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June 8-14, 2016 Vol. 18 Iss. 02

Stakes are high in Haywood hospital tax dispute Page 3 Casino board member will keep her seat Page 9

CONTENTS On the Cover: The “Forward Together” Moral Monday Movement, which started in Raleigh in 2013, will make its way to Sylva on June 13 for a special Mountain Moral Monday event hosted by the Jackson County NAACP branch. Rev. Dr. William Barber II will speak about the growth of the movement and the important role Western North Carolina residents can play in making policy change at the General Assembly. (Page 6) Kaitlyn Barlow photo

News Stakes high in Haywood hospital tax dispute ............................................................3 Harris hospital asks county to slash tax value ............................................................4 Casino board member will keep her seat ....................................................................9 Haywood animal shelter project moves forward ....................................................10 County passes relaxed gun control ordinance ........................................................11 Canton exercises patience in paving project ..........................................................12 Planning under way for new science building at WCU ........................................13 Macon works toward middle ground on school funding ......................................14 Swain aims to keep tax rate steady ............................................................................16 Health news ........................................................................................................................19

Opinion If this were the wild, he would already be gone ......................................................20

A&E Brotherhood through bluegrass ..................................................................................24

Outdoors

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Stakes high in tax dispute with Haywood hospital

A

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER aywood and Jackson counties could have a long road ahead in their property tax disputes with Duke LifePoint, which owns Haywood Regional Medical Center and Harris Regional Hospital.

Duke LifePoint has appealed the property tax value of its two hospitals in Haywood and Jackson counties, claiming they are worth far less than what the coun-

H

HOW WE GOT HERE

Haywood Regional Medical Center’s property holding* • $43.14 million: value according to the county • $17.9 million: value according to Duke LifePoint • $244,000: yearly property tax bill based on the county’s pegged value • $101,000: yearly property tax bill based on Duke LifePoint’s purported value *The real estate property value includes all land and buildings owned by the hospital, including the main hospital and its 56-acre campus, the fitness center, Haywood Hospice House, and outpatient surgery center.

Haywood Regional Medical Center’s equipment assets* • $16 million: value according to the county • $7 million: value according to Duke LifePoint • $90,000: yearly tax bill on equipment based on the county’s value • $40,000: yearly tax bill on equipment based on Duke LifePoint’s value *The equipment value includes all devices and furnishings — from X-ray machines to IV poles — at all hospital facilities and doctor’s practices under the Duke LifePoint umbrella countywide.

Until recently, the county didn’t get any property taxes out of Haywood Regional. It was a nonprofit hospital, and nonprofits are exempt from property taxes.

That changed two years ago when the hospital was sold to LifePoint. Haywood Regional gave up its title as a locally-owned, independent nonprofit for the security, economies of scale and strong capital footing that a corporate, for-profit network like LifePoint offered.

Francis doesn’t want the property tax dispute to color the county’s rapport with the hospital.

“Haywood County values our relationship

with Duke LifePoint and the progress they’ve made for citizens of Haywood County,” Francis said.

The boon to county tax coffers was often cited as a plus in the sale of the hospital, since it would join the property tax rolls when the sale went through.

On paper, the county has always assigned

ties purport. Hundreds of thousands of dollars annually hang in the balance in the high-stakes property tax appeals pending in both counties.

It’s not a new move for Duke LifePoint. It has appealed its property values in six out of the nine counties where it has hospitals in North Carolina.

Based on a survey of all nine counties, The Smoky Mountain News found there have been appeals in Rutherford, Wilson, Vance and Person counties, as well as Jackson and Haywood, following acquisitions by LifePoint within the past five years.

Two more LifePoint hospitals — in Lee and Catawba counties — have not seen a tax appeal yet, but it’s too soon to say whether they are out of the woods. Those two hospitals were bought in January, and Duke LifePoint’ pattern has been to wait a year following acquisitions before filing a property tax appeal. The same has played out when Duke LifePoint bought hospi-

tals in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

One county where Duke LifePoint doesn’t seem inclined to appeal its property tax value is Swain County. It could be the stakes there are too low to bother. Swain’s uber-low property tax rate coupled with a super-small hospital there means Duke LifePoint’s property tax bill in Swain is low in the first place.

There’s potentially not enough savings to be had to make it worth challenging.

Haywood and Jackson could learn from other counties that have gone before them in a tax battle with Duke LifePoint. Wilson County, for example, fought with Duke LifePoint over the value of Wilson Medical Center in 2014, a case that went all the way to the N.C. Property Tax Commission.

Wilson County claimed the hospital’s property value was $64 million, but Duke LifePoint countered that it was only $32 million. The state Property Tax Commission ruled summarily in LifePoint’s favor — coming in not a penny more than the $32 mil-

S EE LIFE POINT PAGE 5

lion LifePoint claimed.

“We had a good solid case, but they had their hired gun and they prevailed,” said Randy Faircloth, tax administrator in Wilson County.

Faircloth said the county must now decide whether to appeal the ruling. On one hand, the appeal process is costly for counties due to the necessity of hiring consultants and experts versed in the complexity of pegging a hospital’s value. On the other hand, there’s a lot to be gained or lost.

It’s not just one year’s worth of tax revenue on the line, but years into the future.

“If you don’t get the baseline value correct, over the course of several years, that translates into a lot of money,” Faircloth said. “The county stands to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax revenue by having it undervalued, and frankly the citizens of the community should not be harmed in

Smoky Mountain News

Will the row over hospitals’ property taxes go the distance?

share is, for now, is in the eye of the beholder.

Both sides will have a chance to make their case at a property value hearing at the end of June, presided over by a local fivemember panel known as the Board of Equalization and Review, appointed by county commissioners expressly for the purpose of hearing property value appeals each year.

“Everybody has the legal right to file an appeal on the property,” Francis said. “Just because it has a big number beside it, it will be handled in the same manner as any other appeal.”

The pseudo-legal proceeding will be loaded with real estate experts and appraisers on each side explaining how they arrived at their claimed number.

Pegging a hospital’s value isn’t easy. An appraisal is typically based on the sale price of similar properties nearby. But there aren’t any other hospitals in Haywood County to go by.

The sale price of liked-sized hospitals elsewhere in the state could offer some insight, but there are so many variables between hospitals that an apples-to-apples comp value doesn’t exist.

June 8-14, 2016

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER dispute over how much Haywood Regional Medical Center owes in county property taxes is headed for a showdown this month.

The county stands to gain — or lose — up to $150,000 annually depending on which side wins. The final verdict on the hospital’s tax bill will come down to a not-so-easy question: what’s the hospital worth? Taxes are calculated according to its worth.

“All property is supposed to be assessed at fair market value,” said David Francis, Haywood County Tax Administrator. “The hospital is certainly a little trickier.”

The county has pegged the value of the hospital’s main campus and adjunct facilities at $43.18 million.

But the hospital’s owner, the national healthcare network Duke LifePoint, claims Haywood Regional’s holdings are worth only $17.9 million.

It amounts to a difference of $100,00 per year on the hospital’s real estate taxes.

Meanwhile, another dispute is brewing over how much the hospital owes in property taxes on its equipment. Business entities must pay taxes on all their furnishings and equipment. For the hospital, that means every MRI, every X-ray machine, every IV pole, every bed, every computer and so on — not only for the main hospital, but the rehab center, outpatient surgery center, hospice, fitness center, urgent care and every doctor’s practice under the LifePoint umbrella.

The county claims the hospital has $16 million in equipment assets. Duke LifePoint claims it’s only $7 million — amounting to another $50,000 discrepancy in its annual property tax bill.

From the hospital’s perspective, it doesn’t want to get soaked by the county for more than its fair share. But just what that fair

By the numbers: Haywood hospital tax dispute

the hospital a property value. But the value was always more of a guesstimate — neither side split hairs over how accurate it was because it didn’t matter anyway, Francis said.

When the hospital sale went through in the summer of 2014, the county got to work on coming up with a more accurate value for the hospital’s main campus and its various adjunct facilities around the county.

The value listed on the county’s books prior to the sale was $55 million.

“After the sale we went out there and measured every building, the entire parking lot, and did a walk through of every floor and of every building,” Francis said.

Based on the thorough survey, the county recalculated Haywood Regional’s real estate value at $43.1 million.

The first year following the sale, Duke LifePoint paid the property taxes according to the county’s value. But this year, Duke LifePoint countered.

Before launching a formal appeal, Duke LifePoint made a customary informal appeal.

But the county didn’t back down from its appraised value. So Duke LifePoint filed a formal appeal in April.

Meanwhile, a dispute over the hospital’s property taxes on equipment and furnishings has been in play since last year. Before the hospital became a for-profit, the county didn’t bother to keep a close accounting of its equipment and medical devices due to its taxexempt status.

When the hospital sold, itemizing every piece of equipment in the hospital and various facilities under the hospital’s umbrella became a monumental undertaking.

The ball was initially in LifePoint’s court to provide the county with a list of its equipment and assets. But the county claims it wasn’t complete.

“We felt like there was some information missing,” Francis said. “We thought it needed another set of eyes so we hired an independent auditor.”

The auditor crafted his own list for the county, but not based on a floor-by-floor,

S EE TAXES, PAGE 5 3

Harris Regional asks county to slash the hospital’s tax value

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hen Jackson County sent out bucketloads of mail this spring announcing new values for every property in its borders, Harris Regional Hospital got a piece of paper declaring that its campus was worth a little over $42.3 million — the tally rises to $48.9 million with all the auxiliary holdings included.

That’s way too high, decided the corporate offices of Duke LifePoint, which owns Harris. LifePoint sent in an appeal declaring that its properties in Jackson County were worth an even $13 million.

“Typically when you get a big business like that you will be challenged, so I wasn’t surprised to get a challenge,” said Bobby McMahan, tax assessor for Jackson County.

“But I was a little surprised that their opinion of value was as low as it is, that it was $13 million.”

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IMPACT ON SYLVA It’s a revaluation year, the time when — after years of work — the tax office sends out updated market values to all properties in the county. Appeals pour in by the hundreds once those new values go out, but Harris’ appeal has sparked the loudest conversation of any of them.

For one thing, the hospital has one of the highest property values in the county. For another, the gap between appraised and appealed value is huge, and the appeal has had a substantial impact on Sylva’s budget. In the 2015-16 fiscal year, the hospital’s assessed value accounted for 10 percent of Sylva’s tax base, and town leaders were expecting the same would be true this year.

So, when Sylva’s commissioners first heard that the hospital was trying to get its value approved at $13 million, rather than $42.3 million, they were upset at the hit their already tight budget would take. And when they discovered that Harris would not be paying anything at all until after the appeal was settled — something that will almost certainly happen after the new fiscal year begins and the budget is approved — some of them were downright angry.

At a $42.3 million value, the hospital would have to pay $178,500 in taxes to the town, equal to about 5 cents on the 42.5-cent tax rate. If the hospital were valued at $13 million, its tax bill to the town would drop to $55,250.

“It’s sad what this hospital is doing to the community,” said Commissioner David Nestler.

“It’s not a policy that comes out of any sort of commitment to the community,” he added. “It’s the antithesis of that.”

“I hate to make them look like bad guys, but that’s not being a community partner,” agreed Commissioner Barbara Hamilton.

Until 2014, the hospital had operated as a nonprofit community hospital, so it wasn’t

Harris Regional’s property holding* • $45.9 million: value according to the county • $13 million: value according to Duke LifePoint • $170,000: yearly property tax bill based on the county’s pegged value and the proposed county tax rate • $48,100: yearly property tax bill based on Duke LifePoint’s purported value and the proposed county tax rate.

*The real estate property value includes all land and buildings owned by the hospital, including the main hospital and 76.8-acre hospital campus (valued at $42.3 million by the county), Mountain Trace Nursing Home, the hospital thrift store and various offices.

Bills for equipment values won’t be sent out until August and go through an appeals process separate from real property.

taxable until Duke LifePoint bought it in August 2014. In a package deal, LifePoint purchased Harris and Swain Community Hospital for $25 million, also pledging $43 million in capital investments as part of the terms.

Those numbers gave Sylva Commissioner Greg McPherson a moment of pause.

“And they’re saying it’s worth $13 million?” he said. “Who are these people?”

The reaction from the Jackson County commissioners was much less fiery. While the hospital value has sparked roundtable discussions among the Sylva commissioners multiple times during the budget season, the subject has been all but absent where Jackson is concerned.

That could be partly because the hospital makes up a much less significant part of the county budget than the town budget. In 201516, Sylva collected $1.27 million in property taxes, while Jackson County collected $30.5 million.

DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES

In contrast to the Sylva folks, County Commission Chairman Brian McMahan doesn’t see anything underhanded in the hospital’s bid for a lower value. In his view, it’s just business as usual.

“Anybody whose business is to make money, they always try to closely examine and audit their books and make sure the numbers are what the numbers are supposed to be,” Brian McMahan said. “I think that’s why we see those appeals come in from people like Duke LifePoint, because they pay people to constantly monitor what’s going on and how it affects the bottom line.”

The appeals process is still playing out. It could wrap up in a matter of weeks, or of months, or — in rare cases — years.

LifePoint started out by filing an informal appeal with the Jackson County tax office, along with about 2,800 other property owners. Bobby McMahan rejected the appeal.

“I would rather have seen an individual -fee appraisal, and that would have been performed at or before their original purchase,

“I don’t think it’s a reflection on the company itself or how they feel toward the community. I think it’s just part of doing business.”

— Brian McMahan, Jackson County Commission Chairman

“opinion of value” isn’t broken down among its various properties in Jackson County — it simply says that its collections of holdings should be worth an even $13 million, not one penny more or less.

“That’s part of the reason we’re taking the position we are, like ‘Are you serious?’” he said.

However, there’s no way to say for sure what the Board of Equalization and Review or the Property Tax Commission will make of LifePoint’s case. After those boards make a decision, there is still another opportunity for recourse with the N.C. Court of Appeals.

“I think there’s going to be some give and some take, and maybe more take than give,” said Brian McMahan. “But that’s yet to be determined.”

Harris Regional declined to comment on this story, and Duke LifePoint’s corporate headquarters did not reply to requests for comment.

LIFE POINT, CONTINUED FROM 3 room-by-room inventory of the hospital.

That would be too time consuming, Francis said.

Instead, the auditor compared the equipment list from Duke LifePoint against the hospital’s internal depreciation schedule — an itemized list of assets and their depreciation rate for accounting and income tax purposes. The two didn’t jive.

The hospital’s internal depreciation schedule doesn’t appear to be comprehensive, either, however.

The county came up with $16 million in equipment and furnishings, compared to $7 million that Duke LifePoint claimed. Duke LifePoint paid equipment taxes last year based on its own claim of $7 million, but if the final determination ends up being higher, it will have to pay the difference along with discovery penalties.

TAXES, CONTINUED FROM 3 that way.”

In the end, it can be a crapshoot, however.

“When it comes down to five people making a decision, whether it’s the Board of Equalization and Review or the Property Tax Commission, there’s no way you, I or anyone else knows exactly what those individuals are going to think and do,” said Bobby McMahan, tax assessor for Jackson County.

There’s also no telling how long an appeal might take at the state level.

“We have no control over that,” McMahan said.

Vance County has been in an ongoing property tax dispute with Duke LifePoint for four years. Duke LifePoint bought Maria Parham Medical Center there in 2011, and the following year, appealed its property tax value.

A compromise avoided a drawn out fight over the real estate value — the county claimed it was $66 million, LifePoint claimed it was $29 million, and they settled at $50 million.

The property tax value of Duke LifePoint’s equipment and assets in Vance

LifePoint executives nor LifePoint’s consultant in the property tax dispute returned messages seeking comment for this story.

WHAT NEXT The Board of Equalization and Review will hear both appeals — the one on the hospital’s real estate value and its equipment value — on June 29.

The board will then issue a ruling on what it thinks the values are. It could side with the county, with LifePoint, or comprise somewhere in between.

The county and Duke LifePoint could come to an agreement following the Equalization and Review board hearing.

If not, either party could take their dispute to the next level, namely a hearing before the state Property Tax Commission in Raleigh. If either side is still unsatisfied, the next step is an appeal to the N.C. Court of Appeals.

have been in limbo four years, however, with the county pegging it at $18 million and LifePoint at only $8 million.

Vance Tax Administrator Porcha Brooks said LifePoint has been elusive in providing an accurate list and depreciation schedule of their equipment and assets.

“We kept saying ‘We need the entire list,’ and they kept saying they didn’t have it,” Brooks said.

That was an issue in Wilson County as well, where the equipment LifePoint listed on its tax form didn’t match what was on the ground.

“You can take what they say and go with that, but my suggestion is, personally, you should question it all because you are talking about millions of dollars in value,” Faircloth said.

Duke LifePoint is a relative newcomer in North Carolina’s hospital network. Five years ago, it had no hospitals in the state.

Now it has nine.

Duke LifePoint is a rare bird in the state’s hospital landscape as one of the few for-profit hospital systems that actually have to pay local property taxes. Most hospitals are non-profit, government-owned or affiliated with a university and thus are exempt from property taxes.

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THE APPEALS PROCESS

and that’s not what this is,” Bobby McMahan said of the 1.5-inch-thick document LifePoint sent in to prove the value should be lowered to $13 million.

Bobby McMahan struggled to say exactly what he’d call the document, but he was adamant about one thing — it’s not an appraisal.

“I can’t even tell you what all’s on there and sensibly talk about it,” he said. “Every page is something different. It’s not rhythmically put together.”

The document, which is not public record, contains information such as statistical information about the dollar-per-room value of hospitals in the Southeast and historical purchase information, Bobby McMahan said.

Bobby McMahan is also shaking his head about the fact that LifePoint’s $13 million

news

Maybe, Nestler said, but a quick Google search is all you need to reveal that LifePoint has done this same thing in other towns, other states — buy a hospital, appeal the value to be something far below the tax appraisal, and leave the local government hanging while the process plays out.

“It’s a strategy they have. It’s an economic strategy,” Nestler said. “They pay these attorneys to fight these fights to save them money.”

It’s not quite fair to say that the appeal is a reflection on Harris’ willingness to be a community partner, Brian McMahan said, because the appeal came from corporate headquarters — the hospital leaders who live and work in Western North Carolina had nothing to do with the decision.

“I don’t think it’s a reflection on the company itself or how they feel toward the community,” he said. “I think it’s just part of doing business.”

Indeed, the county assumes that a certain amount of the assessed value will erode as appeals play out with each revaluation. The proposed budget that commissioners will vote on June 16 assumes that the assessed value will decrease by about $70 million.

“This has been a process that’s been going on for decades, and after doing it enough you sort of get a feel for how things will turn out,” McMahan said.

Sylva has no such cushion. The town has a perennially tight budget — this year’s proposed tax hike from 30 to 42.5 cents per $100 of property value represents the first tax rate increase in 12 years — and this year it faced an onslaught of budget challenges in addition to the hospital. Health insurance costs went way up, the reevaluation caused a 6 percent decrease in property tax base and the town is still missing revenue from business license fees, which the N.C. General Assembly stopped towns from collecting as of July 2015.

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Moral Monday comes to the mountains

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR he Jackson County Branch of the NAACP will host more than a dozen like-minded Western North Carolina organizations in Sylva on June 13 for an event called “Mountain Moral Monday.”

The event will include a keynote address from Rev. Dr. William Barber II, president of the North Carolina NAACP, as well as speeches from local people who have been negatively impacted by the policies being passed in Raleigh for the last several years.

“You will hear people testify about how their lives have been impacted,” Barber said.

“You have to show the face of it.”

The Moral Monday Movement, a large nonpartisan coalition, actually began organizing 10 years ago as the HK on J (Historic Thousands on Jones Street) Coalition in North Carolina under Barber’s leadership.

For the last three years, the movement has been focused on fighting legislation passed by the General Assembly and the governor that its organizers claim has negatively impacted the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

These issues include the state’s refusal to expand Medicaid, cuts to public education, voter suppression laws, labor rights, affordable housing, immigration, environmental concerns, tax reform and more. Barber describes it as an “indigenously-led, statebased, state-government focused, deeply moral, deeply constitutional, anti-racist, antipoverty, pro-justice, pro-labor, transformative, fusion movement.”

“The movement in North Carolina is about the moral fabric of our society, and we are called by a deeply moral and constitutional vision of what is possible,” Barber said.

“We look at public policy through a moral lens of justice for all and through the constitutional principle of governing for the good of the whole. Our work points out how these extremist policies are morally indefensible, constitutionally inconsistent and economically insane.”

This is the first time a Moral Monday Movement event will be held west of Asheville

Smoky Mountain News

June 8-14, 2016

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since the protests began in Raleigh more than three years ago. “Forward together, not one step back” has been the mantra of the movement, and its leaders say it has supporters from all walks of life and every end of the political spectrum who have come together to rally against what they call extremist policies.

Thousands of North Carolinians have descended upon the state capitol each Monday legislators have been in session to hold peaceful demonstrations inside and outsie the Legislative Building. More than 1,000 people have willingly been arrested for civil disobedience by General Assembly police.

Barber attributes the success of the movement to the people willing to fight for a better state. He said people are tired of politicians talking about “wedge issues” like abortion, homosexuality and prayer in school and are ready for a deeper discussion about the moral issues that affect people’s lives.

“We are challenging the position of the religious right that the preeminent moral issues today are about religion in public schools, abortion and homosexuality with a critique that says the deepest public concerns of our faith traditions deal with how do you treat the poor, those on the margins, the least of these, women, children, workers, immigrants and the sick,” Barber said.

The Jackson County NAACP branch hopes Barber’s national recognition and his ability to engage an audience will spur more involvement in the local NAACP efforts.

“He is a figure of national recognition. He is a person that will talk to and be consulted by candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. He writes editorials — opinions — for the New York Times, and he has a regular column in The Nation magazine, which was a column that used to be written by Martin Luther King,” said Dr. Enrique Gomez, a Western Carolina University professor and president of the Jackson County NAACP. “There are a lot of people who, in their opinion, think that he has essentially ‘taken the mantel’ of the Civil Rights Movement nationwide. So yeah, he is a figure of import.”

Avram Friedman, vice president of the

NAACP gains ground in WNC communities

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR atherine Bartel has a long list of reasons why a NAACP branch started in Haywood County a couple of years ago — and the motives go far beyond protecting only the rights of people of color.

“Our Haywood County unit formed in response to the actions of the state legislature,” said Bartel, who serves as secretary of the Haywood branch. “We felt a need to 6 form an action organization because we saw

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the state refusing to expand Medicaid to make health care available to everyone. We saw public schools being undermined by poor funding and lack of support for good teachers, as well as losing teacher assistants.”

The list of reasons goes on to include witnessing people struggling to live on a minimum wage salary, racial profiling in the application of the death penalty and mass incarceration, immigrants being taken advantage of with no path to citizenship and voting rights being denied to those who are

event will include a performance by nationally acclaimed singersongwriter David LaMotte. Sylva resident Stella Moore will lead the crowd in singing songs of the Movement. The gathering will begin with the Sounding of the Shofar by Frank Goldsmith of WNC Jews for Justice.

“We want people to understand that they really do have power and the importance of participating in the political process if you want to see change happen,” Friedman said. “Change always happens from the bottom up. People in power will never give it up willingly — they have to feel the pressure from the bottom up.”

Rev. Charles Lee of Liberty Baptist Church will serve as master of ceremonies for the June 13 event in Sylva. Also scheduled to speak are: • Sylva resident Connie Jean Conklin, who suffers from physical disabilities and has been refused Medicaid due to the refusal of North Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Hundreds of people in Western North Carolina attended Care Act. a Moral Monday event held in Asheville in 2013.

• Franklin educator John Courtesy of Marilynne Herbert deVille, who will speak on the effect cuts in public educational funding have had on both teachers and students.

• Other speakers will also address the adverse effects of North Carolina’s voter ID law, the elimination of funding for the representation of defendants with limited financial resources in federal criminal courts, and the • 5 p.m. Monday, June 13, rain or shine reduction of assistance provided by the North • Bridge Park, 76 Railroad Ave., Sylva Carolina Department of Employment • 828.631.3447 or visit Security. www.jacksonncnaacp.org Since the movement is non-partisan, the Jackson County NAACP asks attendants to Jackson NAACP, encouraged the public to refrain from bringing campaign signs or attend the rally to hear from many of the local other political materials. For more informacoalition partners that will have information- tion, call 828.631.3447 or visit jacksonncal booths set up at the event. Live music at the naacp.org.

Mountain Moral Monday

elderly or disabled and cannot get a state ID without assistance.

Avram Friedman, vice president of the NAACP branch in Jackson County, said his unit got started for the same reasons.

“We were moving backwards. People in charge of the state government were taking away things that people had died for during the Civil Rights movement,” said Friedman, who has been a longtime political activist and the founder of the Clean Air Advocacy group The Canary Coalition. “A lot of people were feeling the direct impact on their lives from these backwards motions.”

As the issues being tackled by the North Carolina NAACP broaden beyond racial inequality, so has the organization’s support across the state. In the last three years, five NAACP branches have formed in mountain

counties that never had a branch before, including Haywood, Jackson, Transylvania, Yancey and Mitchell counties.

Dr. Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP, said the movement toward the western counties was a great sign of momentum for the Forward Together Movement, which includes the Moral Monday protests occurring in Raleigh for the last three years. He said Western North Carolina’s message to the General Assembly will be clear on June 13 when local NAACP branches, churches and other coalition partners hold a Moral Monday event in Sylva.

“The NAACP is a justice organization fighting for all North Carolinians,” Barber said. “We were thrilled to welcome five new western NAACP branches into our organization and now we will

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NAACP facts

BLACK AND WHITE So why should WNC residents get involved in the Moral Monday “Forward Together” movement? Friedman said the reason is selfexplanatory — we’re all in this together.

“It’s important to show geographic and demographic diversity if we want to reverse this trend in the General Assembly,” he said.

“No, there’s not a large population of black people on the western side of the state, but the same issues impacting poor black communities are the same issues impacting poor, white rural communities.”

Barber agreed that the agenda being pushed by the NAACP and the growing Moral Monday coalition is not limited to race — it never has been. He said the NAACP has always been an organization advocating for policies that are for the greater good of society and against policies that suppress people.

“The greatest myth of our times is that extreme policies only hurt a small subset of people, such as people of color. These policies harm us all. In North Carolina, we are black, white, Latino, Native American. We are Democrat, Republican and Independent. We are people of all faiths, and not of faith but who believe in a moral universe …” he said.

“We stand together to lift up and defend the most sacred moral principles of our faith and constitutional values — we know who we are.”

Barber admits that the NAACP still battles the perception that it is an organization for and by black people.

Barber and local NAACP leaders are quick to point out the NAACP was started by a group of concerned white people who wanted racial equality for all people — not just African Americans.

“We think about NAACP as a black organization but historically it’s not — it’s always been a multi-cultural organization,” Friedman said.

“While the NAACP was created for the advancement of colored people and initially had to do with African American issues, it’s always included all folks of color as well as other minority groups,” said Chuck Dixon, president of the Haywood County NAACP branch. “In 1909 when it started because of lynching, quite a large number of white people were involved in it — the NAACP today looks fairly similar to those initial groups.”

NAACP membership in the western chapters may be predominantly white, but organizers say the units still hold quite a bit of diversity.

Dixon said African Americans make up

about 25 percent of the unit’s 100-plus membership, which is an impressive number given the total black population in Haywood is less than 2 percent. The branch works closely with the two A.M.E. Zion churches in the county and their ministers serve as the branch’s treasurer and vice president on the executive committee.

“There’s a desire on the part of members to improve race relations and to work together on social justice and equality issues,” Dixon said.

Dr. Enrique Gomez, president of the NAACP Jackson County branch, was the first Hispanic NAACP branch leader in the state, perhaps even the country, and Friedman, first vice president of the Jackson chapter, is Jewish.

BUILDING A BROAD BASE Newer chapters in the region have been charged with educating people on important social issues and getting them registered to vote. The NAACP publishes a candidate report card each year to inform voters on where they stand on the issues, and the local chapters have worked hard to disseminate that information. Armed with facts, Barber hopes people will understand the deeper moral issues and stop voting against their own self-interests.

“We don’t endorse candidates, but we endorse involvement,” Barber said. “I want people to think a little deeper, move a little

“The greatest myth of our times is that extreme policies only hurt a small subset of people, such as people of color. These policies harm us all.”

— Dr. Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP

branches when possible. Jackson County has made more headway in forming relationships within the community and finding other organizations willing to partner with the NAACP branch to push common objectives.

“We’ve gotten good feedback from the community and other organizations,” he said. “Sometimes new branches get threats, but we have not so I’ve been very happy with how the community has received us.”

Overall, Dixon feels like the local branch’s work thus far has been successful.

Voter registration and early voting turnout was higher than usual in the 2015 municipal election after Haywood NAACP made a large effort in voter education in 2014. Dixon said the group would continue those efforts for the general election in November.

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Smoky Mountain News

ISSUES AREN’T

GAINING GROUND

June 8-14, 2016

join them in the far west for Mountain Moral Monday in Sylva as we continue to build this movement across the state.”

While WNC residents often feel isolated from the decision-making process in Raleigh, Barber said the voices of those in Appalachia is and has always been of great importance and influence. After visiting many of the western counties and hearing people’s concerns, he knows mountain residents are more progressive than the legislators give them credit for.

“We couldn’t have Appalachian State and Western Carolina and all the other universities in North Carolina if the South was still behind segregation,” Barber said. “People forget that in 1967 when Martin Luther King Jr. was organizing his freedom march, he organized in the Appalachian Mountains and in the cities because he understood the importance of introspectiveness.”

In addition to Barber’s address, WNC residents who have been negatively affected by the policies being passed in Raleigh will speak at the Moral Monday Mountain event.

Barber said speakers include a teacher who has suffered from public education cuts, a disabled woman who has suffered because the legislature refused to expand Medicaid, and others who have witnessed injustices in the system.

“This is a movement that was born in the South, and we cannot afford to be ahistorical. Anti-racism and anti-poverty must be at the heart of our struggle,” Barber said. “We understand that organizing the changing demographics in South — the increase in black and Latino voters and the increase in young voters who vote their futures, not their fears — is connected to the extremist attack we are facing.”

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Rev. Barber and Cornell Brooks discuss why it was important to stand — and get arrested — for democracy at the United States Capitol. Donated photo

• Founded in 1909 in New York City, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was one of the earliest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. Its mission is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and discrimination.

• In 1916, a new field secretary, James Weldon Johnson, began expanding the organization’s membership in the South.

Johnson became the NAACP’s first black executive secretary in 1920, by which time membership had grown to 90,000, of which nearly half was in the South.

• In the late 1970s, the NAACP broadened its scope by committing itself to the struggle for equal rights around the world.

• Heading into the 21st century, the NAACP is focused on disparities in economics, health care, education, voter empowerment and the criminal justice system while also continuing its role as legal advocate for civil rights issues.

• The North Carolina Conference of NAACP Branches is 70 years old and is made up of over 100 adult, youth and college NAACP units across the state.

• The NC NAACP is the largest state conference in the South and second largest in nation.

Source: www.naacp.org

closer together and feel the movement.”

Barber’s unifying philosophy and message has definitely resonated with a broad spectrum of people and helped expand NAACP’s reach across the state, but misperceptions still prevail in more rural areas.

Dixon said he hasn’t experienced any blowback from the community about the local Haywood NAACP branch, but there still seems to be a hesitation from people and organizations when it comes to being associated with the NAACP even though they may agree with the organization’s goals.

“Maybe people still think of it as an extreme activist organization, but we’re a 501C4 — we don’t endorse candidates — we’re a nonpartisan, social welfare organization,” he said.

The Jackson County NAACP branch began to form not long after the Moral Monday protests started heating up in 2013.

Friedman said he and others made strong connections with the NAACP when they helped organize an event in Sylva to honor the 50th anniversary of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. With encouragement from NAACP, they started the process of securing enough members to form a branch. The branch now has more than 150 members and a very active base of supporters.

“The impetus was the Moral Monday movement and the fact there was an effort by the General Assembly and the governor to move things backwards in time,” Friedman said. “Starting a new branch is a struggle — it takes a lot of time and energy to maintain the organization but we’re doing well. Membership has dipped a little lately but I’m hoping this event (June 13) will be big boom for the organization.”

The Jackson County branch welcomes members from all over the region but also encourages other counties to start their own

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Profile: Dr. Enrique A. Gomez Local leader represents NAACP’s changing face

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER s an associate professor of physics at Western Carolina University who specializes in astronomy, Dr. Enrique Gomez may be used to looking up at the sky, but as the president of the Jackson County Branch of the North Carolina NAACP, he also concentrates on issues that are a little more down to earth.

Gomez was born in Mexico City to an American mother of English, Swedish, and Welsh extraction with roots in North Dakota and Minnesota, and a Mexican father who passed down Spanish, Zapotec, and French ancestry that also includes the legacy of freed Haitian slaves.

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Smoky Mountain News

June 8-14, 2016

GAINING GROUND

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His mother was an exchange student in Mexico who became a teacher; his father worked for the Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores — essentially, the Mexican foreign service — which is charged with representing Mexico’s interests internationally and implementing Mexican foreign policy.

Those duties led to the Gomez family moving to California when Enrique was 12, where he attended high school and later graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

During college, Gomez became an active advocate for the rights of minorities and native peoples in Mexico — specifically, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, who on New Year’s Eve 1993 declared war on the Mexican Government by seizing several towns in Mexico’s southernmost state, Chiapas.

“They are a military organization even though they have very few weapons, and there were very few armed skirmishes there,” Gomez said. “It was an army made primarily of native people, Mayan-speaking people.”

What that “army” demanded was the recognition of native lands and the establishment of native forms of government. An indigenous agrarian reform movement that almost defies political classification — think libertarian socialists with a decidedly anarchist, Marxist bent — the EZLA, as it is known by its Spanish acronym, “advocates for environmental rights, like protection from dam developments and things like that,” said Gomez.

Gomez continued his social advocacy — this time focusing on sexual assault – during grad school at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, where he also earned his Ph.D. in 2006. Then, after a short stint working for Birmingham Southern College, Gomez arrived at Western Carolina University eight years ago.

So how did the son of a teacher and a bureaucrat who came from an academic,

activist upbringing end up as an astronomer and NAACP Branch President in Western North Carolina?

“The story I tell is that I was very interested in science in general. I watched ‘Cosmos’ by Carl Sagan when I was a kid, and I was explaining something about the stars to a girl I had a crush on in fifth grade,” he chuckled. “She suggested that I become an astronomer, and that’s when the idea first came into my brain.”

Counterintuitively, Western North Carolina is a great place to do just that; one might suppose that the same conditions that make the Smokies smoky would hinder stargazing, but Gomez insists that’s not the case.

“If you look at maps of the United States, especially the East Coast, we have a problem with light pollution. Too many of our fixtures in businesses and homes have light scattering into the sky, and so we get a lot of sky glare in the middle of the night,” he said.

“But we are blessed here in the mountains of North Carolina, because we are surrounded by mountains and natural areas that have not been developed, so if you look at a dark sky map, there’s a blank spot north of Atlanta, and we are it.”

Another blank spot north of Atlanta also loomed large on the NAACP’s map. Until recently, NAACP branches in Western North Carolina were mostly inactive or nonexistent. Luckily, this coincided with Gomez’s relocation to the area and his continuing political activism; in 2009, he shifted his attention to the national political scene.

“Of course we do live in the South — we live with a legacy of racism, a legacy of slavery. That is something that is very real, and I started to become concerned with all of the language that was emerging in our national politics focusing on race,” Gomez said. “I started to realize that there is an unfinished business of dealing with the legacy of racism, really in the whole country. That’s where I started to become aware of the work of the NAACP.” The Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the nation’s best-known civil rights organization, boasting more than half a million members and a heritage that stretches back more than a century. According to its website, the organization’s mission is to “ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination,” which its been doing since 1909. Among the NAACP’s first campaigns were anti-lynching movements in the early 1900s; by the 1950s, its persistence made desegregation decisions like “Brown v. Board of Education” possible, and by the 1960s it came to be closely associated with the Civil Rights Movement.

Although primarily thought of as an organization run by and for AfricanAmericans, the NAACP had only one African-American on its founding board, didn’t elect an African-American as its pres-

ident until 1975, and has always been open to people of all faiths and races. This is why it isn’t at all strange that the successor to the founding president of the Jackson Branch of the NAACP — Rev. Charles H. Lee, pastor of Sylva’s Liberty Baptist Church — is also Latino.

“Traditionally [the NAACP] has advocated for the rights of African-Americans and has a historical commitment going back to 1909 to end racism and discrimination. Of course it is an ongoing project — a multigenerational project that is not going to be finished within my lifetime — but it has to be dealt with one way or the other,” said Gomez. “So there is very intentional expan-

From Mexico to the mountains of Western North Carolina and from deep space to the deep South, Dr. Enrique Gomez shines a light in the darkness.

“The same struggles that the minority communities have are also actually shared with poor whites, both in cities and rural areas.”

— Dr. Enrique Gomez, president of the Jackson County Branch of the North Carolina NAACP

sion in reaching out to other communities, such as Latino and Hispanic communities, throughout the nation.”

Gomez has been told that he is the first Latino branch president in the NC NAACP, but he’s far from alone — community activist Carmen Ramos-Kennedy was elected president of the Buncombe County Branch just months after Gomez took the helm in Jackson in January 2015, and branches across the nation count among them members from all walks of life.

The reason for this diversity in NAACP leadership has less to do with race and more to do with organizational goals, which are non-partisan and not strictly focused on any particular race; in the end, racism and economic disparity are both

Local chapters • The Haywood NAACP holds monthly meetings at 2 p.m. on the fourth Saturday of the month, alternating between the A.M.E. Zion churches in Waynesville and Canton. It also holds educational programming periodically that is open to the community. For more information about the Haywood NAACP branch, email forwardtogetherhaywood@gmail.com.

• The Jackson County NAACP branch typically meets at 10 a.m. on the Saturday following the second Thursday of the month at Liberty Baptist Church in Sylva.

For more information, visit www.jacksonncnaacp.org.

part of a continuing vicious cycle no matter the color of one’s skin, especially in largelywhite Southern Appalachia.

“The same struggles that the minority communities have are also actually shared with poor whites, both in cities and rural areas,” he said.

The solution to these struggles is what Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, president of the NC NAACP, calls “the new fusion politics,” which involves building broad coalitions with organizations that share the same goals “We will find allies and work with allies in both major parties, and we will also be critical and press on legislators that press on the permanent interests of the NAACP,” said Gomez. “We have permanent interests, but not permanent allies.”

As a result, the NAACP’s message now has broadened appeal in Western North Carolina.

“We have had several new branches that emerged in the western counties of the state,” Gomez said. “We have, for instance, Transylvania County, Jackson County of course, we have Haywood County, we have the Yancey/Mitchell County [combined branch], and we have other branches that had been somewhat inactive — like the Buncombe County Branch — that have come back in force.”

Following both the timeline and the ideology of Barber’s Moral Mondays Movement, all this regional growth and rejuvenation have taken place in just the last three years — and all of those branches, said Gomez, are majority white.

“That’s coming from the realization that we have to practice fusion politics,” he continued. “Both whites and blacks, and Latinos and native peoples in each one of those branches have started to advocate not just for the end of racism towards minorities, but also to stand up and speak for people — white people — who have been historically disenfranchised and economically disadvantaged. We see them as allies. We have a common set of causes and interests.”

For now, the grassroots work of Gomez and his colleagues seems to be a story of unlikely successes in unlikely places from an unlikely source; however, in words oft attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr., “Only in the darkness can one see the stars.”

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THE BACKSTORY

THE OUTCOME But according to Kephart, the investigator concluded that neither the video nor the follow-up interviews he did with all the people who had contact with her that night revealed anything that should warrant her seat being taken away.

The investigator’s conclusion stated that “Kephart attempted to correct the mistake” with the wristbands by cutting them off and asserted that “the investigator believes it would be unfair to hold Kephart accountable for actions of her guests that she may or may not have been aware of,” Kephart read from the document.

There was little discussion preceding the vote on McCoy’s resolution, aside from McCoy’s assertion that passing the resolution is the obvious course of action. However, only two of the 11 councilmembers present agreed with her.

Reaction among tribal members who’d come to watch the proceedings was decidedly opposed to that outcome. Many of the group had traveled from Robbinsville, which Kephart represented during the years she sat on council as the Snowbird/Cherokee County representative.

“She’s gotten away with so much, that woman has,” said Agnes Adams, of Robbinsville.

“I was surprised, I was really surprised,” added Onita Bush, also of Robbinsville.

GOING FORWARD This wasn’t the first time in the past year someone’s attempted to separate Kephart from her seat, which she holds through

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The “negative” in question erupted following a Feb. 6 Jennifer Nettles concert at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

What happened that night depends on s who you ask. During the March council session, tribal member Louise Reed came to the podium to complain of the way Kephart had t that night treated her daughter Samantha Hinojosa, who works at the casino. McCoy said Hinojosa had initially been the server for Kephart’s group of friends but was reamed - out by Kephart after offering to start a tab rather than serving free alcohol. As a board member, Kephart is not allowed to accept anything free from the casino.

Kephart, on the other hand, says that - nothing of the sort happened. She barely spoke to Hinojosa all night and was quick to remove the free alcohol bracelets from her

group after she discovered they’d been issued, she said. Kephart says she didn’t know Hinojosa was Reed’s daughter, so any friction between the two families wouldn’t have influenced how she treated the young woman.

“I would say that she’s a victim of being raised in an environment to already think that I don’t like her or whatever, and I don’t even know her,” Kephart said. “I’m sure she’s a wonderful young lady who does a wonderful job for our casino.”

The next part of the complaint stems from casino surveillance video that was released on Facebook. How the video was obtained and who released it, without authorization, remains a mystery. In fact, after voting on allowing Kephart to keep her post, council voted unanimously to subpoena Facebook to find out who put it up.

The portions posted on Facebook show two of Kephart’s guests making out, with one of the women at a different point in the video dancing up on the male bartender who replaced Hinojosa and kissing him as other people intermittently make out in the background of the shot.

“She knew that room was going to be available, and she gained access to that room.

She invited her friends, and even though she may have participated physically a little, she still did,” McCoy said when council first voted to order an investigation, in April. “She was within arm’s reach of her guests while they were behaving reprehensibly with a young male employee of the casino.”

June 8-14, 2016

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER casino board member who came under fire for possible “conduct non-becoming” of a public official will keep her post, following conclusion of an investigation ordered by the Cherokee Tribal Council.

“I’m glad that finally the truth was revealed, and it’s basically just a political witchhunt,” said Angela Kephart, who was appointed to the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise board by former Principal Chief Michell Hicks in March 2015.

Councilmembers r voted by a wide majority to kill the resolution — introduced by Councilmember Teresa McCoy, of Big Cove — but McCoy voted with Angela Kephart Councilmember Bo Crowe, of Wolfetown, and Councilmember e Albert Rose, of Birdtown, to pass the resolution calling for Kephart’s removal from the board.

“It’s absolutely a no-brainer,” McCoy said s.of removing Kephart. Any tribal member she’s talked to, McCoy told council, has been quick to say that Kephart should be booted n from the board, no questions asked. In her d view, the investigation — though, in McCoy’s estimation, so poorly executed that “a monkey could have done it” — confirmed that many of the salacious suspicions that had precipitated it in the first place were correct and that Kephart had no place representing the board as a public official.

Tribal Council would not release the investigation or the name of the investigator.

“I think we need to bring this to the floor today and just get it over with,” McCoy said as council opened June 2. “Vote it straight up or straight down.”

“That’s my intention,” replied Chairman Bill Taylor. “We’re going to vote it up or down, and we’re going to move on. We can’t move forward if we’re having to deal with all the negative.”

September 2017. Within a day of taking office, Principal Chief Patrick Lambert asked that she resign, citing issues of character.

Kephart refused to do so.

“When he said, ‘I know her character,’ what do you know about me?” Kephart questioned.

“Chief Lambert is to me Patrick Lambert,” she continued. “I respect his seat but I don’t have respect for the way he’s treating our people.”

If you ask Lambert, the lack of respect points decidedly in the opposite direction.

Kephart’s behavior is “demeaning to the position of trust” of her position, he said, and he will “stand opposed” to her “mistreating hardworking casino employees and our enrolled members.” He hinted that efforts to remove her aren’t over.

“I will continue to stand firmly with the Cherokee family and all employees who have had to suffer from this type of mistreatment from Ms. Kephart,” he said. “I think she should show respect to our Tribe and the position by resigning or face further potential efforts for removal.”

McCoy agrees that the issue is not dead.

“It’s coming back up,” she said. “It will be coming back up over the next couple council sessions.”

In McCoy’s view, the investigation only proved the issues she had with Kephart’s behavior. Kephart, however, feels that McCoy is out to get her because she was appointed by Hicks, with whom McCoy did not get along.

“She doesn’t want me on that board because Chief Hicks appointed me to that board,” Kephart said. “It’s as simple as that.”

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After investigation, casino board member will keep her seat

“Disappointed and surprised.”

Kephart, on the other hand, wants to make it clear that she doesn’t deserve to be removed from the board or to have terrible things said about her.

“It’s terrible that I have to be so harassed,” Kephart said. “She’s bullying me politically, Teresa (McCoy) is.”

Kephart felt that Reed’s appeal to council in March represented just another instance of people unfairly tarnishing her reputation. The morning of council’s April meeting, Kephart filed a lawsuit against Reed, asking for damages in excess of $10,000 — as well as attorney’s fees and court costs — due to the “defamatory and untrue” statements she made in March. As a result, Kephart alleged in the lawsuit, she may suffer “monetary and economic loss” by being forced to resign her position with Cherokee Indian Hospital and possibly losing her place on the TCGE. Reed has a June 13 deadline to respond to the lawsuit.

Kephart is no longer employed with the hospital, which she said is “just to save the hospital from more political fire.” She vehemently contested McCoy’s story that the hospital pushed her out, saying the organization was “very supportive” and “glad I was vindicated” by the investigation. The hospital itself declined to comment, as it’s a personnel issue.

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Haywood County’s Historic Courthouse, where the County Board of Commissioners considered a $3.35 million project to replace the existing animal shelter. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Shelter proposal moves forward

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER f you’re for the proposed new Haywood County Animal Services facility, it’s called an “animal shelter,” deadpanned Haywood County Commissioner Bill Upton.

If you’re against it, he continued, it’s called a “doghouse.”

Such is the catty contention surrounding the controversial new $3.35 million proposal to replace the existing animal shelter on Hemlock Street with a new, state-of-the art facility. Despite the disagreements, though, Haywood County Board of Commissioners took several actions None of these actions obligates at its most recent meeting to continthe county to move forward with ue moving forward with the project.

Haywood County Finance the proposed facility; instead, Department Director Julie Davis called for a special information they all keep the project on meeting for members of the public track for a final vote on July 18. to be held at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 20, in the Historic Courtroom of the Historic Courthouse on Main Street. and expressed reservations about that 30The meeting is a prerequisite to apply for a year term, during which the county would be U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural responsible for about $128,000 a year if rates Development loan for the construction of the don’t move. Kirkpatrick, Upton opined, was probably the only commissioner who would proposed facility.

Davis also went on to call for a public be around in 30 years.

While Upton seemed most concerned hearing regarding the acquisition of an interim construction loan for building and outfit- about burdening future generations with ting the facility; this, too, is a prerequisite to debt they might not be able to handle if the county hits a rough patch, Commission applying for the loan.

Later in the meeting, Davis received unan- Chairman Mark Swanger is an unabashed imous approval from the board to pay a supporter of the project and countered Upton $1,250 application fee to the North Carolina by citing the fact that the county is retiring Local Government Commission for the con- debt faster than it is acquiring it; he referenced the Haywood County Justice Center, struction loan.

None of these actions obligates the county Haywood County Law Enforcement Center, to move forward with the proposed facility; and the Historic Courthouse projects, which instead, they all keep the project on track for will be paid for by 2017, 2021, and 2025, a final vote on July 18. Paying the application respectively, relieving the county of substanfee now helps ensure the project — if it’s tial debt service payments before the proapproved by the Board of Commissioners — posed new facility is even 10 years old.

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June 8-14, 2016

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can move on for approval by the Local Government Commission August 2; if the project ends up not being approved at any point, that $1,250 fee is generally nonrefundable.

Although the proposed facility would only cost county residents about $2 each, each year, for the 30-year term of the financing, it’s not been without dogged debate.

Commissioner J.W. “Kirk” Kirkpatrick said he’d been approached by his constituents about the issue far more than any other as of late; Commissioner Michael Sorrells concurred with Kirkpatrick.

Commissioner Kevin Ensley expressed concern about interest rates, which are currently at or near historic lows and are most likely headed upwards sometime during the 30-year term of the financing; Upton agreed

Quixotic opposition to gun ordinance fails, sort of?

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County Board Chairman Mark Swanger (left) looks on as Commissioner J.W. “Kirk” Kirkpatrick asks a question during the meeting. Photo Cory Vaillancourt Kellum — a Vermont native — was surprised when, while moving to North Carolina 18 months ago, he found that concealed carry required an expensive permit; Vermont requires no such permit.

“I feel that the Second Amendment clearly states that the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed,” he said. “Now, they’re talking about banning open carry on public court grounds.”

In Kellum’s defense, County Attorney

An inch?

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Chip Killian did state that this was the sixth incarnation of the ordinance since it was originally drafted months ago; a recent change in North Carolina law gave municipalities like Haywood County the option to modify the 1995 and 2008 ordinances that regulated firearms in and on municipal grounds. And while most opponents of the ordinance didn’t get what they were asking for, they’ll apparently have to settle for more.

June 8-14, 2016

JUNE 18 · 9AM

items lies not in the items themselves but rather in the intent of the owner.

But despite their best efforts, they couldn’t prevent the county board from passing an ordinance expanding their rights. A J.W. “Kirk” Kirkpatrick motion and a Bill Upton second — augmented by a unanimous “yea” from the rest of the board — made concealed carry with a lawful permit permissible on all Haywood County grounds; concealed carry is, however, still prohibited in Haywood County-controlled buildings.

“I can only speculate, but it seems to me, this morning, based on some of the comments made, people had not read the latest version. I don’t know what other explanation there could be,” said Commission Chairman Mark Swanger.

Indeed, twice during the public comment section of the meeting, Swanger had to stop and remind people that the proposed ordinance would allow for concealed carry on county property where before it had been illegal. The first line of the ordinance reads, “The primary purpose of this revised ordinance is so that permitted concealed carry holders may carry their concealed weapons on County grounds.”

Instead, gun rights activists like Bruce Kellum focused on the fact that concealed weapons are still not permitted in county buildings.

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER or 21 years, firearms have not been permitted on any county-owned property, except for law enforcement officers on duty. Almost nine years ago, that policy was whittled down, allowing exceptions for gun shows.

At 9 a.m. Monday morning (June 6), prohibition as a whole was on the chopping block as the Haywood County Board of Commissioners considered an ordinance lessening those restrictions even further.

That didn’t stop Second Amendment advocates from fighting it.

Several interested citizens signed up to speak before the June 6 meeting of the Haywood County Council; all disputed the measure.

One said she’d feel safer seeing a firearm on someone than guessing whether or not they were armed.

Another was concerned that she might unwittingly stumble into a heretofore unknown prohibited zone whilst carrying legally.

Yet another asserted that a collection of items he’d brought with him to the meeting and proceeded to produce at the speaker’s podium — including car keys, a shoestring, a rosary, a crucifix, a Bible, and his hands — were all are capable of inflicting serious injury, and that danger inherent in those

mountainwise.org mountainwise.org/dpp 11

news

A 529 Plan Can Help with Those College Bills We’re at the end of another school year. If you have younger kids, you might be thinking about summer camps and other activities. But in the not-too-distant future, your children will be facing a bigger transition as they head off to college. Will you be financially prepared for that day?

A college education is a good investment – college graduates earn, on average, $1 million more over their lifetimes than high school graduates, according to a study by Georgetown University – but a bachelor’s degree doesn’t come cheap. For the 2015–2016 school year, the average expense – tuition, fees, room and board – was $19,548 at a public four-year school and $43,921 at a four-year private school, according to the College Board. And by the time your children are ready for college, these costs may be considerably higher, because inflation is alive and well in the higher education arena.

state income tax, and a 10% IRS penalty on the earnings.) Furthermore, your 529 plan contributions may be eligible for a state tax deduction or credit if you participate in your own state’s plan. But 529 plans vary, so check with your tax advisor regarding deductibility.

• Freedom to invest in any state’s plan. – You can invest in a 529 plan from any state – but that doesn’t mean your child has to go to school there. You could live in one state, invest in a second state’s plan, and send your student to school in a third state, if you choose.

• Money can be used for virtually any program – Upon graduating high school, not all kids are interested in, or prepared for, a traditional four-year college.

But you can use your 529 plan to help pay for qualified expenses at a variety of educational institutions, including two-year community colleges and trade schools.

June 8-14, 2016

Your children may be eligible for some types of fiOf course, a 529 plan does have considerations you nancial aid and scholarships. But even so, you may will need to think about before opening an account. want to consider some college-savings vehicles – and For example, your 529 plan assets can affect your one of the most popular is a 529 plan. child’s needs-based financial aid, but it might not A 529 plan offers a variety of benefits, including doom it. As long as the 529 assets are under your conthe following: trol, they typically will be assessed at a maximum rate of 5.64% in determining your family’s expected con• High contribution limits – A 529 plan won’t limit tribution under the federal financial aid formula, as your contributions based on your income. In all likeliopposed to the usual 20% rate for assets held in the hood, you can contribute as much as you want to a 529 student’s name. plan, as many states have contribution limits of $300,000 and up. And you can give up to $14,000 In any case, though, a 529 plan is worth consider($28,000 for a married couple filing jointly) per year, ing. But don’t wait too long – as you well know, your per child, without incurring any gift taxes. kids seem to grow up in the blink of an eye.

• Tax advantages – Your earnings can accumulate tax free, provided they are used for qualified higher education expenses. (529 plan distributions not used for qualified expenses may be subject to federal and

T his article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Jack C Bishop Jr, CFP Financial Advisor

Jack Bishop III AAMS® Smoky Mountain News

Financial Advisor

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Patience on Canton paving project ‘a virtue’

have to leave the Canton job for another project in Swain County and couldn’t return until mid-August due to time constraints on the Swain job.

“On May 24, we had another meeting with Seth and WNC to discuss the progress the town was making and where we were at with the schedule,” Woodard said. Presented with the two options, Woodard says Hendler-Voss chose to wait on repaving all roads, not just the downtown area.

The next day, at the May 25 Canton Town Board meeting, Hendler-Voss surprised the board when he informed them of the new timeline.

Hendler-Voss’ declaration to the board made it seem as though the DOT made the decision; however, in the June 6 interview, Woodard said it was totally the town’s call to alter the schedule.

“Yes, It was a surprise that they had pulled out,” said Canton Mayor Mike Ray of the paving crew. Alderman Zeb Smathers said he thought he spoke for everyone on the board when he said he was “shocked and unhappy,” and he was right.

Aldermen Dr. Ralph Hamlett and Gail Mull agreed with Smathers.

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER or the past few months, downtown Canton’s long-awaited repaving and streetscaping projects seemed to be cruising right along in the fast lane. But now, residents and businesses alike are concerned that there’s a wheel in the ditch, and a wheel on the track.

Last June, a North Carolina Department of Transportation repaving contract for the Town of Canton was made available for bidding, and awarded to Waynesville-based WNC Paving shortly thereafter.

This March, Canton greenlit a downtown streetscaping project that would include planting trees, grading sidewalks, and installing “bulb-outs,” which are essentially curb extensions that calm traffic and minimize crosswalks. The cost of the improvements – about $132,000 – would wisely be split over two budget years to minimize financial impact.

There were, however, a few potholes to dodge.

“I approached them [the DOT] in March about the possibility of integrating some of the improvements into the finished project,” said Seth Hendler-Voss, Canton’s town manager. “They embraced our plan, ended up approving it, and agreed to adjust Changes in summer road construction scheduling have their paving time frame to impleCanton businesses concerned. Cory Vaillancourt photo ment our piece of the scope.”

Originally, the milling and repaving of Canton’s east, west, and downHamlett and Mull admitted to being surtown were to begin in mid-April and be com- prised by the May 25 announcement, which pleted on June 30, well in advance of the Hendler-Voss said wasn’t so much a decision Independence Day holiday. Jonathon made by him as it was a presentation of the Woodard, the NCDOT District Engineer two options to the board. who is responsible Haywood, Jackson, and Alderman Carole Edwards had this to say Swain counties, says DOT told Canton that about the situation via email on Tuesday even though the contract was in force, both (June 7): “I am not happy about the situathe DOT and WNC Paving would be willing tion but, I do not believe there is anything to work with Canton. we can do about it at this point. Our town WNC Paving and the DOT agreed to manager would be the better person to disextend the contract one month — to July 31. cuss the situation. He is the person who has “We had a meeting May 11 with merthe details as to what took place and why the chants in town. Seth and the mayor [Mike original schedule was not followed.”

Ray] were there, WNC Paving was there, right Regardless of who made the decision, before work began on the project. What we messages left on social media suggest that said,” Woodard revealed in a phone interview Canton residents are already feeling road on June 6, “was that work on the ends of town rage. would be done by July 4, and downtown work “Patience is a virtue,” Mull said on would start sometime after July 4.”

Saturday, noting that the project is so overSince road surface milling had begun in due and will have such a long lifespan once late May but Canton’s improvements still completed that a few weeks’ delay should be hadn’t been completed, the town was faced taken in stride. with two choices: use even more taxpayer “While it’s a little inconvenient and looks money and get stuck with a lower quality job a little messy, I’m confident that the end by paving over the milled surface and then product will be worth the wait and the eight ripping it up later to accommodate the weeks they had to drive over grooved roads,” streetscaping; or, suffer through a summer of Hendler-Voss said Tuesday. “Road construcmilled streets because WNC Paving would tion is a lightning rod — nobody likes it.”

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Planning under way for new science building at WCU

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“It’s going to be a phased construction with demolition components to it, so you’re looking at easily a 2021 completion,” he said.

The trick will be allowing for continuity of classes while the construction goes forward, said Mike Byers, WCU’s vice chancellor of administration and finance. The university doesn’t have any alternative space to house

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those science labs.

“Our plan is to continue to offer classes in the current facility while new construction occurs immediately adjacent to it,” Byers said. “Then we plan to move into the new space, allowing us to demolish the old building and rebuild on the same site.”

Walker said the building design will focus on sustainability but won’t necessarily vie for LEED certification, the flagship certification for green buildings.

“Our budget’s going to be very tight on this,” Walker said. “We will cerA replacement for the 1970s-era natural sciences tainly pursue sustainable building at Western Carolina University is on the horipractices in the facility, but zon, with the university now working to choose from there is a cost to pursuing the 19 designers who bid on the job. Mark Haskett photo certification.”

With $110 million allocated for the project, the natural sciences “We see this building as a building was the single largest item listed in the $2 billion N.C. Connect Bond. key part of economic However, constructing a specialized scidevelopment in the ence building is expensive, and the university doesn’t have any additional funding Western part of the state.” sources to supplement — they’ll have to stick to the $110 million.

— WCU Chancellor David Belcher

news

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ith the N.C. Connect bond passed, Western Carolina University is moving forward with plans to bring a $110 million natural sciences building from vision to reality.

“We see this building as a key part of economic development in the Western part of the state,” WCU Chancellor David Belcher said while campaigning for the referendum vote that provided funding for the project.

The existing natural sciences building was built in the 1970s, too small to accommodate today’s volume of majors in science programs and too antiquated to house the sensitive scientific instruments students need experience using to succeed in the workforce.

By the end of the month, said Director of Facilities Management Joe Walker, WCU leadership will be meeting with their top choices of the 19 designers who bid on the project. From there, they’ll decide which will be best suited to carry out the task.

“For this project you really need that specialized lab consultant, lab designer,” Walker said. “You also need a good mechanical designer on the project as well.”

Most of the firms that applied are based in North Carolina, he said. Once WCU decides which one to hire, it will take a year, year-and-ahalf for the design work to wrap up — Walker expects to break ground in the first half of 2018.

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Smoky Mountain News

June 8-14, 2016

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Macon works toward middle ground on school funding

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Macon County Schools Superintendent Chris Baldwin came before the county commissioners last week to plead his case for additional funding in the 2016-17 budget.

County Manager Derek Roland’s proposed budget recommends decreasing the allocation for school operating expenses to $6,995,431 while increasing funding for school capital projects from $300,000 to $500,000.

“While operating expenses have been reduced, this reduction comes in response to an increase in state funding levels for operational expenses, combined with the school system’s efforts in reducing the number of locally paid teachers through attrition and transfers to state and federal funds,” Roland stated in his budget presentation. “Both state funding levels and efforts by the school system have proven to be successful and sustainable as illustrated in the substantial multi-year fund balance growth.”

Baldwin said he appreciated the additional funding for capital projects, but also requested the county maintain the operational funding levels from 2013-14 — $7,338,330 — because of all the financial uncertainties that the school system is facing.

Since 2010, the student population in Macon County has grown from 4,272 to 4,363 while the state has continued to cut per-pupil funding. The result has been a reduction in staff for Macon County Schools even though there are more students to educate. Baldwin said the school system had 611

employees in 2010 compared to 577 employees now.

“We have more students in the classroom Macon County Schools has requested the and less employees in the classroom with county maintain its funding levels for operatthose students,” Baldwin said. “Our estimating expenses at $7,338,330 for 2016-17. At ed enrollment for next year is 4,417.” this funding level, the school system proposBaldwin said the school system has also es to accomplish the following: struggled to keep enough money in its fund ■ $111,600 will go toward a 3 percent probalance for the last several years. The jected increase in salary and benefits for schools’ expenses exceeded revenues in 2014, locally paid employees putting the system $116,000 in the hole. He ■ $80,000 in bonuses for locally paid said the school has worked hard to keep a employees healthy fund balance, but it didn’t mean ■ 8.5 new locally paid positions will be creMacon County Schools was flushed with ated cash now. Also, a large portion of the money ■ $13,500 will be given in athletic supplesitting in the fund balance account is ments restricted for special uses and can’t be used for general operating expenses.

Keeping a healthy fund balMacon County Schools Superintendent Chris Baldwin ance is also talks about the impact of important for the education cuts. school system because bills typically have to be paid long before the school receives its funding from the state. With the General Assembly discussing further cuts to teacher assistants and driver’s education, Baldwin said Macon County Schools had to be prepared to fund those programs to the tune of $364,000 with or without the state funding.

“The only way to do that was to cut other The 2016-17 proposed budget is $47,694,248 — more than a $1 million increase over last year. positions — through attrition we made up ■ The county will maintain a “revenue neutral” tax rate of 34.9 cents per $100 of the portion needed,” Baldwin said. “In assessed property value.

November (2015) we got our state allocation ■ Estimated revenue from property tax — $25,958,438 (3 percent increase over last year) that covered teacher assistants and driver’s ■ Estimated revenue from sales tax — $6,751,557 ed, but we couldn’t hire teachers back at that ■ Estimated revenue from motor vehicle tax — $959,472 (16 percent increase over last year) point.”

■ General debt service payments — $4.5 million (decreased by $18 million since 2011) Through attrition, state funding and ■ Fund balance — $19 million (40 percent of the county’s annual expenditures) other cost savings, the school system current-

Funding request

Macon County 2016-17 budget overview

Public input Macon County commissioners will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed 201617 budget at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 14, at the Macon County Courthouse. The public is welcome to ask questions or express concerns during the public hearing.

See the complete proposed budget at www.maconnc.org.

ly has a fund balance of about $1.4 million, but a big chunk of that is already allocated to fund teachers that aren’t covered by state funding. If more bonus and salary increase mandates come down from the state, Macon County Schools will have to dole out more local money to cover the costs.

“For 2015-16, we only received enough state funding for 411 employees — we have 577 total employees,” Baldwin said. “And the state told us to plan on a 3-percent salary increase and more bonuses this year.”

Baldwin said the school system also had hopes to use some of that fund balance to hire a couple more teachers in order to lower classroom sizes at the elementary schools from 30 students down to 20 students and implement a summer school program for fourth-graders in hopes of improving fifthgrade test scores.

Commissioner Ronnie Beale, who acts as a liaison for the school board, said he understood the struggles and uncertainties the school system was facing. While the board wasn’t willing to agree to maintain 2013-14 funding levels for the school, Beale said he was certain a middle ground could be found before the June 14 public hearing on the budget.

“I think we’ll have a recommendation that the school board and this board can all be proud of — the bottom line is helping students,” he said.

Commission Chairman Kevin Corbin agreed.

“A $342,000 difference is what we’re talking about — we can find a way to get there,” he said.

$30,000 to expanding businesses provided in Macon

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

M

acon County commissioners have agreed to provide $30,000 toward an economic development project that promises to create 35 new jobs at an existing local business.

Commissioners discussed the proposed incentive during a closed session on May 31 before the board unanimously approved the contribution. Even though it’s an existing business, Commission Chairman Kevin Corbin said they couldn’t release the name of the company until the paperwork was completed.

Corbin did say that it was a high-tech business looking to expand into the former SKF building at the Macon County Industrial Park. The facility includes 72,000-square feet of space for the expansion plans.

“The business would be adding and estimated 35 jobs to the 14

local economy at $48,000 per job,” Corbin said. “That average wage would create $1.7 million in additional payroll in the county.”

After discussing details and running some numbers with Tommy Jenkins, Macon’s economic development director, Corbin said the county would benefit from additional property tax on the currently abandoned building. The company also plans to investment in new equipment.

“We’d get our money back in two years,” Corbin said, and that’s not counting the trickle down benefits to the local economy.

The company, dubbed “Project Tech,” is applying for a $120,000 grant from the North Carolina Department of Commerce but it requires $30,000 in matching funds from the county.

Jenkins said the $30,000 was a one-time commitment and the contract with “Project Tech” for incentive money includes a claw back provision, which would allow the county to recoup its investment should the company fail to meet its obligations. The $30,000

will come out of the county’s contingency fund — money set aside each year but not earmarked for specific projects.

“I feel certain after talking to this company and looking at their track record this would be great for our county,” Corbin said.

If the economic development project works out as planned, Corbin said he would be able to report even more good news for the county’s economy.

“There’s another situation coming about because of that move but that’s all I can say,” Corbin said. “It’s going to be a double whammy when all is said and done so we can help another company expand.”

Details regarding economic development projects are often exempt from the open record and open meeting laws — meaning government bodies can negotiate and discuss the matter in private before making a decision. Incentives given to companies are then released to the public after both parties sign a contract.

news

Haywood schools offer free summer meals Haywood County Schools will be offering free meals this summer to children and teenagers in the community at no cost.

Children don’t have to be enrolled in the Haywood County School system to participate. Adult meals will cost $3.75 each. Meals will be provided from noon to 1 p.m.

Monday through Friday June 15 through Aug. 5 at Hazelwood Elementary; June 15 through Aug. 12 at Clyde, Jonathan Valley, and North Canton elementary schools and June 7 through Aug. 12 at Meadowbrook Elementary. All locations will be closed on Monday, July 4.

No enrollment is required.

Maggie to hold public hearing for rezoning The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen will conduct a public hearing at 6 p.m.

Monday June 13, in the Flossie White Room within the Maggie Valley Town Hall to gather comments about a proposed rezoning of the Meadows at Campbell Mountain Estates.

The rezoning request is to go from Residential 1 to Residential 2. Oral or written comments will be accepted.

828.926.0866.

A panel of community leaders will meet at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, June 12, at Long’s Chapel UMC Sanctuary to discuss heroin addiction in Haywood County.

Dr. Mark Hyman will be the moderator and the panel will include Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingsed, Jeff Haynes with the Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office, Sen. Jim Davis, Haywood Regional ER nurse Jennifer Williamson and Joseph Martinez with FIRST at Blue Ridge.

Long’s Chapel is located at 175 Old Clyde Road in Waynesville.

“Be a Hero for Elders,” a walk to raise awareness about elder abuse, will be held Wednesday, June 15, starting at the Haywood County Justice Center and looping around downtown Waynesville.

Registration begins at 5 p.m. and a group picture will be taken on the courthouse steps before the walk begins at 6 p.m. Register by calling Anna Rogers at 828.356.2816 or arogers@mountainprojects.org or Christine Gibson at 828.452.2122 or Gibson@30thalliance.org. Participants can also register the day of the event.

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Cherokee council considers revoking part of former vice chief’s will Revised rules for will approval likely to be discussed in the future

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he widow of a former Vice Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians may be out of a home if Tribal Council decides to slash the portion of a will that left her the house.

“I was raised on that home place, no one else was,” Katina Price, whose father Bill Ledford wrote the will in question, told Tribal Council last month. “That was supposed to be mine. It was originally in the paperwork that I have.”

The house had gone “downhill” in the years since Ledford passed, Price said, with the grass growing up high and renters living there more often than not. That’s enough to show that April Ledford, Bill’s widow, shouldn’t hold the land.

April, who is not a tribal member, had been married to Bill since 1998 until he passed away in 2013, at the age of 82.

According to her, they’d been very happy and very much in love during their years together.

He’d wanted her to have the house.

“He was my life and my family. I’m still grieving,” she told council. “We loved each other.”

April, 48, grew up in southern Indiana as the daughter of a Catawba woman from South Carolina. After high school she joined the Army, studied Arabic at Santa Monica College in California, went to the Gulf War and then came south to reconnect with her Carolina roots.

“I came back here, I met Bill Ledford, I fell for him that very day I met him in 1997,” she said.

June 8-14, 2016

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Smoky Mountain News

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES From there, the story differs depending on who’s telling it.

According to Price, she was a daddy’s girl through-and-through, always at Bill’s side.

Until April came into the picture, she said, “nothing was wrong.”

Price, who at 43 is just a few years younger than April, says April used her father to get law school paid for, kept the family from visiting him, was frequently intoxicated and didn’t care for Bill during his illness as she should have, ferrying him away to Chapel Hill and keeping the family out of the loop.

“I’ll never ever forgive her for that, ever, because my daddy was the most awesome person in the whole world,” Price said. “He was a 16 very good man, and he didn’t deserve that.”

April, however, paints a very different picture — one of a loving couple finding happiness in each other despite the family’s best efforts to destroy it and twist lies around it.

“He was married twice before me,” April said. “Twice in hell, once in heaven. That’s what we always said.”

April says that Price, in particular, did her best to cause problems for the couple, stealing Bill’s Social Security number and credit cards, failing to come visit or call her father while he was alive and threatening April repeatedly, even up to the present. “I am afraid for my life,” April wrote in a text to a Smoky Mountain News reporter last week.

Price, for the record, says none of that is true.

After finishing law school and taking the bar exam, April said, she found herself without a license due to letters that Price and some of her brothers wrote to the North Carolina Bar. “Did I write a letter to the N.C. Bar, and my brothers?” Price said. “Absolutely.

Because she’s ridiculous.”

For her part, April said, “I never thought in my life just to fall in love with a man and get married you’d have to go through this crap.”

death, she said, because she was living in Chapel Hill at the time. They’d moved there for his medical treatment, and she had a teaching job.

“The last thing you want to do is think about mowing a lawn when you’ve lost a loved one,” she said.

The house was unkempt during that time, she said, but the following year she hired neighbors to keep the grass mowed and now she’s back to live there permanently. April said she does sometimes host Airbnb guests but doesn’t see how that’s wrong — often, she’s in the house at the same time as her guests.

“I’ve always considered this my home,” April said. “I’ve never abandoned this place.”

In fact, Bill’s oldest son William Ledford has pledged that April will reside there regardless of the outcome — if her life estate is revoked, the property will go to him.

CLEANING UP THE CODE During last week’s council session, most of the discussion regarding Bill’s will took placed in closed session. But before the decision to table it again, councilmembers talked about the need for an outright overhaul of tribal code dealing with how wills are recognized in council. It’s an issue that goes beyond what happens to Bill’s house.

McCoy takes a different view.

“As a council representative, if I have a feeling something is wrong, it is my responsibility to protect the interests of the tribal member and not the non-enrolled member,” she said.

Though they might disagree about how to do it, said Cherokee Attorney General Danny Davis, council agrees that something needs to be done about how Cherokee’s code of ordinances handles wills and council’s involvement with them.

“It just needs to be clarified a little more,” Davis said. “Tribal Council is at some point in time going to have to make a decision about this code and how they want to spell things out, and it’s going to be a pretty complicated piece of legislation.”

In North Carolina, if a person writes a will that’s been done in the proper, legal way, that person can leave whatever part of their property to whomever they desire. On the Qualla Boundary, it’s not quite that simple. There are rules about whether and how nonenrolled members may hold various types of property. Some parts of those rules conflict with other parts, Davis said, and the whole thing needs work.

The first stop for a will is Cherokee Tribal Court, where a judge will determine if the will is valid. But to become final, it has to go

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DISCUSSION IN COUNCIL The conflicts between April and Price are knotty and deep-seated, and April said she fully expected that Price would “pull something” when it came to the will.

“I wasn’t really expecting it, but I was not shocked that it happened,” April said of the discussion in council.

Last month, council voted to amend the will to strike the portion that would grant April a life estate at the house — meaning, that she could hold it as long as she was alive but it would revert back to the tribe after her death — but wound up tabling the resolution rather than voting to pass or kill. After more discussion, council tabled it again last week.

Some councilmembers spoke strongly in favor of booting April off the land. Those holding that opinion focused on the fact that she had rented the house out and that upkeep had lagged during part of the time since Bill’s death.

Councilmember Bo Crowe, of Wolfetown, said he was out that way last year mowing grass at the nearby graveyard, in view of the house.

“It made me sick to my stomach to see the grass high above the deck,” Crowe said.

Councilmember Teresa McCoy, of Big Cove, took issue with April sometimes renting the house on Airbnb.com.

“She took his house and she turned it into a business,” McCoy said. “I’m not for that. I am absolutely opposed to that.”

April defended against those accusations.

She had rented the house out after Bill’s

After he passed away, former Vice Chief Bill Ledford’s will left his home to his nonenrolled wife, but Tribal Council is considering revoking that portion of the will. Donated photo “I think we need to come up with some kind of process on the contesting of wills.

Once it’s presented to us, all we’re doing is just recognizing the will,” said Councilmember Adam Wachacha, of Snowbird. Wills that make their way to council have already been OK’d by the court system.

“I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves when we’re taking each one of these wills individually and adjusting them on a case-bycase basis,” agreed Vice Chairman Brandon Jones, of Snowbird. “The bottom line in my opinion, there needs to be some work in the code to clarify a lot of this stuff.”

Jones was the only councilmember who voted against the amendment to remove April’s right to live on the property. In his view, it was Bill’s wish that April have the house, and council would be wrong to disregard that wish. Jones said he was “sick to his stomach” as the amendment passed.

“It’s not for council to say, ‘Well, I knew him better, so I’m going to overturn the will,’” Jones said.

through Tribal Council.

“If a will provision might violate the charter or how land is distributed over here, the tribe would still retain the right to approve that or not,” Davis explained.

In reference to Bill Ledford’s will in particular, he told council there are “legal issues” with it but is unable to comment further due to attorney/client privilege.

For her part, Price maintains her assessment of April as an insincere, conniving person who should not be permitted to hold tribal property.

“There’s a lot of people that have watched and seen the shenanigans of April,” she said.

And April, meanwhile, maintains her story — that she and Bill were in love, Price was the antagonist and all she wants is to be allowed to stay in her home.

“What gets me is we were together 16 years. It’s not like I snared him, an Anna Nicole Smith kind of thing,” she said. “If I wanted to be a gold digger, I would have stayed in California.”

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS EDITOR s Swain County continues to struggle with a decrease in funding from several revenue sources, commissioners hope to pass a $17.3 million budget for 2016-17 without increasing the tax rate.

“The budget process is never simple or easy. It takes time, effort and the necessary ability to make hard choices and sometimes unpopular recommendations,” said County Manager Kevin King.

While King is recommending the property tax rate stay at 36 cents per $100 of assessed value, less revenue means cuts for some departments while other department requests for more money may go unmet.

Since the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians made the decision last year to establish its own social services department, Swain’s Department of Social Services will no longer be receiving federal funding to provide child welfare services to tribal members. King said the federal funding varied, but the county probably lost more than $100,000 due to the tribe taking over child protective services. Five people in the department were affected by the decrease in case load — three were transferred to other departments and two employees were laid off.

“There wasn’t enough caseloads to warrant keeping all those folks,” King said. “It was just a necessary process because the caseload has been decreasing since last October.”

The county has also seen a reduction in the Medicaid cost settlement from the Division of Medical Assistance, which further reduced operating revenue from the county health department and Emergency Medical Services.

King said state and federal reimbursement for Medicaid patients through the health department and Emergency Medical Services has always been uncertain. Reimbursement to EMS last year was down $30,000, which makes budgeting difficult from year to year.

“We just have to be mindful of that each year. It seems to be punching bag for the state government and affects counties and how they operate,” King said.

King’s budget proposal does include a 2 percent cost-of-living raise for all employees making $30,000 a year or more and a $1,000

A

raise for all employees making less than $30,000 a year. This increase will help set the stage for the commissioners’ plan to implement a merit-based salary schedule next year.

“This methodology for raises this year will help retain employees and be the first step in creating a retention plan that could be implemented and be based on longevity of the employees,” King said.

Commissioners are also looking to increase funding for Swain County Schools, though it isn’t as much as school officials wanted. The school board sent a letter to the county last month asking commissioners to hold a referendum to levy a new sales tax that would help the schools fund capital projects.

Learn more Swain County commissioners will hold a public hearing regarding the 2016-17 proposed budget at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at the county administrative building.

The school board also said it needed about $500,000 to be able to maintain facilities and that the current $160,000 the county allocates for capital needs wouldn’t be enough.

King said the budget includes an additional $220,000 for the schools — $80,000 for capital projects, $100,000 for operating expenses and $40,000 to help the schools pay for school resource officers. The board is considering going after an additional sales tax for school improvements, but is waiting to see if the legislature moves forward with proposed changes to the law before deciding whether to go after a half-cent or a quarter-cent increase.

A quarter-cent increase could bring in an extra $290,000 in revenue a year.

The sheriff ’s office will receive some additional funding to pay detention officers more money after Sheriff Curtis Cochran urged the board to make wages more competitive during budget workshops. Cochran said he didn’t have enough employees and everyone was overworked because he wasn’t able to retain officers.

King said the average pay in the region for a detention officer is about $26,000 while Swain is paying an average of $24,000. The additional funding will get detention officers up to $25,500, which King hopes will help the department hire and retain employees.

“It just evens the playing field a bit,” he said.

Saturday, June 25th 4 to 8:30 pm the Bloemsma Barn 1145 Patton Rd. Franklin

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BY J ESSI STONE they can afford to maintain their outdoor N EWS E DITOR pools that are 50 to 70 years old. Canton’s hile it may not be an immediate outdoor pool was constructed in the 1950s. need in the upcoming budget, the After years of patching and repairing the swimming pool at the Swain aging structure, the town board of alderCounty Recreation Center will need some men is reaching into many different pockextensive repairs in the coming years. ets to fund a complete replacement project.

Jim Brown, supervisor of the recreation The pool replacement by itself is going center, recently told commissioners that to cost over $1 million, but the town also the concrete on the bottom of the pool was plans to spend another million on needed crumbling underneath the thick layer of sewer upgrades, new pool facilities and vinyl lining. other recreational improvements. The “When we were working in the pool this town has applied for a $970,000 USDA year we noticed cracking and breaking loan, plans to collect private donations and under the liner,” Brown said. “We talked to sponsorships, applied for a $350,000 Mountain Springs, a company in Franklin, PARTF (North Carolina Parks and but they don’t do that kind of work because Recreation Trust Fund) grant and plans to it’s a very specialized kind of thing.” use money in its reserve fund to pay for the And by specialized he means expensive. pool project.

County Manager Kevin King told commissioners the cost of repairing the pool could cost upwards of $750,000. A company out of the Midwest installed the liner with a four-year warranty, but that expired in 2010.

Brown said the water level in the pool dropped 4 inches in one night, making it evident there is an extensive leak somewhere. However, he said it’s been difficult to pinpoint where the leak is since the surrounding area is fairly “swampy” anyway.

Swain County’s public pool is in need of major “We can patch it for the next repairs in the next couple of years. Donated photo couple of years, but we need a plan in place now,” King said. “It’s a new problem — it didn’t happen last year.”

Many local governments go after the The pool was first constructed in 1977, highly competitive PARTF grant for pool and the county spent more than $200,000 projects. Swain County received $75,000 in in 2007 to make much-needed improve2007 from PARTF to complete its pool ments, including a new filter and pump, upgrades and the town of Sylva received new grate-style water return around the about $350,000 in PARTF grant funding in pool’s edge and the new vinyl lining.

1999 for their pool upgrade project.

King suggested the board consider hiring Franklin’s pool is more than 30 years a consultant during the off season to come in old, but it was constructed using plaster and examine the pool and make recommeninstead of concrete — making it easier to dations on whether it can be repaired or make repairs. While a new layer of thin whether it will need to be replaced. plaster can be added when cracks start to Many counties and municipalities have appear, the same technique doesn’t work been struggling lately to figure out how with concrete.

Swain aims to avoid tax hike

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Swain’s public pool needs expensive repairs to stay open

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Health

Smoky Mountain News

Donated photo

‘Celebration of Life’ event in Clyde Haywood Regional Medical Center invites all residents of Haywood County and neighboring communities to its annual Hospice and Palliative Care event celebrating and remembering loved ones from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Homestead, located at 127 Sunset Ridge Road, Clyde.

The event will include live music, activities for children and adults, guest speakers and more. Light refreshments will be served, and tours of the Homestead will be available.

Colorectal cancer program offered An informational program about colorectal cancer will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 9, at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center, 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville.

Call or stop by the senior center to register. Free program.

828.356.2800 or mclaytor@mountainprojects.org.

Pediatric walk-in clinic offered in Swain Swain Family Care is offering a walk-in clinic for pediatric patients from 8 to 9 a.m.

Monday through Thursday at the practice, located inside Swain Community Hospital, at 45 Plateau Street, Bryson City.

The walk-in clinic is for established patients and no appointment is needed.

Swain Family Care is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

828.488.4205.

Haywood Regional to host ‘Dinner with a Doc’ Dr. Gerald King, an orthopedic surgeon with Western Carolina Orthopaedic Specialists, will be presenting the “Dinner with a Doc” seminar “From Pain to Performance: Hip & Knee Replacement” at 6 p.m. Thursday June 16, at the Haywood Regional Medical Center.

Topics will include basic hip and knee anatomy, arthritis, signs and symptoms of arthritis, conservative treatments for arthri-

tis, and hip and knee replacement. King will speak while patrons enjoy a healthy meal.

Reservations are required.

800.424.DOCS (3627).

Harrah’s donates to Good Samaritan Clinic Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort donated $10,000 to the Good Samaritan Clinic located in Jackson County to aid its mission to provide healthcare to underserved adults as exemplified by the Good Samaritan.

The organization is a volunteer-based free clinic that serves adults with limited income, who are ineligible for Medicaid, and have no health insurance. The clinic is located in Harris Regional Hospital Medical Park in Sylva.

Macon releases community assessment Macon County Public Health, in partnership with Angel Medical Center and Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, recently released Macon County’s Community Health Assessment — a community collaborative process to determine the health status, needs, and resources of a community.

During the Community Health Assessment process, community stakeholders established three targeted objectives for implementation in Macon County. These priorities include reducing the incidence of heart disease; reducing the incidence rates associated with domestic violence; and promoting economic development relative to health.

To make comments or ask questions about the assessment, call 828.349.2437.

Macon Health names ‘Public Health Hero’ Macon County Public Health recently celebrated Public Health Month by recognizing Linda Tyler as the 2016 Macon County Public Health Hero.

Tyler was acknowledged for her work with the Community Care Clinic of Franklin as well as numerous other health-related interventions she has been a part of in the community.

Macon County Linda Tyler Public Health asked the public to submit nominations for individuals who had made an exceptional contribution toward promoting and protecting the health of citizens in Macon County.

Hospice provider to launch new foundation Four Seasons Compassion for Life, western North Carolina’s leading, community-based hospice and palliative care provider, announced the launch of the Four Seasons for Life Foundation — nonprofit charged with securing the resources to maintain quality care during serious, chronic, or life-limiting illness across the region.

With benchmark patient and family satisfaction ratings, Four Seasons community palliative care model (CPC) removes barriers to patient care due to location, socio-economics, ethnicity or minority status, or fragility of medical condition.

“Personal independence is a core value of mountain people from all walks of life,” says Executive Director Loretta Shelton. “Four Seasons is one of the last community-based hospice and palliative care organizations in the state, if not the southeast.”

• The Fund for Haywood County and the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund recently awarded a $2,500 grant to No Boundaries, which will pay for wheelchair repairs in the medical supply and loan closet to help low-income people remain independent and improve their quality of life.

ALSO:

• A new yoga class is being offered from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Waynesville Wellness. The cost is $8 to $12 a class on a sliding scale or $60 for 10 classes. Children can join in for free. www.waynesvillewellness.com.

• A six-week Tai Chi for Arthritis program will be offered from 10 to 11 a.m. on Mondays June 13 through July 11 at the

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Harris hospital welcomes third general surgeon Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva will welcome Joshua Pratt, DO to Harris Surgical Associates, a Duke LifePoint physician practice, in September.

Pratt will join Dr. Billy Noell and Dr. Eric Reitz in providing surgical care to the region.

Pratt is currently completing a residency in general surgery at Franciscan St. James Hospitals in Chicago, Illinois, where he serves as chief resident. A native of East Tennessee, Pratt is a member of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, and the American Osteopathic Association.

Participants sought for clinical trial If you are overweight and experience knee pain, you may qualify to participate in the Weight Loss and Exercise for Communities with Arthritis in North Carolina (WE-CAN) clinical trial.

Wake Forest University received $6 million in grant funding to enable health and science researchers to further study knee osteoarthritis and successful treatment measures in community settings. Haywood Regional Medical Center is one of three clinical research sites participating in the WE CAN trial in partnership with UNC Chapel Hill and Wake Forest.

The 18-month intervention program may include healthy lifestyle and guidance programs or supervised exercise programs with meal replacements. The Haywood county program is directed by Dr. Kate Queen of Mountain Medical Associates.

Interested participants may email wecan@wfu.edu or call 828.558.0208.

Sylva First Baptist Fellowship Center. The class is being offered in cooperation with the Southwestern Commission Agency on Aging. Free program, no registration required.

• The next Safe Kids Macon County meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at the Macon County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center conference room located at 1820 Lakeside Drive in Franklin.

• The Macon County Cancer Support Group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, in the cafeteria of Angel Medical Center, Riverview Street, Franklin. Mary Bennett, face painter and Henna artist, will present a special program on “Henna Painting for Cancer Survivors.” There will be door prizes and light refreshments.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

If this were the wild, he would already be gone W

Trump’s ‘nativism’ is just frightening To the Editor: For one who has never held an elected office, Donald Trump is a brilliant politician.

His TV persona and his high profile media ventures have served him well. No one should be surprised, it was all laid out in his best seller, The Art of the Deal.

But, make no mistake, what he is selling is why he may be our next president. Historians call this view of the world “nativism.” Its core message is simple: America first. But the America he is referring to is very limited. That America belongs to those who consider themselves here first, and whose culture is dominant. Every other race, ethnicity, sexual preference, or religion is considered inferior. This is a powerful message to those of the dominant culture. Many of them feel economically left out; threatened by cultural changes, or betrayed by our government and our political system.

Dictators and totalitarian leaders throughout history have used this message to consolidate their power. Putin with his desire to bring back the glory of old “Mother Russia” is a classic example of the power of nativism.

Many politicians and public figures throughout U.S. history have railed against immigrants, and those that are different. The Catholics, the Jews, and now the Muslims; all whom, at one time or another, have been labeled as a threat to our “American way of life.” The Blacks, the Asians, and now the Mexicans have all been seen as a danger to the purity of the dominant culture. And now the LGBT community is in the bull’s eye simply because their very existence calls into ques-

are just ready earlier than others.

In fact, if we lived in the wild, the probability is that I would have kicked Liam out of the herd just about a year ago. Don’t get me wrong; that’s not because he’s a bad kid. Quite the opposite. He is both smart and head strong — just like his mom — and so those two tend to quarrel over the smallest matters: cooking pasta, washing dishes, laundry detail, cleaning his room, opinions about Editor teachers and school, etc. Typical mom and son stuff, and my daughters and I like to joke about how Lori and Liam are so much alike that they both refuse to back down.

But part of the reason for that is because he is already capable of taking care of himself, and so chafes sometimes when we treat him like a kid. And, I remind my wife all the time, it’s only once he is on his own that he’ll realize just how much she does for him and how meaningful all that small stuff is.

Yep, it’s been about a year that he’s been mature enough to go out into the world on his own — if we were in the wild.

Luckily for me, we aren’t (well, some might call either or both

Scott McLeod

hen next week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain News hits the streets Wednesday, June 15, my youngest will be a high school graduate and my wife will be gone for a month to walk across Spain with our middle child Hannah.

The fact that those two events are happening at almost the same time is purely coincidence. When Hannah made plans to spend the spring semester of her junior year studying abroad, we didn’t think about how that would coincide with Liam’s graduation. And when we decided it would be a lifetime adventure for Lori and Hannah — both fluent Spanish speakers — to walk part of the Camino de Santiago together, we didn’t really consider that Liam and I would be home for a month, alone, two men.

And I say “men” with a certain amount of satisfaction. My son will turn 18 in July, and I’m very of proud of the engaging, intelligent, funny and considerate young man he has become.

He’s ready for college life and being on his own.

I’ve told many people in recent months that watching him grow more independent has made me think our system of making all kids go through the 12th grade before heading to college will likely continue to evolve and change. I know early college and opportunities like that are cropping up, and I’m confident more programs like that are in our future. Some kids

tion some of the most sacred religious beliefs of the dominant culture.

All these “others” are convenient diversions from the real challenges we face today.

But as any good politician knows, it’s not your policy positions that really score votes, it’s the emotional appeal that drives people to the poles. Those in the dominant culture are deeply troubled by the future they see. Mr. Trump has tapped into that fear and anger.

I doubt that Donald Trump has any idea of the historical context for the movement he now leads. I doubt that he is a racist or he even cares about these issues. As he has said many times, it is all about winning. If he wins, all the “others” may lose.

Louis Vitale Franklin

Let’s build animal shelter to do the job adequately To the Editor: I am seeing and hearing various opinions about the need for a new animal shelter in Haywood County. It is certainly understandable for there to be misunderstanding, even resentment, about an expenditure of this magnitude, supposedly for the benefit of homeless dogs and cats. Please consider, though, that many of our citizens find animal welfare a very worthy cause, and are proud of the advancements made over the past few years in this county.

However, it isn’t just the animals in need of Animal Services’ protection, but also the general public. This county department also investigates potential rabies cases, investigates cruelty cases, deals with vicious animals, res-

of us wild, but that’s another story). So we’ll get to spend these next few months together (perhaps he’ll be back for another summer, but somehow I doubt it). And for a month, it will be just the two of us sharing the house.

We’ll cook meals together — did I say he’s a pretty good cook, another way he’s just like his mom — order pizzas other nights, go mountain biking, hiking, watch some soccer matches and go to the movies, do as little cleaning as we can get by with, perhaps complete a home project or two, probably see each other in passing more than we have in years, and just talk.

And all that time together — including after Lori returns in July — will be multiplied in importance and memories for us, while for him it will be just a small segment of an ongoing passage into adulthood.

As he graduates and prepares to leave home, all I wish for him is to find his own path and own successes instead of following where others lead, to do good by his friends and family, to work hard, and perhaps think a little more deeply about life than it seems some of his generation are wont to do.

And I can say confidently that I feel really good about his chances. Congrats, Liam.

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com.)

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, N.C., 28786. cues stray animals and returns them to their owners, and houses privately owned animals in bite quarantine. A facility is needed that can accomplish these goals efficiently and effectively. The current shelter cannot.

Perhaps some folks just are not “animal people”, and they may not realize how much the services of this department benefit them.

It is a waste of time and money to build a barely adequate new shelter — if we’re going to do it, let’s make it state of the art and a building our county can be proud of. Most importantly, let’s give this county department the tools they need to do their jobs.

Nancy Bulluck Canton

Legislators passed smart coal ash plan To the Editor: This is a critical time for our community and all North Carolinians. Decisions being made right now by lawmakers in Raleigh could have an impact on our communities, customers’ pocketbooks and the safe manage-

ment of coal ash for years to come.

Fortunately, elected officials in the North Carolina General Assembly are considering common-sense legislation that would strengthen the 2014 Coal Ash Management Act. Those revisions would help make sure decisions to close ash basins throughout the state protect the environment, people’s water supply, our economy and household budgets.

There is broad, bipartisan support in the General Assembly, as well as from community leaders, neighbors, businesses and many environmental advocates. The proposed legislation would reestablish the Coal Ash Management Commission, which has a vital role in making sure closure decisions are based on the full range of considerations, including sound science and engineering, potential impacts to customers’ bills and disruptive truck and train traffic.

Since 2014, Duke Energy has made significant progress, moving millions of tons of ash to safe, lined disposal sites. We have a lot more work ahead of us in the months and years ahead.

There is much at stake. It is important that we get it right. We hope lawmakers and the governor will continue down a smart path for North Carolina when it comes to deciding how ash basins will be closed and how those plans affect our community and others throughout the state.

Jason Walls District Manager, Duke Energy’s Asheville Region

Editor’s note: Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed the measure passed by both the state House and Senate that Walls is referencing. Legislators are currently said to be considering a vote to override the governor’s veto.

Finally got a tattoo, and it’s raising a few eyebrows I nation’s capital with two children in tow, I would catch onlookers gazing at us fondly, an all-American mom with her two allAmerican kids, then I would see them catch a glimpse of my tattoo and furrow their brow.

I guess maybe it is a sort of dichotomy. But one I find intriguing.

To be honest, the only person’s response I was truly concerned about was my mom’s, but Columnist her exact words were, “Awww, it’s pretty. And very feminine. You can pull it off, but be careful; I’ve heard they can be addictive.”

This array of reactions got me thinking.

Why do some people perceive tattoos in a negative light? Why do others view them as something artistic or lovely?

Tattoos have been a symbolic art form for thousands of years and are celebrated in many parts of the world, but I remember viewing them as negative when I was young.

I’ve thought about why I once viewed tattoos with disdain, and my naïve opinion derived from simple influences. The “bad guys” and felons in movies and books often had tattoos. No one in my small world of people had tattoos so they must’ve been

Susanna Barbee

got a tattoo a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t on a whim. I wasn’t intoxicated. I wasn’t in Myrtle Beach. And I’m not a rebellious 16-year-old. The choice was very premeditated and something I’ve been thinking about for years. I was just waiting for the perfect design to manifest in my mind, which finally happened about a month ago.

In my infant days as a tattooed person, I’ve discovered that I must not fit the mold of someone who would get a tattoo.

Observing the reaction of others has given me quite the insight into people’s perceptions of tattoos and their perceptions of Susanna Barbee.

Those who know me well weren’t shocked at all. I’ve always embraced creativity from all realms and in all ways, so it seemed befitting for me to have artwork on my body.

But those who don’t know me well have seemed a little perplexed that I would get a tattoo, especially in a noticeable location and one that can’t be easily hidden (the inside of my forearm). It seems that visible tattoos aren’t particularly the norm in Waynesville, especially for moms. In contrast, they seemed very welcomed in nearby Asheville.

I’ve also noticed strangers looking at me curiously. This past weekend, my two little boys and I flew to D.C. for my niece’s first birthday party. As I traipsed around our

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or embarrassed about.

In true Susanna fashion, I can’t even get a tattoo without allowing my brain to dig in so deep, I’ve thought about it for two weeks straight from every angle and in every way.

At this point, you may be wondering what my tattoo looks like.

Since writing is my lifeline, the main image is a quill and an inkwell. The quill has written the words “One Life, One Story.” I have a tendency to make choices and take action based on the needs of everyone around me, which is fine to an extent, but I also need to remember that this is my one life and the one chance to create my own beautiful story. The words on my arm are a daily reminder. Most importantly, the letters “B” and “C” for my two little boys are woven into the image.

They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but apparently I’ve often been judged as someone who wouldn’t get a tattoo. I’m finally ready to let the world know what’s always been my own personal truth.

I am a person who would get a tattoo, not only because I believe in art and history and symbolism but because I want to be my true self.

With one life to live and one story to tell, why waste time appearing to be someone else?

(Susanna Barbee is a Haywood County writer. susanna.barbee@gmail.com.)

Stop in & let us show you our outdoor kitchen today.

“ Happy Father’s Day” to the Grill Master in your life!

June 8-14, 2016

Charles A. Shaller M.D.

forbidden, and like most girls raised in the South, I was taught to be neat, pretty and classy. I guess traditionally, at least in the U.S., tattoos don’t particularly correlate with those adjectives.

Later in life, I learned things like tattoos are a rite of passage around the globe and people like Martha Stewart can be a felon but would scoff at the thought of getting tattoo. I also learned that one of my favorite wordsmiths of all time, Winston Churchill, had a tattoo, not to mention the many musicians I love who have them.

I think I’ve finally dispelled my childhood misconceptions.

I’ve also realized that if I’m in a place or around a group of people where I feel very uncomfortable having a tattoo, maybe that place or those people aren’t for me, or maybe I need to guide their understanding.

The other, darker effect of having my tattoo has been my realization of what it must feel like to have a deformity or scar or mark that’s no fault of the person. Having people stare at me a second too long because they are wondering about a tattoo is much different than being stared at because of a birthmark or burn or malformation of a body part.

This thought hit me like a ton of bricks.

I felt an intense compassion for individuals who live with stares and curious looks and furrowed brows constantly because of something they may already be ashamed of

We Can Help Dad Step Up His Grilling Game!

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Grills, Fire Pits, Outdoor Living Design & Installation

828.333.5456

Smoky Mountain News

GRILLS

21

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 APPLE CREEK CAFE 111 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.456.9888. Tuesday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10:30 a.m. to midnight. Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. We are excited to be on Main St. serving lunch and dinner with a full bar. Our menu includes items such as blackberry salmon, fettuccine alfredo, hand-cut steaks, great burgers, sandwiches, salads and more.

Join us for live music every Friday and Saturday nights. Friday 6 to 9 p.m. live piano music. Saturday 6 to 9 p.m. live jazz music.

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

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

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 am to 9:30 am – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 12:00 till 2 pm. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays, 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 herb-baked 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 pm, and dinner is served starting at 7 pm. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view.

Please call for reservations.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh handcut fries. Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining. facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville. 828.452.6000.

Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue.

Kitchen opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday serving freshly prepared small plates, tapas, charcuterie, desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

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

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

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

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

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

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

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

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

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

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

June 8-14, 2016

Bring your daddy to lunch.

BREAKFAST & DINNER DAILY SUNDAY LUNCH by reservation

JUNE SPECIALS

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Build-A-Burger: $7.99 Smoky Mountain News

Every Monday and Tuesday through June

456.9498 • www.balsaminn.net

6-oz burger with lettuce and tomato, fries and choice of four toppings

348-29

Southern Comfort Menu: $9.99 Sundays In June, Noon-4 p.m.

Choice of Fried Chicken, Roast Turkey, stuffing & gravy, Chicken Parmesan or Country Fried Steak, with side and warm rolls and butter —————————————————————————————————————

MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED ALL ABC PERMITS

Hwy. 19 • Maggie Valley 828-926-1817

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Lunch: Friday-Sunday, Noon-4 p.m.

Open Nightly for Dinner at 4 p.m.

MON.-SAT. 11 A.M.-8 P.M.

Cataloochee Ranch

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505 twitter.com/ChurchStDepot M C facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot

tasteTHEmountains

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

JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel.

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner.

The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

THE LUNCHBOX CAFE 100 Spicewood Dr., Clyde, 828.246.6296 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Serving up scrumptious breakfast, lunch and dinner all made with care in a welcoming environment. Subs, salads, sandwiches and more.

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

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Handtossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch.

Beer and wine. Free movies with showtimes at 6:30 and 9 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. Visit madbatterfoodandfilm.com for this week’s shows.

PAPERTOWN GRILL 153 Main St., Canton. 828.648.1455 Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Serving the local community with great, scratch-made country cooking. Breakfast is served all day. Daily specials including Monday meatloaf, chicken and dumplings on Thursdays and Friday fish.

Come see us at the Historic Farmers Market Grab a bite & take home dinner.

Cottage Pie, Sausage Rolls & More!

Available all week from our kitchen

(828) 452-7837

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

Wed. & Sat. in the HART Parking lot

WaynesvilleCatering.com

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

SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive. Canton 828-6463750 Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available. Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties. Local acoustic music on Tuesday nights.

SMOKEY SHADOWS LODGE 323 Smoky Shadows Lane, Maggie Valley 828.926.0001. Check Facebook page for hours, which vary. Call early when serving because restaurant fills up fast. Remember when families joined each other at the table for a delicious homemade meal and shared stories about their day? That time is now at Smokey Shadows. The menus are customizable for your special event. Group of eight or more can schedule their own dinner.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. Our Pizza dough, sauce, meatballs, and sausage are all made from scratch by Vito.

Bikers Welcome Weekends: 10% off for bikers *alcohol not included

Tuesdays: All you can eat chicken bites - $1199

Open for Breakfast MON.-SAT. 8 A.M. 3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

www.CityLightsCafe.com

June 8-14, 2016

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday.

Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoors, outside on the patio or at the bar. Reservations appreciated.

Thursdays:

All you can eat ribs - $1599 895 Russ Ave. • Waynesville 348-67

10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

828-452-5822

Sunday–Thursday 11 a.m.–10 p.m Friday & Saturday 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

Nutrition Facts

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

Visit Us and Discover

serving size : ab out 50 p ag es Am ount per Serving Calories 0

% Daily Value * Tot al Fat 0g

0%

Reg ional New s

100%

Op inion

100%

Outd oors

100%

Art s

100%

Entert ainm ent

100%

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100%

* Percent Weekly values b ased on Hayw ood, Jackson, M acon, Sw ain and Buncom b e d iet s.

MEDITERRANEAN & ITALIAN CUISINE 1863 S. Main Street • Waynesville 828.454.5002 Hwy. 19/23 Exit 98 LUNCH & DINNER TUES. - SUN.

www.pasqualesnc.com

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

828-456-1997 blueroostersoutherngrill.com Monday-Friday Open at 11am

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Smoky Mountain News

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Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food 23

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Brotherhood through bluegrass Balsam Range singer and Nashville songwriter release solo work

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER Within the realm of melodic creativity, one word emerges — collaboration.

It’s the act of bringing resources together, whether it is lyrics, chords or simply the energy of one’s soul that inspires another. And what comes to fruition is a fusing of curiosity, passion and art. Collaboration lies at the foundation of all great music, where those close to you, from friends to fellow musicians, producers to those at the heart of the matter, each contribute to the evolution of the creative being.

And for Buddy Melton and Milan Miller, that sense of collaboration has proved bountiful over their many years bouncing ideas off each other, kicking around phrases and song structures, all in hopes of something sticking to the intent of whatever project the duo finds themselves trying to breath life into.

Melton is the lead singer and fiddler for acclaimed bluegrass act Balsam Range, a Haywood County group who has seemingly been awarded every honor in recent years from the International Bluegrass Music Association, including “Entertainer of the Year” in 2014 (Melton also won the IBMA for “Male Vocalist of the Year”). And when one peels back the curtain of Balsam Range, you are introduced to singer-songwriter Milan Miller, a Waynesville native who moved to Nashville in hopes of lyrical success, which he found, especially with his numerous songs covered by Balsam Range atop his two IBMA nominations for “Song of the Year.”

With their latest record, “Secrets, Dreams & Pretty Things,” Melton and Miller once again harness the magic that has existed between them since their early days with the band Jubal Foster. This spring, the album’s single “Adeline” hit number one on the Bluegrass Today charts.

It’s a brotherhood forged through the deep bonds solely unique to the sounds of bluegrass music. It’s also a collaboration between two musicians that began long before each found their own fruitful paths within the music industry.

Garret K. Woodward: How did your friendship with Milan came about?

Buddy Melton: Milan and I first met and really got to know each other musically at a local jam session that Kevin Duckett with Smoky Mountain Roasters in Waynesville host-

Balsam Range singer/fiddler Buddy Melton (left) and Nashville songwriter Milan Miller (right) recently released their new bluegrass record, ‘Secrets, Dreams & Pretty Things.’ Melton won the International Bluegrass Music Association award for ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ in 2014, with Miller being nominated twice for ‘Song of the Year’ by the IBMAs. ed at his business weekly. That was in the mid1990s. Shortly after that Milan moved to Nashville, but it wasn’t long until he called asking about my potential interest in being a part of a new group forming.

That was the start of the group Jubal Foster and the beginning of many great friendships that have had a major influence in my musical career. And to see how those connections and friendships have developed, and had such positive impacts in my life, has been very rewarding.

GKW: What was the approach coming into this new project?

Milan Miller: In the age of digital downloads, it may be a bit old fashioned, but Buddy and I still subscribe to the idea of assembling a group of songs that fit together and complement each other. Some of these songs have been in our back pocket for a few years and then we built the rest of the project around the kinds of tunes that we thought were missing. For example, “Adeline” is something that I wrote for Buddy and his daughter, and is an extension of our friendship all these years. “Took Up Crying,” written by our friends Adam and Shannon Wright, is a song that we have both wanted to do for a long time and finally got the opportunity. Just before we started the recording process we realized that we still needed something really fast that would resonate with bluegrass fans who have more traditional tastes, so we wrote “Lost and Alone in this World” together. Throw in a gospel song, a waltz, a pretty ballad, and a

Want to go?

Buddy Melton & Milan Miller will perform at PlottFest, which will be held June 18-19 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and at noon on Sunday.

PlottFest is a benefit for Head Start of Haywood and Jackson counties. Celebrating the locally bred Plott Hound, the state dog of North Carolina, the festival combines an array of hound competitions, showcases and events. There will also be a full day of live music, featuring performances from Balsam Range, Blue Highway, Carolina Blue, Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express, Eddie Rose & Highway 40, Lonesome River Band, and many more. Children’s activities and food vendors will be onsite.

Tickets are $15 each for Saturday and Sunday or $25 for a two-day pass.

Children under age 16 are free. www.plottfest.org.

twisted mountain murder story, and there you have it — a bluegrass album.

GKW: Why is it important to have that solo outlet from your “musical day job” of Balsam Range?

BM: As an artist it is important to grow creatively. Working within a band setting is very rewarding, and being a team player is something I really enjoy, but it also means reaching a common place where as doing a solo type projects gives you the opportunity to express your individuality.

GKW: What is your songwriting process like? Does it come in waves or do you sit down and get it done?

MM: Ideas for songs seem to come in waves, but my process for writing has become fairly methodical. These days, I seem to be doing more co-writing, so it is necessary to be able to show up at the appointment and get things done. I keep a journal of ideas, titles, and catch phrases as they pop into my head.

When I start to actually write the song, I seem to always be walking the line between creativity and craft. Creativity and inspiration will always be where songs begin, but the difference between a mediocre song and a good song usually comes down to craft.

GKW: What are looking for in the songs you create? And how do you know when it’s done, or when to stop and let it be?

MM: I want to create some type of emotional reaction from the listener. Anything from making someone smile, cry, laugh, tap their foot, or consider a perspective that maybe hadn’t crossed their mind. Even if the topic is very serious, I want the chorus to be catchy and hopefully get stuck in the listener’s head.

Knowing when a song is finished sometimes

“Creativity and inspiration will always be where songs begin, but the difference between a mediocre song and a good song usually comes down to craft.”

— Milan Miller

can be intangible. Even when I think that a song is finished, sometimes when I go to record the demo I realize that additional tweaks and/or editing are needed to make the song work. When I am writing a song by myself I can be pretty bad to over think things, so that is another reason that I enjoy co-writing. Having another person’s perspective is a great way to move things along.

GKW: With the music you two play — bluegrass — what about the genre, professionally and personally, sets it apart from other forms of music, performance and stage presence?

BM: I’m a fan of many, if not all, musical forms. But bluegrass has a true purity about it.

The genre is filled with exceptionally talented people who perform with honesty — what you see and hear is genuine.

Editor’s Note: For more information on the new Buddy Melton & Milan Miller record, “Secrets, Dreams & Pretty Things,” visit www.meltonandmillermusic.com. The album is also available for purchase at Smoky Mountain Roasters in Waynesville.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD Garret K. Woodward photo

July 2 3-7 Fireworks Wine Tasting

138 Miller Street (828)452-0120

WaynesvilleWine.com

LIVE MUSIC TUESDAY NIGHTS! 7-9 P.M.

Upcoming Bands: June 14 — Ginny McAfee June 21 — Mile High Band

Smoky Mountain News

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

July 5 Spanish Tapas Wine Pairing Dinner

June 8-14, 2016

Yeah, it’s true.

I had originally planned to be a teacher. When I was thinking about what I wanted to choose to major in at college, I had shifted Brother Hawk (rock/blues) will play No Name my attention to education. The Sports Pub (Sylva) at 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 10 idea of standing in front of a and at The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill classroom of eager and impres(Waynesville) at 9 p.m. Saturday, June 11. sionable minds intrigued me.

A gala and benefit auction will be held from 5 to My mother was a lifelong 8 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the John C. teacher, still is in many respects.

Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

Fresh out of college, she started in 1970 as an “ungraded The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series at teacher” for intermediate chilThe Village Green in Cashiers will host The dren at Mooers Elementary Freeway Revival (rock/jam) at 6:30 p.m. Friday, School on the Canadian border June 10. in Upstate New York.

“Ungraded” was the term used A stage production of “The Complete Works of for special education before it William Shakespeare’s ‘Abridged and Revised’” was coined. From there, she will be performed by Western Carolina taught special education at University Road Works at 5 p.m. Monday, June Northeastern Clinton Central 13, at the Fines Creek Community Center Gym. School, where she remained for Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will host the majority of her 34-year Scott Low (Americana/Outlaw) at 9 p.m. Friday, career (besides a short stint at June 10. nearby Rouses Point Elementary School, my hometown).

By the time I was a sophomore at So, as one can imagine, my upbringing Quinnipiac University, I had a strong suspirevolved around the local educational syscion that I’d pick education as my major. tem. Whether it was faculty Christmas parBut, around that time, I’d also discovered ties or summer get-togethers, or getting a something else — writing. After the “lightride to school by my mom instead of the ning bolt epiphany” hit me one day while school bus (which changed once I got my reading Jack Kerouac’s seminal novel On The driver’s license), I was front-and-center in Road, I put my teaching aspirations on the the academic depths of NCCS. Heck, I’d already known all of my eventual middle and backburner, jumping into my truck and onto the hard pavement of America, in search of high school teachers before I ever set foot in people and stories, all that experience I felt their classrooms (many of which even one needed to become a “great writer.” attended my baby shower).

June 24 Chef Jackie’s BYOB Dinner

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

But, as expected, I still needed to find a way to make some money while I pursued this writing thing. And that gig came during my senior year of college, in the form of an after-school teacher position at a New Haven, Connecticut inner city educational center (just down the road from QU). At 21, I was assigned to a classroom with another college girl, where we had over 20 kids between ages 10-12, each day from 3 to 6 p.m.

It was an incredible experience, one where I truly felt that the kids taught me as much as I taught them. A lot of them were from rough homes, or homes with a lack of father figures, so many of them latched onto me when I walked in (I was the only male on the faculty). I found myself in the classroom and on the playground, standing there in front of all these curious eyes, all wanting me to open up the box of knowledge they craved, and also knew was full of big ideas and fun adventure.

Following college graduation, I headed back to Upstate New York, only to find substitute work in the exact schools I once attended. Back to NCCS, but this time I was eating lunch with my former teachers and not finding ways to make their lives crazy in the classroom. And, once again, I’d be standing there, in front of the youth of tomorrow, who were always asking me questions, always wanting to know more…

“Mr. Woodward, do you have a girlfriend?” “Mr. Woodward, did you go to school with my mom?” “Mr. Woodward, do you like chocolate or white milk with lunch?”

“Mr. Woodward, why do you have a beard?”

“Not really. Yes. Chocolate. Because I’m cool,” I’d reply, moving onward with the lesson plan.

And right around the spring of 2012, I had tempted the idea of going to graduate school, to pursue a master’s degree in teaching. But, just as my back was against the wall with a lack of writing opportunities, and I was filling out school forms, something happened — a job offer from The Smoky Mountain News, some 1,024 miles from home.

I took the job. And I don’t regret one day of that decision. Four years later, I find myself within the career I’d always hoped for, one of freedom and responsibility, where I can wander this great big world in search of people, places and things that catch my eye, only to be able to share those experiences with a plethora of readers just as excited and inquisitive as I am in my endeavors.

But, part of me still wonders about if I had pursued teaching, though it’d be in reverse if I had and wondered where I’d be if I chose writing. Such is life, eh? I still want to get back into the classroom at some point, but perhaps more in the realm of higher education. I’d like to take my travels and the things I’ve discovered as a writer, and share them with a roomful of students who are the age I was when the “lightning bolt epiphany” occurred. I’d like to show them the endless possibilities of themselves, and that there’s really no formula to writing, that the only thing to know is that to be a writer, one must, well, write, and also be honest with their readers. Someday.

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

SAGEBRUSH OF CANTON 1941 Champion Dr. Canton

828-646-3750 Sun-Thur 11 AM - 10 PM Fri-Sat 11 AM - 11 PM

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arts & entertainment

FREE ARTIST On the beat WORKSHOPS ‘Concerts on the Creek’ rocks out NEW SPACES: Courses to Help Arts Businesses Thrive Digitally and IRL 10 a.m. to Noon

New Outlook

6/9 Galleries/

Merchandising at Haywood County Arts Council

Register at: haywood.edu/ small-business-center/ upcoming-seminars

Jerry Salley will play June 11 at the Balsam Mountain Inn.

T

his workshop series may be ending, but the Haywood County Arts Council is here to meet your needs as an artist or art lover all year long. Stop by HCAC Gallery & Gifts at 86 N. Main or visit our website to learn about artist memberships, monthly exhibits, special events, & more.

‘Songwriters’ welcomes Salley, Kelley and Ulisse

SPONSORS:

June 8-14, 2016

Sundown will play Sylva on June 10.

Customer Appreciation Day

Smoky Mountain News

Friday, June 10 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Enjoy a Free Lunch & Pick Up A Gift!

• Andrews Brewing Company will host The Pressley Girls (Americana) 6 p.m. June 10, Megan Saunders & The Driftless (Americana) 7 p.m. June 11, Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) 6 p.m. June 17 and The Colby Deitz Band (Americana/bluegrass) 7 p.m. June 18.

All shows are free. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Apple Creek Café (Waynesville) will host an evening of piano music on Fridays and jazz on Saturdays. Both events are free and run from 6 to 9 p.m. 828.456.9888 or www.applecreekcafe.com.

• BearWaters Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host Dave Desmelick (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. June 10 and Pierce Edens (Americana/rock) 8 p.m. June 16.

828.246.0602 or www.bwbrewing.com.

Chad McMahon, Agent 97 Lee Street Waynesville, NC 28786 Bus: 828-452-0567 chad.mcmahon.rv37@statefarm.com

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The seventh annual “Concerts on the Creek” series will host Sundown (rock) at 7 p.m.

Friday, June 10, at the Bridge Park Pavilion in Sylva.

Other shows are as follows: Whitewater Bluegrass Company (Americana/bluegrass) June 17, Terri Lynn Queen & The Stingers (rock) June 24, Dashboard Blue (rock) July 1, Colby Deitz Band (Americana) July 8, Robertson Boys (bluegrass) July 15, PMA (reggae/rock) July 22, Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) July 29, Buchanan Boys (rock) Aug. 5, Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (Americana) Aug. 12, Porch 40 (rock/funk) Aug. 19, surprise band on Aug. 26, and Erica Nicole (country) Sept. 2.

Concerts are free, with donations accepted. Chairs and blankets are allowed. www.mountainlovers.com or 828.586.2155.

• The Bryson City Train Depot concert series will host Frank Lee (bluegrass) June 11 and Juniper (Celtic/folk) June 18. All shows are free and begin at 6:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Bob Zullo (jazz/pop) June 10, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) June 11 and 18, and The Hope

Griffin Duo (Americana/pop) June 17. Both shows are free and begin at 7 p.m.

828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• The “Concerts on the Creek” series at Bridge Park in Sylva will host Sundown (rock) June 10 and Whitewater Bluegrass Company (Americana/bluegrass) June 17. Both shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlovers.com.

ALSO:

• The Cut Cocktail Lounge (Sylva) will host The Cannonball Jars (rock/folk) at 9 p.m.

June 10 and a Crawfish Boil with Eric’s Fish Market and live music at 5 p.m. June 18.

828.631.4795.

• Derailed Bar & Lounge (Bryson City) will have music at 7 p.m. on Saturdays.

828.488.8898.

• The “Friday Night Live” concert series at the Town Square in Highlands will host Southern Highlands (Americana/bluegrass) June 10 and Mountain Dulcimer Group (bluegrass) June 17. Both shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.highlandschamber.org.

The “Songwriters in the Round” series will continue with Jerry Salley, Irene Kelley and Donna Ulisse at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Balsam Mountain Inn. The Balsam Mountain Inn began the “Songwriters in the Round” series 15 years ago, and modeled it after similar performances at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe. Balsam’s performers are most often the Nashville-area songwriters who pen lyrics performed by country and western stars. Many performances feature Grammy and CMA award winners, and all include writers of many topranked songs.

A buffet dinner is included in the $49 ticket price, and seating begins at 6 p.m. www.balsammountaininn.net or 828.456.9498.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host The Puddle Jumpers 7 p.m. June 9, a fundraiser for the Edith Allen Wildlife Sanctuary with ‘Round the Fire (rock/folk) at 5 p.m. (music at 6 p.m.) June 10, John Emil (steel guitar) 8 p.m. June 11 and The Bearded (country/bluegrass) 7 p.m. June 17.

All shows are free. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series at The Village Green in Cashiers will host The Freeway Revival (rock/jam) June 10 and Bo Spring Band (folk/roots) June 17. Both shows are free and begin at 6:30 p.m. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night June 8 and 15, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo June 9 and 16. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will hold community music jam from 6 to 7:30 p.m. June 16. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. Free. 828.488.3030.

On the beat

Rock/jam act The Freeway Revival will play June 10 in Cashiers.

‘Groovin’ on the Green’ jams on The “Groovin’ on the Green” concert series will host The Freeway Revival (rock/jam) at 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 10, at The Village Green in Cashiers.

Other performs include Bo Spring Band (folk/roots) June 17, Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’Blues (rock/blues) June 24, Jackson Taylor Band (country/rock) July 1, Hurricane Creek (rock/blues) July 8, Colby Deitz Band (Americana/bluegrass) July 22, Miss Kitty & The Big City (pop/rock) July 29, Erica Nicole (pop/country) Aug. 5, The Buchanan Boys (country/rock) Aug. 12, Julie Gribble (Americana) Aug. 19, Rockell Scott (pop/piano) Aug. 26 and Hurricane Creek (rock/blues) Sept. 2.

All show are free and open to the public. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Darren Nicholson Band to play pool party

• Mulligan’s Bar & Grille (Franklin) will host Heidi Holton (blues/folk) 8 p.m. June 9 and The Corbitt-Clampitt Experience (rock) 10 p.m. June 11. 828.349.3183.

• Nantahala Brewing Company (Bryson City) will host Chalwa (reggae) June 10, The Aaron “Woody Wood” Trio (Americana) June 11 and The Dirty Badgers (blues/punk) June 18. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Brother Hawk (rock/blues) June 10, Darren & The Buttered Toast (soul/funk) June 11, Tail Light Rebellion (folk/outlaw) June 17 and Rye Baby (Americana/bluegrass) June 18. All shows are free and begin at 9:30 p.m. www.nonamesportspub.com.

• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Cherokee) will host a back porch old-time music jam

• The “Pickin’ On The Square” concert series will continue with Ms. Kitty & Big City Band (pop/variety) June 11 and The Taste of Scotland celebration June 18. All shows are free and begin at 7:30 p.m. A community jam begins at 6:30 p.m. www.franklinnc.com or 828.524.2516.

ALSO:

• The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Heidi Holton (blues/folk) June 18. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

The Blue Ridge Big Band will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 12, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

unless otherwise noted.

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

• The “Saturday’s on the Pine” concert series at Kelsey Hutchinson Park in Highlands will host Well Strung (bluegrass/Americana) June 11 and Goldie & The Screamers (soul) June 18. Both shows are free and begin at 6 p.m.

• Sagebrush Steakhouse (Canton) will host Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) June 14 and Mile High Band (rock) June 21. All shows begin at 7 p.m. 828.646.3750.

• Sneak E Squirrel Brewing (Sylva) will host Contra Dancing June 10 and Colby Deitz Band (Americana/bluegrass) June 11. There will also be a “Funk to What?” open jam every Thursday. All events begin at 8 p.m.

828.586.6440.

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

• Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva) will host a jazz evening with the Tyler Kittle & Michael Colling Duo (with special guests) every other Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. with the next performance on June 21. www.soulinfusion.com or 828.586.1717.

Acclaimed Vermont-based acoustic duo The DuPont Brothers will be holding an album release party and intimate performance at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Refreshments, snacks and craft beer will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10. www.38main.com.

With performers from Haywood, Jackson, Buncombe, and Henderson counties, the 18 members of the group share a love of big band music and performing. The concerts include a repertoire with a wide variety of music styles from traditional big band music (Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington) to contemporary jazz (Chick Corea, Chuck Mangione) to Bobby Darin and popular music of the last few decades.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at The Strand or at www.38main.com.

828.456.4880.

• The Stompin’ Ground (Maggie Valley) is now open for live mountain music and clogging at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

828.926.1288.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will host Scott Low (Americana/Outlaw) June 10 and Cricket Creek Gypsies (Americana) June 17.

Both shows are free and start at 9 p.m.

828.246.9230.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host a “Bluegrass Mix-Up” night at 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host a weekly Appalachian music night from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays with Nitrograss.

828.526.8364 or www.theuglydogpub.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host The Hooten Hallers (rock/blues) June 10, Brother Hawk (rock/blues) June 11, Kevin Fuller (Americana/folk) June 17 and Tail Light Rebellion (folk/outlaw) June 18. All shows begin at 9 p.m. 828.456.4750.

Smoky Mountain News

• The Nantahala Outdoor Center (Bryson City) will host Max Gross Weight (rock) June 10, The Freeway Revival Band (rock/jam) June 11, Brushfire Stankgrass (Americana/fusion) June 17 and The Pioneer Chicken Stand Band (folk/rock) June 18. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.noc.com.

from 1 to 3 p.m. June 18. All are welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

The Strand welcomes jazz, big band

DUPONT BROTHERS AT THE STRAND

June 8-14, 2016

The Darren Nicholson Band will bring its signature Americana/bluegrass sound to the stage at 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 12, at the Lake Junaluska Aquatic & Recreation Center. The performance will be part of Lake Junaluska’s ‘Summer Shindig,’ which includes free activities like volleyball, mini golf, shuffleboard, and to the pool from 2 to 6 p.m. Visitors can also get discounted boat rentals. www.lakejunaluska.com/pool.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park invites the public to celebrate the National Park Service Centennial with “Music in the American Wild” for two live performances of music from 11 composers and seven performers, all affiliated with Eastman School of Music in upstate New York.

• At 6 p.m. June 14, the performance will be held at Purchase Knob near Maggie Valley.

Parking is limited so reservations are required at www.musicinthesmokies2016.eventbrite.com.

• At 7 p.m. June 15, the performance will be held at the Cades Cove Amphitheater and does not require a reservation.

Both programs are free. These concerts are the premiere of music being played in the places that inspired the compositions. The seven performers play flute, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello and percussion.

The “Music in the American Wild” is part of the Imagine Your Parks grant initiative from the National Endowment for the Arts created in partnership with the National Park Service to support projects that use the arts to engage people with memorable places and landscapes of the National Park System. www.musicintheamericanwild.com.

arts & entertainment

GSMNP presents ‘Music in the American Wild’

• The Waynesville Public Library will host Two Armadillos (Americana/folk) at 3 p.m.

Saturday, June 11. Free. www.haywoodarts.org. 27

June 8-14, 2016

arts & entertainment

On the street The legend of the Boojum Celebrating the lore and legend of the “Boojum,” the inaugural Boojum Festival & Hunt will be June 10-12 in Canton.

The event is a fundraiser for Pisgah High School's marching band and a promotion of Canton area businesses and professionals. While focused at the historic Imperial Hotel, a Boojum Scavenger Hunt will take place throughout Canton’s historical district. The event is being financially supported by local businesses, professionals, and individuals, with events including: • 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, June 10 — Music, food, and beverages at Southern Porch (The Imperial).

• 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 11 — Local art, crafts, music, stories and legends, family tailgate market and Boojum Scavenger Hunt. These events will be located at Southern Porch, Smathers’ Square, Main Street and throughout the Canton Historic Downtown District.

• Sunday, June 12 — The event will move to Canton's Camp Hope (possible birthplace of Boojum) for all-day family oriented events.

The winner of the Boojum Scavenger Hunt will receive a Boojum necklace of garnets and diamonds crafted and provided by John Laughter’s Jeweler's (valued between $2,000-$2,500).

Additionally, loose precious stones will be randomly provided to “Boojum Hunters” during the hunt. www.boojumfest.com.

Festival celebrates Cherokee life, culture The Cherokee Voices Festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

During the event, there will be continuous performances of dance, storytelling and music. More than 25 live demonstrations of traditional Cherokee arts and crafts will be on hand. The festival is sponsored by the N.C. Arts Council and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

Free.

828.497.3481 or www.cherokeemuseum.org.

Cherishing Appalachian culture, history The sixth annual Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, June 11, in downtown Waynesville.

During the event, there will be local authors, artisan demonstrations and crafter booths, including basket making, blacksmithing, quilting, weaving, woodworking, woodcarving, pottery, painting and soap making.

Live music will include The Darren Nicholson Band, Michael Reno Harrell, Possum on a Whale, The Radio Hill Boys, Geen & The Sea Notes, Fly By Night Rounders, Miss Haven Bryant, and Jonah Riddle & Carolina Express. The J Creek Cloggers and Fines Creek Flat Footers will once again kick up their heels.

As well, in conjunction with the celebration, The Shelton House will host its “Patron Celebration Day,” which will include adult and kids activities, refreshments and tours.

828.456.3517 or www.downtownwaynesville.com.

tion at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

Koch’s interest and scholarship into this unique Confederate unit has been an ongoing project for the past few years. As education associate for the Mountain Heritage Center, Koch’s research thus far has focused on its leader William Holland Thomas.

Event honors Habitat’s impact on women Classic cars overtake Highlands The Highlands Motoring Festival will be held June 9-12.

The four-day event will include a welcoming party at the Ugly Dog Pub June 9, a daylong touring drive and the “Motoring to the Beach Gala” June 10, a classic car show and buffet June 11, and the “Cars and Coffee on Main Street” June 12. www.highlandsmotoringfestival.com or info@highlandsmotoringfestival.com.

Civil War Round Table on ‘Thomas’s Legion’ There will be a Civil War Round Table with Peter Koch presenting his discussion on “The Epic Journey of Thomas’s Legion” on Monday, June 13.

The evening begins at 5 p.m. at Bogart’s in Sylva for an informal dinner with the speaker to meet and great. This is followed in quickorder by the social in the H.F. Robinson Auditorium lobby at 6:30 p.m. at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, then a brief business meeting preceding Koch’s presenta-

“Land, Ladies & Latte,” an event presented by Haywood Habitat for Humanity, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Walton Woods work site on Davis Cove Road in Waynesville.

The program is a different type of event completely designed for women to inform and educate them about how Habitat impacts the lives of women. The casual brunch will be held at the organization’s current construction site, Walton Woods. Attendees are instructed to wear boots and a fancy hat.

Brunch and Habitat’s version of latte will be served, with the highlight being the opportunity to tour homes under construction, learn about the Walton Woods project, meet women who volunteer with Habitat, and hear from female Habitat homeowners about how the program has impacted them.

“Habitat is more than just home construction. Habitat impacts lives in ways we can’t even imagine. Women sometimes question how they can fit into all of this. We are interested in showing women the opportunities for volunteering, donating, and perhaps owning a home through an up close and personal look at our program,” said Jamye Sheppard, executive director of Haywood Habitat.

Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased by calling 828.452.7960. www.haywoodhabitat.org.

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On the street

Dinner with a Doc Series

ALSO:

• The “Kid’s Crew Carnival” will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at The Factory in Franklin. Donut eating contest, free inflatable’s, 25-cent carnival games, face painting, and more. www.thefactory.bz.

• The Junaluska Flea Market will be held from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Weldon Gym in Lake Junaluska.

• A bingo night will run at 5:45 p.m. on Thursdays through Sept. 1 at the Maggie Valley Pavilion. Cash prizes and concessions

by Moonshine Grill. Sponsored by the Maggie Valley Civic Association. 828.926.7630.

Dinner with a Doc is a complimentary dinner program that features a variety of healthcare providers speaking on health topics of interest to you. Dr. Gerald King will be presenting on From Pain to Performance: Hip &

Knee Replacement. Join other people looking to improve their health at the next Dinner with a Doc event.

Gerald King, M.D. From Pain to Performance: Hip & Knee Replacement www.tasteofscotlandfestival.org 727.424.8901.

Thursday • June 16, 2016 6 p.m.

or

Event location:

Highlands hosts ‘Low Country Shrimp Boil’ The Kelsey-Hutchinson Park “Low Country Shrimp Boil” will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at the park in Highlands.

Sponsored by the Friends of Founders Park. The event is a fundraiser to complete the Monument Garden, Sitting Fountain, and Historic Fireplace.

The $50 per person tickets will include a low country boil dinner and three drinks (including beer or wine). Tickets are available at Chamber of Commerce, The Dry Sink, and online at www.founderparkhighlands.org. There will also be live music from Goldie & the Screamers (soul). www.highlandschamber.org.

• A wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m.

June 11 and 18 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.586.6300.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. June 11 and 18 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m.

June 11 and 18 at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 828.452.6000.

Haywood Regional Medical Center Café 262 Leroy George Dr., Clyde, N.C.

RSVP by calling 800.424.DOCS (3627)

MyHaywoodRegional.com

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3.

2.

1.

Smoky Mountain News

• A magic show with Professor Whizzpop will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. For adults and teens. www.themagictomshow.com.

DOC

June 8-14, 2016

• The ceremonial Cherokee bonfires will run from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Oct. 1. Spend an evening with the Cherokee people by a roaring fire. Listen as Cherokee storytellers in period dress from the 17th century spin tales of days gone by, myths and mysteries passed down through the ages and talk of the history. Learn Cherokee survival skills and experience the dance. Your hosts will provide light refreshments, which include marshmallows for roasting and drinks. Guests sit by the fire near the Oconaluftee riverside enjoying a unique and entertaining experience.

The events are free and open to the public. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

Dinner with a

The Taste of Scotland festival will be June 16-18 in Franklin.

newsdesk crafts

The Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 17-18 in downtown Franklin.

“North Carolina has more residents of Scottish heritage than any other state in the union,” said Doug Morton, event chairman.

“In fact, North Carolina has more Scots than Scotland. This festival and supporting events is a sampler of everything Scottish. We have a great weekend planned sure to be enjoyed by every member of the family.”

Patrons of the event will be able to sample traditional Scottish foods, see demonstrations of the Highland Games, shop for authentic Scottish attire, tour the nearby Scottish Tartans Museum, and hear plenty of Scottish/Celtic music. Performances will include Def Leprechaun, Juniper Trio, The Jacobites By Name, and more.

A clan dinner will be held at 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 16, at the Tartan Hall in Franklin. The buffet style meal is $20 per adult, $10 for children ages 12 and under.

The Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival is sponsored by the Town of Franklin, Franklin Tourism Development Authority, Macon County Tourism Development Committee and Franklin Merchants.

arts & entertainment

Franklin celebrates Scottish heritage

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arts & entertainment

On the stage

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Smoky Mountain News

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Appalachian storyteller Sherry Lovett will perform at 1 p.m.

Saturday, June 18, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium.

Lovett is a well-respected and experienced storyteller and a member of the N.C. Storytelling Guild. She has been a professional storyteller and ballad singer for 15 years and has told stories all across North Carolina at schools, libraries, festivals, and private functions.

Lovett brings folktales, fairy tales, myths, and legends to life with a strong voice and lots of heart because she loves the stories she tells and connecting with audiences through the timeless art of storytelling. From the ballads of the Old Country that became known here as the “love songs” to the quintessential mountain stories about Jack, listeners will be entertained and delighted by this ancient art form that is as essential as breathing and undoubtedly intertwined in the lives of the Appalachian people.

This program is a part of the Adult Summer Reading Program. It is free and open to the public. All programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Refreshments will be served. No sign up is required.

828.356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

‘School of Dance’ in Franklin

Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. This event is co-sponsored with the Jackson County Arts Council. Free. 828.586.2016.

Betsy’s School of Dance will bring its talents to the stage at 7 p.m. June 17 and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. June 18, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The program will showcase dance styles from around the world — ballet, hip-hop, tap, African, pointe, jazz, and more. Friday will feature beginners and intermediate, with ballerinas and beginner-intermediate during the Saturday matinees, and intermediate and advanced on Saturday evening.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

Cashiers director looking for talent

Shakespeare in Fines Creek, Sylva

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Appalachian storyteller to spin yarns

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A stage production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’s ‘Abridged and Revised’” will be performed by Western Carolina University Road Works around Western North Carolina next week.

• At 5 p.m. Monday, June 13, at the Fines Creek Community Center Gym. If the weather permits, the performance will be off the back stage off of the gym, with the audience watching from the back lawn. Bring chairs and or blankets in case of sun. Free. 828.627.6020.

• At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at the

Adair Simon, director of Highlands Cashiers’ Players August show, Don’t Dress for Dinner, will be holding auditions at the from 3 to 5 p.m. June 12 and from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. June 13 at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands.

“We need three men and three women of middle age. There is a lot of verbal interaction and physical comedy,” Simon said.

The scripts can be read at the Highlands and the Cashiers libraries. Rehearsals start the last week of July and go through August in the evenings. The show itself runs Aug. 25-28 and Sept. 1-4 over Labor Day. www.highlandspac.org.

• The Unto These Hills outdoor drama will run at 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Aug. 13 at the Mountainside Theater in Cherokee. General admission tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-12 and free for children under age 5. Reserved tickets also available. 866.554.4557 or www.visitcherokenc.com.

ALSO:

On the wall

The Front Street Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 18, in downtown Dillsboro.

The event will showcase some of the best regional artisans. Over 50 booths will display the handmade craftsmanship of fine artists and fine crafters, with the sounds of family entertainment and the aroma of great festival food wafting on the breeze.

Artisans will exhibit jewelry, wooden spoons, beads and bags, pottery, skin care products, porcelain designs, candles, stained glass, hand beaded weaving, fiber art, loom beading, leather craft, wood craft, clay ornaments, artistic bottle art, watercolors, felting, quilting, metal art, birdhouses, fine art, and more.

‘Transformation’ photo club workshop

• Paint Nite Waynesville will be held at 7 p.m. on Fridays at the Panacea Coffeehouse. $20 per person. Group rates available. Sign up at Panacea or call Robin Smathers at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• The Village Square Arts & Crafts Show will be June 18-19 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park in Highlands. Live music, vendors, and more.

828.787.2021 or www.highlandschamber.org.

• “Art Beats for Kids” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. A new project every week. $20 per child, with includes lesson, materials and snack. To register, call 828.538.2054.

• During the month of June, the Jackson County Arts Council’s Rotunda Gallery in Sylva is presenting “The Source,” an exhibition of photographs by Jackson County artist Tim Lewis on the subject of water. A reception for the artist will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 10, at the Rotunda Gallery.

for printing. Cropping, exposure, contrast, saturation, color temperature, clarity, and the elimination of unwanted items will be shown.

The final finished image with then be compared beside the original to see the difference.

Non-members may submit one image they would like to improve.

Show and Tell this month is “Landscapes” or any other subject of interest. Bring your six best photographs on a USB drive to share with others. sylvaphotoclub.wordpress.com, sylvaphotoclub@gmail.com or 828.226.3840.

Admission and parking are free. www.timlewis.com.

• There will be a “Raku Beadmaking” workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. June 16-17 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 18 at Riverwood Pottery in Dillsboro. Cost is $120 per person.

828.586.3601 or www.riverwoodpottery.com.

• A Quilling Craft Class with instructor and paper artist Lawrie Williams will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva. Quilling or paper filigree is an ancient art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs that's fun and easy to learn. This class is for both beginner and seasoned quillers. You will leave class with completed quilled cards and gift tags embellished with your quilled art. Bring your own quilling tools if you have them, if not all materials and tools will be supplied for class.

To register, call 828.586.4009. Cost is $6. A light lunch of fresh farm egg salad sandwiches will be provided.

ALSO:

• There will be a jewelry and wine night from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at the Maggie Valley Town Center. B&C Winery and

‘Adult Coloring’ in Sylva The monthly Creating Community Workshop will feature “Adult Coloring” at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 11, in the Atrium of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Tracy Rodes will demonstrate shading and blending using colored pencils, how to use pastels to create soft backgrounds and will provide various different brands and mediums for participants to test. Beginners to advanced colorists are welcome. All necessary materials will be provided, but participants may bring their favorite mediums and finished work to share with the group.

This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. This program is free of charge.

828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

QuartzyOne Studio are teaming up for the event. $30 per person. Small finger food platter included. To reserve a spot, call 828.550.3610 or 828.944.0745.

• The Macon County Senior Center’s watercolor class will have works on display during the month of June at the Macon County Public Library. There will be an artist reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the library. reesaboyce@gmail.com.

• The Adult Coloring Group will meet at 2 p.m. on Fridays in the Living Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. An afternoon of creativity and camaraderie. Supplies are provided, or bring your own. Beginners are welcome. kmoe@fontanalib.org or 828.524.3600.

• The film "Where To Invade Next" will be screened during the Groovy Movie Club’s next gathering at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 12, in Waynesville. This film explores the satiric premise of "Why not invade a European country that has great benefits for everyone?" A healthy potluck luncheon will be held before the screening, with everyone gathering at 1 p.m. to feast and network and then the movie will begin at 2 p.m. Please email johnbuckleyx@gmail.com or call 828.646.8602 or 828.550.1722 to RSVP and

for directions to Buffy Queen's home in the Dellwood area of Waynesville.

• The film “Race” will be screened at 7 p.m.

June 8-10 and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. June 11 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. There will also be a free showing of “Zootopia” at noon and 2 p.m. June 11 and 18. www.38main.com.

• The films “Hail, Caesar” (June 9, 16) and “Zootopia” (June 10-11, 18) and “Eddie the Eagle” (June 17) will be screened at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Fridays; and 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays. All screenings are free. www.madbatterfoodfilm.com.

• The “Movies on Everett” summer film series will screen “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” June 10 and “Big Hero 6” June 17. All films are free and start at 8:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• The photography exhibit “Landscapes, Flora & Fauna of the Southern Appalachians” will run through July 29 at the Cradle of Forestry in Brevard. The showcase is put on by the Asheville region of the Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association (CNPA).

There will also be live music and clogging acts from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Food vendors will be onsite.

828.586.3511 or www.visitdillsboro.org.

June 8-14, 2016

The “Transformation – From Camera to Finished Image” workshop will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Cullowhee Methodist Church on the Western Carolina University campus.

Members will demonstrate how they take a raw photograph directly from the camera, work with it in post-processing programs, and transform it into a finished image ready

The Front Street Arts & Crafts Show is June 18 in Dillsboro. Garret K. Woodward photo

The Jackson County Visual Arts Association (JCVAA) will hold its “Grand Opening” gallery show from 5 to 8 p.m.

Friday, June 10, at Gallery 1 at 604 West Main Street in Sylva.

JCVAA is also sponsoring special music composition workshops, “Art Inspired Composition,” conducted by Iva Veazey.

Students will choose a piece of art to work with, translating the visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and

value into the basic elements of music: melody, harmony, rhythm, tone, form, tempo and dynamics.

The classes are as follows: • Ages 8-15: 1 to 5 p.m. June 14.

• Ages 16-adult: 5 to 9 p.m. June 15.

Cost is a $15 materials fee. The workshop will culminate in fun, multi-sensory experience open to the public offered from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 24, at Gallery 1.

JCVAA members will provide refreshments at the upstairs gallery and studio location. The opening and reception is free and open to the public.

arts & entertainment

Sylva art gallery opening

Art, craft festival in Dillsboro

• There will be a “Viking Axe Making” blacksmithing course taught by Brock Martin from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 18-19 at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. For more information of this workshop, class fees, the JCGEP, and more, visit www.jcgep.org.

31

Books Hilarious and serious; two different summer reads N 32

Smoky Mountain News

nitely not from my suntan oil. It was there when I got the book, and I don’t know what it is nor do I want to know.) Anyway, I’m on page 214, which is titled “Things I May Have Found Myself Saying To My Psychiatrist After Brief Awkward Pauses.” Here are a few blips

Jeff Minick

ovels that make me laugh aloud are rare.

Two novels, Confederacy of Dunces and Freddy and Fredericka, brought laughter, and in several of his books, Anthony Burgess had me going. Some essayists have the same effect — here I’m thinking of Chicago columnist Mike Royko, who died almost 20 years ago, but whose columns, depending on the subject, are still funny, mostly because of Royko’s acute sense of the ridiculous in politics Writer and culture.

To this small pantheon I must now add Jenny Lawson. Author of Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, a bestseller I have not read, she recently released Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things (Flatiron Books, $26.99, 329 pages). I read this book while at the beach this past week and am certain passers-by must have looked strangely at the man on my porch laughing, at times uncontrollably, to himself.

In Furiously Happy, the blurb tells us right off the bat that Jenny Lawson here explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. Well, yes and no. She does write about her mental illness, her anxieties, and her physical troubles, but she embraces them and her weird behavior, and shares that group hug with us.

And she also writes about other topics as well: stuffed raccoons (her dad is a taxidermist), her many weird arguments with her long-suffering husband Victor, a trip to Australia during which she dressed on occasion as a koala, her cat’s attack on a homemade educational felted vagina given her by a friend.

Every page of this book had me laughing.

For purposes of this review, I just flipped my copy open to page 214. (While I’m thinking about it, this is a library book. The next reader may blame me for the grains of sand and the one dog-eared page, but that stain is defi-

mood to feel righteously indignant but I don’t have anything worth feeling indignant about.

I guess I’m mad that people aren’t stupider when I need them to be.”

• “I spent last night cleaning up nine-yearold vomit. The vomit of a nine-year-old, that is. Not vomit that’s nine years old. I’m not that bad at housekeeping.”

Near the end of Furiously Happy, Victor and Jenny are meeting with their accountant, Maury. After a confused discussion of finances — at one point Jenny asks whether spiders could ever serve as currency in place of gold — they end their conversation in this way: “Maury cleared his throat. ‘We can come back to wills later. How about retirement plans?’

“Victor spent the next several minutes speaking in a combination of words and letters that I’m pretty sure meant ‘I have a retirement plan and it’s quite good.’

“Maury looked at me expectantly. “’I have a drawer I put change into.’

“Victor put his head in his hands. “’Not quarters though. I use those for gum.’”

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things

by Jenny Lawson. Flatiron Books, 2015. 329 pages. from this section.

• “I hate it when it’s too hot for a blanket because I have this phobia that I’ll float up onto the ceiling without it and then I’ll get chopped up by the ceiling fan. That’s totally normal, right?”

• “How am I feeling? I’m sort of in the

Furiously Happy contains frequent obscenities — are we still labeling our tribe of four letter words obscenities? — so if you’re put off by those, then you probably want to skip this one. And I’d go on with this review, but I’d just keep quoting from the book.

Go out and snatch up a copy of Furiously Happy and have a blast.

••• At the same time I was reading Furiously Happy, I was also knocking back Ted Koppel’s Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath (Crown Publishers, 280 pages, $26). This was another

library book, and yes, I confess I am responsible for the wrinkled last five pages. (Seawater, I suspect.)

The alternate reading these two books gave a manic-depressive feel to my week. At one point I’d be hooting and chortling over Furiously Happy, and then two hours later would be hunched over Koppel’s dire warnings about the real possibility of a cyberattack on the electrical infrastructure of the United States and the devastation that would follow in the wake of such an attack.

Actually, a substation near San Jose, California, suffered an attack in 2013, though it was not a cyberattack. As Koppel, a veteran of ABC news who retired in 2005, relates, several saboteurs gained access to AT&T’s fiber-optic telecommunications cables. They cut these cables, then knocked out 17 transformers using AK-47 assault rifles.

This was a small attack, but it took workers 27 days to bring the substation back online.

Reading Lights Out should serve as a warning about the vulnerability of our electrical system. The loss of that system would mean the loss of everything from food supplies in cities to the Internet, from key medical care to safe neighborhoods. Lights Out also reminds us that we are even now engaged in low-grade cyber warfare against countries like China and Russia. Some African and Middle Eastern countries are also becoming involved.

Someday we could be in for a very rough ride.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. He can be reached at minick0301@gmail.com.)

City Lights writer open mic The NetWest program of the North Carolina Writers Network will host an open mic night at 7 p.m. Friday, June 10, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Folks are encouraged to bring their poetry or short pieces to share. The North Carolina Writers’ Network connects, promotes, and serves the writers of this state. The program provides education in the craft and business of writing, opportunities for recognition and critique of literary work, resources for writers at all stages of development, support for and advocacy of the literary heritage of North Carolina, and a community for those who write. www.citylightsnc.com or 828.586.9499.

Haywood kids summer reading fun A kids' performance by Mountain Circus Arts will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 15, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville It will feature juggling, magic, comedy, fire and interactive classic clowning. The show will mark the kick-off of the summer reading program at the Waynesville library.

The Canton Public Library will kick off its summer reading program with an ice-cream party at 4 p.m. Monday, June 13.

The Waynesville and Canton libraries have a packed lineup in store for the summer reading program, from magic shows to science programs to arts and crafts. Kids can register for the summer reading program anytime in the next few weeks and log their reading for prizes and awards come August, including collect bingo card points.

Book refines shame, guilt Author Lois Hollis will discuss her book Emotional Revolution – Evolution at 3 p.m.

Saturday, June 11, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

In her work, Hollis redefines our perception of shame guilt and ushers in a new paradigm of self-esteem, healing and evolution for humanity.

This new knowledge explores the hypnotic effect of shame guilt and how it permeates our language and culture to devalue us. We remain paralyzed in dysfunctional behaviors and physical disorders. She shows us how we can not only release a lifetime of physical and emotional bondage, but reprogram our distorted thinking.

These distortions in our psyche from shame and guilt now have the capacity to realign with our innate goodness and potential.

Hollis earned her RN registered nurse degree from St. Joseph Hospital and achieved her BSN Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked in the medical field for 30 years. She later transitioned to the holistic field of health to save her own life from the ill effects of shame and guilt.

She continues as a Shame/Guilt Educator to passionately teach the recognition, avoidance, and healing from shame and guilt to diverse groups as an author, lecturer, and seminar presenter in addition to individual consultations.

828.456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

We are proud to accept insurance plans from these local employers:

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Covers cost of materials for 2 completed pairs of earrings and instruction. Limited to 8 people so decide early & bring a friend!

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June 8-14, 2016

• Acclaimed writer Allison Hedge Coke will be teaching a poetry workshop, “Writing as Freedom and Docupoetics,” June 13-17 and a memoir writing workshop, “The Bird’s Nest: Eco Ethos and Organic Form,” June 18-24.

The workshops are hosted by Cullowhee Mountain Arts and held on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. For details, visit www.cullowheemountainarts.org or call 828.342.6913

Library kicks off summer program

Even our storytelling is an

outdoor adventure.

Smoky Mountain News

The Mariana Black Library in Bryson City presents the “On Your Mark, Get Set…Read” during their summer library program. The program is open to young people, preschool through young adult, with programs, prizes and storytimes.

■ The “Animal Olympics” will be presented by Balsam Mountain Trust at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 14. The 2016 Summer Olympic Games are fast approaching and not just in South America. This program will take a look at some amazing animal adaptations and how some champion animals use their athletic abilities to find a meal, escape from danger or just plain have fun. This is an all ages program.

■ The Swain Water and Soil will present “We All Live in a Watershed” at 11 a.m. Thursday, June 16. Creeden Kowal will explain to area teens what a watershed is and their importance — especially in this area. She’ll also show the importance of keeping the watershed clean and functioning properly in order to preserve the wildlife and water that they appreciate.

828.488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

33

34

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Stories, salad and wildflowers Plants a passion for Bigelow

summer’s yet a ways off. But spring abounds, a rainbow of blooms covering the roadside meadow near the Grassy Ridge Mine overlook. Bigelow, 45, knows all their names, which makes sense — he’s been chasing them all year, watching these very same species open up for the first time in February at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina, elevation 1,100 feet. They’ve since made their way up the elevation gradient to these higher reaches of the mountains, their last stand for the season.

STORIES TO TELL “All the plants have stories,” Bigelow says.

“That’s what I’m really drawn to, telling the stories of the plants.”

The stories are bound up in their names, their histories as food or medicine, their niche in the natural world, in a whole host of history and biology that Bigelow makes it his business to ferret out.

Take lousewort, for instance.

“The name tells me this plant was used to

A profusion of wildflowers decorate the roadside of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Holly Kays photo

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER dam Bigelow bears down on the gas pedal of his biodiesel-fueled Jetta, urging it up the steep contours of the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of higher ground. It’s a gardener’s car, through-and-through, the dash covered with dried plant parts, the floorboards papered with garden-related fliers and catalogues.

The only thing that’s missing is a live plant, and even that’s not too far-flung a reality. It wasn’t that long ago, Bigelow recalls, that he looked down from his seat to see a little pea plant growing up, apparently having received just the right amount of water from some mysterious source to take root in the car.

“I kind of liked it,” he said. “Other people might be freaked out.”

The car continues to climb, and Bigelow declares his mission.

“We’re right now traveling backwards in

A

Learn more about native plants The 2016 Cullowhee Native Plant Conference is coming up July 20-23. The event, hosted by Western Carolina University, includes a variety of classes, workshops, walks and field trips with some of the foremost experts on native plants in the Southern Appalachians. $125 through July 1. Registration deadline is July 8. www.nativeplantconference.wcu.edu.

time,” he announces as the car ascends the first of the 3,000 feet to come. “We’re on botanical time travel.”

The month of May is just closing out, the tops of the mountains still brown and asleep to the impending summer. Up at 5,250 feet above sea level, where Bigelow parks the car,

repel lice,” Bigelow said.

Yarrow is another good example, though the meaning is best expressed through its Latin name, Achillea millefolium. The species name “millefolium” means “thousand leaf,” and anyone who’s looked at the feathery leaves of the yarrow plant would agree that’s an accurate descriptor. But the genus name, “Achillea,” alludes to the Greek god Achilles, who — in addition to having a famously vulnerable heel — was a healer. If you get cut in the backcountry, Bigelow said, the best way to stop the bleeding is to stuff it with crushed-up yarrow leaves.

Stories also lurk in connections to the animal kingdom. Trillium plants, one of the Smokies’ iconic flowers, are successful partially due to a partnership with native ant species, which carry the trillium seeds far and wide due to the delicious, fatty part that grows along with the actual seed. They eat the fatty part and dispose of the rest, which is then free to grow into a new trillium plant.

Non-native fire ants, however, eat the whole seed. While fire ants can’t survive high in the mountains where the winters are harsh, Bigelow fears that warming temperatures

could allow them to permeate higher.

“The spread of fire ants may lead to a decrease in trillium populations,” he said — it’s all connected.

A SALAD SMORGASBORD For Bigelow, good stories often end with a good meal. When he’s out walking among the wildflowers, he’s not opposed to getting a snack out of the deal as well.

“Eating wild foods is really fun,” he said.

“It’s actually filled with nutrition.”

Deliciously so.

“If you know the flavor of the plant, you can build a wild plant salad that’s nutritious and delicious and doesn’t even need dressing,” he said.

One of his favorites is the stalk of the Solomon’s seal plant just as it’s first shooting up from the ground — it’s got a texture kind of like asparagus, but the inside is soft and sweet, surrounded by a deliciously crunchy outside.

He’s also a fan of sochan, which Adam Bigelow is the Cherokee examines flowers term for the along the Blue Ridge plant better Parkway. Holly Kays photo known as greenheaded coneflower. The young greens, tangy as they are, are packed with energy — Bigelow likes to eat them mixed with milder violet greens — and historically have a cleansing purpose.

“During the winter (in the old days) you were eating a lot of stored foods, starchy things,” he said. “They build up a lot of toxins.”

It was during the time between winter’s end and the first crops ripening that greens like sochan would pop up, giving people a way to get those toxins out of their systems.

As appreciative as he is of a good wild meal, though, Bigelow proceeds with caution — you better know what you’re eating before you eat it, because the wrong choice can result in disastrous consequences.

“Even with my knowledge and everything, there’s always a little fear and apprehension with eating a new plant,” he said.

BECOMING THE GARDEN GUY The son of a children’s librarian, Bigelow comes by his fascination with stories honestly.

But for a horticulturist who manages two community gardens, leads revolving rounds of wildflower classes and makes a regular appearance on the program of the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, he got his start in botanical know-how later in life.

Go all-out with Lake Logan races

Race through the night with sprint triathlon

outdoors

The Lake Logan Multisport Festival will bring in athletes galore for the 11th year running with its lineup of events Aug. 6-7.

■ The Lake Logan Half — which includes a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and 13.1mile run — will take off at the crack of dawn Saturday, Aug 6.

■ The Lake Logan International Triathlon will start the day Sunday, Aug. 7, with racers completing a 1,500meter swim, 24mile bike ride and 10K run.

■ Athletes wanting a shorter race can try out the Lake Logan Sprint Triathlon, also on Sunday, Aug. 7. The last race of the weekend, it boasts a 500-meter swim, 12mile bike ride and 5K run.

Entry fees vary. Presented by Glory Hound Events. Lake Logan is part of Lake Logan Episcopal Center, located along N.C. 215 in Haywood County. www.gloryhoundevents.com.

Sprint the night away with the Summer Blast Twilight Sprint Triathlon coming up Aug. 13 in Hiawassee, Georgia.

The 6 p.m. start will mean few bleary eyes as the race starts off. Athletes will complete a quarter-mile swim, 12-mile bike ride and 2-mile run before hitting the finish line.

It’s a good race for beginners, with the swim route spending much of its time in shallow water or close to shore. The bike route takes in the town of Hiawasee and a paved country road, while the run goes uphill and snakes around the park to the finish line. Post-race goodies and music will be abundant. $70 pre-registration. Presented by Race Odyssey Events. www.raceodysseyevents.com

Test out a pump track Bikers, skateboarders and scooter fans will all have a chance to spin their wheels on an allwheel pump track to be set up 3-6 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

American Ramp Company will be coming out as part of its Pump Track Demo Tour. The Town of Sylva applied to be part of the tour but paid nothing for them to come.

All ages and skill levels are welcome.

Walk among the wildflowers

“We just all have a great time just gently and slowly walking through the woods, talking about the plants and nibbling on some of them,” he said.

There’s nothing he’d rather be doing.

“The things I love the most are sharing my passion for wildflowers and organic gardening with people,” he said.

Smoky Mountain News

From edibles to orchids and carnivorous plants to towering trees, horticulturist Adam Bigelow will be leading a series of wildflower walks exploring the stories of all manner of Southern Appalachian flowering plants this summer.

■ A six-week series of walks will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, June 21 to July 26, at various outdoor locations throughout Jackson County. $120.

■ Anyone can attend a single session of the six-week series without committing to the entire course. $30 per walk.

■ Bigelow leads half-day group walks by request. $250.

Bigelow has experience leading hikes and wildflower walks for a variety of groups, including the Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, Highlands Biological Station, Southwestern Community College and North American Rock Gardening Society. bigelownc@gmail.com.

June 8-14, 2016

“My start in plants is owed to Walmart,” said Bigelow. “I hate it.”

Originally from the Virginia Beach area, Bigelow moved to Jackson County more than 20 years ago to study radio and television production at Southwestern Community College. He eventually realized the program wasn’t for him and dropped out, but he decided to stay in the area. So he wound up at the human resources desk at Walmart asking about a job, and when the garden section manager happened to wander by, the human resources person stopped him to ask if he needed help.

“He took a look at me, young and strong, and said yeah,” Bigelow recalls.

Though Bigelow has since determined that Walmart is “the devil,” working there allowed him to work alongside a woman who knew an awful lot about plants. She took him under her wing, and he liked what he was learning.

Eventually, he wound up enrolling in the horticulture program at Haywood Community College and pursuing his newfound passions — wildflowers and organic gardening.

He started leading wildflower classes last year, teaching a course at SCC that turned out to be quite enjoyable. This year, he’s striking out on his own, leading a series of six-week wildflower classes as well as offering his services as a guide for individual groups and organizations. He’s just wrapped up the first go-around of the sixweek course.

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outdoors

Watch Franklin bloom

The Rose Walk is one of the better-known gardens at Lake Junaluska. Donated photo

June 8-14, 2016

Explore the gardens of Lake J Find the hidden gardens of Lake Junaluska with a tour slated for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 2.

In addition to the well-known Rose Walk along the lakeside path, four other gardens tucked away in hidden spots on the lake grounds will be featured, explained by guides from the Tuscola Garden Club.

Purchase tickets at the Bethea Welcome Center, $12 for adults and $5 for children 6-12, with those under 6 free.

Prices will rise on the day of.

Organized by the Tuscola Garden Club, with proceeds to benefit projects for the club and Lake Junaluska gardens. tuscolagardenclub@outlook.com or 828.246.0437.

See Franklin at its floweriest with Franklin in Bloom, a garden festival featuring garden tours, plant sales and vendors stretched out over the month of June.

■ Garden tours by the Macon County Master Gardeners will show off the best of Franklin’s gardens, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, June 11.

■ A plant sale by the Otto Garden Club will offer a variety of plants, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 18.

■ Garden arts and crafts will be on sale during Vendors Day, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, June 25.

Sponsored by the Franklin Garden Club, Otto Garden Club and Macon County Master Gardeners. Contact 828.349.2046 for more information.

Get started on a container garden Learn how to grow a container garden with a workshop offered at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 12, at the Franklin First United Methodist Church.

Kids got to try their hand at gardening with a pair of programs at the Canton Public Library Giving Garden this spring, and visitors to the Haywood Garden Tour June 18 will have a chance to see what they’ve grown.

In April, children helped to build a teepee that will soon host a variety of bean plants.

Then, on May 24 the library held a reading of How Groundhog’s Garden Grew before inviting the children to join Master Gardeners in planting a 3-foot-by-3-foot raised garden in addition to the teepee garden.

All produce grown will feed people in need at The Community Kitchen in Canton.

The garden is also one of the stops on the June 18 Haywood County Garden Tour,

Children gather around the teepee garden they built, which will hold of the abundance of beans they planted there. Donated photo which will include a total of five gardens showcasing a variety of gardening styles, as well as demonstrations and plein air artists.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 the day of. They are available at Haywood Cooperative Extension on 589 Raccoon Road in Waynesville, as well as at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, Riverview Farm & Garden in Canton and Grass Root Gardens in Waynesville.

828.456.3575.

Weekly ranger-guided hikes on the Blue Ridge Parkway kick off this week, with the season’s first After Hours Hike at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, and the first Hike of the Week at 10 a.m. Friday, June 10.

The June 9 hike will include an easy, 1.2-mile hike beginning at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville in which participants will learn about how light and noise pollution affect wildlife. The June 10 hike will be a 1.5-mile roundtrip to the old site of Rattlesnake Lodge, near Weaverville.

Programs continue weekly throughout the season, with locations varying along the Parkway’s route through North Carolina. Confirm program locations and start times at www.nps.gov/blri or 828.298.5330, ext. 304.

Hikers explore the trail to Sams Knob with a Blue Ridge Parkway ranger. Holly Kays photo

Is a Will Enough?

Smoky Mountain News

Kids get a hands-on taste of gardening

Weekly hikes start up on the Parkway

Diane E. Sherrill, Attorney FREE LUNCHEON SEMINAR

June 15

11:30 AM Best Western River Escape Inn Dillsboro • Reservation Suggested

828.586.4051

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Participants will come away with free containers, dirt and plants, ready to try out an easy and convenient way to grow vegetables. The workshop will take place at the church’s Share & Serve Garden, a community garden project.

Free. 828.524.3010.

28 Maple St. • Sylva

348-59

Let your love of animals live on Your life-long love of animals can become part of your legacy. Yes, you can make a lasting difference in the lives of Haywood County’s pets by considering the Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation Bequest Program.

Leaving a bequest to Sarge’s, when planning a will, supports Sarge’s mission of saving dogs and cats — far into the future.

Bequests to Sarge’s will give comfort and safety to homeless animals right here in Haywood County. Let your love of animals live on through Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation.

For the Bequest Program information: Call 828-246-9050 or email Laura Ivey, Sarge’s Executive Director, at sargeexecdir@gmail.com.

348-50

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outdoors

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Smoky Mountain News

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outdoors

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Explore the Smokies with a ranger Summer ranger programs are starting up in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the lineup includes several opportunities for families to get outside and hike together.

■ Families will explore Andrews Bald, a trail that begins near Clingmans Dome, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Sunday.

The 3.6-mile hike hits some of the Smokies’ most accessible grassy balds. Participants will learn more about these unique high-elevation features and enjoy a leisurely hike back to the parking lot on their own after reaching the bald.

■ Kids will learn about creatures of the night with a night hike in the Smokemont area beginning 8:45 p.m. Mondays and Saturdays. During the one-hour excursion, rangers will talk about the wonders found only after the sun goes down while traversing a portion of the Bradley Fork Trail, start-

ing in Smokemont Campground. Space is limited. RSVP to 828.497.1904 up to four days in advance.

■ Walk through the Smokies’ human history with a two-hour hike along the Kephart Prong Trail starting at 1:30 p.m. Thursdays.

The route will explore the remains of an old logging camp, and a ranger will discuss what life was like back then and what signs of it are still visible today.

■ Marvel at Chasteen Creek Falls with a 3mile family hike heading out at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays. The hike will take the Bradley Fork Trail, which begins at Smokemont Campground.

All summer ranger programs run from June 19 to Aug. 13. Bring water, sturdy shoes and a snack along on all hikes.

Parents must accompany their children at all activities.

828.497.1904.

Find a frog in Highlands

chance to see them firsthand.

The “Feeling Froggy” evening will begin with a short presentation on the difference between frogs and toads, identification of common species and how to protect declining populations. Then the group will then venture outside for an evening hike through the Highlands Botanical Garden to look for frogs and listen to their calls. $3. 828.526.2623.

Many frogs call Highlands home, and a program 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at the Highlands Biological Station will explain the common species and give participants a

Spring peeper.

Clay Bolt photo

The bare necessities of bear photography

We’re on a Roll.

Black bears are a symbol of the Smokies, and renowned nature photographer Bill Lea will talk about his experiences photographing them with a presentation 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 12, at the Reuter Center of UNC Asheville.

Lea will speak on “Understanding and Photographing the Black Bear,” part of the regular monthly meeting of the Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association. www.cnpa-asheville.org.

New jobs posting every week.

Visit HarrahsCherokeeJobs.com or call 828.497.8778

Meet the birds of Balsam Smoky Mountain News

Take a morning walk along Cabin Flats Road with expert birder Larry Thompson Thursday, June 9.

Thompson, a former executive with the National Audubon Society, will bring the bird community clustered in the Balsam area to life, beginning at about 9 a.m. The event is sponsored by the Franklin Bird Club, and a carpool will leave from Franklin at 8 a.m.

Free. RSVP to 828.524.5234.

Hone your outdoor skills at the Cradle of Forestry WE ARE LOCATED AT 777 CASINO DRIVE. APPLICANTS CAN PARK ON LEVEL 1 IN THE CASINO GARAGE.

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If you have already submitted your application, it will be considered active for 6 months from the date of application. To qualify, applicants must be 21 years or older (18-21 years eligible for non-gaming positions), must successfully pass an RIAH hair/drug test and undergo an investigation by Tribal Gaming Commission. Preference for Tribal members. This property is owned by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, managed by Caesars Entertainment. The Human Resources Department accepts applications Mon. - Thur. from 8am - 4:30pm. Call 828.497.8778, or send resume to Human Resources Department, 777 Casino Drive, Cherokee, NC 28719 or fax resume to 828.497.8540.

A day of outdoor adventure and trail skills will mark National Get Outdoors Day Saturday, June 11, at the Cradle of Forestry in America.

Participants will get a chance to practice compass use and map reading, see a demonstration of primitive fire-making and participate in guided trail walks, plant identification and nature-oriented games and crafts. Exact schedule will be announced

later.

More than 80 U.S. Forest Service locations nationwide will provide free recreational and educational activities as part of National Get Outdoors Day. Free. The Cradle of Forestry is located along U.S. 276, about 36 miles south of Waynesville.

828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.com.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The ceremonial Cherokee bonfires will run from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Oct. 1. At Ocoaluftee Island Park in Cherokee. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

• The Jackson County Genealogical Society, City Lights Bookstore, the Jackson County Museum, and the Jackson County Public Library will recognize the July 1 retirement of WCU’s Director of Special Collections and Jackson County native, George Frizzell at celebration event at the Community Room in the courthouse wing of the Jackson County Public Library on Thursday, June 9. Refreshments will be served beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by the program starting at 7 p.m. 631.2646.

• An all-wheel pump track will be set up by American Ramp Company from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, June 10, at Bridge Park in Sylva. All ages and skill levels welcome.

• The Shelton House will hold a Patron Celebration Day on Saturday, June 11, in Waynesville. 452.1551, info@sheltonhouse.org or www.sheltonhouse.org.

• “Animal Olympics,” part of the “On Your Mark, Get Set … Read” program, is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. For all ages. 488.3030.

• Safe Kids Macon County will meet at 2 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, at the Macon County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center conference room at 1820 Lakeside Dr. in Franklin.

• An old-fashioned ice-cream social will be held by the Glenville Area Historical Society from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, June 18, at the Metz Family Historic Cabin.

RSVP: 743.1658.

• The Jackson County Art Council Board of Directors is currently offering Grassroots Sponsorships to organizations in all cultural disciplines through a competitive application and review process. Contact the Jackson County Arts Council for sponsorship applications at info@jacksoncountyarts.org or 507.9820. The deadline will be June 30.

• Western Carolina University is accepting nominations for the Mountain Heritage Award, an honor bestowed annually on one individual and one organization playing a prominent role in researching, preserving and/or interpreting Southern Appalachian history, culture and issues. Nominations for the awards will be accepted through Thursday, June 30. Nomination letters may be hand-delivered to the Mountain Heritage Center at its new location in the Hunter Library building, Room 240; mailed to Mountain Heritage Center, 1 University Drive, Cullowhee N.C. 28723; or emailed to Pam Meister at pameister@wcu.edu.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • A class on Google settings is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Sign up and get more info: 586.2016.

• The Haywood Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner is from 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. Award winners will be announced. 456.3021.

• Reputation Management & Digital Marketing for Small Business Owners will be presented by Go Digital Metrics from 10-11 a.m. on Thursday, June 9, at Jackson county Public Library in Sylva. Register: http://GoDigitalMetrics.com/june9 or 371.0565.

• Haywood County Visitor Center & Tourism Development Authority will hold a Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening at 4 p.m. on June 15 at 1110 Soco Road in Maggie Valley.

Music and refreshments. RSVP by June 10.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• The Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table meets at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 13. Dinner at Bogarts followed by social at 6:30 p.m. and presentation at 7 p.m. in the H.F. Robinson Auditorium at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Program is “The Epic Journey of Thomas’s Legion” led by Peter Koch.

• A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, at Haywood House at 27 N. Main Street in Canton. 276.1004.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • United Christian Ministries is holding a series of fundraisers in June to help Jackson County families in need. Dine from 5-10 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, at Zaxby’s in Sylva; 3-7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, at The Coffee Shop in Sylva; 5-9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, at Mad Batter in Sylva; and 4-9 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, at Coach’s at the Jarrett House in Dillsboro, and 10 percent of proceeds will support United Christian Ministries.

• The Edith Allen Wildlife Sanctuary, Inc., of Western North Carolina will hold a benefit fundraiser starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 10, at Frog Level Brewing Co. in Waynesville. Live music by ‘Round the Fire band at 7 p.m. Silent auction, photo booth. All proceeds go directly to the care of animals. 646.8805 or eawsinc@gmail.com.

• Land, Ladies & Latte will be presented by Haywood Habitat for Humanity on June 11 at the organization’s current construction site, Walton Woods, on Davis Cove Road in Waynesville. Wear boots and a fancy hat.

Tickets are $20 each and available at 452.7960. www.haywoodhabitat.org.

• A gala and benefit auction will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. Live entertainment, delicious food and traditional crafts. $25 per person. Proceed benefit the Folk School’s programs. 800.FOLK.SCH or www.folkschool.org.

• Ladies’ After Hours & Professional Attire Service Project is at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, at the Main Street Mercantile. Presented by The Haywood Chamber’s Young Professionals, REACH and Main Street Mercantile. Thin your wardrobe and make a difference in the community. 456.3021.

• The Southwestern Community College Foundation will hold its inaugural Give Day on June 23 to replenish its annual fund. The annual fund is used to support foundation operations each academic year. It also supports scholarships and the student emergency fund. Donate online at www.southwesterncc.edu/Foundation or in person at the SCC Jackson Campus in Sylva. Info: SCCGiveDay@southwesterncc.edu.

VENDORS

Smoky Mountain News

downloading an application from the town’s website, www.visitdillsboro.org or directly from www.visitdillsboro.org/specialevents.html. For more information, call Connie Hogan at 586.3511.

HEALTH MATTERS • Participants are being sought for a clinical trial for those overweight with knee pain. Directed by Dr. Kate Queen of Mountain Medical Associates. wecan@wfu.edu or 558.0208.

• Macon County Cancer Support Group meets at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, in the cafeteria of Angel Medical Center in Franklin. Program is “Henna Painting for Cancer Survivors” by Mary Bennett.

• A support group for anyone with Multiple Sclerosis, family and friends meets at 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Heritage Room at the Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva. Info: 293.2503.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, June 10, at the First United Methodist Church in Sylva. 800.733.2767 or redcrossblood.org.

• The annual Hospice and Palliative Care event will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at the Homestead in Clyde. www.myhaywoodregional.com.

• “Break the Chains of Heroin Addiction in Haywood County” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, in the Long’s Chapel UMC Sanctuary in Waynesville.

Moderator is Dr. Mark Hyman. Panel includes Bill Hollingsed, chief of the Waynesville Police Department and Jeff Haynes, HCSO. • A “Dinner With a Doc” seminar “From Pain to Performance: Hip & Knee Replacement” will feature Gerald King, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Western Carolina Orthopaedic Specialists, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, at Haywood Regional Medical Center’s Café. Reservations required: 800.424.DOCS, ext. 3627.

• An educational event on “Boomeritis” will be presented by Dr. Judson Handley of Harris Orthopaedics at noon on Wednesday, June 22, at the Franklin Health and Fitness Center. Lunch will be served.

• A Tai Chi for Arthritis program meets from 10-11 a.m. on Mondays through July 11 (but not July 4) at the Mission and Fellowship Center at Sylva First Baptist.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • Registration is underway through June 10 for a co-rec volleyball league through the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. Entry fee: $175. Games are Tuesday nights starting June 21 at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. Info: 293.3053, ext. 2.

POLITICAL • The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen will conduct a public hearing for the fiscal year 2016-17 on June 13 in the Flossie White Room of Town Hall. Oral or written comments accepted.

• A limited number of arts/crafts vendor spots remain open for the 19th annual Sweet Corn Festival, which is from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, July 9, at St. Cyprian’s Church in Franklin. Music, food, trail walks, arts and crafts, children’s activities and attic treasures. Info: 524.1677.

• Mountain High Republican Women’s Club Luncheon Meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 14, at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club. Featured speakers are party chairs from Jackson, Macon and Transylvania Counties. Reservations: 743.1658 or mtnrepublicanwomen@yahoo.com. Inquiries: MHRWC, P.O. Box 126, Cashiers, NC 28717.

• The town of Dillsboro will be hosting arts and craft show open to vendors from the surrounding region Saturday, Oct. 1 — The 8th annual ColorFest will line Front Street with colorful art and fine crafts. Application due by July 1. Vendors may apply for these shows by

• A lunch-and-discussion group will be held by the League of Women Voters at noon on the second Thursday of each month at Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. RSVP for lunch: lwvmacon@wild-dog-mountain.info or 524.8369.

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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 • American Legion Post 104 meets at 7 p.m. on June 13 at the Sylva Legion Hall. 293.5835 or www.sylvalegion.org.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • A Moral Monday gathering is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, June 13, at Bridge Park in Sylva. Reverend Dr. William Barber II will speak. 631.3447.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • The NetWest program of the North Carolina Writers Network will host an open mic night at 7 p.m. Friday, June 10, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. www.citylightsnc.com or 586.9499.

• Lois Hollis will present her new book “Emotional Revolution = Evolution” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. 456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

• Janet Joyner will read from her collection of poetry Waterborne at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. To reserve copies please call City Lights Bookstore at 586.9499.

• A book discussion is scheduled for 10:30-11:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month starting June 16 at Hudson Library in Highlands.

KIDS & FAMILIES • “On Your Mark, Get Set, Read” summer library program is underway at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Prizes, programs and activities.

• The Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department is having a Summer Kick-Off Youth Lock-In for grades 4-8 from 6 p.m.-midnight on Friday, June 10, at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. Wide variety of games and activities. $10 fee includes pizza, snacks and drinks.

Info: 293.3053, ext. 2.

• Registration is underway for the Brazil Soccer Camp for ages 7-14 through the Waynesville Recreation Center. Camp options are 9 a.m.-noon or 1-4 p.m. from June 20-24. $160 per camper or full-day camp is $214.

Late fee of $10 after June 10. Instruction by TetraBrazil.

456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• A Kid’s Crew Carnival is scheduled for 1-4 p.m. on June 11 at The Factory in Franklin. Free donut-eating contest, inflatables and face painting. Quarter carnival games. www.TheFactory.bz.

• A kids fishing day event for ages 12-under is scheduled for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at Max Patch Pond on the Haywood/Madison county line.

682.6146 or brandonjones@fs.fed.us.

• Archery classes for ages 8-up are scheduled for 1011:30 a.m. and 1-2:30 p.m. on June 11 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard. www.ncwildlife.org/learning.

• The Canton Library will kick off its summer reading program with an ice cream party at 4 p.m. on Monday, June 13.

wnc calendar

• The Hudson Library’s summer reading program for children and teens is ongoing. In Highlands.

• A kids’ performance by Mountain Circus Arts will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 15, at the Haywood County Library in Waynesville. Juggling, magic, comedy, fire and interactive classic clowning.

• Smoky Mountain Sk8way is offering a nine-week summer camp The summer camp is for kids ages 6 to 13 years old with a daily drop in or weekly schedule.

Camp hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with drop off times on Tuesday and Thursdays by 9:30 a.m. to make the bus for field trips. Daily attendance is $30 a day or week 4-5 days $110. The camp staff is made up of local teachers, experienced coaches and returning counselors. For more information, visit www.smokymountainsk8way.com or call 246.9124.

• Crafternoons are at 2:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• Registration is underway for summertime swim classes will be offered for children from ages six months to teenagers through Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education. First session for all levels is Monday, June 13. Cost is $75 for ages 6-up and $44 for children under 6. For info or to register, call 227.7397.

• Macon County 4-H will have an excursion to the North Georgia Zoo and the Cabbage Patch from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 14. For ages 5-18. Cost is $15.

Register by picking up forms at 193 Thomas Heights Road in Franklin. Info: 349.2046.

• A Week in the Water program is scheduled for ages 8-15 from 9 a.m.-noon on June 13-17 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard. www.ncwildlife.org/learning.

• BB Gun Shooting Range is available for ages 8-15 from 10-11:30 a.m. or 1-2:20 p.m. on June 14 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard. www.ncwildlife.org/learning.

• A Leather Stamping class for kids will be offered by Dogwood Crafters Coop from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15, at the Dillsboro Masonic Lodge.

Register: 586.2435 or junettapell@hotmail.com.

• “Art Beats for Kids” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m.

Thursday, June 16, at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. A new project every week. $20 per child, with includes lesson, materials and snack. To register, 538.2054.

• A magic show with Professor Whizzpop will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 16, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. For adults and teens. www.themagictomshow.com.

• A Nature Nuts: Fishing program will be offered to participants ages 4-7 from 9-11 a.m. on June 18 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. http://www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/EducationCenters/ Pisgah/EventRegistration.aspx.

• Macon County 4-H will have a book-folding activity from 9 a.m.-noon on June 21 in Franklin. Info: 349.2046.

• Hudson Library is starting a Lego Club that will have its first meeting at 2:30 p.m. on June 21 in Highlands.

June 8-14, 2016 Smoky Mountain News

• Hot Flashes • Mood Swings/ Irritability • Sleep Disturbances • Loss of Libido (Sex Drive) 366 RUSS AVE. (BiLo Shopping Center)

WAYNESVILLE 828.452.0911 www.kimsrx.com

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KIDS MOVIES • The “Movies on Everett” summer film series will screen “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” June 10. All films are free and start at 8:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

• A family movie will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Movie’s about awkward teenager Bryan who mysteriously finds he now has the talent of his basketball idol, Kevin Durant. 488.3030.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday starting June 17 (but not June 24 or July 29) at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• A family movie will be shown at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 19, at the Canton Library. Movie is a spooky/funny film inspired by author R.L. Stine’s books. 648.2924.

• Macon County 4-H will have a gem mining activity from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on June 22 in Franklin. Register by picking up forms at 193 Thomas Heights Road in Franklin. Info: 349.2046.

• A kids’ fishing clinic will be offered from 9-11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, at the Test Farm. Register or get more info: tanya.poole@ncwildlife.org or 329.3472.

• A Week in the Water program is scheduled for ages 8-15 from 9 a.m.-noon on June 20-24 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard. www.ncwildlife.org/learning.

• Registration is underway for a British Soccer Camp that will be offered for ages 3-14 from July 25-29 at 348-39

Do You Suffer From:

the Waynesville Recreation Center. $85 for ages 3-4; $108 for ages 4-5, $138 for a half-day camp for ages 6-14; or $192 for full-day camp. Sign up by June 10 and get a free jersey. $10 late fee for campers registering within 10 days of camp start date.

A&E FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • The Highlands Motoring Festival will be held June 912. The four-day event will include a welcoming party at the Ugly Dog Pub June 9, a day-long touring drive and the “Motoring to the Beach Gala” June 10, a classic car show and buffet June 11, and the “Cars and Coffee on Main Street” June 12. A complete list of events at www.highlandsmotoringfestival.com or info@highlandsmotoringfestival.com.

We Can Help!

• Celebrating the lore and legend of the “Boojum,” the inaugural Boojum Festival & Hunt will be June 1012 in Canton.

Bill Morris will be talking about bioidentical hormone replacement for men and women Oct. 15, 7 p.m. at Kim’s Pharmacy.

The event is a fundraiser for Pisgah High School’s marching band and promotion of Canton area businesses and professionals. While focused at the historic Imperial Hotel, a Boojum Scavenger Hunt will take place throughout Canton’s historical district. www.boojumfest.com.

Call to reserve a spot — 452.2313.

• The 6th annual Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 11, in downtown Waynesville. As well, in conjunction with the celebration, The Shelton House will host their “Patron Celebration Day,” which will include adult and kids activities, refreshments and tours of the museum. 456.3517 or www.downtownwaynesville.com.

• The Cherokee Voices Festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Free. 497.3481 or www.cherokeemuseum.org.

• The Lake Junaluska Shindig, featuring a volleyball game, a performance by the Darren Nicholson Band, and discounted or free activities, is set to start at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, at the Lake Junaluska Aquatic and Recreation Center. www.lakejunaluska.com/pool.

Presbyterian Church. Music by Def Leprechaun, Juniper Trio, The Jacobites By Name. Info: 727.424.8901 or tasteofscotlandfestival.org.

• The fifth annual PlottFest is June 18-19 at the Maggie Valley Fair Grounds. Music, heritage and celebration of the official N.C. state dog – the Plott Hound. Tickets and info available at www.plottfest.org. $15 for each day. Info: plottfest@yahoo.com.

FOOD & DRINK • A jewelry and wine night will be presented by B&C Winery and QuartzyOneStudio from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, at Maggie Town Center in Maggie Valley. Cost is $30 per person plus tax. Small finger food platter included. Reservations: 550.3610 or 944.0745.

• Chef Ricardo Fernandez will be hosting a Mountain Cooking Club class from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, June 18, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Class fee is $65 plus a $1 Mountain Cooking Club 2016 membership fee. To reserve your space, please mail a check (payable to Ricardo Fernandez) to Suzanne Fernandez at 3553 Panther Creek Road, Clyde, North Carolina 28721.

Reservations confirmed upon receipt of payment.

246.7465 or chefricardos@gmail.com.

• The next “Way Back When” trout dinner will be at 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 24, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. $39.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. The dinner will also be held July 15 and 29, Aug. 12 and 26, and Sept. 2 and 16. To RSVP, call 828.926.1401 or 800.868.1401 or www.cataloocheeranch.com.

• The “Songwriters in the Round” series will continue with Jerry Salley, Irene Kelley and Donna Ulisse at 6 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Balsam Mountain Inn. A buffet dinner is included in the $49 ticket price, and seating begins at 6 p.m. www.balsammountaininn.net or 456.9498.

• The “Railroad Reserve” specialty dinner train will depart at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in Bryson City. Age 21 and over only. 800.867.9246 or click on www.gsmr.com.

• A “BBQ & Brews Dinner Train” will be departing at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad depot in Bryson City.

The dinner features slow-cooked barbeque prepared fresh and beer tastings that will showcase The Sneak E Squirrel Brewing Company (Sylva). 21 and up.

Tickets start at $69. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • The Unto These Hills outdoor drama will run at 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Aug. 13 at the Mountainside Theater in Cherokee.

General admission tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-12 and free for children under age 5.

866.554.4557 or www.visitcherokenc.com.

• The summer kicks off with the Broadway musical smash “Legally Blonde the Musical” at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. June 9-11, and also at 2 p.m. and June 12. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org.

• The Lake Junaluska Shindig, featuring a volleyball game, a performance by the Darren Nicholson Band, and discounted or free activities, is set to start at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, at the Lake Junaluska Aquatic and Recreation Center. www.lakejunaluska.com/pool.

• North Georgia Community Players will present the Jones Hope Wooten comedy “Doublewide Texas” Friday through Sunday, June 10-12, at the Dillard (Ga.) Playhouse. Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for children 10 and under. 706.212.2500. www.ngcommunityplayers.com.

• Taste of Scotland festival is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, June 17-18, in Franklin. Clan dinner at 6 p.m. in Tartan Hall at Franklin’s First

• Sean Gaskell will perform traditional West African music as part of the Summer Music Series at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, at the Marianna Black Library in

Bryson City. Gaskell will perform on a Kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp. 488.3030.

• The fines Creek Community Center will host a performance of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, ‘Abridged and Revised” at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 13, at Fines Creek Community Center Gym. • The Waynesville Public Library will host Two Armadillos (Americana/folk) at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Free. www.haywoodarts.org.

• The Blue Ridge Big Band will perform at 3 p.m.

Sunday, June 12, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at The Strand or at www.38main.com. 456.4880.

• Travis LeDoyt, named “Best Young Elvis” by the N.Y. Times, will perform at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, June 17-18, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

Tickets: highlandspac.org or 526.9047.

• Betsy’s School of Dance will bring their talents to the stage at 7 p.m. June 17 and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

June 18, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• Acclaimed Vermont-based acoustic duo The DuPont Brothers will be holding an album release party and intimate performance at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Tickets are $10. www.38main.com.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • Adult Coloring, a Creating Community Workshop,

• Haywood County Public Library’s Adult Summer Reading program runs through July 31. www.haywoodlibrary.org, 452.5169 or 648.2924.

• Auditions for the Highlands Cashiers’ Players August show “Don’t Dress for Dinner” are scheduled for 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, and from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 13, at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands.

• The Adult Coloring Group will meet at 2 p.m. on Fridays in the Living Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. kmoe@fontanalib.org or 524.3600.

• A computer class on Google Photos will be offered at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, June 13, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

• Music composition workshops, art inspired composition conducted by Iva Veazey, are scheduled for 1-5 p.m. (ages 8-15) on June 14 and 5-9 p.m. (ages 16adult) on June 15 at Gallery 1 at 604 W. Main Street.

337.3468 or 421.4969.

• Appalachian storyteller Sherry Lovett will be featured at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 18, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Info: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

• The Front Street Arts & Crafts Show will be presented from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 18, in Dillsboro. More than 50 vendors. 586.3511 or chogan4196@gmail.com.

• A Quilling Craft Class featuring instructor and paper artist Lawrie Williams is scheduled for noon-3 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva. Cost is $6. Register: 586.4009.

• The Highlands Village Square Art & Craft Show is from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on June 18-19 at Highlands (Bryson’s) Plaza. Regional arts, crafts and live music.

Info: 787.2021.

• Dogwood Crafters Co-op is accepted registrations through June 20 for an upcoming educational workshop on Bargello quilting, which is from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Monday, June 27Cost is $18. Register: 586.2435 or junettapell@hotmail.com.

• Haywood County Arts Council is inviting artist members to participate in its annual Artist Member Show.

Download a show contract/inventory sheet from www.haywoodarts.org. Send completed forms to gallery@haywoodarts.org or P.O. Box 306; Waynesville, N.C. 28786.

• Learn ink drawing and zentangle fundamentals with artist Damaris Pierce from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 11 and 18 in East Waynesville. $45 each class. www.artoflife.com.

• Summer Arts Series featuring workshops taught by artists in ceramics, painting, mixed media, printmaking, encaustic, book arts, photography and creative writing will be offered from June 12-15 by Cullowhee Mountain ARTS at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

• Acclaimed writer Allison Hedge Coke will be teaching a poetry workshop, “Writing as Freedom and Docupoetics,” June 13-17 and a memoir writing workshop, “The Bird’s Nest: Eco Ethos and Organic Form,” June 18-24. www.cullowheemountainarts.org or 342.6913 • Doreyl Ammons Cain will offer a basics of pastel painting class from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on June 14 at the Cashiers Senior Center. Topic is outside wildflower pastel painting. 293.2239.

FILM & SCREEN

• Paint Nite Waynesville will be held at 7 p.m. on Fridays at the Panacea Coffeehouse. $20 per person.

Group rates available. Sign up at Panacea or call host Robin Smathers at 400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• Adult movie time, 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Jackson County Public Library. Call for title of movie.

586.2016.

• A Watercolor Seminar led by art instructor Mark Menendez is scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, at the Swain County Center for the Arts. $45. Reserve a space: 488.7843.

• The films “Hail, Caesar” (June 9) and “Zootopia” (June 10-11) will be screened at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Fridays; and 2 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays. free. www.madbatterfoodfilm.com.

• The Potter’s Wheel series will feature Susan Coe from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at The Wild Fern in Bryson City. Susan Easton will be featured on June 18. 828.736.1605 or info@wildfernstudios.com.

• Junaluska Flea Market is from 7;30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, at the Weldon Gym at Lake Junaluska.

• Appalachian storyteller Gary Carden will be featured at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, at the Canton Library. www.haywoodlibrary.org, 452.5169 or 648.2924.

• The film “Race” will be screened at 7 p.m. June 810 and 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. June 11 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. There will also be a free showing of “Zootopia” at noon and 2 p.m. June 11 and 18. www.38main.com.

• The Groovy Movie Club will screen Michael Moore’s comedy-documentary “Where to Invade Next” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, at Buffy Queen’s home in Dellwood. For info or directions, call 454.5949 or 926.2508.

June 8-14, 2016

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wnc calendar

• The Little Town Playhouse will present “Play That Mountain Music” at 7:30 p.m. on June 10-11 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.

Tickets: $10 for adults; $5 for ages 6-17 and free for children under six. 226.

will be offered at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, in the Atrium of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

Smoky Mountain News

Find us on Facebook. Federally Insured by NCUA 41

wnc calendar

Outdoors • An Emergency Medical Technician and WMI Wilderness Upgrade for the Medical Prrofessional will be offered June 13-17 – as well as July 11-30 and Aug. 1-5 - in Cullowhee. Register: 293.5384 or main@landmarklearning.edu.

• Spring cleaning day at Big Bear is from 8 a.m.-noon on Friday’s in June. Landscaping. Bring gloves and tools and meet at Big Bear Shelter.

• “National Get Outdoors Day” will be observed with activities, demonstrations, trail walks, games and crafts on June 11 at The Cradle of Forestry in America in Pisgah Forest. 877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.com.

• A floating trip down the Little Tennessee river is scheduled for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on June 17, in Highlands. $40 for members; $50 for nonmembers. www.highlandsbiological.org/forays.

• The Macon County Horse Association will have a horse show at noon on Sunday, June 12. Food available at concession stand. 369.3903.

• Casting for Hope fishing tournament is June 18 in Cherokee. Hosted by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.

Cash prizes include $3,000 for first place. http://castingforhope.org/casting-for-hope-cherokee-edition.

• The Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council meets at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 12, at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin.

• “Owl Prowl” – an opportunity to look for owls – is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 9 at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands. www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org or 526.1939.

• A Casting For Beginners: Level 1 class will be offered for ages 12-up from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on June 10 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard. www.ncwildlife.org/learning.

June 8-14, 2016

• Danny Bernstein will discuss her new book “Forests, Alligators, Battlefields: My Jounrey Through the National Parks of the South” from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, June 10, at Bryson City’s National Park Visitor Center and Heritage Museum. www.SmokiesInformation.org or 888.898.9102, Ext. 325, 222 or 254.

• A “Be Bear Aware” program will be offered for all ages from 1-3 p.m. on June 18 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard. www.ncwildlife.org/learning.

• An Introduction to Tenkara (traditional Japanese fly fishing) will be offered to participants 14-up from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on June 18 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education near Brevard. www.ncwildlife.org/learning.

• A presentation about the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society’s nest box project at 7:30 p.m. on June 20 at Hudson Library in Highlands. Presenter is Traci Balance. www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org or 526.1939.

• A “Leave No Trace: Master Educator” course is scheduled for June 20-24 in Cullowhee. 293.5384 or main@landmarklearning.edu.

• A Summer kick-off campout organized by Jackson County Parks and Recreation is scheduled for June 1112 at Ralph J. Andrews Campground. Pre-registration required: 293.3053 or 631.2020. $10 per family (up to five members, $2 for each additional member).

• “Nocturnal Nature” – an opportunity to learn about fireflies and other nocturnal creatures – will be offered from 9-10 a.m. on June 21 at the Highlands Biological Station. $3 per person. Advance registration required: 526.2623.

• Swain Water and Soil will present “We All Live in a Watershed” for area teens on Thursday, June 16, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. 488.3030.

• Birds and Beer (or wine or tea) is scheduled for 5 p.m. on June 21 at the Ugly Dog in Cashiers. Spirited conversation about birds and birding.

• “Feelin’ Froggy” will be presented for all ages at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 16, at the Highlands Biological Station in Highlands. $3 per person. Advance registration required: 526.2623.

• A Ron Rash Revue with Barbara Bates Smith is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, at the Waynesville Library.

• Part of the “Woodsy Owl’s Curiosity Club,” meets from 10:30 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3 p.m. on Thursdays through Aug. 11. $4 per child or $2.50 per adult.

Register: 877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.org.

• The Franklin Bird Club will have a bird walk along the greenway at 8 a.m. on June 15. Meet at Big Bear Shelter parking area. 524.5234.

Smoky Mountain News

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings

• The Share & Serve Garden, a community garden project sponsored by Franklin First United Methodist

Great Smokies Storage $

92

20’x20’ $

160

ONE MONTH

FREE WITH 12-MONTH CONTRACT

828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828

42

• Garden Tour: Five Senses in the Garden will be presented from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on June 13 at Highlands Biological Station. 526.2623.

• Green Thumbs: Gardening is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.-noon and 1:30-3 p.m. on June 16 at the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah Forest. Part of the “Woodsy Owl’s Curiosity Club,” which meets Thursdays through Aug. 11. $4 per child or $2.50 per adult. Register: 877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.org.

• The Otto Garden Club will hold a plant sale on Saturday, June 18.

• The Haywood County Garden Tour, which includes a stop at the Giving Garden, is scheduled for June 18.

Tickets Are $15 in advance and $20 on tour day.

Tickets available at the Cooperative Extension Center in Waynesville, B.B. Barns Nursery in Asheville, Haywood Arts Council in Waynesville, Riverview Farm & Garden in Canton and Grass Root Gardens in Waynesville. Info on the tour: 456.3575. For info, visit www.haywoodlibrary.org and click on the “Giving Garden” tab or call 648.2924.

• Garden Tour: Bog Carnivores will be presented from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on June 20 at Highlands Biological Station. 526.2623.

• “Plight of the Pollinators and Butterfly Gardening” will be presented by Larissa Lopez of the Balsam Mountain Trust from 2-3 p.m. on Monday, June 20, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Sign-up required: 356.2507 or kolsen@haywoodnc.net.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Registration is underway for the WNCC Emory Club’s 5K, which benefits the Global Health Initiative – Imagine No Malaria program. Race is at 8 a.m. on June 16 starting at Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska. $35. Register at imathlete.com. Race-day registration starts at 7 a.m.

• Registration is underway for the third annual Gran Fondo Asheville cycling event, which is Saturday, June 18. Register: www.gfncs.com. increasing $5 day of. Amorie Gunter, 788.3367.

• The Path to the Breakaway, a group for women 18 and older, meets regularly in preparation for the Blue Ridge Breakaway on Saturday, Aug. 20. Offered by BicycleHaywoodNC. Registration for the race is $41 (by Aug. 1) for the shortest route. www.blueridgebreakaway.com or bobclarklaw@gmail.com.

FARM AND GARDEN • Garden tours presented by Macon County Master Gardeners are scheduled for Saturday, June 11, in Franklin.

348-34

10’x20’

Church, is hosting a container workshop at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 12, at the Outreach Center in Franklin.

524.3010.

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

• Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will lead a 1.2-mile hike at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, about two challenging resource issues: light and noise pollution. Meet at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center at Milepost 384.

Info: 298.5330, ext. 304.

• Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will lead a moderate, 1.5-mile round-trip hike to the old site of Rattlesnake Lodge at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 10. Meet at southern entrance of the Tanbark Tunnel, Milepost 374.4. Info: 298.5330, ext. 304.

• A hike of Cataloochee Divide trail is being offered on June 10 by the Waynesville Recreation Department. $8 for members; $10 for nonmembers. RSVP: 456.2030 or in person at the Waynesville Recreation Center. www.waynesvillenc.gov/hiking-opportunities.

• A hike to Whiterock is scheduled for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on June 10, in Highlands. $15 for members; $35 for nonmembers. www.highlandsbiological.org/forays.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate-tostrenuous 8.5-mile hike, with an elevation change of 800 feet, on Saturday, June 11, to Noland Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For info or reservations, call leader Gail Lehman at 524.5298.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have an eight-mile hike with a 1,800-foot ascent at Rainbow Falls and Pretty Place on June 11. For info or reservations, contact leader Bev MacDowell at 684.1000 or bevmacdowellhappy@gmail.com.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take an easy-to-moderate two-mile hike on Sunday, June 12, to Cliffside Lake Park. For info or reservations, contact leader Jean Hunnicutt at 524.5234. Visitors welcome, no dogs.

• A guided hike to Charlies Bunion and Kephart Prong Trail is scheduled for June 14 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Presented by Friends of the Smokies. $20 for members; $35 for new members. www.Hike.FriendsoftheSmokies.org.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have a 13-mile hike with a 2,800-foot ascent at Big East Fork, Art Loeb Trail and Shining Creek Loop on June 15. For info or reservations, contact leader Brenda Worley at 684.8656, 606.7297 or bjdworley@gmail.com.

• Hazel Creek Backpacking Trip is from 8 a.m. on Friday, June 17, to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 19. Start at Fontana Marina in Fontana Dam. http://tinyurl.com/hoemctd.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a very strenuous nine-mile hike, with an elevation change of 3,800 feet, on Saturday, June 18, to Gregory Bald from Sam’s Gap in in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For info or reservations, contact leader Don O’Neal at 586.5723.

Able visitors welcome, no dogs.

HIKING CLUBS • Carolina Mountain Club will have a 7.5-mile hike with a 1,800-foot ascent at Rough Creek on June 8. For info or reservations, contact leader Laura Frisbie at 337.5845 or laurafrisbie@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have a four-mile hike of Cherry Gap Overlook to Skinny Dip Falls at noon on June 19. For info, contact leader Chris Allen at 645.0357, 707.6500 or cpallen@icloud.com.

Puzzles can be found on page 46.

These are only the answers.

PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

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REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT ACRE LOT AT LAKE GLENVILLE Beautiful, Treed, 1.42 Acre Lot in Tahala Shores. On Bluff Overlooking Paved Road and Lakefront Property. Mountain/Lake View Better in Fall/Winter. Good Building Site. Passed Perc Test 2002. Designated Lakeshore Lot for Landside Resident Boating. Deed Restricted Community. Asking $46K. Owner 941.753.7433.

LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

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For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578

CHESNEY A BEAUTIFUL BRINDLE STAFFIE MIX GIRL ABOUT FOUR MONTHS OLD. SHE IS IN A FOSTER HOME, LEARNING SOCIAL SKILLS AND HAVING A BLAST PLAYING WITH THE RESIDENT DOG. WE THINK SHE'LL GROW UP TO BE ABOUT 40-50 LBS. ADULT SIZE. REUBEN A HANDSOME TUXEDO BOY ABOUT 7 MONTHS OLD. HE IS PLAYFUL, SWEET, FRIENDLY AND VERY APPRECIATIVE OF HUMAN ATTENTION. HE'LL BRING LOTS OF FUN AND JOY TO HIS NEW FAMILY.

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. All dwellings advertised on an equal opportunity basis.

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HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400 Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

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LAWN & GARDEN NEED TO HAVE SOMEONE Cut & Bale 1.5 Acres Hay. Lower Cruso, near Meadow Grove Church and Burnette Cove Rd. Call for more info 828.550.1314

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

FOR SALE

Residential Broker Associate

(828) 550-2810

Carolyn Lauter Broker/ABR

mobrig@Beverly-Hanks.com

1986 SOCO ROAD, HWY 19 • MAGGIE VALLEY, NC 28751

www.Beverly-Hanks.com

carolyn.lauter@realtyworldheritage.com

828.734.4822 Cell • www.carolynlauter.com

WANTED TO BUY

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MEDICAL

to see what others are saying!

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348-41

348-33

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828-400-1923

RROLAND33@GMAIL.COM

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Michelle McElroy RESIDENTIAL BROKER ASSOCIATE E-PRO, CNHS, RCC, SFR

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74 North Main St. • Waynesville 828.452.5809 348-42

Ann Eavenson R B A ESIDENTIAL

www.beverly-hanks.com 147 Walnut Street • WayneSville

828.506.7137

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ROKER

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SFR, ECO, GREEN

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348-09

FOR SALE: Two Crypts at Eye Level in New Mausoleum in Garrett-Hillcrest Cemetery. $4,000 for Both & Transfer Fee. For more info call 828.454.0247

Marilynn Obrig

smokymountainnews.com

BORING/CARPENTER BEE TRAPS No Chemicals, Poisons or Anything to Harm the Environment.

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Commitment, consistency, results.

June 8-14, 2016

GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23

by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

Committed to Exceeding Expectations

WNC MarketPlace

NICE PLACE TO STAY Looking for a live-in, To do light housework. Compensation of Room/Board + Small Salary.

2/BR in a nice neighborhood.

For more info call Donnie at 706.335.6496.

FOR SALE 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.

348-27

ROOMMATE WANTED

828.506.0542

828.452.5809 office

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

45

www.smokymountainnews.com

June 8-14, 2016

WNC MarketPlace

Super

46

CIRCULAR THINKING

CROSSWORD

many mats 76 Stat for Ruth ACROSS 78 Pizza topping 1 Typo, e.g.

79 Co. bigwig 8 Having two of each 80 Turbaned believers chromosome 83 Big top 15 German-born writer 86 Moo - shrimp Hermann 87 New hand distribution 20 Of the king of beasts 88 Get - on the wrist 21 Improve 89 Big truck 22 Fungal spore sac 91 Start for law 23 Its sheets have holes 93 Other, to José in them 94 Revelation nation 25 Used all of 98 Little boys 26 90 degrees from norte 100 H lead-in 27 Tax org.

102 “- Sharkey” (‘70s sit28 Posed com) 29 Not dismissive of 103 Stump, e.g.

30 Hasty flight 107 Bling seller 32 Suffix with confident 110 Circle dance 34 Follow through with 111 Rome home 36 Get in return, as prof- 113 Pluralized -y its 114 Doc treating tinnitus 37 It’s raised in some 115 Made a barking noise opening ceremonies 117 The “SI” of WYSIWYG 42 They may be attached 119 “- for Alibi” to fobs 121 Rakish guy 44 Brazil’s - Paulo 125 Spitz’s kin 45 Educ. org.

126 Theme of this puzzle 46 Hose flaw 129 Uncle Ben’s products 48 “Yond Cassius has 130 Lease and hungry look”: Caesar 131 Salts 49 Lie next to 132 About to cry 51 Added wing 133 Conceives 53 Overcrowd 134 Unfavorable 55 Rotating subway gate 59 Germany’s Adenauer DOWN 61 Gorilla, e.g.

1 Vogue competitor 63 Mobiles, e.g.

2 1910s-’20s autos 67 Group jargon 3 Plant part 68 CBS hit 4 11th-century Italian 69 European country theologian 70 Tool 5 Game draw 71 Learning centers with 6 With no restrictions

7 Physics Nobelist Simon van der 8 Dict. info 9 Maintaining equilibrium 10 Letters after upsilons 11 Sri 12 Next up 13 AriZona drink 14 German “the” 15 Padlocked fastener 16 Language devised in 1887 17 First division of an act 18 Catch a few rays 19 Prevents, in legalese 24 “Likely story” 29 As soon as 31 Galaxy extra 33 Gore and Green 35 Olive of old funny pages 37 Honshu metropolis 38 Part of AFL 39 Wee miss 40 “Iron Man” Ripken 41 Needle-nosed fish 43 With 96-Down, discuss in detail 47 Spanish for “cats” 50 “Iliad” locale 52 Old dog star 54 Kind, decent person 56 Rough pen drawing 57 Hawaiian garland 58 D.C. winter hrs.

60 Bread box?

62 Mountain climbing aids 64 Tie, as Nikes 65 Canyon sound 66 Jack-a- - (hybrid dog) 68 “White Men - Jump” 69 Show hosts, for short 72 Votes against

73 Chip brand 74 Ending for many sugars 75 - deck (part of a cruise ship) 76 Rival of JVC 77 “Encore!,” in 111Across 81 Brother of Groucho 82 One-master 84 Followed 85 Wake - the crack of dawn 86 Tangential topic 87 Energized 90 USAF rank 92 Minister’s study: Abbr.

95 Graph paper pattern 96 See 43-Down 97 Ground, as grinders 99 Eur. country 101 Ob- - (delivery doc) 103 Impede 104 Team newbie 105 Beethoven symphony nickname 106 Mozart’s “Eine Nachtmusik” 108 Morales of “Mi Familia” 109 Large step 112 Gossip girl?

116 Not taxing 118 “- it!” (fielder’s call) 120 “- girl!”

122 - about 123 Boho-chic boots 124 Livy’s “to be” 126 Prefix with centennial 127 Scale amts.

128 Toyota acronym before “4”

answers on page 42

PERSONAL YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com NICE PLACE TO STAY Looking for a live-in, To do light housework. Compensation of Room/Board + Small Salary.

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YARD SALES WICK & GREENE JEWELERS 121 Patton Ave, Asheville. Sat.11th 10am - 6pm & Sun. 12th 12 - 5pm Furniture, Fixtures, Sofas, Chairs, Cabinets, Pewter Giftware, Christmas Decorations, Antiques & More!

WEEKLY SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Answers on Page 42

The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Keep your salamander away from my newt often remind everyone who reads “The Naturalist’s Corner” to remember to look up. But each spring while surveying birds for the Forest Service I am reminded to look down. I have a couple of survey points in the Pisgah National Forest along Locust Creek near the South Toe River that must be red eft mecca. Red eft is the terrestrial stage of eastern or red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens.)

The names eft and newt both arose from the Old English name for the animal — efte.

It became “an eft” or “an ewte” then an ewet was shortened to newt. Both names eft and newt survived and came to note the two primary life stages of the animal — with eft referring to the juvenile (terrestrial stage) and newt, the adult, aquatic stage.

There are four regional varieties or races of N. viridescens. The most common (and the one in our neck of the woods is) is N. viridescens viridescens. It ranges from northeastern Canada to the eastern Great Lakes and down the Appalachians and on into Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. N.

I

Red eft. Don Hendershot photo restrial stage. Once they become sexually mature they remain aquatic for the rest of their life, which can be around 15 years.

The entire order Caudata (basically any tailed amphibian) are known commonly as salamanders. However, today when most people think of salamanders they think of the slimy lizard-like streamside critters like the dusky salamanders and/or the redcheeked salamanders of the family Plethodontidae. But eastern newts, of the family Salamandridae don’t fit that mold.

The red eft has a dry rough skin and the skin of the adult newt is slightly moist but still

ROADSIDE PARTY

rough to the touch. So — kind of in the sense of frogs and toads — all newts are definitely salamanders but not all salamanders are newts. And that bright color of the red eft, that’s to warn predators that it is toxic.

They are not so toxic that you can’t handle them gently, but you wouldn’t want to rub your eyes afterwards without washing your hands first. And you wouldn’t want to injure one by inadvertently stepping on it along the trail — that’s why it’s important to remember to look down.

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist.

He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)

June 10th & 11th 9am-6pm

June 8-14, 2016

L A U N N A

viridescens dorsalis, the broken-striped newt is found in the coastal plains of the Carolinas. N. viridescens louisianensis, the central newt is found from the western Great Lakes all the way to the Gulf Coast.

And there is a Florida specialty, N. viridescens piaropicola, the peninsula newt, known only from peninsular Florida.

It is in the eft stage that our red-spotted newt is most often encountered. This small — 3- to 5-inch salamander — is generally bright reddish-orange with darker red “eye spots” outlined in black. They like the moist forest floor of the Southern Appalachians and may be encountered actively foraging during early morning hours and on rainy, misty days.

Last Friday on Locust Creek I encountered at least a dozen of these critters along the half-mile of old roadbed I have to traverse to get to my points. I had to keep an eye to the ground to keep from stepping on them.

N. viridescens viridescens often remains in this eft stage for three to four years (sometimes up to eight years) before metamorphosing into a sexually mature, aquatic adult. Some efts begin to assume the olive green coloration of the adult during the ter-

Smoky Mountain News

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SMSH.CO FOR OUR FULL INVENTORY Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 - 6:00 Saturday 9:00 - 5:00

47

Waynesville - 2BR, 2BA $267,500 #3181528

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Grimball Park - 4BR, 4BA $587,000 #3181053

Smoky Mountain News

June 8-14, 2016

Lake Junaluska Assembly 4BR, 3BA, • $264,500 #3171102

48

Waynesville 4BR, 3BA, 2HB $1,098,000 #3179493 348-52

LIVE

THE

LIFE

You C

HOOSE

Fontana Lake Estates 7BR, 6BA, 3HB $10,000,000 #3180933 Waynesville Office 74 North Main Street (828) 452-5809

beverly-hanks.com for details on any property, enter the MLS # into quick search