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May 28-June 3, 2014 Vol. 15 Iss. 52

Swain County opens heritage museum Page 4 Mystery tree grows along Blue Ridge Parkway Page 32

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CONTENTS On the Cover Mountain music has echoed through the hollers and coves of Appalachia for generations. Banjos and fiddles have forged the region’s spirit and sound. The Junior Appalachian Musicians program — wrapping up its school-year classes and heading toward the summer’s JAM Camp — strives to teach area youth about local culture, heritage and music. (Page 24)

News The new Swain museum pays homage to both past and future ‌ . . . . . . . . . 4 Ghost Town in the Sky readies for a June opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 WCU leaders travel region to learn more about WNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Haywood County, schools stick to funding formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Macon County recommends flat funding for schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Counties consider funding for local non-profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Contract negotiations are underway for Evergreen employees . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 State Republicans head to Cherokee for annual convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Local author and minister grapples with fairness, forgiveness and mercy . . . . 14 Funds needed to convert old prison in Hazelwood into resource center . . . . 17 Cullowhee-based teaching center searches for money in Raleigh . . . . . . . . . 18 Tourism tax: government overreach or smart economic development? . . . . . 19

Opinion Suddenly dad is interesting — as artifacts go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Outdoors

May 28-June 3, 2014

Where did it come from? Mystery tree’s a stumper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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May 28-June 3, 2014

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New visitor center to serve as tourist magnet for Swain

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he new Swain County Heritage Museum slated to open in downtown Bryson City this weekend not only honors Swain County’s history, but the sizeable visitor center housed inside also pays homage to Swain’s future.

“Tourism is our number one industry. Our goal with tourism is to keep people here for another night, to come back again, to have a positive experience so they go home and tell other people.

That’s what we have to do,” County Manager Kevin King said.

The heritage museum and visitor’s center will work in tandem.

Visitors are bound to be enraptured by the unique combination of cultural heritage, outdoor adventure and scenic respite that Swain County offers.

“What we have, nobody else in the country has,” said County Commissioner David Monteith, rattling off a huge list that makes up Swain’s diverse and unique tourist appeal.

And for locals, the museum is a place to visit time and again, to remember their own roots and the shared heritage that give Swain its distinct Appalachian sense of place.

Some of the exhibits and displays, both in the visitor center and museum sections, are still works in progress and won’t be finished for a few more months yet. But rather than wait until the final pieces are in place, Monteith said it makes sense to open in time for the summer tourist season, and put the building to work for one of its intended purposes: as a magnet for tourists.

The 1908 historic courthouse is an impressive attraction in its own right — adorned with stately white columns, a sixsided bell tower and a golden dome with inlaid clockfaces.

It’s one of the oldest architecutral icons of the Smoky Mountains still standing, and its a perfect hook to get visitors inside.

Once they step through the doors, they’ll be greeted by a huge staffed travel desk to aid them with trip planning and itineraries. Displays and kiosks will showcase local activities and things to do. A giant brochure rack will be packed with

May 28-June 3, 2014

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magazines and pamphlets on area sites. And big, wallmounted screens will play a continual-loop video of attractions to see and adventures to be had.

“It will make visitors aware of just what is in Swain County,” said Elise Bryson, chair of the Swain County Museum Heritage Board.

It’s as interactive as a visitor center can be, and that’s by design.

“What can they do to create their own history in Swain County?” King posed.

The large visitor information desk will be manned by travel specialists with the Swain County Chamber of Commerce and tourism authority, and by the Great Smoky Mountains Association, a nonprofit arm that supports the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The first floor will also house a gift shop and book store run by the Great Smoky Mountains Association, which should be operational by late summer. The arrangement is mutually beneficial. The visitor center will benefit from

Want to go?

The Swain Heritage Museum and Visitor Center will open to the public starting Monday, June 2. It will be a soft opening, since several of the exhibits are not quite complete. An official grand opening celebration will be held later this year.

Smoky Mountain News

A trip back in time New heritage museum tells the story of Swain’s people, by Swain’s people

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER he Smoky Mountain News recently got a sneak peek of the new Swain County Heritage Museum and Visitor’s Center.

Leading the tour was David Monteith, who’s been a driving force and visionary behind the museum since its inception.

While the project has been going full throttle for nearly two years, Monteith’s passion and energy show no sign of letting up as opening day approaches next week.

“This is going to be the people’s story,” Monteith said.

4 The evolution of the museum mirrors the

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staffing by Great Smoky Mountains Association employees and volunteers, and in turn sales from the book store will help the nonprofit with its mission of supporting the park.

“They are helping us with the visitor experience, so we are letting them use the space,” King said.

The first floor will also have space set aside for exhibits from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which oversees Fontana Lake, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“They are such an important part of Swain County,” Bryson said.

Despite some lingering resentment over the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains Park 80 years ago, which isolated Swain County in a sea of backcountry wilderness, the visitor center embraces the reality of the massive park at the county’s backdoor. That’s a big step for Swain County.

“We are a gateway community,” King said. “The majority of Swain County lies in the park.”

Monteith believes the museum and visitor center will be an important anchor for downtown and hopefully lure foot traffic clustered around the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad to venture further afield. Everett Street will now be flanked by the bustling train depot at one end and the heritage museum and visitor center at the other.

As a bonus, the grounds behind the visitor center and museum will sport a new riverside “pocket park,” a small public greenspace with picnic tables and a viewing platform over the river.

“We hope it will open up this whole part of town,” Monteith said. “I know they will come in force.”

story of Swain County itself — one of resolve, spirit and small-town pride.

The founding Swain Heritage Museum Board was an all-local, all-volunteer affair, but they weren’t daunted by the prospect of creating a museum from whole cloth. They consciously chose not to hire an outside museum consultant or curator specialist to do it for them.

Instead, they wanted to design their own exhibits, plan their own display lay-out, amass their own collection of artifacts, conduct their own historical research and write all their own signage.

“This is our story of Swain County and we want to tell it,” Monteith said. “We believe we can tell it better than anyone else from the outside.”

Professional curators may start with the story to be told, and round up relics that depict it. But with Swain’s heritage museum,

Swain County maintenance workers did the lion’s share of labor to renovate the longabandoned Swain County historic courthouse into a museum and visitor center, allowing the project to be completed on a shoestring. Becky Johnson photo

it was partly the other way around.

The heritage board put out a call for donations, and community members stepped up gladly with family heirlooms and photos. The response was overwhelming.

“We are still gathering a lot of stuff I wasn’t even aware was out there,” said Elise Bryson, chair of the Heritage Museum Board.

The exhibits and displays evolved organically as the collection took shape.

“We had to figure out what we had and where it was going to be able to go,” said David Gunner, a member of the heritage board.

The donation of an old log cabin, for example, formed a centerpiece of the museum, rounded out with donations of a pot belly stove and other old-timey furnishings.

When a donation of an 1887 church organ from Forney Creek along with two old salvaged pews came along, it gave rise to an exhibit portraying the importance of churches in the fabric of daily life.

“Churches and schools were very important in the community. Everything revolved around the church. All the socials and com-

munity events were held there. The church was usually the school house, too,” Bryson said.

Donations of old farm equipment, tools and household implements — from butter churns to a pedal-powered sewing machine to crockery — depict what life was like for early Appalachian people.

A GRASSROOTS AFFAIR

Members of the heritage board often reached out personally to old-timers and those known to have deep family roots in Swain. When Virginia DeBord got a call like this from Monteith, she mused on it a while and eventually recalled an old picture of downtown Whittier that had hung on the wall of her husband’s family homeplace.

“I thought that might be a good thing for the museum,” DeBord said. She went and fetched it, and the museum board liked it so much they blew it up to a five-foot poster.

Those who didn’t have “things” to donate pitched in with historic photos. There’s not room

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David Monteith and Elise Bryson with the Swain Heritage Museum Board are among countless volunteers who have contributed time and heirlooms to make the museum a reality. Becky Johnson photo When the county had to come up with a design for display cases, it was King who thought of a cheap but thematic idea to cover plywood with burlap as a backing. A carpenter in the county’s maintenance department then built glass frames out of reclaimed barn wood to bolt down over them.

One of King’s favorite sections, however, is the kids’ area of the museum. A father of three — ranging from ages 6 to 11 — he didn’t have to look far for inspiration. It’s full of hands-on, interactive exhibits appealing to a variety of ages.

“At the end of the day, you want people to stay longer, and so if the kids are happy, they’ll stay longer,” King said.

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Even the massive restoration job of the century-old historic courthouse was done by local people. Rather than bid the job out to a general contractor, who would no doubt bring in out-of-town laborers, the county used its own in-house maintenance employees. They pooled their trades and crafts as carpenters, masons and builders to carry out the restoration on the clock with the county.

King estimates 90 percent of the work was done in-house.

It was a huge undertaking, considering the historic courtroom hadn’t been in use for 40 years.

“The first time I walked in up here I could have cried. You could look through the cracks in the wall and see the outside,” Bryson said.

The renovations were accomplished on a lean budget. The massive remodeling job of the courthouse, site work including a new parking lot, and construction and installation of the museum exhibits cost less than $800,000. The project is funded entirely through revenue from the county’s tourism tax on overnight lodging and grants.

“There’s not a penny of local tax dollars in this,” Monteith said.

But that’s just a small part of what the county can be proud of.

“It just tickles me to death. I want people to see our history and what went on in Swain County,” Gunner said.

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May 28-June 3, 2014

for them all in the museum, but they’ve been scanned for posterity and will be used in a rolling slideshow.

The volume of museum pieces flowing in, and the eagerness of so many to be a part of the project, demonstrates just how important heritage is to the people of Swain County.

Gunner was among an army of volunteers who picked up artifacts from people who couldn’t bring them in themselves, including an old reap hook and corn sheller from a woman with no way to haul them.

Gunner contributed a slew of his own antiques to the collection, as well.

“I got a gob of my granddaddy’s old blacksmith tools from his blacksmith shop down on Forney’s Creek. I didn’t donate it to them, but I loaned it to the museum as long as they want it,” Gunner quipped.

Some pieces that came in are just plain interesting, even if there’s no universal theme to tie them to. Take for instance an old telephone operator switchboard from the 1920s, likely the first ever in the county, with plugs for the jail, doctor and sheriff still clear as day.

Or a 1905 safe from Bryson City Bank, removed from the inside wall of Cork and Bean restaurant during recent remodeling.

While many exhibits took root based on what came in, some were planned out to ensure a comprehensive picture of the county’s history was captured.

“We asked everybody for ideas of ‘What would you like to see in the museum?’”

Monteith said.

Exhibits were crafted around the major influences in Swain’s history, like the oncepowerhouse industries of logging and mining that created Swain’s first cash economy in the early 1900s, or the construction of Fontana Dam during World War II. And yet other exhibits showcase local figures, from the famed writer and national park advocate Horace Kephart to the owner of a mainstay downtown café who got his start serving meals from a horse-drawn chuck wagon.

County Manager Kevin King has spent untold hours overseeing the museum, from managing the flow of construction work to honing a little-known talent as an interior decorator.

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Maggie Valley amusement park shoots for June opening

A short history of Ghost’s Town trials and tribulations

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR emorial Day weekend has come and gone, and Ghost Town in the Sky still appears much as the name implies. The closed gift shop and ticket windows sit watch over an empty parking lot.

But that’s set to change in a few weeks. The Maggie Valley mountain-top Old West-themed amusement park is scheduled to open June 20.

A project to run new waterlines through the upper level of the park pushed back the opening date, said Chris Chagnon, the park’s new general manager. Once finished, the entire park will be served by the Maggie Valley Sanitary District.

“We’re gonna take it all the way to the top,” Chagnon said. “It’s pretty major.”

Ghost Town was bought out of foreclosure by long-time Maggie Valley businesswoman Alaska Presley two years ago. She has been trying to revive the park, which was in a severe state of disrepair and dysfunction when she got it.

The park has been open the past two years in a limited capacity, with portions of it closed off and many of the rides not working. But progress has been made, not only with massive repairs and infrastructure improvements, but also by adding and upgrading attractions and amenities in the park.

Ghost Town in the sky opened in the early 1960s. It was a popular tourist destination for years, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to Western North Carolina’s Maggie Valley.

By the 1990s, attendance at the park had declined. By the early 2000s, it was closed. Investors tried, without success, to revive Ghost Town but ended up in bankruptcy.

In 2012, Alaska Presley — a Ghost Town fan with a real estate fortune — rescued it from foreclosure. This will be her third season running the park.

In 2012, Ghost Town was opened with limited offerings. Last year, a Memorial Day opening was announced but delayed due to complications with ride inspections.

This year’s late opening is due to an undertaking to run water lines to the park’s upper levels. The work is expected to be complete by the June 20 opening.

And though Ghost Town’s recent years have been a struggle, new General Manager Chris Chagnon is optimistic about the park’s future.

“The park, two years from now, probably will turn a profit,” he said.

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owner Alaska Presley. He is the third general manager in as many years. He currently works with the Treasure Broker Trading Post and Action Creek Realty in Maggie Valley.

“Essentially, I got handed this park and I’ve had to clean up a lot of stuff,” said Maggie Valley’s Ghost Town in the the new general Sky will open June 20. File photo manager.

Chagnon said that the park has required a good bit of work before it is ready for opening.

In addition to “getting it organized,” there was maintenance to be done to ensure the park’s rides were in good form.

One ride that has not received attention leading New this year is a paintball course — up to this year’s opening is the Cliffhanger — a although “it won’t be ready for opening” — a ride whose ultimate fate remains uncertain. For pizzeria and new walking trails. The zip lines now, the park is taking a wait-and-see approach have been repaired and the shooting galleries in order to better ascertain if generated traffic are ready to go. Country music concerts have merits spending money on repairs for the been added to the stage Old West gunfights Cliffhanger. and can-can dancing.

“Everybody wants to know, ‘is the rollerGhost Town has also added additional rides coaster going?’” Chagnon said, explaining that for children. Chagnon’s particularly excited the deferred maintenance on Cliffhanger has about a multi-room bounce house. compounded the ride’s mechanical issues and “It’s really cool,” he said. “It came out of a made repairs prohibitively expensive for the park in Boone, I think it was.” time being. “The rollercoaster is not working Chagnon was brought on recently by park and it’s not going to work.”

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Highlands; and Biltmore Park.

Stops on the tour were centered on the themes of education, tourism and heritage, recreation and the environment, creative arts and technology and innovation.

Participants said they found the tour to be a very valuable activity.

“The tour gave me more insight into the region’s needs and how WCU can fit into that puzzle,” said Andy Voelker, manager of student computing. “WCU has to continue to be creative and proactive in working with our community to establish strategic partner-

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The first grants from the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund, established by their family last July, have been announced by The Fund for Haywood County. The Medford endowment supports beautification, streetscape improvements and other public amenities in Waynesville.

The Town of Waynesville Public Art Commission received $4,000 to help relocate Chasing Tadpoles, a sculpture by Bill Eleazer, a former teacher at Tuscola High School. The sculpture, consisting of three bronze figures of children playing, was donated by the Biltmore Square Mall and will be installed in the historic Frog Level district.

The Town of Waynesville received $1,910 to extend the Downtown Waynesville Association’s Millennium Street Lamp Project by installing a new lamppost on Church Street, an area of growing pedestrian traffic during the evenings. Mib Medford was a founding mem-

ber of the Downtown Waynesville Association.

“Growing up with my mom and dad, we were taught that if you see holes that need plugging, you plug them,” said daughter Philan Medford. “My brother and I are pleased that the first grants have been awarded from the endowment. Dr. Phil grew up near Frog Level, which makes support of Chasing Tadpoles very appropriate. I can imagine him playing with tadpoles in the still waters next to nearby Richland Creek. The funds awarded to the Downtown Association’s decorative light poles honors our mother’s many years of service. Both grants celebrate Waynesville’s ‘sense of place’ and provide a leg-up to folks raising funds to realize their goals for the town.”

To make a tax-deductible donation to help grow the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund, donate online at www.cfwnc.org or by mail to The Fund for Haywood County, P.O. Box 627, Waynesville, N.C., 28786. Please note “Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund” in the memo. Contributions of any size are welcome and are tax-deductible. www.cfwnc.org.

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May 28-June 3, 2014

Thirty campus leaders from Western Carolina University crisscrossed the mountains of Western North Carolina for a weeklong tour May 12-16 to learn more about the region that the university serves and to help strengthen relationships between WCU and its surrounding communities.

The group consisted of 11 members of the inaugural class of the WCU Leadership Academy and other campus leaders who are either new to the university or in new positions at WCU. During the week, the leaders learned about everything from IPA (as in integrated power assemblies, during a tour of the Eaton Corp., an electrical components manufacturer in Arden with connections to WCU’s engineering program) to IPA (as in India pale ale, at a stop at Highland Brewing Co. in Participants in the recent Western Carolina University Asheville, part of an emerging Leadership Academy Regional Tour visit Great Smoky brewing industry becoming an Mountains National Park’s Oconaluftee Visitor Center and important economic driver).

Mountain Farm Museum. Mark Haskett photo The trip even took the participants beyond the boundaries of WNC and deep into space, as they peered ships. I was surprised at how little we knew through telescopes at the Pisgah about each other and how obvious some of Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman. these partnerships are. There are a lot of The tour also included stops at Clay County opportunities out there, but it will take a little Schools in Hayesville; the John C. Campbell work to get them going.”

Folk School in Brasstown; Tri-County Brett Woods, director of development, Community College in Murphy; Great Smoky said he was pleased at how genuinely appreMountains National Park’s Oconaluftee Visitor ciative community leaders were of the group’s Center/Mountain Farm Museum; Harrah’s efforts to visit with them and learn more.

Cherokee Casino Resort; Coweeta Hydrologic “There was a keen sense of desire to collaboLaboratory in Otto; Little Tennessee Greenway rate and work together to strengthen the in Franklin; Highlands Biological Station, Old WNC region and to create win-win for all,” Edwards Inn and Bascom art center in Woods said.

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WCU campus leaders explore WNC from Murphy to Asheville

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A little something, but not enough Haywood commissioners, schools stick to funding formula

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER aywood County Schools will see a slight budget increase from county commissioners next year, although it will fall far short of what school officials asked for.

The school system will get an extra $280,000 from the county — about a quarter of the $1.1 million increase the school system would have liked. But school officials were quick to give county commissioners an ‘A’ for effort.

“I am not going to throw them under the bus because they have been, I feel like, very fair,” said Chuck Francis, Haywood school board chairman.

Haywood County ranks high compared to other counties when it comes to school funding. It’s in the top 20 percent statewide for its per-student funding at the local level — ranking 21st out of 115 school districts.

Schools in Haywood County rank high academically as well. Haywood is 17th out of 115 school districts statewide, based on academic performance measures.

“Education is like any other enterprise. It costs money,” said Commissioner Chairman Mark Swanger.

Haywood County’s local school funding will clock in at $1,943 per student in the coming fiscal year, up from $1,899 per student last year.

The 2.3 percent increase for schools is the biggest increase in the county’s budget. It’s not only one of the few areas to get a budget increase, but commissioners even cut other areas of the budget to afford the school increase without raising property taxes.

May 28-June 3, 2014

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CLOCKWORK BUDGETING Both commissioners and school board members chalk up the fairly amicable budget give-and-take between them to a funding for-

By the numbers While the majority of school funding comes from the state, county funding plays a critical role in school operations.

Haywood County will pitch in $14.645 million this coming year. That’s nearly 30 percent of the school systems’ operating budget.

What does it go toward? Here’s just a small taste: • 54 teachers, above and beyond the teaching positions paid for by the state • 7 teachers assistants, to ensure every kindergarten and first-grade classroom has an assistant.

• $251,000 for substitutes.

• school resource officers for middle and high schools.

• 10 IT positions for computer support for schools.

• $1.9 million in utilities.

• $279,000 for athletic coach salaries.

• $1.08 million for routine maintenance.

mula derived over a decade ago. The formula was aimed at depoliticizing the annual fight over how much the school system would get each year.

The funding formula calls for a slight but consistent increase each year, making measured progress without putting commissioners in the middle of line-item budget requests from the schools.

“The school board makes the decision what to do with it. They have the responsibility to prioritize that money and spend it accordingly,” Swanger said.

Waynesville Middle School students change class. File photo

This year’s county budget once again follows the formula.

“We made a commitment to use the funding formula, and it is important to keep your word,” Swanger said. “Especially when it comes to education.”

But the funding formula has its downsides. County commissioners have routinely fallen back on the funding formula as a crutch — sticking to the increase called for in the formula, but no more.

This year, the built-in increase under the funding formula isn’t enough to cover everything school leaders want (see related article.)

“The perspective of the county commissioners is ‘You all have been on the funding formula for a decade and we have given it to you pretty much every year. You have the freedom to do whatever you want with the allocation we give you,’” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte said.

The past two years, however, commission-

ers offered the schools a shot at getting more.

If the school board could sell the idea of a property tax hike for education to the public, then commissioners would consider it.

But school board members weren’t willing to wade into the politics of taxing and spending decisions, or serve as political cover for commissioners to raise property taxes.

“That’s kind of been a point where our board has dug in our heels and said, ‘No, that is not our responsibility,’” Francis said. “We go to them and say ‘If you can do above and beyond the funding formula that’s great.’ But if you can’t, well, there you go.”

Commissioners, in turn, claimed a property tax increase was the only way they could give schools a more sizeable bump — and they expected the school board to publicly stand up for it. That could happen one day, if the school board wants to join commissioners in sticking their neck out for a tax increase for education.

“That’s when you have to say, ‘As a board we are willing to go down the path with (commissioners) to ask folks for it,’” Francis said.

But there’s a more immediate question to be answered between now and next year’s budgeting cycle.

“Do we want to continue with the funding formula, do we want to tweak it, or do we want to leave it as it is?” Francis said.

The small budget increase built into the school funding formula can quickly get sucked up by the increased cost of doing business year over year — from higher utility costs to higher health insurance costs.

The small increases from the county also

Schools grapple with three doors and a tough choice Smoky Mountain News

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER aywood County Schools may have a tough choice to make in coming weeks: add additional teachers or give existing teachers a half-percent raise?

The Haywood School Board hoped to do both in the coming year, but likely won’t have enough money to make both a reality.

The school system asked the county for an extra $1.1 million to cover both raises and new positions. But the school will ultimately have only $280,000 in extra money to work with.

“We will come together as a board and prioritize what we want to do,” Haywood School Board Chairman Chuck Francis said. “The answer is to be determined. I think everybody is pondering the pros and cons of each.”

The $1.1 million increase requested by 8 the school system includes:

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• $225,000 to increase the local salary supplement for teachers.

• $525,000 for 11 new positions.

• $170,000 in obligatory raises for locally paid teachers, in the event state lawmakers pass some sort of teacher raise package.

• $55,000 to cover increased costs of retirement and health benefits.

The school system could tap its reserves to help make up the difference. Last year, the school system took more than $1.4 million from reserves. But that’s a slippery slope.

“If it is a recurring expense, we are good this year but what about next year?” Francis said.

Nearly everything on the schools’ wish list this year would be “recurring” — meaning the cost would be there again next year.

Which makes it likely that something will have to give.

DOOR #1: LOCAL SALARY BUMP One thing on the school system’s wish list that may not end up happening is a half-percent salary increase for teachers, courtesy of Haywood County rather than the state.

While the state pays teachers’ base salary, many counties offer an extra bonus to compete for teaching talent. In Haywood, the supplement stands at 4 percent.

Other counties that once had lower supplements are starting to catch up, however, and counties with bigger supplements are pulling even further ahead.

It would cost $225,000 to give Haywood’s teachers an across-the-board supplement bump of half a percent.

The school system could use the extra

money it’s getting from the county this year to pay for it.

“If we feel like the money is there to provide an additional local supplement to people, we can decide to do that,” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte said.

But that would then leave not enough to cover the other things on their wish list, like additional teaching positions, or on their must-do list, like covering the increased cost of benefits or matching state raises for locally paid teachers.

DOOR #2: ADDING POSITIONS

Haywood County Schools have a smaller budget and fewer teachers today than five years ago, largely due to state and federal budget cuts. Haywood has 34 fewer teachers and 34 fewer

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haven’t been enough to offset cuts in state funding, according to Superintendent Anne Garrett’s school budget overview.

As a result, the modest increase in the formula never seems to be enough to tackle big ticket items on the wish list, be it a roll-out of laptops for students or raises for teachers.

PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS

Commissioners announced early on in budget talks this year that they wanted to honor the funding formula. But coming up with even that money was another matter.

They had little appetite for raising property taxes. In those same early budget talks, commissioners unequivocally decided they wouldn’t do that.

Sales tax didn’t seem a very promising avenue to come up with extra money either.

Counties get a small cut of the state sales tax.

The more consumers spend, the more the state collects in sales tax, and the more that comes back to the county.

But projections pegging sales tax will show little if any increase in the coming year, dashing hopes that sales tax could be a go-to source of extra money.

Refusing to raise property taxes, coupled with only a small increase in sales tax, posed a conundrum for commissioners if they indeed wanted to increase school funding.

“The anticipated increase in revenues is less than what was needed to cover the funding formula for the schools. Carrying out the funding formula will take all of the surplus project-

MAY LOOK LIKE

Crafting a school budget is all the more complicated given uncertainty surrounding state education funding. It’s a wildcard every year, with school systems crafting a budget based on their best guess of what the state funding picture is likely to be.

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DOOR #3: MATCHING STATE RAISES, WHATEVER THAT

Until that shakes out, the local-funding piece of the school systems budget is difficult to nail down.

“We cannot know what will be funded and what will not be funded until we know exactly how we are funded by the state,” Nolte said.

The big question this year is whether state lawmakers will go through with a proposed raise package for teachers. If they do, the local school system will have to follow suit and dish out the same raise to teachers hired with county funds.

While most teachers’ salaries are state funded, counties use local dollars to round out staffing levels. If the state gives raises for statepaid teachers, the local school system would have to come up with money to give commiserate raises to the locally-paid teachers.

But it’s unclear what lawmakers will do.

In an election year, the talk about raising teacher pay could be just that — talk — in an attempt to counter the political backlash over stagnating teacher salaries that now have the state ranked 46th in teacher pay.

The school system funds 164 positions with local funds: janitors, maintenance workers, IT support, secretaries and school resource officers. Of the total locally-paid positions, 60 are teachers or other certified personnel entitled to a raise depending on what the state does.

It would cost roughly $170,000 to match the raise package being considered by lawmakers for state-paid teachers. “We should and must provide the same pay increases for people who do similar jobs,” Nolte said.

May 28-June 3, 2014

teacher’s assistants than in 2008.

The school system is down a slew of other positions as well, from guidance counselors to secretaries.

This coming year, the school system hopes to make up some lost ground by adding six new teachers: • Two new teachers to serve special needs children with disabilities.

• Two new teachers for regular classrooms.

• Two new teachers to expand advanced and honors courses at the high school level, with one position each at Pisgah and Tuscola high schools. This staff addition is one the school system is committed to, Nolte said.

The school also hopes to add two additional assistant principal positions, one additional guidance counselor and one social worker. Guidance counselors and social workers are seen as critical given the increasing number of children with difficult home environments, and aim to restore positions in this area that were lost through state cuts.

ed revenues plus some,” County Manager Ira Dove said in his budget assessment.

Ultimately, the county had to cut other areas of the budget and redirect it to the schools in order to honor the funding formula and give them a budget increase.

But it wasn’t easy, given outside factors making additional dents in the county’s budget. For example, the county saw a nearly $300,000 increase in the cost of benefits for employees and retirees. The county is also seeing increases in everything from medical costs for jail inmates to the added manpower needed to process social service benefits following the roll-out of a new, more laborintensive state computerized system, known as NC FAST. The $280,000 increase to schools isn’t the only new money in the county budget, however, even though it’s the biggest increase for any single department.

The county is giving a one-time grant of $700,000 to Evergreen paper mill in Canton to help the mill afford a costly conversion from coal to natural gas to meet air pollution standards, heralded as a move to help protect mill jobs. And the county has built enough extra money into the budget — roughly $360,248 — to give 2 percent merit raises to every employee.

But the budget is not flush with such examples.

“This budget reflects the competing themes of prudence and hope, yet lands squarely on the side of prudence,” Dove summed up during a county budget overview last week.

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Flat budget recommended for Macon schools

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Extra funding elusive as county prepares, school district complies

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER s this year’s budget talks kicked off, Macon County Schools presented its petition for a $500,000 funding increase to pay for teacher raises and insurance increases, but County Manager Derek Roland’s proposed budget doesn’t include any of those extra dollars. He’s asking commissioners to fund the school system at $7.3 million, the same amount as last year.

“We all understand that the high value we do place on education, that’s never going to change,” Roland said, “but during these times as we’re going into the revaluation and the uncertainties that are going to accompany that, we’re all going to have to work together and find a way to get through this thing.”

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MORE COSTS, LESS MONEY

Smoky Mountain News

May 28-June 3, 2014

Next year, the county will begin calculating property tax based on newly evaluated property values, the first revaluation to take place since the recession hit and the real estate market tanked. To prepare, Roland has asked county departments to trim their budgets.

He felt it would be impossible to honor the school system’s request while also furthering that goal. In addition to the $500,000 increase in operating expenses, the school district’s request included a capital expense increase of $1,031,415 over 2013-14. Those expenses were comprised of a list of 17 smaller projects — some of the bigger-ticket items were $181,000 to replace windows in the main building of Franklin High School and $114,000 for school furniture and equipment — and $430,000 for classroom technology.

Roland recommended that commissioners keep capital funding at its current level of $99,000 and begin funding technology upgrades again once the county finishes paying off the loan it took out in 2012-13 to provide $1.5 million for school technology, in 2017-18.

“In choosing to fund the entire additional amount requested, a property tax increase of 1.7 cents per hundred would be required,” Roland wrote in his budget message. “A second option would be to appropriate the funds from available fund balance.

“The first approach goes directly against the priority of no tax increase in FY 14’-15’ which has been set by the Macon County Board of Commissioners,” he continued.

“The second option goes against a longstanding priority for Macon County of maintaining a fund balance at or above 25% (appropriating an additional $1,534,017 from fund balance would decrease fund balance to 24.87% in FY14’-15’). Furthermore, and more importantly, appropriating the funds from available fund balance is not a 10 sustainable option.”

In the recommended 2014-15 budget, education makes up 18 percent of spending. The $8.3 million figure includes operating expenses, capital expenses, teacher pay supplements, community college funding, solid waste fees and timber sale funds. Donated graphic

By the numbers $6.7 MILLION................................................................................County allocation in 2011-12 $24.8 MILLION.................................................................................State allotment in 2011-12 $7.3 MILLION ...............................................................................County allocation in 2013-14 $23.7 MILLION.................................................................................State allotment in 2013-14 $7.8 MILLION ....................................................................County funding request for 2014-15 $7.3 MILLION ......................................................Recommended county allocation for 2014-15 $23.8 MILLION .....................................................................State planning allotment 2014-15 $0.6 MILLION..................................................................Increase in local funding since 2011* $1 MILLION ...................................................................Decrease in state funding since 2011* *based on planning and recommended numbers for 2014-15 Roland’s budget is not final. County commissioners will consider it and vote on a final version one week after a June 10 public hearing. However, the county manager’s recommendation typically influences the final outcome.

“We will take whatever the county commissioners will allocate to us and do the best

pushing for a 7.1 percent raise for all firstthrough seventh-year teachers and a 2 percent average raise for everyone else. While the state will foot the bill for any raises given to state-paid school employees, matching pay increases for employees hired with local dollars will have to come from those same local dollars. The state pays salaries for 195 Macon County teachers, while the county pays for the 37 additional “Every county department teaching positions as well as 69 non-instructional positions. Pay answered the question: what’s increases for these employees will important now in terms of their come to about $150,000.

immediate and future needs.

What do we have to have today?”

Roland suggested that the school system compensate for that amount by dipping into the $430,000 that the county provides in addition to operating expenses to give teachers and instructors a 2 percent bonus, supplementing their state pay.

“As a result, teachers and instructors would receive a 1 percent annual bonus, which is equivalent to the annual bonus given to county employees,” Roland wrote in his budget message.

“In going through the county departments’ budget, every county department

— Derek Roland, Macon county manager

we can with it,” Macon Schools Superintendent Chris Baldwin said.

But regardless of whether the budget allows room for any capital projects this year, Baldwin said, the school system will need some extra cash to counter state cuts — between 2011-12 and 2013-14, state funding fell by more than $1 million — and accommodate state actions that require extra funding. Namely, teacher raises.

Gov. Pat McCrory has a proposal out

FINDING THE MONEY

answered the question: what’s important now in terms of their immediate and future needs. What do we have to have today?

What can serve us another couple years?”

Roland said. “It’s really that attitude of what’s important now in terms of immediate needs and future needs. We’re just asking everyone to have that same attitude.”

Baldwin said that, if the budget is passed as recommended, he would do just that.

Baldwin hopes to protect teacher supplements by leaving some vacant non-classroom positions open rather than rehiring them. Because nearby counties such as Jackson and Haywood have higher supplemental pay than Macon, he said, it’s important to keep that incentive thereJ so good teachers stay in Macon County.

“We as a school system cannot afford to allow our teacher supplement to go below what it is currently,” he said. “That means we’ll do all we can to preserve that supplement, but what that means is we’re going to lose additional positions.”

But regardless of where the money comes from, Baldwin said, it will have to come from somewhere. The local or state-paid designation is mainly just a label slapped on for accounting purposes; employees don’t generally know which category their paycheck comes out of, and that category may change throughout the year.

“We’ll move folks from locally paid to statepaid throughout the year based on changes such as whether or not they’ve received a master’s degree or things like that,” Baldwin said.

State teacher funding is done by position, not dollar amount, so lower-paid beginning teachers are typically picked up with local funds. That set-up is part of the reason why the governor’s proposal, while good news for teachers, would cause some difficulty for local school districts if the legislature adopts it. Beginning teachers make the least amount of money, but they’re also slated for the biggest raise. Gov. McCrory hopes to bolster salaries for beginning teachers, none of whom have received any raise in the past six years, 7.1 percent in 2014-15 so that no teacher makes less than $33,000 and to raise that minimum to $35,000 the following year.

Of course, nothing is certain. Counties and school districts are planning based on a proposal, not legislation, so the numbers can change overnight. In fact, just a couple weeks ago the school district was planning on a 3 percent increase for all school employees with more than seven years’ experience.

Then, that number changed to 2 percent.

The decrease shaves about $30,000 off the district’s original estimated need, but it’s also an example of the challenge of planning for a money-tight situation where nothing is certain. With dollars and energy focused on accommodating pay hikes, there’s not much left over to address needs such as textbooks, barely any of which have been replaced in the last decade.

“If we want to move forward and be progressive, that’s almost out of reach,” Baldwin said. “We’re just looking to hold steady at this point.”

To fund or not to fund?

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Nonprofit organizations weren’t the only entities that started hurting when the recession hit. Counties suffered, too, and for Haywood County that meant cutting in some uncomfortable places.

“In the past there was funding [for nonprofits] when the economic situation was different, but the last four years or so we have not funded any nonprofits,” said Haywood County Commission Chairman Mark Swanger. “We don’t pick and choose. There’s just not enough funding.”

Of course, Haywood County still gets requests, but for now they’re not funding any of them. That’s far from being a best-case scenario, Swanger said, but it’s a necessity for now. For instance, this year revenue picked up by $350,000, but increasing costs in other

When re-envisioning Jackson County’s process, the goal would be to keep nonprofit funding in the budget but to come up with a more efficient, affordable, fair process for granting funds.

“I don’t think our commissioners are at a point of wanting to discontinue funding, but I think they are at the point of saying we need to put a cap on it,” Wooten said.

“There may be an effort underway for next year to overhaul our process, perhaps better look at who the requesters are, if indeed they have followed through with the requirements for providing financial information,” Commissioner Greene said, “just to

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assure that county funds are being spent the way they are supposed to be spent.”

For example, she said, an organization that depends on volunteers might get preference over one that spends half its budget on staff salaries, because 100 percent of money given to the volunteer organization would go back into services.

Another part of prioritization could entail looking at how much community support each organization has. Non-profit organizations should be community-supported, Wooten said, not solely dependent on county money for their existence.

“We have to make sure that the community embraces those as well,” Wooten said, “that we’re just one of the funding components, that we’re not the main or the only funding component.”

By taking all those considerations into account, Jackson County hopes to become better able to achieve its ultimate goal when it comes to nonprofits.

“We are very sensitive that these groups do provide outstanding services to our community,” Wooten said. “We are very supportive of these services they provide and want them to be successful.”

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Smoky Mountain News

One possible solution comes from Macon County, which for the past decade has funneled its nonprofit funding requests through the Community Funding Pool, an appointed task force that does the legwork of sorting through the applications. “[Commissioners] were spending so very much time listening to requests from nonprofits,” said Bobbie Contino, the group’s secretary. “That is such a small portion of the county budget, but they were spending a disproportionate amount of time hearing the requests.”

The task force takes that load away from the commissioners. It’s an appointed group of nine community members who receive each application, grade it on factors such as how many people the service reaches, how important the service is to those people and how costefficient the nonprofit is in delivering the service.

“We individually go through them all and score them,” Contino said, “and then we have an evaluation session when all the team members come together and we discuss each application separately on its own merits.”

Then, the committee sends commissioners the The Appalachian Women's Museum at the Monteith grades and their recommendation for funding. The House in Dillsboro is among the non-profits that will commissioners make the receive $5,000 from Jackson County commissioners, ultimate decision, but the which will allow the museum to leverage another committee makes the $5,000 matching grant. File photo process less time-consuming for them.

“It works really well, I can tell you that,” areas of the budget ate that money quickly.

Commissioner Ronnie Beale, who has been The schools alone required a $75,000 on the board for eight years, said of the fund- increase to help compensate for rising costs ing pool. “Not everything gets funded at the and state funding cuts.

“There just is not sufficient revenue,” amount requested, but they try to be fair.”

It is definitely a competitive field. In a typ- Swanger said. “We have to limit our appropriical year, the committee gets 15 to 20 applica- ations at this point in time to those services tions but can only fund eight to 10 of them, that are critical. Law enforcement, public most at relatively low dollar amounts. The safety and so forth.” nonprofit budget is capped at $50,000, with REACH — a shelter for domestic violence vicWAIN OUNTY tims — and KIDS Place — a service for Swain County also takes a cautious abused children — each guaranteed $10,000 approach when it comes to funding nonprofit of that $50,000 pie each year.

“There are two agencies in Macon County organizations.

“Once you start one year, it’s kind of an obliwhich the funding pool task force feels are essential enough they are requested to submit gation after that so our board has always looked their application and a report, but … we fund at that as extra,” said County Manager Kevin King. “If there is a need in the community, of them fully,” Contino said.

For the rest, the committee funds accord- course we would look at that more heavily.”

Swain keeps its nonprofit funding below ing a formula, a fact that is perhaps lucky considering that expanding asks in recent years $100,000, with the bulk of that going to a set have made the competition for dollars even group of organizations. Typically, State of Franklin Health Council gets $65,000 to heavier.

“We have had more organizations as the $70,000, Swain/Qualla SAFE gets $15,000 economy has tanked,” Contino said. “More and Smoky Mountain Mental Health gets organizations needing more money. I guess $20,000. Other organizations occasionally get some nominal amounts, but that’s not typical. that’s true everywhere.”

LOOKING FORWARD

May 28-June 3, 2014

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER rom animal shelters to free clinics to food banks, nonprofit organizations of all stripes make a yearly knock on county commissioners doors, hoping to be included in the upcoming budget. But as the recession marches on, those knocks are becoming more frequent — and more costly — for Jackson County commissioners.

“I think it’s going to get to the point we have to say we have ‘x’ amount of money to give to these entities,” said Jackson County Manager Chuck Wooten. “I just don’t think we can continue to add, add, add without having an impact on our budget overall.”

Just between 2013-14 and 2014-15, total requests have jumped by nearly $50,000, with 48 organizations requesting $651,000 for the new budget cycle. In 2013-14, commissioners doled out $556,000, while Wooten’s proposed budget recommends spending $579,000 this year. By contrast, the county spent only $256,000 in funding for 33 nonprofits in 2007-08, before the recession hit.

Currently, Jackson County doesn’t have any cap on its funding for nonprofits. Rather, commissioners get copies of the grant applications and decide who gets funding and how much.

It’s a system that’s been around for a while, but it’s a system that could be in for a shake-up.

“We need a better-organized way of divvying up funds, whatever the amount is, to make sure that the money is going where the needs are,” said Commissioner Vicki Greene.

Once the 2014-15 budget is put to bed, Wooten said, county leaders will likely start figuring out just how to do that. Besides the obvious problem of expanding asks and, therefore, expanding allocations, there’s the issue of fairness. Not every organization that’s doing good work in the county gets itself on the list commissioners consider for funding, and among those that do there’s an element of arbitrariness when it comes to deciding who gets what.

“Who do you fund and who do you not fund?” Wooten said. “Really that’s put the commissioners in a difficult position.”

Concerns about efficiency are also part of the motivation behind a change. If the county contains multiple groups devoted to food, fuel or housing assistance, for example, does the county really need to fund each group individually? Or could the groups work together in order to use jointly granted taxpayer dollars with maximum efficiency?

“Just see if there’s a way that we can all work together, and rather than being asked to fund each individual [group], leave it up to these two groups to figure out how these funds can best be used,” Wooten said.

As it works through its options, Jackson County will be considering the approaches of its neighbors in addition to brainstorming its own ideas.

MACON COUNTY

“We normally just don’t grant them,” King said.

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Jackson County looks to neighbors in search for nonprofit funding policy

HAYWOOD COUNTY

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Evergreen paper mill, union in negotiations

Sexual abuse prevention training offered A free training on preventing child sexual abuse will give up to 40 people the chance to learn how to prevent sexual abuse against children, themselves and people in their organization.

KARE, a child advocacy center in Waynesville, will hold the “Darkness to Light” program 3-6 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, at Haywood Community College, room 920 in building 900.

Teachers, college students, organization leaders and community members are welcome.

RSVP to trainer Paige Gilliland at 828.456.8995 or epjones@karehouse.org.

‘Remember the Removal’ ride kicks off May 30 Bicycle riders from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation will take part in a ceremonial send-off on May 30 for the 3-week, 950-mile Georgia-Oklahoma “Remember the Removal” bike ride commemorating the 1839 Trail of Tears removal.

The event takes place at 4 p.m. at the Kituwah Mound near Cherokee and the public is invited.

The Kituwah Mound is just off U.S. Highway 19 between Bryson City and Cherokee. For detailed directions, use the Google Maps coordinates: Kituwah Mound @35.43924,-83.403568.

nion employees at Evergreen Packaging’s Canton and Waynesville factories are currently engaged in contract negotiations.

Brandon Ferguson, president of USW Smoky Mountain Local 507, confirmed that talks began earlier this spring and will start back up the first week of June. Neither Ferguson — nor administration at the paper mill — is ready to discuss the negotiations.

Mike Culbreth, from Evergreen’s human resources department, described negotiations thus far as “an amiable meeting environment.”

“Our current labor agreement is a five-year agreement,” Culbreth explained, “so it’s just a normal contract negotiation.”

According to the Local 507 website, United Steelworkers bargaining committees from Athens, Ga., Clinton, Iowa, Olmsted, Ohio, and Canton met with Evergreen management in March and April.

“The discussions were wideranging and covered a number of areas of concern,” states a contract update, listing topics discussed as attendance policies and benefits. “While no agreements were reached, we were able to narrow the differences on a variety of issues.”

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Evergreen Packaging’s Canton facility. Margaret Hester photo

The next round of negotiation talks between the union and Evergreen begin June 2. Evergreen employs nearly 1,200 workers at its two Haywood County paper mill facilities.

— By Jeremy Morrison

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DO YOU THINK YOU OR YOUR CHILD MAY HAVE HEAD LICE? Haywood Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine Group, PA is currently seeking volunteers to participate in a clinical research study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an investigational product for head lice.

If you think you or your child might have head lice, you may be eligible to participate in a clinical research study. Eligible participants will receive compensation for time and travel. For more information:

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The North Carolina GOP generally holds its annual conventions in places like Raleigh or Greensboro. This year, state Republicans will be traveling to Cherokee for the affair.

The state Republican convention will be held in Cherokee June 6-8. It’s an event that’s been a long time in the making.

“I worked on it about a year and a half before we got it to happen,” said Ralph Slaughter, chairman of the Jackson County Republican Party.

Slaughter is expecting to Chief Michell Hicks see up to 1,600 attendees venture to Western North Carolina for the convention. They’ll have committee meetings and general sessions. They’ll have dinner with former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.

“Looking forward to it, obviously,” said Slaughter.

The state party convention requires a place that offers a certain amount of accommodations. The convention requires meeting facilities and hotel capacity. A limited number of locales around the state offer these prerequisites.

Back in September, when the dates were announced, N. C. Republican Party Chairman Claude Pope called Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel “one of the few places in the state that can handle” the party’s annual get-together “We ended up making the top of the list,” said Chief Michell Hicks, head of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. “It’s gonna be a great weekend.”

Hicks said that he looks forward to welcoming convention attendees to Cherokee.

He’s hoping that during their visit lawmakers gain a deeper appreciation for the region.

“To make sure that Western North Carolina gets more attention from Raleigh,” Hicks said.

According to Todd Poole, executive director of the state’s Republican party, the weekend will include a slate of speakers. Among them will be U.S. Senate-nominee Thom Tillis, who will deliver his acceptance speech.

The conference will also be an opportunity for the party to map out its future.

“The main business of the weekend will be to approve the NCGOP Platform, consider changes to the Plan of Organization, and pass resolutions,” Poole wrote in a statement.

— Jeremy Morrison

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GOP comes to Cherokee for state convention

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‘God is not fair’ Former Waynesville pastor talks themes of mercy and fairness in pages of new book

the baseline doctrine of God. How can a loving God inspire fear? How can judgment coincide with love? Next, he moves toward the gospel, looking into the coming of Christ and that ultimate paradox of eternal life begotten through the death of God’s son. In the final 10-chapter section, Thompson explores the Holy Spirit and the post-resurrection church, all those conundrums of a faith that is strongest in weakness, of victory that occurs through self-sacrifice.

Thompson still isn’t able, though, to boil his book down into an answer to that ageold question: If God is good, why do bad things happen?

“The Bible doesn’t really have a conclusion to that,” Thompson said, “but if you look at that through the eyes of the Bible, you always come up with the paradox that this God who allows tragedy, this God who allows unfairness, is really a God of mercy. It’s probably best expressed in one line that I picked up in Qoheleth [the book of Ecclesiastes].”

The line? “All rivers run to the sea, and the sea is never full.” Meaning, God’s grace and mercy are unquenchable. Those lines also happen to be the titles of the two-volume memoir of Eli Weisel, the Jewish author, Nobel Prize winner and Holocaust survivor.

“If a man that has experienced that can see the world as a place of hope and the power of love and community, then why shouldn’t I?” Thompson said.

THE UNION OF UNFAIRNESS George Thompson relaxes at the desk where he penned his new book, a glass lamp with the name of his alma mater Duke University standing just off-camera. Holly Kays photo

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May 28-June 3, 2014

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER or George Thompson, the struggle to understand how a supposedly good God could be so unfair began with his birth.

He came into the world just a week after the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of 1943, a tragedy in which 14,000 Jews were killed and another 42,000 deported to concentration camps. At age one-and-a-half, his mother received a telegram announcing that her brother had died in the war’s European theater, and when Thompson was 4, he witnessed his mother covered in blood, her back and neck broken after a collision with a drunk driver. He still tears up when he talks about it.

“I can say, as with all good believers in Yahweh, this is not fair,” Thompson said.

“We do not live in a world of fairness.”

That’s a truth that has followed him through each of the seven parishes he’s served in during his 45 years with the United Methodist Church, and it’s one that the former pastor of Waynesville’s First United Methodist Church seeks to explain in his new book, God is not Fair, Thank God! Biblical Paradox in the Life and Worship of the Parish.

“I told my wife, ‘I know our bucket-list has travel, but I’m not going to travel until this is written,’” Thompson said. “I hadn’t written a word when I said that.”

So he set to work, using the first two years of his retirement to cobble together some kind of reconciliation of the good with 14 the unfair. In doing so, he drew upon the

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Bible stories that have informed his life since he was knee-high and the critical thinking skills he gained as a student at Pfeiffer University and Duke Divinity School.

“All through the Bible, we find that there is a God who is not fair. If you think life is fair you probably haven’t lived long enough, and you certainly haven’t studied history because we have piles and piles of violence, even in the natural world,” Thompson said.

“Within it all, running through is a strand in all of these stories that when you begin to connect them all, there is a thing called mercy, a God of mercy.”

THE POWER OF PARADOX That might seem a contradiction, but the word Thompson prefers is “paradox,” and the Bible is full of them. A non-human God manifested in the human body of Jesus, teachings that the last shall be first, the meek inherit the earth. In his book, Thompson breaks down the series of paradoxes that comprise the Bible and attempts to make sense of them.

As he wrote, he kept the words of physicist Niels Bohr in mind: “The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may be another profound truth.”

So, systematically — an obvious trait of Thompson’s — he takes his best stab at it, peppering theology with tales and anecdotes in 279 pages of conversational prose. In the first 10 chapters, he examines the paradox of

AND MERCY

“We looked at each other and said, ‘We don’t have a bit of money,’” Thompson recalled. “I said, ‘Money follows mission. We will.’ And we did.”

Knowing the unfairness and hurt that pervades the world, Thompson has long held it as a personal mission to bring God’s mercy to the places where hurt gathers. After his retirement, he moved back to Waynesville from his then-home in Greensboro — for the arts, the culture and the people, but also for the opportunity to minister.

“It’s a good place to practice what you preach,” he said. “There are a lot of poor people in this county, the division between the very rich and the very poor with a strong middle class.”

As a retired pastor, he’s focused his current ministry efforts on the children, teaching the 3rd grade Sunday school class. Even that, though, has branched into personal efforts to share mercy with families in need.

“One week a family came by and asked for money, and the pastor said, ‘We can help you, but look, we expect you to come to the church. You don’t have to, but we think it would be good if we did,” he said, laughing that they didn’t know what they were getting into when they enrolled their little girl in his class. “She hardly ever missed for the next several years.”

Now, the family is involved in Circles of Hope, a program that puts people in poverty in the leadership role as they collaborate with more financially secure peers to learn how to manage money toward prosperity.

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UIDED TOWARD HOPE Unfairness and mercy meet, Thompson The ultimate goal of Thompson’s book, said, in worship. As you take that hour out of though, is not to guide people toward finanyour day to sing hymns and to pray, he said, cial wealth. Rather, it’s to guide churches the bread and wine symbolizing Christ’s toward hope and a renewed sense of purpose body and blood stands up front, symbolizing the ultimate unfairness — the crucifixion in carrying out the paradoxical message of the gospel on earth. of God incarnated for the sins of his cre“All these churches, they’ve been declination. And that ultimate unfairness translates into the ultimate mercy: forgiveness.

“All through the Bible, we find that And that, in turn, translates into a calling there is a God who is not fair. If you to do more than sit think life is fair you probably haven’t around and wait for heaven to come. lived long enough, and you certainly “The entire goal of the Christian life is not just haven’t studied history ... Within it all, to get to heaven,” running through is a strand in all of Thompson said. “That’s the dessert on the cake. these stories that when you begin to But the cake is transforming the earth, and that’s connect them all, there is a thing what I want to be called mercy, a God of mercy.” involved in.”

Throughout his life, — George Thompson he has been. Back during his tenure in the ing in numbers,” Thompson said, “and many Waynesville parish, Thompson was on the board of REACH of Haywood County, a shel- of the laity are feeling very discouraged.

They’ve given it their best shot, and what’s ter for victims of domestic abuse, and he happened? Many clergy have looked back spearheaded the revitalization of Haywood over their career and said, ‘Is it worth it?’”

Christian Ministries, a nonprofit that helps Through the pages of God is not Fair, people in crisis make ends meet.

Thompson hopes to drive home the point that At that time, Haywood Christian success is not about numbers. Rather, it’s Ministries existed only on paper. Thompson about how well the church delivers and a group of community leaders got the mercy of God to the earth. For together and decided to hire a director.

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an example of what, exactly, that means, Thompson points to a denomination well outside his own: the Amish.

In October 2006, a gunman entered an Amish school in Pennsylvania, shooting 10 girls and killing five. It’s a tragedy that has played out too many times over the past few decades, but the response of the community was anything but typical. The parents of the dead children went to the home of the shooter’s wife, and they offered grace, forgiveness and a consistent, loving petition to continue living in the community.

“I wrote in my journal that day when I read that, that if the world can understand the meaning of what they just did and follow even a modicum of that,” Thompson said, “that little Amish community in Pennsylvania just saved the world.”

When mercy shines through tragedy, it is at its most beautiful. To illustrate his point, Thompson points to Psalm 22, which begins with the words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” a question that Jesus repeated centuries later as he was dying on the cross.

“You know how that psalm ends? In a prayer of thanksgiving,” Thompson said.

“Even though I don’t understand, God is going to do something great, ultimately.”

But that doesn’t mean that, even 45 years of ministry and one published book later, all the questions are answered.

“I’ll go into heaven with my hand up,” Thompson said, miming the gesture he plans to make in the afterlife. “Got a question, got a question.”

First, though, he and his wife Pat are planning to cross some post-book items off their bucket list. They’re starting with a summer trip to England to tour the heritage sites of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church.

Thompson’s looking forward to it, but he’s far from ready to put a period on his ministry.

“When I get up in the morning,” he said, “I ask ‘How can I serve Christ?’”

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Thompson's book, God is not Fair, Thank God! Biblical Paradox in the Life and Worship of the Parish is on sale locally at Blue Ridge Bookstore and Lake Junaluska Coffee Shop and Bookstore, as well as directly from the author, who may be contacted at 828.246.9187.

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER lans are moving forward to convert the old state prison in Hazelwood to a resource center for the hurting, homeless and recently incarcerated. The trio of Christian ministries teaming up to make that happen are already thinking about how they’re going to raise the estimated $300,000 they’ll need to get the facilities up to snuff, but they’re waiting on an official contract to kick their fundraising efforts into high gear.

“There are no major obstacles on any of the three buildings,” said Nick Honerkamp, founder and director of Haywood Christian Emergency Shelter. “It will take some money to make some repairs, but nothing that is a deal breaker at all.”

That information came out during a meeting Honerkamp and the leaders of Open Door Ministries and Next Step Ministries held with Haywood County Manager Ira Dove last week. The group discussed the state of the facilities and Dove shared his plans to survey the land and buildings to make sure that everyone is clear

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on what is there and what condition it is in.

“Our next steps are to get a survey of the property that lays out who’s going to be in what building and then develop a memorandum of understanding,” said David Teague, public information officer for Haywood County.

Honerkamp hopes to have the MOU approved sometime in June, and the ministries are aiming for a Nov. 1 move-in date. Getting there will take plenty of work and plenty of money, so the organizations are looking into grants and getting started on applications while they await final approval from the county.

“Based on our conversation [with Dove], we got all the details from them to put the draft [MOU] together,” Honerkamp said.

The MOU would require approval from county commissioners, but that shouldn’t be a problem.

“That project has our support without question,” said Commission Chairman Mark Swanger. “What we’re working toward is a

Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher takes a walk through the abandoned prison. Holly Kays photo

Give a hand The three ministries are looking for funds to make their project a reality.

Because they are separate entities, donors must give to the specific ministries individually by the avenues listed below.

• Haywood Christian Emergency Shelter: P.O. Box 1272, Waynesville NC, 28786, or www.haywoodchristianshelter.org.

• Open Door Ministries: 32 Commerce St., Waynesville NC, 28786.

• Next Step Ministries, Inc: P.O Box 94 Waynesville NC, 28786.

memorandum of understanding so everyone goes into it knowing what exactly the respective responsibilities are. That makes it a healthier relationship moving forward.”

Haywood Christian Emergency Shelter, Open Door Ministries and Next Step Ministries are all separate groups with separate functions, but they’ve been eyeing the abandoned state prison for a while as a way to maximize their joint effectiveness.

Currently, the homeless shelter picks those in need of a warm place to stay up from their free dinner at Open Door and takes them to the dormitory at Camp New Life for sleep, safety and worship — but only during the coldest six months of the year. Open Door serves free meals and offers Bible studies and worship — but only at Frog Level. And Next Step ministries helps people recently released from incarceration readjust to life outside the jailhouse walls — but they only have a limited impact because they don’t have an actual livein facility to work with.

By centralizing their efforts in the same compound, the groups would be able to share the resources they all have in common, help each other in the areas where their missions overlap and expand their capacity to help those in need.

“This is going to be the project,” Honerkamp said, “and I can’t wait until Nov. 1.”

May 28-June 3, 2014

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NCCAT searches for salvation in Raleigh Cullowhee teaching center hangs in budgetary balance

BY J EREMY MORRISON well as another 10 working at its facility in N EWS E DITOR Ocracoke. he North Carolina Center for the “It was created by the legislature,” Advancement of Teaching is sweating recalled Thompson. “It cranked up around out the legislative short session. Gov. ’85 at a dormitory at Western Carolina Pat McCrory didn’t include any funding for University.” the Cullowhee-based center in his proposed Thompson originally served as director budget, and unless legislators carve out a of the NCCAT from 1992 to 1995. place in the final budget, the center will “So, I’m a recycle,” Thompson said. close June 30.

The director can remember years when “Yeah, it’s scary,” said NCCAT Executive Director Richard A sculpture that sits at the Thompson.

North Carolina Center for the Proponents of the NCCAT are lobAdvancement of Teaching. bying lawmakers in an effort to secure funding. Charlotte teacher Donald Nagel has started an online petition in support of the teaching center.

Thompson has been in Raleigh talking to “anybody that will listen.”

The director has spent recent days making the rounds, speaking with legislators in the House and Senate, trying to find budgetary refuge with either one or the other before the collective General Assembly hammers out a final version of the state budget.

“We’ve been trying to talk to the members and key individuals to let them know what we do,” he said. “We exchange conversations in the hallway, or in some cases we’ll sit down in the funding was not such an issue. The early legislative offices.”

2000s were particularly nice. In 2011, the The NCCAT has served North Carolina NCCAT was receiving $6 million in funding since 1985. An estimated 70,000 teachers from the state — back when the center have participated in the center’s programs, employed 82 people. which strive to provide professional devel“It’s been up and down, the funding has opment to the education community ebbed and flowed with the state of the econthroughout the state. The center has 35 omy,” Thompson said. “But the concept, employees at its Cullowhee headquarters, as the program, never seemed to be in jeop-

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ardy of not being funded.”

But, by last year the teaching center was excluded from the governor’s proposed budget. After wrangling some support in Raleigh, making it into the House’s budget, it did manage to secure $3.1 million.

But the funding was kicked to nonrecurring status. That makes for a stressful scene in Cullowhee come the end of a fiscal year.

That’s why Thompson is making the rounds with legislators now, to make NCCAT’s case again for another year of funding. He’s hopeful for a second helping of fiscal salvation.

“In politics, you know, you can’t say it’s all done until the ink on the final signature on the final budget bill has dried,” Thompson said.

The center’s director is finding some support in Raleigh. Among local legislators it appears to be an easy sell.

“It’s a struggle, but it’s important,” said Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville.

Queen was instrumental in securing funding when the NCCAT was shafted in McCrory’s budget last year. He said he’s optimistic about the center’s chances this year and is aiming to get it back on a recurring status.

“I wrote the bill last year to put it in the budget on the House side and we got it in on the House side,” Queen said. “I feel better about it this time than I did last time.

It’s not a drop-kick by any means, but I feel better about it this time than last time. I’m getting better vibes.”

In the Senate, Sen. Jim Davis, RFranklin, is moving NCCAT’s ball up the field — and he may have already found the end zone. The senator is feeling good — “Right now, cautiously optimistic” — and is confident that the center will have a home in the Senate’s budget.

“It appears to be in the Senate budget. It appears we’ve saved it,” Davis said. “It’ll be non-recurring money. It’ll be in there, but it

What is NCCAT? The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching is intended to be a place of learning and professional development for the state’s teachers.

“We want them to learn how to become learners again,” said NCCAT Executive Director Richard Thompson.

The teaching center is based in Cullowhee, with another facility in Ocracoke.

Each year, more than a thousand educators participate in the center’s programs.

This year, the teaching center has focused on four areas: early grades literacy, digital learning, beginning teacher support and teacher leadership. The focus on early grades literacy is connected to the state’s Read to Achieve Act, a 2012 law that holds students back in the third grade if they are not reading on grade level.

Thompson said that programs at the center are designed to engage and inspire teachers.

“We design our program where they have to participate,” the director said. “We don’t over Power Point them.”

Thompson also cited communication as important. He stressed that ample opportunity was provided for teachers at the center to talk shop.

“They have time to talk to each other,” Thompson said, describing common-area scenes of teachers excited about their profession. “You’ll find them in there, after midnight, talking with each other about teaching.”

Last year, NCCAT was not included in Gov. Pat McCrory’s proposed budget. The center ended up securing funding before the budgetary process was over, but in a non-recurring capacity.

That means the teaching center is left wandering again at the end of the current fiscal cycle. Either legislators will find the money for the center during the General Assembly’s short session, or NCCAT will close up shop at the end of June.

might be on life support, but that’s better than not being in there at all.”

That’s the day Davis dreads. He suspects that if the Cullowhee teaching center is ever left wanting once the final budget is drawn up, it’ll be gone for good.

“I’m really fearful that once it goes away it’ll be very hard to get it back,” Davis said.

That fear is also real for Thompson.

He’d hate to see the funding go away, because he’d hate to see the teaching center go away.

“We create teachers with dignity and respect,” Thompson said. “That’s really important.”

That’s part of the pitch the director’s been giving in Raleigh. Trying to find funds to save NCCAT, an institution he sees as vital for North Carolina teachers.

“I still get excited about it,” Thompson said. “I’ve seen what it does. I’ve see people that come there that are ready to quit. Then they become excited and energized and stay.”

BY BECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER ritics of tourism-related economic development in Haywood County have joined forces with a conservative think tank from Raleigh to question the underlying premise of county travel and tourism agencies — namely, should they exist?

“Is that legitimate? Is that a core function of government?” posed Becki Gray, an analyst with the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Raleigh.

A loose-knit group of Maggie Valley lodging owners and conservative activists hosted a lunch forum last week in conjunction with representatives from the John Locke Foundation to crack the room-tax nut.

The room tax is tacked on to overnight lodging bills paid by tourists. The money raised by the room tax — about $1 million in Haywood — goes toward tourism marketing and initiatives that are supposed to lure even more tourists.

Gray said the room tax, like any tax, is “the government taking money out of your pocket.”

on Haywood County’s occupancy tax. It was billed as a study but read more like an indictment of the room tax as a means of funding tourism promotion.

“Taxation is justified only to raise money for necessary purposes of government,” Sara Curry, an analyst with the John Locke Foundation, wrote in her report. “Tourism promotion does not meet that standard. It focuses on helping one sector of the local economy. This function can be served best by the private sector.”

The forum was sparsely attended, with only a handful from the tourism industry and most from the conservative activist arm of the local Republican Party.

Philosophical division emerged among the two camps of critics during the lunch forum. The small handful of lodging owners in attendance weren’t willing to jump on the John Locke no-tax-is-good bandwagon completely. Sure, they disagree with the room tax increase, and they regularly criticize the marketing decisions and campaigns carried out by the Haywood tourism authority — but they weren’t ready to kick the idea of a room tax to the curb.

carload of tourists saw a particular ad that flipped the right switch in their brain to inspire a trip to Haywood County, and ultimately land then in the lobby of a particular motel?

“That cause and effect argument, trying to connect the dots, are tough,” said Morse.

A MONEY PIT, OR A SAFE BET? The room tax in Haywood County — and any county for that matter — funds visitors centers, travel web sites, travel videos, travel magazines, brochures and a host of magazine, web, TV and radio marketing, courting everyone from families to golfers to motorcycle riders to film makers.

The tourism landscape is a competitive one, and a destination can quickly drown in the background noise without an aggressive strategy — and without money to fund it, said Berkeley Young, a consultant and analyst with Young Strategies.

Haywood is in a “very competitive arena” when it comes to destination marketing, said Young, who has studied the eco-

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Cracking the room-tax nut C

occupancy tax if they know that money will be spent in a fashion to increase the demand in their hotels,” Morse said.

Gray pointed to the standard John Locke Foundation talking points about government getting out of the way and letting the private sector prevail. Stop taxing the tourism industry, and let it do its own marketing.

“I get more from my personal marketing,” said Philip Wight, a Maggie Valley lodging owner and Republican county commissioner candidate. “I give credit to the marketing that is done by private enterprise.”

Another lodging owner in the room disagreed, however.

“When you have a small business you can go to an ad agency or newspaper and try to put in an ad, but if you combine with other people, you get a better deal,” said Mike Nelson, a Maggie lodging owner.

Hession countered the private Maggie Valley Lodging Association is a better avenue than the county tourism authority to promote their individual motels. But even the Maggie lodging association taps the funding pot of the tourism authority in order to pay for their own individual marketing initiatives.

This year, Maggie’s association got $17,000 in grants from the tourism authority — money that was collected through the countywide room tax — and used it to market selected Maggie Valley accommodations.

Ken Stahl, a long-time member of the Haywood Tourism Authority and former hotel owner, doubts the private sector would step up to the plate in sizeable numbers or in a coordinated fashion.

“If you want to leave this to private business, you are going to get so much overlap and so much fragmentation,” Stahl said.

“The guy on one side of the street does an ad in such and such magazine and the guy across the street does an ad in the same magazine.”

The lunch forum last week is a continuation of a year-long debate over a proposed increase to the Haywood room tax from 4 to 6 percent. N.C. Rep. Michele Presnell, RBurnsville, asked the John Locke Foundation to do a report on the proposed lodging tax increase. Presnell opposes the tax increase and blocked it from passing in the General Assembly last year.

The majority of tourism and civic leaders support the increase as a way to advance tourism, an important economic driver in the region.

But critics lobbying against it have stymied the passage of the increase, although it is unclear how many are simply anti-tax critics of big government and how many have a stake in the tourism industry.

For example, one conservative activist at the lunch didn’t even support the use of tax dollars — tourism of otherwise — to underwrite community fireworks on Fourth of July.

“It is not the job of government to set off fireworks,” said Eddie Cabe, a conservative activist with the Haywood Republican Party, who was sporting an American flag ball cap and patriotic T-shirt.

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May 28-June 3, 2014

But tourism economists disagree with that assessment.

“When government spends this tax, it is not taxing and spending. It is generating more business and more jobs in the community,” said Steve Morse, a professor of tourism and hospitality at Western Carolina University. “If you look at taxes as an investment, and you have an aggressive savvy tourism group in Haywood County, that investment in taxes will generate tenfold more in money if it is spent right.”

The forum last week followed the release of a John Locke Foundation position paper

Karen Hession, a Maggie Valley lodging owner, said she wants more evidence and accountability for how room tax dollars are spent — and specifically whether the tourism marketing has ever landed a tourist on her doorstep.

A few present complained about the lack of data.

“How can you tell if the tax is doing any good? How do you measure it?” asked Lynda Bennett, an advocate for conservative policies in Haywood County.

It’s an age-old criticism of any tourism agency. How can they prove that a particular

nomics of tourism in Western North Carolina.

“Most every county in the region has a tourism authority promoting each county as a destination. Haywood County must be an aggressive marketer to compete or you will lose market share as the counties surrounding you increase their share of tourists,” said Young.

The “reap what you sow” concept of collective tourism marketing has been widely embraced in the political and economic arena.

“The hoteliers are behind increases in

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The John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank, presented a position paper in Haywood County last week denouncing the prevailing model of tourism-related economic development. Becky Johnson photo

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Opinion

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Wishful thinking about needed changes

To the Editor: It’s probably always been that way. People tend to forget lessons of the past and focus only on the present leaving out anything that may disagree with their views.

Politics has always been about money and is nothing new. The one who spends the most money usually wins a political office.

The Supreme Court in its Citizens United decision allowed not only large companies to donate to candidates but allowed unions and trial lawyer groups to also donate large sums.

One might say that companies that donate money at least put people to work and give them jobs, but unions do nothing of the sort.

To be honest, unions did serve a purpose at one time in the past and there are many examples of the good things they accomplished, but now they are a way for union leaders to get rich off the backs of the union workers who pay them their dues, sometimes unwillingly having their dues deducted from their paychecks.

When unions cause prices to go up, the end result is a net loss of jobs, as we saw in the automobile industry, and forcing jobs over-

ning. Then we had to come in and Lillie would make us a giant bowl of popcorn and we’d eat it and sit at the window and watch the storm. We would count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder so we would know how many miles away it was.”

All of this they absorbed for a moment, letting the picture of it materialize on the canvas of their imaginations, as they framed the next set of urgent questions.

“What is Roses? Why would you stay out in the rain? What can you do in the rain?”

Columnist I told them that we would do just about everything in the rain that we did when it wasn’t raining. We would just get wet doing it, very wet, so wet that when we came in from playing, we would have to take turns wringing our clothes out in the bathroom, shivering and dripping until Lillie would bring us each a huge terry cloth beach towel and a dry change of clothes. It was glorious.

“But you were NAKED?” they exclaimed, perhaps overburdened by the image of their dad wringing out his soaking clothes in a bathtub.

“Well, yes, that is generally the way of things when you have to take off your clothes,” I said. “Then we’d all dry off and drink lemonade and watch ‘The Andy Griffith Show.’”

Now, every night after dinner, the kids want to watch an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show” before bed. If they’ve done their homework and taken their baths and brushed their teeth, this is a request I cannot really resist. They’ve even seen enough episodes by now to have favorites.

“Let’s watch ‘Citizen’s Arrest’!” yells Kayden, “You know, the one where Gomer gives Barney a ticket.”

Chris Cox

he kids and I are in this strange new bonding phase of our relationship. For years, they displayed not the slightest interest in my personal history, even shrugging in absolute indifference when relatives pulled out old Polaroids to demonstrate the uncanny resemblance between me and them when I was their age.

Or we might be in the car, and an old song would come on the radio and remind me of a funny college story, which I would immediately begin narrating until it got sucked down and drowned in a vortex of moans and groans from the back seat.

“Come on, dad!” they’d whine in anguished contortions.

“We’ve heard that story about a bazillion times already!”

I am not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point in the past few weeks, some cosmic switch was flipped and these same children suddenly became utterly fascinated by all-thingsdaddy. They are especially interested in how the things I experienced when I was a child compare — or do not compare — to the things they are experiencing. Did I watch cartoons? Did I like going to WalMart on the weekends? Which video games were my favorites? Was I any good at baseball? Did I like school?

Who was my favorite teacher? Did I play a musical instrument?

What kind of pets did I have, and what were their names? Did I fight with my brother and sister? What happened, if I did?

When I tell them that there were no WalMarts or video games when I was a child, they stare at me with expressions of pure bewilderment. Right before their eyes, I am transformed from a man into a relic, a living page ripped out of a moldy history book. I might as well be Abraham Lincoln, or Hamlet, or Moses, since we all come from times and places equally and utterly incomprehensible to them.

“Well, what did you DO then?”

“Well, I did go to Roses over in Galax once in a while with my Aunt Lillie and Mamaw and Elgin,” I said. “And all of us kids played outside all the time, even in the rain, unless it was light-

seas to places like China or more automation to replace workers in America.

There is a cure for all this, and it is to have all campaign money paid for by taxpayers.

Each candidate would be allocated a certain amount of money, depending on what political office they were running for. In order to qualify for that money, they would have to prove they have a percentage of public support for their campaign, otherwise you might have 500 people running for the same office.

It’s not clear how we could force the newspaper and television industries to allow space and time for political campaigns but perhaps the taxpayers could absorb some of that cost as well. We should be able to work that out.

OK, so now we have a bunch of newly elected people who have not been bought out in advance by some rich individual, company, union or trial lawyer group. Whoever wins can start with a totally clean slate, free of pressure from any special interest group and ready to do what’s best for America.

Yes, we would still need lobbyists simply because someone needs to represent the groups that dumb laws can make or break.

More than 100,000 jobs were lost when our lawmakers passed a 10 percent tax on luxury items because no lobbyist was there to tell them about the consequences of their actions.

We’ll watch it and then take turns repeating our favorite lines from that episode on the way up to their bedrooms.

“Andy, he called me a ‘boob’!”

“Citizen’s arrest, citizen’s arrest!!”

I get them all tucked in, but they want another story of my childhood, which is, for now, a nightly ritual that has at least temporarily replaced Alligator Theater, a “variety show” performed by three stuffed alligators, Bob, AJ, and Mrs. Jones. If you ask me, the alligators need some new material anyway, so I’m glad enough for the reprieve.

“Story time, story time, story time!”

I get them settled and launch into a story about my very first dog, Bubbles, who was so mean that we could not come anywhere near her, even to pet her. We had to push her food in her direction, and then run like crazy to avoid her snarling lunges. I go on for a bit with a few anecdotes that I felt captured Bubbles’ unprecedented meanness. The kids double over with laughter, punching each other in the arm, comrades for the moment.

“Did you ever get to pet her?”

“Not even close,” I said. “She would have bitten my hand off.”

Downstairs, a scrawny cat claws at the screen door, mewling for attention. She’s a new arrival, having appeared on the scene just days ago, though Kayden is doing her best to coax her into staying. For reasons that make sense only to her, she even used her brother’s only suit jacket to fashion a bed for her on the front porch, at least until we discovered it and insisted on more traditional accommodations. She is calling the cat ‘Wisdom.’

I can’t help wondering whether Wisdom will find her way not only into our home, but into her own story, for another generation of wide-eyed children. I sure hope so.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher. He can be contacted at jchriscox@live.com.)

But no bribes, free vacations or free lunches would be allowed.

Only when the public can break away from control by special interests, demanding some revolutionary new laws, can we break this weak link in our democracy.

Bob Wilson Franklin

We just didn’t see it coming To the Editor: “A date which will live in infamy.”

I was just 6 years old and vividly recall the day, puzzling at my parents’ reactions to these words as they were broadcast nationwide. I don’t recall understanding the words, but days later sat between my parents in a theatre seeing President Roosevelt say them. There was no television, no Internet and certainly no cell phones. We relied on radio and movie-theatre news.

The impact of that day on every American of all ages was enormous. Most Americans had no idea this was about to happen. From historians we have learned that there were indications of coming conflagration, not just in Europe but here for our homeland.

We didn’t see it coming!

Since that day we’ve suffered so many other dates which will live in infamy – war, natural catastrophe, and certainly 9-11 — but endless 24-7 news has anesthetized our infamy quotient! There truly are so many earth-shaking events piling one atop another.

We do notice, but they quickly pass from our collective consciousness due to yet another incoming infamous event. Nothing seems to get done for any of them, no matter how tragic their impact here or abroad.

But note, we also have the infamy that is seldom talked about, not publicized, not at the top of the 24-7 talking head news and little mentioned by our leaders. We do hear from those who blare their usual naysaying of critically important issues that impact life as we know it.

Some pursue the plutocrat’s worldview, then noisily and hypocritically fret over potential expense that may be left to those who follow. Forward thinkers, instead, fret about what will be left to those who follow. What will become of the air, water, soil and necessary life-supporting components we leave the world for future generations? Money won’t matter if there’s nothing left to sustain life.

On this Memorial Day, I can only wonder if my two little great-grandsons will say in

Medicaid expansion was a no-brainer

tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 A TASTE OF NEW ORLEANS 67 Branner Ave., Waynesville, 828.246.0885. 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 7 days a week. Curtis Henry opened A Taste of New Orleans to cater to the locals and become the place that’s always open that you can rely on for different, flavorful dishes every day. Serving Cajun, French and Creole Cuisine in a lovingly restored space, Curtis looks forward to serving you up a delicious dish soon.

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

828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years.

Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997.

Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slowsimmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m.

Closed on Sunday. We specialize in handcut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday & Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. closed Sunday. Chef owned and operated. Our salads are made in house using local seasonal vegetables. Fresh roasted ham, turkey and Roast Beef used in our hoagies. We hand make our own Eggplant & Chicken Parmesan, Pork Meatballs and Hamburgers. We use 1st

May 28-June 3, 2014

Lunch is Back!

11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M. DINNER NIGHTLY AT 4 P.M. MONDAY-SATURDAY Classic local American comfort foods, craft beers & small batch bourbons & whiskey.

Prime Rib Thursdays

Smoky Mountain News

To the Editor: Thank you for your recent very informative article about the status of Medicaid expansion In North Carolina. I would like to make a case for Medicaid expansion.

As you stated, the Affordable Care Act provides for the expansion of Medicaid in states and pays 100 percent for the first three years, and, thereafter, gradually tapers down to 90 percent by 2020. At no time would a state have to pay more than 10 percent of Medicaid expenses for the new people covered. Since Medicaid in North Carolina only covers children, the elderly, disabled and some parents of children, the expansion would cover around 500,000 additional North Carolina citizens who now do not have affordable access to health care.

The goal of the Affordable Care Act is to provide health care coverage for as many people as possible. As does most legislation, it contains multiple sections, each one dependent on the others. The poorest people were to be covered by the Medicaid expansion, and those without insurance who made more than 100 percent of the federal poverty level ($11,490 for singles, $23,550 for a family of four) would receive subsidies to buy health insurance from private companies in the new health care marketplace. Since those making less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level were to have been covered by Medicaid, the law does not provide subsidies in the marketplace for them.

When the Supreme Court declared the Affordable Care Act constitutional, it made the Medicaid expansion portion optional for states. This created a coverage gap for those making less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level in states which did not expand Medicaid.

The losers in states that did not expand Medicaid are the people who would have been covered by Medicaid expansion (who pay with their lives), the hospitals, anyone paying for health care, job seekers, the state economy, and federal taxpayers.

A recent Harvard/CCNY study estimates that opting out of Medicaid expansion will cost between 455 and 1,145 lives each year in North Carolina. These are preventable deaths. Those who do not have health insurance and cannot pay for health care cannot afford preventative care, which would monitor and treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. They are forced to emergency rooms when a crisis occurs.

The federal government has traditionally helped hospitals, required by federal law to treat all who come to the emergency room, with funds to mitigate emergency care for the indigent. The Affordable Care Act cut this funding because most of the indigent were supposed to be covered by Medicaid.

The refusal to expand Medicaid is causing a

crisis in hospitals. Rural hospitals in Georgia and Alabama have closed because of the refusal to expand Medicaid in those states.

Because of the uncompensated emergency care that hospitals must provide, hospitals must raise their rates. This causes everyone paying for health care and/or health insurance to pay more to cover the increased hospital rates. The American Academy of Actuaries estimates that premiums for private insurance will be at least 2 percent higher in states that do not expand Medicaid. If Medicaid had been expanded, the incidence of uncompensated serious emergencies, along with hospital rates, would decrease. Emergency care is much more expensive than preventative care.

Control of blood sugar levels reduces the need for amputations in diabetics.

Medication can reduce the incidence of heart attacks and strokes. Arkansas, a conservative state that did expand Medicaid, reports a decline in the number of emergency room visits and in the number of uninsured patients.

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine estimated that the expansion of Medicaid in North Carolina would create 23,000 jobs over the next 10 years and add $5 million per day to the economy. An analysis by Regional Economic Models Inc. (REMI) estimated expansion would add $1.4 billion in annual GDP growth. Expansion would bring in $15 billion in federal funds to the state, flowing to health care providers and local economies. Medicaid expansion would pay for itself.

Funds to pay for Medicaid expansion come from the federal government. All those paying federal taxes are paying for Medicaid expansion in other states but not reaping any of the benefits in North Carolina.

Expanding Medicaid should be a nobrainer. I cannot think of one valid argument against it that would trump saving lives, hospitals and jobs. This makes me concerned about the brains of the North Carolina legislators who voted against Medicaid expansion.

In this election year, voters should know how the candidates stand on this issue. State Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, voted against Medicaid expansion; his opponent, Jane Hipps, supports expansion. State Reps.

Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, and Roger West, R-Marble, voted against it. Rep. Presnell’s opponent, Dean Hicks, supports it. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, voted for Medicaid expansion, but his opponent would repeal the entire Affordable Care Act, subjecting citizens to being denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions and taking away health insurance for the more than 350,000 in North Carolina who signed up for it in the marketplace.

Many conservative states have expanded Medicaid, including Arizona, Arkansas and Kentucky. Their politicians put the wellbeing of their citizens before knee-jerk ideology and dislike of our country’s president. In November, please consider the hearts and brains of our Western North Carolina candidates when you cast your votes.

Carole Larivee Waynesville

opinion

their future desolated world, “They who came before us, didn’t they see it coming?”

Shirl Ches Franklin

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. • Dinner Nightly at 4 p.m. • CLOSED ON SUNDAY 454 HAZELWOOD AVENUE • WAYNESVILLE Call 828-452-9191 for reservations 242-06

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tasteTHEmountains quality fresh not pre-prepared products to make sure you get the best food for a reasonable price. We make Vegetarian, Gluten Free and Sugar Free items. Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are. We are now open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights by customer request, so come join us and find out what all the talk is about.

BRYSON CITY BAKERY AND PASTRY SHOPPE 191 Everett St., Bryson City. 828.488.5390 Offering a full line of fresh baked goods like Grandma used to make. Large variety to choose from including cakes, pies, donuts, breads, cinn-buns and much more. Also serving Hershey Ice Cream. Open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays (weather permitting), featuring steaks, ribs, chicken, and pork chops, to name a few. Bountiful family-style dinners on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herbbaked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. The evening social hour starts at 6 p.m., and dinner is served starting at 7

p.m. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations.

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

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

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials.

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

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

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

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

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

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

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

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.7179. Reservations recommended.

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

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT 3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley. 828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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May 28-June 3, 2014

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO ITALIAN

MEDITERRANEAN

STEAKS • PIZZA CHICKEN • SEAFOOD SANDWICHES

828-456-1997 blueroostersoutherngrill.com

6306 Pigeon Road Canton, NC

OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK 1863 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.454.5002 HWY. 19/23 EXIT 98

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

Café

We’ll feed your spirit, too.

Deli & So Much More NEW DINNER SPECIALS:

(828) 648-4546

Grilled Ham Steak w/Fresh Pineapple Stuffed Shells w/sausage & ricotta Bay Scallops w/garlic butter over angel hair pasta

jukeboxjunctioneat.com

Cataloochee Ranch

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Hours:

MON-SAT: 7 A.M.-9 P.M. SUN: 8:30 A.M.-3 P.M. 22

Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

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Smoky Mountain News

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

Chicken Francaise

Dinners include salad, starch & vegetable

DINNER SERVED ON FRI. & SAT. ONLY, 5-8 PM

Mon-Thr 8-5 • Fri & Sat 8-8 • Sun Closed 6147 Highway 276 S. Bethel, North Carolina (at the Mobil Gas Station)

bbcafenc.com • 828.648.3838

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817.

Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome.

Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

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

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

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

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

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

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

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

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

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

ORGANIC BEANS COFFEE COMPANY 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

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

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Bar open Monday thru Saturday; dining room open Tuesday thru Saturday at 5 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials.

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

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

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

THE WINE BAR 20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground cellar for wine and beer, served by the glass all day.

Cheese and tapas served Wednesday through Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or later. info@classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Come to Franklin and enjoy our laid back place, a place you can sit back, relax and enjoy our 62” HDTV. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito. The recipes have been in the family for 50 years (don't ask for the recipes cuz’ you won't get it!) Each Pizza is hand tossed and made with TLC. You're welcome to watch your pizza being created.

www.CityLightsCafe.com Join us for Lunch & Dinner Mon-Fri Breakfast & Brunch Sat & Sun

242-157 237-40

UPCOMING EVENTS

Soda Shop NOW OPEN!

FRIDAY, MAY 30:

Imposters

Pretzels Smoothies

Hot Dogs Ice Cream

SATURDAY, MAY 31:

& More!

Soco Creek

242-15

83 Asheville Hwy. Sylva Music Starts @ 9 • 631.0554

11 Memory Lane • 828-454-6769 Game Room • Next to the pool

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Murder Mystery Dinner:

‘Til Death’ A wedding you’ll never forget!

ALL-NATURAL

Saturday, June 7 • 6 pm

DELI MEATS & CHICKEN

3 COURSE DINNER WITH WINE & MYSTERY $45/PERSON + TAX & GRATUITY

94 East St. • Waynesville 828-452-7837 www.herrenhouse.com Serving Lunch Wed-Fri 11:30-2 & Sunday Brunch 11-2

VEGETARIAN & VEGAN OPTIONS

Smoky Mountain News

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

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

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

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

Reservations appreciated.

Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-4 p.m. • Sat. 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

May 28-June 3, 2014

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

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

coffees — and making the world a better place. 100% of our coffee is Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Organic, all slow-roasted to bring out every note of indigenous flavor.

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

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HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837.

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

Enjoy fresh local products, created daily.

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Smoky Mountain News

Passing on the song of Appalachia JAM instructor Trevor Stuart plays with his fiddle students during the program’s end-of-year party recently. Jeremy Morrison photo

JAM teaches music, tradition and a sense of place

BY J EREMY MORRISON N EWS E DITOR t the front of the room, banjos and fiddles plow through an Appalachian repertoire. Fingers dance across strings, conjuring the history and tradition that have seeped out of the region’s hills for generations.

“Trying to get’em to play together on the same beat at the beginning is kind of like herding cats,” laughed instructor Robby Robertson.

“But by the end they get it together.”

Across the audience, parents capture the moment with cell phone cameras. The young musicians focus on their instruments and ready themselves for another song.

Off to the side, other young musicians watch their friends play. They cradle guitars and banjos and wear fiddle cases like backpacks as the group up front finishes up with “Good Old Mountain Dew.” These students have gathered in Haywood Community College’s creative arts building to celebrate another year of JAM, or the Haywood County Junior Appalachian Musicians program. They’re performing for family and friends, demonstrating the skills they’ve learned in the after-school program.

“It’s pretty awesome,” said 11-year-old David Roland.

Roland is in sixth grade and has been involved with the JAM program for three years now. He’s been learning to pick the banjo.

“I have talent in music, so when I play a new instrument it gets me excited,” Roland said.

Fellow musician Benjamin Carpenter, 13, has also been with the program for three years. The seventh-grader plays the guitar, but he’d like to explore other instruments as well.

“I want to do the mandolin if they make a class for it,” Carpenter said.

A

Standing at the back of the room, Bill Roland watches his grandson and the other musicians perform. He wears a smile sanctioned by the sound.

“He plays it when he comes to my house,” the old man said, nodding toward his grandson and the banjo. “He loves it.”

This is the payoff for Sally Mackert, manager of Haywood’s JAM program. She likes to see students jazzed about mountain music and culture.

“You can immediately identify the kids that just get turned on and really excited,” Mackert said.

RAW MUSIC The Junior Appalachian Musicians program first began in 2000 in Alleghany County.

There are now more than two dozen programs across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

Haywood County’s JAM, an offering from

the Haywood County Arts Council, was among the first to form. It began in 2001 and caters to students in fourth through eighth grade.

“Me and my brother and Trina Royar started it all,” recalled Trevor Stuart.

Stuart is still involved with the program.

He teaches fiddle, while his twin brother, Travis, teaches banjo.

“The history of the program is really couched in these two instructors who have been there since the beginning,” explained Mackart. “They’ve really been the backbone of the program.”

In addition to working with JAM, the brothers are also performers. They take the sounds of Appalachia on the road and across the ocean.

“They say people in the British Isles are absolutely smitten with Appalachian music,” Mackart said.

The brothers were drawn to JAM because of the program’s mission to cultivate Appalachian culture.

“It’s a connection to the area. It’s kind of like taking a history class.

That’s one of the things that really drew me to this kind of music.”

— Keegan Luckey-Smith

A student in Jackson County’s JAM program practices her banjo.

Donated photo

JAM Camp

During the summer, JAM offers a week-long camp with a focus on Appalachian music and tradition. Donated photo teaching that way,” said Mackert. “They’re big believers in that tradition.”

Learning to play by ear not only continues a tradition but also allows for a less formal environment. Kids needn’t be steeped in theory. They are not required to learn how to read music. They are free to listen, and enjoy.

“That’s kind of important,” said Dusk Weaver, manager of Jackson County’s threeyear-old JAM program. “You know, you pass on your musical enthusiasm when you teach kids, and it’s not as formal as learning to read music.”

That enjoyment is paramount to the program. It is essential to the music itself.

“It’s pretty simple and raw music,” said Travis Stuart. “A lot of people learn it and the first thing they want to do is dance.”

PARANOID IN APPALACHIA Keegan Luckey-Smith has enjoyed JAM for years. First as a student, now as an instructor.

SUMMER SONGS AND TRADITIONS Haywood’s after-school JAM program wraps along with the academic year. But students can continue their musical journey during the summer with JAM Camp.

It’s a looser affair, learning Appalachian songs blowing in the breeze of summer.

“They can just go outside and sit under a tree and play,” said Mackert.

JAM Camp is held during the second week of July. Students can take lessons on guitar, banjo and fiddle. There is also a string band class and enrichment sessions focusing on mountain dances, songs, stories and traditions — maybe some archery, or kickball.

“We try to keep’em a little energetic,” said Travis. “After lunch we’ll go out and shoot bows and arrows and then come back and maybe have a jam session.”

Like the school-year program, JAM Camp strives to pass along a musical tradition as well as instill an appreciation of Appalachian culture in today’s youth.

“I think it’s important to have an idea of where they’re from, to know where they’re from and what the culture is,” said Travis, “It’s something to be proud of.”

This seems to be the core message the JAM program imparts. It allows for connections between the past and future. And, for the Stuart brothers and the rest of the folks plugged into JAM, this is an important mission to carry on.

“If we didn’t, it’d get lost,” said Trevor.

“It’d just be kind of gone.”

May 28-June 3, 2014

“I think it’s good to keep the old music alive,” said Trevor Stuart. “It’s just a good way to pass on the tradition.”

There was no JAM program when the Stuart brothers were young. The twins were taught just as generations of past Appalachian musicians were taught.

“We started playing when we were young, learning from folks in the community,” explained Travis Stuart. “It’s social music; people would get together and dance.”

The brothers didn’t learn to play through formal training. They learned to play the same way they’re teaching their students in JAM to play: by ear.

“We try to make it fun, we don’t do any kind of classical training, we just do ear training,” explained Travis. “It’s the way it was passed on. There’s just no other way to learn. We try to get’em to listen.”

This aspect of the JAM program, playing by ear, is key.

“Our instructors pride themselves on

“I had a great time over at JAM and learned so much,” said Luckey-Smith. “I really like to pass on the stuff I learned.”

The banjo player is deeply rooted in JAM. He fully appreciates its mission.

“It’s a connection to the area. It’s kind of like taking a history class,” Luckey-Smith said. “That’s one of the things that really drew me to this kind of music. I really love history.”

The musician’s experience in JAM, as well as his love of history, is currently shaping his future. Lucky-Smith will soon venture to East Tennessee State University for a total immersion into his passion.

“It’s the only one in the country that has a bachelor’s of arts in bluegrass, old time and country music,” he said, adding that he’s not yet sure what path he’ll pursue with the degree. “I’m not sure right now, but I know that’s the kind of thing I want to be involved in.”

Lucky-Smith also gives a nod toward JAM when discussing his current endeavors. He is part of a local band, Productive Paranoia, which incubated in the JAM program.

“All the members have been in JAM at one point or another,” Luckey-Smith said. “It definitely helped the sparking of it.”

Productive Paranoia plays throughout the local area, in a way continuing JAM’s

arts & entertainment

After a successful run last summer, JAM Camp is being offered again this year. The week-long program offers instruction in guitar, banjo, fiddle and string band. There are also sessions focusing on mountain dances, songs, stories and traditions.

Like the school-year program, JAM Camp is open to students who this fall will be going into the fourth through eighth grades.

JAM Camp runs July 7-11 at the Canton Middle School. The camp, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, costs $75. To register, or for more information about the summer program or the next after-school program call the Haywood County Arts Council, 828.452.0593.

mission and preaching the gospel of Appalachian music. It’s a message that’s finding a receptive congregation.

According to Luckey-Smith, the group’s fan base cuts across generational boundaries. It’s more and more common to find young musicians with an interest in oldtime music.

“We meet a lot of younger bands that are interested in doing the same thing we’re doing,” Luckey-Smith said. “I think it’s having a kind of rebirth.”

From JAM to Productive Paranoia Smoky Mountain News

The members of Productive Paranoia were all involved in Haywood County’s Junior Appalachian Musicians program. Now, they share their sounds with crowds throughout the region.

The band has been together about two years now. In addition to Appalachian music, the young band also incorporates a variety of styles into their sound, including bluegrass and folk.

“We do a mixture,” explained banjo player Keegan Luckey-Smith, “because everyone’s got their own interests in the band. Mine is definitely probably leaning toward Appalachian.”

The banjoist —who is also an instructor with Haywood’s JAM — is the only member of the band to have thus far graduated high school. He is joined by his brother, Connor Luckey-Smith, as well as Madeleine Sheppard, Ean Sheppard and Andreas Kampouris. They play multi-generational audiences and are currently working on material to record an album.

The group drew the name Productive Paranoia from an unlikely well.

“It’s actually a business term,” Lucky-Smith explained.

Members of the band were in 4-H together. During one 4-H event, the musicians were listening to a business lecture when their future moniker — “productive paranoia” — jumped out at them.

“We were like, ‘That’d be a pretty cool band name,’” Luckey-Smith laughed.

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arts & entertainment May 28-June 3, 2014

This must be the place

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I put the word vacation in quotation marks because when you’re going home it’s never really is a “vacation,” but more of a cluttered array of family obligations and chaotic travel moments. Don’t get me wrong, I truly love and appreciate my parents, sister and relatives. It’s just that I find I return to Western North Carolina from Upstate New York more exhausted than I felt leaving work for a week.

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stranger and I always find that the best socie- ing paths with a face that knows everything tal encounters are those by happenstance. about you — who you are, what you are and And yet, I always find it such an awkward where you want to go. Those faces and feeling to head home, back to the landscape places and things find me like a magnet, to I spent the first full 18 years of my life living which I engage them and connect the dots in. It’s that odd feeling, almost like when you even further in a world where face-to-face go grocery shopping by yourself or you’re sit- communication and a sense of individual self ting alone and observing people at an airis a lost art. port (like I am now). It’s a feeling where you’re well aware of what’s going on around you, but you somehow feel disconnected, and M more observant, to the situation F than an actual participant.

The Trail Magic Ale No. 8 release party will be Maybe it’s my journalistic side June 6-7 at Nantahala Brewing Company in h saying that, but I find these sentiBryson City. ments always emerge when I w make a dash for the northern Blind Lemon Phillips will perform at Groovin’ f side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

M on the Green at 6:30 p.m. May 30 at the Being from a rural communiI Village Commons in Cashiers. ty, Memorial Day weekend is a A landscape-painting workshop by Doreyl huge deal. When there isn’t much v Ammons Cain will be held at 2 p.m. June 7 at f to do you’ll find any excuse to fire a local farmstead in Tuckasegee. up the barbecue, slide a little closer to that cute local girl and pop n The Caribbean Cowboys will be performing open a cold one. Isn’t that what during a luau from 3 to 7 p.m.

May 31 at No country songs are all about? f Name Sports Pub in Sylva.

With this recent jaunt home, I have three agenda items: attend a A cornhole tournament by Women of i friend’s wedding, see my pregnant Waynesville to benefit Big Brothers, Big Sisters sister (who I really haven’t seen at will be at 10 a.m. June 7 at BearWaters all since she told me the good Brewing in Waynesville. news) and open up the tailgate for “Happy Pike,” which is my hometown’s Memorial Day booze fest. This trio of And so, as I finish the last sip of this red events will kill more birds with one stone than ale, my flight to Albany ready to board if I rolled a boulder down the riverbanks of shortly, I find myself relaxing finally into the Lake Junaluska. idea of coming back home. It may only be a I suppose the point of my rambling this few days, but those few days linger, as if a week is to share the notion of feeling like a constant mirror were following you, asking if foreigner in my hometown. The longer I stay what you see in the reflection is what you away (and live away) from there, the more hoped for when you got that high school disconnected I get, which is why those few diploma and headed for the horizon line to moments I get sporadically throughout the destinations unknown. years are that much more valuable. You can I think we all need to venture home once take the boy out of North Country, but you in a while. I think we all need that mirror to can’t take the North Country out of the boy. follow us once in a while. The truth doesn’t There is something to be said about walk- hurt — it’s merely a reference point for ing into a familiar establishment or down a change or stability in an already promising street you only see in dreams now, and cross- existence.

I always find it such an awkward feeling to head home, back to the landscape I spent the first full 18 years of my life living in.

I took off from my hometown (pop: 2,200) on the Canadian border when I graduated from high school. All you out there who read our paper are well aware of my wanderings and constant need to see what’s around every corner, where I’ve never met a

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On the beat

Country icon Loretta Lynn will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 6, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

A music legend for over 50 years, Lynn has been designated the First Woman of Country Music. She is the most awarded woman in country music. Lynn has earned four Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, eight Broadcast Music Incorporated awards, twelve Academy of Country Music awards and twenty-six fanvoted Music City News awards. She was the first woman in country music to receive a certified gold album, the first woman to be named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association and the first female country music artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of

• The Caribbean Cowboys will be performing during a luau from 3 to 7 p.m. May 31 at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Free. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Smoke Rise and Ginny McAfee will perform at the Rendezvous in the Maggie Valley Inn. Smoke Rise will play at 9 p.m. May 30, with McAfee at 6 p.m. May 31. Pianist Steve Whiddon also plays every Thursday evening and from noon to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

828.926.0201.

ALSO:

• A comedy show, cornhole tournament and The Spontaneous Combustion Jam will be at BearWaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. The comedy show is at 9 p.m.

June 6, with the cornhole tournament at 10 a.m. June 7. The jam runs from 8 p.m. to midnight every Monday, with all players welcome. 828.246.0602 or www.bwbrewing.com.

• Blind Lemon Phillips will perform at Groovin’ on the Green at 6:30 p.m. May 30 at the Village Commons in Cashiers. Free. www.mountainlovers.com.

Loretta Lynn will hit the stage June 6. Donated photo Fame in 1988 and the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999. Lynn has written over 160 songs, released 60 albums and sold 45 million records worldwide.

Tickets are $45, $50 and $55. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• Friday Night Jazz! with The Kittle & Collings Duo will be from 6 to 9 p.m. May 30 at Lulu’s on Main in Sylva. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Craig Summers & Lee Kram, Bohemian Jean, Andrew of River Rats and Chris Minnick will perform at Frog Level Brewing Company in Waynesville. Summers & Kram play May 29 and June 5, with Bohemian Jean May 30, Andrew of River Rats May 31 and Minnick June 7. Free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Granville Automatic will perform at 7 p.m.

May 31 at the Fontana Village Resort. www.fontanavillage.com.

• The Imposters and Soco Creek will perform at O’Malley’s Pub & Grill in Sylva. The Imposters play May 30, with Soco Creek May 31. 828.631.0554.

• Brad Austin and Paul Constantine will perform at City Lights Café in Sylva. Austin plays May 31, with Constantine June 7. Free. www.citylightscafe.com or 828.587.2233.

• The Corbitt Brothers will perform at 8 p.m.

June 6 at the Franklin High School football field. The performance is for the Relay for Life event taking place that evening. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Steve Weames and The Caribbean Cowboys will perform at Concerts on the Creek at 7:30 p.m. May 30 at Bridge Park in Sylva. Free.

828.586.2155.

• Grits & Soul and Miss Brown to You will perform at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Grist & Soul play May 29, with Miss Brown to You June 5. Both performances are at 7:45 p.m. and are $12 per person. www.38main.com.

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• Circus Mutt and Trail Magic Ale No. 8 release party will be at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City. Circus Mutt will perform May 30, with the release party June 67. All performances begin at 8 p.m. Free.

828.488.2337 or www.nantahalabrewing.com.

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May 28-June 3, 2014

• The High Mountain Squares will host their Memorial Day Dance from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Friday, May 30, at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. All skill levels welcomed. 828.371.4946 or 828.342.1560 or 828.332.0001 or www.highmountainsquare.org.

A L OH A ISL A ND F L AVOR

arts & entertainment

Loretta Lynn to play Franklin

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arts & entertainment

On the wall Haywood Studio Tour issues call for artists

May 28-June 3, 2014

• Jewelry maker Diane Herring and potter Connie Hogan will be the featured artists for the month of June at Tunnel Mountain Crafts in Dillsboro. From 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 7, Hogan will host a pottery demonstration.

From 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Herring will explain the traditional healing properties of the minerals she uses.

Smoky Mountain News

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

The New Haywood Art Studio Tour — scheduled for Oct. 25-26 — is open to all artists who either reside in Haywood County or have a working studio in Haywood County.

For artists who have access issues, limited parking or too small a studio, the tour will include “cluster studios” — a working studio hosting other artists. Artists may arrange for their own “cluster” or the steering committee will assist in pairing hosts with artists. Each artist should apply individually and pay the fee.

Each artist must be present at his/her studio or exhibit on both days of the tour: from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25 and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 26.

All work displayed and/or sold on the tour must be original and made by the artist.

A reception and exhibition for all artists will be held at Frog Level Brewing Company on Oct. 23 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Email HaywoodStudioTour@inbox.com for information and application procedures.

• The films “Nebraska” and “North by Northwest” will be screened at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

“Nebraska” will be shown on May 30-31, with “North by Northwest” June 6-7. Screenings are at 7:45 p.m. on Fridays and 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. on Saturdays. Tickets are $6 per person, $4 for children. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

ALSO:

• A two-day course in hammered copper by Cullowhee metalsmith William Rogers will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. June 13-14 at The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands. Class participants will make a copper pendant or badge that can be worn, using methods practiced by prehistoric Americans to form copper panels and gorgets. For more information about the class and to register, call 828.526.4949.

• A landscape-painting workshop by Doreyl Ammons Cain will be held at 2 p.m. June 7 at a local farmstead in Tuckasegee. The workshop will cover the basics in pastel painting. $36 per person, which includes all art supplies. 828.231.6965 or www.facebook.com/muralistdoreyl.

• The film “Divergent” will be shown at 9:30 p.m. June 5 in the Central Plaza at Western Carolina University. Free. corelli@wcu.edu or 28 828.227.3618.

IMPORTANCE OF CRAFT INDUSTRY Frank Vickery (at right), ceramics program coordinator for The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts in Highlands, demonstrates his art during a discussion about the importance of the region’s craft industry with participants in the recent Western Carolina University Leadership Academy Regional Tour. Ashley T. Evans photo

The artist residency was sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council. Rogers has completed similar projects at Cherokee High School, Tuscola High School and ArtSpace Charter School.

Fine art exhibit at WCU

Student/artist sculpture installed Smokey Mountain Elementary School sixth- and seventh-grade art students were part of a recent Artists-in-Education project that resulted in a metal sculpture now permanently installed at their school. Students invited parents and friends to view their work, meet the artist-teacher and learn repousse, a technique of hammering copper. The project came about through a collaboration between Cullowhee metalsmith William Rogers and art teacher Jenniffer Dall. Students created designs based on an aspect of their culture and transferred these to copper. Using hammers and punches, the students worked their designs into the material. Rogers assembled the copper pieces to form a patchwork “quilt” to hang in the school.

Watercolor film to be screened in Bryson City A film about watercolorist Frank Webb will be shown at the Art League of the Smokies meeting at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.

The film was made from the original movie and video and has three parts. Part one deals with sketching on location, designing the subject and proceeding with wet-into-wet paint. Webb then demonstrates making wash shapes on the now-dry surface. Part two demonstrates working on a dry paper, followed by several layers of transparent washes. Part three is a commentary on the qualities of several paintings.

Going beyond the usual technical display of watercolor, Webb’s paintings express his interest in the creative concept and design principles. Webb is a Pennsylvania artist

The “North Carolina Art Educators” exhibition will be on display from May 29 through July 18 in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University. A reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 29.

The exhibition features the work of art educators throughout North Carolina who link children with the world of art. This year’s selected artists include Jenny Schultz, Vijay Govender, Kathleen Bennett, Megan Bostic, Madison Crawley, Ann Thaden, Kara Faust, Leslie Rosenberg, Victoria Hall, José Cruz, Jenna Bailey, Gayle Woody, Laura DePuy, Robert Mihaly, Lisa Woods, Rod Whyte, Claire Simpson-Jones, Leslie Rachel, Kansas Heiskell, Jennifer EdmundAllen, Carolyn DeGrove, David Clayton and Diane Strazzer. www.wcu.edu.

who has been a professional artist since 1948. He is a Dolphin Fellow and a vice president of the American Watercolor Society.

He holds memberships in several other art organizations and is listed in “Who’s Who in American Art,” and “Who’s Who in the East.” In addition to the three books he has authored, he has conducted workshops in 50 states and many countries and has won over 100 major awards.

Sponsored by Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools. Free.

828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

Art After Dark is July 6 in Waynesville Art After Dark continues from 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, June 6, in downtown Waynesville.

Enjoy a stroll through working studios

and galleries on Main Street and Depot Street. Festive Art After Dark flags denote participating galleries, such as Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86, Earthworks, Jeweler’s Workbench, Twigs and Leaves Gallery, TPennington Art Gallery, The Mahogany House, Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden and Gallery, Cedar Hill Studios and the Village Framer.

Gallery 86 is celebrating Appalachian Heritage Month with arts and crafts that have been passed down over the years, finding their place in contemporary arts.

Twigs and Leaves will feature Tracey McCracken Palmer’s unique artwork, “Dances with Wools,” where she creates intricately designed and felted wool landscapes. The Mahogany House and Art on Depot will feature over 50 artists and has working studios. Grace Cathey will be demonstrating her metalwork at the Sculpture Garden and Gallery. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

7

On the stage

7

Waynesville BAIT & TACKLE

Sedaka musical comedy comes to HART

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May 28-June 3, 2014

The musical comedy “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” will be extended with showings at 7:30 p.m. May 30, 31, June 6, 7, 13, 14 and at 3 p.m. June 1, 8 and 15 at the HART Theatre in Waynesville.

Featuring the music of Neil Sedaka, the production is set in the Catskills at Esther’s Paradise Resort on Labor Day Weekend in 1960. Marge and her best friend Lois arrive on a vacation that was intended to be Marge’s honeymoon – until the groom left her at the altar. They of course get swept up in the atmosphere and Lois begins matchmaking with the club’s lead singer, the ambitious Del Demonico.

Sedaka has had a phenomenal career. He began as a songwriter in the 1950s creating a series of hits for Connie Frances and continued to ride a wave of success until the British invasion in 1964 with The Beatles. He also wrote for The Carpenters, The Monkees, The Captain and Tennille, Sinatra, Natalie Cole and more hits for himself.

Tickets are $24 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for students. There will be a special $8 discount for tickets for students Thursdays and Sundays.

828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org.

The Legacy Dance Camp, a program for intermediate to advanced dancers who want to train in the precision style, will be held Sunday, June 22, through Saturday, June 28, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Training in the precision style improves the skills of individuals who will be preparing for dance teams, Broadway-style and kick-line work. Instructors will be former Radio City Rockettes and master dance instructors Karyn Tomczak and Mary Six Rupert.

Tomczak, director of WCU’s dance program, performed for more than 15 years in shows such as “42nd Street,” “Sophisticated Ladies,” and “Funny Girl.” Her choreographic credits include “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Unto These Hills.”

Rupert was a Rockette for 13 years as well as dance captain of the last Rockette national tour. She has performed in many musicals, including “42nd Street,” “My One and Only,” “Gypsy,” “Can Can” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”

Camp participants must be at least 14 years old with a minimum of five years of training in tap, jazz and ballet. Submission of a video audition and a letter of recommendation from a dance teacher are required.

Two registration options are available.

Commuters may attend the camp for $550, which covers all classes, seminars, a Saturday performance and lunches. Participants who wish to stay on campus can pay $850 and also receive space in a double-occupancy residence hall room and all meals.

828.227.7397 or www.camps.wcu.edu.

7

On the street offered free of charge to women, children and men.

828.456.7898.

The Francis Mill Preservation Society will celebrate the mill’s 127th year with the “Cars and Cornmeal II” show and music act Cornbread Ted & The Butterbeans at 9 a.m. June 7 in Waynesville.

The Francis Mill Preservation Society was founded in 2003 to restore and preserve the 1887 Francis Grist Mill.

Auto registration is $15 or $10 in advance. Spectator tickets are just $5. All proceeds from this event go to the continuing preservation of the Francis Mill and the promotion and preservation of local heritage. The Francis Mill Preservation Society is a non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible. www.francismill.org.

• The Feast for the Furries will be at noon June 1 at the Fryemont Inn in Bryson City. Mimosas and champagne tickets will be available at the door. Brunch, hor d’oeuvres. All proceeds go to PAWS. $25 per person.

REACH fashion show, fundraiser

• The Covenant Christian Church Barbecue dinner fundraiser will be from 4:30 to 8 p.m. May 31 in Sylva. $8 per plate, $10 per pound of barbecue. 828.331.8678.

REACH of Haywood will celebrate their resale store’s expansion and grand reopening with a fashion show and luncheon at noon June 2 at the Bourbon Barrel Beef & Ale Restaurant in Waynesville.

The celebration will follow the ceremonial ribbon cutting by the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce at 11:30 a.m. All fashions will be from Within REACH and will be for sale after the show.

REACH of Haywood serves survivors of domestic violence, dating abuse, sexual assault and elder abuse. All REACH services are

• A cornhole tournament by Women of Waynesville to benefit Big Brothers, Big Sisters will be at 10 a.m. June 7 at BearWaters Brewing in Waynesville.

828.545.6879 or 828.627.2390.

ALSO:

• A wine tasting will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Papou’s Wine Shop and Bar in Sylva. 828.586.6300.

• A Barbecue Chicken Dinner will be from 5 to 9 p.m. May 31 at Bloemsma Barn in Franklin. Silent auction, hayrides, dancing and live music by The Remnants. Tickets available at the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce or at the door. $15 for adults, $7 for children ages 5-10 and free for children ages 4 and under. www.franklin-chamber.com.

Open to the public Located at The Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa

Smoky Mountain News

Francis Mill celebrates with music, barbecue

arts & entertainment

Dance camp to be offered at WCU

Enter as a Customer, Leave as a Friend

828-456-3551ext 6

www.BalsamSpa.com 242-166

29

arts & entertainment

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Smoky Mountain News

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

31

A frank look at monogamy through the ages n our tell-all age of talk shows and reality television, of Facebook and Twitter, the idea that restraint and repression might contain some worth seems as antiquated a concept as arranged marriages. We revel in revelation: our bookstores are jammed with accounts by the famous and the not-sofamous regarding their sexual histories, their conquests and their defeats. Talk shows have for so long featured the weird and the bizarre that producers these days seem hardpressed to fill airtime.

Writer Strangers bare their souls to strangers in grocery stores and airports, often discussing sex as casually as their grandparents once discussed the weather. In the 40 years since the “sexual revolution” of the sixties, even the meanings of basic concepts — marriage, family, love, friendship — have acquired new hues of meaning.

In Marriage and Civilization: How Monogamy Made Us Human (Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2014, 289 pages, $27.95), veteran journalist William Tucker reminds us of the value of sexual restraint and of marriage.

In a fascinating study of the various turns of monogamy throughout history and a look at marriage today, he explains that the monogamous relationship helped give rise to civilizations around the world.

Before taking a look at Marriage and Civilization, it is important to note that Tucker has written neither a conservative screed nor an attack on gay marriage. In his religious views, he seems an agnostic, and in his brief discussion of gay marriage, he could be said to favor that cause. Readers looking for a rant will not find it in this book.

Jeff Minick

I

What you will find is a fascinating mix of anthropology and history followed by a close examination of the state of monogamy and

on Chinese culture, the reasons why so many Chinese men willingly underwent self-castration to work as the emperor’s eunuchs and the dangers of China’s One-Child Policy, which has created a male population enormously disproportionate to the female.

Looking at India, Tucker examines the reasons for the practice of arranged marriages, a custom still followed by most Indian families. Like the Chinese, the peoples of India long ago found in marriage a stabilizing force, and unlike the West, have never abandoned arranged unions.

Though most of us may not sympathize with this idea — I do know a few fathers of teenage daughters who might give the concept pause for thinking — Tucker shows us why the Indian population continues to follow this ancient path to matrimony.

Tucker also grants those readers who love history and new facts a treasure chest of information. The redoubtable Genghis Khan, for example, is believed to be the progenitor for 16 million people alive today. The Indian practice of sati, in which the wife of a deceased husband immolates herself on his funeral pyre, was Marriage and Civilization: How Monogamy Made Us Human largely an upper-class custom and was undertaken willingly. He

by William Tucker. Regnery, 2014. 289 pages. examines polygamy among such groups as Mormons and matrimony in our own time. Tucker manages Muslims, and shows us why such arrangeto cram enormous amounts of history into his ments can lead to violence rather than marital writing. In the chapter on China, for example, tranquility. which is only 10 pages long, he shows readers Tucker has a real gift for explaining comthe impact of Confucius on the Chinese famiplicated concepts without being condescendly, the enormous influence of the mandarins ing to the reader. In the chapter titled “The

Williams to present debut novel Jackson County writer Donna Glee Williams will present her debut novel at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

The Braided Path invites readers to travel with Len Rope-Maker, her son Cam, and his sweetheart Fox as they set out on a path that will lead them further from home and yet closer to each other. In this tale of a utopian craft society, inhabitants are named, defined by, and relied upon for their gifts. In addition to the reading, mixed media artist Tara Melton-Miller will demonstrate Japanese kumihimo, a braiding technique very like one that appears in the book.

Williams is a writer, seminar leader, and creative coach and has seen her work published in anthologies newsstand glossies, literary magazines, academic journals, reference books, big-city dailies, online venues and spoken-word podcasts.

828.456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

Duncan to present new young adult novel Young adult author Alexandra Duncan will read from her new book Salvage at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Salvage is a thrilling, surprising and thought-provoking debut novel that will appeal to fans of Across the Universe by Beth Revis and The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. This is literary science fiction with a feminist twist, and it explores themes of choice, agency, rebellion and family.

Ava, a teenage girl living aboard the male-dominated, conservative deep space merchant ship Parastrata, faces betrayal, banishment and death. Taking her fate into her own hands, she flees to the Gyre, a floating continent of garbage and scrap in the Pacific Ocean. What choices will she make? How will she build a future on

Alpha Couple and the Primal Horde, “ for example, he interprets John Nash’s equilibrium theory, which has so heavily influenced game theory. (Nash, some readers may remember, was the subject of the movie “A Beautiful Mind”). In a single paragraph, Tucker clearly demonstrates the theory and then applies it to the rise of monogamy in prehistoric times.

In the final four chapters of Marriage and Civilization, Tucker looks at contemporary marriage, focusing almost entirely on its current standing in the United States. He chronicles the forces arrayed against monogamy and marriage: the promotion and acceptance of single motherhood, the economic incentives for avoiding marriage, pornography, our tangled and often fractious ideas of sex and relationships and the sheer difficulty of remaining true to one person. He then asks: “Is there anything positive that can be said about monogamy?”

Here is his reply to this question: “Where to begin? Monogamous marriage is the most thrilling adventure anyone ever undertakes — that perilous encounter with an individual who is so much like you yet so different, the other half of your humanity, without whom you are never a complete human being. It relies not on sex, which is easy, but on romance, falling in love and staying in love, which is the work of a lifetime.”

Readers may not agree with everything Tucker tells us in Marriage and Civilization, but his book is nonetheless a fascinating blend of history, anthropology and contemporary mores. Here is a book without a dull page, bursting with information and ideas.

Highly recommended.

(Jeff Minick is a teacher and writer. His first novel, Amanda Bell, is available at local bookstores and at Amazon. He can be reached at minick0301@gmail.com)

an earth ravaged by climate change?

828.586.9499.

Conversations with Poetry series The Conversations with Poetry series will begin with “Young Voices, Timeless Poems” from 4 to 6 p.m. June 5 at the Haywood Public Library in Waynesville.

Haywood County high school students will perform classical and contemporary poems they have memorized as part of a nationally recognized recitation contest known as Poetry Out Loud.

For the past four years Haywood County students have placed high in this completion. Listening to these poems, seeing them come alive, attendees will discover a whole new way to experience poetry.

The five-part series, run by poet/educator Michael Beadle, will run every Thursday except for July 4.

32

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

In a lurch about larch Mystery tree leaves retired professor probing for answers

Dan Pittillo enjoys the view from Courthouse Valley Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER o the untrained eye, the tree looks like just another evergreen, just another species thrown into the mix of natural diversity along the Blue Ridge Parkway. But the American larch tree growing opposite the pull-off for Courthouse Valley Overlook fails on both counts: though it’s in the pine family, it is not an evergreen, and it is not a native.

“This just blew me out of the water a little bit,” said Dan Pittillo, the retired Western Carolina University botany professor who found the tree. “I didn’t expect it.”

This tree, larix laricina, called Eastern larch or tamarack, loses its needles in the winter and is home in much more northern climates. It grows in southeastern Canada, south to New England and west to Minnesota, with a separate population growing in mountain bogs in West Virginia and western Maryland. But not in North Carolina.

“I’m suspicious that it didn’t get here on its own,” Pittillo said.

But as to how, exactly, it arrived, Pittillo has only theories. Could the seed have blown in from a larch tree someone planted nearby? Pittillo doesn’t know of any Eastern larches in the area, but he’s looking for informants. Maybe the N.C. Arboretum had a larch planting at one time? Of course, that site is 30-plus miles away from this tree, so the chances are slim. Or maybe a storm sucked a seed from some far-off larix laricina into the upper atmosphere, dropping it here on the Blue Ridge Parkway?

Someone might have planted it purposefully, but the location, smushed between the road and a rocky bank, is far from optimal for an ornamental planting. Perhaps the topsoil brought in when the parkway was made had a larch seed embedded in it somewhere? Or maybe, just maybe, the tree is a relic from glacial times, a seed that lay buried under the soil until parkway construction dredged it up. Though he readily defines the idea as “far-fetched,” it’s Pittillo’s favorite theory, if only for the romance of think-

T

ing that the tree stumping his 40 years in academia has a history beginning thousands of years before Pittillo’s birth.

“The chance of that is extremely small,” the retired professor concedes. “That’s not to say it couldn’t have happened.”

For an area as well-visited as the parkway, it might also seem unlikely that a nonnative larch tree could grow, unnoticed, on a dry ridgeline directly across from an overlook long enough to reach 6 inches in diameter at breast height.

But Pittillo makes it his business to notice. He has since childhood.

“When I started collecting as a high school student in Henderson County, between milkings, I was interested in plants and animals, too,” Pittillo said.

The dairy farmer’s son hung his insect collection on the wall of his school’s science lab and eventually a plant collection, too, though that endeavor didn’t end well.

“The room got hot in the summer and the tape came off,” Pittillo recalled.

The whole thing came crashing down, but his interest in the natural world stayed intact. From high school, Pittillo went to

Last year's dead leaves still hang onto this larch branch. Larch leaves grow in whirls and fall off in the winter, unlike the pines, spruces and firs with which they share a family. Holly Kays photos

Berea College, a school that provides its students a tuition-free education while doling out jobs to go along with their studies.

“They turned me loose in the Berea College forest and said, ‘Go collect plants.’ I said, ‘Great. That’s exactly what I want to do,’” Pittillo said.

And that’s exactly what Pittillo was doing when, 50 years, three degrees and 40 years of teaching later, he spotted the larch tree. It was in October 2011, and he was cruising the parkway as part of his work with the Blue Ridge Parkway Flora List, a volunteer effort to scour the route for species not formerly documented there.

Though it’s in the same family as pine, spruce and fir, larch needles turn yelloworange in the fall and drop off. Pittillo’s pass by the site just happened to coincide with the larch’s showiest season.

“It begins to turn yellow before it drops its leaves,” Pittillo said. “I saw that and said, ‘What in the world is that doing here?’”

Of course, the larch tree isn’t the first new species that Pittillo has ever documented on the parkway. Asked his total, Pittillo replied, “I’ll have to look that up.

Got any ideas?

Pittillo is looking for anyone with ideas or information that could help him figure out how an eastern larch tree ended up on the Haywood/Transylvania county line, hundreds of miles south of its range. If you know of any laryx laricina plantings, past or present, in the area, or can lend a scientific hand toward unraveling the mystery, contact Pittillo at dpittillo@gmail.com.

Because I’ve lost track.”

Upon further investigation, his total for the parkway survey turned out to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 species, but he’s documented even more in a separate survey with Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Like the parkway survey, the goal of the Vascular Plants of North Carolina Region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park survey is to identify any plants within the park boundary that had not been found there before. So far, Pittillo has identified four new plants, possibly six.

And all that despite the fact that he has been retired since 2005. The bug for discovery is something he just can’t shake, especially when it comes to the natural world.

“It’s seeing the unknown,” he said. “It’s what a scientist often does — it’s probing depths that have not been probed as much as I think they might could be.”

Sometimes, it’s surprising to see which species require the most probing. One of the new species Pittillo documented in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was none other than viburnum nudum, a type of viburnum common just a tad farther east but apparently not found in the national park before.

Then there was the rose bush that completely stumped Pittillo at first sight. Rose might seem like a pretty simple identification, but this plant happened to be sterile.

With nothing but leaves and stem to go on, the verdict was a hard one to come by.

After doing some digging, he was able to dub it Rhodotypos scandens, a Chinese species that has naturalized regionally.

“Usually you know a species before you discover it,” Pittillo said. “But you don’t always get to do that because sometimes you bump into something you have no earthly idea what it is.”

But that’s all part of the fun.

“It’s like doing forensics,” Pittillo said, a methodical putting together of clues until the correct answer emerges, solving yet another mystery of the diverse world around.

And sharing that thrill is just another benefit of exploration. Driving up the parkway to present the larch tree to a curious reporter meant a two-hour roundtrip from Cullowhee, but Pittillo had no misgivings.

“I wouldn’t have come up here if it wasn’t gratifying,” he said.

Growers can learn the ropes of high tunnels outdoors

An initiative to introduce more growers to the benefits of high tunnels on the farm is providing financial and technical assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

High tunnels are hoop-shaped frames covered with clear plastic that are high enough to walk or drive a tractor through. They are inexpensive, increase yield, extend the growing season and produce larger crops of higher quality than those grown in the field. To participate in the program, contact Kayla Hudson at 828.586.5465 or Kayla.Hudson@nc.usda.gov.

Learn to ID wildflowers Aspiring botanists will get a crash course on wildflower identification with a program offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 7 at Balsam Community Center in Balsam. Larry Thompson will teach the basics of flower identification, as well has how to best use field guides and other reference materials to find a name for the bloom. $25. RSVP to lvthompson@eartlink.net or 828.452.5414.

Boats dot the lake in search of bass at a previous tournament. Donated photo

Bass tourney gives anglers an outlet Anglers are getting the tackle ready for the 2014 Fontana Marina Classic Bass Tournament June 7 and 8. With 238 miles of shoreline, Fontana Lake provides ample opportunity for stellar bass fishing. This year’s purse is $5,000, with first place gar-

nering $2,000 and cash prizes through eighth place. Anglers catching the biggest smallmouth, largemouth and spot bass will each earn $100. $150 registration fee per boat.

828.498.2129 or www.fontanavillage.com

Free student sports physicals offered in Jackson Free sports clinicals on Monday, June 9, at Carolina West Sports Medicine at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva, will give athletes at Smoky Mountain High School, Cherokee High School and in seventh and eighth grades at Jackson County middle schools a chance to get the OK for the 2014-15 athletic season.

No appointment is necessary, but there are time slots: 5 p.m. for seventh grade; 5:30 p.m. for eighth grade; 6 p.m. for ninth grade; 6:30 p.m. for tenth grade; 7 p.m. for 11th grade; 7:30 p.m. for 12th grade.

Athletes must bring paperwork from their coach or school athletic director.

828.586.7934.

Trillium species abound in Western NC. Holly Kays photo

ITEMS ARRIVING

Adventure guide author to visit Sylva Joe Miller, author of Adventure Carolinas, will visit City Lights Bookstore at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 1.

This take-it-with-you guide introduces 16 adventures sports, from whitewater paddling, tubing and snowboarding to more extreme sports like kiteboarding, hang gliding and ziplining.

Miller’s guide serves up a how-to for each activity and suggestions for each that range from beginner level to peak experience. Information such as location, costs, physical and mental demands and organizations that can help you get started accompany each sport. Miller, who lives in Cary, also writes a blog at www.getgoingnc.com. Reserve a copy of his book from City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.

As written, the legislation would allow the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission to start issuing permits on March 1, 2015, and start fracking in the summer of 2016.

Smoky Mountain News

The North Carolina Senate voted to lift the state’s fracking moratorium last week in a party-line vote. Democrats voted unanimously against the bill, which could come up in the House for consideration this week.

The bill would also prevent counties from passing their own regulations or bans against fracking.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of fossil fuel extraction that involves drilling a wellbore thousands of feet into the ground and causing explosions at its maximum depth to open the surrounding rock. Fracking fluid is then injected to hold the rock open so fossil fuels can flow out. The practice has revolutionized the fossil fuel industry in the United States, but its adversaries contend that it brings dire environmental consequences.

Garden flags, stakes & more New fans, jewelry & pottery

Fracking film to be screened in Bryson Gas Land Part 2, a documentary examining the effects of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, will be screened at 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 31, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. The screening is organized by the Canary Coalition, OccupyWNC and Move to Amend in response to efforts at the state level to explore fracking in Western North Carolina.

Additional screenings and informational forums are being planned. info@canarycoalition.org or 828.331.1524 for details.

242-194

Senate votes to lift fracking moratorium

DAILY!

May 28-June 3, 2014

NEW

Lake Junaluska Bookstore and Cafe 710 North Lakeshore Dr. 828-454-6777 Across from the Terrace Hotel in the Harrell Center

OPEN MON-SAT 8 A.M.-6 P.M.

www.lakejunaluska.com/bookstore

33

outdoors

The Bug Lady

242-155

White-nose syndrome decimating WNC bats

of WNC, Inc. PEST CONTROL CALL KAREN

828-243-9318 thebugladyofwnc@gmail.com thebugladyofwnc.com

Fly Fishing the South

A bat infected with white-nose syndrome. USFWS photo

242-171

Two locations to serve you ASHEVILLE 252.3005

WAYNESVILLE 251.9721

May 28-June 3, 2014

www.hunterbanks.com

Saddle Up Saturdays Upcoming Dates: June 7 • July 26

Pony Tales Smoky Mountain News

In one Haywood County mine, numbers dropped from 4,000 to 55 in only two years — and the disease is spreading. Biologists have now documented white-nose syndrome in Jackson and Cherokee counties for the first time, bringing the total number of counties with populations confirmed or suspected to have white-nose syndrome to 10.

White-nose syndrome is named for the whitish, fuzzy fungus that grows on the

Birders to tour High Hampton

a beginner group lesson for kids 7-14

Storytelling, Pony Rides & craftmaking for young children.

An eco-tour of the N.C. Birding Trail will be held at 7:30 a.m. May 31 at High Hampton in Cashiers, giving hikers a chance to enjoy easy hiking in an area chockfull of scenic and varied habitats where birds abound, including a variety of warblers and pileated woodpeckers.

The eco-tour is hosted by the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and the Highlands Plateau chapter of the Audubon Society. The property is usually off-limits to the general public but the organizations have been granted special permission to host the tour. Experienced birders and naturalists will lead the tour, which will also highlight the biological biodiversity of the Highlands Plateau and upper Chattooga River basin.

Free, but reservations required. Julie.hitrust@earthlink.net or 828.526.1111.

Red-breasted grosbeak.

Donated photo

Upcoming Dates: June 3 • June 17

Call for more info

(828)452-9330 Mountain Dell Equestrian Learn More & Register at:

34

White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States, is advancing in North Carolina.

The death rate among hibernating bats in the region has reached 99 percent over the past three years, according to winter surveys by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

noses, wings and ears of bats during winter hibernation. Infected bats wake up more often during hibernation, causing them to burn essential fat reserves and leave the cave in search of food before it is warm enough for them to survive.

The disease has not been detected in tree-roosting bats and does not affect human health. However, the U.S. Geological Service estimates that losing bats in North America could lead to agricultural losses exceeding $3.7 billion annually.

Biologists will continue their long-term efforts to monitor bats in Western North Carolina. This summer, they will use mistnets to capture and count bats in summer roosts and record bat calls through the N.C. Bat Acoustic Monitoring Program, a citizenscientist effort to assess the effects of WNS and other threats to bat populations in the mountains over time.

“The Wildlife Commission continues working to understand more about how WNS affects bats, how the disease is spreading, trying to better understand species differences in survival and what we can do to help bats survive this deadly infection,” Graeter said.

Funding for the Commission’s bat and white-nose syndrome research and management comes from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grants and the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund, which supports wildlife research, conservation and management for animals that are not hunted and fished.

www.MountainDellEquestrian.com

Luna moth.

Donated photo

Party with moths in Highlands A moth party at 9 p.m. June 5 at the Highlands Biological Station will capitalize on the dark sky to allow photographers to capture each species that comes to the bright lights that will be set up.

The program, titled “Join the Dark Side: Studying the Fabulous Diversity of Local Moths to Understand Environmental Changes,” will begin with a presentation on

moths from John Pickering of University of Georgia and Nancy Lowe of Science Can Dance. Both Pickering and Lowe are part of Discover Life. Refreshments will follow, and when the moths come out around 10 p.m., the moth party will begin. By photographing and recording species activity at different sites, Discover Life aims to assess how species respond to important environmental variables. The moth party will end at midnight.

Free. www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2221.

outdoors May 28-June 3, 2014

Smoky Mountain News

35

The Benton MacKaye Trail Association will officially adopt the Yellow Creek Mountain Trail in Graham County as part of the 300-mile long Benton MacKaye Trail with a ceremony and group hikes at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 30.

BMTA folks will lead public hikes of either 1.8 miles to Meadow Branch Bridge or 7.6 miles to Fontana Village to show off the new trail segment.

The new section of this long-disance hiking provides better access between Joyce Kilmer and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, eliminating a previous section of road walking. It routes the trail through Fontana Village and over Fontana Dam with the Appalachian Trail, then follows other trails in GSMNP for nearly 100 miles.

The event will take place on Old Field Gap Road, off Meadow Branch Road, which is off N.C. 129 in the Tapoco area near the Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness Trailhead. www.bmta.org.

Fontana Lake. Friends of the Smokies photo

Friends of the Smokies takes hikers to Hazel Creek An interpretive hike to Hazel Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will kick off Friends of the Smokies’ summer schedule on Tuesday, June 10. This easy hike has a roundtrip distance of 4 miles and includes a boat ride across Fontana Lake. A

park ranger will share the area’s cultural history as hikers visit old home sites and historic lumber mills. For hikers wanting to explore more remote areas of the park, 900M Challenge member Gracia Slater will lead a hike further up the Hazel Creek watershed.

Carpools will leave from Asheville, Waynesville and other areas by request. Space is limited with pre-payment required. $35 for members; $60 for nonmembers with one-year membership included. outreach.nc@friendsofthesmokies.org or 828.452.0720.

Ray’s Weather seeks Parkway photos for calendar Photographers are invited to submit their best Parkway photos to be featured in a 2015 Blue Ridge Parkway calendar, a project sponsored

by RaysWeather.com for the past 10 years. The contest solicits photos from the entire length of the parkway, capturing the essence of the parkway in all seasons. A portion of calendar sales will go to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

Submissions will be accepted through June 8. www.raysweather.com/Photo+Contest 241-202

A new web app gives hikers, bikers, equestrians and other forest users the ability to search trail stats for the Tsali Recreation Area, the Jackrabbit Recreation Area and two sections of the Appalachian Trail that pass through Nantahala National Forest.

Forest Trail Explorer, provides details such as trail type, length, difficulty and elevation, as well as downloadable trail files that users can view on mobile devices using Google Earth. The app was developed by the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station, National Forests in North Carolina and the University of North Carolina Asheville National Environmental Modeling Analysis Center.

The app also includes a section called Learn About Nature, giving users information about ecosystems, forest products, climate and more. This information comes from a regional assessment called the Western North Carolina Vitality Index, which uses metrics to report on the unique aspects of the region’s natural and socioeconomic environment.

In addition, Forest Trails Explorer connects visitors to forest safety alerts and includes camping information.

The Forest Service designed Forest Trail Explorer for planning purposes only. Forest visitors should always carry a map and compass when in a national forest.

The new web app is available at www.nctrails.org.

Benton MacKaye Trail Association celebrates trail adoption

May 28-June 3, 2014

outdoors

Trail app for Nantahala areas

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May 28-June 3, 2014

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WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • “Remember the Removal” Riders kick off, May 30, a ceremonial three-week, 950-mile bike ride from Georgia to Oklahoma commemorating the 1839 Trail of Tears.

Bicycle riders from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation will kick off the ride at 4 p.m. Friday, May 30, at the Kituwah Mound, off Highway 19 between Bryson City and Cherokee. Google Maps coordinates: Kituwah Mound @35.43924,83.403568. 554.6712, lynnharl@nc-cherokee.com.

• Franklin Board of Realtors Relay for Life Team Dog Obedience and Behavior Training Classes, 6 to 7 p.m., Mondays, June 2, 9, 16, 23, $80 for all four classes. All profits go to Relay for Life. Sally Mass, 421.4587.

• “Darkness to Light,” training on child sexual abuse prevention, 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, Haywood Community College, Room 920 in the 900 building.

Trainer, Paige Gilliland, Family and Victim Advocate.

456.8995 or epjones@karehouse.org.

• Aromatherapy with Laura McLaughlin, 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016 • Affordable Care Act Workshop, 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 4, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• “Cars and Cornmeal II,” fundraiser for Francis Mill Preservation Society, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 7, Francis Grist Mill, 14 Hugh Massie Road, Waynesville.

Barbecue by Friends of the Mill and Mama Moody’s Fried Pies. $5 spectator tickets; $15 to show your antique cars or street rod. www.francismill.org.

• Free sports physicals by Carolina West Sports Medicine, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (each grade staggered) Monday, June 9, Harris Regional Hospital, Sylva. For Smoky Mountain High School and Cherokee High School athletes, and 7th and 8th grade Jackson County middle school athletes participating in the 2014-2015 school athletic season. No appointment is necessary.

586.7934.

• North Canton Fire Department will test fire hydrants and water lines June 17 in the Upper Beaverdam area (Great Oak Drive to Rice Cove Road).

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Free 75-minute computer class: how to sell items on Craigslist, 1 p.m. Saturday, May 31, Genealogy Room, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• Ribbon Cutting, 11 a.m. Monday, June 2, new REACH Store, 456 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville.

• Home brewing class, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, June 3 – July 1, with one Saturday class, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

June 14, Southwestern Community College. $99. Scott Sutton, 339.4296 or scotts@southwesterncc.edu.

• Free Haywood Community College Small Business Center seminar, “3 Simple Keys to Getting More Love From Your Customers,” 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, 1500 Building, Haywood Community College. Register, 627.4512 or email tbrown@haywood.edu.

• Business After Hours season kick off, 5 to 7 p.m.

Thursday, June 5, Laurelwood Inn 58 N.C. Highway 107 North, Cashiers. Cashiers Chamber of Commerce members free. Guests, $10 per person, credit applicable to annual membership. RSVP, 743.5191.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • “Funtastic Folkmoot Fling,” 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, May 30, Sid’s on Main in Canton. Tickets, $50. Includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, a raffle, live and silent auction and a cash bar. Fundraiser for Folkmoot. www.FolkmootUSA.org or 877.365.5872.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Yard Sale, 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 31, Unite Properties on Highlands Road, Franklin. Hosted by Franklin Board of Realtors Relay For Life team.

• Bar-B-Q Chicken Dinner, 5 to 9 p.m. May 31 at Bloemsma Barn in Franklin. Silent auction, hayrides, dancing and live music by The Remnants. Tickets at the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce or at the door. $15 for adults, $7 for children ages 5-10 and free for children ages 4 and under. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• BBQ Dinner, 4:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 31, Covenant Christian Church, Fairview Road, Sylva.

Fundraiser for Covenant Christian Church. 331.8678.

• Feast For The Furries, fundraiser for PAWS, five-course champagne brunch, noon Sunday, June 1, Fryemont Inn, Bryson City. PAWS receives 100% of all proceed.

Tickets are $25, available at Fryemont Inn and PAWS Thrift Store.

• Within Reach Fashion Show and Fundraiser, noon Monday, June 2, Bourbon Barrel Beef & Ale Restaurant, 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, next door to Within REACH Resale Store, following 11:30 a.m. ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate newly expanded REACH Resale Store. 456.7898.

• Macon TRACS 7th annual Rummage Sale, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, June 6, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 7, Macon County Fairgrounds, rain or shine. 100 percent of profits go to MaconTRACS Scholarship Fund.

369.8975.

• Cornhole tournament by Women of Waynesville to benefit Big Brothers, Big Sisters, 10 a.m. June 7, BearWaters Brewing, Waynesville. 545.6879, 627.2390.

• Annual Caney Fork Community Barbecue, 4 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 7, Caney Fork community building.

Adults, $8 per plate and kids, $4 per plate. Music, cake walk and raffle. Takeout available. Kristin Steven, 293.5225.

• BINGO fundraiser for KARE, 1:30 TO 4:30 P.M. Saturday, June 14, Waynesville Armory. $10 per set of nine games. 456.8995.

BLOOD DRIVES Haywood • American Red Cross Blood Drive, noon to 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 29, Haywood Vocational Opportunities, 172 Riverbend St., Waynesville. 800.733.2767.

• American Red Cross Blood Drive, 1 to 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 29, Evergreen Packaging, 34 Park St., Canton. 800.733.2767.

HEALTH MATTERS • Screening breast thermograms, Friday, May 30, Dogwood Wellness, 114 W. Hemlock St., Dillsboro.

Offered by Cindy Sullivan, CCT, Clinical Thermographer nurse. $149. Takes about 15 minutes. 586.6262.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • Life in the Spirit Seminar, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, through June 4, St. Margaret Catholic Church, Maggie Valley. Don or Janet Zander, 926.2654.

• Connecting with God in Nature with Sr. Fran Grady, SCL AND Freeman Owle, Monday, June 16 – Sunday, June 22, Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, Maggie Valley. 926.3833 catholicretreat.org.

• Pope Francis and His Chosen Patron, St. Francis of Assisi Retreat with Fr. John Quigley, Sunday, July 6 – Friday, July 11. Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, Maggie Valley. 926.3833 catholicretreat.org.

• Painting Workshop/Retreat with Fr John Quigley Friday, July 11 – Sunday, July 13. Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, Maggie Valley. 926.3833 catholicretreat.org.

• Letting the Holy Spirit Enliven Us Fruitfully with Fr. Michael Crosby, OFM Cap. Monday, July 28 – Aug. 3.

Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, Maggie Valley.

926.3833 catholicretreat.org.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • MemoryCare Family Caregiver Education Program “Caregiver College,” a series of six, two-hour lectures for caregivers of persons with memory disorders, 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, through June 17, Haywood county Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

Instructor: Lisa Verges, MD, $85 (free to caregivers of those actively enrolled in MemoryCare), scholarships available. Register at 771.2219, office@memorycare.org.

• Extra Help Paying For Your Prescription Medications, community information sessions, 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, the Community Table, Sylva; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cashiers Library.

Diane Parker Medicare/SHIP Counselor, Jackson County Department on Aging, 631.8037.

KIDS & FAMILIES • 2014 Great Smokies Used Curriculum Sale and Home Educator’s fair, Saturday, May 31, Covenant Christian Church, Sylva. 507.0452, used.curriculum.sale@gmail.com.

• Breastfeeding Mothers’ Support Group, 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, June 7, Training Annex Building at MedWest Harris Hospital, Sylva. Brandi Nations, 770.519.2903 or Teresa Bryant, 587.8214.

Summer Camps • Western Carolina University’s Division of Educational Outreach is hosting numerous camps for children this summer: www.wcu.edu/academics/edoutreach/conted/campsand-programs-for-kids/.

• Western Carolina University’s Athletics is hosting a sports camp for children this summer: www.catamountsports.com/camps/wcar-camps.html.

• Summer Day Camp for elementary school children, ages 6 to 12, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 12 to Aug. 8, Cullowhee United Methodist Church. One-time registration fee of $75 (or $10 per week if less than 8 weeks). $650 for the summer, $95 per week, or $25 per day.

Full payment for registered dates due before June 12.

293.9215, www.cullowheeumc.org/summer-camp2014/.

• Cullowhee Mountain ARTS Summer Youth ARTS Series, 2, 4 and 5-day art camps for ages 5 – 12, Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center and the School of Art and Design. Details at www.cullowheemountainarts.org or 342.6913.

• Ms. Arty Pants Creation Station , half day Summer Art Camps, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 16-20, July 14-18 and Aug. 44-8, in Waynesville. Ms. Arty Pants Creation, S. Main St., Waynesville. 400.6232.

• TetraBrazil Soccer Camp, half-day camp 9 a.m. to noon; full-day camp 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 23 – 27, Waynesville Recreation Center. Every camper will receive a free ball and t-shirt. Half day, $152 per camper; full day, $202 per camper. 3 vs 3 tournament,

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings 6 to 8 pm for ages 8 to 15. $52 per camper. challengersports.com. 456.2030 or email recathletics@townofwaynesville.org.

• 22nd annual Crossfire Basketball Camp, 1 to 4:30 p.m. June 30 to July 3, Waynesville Recreation Center.

For boys and girls age 6 to 12. $75 per person. 4562030 or email recathletics@townofwaynesville.org.

• Highlands Nature Center Day Camps now taking registrations for five different camps. “WOW! – a World of Wonder” (ages 4-6), “Amazing Animals” (ages 7-10), “NatureWorks” (ages 8-11), “Mountain Explorers” (ages 10-13), and “Junior Ecologists” (ages 11-14). Most camps offered more than once during the summer; sessions run from Tuesday to Friday each week. 526.2623 or, visit summer camps webpage at www.highlandsbiological.org.

• Haywood County Arts Council Jam Camp, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 8 – Friday, July 11, Canton Middle School, 60 Penland St., Canton. Classes in mountain instruments, mountain dance (clogging, buckdance, flat-footing and square dance) and mountain songs and storytelling. $75. For students in grades 4th through 8th. Register at Haywood County Arts Council, 452.0593.

• Innovative Basketball Training Summer Basketball Camp, 9 a.m. to noon, July 7-9, Waynesville Recreation Center, Waynesville. For boys and girls ages six to 13.

Space is limited. Directed by Coach Derek Thomas. $125 per person. Full payment can be made or a $50 deposit can be made to reserve a spot. Balance due at registration. Register from 8 to 9 a.m. July 7 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. 246.2129 or 456.2030.

• Summer Soccer Day Camp, July 14-18, Swain County Recreation Park, for players age 5 to 18. Half day or full day sessions. scline@sclinesoftware.com, 736.0455, or www.ncsoccer.org/recreation/recCamps/.

• The Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District Camp WILD (Wilderness, Investigating, Learning, Discovery) for rising 7th graders in public, private, charter or home schools. Hiking, swimming, snorkeling, and learning about the environment. 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. most days, July 28 through Aug. 1, Jackson County Recreation Center parking lot in Cullowhee. $25, register with Jane Fitzgerald, 586.5465 or email janefitzgerald@jacksonnc.org. Swain County Schools to Offer Summer Writing Adventure Coming in August Swain County Schools will host a Summer Writing Adventure for rising high school freshman.

• Summer Writing Adventure for Swain County rising freshmen students, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. (one session only required), Aug. 4-8. Breakfast and lunch provided. Ziplining, caving, underground boat riding followed by classroom writing instruction where students write about their adventures. Register

by June 25. Sonya Blankenship, 488.3129 ext. 240 or email at sblankenship@swainmail.org.

Literary (children) • Children’s Story time: Should I Share My Ice Cream?

11 a.m. Friday, May 30, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586-2016

• Children’s Story time: Delicious Ice Cream, 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 31, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

• A Book Trade/Exchange, 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Brain Gym, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville. 452.2370.

ECA EVENTS Extension and Community Association (ECA) groups meet throughout the county at various locations and times each month. 586.4009. This month’s meetings, listed by date, include: • 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 3 – Basket Class, Kountry Krafters ECA, JoAnn Luker’s home.

• 9:30 a.m. Thursday, June 5– Lampshades, Potpourri ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

• Noon Thursday, June 12 – Decorate Gift Bags, Lunch and Learn ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

• 1 p.m. Monday, June 16 – Sew Easy Girls ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

• 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 – Picnic, Cane Creek ECA, location to be announced. For location information, call the Extension Office.

• 10 a.m. Thursday, June 19 - ECA Craft Club Workshop – Cards, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva (call Extension Office for more information and to sign up for the workshop).

POLITICAL GROUP EVENTS & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

SUPPORT GROUPS Haywood • Helpful Hints Seminar, “Swallowing Disorders, 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, MedWest Haywood Health & Fitness Center. Free. Register, 452.8883. www.MedWestHaywood.org.

• Prepared Child Birth Class, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, June 5, 12, 19 and 26, Angel Medical Center Dining Room. 369.4421 or email Elizabeth.penningtontrip@msj.org.

FESTIVALS, SPECIAL & SEASONAL EVENTS • “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future,” an exhibit of Cherokee language and culture, through May 28, Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Curatorial.InSight@gmail.com.

• New York Times bestselling author and public radio personality Sarah Vowell, and a variety of guest speakers, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday May 30, Jan Wyatt Symposium, High Hampton Inn, Cashiers. 2014 program, Unspeakable Journey: The Removal of the

• Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival Ceilidh (kay-lee), 7 p.m. Friday June 11, Stewart Street just off Main Street in downtown Franklin, featuring music of Juniper Trio. TasteofScotlandFestival.org.

• Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 14, downtown Franklin. Scottish foods, see demos of Highland Games, Scottish apparel and goods, plus Scottish and Celtic music.

TasteofScotlandFestival.org.

• Village Art & Craft Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 1415, 5th St. and Pine St., Kelsey-Hutchinson Park, Highlands.

• “Where’s Paws,” through June 26, Jackson County merchants. For children of Jackson County in observance of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Western Carolina University. www.facebook.com/WCU125.

LITERARY (ADULTS) • Young Adult genre writer Alexandra Duncan will read from her new book, Salvage, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. 586.9499.

• Writer Joe Miller will present his new outdoor sports guide, Adventure Carolinas, 1 p.m. Sunday, June 1, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. 586.9499.

• Book signing reception for interior designer and author Lynn Monday her new book, Southern Mountain Living, 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, Monday House Of Design, 334 U.S. Highway 64 East, Cashiers.

• Conversations with Poetry, with Michael Beadle, local poet and educator, for five Thursdays, beginning June 5, Waynesville branch of the Haywood Public Library auditorium. 452.5169, www.haywoodlibrary.org, beadlewriter@yahoo.com.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, featuring the music of Neil Sedaka, 7:30 p.m. May 30-31, June 6-7, June 1314; and 3 p.m. May 25, June 1, 8 and 15, HART Theater, Performing Arts Center at the Shelton House, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. Featuring the music of Neil Sedaka Tickets, $24 for adults, $20 for seniors, $10 for students. Special $8 discount tickets for students, Thursdays and Sundays. 456.6322 for reservations. www.harttheatre.org.

• Unto These Hills outdoor drama, 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, May 31 through Aug. 16, Mountainside Theater, Cherokee. General admission tickets, $20 for adults, $10, children ages 6-12 and free for children under age 5. Reserved tickets available at 866.554.4557 or www.visitcherokenc.com.

• Auditions for Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers,” 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8, and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 9, Highlands Performing Arts Center, Chestnut Street, Highlands. Scripts may be read in Hudson, Cashiers, and Macon Co. libraries. Director Virginia Talbot, 526.4904.

Smoky Mountain News

A&E

• Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival Clan Dinner, Thursday, June 12, Tartan Hall, First Presbyterian Church, Franklin. Tickets, $20, adults and $10, children 12 and under. TasteofScotlandFestival.org.

May 28-June 3, 2014

• Haywood County unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People meeting, cookout, fundraiser and friend-raiser, 2 p.m. Saturday, May 31, Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center on Pigeon Street in Waynesville. Meal is free, but donations accepted. forwardtogetherhaywood@gmail.com or join online at https://conate.naacp.org/pages/membership, enter Haywood County unit number, 54AD, under “Unit Affiliation.”

• Bingo, 5:45 p.m. Thursdays, May 29 through Sept. 5 in the Pavilion next to Maggie Valley Town Hall. Cash prizes.

wnc calendar

• Teen Time, 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. 586.2016.

Cherokee, will feature Vowell and others sharing perspectives on the Trail of Tears. Cashiers Historical Society, jacqueline@cashiershistoricalsociety.org or 743.7710.

NIGHT LIFE • Ginny McAfee, 6 p.m. May 31; Smoke Rise, 9 p.m.

May 30, Rendezvous, Maggie Valley Inn. Pianist Steve Whiddon every Thursday evening and noon to 3 p.m., Sundays. 926.0201.

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• Craig Summers & Lee Kram, May 29; Bohemian Jean, May 30; and Andrew of River Rats, May 31, Frog Level Brewing Company, Waynesville. Free. 454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Granville Automatic, 7 p.m. May 31, Fontana Village Resort. www.fontanavillage.com.

• The Imposters and Soco Creek, May 31; O’Malley’s Pub & Grill in Sylva. 631.0554.

• Brad Austin, May 31, City Lights Café in Sylva. Free. www.citylightscafe.com or 587.2233.

• Caribbean Cowboys, 3 to 7 p.m. May 31, No Name Sports Pub, Sylva. Free..586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Smoke Rise, 9 p.m. May 30, and Ginny McAfee, 6 p.m. May 31, Rendezvous in the Maggie Valley Inn. Pianist Steve Whiddon, every Thursday evening and from noon to 3 p.m. Sundays. 926.0201.

• Circus Mutt, 8 p.m. May 30, Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City. 488.2337 or www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Comedy show is at 9 p.m. June 6; cornhole tournament, 10 a.m. June 7, The Spontaneous Combustion Jam, 8 p.m. to midnight, every Monday, BearWaters Brewing Company, Waynesville. 246.0602 or www.bwbrewing.com.

• Friday Night Jazz! with The Kittle & Collings Duo, 6 to 9 p.m. May 30, Lulu’s on Main, Sylva. www.mountainlovers.com.

• Summers & Kram, May 29 and June 5; Bohemian Jean, May 30; Andrew of River Rats, May 31 and Chris Minnick, June 7, Frog Level Brewing Company, Waynesville. Free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Granville Automatic, 7 p.m. May 31, Fontana Village Resort. www.fontanavillage.com.

May 28-June 3, 2014

• The Imposters, May 30, and Soco Creek, May 31, O’Malley’s Pub & Grill, Sylva. 631.0554.

• Brad Austin, May 31, and Paul Constantine, June 7, City Lights Café in Sylva. Free. www.citylightscafe.com or 587.2233.

• The Corbitt Brothers, 8 p.m. June 6, Franklin High School football field. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Grits & Soul, 7:45 p.m. May 29, and Miss Brown to You, 7:45 p.m. June 5, The Strand, 38 Main, Waynesville. $12 per person. www.38main.com.

OUTDOOR MUSIC CALENDAR BRYSON CITY 6:30 p.m. Saturdays, Train Depot June 7 — Boogertown Gap (folk/bluegrass) June 14 — Juniper (Celtic/Americana) June 21 — The Freight Hoppers (Americana/bluegrass) June 28 — Lonesome Sound (old-time string)

June 29 — AM Superstars June 30 — Running Wolf Band

CULLOWHEE Western Carolina University, 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Central Plaza June 10, June 24, July 8, July 15 and July 22.

Artist lineup to be announced.

FRANKLIN Pickin’ on the Square, 7 p.m. Saturdays, Town Hall May 31 — The J.W. Band (country) June 7 — The Band Sundown (70s/oldies) June 14 — Taste of Scotland (festival) June 21 — Curtis Blackwell & The Dixie Bluegrass Boys June 28 — Gem City (gospel)

HIGHLANDS Friday Night Live, 6 p.m. Fridays, Town Square June 13 — Johnny Webb Band June 20 — Southern Highlands June 27 — Mountain High Dulcimer Group

HIGHLANDS Saturdays on Pine, 6 p.m. Saturdays, KelseyHutchinson Park June 21 — Well Strung June 28 — Jerry Bones

SYLVA Concerts on the Creek, 7:30 p.m. Fridays, Bridge Park May 30 — Caribbean Cowboys June 6 — Eddie Rose & Highway 40 June 13 — Buchanan Boys June 20 — Johnny Webb Band June 27 — Mountain Faith

MUSIC JAMS • 7 p.m. Fridays, Pickin’ in the Park, early June through Labor Day, Canton • 6 p.m. First and third Thursday of the month, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City.

DANCE • High Mountain Squares Memorial Day Dance, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, May 30, Macon County Community Building, Route 441 South, Franklin.

371.4946, 342.1560, 332.0001 or www.highmountainsquare.org.

FOOD & DRINK • Enjoy Midnight Moonshine on the All-Adult First Class Moonshine Car during the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Moonshine Experience on the new Carolina Shine. Tickets, $98 for adults (21+), May – September, and $104 for adults (21+) during October.

488.7024 or 800.872.4681 ext. 7024, www.gsmr.com.

• Wine tasting, 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 31, Papou’s Wine Shop and Bar, Sylva. 586.6300. papouswineshop@frontier.com.

Smoky Mountain News

CASHIERS Groovin’ On The Green, 6:30 p.m. Fridays, Village Commons May 30 — Blind Lemon Phillips (blues/rock) June 6 — Hurricane Creek (folk/rock) June 20 — Soldier’s Heart (Americana/folk) June 27 — Jackson Taylor Band (blues/jazz/rock/country)

CHEROKEE

Music on the River, 8 p.m. select nights, Oconaluftee River Stage May 30 — A-36 Band May 31 — An Evening with Elvis June 6 — Will Hayes Band June 7 — AM Superstars June 13 — Eastern Blue Band June 14 — An Evening with Elvis June 20 — A-36 Band June 21 — Eastern Blue Band June 27 — A-36 Band 40 June 28 — The Boomers

ART/GALLERY EVENTS & OPENINGS • “Fewer Footprints and More Tears: Commemorating the 175th Anniversary of the Trail of Tears,” exhibition hosted by all six libraries in the Fontana Regional Library system. Exhibit is by Dr. R. Michael Abram and his wife Dr. Susan Abram in conjunction with the North Carolina Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association. Through May 31. Macon County Public Library, Franklin, 524.3600; Hudson Library, Highlands, 526.3031; Nantahala Community Library, Topton, 631.3020; Jackson County Public Library, Sylva, 586.2016; Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, Cashiers, 743.0215 and Marianna Black Library, Bryson City, 488.3030. www.fontanalib.org.

• “Wesley Wofford: Beneath the Surface” exhibit, through Aug. 17, The Bascom in Highlands. Reception, 5 to 7 p.m. May 24, The Bascom. Emmy and Academy Award-winning sculptor. www.thebascom.org.

• Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts department 2014 Graduate Show reception, 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 31, Southern Highlands Craft Guild at the Folk Art Center, Mile Post 382, Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville. 565.4159.

• Free public screening of Gas Land Part 2, 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 31, Marianna Black Library Community Room in downtown Bryson City. Additional screenings and informational forums planned. info@canarycoalition.orgor OccupyWNC, 331.1524

• “FLORA: Contemporary Botanical Prints from the FAM’s Littleton Studios Vitreograph Archive,” on display through Sept. 5, Fine Art Museum, John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, WCU. 227.3591 or fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.

• Family movie, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, Marianna Black Library, Bryson City, to celebrate “Fizz, Boom Read” summer reading program. 488.3030.

• Artists reception for featured artists in the “North Carolina Art Educators” exhibit, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29, Fine Art Museum, John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, WCU. 227.3591 or fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.

• Art After Dark, Main Street, Depot Street and Frog Level galleries, Friday, June 6, Waynesville. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

• “North Carolina Art Educators” exhibit, May 29 through July 18, Fine Art Museum, John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, WCU. Features works of art by educators throughout North Carolina who link children with the world of art. 227.3591 or fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.

• Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts department 2014 Graduate Show, through Sept. 14, Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center, Mile Post 382, Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville.

565.4159.

• Cullowhee Mountain ARTS 2014 Summer ARTS Series, June 15 – July 18, five weeks, Western Carolina University. Includes art and creative writing workshops, youth art camps and the FAM-CMA invitational art exhibit. Youth programs include 2, 4 and 5-day art camps for ages 5 – 12. www.cullowheemountainarts.org or 342.6913.

• “Fly Over,” photography collection of WWII Warbirds, by local Candler photographer, Barbara Sammons, Main Meeting Room at the Canton Public Library, 11 Pennsylvania Avenue, Canton. 648.2924. Through Aug. 1. www.barbarasammons.com.

CLASSES, PROGRAMS & DEMONSTRATIONS • Art League of the Smokies, 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 3, Swain County Center for the Arts, featuring the DVD “Frank Webb on Watercolor.” 488.7843, www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

• Wheel thrown pottery demonstration with Connie Hogan, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 7, Tunnel Mountain Crafts, 94 Front St., Dillsboro.

• Landscape-painting workshop by Doreyl Ammons Cain, 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at a local farmstead in Tuckasegee. $36 per person, which includes all art supplies. 231.6965 or www.facebook.com/muralistdoreyl.

• Two-day course in hammered copper by Cullowhee metalsmith William Rogers, 1 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14, Bascom Center for the Visual Arts. Class participants will make a copper pendant or badge that can be worn. 526.4949 to register.

• Jewelry maker Diane Herring will discuss healing properties of the minerals she uses to make jewelry, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 14, Tunnel Mountain Crafts, 94 Front St., Dillsboro.

• Summer ARTS Series, June 15 – July 26, Western Carolina University in the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Details, www.cullowheemountainarts.org or 342.6913.

FILM & SCREEN • “Nebraska,” 7:45 p.m. Friday, May 30 and 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. May 31. The Strand, 38 Main St., Waynesville. Tickets are $6 per person, $4 for children.

283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• “Divergent,” 9:30 p.m. Thursday, June 5, Central Plaza at Western Carolina University. Free. corelli@wcu.edu or 227.3618.

Outdoors OUTINGS, HIKES & FIELDTRIPS • Gibson Bottoms walk, 8 a.m. Thursday, May 29, Gibson Bottoms, Rain Ridge Road, off Sanderstown Road about 5 miles north of Franklin off Highway 28.

Collaboration among the Franklin Bird Club, Coweeta LTER and LTLT. Led by Jason Love. 524.5234.

• Trail Adoption Ceremony, 10 a.m. Friday, May 30, Old Field Gap Road, off Meadow Branch Road in northern Graham County. Benton MacKaye Trail Association will officially adopt the Yellow Creek Mountain Trail as an official part of the 300-mmile long Benton MacKaye Trail. A public hike will follow, with either a 1.8 mile hike to Meadow Branch Bridge or 7.6 mile hike to Fontana Village. www.bmta.org.

• Blue Ridge Parkway Hike of the Week, “Skins on the Ceiling,” 10 a.m. Friday, May 30, ruins of historic Rattlesnake Lodge. Easy to moderate, 3-mile hike.

Follow the Parkway north to Bull Gap (MP 375.6), turn left at the Vance Birthplace/Weaverville sign, turn right onto Ox Creek Road, and look for a small parking area and access to the trail on the right. Bring water.

298.5330, ext. 304.

• Ecotour “Birding at High Hampton” with Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, 7:30 a.m. Saturday, May 31.

Reservations required at Julie.hitrust@earthlink.net or 526.1111. www.hicashlt.org and www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org.

• Synchronous Firefly Night Walks, 8:45 to 10:45 p.m.

June 2-21. $40 per person, space is limited and reservations are required. Esther Blakely, 450.7985 or online at www.cataloocheevalleytours.com.

• Franklin Bird Club bird walk, 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 4, along the Greenway. Led by Paula Gorgoglione.

Meet at 8 a.m. at Salali Lane, Franklin. 524.5234.

• Marina Classic Bass Tournament, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

June 7-8, Fontana Lake. Registration fee, $150 per boat. $5000 purse. 498.2129, www.fontanavil lage.com/events/pdfs/basstourney2014A.pdf.

• Friends of the Smokies interpretive hike, Tuesday, June 10, to Hazel Creek in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Includes boat ride across Fontana Lake. $35 for members and $60 for non-members who will receive a one-year membership. Space is limited and pre-payment is required. Carpools will leave from Asheville, Waynesville, and other areas by request.

Register at outreach.nc@friendsofthesmokies.org, or 452.0720 • Franklin Bird Club bird walk, 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 11, along the Greenway. Led by Karen Lawrence.

Meet Macon County Public Library parking area.

524.5234.

• Free guided, themed nature walks, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays, Highlands Botanical Garden, Highlands Nature Center, Highlands. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2623.

• Learn about the eating habits of the Highlands Nature Center’s animals, 11 to 11:30 a.m., Fridays, Highlands Nature Center, Highlands. All ages. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2623.

• Featured Creature program, 11:30 a.m. to noon, Saturdays Highlands Nature Center, Highlands. All ages. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2623.

• Moth party, “Join the Dark Side: Studying the Fabulous Diversity of Local Moths to Understand Environmental Changes,” 9 p.m. Thursday, June 5, Highlands Biological Station, Highlands. Free. www.highlandsbiological.org, 526.2221.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS • Bicycle Safety Clinics, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, May 31, Clyde Elementary School. Sponsored by Bicycle Haywood NC and Haywood County Parks & Recreation.

Free, must be 13-17 and accompanied by an adult.

Helmets and closed toed shoes required and water or sports drink are recommended. Registration required, 452.6789.

• Beginners’ birding workshop, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, May 31, Balsam Community Center, Haywood County. Hosted by Larry Thompson, expert birder. $25. lvthompson@eartlink.net, 452.5414.

• Boating safety course, 6 to 9:30 p.m. June 2-3, Room 3322, Building 3300, Haywood Community College.

Sponsored by HCC’s Natural Resources Division and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Must attend two consecutive evenings to receive certification. Free, no age limit. Must register online at www.ncwildlife.org.

• Tuckaseigee River Chapter #373 of Trout Unlimited, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday June 3, East Laporte picnic area.

Bring a covered dish to pass. The club will provide the meat and drinks • Volunteers needed to work with the Little Tennessee Land Trust on a breeding bird survey along the Little Tennessee River. The two sites are June 2 and June 11 at the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve and June 3 and June 12 at the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian’s Cowee Mound property in Cowee (Macon County). www.ltlt.org, http://bigbaldbanding.org/calendar/

• “Nightlife Exploration,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 7, Metcalf Bottoms picnic shelter, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Limited to 20 participants.

SmokiesInformation.org or call 888.898.9102, Ext. 325, 222 or 254.

• Simple Sewing Sessions, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, June 2, June 16 and June 20, Haywood County Cooperative Extension, 589 Raccoon Road, Suite 118, Waynesville. 456.3575, Julie_sawyer@ncsu.edu.

restaurant. Judy West, 648.6323. www.facebook.com/pages/Waynesville-TailgateMarket/117024646020.

• “Landscape Design in North Carolina Mountains: A Talk on Hedges,” 10 a.m. Thursday, June 5, Dovecoat Porch & Gardens, Cashiers, http://dargan.com/dovecote-events/. 743.0307.

Cashiers Tailgate Market 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays May through October.

Anglican Church parking lot next to Macon Bank on U.S. Highway 64 East. Donna Few, 226.9988.

• The Master Gardeners of Haywood County present their biennial garden tour: “Forests, Flowers & Food,” 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, Saturday, June 21.

Tickets, $15, at 456.3575. Or reserve your tickets for “will call” on the day of the tour by emailing mgtour2014@charter.net. Garden Tour proceeds fund education-related horticultural projects in Haywood County.

FARM & GARDEN • Composting Workshop, 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, The Cullowhee Community Garden, 67 S Painter Road, Cullowhee. thecullowheecommunitygarden@gmail.com.

• ServSafe Food Safety Certification Course, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed. May 28, Haywood County Cooperative Extension, 589 Raccoon Road, Suite 118, Waynesville.

456.3575, Julie_sawyer@ncsu.edu.

• Mary Palmer Dargan, landscape architect and garden design author, “Empowered Gardens: Everything You Wanted to Know About Mountain Garden Design But Were Afraid to Ask,” 10 a.m. Thursday, May 29, Albert Carlton Library, Cashiers. Free. 848.743.0307.

• Square-Foot Gardening with Master Gardener Hughes Roberts, 1 p.m. Thursday, June 5, Waynesville Library Auditorium, 678 S. Haywood St., Waynesville.

356.2507.

• Food Preservation 101, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 5 and 10:30 a.m. to noon Friday, June 6, Haywood County Cooperative Extension, 589 Raccoon Road, Suite 118, Waynesville. 456.3575, Julie_sawyer@ncsu.edu.

FARMERS & TAILGATE MARKETS Haywood County Canton Farmers Market and Heritage Crafts 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday through Oct. 31, municipal parking lot of downtown Canton. Robin Smith, 734.9071 or Michaelrobin07@yahoo.com.

Haywood Historic Farmers Market 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday and Saturday through midDecember at 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville, parking lot HART Theatre. Carol James, 280.1381 or haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

Maggie Valley Farmers Market 8 a.m. to dusk Fridays and Saturdays through the first frost beside Organic Beans Coffee Co., 1098 Soco Road, Maggie Valley. Adam Capparelli, 209.8061 or adam@organicbeanscoffee.com.

The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 29 at 171 Legion Dr., Waynesville, behind Bogart’s

Jackson County

Jackson County Farmers Market 9 a.m. to noon April to October at Bridge Park in Sylva; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. November to March at Community Table. Jenny, 631.3033 or jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

wnc calendar

• Pesticide Disposal Day, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, Macon County Environmental Resource Center, between the landfill and the Sheriff’s Department on Lakeside Drive. Cooperative Extension Center, 349.2046.

Macon County Cowee Farmers Market 3:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Oct. 28 at Old Cowee School, 51 Old Cowee School Dr., Franklin. Susan Ervin, info@coweefarmersmarket.com, 524.8369.

Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays through November on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software. Alan Durden, 349.2049 or alan_durden@ncsu.edu, www.facebook.com/franklinncfarmersmarket.

Swain County Swain County Farmers Market 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays through Oct. 31. 210 Main St. at the corner of Main St. and Everett St. in Bryson City.

Christine Bredenkamp, 488.3848 or christine_bredenkamp@ncsu.edu.

ONGOING CLUBS • The Cherokee Runners meets each month on the 1st and 15th of the month (if the first falls on Sunday, the group meets on the 2nd), at the Age Link Conference Room. Group runs are being held each Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. starting at the Flame. www.cherokeerunners.com.

May 28-June 3, 2014

144 Montgomery Street DOWNHILL TO FROG’S LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE, TURN RIGHT, DOWNHILL TO THE BLUE & BRICK BUILDING ON THE LEFT.

Smoky Mountain News

We have relocated to

41

PRIME REAL ESTATE

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Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

MarketPlace information: The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:

Classified Advertising:

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, INC.

PE

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SC OV ER E

ATR

HARPER’S AUCTION COMPANY Friday May 30th @ 6:00 p.m.

Come Check It Out! Swarovski Crystal, Tiffany Style Light (Large), Lionel Trains, Sterling, Vtg. Mantel Clocks from Germany Knives, Lots of Box Lots, Glass and Much More...

47 Macon Center Dr. Franklin, NC 828.369.6999 Debra Harper, NCAL #9659, NCFL #9671. harpersauctioncompany.com

ARTS & CRAFTS

Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 | classads@smokymountainnews.com

Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

AUCTION

THE MAGGIE VALLEY SWAP MEET And Car Show is coming June 27, 28 and 29th to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. A swap meet, car show and craft show.

Come as a spectator or vendor.

Contact Rodney Buckner at 423.608.4519 www.maggievalleyswapmeet.com THE SOUTHEASTERN GAS & PETROLEUM EXPO Is coming July 18 - 19th to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

Gas station items, toys, tags/plates, old signs, gas pumps, etc. Come as a spectator or vendor. Contact Rodney Buckner at 423.608.4519. www.southeasterngasandpetroleum.com

■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads.

■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

COO

UPBEAT ADS

Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs

242-190ß

LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS

MON-FRI 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

828-456-5387

ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

AUCTION BANK OWNED, ONLINE ONLY, Auction, Subdivision & Wooded Lots, Comm. Buildings, Acreage & Homes, 48 Lots in 14 Counties, Ends June 5th at 3pm. Bid Center At: Iron Horse Auction Co. Office. ironhorseauction.com.

800.997.2248, NCAL3936 BANK OWNED AUCTION 160+/-Acres Divided of Higher Elevation Pasture & Timber Land with Beautiful Views for Miles in Clyde, NC, Haywood County. Saturday, May 31st at 11am. Auction At Haywood County Fairgrounds, Iron Horse Auction Co., Inc. ironhorseauction.com. 800.997.2248.

NCAL3936 ONLINE ONLY AUCTIONS. May 16th-June 10th. NC Commercial Land; Lots; Warehouse; Home.

Others in SC & FL. Rogers Realty.

Details: RogersAuctionGroup.com.

Facebook. 800.442.7906. NCAL685

AUCTION June 12th @ Noon. Former Vance Co. National Guard Armory Building on 1.74 Acres. Dabney Dr., Henderson, NC. High Traffic Volume. RogersAuctionGroup.com.

800.442.7906. NCAL#685.

HOME IMPROVEMENT AUCTION Saturday, June 7 at 10am, 201 S. Central Ave., Locust, NC. Cabinet Sets, Doors, Carpet, Tile, Hardwood, Bath Vanities, Windows, Lighting, Patio Sets, Name Brand Tools. NC Sales Tax applies. www.ClassicAuctions.com 704.507.1449. NCAF5479 LIQUIDATION AUCTION Tuesday, June 3 @ 10am. 2942 Old Steele Creek Rd. Charlotte, NC. Liquidation of Mecklenburg Plumbing, 4 Chevy Pickups, Generators, Welders, Core Drills, more.

704.791.8825 ncaf5479. www.ClassicAuctions.com

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

REMAINING CHERRY & WALNUT Lumber, $15/Board. For more information call 828.627.2342

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control.

FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217 DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316

PAINTING JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Interior, exterior, all your pressure washing needs and more.

Specialize in Removal of Carpenter Bees - Cedar or Log Homes or Painted or Siding!

Call or Text Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727

AUTO PARTS AIR BRAKE CHAMBER Haldex-Anchorlok Gold Seal, model #3636. Looks New/Rebuilt, will email pics, make offer. Please call 828.400.5119 - Waynesville.

DDI BUMPERS ETC. Quality on the Spot Repair & Painting. Don Hendershot 858.646.0871 cell 828.452.4569 office.

CARS DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 800.337.9038.

TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

R

DRIVERS: Local/Regional/OTR. Excellent Pay/ Benefit Package. Great Pay/Consitent Miles. Daily/Weekly/Bi-Weekly Hometime. CDL-A 1yrs OTR Exp. Req. 855.842.8498.

FINE GRADE MOTOR GRADER Operator to work in Goldsboro or Fayetteville area. Minimum 5 years experience. All applicants are subject to background/drug/health screening. Excellent benefits. Competitive wages. Contact Charles Rose, 252.813.0193. EOE.

THE NAVY IS HIRING Top-notch training, medical/dental, 30 days vacation/yr, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419

$1,000 WEEKLY!!

Mailing Brochures From Home.

Helping home workers since 2001.

Genuine Opportunity. NO Experience Required. Start Immediately. www.MailingMembers.com SAPA HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITAL Positions now available: Clinical Informatics Specialist, Clinical Coordinator, Receptionist, Medical Records Manager, Maintenance Mechanic, Physical Therapist, and Physical Therapist Assistant.

Benefits available the first of the month following 60 days of full-time employment. PreEmployment screening required.

Call Human Resources.

828.526.1376, or apply online at: www.highlandscashiershospital. org

EARLY HEAD START TEACHER Jackson County- An Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education is required for this position, must also have the ability to work well with families and coworkers, 2 yrs. experience working with birth to 3 yrs. and have good judgment/problem solving skills. Prefer someone with Infant/Toddler CDA credentials and basic computer skills.

This is an 11 month position with benefits.

HEAD START-PRE-SCHOOL ASSISTANT TEACHER - Jackson County-2 Positions AvailableAssociate Degree in Early Childhood Education is required for this position, must be able to assume the responsibilities of classroom when the teacher is absent, work well with parents and community leaders, and have good judgment/problem solving skills. Basic computer skills are required. Two years classroom experience preferred.

This is a 10 month position with benefits.

Applications for these positions will be taken at Mountain Projects, 2251 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, NC or 25 Schulman St, Sylva, NC or you may apply online at line at: www.mountainprojects.org Pre-Employment drug testing is required. EOE/AA.

EMPLOYMENT HEAD START/NC PRE-K TEACHER - Haywood County Two PositionMust have a Birth-K or BS related field with course work, and teaching license. This position also requires computer skills, the ability to work with diverse population/community partners, 2 yrs. experience in Pre-K classroom, good judgment/problem solving skills, lead role in classroom and time management skills. Candidate will be responsible for classroom/paperwork. This is a 10 month positions with benefits that include health, dental, vision, short term/long term disability, and life insurance.

Applications will be taken at Mountain Projects, 2251 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, or 25 Schulman St, Sylva, NC or you may go to our website: www.mountainprojects.org and fill out an application.

EOE/AA

Jim’s Sew & Vac Repair & Service

TOUCH

The Oreck Touch™ is a full-powered, high performance bagless vacuum cleaner that brings easy to bagless.

It is designed with a four-stage multi-cyclonic filtration system that ensures no loss of suction*

110 DEPOT ST. WAYNESVILLE | 456-9314

MON - FRI 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM |

101 South Main St. Waynesville, NC 28786

(828) 452-2227 • (800) 467-7144 (828) 456-6836 FAX

|

info@mainstreetrealty.net

mainstreetrealty.net

HIGH-TECH CAREER With U.S. Navy. Elite tech training w/great pay, benefits, vacation, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34.

Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419 ATTN: DRIVERS New Kenworth Trucks! Earn up to 50 cpm. Full benefits + Rider & Pet Program. Orientation. Sign on Bonus. CDL-A Req. 877.258.8782. www.ad-drivers.com

NEED MEDICAL BILLLING TRAINEES Obamacare creating a large demand for Medical Office Assistants! NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED! Online Training gets you job ready!

HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc.

1.888.512.7122

WANT A CAREER Operating Heavy Equipment? Bulldozers, Backhoes, Excavators.

"Hands On Training" & Certifications Offered. National Average 1822 Hourly! Lifetime Job Placement Assistance. VA Benefits Eligible.

1.866.362.6497

SEEKING LICENSED Life and Health Agents to market VOLUNTARY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS programs to EMPLOYERS for Colonial Life. Non-licensed applicants considered. Grayson Blake, 336.300.6215, gblake@coloniallife.com

WELDING CAREERS Hands on training for career opportunities in shipbuilding, automotive, manufacturing & more. Financial aid for qualified students.

Job placement assistance. Call Tidewater Tech Norfolk 888.205.1735

Cleaner, Clearer and Healthier water at every tap in your home

An EcoWater Water System can remove

Lease to Own

Bad Taste & Odors Iron/Rust Sediment/ Silt Bacterias Harmful Chlorine Balance pH

Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400 Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962 Equal Housing Opportunity

smokymountainnews.com

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

TRIXIE LOOKS LIKE A BRINDLE BEAGLE/LABRADOR/SPANIEL MIX!! WE DON'T KNOW HER BREED MIX BUT SHE IS A VERY UNIQUE AND CHARMING YOUNG DOG.

ORECK, BISSELL & DYSON WARRANTY REPAIRS

Main Street Realty

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS MACAROON LOOKS JUST LIKE A MAINE COON CAT WITH HIS SOFT, SHINY TABBY COAT AND WHITE ACCENTS. HE'S NOT QUITE A YEAR OLD AND READY TO GO HOME WITH HIS NEW FAMILY.

$59999 Regular Price TM $39999 Sales Price $34999 Our Price

May 28-June 3, 2014

AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE Get FAA Approved Maintenance Training Financial Aid For Qualified Students - Housing Available Job Placement Assistance. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 WWW.FIXJETS.COM. SAPA

FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME TEACHER OPENINGS AT HAYWOOD CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (1) Full-time Middle School Math/Science Teacher. Grades 79. Looking for vibrant personality passionate about middle grades to be Lead Teacher. Bachelor’s degree required and 3 years minimum experience. (2) Full-time Elementary School Teacher.

Grades 3-5. Bachelor’s degree required, 1 year experience preferred. (3) Part-time Elementary School PE Teacher. (4) Part-time Middle/High School PE/Health Teacher. Bachelor’s degree required. Applications found at: www.haywoodchristianacademy. org. Submit with resume to: mbane@haywoodchristianacademy.org or by fax at 888.880.8447 by June 16.

Phone: 828.627.0229, ext. 102.

EMPLOYMENT

WNC MarketPlace

DRIVERS PRIME, INC. Company Drivers & Independent Contractors for Refrigerated, Tanker & Flatbed NEEDED! Plenty of Freight & Great Pay! Start with Prime Today! Call 800.277.0212 or apply online at driveforprime.com

EMPLOYMENT

242-04

EMPLOYMENT AVERITT EXPRESS New Pay Increase For Regional Drivers! 40 to 46 CPM + Fuel Bonus! Also, Post-Training Pay Increase for Students! (Depending on Domicile) Get Home EVERY Week + Excellent Benefits. CDL-A req. 888.362.8608 Apply @ AverittCareers.com Equal Opportunity Employer - Females, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

828.452.3995 | americanwatercareinc.com

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

43

WNC MarketPlace

FURNITURE

FURNITURE

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

FINANCIAL

ANTIQUE WOOD BURNING STOVE Victorian, ‘Belmont’, 6 Burners. $600. For more information call 828.550.1302

REMAINING CHERRY & WALNUT Lumber, $15/Board. For more information call 828.627.2342

COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

RIVER PARK APARTMENTS 93 Wind Crest Ridge in Dillsboro. Social community designed for the Elderly (62 or older) or persons with disabilities, has regularly scheduled, varied activities.

Energy efficient, affordable 1 BR apts.

AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY! Rental Assistance Available.

Accessible units designed for persons with disabilities subject to availability. $25 application fee; credit/criminal required. Call site for information 828.631.0124.

Office hours are M-Th 1-3 pm or by appointment.

Equal Housing Opportunity.

This institution is professionally managed by Partnership Property Management, an equal opportunity provider, and employer.

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA INJURED? IN A LAWSUIT? Need Cash Now? We Can Help! No Monthly Payments to Make. No Credit Check. Fast Service and Low Rates. Call Now 1.866.386.3692. www.lawcapital.com (Not available in NC, CO & MD) SAPA

LAWN & GARDEN HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT 20 ACRES ONLY $99/mo.

Hurry, Only a Few Remain! Owner Financing. NO CREDIT CHECKS! Near El Paso, Texas. Beautiful Mountain Views! Money Back Guarantee 1.800.343.9444 Landbrkr@gmail.com.

SAPA LOANS FOR LANDLORDS! We Finance From 5-500 Units. As Low as 5.5%. 1-4 Fam, Townhome, Condos OK. Contact B2R 1.855.940.0227. www.B2RFinance.com REAL ESTATE AUCTION Surry County, State Road, 3/BR 2/Bath Country Home with Garage & Barn, & three Home-Sites.

Saturday, May 24th, 10:00AM. Also Personal Property. www.HallAuctionCo.com , 336.835.7653, NCAL#4703 WESTERN, NC New cabin on 2.51ac. w/2bdr, loft, large deck, covered porch, fpl, minutes from the lake. $139,900.

Call 828.286.1666

LOTS FOR SALE 2 TRACTS AVAILABLE IN CLYDE #1 - 2.819 Acres, Has Great Building Lot, City Water, Has 2 1/2 Story Building. Property Near HCC. $62,750. #2 - Available in the Fall. Has 3 Acres and House. For more info call 828.627.2342.

COMM. PROP. FOR SALE APARTMENT COMPLEX FOR SALE 14 - 2/BR Units. Excellent Rental History. Sylva Area. Call Broker, Robert A. Kent, NC Broker Lic. #274102, The R.A. Kent Co., LLC 828.550.1455

VACATION RENTALS CAVENDER CREEK CABINS Dahlonega, GA. GAS TOO HIGH? Spend your vacation week in the North Georgia Mountains! Ask About Our Weekly FREE NIGHT SPECIAL! Virtual Tour: www.CavenderCreek.com Cozy Hot Tub Cabins!

1.866.373.6307 SAPA

242-181

Great Smokies Storage

www.smokymountainnews.com

May 28-June 3, 2014

10’x20’

44

92

$

20’x20’

160

$

ONE MONTH

FREE WITH 12-MONTH CONTRACT

828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828 Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

Puzzles can be found on page 46.

These are only the answers.

VACATION RENTALS

FLAGLER BEACH FLORIDA Oceanfront Vacation Rentals.

Furnished Studio, 1, 2, & 3 Bedrooms, Full Kitchens, FREE WiFi, Direct TV, Heated Pool. Call 386.517.6700 www.fbvr.net SAPA

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HEAVY EQUIPMENT

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ENTERTAINMENT SCOTTISH TARTANS MUSEUM 86 East Main St., Franklin, 828.584.7472. www.scottishtartans.org. Matthew A.C. Newsome, GTS, FSA, SCOT., Curator & General Manager, Ronan B. MacGregor, Business Assistant.

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AIR BRAKE CHAMBER Haldex-Anchorlok Gold Seal, model #3636. Looks New/Rebuilt, will email pics, make offer. Please call 828.400.5119 - Waynesville.

ANTIQUE WOOD BURNING STOVE Victorian, ‘Belmont’, 6 Burners. $600. For more information call 828.550.1302 CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

FOR SALE: Two Crypts at Eye Level.

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242-12

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Haywood County Real Estate Agents

smokymountainnews.com

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May 28-June 3, 2014

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ENTERTAINMENT

WNC MarketPlace

NORTH CAROLINA Beat The Heat & Head to the Mountains! Book your vacation now. Pets welcome! Weekly & Monthly rentals. Best rates. Foscoe Rentals 1.800.723.7341 www.foscoerentals.com. SAPA

HEALTH/FITNESS

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ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 45

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May 28-June 3, 2014

WNC MarketPlace

Super

46

MOVING AROUND THE BOARD

CROSSWORD

76 2002-03 Bravo reality show, with “The” 77 Medications for some ACROSS anemia patients 1 Uproar 80 Big name in energy 4 Cry of insight bars 7 Raise a design on 81 Off. helper 13 Relies on 82 With 126-Down, first 19 Pita sandwich with instruction mashed chickpeas 83 Tony-winning Kazan 21 Force 85 Stats, e.g.

22 Flirt with a bit 87 Elect (to) 23 Comic strip in which 89 Teammate of Michael Popeye first appeared Jordan 25 On key 94 XI minus IV 26 Gin flavorer 97 Yiddish writer Sholem 27 Creme-filled cookie 100 Size above med.

28 Totals (up) 101 1982 high-tech film 30 “- want for Christmas 102 Eye, to poets ...”

103 Opera boy with 31 1925 Sergei Eisenstein “night visitors” film classic 105 Nest egg user, often 37 Pat gently 108 Speaker of Romany 40 Patron 110 Train driver 41 New Hampshire col115 Helper of lege city Frankenstein 42 Very big bird 116 Pre-1991 superpow43 Travel with the band er 47 Germane 117 Horde 48 Truth or 118 Besides that 50 Party LBJ belonged to 122 Covert 51 Auto’s shock 124 Theme of this puzzle absorbers, springs, etc.

129 Recital finale 55 Fruit beverage 130 Certain 12-step 57 Other, to Juan group 58 “- quam videri” (North 131 Sierra - (California Carolina’s motto) range) 59 Site for online bids 132 Charred the outside 62 Besides that of 66 St. Patrick’s isle 133 Most current 68 Two-person country 134 Co. leader fair contest 135 Of old 73 Charming notion 75 “Woo-hoo!”

DOWN

1 Early P.M. periods 2 Author Roald 3 Medley 4 Mil. jets’ site 5 Bygone serf 6 Early warning 7 Imitates 8 Pal of Curly 9 TV’s Arthur 10 Dinner crumb 11 Shreds 12 Bean holder 13 Corkscrew 14 TV’s - Tin Tin 15 Like wild animals 16 Crept around 17 Mark on a bikini wearer 18 Gloria of feminism 20 Single-celled creature 24 - Aviv-Jaffa 29 “Explorer” girl 32 Aleutian island 33 Facial spots 34 Kachina doll carver 35 Really liking 36 - out (used frugally) 37 Erte’s style 38 Nonpros 39 Tacos’ kin 44 Sugar ending 45 Like some high hairdos 46 Mold anew 49 - sunshine (hot beam) 52 Kia model since 2002 53 Born, to Luc 54 Three R’s gp.

56 It doesn’t require a piercing 60 U.K. novels, poems, etc.

61 More chichi 63 Gloria Estefan’s music

64 Ones jeering 65 Above, to a bard 67 Sue Grafton’s “- for Evidence” 69 Lens locale 70 Fast escape 71 “Adios!”

72 WWII female enlistee 73 U.S. spy gp.

74 Sprinkles, as with powder 78 45s’ cousins 79 Seine, e.g.

84 GI address 86 Hanging - a thread 88 Tree on Maui 90 Sony - (line of PDAs) 91 Grimm beast 92 Preadult 93 Playwright William 94 Small suitcases 95 Funny Coca 96 Old Chrysler chief Lee 98 Old PC screens 99 Football’s - Trophy 104 Film genre 106 Part on a sitcom, say 107 Beethoven’s “Overture” 109 Seat of Siskiyou County, California 111 Made known 112 Suffix with president 113 ‘90s-’00s boy band 114 Ms. Lauder 119 - dog’s life (toiled away) 120 Hosiery flaw 121 Onetime Texaco rival 123 Before 125 Rural refusal 126 See 82-Across 127 Opp. of neg.

128 Egg: Prefix

answers on page 44

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FLEA MARKETS PEDDLER’S SQUARE FLEA MARKET Smoky Mountain Expressway, 23/74, Across From Edesto Gas. Available: Outdoor Space Friday Saturday & Sunday, 9a til 4p, $10/Day or $25 for 3 Days.

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For More Info Call Terry at 828.276.6377

WEEKLY SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Answers on Page 44

The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Doin’ Puc Puggy proud

T

he Tennessee Valley Authority, in 1984, found itself with an extra $14,000 lying around. The money was available for outreach projects across the Southeast. Well, we all know how frivolous the federal government and/or quasi-federal organizations (TVA is a corporation owned by the federal government) are with their money, right? And here was another opportunity for the Feds to squander your hardearned taxes. What did they do with the money?

Half the money went to programs training first responders in whitewater rescue.

This effort has been credited with reducing fatalities in American rivers by more than 50 percent. Oh well, they got lucky, I guess.

They still had seven grand to blow – how could they burn that? They decided to use it to underwrite a “one-time” Plant Utilization gathering. The idea was to bring together native plant enthusiasts, botanists, nursery operators, horticulturists, state highway departments, plant society’s, etc. to exchange knowledge and information regarding the use and preservation of native plants in the landscape.

That meeting was held at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, which is tucked in a valley between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge, an area known for its diverse flora. Participants were housed in dormitories and meals were served in the cafeteria to keep costs as low as possible. One hundred twenty-seven participants attended that Landscaping with Native Plants Conference.

I guess you could say the idea took root.

This year’s 31st annual Cullowhee Native Plant Conference — or “The Cullowhee Conference” as it is known — will run July 16-19. Attendance at the conference quickly maxed out at around 400 in 1986. There was talk of expanding the conference, but conference leaders relished the close-knit and lobbied to limit participation. The popularity of the conference was acknowledged and in order to allow greater participation, satellite conferences have sprung up in places like Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Texas and Tennessee.

The Cullowhee Conference fills up fast.

There are several options/prices for attendees. To get the scoop on registration and a preview of this year’s conference go to www.wcu.edu/academics/edoutreach/cont-

Photo from one of the Panthertown field trips 2013. Cullowhee Native Plants Conference photo ed/conferences-and-community-classes/thecullowhee-native-plant-conference/.

There are tried and true trips and presentations like: “Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest After the Adelgid,” with Ila Hatter and Dan Pittillo; “Ethnobotanical Exploration of Panthertown Valley,” with David Cozzo and Adam Bigelow; “Whiteside Mountain, the Mountain at the End of the Trail,” with Jeff Zahner; and “Wildflower Ecology along the Blue Ridge Parkway” with George Ellison and Tim Spira.

Plus new adventures like: backyard rain gardens, managing stormwater with sustainable plant ecosystems with Mitch

Woodward and Andrew Anderson, discovering meals and medicines in a meadow with Ila Hatter, five easy walks exploring distinctive high mountain plant communities — Black Balsam Knob to Mt. Hardy Area with Randy Burroughs — and designing the attractive native garden with Edward Davis.

Oh, and as for Puc Puggy — the Creek Indian name meaning “flower puller” given to botanist William Bartram — actor J.D. Sutton will bring him to life Wednesday evening with a performance of “William Bartram Live.”

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist.

He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)

LET’S BUILD NOW Your Land, Your our Sty Style Style,, Y Your o our Ho Home

AmericasHomePlace.com omePlace.c

Smoky Mountain News

Franklin Building ilding C Center 335 NP & L Loop, op, Fran Franklin, NC (828) 349-0990 Across from Franklin klin Ford on Hwy 441

May 28-June 3, 2014

America’s America’s Home Place

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Smoky Mountain News May 28-June 3, 2014