, as well as Scotts Creek. She beat out two opponents for the seat, Courtney Umphlett and Clayton.

Buchanan is a North Carolina State Bar Certified Paralegal and Commercial Documentation specialist for HomeTrust Bank.

Her priorities include transparency, teacher support, academic excellence and safety.

“My number one commitment is opening up communication,” said Buchanan. “So many people approached me and expressed concerns about not having any communication, not being able to approach the school board, administrators, asking questions and not getting answers. I think that there’s an underlying lack of confidence. And of course there’s a lot of hot button issues right now, as far as curriculum, appropriate curriculum for elementary age and that kind of thing.”

Buchanan won 2,865 votes, or 43% of the vote. Her next-closest opponent, Abigail Clayton won 2,463 votes or 37% of the vote.

“I was absolutely thrilled and humbled by

the confidence of my voters,” said Buchanan.

“I’m excited to be able to move forward and start working for our children. I want to bring everybody together so that we’re working as a team and not working as adversaries.”

Kim Moore won the race for district 5,

which covers Cullowhee, Caney Fork, River and Canada. Moore owns “Moore Joy in Family,” a local business. She and her husband have been married 24 years and have raised and educated five children. According to Moore, they have proudly used private school, cottage school, public school and homeschool to educate their children, one of whom is a graduate of Smoky Mountain High School.

Moore won 53% of the vote for district four, or 3,521 votes. Just behind her, Wesley McKnight won 29% of the vote, or 1,940 votes.

“I believe we are in serious need of education reform that includes, but is not limited to, prioritizing academic excellence and freeing teachers from unnecessary bureaucracy,” she said.

Lynn Dillard won the race for school

No Primary Election opposition for western Republicans

rently includes Swain, Jackson and a portion of Haywood County, however after the General Election it will include the entirety of Swain, Jackson and Transylvania counties.

The new district is estimated to be 54.5% Republican. Transylvania County Democrat Al Platt awaits Clampitt in November.

Former Macon County commissioner and current first-term Rep. Karl Gillespie (R-Macon) saw no Primary Election opposition this year. Gillespie’s 120th House District, which saw no change in the last round of redistricting, includes Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon counties. It’s slightly north of 71% Republican, which may be why no Democrats stepped up to run against Gillespie in the General Election — meaning he gets a free pass this cycle, back to Raleigh.

Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) used to occupy the seat now held by Gillespie until Sen. Jim Davis retired in 2020. Unlike 2020,

Corbin didn’t have a Primary Election opponent this year. Despite losing 12 precincts to the new 47th Senate District, the 50th remains 62% Republican. Corbin will face Graham County Democrat Karen McCracken this fall.

Check out davesredsitricting.org for district boundaries as well as partisan demographics and more.

— Cory Vaillancourt, Politics Editor

Smoky Mountain News

May 25-31, 2022

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Unlike elsewhere, Western North Carolina’s westernmost legislators had a relatively quiet election night on May 17.

First-term Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) was unopposed in the Primary Election and will face Democrat Josh Remillard in November. The new 60% Republican 118th House District contains all of Haywood and all of Madison counties. Previously, it had included Yancey County as well, although a swath of Haywood was excluded.

Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain) was likewise unopposed in his primary this year, after defeating Jackson County Commissioner Ron Mau in the 2020 Primary Election. Clampitt’s 119th House District cur-

Her priorities for the board include academic excellence and freeing teachers from unnecessary bureaucracy.

“Teachers need to have freedom in the classroom to use their training and expertise to creatively educate students,” says Moore.

Kim Moore (upper left), Lisa Buchanan (bottom left) and Lynn Dillard will join the Jackson School Board.

Macon choses commission primary winners The voters of Macon County have spoken, and three of the seven Republicans — John Shearl, Danny Antoine and Gary Shields — will advance to November’s

board in District 5, which covers Cashiers, Hamburg and Mountain precincts.

“I am extraordinarily honored and happy,” Dillard said following her win.

Dillard is a retired educator who holds a PhD in educational leadership with concentrations in curriculum and measurement and a Master of Arts in teaching. Her priority is to support the superintendent in creatively reengaging students who have lost interest in the traditional presentation of curriculum or students who learn differently. She is also an advocate for early literacy and the opportunity to include career courses in Early College.

Dillard said her experience set her apart from her competitors. “[Voters] chose me for my experience in Jackson County Schools, helping so many students who are differently abled, being a principal and serving on the Blue Ridge School Education Foundation.”

Dillard won 38% of the vote for district five, or 3,521 votes. Joy Rose, Dillard’s nextclosest competitor won 26% of the vote, or 1,730 votes.

“I’m going to support the superintendent on re-engaging all lost learners in Jackson County,” said Dillard. “We have a lot of kids who just don’t want to go to school, who are not interested. It’s not serving them well for what they plan to do in their lifetimes. That’s a main goal for us and improving early literacy is a big one.”

According to Jackson County School Board Policy the school board will elect a chairperson and a vice-chairperson to serve for a term of two years, or until their successor is elected and qualified by taking the oath of office. An organizational meeting for the election and qualification of officers will be held at the regularly scheduled July meeting of the board.

General Election for the three open seats on the Macon County Board of Commissioners.

Shearl was squaring off against former Macon County Sheriff ’s Lt. Don Willis for the District I bid. He won that race with 58.6% of the vote and will go on to face Jerry Moore, a Highlands business owner who is running as an independent and secured a spot on November’s General Election ballot by receiving over 1,000 signatures on a petition.

Antoine and Shields were in a more crowded field with a total of five candidates.

They received 34.7% and 27.2%, respectively.

Behind them were Danny Reitmer, Richard Lightner and Gregg Jones, who received 14.8%, 12.3% and 11.1%, respectively.

Antoine and Shields will be in a fourcandidate race for two seats against Democrats Ronnie Beale, an incumbent, and Betty Cloer Wallace.

— Kyle Perrotti, News Editor

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BY KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR recount has been called in the Macon County Sheriff ’s race after Election day totals indicated Dereck Jones lost to Brent Holbrooks by just 54 votes — putting Jones within the 1% threshold required to do so.

Holbrooks tallied 2,368 votes to Jones’ 2,314. The next closest vote-getter was Clay Bryson with 1,123.

Jones and Holbrooks are both MCSO deputes — Jones a captain and Holbrooks a lieutenant — under Sheriff Robert Holland.

Jones formally requested the recount May 19, as confirmed to Blue Ridge Public Radio

by Macon County Board of Elections Director Melanie Thibault. Thibault told BPR she expected Jones to make that request.

“It’s usually more so in the local elections.

With it being so close, regardless of which one won if it went the other way I think that a Brent Holbrooks recount would have been asked for also,” said Thibault.

Jones said he initially wasn’t sure he’d even want to call for a recount, but after talking to others, the decision was clear.

“After obviously Dereck Jones running such a hard race and to come up 54 votes shy of Mr. Holbrooks and after much consideration, I decided to call for the recount,” Jones said. “My supporters and even individuals who didn’t support me said it’d be wise to ask for that recount.”

“I’ve received hundreds of messages advising that I should ask for a recount,” Jones added.

The recount will be held after canvassing is completed on May 27. The canvassing process will determine the total count of ballots, including absentee ballots.

Thibault told BPR that they don’t yet have a date and time the recount will take place but that they’re working on scheduling it.

No matter what, it’d likely be after Memorial Day. Jones said that if after the recount, he still lost the race, he’ll be happy to declare Holbrooks the victor.

“As a colleague and more especially as a longtime friend, I will back Mr. Holbrooks 100% in the future, and we’ll be glad to call him the sheriff of Macon County,” Jones said.

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Recount called in Macon Sheriff’s race

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Bill seeks more partisanship in Haywood County elections

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR bill introduced by Haywood County’s two state House representatives would make all of the county’s municipal elections — as well as school board races — a partisan affair.

The effort, championed by Reps. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) and Mike Clampitt (RSwain), isn’t the first of its kind, but it does come in the aftermath of hot-button national issues like masking and critical race theory, which revealed the increasing politicization of municipal governing boards as well as school boards.

The bill also highlights the Republicandominated General Assembly’s will to act in local government matters, similar to recent and problematic changes in the state’s development ordinances, like Chapter 160D. If passed, further questions would have to be answered about how unaffiliated candidates could run for office, and how municipalities would pay for Primary Elections and the runoffs that might become necessary.

The overwhelming majority of elected officials in Haywood County’s municipal governments are strongly opposed.

Back in 2017, then-Rep. Michele Presnell introduced a bill, H265, that was directed only at school boards in Beaufort, Dare, Haywood, Hyde, Madison and Yancey Counties.

“Pretending that school board elections are non-partisan does not change the fact that candidates are affiliated with and get broad support from political parties,” Presnell said at the time. “A local school board candidate does not just happen upon support from a political party — he or she oftentimes seeks party support and tows [sic] the party line to maintain that support.”

Reaction was swift, at least from Haywood’s elected school board. Just a few weeks after learning of the measure — school board members said that Presnell never consulted them about the proposal — the board, led by Chairman Chuck Francis, unanimously passed a resolution opposing it. Presnell’s bill died in committee.

Pless’ bill is co-sponsored by Clampitt, who still represents a portion of Haywood County, and would take Presnell’s efforts a step further by including the municipal governing boards of Canton, Clyde, Maggie Valley and Waynesville.

“There’s no way I can support that,” said Waynesville Mayor Gary Caldwell. “It doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s hard enough to be in our positions without trying to get into politics.”

Caldwell said he’d directed town staff to draft a resolution opposing the bill. If the resolution is brought before the Waynesville Board of Aldermen, it stands a good chance 18 of passing — every single board member,

Smoky Mountain News

May 25-31, 2022

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“There’s not a Republican or Democratic way to fill a pothole. Partisan politics just aren’t what we do in municipal government. It’s just another example of Raleigh telling us what to do. It would be nice if they talked to us before deciding what to do to us.”

— Chuck Dickson, Waynesville alderman

including lone Republican Julia Freeman, stands opposed.

Without partisan elections, “boards are more effective, efficient and responsive to the people we see every day,” Freeman said.

“With me being the sole Republican, we have worked hand-in-hand with Democratic mayors and aldermen and done what we think is in the best interest of Waynesville. When you look at the country and the division, when you get down to local municipalities, I don’t think it’s a positive step forward.”

Alderman Anthony Sutton called it a “horrible” idea, and Chuck Dickson decried the injection of partisanship into local affairs.

“There’s not a Republican or Democratic way to fill a pothole. Partisan politics just aren’t what we do in municipal government,” Dickson said. “It’s just another example of Raleigh telling us what to do. It would be nice if they talked to us before deciding what to do to us.”

Alderman Jon Feichter said he’s strongly opposed.

“If there’s anything in the world we need less of,” Feichter said, “it’s partisanship.”

Waynesville Town Manager Rob Hites said he estimates it would cost the town an additional $13,000 to hold a partisan Primary

Election, and that the town would likely have to expend staff time to bring its ordinances up to date to comply with the edict.

Zeb Smathers, Canton’s mayor, said he’d received a call from Pless informing him that he intended to file the bill.

“I explained that I would prefer he not do that, but it was the start of a long conversation,” Smathers said. “We both explained our positions, but I made clear that local government showed during the flood that it’s not about partisanship, it’s about accomplishments. We’re not beholden by partisan politics looming over our heads. Look what partisan politics has done in Raleigh and in Washington — it’s toxic and has led to gridlock.”

Every other member of Canton’s governing board opposes the bill.

Kristina Proctor believes it will make local offices “polarized and less effective.” Gail Mull said that party affiliation is no secret, and that the General Assembly should concentrate on more pressing issues.

Like Smathers, Ralph Hamlett doesn’t want to see national divisiveness come to local governments, and Tim Shepard said national party issues don’t have much to do with small-town boards like his.

In Clyde, Town Administrator Joy

Garland sent an email to her board notifying them of the bill.

“We all responded back to Joy that the bill is unnecessary,” said John Hemingway, an alderman. “We do a good job as a board not putting Democrat, Republican or independent as what goes first. What comes first is what’s best for the town. Me and [aldermen] Frank [Lay] and Dann [Jesse] all said no, and we’re not even in the same parties.”

Alderman Frank Lay called his board “a shining example of community servants working together for the common good” without regard to party affiliation.

“While we may all be aware of our political affiliations, I cannot recall a time it has entered, in a meaningful manner, into the way we fashioned our solutions to the problems and opportunities presented to us as a town board,” said Lay, who also serves as Clyde’s mayor pro tem.

Maggie Valley Mayor Mike Eveland is a rarity — one of only two unaffiliated elected officials in Haywood County’s municipal governments.

“I’ve always advocated that we come together and try to leave politics at the door,” Eveland said. “We have to do what’s best for Maggie Valley. I don’t think at our level this is something to be done. And, I was never asked. That in itself concerns me.”

Newly elected Alderman Jim Owens ran as a Republican, but has since changed to unaffiliated. He doesn’t see a need for partisan elections in Maggie Valley. Republican John Hinton said the bill just Rep. Mark Pless “doesn’t make sense.”

Longtime Maggie alderman Phillip Wight, however, sees the issue differently than most.

“With the temperament in the world today, I don’t think it can hurt,” Wight said.

“If you want to represent what the Rep. Mike Clampitt Democratic Party has become, you should be accountable for that.”

Accountability — to students — was the main reason the Haywood County Schools Board passed a resolution opposing the measure the last time it came up in the General Assembly. The resolution, signed on April 3, 2017, doesn’t mince words. “ … School board members, unlike other elected officials, must bear responsibility to the students and parents they serve and not leaders of platforms of specific political parties … injecting party politics into school board elections would shift the focus away from candidates who are singularly committed to the education of Haywood County students … school boards have the primary responsibility for setting school policy, hiring school teachers and administrators, and neither of these responsibilities should be influenced by political party affiliation … the board’s judicial and personnel functions must be non-partisan … our board has functioned well with non-partisan

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Liz Schlemmer, a reporter with WUNC, writes that 43 of the state’s 115 school systems now have partisan elections.

Pless, for his part, sounds a lot like Wight and Chuck Francis in his reasoning.

“I had a lot of people that have talked to me over my time in the legislature, and because of CRT, because of national headlines and issues that have arisen, they want to know the people they are voting for,” he told The Smoky Mountain News on May 19.

Responding to criticism from some elected officials that they weren’t consulted before the bill was filed, Pless leaned on the vertical separation of powers between local government and the General Assembly.

“The people in Haywood County elected me into this position, and if a town needs something, I expect them to call me. But the

— Haywood County School Board Chairman Chuck Francis

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[elected officials] are a small portion of who I deal with, and I think overwhelmingly voters want to know who they are getting. Boards should not be making that decision on behalf of the voters of Haywood County,” he said.

Pless noted that he can’t predict what’s going to happen in the General Assembly, but if the bill were to pass, it would take effect beginning with the 2024 election cycle.

Meanwhile, Pless’ General Election opponent, Democrat Josh Remillard, doesn’t support the idea.

“I’m out here talking to people about issues that matter most — health care, environment, prescription drugs, the economy, education, veterans’ issues,” Remillard said.

“The last thing we need is more partisanship.”

School Board members Steven Kirkpatrick and Jimmy Rogers did not return a call for comment on this story. When reached, David Burnette said he hadn’t yet made up his mind. Logan Nesbitt does not list his contact number on the Haywood County Schools website.

News Editor Kyle Perrotti contributed to this report.

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May 25-31, 2022

“The voter is not informed a lot of times, and [partisan elections] make it easier to check a box and expect a certain outcome. You know that a certain person has certain beliefs. The downside is, you could possibly be held accountable by a party for your actions that may not go down the line of the party platform, even though you would support what’s best for the kids.”

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elections … focused civil discourse and cooperative spirit exercised by all school board members for the greater good of our community would be harmed by partisan school board elections …”

The resolution concludes by “respectfully and adamantly” requesting that “the General Assembly and Haywood County’s locally elected representatives in the General Assembly defeat all measures designed to make school board elections partisan.”

But now, some on the school board have changed their tune, like Chairman Chuck Francis.

“We’ve been through a lot in the last three years,” Francis said. “A lot of it has to do with the division in the country. National politics has changed, and it’s a different time.”

When asked if he’d support the bill, Francis didn’t exactly come down on one side or the other, but his strident opposition from 2017 is nowhere to be found today.

“The real answer is yes and no. Yes, because it gives the voter a little more insight on how you would approach educational issues,” he explained. “With nonpartisan, you could always say, ‘I want to do what’s best for the children.’ Well, what is that platform?

The voter is not informed a lot of times, and [partisan elections] make it easier to check a box and expect a certain outcome. You know that a certain person has certain beliefs. The downside is, you could possibly be held accountable by a party for your actions that may not go down the line of the party platform, even though you would support what’s best for the kids.”

Francis changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican last summer, not long after he was reelected to a four-year term in 2020.

Fellow board members Steven Kirkpatrick, Larry Henson, Jimmy Rogers and Bobby Rogers have also switched party affiliations from Democrat to Republican since the last time they ran for election in 2018, turning a 6-3 Democratic board into a 6-3 Republican board without so much as a ballot box to stand in their way.

Henson, Kirkpatrick and both Jimmy and Bobby Rogers are all up for reelection this fall, should they so choose to seek it.

“People want to know who they’re voting for, so I can see that side of it,” Bobby Rogers said. “On the other side of it, I don’t know that becoming partisan helps what should come together as a nonpartisan board.”

Larry Henson says he’s a no on partisan elections, and Ronnie Clark, who voted for the resolution passed in 2017, said he does not support the bill but understands why Pless proposed it.

“They end up being partisan anyway, but I think they should be neutral,” Clark said.

Dr. Chris Cooper, Madison Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University, says the bill is part of a growing movement.

“This proposed change in Haywood County is consistent with a trend in North Carolina to shift local elections from nonpartisan to partisan affairs,” Cooper said. “This trend is most pronounced in Republican counties and has occurred with particular frequency as it relates to school boards.”

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Triple-Win Climate Solutions

Nature never did betray the heart that loved her. —William Wordsworth, 1798

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Consider the Source

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oaintaining or improving our quality of life sometimes requires us to consider the source of information about our water, our air, our food, the materials in and around our homes. This week’s Triple-win column gives reliable sources for making informed decisions. Fortunately for western North Carolinians, most of us enjoy clean air and water and good food most of the time. Consider saving these contacts for times you have concerns.

WATER QUALITY: Finding data requires different search terms for each county; the links below take you to the right places.

Cherokee County https://www.cherokeecounty-nc.gov/236/Septic-Systems-WellsWater-Testing Haywood County https://www.haywoodcountync.gov/457/Wells-Water-Samples

Jackson County http://health.jacksonnc.org/water-testing Swain County https://epi.dph.ncdhhs.gov/oee/wellwater/co unty_J-Z/swain.pdf Town of Cherokee Water Quality https://www.countyoffice.org/cherokeewater-sewer-department-cherokee-nc-2ce/ See also Haywood Waterways Association (HWA) http://haywoodwaterways.org Explore the numerous programs and projects of this award-winning non-profit with widespread community support. “Haywood Waterways works to educate citizens, provide opportunities for public involvement, coordinate water quality improvement projects, and monitor streams to identify issues.”

AIR QUALITY: With multiple local sampling stations, Air Now daily reports are available for each town, with advisories for people with medical conditions. See the drop-down menu for other helpful data. Example: https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Waynesville&sta

te=NC&country=USA The American Lung Association explains everything to do with air at https://www.lung.org/clean-air and for a report on the air in your town or county, see https://www.lung.org/research/sota

FOOD: The fresher the food, the more nutrients it gives us. Every degree of climate warming reduces the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables by an average of 15 percent. Locallyproduced food has the least negative impact on our climate. WNC local markets sell eggs, meats, fish, homemade foods, breads, cheese, plants, flowers, and crafts as well as produce.

Many are organic or use organic methods.

Canton Farmers Market and Heritage Crafts https://www.localharvest.org/cantonfarmers-market-and-heritage-craftsM63018 Cherokee County: Murphy Farmers Market https://www.americantowns.com/place/murphy-farmers-market-murphy-nc.html Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market, Way-

nesville https://waynesvillefarmersmarket.com/ Vendors from Haywood and surrounding counties Jackson County Farmers Market, two locations https://www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org/ Swain County Smoky Mountain Farmers & Artisans Market, Bryson City https://swain.ces.ncsu.edu/2022/05/2022smoky-mountain-farmers-artisans-market/ Waynesville Tailgate Market https://visitncsmokies.com/listings/waynesville-tailgate-market/ Small but all vendors from Haywood County Next Triple-win column: Material Life: What Goes into Our Homes The WNC Climate Action Coalition is an allvolunteer group working to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis in our region. By WNC CAC volunteer, co-founder and Triple-win Editor Mary Jane Curry MJCinWNC@gmail.com https://WNCClimateAction.com Twitter: @WncAction

WCU research takes aim at nuclear waste problem

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NCDOT has developed early flood-warning system for roads When the next hurricane strikes, the N.C. Department of Transportation will be armed with an advanced flood-warning system that relies on a network of 400 river and stream gauges.

The new system will allow the NCDOT for the first time to analyze, map and communicate in real-time any flood risks to roads, bridges and culverts.

This critical information will go to NCDOT maintenance staff responding to flooded roads and washed-out culverts; and it will benefit local emergency management officials and the public accessing the department’s DriveNC.gov website for timely weather-related closures.

ers that the two planned to use last summer to run simulations, evaluating the suitability of different types of phosphorus molecules for binding with radioactive elements in spent nuclear fuel. The pandemic prevented the researchers from traveling to New Mexico, but the new Apodaca Science Building that opened last fall now houses computers capable of handling the research on campus at WCU. The researchers designed molecules, calculated their properties and then suggested the most promising combinations to the National Lab for future research. It’s exciting, but it’s still only one step in a long, collaborative process.

“The national lab will make these promising agents that we are proposing and they will do nuclear extraction in a laboratory setting over there in Los Alamos, and then they will give us feedback,” De Silva explained.

De Silva and his students will take those real-world results to design more efficient molecular arrangements, run new simulations and report those results to the lab.

Through this feedback loop, scientists working on the problem hope to eventually end up with the right answer. It’s hard to say how long that will take, though De Silva hopes to see it happen within the next 30-40 years.

“We really need a solution pretty soon,” he said.

“This state-of-the-art warning system our department has created will help us be better prepared for the next major storm,” Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette said.

“Even though we’ve had some quiet hurricane seasons recently, we cannot let our guard down.”

A Daily Activity Pass, which includes allday pool access, a round of mini-golf and an hour of shuffleboard or cornhole, is $10 per person per day or $30 for immediate family per day, with $5 per person after four people.

Day passes may be purchased at the Lake Junaluska Outfitters window near the pool.

A Summer Activity Pass includes admission to the pool during valid dates as well as a 10 percent dining discount at The Terrace Hotel and Lambuth Inn dining rooms, 10 percent discount at Junaluska Gifts & Grounds, $5 discount on a round of golf with cart at the Lake Junaluska Golf Course, 10 percent off boat rentals, one complimentary round of mini-golf and one complimentary rental of tennis/pickleball rackets for use at the Lake Junaluska tennis/pickleball courts.

Summer Activity Passes cost $295 for a family of four, $340 for a family of five, and $385 for a family of six. To purchase, visit lakejunaluska.com/summerpass online or visit the Lake Junaluska Outfitters window near the pool starting May 27.

For more information about the pool, visit lakejunaluska.com/pool. For a Summer Activity Pass or online recreation reservations, visit lakejunaluska.com/online-store. 21

Lake Junaluska pool to open May 27 The Lake Junaluska outdoor swimming pool by the lake opens for the summer season on Friday, May 27, and Summer Activity Passes that offer pool admission through Labor Day are on sale now.

Part of Lake Junaluska Outfitters, the pool will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., weather permitting. The pool may close for private events on Sundays and Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m.

Lake Junaluska lodging guests enjoy complimentary pool access, and day visitors to Lake Junaluska may enjoy the pool with the purchase of a Daily Activity Pass or Summer Activity Pass.

Smoky Mountain News

The Girl Friday Consignment, a locally owned company providing consignment services, is expanding to include up to 30 booths to be rented to local WNC artists, makers, and specialty collectors.

It is the intention of Girl Friday Consignment to support local artists with a venue beyond the typical festival/fair to display and sell their creations, giving them yearround exposure and selling opportunities.

Girl Friday Agency Consignment opened in its current location of 85 Muse Business Park in Waynesville in June of 2021 and now has the opportunity to expand to the remainder of their building. This is giving them the opportunity to support the community in new ways and highlight the talent in western North Carolina.

Booths will be available for occupation by the end of June 2022 with a grand expansion celebration to take place over the Labor Day holiday weekend in September.

All interested parties should be permanent residents of Western North Carolina.

Associate professor Channa De Silva (left), Brandon Sanders and Caleigh Gress Byrd work together in a lab in the new Apodaca Science Building. WCU photo

May 25-31, 2022

would be best to store these casks at one, consolidated location, preferably deep underground, political obstacles have prevented this from happening, so in the U.S. waste is stored on-site at the power plant where it was generated.

Through research he’s conducting with WCU students in partnership with U.S. Department of Energy scientists, De Silva hopes to come up with a better answer.

Researchers want to find a way to extract and treat the radioactive elements of nuclear waste, so that in the future it can be transformed into clean water and material that won’t pose an acute danger — and might even inherit a new purpose.

“What if we can remove everything nuclear waste, and then send that water back to the river? That will be cool, right?”

De Silva said. “And then that nuclear waste that we are extracting, we can use for some other purposes.”

The material could have a second life in some other application — biomedical probes, for instance.

For now, that’s all hypothetical. But De Silva hopes his research will help make it factual.

“Our idea is to try to develop nuclear waste extracting agents,” he said. “That means a chemical that can go into the water and remove those nuclear or radioactive materials or metals.”

De Silva and recent WCU graduate Brandon Sanders submitted a research proposal to the Department of Energy, and they received funding through a visiting faculty program that partnered them with the Seaborg Institute at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Los Alamos has powerful supercomput-

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n global conversations about climate change, carbon neutrality and green energy, nuclear power plays a pivotal role. It’s responsible for one-fifth of the United States’ annual electricity supply and accounts for more than half of its low-carbon energy. Duke Energy customers in North Carolina get about half their power from nuclear energy.

Nuclear power is attractive because it requires only a small amount of material to generate an enormous amount of energy, with no airborne emissions. However, it does produce radioactive waste. While that waste doesn’t take up much space — according to the industry organization Nuclear Energy Institute, all the nuclear waste produced in the United States since 1950 would fit one football field, 10 yards deep — best practices for disposal are an ongoing discussion.

“The big problem in the United States and all over the world, is what do we do with the nuclear waste after we produce the nuclear power?” said Western Carolina University associate professor Channa De Silva.

Nuclear power is generated through a water-based reaction that releases large amounts of energy but leaves behind radioactive byproducts. Right now, there’s no way to clean or detoxify that waste.

In the U.S., used fuel spends its first five years outside the nuclear reactor in a pool of temperature-regulated water to cool it down and block radiation release during the period when most radioactive decay occurs.

Then, it moves to long-term storage in a concrete-and-steel container, filled with inert gas designed to survive natural disasters.

Though there’s intellectual consensus that it

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Big changes discussed for Cherokee Fair Grounds

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER crack in an amphitheater canopy column at the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds could lead to a complete overhaul of the community gathering site — and a two-year relocation of all events typically held there.

“It’s like ripping the BandAid off, right?”

Chris McCoy, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Planning Board, said during a May 16 Planning Board meeting. “It’s just going to take a minute. It’s going to be an aggravation to some extent, but I think at the end of this two-year period when we look back, it’s going to be one of the best decisions we’ve made.”

The discussion began with the appearance of rust on one of the floating columns that holds up the fabric canopy covering the amphitheater. About four years ago, a windstorm damaged the canopy and dislodged one of the columns — the same one that recently developed the rust patch — and officials implemented a temporary fix to buy a few years before a permanent solution was necessary.

Upon finding the rust patch, the tribe commissioned a report from Phoenix Engineering. The rust patch is actually a crack that goes all the way through the metal, and the rust is caused by internal corrosion from water inside the column. It’s

May 25-31, 2022

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unknown how much water is in the column, and because water expands when it freezes, there’s potential for a catastrophic failure when cold weather returns.

“It’s probably not a good idea to have anyone underneath this because we really don’t know what condition this column is at this time,” Travis Sneed of EBCI Project Management told Tribal Council.

Further assessing the column’s condi-

An artist rendering shows an initial concept for the future of the fair grounds. EBCI image

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Local artists will demonstrate their crafting process in front of shops.

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ning with partial demolition anyway,” Sneed said.

He then unveiled a new vision for the fairgrounds property that Project Management hopes will better serve the community and accommodate events interested in locating in Cherokee.

The concept includes a much-expanded exhibit hall and a new, double-sided stage that would offer the opportunity to use the fairgrounds lawn as a passive seating area during concerts and other large stage events. The left side of the property — now “wasted space” holding an unattractive chain-link fence, a smattering of trees and electrical equipment — would host a row of retail spaces and workshops. This could include small working studios for local artisans, cafés and shops. That side of the property would also hold a water feature — an

iconic fountain that would be visible from the Council House next door and fed by a newly liberated stream, now confined to an underground culvert.

Once a decision is made to proceed, the project is expected to take 18-24 months to complete. While the work takes place, the tribe aims to relocate activities that would typically occur on the Fair Grounds — such as the annual Cherokee Indian Fair — to a nearby property known locally as the old elementary school site. The site already has some of the infrastructure necessary to serve as a temporary location, but crews will likely fill it with gravel, roadbond and other materials to ensure the service is hard, safe and flat, McCoy said.

Overall, Planning Board members were supportive of the concept, though they did have questions. Concerns included projected demand for retail and fairground space, parking needs, and the project’s overall cost and return on investment.

However, the overwhelming sentiment was excitement about the ability to build something beautiful for the local community, rather than for casino patrons or off-boundary business interests.

“We don’t have a problem finding money to spend away from here,” said Planning Board Member Bill Taylor, who represents Wolfetown on Tribal Council.

“Why don’t we invest in ourselves, here?

That’s why I’m supporting the project.”

“When you drive through this dollar store town, you get dollar store mentalities,” McCoy said. “So it’s time to live up to what we are. We’re not that. We’re better than that. Our people are better than that.

It’s time to put the Ferrari out there and let our people be proud of that.”

The board voted 6-1 to recommend that Tribal Council approve the plan. That body is likely to discuss the issue at its next meeting June 2, though an agenda has not yet been released.

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tion would require disassembling the entire canopy structure, which is now more than 20 years old. The fabric canopy covering it has a 15-year life expectancy.

“If we’re at this decision point of taking down the canopy and the public, the community, has had a want to really see some changes and renovations at the fairground, this is an opportunity to move forward with the renovation at this point, if we’re begin-

Dillsboro, NC is located at the crossroads of 441 & Business 23

Haywood County Animal Services announced a $7,500 grant investment from Petco Love to help newly adopted dogs, who are wonderful but somewhat lacking in manners, to stay adopted.

The funds will be invested to provide further training for these dogs. Since their founding as Petco Foundation, they have empowered organizations with nearly $330 million invested to date in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. In addition, they have helped find loving homes for more than 6.5 million pets in partnership with Petco and more than 4,000 organizations, like Haywood County Animal Services, nation-

wide.

“So many of the dogs coming into the shelter have not been taught the basics of good manners,” said Howard Martin, Director of Haywood County Animal Services. “This grant will enable us to provide additional assessment and training that will help ensure that once adopted, these dogs will not be returned because they are too hard to handle.”

For more information about Haywood County Animal Services visit Haywood County Animal Services. Learn more about Petco Love at www.petcolove.org

Haywood’s new senator is no stranger

26th Annual Swain County Heritage Festival

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT Avery and Caldwell, albeit by lesser margins.

POLITICS E DITOR Ballard had previously represented n one of the most highly watched conAlleghany, Ashe, and Watauga counties. tests of the 2022 Primary Election seaShe likewise won all three with margins son, voters gave their approval to sixhovering right around 70%, but it wasn’t term incumbent Sen. Ralph Hise, who will quite enough. Hise prevailed by just 1.44%, now serve his seventh term as senator of the or 371 votes. newly-drawn 47th Senatorial District.

The difference may have come down to “I think the biggest part was turnout,” Haywood County, where Hise prevailed by Hise said. “It’s obvious 393 votes. Haywood voters were the northern counties clear that they wanted Hise, givhad good turnout, but ing him all 12 precincts with marit’s other areas like gins above 55%.

Haywood that I repreThat may be because Hise has sented 10 years ago actually represented parts of that made the differHaywood County in the past; he ence.” got his start in the General Changes to legislaAssembly by defeating incumbent tive maps in the wake senator and Western North of last year’s redistrictCarolina Democratic stalwart Joe ing process produced Sam Queen in 2010, before maps an unusual matchup, were redrawn and Hise was writwherein two powerful, ten out of Haywood for the next experienced, well-liked decade.

Republican incumbents Veteran legislator Ralph Hise It shouldn’t be much trouble returns to Haywood County. for Hise to re-integrate into were “double-bunked,” NCGA photo Haywood County; one of or drawn into the same district — by members Haywood’s current reps, of their own party. Deanna Ballard, a threeRepublican Mark Pless, has worked with term incumbent herself, opposed Hise in Hise before due to their mutual representathe contest but came up short. tion of Madison and Yancey counties.

The district, estimated to be 62% Sen. Corbin, who currently represents Republican by most, produced no North Carolina’s seven westernmost counDemocratic candidate, so Hise will advance ties including Haywood, has pledged to to November’s General Election without help Hise if needed and has also pledged to opposition. serve Haywood County as though it were The new 47th District included 12 still completely intact. precincts in eastern Haywood County, Despite the tight nature of the breaking up freshman Republican Sen. internecine contest, there doesn’t appear to Kevin Corbin’s sprawling 50th District by be any bad blood between Ballard and Hise. placing Canton and Clyde into the 47th.

Two days after the initial results came in, The 47th District runs in a northeast-southBallard congratulated Hise with a tweet. west direction, from Haywood up through “My friend Ralph Hise is a good man, Madison, Yancey, Mitchell, Avery, half of and I know he will continue to fight for the Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe and Alleghany values of these hard-working, honest peocounties. ple,” Ballard said. “I will happily help him Hise had previously represented however I can. I serve a mighty God who Madison, Mitchell and Yancey counties. He has promised a good plan for all of His chilwon all three with vote totals about 70%. dren and I look forward to His leading in Hise also took newly included counties of days to come.”

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10AM Opening Ceremony with Veterans and Sons of the Confederacy, firing of cannon and 3-round volley.

MUSIC FEATURING: APPALACHIAN SMOKE, presenting their DEBUT ALBUM! Welcoming back Somebody’s Child, Steve Jordan Band, Granny’s Mason Jar, Bean Sidle (Banshees) - Celtic Music!

The Swain County Heritage Festival is a Non-Profit venture, organized by volunteers. For more info, visit our facebook page: Swain County Heritage Festival or email us at SwainCountyHeritageFest@gmail.com

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thing, he felt called to run after some prayer and speaking with members of the community.

This year, incumbent commissioner Kevin Seagle is vacating his seat to run for the Chairman of the Commissioners against Democrat Ben Bushyhead, who currently holds that seat. In addition, commissioner Danny Burns is retiring at the end of his current term, so his seat will be open.

Carson and Loftis will now square off against Democrat Deborah Smith, who had no primary challengers. The top two vote-getters between Carson, Loftis and Smith will win commission seats.

— Kyle Perrotti, News Editor

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Loftis, Carson advance to general election Following last Tuesday’s Primary Election, two Swain County Republicans will advance to November’s General Election.

Of the four candidates in the running, David Loftis and Philip Carson came away with enough votes to seal the victory with 30.7% and 26.9%, respectively. Trailing Loftis and Carson were Isaac Herrin and Donna Cole with 21.8% and 20.7%, respectively.

Carson had previously run for the office and even held the commission chairman seat as a Democrat before switching his party affiliation to Republican.

Loftis owns the Nantahala Riding Stable and said that although he’d never run for any-

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BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER Nathan Clark, longtime town manager of Maggie Valley, is set to leave his post in the coming months.

“We hate to see him go,” said Mayor Mike Eveland. “He’s done a great job both as town manager and planner. He’s worked with Maggie Valley for quite a few years, and he’s had a huge part in all the successes we’ve had.”

Clark informed the board of aldermen during closed session on Wednesday, May 18, after presenting the proposed FY 202223 budget, that he would be leaving Maggie Valley. He has served the town of Maggie Valley for over 15 years, first as town planner for eight years, before being appointed town manager in October 2013.

“I’ve been here a long time,” Clark told The Smoky Mountain News. “I’ve done a lot of work for the town in both capacities as town planner and town manager, and I’m ready to move on to other challenges.”

Nathan has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Public Policy & Management from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School for Public & International Affairs and Master of Science in Sustainability Science from Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Clark has continued his education in the field of local government by completing the UNC School of Government Municipal and County Administration Course and the UNC School of Government Economic Development Course, and he is recognized by the International City/County Managers Association as a Credential Manager (ICMA-CM).

After departing the valley this July, Clark will take a position as assistant city manager in Richmond Hill, Georgia, a suburb outside of Savannah.

“We wish him well in the next chapter of his life,” said Eveland.

Eveland said no decisions have been made about filling the town manager position. However, he also said there was someone currently employed by Maggie Valley that he felt could do the job well, if they wanted the job, and if the board decided it was the right thing to do. He added that the board would likely have a closed session in the coming week to discuss next steps.

“With the department heads we have, and the staff that we have, we’re in excellent shape,” said Eveland. “He’s gonna be missed, there’s no way around that. But we will be able to move forward.”

This isn’t the only change residents can expect to see in town staff this July. The proposed FY 2022-23 budget calls for two additional town employees — one planning assistant and one police administrative assistant. The planning assistant is suggested to begin July 1, while the police employee would begin Jan. 1 of the coming year.

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May 25-31, 2022

Smoky Mountain News

$50,000 to the project, and the proposed budget calls for the same amount in FY 2223. This will complete the cost of the veterans memorial park.

For the last three fiscal years, the town has allocated $120,000 to the Soco Road Improvement Project, which resulted in the town’s required match of $360,000.

This year, it is recommended that the town allocate $60,000 to the project. The project will focus on pedestrian islands, crosswalks and signage. Bike lanes have been removed from the project and the road will remain a five-lane highway. Total cost is estimated to be $2,370,000.

“Unfortunately, our design work on the project is complete, the project is in the bid, letting and preconstruction phase, but it has failed to receive bids during both the winter cycle and Festival ground fees are spring cycle of DOT lets,” said scheduled to increase beginning Clark. in 2023. Haywood TDA photo Maggie Valley received a total of $396,000 in American Rescue Plan money.

Though the funds are not committed and may only be committed by the board of aldermen, the budget recommends using these funds for two sewer fund projects — levee repairs and aerial sewer the census population increase. line removal.

In addition to a new administrative “I believe these projects make the most position, the police department will need sense to fund using ARPA funds and have two new vehicles this budget year totaling the greatest positive impact on the town’s $100,593. most important asset,” said Clark.

Public works has $20,000 in the nonThe total revenues and expenditures for Powell Bill Road Fund. It will also need the sewer fund are $1,022,508. The pro$14,000 to purchase a zero-turn mower posed budget does not recommend and $8,000 to purchase a new salt spreadincreasing sewer development fees; however. er, it does recommend an increase in sewer The board of aldermen has set aside user fees as a result of the town’s Sewer $40,000 for economic development and System Financial Analysis and Capital place making projects. It will continue to Improvement Plan which lays out a 5% put $25,000 into its new facade, sign and increase in all residential, commercial and landscaping program — something it campground categories for FY 22-23. began during the FY 21-22 budget year that Festival grounds fees are also scheduled allows businesses in Maggie Valley to apply to increase beginning in 2023. Venue rental for a portion of the money for a project that will increase from $500 to $600, and campimproves its facade. The board has also ing will increase from $25 to $30. This allocated $25,000 to boardroom audiovisuincrease was discussed during budget al improvements, something both elected workshops earlier in the year and will officials and residents have been asking for cover the cost of operation. since before November elections when new The board will hold budget workshop board members took office. at its agenda setting meeting June 7. There In addition to ongoing expenses, there will be a public hearing on the proposed are a few other special projects planned for budget at the June 14 regular board meetthe upcoming budget year. Construction ing. The board can adopt the budget at on the veterans memorial park will begin that June 14 meeting, but if there is strong in June of this year. Phase I includes site public input or changes that need to be preparation, drainage, concrete, rock, flagmade, another workshop will be scheduled pole and benches. Phase II will include between June 14 and 30. The budget must plaques, signage and other design amenibe adopted by June 30. ties. Last budget year, the board allocated has a fund balance of over 138%, meaning the town has enough cash on hand to operate without revenue for 16 months.

Staff recommends the town choose two projects to utilize 20% of the fund balance.

Some of the options it laid out were Bethel Village Street paving, a festival grounds parking lot project and the much-needed public works seasonal storage building.

With one penny of the tax rate equaling $48,814, Maggie Valley’s estimated property tax revenue is $1,952,568. This is based on a 98% collection rate. While property tax is the largest source of revenue, the second is sales tax. Based on Haywood County’s projections, Maggie Valley should receive 2.18% of total collected sales taxes, which equals $694,019. Sales tax revenues are 35.2% higher than in FY 21-22 due to

news

HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER f the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen accepts the proposed FY 2022-23 budget, taxes will remain at $0.40 for the upcoming year without change. With this rate, the town will continue to have the lowest property tax rate of any municipality in Haywood County.

The budget lays out a framework for hiring two additional town employees, one assistant planner and one administrative assistant in the police department.

The total cost for the planning assistant is $58,578, and the proposed start date for the employee is July 1. This employee would assist Town Planner Kaitland Finkle and handle application intake, facilitate information to the public, receive complaints, manage code enforcement deadlines, legal notices and inspection scheduling.

“If you look at Maggie Valley over the last one to two years, land use issues and concerns are the dominant thing of the town,” said Clark. “Trying to add human capital to that department, to better serve the people of the development community I think is a must going forward. Kaitland recommended that in her budget, I couldn’t agree more.”

The total cost for the police administrative assistant is $29,289, and the proposed start date is January 1. This person would coordinate training, maintain data, coordinate equipment and process evidence and property.

On top of those new roles, Maggie Valley is set to have a new town manager beginning in July, when longtime manager Nathan Clark will depart for a new position in Georgia.

The town’s finance director, Shayne Wheeler, will also be retiring at the end of this year.

“Shayne’s commitment to financial planning, accuracy and transparency is second to none and has been continually recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association,” Clark said. “Her professional guidance and expertise as well as her advanced understanding of budget mechanics has allowed me the opportunity to concentrate on creating a budget that I hope reflects not only the values of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen but the people of Maggie Valley.”

Maggie Valley’s estimated total tax value for FY 22-23 is $498,103,992, which demonstrates a 4.6% increase from the previous year due to natural growth. The general fund of $3,322,044 represents a 6.4% increase from FY 21-22 while the sewer fund of $1,022,508 represents a 17.6% decrease from FY 21-22.

Because Maggie Valley has such a large fund balance, a transfer to the fund balance is not required and was not recommended in the FY 22-23 budget. Back in 2003, Maggie Valley received a warning from the local government commission for a low fund balance at 27%. Today, the town

Maggie Town Manager announces resignation

Opinion Partisan local elections have different outcomes A Smoky Mountain News

s Cory Valliancourt reports in The Smoky Mountain News, North Carolina House members Rep. Mark Pless, R-Haywood, and Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Swain, have proposed a bill (HB998) to move municipal and school board elections in Haywood County to partisan contests where each candidate’s party affiliation is listed on the ballot next to their name. HB998 is a local bill which means that the barriers to becoming law are lower. If the legislature passes the bill, it will become law without making a stopover on the governor’s desk.

This proposed change in Haywood County is part of a growing trend in North Carolina to shift local elections from nonpartisan to partisan affairs. This trend is most pronounced in Republican counties and has occurred with particular frequency as it relates to school boards. In fact, one of the co-sponsors of the Haywood County bill, Clampitt, co-sponsored a bill (HB3) last fall to move the Craven County school board from nonpartisan to partisan elections. It passed on a party line vote.

Nonpartisan elections are the standard for local elections in North Carolina and in most other states. North Carolina statute indicates that school boards should be nonpartisan, although 25 school boards have abandoned the nonpartisan structure for partisan school board elections in the last decade. An International City and County Management Association survey reveals that nationally about 70% of municipal elections are nonpartisan. A 2014 study found that 98% of North Carolina municipalities were non-partisan.

Some longtime Western North Carolina residents may remember that Asheville moved in the opposite direction,

A wise decision on Highlands STRs To the Editor: The Highlands Neighborhood Coalition was formed by homeowners throughout Highlands to preserve the historic character of our town and to ensure that there are neighborhoods in Highlands that are purely residential and free from commercial activity, specifically short-term rentals (STR’s).

We welcome the Town Board’s May 19 action of amending the current Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) as a good first step in halting the unchecked proliferation of STRs in Highlands. The changes clarify what some saw as ambiguities in the previous language, which did not use the term “shortterm rental.” Short-term rentals are now defined in the UDO as a commercial use and prohibited in certain residential neighborhoods — those zoned R-1 and R-2.

The difficulty the board has struggled with since last summer — as many, many communities have done throughout the country — is what to do with currently operating STRs in these now prohibited residential zones. After consultation with two prominent land-use attorneys, hours of public comments, a thorough review of state statutes, and an analysis of the recently decided Schroeder v. City of Wilmington decision by the North Carolina Court of Appeals, the town board determined that the best way forward is to allow these

changing from partisan to nonpartisan elections in 1994.

Although the Asheville change was proposed and passed at the local, rather than the state level, the debate was almost a carbon copy of the one proposed in Haywood County today.

Proponents of the nonpartisan system, like then Vice Mayor Chris Peterson, argued that local politics are not partisan politics and that partisan elections had led to “concentration of power by a select few.”

Those in favor of partisan elections argued that the partisan label helps voters know where the candidates stand.

By relying on the case of Asheville and other cities that have switched to or from partisan elections, political Guest Columnist scientists have come to some conclusions that can help frame the debate over the effects of partisan versus nonpartisan elections.

Elections are complicated and the ballot is long. One argument for partisan elections is that they give voters a shortcut that they can use to vote even if they don’t know much about the candidates. Turns out that the presence of the partisan shortcut reduces the number of people who skip local elections on the ballot (what political scientists refer to as ballot roll-off ), resulting in higher voter turnout in partisan elections.

In the absence of partisan cues, voters rely on any cue they can get — familiar names, ballot order, anything that makes

Christopher Cooper

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LETTERS STRs in R-1 and R-2 to continue operating as long as they can provide proof to obtain a Nonconforming Use Permit (NUP) and then must operate strictly within the parameters of past use.

In addition, all STRs, no matter where they are located in Highlands, must obtain a permit to operate a short-term rental (STR Permit). The standards for obtaining both permits are clear and reasonable, as are the compliance rules.

For example, any STR attached to the town sewer system cannot exceed 12 guests. All STR guests must comply with town nuisance, noise and trash ordinances.

Special events are not allowed.

Vehicles cannot park on the public right-of-way.

Contact information for the STR owner or operator must be posted on the premises.

Permitting and enforcement will be timeconsuming for the town and we trust that

one candidate stand out from the field. As a result, female candidates tend to perform better in non-partisan elections, as do candidates at the top of the candidate list. Incumbents are also more likely to be re-elected in non-partisan environments, partially because of their higher name-recognition. All of this combines to create a slight advantage for the minority party in non-partisan elections. One argument in favor of non-partisan elections is that they can blunt the effects of partisanship in local policymaking. This hope isn’t borne out by the data. Municipal policy-making largely follows the policy preferences of the citizens in the municipality. Whether the city elects their councilors through partisan or non-partisan means doesn’t seem to make a dime’s worth of difference in policy outcomes.

Putting all of this evidence together doesn’t lead to the conclusion that one method of election is inherently and consistently superior to the other. Proponents of partisan elections can correctly point to the increased voter turnout and clear indication of a candidate’s policy preferences that partisan elections provide. Proponents of non-partisan elections are on solid ground when they argue that removing the partisan cue allows for voters to consider factors other than just partisanship.

For policymakers and voters in Haywood County, then, the question isn’t “are nonpartisan or partisan elections better,” but rather “what outcomes do they want to achieve?”

(Christopher A. Cooper is Madison Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University. ccooper@email.wcu.edu)

they are up to the task they have created for themselves. The mayor accurately predicted that no one will be totally happy with these changes. For those of us who want to live quietly in our mountain homes, the option chosen by the town still leaves many of us with mini-hotels operating next door. And so HNC remains concerned, but hopeful that this first step will allow the town to fully understand and manage the problems created by com-

mercial activities in residential neighborhoods.

Commissioner Amy Patterson said it best at the meeting. “The future of the town is

worth fighting for.” We agree and will continue to support the town’s efforts to preserve the character we cherish about Highlands.

Cathy Henson President Highlands Neighborhood Coalition

Imagine if super-rich supported Ukraine To the Editor: Can you imagine this: Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerburg, Bill Gates, Larry Page, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, Rob Walton, Charles Koch, Charles Schwab, Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft and a few other super-rich Americans having the epiphany that since they amassed their wealth in a democratic society they should support the fight for democracy in Ukraine?

If they do not show this support are they really much different from Russian oligarchs who are helping to destroy Ukraine? Cast this scenario up against the fact that millions of middle-class Americans provide the tax funds that are now going to help Ukraine!

John Lennon sang: “Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can. No need for greed or hunger. A brotherhood of man.”

Reckon John Lennon was merely a dreamer? Have we forgotten how to imagine?

Dave Waldrop Webster

Our attitude toward time makes a difference

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ment. In fact, I’ve learned the topic of time can be controversial. How do we truly know it’s flowing forward or that it’s passing?

This is just something we believe based on the moon and sun, circadian rhythms of animals and other natural phenomena, but in reality it’s quite challenging to measure the passage of time.

The concept of time affects us more than we realize. Researchers have even coined terms for the two ends of the spectrum.

“Time famine” is that dreadful feeling that there’s no time to get anything accomplished or being in a constant state of playing catch-up. In contrast, “time affluence” is a feeling of being abundant in time, which can have real benefits in our lives. While time famine can create an ongoing state of personal crisis, time affluence is powerfully uplifting, sometimes more so than tangible wealth, improving not only personal happiness but also physical health and community involvement.

In her book titled “Time Smart,” Ashley Whillans of Harvard Business School suggested that prioritizing making money over valuing our time has severe consequences that many of us underestimate. By understanding social science research, she argues we can make smarter decisions around our time that will lead to happier lives.

This is a topic that needs more space than a single column to fully explore. That being said, I want to offer at least a few practical strategies to expand the hours in your day.

Work to achieve a state of flow. Put your phone away and work in 25-minute increments with a five-minute break. During each 25-minute period, focus on one thing only. Do not jump around. Multitasking and distractions are both very counterproductive. If you finish that one thing before the 25-minute period, end it early and go ahead and enjoy your break. After four rounds, take a longer 15-minute break at which time you should go outside and get some sunshine, which is energizing.

Work on saying “no” to events and activities that don’t fulfill you and instead, use this precious time doing something that’s relaxing or enjoyable for you.

When scheduling meetings, ensure there is an end time. Your time is valuable and people should not be allowed to manipulate it. It’s also important to take care of your health. Sleep is a weapon. Similarly, healthy food and minimal to no alcohol will make your brain more alert which will allow you to achieve more in a shorter period.

This makes the day feel more expansive.

As you wake up each morning, instead of dreading all the things you have to check off a list or worrying about not having enough time, think to yourself, “This is going to be a day full of love and life,” then manage your thoughts and your time in a way conducive to loving and living. The benefits will astound you.

May 25-31, 2022

‘Tis the season is not only a motto for the Christmas holidays, but also an apt way to describe the craziness that is the month of May when you’re managing schedules, events, birthdays, celebrations, practices, banquets, end-of-year parties and final exams for five children. As school comes to a close and summer teases the horizon, life becomes a chaotic mixture of busyness, excitement and sentimental moments.

This past Sunday, we awoke early to continue cleaning and prepping the house for the oldest child’s graduation party scheduled for that afternoon. Next, Columnist we jetted to church to watch another child’s confirmation ceremony after which we attended a large brunch with friends and family members.

Afterward, some of us went home while my boyfriend attended daughter’s baccalaureate. During that two-hour period, I hosted a play date, drove another kid to return his prom tux and dropped off a different child at basketball workouts. Meanwhile, guests were arriving for the party. Over the next couple of hours, more than a dozen people were at our house.

That morning, while we enjoyed one cup of coffee and Wordle before zipping into the crazy day, my boyfriend and I had a conversation that went something like: Matthew: “It’s going to be a long day (sigh).”

Me: “Nah… it’s going to be a day full of love and life.”

Matthew: “(Smiling) …and it’s actually not going to be a long day. It’s going to have the same hours as every other day.”

Me: “Yep.” My philosophical response to him was not of my own fruition. It was actually something someone said to me earlier in the week. When I was listing all the things we were trying to pack into one 14-hour period, she said. “That sounds like a beautiful day full of love and life.” She’s older than me with many more years of human experience and wisdom. Her words made me pause and change my perspective.

The former Susanna could have gotten stressed, anxious or overwhelmed with a day like Sunday, but instead, I just smiled and relaxed my way through it. I intentionally noticed every smile, tear, laugh, kind word, authentic conversation or memory made. And when I went to bed at 11:30 p.m., I felt calm and happy instead of exhausted.

Matthew’s comments about the hours in a day also got me thinking. Einstein famously said that time is an illusion. There are numerous theories and interpretations concerning the meaning behind this state-

Contact Caitlin Bledsoe at 828-926-4831 for information.

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TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN WNC festivals, events slowly return to normalcy J.S. Ondara onstage at the Cold Mountain Music Festival in Lake Logan. (photo: David Simchock)

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR t’s been just about three years since the Cold Mountain Music Festival took place in a large field within earshot of the picturesque Lake Logan. And, for Jeff Whitworth, although the long road back to the stage has been arduous, he’s starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“The landscape of the music industry right now is one of cautious optimism, but everybody’s ready to get going again,” Whitworth said. “And we did everything safely for so long, that I also think everyone is pretty well-trained on what to expect, as far as expectations for event organizers and concertgoers.”

Whitworth is the owner of Worthwhile Sounds, a renowned Western North Carolina booking agency. The company puts together performance schedules for not only the CMMF and other regional gatherings, but also The Grey Eagle, New Belgium Brewing and Downtown After 5 (all in Asheville), as well as the Bijou Theater in Knoxville, Tennessee.

And on Saturday, June 4, CMMF — dor-

I

mant since 2019 — will once again rise to the occasion when the likes of national touring acts Hiss Golden Messenger, Futurebirds, and The Mother Hips, amongst others, will step up to the microphone, the melodic sounds of passion and purpose ricocheting off the nearby mountain ridges cradling the facility.

“Everybody still expects to take their lumps here and there as we continue to navigate through ‘all of this,’” Whitworth noted. “But, nowadays we’ve all learned how to be flexible and have the ability to make changes on the fly, ensuring everyone’s safety while we’re still able to push forward and make events happen.”

With CMMF now full steam ahead amid easing government restrictions and mandates, the festival itself is a beacon of light heading into the summer tourism season, ultimately signaling what may come to fruition as another record-breaking year for visitation and spending numbers.

“I expect us to have a very busy travel season this summer,” said Nick Breedlove, executive director of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority. “And our strategy this

year is to encourage visitors to kind of be their own tour guide — fly-fishing, breweries, farmto-table cuisine, hiking, you can go do it all here.”

By the numbers, the “heads in beds” hotel room tax for Jackson County is already over $2.2 million for 2021-2022, with Breedlove expecting that amount to rise to $2.5 million once the fiscal year comes to an end in June. In comparison, the 2020-2021 fiscal year collection was $1.9 million.

“And with the [record] visitation numbers [during the shutdown] in our area, we’re trying to be more selective in our marketing, where we don’t necessarily want to have less visitors, but a visitor that contributes more to the economy and [preservation of] the environment,” Breedlove said.

Looking at the CMMF, Whitworth said the early bird ticket sales are double compared to previous years. That’s an encouraging sign for the festival’s return, especially with the event calendar around Western North Carolina filling up with countless gatherings aiming to make a comeback.

“There’s more demand than ever to see live

music — supply has increased as demand has increased,” Whitworth said. “Everyone wants to go to a concert after having to sit still for so long.

That, and every band in the country is seemingly on tour right now to make up for not being able to work and perform during the shutdown.”

Another encouraging sign was the annual Greening Up the Mountains — the unofficial kickoff to the WNC festival season — taking place in downtown Sylva last month. Normally held every April, the 2021 edition was pushed to August to coincide with declining COVID-19 case numbers. But, organizers felt confident in bringing GUTM back to April for 2022.

“This time around our festival was larger this year than the one we had in 2021,” said Kendra Hamm, event coordinator for GUTM. “Our attendance for 2022 was double what we saw last summer. And although we’re still not a full-size festival yet [compared to pre-COVID numbers], I would say we’ll return back to our previous numbers within the next two years.”

Attracting tens of thousands of locals and visitors in 2019, GUTM usually brings in around 175 vendors.

Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips

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explore new ideas, new ways of doing things, having new leadership, and a new vision for how to run things.”

And with CMMF just a week away, Whitworth is standing at the crossroads of what was and what will be moving forward.

He remains genuinely optimistic as he navigates the sometimes-choppy and unforgiving waters of the music industry and festival environment.

Regardless, the CMMF stage in that vast field is ready to go. The production gear will soon be installed and ticket tents put up.

And, soon enough, the gates will open once again at Lake Logan for musicians and concertgoers alike.

“The return of Cold Mountain [and other events around Western North Carolina] is a testament to the people that really stuck it out, and were able to stick it out,” Whitworth said. “There was a point in the middle of pandemic where many of us were fearful if the live music world would ever fully come back — [next week] will be symbolic of how far we’ve come.”

Want to go?

The Cold Mountain Music Festival will take place Saturday, June 4, on the grounds of the Lake Logan Retreat Center.

The lineup will include nationallyrenowned rock acts Hiss Golden Messenger, Futurebirds and The Mother Hips, as well as Chatham Rabbits and I Draw Slow.

The event is rain or shine. Gates open at noon, with music kicking off at 1 p.m.

General admission is $60 for adults, $40 for youth ages 11-16. Children ages 10 and under are free.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on coldmountainmusic.org or call 828.646.0095.

And there’s never been a whole bunch of stuff to disagree on. I mean, Greg and I are very much — consciously and unconsciously — on the same page on a lot of things. We’ve been on each other’s side and had each other’s back for so long, [where] we recognize that as the most important part of being in a functional, lasting partnership.

SMN: What is the role of the songwriter in the 21st century?

TB: Well, I think it’s different for every songwriter and for every group of listeners.

For me, all I can really speak about is my own experience. When I hear a song that moves me, it works the same way like reading a poem or reading a passage in a good book, where it reminds you of the human experience.

And it has to do with nostalgia, too, like remembering the way the world felt when you were 16 or 17 years old. The world felt so much bigger because you just didn’t know anything and there’s so many new things happening to your senses all the time. I remember getting this massive sense of discovery, this potential in life and in the world.

And I think that kind of fades as you get older, because your brain and your heart start to harden a little bit. You have more experiences that you’ve already seen, and there’s fewer new things that come across your senses as you get older. And if a song or a lyric or a sound or something like that can kind of tap into that feeling that we had all had when we were much younger — that’s what I try to do with my music.

Greening Up the Mountains festival in downtown Sylva. (photo: Jeff Bean)

Smoky Mountain News

Though that number drastically dropped in 2021, this go-round saw an uptick with over 90 vendor spaces in place. y “Under the conditions, we’re happy with this year’s attendance and the vendor turnout,” Hamm said. “And the festival was lalso a testing ground for the new social disltrict [for open containers of alcoholic bevergages] in place for downtown, which was a sucycess in what we saw and observed.” d In an effort to find, perhaps, a silver lining amid the day-to-day chaos of unknowns durning the pandemic, Hamm said the shutdown also gave a much-needed pause to recalibrate rGUTM: what it is, can be, and could be. dMany events and organizations worldwide have also constructively used the downtime of the pandemic to reevaluate and implement new, positive growth.

“This is a great time to assess everything rand ask ourselves — do we want to go back to what it was or do we want to do something ddifferent?” Hamm said. “[For many of us], nobody really remembers what we were doing before COVID, so this is the time to

Smoky Mountain News: Right out of the gate, it was a whirlwind for your band. But, as you’ve gotten older, you and [Mother Hips cofounder] Greg [Loiacono] are still together and still inspired.

Tim Bluhm: Yeah. And I think some of our continued inspiration does comes from the fact that we never really found the success that looked like we had the potential for. We

SMN: Which can be a beautiful thing, because maybe if you did sell a lot of records, The Mother Hips might not be here today.

TB: Yeah. A lot of bands don’t survive that kind of success. You start getting money involved and then people disagree with the money. There’s a million stories like that.

And our story was not that — we never really had anything to squabble over. We never liked greed, and it hasn’t had a big role in our interpersonal relationships.

SMN: And I would surmise that’s the real success at the end of the day.

TB: I think so, too. Success can look a lot of different ways. We haven’t made a ton of money, but we’ve made a living and we’re still here doing it, which is awesome. On the good days, [there’s gratitude]. There’s also frustrations and stuff, with goals and dreams not achieved. We all go through that in our own ways.

But, it’s been fun to be in The Mother Hips, because we don’t have that one song off that one record that has defined our career. So, we still have the freedom to pretty much just write songs and record in any way that we feel like we want to. We’ve made so many records, where we’ve been able to identify what a Mother Hips song is supposed to be, and what makes people like it.

May 25-31, 2022

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR t age 51, acclaimed singer-songwriter Tim Bluhm feels like he’s just getting started. The creative well of inspiration remains deep and pure, where his band, The Mother Hips, are continually exploring further and farther down the rabbit hole as this melodic endeavor is now 32 years in the making.

Formed in 1990 in the dorms of California State University-Chico, The Mother Hips were not even out of college when major labels started knocking on the

door. The young group eventually signed with iconic producer Rick Rubin’s American Recordings, whose roster at the time included The Black Crowes, Johnny Cash, and Tom Petty.

And though The Mother Hips never seemed to garner the national attention and multi-platinum album sales of its indie-rock and alt-rock contemporaries in the 1990s, the band itself remains, whether on tour or in the studio recording fresh material — something not easily said and done by its peers from back in the day.

You see, the irony of elusive success for The Mother Hips resides in the mere fact that the group has always done what it wanted to do, come hell or high water, ultimately resulting in a rock-n-roll musical institution that continues to burn brightly decades after its inception.

never sold a bunch of records. We never quite figured out how to do that. And so, there was never a chance to rest on our laurels or anything like that. We don’t know what [success] would feel like, so we’ve just always kept trying [to move forward].

arts & entertainment

Me and you with the sunset blues

The Mother Hips. (photo: Brian Rashap)

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arts & entertainment

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Smoky Mountain News

May 25-31, 2022

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After a multi-year absence, the 8th edition of the

Celebrating

26 Years

Affairs of the Heart

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Waynesville Main Street Mile will take place on

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d own townwayn e svi l l e.c o m

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own

S

Concerts On The Creek will host Terri Lynn & Tim Queen with Scott Baker (classic rock) at 7 p.m.

Friday, May 27, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

1 2 3 4 5

Pickin’ On The Square will host The Johnny Webb Band (country) at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at the Gazebo in downtown Franklin.

The 26th annual Swain County Heritage Festival will be held May 27-28 at Riverfront Park in Bryson City.

Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will HighRoad (bluegrass/gospel) 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 27.

The Cherokee Gourd Artists Gathering will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 31-June 5 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds.

Been Canned

SAT UR DAY • JU NE 4 • 2 PM Frog Level Brewer y

FUN DRA ISER FOR VISIO N FOR ANIM ALS FOU NDATION Smoky Mountain News

dimly lit conference room in the back of the building, a place where I can listen to my music and do my thing without bothering any of my co-workers. A blank page in front of me as I think about my column for the impending deadline (around noon).

Suddenly, the phone rings up in the front of the office. I can hear one of our advertising representatives say, “I think he’s in the office. Let me check.” The call soon gets transferred to the conference room. I pick it up and say hello. It was an older gentleman with a thick Southern Appalachian accent.

The voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place it, at least not at first.

He goes, “Well, hey Garret. I got a call to

M O L LY ’ S

May 25-31, 2022

tanding on the sidewalk, I leaned onto the open garage door window of Sauced in downtown Waynesville. Sunday evening right before the rainstorm rolled in.

An array of the younger, service industry crowd finally sitting down to congregate and enjoy a beverage on their own time.

Sipping a cold Pabst Blue Ribbon, this woman started chatting with me. I remember crossing paths with her years ago one random evening, but didn’t remember her name.

Friendly soul. She started talking to me about the newspaper and how it is I find enough things to write about, week in and week out, especially in regards to this column.

Well, truth be told, I usually wait until the last minute to put together my thoughts for this here column. For almost a decade, this segment of The Smoky Mountain News has appeared in print. Initially, it was created to complement the arts and entertainment feature in the previous pages. But, for the majority of its existence, it’s served as a place to wander and ponder, a first-person counterbalance to the rest of the hard news and facts in this publication.

The point to this column is that there’s (purposely) not a point to it. It’s more about throwing thoughts, sentiments and emotions out into the universe and see what comes back to you. Sometimes nothing comes back. And sometimes something does. Who knows? It’s all nothing and everything, the magic and lore of interaction, of time and place, and what one’s place is in the grand scheme of things.

Thus, it’s Tuesday morning and here I sit at my desk in the newsroom, more so the

HOT PICKS

physically and emotionally, and also thinking about the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend shenanigans of travel, adventures and cold drinks held high and in unison of the moment at hand with friends, family and loved ones.

Though I’m still not sure of my plans for the upcoming holiday weekend, I’ll probably, like clockwork, be on the road, the nose of the ole Tacoma aimed somewhere, anywhere people are gathering and there are stories to be told, captured and written about.

To which, I started thinking about home, and about my dad playing golf at The Barracks, the views of the Adirondack and Green Mountains surrounding the Champlain Valley where the course is located. The old man telling tall tales and smacking balls down the fairways. And how he probably stopped at Clare & Carl’s restaurant on the way back to my parents’ farmhouse, picking up a couple signature Michigan sauce dogs for my mom to enjoy in the late afternoon.

And I think about how delicious those hot dogs will be when I once again find myself returning to Clinton County in midJune for my niece’s eighth birthday. She’s growing like a weed and can’t stop telling me over the phone how excited she is to see her uncle, especially since elementary school will be done for the year soon, the anticipation and excitement for the fun and activities only found in the depths of youth.

Yep, the summer is quickly upon us. And so is the end of this column.

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

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

call you and rely a message. My brother played golf with your dad the other day at The Barracks [golf course in your hometown of Plattsburgh, New York]. He really likes your column in the newspaper. I do, too. I save every issue of The Smoky Mountain News and sit on’em for month, then mail’em to him. He’s been up there in Plattsburgh since 1962 when he left Waynesville and joined the Air Force. Oh, he comes back home sometimes, and we go to the VFW, the Elks Lodge, wherever they have cold beer. But, anyhow, I was going to stop by your house the other day and tell you. I saw your truck out there with that big white camper top, can’t miss that thing.

[Laughs]. Well, it’s been nice to chat with you. Have a good one.”

My mind quickly remembers the caller and his brother. There was one quiet afternoon several years back, where it was just myself and another reporter in the office in Waynesville. That older gentleman and his brother swung by and knocked on the door.

He wanted to introduce himself quickly, but we ended up talking for a little while, comparing notes about the North Country.

Hanging up the phone, I sat in my chair with a slight grin on my face. What a nice call to receive, this sentiment of solidarity and appreciation that always seems to put a kick in your step, especially when your life revolves around the written word and human interaction.

Gazing out the window on another bluebird day in Western North Carolina, I started to take inventory of where I am, whether

SILENT AUCTION!!!

31

On the beat arts & entertainment

Concerts On The Creek

Sneezy.

Sneezy makes WNC debut

May 25-31, 2022

Presented by Adamas Entertainment, popular Chicago-based rock/soul act Sneezy will perform at 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 3, at The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill in Waynesville.

Age 21 and older. Admission is $5 at the door. For more information, click on sneezyband.com.

The 13th season of Concerts on the Creek will kick off with Terri Lynn & Tim Queen with Scott Baker (classic rock) from 7-9 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. Dogs must be on a leash. No alcohol, smoking or coolers are allowed in the park.

These concerts are organized and produced by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.

For more information, call the chamber at 828.586.2155, visit mountainlovers.com or Concerts On The Creek’s Facebook page.

Interested in learning the dulcimer?

The Pic’ & Play Mountain Dulcimer Players will be resuming in-person jam sessions at the St. John’s Episcopal Church basement fellowship hall in Sylva.

The group welcomes all beginners and experienced dulcimer players, including mountain (lap) dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players. Songs played include traditional mountain tunes, hymns, and more modern music. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of every month in the basement of St. John’s.

Smoky Mountain News 32

Scott Baker, Terri Lynn and Tim Queen.

Wyatt Espalin.

@SMOKYMOUNTAINNEWS

Pic’ & Play has been playing together since 1995. The more experienced members welcome new players, help them navigate their instruments, and guide them through some of the basics of tuning, strumming, and playing.

The mountain dulcimer, also known as a fretted dulcimer or a lap dulcimer, is a uniquely American instrument. It evolved from the German scheitholz sometime in the early 1800s in Appalachia and was largely known only in this region until popularized more broadly in the 1950s.

For more information, call Kathy Jaqua at 828.349.3930 or Don Selzer at 828.293.0074.

Espalin to play Currahee Singer-songwriter Wyatt Espalin will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at Currahee Brewing in Franklin.

Born and raised in Hiawassee, Georgia, Espalin has been entertaining audiences since he was eight years old. A blend of Americana, bluegrass and indie-roots music, he’s a beloved fixture on the Southern Appalachian live music circuit.

Free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.634.0078 or click on curraheebrew.com.

On the beat

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays.

Free and open to the public. For more information, click on blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, The Skuns (rock/jam) May 28 and Shane Meade & The Sound (soul/indie) June 11. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Concerts On The Creek (Sylva) will host Terri Lynn & Tim Queen with Scott Baker (classic rock) May 27 and Robertson Boys (bluegrass) June 3 at Bridge Park in Sylva. All shows begin at 7 p.m.

Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged.

828.586.2155 or mountainlovers.com.

ALSO:

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host Slocan Ramblers (bluegrass) 5 p.m. June 18. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7.50 for children. 828.369.4080 or coweeschool.org/music.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company (Maggie Valley) will host an Open Mic Night 7-9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• Fontana Village Resort Wildwood Grill will host The Local Boys 5 p.m. May 27 and 6 p.m. May 29 and Granny’s Mason Jar (Americana/bluegrass) 6 p.m. May 28. Free and open to the public. 800.849.2258 or fontanavillage.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Gin Mill Pickers, May 27, Tricia Ann Band May 28 and Balsam Hot Club 4 p.m. May 29.

All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Tanya Tucker (country)

7:30 p.m. June 4. Tickets start at $22.50 per person. caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Open Mic Night May 26. All shows begin at 7 p.m.

Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

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

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Jay Dee Gee May 26 and Carolina Freightshakers (rock/hits) May 27. All shows begin at 8 p.m.

Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will host Continental Divide (beach/variety) May 28 and High Five (Americana/rock) June 4 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park on Pine Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Randy Flack 6 p.m. May 26, Funk-N-Around 6 p.m. May 28, The Lads 3 p.m. May 29 and The Maggie Valley Band (Americana/indie) 3 p.m. June 5. Free and open to the public.

828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Bohemian Jean (pop/variety) June 3. All shows begin at 9 p.m. Free and open to the public.

828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Sneezy (rock/soul) June 3. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will HighRoad (bluegrass/gospel) 7:30 p.m. May 27. For

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” with Hibiscus Sunshine at 7 p.m. every Wednesday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events are free and open to the public. innovationbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Open Mic Night 6:30 p.m. May 26 and the “Seven Year Anniversary Party” with Lyric (soul/rock) June 4. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Trivia Night at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday, Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. every Thursday and Brother (rock/jam) May 27. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Open Mic Night w/Ivor Sparks every Wednesday, Aly Jordan (singer-songwriter) May 27 and Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. May 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless

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8 Locations Serving you in Western North Carolina 1700 Russ Avenue, Waynesville, NC · 452-2216 219 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC · 252-8234 1453 Sand Hill Road, Candler, NC · 667-7245 3270 Hendersonville Road, Fletcher, NC · 684-9999 746 East Main Street, Franklin, NC · 524-4464 8005 NC Highway 141, Murphy, NC · 837-0460 30 Highway 107, Sylva, NC · 586-0425 3533 US 441 North, Whittier, NC · 497-6211

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Smoky Mountain News

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will host Sycamore Flats (bluegrass/old-time) May 27 and Will & Lindsey Thompson (Americana/folk) June 3 at Town Square on Main Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 2, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month — spring, summer, fall.

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

828.488.3030.

• Pickin’ On The Square (Franklin) will host The Johnny Webb Band (country) May 28. All shows begin at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo in downtown. Free and open to the public. franklinnc.com/pickin-on-the-square.html.

May 25-31, 2022

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. May 28.

Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

Bryson City community jam

tickets, click on smokymountainarts.com.

otherwise noted. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

arts & entertainment

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

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

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arts & entertainment

On the street

On the stage

Swain County Heritage Festival

HART gets ‘All Shook Up’

The 26th annual Swain County Heritage Festival will be held May 27-28 at Riverfront Park in Bryson City.

The festival starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday with Southern Gospel music, featuring The Barnes Family, Tribe Called Praise, Turning Home, Dyer Family, Southern Bound and The Howell Family.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, there will be art/craft booths, food vendors, cross-cut log sawing contest with prizes, and music on the outdoor stage.

Bands will include Appalachian Smoke, The Steve Jordan Band, Somebody’s Child, Granny’s Mason Jar and Bean Sidhe (Celtic).

Free and open to the public. Bring a lawn chair to enjoy the festivities. There will also be sack races and kids activities.

For more information on the festival, click on facebook.com/swaincountyheritagefestival or email swaincountyheritagefest@gmail.com.

From the Elvis Presley songbook, a production of “All Shook Up” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m.

May 27-28, June 2-4 and at 2 p.m. May 29 and June 5 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville.

“All Shook Up” is an American jukebox musical that premiered on Broadway in 2005.

It was written by Joe DiPietro, who gave you recent HART hits like “The Last Romance,” “Over the River and through the Woods” and the Tony Award winning musical “Memphis.”

It’s 1955, and Chad, a hipswiveling, guitar-playing roustabout, is being released from prison somewhere out in the Midwest. In a nearby dreary little town, Natalie, a young mechanic, dreams of love and adventure, all while she yearns for true love to take her away, not realizing that her best friend Dennis has a secret crush on her.

As she and the town sing the blues in the local honky-tonk bar, they’re interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle: it’s Chad.

He needs a mechanic and Natalie, instantly smitten, promises to fix his broken-down bike. Tangled webs are woven as Chad incites rebelliousness in a town with a “Decency Act” outlawing loud music, public necking and tight pants.

To check ticket prices and make reservations, call the HART

• “Downtown Waynesville Spring Block Party” will be held from 7 to 10 pm. Saturday, May 28. Restaurants, breweries and shops will be open later. Live music on Main Street from Rewind House Band, Sugah & Thuh Cubes, and The Blue Ridge Big Band. Free and open to the public. downtownwaynesville.com.

Box Office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org to make reservations online.

• A stage production of the beloved tale “Alice in Wonderland” will be held on select dates throughout this spring at the Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee. The production is an original work

by Havoc Movement Company that will be joining the Cherokee Historical Association for the spring season. cherokeehistorical.org/alice-in-wonderland.

ALSO:

Smoky Mountain News

May 25-31, 2022

ALSO:

The cast of ‘All Shook Up.’

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‘Molly Gets Canned’

May 25-31, 2022

In honor of a beloved local canine celebrity, “Molly Gets Canned” will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 4, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

A fundraiser for ACVO Vision for Animals Foundation, the event will celebrate Molly, a blind 10-year-old beagle walker mix who frequents the brewery.

“Since she went blind a couple years ago, she’s had a real health struggle, because the blindness affects her autoimmune system, which led to her getting meningitis and almost dying,” said Wayne Ruth, Molly’s owner. “But she’s pulled through and is in better health these days. Even though she can’t see, she’s a pretty active dog as people who have met her can attest to.”

With that, Frog Level has redesigned its Nutty Brunette (brown ale) cans, which will now feature a cartoon version of Molly (pictured). There will also be a silent auction.

“When Morgan Crisp, the owner of Frog Level, asked me about doing the can design, I was just totally humbled — it really means a lot,” Ruth added.

Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. waynesvillewine.com.

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

828.538.0420.

ALSO:

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first-class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. 00.872.4681 or gsmr.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva.

828.631.3075.

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arts & entertainment

On the wall very own cobweb broom. The cobweb broom is made to access hard to reach areas, including those pesky cobwebs in corners.

Moderate hand and arm strength are needed to make the broom. It may be helpful to wear long pants. It is also recommended to bring an old towel or apron to wear. Attendees need to either bring a towel or wear an apron.

Instructor Mickey Sizemore attended Western Carolina University in the 1980s and moved back into the area from Tennessee. He owns and operates Gray Branch Soaps, a handInstructor made bath and body bar busiMickey Sizemore. ness from his home in Cullowhee. Sizemore has been making brooms for over 15 years and has taught weekend sessions at Warren Wilson College on the art of broom making.

This program is free and open to the public. To register, call the library at The monthly “Creating Community 828.586.2016. The event is co-sponsored by Workshop” will continue with a broom the Friends of the Jackson County Public making class at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 4, in Library and a generous grant from the Atrium of the Jackson County Public Dogwood Crafters.

The Jackson County Public Library is a Library in Sylva.

Explore this Appalachian craft and the member of Fontana Regional Library basics of broom making while making your (fontanalib.org).

May 25-31, 2022

‘Creating Community Workshop’

• The Cherokee Gourd Artists Gathering will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 31 through June 5 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Gourd artists from the United States and Canada gather to collaborate on gourd art, which will be for sale. Watch them work carving, painting and sculpting.

Classes are available for a fee. For more information, click on visitcherokeenc.com.

• “Spring Fling Art & Craft Walk” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 28, in downtown Dillsboro. Live music and craft demonstrations. Free. 828.586.1439 or visitdillsboro.org.

ALSO:

• WNC Paint Events brings you “Paint & Sip.” This is a two-hour event, and you leave with your painting. Anyone 21 and up are welcome. Events will be held at the following locations once a month: 828 Market on Main (Waynesville), Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva), BearWaters Brewing (Canton), Mountain

Curatory Gallery.

The next “Art After Dark” will be held from 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 3, in downtown Waynesville.

Each first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors.

Participants include Metzger’s Burl Wood

Gallery, TPennington Art Gallery, Twigs & Leaves Gallery, Haywood Handmade Gallery, Jo Ridge Kelley Fine Art, Sun Sohovich Art Gallery Studio, Green Hill Gallery, Curatory Gallery, and The Corner Station.

It is free to attend Art After Dark. Other dates include July 1, Aug. 5, Sept. 2, Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 2. For more information, click on facebook.com/galleriesofhaywoodcounty.

Layers Brewing (Bryson City) and the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin). wncpaint.events.

information, call The Uptown Gallery at 828.349.4607 or contact Pat Mennenger at pm14034@yahoo.com. franklinuptowngallery.com.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods.

Special events will be held when scheduled.

Mountainmakersmarket.com.

• “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin. Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. For more

• A “Foreign Film Series” will be held at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Each month, on the second and fourth Friday, two movies from around the globe will be shown.

This program is in the Community Room and is free of charge. Masks are required in all Jackson County buildings. To find out what movie will be shown and/or for more information, please call 828.586.2016. This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library. fontanalib.org.

Smoky Mountain News

• “Art After Dark” will be held from 6-9 p.m. each first Friday of the month (May-

December) in downtown Waynesville. Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors. Dates include June 3, July 1, Aug. 5, Sept. 2, Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 2. facebook.com/galleriesofhaywoodcounty.

Waynesville art walk, live music

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On the shelf

One of our favorite local authors,

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current situation and change our approach and our behavior with regards to creating a successful and stable business and overall economy and culture. Or as he quotes from Sir Richard Branson: “In business, know how to be a good leader and bring out the best in people. It’s very simple, listen to them, trust in them, believe in them, respect them and let them have a go!” Once employees realize that their bosses are just people

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Smoky Mountain News

like them, they’re going to trust them more.

A certain amount of ethics have to be figured in, Robinson says, in order to attain a community environment whereas people are willing to work in groups in honest communication with one another and with “the bottom line” no longer the single goal of any company or its employees. But at the same time Robinson in “A Business of Leaders” is practical and addresses subjects such as “Success Stories in Turbulent Times,” “Bring Out the Best in your Sales Skills,” “A Proven Model for Business Success in the 21st Century,” and “Navigating Uncertainty.”

In talking about his own losses and dark

times Robinson playfully says: “Like Humpty Dumpty, I suffered a great fall. I thought I could not be put back together again, and then I learned to power through adversity, not give up and fight the crisis life had thrown my way. Hope lit a hallway leading to countless doors and blessings, which led to growth, prosperity, and wisdom.”

In the end (and literally at the end of the book) Robinson adds a twentieth chapter citing aspects and assets that set some successful companies apart from others. This additional summation giving, as I mentioned, a psycho-spiritual dimension to his plan for creating not only a successful business, but a successful and harmonious life. Here’s how his enlightened list reads: (1) Find the good in others. (2) Stand up for yourself and the ones you love. (3) Have at least three revenue streams. (4) Set goals and reward yourself. (5) Be honest with yourself and others. (6) Work hard. Work very hard. (7) Smell the roses.

(8) Show respect to others.

This is not the standard capitalist model that has been predominant for the last century or more. Robinson has come up with what he calls “a culture of engagement and inclusion” to accommodate the changes in technologies, markets and the economy and for businesses to respond rapidly to these and other changes. What we, as readers, can take away from all that Robinson has to offer in “A Business of Leaders” is the same hope that Robinson was able to achieve after his own personal collapse. And from this hope, to start again and build a business and a life that is more practical for our current epoch and that just may be sustainable going forward during these strange and uncertain times.

[This book is available at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva and at www.ronspeaking.com] Thomas Crowe is a regular contributor to The Smoky Mountain News and author of the multi-award-winning non-fiction nature memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods”.)

will be reading from her newest book, Life is Sweet, Y'all: Wit and Wisdom with a Side of Sass.

May 25-31, 2022

t’s not often, if ever, that I would review a book about “how to succeed in business.” But I’m in the mood and the mode for reviewing books by local authors, and as I said in my last review in these pages our local authors have been hard at it during the pandemic cranking out new volumes of interesting, innovative and important work.

Such is the case for author, entrepreneur, consultant, public speaker and Jackson County resident Ron Robinson and his new book “A Business of Leaders” (2022). While he does get down to brass tacks discussing strategies and practices as to how to create and Writer build a successful business, he goes the extra mile by also including personal and psycho-spiritual dimensions to his successful tactics in creating businesses that are not only sustainable, but that prosper. With chapter headings such as: “Cooperate or Compete,” “Thinking Outside the Box,” “Communicate,” “Bring Out the Best,” “Awaken the Spirit,” Robinson goes on and writes candidly: “The purpose of this book is to first describe my journey from losing everything to starting again and, secondly, to share how that experience shaped me as I grew from barely surviving to thrive. In the process, I learned a business model that now assists companies to become nimbler and thrive in today’s new world of continuous uncertainty.” That said, the thing that sets this book apart from others is the personal stories and examples and the passion and compassion with which he writes.

Robinson puts us in the moment and the current financial and cultural climate here in the U.S.: “As a conservationist focused on climate change and someone concerned with the health and safety of my family, friends, and community, I find the idea of small actions catalyzing unpredictable outcomes both unsettling and encouraging as our planet deals with tremendous tragedy and slow recovery from Covid-19.”

His sentiment stems from experience and the belief that we can’t just lean on the business practices that were dominant in the 20th century (“plan, organize, direct and control”), but that we need to adapt to our

WALLEM ROWE

arts & entertainment

Making your business a success; making success your business

MAGGIE

New monthly book club The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva is starting a new monthly program.

Each month, a library staff member will be discussing some of the new book titles that the library has received. Particular attention will be paid to “under the radar” titles and authors, new releases, and other books that the staff is excited about.

All are welcome and no registration is required. For more information on when the club will meet, please call the library at 828.586.2016.

This club is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. The JCPL is a member of Fontana Regional Library (fontanalib.org).

37

38

Big water Retiring American Whitewater director reflects on 18 years of conservation leadership

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS EDITOR ark Singleton was mingling with Outdoor Industry Association colleagues at a 2004 reception in Washington, D.C., when he heard that American Whitewater was looking for a new executive director. It was a moment of destiny.

Singleton, now retiring after 18 years leading the organization, had an instant gut response to the news.

“My initial reaction was, ‘Yeah, that’s a hard job. I’m glad I’m not it,’” he said.

In 2004, American Whitewater was entering its 50th year of working to protect and restore America’s whitewater rivers, but it was in serious financial trouble and owed more money than it had in the bank.

“The American Whitewater job was like taking on a struggling 50-year-old startup,” Singleton wrote in an open letter announcing his retirement.

Singleton, meanwhile, had a fulfilling position managing retail operations and marketing at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, where he’d worked since the early 1990s. He didn’t need a new job.

But then David Ennis, Singleton’s fellow OIA board member, urged him to consider applying. Singleton declined, but when Ennis brought it up a few weeks later, Singleton agreed to at least spend some time going over

M

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Mark Singleton paddles the Chattooga River.

Donated photo

school,” Singleton said. “The things that make you part of a community help to build some basis of trust in what you represent.”

The decision to leave D.C. is what eventually led to American Whitewater’s national headquarters landing in Sylva. Soon after taking the job, Singleton reached out to various economic development entities and universities that he thought might be interested in bringing the nonprofit and its river conservation efforts to their community.

The reply from Western Carolina University proved the most compelling. The university offered American Whitewater a year of office space co-located with its economic development unit. When the university had to reclaim the space for other programs, American Whitewater found a new spot in downtown Sylva, a sublease from The Smoky Mountain News, and has remained there ever since.

STAYING THE COURSE the organization’s financials.

“We got together a couple of afternoons at his place and sat down and went through organizational financial records,” Singleton said. “I could start to see a way to make things fit together that would work. At the end of the couple days I said, ‘OK, I’ll throw my name in the hat here, and you guys can consider me.”

That fall, Singleton became the leader of American Whitewater.

RIGHTING THE BOAT Singleton learned to be comfortable with risk from a young age. Born in Micronesia while his parents were working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, his earliest experiences took place on the water.

“My first memory is going out in Truk Lagoon in a foldboat with my dad watching the hammerhead sharks swim below us,” Singleton recalled. “My dad said, ‘Don’t tell your mom we’re doing this.’”

Decades later, the newly minted executive director of American Whitewater faced an entirely different genre of challenge from that proffered by sharks or churning river passages. Instead of a paddle, he held the fate of an organization that had been advocating for the nation’s rivers since before he was born.

Soon after his tenure began, Singleton announced two major changes that he hoped would guide American Whitewater toward financial sustainability. First, the organization would move its headquarters out of the pricey Washington, D.C. area. Secondly, the structure would shift from a staff charged with overseeing projects nationwide. The nonprofit broke its programmatic work into regions, each of which had a staff member located there.

“It makes such a huge difference when people are seeing you shopping in the local grocery store or picking up your kids from

The timing was fortuitous. In 2004, American Whitewater was heavily involved in negotiations surrounding the relicensing agreements Duke Energy was brokering with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for hydroelectric projects on the Nantahala and Tuckasegee rivers, and it was also leading efforts to get rid of the dam that once spanned the Tuckasegee River at Dillsboro.

“It made a lot of sense in terms of our project work to overlap where we had a really active mix of projects that were taking place at that time,” Singleton said.

Relicensing talks had already been going on for half a decade at the point Singleton joined American Whitewater, but the process was less than halfway over. FERC approved a 30-year relicensing agreement for the Tuckasegee River in 2011 and for the Nantahala in 2012 — countless public meetings, private conversations and courtroom back-and-forth preceded those decisions.

Recreational river access was at the forefront of those discussions. The purpose of a

hydroelectric project is to produce energy and profit for the electric company, but people need rivers for more than just energy generation. The final relicensing agreements stipulated a set of mitigations to offset the dam’s impact to the river and downstream communities. These included a string of river put-ins along the Tuckasegee where before there was no access at all, a 0.8-mile hiking trail from Lake Glenville down to High Falls, special whitewater releases to create unique paddling opportunities on both rivers and removal of the defunct Dillsboro Dam. American Whitewater was a key participant in that process, a stakeholder negotiating in good faith with Duke Energy and other parties to advocate for river flows and accesses. It was a contentious process at the time, but Singleton is proud of the outcome. While some people — including the Jackson County Commissioners, who sued over the issue — were opposed to removing the dam, Singleton says that these days, he never hears anybody say they wish they had the dam back. Instead, they talk about how great the Tuck is for fishing.

By negotiating for the string of put-ins and other access points that now dot the river, he said, American Whitewater helped create a new tourism product that the county’s tourism industry now profits off of.

“The whole string of the Tuckasegee is now connected with access points and paddling opportunities, a county greenway, hiking trails,” he said. “It’s this whole integrated mix of outdoor recreation products. It goes beyond just paddling.”

As the relicensing wrapped up, a new public process began. For the last decade, American Whitewater has focused on ensuring its goals for the region’s rivers are reflected in the final Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Plan.

“It’s really challenging work,” Singleton said. “You spend a decade in a room with other constituents and stakeholders trying to hammer out what appropriate management of public lands looks like in the region. And then when you get to something that you

Singleton makes on-thewater memories with his daughters. Donated photo

At the end of June, Singleton will retire after 18 years with American Whitewater.

Donated photo

TRICKY WATERS AHEAD

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering $5,000 for information regarding a federally protected red wolf found dead in Tyrrell County April 15.

The wolf was shot in the spine, causing it to collapse on a muddy farm field. During a necropsy, the wolf’s lungs were found to be full of mud.

“This killing was as cowardly as it was cruel,” said Ben Prater, Southeast program director for Defenders of Wildlife. “We hope that between this reward and one’s basic humanity, anyone with knowledge of this heinous crime will come forward to help us identify the responsible party.”

The world’s only population of wild red wolves exists in five counties in eastern North Carolina. The population is governed by rules established in 1995 that deem it an experimental, nonessential population. Landowners may kill a nuisance red wolf if it attacks pets or livestock, and a wolf killed incidentally to any

type of otherwise legal activity, such as trapping coyotes according to state regulations, is not a crime — but must be reported to the Fish and Wildlife Service within 24 hours.

As of October, the Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that the wild population included only 15-17 wolves, of which eight were collared. An additional 241 red wolves survived in captivity at zoos, nature centers and other facilities across the country.

While the red wolf population is severely endangered, considered by many to be on the brink of extinction, a glimmer of hope lit up the wildlife community this spring when a pair of wild wolves became parents to six pups, four females and two males. It was the first litter born in the wild since 2018.

Anyone with information on the April 15 red wolf death should contact N.C. Division of Refuge Law Enforcement Patrol Captain Frank Simms at 252.216.7504 or Special Agent Jason Keith at 919.856.4786, ext. 34.

Reviews underway for threatened species The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is beginning work on five-year status reviews for 35 endangered or threatened species, including the imperiled red wolf and three other species found in North Carolina. Information or comments concerning these species will be accepted through July 12.

These five-year reviews aim to ensure listing classifications under the Endangered Species Act are accurate and recommend changes in status when appropriate based on the latest science and analysis. The reviews also present an opportunity to track species’ recovery process and may provide valuable information to guide future conservation efforts.

Worldwide, the only wild red wolf population exists in a five-county area of North Carolina, making it a severely endangered species. Other N.C. species up for review include the threatened yellow lance mussel, endangered Anthony’s riversnail and threatened seabeach amaranth plant.

For more information, or to submit a comment, visit bit.ly/3wrj7Z3.

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With the relicensing effort in the history books, the forest planning process all but done and American Whitewater in financial working order, Singleton had a “clear offramp” toward retirement. But there are plenty of issues waiting in the wings for the next executive director to tackle.

Chief among them are dams and water rights.

Nationwide, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has inventoried more than 92,000 dams. Of those, about 6,000 no longer serve a viable economic interest, Singleton said. Many are what is referred to in the trade as LDDs — little dinky dams.

These small, aging structures aren’t typically fulfilling any economic purpose and, in Singleton’s view, should be removed.

Reward offered for information on slain red wolf

May 25-31, 2022

to the objections put forth by the group as a whole, American Whitewater issued its own specific set of objections, mainly pertaining to paddling rules on the Chattooga River and the Forest Service’s decision against recommending several high-quality waterways for Wild and Scenic Rivers designation.

The Forest Service is currently going through an objection resolution process, in which it will meet with stakeholders and attempt to resolve issues with the final plan.

Singleton said he feels “a combination of cautious optimism that the Forest Service will see what the right thing to do is and genuine concern about the planning process and what it takes to go through these things.”

“But who’s going to pay for it? This is the real problem,” he said. “These things are expensive to remove, and who pays the cost?”

On a national level, American Whitewater has long advocated for increased public funding for dam removal projects, and the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act last year marked a “big, lasting legacy” in that effort, Singleton said. The law appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars — more money than ever before — for dam removal.

It’s not a discussion relegated to small dams, or to dams in Western North Carolina and the Southeast.

In the Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell at Glen Canyon is currently well below capacity and expected to drop even further, to the point that there won’t be enough water in the reservoir to produce power, Singleton said. Below Lake Powell is Lake Mead, which is also well below capacity.

The situation is not predicted to improve in the foreseeable future, leading to some big questions for society to consider in the years ahead.

“Do you remove one to fill the other to a level that’s more like what it was designed for? These are huge, huge societal questions that organizations like American Whitewater will play a part in, but we’re not going to be able to answer the question,” Singleton said. “Society has to answer the question.”

The related topics of water allocation and water rights are also likely to become increasingly important in the coming decades, Singleton said. The Colorado River Basin, for example, is becoming increasingly arid, and as that basin continues to dry up, conversations about who gets to use water and what they can use it for will become increasingly critical.

Right now, these are questions that mostly affect the western states. But Singleton believes they’ll eventually interrogate the east, too.

“While these are western conversations primarily now, they could very easily become a national conversation moving into the future,” he said.

The challenges are real, and addressing them will require a light-on-the-feet attitude from the organization’s next director — whomever that may be. But if Singleton has learned anything in the last 18 years, it’s the danger of letting challenge be a deterrent to opportunity.

“If I had known what I learned quickly after taking the job when I was looking at the job, I never would have applied. And not applying for the job, I would have missed out on the greatest career opportunity of my life,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a real gift not to know what you need to know.”

outdoors

think is workable, you give it to the Forest Service and they then cherry pick what they want to do.”

American Whitewater, like other members of the Nantahala Pisgah Forest Partnership, was disappointed in multiple aspects of the final forest plan, issued in January. It differed in important ways from the proposal the partnership, made up of diverse and oftentimes oppositional interest groups, had agreed to support. In addition

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39

Rehab Ramsey Cascades outdoors

Volunteers are wanted to help trail crews rehabilitate the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s iconic Ramsey Cascades Trail, with workdays held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Sept. 28.

The 4-mile trail is one of the park’s most popular, and it ends at 100foot Ramsey Cascades, the park’s tallest waterfall. A two-year rehabilitation project aims to improve trail safety and protect the park’s natural resources. Most of the work will be done by a professional crew funded through the Trails Forever Program, a partnership between the National Park Service and Friends of the Smokies, but volunteer efforts are key to helping the project progress.

Trail work is hard, physical work — volunteers should be able to hike at least 4 miles and safely perform strenuous and often difficult manual labor. They will be asked to lift heavy objects and use hand tools such as shovels, rakes, axes and loppers while performing a wide range of tasks, including installing drainage features, rehabilitating trail surfaces, constructing raised trail segments and removing brush.

Registration is required with Trails and Facilities Volunteer Coordinator Adam Monroe at 828.497.1949 or adam_monroe@nps.gov.

Volunteers should arrive with food, water, rain gear and any other personal items needed for a day in the woods.

RETAIL HOURS MON-SAT 10-6

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A volunteer reaches high to prune a rhododendron bush. NPS photo

Walk to a waterfall 20 Church Street

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Take a hike Saturday, May 28, and experience Cove Creek Falls and Toms Springs Falls.

Vickey Watson and Steve Szczepanski will lead this 3.6-mile excursion, which is rated easy to moderate and routes partially along fire service roads.

Registration is $10 through Haywood County Recreation Department at 828.452.6789.

Bear canisters required in Panthertown The U.S. Forest Service is now requiring anybody who stays overnight in Panthertown Valley to use a bear-resistant container or place odiferous items in one of three bear lockers installed in the popular backcountry area. More bear lockers will be installed in the future.

“Bears are very reluctant to give up an easy food source and they have not been discouraged by humans yelling, banging pots or blowing air horns. Using a bearresistant food container is the surest way to deny bears access to human food,” said Nantahala District Wildlife Biologist Johnny Wills. “Bear sightings are a thrilling part of a forest adventure, but healthy bearhuman interactions require that people take care not to teach bears to associate people with food.”

All food, trash and scented items such as lotions, soap, deodorant and sunscreen must be stored in a locker or portable container on the list of bear-resistant products approved by the Interagency Grizzley Bear Committee, available at igbconline.org/programs/bear-resistant-products.

According to a Forest Service press release, the canister requirement is due to continued food-related bear-human encounters in Panthertown Valley over the past several years. Most of those encounters occur at frequently used campsites in the forest rather than at campgrounds with bear-resistant trash cans.

The Forest Service initially proposed the bear canister requirement in 2018, and a formal public comment process was con-

ducted at that time. The proposal was then sent to the regional Forest Supervisor’s office for a final decision.

Friends of Panthertown Executive Director Jason Kimenker said that his organization has not received any reports of close bear encounters in Panthertown since December 2019, before the first bear storage lockers were installed in 2020.

However, he said, Friends of Panthertown supported the rule in 2018 and has not changed its position.

“Conditions today are different from where they were a few years ago,” Kimenker said. “While there are more visitors coming to Panthertown, incidents of bear-human interactions or close encounters have dropped off significantly since the installation of food storage lockers and increase in public education efforts. We agreed with the USFS food storage proposal in 2018 when it was originally recommended, and we still feel the use of bear-resistant containers for food storage is an appropriate requirement for overnight camping in Panthertown, a bear sanctuary.”

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted this year to rename bear sanctuaries as “designated bear manage-

ment units” and to start allowing bear hunts in Panthertown by permit, but the N.C. Rules Review Commission voted to delay implementation for legislative review.

State legislators have until early June to introduce a bill counteracting the proposed rule. Friends of Panthertown has opposed the NCWRC proposal, while the Forest Service has supported it.

Bears locate food by both smell and sight, so visitors should never leave food unattended or store scented items in a tent — including toothpaste, deodorant, beverages and snacks. It’s important to pick up all garbage at the campsite before leaving, including inside fire rings, grills and tables.

Backcountry visitors who see a bear nearby should pack up food and trash immediately and leave the area. If necessary, try to scare the bear away with loud noise. If it approaches, move away slowly to reach a vehicle or a building, and in case of an attack, fight back and act aggressively rather than playing dead, or deploy bear spray. For more tips on how to prevent and respond to bear encounters, visit bearwise.org.

Lorie Stroup/USFS photo

Delayed Harvest waters open On June 4, 34 trout streams and two lakes in North Carolina will reopen to trout harvest through Sept. 30.

From 6 a.m. to noon on opening day, these

An angler reels in a brook trout.

Thomas Harvey/NCWRC photo

Delayed Harvest waters will be open only to youth under 18 years old. The water will then

Adventure in the Pisgah

Kids fish free Participants can register upon arrival to the fishing location. The recreation areas will be closed to the public before and during these events to accommodate participants.

Volunteers and employees from the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and other partners will provide free fishing assistance and loaned equipment. For more information call 828.877.3265 for the Asheville event and 828.689.9694 for the Burnsville event.

Dry conditions return to WNC A map released Thursday, May 17, shows Western North Carolina returning to abnormally dry conditions for the first time since Feb. 1.

After weathering a dry December and January, drought conditions had receded from most of the state as of Feb. 1, though a significant portion in the central region remained abnormally dry.

In the months since, severe and moderate drought have pervaded much of the eastern region, but the mountains had thus far been spared.

According to the May 17 map, 40 counties are facing abnormally dry conditions, including the entire mountain region from Buncombe County west. An additional 13 counties are in moderate drought and 12 counties are in severe drought. However, the heavy, widespread rains occurring this week are expected to improve the situation.

Swimming hole monitoring season resumes this weekend as MountainTrue once again starts updating its Swim Guide, an online resource offering a weekly update on E. coli levels in more than 85 popular water recreation areas in Western North Carolina.

Staff and volunteers collect samples on Wednesdays. They are processed using IDEXX Colilert system and incubated for 18 hours before the results are analyzed and posted Thursday afternoons.

While E. coli is not the only bacteria that could pose a danger to humans, it’s a reliable indicator of the presence of other bacteria and pathogens that are harmful to

human health, said MountainTrue Western Regional Director Callie Moore.

E. coli bacteria enters rivers and streams from sewer and septic system leaks, cattle accessing streams and stormwater runoff.

Heavy rains and storms often result in spikes of contamination. Contact with or consumption of contaminated water can cause gastrointestinal illness as well as skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. The most commonly reported symptoms are stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and low-grade fever.

See the latest results for the stream you’re considering visiting at swimguide.org.

Smoky Mountain News

Water monitoring available for local swim holes

The Appalachian Adventure Company is planning a pair of multi-day outings this summer offering the opportunity to camp and learn in the Pisgah National Forest.

The Backcountry Cooking Class June 4-5 will teach participants to cook spectacular meals while camping and backpacking, with the $250 cost including all trip meals.

The Content Creators Camp July 8-11 will start with an overnight stay in the forest followed by two nights at the cabins at Sandy Mush Bald. Shannon Davis, former editor-in-chief of Climbing and Backpacker Magazine, will join AAC owner-operator Steve Reinhold to teach an immersive adventure writing and photography course. Course cost is $1,250.

To sign up, contact Reinhold at 828.508.6528 or stevenreinhold11@gmail.com.

May 25-31, 2022

Kids 12 and younger can fish for free during a pair of events planned for 9 a.m.

Saturday, June 4, in the Pisgah National Forest.

Events will take place at Lake Powhatan in Asheville and the Carolina Hemlocks Recreational Area near Burnsville. Kids will learn how to use a rod and reel, and how to bait a hook. No fishing license is required for children or their chaperones.

Events will operate at a reduced capacity and social distancing will be expected.

open to all anglers.

Anglers can keep up to seven trout per day with no gear or bait restrictions and no minimum size limits. Delayed Harvest waters are posted with diamond-shaped, black-andwhite signs.

Anglers can help prevent spread of nuisance species like gill lice, whirling disease and didymo by cleaning all equipment of plants, animals and mud; draining water from boats, live wells and equipment; drying equipment thoroughly; and never moving organisms from one body of water to another.

A list of Delayed Harvest waters, regulation information and trout maps are available at ncwildlife.org/trout.

outdoors

Kids line up on the shore of Lake Powhatan in Asheville during a 2018 Kids Fish Day.

41

Synchronous fireflies light up the night at Elkmont. outdoors

Radim Schreiber photo

Get schooled in firefly lore The synchronous fireflies will light up soon, with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park predicting the peak display at Elkmont to occur June 3-10.

While it’s too late to score a ticket to see the peak show, the University of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Field School is offering an educational experience on either end of the peak, 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, June 1, and

Monday, June 13, at Elkmont.

Instructor Wanda De Ward will discuss the area’s history and the fireflies’ natural life cycle. By the end of the evening, participants will understand the story of the fireflies and know many other glowing and blinking creatures to look for on a nighttime exploration.

Cost is $69. Sign up at smfs.utk.edu or call 865.974.0150.

Inventory diversity in Clay County

Smoky Mountain News

May 25-31, 2022

Join MountainTrue and local naturalists 2-5 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at Buck Creek for a BioBlitz inventorying biodiversity in Clay County.

The event seeks to get experts, naturalists and curious others outdoors to document every living organism they can find. The annual event is formatted as a friendly competition, with Clay County in MountainTrue’s western region competing against one county in each of the nonprofit’s other three regions to determine the 2022 champion of biodiversity.

Advanced registration is required at mountaintrue.org/eventscalendar to attend the in-person event. To record observations, download the iNaturalist app and start exploring.

42

Celebrate expansion with Highlands Biological

Puzzles can be found on page 46 These are only the answers.

The Highlands Biological Foundation will dedicate its new North Campus 4-6 p.m. Sunday, June 5, and all are welcome to come celebrate.

The North Campus boasts an upgraded boardwalk through the wetlands surrounding Lindenwood Lake, a pollinator garden designed to provide wildlife with excellent habitat with more than 10,000 native plants, and a new outdoor teaching pavilion featuring a green roof. The project has been years in the making and is made possible by hundreds of generous donors.

Light fare and libations will be available for guests, and kids are welcome. No tickets necessary, but an RSVP is requested by May 27 to winter@highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2221.

The John “Sto” Stowers Teaching Pavilion features an innovative design and green roof. Donated photo.

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

• Cowee School Farmer’s Market will be held from Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin. The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.

• “Art After Dark” will be held from 6-9 p.m. each first Friday of the month (May-December) in downtown Waynesville. For more information, go to facebook.com/galleriesofhaywoodcounty.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • The annual Scholarship Fundraiser Yard Sale will take place from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at Shady Grove United Methodist Church in Jonathan Creek, Waynesville.

• Artists create live at QuickDraw for Art Education from 4:30-8:30 p.m. on June 11. Intrepid artists step up to create in the public eye as guests stroll, sip and goggle at the creative process. Proceeds are the main source of art supply funds for art teachers in Haywood County Schools. Tickets are $95, include dinner and help cover food costs for participating teachers. Tickets are available online or in downtown Waynesville galleries. For artist and ticket information, visit QuickDrawofWNC.com or call 828.734.5747.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • Swain County Caring Corner Free Clinic is open Thursday’s 4-9 p.m. at Restoration House (Bryson City United Methodist Church). Office hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9 a.m.-noon. Call 828.341.1998 to see if you qualify to receive free medical care from volunteer providers.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • Amy Camp, author of “Deciding on Trails: 7 Practices of Healthy Trail Towns,” will log in for a virtual book club meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 25. Hosted by Mainspring Conservation Trust. Register by contacting Rachel Newcomb at rnewcomb@mainspringconserves.org or 828.524.2711, ext. 305.

• Maggie Wallem Rowe will be reading from her new hardcover gift book “Life is Sweet Y’all,” from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at Blue Ridge Books and News.

828.456.6000 or blueridgebooksnc.com

A&E

• “Spring Fling Art & Craft Walk” will be held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 28, in downtown Dillsboro.

Live music and craft demonstrations. Free.

828.586.1439 or visitdillsboro.org.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon-4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods.

Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com • The Annual Swain County Heritage Festival will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, at Riverfront Park on Mitchell Street in Bryson City. Festivities will continue 10 a.m. Saturday, May 28. No admission fee and everyone is encouraged to join. Call 828.371.8247 for more information or email swaincountyheritagefest@gmail.com.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

• Concerts On The Creek (Sylva) will host Terri Lynn & Tim Queen with Scott Baker (classic rock) May 27 and Robertson Boys (bluegrass) June 3 at Bridge Park in Sylva. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. 828.586.2155 or mountainlovers.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host Slocan Ramblers (bluegrass) 5 p.m. June 18.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $7.50 for children.

828.369.4080 or coweeschool.org/music.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. May 28. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company (Maggie Valley) will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• Fontana Village Resort Wildwood Grill will host The Local Boys 5 p.m. May 27 and 6 p.m. May 29 and Granny’s Mason Jar (Americana/bluegrass) 6 p.m. May 28. Free and open to the public. 800.849.2258 or fontanavillage.com.

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will host Sycamore Flats (bluegrass/old-time) May 27 and Will & Lindsey Thompson (Americana/folk) June 3 at Town Square on Main Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Open Mic Night May 26. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Open Mic Night w/Ivor Sparks every Wednesday, Aly Jordan (singer-songwriter) May 27 and Wyatt Espalin (singersongwriter) 5 p.m. May 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Pickin’ On The Square (Franklin) will host The Johnny Webb Band (country) May 28. All shows begin at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo in downtown. Free and open to the public. franklinnc.com/pickin-on-the-square.html.

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

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) will host Continental Divide (beach/variety) May 28 and High Five (Americana/rock) June 4 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park on Pine Street. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Bohemian Jean (pop/variety) June 3. All shows begin at 9 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host HighRoad (bluegrass/gospel) 7:30 p.m. May 27. For tickets, click on smokymountainarts.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Jay Dee Gee May 26 and Carolina Freightshakers (rock/hits) May 27.

All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public.

828.538.2488.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Sneezy (rock/soul) June 3. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m.

828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

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

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

• Take a trip around the world with 4 different wines every Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines. (828) 538-0420.

• Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m.3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin.

Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.

• The Cherokee Gourd Artists Gathering will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. May 31 through June 5 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Gourd artists from the United States and Canada gather to collaborate on gourd art, which will be for sale. Watch them work carving, painting and sculpting. Classes are available for a fee. For more information, click on visitcherokeenc.com.

FILM & SCREEN • A “Foreign Film Series” will be held at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Each month, on the second and fourth Friday, two movies from around the globe will be shown. This program is in the Community Room and is free of charge. To find out what movie will be shown and/or for more information, please call the library at 828.586.2016.

Outdoors

• Learn the ABCs of fly fishing or brush up on your skills with two-day courses offered through the Haywood County Recreation Department. Courses will be held at the park below Lake Junaluska Dam, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Fridays. Beginner courses offered July 15 and 22, intermediate courses offered June 10 and 17, again on Aug. 12 and 19. Cost is $10 to enroll, with no fishing license required and loaner rods available. Call 828.456.6789 to sign up.

• Women’s stand-up paddleboard sessions are offered beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 25 and Saturday,

43

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: n Complete listings of local music scene n Regional festivals n Art gallery events and openings n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings June 25, at Wolf Lake, as well as 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 14, at Lake Glenville. The group will meet at Cullowhee Recreation Center. Cost is $30 per person. Registration is required either in-person at the recreation center in Cullowhee or Cashiers, or online at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/program. Youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

• Mainspring Conservation Trust, Needmore Outdoors and Endless Rivers Adventures are partnering for a community float trip down the Tuckasegee River at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 26. Participants can rent a oneperson ducky for $45, a two-person ducky for $60, or bring their own boat for $25. Prices include lunch, boat drop off and a shuttle. Register online by May 24 at www.mainspringconserves.org/events, or call 828.524.2711 for questions.

• Go canoeing Friday, May 27, or Thursday, June 2. The May 27 event will meet at the Bear Lake Access at 3 p.m. and involve both hiking and canoeing, with a cost of $35 for adults and $20 for youth. The June 2 event will meet at the Cullowhee Recreation Center at 10 a.m. and travel to Wolf Lake, with a cost of $30 for adults and $20 for youth. Registration is required either inperson at the recreation center in Cullowhee or Cashiers, or online at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/program. Youth under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

• Plant Sale and Vendor Market will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. May 27 and 28, at the North Carolina Arboretum. For more information call 828.665.2492 or visit ncarboretum.org.

• Nature and Nurture: The Voorhees Family Artistic Legacy will open May 28 at the Baker Visitors Center and will remain open through Sept. 5. For more information call 828.665.2492 or visit ncarboretum.org.

• Take a hike Saturday, May 28, and experience Cove Creek Falls and Toms Springs Falls. Vickey Watson and Steve Szczepanski will lead this 3.6-mile excursion, which is rated easy to moderate and routes partially along fire service roads. Registration is $10 through Haywood County Recreation Department at 828.452.6789.

• Hike Siler Bald with Jackson County Parks and Recreation at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 4. The group will meet at Cullowhee Rec Center. Fee is $5, register in person or at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/program.

• Kids fish free during a pair of events at 9 a.m.

Saturday, June 4 in the Pisgah National Forest at Lake Powhatan in Asheville and the Carolina Hemlocks Recreational area near Burnsville. Volunteers and employees from the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and other partners will provide free fishing assistance and loaned equipment. For more information call 828.877.3265 for the Asheville event and 828.689.9694 for the Burnsville event.

• Join MountainTrue and great local naturalists 2-5 p.m. Sunday, June 5, at Buck Creek for a BioBlitz inventorying biodiversity in Clay County. Advanced registration is required at mountaintrue.org/eventscalendar to attend the in-person event. To record observations, download the iNaturalist app and start exploring.

Market WNC PLACE

MarketPlace information:

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race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination’.

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45

SUPER

CROSSWORD

COUNTRY MUSIC ACROSS 1 Chartbusters 8 Farthest point in an orbit 14 Uncommon 20 Salary reductions 21 Child raiser 22 Add insult to injury, maybe 23 Question in 1 Corinthians 15:55 26 Europe-Asia border river 27 Wood splitter 28 Ski lift part 29 Prefix with lock 30 Supplicate on behalf of 35 -- polloi (commoners) 37 Sermon topic 38 Suffix with Sudan 39 Massage 40 Old booming jet, for short 41 "-- changed man!"

43 Designer Geoffrey 45 Salon colorists 47 "Is this actually happening?"

50 Oviedo locale 53 Situated over 56 Brine source 57 New Hampshire academy 58 "I'm going through the same thing!"

61 Shipping charge, e.g.

62 Steering part on a ship 63 Long (for) 64 Vikings' org.

66 Refusing to be cheerful 71 Regarding 72 Agree 76 Pop's mom 77 Actress Amy

79 SSNs, e.g.

80 Pressing tool 81 Fig treat from Nabisco 83 Seeming eternity 85 DNA-studying partner of James Watson 87 "My turn is coming right up" 91 He KO'd many rivals 93 Ball- -- hammer 94 Forrest Gump player 95 "Quantum Leap" actor 98 Bend down 100 Abrupt 101 Body pouch 102 Secretive U.S. gp.

105 She bleats 106 Part of UCLA 109 33rd prez 110 Restaurant bill addition 112 Crucial component 116 Long (for) 118 Boyfriends, in Paris 120 Dir. opposite 7-Down 121 Viking org.

122 Tune whose opening lyric, and lyricist, begin eight answers in this puzzle 128 Motion detector part 129 Agee of the old Mets 130 Small eating alcove 131 Waiters take them 132 Like training at the location itself 133 Occupy fully DOWN 1 2 3 4

Wedded partner Chennai, before 1996 "Sure thing, cap'n!"

La -- (Milan opera house)

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 24 25 31 Hester 32 33 34 agcy.

36 42 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 54 55 59 60 "her" 61 64 65

Crude abode Biblical verb suffix NYC-to-Miami dir.

High points Peeling tools Raw metal Allstate rival Put into a hall of fame Kett of old comic strips -- Gyra (jazz fusion band) Prefix with gender Utah ski spot Slide in again Go on with Train operator Barn feed Cymbal pair in a drum kit Nathaniel Hawthorne's Feel remorse over James -- Garfield Consumer protection Wild Alpine goats Soccer great Hamm Summer, in Soissons Royal crown Worried E-cig's lack Busy insect Its capital is Damascus 16 ounces Lindley of "The Ropers" NYC stage awards Small bunch of flowers Spock and Seuss: Abbr.

Alternative to "his" or Go by plane Nary a soul Backyard borders

67 Open, as a present 68 Language of "mea culpa" 69 Be a rapper?

70 BoSox rivals 73 Freud's "one" 74 Ensnare 75 "Cannon" has three 78 The Brady kids, e.g.

82 Restated 84 Gambling parlor, briefly 85 Chick- -- -A 86 Prefix with lock 87 "No kidding?"

88 Artist known for illusions 89 Boston area with the Paul Revere statue 90 UFO crew 91 Alias abbr.

92 Find by chance 96 In line with 97 One or more 99 Be indebted 103 "Belt out that tune!"

104 She founded the U.S. Shakers 106 Crude abode 107 First phases 108 Long looks 111 Letter-shaped girders 113 PSATs, e.g.

114 "No kidding!"

115 Deep-seated 117 To be, to Claudius 119 Regarding 123 Blue Jays, on scoreboards 124 Abbr. for someone with only one given name 125 34th prez 126 Firewood box 127 Repub. west of Zambia

ANSWERS ON PAGE 42

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SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 42 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

46

www.smokymountainnews.com

May 25-31, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

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Smoky Mountain News May 25-31, 2022