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

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015 Vol. 17 Iss. 09

New charter school wrestles with open meeting laws Page 14 Wildlife officials hope to curb bear population Page 34

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: David Crisp, a Graham County father and husband, will serve 20 months in a federal prison in Ohio for a number of bear hunting violations. Crisp and a number of other bear hunters were charged as a result of Operation Something Bruin, a four-year investigation into suspected bear poaching in the mountains of Western North Carolina. (Page 6)

News Canton celebrates keeping its clinic ....................................................................4 Waynesville mayor candidate bows out ..............................................................5 More domestic violence services needed in Jackson ....................................10 Macon Health to offer primary care services ....................................................12 Bryson City alderman running for Congress ....................................................13 Experts say charter school violated open government law ..........................14 Shining Rock board says transparency is goal ................................................15 Toxic algae found in Waterville Lake ..................................................................17

Opinion Tribal council takes the wrong stand on openness..........................................20

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A&E Lip sync contests popular in Franklin ................................................................24

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Wildlife officials hope to curb bear population ................................................34

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Plant gall formation is somewhat of a mystery ..................................................47

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July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

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news

Canton celebrates keeping its clinic

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ithin six months, a primary care medical clinic for Evergreen Packaging employees went from being on the chopping block to expanding its services.

The community came together last week to celebrate the fact that Evergreen Family Medical Center, previously owned by Primus Health Care, is now Haywood Family Practice of Canton after Haywood Regional Medical Center took over ownership in May. “We are excited to welcome Dr. Jones to the Haywood Regional family and for this opportunity to further our commitment to making our communities healthier,” said Phillip Wright, CEO of Haywood Regional.

“Dr. Jones’ expertise and longevity in our community are greatly valued. We are pleased that this new practice will allow us to offer quality care close to home for even more residents of our community.”

No one was happier than Dr. Tony Jones, who has been the primary physician for Evergreen employees and their families for 10 years. When Evergreen announced at the beginning of the year it would be closing the clinic due to low useage, Jones assumed he would either have to relocate to stay with Primus Health Care or try to look for another job in the area. Now that everything is said and done, Jones said he is glad he took a chance by leaving the company he worked with for 18 years to stay with the clinic under Haywood Regional Medical — a Duke LifePoint hospital.

“Haywood is a good group to work with and they’ve stood behind what they said they would do,” Jones said. “They’ve improved the look of the clinic, the EMR (electronic medical record system) is going to be upgraded and they’re committed to doing more advertising.”

Jones said a majority of the mill employees and dependents had chosen to stay with him at the clinic instead of seeking a new physician. No surprise there since several of Jones’ patients from the mill were the driving force behind keeping him and the clinic in Canton.

Traci Hoglen of Canton, whose husband has worked at the mill for 34 years, helped

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

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Dr. Tony Jones expresses his gratitude (above) for Haywood Regional Medical Center acquiring the former Evergreen Family Medical Center to keep primary care services available for people in Canton. The clinic is now called Haywood Family Practice of Canton. Below: Community members gathered at the new Haywood Family Practice of Canton at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week. Jessi Stone photo organize the community and held several rallies in Canton to show support for keeping Jones and his staff in Canton despite Evergreen shutting down the clinic at the end of March. Hoglen and others marched to keep the clinic open and first floated the idea of getting Mission Health or Haywood Regional to buy it.

It was a good idea considering the primary care physician shortage in the region. Closing the clinic would have meant that hundreds of mill employees would be searching for a new provider in an already strained market. Both hospitals were interested in the clinic, but considering Mission Health is already in the process of opening a primary care and specialty service facility in Haywood, it made more sense for Haywood Regional to acquire the clinic and keep it in its current location to serve Canton.

“I am so thankful the clinic is staying open and we can continue to see Dr. Jones,”

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said patient Kathleen Spence. “I thought I was going to have to find another place to go, so I kept following the news to see what would happen. It is great news for me, the people at the mill and everyone in Canton that they stayed open.”

Hoglen said she was pleased with how everything came together and all the hard work paid off in the end.

“I am not the hero in this situation, Dr. Jones is the hero. He was the one that had to

make the decision concerning his career,” she said. “We are all very grateful that he chose Duke (LifePoint) and wanted to stay with us. I would also like to acknowledge Duke LifePoint/HRMC for taking this big leap in Canton.”

Jones said mill employees who wish to stay at the clinic need to call and make new appointments to be placed into the new computer system. They also need to come into the office and sign a document that will allow Primus Health Care to release their patient medical records to Haywood Regional.

Jones is also accepting new patients and already has a steady stream of new appointments.

“Monday I saw four new people, Tuesday I saw three new patients and Wednesday I had two,” he said. “I’ve also seen families and kids that used to come to me, so it’s truly going to be a family practice.”

More info: The Haywood Family Practice of Canton is now accepting new patients • 119 Park Street, Canton, NC • Open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

• To schedule an appointment, call 828.235.3023.

• www.myhaywoodregional.com The clinic has seven staff members in addition to Jones. A new front desk staff member was hired to handle the increased number of calls coming in to make new appointments. When the clinic reaches capacity, Haywood Regional will look to add more staff. As of right now, Jones encourages new patients to call and make an appointment because it could take a few weeks to get seen.

“There will be a little longer wait for new patients because we’re only allowed to see so many new patients a week,” he said.

As part of its mission to provide quality care close to home for community members, Wright said Haywood Family Practice of Canton would explore opportunities for growth and expanded levels of service as needed. He said HRMC plans to offer access to specialty care by including a rotating schedule of specialists in urology, cardiology and orthopedics at the Canton location.

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free enterprise to grow the town’s business and industry economy.

“The budget of Waynesville needs to be streamlined. Everybody has a budget except for governments and towns,” Bradley said.

Curé said that it appears she and Bradley do share similar platforms, but will have to get together and compare notes with him.

“That will fall into play as we move forward,” Curé said. “I look forward to a closer association with Lynn Bradley for sure.”

Brown questioned whether Bradley or Curé would be up to the job of mayor for a town of Waynesville’s size.

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Brown said the election dynamic hasn’t changed all that much for him — regardless of whether he’s running against just Curé, just Bradley or both of them, since they apparently share a platform.

“I have seen nothing in Mr. Bradley’s past or Mrs. Curé’s past that indicate they have a modicum of knowledge about he workings of the town of Waynesville,” Brown said. “It takes a certain amount of expertise to do a good job — and that’s the operative word, a good job.”

Brown believes Waynesville is on the right track, and is running on his record of progress.

Bradley disagreed that Waynesville is on the right track or has seen progress.

“Sylva is leaving us in the wake. They are doing leaps and bounds over Waynesville,” Bradley said.

Brown begged to differ.

“His assessment that Sylva is leaving us in their wake, he must be riding in a canoe,” Brown said.

Candidates for the two chief offices up for election this year will square off in a pair of debates at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center in Cherokee next week.

Sponsored by the Junaluska Leadership Council and the Cherokee One Feather, the debates will cover topics including freedom of the press, separation of powers, government transparency, economic development, addiction issues, alcohol sales on the reservation, the minors fund and land use. One Feather editor Robert Jumper will moderate.

• Vice chief candidates Larry Blythe (incumbent) and Richie Sneed will take the stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4.

• Principal chief candidates Tunney Crowe and Patrick Lambert will debate at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 6.

Official write-in candidates are encouraged to participate with an RSVP to The One Feather. Both debates are free and open to the public. The Cultural Arts Center is located at Cherokee Central Schools on Ravensford Drive.

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Smoky Mountain News

Chief candidates to debate in Cherokee

“No steroid hormones are approved for growth purposes in dairy cattle,

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER candidate for mayor in Waynesville is dropping out of the race, although his name will still be on the ballot.

Lynn Bradley, a Waynesville business owner, said he wants to throw his support behind another candidate, Jonnie Curé, in her bid to oust sitting Mayor Gavin Brown.

“I am going to come out in support of her.

If we fight against each other and Gavin gets back in, we are still at where we are at,” Bradley said.

Bradley said he stepped up to run because he felt like “somebody needed to do it.”

But a few days after Bradley signed up to run, Curé also signed up to run. Bradley then tried to get his name taken off the ballot, but it was too late under state election statutes.

So instead, he hopes to spread the word to voters not to vote for him come Election Day, but to vote for Curé.

“I don’t want to burn up votes,” Bradley said. “She has got the time and she has done more homework than I have. I think it is great to let her do it.”

Curé said she welcomes the support. She said she didn’t know Bradley would drop out if she ran.

“I did not talk with him about running or not running. That is a very personal decision,” Curé said.

When asked whether she and Bradley would have taken votes away from each other had they both run active campaigns, Curé said that’s a moot point now.

“It would be hard to predict how the chips would fall. It is not a necessary subject, because you erase the board and rewrite the game plan,” Curé said.

Meanwhile, Brown said the election dynamic hasn’t changed all that much for him — regardless of whether he’s running against just Curé, just Bradley or both of them, since they apparently share a platform.

“I am running for my vision of the future for Waynesville,” Brown said. “It is clear we are diametrically opposed in our visions for the future of Waynesville.”

Bradley agreed his views are in line with Curé’s: lower taxes, less regulation and more

news

Landscape shifts early in the game in Waynesville’s mayor race

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Going rogue Undercover bear poaching sting uses dubious tactics to trap hunters

BY KATIE R EEDER SMN I NTERN ll Chad Crisp took with him was his Bible as he headed into Elkton Federal Correctional Institute in Ohio last week.

For a rural mountain boy who’d never left home, 20 months of federal prison would be a long, hard road.

“I felt that my heart would burst as I hugged him and told him I loved him and everything would be all right and that we would be back soon,” Linda Crisp, his mother, said. “For a mother, her son – no matter how old he is – is still in some ways a child in her eyes, and she wants to always protect him.”

Chad Crisp landed in federal prison for hunting violations — hunting deer with artificial light, hunting without a license, and hunting illegally at night.

He was one of 55 individuals caught up in Operation Something Bruin — an undercover investigation looking for bear poachers.

Linda Crisp had been one of the most vocal critics of the operation that pulled in both federal and state agencies and deployed undercover wildlife agents to hunting circles in Western North Carolina and north Georgia. She spoke out and helped organize the hunters who said agents engaged in entrapment, trickery and lies to build their cases. But that day all her energy was focused on being with her family and saying goodbye to her son.

Chad Crisp had held himself together throughout the nine-and-a-half hour drive from their home in Graham County, the only place he had called home, the day before and throughout the 45-minute drive from the motel to the prison that morning.

But now, the reality of it all began to sink in, and his wife could see the tears in his eyes as the two said goodbye.

He was leaving behind his two children — Lauden, 7, and Maddie, 6 — and the family boat dock business he helped his father run on Fontana Lake.

“I told him I’d be the best mother I could for our children,” Rachelle Crisp, his wife,

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July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

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said. “I said, ‘Don’t let them take your pride.’

I told him I loved him.”

“Tell the kids I love them and I’ll talk to them soon,” he replied.

More tears came when Rachelle Crisp left the room and made her way to the prison’s exit.

“Just walking out them doors, I felt like I was going to faint,” she said. “I lost it when I walked out the door.”

It was 10:30 p.m. when they made it back home and picked up the children, who had stayed with friends.

“We did not want them to see their daddy go into the prison and for them to have to say goodbye to him there,” Linda Crisp said.

Her grandson looked up at her and began to cry when she walked in.

“I ask him what was wrong, and he said, ‘I miss Daddy,’” Linda recalled.

THE AGENTS David Webb had big marching orders the first day he walked into Don’s Guns and Pawn in Bryson City: find bear hunters, gain their trust and figure out who the poachers are.

Webb, a wildlife officer from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, had been armed with a fake name and story, but he had little else to go by. He didn’t have any names, just anecdotal reports, rumors and hunches that illegal bear hunting was afoot in the mountains.

Webb struck up a conversation with the local gun shop owner. Webb said he wanted to get into bear hunting and asked if the owner knew anyone.

Sure, the owner said. Chad Crisp hunted bear. The store owner pointed Webb in the direction of the Crisps’ boat dock on Fontana Lake.

Webb snaked his way out of town and into the wild, remote reaches of Lake Fontana in search of the Crisps.

Members of the Crisp family were sitting in the yard talking when an unfamiliar truck drove up. Webb got out and introduced him-

Linda Crisp stands with her son, Chad Crisp, 35, at their family-owned boat dock on Fontana Lake. Chad Crisp began his prison sentence on July 23. Katie Reeder photo self as Davey Williams, saying the owner of Don’s Guns had suggested the Crisps might let him bear hunt with them.

“They was undercover good. He had an old Ford truck — nothing at all nice — and Davey is real country anyway,” said Chad Crisp, who still refers to Williams by his undercover nickname.

Chad’s father, David, was never much of a bear hunter. He just went with his son and other hunters as the man in the boat because, “Somebody has to be on the lake,” Chad Crisp said.

The national forest that envelops Lake Fontana is prime bear hunting territory. A guy with a boat to motor you around and put you out on shore is a helpful friend for a bear hunter to have.

But it would ultimately be the Crisps’ downfall, placing them in the middle of the bear hunting scene targeted by investigators.

Chad Crisp was originally a deer hunter, but once he learned more about raising his own bloodline of dogs to hunt bear, he discovered a love for bear hunting.

They could always use more people in the

Righteous or malicious? Summing up Operation Something Bruin Operation Something Bruin was a four-year investigation into suspected bear poaching in the mountains of Western North Carolina and north Georgia.

Undercover wildlife officers adopted fake identities to infiltrate bear hunting circles. They hoped to expose the black market for bear gallbladders, illegal hunting in national parks and bear sanctuaries, unethical tactics by hunting guides for hire and rouge baiting and trapping of bears.

But they came up largely empty-handed of the more egregious crimes, and mostly caught the hunters playing loose

with hunting regulations.

While 55 people were charged with more than 200 hunting violations — some in state court, some in federal court and some in both — about half had the charges dropped or resulted in not guilty verdicts.

The fallout from the operation brought the rich tradition of hunting under fire, and many of those charged are now speaking out, flinging allegations of entrapment at the wildlife agents involved. Critics have grown louder throughout the legal proceedings, accusing the agencies and prosecution

of judge shopping and stacking charges out of desperation to chalk up convictions.

The complaints in turn prompted state and federal oversight hearings on whether the wildlife agencies abused their power and victimized hunters.

Meanwhile, wildlife agencies have defended the operation.

The covert tactics were the only way to see what was really going on when hunters went out in the woods. If left unchecked, disrespect for hunting laws would deplete wildlife populations and diminish the shared natural resources of society.

Cast of characters news

Davey Webb (alias Davey Williams): an agent with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources who first started hunting with the Crisps in the fall of 2010.

Chad Arnold (alias Chad Ryan): an agent with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission who started hunting with the Crisps in 2011.

A FISHING EXPEDITION?

David Crisp: Chad Crisp’s father and owner of Crisp Boat Dock, convicted of one hunting violation and sentenced to 90 days in jail.

ing rarely report it, “further hampering law enforcement efforts,” Adams said.

‘I HONESTLY BECAME FRIENDS WITH THIS GUY’ Webb was soon joined by another undercover agent, and the two went on multiple hunting trips with the Crisps over the next three years.

From those trips, both men were charged with various hunting violations. Chad Crisp pled guilty to seven charges, and David Crisp was convicted of one.

The charges from one of those hunting trips alone — one in which Chad Crisp never even fired his gun — netted Chad 15 of the 20 months he was sentenced in federal prison.

“Even though he didn’t shoot anything, just one hunt got him 15 months in prison.

He should have been on probation, paid about $2,000 in fines and gone to the house,” said Rusty McLean, a lawyer who represented some of the hunters charged in the operation, but not Chad.

The Crisps contend they are innocent, and say that the undercover agents created crimes and entrapped them. They have since been some of the most vocal critics of the operation.

“They said they were infiltrating known poaching rings,” Linda Crisp said. “They didn’t even know Chad or David.”

Webb began hunting with the Crisps that fall and continued to hunt with them over the next few years, becoming a regular in their hunting party.

Webb came up empty-handed his first year hunting with the Crisps, but finally caught Chad breaking the law in the fall of 2010. Chad operated a vessel on the water at night without navigational lights — a misdemeanor he later pled guilty to when the

Ongoing series Nearly two-and-a-half years after the arrests, the dust from Operation Something Bruin still hasn’t settled.

Hunters claim the operation was a sham designed to entrap them. Wildlife agents claim there were serious hunting crimes that had to be stopped.

The Smoky Mountain News launched an investigation of its own to explore the many unanswered questions surrounding Operation Something Bruin.

Were those charged indeed reckless cowboy hunters or merely in the wrong place at the wrong time? Were bears being exploited by renegade hunting tactics? Did overzealous wildlife officers rack up unfounded charges and then stack them in court to justify their operation?

Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore: • Personal stories of hunters caught up in the dragnet, including what they admit to and what they don’t.

• The rich, cultural heritage of hunting in Western North Carolina and north Georgia.

• The legal proceedings of the cases, including those that unraveled and those that stuck.

• The tactics of the wildlife agents and what it takes to go undercover.

Linda Crisp: Chad’s mother and David’s wife, she has been one of the most vocal critics of the operation. She alleges both men are innocent and were treated unfairly.

charges came down.

To solidify his hunting ties with Chad, Webb went in with him to buy two hunting dogs. Webb paid for the feed, and Chad Crisp trained them.

“I honestly became friends with this guy,” Chad Crisp said.

In 2011, another undercover agent — Chad Arnold with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission — appeared on the scene. Looking back, Chad Crisp speculates the agencies were considering shutting the operation down at that point if the agents couldn’t find any hunters breaking the law.

Throughout that year, Webb was always eager to go on hunts and bring back a bear.

“That whole year all he was saying was, ‘I gotta kill something. I gotta get some meat,’” Chad Crisp recalled.

Arnold went by the undercover name Chad Ryan. Webb introduced him to the Crisps and other hunters as one of his friends.

As undercover agents, Webb and Arnold had to walk a fine line as they became a bigger part of the Crisps’ lives while still being mindful of their ultimate role as law enforcement officers.

The family hosted a Thursday-night Bible study, which the agents would occasionally attend. Arnold once requested that the group pray for Webb.

“Arnold called me and said that I needed to pray for Webb — that he thought he’d really got out of God’s will,” Chad Crisp said.

Concerned for his friend and noticing that Webb appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight, Chad Crisp approached him and asked if there was anything he wanted to talk about.

“You can tell me. It’s OK,” Chad Crisp told him.

Webb said it was problems between him

Smoky Mountain News

It had been years since the last undercover poaching investigation in the region — known as Operation Smokey. Critics have suggested wildlife officers were simply ready for another rodeo.

“Why did you decide to focus on Western North Carolina? Was it because you had a successful poaching ring investigation here 20 years ago?” U.S. Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, posed at a federal oversight hearing on Something Bruin this summer.

“I don’t have the specific evidence. I just know there were reports of that,” Tony Tooke of the U.S. Forest Service replied.

“Sounds like hearsay,” countered U.S. Congressman Jeff Duncan from South Carolina.

But officers from the four state and federal wildlife agencies in the operation insisted that rogue bear hunters had to be checked, and the only way to do it was with undercover agents.

“Hunters had begun to use advanced radios, GPS devices and electronic tracking systems, making enforcement and documentation of violations more difficult,” Major Stephen Adams with the Department of Natural Resources explained at the oversight hearing.

Honest hunters that witness illegal hunt-

Rachelle Crisp: the wife of Chad Crisp and a stay-at-home mom for their two children, ages 6 and 7.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

woods on a hunt, so the Crisps agreed to take Webb with them. It was July, still a few months away from the opening of bear season in October, so the Crisps didn’t think much of the interaction.

“We thought it was a one-time thing,” David Crisp said.

It was 2009, and the undercover Operation Something Bruin had just been launched. Six years later, the Crisps find themselves embroiled in the fallout of this “one-time thing.”

Chad Crisp: a Graham County native who comes from a long line of hunters. He has received the harshest sentence of any of the hunters so far, shipping out last week to start his 20-month prison sentence.

S EE B RUIN, PAGE 8 7

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

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B RUIN, CONTINUED FROM 7 and his wife, although Chad Crisp now suspects it was anxiety over his split role as friend and undercover agent.

Rachelle Crisp said her husband was devastated when he found out the truth — that “Davey” was an undercover agent.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” Chad Crisp said. “We’d been friends two years. I really thought I had a friend.”

He didn’t have the same sentiments about Arnold, however. He had a strange feeling about him from the beginning but tried to like him since he was introduced as a friend of Webb’s.

“I even called Davey and told him, ‘There’s something about this guy,’” Chad recalled. “I didn’t feel comfortable… I just got a bad vibe about him. I trusted Davey enough.”

The Crisps found the agents’ behavior more extreme after Arnold came.

“They called nonstop at the house,” Rachelle Crisp said. “Just constant. ‘Is Chad there? Tell Chad let’s go hunting.’”

The couple said they began to be suspicious of the agents’ behavior when the agents showed up at Ingles while the Crisps were grocery shopping with their two children.

The agents followed the family back to their home, where Chad Crisp got his hunting gear ready and then went out on a hunt with them.

“It seems like every time we’d start to something with the kids or sit down and do something, there they’d call, ‘Come on, Chad.

You promised we’d go hunting,’” Rachelle Crisp said.

The Crisps now interpret this behavior as evidence of the agents’ desperation to find charges to pin down on the hunters.

BAITING ALLEGATIONS

Smoky Mountain News

The agents had suspicions that Chad Crisp was illegally baiting bears with chocolate, saying that Chad Crisp had told one of them he had a friend who purchased 500 pounds of candy to put out for bears as bait in June 2011.

There was also a later conversation that month in which Chad Crisp told the agent he was using 500 pounds of M&M’s as bear bait, according to the factual basis in Chad Crisp’s plea agreement.

In North Carolina, it is illegal to put out processed food to attract bears — you can only use natural foods like apples and corn as bait, and only on private property.

The agents showed up at the Crisps’ home one day out the blue with four barrels of chocolate and began putting them out as bear bait — which was illegal. Chad Crisp was not home, but Rachelle called him and told him he needed to come to the house to see what was going on.

The agents bought the chocolate in Tennessee and transported it back to Graham County. They said it was to refill Chad Crisp’s already-existing 55-gallon drum placed in the Nantahala National Forest.

“The problem was…they had to justify their sting operation, so they started creating stuff,” David Crisp said. “They started going and getting bait down in Cleveland, 8 Tennessee, and they brought it in here and

charged us with baiting.”

After filling a five-gallon bucket with M&M’s, one of the agents took the bucket down to the boat dock and loaded it onto a pontoon boat. David Crisp was already on the boat, and he took the agent and Chad Crisp down Fontana Lake and into the hidden Lovin Entry area.

David Crisp waited in the boat as his son and the agent took the bucket of candy and walked about 50 yards from the shore to a black, plastic barrel. The barrel was bolted to a tree that had claw marks on it. Chad Crisp and the agents poured the contents of the bucket into the barrel and then returned to the boat, according to the factual basis of his plea.

Although Chad contends that the agents’ account of what happened is not completely accurate, Chad did say he had put out chocolate to feed bears during the leadup to hunting season in 2011.

At one time, that was common in the hunting community — and perfectly legal to attract bears with candy or dog food and then hunt them with dogs. But the law had changed in 2006. Only natural food like apples and corn could be put out to feed and bait bears.

Chad Crisp said he didn’t know the law changed. When he learned of the law, he said he cleared out the illegal bait.

The factual basis also indicates that Chad Crisp stopped baiting, but it alleges he stopped because he heard of some hunters in Franklin who had lost their hunting licenses for using illegal baiting tactics.

Although Webb and Arnold bought the M&M’s and put them out, because David and Chad helped they were both charged with putting out illegal bait. The charges claim David and Chad aided and abetted one another in the baiting offense.

The charge against Chad Crisp was dismissed as part of his plea deal, but David Crisp was convicted of this charge.

At the state level, Chad Crisp had three charges for separate incidents of baiting in 2011, but these charges were dismissed. David Crisp was never charged by the state for baiting.

BEAR KILLS Chad Crisp said he grew increasingly suspicious of the agents’ behavior and felt like they were asking a lot of questions since Arnold had started hunting with their party.

“I just had a bad feeling, and I asked them, ‘Are y’all law? Are y’all game wardens?’” Chad recalled.

They brushed off the question, shocked that he would ask.

“You ain’t got a problem proving it then?”

Chad Crisp continued.

Chad challenged them to shoot a bear, even though hunting season didn’t officially open for another month. Chad figured officers wouldn’t shoot a bear out of season.

Chad knew where a bear was, so they set out and eventually treed one. He said Webb fired the first shot, hitting its hindquarters.

The bear started to come down the tree, so Webb fired again, this time hitting it behind the shoulder.

Chad Crisp grabbed the gun at this point,

sensing that Webb was nervous. He fired as the bear jumped but missed.

“Blood was coming out of its nose. It was dying,” Chad Crisp said. “It caught a second wind and fought the dogs down into the lake.”

He followed the dogs as they fought the bear because he knew if the bear got ahold of them it could kill them. Some of the dogs were young and still being trained at only six months old.

The men had run out of bullets, but Webb suddenly remembered he had a pistol in his backpack.

“I said, ‘Davey, you gotta run in there. You gotta stick the gun to the bear and put it out of its misery,” Chad Crisp recalled.

Chad Crisp was holding back the dogs to keep them out of the line of fire as Webb prepared to shoot. He missed.

“He tried one more time, and he said, ‘Here, you do it,’ and handed me his gun,” Chad Crisp said. “I ran in there, and I stuck it in the bear’s mouth and killed it.”

He asserts that he had to kill the bear. It

was not a matter of hunting for sport but a matter of safety, as wounded bears are dangerous.

“If it’s got five minutes left of air, them five minutes is real mean on whatever it can get ahold of,” Chad Crisp said.

CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS The hunting story retold by the agents in court documents differs completely from the Crisps, however.

They reported that the hunting trip was planned, according to the factual basis in court filings. Chad Crisp had been using a tracking device to see if a bear had hit the bait site. The device beeped around 9:15 p.m., and the dogs treed the bear a few minutes later.

One agent fired into the tree, shooting below the bear and deliberately missing.

Chad Crisp then took the rifle and shot the bear in the back. He shot it one more time, after which it fell out the tree, but the bear continued to fight despite its wounds, until Webb remembered the pistol in his backpack and Chad used it to finish the bear off.

Chad Crisp asked an agent if he had a place to take the bear because he was concerned his place had too much visibility.

“The (agent) said he did, but he was worried about getting pulled over,” the document reads. “(Chad) said to tell them it was a road kill bear.”

Chad Crisp later said he did not tag the bear because it had been shot out of season.

As part of his plea deal, Chad Crisp pled guilty to killing this bear, although he contends that he merely finished it off when Webb was the one who originally shot it.

U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced him to three years of probation, a $1,000 fine and $2,232 in restitution for this offense.

Chad Crisp also faced state charges for killing a black bear unlawfully. One of those was for taking a cub weighing less than 50 pounds. The other was for exceeding the season bag limit, which is one bear per hunter per season. Both charges came from a November 2011 hunt.

But these charges, and the rest of his 15 state charges, were dismissed — some got moved to federal court while others were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Over time, Chad introduced Webb and Arnold to the other men he hunted with.

The agents befriended them as well, and they too ended up with charges before it was all over.

On one hunt with Mitchell Jenkins and Tommy Queen, undercover agents witnessed Queen killing a momma bear that had two cubs in tow — which is illegal. Queen hauled the bear back to the Crisps’ boat dock, where Chad Crisp helped him unload and put it in Queen’s truck. Chad Crisp and Jenkins were charged as accessories.

David Crisp also ended up with charges as an accessory for shuttling hunters and the bears they’d shot illegally about the lake — even though he didn’t hunt himself.

“I know my husband is the safest bear hunter in the woods,” Linda Crisp said. “The bears are real safe around him. He’s never killed one.”

That wasn’t the only problem David Crisp faced for shuttling others about the lake. David Crisp ended up with charges related to the illegal harvest of ginseng after taking Arnold and Chad across the lake for a camping trip in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where they proceeded to dig ginseng.

David Crisp had taken his son and Arnold, the undercover agent, across the lake for an overnight camping trip in the park. While there, they illegally dug up 12 ginseng plants, according to court filings. The next day, they got a ride back across the lake from someone else.

Both David and Chad Crisp were charged for this event. Chad Crisp’s charge was later dismissed as part of his plea bargain. David Crisp went to trial for the charge and was found not guilty.

“I never got out of the boat, so they had to drop that,” David Crisp said.

THE ARREST

The close-out phase of the operation began at the end of 2012. Armed with search and arrest warrants against all the hunters they’d racked up charges against, a multiagency team of officers from multiple states fanned out across the mountains to make all the arrests in February 2013.

Chad Crisp didn’t know how to explain what it was like when agents stormed his house. He was not completely caught offguard. He had been on the phone with a friend who had driven past the home of another hunter charged in the operation and seen officers there.

Rachelle Crisp, however, had no idea what was coming. Officers arrived at her home

Chad Crisp stands with his wife, Rachelle Crisp, and their two children — Lauden, 7, and Maddie, 6. Katie Reeder photo

In Outdoors: What’s legal and what’s ethical in hunting has evolved dramatically over the last century. Today’s hunters may be steeped in heritage, but most have adapted to the modern stewardship philosophy that guides hunting rules. The N.C. Wildlife Commission now fears the bear population is growing too much.

See an article in the Outdoors section on page 34 that explores that issue, plus the shifting landscape of hunting bear with bait.

GOING TO THE MAT That’s what ultimately led Linda Crisp to spring to action and start speaking out about the operation.

“We had been quiet on this for 10 months. We hadn’t said anything, just kind of waiting to see what was going to happen,”

Smoky Mountain News

school night for the children.

“Just trying to get them to sleep knowing their daddy was going to jail … My son asked me. ‘Mommy, are they gonna come take you away too?” Rachelle Crisp recalled.

Both children are wary of law enforcement officers now, Chad Crisp said. They are always alert him when one is near them.

Maddie, the youngest, does not remember much of these events, but the family has seen an impact on the older one, Lauden.

“The cops pushed in our home and took my mom and dad away,” Lauden wrote in a personal account of his experience. “Me and sissy were scared. The cops had big guns pointed at us. The cops wouldn’t let us see our mommy. We hid under blankets.”

Lauden broke down one November morning on the way to school. David and Chad Crisp had a court date that day, and he was afraid he would never see them again. His mother was walking him into school but ended up taking him home because he was so distressed. She said he did not calm down until he saw his father return home that evening.

The bulk of Chad Crisp’s 20-month sentence comes from a single hunt. On Dec. 3, 2010, Chad Crisp and two agents went on a night hunt, which is illegal unless hunting for raccoons, opossum, feral swine or coyotes.

Agents’ reports indicate they were hunting for bear.

The agents arrived at the Crisp home at 9 p.m. The men loaded guns and dogs into a truck and drove into the Nantahala National Forest, where they released the dogs.

Although they were primarily looking for bears, Chad Crisp instructed one agent to load the shotgun and shoot a deer if he saw one.

But they didn’t. They did not kill anything that night and came home empty-handed after several hours.

Chad Crisp pled guilty to all three charges that came as a result of this hunt. Those charges were hunting bear at night during closed season, hunting deer at night and hunting deer with the aid and use of light.

But Chad Crisp questioned the validity of the spotlighting charge, which was merely a result of driving with his truck headlines on.

“When we swooped our headlights and turned around, they got us for spotlighting,” he said.

Chad Crisp received another five months for hunting without a license — bringing his total sentence time to 20 months.

He emphasized that his pleading guilty to these offenses does not mean he actually committed them. He said the only valid charge against him was that of hunting without a license.

He told his mother he did not want to plead to any of the charges, but he felt that was his best option.

“Here I am in court that day and I said, ‘Lord, I don’t know what to do,’” he said. “I just prayed, ‘Your will be done.’ It felt like I should take the plea.”

Charges of baiting a bear and other miscellany had been dropped in exchange.

“A lot of people will plead guilty to things they never did in order to prevent having to take the risk of punishment that would be far greater…” said Rusty McLean, David Crisp’s lawyer. “There are innocent people pleading guilty to things they didn’t do, and there are guilty people who get a pretty sweet deal.”

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

around 5 p.m. with a search warrant. She estimated 26 to 28 officers were at their home while a helicopter hovered over the house.

She was home with her children, who were 3 and 4 years old at the time, when officers handcuffed her and took her outside after she entered the room to see what was going on.

“It was freezing cold outside, and they put me outside and shoved me up against the wall by force, not gently,” she said.

Although he did not know the specific number of officers who participated in the arrests, Colonel Jon Evans with the Wildlife Resource Commission said many reports he has heard have been inflated. He noted, however, that those whose homes were being searched were probably not able to absorb what was going on accurately.

“If someone was having a search warrant served on their home, I wouldn’t expect them to sit there and document every officer,” he said.

Critics of the arrest and search process have likened the officers’ conduct to that of a SWAT team.

“We don’t have shield. We don’t have SWAT teams. We are officers,” Evans countered. “We serve a search warrant in the manner we believe is the safest.”

David Crisp was also at the house. He was in the living room with his grandchildren when officers came in, handcuffed him and led him outside.

“Them kids are scared to death,” he said to the officers. “Can’t you let their momma go back in?”

After officers searched her, Rachelle Crisp was allowed to go back inside with her children. Officers agreed to release her from the handcuffs as long as she would stay seated on the couch.

“You’re not gonna take me in there with these handcuffs on,” she told the officers. “I have done nothing wrong. I am not gonna go in there with these handcuffs on in front of my babies and terrify them more.”

The family guessed officers kept David outside for an additional 45 minutes after letting Rachelle Crisp return inside to be with her children.

The officers left around midnight. It was a

HEAPING ON THE PRISON TIME

SHOCKED BY THE SENTENCE None of the Crisps were prepared for the sentence Chad Crisp received, however. Chad felt like he would have fared better before a jury, but instead his case would be up to a single judge who had been dishing out jail time to some of the other hunters.

“I told him, ‘Judge, I’ve got two kids and wife that depend on me and a business, and I can’t be away from it,’” he said.

Chad Crisp offered to pay a fine of $10,000, give up his hunting license for five years, stay off the parks for five years and do six months in prison.

“Don’t cut yourself short yet,” Judge Dennis Howell told him, Chad recalled.

And then came the 20-month sentence.

“I was expecting time, but man when he come back out there nobody was expecting what he gave,” Chad Crisp said. “It blowed all of our minds. I couldn’t believe it.”

By contrast, a different federal judge had handed down Crisp’s sentence for killing a bear out of season — the hunt where he finished off the wounded bear initially shot by Webb — and only gave him probation and hefty fines.

Yet for these offenses, in which Chad hadn’t actually shot anything, he got 20 months.

The family has not accepted the sentence without a fight. Although his imprisonment began on July 23, the sentencing is currently on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

The plea agreement contained a provision that Chad Crisp would waive his right to appeal unless the appeal was based on how the case was presented, which is the grounds he and his lawyer, Eric Stiles, are appealing the sentence on.

Linda Crisp sees the decision to send him so far from home for so long as a form of retaliation for an investigation that went sour for the wildlife agencies.

“Had we not said anything, they might not have been so hard on him,” she said.

She fears that being away from work at the boat dock for so long will cause his wife and children to lose the new house they had just made a down payment on in March. The family needed more space, and the children were excited to have their own rooms.

“My grandson told me, ‘Nana, now I have my own bedroom,’” she said.

David Crisp, however, told his daughterin-law he would still send her Chad’s paycheck to help support the family.

But Linda also worries about how her husband will man the boat dock on his own, especially between November and January when the waterline is lower, and he is responsible for moving about 80 houseboats.

“It’s bitter cold on that lake, and my husband has had two heart attacks,” she said.

“That’s why my son does all the pulling and lifting.”

Linda Crisp said she hopes that as a result of this struggle, there will be a new law that gives people the right to a jury trial and not let decisions hinge on the whims of a single magistrate judge.

“We have stood up and told the truth from day one,” she said. “And we will continue to tell it because we intended for our voices to be heard on this.”

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Linda Crisp said. “And then when that happened that morning, I told Rachelle I said, ‘I’ve had enough. I’m getting ready to go for their throats.’”

It wasn’t hard for Linda to rally the hunting community to speak out about what had happened. They were eager to share their own version of what happened, and it was a different version than what wildlife officers had portrayed in newspaper headlines.

Linda Crisp organized a huge public forum in January 2014, renting out the Swain County High School auditorium and filling it with more than 200 people who listened as hunters spoke about how they felt they had been treated unfairly.

By year’s end, the N.C. General Assembly held a field hearing where hunters, family members and lawyers spoke about the event.

news

Forward together?

Leaders plot the future of domestic violence advocacy in Jackson

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER t’s been two-and-a-half years since cash flow problems forced Jackson County’s domestic violence and sexual abuse resource center to close its doors, and REACH of Jackson County has remained a dead organization ever since.

Awareness of the need for such resources in Jackson County, however, has not. After the Jackson County organization closed down, REACH of Macon County — “Resources, Education, Assistance, Counseling and Housing,” the nonprofit’s five main functions — jumped in as a stopgap to make sure domestic violence victims in Jackson County had somewhere to turn.

“We’ve definitely seen our numbers continue to grow in Jackson County for the clients served,” said Andrea Anderson, executive director of REACH of Macon County.

“I think part of it is initially there was some confusion after the other agency had to close down.”

Now, about a third of Macon’s clients are from Jackson County, and REACH is hoping that a recently opened office in Sylva, use

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

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donated by the county, will further increase accessibility.

But the overall future of domestic violence resources in Jackson County is uncertain. The core question is whether the Macon organization will continue to expand its service in Jackson County or if Jackson will start its own organization.

STRETCHED RESOURCES The Jackson County Domestic Violence Task Force is working to find an answer. The group formed immediately after REACH of Jackson went dark to chart the future of domestic violence assistance in the county and is hoping to settle on a permanent direction — expand services through REACH of Macon or launch a new nonprofit — by the beginning of 2016.

“I have no qualms or problems with the effort and quality of service that REACH of Macon County is providing,” said Bob Cochran, director of Jackson County’s department social services and an instrumental founding member of the task force.

“It’s just a matter of stretched resources between two counties.”

REACH of Macon is based in Franklin.

Its employees work out of that office, and that’s where its shelter is located. While the new office in Sylva is a big step forward, everyone agrees it’s not enough to supply

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REACH’s recently opened Sylva office is located on Ridgeway Street, just behind the library.

Donated photo

By the numbers In fiscal year 2014, about one-third of REACH of Macon County’s services went to Jackson County residents, a share that Executive Director Andrea Anderson expects to see increase as more people learn what services are offered and how to access them. ..................................JACKSON ......MACON Individuals served .........270 .............628 Afterhours hotline calls...................307 .............622 Family groups using the shelter ............39................84 Nights of shelter provided .......................1,290 ..........2,037 the need. Advocates are always available by appointment, but the office’s only guaranteed hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Compared to Macon’s, the Jackson volunteer force is small.

“What we have is an agency that is primarily located in one county and comes over to a second county and provides services,” said Marilyn Chamberlain, a board member and anthropology and sociology professor at Western Carolina University who has studied domestic violence issues extensively. “There is not one person overseeing this county yet. So there isn’t a person that eight hours a day, all they do is Jackson County.”

That boils down to a funding issue.

Hiring professional staff is expensive, so while there are multiple staff members at REACH who do some work in Jackson County, there’s no single person whose work is focused solely on that county. Which brings the conversation back full circle: is the best way for Jackson County to have that kind of focused service to start its own

REACH agency or to team up with Macon for the long term?

GATHERING COMMUNITY INPUT For the task force, the first step in answering that question was to find out what the community wants, as they’ll be the ones giving time, money and support to whatever organization winds up shouldering the load. So far, they’ve got about 400 responses to a survey distributed to workers at some of the county’s biggest employers.

“Overwhelmingly, the respondents would like to have an agency in Jackson County that’s devoted to Jackson County,” said Chamberlain, who designed the survey.

“They are also quite supportive. At least a third of the respondents at this point indicated that they’re willing to help in some way, whether that’s volunteering or educating people or fundraising.”

That’s good news, because next to money, volunteer support will be the most important ingredient to building a successful agency. The new office in Sylva could prove a good test run as to whether Jackson residents will carry out the intentions scribbled on their survey forms.

“The use of that facility needs to be increased for people in Jackson County, by people in Jackson County,” Chamberlain said. “We are to some extent still relying on Macon County to run and spearhead all of this.”

Though its hours are limited, the office provides all the services REACH offers in Macon County — except for a shelter.

Victims can get help with safety planning, crisis intervention, court processes and finding educational opportunities. They can also get help finding work, housing and daycare.

The crisis hotline is always open.

But for victims who need a safe place to stay, driving to Franklin is still the only option. That can be a prob-

F

LOOKING TOWARD THE LONG TERM

If Jackson County is ever to regain comprehensive service for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, volunteers and supporters will have to step up to make it happen. Consider one of these ways to pitch in: • Become an advocate. REACH of Macon County will hold a two-day volunteer training 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, July 31, and Friday, Aug. 7, at the Jackson County Public Library. The training will prepare volunteers to work with clients in Jackson County. RSVPs are requested.

• Help make a home. REACH just broke ground on a new shelter in Franklin, expected to be open in the early months of 2016. They’ll be looking for plenty of donations as the months unfold to furnish the shelter and add some homey touches. Donations are also needed to keep day-to-day supplies on hand. A current wish list is on the left sidebar of REACH’s website.

• Give money. Financial contributions are always appreciated, and stay tuned for a dine-out fundraiser planned for October, when Jackson County restaurants will donate a portion of all sales on a given night to REACH. • Serve on the task force. The Jackson County Domestic Violence Task Force is largely composed of agency directors with heavy responsibilities outside of task force meetings. People with a passion for helping domestic violence victims and time to do so are needed. www.reachofmaconcounty.org or 828.369.5544.

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Smoky Mountain News

for Battered Women used to serve two counties, but the partnership broke up in 2001.

Same for REACH in Cherokee and Clay counties, which used to operate as a single organization but are now separate entities.

Watauga and Avery counties do have a joint domestic violence agency, but Cochran said his research indicates it might not be going that well.

“My understanding is that Avery is still struggling and Watauga is carrying the lions’ share of the responsibly, so that does not bode well,” he said.

The task force hasn’t ruled out the option of a joint agency, Cochran said, but he can see the potential for trouble. And of course, it wouldn’t be completely Jackson’s choice to make.

“A lot of it will be REACH of Macon County’s board and how they feel about that long-term,” Cochran said.

According to Anderson, feedback from Jackson County is likely to inform the answer to that question.

“We don’t necessarily have a hard line about ‘No, we would not continue long term providing services’ nor do we have a hard line of ‘Yes, we want to continue,’” she said. “It’s more about what the community wants.”

MICROBREWERY • TAPROOM • RETAIL • PARTY ROOM RENTAL

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

So back to the question. Should Jackson County break off and start its own organization, or should REACH of Macon expand to more completely serve the two counties?

“We just are beginning to figure out which is the best, most easily funded and the path that allows services to be provided continuously,” Chamberlain said.

Each option has its challenges.

“The one is a matter of creating a structure that’s not yet there, and the other is recreating the structure that is there because that structure would have to make some changes to accommodate a second county,” Chamberlain said.

Structure and funding go hand-in-hand.

REACH of Macon County has a legacy and a structure in place through which to direct the funds it receives. If Jackson started its own organization, it would have the challenge of finding funding while simultaneously building the structure and the networks to provide the services. And Macon County would have to reconfigure its own budget, because in addition to saving on the cost of serving Jackson, it would lose the state funding it’s currently receiving for services offered to Jackson as well as other funding streams, like the $50,000 the Jackson County budget allocates to the organization.

On the other hand, the region could lose state dollars if the two counties joined forces.

“If you have a multi-county operation, you get significantly less than you would for two counties because they assume there will be efficiencies,” Cochran said, “and there should be, but they shouldn’t punish counties for having efficiencies.”

Part of the task force’s work will involve looking for successful examples of multicounty partnerships.

So far, Cochran said, that search is coming up short. The Orange-Durham Coalition

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lem, especially for women who have jobs, have children who are in school or don’t have a car.

“I was dealing with a woman back in December who was in a domestic violence situation and had employment here (in Jackson County) and really needed that employment to keep her head above water,” Cochran said, “but the only option was for her to go over to Franklin, and she chose not to.”

Instead, she stayed with her son’s girlfriend, a “compromised” situation that was essentially sofa surfing, Cochran said.

“I think we just have had better accommodations in the past, and that’s what we are trying to regain for the future,” he said.

REACH of Macon tries to help where it can. The organization has applied for a small grant to pay for motel rooms to accommodate Jackson County women when the Franklin shelter is full, and it refers clients to the Swain and Haywood shelters when that seems a better option. But the fact is, Anderson said, “We definitely don’t get enough funding to fully fund the need in Jackson County.”

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Filling the void Macon Health to offer primary care to limited number of residents

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR new program will enable a limited number of Macon County residents to seek primary medical care at the health department beginning this fall.

According to Jimmy Villiard, personal health section administrator for the health department, the health department is trying to fill the need for more primary physicians in the region by offering this new program for Macon County residents who qualify.

“Even though we will be limited to the number of clients we can accept into these services, we hope to improve the number of Macon County residents that are able to establish a medical home,” Villiard said.

Those who meet the following criteria are eligible to receive primary medical services at the health department: women of childbearing age without a primary medical home, uncomplicated primary care patients and Macon Citizen Habilities patients.

Villiard said the program would initially be able to accept about 200 patients and a majority of them will be between the ages of

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

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21 and 59. The age restrictions don’t apply to family planning patients, MCH patients and those enrolled in the county’s insurance plan who are 21 or older.

When the program is ready to launch, patients will complete application paperwork and be screened to ensure that their current health conditions are within the scope of services that can be offered at the health department. Villiard said patients with longterm chronic pain management issues would not be able to enroll due to the complexity of proper management.

The new program will also help cut health care costs by keeping patients from unnecessarily going to the emergency room for care.

“Many residents that are unable to receive services in a timely manner end up in emergency rooms, costing the community valuable health care dollars,” Villiard said. “Our goal is to help manage these patients and their health conditions resulting in better long term health outcomes.”

The health department isn’t trying to compete with private primary care facilities in the area, but a majority of local primary care physicians aren’t able to take on any more patients right now. Villiard said the new program fits into the health department’s current mission to link people to needed personal health services and ensure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.

emergency room visits and hospital care.”

Villiard said the program would hopefully be self-sustained by the revenue it generates because the health department will be using existing health department staff. The current physician on staff will ideally spend about 40 percent of his time with primary care patients while a staff nurse practitioner will spend about 20 percent of his or her time with the new patients.

“The actual cost of the program is hard to determine,” he The new program will also help said. “We will be limiting the number of patients enrolled to cut health care costs by keeping not negatively impact other patients from unnecessarily going health department services.”

Services will be offered to the emergency room for care.

Monday through Friday during normal health department hours, He said many people with health insur- but patients will need to make an appointance are currently unable to find a physician ment. Primary care is the day-to-day health who is able to take on new patients. Even if care given by a health care provider who is they can find a doctor taking new patients, often the first contact for patients. Primary they might have to drive an hour to get there. care physicians and staff coordinate other speDriving that far can also prevent people from cialist care that the patient may need. going to see a doctor when they need to, “The primary care services will address a which can lead to more serious medical issues. wide variety of illnesses — acute medical ill“Macon County Public Health is trying to nesses such as common colds, sinus infechelp fill a need in the community,” Villiard tions, stomach problems and skin rashes for said. “Primary health care results in better example — but also more chronic health health outcomes, reduced health disparities problems like acne, asthma, high blood presand lower spending, including on avoidable sure and allergies,” Villiard said.

R

for the people of Western North Carolina and someone who actually represents their interest will return me to Washington, D.C., for a third term,” Meadows said in response to Bryson’s announcement.

Meadows added that he looks forward to the coming months when he and the people of Western North Carolina get to know Bryson.

“I certainly applaud anyone who is willing to put their time, talent and resources to work for the public benefit,” he said. “Swain County has a rich history of great public servants, many of whom I call my friends.”

If elected to Congress, Bryson said he would push for a major new industrial complex in the district that would incubate clean

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industries in fields like biomedicine, solar energy, recreation and agribusinesses. He said sites could be spread all across the district and all manufacturing would have to be done in the U.S. “But the best news is that it would enable the kids that we send off to get educated to have a place where they could earn a satisfying living and enable their own children to grow up with a mountain experience,” he said.

Bryson said his plan got a positive reception at the Democratic selection committee meeting recently in Asheville. While it’s still early in the game for 2016 election, Bryson said he is working on putting his campaign team together and looks forward to getting out in the district to talk to people face-to-face.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR ick Bryson, a current alderman in Bryson City, has his eyes on Washington, D.C., as he plans a run to represent North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.

With roots firmly planted in Western North Carolina, Bryson feels he is best qualified to be a voice for its people. Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has represented the district since being elected in 2013, but Bryson — who will be running as a Democrat — thinks he can do better.

“The N.C. 11th District has been poorly served during Meadows’ four years in office.

He is, at best, ineffective; at worst, an expense we cannot afford,” Bryson said.

Bryson was born in Franklin and his family moved back to Bryson City when he was still a baby. Bryson City was named after his great-grandfather, T.D. Bryson, who was a colonel in the Confederate Army and the first representative to the General Assembly.

“His son, T.D II, was a Superior Court judge, my dad, the third T.D., was mayor here, Solicitor (D.A. now), Superior Court judge and candidate for Congress in 1960,” Bryson said. “So, you might say that I was born and bred to politics.”

After a long career as an industrial public relations writer in Cleveland, Ohio, Bryson, now 71, moved back to his hometown of Bryson City to serve his community. While he was unsuccessful at securing a spot on the Swain County school board, he was elected to the town board of aldermen in 2013. He said his record on the board shows that he can get things done.

For example, Bryson said he helped push through a major upgrade to the town’s water system.

“We were losing 50 percent of the water we pumped, but new digital meters cut our losses down to 20 percent and falling,” he said.

He has also led the charge to get Bryson City named as the newest “Trout City,” by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which he sees a great opportunity to improve tourism and economic development. Lastly, Bryson said he’s led a statewide fight to keep the N.C. General Assembly from changing the formula for how sales tax is distributed. If the formula is changed, the town stands to lose a large amount of revenue, which could result in property tax increases for residents.

On the other hand, Bryson said Meadows had a major hand in the government shutdown that cost his district $23 million in lost wages and revenue. He says Meadows record for job creation in the region is dismal and that he’s done nothing to recover the money owed to Swain County by the federal government for the Road to Nowhere agreement.

“I am hopeful my record of being a voice

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR s a public entity receiving public dollars, Shining Rock Classical Academy — Haywood County’s first charter school — is required to follow the state’s Public Records and Open Meetings laws.

These state laws are supposed to keep government proceedings open to the public and hold officials accountable for their actions, but many open government experts say the Shining Rock charter school board has violated the law by voting to buy property for the school without disclosing what property they were buying.

“When you take on the responsibility of taking over public business on the public dime, you have to be accountable to the taxpayers,” said Jonathan Jones, director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition.

“Charter schools are taking on the responsibility of educating students in lieu of the local school board, so they have to have the same accountability.”

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GETTING OFF THE GROUND

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Shining Rock off to rocky start

Establishing a charter school within a two-year period has been a major undertaking, especially for a small group of parents working as unpaid volunteers.

One of the major hurdles for a start-up charter schools is finding a suitable school building or a piece of property to build one on. Shining Rock had initially chosen to lease property on Ratcliffe Cove in Waynesville and bring in modular classrooms, with the longterm goal of constructing a school.

But that site fell through due to higherthan-expected costs and delays in getting the site ready. With only two months until the school is supposed to start classes, the board searched for a temporary location and ultimately secured a lease on a building at Lake Junaluska Assembly.

Keilberg said the board meanwhile continued to search for a permanent home.

DONE DEAL WITHOUT PUBLIC INPUT On July 3, the charter school board held a closed session meeting to discuss property acquisition, then emerged from closed session and openly voted to buy land.

Specifically, the board voted to authorize Keilberg to “execute a contract for the purchase of certain real estate,” subject to the terms of negotiation discussed in closed session. That vote made the purchase a done

deal without ever saying where the property was located.

The charter school board refused to reveal the location of the property, even after voting to buy it, stating that the sale wasn’t final until the contract was actually signed. The location of the property — a 35-acre field at the corner of Raccoon Road and U.S. 276 — wasn’t announced until a week later.

Refusing to disclose the property location is a violation of the N.C. Open Meetings Law, according to Mike Tadych, a media law expert and attorney for the N.C. Press Association with Stevens Martin Vaughn & Tadych in Raleigh.

The Open Meetings law specifically “prohibits members of a public body from acting by reference,” Tadych said, citing state statute 143-318.13(c). But that is exactly what the SRCA board did when it voted to approve the purchase.

Haywood County Commissioner Chairman Mark Swanger — who is also a former chairman of the Haywood County School Board — said public bodies can’t vote on something without saying what it is they are voting on. The property must be identified at the time the board votes to buy it, not after the ink is dry some days later, he said.

“You have to identify what you are voting on, period,” Swanger said. “Before we purchase any property there has to be an open vote where the property is identified.”

Chip Killian, the Haywood County commissioners’ attorney for over 40 years, is the longest serving county attorney in the state.

“If I was their lawyer I would tell them they should reveal the name of the owners and property that they were making an offer to buy,” Killian said.

Keilberg argued that disclosing the property they had voted to purchase might prompt someone else to come along and try to buy the same site, potentially out-bidding them and thwarting their deal.

“That is always a possibility, but I don’t know that that gives them the right to conceal the property they are proposing to buy,” Killian said.

The charter school will receive public tax dollars from the county and state, and those tax dollars will ultimately be used to fund the property purchase — thus requiring the charter school board to act as a public body and follow the same open meetings laws.

“I would expect transparency. Those are my tax dollars as well as everybody else’s,” Swanger said.

Despite several attempts by the newspaper to bring the charter school board around, Keilberg maintained they could keep the location secret until the contract was signed, despite having already voted to buy it.

Keilberg feared if word got out what site they were buying, someone else might slip in with a higher offer and buy it out from under them, she explained.

“If you printed our location it

CART BEFORE THE HORSE

The Open Meetings law clearly required the charter school board to identify what property they voted to buy.

But even before reaching that point, the board should have disclosed what property it was talking about in closed session, according to Frayda Bluestein, a professor of Public Law and Government at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

She said the 2002 case of Boney Publishers v. Burlington City Council found that, “if requested, the board must disclose the property’s current owner, the location of the property, and the use to which the board intends to put on the property before they

Tara Keilberg, chairwoman of Shining Rock Classical Academy board, signs a contract to purchase 35 acres for a permanent charter school facility. Donated photo meet in closed session.”

Prior to officially buying a piece of property, the board met twice in closed session to discuss possible locations. Keilberg was asked numerous times to disclose what property was being considered in closed session.

However, Keilberg said the board was not required to do this, since multiple pieces of property were all being considered. She said several sites were considered, including locations in Canton, Hazelwood and Maggie Valley.

Even when given several examples of the requirement to disclose what property they were discussing in closed session, Keilberg still refused to release it, stating that disclosing the site would “frustrate contract negotia-

tions.” She said the board consulted a number of attorneys on the matter.

“All are considered experts in open meetings laws, and all without reservation back our position,” Keilberg said in an email.

One of those was Richard Vinroot, an attorney from Charlotte who has made three unsuccessful runs for governor.

“We aren’t going to give you what you are asking for,” Vinroot said when asked to explain his rationale. “They asked me if they needed to provide that and I told them ‘no.’”

Vinroot was unwilling to discuss the issue, or talk about ways to resolve the impasse.

“What is it about no you don’t understand?” Vinroot said. “I told you what my client’s position is. I don’t need to belabor it.

I don’t need to convince you. I only need to convince my client that they are right. Write whatever you want to.”

Vinroot said the charter school was exempt from the requirement to disclose property under consideration because there was more than one tract in play, claiming they had a loophole under the Burlington city council case.

For the record, the newspaper won that case, forcing the city council to identify what property it was discussing in closed session.

But Vinroot claimed it didn’t apply if multiple tracts were being talked about.

Mike Tadych, an attorney for the N.C. Press Association, patently disagreed.

The only legal precedent that came out of that Court of Appeals ruling was that public bodies must disclose what property they are talking about in closed session, he said.

By comparison, the Haywood County school board has been considering several pieces of property for a new central office, and all of the sites being talked about have been made public.

“We have examined at least a dozen sites and examined the pros and cons of each site.

Those are detailed in our buildings and grounds minutes,” said Bill Nolte, the assistant superintendent for Haywood County Schools.

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would needlessly frustrate our ability to negotiate any contract,” Keilberg wrote in a July 7 email. “Once an offer becomes a contract, we are more than willing to disclose location.”

The problem is, once a contract is signed, it’s too late for the public to offer feedback on the school site before it’s a done deal. If the Haywood County school board voted to buy a piece of property to build a new school or if the county commissioners voted to buy a piece of property to build a new landfill — the public has a right to know about it before a contract is signed.

“If someone else had a piece of property suiting the public body’s needs and for a bet—ter price, they would be excluded from coming forward because they wouldn’t have access to that information until it’s too late,” Tadych said.

POSSIBLE REPERCUSSIONS Jones said violations of the Open Meetings and Public Records laws — whether it’s improperly noticed meetings or an improper closed meeting — could result in a challenge from any citizen or organization.

“If they don’t follow procedure or exceed the exceptions, any decision they make could be undone by a Superior Court judge,” Jones said. “That can happen with a property purchase if someone would challenge the way they did it.”

If found in violation, the board could also be responsible for paying court costs for whoever sued them.

Tadych agreed.

“In my opinion, the vote was authorization to purchase the property but was improperly done, given that it was done by reference impermissibly. Thus, the authorization is subject to challenge and potentially being nullified pursuant to G.S. §143318.16A,” Tadych said.

— Staff writer Becky Johnson contributed to this story

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Shining Rock leaders say transparency is goal

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER hining Rock Classical Academy, a new charter school opening in Haywood County next month, will pull in more than $2 million in state and county tax dollars its first year if the current enrollment of around 230 students holds.

Public funding comes with strings, however.

Charter school boards are supposed to operate under the same criteria for transparency and open meetings that apply to pubic school boards.

But as a start-up, Shining Rock has yet to fully embrace best practices for open meetings and public record access, and in some cases the charter school has had to correct non-compliance with the N.C. Open Meetings and Public Records law.

“It has been, and will continue to be, our goal to be transparent,” said Tara Keilberg, the chair of Shining Rock’s school board.

The Haywood County school board is currently more transparent and open than the board of Shining Rock, however.

Here’s some best practices in open government that the Haywood County school board follows that the charter school board has not yet adopted: • Puts videos of its school board meetings on YouTube and plays them on the local government TV channel on Charter.

• Posts agendas for upcoming meetings online so parents and the public can see what is going to be discussed.

• Emails agendas for upcoming meetings directly to news media so reporters have a heads up if something newsworthy is on tap.

• Keeps minutes of meetings that provide a detailed and realistic picture of the board’s discussion on issues.

• Holds a public hearing to gather input on its proposed school budget, and makes the budget available to the public prior to being passed by board.

School director Ben Butler said Shining Rock hopes to incorporate more best practices for open meetings going forward.

“We’re trying to put into place all meeting best practices. We are a work in progress,” Butler said.

For example, sharing agendas for board meetings so the public and parents know what topics will be discussed is “a good idea moving forward,” board chair Tara Keilberg said in an email.

No one from the public has ever spoken during the designated public comment period at the charter school’s board meetings.

“I wish they would,” Keilberg said.

But since agendas for meetings aren’t posted or made available to parents or members of the public, it’s unclear how they would know the meetings have a public comment period.

Charter schools also aren’t required to 16 have public hearings on their budgets, but

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

S

posting its budget on its website “may be something we choose to do in the future,” Keilberg said.

This year, Shining Rock’s budget has been continually evolving as the school honed in on what its enrollment would be, which in turn determines funding. As a result, the final budget was being crafted right up until when the board approved it, allowing little time for the public to review it in advance.

“As a start-up, it’s difficult to determine budget until we get closer to knowing actual enrollment and need,” Keilberg said.

Since June, The Smoky Mountain News informed Keilberg and Butler of several instances when the board’s actions have been in violation of the state Open Meeting requirements: • Providing 48 hours of notice to media outlets of special called meetings if those media outlets request to be notified. The N.C. Open Meetings law requires public bodies to announce when they will be meeting by posting them online and on the door of their board room.

“We have always abided by this rule,” Keilberg said.

But the law also requires public bodies to directly notify any party of a special-called meeting that has requested such notification.

The requirement ensures public bodies aren’t meeting under the radar.

The Smoky Mountain News formally requested to be placed on a sunshine list for notification of special called meetings in January, but that didn’t happen. The Smoky Mountain News renewed its request in June.

Since then, school officials have notified the paper of four special called meetings, but have routinely been shy of the required 48hour window.

• Keeping minutes of committee meetings.

The Smoky Mountain News has requested minutes and agendas of committee meetings held by the board since March, but has not received any. The board is required to keep minutes of its committee meetings, since the discussions held by committees influenced decisions made by the full board.

“Committee meetings are public meetings, and minutes from committee meetings are public record,” said Darrell Johnson, a consultant with the N.C. Office of Charter Schools in the area of board governance.

The charter school board didn’t officially become a public body until June, so it technically wasn’t required to keep minutes of committee meetings prior to that.

“We did not begin keeping committee meeting minutes until after our charter was approved on June 8. I apologize that no notes are available,” Butler said in an email.

Since then, there has only been one committee meeting.

“We did not take minutes at that meeting.

We have admitted that we were in error about

this,” Keilberg said in an email.

Keilberg said minutes will be kept at all committee meetings going forward.

A schedule of when standing committees meet has not been provided, but Keilberg said they would provide notice of upcoming committee meetings as they arise.

The charter school board’s handbook runs counter to the N.C. Open Meeting law when it comes to committee meetings. The board’s handbook says transparency of committee meetings is merely a “best practice,” but claims committees aren’t subject to open meetings requirements.

That doesn’t square with state law, however. Despite what the board’s handbook says, Keilberg said the board is aware of the problem.

In one area the newspaper has reached an impasse with Shining Rock on open meeting requirements, namely on the school board’s refusal to disclose property it is considering buying and property it has voted to purchase (see related article).

ies from the beginning.

“That is encouraged early on in the initial stages of writing their application,” Townsend-Smith said.

MAKING THE GRADE

Starting a new charter school can seem like an insurmountable feat. But staying open can also be a challenge. Nearly one in five charter schools that has opened in North Carolina has closed down.

The state historically capped the number of charter schools at 100. But that cap was lifted in 2011 after Republicans won the majority in Raleigh.

It led to a surge of new charter schools — 55 have come online since then. Another 15 are slated to open this August, bringing the total to just over 160 charter schools statewide.

Charter schools can’t open without permission from the state, however, and it’s not easy. The majority who apply are turned down. They have to demonstrate student a sound business model and a qualRONS IN THE FIRE demand, ity curriculum, among other things.

In reality, start-up charter school boards There were 71 prospective charter schools have an extensive to-do list in the year before in the running the year Shining Rock applied, they open. They are hiring teachers, recruit- and only 11 made the cut. ing students, readying a school building, But charter schools have also closed: 42 crafting a budget, buying desks and comput- have closed over the years, mostly due to ers, crunching enrollment numbers. financial struggles, with two more likely closLearning the nuances of N.C. Open ing next month. Another half dozen failed to Meeting and Public Records laws could easily open at the last minute. rank low among the priorities.

Hoping to reverse that trend, the state And for a group of parents and communi- implemented new protocols for start-up charty members who are passionate about educa- ter schools, including a mandatory one-year tion, the governance side doesn’t always planning period with benchmarks that are supposed to be met along the way.

Ideally the ready-to-open process “Committee meetings are would stop schools from opening that aren’t really equipped, rather than seepublic meetings, and minutes ing them open and struggle.

But it all depends on whether the from committee meetings are individual board uses the evaluation public record.” checklist as a tool.

“As with anything, it is how those — Darrell Johnson, N.C. Office boards internalize and tend to value that of Charter Schools consultant information,” Smith-Townsend said.

The more robust evaluation during come naturally. It’s not uncommon for new that ready-to-open year includes mandatory charter school boards to have a learning trainings for charter school board members curve on open meeting compliance, accord- and regular communication with a designated ing to Deanna Townsend-Smith, lead consult- liaison at the N.C. Office of Charter Schools. ant with the N.C. Office of Charter Schools.

“I think there has always been accounta“They are a new body, which is why dur- bility, I just think now the state board is more ing that first year we provide them additional intentional in what they expect us to execute support to work out all those issues,” as far as communicating those expectations Townsend-Smith said. to charter schools opening so those benchThe N.C. Office of Charter Schools marks are in place to help set them up for sucrequires charter school boards to attend gov- cess,” Townsend-Smith said. ernance training where they learn what’s The ready-to-open evaluation by the state required as public bodies. is more focused on the nuts and bolts of what “During that preliminary planning year, it will take to get the doors open: ensuring the we do governance training. That training is school hits enrollment targets, that there’s a and was provided. That is just something plan to meet the needs of children with disthey have to follow,” Townsend-Smith said. abilities, that insurance policies are in place, A lot of information is covered and impart- and the like. ed at those trainings, however, she said.

After the school is off and running, a perAlthough Shining Rock technically didn’t formance framework will kick in, which come under the Open Meetings law until June includes best practices for open government, when it was granted final state approval, the Townsend-Smith said.

N.C. Office of Charter Schools recommends — News editor Jessi Stone charter school boards behave like public bodcontributed to this article.

I

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n algal bloom on Waterville Lake in northern parts of Haywood County has tested positive for a toxin with potential to cause skin rashes and affect liver function.

Triggers that are not yet well understood can —cause this type of algae, called Microcystis aeruginosa, to produce a cyanotoxin that can, in large concentrations, harm people and animals.

After biologists with the N.C. Division of Water Resources confirmed the algae’s presence last week, they shipped samples off for testing to determine whether the toxin was present. The results showed a “moderately low” level of toxin in the lake.

“If you were exposed, the chance of health effects such as a rash would be moderately low, meaning not very likely, but precautions are still the same regardless,” said Carmine Rocco, director of the Haywood County Health Department.

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Warm weather causes toxic algae at Waterville Lake

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Smoky Mountain News

Those precautions are to stay out of the water where algae are visible, make sure that nobody ingests the water and immediately rinse any skin coming into contact with the toxin in fresh water.

Children and dogs, both of which tend to enjoy playing in shallow water, are especially vulnerable.

Any person or animal that appears ill after being in the water should seek immediate medical care.

Boating and fishing on Waterville Lake are still OK, however.

In his 10 years with the health department, this is the first time Rocco has dealt with this type of algal bloom. Warm weather statewide has spurred the algae’s growth, with its presence also confirmed in the Albemarle Sound and Chowan River in the eastern part of the state. In addition to cooler weather, heavy rain that causes movement in the water could cause the bloom to diminish, Rocco said.

So far, that’s what appears to be happening.

“We are going out on a daily basis to check on the location of the algae bloom, whether it’s getting larger or smaller,” he said. “At this point it appears to be getting smaller.”

Algae are typically a beneficial part of the ecosystem, supplying food for aquatic animals.

However, algae can become harmful when hot temperatures and calm water combine with nutrientrich waters to produce blooms big enough to produce toxins and consume large amounts of oxygen.

When algae causes especially low oxygen levels in the water, fish kills can result. So far, none have been reported at Waterville Lake.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

An algal mat on Waterville Lake in Haywood County has tested positive for low levels of toxicity. Donated photo

17

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Community Almanac

Haywood County awards grants to local charities

Three grants have been awarded by The Fund for Haywood County, totaling about $7,000.

This fund is an affiliate of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and is a permanent endowment intended to meet the needs of local nonprofits. These awards included a $2,050 grant to Girls on the Run of Western North-Carolina-Haywood-County. As an afterschool program that aims to integrate self-confidence and running for health, the grant will help to sustain and expand their efforts in Haywood County Schools.

“The value of the program is to help young girls gain respect and feel empowered to be the best they can,” said head coach Nicole Foster.

Teams of girls, third to eighth grade, participate and, due to the grant, this is the first year for a team from Meadowbrook Elementary.

Haywood Waterways Association also received $3,360 for the Lake Junaluska greenway project.

This project has plans to slow the erosion of the shoreline in order to maintain the lake for continued use. Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation was granted $1,500 by Haywood County, as well. With the extra funds, Sarge’s — an organization dedicated to the rescue and adoption of pets — will be able to “save several cats and dogs who would otherwise have been left behind out of financial necessity,” said Executive Director Laura Parrott Ivey.

The grant is already showing its fruitfulness in the rescue story of Breezy, “a lovely

• Maple Leaf Adult Day Respite program in Haywood County received a grant from the Evergreen Foundation to enhance its services/facilities and expand nurses hours.

Adult day care and day health services provide support and care for persons with disabilities.

This program is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday. www.evergreenfoundationnc.org or 828.456.9488.

• Nominations for the 2015 Humanitarian Award are being accepted by the Jackson County Branch of NAACP. Nominees can be any person or group in Jackson, Swain or Macon counties that exhibited the courage to take decisive action, the wisdom to face aggressive challenges and the willingness to sacrifice for causes that have a long-term impact on the betterment of the community. Nominations must be received by Aug. 31 and the awards ceremony will be Sept. 27. 828.331.8354 or communications@jacksonncnaacp.org .

• Pet portrait art is being offered to benefit Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation. Artist Sun Sohovich, of Waynesville, will paint 8x10 pet portraits beginning at $150 and is taking requests through the end of August. Contact 423.202.2320 or portraitartbysun@gmail.com.

Contact Sarge’s at 828.246.9050 or www.sargeandfriends.org.

Smoky Mountain News

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Staffordshire terrier who was heartworm positive and now is cured and recovering in the comfort of her foster home.” More animals like Breezy will now have the opportunity to be treated, saved and hopefully adopted.

Grant applications being accepted by NCCF Applications are now being accepted for nonprofit grants from the North Carolina Community Foundation.

• Applications for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Madison counties are available until noon, Aug. 25.

• Applications for Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties are available until noon, Sept. 1.

For applications contact 800.201.9532 or www.nccommunityfoundation.org.

Golf tournament, gala to benefit clinic The 24th Annual Charitable Classic Golf Tournament and Gala will be held Tuesday, Aug. 25, and Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The men’s tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Maggie Valley Club and the ladies’ tournament at 12:30 p.m. at Waynesville Inn Golf Resort. Registration is $150. The evening gala will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and tickets are $65.

For men participating in two tournaments and

• The fifth annual barbeque, hosted by the Hominy Valley United Methodist Men, was held July 6 at Acton United Methodist Church.

Money raised went to support the Hominy Valley Crisis Center.

• A community enhancement project at the Jerry Sutton Public Safety Training Complex in Franklin was completed recently by the students of Southwestern Community College’s Cement Trade at the LBJ Job Corps. The LBJ Job Corps partnership with Southwestern allows students to earn a high school diploma or GED while receiving training for a trade.

ALSO:

• A raffle for Mountain Mediation Services is being held until Aug. 16. Proceeds will help with their programs of mediation services, bullying prevention and conflict resolution trainings. Tickets are $5 each or $12 for three with prizes including a “Myrtle Beach Fall GetAway.” Drawing will be held Aug. 16. www.mountainmediation.org • The third annual “Cops-On-Top” fundraiser, hosted by the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, took place June 26 through 28. Proceeds totaling $21,877 were raised and given to the Special Olympics of North Carolina.

Francis “Jack” James with his wife (right) and Bill Jarrell (left), a local Hospice volunteer, during the pinning ceremony of the “We Honor Veterans” program to recognize him for his years of military service.

Haywood veteran honored at pinning ceremony Francis “Jack” James was recognized on June 26 by the “We Honor Veterans” program for his years of military service.

He served overseas in the Army from 1944 to 1946. This program is a partnership of the Veteran’s Administration and Haywood Regional Medical Center Hospice and serves to honor veterans under Hospice care. The ceremony took place in his home on June 26 and he received a pin, a certificate, and a red, white and blue quilt in appreciation for his service. attending the gala, an individual ticket is $250 (package includes two Gala tickets). Hosted by the Haywood Healthcare Foundation, net proceeds will benefit the Good Samaritan Clinic.

This faith-based organization serves nearly 5,000 adults, ages 18-65, who would otherwise have no health care. Along with providing primary care, mental health services and medica-

tion assistance, the clinic also helps with chronic disease management.

More funding of the Good Samaritan Clinic will go toward helping the clinic continue to serve Haywood County’s uninsured community members.

828.452.8343 or marge.stiles@haymed.org or HaywoodHealthcareFoundation.org.

• The Canton Recreation Commission raised $14,000 in donations for the upgrading of the recreation park playground. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held June 25.

Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Government.

• Supporting MANNA FoodBank’s annual Blue Jean Ball and newest fundraiser Empty Bowls, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort made a donation of $30,000. This organization works to end hunger in Western North Carolina.

• Gold and silver medals were earned by members of the Waynesville Kodokan Judo Club in tournaments in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The club practices Tuesdays 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Waynesville Recreation Center.

828.506.0327 (Sensei Riggs) or 828.456.2030 (Rec Center).

• A new website is up and running for the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office. It is anticipated to better meet the needs of the public, with both information concerning the Sheriff’s office as well as online applications, permits and other resources. www.haywoodncsheriff.com.

• Lori Tomlin, director of Technology and Communications for Haywood County, has successfully graduated from the 2014-15 Certified Government Chief Information Officers

• Sunday Worship Series is ongoing each week at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in Haywood County until Aug. 9. Adult Sunday School begins at 9:30 a.m. and traditional service at 10:45 a.m. – childcare is provided. Monday services are offered at 8 p.m. www.lakejunaluska.com/summer-worship or 828.452.2881 • Easier access to the administrative services of Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is now available at the Sheriff’s Office substation in Cashiers (Frank Allen Road), the first Tuesday of the month from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• A workday will be held for the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society Library beginning at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Genie Library.

• Karate classes held by Western North Carolina Martial Arts have begun again. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday nights at the Old Armory at 44 Boundary St. in Waynesville, class is held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 828.301.0649 or email mvwilliams39@gmail.com.

Compiled by Intern Rachel Crowe

Opinion Tribal council takes the wrong stand on openness T Smoky Mountain News

he Tribal Council kicked us out again. Holly Kays, a reporter for The Smoky Mountain News, was told on July 9 to leave a meeting of the Cherokee Tribal Council. No meaningful reason was given as to why members of the council did not want our reporter present.

This is the second time in the last seven months the Tribal Council, under the leadership of Chairwoman Terri Henry, has decided to exclude the media from their meetings. Such actions would be against the law in all 100 counties in North Carolina.

Our reporter is not a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, but by my estimation that’s totally irrelevant. Many tribal members use our paper — and the other newspapers in this region — as a source of information.

Those tribal members care about and want a voice in what their government is doing. They are the ones who deserve to know how the Tribal Council conducts its business, and they are the ones who should be irate and insulted by the fact that their elected representatives think it’s OK to intimidate the press.

Covering Cherokee Tribal Council has always been difficult.

Unlike other public bodies who spend our tax dollars, Cherokee is considered a sovereign nation and therefore exempt from North Carolina public meeting laws. So while it has its own municipal code and has adopted a Free Press Act with regard to tribal publications, it does not currently have a Constitution and therefore can legally kick our reporter— or

any other reporter — out of its meetings. The first time it happened to our reporter, the decision came with an added caveat: a police escort out of the council house.

Let’s be clear about this: the Cherokee Tribal Council meetings are televised. That means our reporter was able to go and watch the meeting and report on it from watching it on TV. But that’s not the same as being there. That’s why congressional reporters don’t rely on C-SPAN to do their reporting.

Also, in looking over the tribe’s municipal code, I found out that the Tribal Council also has the authority to Editor stop televising its meetings if they deem such action necessary. That means the council has the ability to totally shut down media coverage whenever it wants.

And let’s be clear about something else: the reason Kays was asked to leave the council room is because of her reporting on the pay raises that were recently passed by the Tribal Council. The raises were very controversial and very substantial. We have not weighed in with an opinion on the raises have not passed judgment on whether they were merited or not. No, we’ve just reported what happened. And the Tribal Council, by forcing Kays to vacate the council room, has chosen to “shoot

Scott McLeod

20

the messenger.”

That’s a time-honored practice of those who don’t like media coverage: they shut down the media’s access to information, attack its integrity or try to intimidate reporters, editors and publishers. Usually, though, we read about that stuff happening in totalitarian regimes in faraway places, not right here in Western North Carolina in small-town Cherokee to a small newspaper like The Smoky Mountain News.

Many of those now running for the chief ’s office and for Tribal Council have raised the issue of government openness as one that needs to be addressed. Members of the Eastern Band can only hope these candidates are serious, that they will invite public discourse and public scrutiny once in office. Openness always leads to better government.

Over the last two decades, Cherokee has established itself as an economic force to be reckoned with and respected. This newspaper — and others — has praised the tribe’s use of casino profits for health care initiatives, cultural and language preservation, educational programs and more. Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee have every right to be proud of what they’ve accomplished — except when it comes to government transparency and openness. There is still work to do in this arena, and we can only hope that tribal members demand as much from their leaders.

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

It seemed like a great idea at the time ...

I couple of weeks ago, it was as real and as vivid to us as the sweltering sun. This was going to be amazing! Why hadn’t we thought of this years ago?

Ordinarily, we can get to Edisto in about five hours, but thanks to endless road construction nightmares on I-26, it took us closer to eight or nine hours, and since we left about two hours later than we had Columnist anticipated, it was nearly dark when we arrived, too late to go down to the beach.

We decided to grab some food and wait until morning to head to the ocean. Frody’s excellent beach adventure would have to wait just one more day.

The next morning, we had a quick breakfast, slathered on the sun screen, and hit the beach, Frody in tow on his thick blue and black leash. If he was overwhelmed by his first sight of the ocean and its intimations of immortality, a world without end, he made no discernible sign of it. He sniffed the water as it washed up and cooled his paws with a few tentative steps in the wet sand, then, like a snooty rich woman rejecting an expensive dress, he simply shrugged and walked away, return-

Chris Cox

t looked so good on paper, the way terrible ideas always do. Instead of boarding our miniature dachshund as we usually do when we go to the beach each summer, we were going to take him with us this year.

For months we talked about it, already relishing memories we hadn’t even made yet. His first encounter with the ocean, snapping at the water’s edge as the waves rolled in, chasing them back and then running for his life when the next one came crashing toward him full of silt and broken shells. His obsession with the fiddler crabs, scores of them scurrying in every direction at dusk as we walked along the sound, his tail like a tiny windshield wiper set at full speed. His exhilarating rides on our rented bikes, tucked like Toto in a cute little basket, ears billowing on both sides like ship sails, blown out in the salty breeze.

These were our expectations, but you know what they say about expectations.

Expectations are the devil. That is something my wife has said for years, and she is right: expectations are the devil. I have had a lifetime of experience in this area, so you’d think I would know better than to rely so heavily on expectations. If I had only remembered my high school prom, just to cite one small example.

But no, we had a vision of how it would be taking our dog on vacation, and by the time we rolled out toward Edisto Beach a

ing the ocean to the rack without even trying it on, eventually tugging us back toward the cool shade of our beach canopy, done with the majesty of the beach in less than five minutes.

Maybe the bike ride would go better. We packed up the canopy, chairs and the rest of our beach gear and headed down to the bike rental place to procure four bicycles and one basket just the right size for a 10pound dog. We had no problem getting the bikes, but the first basket they brought out looked like the exoskeleton of a large, longextinct insect. It looked as if it belonged in a glass case in a museum. One ounce of pressure and it would surely fall apart in a thousand tiny pieces. I wouldn’t have put my swim trunks in it, much less my dog.

My wife insisted on another basket, and the second basket was our only alternative. It was larger and certainly sturdier, though very old and rustic, like a cage someone had fashioned for a pet chicken during the Civil War. The problem was, it would not stay fastened to the bike — one little bump created tremendous turbulence, one decent pothole and the thing went flying off the bike as it had been hurled by a catapult.

We took it back for a refund. Frody would have to miss out on that bike ride.

We eventually made it home with our rented bikes and began sorting out plans for dinner when we heard a yelp. Frody had

jumped from the king-sized mattress in the master bedroom and landed awkwardly, I guess. After a few hours of walking around with his back hunched — he looked like a furry horseshoe — we got worried and looked up the nearest animal hospital, which was an hour away.

The next day, we got an appointment and drove an hour to take him to the vet.

He was diagnosed with a back problem and given three kinds of medication.

“You’re going to need to keep him from jumping on and off of things for about six weeks,” said the vet. “No stairs either.”

If you have never owned a miniature dachshund, some perspective is necessary.

Telling the owner of a miniature dachshund that the dog cannot be allowed to jump for six weeks is like telling the owner of a goldfish that it must not be permitted to swim.

Jumping is what miniature dachshunds do.

They’re the Flying Wallendas of the dog world. They’re tiny professional wrestlers, jumping off the top rope to land on an opponent stretched out on the mat. I could not imagine how we would keep him from jumping for six weeks. I could not imagine why we thought it would be a good idea to bring him to the beach. It was not what we expected.

But, you know, expectations are the devil.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. His most recent book, The Way We Say Goodbye, is available at regional bookstores and at Amazon.

He can be reached at jchriscox@live.com.)

Meaningful gun control deserves passage

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 ANDY'S RESTAURANT 3843 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.944.0626. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Serving the freshest homemade sandwiches, wraps, and entrees such as country fried steak and grilled flounder. Full salad bar and made from scratch sides like potato salad, pinto beans and macaroni and cheese. www.appleandys.com APPLE CREEK CAFE 32 Felmet St., Waynesville.

828.456.9888. Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Home to an extensive build your own sandwich menu as well as specialty salads, soups burgers and more. With local ingredients and made-from-scratch recipes using a variety of good-for-you ingredients Apple Creek Cafe is sure to become favorite lunch spot.

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 fami-

ly 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.

BOGART’S 303 S. Main St., Waynesville. 828.452.1313.

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

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m. Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturaday & Sunday 9 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 to 9:30 a.m. – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 12 till 2 p.m. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays (weather permitting), featuring steaks, ribs, chicken, and pork chops, to name a few. Bountiful familystyle 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 6pm, and dinner is served starting at 7pm. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view.

Please call for reservations.

Locals Love Apple Creek Café!

Made to Order Sandwiches & Salads, Housemade Soups & Desserts

Lunch: 10:30 A.M. - 3:00 P.M. Dinner 4:30 P.M.-8:30 P.M.

32 Felmet Street off N. Main St. Waynesville

To Go Orders:

828-456-9888

Family Style Dinner

Beginning August 3rd

Fried Chicken, BBQ Chicken, Fried Catfish, Meatloaf, Pork Loin & Country Style Steak Along With Your Favorite Sides & Housemade Rolls Offered Each Evening.

Smoky Mountain News

Join us for Lunch

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

To the Editor: House Speaker John Boehner boasted in a mass e-mail that he had gotten ahead of President Obama in ordering flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff in memory of the four Marines and a sailor who were murdered by a lone terrorist at Chattanooga.

It was an appropriate gesture, considering that the killer targeted them for the flag they served, but it was still only a gesture.

Should Boehner care to do something meaningful, he would confront the gun lobby over assault weapons like the one that left the corpses strewn at Chattanooga.

The slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut ought to have prompted the overdue passage of a ban on such weapons. But since the only results were a nearly nationwide display of political cowardice and the sale of more, not fewer, of those firearms, it isn’t likely this loss will make a difference.

Still, one can always hope, and call out the poltroons who pimp themselves for the gun lobby’s votes and money rather than stand up for the rest of us.

Congress has the power to regulate strictly or even ban such weapons of mass destruction. Even the Supreme Court’s misreading of the Second Amendment in 2008 voided only a prohibition on gun ownership per se.

Historian Joseph Ellis, an authority on the origins of our republic, writes in his new book, The Quartet, about the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, which he credits to the concerted efforts of George Washington, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.

In drafting what became the Second Amendment, says Ellis, Madison was “responding to recommended amendments from five states, calling for the prohibition of a permanent standing army on the grounds that it had historically proven to be an enduring threat to Republican values.”

So Madison’s intention was “to assure those skeptical souls that the defense of the United States would depend on state militias rather than a professional, federal army.”

That accounts for the predicate clause about a “well regulated militia,” which the courts respected for two centuries as the sole reason for the Second Amendment.

“The right to bear arms derived from the need to make state militias the core pillar of national defense,” Ellis explains. Justice Antonin Scalia’s contrary finding “is an elegant example of legalistic legerdemain masquerading as erudition” and Madison “is rolling over in his grave.”

If Scalia and certain cohorts on the court were truly as originalist as they claim to be, they would have read the Second Amendment in the context of its times.

There wasn’t a firearm on earth from which an expert could manage more than three rounds a minute. The Connecticut and Chattanooga massacres would have been inconceivable.

Martin A. Dyckman Waynesville

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tasteTHEmountains 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.

6306 Pigeon Road Canton, NC

(828) 648-4546

Hours:

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

jukeboxjunctioneat.com

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

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

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

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground retail wine and craft beer shop, restaurant, and intimate live music venue. Kitchen opens at 4 p.m.

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

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

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

FILLING STATION DELI 145 Everett St., Bryson City, 828.488.1919.

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

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

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

Monday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner

REEKSIDE COYSTER HOUSE & GRILL

5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

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.

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

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

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

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

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m.

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July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

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Full Bar • Creekside Dining Specialty Sandwiches Crafted Beer & Moonshine

OUR CUSTOMERS

Smoky Mountain News

Say It ALL

“Best restaurant in the Waynesville Area.”

D.B. - Customer

“The ABSOLUTE best kept secret in WNC.” Jim B. - Customer

“Inviting Atmosphere, excellent food & service.”

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TUESDAY: 75¢ Oysters after 4pm WEDNESDAY: AYCE Fish & Shrimp THURSDAY: AYCE Crab Leg FRIDAY: Surf-N-Turf Special SATURDAY: Seafood Trio Special SUNDAY: Low Country Boil

828.586.1985 • CLOSED MONDAYS

438 Skyland Drive • Sylva

Exit 85 to Skyland Dr., two blocks from McDonalds

MEDITERRANEAN

ITALIAN CUISINE

Summertime — and the livin’ is easy on our patio!

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

www.pasqualesnc.com

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APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

VOTED BEST STEAK & DINNER MOUNTAINEER READERS’CHOICE AWARD

2014

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454 HAZELWOOD AVE. WAYNESVILLE | 828-452-9191

828-456-1997

Lunch 11:30am - 2:30pm | Dinner Nightly starting at 4pm | Closed Sundays

blueroostersoutherngrill.com

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

tasteTHEmountains

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.

PIN HIGH

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.

T This his W Weekend’s eekend’s M Music usic F Friday, riday, Ju July ly 3 31 1@7p pm m

Aaron Aaron Burdette: Burdette: g guitar, uitar, vo vocals cals Beatles, Elton John, James T Taylor aylor a + More

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.

Sa Saturday, turday, Au August gust 1 @ 7 pm pm

To ourism www.visitncsmokies.com www.visitncsmokies.com Tourism 828-452-6000 828-452-6000 classicwineseller.com classicwineseller.com 20 20 Church Church Street, Street, Waynesville, Waynesville, NC NC

TWIN MAPLES FARMHOUSE 63 North Hill Street, Waynesville.

828.452.7837. Open for Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Located just two blocks from downtown Waynesville, Twin Maples is available for weddings, receptions, family reunions, birthday parties, showers, luncheons, corporate meetings and retreats.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Local Farm to Table Fresh Vegetables also Specializing in Gluten or Sugar Free & Vegetarian Items Call 648-3838

Mon. - Fri. 8-3 Sat. & Sun. 9 - 3

6147 Highway 276 S. Bethel (at the MOBIL Station) breakingbreadcafenc.com • 828.648.3838

It's Never too Early to Book your

Holiday Party Private Event! or

Contact Brenna Moore:

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

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

828-926-4816

FRIDAY, JULY 31 Karaoke with Chris Monteith SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 Rye Baby SUNDAY, AUGUST 2

Paper Crowns

83 Asheville Hwy. Sylva Music Starts @ 9 • 631.0554

1819 Country Club Dr. Maggie Valley

M AGGIE VALLE YC LUB . COM

Eat. Sleep. Hike. Repeat.

WE ARE NOW

Soda Shop

Open for Breakfast

LAST WEEKEND! Pretzels Smoothies & More!

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

MON.-SAT. 8 A.M.

COUNTRY INN

3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

303-04

Hot Dogs Ice Cream

—————————————————— —————————————————————

www.CityLightsCafe.com

Welcome back. To 1932.

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Come take a wagon ride with us, back to the beginnings of the Ranch. In celebration of our 82nd season, we’ll be serving up “Way Back When” dinners in an authentic re-creation of Mr. Tom and Miss Judy’s first primitive fishing camp. Just call us for reservations, then come join us on July 31 for mountain trout and mountain music. And Cataloochee Ranch enjoy old-fashioned hospitality a mile high.

1 19 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, NC 28751 | www.CataloocheeRanch.com | (828) 926-1401

Smoky Mountain News

Worth the Drive!

LUNCH & DINNER SUNDAY BRUNCH

Paid in part by Haywood County

Café • Deli

& So Much More

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Jo Joe eC Cruz: ruz: p piano, iano, vo vocals cals Folk-rock, blues-inspired Americana

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

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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

LLIVE IVE M Music usic

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ORGANIC BEANS COFFEE COMPANY 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.668.2326. Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Happily committed to brewing and serving innovative, uniquely delicious coffees — and making the world a better place.

100% of our coffee is Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Organic, all slow-roasted to bring out every note of indigenous flavor.

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

R Restaurant estaurant

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

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

Retail Retail

Lodging & Dining Available.

Call for Reservations.

Waynesville, NC

800.789.7672 • TheSwag.com 23

24

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

THE ART OF FAKING IT Lip sync contests popular in Franklin

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER itting at a table at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub, Brittney Raby knows exactly what’s going to walk through the door shortly.

“Pure chaos,” she said. “And that makes it all the better.”

A reporter for the Macon County News, Raby was a judge during a recent lip sync contest at the pub. A semi-regular event in the community, the contests have taken on a life of their own as participants are becoming more skilled in their stage presence, and all the while the audience continues to grow.

“I’m looking for creativity, enthusiasm and originality,” Raby said. “If you have those things, you can’t go wrong.”

Across the table from Raby is Ryan Hanchett, a reporter from The Franklin Press, who also judged.

“I want to see energy,” he said. “I want to see someone who’s enjoying themselves. Don’t be nervous. Don’t be shy. Go out there, do your best, and show us something special.”

S

GIVING BACK The man behind the lip syncing scene in Franklin is Dave Linn. A well-known businessman and community organizer, he has held several of these events at the Rathskeller as a way to not only raise money for local nonprofits, but also bring people together for an evening of good fun.

“Doing lip-sync battles came to mind after I caught myself singing Dave Linn along to a Tom Jones classic and didn’t know one of the lyrics, so I began just mouthing the words,” Linn said.

“And I began thinking how awesome it’d be to make [lip-syncing] a fundraiser.”

Linn himself is no stranger to the good a community can provide its residents. As someone with cerebral palsy affecting the left side of his body, Linn doesn’t let his condition affect how he lives his life. A seasoned tri-athlete, his road bicycle was stolen a few years ago. Within days, the town of Franklin rallied around his loss and presented him with a brand new bike.

It was a gesture that justified Linn’s passion for his community, and also fueled his fire to host charitable events.

“It’s about constantly giving back to the community,” he said. “Franklin has been so

A semi-regular occurrence at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin, lip sync battles have become a popular event in the community. Folks from around town and greater Macon County come together to perform their favorite songs, and also raise money for local charities. Garret K. Woodward photo good to me, and with things like the lip sync battles, it’s amazing to see how many people come in and participate.”

In terms of money, the last battle raised $675 for Relay for Life of Macon County. With the recent fundraiser, money went to the upcoming “80s Flashback 8K” (Aug. 1), a road race that will present 100 percent of the proceeds to the Greenville Shriners Hospital.

“It’s great to see who performs at these battles,” Linn said. “Many individuals would never walk on a stage in a normal bar, but would do the battle because their friends and family are there and they can make eye contact with them.”

At the Relay for Life lip sync battle, all eyes were on local Realtor Stephanie Sainz.

With her elaborate costumes and captivating stage act, she overtook the crowd and judges’ scores with her memorable renditions of “Welcome to the Jungle” (Guns N’ Roses) and “Sweet Dreams” (Eurythmics). A twotime defending champ, Sainz decided to sit out the Shriners contest and watch from the sidelines.

“The hardest part is picking out the right songs,” she said. “Because you want to pick something that’s familiar to you, but also something you really can get into.”

So, what’s it like performing with everyone watching you?

S EE LIP SYNC, PAGE 29

Want to go?

The “80s Flashback 8K” will held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Tassee Shelter at 877 Ulco Drive in Franklin.

The 5-mile course meanders along the Little Tennessee River. All proceeds go to the Greenville Shriners Hospital.

Registration is $30, with signup at 9 a.m. For more information, go to Facebook (search: 80s Flashback 8K).

There will also be an 80s post-race party at the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub on Stewart Street in downtown Franklin. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

Ruby Peoples, at 39 weeks pregnant, was the eventual champion of the recent lip sync contest.

Garret K. Woodward photo

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HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

Bookstore August 1st at 11 a.m

Lisa Horstman will visit for our weekly storytime.

Storytime every Saturday at 11 a.m.

3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

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Two locations to serve you ASHEVILLE 252.3005

WAYNESVILLE 251.9721

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I am able to express myself in front of people with much more confidence and boldness. I recommend this to everyone wholeheartedly.” - MH

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

Rope and Lord Huron. It was the 2 a.m. bluegrass madness of Leftover Salmon. It was San Francisco super group Trigger Hippy (featuring members of The Black Crowes and Joan Osbourne). It was the round robin pickin’ and grinnin’ of

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD Trampled By Turtles and Greensky Bluegrass. It was razor-sharp rock juggernauts the Drive-By Truckers and Chris Swedish folk act First Robinson Brotherhood. It was the sheer Aid Kit at FloydFest. wave of energy and glamour of Grace Potter Garret K. Woodward photo (whose rendition of “Burning Down The House” into “Fire On The Mountain” melodically painted the feeling in the air) and Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers.

And as I stood there, watching some of the finest artists of my generation, my heart began to fill with love, passion and something I hadn’t felt in awhile — myself.

Music is fuel for my soul, and though I rolled into FloydFest on fumes, I felt replenished and centered. I felt alive, more so now than ever before. The energy and atmosphere of the festival is solely unique in its intent and purpose, all of which executed in the utmost precision.

Beyond those onstage, it was also playing the disc golf course a stone’s throw from my campsite, countless farm-to-table food vendors, going for an afternoon run on the mountain bike trail that loops around the property, innumerable booths proI stopped going. moting green initiatives and hardFor the better part of the last decade, my working nonprofits, and, most of life during the summer was music festivals. all, it was the people. For the From Maine to California, Michigan to longest time, I felt like an outsider Arkansas, I was there, in an endless crowd, in terms of what I missed from the BearWaters Brewing Company (Waynesville) cheering on the greatest musicians of our festival experience. Turns out, I will have The Darren Nicholson Band time. In those innumerable moments, I felt wasn’t alone, everyone was just at (Americana/bluegrass) at 7 p.m. July 30. more alive, at home, and at peace, than anyFloydFest. Those that make up the The Mountain High BBQ Festival and Car where else in the world. staff and attendees are a wide Show will be held Aug. 7-8 at the Wayne And yet, I stopped going. In recent spectrum of joyous folks — lovers Proffitt Agricultural Center in Franklin. years, I began to get turned off by how of all things beautiful, eager to enormous these events were becoming, help their fellow man, ready to The comedy-drama “Marriage is Murder” will where it was more about cramming in as hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 31 and Aug. 1- take on the challenges of a modern many people and bands as possible into a 3 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre world in limbo. single weekend. Corporate sponsorship, I awoke Sunday morning to in Bryson City. massive amounts of hard drug use, a lineanother day of bluebird skies and up of groups more about gimmicks and unlimited possibility. I strolled The Pickin’ on the Square (Franklin) summer light shows than about musicianship and down to the Ozark Mountain concert series will have Michael Reno Harrell lyrical sincerity, all of which put a bad Biscuit Co. tent in search of a (singer-songwriter) Aug. 1. taste in my mouth. It was a cattle march, farm-to-table breakfast sandwich.

The Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation “Dog The lady behind the counter welone that made me feel small and just a Walk” will be held at 10 a.m. Aug. 1 at the number, rather than connected and comed me, and everyone else in Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville. immersed in the beauty of humanity — line, with a hearty smile and the essence of live performance. “hello.” As she handed me my But, this past weekend, something over a bald ridge, where you wonder what’s order, I said, “Y’all make some great food” (I caught me eye. FloydFest. Tucked away on in store, if it was a justified decision to come, had eaten there three times in three days). the Blue Ridge Parkway in southeastern only to crest the top and see a weekend of “We just really love what we do,” she Virginia, the poster pulled me in. All great curiosity and unknown adventure laid out replied.

Americana, bluegrass, rock and folk acts, below you.

Her words were my sentiments exactly with none of the diluted jam or electronica There is a comforting sense of “this is — the epitome of this glorious weekend. sets. Held on a large property of rolling hills, exactly where I’m supposed to be right now” From musicians to production, concertgoopen meadows and thick Southern that never wavers from your spirit throughers to vendors, the name of the game here Appalachian woods, I was sold. Maybe I out the weekend. You find yourself floating is pure passion amid a keen sense of comcould give festivals another chance. Maybe along the dirt paths and through the forest, munity. this one would be different from all the cook- smiling at any and all who saunter by, only Heading back to Waynesville, my hand ie-cutter money hungry productions. to have that sentiment reciprocated through drifted along out the open truck window.

Cruising down the Parkway with Crosby, their grins from ear-to-ear.

Pedal down, eyes aimed for the horizon, I Stills & Nash blasting from the speakers, I And the music — good lord the music. It felt a sense of self that emerges when your began to soak into the majestic landscape of was the cover of “War Pigs” by Swedish folk soul plugs directly into the cosmos, into the farmland and mountain peaks surrounding sisters First Aid Kit (who were joined depths of your potential, where tomorrow me. Drifting into the festival grounds, I was onstage by renowned singer-songwriter doesn’t seem so scary — another chance to in awe of the venue’s beauty before I even got Brandi Carlile). It was the freewheelin’ swagdo something amazing. out of the truck. The entrance brings you ger of Americana powerhouses Shovels & Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

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Smoky Mountain News

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25

arts & entertainment

On the beat

Charlie Daniels to play Franklin

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

The Charlie Daniels Band will hit the stage Aug. 8 in Franklin. www.charliedaniels.com.

Legendary group The Charlie Daniels Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Daniels, the legendary fiddler, has played and recorded with the likes of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, The Marshall Tucker Band, Hank Williams, Jr., Leonard Cohen, Pete Seeger, and Ringo Starr. His song, “The Devil Went

Down to Georgia,” won Daniels a Grammy for the Best Country vocal performance in 1979, and for several generations of Southerners, his popular hits, “Long Haired Country Boy,” and “The South's Gonna Do It Again,” are anthems to regional pride.

Tickets start at $40. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

Voices in the Laurel music camp

part harmony. In addition, groups will rotate through classes in piano, drums, guitar and violin. Some choral numbers will include choreography. The week will end with a demonstration concert on Friday.

Registration is now open. The first-second grader half-day (8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) cost is $85 per chorister, with third-12th grader full day (9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) cost $145. Both include all music, snacks, professional instructors and a T-shirt. www.voicesinthelaurel.org or 828.734.9163.

Voices in the Laurel will hold their SummerVoice Music Camp Aug. 3-7 at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville.

The camp welcomes singers in all area counties who will be entering first to 12th grades in the fall. They will be divided into age groups to participate in a variety of musical experiences. Campers will learn to sing with proper technique and in two and three

Smoky Mountain News

• Andrews Brewing Company will have Porch 40 (rock/funk) Aug. 1 and Guy Marshall (singer-songwriter) Aug. 8. Both shows are $5 and begin at 7 p.m. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• BearWaters Brewing Company (Waynesville) will have The Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) at 7 p.m. July 30 and The Howlin’ Bros 8 p.m. Aug. 7. www.bwbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• Big Wesser BBQ (Nantahala Outdoor Center) will have Brushfire Stankgrass (Americana/bluegrass) July 31, Blue & The Barn Cats Aug. 1, Playing on the Planet (indie) Aug. 7 and The Bayou Diesel Band (Cajun/zydeco) Aug. 8. All shows at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.noc.com.

• Bogart’s (Waynesville) will have live bluegrass/string music with Carolina Catskins 26 July 30 and Boogertown Gap String Band

Aug. 6. All shows are free and begin at 6:30 p.m. 828.452.1313.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will have an open mic night at 8:30 p.m. on Mondays in their downtown taproom. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or www.boojumbrewing.com.

• The Bryson City Train Depot “Music in the Mountains” concert series will have The Rye Holler Boys (bluegrass/gospel) Aug. 1 and Productive Paranoia (bluegrass/Americana) Aug. 8. All shows are free and begin at 6:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Canton Recreation Park will have “Pickin’ in the Park” from 7 to 10 p.m. on Fridays. www.cantonnc.com or 828.648.2363.

• City Lights Café (Sylva) will have Chris Jameson (singer-songwriter) at 7 p.m. Aug. 8. www.citylightscafe.com.

• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have

ZOE & CLOYD COME TO THE STRAND Merlefest songwriting contest winners Zoe & Cloyd will perform at 8 p.m.

Thursday, July 30, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Award winning songwriters and multiinstrumentalists, Zoe & Cloyd (of Red June) showcase a mix of original and traditional material on fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin featuring vocal harmonies and timeless melodies.

Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 day of show. www.38main.com.

HART WELCOMES ELVIS ARTIST, BBQ DINNER Elvis tribute artist David Morin will perform at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7-8 and 3 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. All tickets are $35 and include a barbecue dinner served an hour before show time. All proceeds go to HART’s “Stage II” building fund. www.harttheatre.org or 828.456.6322.

Aaron Burdett (singer-songwriter) July 31, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) Aug. 1, ‘Round the Fire (Grateful Dead tribute) Aug. 7 and Mean Mary (Americana/bluegrass) Aug. 8. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m.

828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• The Concerts on the Creek (Sylva) series at Bridge Park Pavilion will have The Robertson Boys (bluegrass) July 31 and Porch 40 (rock/funk) Aug. 7. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlovers.com.

• The First United Methodist Church (Waynesville) will host an evening of classical music as the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival presents “The Great Masters” at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2. Ticket prices are $25 for individual tickets and $100 for a series ticket. Students age 25 and under are admitted free with appropriate student ID. www.swannanoachambermusic.com or 828.452.0593.

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) summer concert series will have The Dover Boys Medicine

Show July 31 and Southern Highlands (bluegrass/Americana) Aug. 7. Shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will have Armadillo (pop/hits) July 31, The MYXZ Aug. 1, Mark Keller (singer-songwriter) Aug. 3, Bobby Sullivan Band Aug. 7 and Deeper Well featuring Paul Davis 8 p.m. Aug. 8. Shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Groovin’ on the Green (Cashiers) summer concert series on the Village Commons will have The Dane Michael Group (rock/pop) July 31 and The Jackson Taylor Band (rock/country) Aug. 7. All shows are free and begin at 6:30 p.m. www.visitcashiersvalley.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night July 29 and Aug. 5, a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo July 30 and Aug. 6, and Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) Aug. 1. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

On the beat • Papertown Country Music & Dance Parlor (Canton) will have live music and dancing from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is $8. 828.736.8925.

• The Maggie Valley Opry House will have legendary banjoist Raymond Fairchild at 8 p.m. nightly through October. Admission is $12. www.raymondfairchild.com or 828.926.9336.

• The Pickin’ on the Square (Franklin) summer concert series will have Michael Reno Harrell (singer-songwriter) Aug. 1 and Macon Grass (bluegrass) Aug. 8. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m. An open mic starts at 6:30 p.m. Free. www.franklinnc.com.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will hold community music jam from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6. 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. Phoenix Dusk (Americana/folk) will also perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 9. Both events are free.

828.488.3030.

ALSO:

Through the Hill will play Aug. 6 in Sylva. Wayne Ebinger photo

Sylva library presents Through the Hills

Americana/bluegrass act Through the Hills will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

The band consists of fiddler/vocalist Alma Russ, banjoist Joey Fortner and guitarist/singersongwriter Kevin Fuller. The band meshes heartbreaking stories with Appalachian porch music.

They will climb you up the mountain and get you back in time for church on Sunday.

The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. Free.

828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

Champion mountain dulcimer players Lois Hornbostel and Ehukai Teves will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.

The event includes a variety of musical styles. There will be featured selections from Southern Appalachia and Celtic, Cajun, Hawaiian, blues and world music

played on the dulcimer and ukulele.

Immediately following the concert, there will be a meet and greet reception in the lobby for the musicians and the 26 exhibiting artists from Western North Carolina represented in the Community Exhibit.

Sponsored by Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools, the public is invited to attend both the concert and the reception free of charge.

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

Richard’s Run returns to Cataloochee

• The “Music on the River” concert series (Cherokee) will have A36 Band July 31, Eastern Blue Band Aug. 1, David Lambert Aug. 7 and AM SuperStars Aug. 8. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m.

800.438.1601 or 828.359.6490.

• Nantahala Brewing Company (Bryson City) will have Fritz Beer & The Crooked Beat (Americana/rock) July 31, The Katts (Americana) Aug. 1 and Mangas Colorado (Americana/bluegrass) Aug. 8. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have Fat Cheek Kat (funk/roots) July 31, Darren & The Buttered Toast (funk/soul) Aug. 1, PMA (jam/rock) Aug. 7 and Dirty Soul Revival (blues/hard rock) Aug. 8. All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m.

828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

• Oconaluftee Visitors Center (Cherokee) will have an old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 1. All skill levels welcomed. www.greatsmokies.com.

• O’Malley’s Pub & Grill will have karaoke July 31 and Rye Baby (bluegrass/Americana) Aug. 1.

All shows begin at 9 p.m. www.facebook.com/omalleysofsylva or 828.631.0554.

• The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will David Spangler July 31 and Gary Carter Aug. 1. All shows are at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Rendezvous at the Maggie Valley Inn & Conference Center will have Hunter Grigg (singer-songwriter) at 7 p.m. July 31, Mile High Band (rock) 7 p.m. Aug. 1 and StoneCrazy (rock/pop) 3 p.m. Aug. 2. All shows are at the Tiki Bar. • Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will have Jimandi (folk/rock) every Wednesday at 7 p.m. and a rotating series of local performers on Fridays at 9 p.m. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) summer concert series will have The Freeway Revival (rock/jam) Aug. 1 in KelseyHutchinson Park. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will have legendary musician Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’Blues at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for grades K-12. Dinner served at 6 p.m. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• 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.

• Stuart Auditorium (Lake Junaluska) will have the Lake Junaluska Singers at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7. www.lakejunaluska.com/concerts or 800.222.4930.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Redleg Husky (Americana/folk) July 31. All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.tippingpointtavern.com.

Smoky Mountain News

The event is named in memory of Richard Coker, a beloved member of the ranch family, who lost his battle with brain cancer in December 2013 at the age of 55. The trail run will cross the ranch grounds near the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with Hemphill The Darren Nicholson Band will perform at Bald, one of Coker’s Richard’s Run on Aug. 1 in Maggie Valley. favorite places, as a dramatic backdrop.

There will be awards for the winners, with live music by the Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass). Nicholson is the mandolinist for Balsam Range, the 2014 The second annual Richard’s Run 5K will IBMA “Entertainer of the Year.”

Registration is $25. be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the www.richardsrun.org.

Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie Valley.

• Mixers Bar & Nightclub (Franklin) will have Longshot (rock/country) Aug. 1. All shows begin at 9 p.m. 828.369.9211 or www.facebook.com/ mixersbarandnightclub.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will have Through the Hills (Americana/bluegrass) July 31. All shows begin at 9 p.m. There is also a “Hoot Night” open mic every Wednesday at 8 p.m. www.pub319.com.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

Acclaimed dulcimer players in Bryson City

• The Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will continue the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival with “Beethoven’s 7th” performed by an ensemble at 6 p.m. July 31 and 5 p.m. Aug. 2.

arts & entertainment

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will have New Bridge at 8 p.m. July 31. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com or 828.369.5299.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will have DJ Mike Hurley July 31. All shows begin at 9 p.m.

27

arts & entertainment

On the street • A wine tasting and silent auction fundraiser to benefit ARF (Jackson County Humane Society) will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Aug. 8 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. Cost is $10.

828.586.6300 or www.mountainlovers.com or www.a-r-f.org/arf.

• A sake class and tasting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Taste seven sakes with master sake sommelier Sara Guterbock. $24.99 per person.

828.452.6000.

• The Mountain Street Dance will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, in front of the Historic Courthouse in downtown Waynesville. Old-fashioned mountain music and clogging, with instruction offered to any and all. Free. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

• The “Way Back When” trout dinner will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday, July 31, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. The dinner showcases a recreation meal, music, storytelling and atmosphere of a 1930s Appalachian trout camp. Enjoy a wagon ride across the ranch property amid the authentic re-creation of Mr. Tom and Miss Judy Alexander’s first fishing camp. Tickets for the event also includes food and beverage. 828.926.1401 or 800.868.1401 or www.cataloocheeranch.com.

• The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad “Dinosaur Train” will run at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. July 31-Aug. 1 and 3 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Bryson City Train Depot. Based on the popular PBS kid’s show, it is fun for all ages. The same times will also run for July 24-26. For tickets, 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

ALSO:

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

• To bring awareness to the Solarize WNC program, Innovation Brewing will unveil their new “Solarize Beer” on Saturday, Aug. 1, in downtown Sylva. www.innovationbrewing.com.

• There will be a farm-to-table dinner at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Hidden Valley Farm in Clyde. There will also be live music.

Tickets are $50 per person. 828.450.2232 or www.hiddenvalleyfarmnc.com.

• The “Country Western” theme will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 4 and 6 at the Canton pool. Normal hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday to Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $3. 828.648.2363.

• The High Mountain Squares will host their “Beach Party Dance” at 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 31, at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. Dr. Jim Duncan will be the caller. Western style square dancing, main/stream and plus levels. All welcome.

828.371.4946 or 828.342.1560 or www.highmountainsquares.com.

• Donations are currently being accepted for the CatMan2 auction at 6 p.m. Aug. 15 at the Lifeway Community Church in Sylva.

Held on “National Feral Cat Day,” the feline nonprofit is in search of small items.

Monetary donations can also be sent to CatMan2, P.O. Box 2344, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723. For more information, 828.293.0892.

• There will be a hummus and beer pairing from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 31, at Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva. Free samples. www.yourgnometownbrewery.com.

BBQ and classic cars roll in Franklin The seventh annual Mountain High onstage throughout the weekend offering BBQ Festival and Car Show will be held tips and techniques to add zing to your Aug. 7-8 at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural backyard grilling.

Center in Franklin. Gates will be open from Festival admission will be $5 adults ($8 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 for both days), with children ages 12 and p.m. Saturday. under free.

The event is a Kansas City BBQ Society For a full schedule of bands and events, (KCBS) sanctioned competition. Barbecue www.mountainhighbbqfestival.com or teams from all over the country will cook 828.524.3161.

Friday and Saturday preparing their best barbecue hoping to be The Mountain High BBQ named Grand Champion earning Festival & Car Show a N.C. State Championship. will be held Aug. 7-8 in Alongside live music, food Franklin. Donated photo vendors and competitors, this year’s car show is being organized by the Southwestern Community College’s Automotive Club. The Cruise-In will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, with the car show all day Saturday. All makes and models are welcome. Registration forms are available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce.

Barbecue experts will also be

Hillbilly Woodstock returns to Maggie Valley The 5th Annual Hillbilly Woodstock will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 31-Aug. 1 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

The musical lineup is comprised of 20 artists, including Joe Lasher Jr., Andy Buckner, SmokeRise, Raymond Fairchild, Neon Truckers, Electric Circus, Lindsey Cardinale Band, Stone Crazy and more.

More than a music festival, Hillbilly

Woodstock is both a serious and humorous celebration of Appalachian culture. The event will feature working moonshine stills, arts and crafts, food and special celebrity guests. There will also be a car and motorcycle show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 1.

A portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated to the Haywood County Animal Shelter.

Admission is $10 per day. All ages admitted.

For a full schedule of events, click on www.hillbillywoodstock.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

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On the street

LIP SYNC, CONTINUED FROM 24

“It’s a little nerve-wracking,” Sainz laughed. “But, then everyone starts cheering you on, and it feels empowering.”

LET THE MUSIC PLAY

448 HAZELWOOD AVE. WAYNESVILLE

(828) 246-0875 lilybellesonline.com Sarge’s Dog Walk will be Aug. 1 in downtown Waynesville.

from ages 8 to 88,” Kimsey said. “It’s an open community vibe here, where we bring in all different genres of art and music. It’s all about being part of the community.”

With the competition underway, Kimsey, alongside several other contestants, grabbed the microphone and waited for the song to come on. Hands and legs shaking all over, bodies snaking around tables and throughout the establishment — get everyone involved, get the room energized.

A last-minute addiAdam Kimsey tion, Ruby Peoples was asked by her sister, Raby (who had a guest judge during Peoples’ songs to avoid a conflict of interest), to give the battle a whirl.

They needed one more entry, with Raby prodding her sibling to join, stating emphatically how much the two of them lip sync in their daily lives.

Peoples gave in and threw her hat into the ring. Getting up from her table, one immediately realized that Peoples was with child. At 39 weeks pregnant, she was handed the mic and launched into a wild take on “Like a Virgin” (Madonna), an ironic and joyously hilarious sight.

Carol Viau photo

“Well, obviously I am not a virgin,” Peoples joked, rubbing her belly. “I didn’t want to embarrass my unborn child, so I wanted to do this contest right, and do it well.”

So, how was it up there?

“I don’t know anybody here, so I don’t care about making a fool of myself, but then there’s this newspaper guy taking photos and getting quotes,” she chuckled.

After an hour or so, with three rounds of melodies ranging from “Fancy” to “Party in the USA” to “Baby Got Back,” Peoples emerged from the pack as the winner. Prizes were handed out and high fives exchanged between competitors as car engines soon started up — the culmination of another great evening in downtown Franklin. And for Linn, he’s already preparing for the next battle, which will be songs of the 1960s on Oct. 21.

“You’ve dreamt about it, you do it in front of your mirror and in your car, so why not do it in front of your family and friends?” he said. “Come on out and have fun, go with it — what else have you got to lose?”

Editor’s Note: Less than 24 hours after claiming her lip sync title, Ruby Peoples went into labor and gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Wren Hazel Peoples.

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Smoky Mountain News

Minutes before the battle began, Linn was running around the pub trying to get more names to sign up and take the stage. Sure, there were folks already eager and prepared to join in, but Linn was still in a need of a few more participants. In an effort to “rally the troops,” Rathskeller co-owner Adam Kimsey got out from behind the counter and signed up, all in an effort to provoke others to follow suit. A singer in his own right (The Unawarewolves), Kimsey enjoys jumping onstage and getting the crowd roaring, especially when it comes to these battles.

“I love to do it because it inspires others to do it, too,” he said. “It’s a fun time to get in front of people, loosen them up and get everyone involved.”

And it’s that comfortable and inviting atmosphere of the Rathskeller that makes it more than an ideal spot for the battles, and for numerous other community events the venue hosts.

“We try to do something for everyone,

Making Back-to-School personalized for every child.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

The 10th annual Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation “Dog Walk” will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville.

This fundraiser, supporting the dogs and cats of Haywood County, is a much-loved community event. Last year’s dog walk brought more than 233 dogs and their families to walk on Main Street.

Following the dog walk, there will be music and contests. Live music by Kevin Fuller of Through the Hills, while 99.9 KISS Country personalities Eddie Foxx and Sharon Green return as contest judges. Local entertainment and humor columnist Paul Viau will join them in judging the after-walk contests, including best-dressed dog, best dog trick and best tail-wagging dog.

In addition, the Waynesville Police Department K-9 Unit will demo the police K-9s. See Officer Matthew Cogburn and K-9 Keizer, along with Sgt. Brandon Gilmore and K-9 Arco.

Dog walkers may sign up one of the following ways: • Fill out registration forms online at www.sargeandfriends.org.

• Attend pre-registration between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at Sarge’s Adoption Center, 256 Industrial Park Drive, Waynesville.

• Pick up registration forms at local area animal hospitals in Waynesville, Clyde and Canton, at Sarge’s Adoption Center or at The Mountaineer in Waynesville.

• Sign up starting at 9 a.m. the day of the walk outside the courthouse.

There is a $15 fee for each dog walking in the event. This fee includes a dog walk goody bag and dog bandana. Registration forms also include an important Partners’ Pledge Form to allow walkers to gather donations from friends and family. There will be prizes for people collecting the most money with their “teams” on the Partner Pledge form.

The official t-shirt will be available for $15 for adults and $10 for children. The t-shirts will also be on sale at pre-registration and at the dog walk. The special 10th Annual Dog Walk shirts feature Wally, the lucky dog that got the honor when his human parents, Carrie and Rick Moreland, bid in his name at last year’s Sarge’s Furry Friends Benefit Bash. Walkers are encouraged to wear the Sarge’s Dog Walk t-shirt to the event. www.sargeandfriends.org or 828.246.9050.

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arts & entertainment

Sarge’s Dog Walk celebrates 10 years

Free Apples for Kids

(828) 400-6579 320 Riverbend Waynesville Just below Ingles in Hazelwood

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arts & entertainment

On the wall • The Bascom’s 30th anniversary party will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, in Highlands. All are invited to an afternoon of fun and art. www.thebascom.org.

• The “Come Paint with Charles Kidz Program” will be at 4 p.m. July 30 at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. $20 per child. Materials and snacks included.

828.538.2054.

• A bonsai workshop will be held on July 29 at Wild Fern Studios in Bryson City. Instructor will be Karen Taylor of Taylor’s Greenhouse.

She will also host a pressed flower keepsakes workshop on Aug. 5. Both classes begin at 10 a.m. and are $20 per person. 828.736.1605.

ALSO:

• “Serena” (July 30), “Home” (July 31Aug. 1), “‘71” (Aug. 6) and “Insurgent” (Aug. 7-8) will be screened at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Show times are 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. ThursdaySaturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee also on Saturday. Free. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

• The film “Mad Max: Fury Road” will be screened at 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, in the Central Plaza at Western Carolina

Smoky Mountain News

• “Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets” will be screened at 8:30 p.m.

July 31 at the corner of Everett and Mitchell streets in Bryson City.

“Remember the Titans” will be the Aug. 7 film. Free. 828.488.3681.

• The “Art Uncorked” paint and wine-tasting event will be held at 5:30 p.m. July 31 at the Charles Heath Gallery in Bryson City. $35 per person, which includes all materials, hor d’oeuvres and wine.

828.538.2054.

• The new documentary “First Language: The Race to Save Cherokee” will be screened at 2 and 7 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. In the film, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians fight to save their native language, a vessel of knowledge and heritage for the Cherokee people. www.fontanalib.org.

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pieces of art with the proceeds being split between the collector and the Haywood County Arts Council.

Collectors may want to sell art for a reason such as down-sizing a home, a death in the family, moving to a new home, or a change in one's taste in art. ArtShare is not designed for direct sales from the creating artists.

The seller will receive a majority portion of the proceeds and the Haywood County Arts Council will receive a percentage as a seller's commission or the seller may choose to donate the entire proceeds of the sale to the council. hcacartshare@yahoo.com.

• “Monty Python — The Holy Grail” will be screened at 9:30 p.m. July 31 and Aug. 1 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

A free showing of “Annie” will be at noon and 2:30 p.m. July 25. www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.

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Visit ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000 to purchase tickets.

Show(s) subject to change or cancellation. Must be 21 years of age or older to enter casino floor and to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. An Enterprise of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. ©2015, Caesars License Company, LLC.

Want to blow glass?

ArtShare returns to Haywood The annual ArtShare exhibit will be held from Aug. 4-31 at Gallery & Gifts (formerly Gallery 86) in the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville.

This unique project is a service to help art collectors or estate agents sell one or more

An “Introduction to Blown Glass Vessels and Hot Glass Sculpting” will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 10, 17, 24 and 31 at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.

With the assistance of GEP resident artists, participants will work with molten glass and gain a more in depth experience of glassblowing. Through this four-day, four-week class, students will create their own cups, vases and bowls, along with some sculptural forms.

Space limited to six students. Pre-registration required. Cost is $345 per person. www.jcgep.org or 828.631.0271.

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On the stage arts & entertainment

Donald Davis will hit the stage Aug. 8 at Lake Junaluska. Donated photo

Davis to spin yarns at Lake J

The funny side of marriage, murder

all tied up, daggers, guns and even an axe all contribute to the hilarity. Nobody gets hurt, but their egos take some hits as they find that their marriage was mixed up with their work. There are many fast paced comic twists as they attempt to outdo and surprise each other and they learn that marriage, like murder, is in the details. The final witty complication is a real murder which they and the audience should have seen coming.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children. www.smctheatre.com.

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• A Folk & Outsider Art Talk and reception will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Learn about area artists and collectors as they discuss the folk art movement.

828.524.3600 or www.fontanalib.org.

ALSO:

• Americana/folk act The Pressley Girls will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at the

Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Admiring the Louvin Brothers, classic country singers, and traditional folk musicians, twin sisters Katie and Corie hope to bring transcendent genuine music back to the world. Corie plays the guitar and mandolin while singing harmony with her sister, Katie, who plays the fiddle and piano while singing lead. The event is part of the “Traditional Appalachian Music” series at the library. Free. 828.488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

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Smoky Mountain News

The comedy-drama “Marriage is Murder” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 31 and Aug. 1-3 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.

Ex-spouses Paul and Polly Butler write murder mysteries together. They act out the crimes in Paul's apartment: poisoned chocolates and lethal martinis, alibis and fingerprints, bodies in a trunk and bodies

growing up. They’re about trouble because those are the events in which we learn from. It’s all about learning and things that move us forward,” Davis said. “They’re all funny, even if they may be sad. They’re all set in the mountains of North Carolina.

Some of the stories I tell have come through my family, but it can be a double story because I’ll tell you about that person and then the story.”

Tickets are $17.50. www.lakejunaluska.com/concerts or 800.222.4930.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

Renowned storyteller Donald Davis will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, in Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska.

Growing up in Waynesville, Davis has fond memories of spending time with his relatives and running around the hills of Western North Carolina. It was a rich fabric of oral tradition, one that soaked into his soul. That tradition of storytelling ultimately led to his calling as a minister, a platform where his speaking talents emerged and flourished.

“All of the stories are original and about

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33

Harper Lee’s ‘Watchman’ hits the mark o, Scout (Jean Louise) comes back home to Maycomb — where “everyone is either kin or almost kin”— at age 26 and after being “away” and living in New York City for several years. Sixteen years have gone by since we last heard from her in the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird, and the Maycomb she comes home to isn’t the same Maycomb we know from the 1960 novel.

Even so, Harper Lee’s “new” novel takes you back with whole chapters of flashbacks to those days in the 1950s when Scout was known as “Scout” and not Jean Louise. It is no wonder to this reader that Go Set a Watchman was supposedly actually written before Mockingbird, as the flashback sections are so reminiscent of Writer Lee’s legendary book.

While there is still some controversy as to when Watchman was actually written and/or edited and rewritten, it reads like the natural sequel to Lee’s Mockingbird in almost every way, as there are sections that could have easily been present in Mockingbird — chapters from Scout’s childhood memories as vivid as anything in Mockingbird.

In this “pre-sequel,” what we have is an historo-sophical study of racism in the early NAACP days of the Alabama South. Much of this comes from Jean Louise’s uncle Jack in very interesting monologues citing the comparative history of 1800s England to that of the pre-Civil War South.

“The South was a little England in its heritage and social structure,” Uncle Jack tells Jean Louise. “It was a nation with its own people, existing within a nation,” he goes on to

Thomas Crowe

S

qualify. And from here to the end of the book we get some great conversation on the subject

ing the time that Jean Louise has been away.

And the plot thickens as the book, by chapter 17, becomes a philosophical debate between Jean Louis and her father Atticus — and something of a podium for Harper Lee to question the caprice of her father’s hypocritical behavior and the greater issues of the vagaries of racism and equal rights.

And here the dialogue is Alabama classic!

Something right out of the 50s and early 60s. We get a real tactile sense of the time and place in a pre-integration and preequal rights South. And we also get a sense of Lee’s genius as a young fiction writer and storyteller. A very mature prose. Meticulous and skillful editing.

So, what is the meaning of the book’s title?

And what is a “watchman?” While it is originally a railroad reference to someone who keeps track of train schedules and puts out flags and lanterns to stop trains at the stations, in Go Set a Watchman Harper Lee Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. Harper Collins, 2015. 288 pages. internalizes this term to reflect human consciousbetween the two and between Jean Louise and ness and integrity. As Uncle Jack says to Jean Atticus, who in Jean Louise’s eyes has become Louise on page 265, “Every man’s watchman something of a bigot — even a racist — duris his conscience.” In this sense, Jack’s mes-

Southern fiction writer summit A discussion on Southern literature with authors David Joy, Mark Powell, Charles Dodd White and Jon Sealy will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The event will also be celebrating the release of the anthology Appalachia Now, which features short stories from each of these authors.

Lee Smith, author of Saving Grace and On Agate Hill says of Appalachia Now, “Hard, brilliant, and dark as coal, this brand new and necessary volume captures Appalachia today, a place where the old bedrock verities of family, community, belief, work, and the earth are all in painful Upheaval — to use the title of Chris Holbrook’s story herein. From manic to elegiac to rough, raw, beautiful and heartbreak-

sage to the grown-up Scout is that life is a lesson in humility and that in the end life is really a question of balance. Nowhere is this more eloquently stated than in Uncle Jack’s soliloquy where he preaches: “I need a watchman to lead me around and declare what he seeth every hour on the hour. I need a watchman to tell me this is what a man says but this is what he means, to draw a line down the middle and say here is this justice and there is that justice and make me understand the difference. I need a watchman to go forth and proclaim to them all that twenty-six years is too long to play a joke on anybody, no matter how funny it is.”

While Jean Louise is ensconced in a private war with her father, who she feels has betrayed her and his own personality, it is the Maycomb County Council — an all-white proagrarian assembly — that is the villain in this story. There’s no Boo Radley and no lynch mob, and not much action in Watchman, but what there is is lots of mental acuity and acumen — which I feel bodes well for the perpetualization of the deserved legendary reputation of Harper Lee. I’ve been to Monroeville, Alabama and I’ve spent time there talking to people who know Harper Lee and who call that place home. And I was among the sceptics — a “doubting Thomas if you will — with all the media preamble to the release of this book. But after reading Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee has made a believer out of me.

And, yes, by God, she’s done it again. Another classic?

Thomas Crowe is the author of the award-winning memoir Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods and the novel The Watcher: Like Sweet Bells Jangled. He writes reviews and editorials for this paper and can be reached at newnativepress@hotmail.com.

ing, these stories will strike the reader as both absolutely true and unforgettable.” www.citylightsnc.com.

ALSO:

• The Friends of the Haywood County Library will offer additional bargains on books from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 31 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 1 in Waynesville. 828.627.2370.

• There will be a “Mini-Comic Con” from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Games, prizes, face painting, food, costume contest, and more. www.fontanalib.org.

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Too many bears?

With a little help from hunters, wildlife officials hope to curb the exploding bear population in the mountains

BY BECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER North Carolina has a bear problem, and wildlife officials hope hunters can help.

The population of black bears has been on the rise for decades — it’s more than doubled in the past 20 years alone — and needs to be reined in, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. The obvious solution is getting hunters to hunt more of them. The trick, however, is getting the formula right.

“We don’t want to overstep and send our bear population in the other direction. We just want to stabilize it,” said Mike Carraway, the lead wildlife commission biologist for the mountains who’s based in Haywood County.

The increase in black bears over the last several decades is largely due to more restrictive hunting laws designed to curb over-hunting and restore the species to a robust and stable population.

Hunters can only shoot one bear a year, and once they have, they’re supposed to hang up their guns until the next season.

The wildlife commission has talked

Related article The Smoky Mountain News launched a series this week on the bear poaching sting, “Operation Something Bruin.” An article on page 6 chronicles the story of one of the families snared by undercover wildlife agents.

In this article, we visit with N.C. Wildlife Resources experts to understand what goes in to crafting hunting laws and the biology behind them.

about increasing the bag limit to two bears a year, but has been hesitant to pull the trigger.

“We do need to harvest more bears but certainly not too many bears to the point it affects the populations,” said Kate Pipkin, rules biologist with the wildlife commission.

“It is a serious step if you consider doubling the bag limit from one to two,” Carraway said.

Would hunters get twice as many bears? Or are bears so hard to get that allowing hunters to shoot a second wouldn’t really matter much because few would succeed?

“If you are unable to take bear

The black bear population had dwindled so much by the mid-1970s, hunters were reporting a harvest of only 60 bears a year in the mountains. Compare that to nearly 1,200 two years ago. NC Wildlife Commission photo

number one, you aren’t going to be able to take bear number two anyway,” Pipkin said.

But they had no way to figure that out.

“We don’t know how many people are hunting bears,” Pipkin said.

“Because we didn’t know who our bear hunters were, we couldn’t figure out our hunter effort.”

Wildlife biologists realized they needed better data before upping the bag limit. So starting last year, bear hunters are required to get a special bear stamp in addition to their big game hunting license.

“Without a special stamp it is very difficult to identify the segment of the total hunting population that are bear hunters,” Carraway said.

The bear stamp costs $10 a year, with the money going to black bear research and management.

Biologists will be able to compare the number of bear hunters on the ground with the number who are actually getting a bear, and better predict the potential impact of increasing the bag limit.

They will also have a database of bear hunters for conducting surveys.

Still, there are variables that could be impossible to get at.

“Some dog hunters may run 10 bears during a week and be very selective and only kill one,” Carraway said, especially if they just enjoy the sport of running their dogs or are holding out for a bigger bear.

Meanwhile, an estimated 300 bears are shot illegally every year without being reported.

It’s hard to dissect any one variable that could cause the number of bears shot by hunters to fluctuate from year to year. Ecological reasons can come into play, too. This past year, there was a big acorn crop, and hunters shot fewer bears.

“The bears had so much food to eat they weren’t moving as much so they were more difficult to hunt,” Carraway said.

But female bears had bigger litters of cubs, thanks to plenty of calories going into hibernation last winter, so by bear season next year, the bumper crop of cubs will be old enough to hunt, and there will be more bears in the woods, potentially leading to bigger harvests.

The bait battle: paw-lickin’ good The hunting community and wildlife officers have been engaged in an ongoing tug-of-war over the practice of baiting bears to make them easier to hunt.

Hunters historically used sweets — like chocolate and donuts — but wildlife rules changed in the mid-1980s banning the use of any sugar-based food product as bait.

Hunters quickly found a loophole, however. If they couldn’t bait bears with candy, what about just feeding them candy?

“Folks said they weren’t, quote unquote, baiting bears but they were going up to Hershey, Pennsylvania, and getting huge blocks of waste candy and putting them in the woods to feed the bears,” said Kate Pipkin, Wildlife Commission rules biologist.

Hunters argued they were merely feeding the bears to make them bigger. But in reality, it was a way of skirting the law.

“It was hard to separate people who were just trying to plump up the bear population versus those that were shooting bears over pastries or letting their dogs pick up a bear trail off one of these bait piles,” Pipkin said.

It also wasn’t exactly healthy for the bears.

So the law was changed again in 2006 making it illegal to put out sugar-based food period.

“They said there is no legitimate reason to have these candy blocks in the woods,” Pipkin said.

Some hunters have resisted the new law, however, and continue to use chocolate as bait anyway — occasionally netting criminal charges when wildlife officers have been able to catch them at it.

BEAR DOGS VERSUS TREE STANDS The practice of baiting bears has historically pitted still hunters against those who hunt with dogs.

Hunters who use bear dogs can legally turn their dogs loose at a bait pile to pick up a scent trail and hopefully lead them to a bear. But still hunters that don’t use dogs weren’t allowed to hunt over a bait pile.

They claimed this wasn’t fair. Those hunting with bear dogs clearly had an advantage.

“If you are a guy in a tree stand you couldn’t sit in your tree stand over a pile of apples and shoot a bear. But if you were a person who hunted with dogs, you could release your dogs near that bear pile,” Pipkin said.

“That was a source of contention between two types of hunters.”

The wildlife commission didn’t have the authority to change the law itself, however. Certain types of hunting rules fall under the state legislature — not the wildlife commission. Besieged by arguments from still hunters, legislators finally wiped their hands of it and ceded power to the wildlife commission.

“The legislature said ‘OK, here you go. Here’s the authority, now y’all solve the equity issue,’” Pipkin recounted.

The wildlife commission just changed the law last year making it legal for still hunters to hunt bears over a bait pile — even while they are actively chowing down on the food — but with a caveat.

“We were concerned it could increase the bear harvest too much if the still hunters were too successful,” Pipkin said. “We don’t know how many people will utilize this.”

So for now, still hunters can shoot bear over bait only during the first six days of bear hunting season until the wildlife commission can see how things go.

“In Western North Carolina, the implications of changing the baiting rules is probably negligible because most people out here hunt with dogs,” said Mike Carraway, the Haywood County-based lead wildlife commission biologist for the mountains.

There are few still hunters to take advantage of the more liberal baiting laws, although Carraway said it could encourage some new bear hunters to try it.

— By Becky Johnson

Celebrate solar at Innovation Brewing with pre-vetted companies that provide those services. The initiative also negotiates lower installation prices and free estimates for its members.

The afternoon at Innovation Brewing will feature a beer specially brewed for the occasion by brewmaster Chip Owen, and members of Solarize WNC and Clean Energy for N.C. to supply printed materials and answer questions.

Owen and co-owner Nichole Dexter will be around to show off the solar work being done to their business.

Innovation, 828.586.9678 or Solarize WNC, 828.631.3447 or info@canarycoalition.org. www.cleanenergyfor.us/cleanenergy-for-wnc

Have a wild time at the library

Butterfly outing coming to Franklin

The animals of Balsam Mountain Trust will make the rounds next week in a pair of library programs in Waynesville and Sylva.

■ A birds of prey program at the Jackson County Public Library will offer a chance to see raptors up close at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4. Free, but seating is limited. Tickets will be distributed beginning at 10 a.m.

A mini excursion to catch butterflies along the Little Tennessee River Greenway in Franklin will take place 10 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Big Bear Shelter.

Jason Love of the Coweeta Long-Term Ecological Research Program will lead the walk, helping participants catch, identify and release butterflies.

Children welcome. A program of Friends of the Balsam Mountain Trust Greenway. 828.369.8488.

is well-known for its birds of prey. Holly Kays photo

A squirrely storytime

Kids will crowd around to hear the story of Sabrina the brave flying squirrel during a special storytime with author Lisa Horstman at 11 a.m.

Saturday, Aug. 1, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Sabrina, published by the Great Smoky Mountains Association, tells the story of a brave young flying squirrel who is trying to fit in with her new family of red squirrels. She eventually saves the day, and her new friends realize it is OK to be a little different.

Free. 828.586.9499.

A PLACE OF THEIR OWN

Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. 828.586.2016.

■ A program titled “Animal Heroes” will show off the trust’s amazing animals at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Free. 828.452.5169.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

Leave Leave brain brain ccancer ancer in the dust. dust.

The The 2nd A Annual nnual R Richard’s ichard’s Run R 5K Trail Trail Run ffor or Br Brain ain C Cancer ancer Saturday, August August 1 @ 10 am Saturday, One of last year ’s runners called it “quit q e possibly the most challenging 5K on earth.” But the real challenge is the fight against brain cancer. So join us this Saturday for o the second annual Richard’s Run at Cataloochee Ranch, a serious but lighthearted day complete with awards, food o and drinks, a silent auction, and bluegrass by The Darren Nicholson Band. e online – or just sshow up on Register and pay your $25 entry fee o its money.

Saturday – and help us give brain cancer a run for

Smoky Mountain News

A major turning point for the bear population came in the 1970s: the advent of bear Stabilizing the growing bear population sanctuaries. They not only created islands of simply by encouraging more hunting could safe harbor where the bears could rebound prove “a very difficult proposition,” free of hunting pressures, but the notion of Carraway said. sanctuaries ushered in a new philosophy of That’s because a quarter of the bear popownership among hunters, one where they ulation in the mountains is in areas where saw themselves as the stewards and caretakhunting isn’t ers. allowed.

“It was a struggle to get There’s an them to accept the idea of havestimated 6,000 ing bears in a sanctuary they to 8,000 bears couldn’t hunt. That was a radion huntable cal change in philosophy,” lands in the Carraway said. “Now the older mountains, bear hunters are very protecincluding tive of the bear sanctuaries. national forests, The older hunters remember private land the days when there weren’t and game prehardly any bears. Once they serves. saw that it worked, the older But there bear hunters are very protecare another tive of them.”

Hunters historically put out lard, dog 2,000 bears in There’s more than a dozen food and drums of chocolate to feed designated bear sanctuaries on WNC on land that can’t be bears, fattening them up and encourag- public lands in the mountains, hunted — ing them to stay in the vicinity until bear encompassing around 250,000 including season rolled around. Bait like the ones acres, and another half million national parks, acres off limits to hunting as shown here are now illegal, however, folbear sanctuaries national parks, state parks and lowing a law change eight years ago that the like. and in city limbans everything but natural food, like its where there’s It’s not only illegal to hunt apples or corn. N.C. Wildlife Commission photo in bear sanctuaries, but it’s no hunting.

The wildlife socially frowned upon in bear commission has toyed with the idea of openhunting circles. ing up certain bear sanctuaries to hunting.

For some species, evolving attitudes came Two mountain bear sanctuaries began allowalong too late. Buffalo, elk, wolves and paning limited hunting by special permit a few thers are all among the big game species that years ago. But doing so was controversial — roamed the North Carolina mountains ceneven among the hunting community itself. turies ago, before being completely eradicatCarraway remembers the day when there ed from this region by the fur trade and early weren’t nearly as many bears in the mounsettlers. tains as there now.

Luckily, the same hasn’t been true for The black bear population had dwindled black bears. so much by the mid-1970s, hunters were “Our regulations have worked to produce reporting a harvest of only 60 bears a year in a sustainable and persistent bear populathe mountains. Compare that to nearly 1,200 tion,” said Kate Pipkin, a rules biologist for two years ago. the N.C. Wildlife Commission.

outdoors

Fans of solar are invited to toast the success of a solar energy initiative launched in the mountains this spring with a celebration beginning 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva.

Solarize WNC has held seven community education forums in Jackson, Macon, Haywood and Swain counties in recent months, causing 53 people sign up for energy efficiency evaluations and contractor estimates, with some following through on solar installations. Innovation Brewing is one such business.

Solarize WNC, a collaboration of The Canary Coalition and Clean Energy for North Carolina, is an initiative to educate people on the hows, whys and wheres of solar energy and to bring them in contact

richar richardsrun.org dsrun.org Proceeds benefit Duke Univveersitty’s Tisch i Brain Tu umor Ceenterr.

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PLATINUM SPONSORS: MedicaSoft, Joey ’s Pancake House, Cataloochee Ski Area

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outdoors

Learn with Leopold A workshop to train educators to teach the next generation about conservation stewardship and land ethics will come to Sylva just in time for the back-toschool season.

The Leopold Education Project Educators Workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, on the Cane Creek Road farm of retired Western Carolina University botany and biology professor Dan Pittillo.

Open to anyone who’s interested but especially geared for teachers, camp counselors, extension agents and environmental educators for teens in grades six to 12, the project aims at increasing student awareness of the land and influencing them to make responsible choices for the planet. The curriculum is based on the classic A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.

Free. RSVP to Rob Hawk, 828.586.4009 or robert_hawk@ncsu.edu.

Franklin gardens a home for wildlife

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

Several Franklin property owners have made it a priority to garden with wildlife in mind, earning recognition from the National Wildlife

Feds decide to put hold on wolf program Reintroductions of endangered red Commission and a coalition of environmenwolves in eastern North Carolina will cease tal organizations, represented by the for the rest of 2015 following a decision by Southern Environmental Law Center. the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Environmental Red wolves.

Service to put a hold on the progroups are opposed USFWS photo gram. to coyote hunting The time-out will allow for a in red wolf country. new feasibility study on resurCoyotes and red recting the species, which should wolves look the be completed by year’s end. same, and mistakExisting red wolves in the fiveen identity by county coastal area will not be hunters has led to taken out, but no more will be red wolves being reintroduced from the captive shot. breeding programs until the In November, a study concludes. compromise was They are the world’s only reached to allow wild population of red wolves. daytime coyote Red wolves were briefly reintrohunting in the five duced in the Smokies, but the reintroduccounties in question as long as hunters tion was deemed unsuccessful. report kills and have a special permit — but The latest development follows a court no night hunting. Following, the N.C. battle between the N.C. Wildlife Resources Wildlife Commission asked the Fish and

Wildlife Service to do an analysis of the red wolf reintroduction.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, the move to suspend reintroduction efforts is the responsible choice, a way to make sure that all future efforts are based on fact and the best available science.

“There will likely be some who will suggest we are walking away from recovery efforts for the red wolf, and simultaneously there will be others who might say we’re holding on too tight,” said Cindy Dohner, the Service’s Southeast Regional Director.

According to the Southern Environmental Law Center, the decision is tantamount to a dereliction of duty.

“The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is charged with taking all measures necessary to recover the endangered red wolf, not study it into extinction,” said Sierra Weaver, senior attorney with the law center.

— By Holly Kays

Federation as Certified Wildlife Habitats.

Following in the footsteps of the Franklin Garden Club at Clock Tower and Rankin Square, the Historical Society Museum and Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum have attained certification along with the UPS Store at Franklin Plaza, which may be the tiniest and busiest little green space

shrubbery for cover and food, hanging a birdfeeder and birdhouse and watch to see the little creatures arrive,” said Franklin resident Debby Boots. “This is a good project for any church or school group who wants to help and learn more about wildlife.” www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-forWildlife/Certify-Your-Wildlife-Garden.aspx

#SchooledOnSavings $ 100,000 to Schools!

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36

in the entire state.

To qualify, gardens must provide wildlife with food, water, cover and a place to raise their young. They must also employ sustainable gardening techniques, such as use of native plants an limited water consumption.

Easy to get started with a birdbath, some

25TH N.C. INFANTRY A group dedicated to preserving American history though battle reenactments, preservation projects and school programs.

Now Recruiting New Members.

Step back in time with us.

For details see our facebook group:

25th NC Troops

Better Quality, Better Prices outdoors

Timothy Spira. Donated photo

Waterfalls and their flora explained

ON DELLWOOD ROAD (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 10-5 M-SAT. 12-4 SUN. 828.926.8778 tupelosonline.com

Western North Carolina is famous for its abundant waterfalls, and a pair of talks by author Timothy Spira will discuss their allure, as well as the plants and wildflowers associated with them.

The free presentations will be held: ■ 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Highlands Biological Station Nature Center as part of the organization’s summer Zahner Conservation Lecture Series.

828.526.2221.

■ 10:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium.

828.356.2507.

Party with Smokey July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

Smokey Bear turns 71 this year, and the Cradle of Forestry in America is inviting all kids to come celebrate with him.

Smokey’s birthday party will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, with activities including games, crafts, songs and, of course, birthday cake. A live animal program from Carolina Naturalists will close out the day at 1:30 p.m. $6 adults; $3 children 4-15 with those under 4 free. The Cradle of Forestry in America is located in the Pisgah National Forest along U.S. 276, about 25 miles from Waynesville. 828.877.3130.

Bear plates raise $4 million for the Smokies Smoky Mountain News

Smokies license plates recently crossed the $4 million mark in their fundraising power to support Friends of the Smokies’ work in North Carolina.

The specialty plates, which were launched in 1999, have hepled fund dozens of projects and programs in the park over the years, including black bear research, elk reintroduction, brook trout restoration, hemlock protection, trail improvements, renovations of historic sites, the Appalachians Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob and the Parks as Classrooms program for school children.

The black bear Smokies plates can be purchased for an extra $30 at edmv.ncdot.gov/VehicleRegistration/Specia lPlate

37

outdoors

The Main Street Mile in Waynesville raises money for Shriners Hospitals to care for children. Patrick Parton photo

Race Waynesville’s Main Street Mile A 1-mile race through downtown Waynesville on Friday, Aug. 21, will benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, S.C. The Main Street Mile, now in its sixth year, will kick off at 6:30 p.m., with four separate waves planned at 20-minute intervals. A post-race party will feature live music, children’s activities, food and local craft beer. Since its inception, the race has raised $30,000 for the hospital, which provides free care to children under 18 suffering from accute injuries and specialized conditions. $20 before Aug. 20 and $25 race day. www.waynesvillemainstreetmile.com or 828.452.1306.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

Run the night away in Maggie Valley The Moonlight Run, an 8K along Maggie Valley’s main drag, will return for its 34th year on Saturday, Aug. 22, along with a half-mile Sunset Fun Run. Race festivities will be based at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, with the fun run starting at 7:45 p.m. and the 8K road race at 8:30 p.m. The course takes runners 1.2 miles up the valley on Soco Road and then 2.4 miles in the opposite direction before turning back around in search of the finish line. Runners will have the two westbound lanes all to themselves, the course lit with lights from street lamps and emergency vehicles. $30 through July 31 and $40 afterward. $7 for the fun run. Sponsored by the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce and Town of Maggie Valley. Organized by Glory Hound Events. www.gloryhoundevents.com/event/maggie-moonlight-race.

Adult kickball coming to Jackson

Smoky Mountain News

An adult kickball league is starting up in Jackson County this fall, with registration open Aug. 3-7. Games will be held Thursday nights at Mark Watson Park in Sylva beginning Sept. 3. $225 per team. 828.293.3053.

38

Free kids’ fishing derby returns to Cherokee

able to fish smaller ponds rather than fight the river’s current.

Prizes will be awarded to first through third place in each age group, with one grand prize awarded as well, values totaling $20,000.

Participants must register in person the day before. Registration will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 31, at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Activities on registration day include inflatables, animal exhibits, casting demonstrations, a zip line, clowns, Indian dances and stickball games, with food and snowcones for purchase. www.cherokeetroutderby.com or 828.554.6528.

The Cherokee Talking Trees Children’s Trout Derby will be held from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Cherokee Island Park.

The Talking Trees Children’s Trout Derby The annual event drew is expected to draw 2,000 children to 2,000 kids last year who fish the Oconaluftee. SMN photo lined the banks of the Oconaluftee River to try their hand at fishing.

Volunteers will be on hand to help novices. Children ages 3 to 11 will receive a free fishing pole, bait, hooks, sinkers, shirt and hat — plus free breakfast and lunch. Younger kids will be

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The World Series of Poker national championship events are July 29-31 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort Event Center.

• The third-annual Cupcake Challenge is scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 30 at Canton Branch Library. Open to all ages, children and adults. To sign up, call 648.2924 or stop by the front desk of the Canton Branch Library.

• Professor Whizzpop will be teaching how you can amaze your friends with magic at 3 p.m. on July 31 at Jackson County Public Library. Ages 12 and up.

586.2016.

• A book sale by Friends of the Haywood County Library is scheduled for July 31-Aug. 1, at the Waynesville branch. Sale runs from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday. 627.2370.

• The High Mountain Squares will host their “Beach Party Dance” at 6:30 p.m. on July 31, at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. 371.4946 or www.highmountainsquares.com.

• The annual Cashiers Valley Women of Faith Luncheon, hosted by the Glenville Wesleyan Church, is set for noon on Aug. 1 at the Glenville Community Development Club in Glenville. 743.0868.

• A town hall meeting on Agent Orange/Dioxin is scheduled for noon-6 p.m. on Aug. 1, at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds exhibition hall in Cherokee. For Vietnam veterans, dependents and survivors. 508.2657.

• An open house is scheduled for 4-5 p.m. on Aug. 4 at Giles Chemical in Frog Level in Waynesville. Tours and refreshments.

• The “Country Western” theme will be from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Aug. 4 and 6 at the Canton pool. Normal hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3. 648.2363.

• “Artshare 2015” formally opens to the public from Aug. 4-31 at the Haywood County Arts Council’s “Gallery & Gifts” (formerly known as “Gallery 86”). hcacartshare@yahoo.com.

• An SCGHS genealogical club picnic and genie swap meet is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Morgan Pavilion Recreation Park. Bring a side dish to share.

Meat and beverages provided.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will hold a community music jam from 6-7:30 p.m. Aug. 6. Free.

488.3030.

• Storyteller Donald Davis performs “Authentically Appalachian” storytelling at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 8 as part of the Associate’s Weekend at Lake Junaluska. Tickets are $17.50 and available at www.lakejunaluska.com/concerts or at the Bethea Welcome Center. 800.222.4390.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • An “Info Night” to discuss and answer questions about Southwestern Community College’s various educational opportunities is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. on Aug. 4 in Room 102C of the Burrell Building on Southwestern’s Jackson Campus. 339.4000 or southwesterncc.edu.

• Haywood Chamber of Commerce Issues and Eggs is scheduled for 8-9 a.m. on Aug. 5 at Laurel Ridge Country Club. Joe Stewart, executive director of NC Free Enterprise Foundation, will give a presentation on the state’s emerging political landscape for the 2016 election cycle.

• The Leopold Education Project Educators Workshop, designed to train educators to teach the next generation

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 about conservation stewardship and land ethics, is scheduled for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Aug. 5 on the Cane Creek Road farm of Dan Pittillo. Free. RSVP to Rob Hawk at 586.4009 or robert_hawk@ncsu.edu.

• A Downtown Merchants Association meeting is set for 8-9 a.m. on Aug. 6 at the Swain County Chamber.

• The Appalachian Food Pantry School is now accepting applications for this year’s courses, which run on Tuesdays through Aug. 11 at a location to be determined. www.wncfpc.org.

Smoky Mountain News

1-5:30 p.m. on Aug. 7 at Jackson County Department on Aging in Sylva. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2767.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Aug. 8 at Mountain Valley Fire Department in Franklin. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2767.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • Registration for an adult kickball league in Jackson County is underway from Aug. 3-7. The league starts play Sept. 3 at Mark Watson Park in Sylva. $225 per team. 293.3053.

• Registration is under way until Aug. 21 for square dance lessons in Jackson County. $65 per person.

Lessons are held on Monday nights starting Aug. 24.

293.3053 or visit rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Zumba in the Park is scheduled for 7-8 p.m. on Aug. 5 at Little Canada Park. Sweat-breaking workout. 293.3053.

• Registration is open for the Haywood County Recreation & Parks Department’s Fall Open Adult Soccer League. $260 per team. 7 vs. 7. Games are Aug. 30Oct. 4 at Allen’s Creek Park. 452.6789 or drtaylor@haywoodnc.net. www.haywoodnc.net.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • First United Methodist Church of Sylva will hold an Open Door Meal & Sing at 5:30 p.m. on July 29 in the church’s Christian Life Center. Steve Whiddon (piano) will play a variety of music. 586.2358.

• Swain County TDA Board meeting is at noon on July 29 at the Chamber office.

• Venture Local Franklin is organizing a cash mob for 5:30 p.m. on July 30 at Carolina Junction on Highlands Road in Franklin. Carolina Junction will serve hot dogs and raffle off power equipment.

• A Bernie Sanders video conference event is scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 29 at the Jackson County Commissioners Board Room on the second floor of the Jackson County Justice Center in Sylva. 506.6141.

• The 10th annual Downtown Dog Walk, presented by Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation, is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Aug. 1 in downtown Waynesville. Sign up at www.sargeandfriends.org, at Sarge’s Adoption Center in Waynesville, at animal hospitals in Waynesville, Clyde and Canton or at the Mountaineer in Waynesville.

Another option is to sign up at 9 a.m. on the day of the walk outside the Haywood County Courthouse. $15 fee per dog includes a dog walk goody bag and a dog bandana.

• Swain County Commissioners’ Ad Hoc Animal Care Ordinance Committee will host a community input meeting from 7-9 p.m. on July 30 United Community Bank in Bryson City.

• A wine tasting and silent auction fundraiser to benefit ARF (Jackson County Humane Society) will be held from 3-6 p.m. Aug. 8 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva.

Cost is $10. 586.6300 or www.mountainlovers.com or www.a-r-f.org/arf.

• “Gangway to Galilee” is the theme of Vacation Bible School that will be held July 30-Aug. 2 at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Clyde. For ages 4-12. Hours are 5:30-8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday; 5:30-8 p.m. on Saturday and 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday. 456-6493.

• Signups are under way for teams, volunteers and sponsorships for an upcoming three-on-three soccer shootout on Aug. 8 that will raise scholarship money to support low-income kids’ involvement in Haywood County athletic activities. Winning teams qualify to compete in the Disney 3v3 Soccer Championships in February in Orlando. $125 per team. Register at www.GreatSmokyMountain3v3.com.

• Lisa Horstman will read from her new book, “Sabrina,” at 11 a.m. on Aug. 1 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Published by Great Smoky Mountain Association, “Sabrina: tells the story of a brave young flying squirrel. 586.9499.

• The 24th annual Charitable Classic Golf Tournament & Gala, benefitting Good Samaritan Clinic of Haywood County, is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 25-26, at Maggie Valley Club and Waynesville Inn Golf Resort. HaywoodHealthcareFoundation.org, gschaywood.org or 454.5287 or 452.8343.

HEALTH MATTERS • The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 1:30-6 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Victory Baptist Church in Bryson City.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 1-6:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. www.redcrossblood.org or 800.733.2767.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from

POLITICAL CORNER

• Libertarian Party meeting is scheduled for 6-8:30 p.m. on July 30 at Tuck’s Tap and Grill in Cullowhee. wmckinney@lpnc.org or 246.3390.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE

AUTHORS AND BOOKS

KIDS & FAMILIES • A Heroes Party is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 29 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

• A program on “Interesting Invertebrates” is scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 29 at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Live invertebrates including millipedes, crayfish, tarantulas and more will be on site for an upclose, safe look. 488.3030.

• Performer Paul Miller of Flow Circus will perform juggling and magic at 10:30 a.m. on July 29 at the Canton Library.

Miller will demonstrate how skills like his can be mastered by finding resources, setting goals and practicing.

• Just Write will be held at 2 p.m. on July 30 at Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Ages 8-12 586.2016.

39

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Teen DIY: Learn and create through a do-it-yourself series for ages 12-17 at 4 p.m. on July 30 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

• A family night entitled “Talk Like an Animal” will be presented by Blue Ridge Parkway rangers at 7 p.m. on July 30 at the Milepost 384 visitor center. Learn about the role communication plays in survival and health of the area’s ecosystems. Registration is required.

298.5330, ext. 304.

• The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad “Dinosaur Train” will run at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. July 31-Aug. 1 and 3 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Bryson City Train Depot.

800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

• Talking Trees Children’s Trout Derby is scheduled for July 31-Aug. 1 at Oconaluftee Island Park in Cherokee. Event runs from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Friday and from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday.

• Superhero Showdown is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Aug. 1 at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Professor Whizpop presents his “Zero to Hero” program.

488.3030.

• Archery, a program organized by Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, is scheduled for 9-10:30 a.m. on Aug. 1 in Pisgah Forest. Learn all safety, variations in bows and arrows, and practice target shooting. Ages 8adult. 877.4423 or lee.sherrill@ncwildlife.org.

• Fly Tying for the Beginner, a program organized by Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, is scheduled for 14 p.m. on Aug. 1 in Pisgah Forest. Learn all safety, variations in bows and arrows, and practice target shooting. Ages 8-adult. 877.4423 or lee.sherrill@ncwildlife.org.

• Smokey Bear’s Birthday Party, open to kids of all ages, is scheduled for 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Aug. 1, at the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah Forest. $6 for adults; $3 for ages 4-15. Children under four are free. Music, crafts, games and more. 877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.

• A Week in the Woods, a weeklong series organized by Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on Aug. 3-7, in Pisgah Forest. Focus on the tradition of hunting. For ages 8-15. 877.4423 or lee.sherrill@ncwildlife.org.

• A birds of prey program is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Aug. 4 in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

Features live birds of prey; presented by Balsam Mountain Trust.

• Animal Heroes will be featured at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 5 at the Waynesville Library. Naturalist Rose Wall from Balsam Mountain Trust will lead the program, which includes birds of prey for kids.

• A video game tournament will be held at 3 p.m. on Aug. 5 at Waynesville Library. Visit www.haywoodlibrary.org or call 452.5169.

• Animal Heroes will be on display at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 5 at the Waynesville Library. Naturalist Rose Wall from Balsam Mountain Trust will present animals.

• “Growing Up WILD,” an early childhood education program organized by Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, is scheduled for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Aug. 6, in Pisgah Forest. Build on children’s sense of wonder about nature. For ages 18-up. 877.4423 or lee.sherrill@ncwildlife.org.

• “Nature Nuts: Turtles,” a program organized by Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, is scheduled for 911 a.m. on Aug. 8, in Pisgah Forest. Learn all about tur-

wnc calendar

tles. Story, crafts, game and turtle hunt. For ages 4-7.

877.4423 or lee.sherrill@ncwildlife.org.

• “Exo Explorers: Owls,” a program organized by Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, is scheduled for 9-11 a.m. on Aug. 8, in Pisgah Forest. Learn all about owls.

For ages 8-13. 877.4423 or lee.sherrill@ncwildlife.org.

• Kebari Fly Tying 101, a program on the art of Japanese fly-tying organized by Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on Aug. 8, in Pisgah Forest. For ages 14-up. 877.4423 or lee.sherrill@ncwildlife.org.

• Registration for a fall soccer league in Jackson County is open through Aug. 7. Fee is $45; must be four years old but not yet 14 before Aug. 1. 293.3053 or rec.jacksonnc.org.

KIDS CAMPS • A “Step Back in Time” summer day camp is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on July 30, Aug. 6 and Aug. 20 through the Western Carolina University Mountain Heritage Center. Ages 9-11. http://www.wcu.edu/academics/edoutreach/conted/ca mps-and-programs-for-kids/index.asp

• A Youth Adventure Camp for rising fifth-througheighth graders is scheduled for Aug. 3-7. Jennifer Bennett at 293.3053 or Jenniferbennett@jacksonnc.org.

KIDS MOVIES • “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” is showing for free at 10 a.m. July 29-30 at Cherokee Phoenix Theatre. PhoenixTheatres.com or 497.7384.

• “Space Chimps” is showing for free at 10 a.m. July 29-30 at Cherokee Phoenix Theatre.

PhoenixTheatres.com or 497.7384.

Smoky Mountain News

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

• A Robotics with LEGOS Summer Day Camp will be offered for rising fifth through seventh graders from Aug. 3-7, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Camp meets from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday then from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday. camps.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Mountain street dances with mountain music and clogging are scheduled for the following Friday nights: Aug. 7 in downtown Waynesville. downtownwaynesville.com or 456.3517.

• The Mountain Street Dance will be from 6:30-9 p.m.

Aug. 7 in front of the Historic Courthouse in downtown Waynesville. Old-fashioned mountain music and clogging, with instruction offered to any and all. Free. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

• Family movies, rated PG, are shown at 2 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month of the summer at Canton Public Library. Call 648.2924 for movie titles.

• The Seventh-annual Mountain High BBQ Festival and Car Show, featuring a Best Burger in Town competition, is scheduled for Aug. 7-8 at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center in Franklin. 524.3161 or www.MountainHighBBQFestival.com.

• The new “Annie” movie will play for free at noon and 2 p.m. every Saturday in July at The Strand in downtown Waynesville.

• Tickets are on sale now for the second-annual Best of Controlled Chaos Film Festival, which will be held Aug. 15 in Highlands. 227.7028.

• “HOME” will be screened at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva on July 31 and Aug. 1 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Also a 2 p.m. showing on Saturday Aug. 1. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• SummerVoice Music Camp presented by Voices in the Laurel is scheduled for Aug. 3-7, at First Baptist Church of Waynesville. Register by Aug. 3 at www.voicesinthelaurel.org. 734.9163.

• Tennis camp for teens is scheduled for this summer through the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department on Aug. 3-7 from 3:30-5 p.m. For ages 13-18. Rumi Kakareka at 703.966.7138 or rkakareka@me.com.

www.cataloocheeranch.com. Other dates for the dinner are: Aug. 14 and 28; and Sept. 4 and 25.

A&E FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • “Way Back When” trout dinner will be held at 5:30 p.m. July 31 at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. Featuring food and storytelling of a 1930’s Appalachian trout camp. Purchase tickets at 926.1401 or 800.868.1401 or

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Zoe & Cloyd (of Red June) perform original and traditional material on fiddle, banjo, guitar and mandolin at 8 p.m. on July 30 at The Strand in Waynesville. $10 advance; $15 at the door.

• “Shrek the Musical” will be presented July 31-Aug. 1 by Overlook Theatre Company at the Smoky Mountain Center for Performing Arts in Franklin.

GreatMountainMusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

• The Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will continue the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival with “Beethoven’s 7th” performed by an ensemble at 6 p.m. July 31 and 5 p.m.

Aug. 2.

• The Pressley Girls will perform traditional Appalachian Music at 7 p.m. on July 30 at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Free. 488.3030.

• “Oklahoma” will be on stage through Aug. 2 at HART Theatre in Waynesville. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. on Sundays.

Harttheatre.com or 456.6322.

• “The Great Masters,” an evening of classical music presented by the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 2 at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. www.swannanoachambermusic.com or 452.0593.

• Through the Hills (Americana string band) performs at 7 p.m. on Aug. 6 in Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Free. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

586.2016.

• Stuart Auditorium (Lake Junaluska) will have the Lake Junaluska Singers at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7. www.lakejunaluska.com/concerts or 800.222.4930.

• Elvis tribute artist David Morin will perform Aug. 79 at HART in Waynesville. Shows are at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 7-8, and at 3 p.m. on Aug. 9, with a barbecue dinner starting one hour prior to each show. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org.

OUTDOOR MUSIC • Pickin’ in the Park is from 7-10 p.m. on Fridays at the Canton Rec Park. Free. Cantonnc.com or 648.2363.

• Steph Stewart and the Boyfriends will perform as part of the 2015 Summer Concert Series starting at 7 p.m. on July 30 at WCU’s Central Plaza. Bring blankets or chairs. For info, contact Francis Ann Ortiz at 227.2612 or faortizpineda@wcu.edu. http://stephstewart.net • The Robertson Boys perform bluegrass at 7 p.m. July 31 as part of the Concerts on the Creek series at the Bridge Park Pavilion in Sylva. Free. www.mountainlovers.com.

th 45 Annual

Sept. 4-5, 2015 Open Tent Show: 5-6:30 p.m.

Main Stage Indoor Show: 6:30-11p.m.

Festival Director:

Paid for in part by the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.

www.smokymountainfolkfestival.com

www.visitncsmokies.com

Joe Sam Queen | 828-452-1688 40

1-800-334-9036

• A36 Band performs at 7 p.m. on July 31 as part of the “Music on the River” concert series in Cherokee.

Free. 800.438.1601 or 359.6490.

• Randy Flack will perform from 7-10 p.m. on July 31, at Fontana Village Resort. Fontanavillage.com.

• Veritable Plethora will perform from 7-10 p.m. on Aug. 1, at Fontana Village Resort. Fontanavillage.com.

• Michael Reno Harrell (singer/songwriter) performs at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 as part of The Pickin’ on the Square summer concert series in Franklin. Open mic starts at 6:30 p.m. free. www.franklinnc.com.

• “Rye Holler Boys” (bluegrass/gospel) perform at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 at the Bryson City Train Depot.

Free. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Saturdays On Pine (Highlands) summer concert series will have The Freeway Revival (rock/jam) at 6 p.m. on Aug. 1 in Kelsey-Hutchinson Park. Free. www.highlandschamber.org.

• “Music on the River” concert series will feature Eastern Blue Bird from 7-9 p.m. on Aug. 1, in the riverside area of downtown Cherokee. Free.

800.438.1601, 359.6490 or travel@nc-cherokee.com.

NIGHTLIFE

• Hunter Grigg (singer/songwriter) performs at 7 p.m. on July 31 at Rendezvous at the Maggie Valley Inn & Conference Center.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Redleg Husky (Americana/folk) at 9 p.m. on July 31. Free. www.tippingpointtavern.com.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will have DJ Mike Hurley at 9 p.m. on July 31. Free.

• A hummus and beer pairing is set for 4-8 p.m. on July 31, at Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva. Free samples. www.yourgnometownbrewery.com.

• David Spangler performs at 8 p.m. on July 31 at the Rathskeller Coffe Haus & Pub in Franklin. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Gary Carter performs at 8 p.m. on Aug. 1 at the Rathskeller Coffe Haus & Pub in Franklin. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Mile High Band (rock) performs at 7 p.m. on Aug. 1 at Rendezvous at the Maggie Valley Inn & Conference Center.

• The Katts (Americana) perform at 8 p.m. on Aug. 1 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Mixers Bar & Nightclub (Franklin) will have Longshot (rock/country) at 9 p.m. on Aug. 1. 369.9211 or www.facebook.com/mixersbarandnightclub.

• Joe Cruz (piano/pop) performs at 7 p.m. on Aug. 1 at Classic Wineseller in downtown Waynesville. 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• An Open Mic Night is scheduled for 8 p.m. on July 29 and Aug. 5 at Innovation Brewing in Sylva. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• The MYXZ performs at 6 p.m. on Aug. 1 at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Free. 454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• A jazz night featuring the Kittle/Collings duo is scheduled for 8 p.m. on July 30 and Aug. 6 at Innovation Brewing in Sylva. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Ginny McAfee performs Aug. 1 at Innovation Brewing in Sylva.

• Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) performs at 7 p.m. on July 30 at BearWaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. www.bwbrewing.com.

• Aaron Burdett (guitar, vocals) performs original Americana music, blending folk-rock, bluegrass and blues, at 7 p.m. on July 31 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. www.classicwineseller.com.

• O’Malley’s Pub & Grill will have karaoke July 31 and Rye Baby (bluegrass/Americana) Aug. 1. All shows begin at 9 p.m. www.facebook.com/omalleysofsylva or 631.0554.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will have Through the Hills (Americana/bluegrass) at 9 p.m. on July 31. www.pub319.com.

Singer-songwriter and master of eleven instruments, “Mean Mary” isn’t really all that mean. Hank Williams, Jr. even calls her a “sweetheart.” The youngest of six kids, Mary James was a child prodigy who read music before she read words, and co-wrote songs at the tender age of five.

Known internationally for lightning-fast fingers, haunting vocals, and intricate story songs, Mean Mary travels the genres of bluegrass, blues, and folk-rock with banjo, fiddle, and guitar.

On Saturday, August 8, 2015 at 7pm, enjoy alluring story songs, incredible instrumental prowess, and the rich vocals of Mean Mary at the Classic Wineseller located at 20 Church Street, Waynesville, NC. Tickets are $15 per person. For advance ticket purchases and dinner reservations call 828-452-6000. The Wineseller’s full food and drink menu will be available during the show. Seating is limited. Visit www.classicwineseller.com for information on live music, wine tastings, and jazz dinners.

• Joe Cruz performs songs off the Beatles, Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel and James Taylor at 7 p.m. on Aug. 1, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Porch 40 (rock/funk) performs at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 at Andrews Brewing Company. $5. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Darren & The Buttered Toast (funk/soul) performs at 9 p.m. on Aug. 1 at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva.

Free. 586.2750 or nonamesportspub.com.

• Blue & The Barn Cats perform at 6 p.m. on Aug. 1 at Big Wesser BBQ at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. www.noc.com.

• Stone Crazy (rock/pop) performs at 3 p.m. on Aug. 2 at Rendezvous at the Maggie Valley Inn & Conference Center.

• Mark Keller (singer/songwriter) performs at 6 p.m. on Aug. 3 at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Free.

454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

TO THE

CLOSED

• Armadillo (pop/hits) performs at 6 p.m. on July 31 at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Free. 454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will have New Bridge at 8 p.m. on July 31. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com or 828.369.5299.

• Fat Cheek Kat (funk/roots) perform at 9 p.m. on July 31 at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Free. 586.2750 or nonamesportspub.com.

• Fritz Beer & the Crooked Beat (Americana/Rock) per-

X

550 Vance St.

WILL BE CLOSED

STARTING JULY 20th for up to 45 days

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • A sake class and tasting event is scheduled for 7 p.m. on July 30 at Classic Wineseller. $24.99 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Learn about the history of the alcoholic drink and try seven unique sakes. Food tastes included. For reservations, call 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Flea Market at the Fairgrounds is from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Aug. 1 at the Haywood County Fairgrounds in Waynesville. www.haywoodcountyfairgrounds.org or 400.1704.

• Art League of the Smokies Meeting is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. on Aug. 4, at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. The DVD “Colored Pencil Workshop” with Gary Green will be shown. Free; all are welcome. 488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

To access the Rec Park, from Russ Avenue: Walnut Street

take Walnut St., to Left on Vance St.,

(at Champion Credit Union)

(before DuValls Restaurant)

Smoky Mountain News

• Aaron Burdette (singer-songwriter) performs at 7 p.m. on July 31 at Classic Wineseller in downtown Waynesville. 452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

REC CENTER

THE HOWELL MILL RD. SIDE OF VANCE STREET

• DJ with Mike Hurley is July 31 at Water’n Hole.

• Brushfire Stankgrass (Americana/bluegrass) plays at 6 p.m. on July 31 at Big Wesser BBQ at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. www.noc.com.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

• Carolina Catskins (bluegrass/string) performs at 6:30 p.m. on July 30 at Bogart’s in Waynesville. Free.

452.1313.

“Mean Mary” to Perform Sat., Aug. 8th in Waynesville wnc calendar

• The Dover Boys Medicine Show performs at 6 p.m. on July 31 as part of the Friday Night Live summer concert series in Highlands. Free. www.highlandschamber.org.

forms at 8 p.m. on July 31 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City. Free. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

Paid advertisement

• The Dane Michael Group performs at 6:30 p.m. on July 31 as part of the “Groovin’ on the Green” summer concert series at the Village Commons in Cashiers. www.visitcashiersvalley.com.

WAYNESVILLE

PARKS AND RECREATION 828.456.2030

or email rlangston@waynesvillenc.gov

303-44

41

wnc calendar

• Johanna Ohly (potter) and Diane Herring (watercolor artist/jewelry maker) are featured artists for the month of July at Tunnel Mountain Crafts in Dillsboro.

Shop is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Saturday and noon-4 p.m. on Sunday.

• An Adult Summer Reading Program is ongoing till Aug. 28 through Haywood County Public Library. Visit www.haywoodlibrary.org or call 452.5169 or 648.2924.

• An Intermediate digital photography class will be taught from 3-4:50 p.m. on Tuesdays, Aug. 4-Sept. 15 (but not on Aug. 25) at Jackson County Department of Aging, Senior Center, in Sylva. Tony Wu at 226.3840 or tonywuphotos@hotmail.com.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • A Folk & Outsider Art Talk & Reception is scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. on July 30, in the Macon County Library Meeting Room in Franklin. 524.3600.

• “Solitude & Mystery: John Julius Wilnoty” on exhibition through August 2 at Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual in Cherokee. 497.3103.

• The graduating class of Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts program will exhibit their best work at the 2015 Graduate Show held through Aug. 23 at the Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville. The Folk Art Center is open daily from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. 565.4159.

• Western North Carolina pottery pieces on loan from the collection of Rodney Leftwich are on display from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays at the Shelton House in Waynesville. www.sheltonhouse.org.

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

CALL FOR VENDORS / SPONSORS • Sponsorships are being accepted, and vendors are sought for the Lakeside Rumble, a single-day, fourperson team functional fitness competition that’s scheduled for Aug. 1 at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. Register at www.unbrokenseries.com/lakesiderumble.

• Vendor applications are being accepted through 4 p.m. on Aug. 1 for the Town of Canton’s 109th Labor Day Festival entitled “A Celebration of All Things Made in Western North Carolina.” All arts and crafts must be handmade. 648.2363; www.cantonlaborday.com.

FILM & SCREEN • A new biographical drama starring Kat Dennings, Chad Michael Murray and Rupert Friend will be shown at 2 p.m. on July 29 in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room. twloha.com or 524.3600.

Smoky Mountain News

• “Serena” will be screened at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva on July 30 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• A biographical drama starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn is scheduled for 2 p.m. on July 31 in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room.

524.3600.

• The Strand in Waynesville will show “Monte Python and the Holy Grail” at 9:30 p.m. on July 31-Aug. 1. PG. 1:31. Free.

• The Strand in Waynesville will show “Woman in Gold” from July 31-Aug. 12 (except Mondays). 7 p.m. shows Tuesdays through Saturdays; additional 4 p.m. shows on Saturdays and 2 p.m. shows on Sundays.

• “First Language: The Race to Save Cherokee” will be shown at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

• “71” will be screened at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva on Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• A classic 1954 musical starring Judy Garland and James Mason will be shown at 2 p.m. on Aug. 7, at Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. 524.3600.

• “Insurgent” will be screened at the Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva on Aug. 7 and 8 at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Also at 2 p.m. on Aug. 8. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• Adult movie time, 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

Outdoors

• A bird walk along the Greenway, sponsored by Franklin Bird Club, is scheduled for July 29. Meet at 8 a.m.; park off Fox Ridge Road south of Franklin Flea Market on Highlands Road. 524.5234.

• “Discover Your Land: Basic Land Management Skills,” a program in the Woodland Steward Series designed to empower forest landowners to manage their properties to promote environmental and forest health, is scheduled for July 29-30. www.woodlandstewardsnc.org.

• “Woodscaping Your Woodlands & Firewise Management,” a program in the Woodland Steward Series designed to empower forest landowners to manage their properties to promote environmental and forest health, is scheduled for July 30-31. Info atwww.woodlandstewardsnc.org.

• “Invertebrates,” a program featuring live animals, will be presented by the N.C. Museum of Natural Science at 9 a.m. on July 30 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

• Boating safety courses will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Department of Arts, Sciences and Natural Resources from 6-9:30 p.m. on July 2930, in HCC’s Building 3300. Participants must attend

• A Zahner Lecture entitled “Stories from the Forested Landscape: How to see the forest with the trees” is scheduled for 6:30-7:30 p.m. on July 30 at the Nature Center at the Highlands Biological Station. Free.

Speaker will be Dr. Stephanie Jeffries, teaching associate professor at N.C. State. 526.2221 or www.highlandsbiological.org.

• A program on “Interesting Invertebrates” presented by the N.C. natural History Museum, is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on July 30 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Live invertebrates including millipedes, crayfish, tarantulas and more will be on site for an up-close, safe look. 586.2016.

• “Monarch Butterflies,” a program presented by the Balsam Nature Center, is scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 31 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

• The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians will conduct a fly-tying clinic on Friday and Saturday, July 31-Aug. 1, at the museum in Cherokee. 10 a.m. on Friday; 1:30-5 p.m. on Saturday. www.flyfishingmuseum.org; 788.0034.

• To bring awareness to the Solarize WNC program, Innovation Brewing will unveil their new “Solarize Beer” at 2 p.m. on Aug. 1 in downtown Sylva. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• The ICF Junior U23 Wildwater Canoeing World Championships are scheduled for Aug. 2-7 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Fifteen countries will be represented. noc.com.

• Early registration is open for the Blue Ridge Breakaway, a multi-distance bike ride set for Aug. 15 in Haywood County. Blueridgebreakaway.com or 456.3021.

• Richard’s Run, a 5K mountain trail run for brain cancer research, is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, at Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley.

Register at richardsrun.org.

• Registration is under way for a long-distance (25K and 50K routes) trail race that’s scheduled for Oct. 10 in Franklin. Register at Outdoor 76 in Franklin or at www.active.com. info@outdoor76.com.

FARM & GARDEN • A Garden Tour about Pollinators and the Plants that Need and Feed Them is scheduled for 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Aug. 3 at the Nature Center at the Highlands Biological Station. Free. 526.2221.

FARMERS MARKET • Haywood Historic Farmers Market is held from 8 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the parking lot of HART Theatre in Waynesville. 280.1381 or haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

• The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market is from 8 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville (behind Bogart’s).

456.1830 or vrogers12@att.net.

• Hunter safety courses are scheduled for 6-9:30 p.m. on Aug. 3-4 at Haywood Community College, Room 3322 in Building 3300. Free. www.ncwildlife.org.

• The Jackson County Farmers Market will be on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon on at its Bridge Park location in Sylva.

Info:jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com or website jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.

• “Exploring Waterfalls and Wildflowers in the Southern Appalachian Mountains,” a program featuring Clemson emeritus professor Timothy Spira, is scheduled for 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 at the Nature Center at the Highlands Biological Station. Free.

526.2221.

• The ‘Whee Farmer’s Market is open from 4-7 p.m. every Tuesday at the corner of the N. Country Club Drive and Stadium View Drive in Cullowhee, behind the entrance to the Village of Forest Hills off Highway 107 across from Western Carolina University.

476.0334

• Gem City Forum Toastmasters Club #296 meets at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday in The Drake Education Center in Franklin. www.gemcityforum.org.

• The Cashiers Tailgate market is open from 9 a.m.noon on Saturdays at the United Community Bank on N.C. 107 South. 226.9988 or blueridgefarmers@gmail.com.

• The SCHGS annual picnic is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 6 at Morgan Pavilion in the Recreation Park.

• A farm-to-table dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 8 at Hidden Valley Farm in Clyde. There will also be live music. $50. 450.2232 or www.hiddenvalleyfarmnc.com.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Registration is underway for the Lakeside Rumble, a single-day, four-person team functional fitness competition that’s scheduled for Aug. 1 at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. Register at www.unbrokenseries.com/lakesiderumble.

• Cowee Farmers Market is from 3:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through Oct. 28 at the Old Cowee School in Franklin. info@coweefarmersmarket.com , 524.8369 or www.coweefarmersmarket.com.

• The Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market is from 8 a.m.-noon on Saturdays on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software in Franklin. 349.2049 or alan_durden@ncsu.edu.

• Swain County Farmers Market will be open from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Fridays at the barn on Island Street in Bryson City. Special Tuesday hours from 5 to 8 p.m. during peak months through Sept. 15. 488.3848 or Christine_bredenkamp@ncsu.edu.

303-54

Great Smokies Storage 10’x20’

92

$

20’x20’

160

$

ONE MONTH

FREE WITH 12-MONTH CONTRACT

828.506.4112 or 828.507.8828

42

both evenings to receive certification. Free.

Registration required online: www.ncwildlife.org.

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

Puzzles can be found on page 46.

These are only the answers.

PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MarketPlace information:

3 ESTATES - 1 LOCATION Starts Thursday thru Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Antiques, Furniture, Art, Pottery, Plus Tools.

Frog Pond Downsizing, Located at 255 Depot St., Waynesville.

Look for the Frog on the Brick Building and You’ve Found Us!

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:

■ Free — Lost or found pet ads.

■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads, ■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

ARTS & CRAFTS

ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

AUCTION ABSOLUTE AUCTIONWednesday, August 5 @ 10am.

12206 Copper Way, Charlotte, NC. Complete Liquidation of Cru Wine Bar & Bistro. Bar Items, Full Kitchen, Wine Racks, Coolers.

704.791.8825. ncaf5479. www.ClassicAuctions.com

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, COO

INC.

R

DI

SC OV ER E

ATR

PE

Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

ABSOLUTE AUCTION Complete Dairy Herd Dispersal. 90 Holstein Cows. Farm Equipment.

Sparta, NC. Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015 10:30 a.m. Edwin Wagoner, NCAL3366. 276.768.8539. www.wagonerauctions.com.

James R. "Jimmy" Boyer, NCAL1792. www.BoyerRealtyandAuction.com. 336.572.2323.

Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS

MON-FRI 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

828-456-5387

303-66

ONLINE AUCTION Historic Parsonage Inn B&B 5BR/5.5BA Edenton, NC. Online Only Ends August 12 at 12pm.

336.789.2926 RogersAuctionGroup .com NCAL#685.

RUN AN AUCTION AD In 100 N.C. newspapers for only $375 for a 25-word ad. Call this newspaper at 828.452.4251 for details.

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The Affordable Solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1.800.291.2712 for FREE DVD and brochure.

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control.

FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217 DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316 FIND THE RIGHT CARPET, Flooring & Window Treatments.

Ask about our 50% off specials & our Low Price Guarantee. Offer Expires Soon. Call now 888.546.0135 SAPA SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB. Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door.

Anti-Slip Floors. American Made.

Installation Included. Call 800.807.7219 for $750 Off SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

PAINTING JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Interior, exterior, all your pressure washing needs and more.

Specialize in Removal of Carpenter Bees - Cedar or Log Homes or Painted or Siding!

Call or Text Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727

CARS CHOPPED 1948 PLYMOUTH

For Sale - $3,800. For More Info 828.421.5273 A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR For Breast Cancer! Help United Breast Foundation education, prevention, & support programs.

Fast Free Pickup - 24 Hr ResponseTax Deduction 855.306.7348 SAPA TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

MOTORCYCLES LIKE BRAND NEW, 1999 HONDA Gold Wing Aspencade - Cherry Red, Newly Reconditioned by Cert. GW Mechanic. New Battery, Fuel Pump, Fuel Tank, Carburetors, Gaskets, Filters, Electrical, Dayton Tires, Windshield. 2 Communication Helmets. Located Near Cherokee. $8,500. Inquiries Please Call 828.788.6517.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ATTENTION FACEBOOK & TWITTER Users! Earn 3K+ per month for just using what you already use for free! For details follow this link: tinyurl.com/MoneyOnSocialMedia SAPA $500 - $1000 DAILY Returning Phone Calls! No Selling.

No Explaining! Not MLM! Call 1.866.854.1068 SAPA ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS And reach 1.7 million readers with a classified ad in 100 N.C. newspapers! A 25-word ad is only $375.

Call this newspaper or 919.516.8009 for details.

R

EMPLOYMENT

ATTN: CDL DRIVERS 2 CPM Pay Increase! $2K Sign-On Bonus. Great Miles and Pay. Love Your Job and truck. CDL-A Required 1.888.592.4752 www.drive4melton.mobi SAPA DRIVERS: SE DEDICATED RUN NC, SC, FL, GA, TN, MS, AL Areas. Home Weekly, Full Benefit Pckg. 100% No Touch, 75% Drop & Hook. CDL-A 1yr. Exp. 888.406.9046

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN RAILROAD IN BRYSON CITY Is Now Hiring for the Following Seasonal Positions: Rear Brakeman in Operations and Track Worker in Maintenance of Way. Earn Train Passes, Retail & Food Discounts and More! Qualified Applicants Must Successfully Pass a Background Check. Applications are available at Bryson City Depot or online at: www.gsmr.com/jobs

HELP WANTED!!

Make up to $1000 A WEEK!! Mailing Brochures From Home. Helping Home Workers Since 2001! Genuine Opportunity. NO Experience Required. Start Immediately. www.mailingcorner.com SAPA

AVIATION GRADS Work With JetBlue, Boeing, Delta, And Others- Start Here With Hands On Training For FAA Certification.

Financial Aid If Qualified. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 SAPA

NEED MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES! Doctors & Hospitals need Medical Office Staff! No Experienced Needed! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc.

1.888.512.7122

CAN YOU DIG IT? Heavy Equipment Operator Career!

We Offer Training and Certifications Running Bulldozers, Backhoes and Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement. VA Benefits Eligible!

1.866.362.6497

COCO, AND HER SISTER, CINDERS, ARE SARGE'S OWN VERSION OF GRUMPY CATS. THEY JUST HAVE A NATURAL SCOWL ON THEIR CUTE LITTLE FACES. THEY HAVE THICK FUR WITH A SILKY OVERCOAT, IN A STRIKING TABBY PATTERN.

www.smokymountainnews.com

RALPHIE IS 3-1/2 YEAR OLD DOXIE MIX, SO HOMELY HE IS CUTE! HE HAS A VERY LOVING HEART AND SWEET PERSONALITY, AND WILL MAKE A WONDERFUL COMPANION.

DRIVER TRAINEES Paid CDL Training! Stevens Transport will cover all costs! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Earn $800 per week! Local CDL Training!

1.888.748.4137 drive4stevens.com ATTN: DRIVERSGreat Miles + Top 1% Pay 2 CPM Pay Increases. Loyalty Bonus, Quality Equipment. Pet/Rider Program.CDL-A Required 1.888.592.4752 www.drive4melton.mobi SAPA HOME TIME WEEKLY! Company & Owner Operators. Regional Lanes. Verifiable Experience. CDL-A. Apply: www.driveforbrown.com, Contact Bryan: 864.430.5235.

FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following position: Programmer/Analyst II. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com/. Human Resources Office. Phone: 910.678.8378 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu.

CRC Preferred Employer. An Equal Opportunity Employer

DRIVERS IMMEDIATE OPENINGS Home Every Week, Excellent Pay/Benefits, 100% No Touch Freight, 75% Drop & Hook. Class A CDL w/1yr. exp. req. Call Today 888.219.8039 DRIVER TRAINEES Paid CDL Training! Stevens Transport will cover all costs! No Experience Needed! Earn $800 per week!

Local CDL Training! Call Now 1.888.748.4137 or visit us online: drive4stevens.com WANT TO FLATBED? Call us! - Free Healthcare! Hiring Class A CDL Drivers for Regional & OTR. Pay starting at 40cpm. Call 864.649.2063 or visit drive4jgr.com EOE.

EMPLOYMENT

LAWN & GARDEN

WEEKLY HOME TIME For SE Regional Drivers! Earn up to $0.45 CPM with bonus pay! Call 866.291.2631 or SuperServiceLLC.com WANTED: LIFE AGENTS. Earn $500 a Day. Great Agent Benefits. Commissions Paid Daily. Liberal Underwriting. Leads, Leads, Leads. LIFE INSURANCE, LICENSE REQUIRED. Call Now for more info 1.888.713.6020 HIGH-TECH CAREER With U.S. Navy. Elite tech training w/great pay, benefits, vacation, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34.

Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419

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

HEAVY EQUIPMENT SAWMILLS From only $4397.00- Make & Save Money with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com.

1.800.578.1363 Ext.300N

PETS

FINANCIAL BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA DELETE BAD CREDIT In 30-days! Raise your credit score fast! Amazing Results Guaranteed! Free to start. Call 1.855.831.9712 SAPA REDUCE YOUR PAST TAX BILL By as much as 75 Percent. Stop Levies, Liens and Wage Garnishments. Call The Tax DR Now to see if you Qualify 1.800.396.9719 SELL YOUR STRUCTURED Settlement or Annuity Payments for CASH NOW. You don't have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1.800.316.0271.

SOCIAL SECURITY Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1.800.371.1734 to start your application today!

FURNITURE COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday, 12 Noon - 6 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT 67 ACRES IN CULLOWHEE Near WCU. Includes 2/BR 2/BA, 1600 sq. ft. House with Separate Workshop. Very Private, Long Range Views, Ideal for Family Compound, Several Potential House Sites. Priced to Sell $360,000. Brokers Welcome 2% Commission. For more info www.918gapbranch.blogspot.com or Call 828.586.0165 A RIVER RUNS THRU IT In NC. 3 acres w/2bed 2bath log cabin. $159,900. Huge screened porch, fpl, one-level. Hurry!

866.738.5522

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.

LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578

HOMES FOR SALE HOME FOR SALE BY OWNER In Balsam, NC. This rustic 3/BR, 2/BA rambling ranch home in the mountains of Western North Carolina on 2.8 acres is different from anything else available.

This secluded home features a stacked stone fireplace built in the North Carolina tradition, a marvelous creek viewed from covered front porch, attached two-car garage, both a small and large shop for the wood craftsman, pottery worker or gardener. Natural light provides the makings for an art studio. Selected antiques will be included in the sale. Sorry, no owner financing. $319,900. Call for more information 828.631.3693.

303-37

828.476.1097

Fully Licensed & Insured “I Will Show Up” Driveways Decks PROUD

I install toilets, garbage disposals, dishwashers and various faucets.

Vehicles Gutters

Siding & More

MEMBER OF THE HAYWOOD CHAMBER & BOARD OF REALTORS.

THE BIG RED & Collectibles Antiques BARN Handcrafted 14,000 SQUARE FEET!

Located Off Russ Ave. in Waynesville, next to Sagebrush Steakhouse

828-246-0567

Jewelry Clothes & Accessories Furniture & More

7 DAYS A WEEK: Monday-Saturday 10-5 • Sunday Noon-5

SFR, ECO, GREEN

147 WALNUT STREET • WAYNESVILLE

828.506.7137

aspivey@sunburstrealty.com

www.sunburstrealty.com/amy-spivey

303-07

44

EMPLOYMENT

NOW HIRING FLATBED DRIVERS Earn 42-48 cpm start pay, based on experience - High Miles! BC/BS Insurance, Pets Allowed. CDL-A, 1Year OTR Required. 888.476.4860. www.drivechief.com

July 29-Aug. 4, 2015

WNC MarketPlace

EMPLOYMENT

HOMES FOR SALE

FOR SALE

MOBILE HOMES FOR SALE MOBILE HOMES WITH ACREAGE. Ready to move in. Seller Financing (subject to credit approval). Lots of room for the price, 3Br 2Ba. No renters. 336.790.0162.

LONG-TERM RENTALS RUSTIC CABIN IN QUIET AREA Off Hwy 74 W of Bryson City.

9 Miles from Bryson City, 6 Miles from NOC and 6 Miles from Almond. 2/BR, 1/BA; Includes Stove & Refrigerator. Garden space available. $550/mo. plus Deposit for 1 year lease. For more info please call 828.450.5871 or 770.846.0893.

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE

CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE UNITS FOR RENT 1 Month Free with 12 Month Rental. Maggie Valley, Hwy. 19, 1106 Soco Rd. For more information call Torry

828.734.6500, 828.734.6700 maggievalleyselfstorage.com

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.

ENTERTAINMENT

Commitment, consistency, results.

Carolyn Lauter Broker/ABR 1986 SOCO ROAD, HWY 19 • MAGGIE VALLEY, NC 28751

828.734.4822 Cell • www.carolynlauter.com carolyn.lauter@realtyworldheritage.com

303-01

• Eugene L. Strickland — Gene@4Smokys.com

MOUNTAIN REALTY Steve D. Mauldin smauldin61@charter.net

828.734.4864 MOUNTAIN REALTY 26 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28785

828.564.9393

SCOTTISH TARTANS MUSEUM 86 East Main St., Franklin, Open 10am- 5pm, Mon - Sat. Come & let us find your Scottish Connection!

828.584.7472 or visit us at: www.scottishtartans.org.

sMauldin.REMAXagent.com

EMERSON ——————————————

GROUP

SWITCH & SAVE EVENT From DirecTV! Packages starting at $19.99/mo. Free 3-Months of HBO, STARZ, SHOWTIME & CINEMAX FREE GENIE HD/DVR Upgrade!

2015 NFL Sunday Ticket Included with Select Packages. Some exclusions apply - Call for details 1.800.421.2049 SAPA

George Escaravage BROKER/REALTOR PO BOX 54 | 46 SOUTH MAIN STREET WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

828.400.0903 • 828.456.7705 gke333@gmail.com

PERSONAL

MAKE A CONNECTION. Real People, Flirty Chat. Meet singles right now! Call LiveLinks. Try it FREE. Call now 1.888.909.9978 18+. SAPA

Beverly Hanks & Associates • • • • • •

beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither — beverly-hanks.com Brook Parrott — beverly-hanks.com Randy Flanigan — beverly-hanks.com

Emerson Group • George Escaravage — gke333@gmail.com

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey — sunburstrealty.com Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com • Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com • Jerry Smith www.kw.com/kw/agent/jerrysmith201

Mountain Home Properties

303-58

mountaindream.com • Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com MOUNTAIN REALTY

Mieko

Thomson ROKER/R /REALTOR EALTOR®® BBROKER

Cell (828) 226-2298 Cell

mthomson@remax-waynesvillenc.com mthomson@remax-waynesvillenc.com www.ncsmokies.com www.ncsmokies.com

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CROSSWORD

Hayworth 79 Abstract sculpture 6 Nothing more than with no moving parts 7 Tourney starter 80 “Amo, amas, I love ACROSS 8 Sugar suffix 1 Freeway exit structure —” 9 Bit of mail: Abbr.

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Plant gall formation is somewhat of a msytery

W

George Ellison

hen it rains it pours. Within the past week or so, I received two emails about plant galls. That’s two more than I’ve received in the past 15 years of writing this column. Here goes.

Galls are timorous growths on leaves, stems, branches, trunks and roots caused by various agents. But they are usually induced by either insects or a fungus of some sort.

One of the emails concerned an insectinduced gall someColumnist times called an “oak apple.” The other concerned a fungus-induced gall sometimes called an “azalea apple.”

The exact manner in which insect galls are formed is something of a mystery. It used to be thought that the adult insect stimulated the gall at the time she laid her eggs on the host plant. Current accounts seem to lean toward the hypothesis that it’s actually the hatched insect larva that initiates gall formation. Once it commences feeding, the larva secretes an enzyme that breaks plant starch down into simple sugar, thereby stimulating plant cells to multiply in abnormal growth patterns.

BACK THEN

Probably the most obvious and wellknown type is the “oak apple” gall, which is a small tan ball 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

These galls are found on the leaves of sever-

More than 2,000 kinds of insect galls have been identified in North American plants, with 800 of these caused by An oak apple. gall wasps. The shape that a gall assumes depends upon the species of insect that created it.

Accordingly, galls are considered by many authorities to be a reliable criterion for distinguishing between closely related species.

In A Field Guide to Eastern Forests of North America (1988), biologist John C. Kricher theorized that, “Chemical irritation produced by boring larvae was probably the initial stimulation leading to gall evolution. Plants developed ‘tumors’ in response to the irritation caused by insects, and the insects adapted to use the galls to protect and feed developing larvae.”

Insect galls are easy to find. al oak species that grow on dry slopes Any stand of goldenrod will contain two throughout Western North Carolina. basic types of stem galls: elliptical and I wouldn’t eat one, but some sources round. Blueberry twigs display a reddishdescribe oak apples as being edible. From brown, kidney-shaped gall that causes them ancient times, they have also been a source to bend downward. A spiny gall can be of dyes and inks. Vincent van Gogh used found attached to witch-hazel stems and oak apple gall ink (also known as iron-gall leaves.

ink) to tint his drawings.

The ink is still manufactured commercially by various labs that extract the tannic acids found in the oak apples by grinding and soaking them in water or wine for about a week, then adding ferrous sulphate to obtain a lustrous purplish-black ink. The high-quality ink obtained from the Aleppo oak gall of Asia Minor was at one time specified for use by the U.S. Treasury.

Round greenish spongy galls are often observed on the twigs of flame azalea. They are formed by the fungus Exobasidium vaccinii, a disease common to members of the plant family Ericaeae. These galls should be removed and disposed of by fire or in a lidded container so that the spores can’t be dispersed.

In his Wild Shrubs and Vines (1989), Donald Stokes noted that: “The growths occur on the ends of the twigs and are about the size of a ping-pong ball. They look a little like the galls attached to oak leaves in spring, but instead of being stringy and tough, they are crisp, juicy, and sweet …

They were more well known in colonial times and were even pickled and stored for later eating.”

I have eaten azalea galls, but I don’t recommend them.

(George Ellison is a naturalist and writer.

He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

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