Smoky Mountain News | September 11, 2019

www.smokymountainnews.com

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

Sept. 11-17, 2019 Vol. 21 Iss. 15

Sen. Davis to retire, endorses Corbin to take his seat Page 6 Waynesville race to honor UNC Charlotte hero Page 32

CONTENTS On the Cover:

Award-winning documentarian Ken Burns discusses his latest film, which will premiere at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, on PBS stations nationwide. The 16-hour documentary ‘Country Music’ goes into intricate detail about the foundation and continual evolution of country music. The ‘Father of Bluegrass,’ mandolinist Bill Monroe at the Grand Ole Opry. PBS photo

News

Waynesville’s Masonic Temple ready for tenants ......................................................3 Report cards show gains for SRCA, loss for Haywood ........................................4 Apartments coming to former BI-LO site in Waynesville ........................................5 Sen. Davis to retire, endorses Rep. Corbin ................................................................6 Court says gerrymandered NC districts must change ............................................7 Incumbents sweep Cherokee election ........................................................................8 Hospital leaders reflect on five years with LifePoint ..............................................11 Land sale could offset cost of recycling center relocation ..................................13 Business News ..................................................................................................................15

Opinion

Ethically speaking, this can be a tough job ..............................................................16

Outdoors

Waynesville race to honor UNC-Charlotte hero ....................................................32

Back Then

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

Ancient Cherokees found protection from the cold................................................46

2

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

CLASSIFIEDS: NEWS EDITOR: WRITING:

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION: CONTRIBUTING:

Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Barbee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Gary Carden (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Barbee (writing).

CONTACT WAYNESVILLE | 144 Montgomery, Waynesville, NC 28786 P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585 SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 P: 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789 INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786 Copyright 2019 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ Advertising copyright 2019 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News is available for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person.

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

SUBSCRIPTIONS SUBSCRIPTION:

1 YEAR $65 | 6 MONTHS $40 | 3 MONTHS $25

Waynesville’s Masonic Temple building ready for tenants A

“We’re basically scouring the entire Southeast looking for restaurant operators,” he said. “The commercial kitchen is fully equipped and is available to whoever leases the space. If someone were to come in and have to purchase all that equipment new, you would easily spend probably $150,000 on new kitchen equipment.”

The second floor of the building offers an entirely different concept altogether.

Currently, it’s home to more than a dozen small rooms that could serve as mixed-size offices.

“In our opinion, Waynesville is a very vibrant downtown and we see it for entrepreneurs or businesspeople, restaurants, that type of user, as a lower cost alternative to Asheville.”

September 11-17, 2019

— Michael Hoffman, executive vice president, Tessier Associates

“The smallest we have is I believe about an 80 square feet office and then it goes up to about 250 square feet, which would be ideal for an executive and perhaps an assistant or a two-person office,” Hoffman said.

“There’s two conference rooms that would be available to our tenants, and one of them is probably about 400 square feet. It’s quite large. We’ll also provide free wifi access.”

Returning to his theme of flexibility, Hoffman said that he’d consider long-term leases, short-term leases by the month, multiple suite rentals or even possible a co-working environment that offers space by the day, or on a drop-in basis.

“We think there’s a need for it in Waynesville and Haywood County,” he said.

“We’re really targeting those small businesses. Some of them may be working out of their homes now, but need a more traditional office, an area to meet a client or customers. Right now, the intent is just to provide the individual office spaces but if somebody came in and said I want six, absolutely we would lease them six spaces.”

Most of the renovations on the first and second floor are complete, but for some minor patching and painting work that’s still under way. Hoffman said that office tenants could move in “immediately,” and that any

Work continues, but the third floor ballroom atop the Masonic Temple (top) is nearing completion. The full-service bar and restaurant space (above) on the Masonic Temple’s first floor also offers a large commercial kitchen. Cory Vaillancourt photos serious restaurant would take about a month to get off the ground once in the space, but that’s ready to go as well.

Then, there’s the third floor ballroom and mezzanine levels of the building, which Hoffman said the Shah family would operate. That makes a lot of sense — as significant players in the local hotel industry, it’s not hard to see them ushering conventions, weddings and large conference groups into the space, which features stunning views of the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains.

“I think there could a lot of synergy between the event space and the restaurant,” Hoffman said.

Above all, the current economic climate in Waynesville — and Asheville — makes the space an attractive proposition to tenants looking for all the cache of and proximi-

ty to the Asheville market, without the price.

“In our opinion, Waynesville is a very vibrant downtown and we see it for entrepreneurs or businesspeople, restaurants, that type of user, as a lower cost alternative to Asheville,” he said. “It’s no secret Asheville prices have just gone through the roof, so we see this as a more economical area for a business that wants to take advantage of Western North Carolina — all the people moving here, and visiting here.”

There’s credible data behind that assertion, Hoffman said.

“If this building was located in downtown Asheville,” he said, “We would probably be getting rents that would be — I don’t want to say twice as much, that’s probably a little bit of a stretch — but, close to double, maybe close to double.”

Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER fter years of disuse, a hidden gem in the heart of Waynesville’s downtown is finally ready to reclaim its rightful role as one of the community’s social and business hubs.

“I’m very bullish on Waynesville and Haywood County in general,” said Michael Hoffman, executive vice president of Asheville-based real estate services firm Tessier Associates. “I’ve done a number of deals in Cullowhee and Sylva, but this is our first listing in Waynesville, and we are very, very excited about it.”

Built on Church Street in 1927, the threestory 16,000 square-foot building is located just off Waynesville’s tony Main Street and was designed by British architect W.H. Peeps, a well-known name in North Carolina architectural circles.

Originally constructed for the local Masonic Lodge, it was lost to them through bankruptcy just three years after it was built.

Renovations in 1973 brought the structure back up to date, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Recently, the building was home to a restaurant and private club, called the Gateway Club, but it has remained totally vacant for the past several years.

On April 12 of this year, the .36-acre parcel, which includes the 17-space parking lot directly adjacent to it, was sold for around $900,000 to Mandir Street LLC, a group headed by local businessman Satish Shah and members of his immediate family. Shah also owns the Best Western in West Waynesville, and a Hampton Inn slated to open soon in the same area.

The building offers several very different opportunities for entrepreneurs interested in leasing portions of the space. On the first floor is a bar and restaurant space that features a full commercial kitchen with the capacity to seat and to serve more than 150 people.

“The objective is to lease this space to a restaurant operator that appreciates what actually exists here,” Hoffman said. “It would have to be a fairly large operation. It wouldn’t be a mom-and-pop sub shop, but, you know, a nice sit-down or buffet-type restaurant, something along those lines. As far as cuisine, we’re open to maybe something that isn’t already here in Waynesville.”

Hoffman said he was ready to listen to all offers, but was seeking a regional-type operation that might already have locations in places like Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Raleigh or Savannah.

3

news

Turning the tables Shining Rock surges, Haywood Schools slips again

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER fter a tumultuous year that saw all manner of controversy — from parental complaints to illegal meetings, transparency issues, secret building projects and dramatically lower enrollment — there’s finally some good news to report from Haywood County’s only public charter school.

“At first glance, I am very pleased with the improvements from the 2018-19 school year,” said Head of School Joshua Morgan in a press release.

On Sept. 4, the N.C. State Board of Education released the state’s annual School Performance Grade report, showing a final score of 67 for Shining Rock Classical Academy.

That’s a full 11 points over last year’s score of 56, which placed Shining Rock not only well below Haywood County Schools, but also below the state average.

“Clearly the curriculum alignment that was undertaken schoolwide produced the results that we desired faster than expected,” Morgan continued. “I am especially proud that students met growth in all three measurable categories of reading, math and overall.”

The 11-point gain reverses a trend that’s existed at the school since its inception in 2015. That year, right out of the gate, Shining Rock scored a 70, placing it above Haywood County Schools’ score of 66.8.

From there, though, scores slipped in each of the next two years — first to 65, and then to 56 last year. Over that same period, Haywood’s score rose to 68, and then slipped slightly to 67.1.

“The foundation for continued growth and success has been laid thanks to the focused determination of our talented and dedicated staff,” Morgan said. “This serves as an affirmation that positive outcomes can be achieved through allowing teachers to be creative in their instruction, exposing children to learning opportunities beyond the classroom, and a passionate community committed to student success.”

That score is likely to boost Shining Rock’s charter renewal application, a two-year

W

hile Shining Rock’s success is to be celebrated, they’re not as happy on the other side of town, where Haywood County Schools slipped for the second year straight and now trails the public charter school in performance for the first time since 2015.

This year’s score of 64.5 was certainly a disappointment in the district, which had been in the top 10 percent of North Carolina’s 115 school districts during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years.

Although Haywood County Schools remains in the top 20 percent of all state school districts, only four of the district’s 14 scored schools posted increases from the 2017-18 school year — Clyde and Jonathan Valley elementary schools, and Bethel and Waynesville middle schools.

“What’s the difference between top 10 percent and top 20 percent? Well, it feels different,” said HCS Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte. “It’s harder to stay at a very high level, and we accept that challenge. We make no excuses.”

Haywood Early College for the second straight year maxed out at 95; scores are not compiled above that number, so it’s hard to tell if there was growth there, but regardless, it remains the district’s highest-scoring.

The other nine schools, though, all posted declines — some drastic. North Canton Elementary dropped by 4.2 points, Hazelwood and Meadowbrook elementary schools each dropped by more than 6 points, and both Haywood high schools, Pisgah and Tuscola, saw large slides of 8.5 and 12.1 points, respectively.

Haywood school rankings, 2016-19 2016 2017 2018 2019 North Carolina...................................58.3 ...................59.2...................58.8...................58.8 Haywood County................................66.8.....................68 ....................67.1...................64.5 Bethel Elementary.............................78.1 ...................73.3...................74.3...................73.2 Clyde Elementary ..............................73.3 ...................71.6...................65.9...................68.1 Hazelwood Elementary ......................64.9 ...................64.3...................63.4...................57.2 Jonathan Valley Elementary ..............75.4 ...................74.7...................65.6...................66.9 Junaluska Elementary .......................77.9 ...................72.7...................73.8 ....................71 Meadowbrook Elementary .................67.5 ...................66.5...................67.9...................61.7 North Canton Elementary..................72.8 ...................68.1...................70.9...................66.7 Riverbend Elementary .......................91.9 ...................88.1...................92.7...................89.7 Bethel Middle ....................................72.3 ...................73.3...................67.4...................71.7 Canton Middle...................................63.6 ...................64.4...................60.2...................58.5 Waynesville Middle............................61.1.....................67 ....................64.1...................66.5 Haywood Early College ......................86.6 ...................93.7 ...................>95 ...................>95 Pisgah High.......................................62.1 ...................66.2...................70.7...................62.2 Tuscola High......................................56.7 ...................59.1...................63.8...................51.7 Shining Rock Classical Academy .......70 ......................65......................56......................67

Source: N.C. Department of Public Instruction Other declines were relatively minor, but contribute to the district’s overall decline.

Bethel Elementary dropped by a point, Canton Middle by 1.7 points, Junaluska Elementary by 2.8 points and Riverbend Elementary by 3 points.

It’s not all bad news though, according to Assistant Superintendent Jill Barker.

“The overall composite is how we’re ranked across the state, but within that there

are so many positive pieces that we’ve worked on, like the ACT,” said Barker. “We’re seventh in the state out of 115 districts. I’m very proud of that. I mean, seventh in the state?

That is going to get you into college.”

Another bright spot, according to Barker, is the results of the work keys test.

“When you look at the ACT plus the work keys test, which is for career placement, we’re ninth out of the out of 115 districts,” she said.

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

A

process that is currently ongoing; performance scores are among the factors considered when the State Board of Education decides to renew charters for a period of either 10 years, seven years or three years, or not renew them at all.

In anticipation of the most current round of scoring, Morgan told The Smoky Mountain News two weeks ago that he had confidence in what his teachers had done over the previous year, and expected improvement.

828.456.4772 tammys-jewelry.com 4

146 N Main St | Waynesville

tammys.jewelry tammysjewelryNC

F

JustDoOils.com

Book online at:

MassageWaynesville.com 828.456.3585 Haywood Square | 288 N. Haywood St. | Waynesville

QUESTION: Are plant-based products better for me to eat?

ANSWER: That's certainly not a black or white issue! There are many new products on the market being called "plant-based" which is often a euphemism for vegetarian or vegan products. As with any products you should look beyond the marketing and check the nutrition facts panel and the ingredients.

• How much sodium do they have?

• How much fat and saturated fat?

• Are they really a better choice?

Smoky Mountain News

Don't fall for slick marketing campaigns - be sure to be a smart shopper... and of course you should also consider the price and the taste!

September 11-17, 2019

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT occupy a footprint 1.5 acres smaller than STAFF WRITER the existing structures, providing more area irst steps are being taken on a major for water to naturally dissipate. All impervinew residential development proposed ous surfaces within the floodway will be for the site of a former grocery store removed, and landscape/open space and strip mall on Waynesville’s busy Russ improvements will help to break up what is Avenue. currently a shadeless, uninterrupted plain The project, called Mountain Creek of pavement.

Plaza, was first reported by The Smoky The development should also result in Mountain News last November when RFLP less vehicular traffic — a peak hour trip Group, the owner of the 8.8-acre $3.6 million parcel, announced that the BI-LO grocery store would be torn down and existing strip mall tenants Kim’s Pharmacy, Los Amigos restaurant and Silver Treasures jewelry store would be evicted.

Since then, all three have found new homes, but Big changes are in store for the BI-LO plaza on Russ Ave. Haywood GIS photo with the recent submittal of a master plan to town development officials, generation study submitted with the plan the residential project is likely to pick up estimates the grocery store and strip mall steam quickly. businesses resulted in a total of 5,558 daily The plan, created by Civil Design trips to or from the site, but the apartment Concepts, calls for the demolition of the complex would generate just under 1,400. existing structures, and the construction of A connection for pedestrians and vehi210 units spread across two four-story cles though the site is also proposed, from buildings.

Russ Avenue to West Marshall Street.

The project narrative outlines a number Developers have requested a rezoning of benefits the proposal could bring to the from the current Russ Avenue Regional community if approved.

Center district to Russ Avenue Regional Waynesville has a well-publicized shortCenter Conditional District because of age of residential development, even with impending changes to Russ Avenue itself. the forthcoming addition of 200-some units A preliminary document from of workforce housing in a complex off Plott Waynesville Planning Director Elizabeth Creek Road.

Teague to the town’s Planning Board sugRemoval of the existing commercial gests that the zoning amendment is consisbuilding would provide a high-intensity tent with the town’s comprehensive land infill reuse within walking distance of the use plan.

Russ Avenue commercial corridor, and is That document is subject to Planning less than a half-mile from downtown Board approval on Sept. 16, at the concluWaynesville, Frog Level and Waynesville’s sion of a public hearing. recreation center.

If the Planning Board agrees with The developer, Tribridge Residential, Teague’s conclusions, the request will then has offered the town a 20-foot easement to go before the Town of Waynesville Board of accommodate a proposed greenway trail Aldermen. along the banks of Richland Creek, and has The Board of Aldermen will then hold also proposed some best management pracanother public hearing prior to considering tices for stormwater management. the request. The board’s options at that Currently, no stormwater management point would be to reject the request, adopt exists on the site, which in the past often the request with changes or conditions, or resulted in oil, dirt and debris from the groadopt the request as-is. cery store parking lot being swept into Copies of the plan are available for pubRichland Creek. lic viewing at Waynesville’s Development But the apartment complex will actually Services Department.

news

BI-LO’s transformation to housing moves forward

5

news September 11-17, 2019 Smoky Mountain News 6

Sen. Davis to retire, endorses Rep. Corbin

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER powerful voice for Western North Carolina in the North Carolina General Assembly is about to pop the kickstand on a long career in public service, but even though Franklin Republican Sen. Jim Davis has already passed the torch to his heir apparent, at least one other Republican is lining up to take a crack at his seat.

“I am a strong proponent of citizen legislators — those individuals who bring their talent and energy for public good. I believe they should hold their seats for a limited time so others can then step forward with their unique perspectives and skills,” Davis told a crowd assembled at the Macon County Republican Party headquarters on Sept. 7. “That limited time has come for me.

I will not be running for re-election in 2020.

I am proud of my record, and now it’s time to go home to my wife and family.”

Davis has served as N.C.’s westernmost senator for the 50th District since first winning election in 2010, when he narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent John Snow by just 161 votes out of more than 60,000 cast. The next election in 2012 was a rematch between the two, but it was barely a contest, with Davis topping Snow by almost 13,000 votes, good for 57 percent.

In the next election cycle, 2014, Davis bested Waynesville Democrat Jane Hipps with 54 percent of the vote. In 2016 he again defeated Hipps, but with 62 percent of the vote. In 2018, Davis beat Franklin Democrat Bobby Kuppers with 60 percent of the vote.

Prior to that, Davis served for a decade on the Macon County Board of Commissioners, an experience he repeatedly cites as formative in his identity as a legislator with a local government mindset focused on county-level policy.

By design, Davis’ announcement at party headquarters coincided with an announcement from the man who replaced him on the Macon County commission and now hopes to replace him in the Senate.

“They say a picture paints a thousand words, so rather than say a thousand words, we’ll just paint a picture,” said Rep. Kevin Corbin, who with Davis proceeded to unwrap a large red campaign sign embla-

“Jim Davis is a statesman, whether you agree with him politically or not, it makes no difference,” said Corbin. “He’s a gentleman and a man of his word.”

Corbin said Davis had begun talking to him about the possibility of running for his seat a year ago, but Corbin was reluctant to let go of the influence he’d built as House deputy majority whip.

Eventually, Corbin relented because he wanted to be sure Davis’ eventual successor had plenty of experience. Some persuasion from Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger didn’t hurt either.

“He called me to his office twice and his words to me were, ‘You’ve got respect in this building and it doesn’t matter whether it’s on that side [the House] or on this side [the Senate], and we will let that carry over,’” Corbin said. “He called me on the phone just a few days ago, and said, ‘I want you to add my name to the growing list of senators here that want you over in this chamber.’ What that means to me is, when I get there, trying to represent Western North Carolina, that I’ve got a group of men and women that will give me their ears.”

A

Sen. Jim Davis (left) appears with Rep. Kevin Corbin at a rally in Franklin last Saturday.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

zoned with the words “Corbin N.C. Senate” in white.

Corbin held Davis’ commission seat for six years until winning a legislative seat of his own in 2016 — with more than 72 percent of the vote — as N.C.’s westernmost representative in the General Assembly. In 2018, Corbin won re-election with just over 73 percent of the vote.

“I think he has an excellent chance to win the Senate seat,” said Aubrey Woodard, chairman of the N.C. Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District. “His experience and the vote totals that he had while he was running for his current seat in the last two elections indicate he has significant support.”

That support was evident at the event, where a who’s who of western Republicans from across Davis’ seven-county district had gathered for the dual announcements. The biggest show of support for Corbin came from Davis himself, who said during his

speech that he would give Corbin his formal endorsement.

“Kevin has already proven that he can win an election on the local level,” Davis said. “He has local government experience. I think it really enhances the legislature when you have people that have served in local government. Kevin has those credentials, and he’s served very well.”

Corbin’s experience as a commissioner — as well as the 20 years he spent on the school board before that — likely had something to do with garnering Davis’ support.

“I classify myself as a displaced county commissioner,” Davis said. “One of the heads of the Republican Party asked me about three years ago when I was going to quit thinking like a county commissioner, and I said, ‘Not as long as I’m serving.’”

That’s a mentality shared by Corbin, who said he was honored to receive Davis’ backing.

PARTY CRASHERS Corbin’s coronation isn’t exactly assured, with initial opposition emanating from within his own party. During the event, as party officials were recognizing various current and former elected officials and candidates in attendance, a woman in the back of the crowd spoke up and announced that she too would seek Davis’ seat.

Dr. Sarah Conway is a Jackson County Republican who practiced hospital-based diagnostic radiology for over 20 years.

Conway said she’d subsequently become interested in policy, and was determined to make the region “better and healthier,” by focusing on the region’s well-documented opioid crisis.

“This is something that breaks my heart,” she said. “With my medical background, we need more real people that have specific knowledge about a particular area to run, and to help in those specific areas.”

Conway faces an uphill battle against Corbin, who over his 35

F

Court says gerrymandered NC districts must change, immediately A ruling handed down by a North Carolina court last week declared N.C.’s legislative districts to be illegal partisan gerrymanders and ordered the immediate redrawing of maps, which should have a substantial effect on Democratic representation in the General Assembly in 2021.

“It instructed the legislature to have the redrawn districts in question to be done Sept. 18,” said Aubrey Woodard, chair of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th congressional district.

Back in June, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that the Court had no authority to meddle in states’ congressional districts, which are drawn by state legislators every 10 years, after the decennial census.

While that ruling was disappointing to Democrats, it left open the possibility of action being taken on state legislative districts.

States draw their own House and Senate districts.

On Sept. 3, a three-person panel of Wake County justices unanimously ruled in the case of Common Cause v. Rep. David R. Lewis, senior chair of the House select committee on redistricting. “… the Court finds that in many election environments, it is the carefully crafted maps, and not the will of the voters, that dictate the election outcomes in a significant number of legislative districts and, ultimately, the majority control of the General Assembly,” reads the ruling.

Woodard said that the ruling would indeed affect some of his

jurisdiction, which runs all the way from the western tip of N.C. through Caldwell County in the east.

“The 11th district is affected only in two areas — actually one area in Buncombe,” said Woodard. “Three districts in the House and one district in the Senate.”

That, according to Woodard, means that most Western North Carolina voters shouldn’t expect any changes to come to their House districts – currently represented by Kevin Corbin, RFranklin, Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville and Michele Presnell, RBurnsville — or their Senate district, currently served by the retiring Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin.

— Cory Vaillancourt, Staff Writer

viously untouchable Republican Senate seat.

“I see a chance. Especially if you can win big in Jackson and Haywood counties you can afford to lose the red counties in the west,” Campbell said. “I will actively seek a candidate. We were just waiting for Davis’ formal announcement.”

Then, there’s the subject of Corbin’s House seat, which he won’t be sitting in come 2021, regardless of his current aspirations.

Republicans still enjoy majority status in both chambers of the legislature, but it’s no longer veto-proof, thanks to a 2018 election season that saw substantial gains by Democrats who have since used that newfound power to block several Republican initiatives, including a proposed budget that does not include the Medicaid expansion called for by Gov. Cooper.

Unlike Davis, Corbin supports Medicaid expansion in North Carolina and has also bucked urban party leadership with his support of the Fiber NC Act, meant to remove obstacles to municipal installation and maintenance of broadband infrastructure.

“I’m very optimistic about holding it,” Woodard said of Corbin’s soon-to-be vacant House seat. “I know we have one individual who I can’t name at this point who is very, very committed to doing something here, but we have to wait for his final decision.”

The stakes will be even higher in 2020

news

years as an elected official has acquired substantial name recognition and strong local approval, along with institutional support from his party and the incumbent Davis.

Still, Conway thinks her message can resonate with Republican primary voters.

“I think it’s the right person, at the right time, for the right crisis,” she said. “We have to look at our [opioid] crisis in the face.

Sarah Conway.

I’ve talked to so many people who have been affected by drug overdoses. I haven’t met [Corbin] and he seems like a nice guy, but the issue is, how are we going to solve this problem? They’ve been sitting on their hands for the last 10 years.”

That’s not exactly true — Corbin and Davis have been among the most active N.C. legislators in terms of addressing the opioid epidemic that’s impacted the western reaches of North Carolina more than probably any other region in the state.

In 2017, Corbin was a sponsor of the

“Kevin will be a formidable candidate. I still think there may be some interest from the Democratic side.”

— Myrna Campbell, Chair, Haywood County Democratic Party

@SmokyMtnNews

20 Day Group Ayurveda Cleanse $149

Smoky Mountain News

for N.C. Republicans, who will likely sink or swim — as they did in 2016 — with voter opinion of Republican Donald Trump, who will seek re-election to the presidency on that same ballot.

Whichever party controls the N.C General Assembly in 2020 will have a big say in the constitutionally mandated redrawing of districts, which since 1790 has occurred every 10 years.

Those maps, in turn, will be revisions of maps that are changing right this moment.

A recent unanimous ruling by a bipartisan panel of Superior Court judges says that N.C.’s current legislative districts are an illegal gerrymander and must be redrawn. New maps are to be submitted in the coming days, but they won’t likely affect the districts of Western North Carolina’s current legislators Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, Davis or Corbin.

“It doesn’t sound winnable, statistically, but I think the state party will encourage us to have someone run for every seat, so I think there will be an effort made even for Kevin’s seat. Maybe the 72 percent [vote total] is because it’s Kevin,” Campbell said of the well-regarded Corbin. “If it’s not Kevin, maybe it’s closer.”

September 11-17, 2019

STOP (Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention) Act in the House, while Davis was a primary sponsor of the companion bill in his chamber.

An Aug. 29 press release from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said that in 2017 unintentional opioid-related overdose deaths had increased 34 percent over 2016, but in 2018, they’d decreased for the first time in five years. Earlier this summer, Cooper signed another widely-supported Davis bill, the Opioid Epidemic Response Act. If Corbin survives his primary challenge, it’s possible he’ll face a Democratic opponent in November 2020, but that may be just as much an uphill battle as Conway faces.

“Kevin will be a formidable candidate,” said Myrna Campbell, Democratic Party chair of the most populous county in Davis’ district, Haywood. “I still think there may be some interest from the Democratic side.

In the 2018 election, we were encouraged by the state party to contest every seat in the Senate and in the House.”

If an anti-incumbent or anti-Trump movement develops, that could be beneficial for Dems in claiming an important and pre-

BEGINS SEPTEMBER 23 10% OFF if you sign up with a friend!

828.944.0288 | MaggieValleyWellness.com 461 MOODY FARM ROAD, MAGGIE VALLEY

7

news

Election Day in Cherokee Voters speak at the polls

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER lection Day dawned clear and sunny in Cherokee Sept. 5, with polls opening at 6 a.m. for voters to choose the tribe’s next chief, vice chief and Tribal Council.

“It’s good just to be here and see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time, and see people I get to see on the campaign trail,” said Birdtown Representative Albert Rose just before 11 a.m., by the campaign tent he’d set up across from the Birdtown polling place.

“It’s been a long campaign. I’m ready for it to be over with.”

Most any Election Day that he’s a candidate, Rose can be found at this same spot.

Anyone stopping by last Thursday would have had their choice of barbecue sandwiches, cookies, grapes, cold drinks and coffee, spread out on fold-up tables surrounded by signage urging voters to re-elect Rose. A cluster of supporters helped Rose hand out the goodies, many of them complementing the pro-Rose signage with T-shirts supporting Richard Sneed for principal chief.

Where Rose’s tent ended, the signage reminding voters of the other candidates in the race began. Signs promoting Boyd Owl, Ashley Sessions and Nelson Lambert for council bordered the roadside, with plenty of Albert Rose, Teresa McCoy and Richard Sneed signs in there too.

Similar clusters of election signage could be found across the Qualla Boundary, evidence of an election season that’s been the talk of the town since before filing even began on March 1. Every two years, all 12 Tribal Council members are up for re-election — no staggered terms. But every four years, voters must also choose a new chief and vice chief.

This year was a chief ’s election year, and it carried a special significance.

During the last chief ’s election, in 2015, Patrick Lambert won with a landslide 71 percent of the vote but was removed from office in 2017 following a guilty verdict on eight of 12 articles of impeachment. Sneed, who was elected to the vice chief ’s seat in 2015, was sworn in as the new principal chief of a deeply divided tribe, many of whom thought Lambert’s removal was politically motivated and not legally justified. Last week’s election was the first time voters had the chance to lengthen or curtail Sneed’s administration at 8 the ballot box.

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

E

THOUGHTS FROM VOTERS By the end of the day, preliminary results would deliver a decisive win for Sneed, showing him to have received 2,131 of the 3,867 votes cast in the chief ’s race.

However, a nonscientific poll of shoppers at Food Lion, Cherokee’s only grocery store, showed substantial support for his challenger Teresa McCoy and revealed that skepticism of the Sneed administration still exists among some tribal members. Of 12 people randomly interviewed — six in the 11 o’clock hour and six in the 5 o’clock hour — eight said they supported McCoy for chief, two said they supported Sneed and two said they didn’t vote.

“Teresa McCoy is the best candidate there is, and I hope she wins because then we can get this tribe back in the right direction,” said a 24-year-old Birdtown man. “I think she’s a last beacon of hope for this tribe, and if she doesn’t win I’m not sure what’s going to happen.”

Like several others interviewed, the voter said his feelings about the chief ’s race harkened back to the impeachment of 2017 and to a belief that corruption is currently an issue in tribal government.

“People voted overwhelmingly in favor to strike the impeachment articles and the select few, the nine people, ignored a majority of the people here — a thousand of us — ignored our voice and they continue to do it on an ongoing basis,” he said, referring to the Grand Council Lambert held in 2017.

“I really don’t want to see the same ones back in there,” said a 60-year-old female voter, also from Birdtown. “There just seems to be a lot of corruption and confusion about different issues.”

Wolfetown voter David Owle, 45, said that he voted for new leadership in hopes the tribe would “quit jumping through hoops” for the state and federal government, something he feels Sneed’s administration has done by issuing alcohol permits for locations other than Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. The permits were issued in compliance with a state law — known as the Blue Ridge Law — that lists types of alcohol permits that are not subject to a referendum vote.

“There’s a lot of things that the current administration, they’ve fallen short of the paths that we laid in front of them,” said Owle.

The Blue Ridge Law was on the mind of Wolfetown voter Sis Cabe, 53, when she cast her ballot — also for McCoy. “For me I think we need leaders in place that look at the overall effect that their decisions make on everybody in the tribe, not just the select few, so when we come together and we vote on an issue, we expect our voices to be respected and heard, not overridden because it’s something they really want to do,” said Cabe. “I voted for the person and the people that I thought would most closely listen to and follow what we as the community would have them to do.”

A 40-year-old Yellowhill woman waiting for a ride in front of the Food Lion said a different issue was driving her decision.

She’s homeless, she said while tearing up, and so housing for homeless people is the

Albert Rose stands with supporters Collette Coggins (top, left) and Ashleigh Stephens near the Birdtown polling place on Election Day. Teresa McCoy (above) addresses the supporters gathered at her campaign headquarters as early results indicate her campaign could be in trouble.

Holly Kays photo

top issue in her mind. She planned to vote for McCoy. “I loved her when she was just in Big Cove Council,” said the voter. “She’d help you even if you weren’t in her community. She helped everybody on the reservation and she still did even when she wasn’t in council or holding a seat.”

However, other voters saw Sneed as the best choice.

“The sitting chief more or less would carry more weight with me in my voting than putting someone new in there who is not knowing what to expect,” said Birdtown voter David Owl, 77. “You know what you have with the one that you have, but when you put somebody else in there new a lot of things change. It’s not always for the better.”

Another voter, a 50-year-old Birdtown man, said that Sneed had earned his vote by proving himself to be a man of character.

“He’s really helped our family out and everything, and I think that’s a real big thing for around here,” the voter said of Sneed. “As long as somebody is willing to help you out and not ask for anything in return, that’s what I liked about him.”

THE COUNT

At 6 p.m., polls closed and Cherokee held its breath.

Ballots were counted at individual polling places and results posted on the door. They were then transported to the councilhouse, where election board members verified the numbers. By a few minutes after 6 p.m., about five people were sitting on the porch outside the councilhouse, settling in to wait for results. It was still hot outside, the day

S EE VOTERS, PAGE 10

P

CANDIDATES ON CAMPAIGN

anything in the community that we can step up and assist anybody with, we are most certainly willing to step up and do that.”

VICE CHIEF AND TRIBAL COUNCIL RESULTS Even more decisive than Sneed’s victory was that of incumbent Vice Chief Alan “B” Ensley, who swept away 65.19 percent of the vote against opponent Jim Owle. Ensley, who Tribal Council appointed to the vice chief ’s seat vacated by Sneed in 2017, won a majority of the vote in every community.

In a Sept. 6 phone conversation, Ensley said he was “excited” and “humbled” by the election results.

“I worked hard and tried to get to every community and just work and get the tribal input and stayed active in all the communities,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of things we need to work on, but I wanted to get their input on what changes need to be made by the people in the community.”

Ensley said his priorities for the next four years will include work on tribal housing programs and moving along plans for a new dialysis and Tsali Care center.

Incumbent Tribal Council representatives fared well too, with every sitting member who made it through the Primary Election securing another two-year term.

However, the 2019-2021 Tribal Council will feature two new faces: Dike Sneed, representing Painttown, and Chelsea Saunooke, representing Wolfetown. They will take the seats now held respectively by Lisa Taylor and Jeremy Wilson.

Dike Sneed, who served as chief of police under the Lambert administration, was the top vote-getter in Painttown, earning 260 votes to incumbent Tommye Saunooke’s 255. Tommye Saunooke will keep her seat, however, as each community receives two representatives on Tribal Council.

Sneed gives his law enforcement background much of the credit for his win, saying that as a new council member he hopes to help curb spending and work on housing issues. He also said he opposes the ban on non-tribal media in the council chambers, a policy championed by Tommye Saunooke and approved by all councilmembers save Lisa Taylor, who Dike Sneed will replace.

“I’m easy to talk to, and my law enforcement background taught me to listen to both sides of the story before you make a decision, so that’s why I always got along good with all the locals here, known most of them my whole life, so I think that played a part in it,” he said.

Chelsea Saunooke came in a distant second to the far-and-away leader in the Wolfetown election, incumbent Bo Crowe, who received 717 votes to Chelsea Saunooke’s 409.

Also returning for an additional term on the Tribal Council will be Richard French and Perry Shell, of Big Cove; Boyd Owle and Albert Rose, of Birdtown; Adam Wachacha and Bucky Brown, of Cherokee

Winners are shown in italics. Results are unofficial until certified by Tribal Council Oct. 7.

EXECUTIVE OFFICES Principal chief • Richard Sneed, 2131 votes (55.11%) • Teresa McCoy, 1736 (44.89) Vice Chief • Alan “B” Ensley, 2500 (65.19) • Jim Owle, 1335 (34.81)

TRIBAL COUNCIL Big Cove Council • Richard French, 254 (30.86) • Perry Shell, 217 (26.37) • Fred Penick, 187 (22.72) • Renee Long Cole, 165 (20.05) Big Y/Wolfetown Council • Bo Crowe, 717 (42.30) • Chelsea Saunooke, 409 (24.13) • Bill Taylor, 327 (19.19) • Nathaniel “Bunsey” Crowe, 242 (14.28) Birdtown Council • Boyd Owl, 682 (34.43) • Albert Rose, 589 (29.73) • Nelson Lambert, 455 (22.97) • Ashley Sessions, 255 (12.87) Painttown Council • Dike Sneed, 260 (30.37) • Tommye Saunooke, 255 (29.79) • Pamela Sneed, 202 (23.60) • Cheroke Bird Rose, 139 (16.24) Yellowhill Council • David T. Wolfe, 337 (39.14) • Tom Wahnetah, 250 (29.04) • Tawania Ensley, 164 (19.05) • Stephanie Saunooke French, 110 (12.78) Snowbird/Cherokee County Council • Adam Wachacha, 337 (36.83) • Bucky Brown, 294 (32.13) • Janell Rattler, 179 (19.56) • Sherry Smoker, 105 (11.48)

SCHOOL BOARD Big Y School Board • Tara Reed-Cooper, 138 (60.53) • Sharon E. Bradley, 90 (39.47) Painttown School Board • Regina Ledford Rosario, 363 (100) Yellowhill School Board • Jennifer Thompson, 398 (100)

Smoky Mountain News

On the campaign trail, Sneed touted his administration’s “next-level leadership” and d focused on plans to reduce the tribe’s g reliance on casino proceeds and to increase s its long-term financial stability. In a pre-elect tion interview Aug. 2, he said his top three s priorities if elected would be to get the budget down to 75 percent of casino projections, complete an elders campus adjoining the hospital and continue to help Kituwah LLC grow and increase its revenue streams — a d cornerstone of his plans for economic diversification. g “Finances have to be the primary focus, y because that drives everything we do,” he said during a phone call Sept. 6. “You take e the revenue away, and our ability to do all the things that we do is just stripped away h from us.” t Sneed added that a primary focus over the y next four years will be to create a cultural division in tribal government, something that Tribal Council has approved by resolution but

is still in its infancy as far as implementation.

He also wants to see the Eastern Band reach out to help other tribes that are not as far along on various issues as the Cherokee.

While Sneed is the incumbent chief, this election marked the first time voters put him in that seat. He was elected as the tribe’s vice chief in 2015 with 59.1 percent of the vote but sworn in as principal chief on May 25, 2017, following the controversial impeachment of then-Chief Patrick Lambert.

Lambert won the 2015 election with 71 percent of the vote, and many tribal members felt that his removal from office was motivated by more by politics than by wrongdoing on Lambert’s part. The impeachment created deep divisions in the tribe that have yet to heal completely.

In the Aug. 2 interview, Sneed acknowledged the difficult circumstances in which he took the reins but said he believed he and his administration handled the situation well.

“That was probably the most turbulent time that I can remember in the history of this tribe, and it was awful,” he said Aug. 2.

“I wish that we didn’t have to have gone through that, because it was a really divisive time. Now two years removed from that I think what I’m most proud of is the ability of this administration and the team I have around me. We have been able to mend a lot of wounds and to demonstrate what good governance looks like.”

At the time of the impeachment, McCoy represented Big Cove on Tribal Council and was one of three councilmembers to oppose the proceedings, also taking issue with Sneed’s ascendency to the chief ’s office.

Despite the support her candidacy garnered — in a Primary Election race that included five candidates for principal chief, McCoy took the top spot, 12 votes ahead of Sneed — McCoy was almost not allowed to run at all. The EBCI Board of Elections initially declined to certify her, citing an investigation that revealed she had “defrauded the tribe” in an incident dating back to 1996.

Then a sitting councilmember, McCoy accepted an honorarium and travel expenses from the University of Alabama for a trip on which the tribe had already paid her travel expenses. It does not appear McCoy broke any tribal laws or policies that were in effect at the time, and she ran in every election after 1996 until 2017 without any challenge to her eligibility. In a series of court actions this spring, McCoy fought the election board’s decision and eventually saw it overturned.

McCoy conceded the election shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday night at her campaign headquarters, a former Dairy Queen building in Cherokee, thanking her supporters for their work on the campaign and expressing her appreciation that there was “little or no mudslinging” through the election season.

“The people of our tribe stepped up and spoke, and we agreed with it and we understand it, and we just hope that the administration for the next four years remembers who they represent,” McCoy said. “If there’s

September 11-17, 2019

o

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER rincipal Chief Richard Sneed produced a decisive victory in Cherokee’s Sept. 5 election, pulling in 55.11 percent of the vote against opponent Teresa McCoy, who took the remaining 44.89 percent.

His victory underscored an overall strong performance by incumbent candidates. Each of the 12 incumbents who appeared on the General Election ballot for executive and legislative office emerged victorious. Two more incumbents ran for re-election but lost in the June primaries — Wolfetown Representative Jeremy Wilson and Painttown Representative Lisa Taylor will leave the horseshoe when their terms expire in October.

Sneed won a majority in every community save McCoy’s home of Big Cove, in which she took 63.41 percent. Sneed’s share in the remaining communities wavered between a low of 51.54 percent in Yellowhill to a high of 67.76 percent in Cherokee County, the community with the smallest total number of votes. In his home community of Birdtown, Sneed commanded 54.29 percent of the vote. Overall, he received 395 more votes than McCoy. “I am humbled and honored by the outpouring of support evidenced in these election results,” Sneed wrote in a message posted to his Facebook page at 8:26 p.m. Election Day. “I want to thank my family, especially my wife and children, for their love and support throughout my administration and during this campaign season. It has been my privilege to serve the people of the Eastern Band as your principal chief for the past two years, and I am eager to continue this service. We have already begun to experience tremendous growth as a tribe as well as a stabilization of our government. Your confidence in my leadership empowers the EBCI to continue along this path and ensure the security of our future.”

The results news

e .

Incumbents sweep Cherokee election

County/Snowbird; and David Wolfe and Tom Wahnetah, of Yellowhill.

Voter turnout clocked in at 57.11 percent, much higher than the 38.97 percent of registered voters who cast a ballot in the June Primary Election. The Smoky Mountain News does not have turnout figures for the last chief ’s election, held in 2015, but the total number of ballots cast this year was slightly higher. In 2019, 3,867 people voted for one of the chief candidates as opposed to 3,661 in 2015.

Election results are not official until certified by Tribal Council, which according to tribal law should happen on Monday, Oct. 7. 9

news

VOTERS, CONTINUED FROM 8 having peaked at 88 degrees, a stiff breeze working to bring on the evening cool.

About a mile down the road, McCoy’s supporters were converging on her election headquarters, a small building between U.S. 441 and the Oconaluftee River that used to be a Dairy Queen. The atmosphere was tense, but hopeful, some folks keeping a weather eye on the TV tuned to display election results while others milled about outside, smoking or eating as they waited on the numbers.

The screen proved superfluous, however, as results entered not through the livestream but instead through intel from supporters who’d been stationed outside of individual polling places, taking note of the numbers as they appeared there. By 7 p.m., McCoy’s crowd had results from four of eight communities — less absentee and early voting — and it didn’t look good. By that unofficial count, McCoy hadn’t won a single community. Sneed supporters were already making celebratory posts online, prompting McCoy to address the room, attempting to comfort her team — and possibly herself as well — about the bleak prognosis.

“We have a lot of really, really awesome, good, cool people on this boundary, and we’re going to continue to help them and speak for them and do with them and eat

with them and play with them, and it’s going to be OK,” she said.

“There’s a lot of money, there’s a lot of things that happened this election that we can’t compete with, we couldn’t compete with, but I feel like we still had the best people. We still had the greatest people on this team,” she continued. “It is what it is and we’re going to be OK. I’ve won elections, lost elections, and I can assure you sometimes when the numbers come out against you, you win, you still win.”

Sneed, meanwhile, was having a better night, the confidence that had been building inside him throughout the day confirmed as he arrived at the friend’s house where he’d planned to wait for results. He got there around 6:30 p.m., he said, after a break from the election trail to go work out, his favorite way to discharge stress.

“All the numbers were already in, so I was pretty surprised,” he said in an interview the following day. “I was pleasantly surprised at the margin as well because historically other than when Patrick Lambert ran against Tunney Crowe, the margins are usually really close in the chief ’s race. In this case they were pretty substantial.”

At 8:26 p.m., Sneed made a post to his official Facebook page declaring victory and thanking his family for their support, voters for their confidence and McCoy for spurring

dialogue on important issues. The post quickly blew up with a slew of positive reactions and congratulatory comments, within 24 hours garnering 990 reactions, 124 shares and 330 comments.

“I look forward to your continued leadership,” former Chief Joyce Dugan commented.

“If I can help in any way I’m a phone call away. Congratulations!!”

“Congratulations Chief!” wrote Katelynn Ledford-McCoy. “We are blessed to have such an outstanding leader to help progress this tribe forward. You are truly amazing!”

“Congratulations,” added Glenn Key. “Thanks for running an honest campaign.

We appreciate all you have done for our tribe.

We know you will lead us into the future with honesty and integrity.”

Meanwhile, tribal members relying on TV or livestreamed updates for their election news were still in the dark as to how their votes had added up. Early results — totals for Tribal Council, or community-specific totals for the chief races — were looping through the screens on display in the council chambers, but that information was not being broadcast outside the building. Initially, The Smoky Mountain News was told it could not be in the building at all but was later informed it would be permitted in the lobby but could not cross the threshold to the chambers themselves.

By 9 p.m., however, all the votes were in.

The Election Board finished counting, packaged up the ballots, printed off sheets displaying totals and percentages, and closed up the building — releasing complete results to the livestream just before doing so.

Somebody released a joyful “Whoo!” in the dark parking lot, a stark contrast to the dejection reigning over at McCoy’s headquarters.

In the hours and days to follow, both McCoy and Sneed would state their thanks for a “calm” election that included little to no “mudslinging” — despite a few hiccups, with Sneed’s campaign reporting that somebody had run over one of his signs with a vehicle and McCoy’s people pointing out that someone had attached a sign saying, “if you want a thief for chief ” under one of her “Elect Teresa McCoy” signs.

But if many people share Cabe’s concern, confided at Food Lion hours before the election’s outcome was known, political uneasiness is still present among some tribal members.

“My fear is that even though the election’s going to be over, the election’s not going to be over,” said Cabe. “There’s going to be so much fallout. A lot of fallout.”

“We’d like to cast our vote and say there, we’re done, it’s over. The votes have been counted,” she added. “But given our recent past it’s not going to be.”

HealthPATH

September 11-17, 2019

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

Now Accepting New Patients!

Serving all of WNC

Smoky Mountain News

Specializing in Pediatric Dentistry Teens for Infants, Kids, Special Needs & Te

Now Scheduling for the Franklin Office!

175 East Main Street, Suite F, Franklin Haywood County’s only Doctors of Audiology Serving WNC for 30 years.

Diagnostics, hearing aids, cochlear implants, tinnitus, rehabilitation, custom molds, hearing protection.

In and network options for most insurance plans and discount programs Flexible treatment options for everyone Leslie Gant, AuD • Founder | Erika Hendrickson, AuD Alex Snyder, AuD | Emma Maxwell, MA • Owner/Manager Patient Care Coordinators: Tammy Carter & Lauren McMullen

828.627.1950 | CLYDE 828.634.1710 | FRANKLIN

10

Now scheduling for our new Franklin location!

Haywood Professional Park near Coffee Cup Café

Orthodontic Specialists Teens & Adults for Kids, Te

Drs. Chambers, Baechtold, Haldeman, Pratt, Chambers, Hogue, Blackman & Chadwick Asheville 828-274-9220 Asheville 828-274-8822 Waynesville 828-407-4034 Waynesville 828-454-9156 Sylva 828-586-9333 Sylva 828-586-9333 BeGreatDental.com Reynolds Mountain 828-785-5825

ROCKCLIFF IS YOUR PLACE FOR EXPERT ORAL & DENTAL IMPLANT SURGERY

Dr. Warburton

Dr. Burgon

Waynesville

Waynesville

Dr. Consky Sylva

24/7/365 Emergency & Specialty Animal Hospital Continuous Overnight Monitoring

by Veterinarians and Nurses

37 Crestview Heights, Sylva • 828-354-0307 50 A Bowman Drive, Waynesville • 828-564-2510

677 Brevard Road, Asheville REACHVET.COM • 828.665.4399

J

Rabies vaccines offered

North Shore families invited to reunion The North Shore Cemetery Association will be hosting the 44th annual reunion of

Phyllis Robinson OWNER/BROKER

828.712.5578

lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

570 COUNTY RD. WAYNESVILLE • Well maintained • 3 Bedrooms / 2 Baths • 2133 Square Feet • Full unfinished Basement • 2-car Basement Garage

• Formal Living Room w/Fireplace • Sunroom off Dining Room • City Water / Sewer • All Lake amenities

OFFERED AT $ 279,500 MLS#3478865

91 N. Lakeshore Dr. Lake Junaluska 828.456.4070 LakeshoreRealtyNC.com Located in the Bethea Welcome Center

families and friends associated with Fontana Lake’s North Shore from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 15, at the Deep Creek National Park Access Area.

The reunion is on rain or shine. Bring a dish or two, soft drinks, tea or water to share. Plates and tableware are provided. Pets are allowed in accordance with Park regulations. Service animals must have papers and be vested.

Facebook.com/northshorecemeteries.

Jackson to host take back event Jackson County is hosting two Take Back events during September in recognition of Opioid Awareness Month.

The Jackson County Department of Public Health, Safe Kids Jackson County, and the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office will be at the Ingles in Cashiers from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 13 and at the Walgreens in Sylva on Sept. 27 from 1 to 5 p.m. to help the community properly dispose of old medication. Permanent drop boxes are also available in three locations in Jackson County — the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office in Sylva, the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office in Cashiers, and at the Walgreens in Sylva. These permanent drop boxes can be accessed on any day, during business hours.

828.587.8286.

Kim’s Pharmacy Would Love to Earn Your Prescription Business!

Switch Now Before the Store Closes in December.

Smoky Mountain News

During the week of Sept. 16-20, rabies clinics will be conducted by Haywood County Animal Services (HCAS).

Rabies vaccines are required for dogs, cats and ferrets who are 4 months or older. The cost is $9 per vaccination. On clinic days, local veterinary offices will offer the vaccine at the same price. Bring dogs and cats in need of a rabies vaccine to one of the following locations: • Jonathan Valley Elementary SchoolMonday — Sept. 16 • Canton Middle School — Tuesday, Sept. 17 • Riverbend Elementary School — Wednesday, Sept. 18 • Bethel Elementary School — Thursday, Sept. 19 • Waynesville Middle School — Friday, Sept. 20 Clinics will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

HCAS recommends that cats remain inside vehicles for vaccine administration.

828.456.5338.

the recycling center’s usefulness to residents.

“We chose the Haywood Road site because its location better served Dillsboro and the surrounding areas,” said Adams.

On Aug. 20, commissioners voted to enter into a $325,000 contract to buy a pair of properties along Haywood Road in Dillsboro totaling 3.67 acres. If all goes well during the 90-day due diligence period, that spot will become the new location for the recycling center. Commissioners had originally planned to relocate the center to the bottom of the existing Green Energy Park property but abandoned that idea upon learning that doing so would require construction of a $500,000 retaining wall.

Adams asked commissioners to consider using the $185,000 from the 1.93-acre property — or more, depending on the outcome of the upset bid process — to offset the $325,000 price tag of purchasing the recycling center property.

“The final decision of the board on this request will be when the upset bid process stops and the board provides final authorization to sell the property,” said Adams.

If the county’s ultimate plan for the Green Energy Park is successful, the property will eventually become a mini campus that in addition to artisan studios will feature a new county animal rescue center, a dog park, a walking trail and event space, as well as an innovation center and makers space operated

by Western Carolina University.

September 11-17, 2019

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ackson County hopes to offset the cost of moving its Dillsboro recycling center with proceeds from selling a piece of land in Sylva that has been county-owned since 2012.

During their Sept. 3 meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to accept an offer from Blossman Gas to purchase the 1.93acre parcel on Wilkes Crescent Drive for $185,000, and the sale will now go through the upset bid process to give other buyers the chance to put in a better offer.

On Sept. 6, the county published an announcement that other potential buyers have 10 days to act, with competing offers required to come in at least 10 percent higher than the original and include a 5 percent deposit. Within 30 days of the upset bid period, commissioners will approve the final high offer.

The county had originally considered the former Jackson County Development Corporation property as a potential site for the recycling center, which has to move from its current location within the Green Energy Park to make way for construction of new facilities in that area. While the property would have been able to physically accommodate recycling center operations, it would have required a conditional use permit from the Town of Sylva. Additionally, the nearby bridge between Dillsboro and Sylva has weight restrictions that could have hampered

Comfortable Lake Junaluska Home news

Land sale could offset cost of recycling center relocation

479 DELLWOOD RD. WAYNESVILLE 828.452.0911 | facebook.com/kimspharmacy

11

news

Hospital leaders reflect on five years with LifePoint

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR n 2014, Duke LifePoint Healthcare purchased three hospitals in Western North Carolina with the promise of drastically improving rural health care services.

After being under Duke LifePoint’s forprofit ownership for five years, the hospitals’ leaders report significant strides in infrastructure, technology, services and access for the patients they serve.

“If you ever wanted to have a perfect picture of what a hospital acquisition transition should look like, this one was about as perfect as I could have imagined it to be,” said Rod Harkleroad, CEO of Haywood Regional Medical Center. “Not only did it change the culture of the organization, but we’ve taken the partnership with Duke (University) and built one of the top hospitals in the company in three years — that’s amazing to me. It shows you the buy-in from the physicians and the staff.”

Steve Heatherly, CEO of Harris Regional Medical Center in Sylva and Swain Community Hospital in Bryson City, said the change in ownership allowed the hospitals to go from survival mode to being able to plan for the future and make the investments needed not just to survive but thrive.

September 11-17, 2019

I

“At that time we were in the throes of the MedWest partnership and trying to figure that out and really our business model was fundamentally flawed because we couldn’t increase our capital investment for programs, physicians and services so we could expand,” he said. “It wasn’t an environment that would produce a sustainable future for the hospital.

That’s the whole reason we got into the process that led to us being acquired by LifePoint — so we could put our hospitals on sustainable footing for the future.”

SMOOTH TRANSITION Prior to 2014, the three hospitals were all struggling financially under the nonprofit MedWest Health system, a partnership that had just been established in 2010. In 2013, MedWest dissolved to make way for a major acquisition by a large hospital network. Duke LifePoint Healthcare, a joint venture of Duke University Health System and LifePoint Hospitals, would bring with it a vast network of clinical expertise and an influx of cash to invest in the aging facilities.

The acquisitions were completed by August 2014 and the hospitals got a fresh start because the sale wiped out all debt, loans, lines of credit, outstanding bills,

invoices and accounts payable. LifePoint paid $26 million for Haywood Regional and $25 million for Harris and Swain combined, though only about a third of the money was left over by the time debt and bills were paid.

The sale also came with LifePoint’s commitment to invest $43 million in capital improvements at Harris and Swain and $36 million at HRMC over the next eight years.

Heatherly said the transition was an exciting and hopeful time with the opportunity to take care of mounting needs and implement a plan for the future.

Steve Heatherly Instead of worrying about keeping the doors open, it represented a time to think strategically about the hospitals’ growth and how to best serve the community.

“We were operating in an environment where it only took one little hiccup to fundaRod Harkleroad mentally derail the hospital from having a sustainable future. The loss of a few key positions or more cuts to Medicaid or Medicare funding would upset balance — it was a razor thin margin for any type of error,” Heatherly said.

Harkleroad didn’t join HRMC until 2016, though he’d worked for LifePoint since 2010.

He moved here from Tennessee to take the

CEO position after the former CEO Phillip Wright suddenly resigned. Prior to coming to Haywood, he served as CEO of Riverview Regional Medical Center and Trousdale Medical Center.

“I think what I was surprised with the most was the involvement that Duke played in this — bringing their physicians on site and having a patient safety officer visiting us every month and reporting our findings to their board,” he said. “It’s really changed the quality of the organization. That Duke LifePoint partnership has been a driving force behind our success.”

IMPROVEMENTS MADE

Harris Regional Hospital has completed two major renovation and expansion projects since being acquired by Duke LifePoint — a new emergency department and the labor and delivery department.

The new 18,000-square-foot ER, completed last May, was an $11 million project that increased patient capacity from 13 to 23 beds and improved patient safety.

The $5.5 million New Generations Family Birthing Unit was completed in 2017 and features fully renovated delivery suites, patient rooms, nursing stations and a dedicated operating room for C-sections. In the midst of the renovation project, Mission Health announced the closure of the labor and delivery unit at Angel Medical Center in Franklin — making Harris the next closest place for Macon County moms to deliver and wellpositioned to handle the expected patient increase.

F

Financing as low as 3.99% APR for 60 Months /OR/ up to $2,000 Trade-in Allowance* on 2019 Indian Motorcycle Heavyweights.

Hurry in, this offer ends September 30, 2019.

Smoky Mountain News

*Terms and Conditions apply.

See dealer for details.

12

patients in Western North Carolina a closer option than having to travel to Mission Hospital in Asheville. Heatherly said the hospital would be performing cardiac intervention services within the next month, which includes putting in stints.

“What happens now if we run into a patient that likely needs a stint, we have to send them to Haywood or Mission — keep in mind we already have patients driving an hour here to get health care — want to do all we can to keep them from having to go any further,” Heatherly said. “When those hardships and those barriers exist, there are going to be people that don’t get the care they need.”

Harkleroad said Haywood has also seen double digit volume growth across the board of services since the Duke LifePoint acquisition. Since he came on board in 2016, he said

t

y t d f

r

he’s recruited 30 new positions to the organization. Because of the well-respected reputation of Duke behind them, he said he’s been impressed with the high-caliber candidates who’ve been recruited.

“These are high-end physicians that have been very successful in their careers — they’ve had academic medicine training at top facilities so we’re pulling great talent into the organization,” he said. “And turnover rates are typically high in a transition, but we were only at 18 percent turnover rate; 21 percent is the national average rate. That’s important financially and culturally.”

FUTURE FOCUS While much has been done over the last five years at these rural hospitals, Heatherly and Harkleroad both said they are still keeping an eye on planning for the future.

A 2020 strategic planning process is underway for Harris and Swain hospitals. Heatherly said a cancer center project at Harris will be underway in the coming year with plans to purchase a new linear accelerator that will “change cancer care in our region.” The hospital has the space for the new cancer center, but it will be a matter of spending about $8 million on new technologies to get it up and running.

As more babies are being delivered at Harris, Heatherly said the hospital is in the midst of

COMMUNITY MINDED Though the hospitals are now owned by a for-profit company, and now pay county property taxes, Heatherly and Harkleroad said they are still community minded and focused on producing the best outcomes for patients.

“Anytime you’re in a relationship there are things you have to do differently, but the Duke LifePoint acquisition has been incredible for us and our communities,” Heatherly said. It’s helped us expand high-quality services close to home. It’s still our jobs to figure out how to fashion services to service our communities — that’s not different than what we have always done.”

Harkleroad said Haywood has continued to invest in the community not just through hospital services and paying taxes but through starting community wellness programs, supporting the Haywood Pathways Center and assisting pregnant women in the detention center to drive down the harm rates for newborn babies.

“We’ve reached out feeding the homeless and we’re doing our part in the community to show we want to take a leadership role and we’re here to stay. With our successes, we want to give back and show that this is who we are,” he said.

Fine Wine Craft Beer Port Sake Mixers Cider Mead WEEKLY TASTINGS CLASSES Check Us Out on Facebook for Current Events & Times

828.538.0420

1161 Main Street US 19, Bryson City

Book Signing

Saturday, September 14 · 2-4PM

Megan Lucas Songbirds & Stray Dogs

Bonnie's Mountain Farms

D

Guaranteed Fresh

LOCAL • NO GMOs

APPLES! Now carrying all types!

Excellent Prices!

Mix n Match Baskets!

Carrying ALL Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables!

• Pumpkins • Local Honey • Amish Butter • Free Range Fresh Eggs • Local Jams & Jellies Ne-hi Drinks and more!

FREE APPLES FOR KIDS

10% DISCOUNT FOR SENIORS

Smoky Mountain News

As far as expanding services, Haywood opened a wound care center, expanded its geriatric behavioral health unit, opened a vein center and began interventional cardiology services.

“We’ve also had a lot of expansion at our practices, more primary care options and we opened a pediatric office in Canton. We’re expanding our sports medicine. We’re now a Lung Center of Excellence because our pulmonologists are nationally known and are performing new procedures.”

Harris and Swain have also seen expansion in services and providers. Heatherly said new physicians have been recruited, especially more providers in Swain County to stabilize primary care access. Swain also got a new CT scanner and Heatherly said the new pain management program there has been a real success. The swing bed program is also a service at Swain that is helping the hospital see more patients.

“We’re growing our swing bed volumes — that’s a huge initiative for us and we’ve seen our inpatient census quadruple over the last three years,” he said. “The swing bed program is for people who shouldn’t be in an acute care hospital any longer but they’re not quite ready to go home — Swain is that transition between acute care and being home or in a long-term facility.”

Like Haywood Regional, Harris is also expanding cardiology services to give

Bryson City WINE MARKET

September 11-17, 2019

Harris Regional Hospital has a new emergency department thanks to financial support from Duke LifePoint Health. File photo

making plans to establish a NICU (newborn intensive care unit). The space and the market is there, but he said the big factor will be recruiting the needed talent to offer those specialized services.

“We have OB physicians who are already doing high-risk deliveries and premature deliveries, but we just need more time in the hospital to develop that program,” he said. “We’re hoping that happens in 2020 — it will be a gamechanger for the western end of the state.”

At Swain, Heatherly said he wants to see continued expansion of primary care access in the community as well as offering more cardiology and women’s and children’s services in Swain. Heatherly said leadership has also been having conversations about whether the hospital needed to be a behavioral health provider in Swain County by converting and dedicating a wing of the hospital to those types of services.

“It’s a huge need right now. We see patients being housed in our ER and there’s nowhere for them to go,” he said.

Haywood Regional has some exciting expansion plans for the future as well.

Harkleroad wants to continue to make advancements in cancer treatments and sees an opportunity to perhaps partner with Harris on the cancer center project.

Haywood is in the process of starting a primary care office in Buncombe County later this month with space already secured. The plan is to transition more specialist services to the practice next year.

“We’re looking at pushing our services into Buncombe County. With our success at quality programs. we can compete with providers in other counties,” he said. “We partner with Mission and Pardee (hospitals) when we can — they are great organizations — but when we can find opportunities and have excellent specialists on board the outcomes are great.”

news

“We’ve seen a noticeable increase in our delivery volumes, but we’ve also noticed an w increase in our emergency department volumes over the last two years and an increase in the number of cardiology patients we’re t serving, orthopedic patients — that’s more about adding physicians and improving g access to programs,” Heatherly said. “Since August of 2014, we’ve seen increasing volumes almost across the board.”

Infrastructure was the first priority at Haywood Regional as well, according to Harkleroad. Duke LifePoint spent $3 million to bring the hospital back up-to-date, including a new roof and a new boiler. They also purchased new blood pressure equipment, d new IV pumps with better safety technology, 3D mammography imaging equipment and new CT machines. r

828.400.6579 320 Riverbend • Waynesville Just below Ingles in Hazelwood OPEN MONDAY SATURDAY

-

FIND US ON FACEBOOK!

13

news

1 2 t h A n n ua l

Youth Arts Festival

September 21 • 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

At the Jackson County Green Energy Park

Artists Demos in Glass, Metal, Ceramics, Paint, Printmaking, etc.

Free Activities in Clay, Jewelry, Painting, Chalk, and more!

Music & Dance Food Available FREE SHUTTLE FROM WESTERN BUILDERS

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

For more information, call 828.631.0271 or visit www.jcgep.org

14

Business

Smoky Mountain News

WCU offers leadership certificate Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering a High Impact Leadership Certificate Program Sept. 16-20, 2019 at WCU’s Biltmore Park instructional site in Asheville. The program will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.

This five-day leadership certificate program is designed for the person who wants to take their career to the next level to become a high impact leader.

The registration fee for the program is $849 and the nonprofit rate is $649. For more information and to register, visit pdp.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

Macon Health receives business award

Employment help at library

The North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition has awarded Macon County Public Health a Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Award.

North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition has been a proud participant in the national effort to increase breastfeeding-friendliness in the workplace. Breastfeeding-friendly employers benefit from lower health care costs, lower turnover and absenteeism rates, higher productivity and morale.

It also creates a positive image in the community as a “family friendly” business. NCBC recognizes local companies that support breastfeeding families.

Breastfeeding-Friendly Businesses are businesses that welcome breastfeeding mothers as customers. Businesses that have been granted the Breastfeeding-Friendly Business Award can proudly display the Breastfeeding-Friendly window cling.

For more information about Macon County Public Health, contact 828.349.2081.

Beginning on Friday, Sept. 6, Marne Harris, career advisor for the Jackson and Swain County NCWorks Career Centers, will available from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Jackson County Public Library to answer any and all employment questions.

This program will happen on the first Friday of every month from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. For more information about First Fridays Employment Support, call the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva at 828.586.2016 or visit www.fontanalib.org.

Plemmons earns excellence award H&R Block recognized 24 company and franchise associates, including Connie Plemmons of Waynesville, for going above and beyond for their clients with the 2019 Henry W. Bloch Excellence in Client Service awards.

The awards recognize H&R Block and Block Advisors tax-office associates for their extraordinary client service, exceptional tax expertise and ongoing commitment to solve problems and advocate for clients.

Plemmons is a franchise owner and senior tax analyst for H&R Block, a global tax services provider at the tax office at 65 Eagles Nest Rd. She has been providing expert tax advice and preparation support for taxpayers in Waynesville for 28 years.

Balsam Falls Eatery opens The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Ambassador team recently held a ribbon cutting/grand opening ceremony for Balsam Falls Eatery located inside the already established Balsam Falls Brewing in Sylva.

Balsam Falls Eatery, owned by Craig Szymanski and Natalie Szymanski, specializes in fresh handmade Cali-Mex cuisine including nachos, tacos, burgers, sandwiches, salads, chips and more.

For more information, call 310.200.2889 or visit the Balsam Falls website or Facebook page.

UCB named ‘Best Bank to Work For’ United Community Bank has been named one of the Best Banks to Work For in 2019 by American Banker and Best Companies Group.

This recognition is based on employee satisfaction and signifies the bank’s commitment to a positive, collaborative environment in which employees can thrive. This is the third consecutive year the bank has been featured on the list.

“One of our objectives is to be the best place for great bankers to work,” said Lynn Harton, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Community Banks, Inc. “To do that, we consciously work on building connections between our teams, on communicating openly and frequently, and being a safe place to try new ideas…”

Sponsors needed for Maggie Valley event Maggie’s First Night Committee is planning a New Year’s Eve event for the community on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at Market Square and needs support from local businesses.

The event will include fireworks at 11 p.m., a ball drop at midnight, a bounce house, DJ, dancing, games and food vendors. Get married or renew your vows with Maggie Valley’s very own Wedding Fairygodmother, Sandee Wright.

Organizers are looking for help to fund this event.

The goal is to raise $17,000.

Sponsorships vary from $1,000 to $100. Be a Friends of Maggie Valley sponsor with monetary donations up to $100. Sponsorship donations can be mailed directly to: Maggie’s First Night Committee, PO Box 850, Maggie Valley, NC, 28751 Attn: Treasurer.

For more information, contact Carolyn Moncada at carolyn@willowlanemktg.com or 828.356.5403 or Amber Keeney at berserkbarista@outlook.com or 828.550.3180.

Jackson TDA hires marketing manager The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority recently announced the hire of Caleb Sullivan as its new sales and marketing manager.

A longtime county resident, Sullivan is a communication and public relations graduate of Western Carolina University, Southwestern Community College and Smokey Mountain High School.

“We’re thrilled to have Mr. Sullivan join the TDA,” Executive Director Nick Breedlove said. Sullivan began interning with the TDA in January of this year, Caleb Sullivan. and his passion and dedication to Jackson County is unmatched. “It’s the perfect example of a partnership with Western Carolina University that turned into something long-term and mutually beneficial.”

As the second full-time hire of the TDA, Sullivan will focus on curating and creating social media content, marketing the county to groups, retreats and conferences, and developing strategies for driving revenue during the slower visitation months of the year. During his internship, Sullivan completed many projects on behalf of the TDA, including a comprehensive crisis communication and management plan.

15

The Jackson County TDA is the marketing, promotion, and destination management organization for the county.

Pet resort opens in Bryson City Mariner’s Manor, Swain County’s newest full service pet resort recently opened with a full day of fun beginning with a ribbon cutting with the Swain County Chamber of Commerce.

Located on the Oconaluftee River just minutes from downtown Bryson City, Mariner’s Manor offers both day and longer term boarding for dogs, cats, and other small animals as well as a dry dock dog park which offers daily, monthly, and yearly packages. For more information, call 828.554.1360.

Marketing certificate offered at WCU Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment will be offering the Digital Marketing and Public Relations Certificate program from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on six Fridays, beginning Sept. 27, and running through Nov. 8, 2019 at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville.

Over the course of the program, participants will create an online marketing communications strategy and powerhouse digital toolbox by completing six full-day workshops taught by expert marketing and public relations professionals. The program has been enhanced by adding two workshops taught by Scott Rader, associate professor of Marketing & Entrepreneurship + Center for the Study of Free Enterprise at WCU College of Business.

Registration fee for the full program is $640, individual workshops are $119 each.

For more information and to register, visit pdp.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

Franklin businessman named ‘trailblazer’ Cory McCall, co-owner of Outdoor 76 in Franklin, has been named by Business North Carolina magazine as a 2019 Trailblazer.

The award recognizes enterprising business owners and professionals under the age of 40 who operate in cities and towns that have fewer than 100,000 residents. Since co-founding his outfitters store in Franklin in 2010, McCall has added two locations amid a ruthless environment for retailers, attracting both tourists and locals alike to the downtown area.

A native of Macon County, McCall sold real estate in the region for five years after graduating from Western Carolina University in 2004. He concluded expanding interest in outdoor recreation wasn’t being well-serviced by local merchants. So he and Rob Gasborro, a former civil engineer, started an outdoor equipment and apparel store.

They’ve moved to a bigger site that includes a taproom and added stores in Cherokee and Clayton, Ga.

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

What’s peace got to do with it?

Marsha Lee Baker

Somewhere, sometime, and in some way, each of us thinks about peace. We might not call it “peace,” but we think about it. We wonder where or what peace is with questions like “Why can’t we get along?” and “What is wrong with this family?” We sense peace each time we say, “What a wonderful time together!” and “I’ve never felt so whole in my life!”

Peaceable experiences happen individually and collectively. They may be calm, joyous, profound, silent. Akin to love, we sense peace among people whom we know by name, blood, heritage, geography, affiliation, beliefs, values as well as among people we may never know in any of Guest Columnist those ways. Maybe rarely or perhaps daily, we recognize the reality of our human unity and, in peaceable moments, we embrace it.

Also, individually and collectively, we can be just as likely to judge, curse, and blame a person we know or a people we will never meet. Akin to hate, we dismiss peace with individuals, groups, organizations, regions, countries when we cannot recognize ourselves in them.

“Us” and “them,” “you” and “I” become polarized opposites whether next door or across the globe. Peace on earth?

Like any pair of opposites, love and hate can and need to be mediated, mellowed, mixed. It requires a “thirdness” — a third person, place, or thing — to enable us to live with ourselves and each other in more ways than we have figured. Peace is that third sense that opens our hands rather than closes our fists, literally and figuratively. Otherwise, we would violate ourselves and each other much more than we already do.

Cultures have created occasions that remind us to open our hands. We call them “holidays,” “celebrations,” “observances.” We easily name them in any given calendar year.

Is International Peace Day one of the annual occasions you count? September 21!

Since 1981, the whole globe has shared International Peace Day, when the United Nations resolved to establish “a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples” (www.un.org/en/events/peaceday). A minute of silence at noon across all time zones on September 21 captures the most universal observance.

Anybody anywhere alone or in a crowd can participate.

One minute, one day, once a year. We can do that. We can open hands together for peace, in peace.

Want more? A wonderful range of “what to do” on Peace Day is available at International Day of Peace (https://internationaldayofpeace.org) and Time and Date (www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/international-peace-day). Light a candle, take a walk, plant a tree, sing together, open your home or business doors for peace. Whatever you do, do it for peace on Saturday, September 21, 2019.

(Marsha Lee Baker is a retired WCU professor who is involved in peace and nonviolence advocacy. She lives in Cullowhee. marshaleebaker@gmail.com.)

Ethically speaking, this can be a tough job

R

emember those old movies where submarines find themselves navigating through an underwater minefield, sometimes relying on skill to avoid what would be a sure death and other times surviving near misses on luck alone?

That’s what it feels like sometimes in the world of journalism as we try to make the right ethical choices. It seems almost every day we are discussing the right way to cover a story or whether some event should even be reported. Sometimes these issues are discussed at length, other times reporters and editors have to rely on gut instincts and past experience.

I remember once at a previous newspaper I was called to a meeting in the county manager’s office. When I arrived, it felt sort of like I had walked into a trap.

The manager, the chairman of the county commission and the chairman of the economic development council were in attendance.

The county was negotiating with a company that wanted to open a toxic waste dump in a rural area, a project that would have brought good-paying jobs to one of the poorest counties in eastern North Carolina. The county manager was telling us — meaning the local newspaper — about the project because we needed to keep it under wraps for a few months or, he feared, other counties would make a better offer to the company, or fear among the “not in my backyard” crowd would derail everything.

Trump is working to secure borders To the Editor: Police drenched with buckets of water in New York, anti-police chanting as police attempt to remove a criminal held up in a house in Pennsylvania, an ICE office is shot up in Texas. I could go on and on about the recent acts of lawlessness towards law enforcement. It looks like the public has picked up on the lawlessness being allowed at our southern border. Migrants bust over our borders into our country, march up to officials, claim asylum and soon are released to go anywhere in the country with a promise to appear in court at some later date.

True asylum seekers file in the first free country they enter so moving through Mexico to claim asylum is also against the law. Most never show up for their court dates but have made themselves at home illegally in our country.

Never mind that our hospitals, schools and welfare systems are overburdened

My publisher had been tipped off about the project by nearby landowners who had talked to the surveyors and others who were doing due diligence at the site. I told the county manager we already knew about the project, so if we reported the story it would not be based on information he provided.

Needless to say, they went ballistic a few days later — after hours of internal discussions at the newspaper — when I said we were going to publish the story. He didn’t believe we Editor had already heard about the project, or at least that’s what he said. I told him that by our estimation, the rights of nearby landowners and other taxpayers to know what might happen in their backyard outweighed the desire for secrecy.

The manager was right. We published the story and public protests against the project snowballed in just a few days. It moved elsewhere, the jobs never materialized, and the newspaper’s relationship with the county was never the same while I remained editor.

Ethically, this seemed a clear case of the public’s right to know outweighing the county’s desire for jobs and economic development. Today, though, that county

Scott McLeod

16

LETTERS and that illegals are costing millions of taxpayer dollars. Many who have been ordered by the courts to leave the country pay no attention and defiantly stay right here. It is no wonder that some in our country take the allowed lawlessness to be an invitation to defy and break the law ... and hopefully get away with it.

remains among the state’s poorest.

And so the question of ethics remain.

By the time this column appears in today’s paper, I will have participated in a forum at the Diana Wortham Theater about the media and ethics. The event — “Building Trust in an Age of Mistrust” — was sponsored by Blue Ridge Public Radio, and it included National Public Radio editors and representatives from several Western North Carolina media sources.

It’s a topic that’s crucial for me, The Smoky Mountain News, and anyone in the media. It’s key to our survival. Never has the credibility of those of us who call ourselves journalists been under attack like we are today. The landscape has changed so fast that everyone purportedly reporting the news — from rogue, partisan or money-making websites to 150year-old community newspapers that rely on long-standing journalistic principles — are often lumped into the same “media” category.

We try very hard to be truthful, be fair and impartial, to be accountable for our mistakes, to be independent, and to serve the public and not corporate, business or political interests. And we also try to minimize harm and treat sources and members of the public as deserving of respect.

So here’s a question for readers: are we doing our job? Let me know by responding to this article on our website, on social media, or by emailing info@smokymountainnews.com.

The shame is that busting through our borders illegally is an example to others who now get the idea that acts against our laws and law enforcement must be OK. Illegal migrants are not being held accountable for their lawless entry into our country. President Trump is working daily, ever since he took office, to secure our borders, to deport those who are here without documentation or who have

gals every step of the way. Democrats seem to be okay with lawlessness. The answer to that is to see that Democrats are removed from office in the 2020 election so President Trump has support to permanently secure our borders from illegal entry and hopefully restore lawful behavior in the country.

Judy Milkey Sylva

Susanna Shetley

Full Detail Package Interior Shampoo • Shine • Windows Exterior Wash & Wax

$100

Call Trent to set up an appointment or come by and see us!

828.793.1585 • 137 Depot Street • Waynesville

Smoky Mountain News

been ordered to leave, to halt thousands marching to the U.S. from Central American countries He has found legal monies to fund building the wall. He has ordered ICE to find and deport those who have been ordered to leave the country, criminals or MS-13 gang members. But Democrats in Congress fight his secure border solutions and attempts to remove ille-

A

Auto Detailing

September 11-17, 2019

s a kid, I took the Blue Ridge Mountains for granted. They were always there in the background, but I never paid much attention.

My dad rode horses and attended Boy Scout camp when he was young, but he wasn’t outdoorsy in a recreational way.

My mom was smart and determined, yet uninterested in activities like hiking or backpacking.

My sister and I were given experiences such as travelColumnist ing to Europe, Mexico and all throughout the U.S., but what we didn’t do was explore the beautiful mountains in which we lived.

As a freshman at N.C. State, newfound friends assumed I was well versed in the areas of hiking and kayaking and camping and all that. That wasn’t the case and funny enough, I’d never consciously thought about it. My family was so busy living life and adventuring in a different kind of way, I never stopped and thought, “Why am I not doing more in the great outdoors?”

Some of my first hikes were in flatland Raleigh with very little elevation change, much less wildlife or foliage. As I grew into adulthood, I began hiking on my own and with friends. Over the past 20 years, I’ve hiked many popular peaks in the Southeast, and also some in California, Northern Virginia, Washington, Oregon, Canada, Montana and Switzerland.

When I was a graduate student at Appalachian State, one of my professors took several students on the Profile Trail, which connects to the Grandfather Trail and leads to the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain. It was the lengthiest and most challenging hike I’d ever completed. I was sore for days.

When I started dating my boyfriend, Matthew, two years ago, I told him about the Grandfather Mountain hike. He was intrigued. I’d always wanted to do it again but never had the opportunity. Recently, as part of his birthday gift, we made the trip to Banner Elk, North Carolina.

Early on a Saturday morning, we geared

Mr Clean’s

opinion

Coming full circle on an adventure

up and set out on our way. The Profile Trail is a nice meandering path with a moderate incline, pretty steep in some places. It’s no more challenging than other WNC hikes, but when the Profile Trail meets the Grandfather Trail, things get precarious.

Once on the Grandfather Trail, we were required to rock climb, utilize cables and climb ladders to make our way to the swinging bridge. Some obstacles took every muscle in the body. In fact, there’s a park sign that reads, “This trail is very difficult.

Be prepared for steep inclines with cables and ladders scaling cliffs. This trail is for experienced hikers.”

We hiked the six miles to the famous swinging bridge. As an aside, if you hike your way in, you don’t have to pay for the attraction. We made our way across the bridge and enjoyed a picnic lunch before starting back down the mountain. Our bodies were feeling the ascent so the thought of hiking six more miles was a bit daunting.

Readying ourselves, we started back down the mountain, which actually wasn’t “down.” There were more inclines and cliffs to scale before we settled into a leisurely pace during the final three miles of the Profile Trail. While we were exhausted, our legs and minds were determined to finish what we started. I kept thinking about soldiers and others who are forced to walk through treacherous conditions against their own will or wishes. Hiking 12 miles on foot in nine hours gave me a new respect for people such as this.

At the conclusion of the hike, we rewarded ourselves with a cold IPA and spent time going through photos and videos, proud of ourselves for what we’d accomplished.

While I didn’t spend my childhood or teenage years exploring the Blue Ridge or Smoky Mountains, they’ve always been a part of me. When I moved to Raleigh as a college student, the lack of mountains on the horizon made me ache for Western North Carolina and impacted my decisions to attend graduate school in Boone and live as an adult in Haywood County.

An added to bonus to our recent Grandfather Mountain trek was the connection it allowed Matthew and me. Being in the wilderness with another person for a sustained amount of time offers an unparalleled bonding. It’s been days since we finished the hike and my thighs are still feeling it. Nevertheless, we’ve already set our sights on the next one.

(Susanna Shetley is a multi-media specialist for The Smoky Mountain New, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media.

Susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)

Presented by

17

Carver's

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT since 1952

Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

Featured Dishes: Fresh Fried Chicken, Rainbow Trout, Country Ham, Pork-chops & more

Breakfast : Omelets, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy!

Breakfast served all day!

OPEN DAILY 7 A.M. TO 8 P.M. SUNDAY 8 A.M. TO 8 P.M. CLOSED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY 2804 SOCO RD. • MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.0425 • Facebook.com/carversmvr Instagram- @carvers_mvr

ORDER CATERING ONLINE No Lines No Waiting!

CityLightsCafe.com

September 11-17, 2019

828.587.2233 3 E JACKSON ST • SYLVA, NC

Real New Yorkers.

Real Italians. Real Pizza.

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

Join Us for Weekly

PASTA NIGHT!

Smoky Mountain News

Wednesdays 3-9 p.m.

1295 incudes choice of salad, garlic rolls, choice of pasta and dessert.

$

243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde

828-476-5058 172 Sylva Plaza | Sylva

828-492-0641 All location hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Closed Sundays

10% OFF 18

WITH THIS COUPON

tasteTHE mountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.

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

Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert.

The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

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

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.

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY 50 N Main Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0350. Taproom Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Gem Bar Open Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Enjoy lunch, dinner or drinks at Boojum’s Downtown Waynesville restaurant & bar. Choose from 16 taps of our fresh, delicious & ever rotating Boojum Beer plus cider, wine & craft cocktails. The taproom features seasonal pub faire including tasty burgers, sandwiches, shareables and daily specials that pair perfectly with our beer. Cozy up inside or take in the mountain air on our back deck.”

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; dinner nightly at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Wine Down Wednesday’s: ½ off wine by the bottle. We specialize in handcut, all natural steaks from local farms, incredible burgers, and other classic american comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available.

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

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of”

Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.246.6505. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Mouthwatering all beef burgers and dogs, hand-dipped, hand-spun real ice cream shakes and floats, fresh hand-cut fries.

Locally sourced beef. Indoor and outdoor dining. facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot, twitter.com/ChurchStDepot.

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 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. 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.

EVERETT HOTEL & BISTRO 16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934.

Open daily for dinner at 4:30 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday Brunch from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner from 4:30-9:30 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials. Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

828.476.5058. Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 8 p.m. Real New Yorkers. Real Italians. Real Pizza. A full service authentic Italian pizzeria and restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge. Dine in, take out, and delivery. Check out our daily lunch specials plus customer appreciation nights on Monday and Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m. with large cheese pizzas for $9.95.

FIREFLY TAPS & GRILL 128 N. Main St., Waynesville

828.454.5400. Simple, delicious food. A must experience in WNC. Located in downtown Waynesville with an atmosphere that will warm your heart and your belly! Local and regional beers on tap. Full bar, vegetarian options, kids menu, and more.

Reservations accepted. Daily specials. Live music every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m.

Open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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 dinner 5 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 9:30 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.

Reservations accepted. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

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

Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews. Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

HARMON’S DEN BISTRO 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville 828.456.6322. Harmon’s Den is located in the Fangmeyer Theater at HART. Open 5:309 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (Bistro closes at 7:30 p.m. on nights when there is a show in the Fangmeyer Theater) with Sunday brunch at 11 a.m. that includes breakfast and lunch items. Harmon’s Den offers a complete menu with cocktails, wine list, and area beers on tap. Enjoy casual dining with the guarantee of making it to the performance in time, then rub shoulders with the cast afterward with post-show food and beverage service. Reservations recommended. www.harmonsden.harttheatre.org HAZELWOOD FARMACY & SODA FOUNTAIN 429 Hazelwood Avenue, Waynesville.

828.246.6996. Open six days a week, closed Wednesday. 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfast until noon, old-fashioned luncheonette and diner comfort food.

Historic full service soda fountain.

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

Open for dinner at 4:30 Tuesday through Sunday. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads.

All ABC permits and open year-round.

Children always welcome. Take-out menu.

Excellent service and hospitality.

Reservations appreciated.

tasteTHE mountains JOEY’S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Open seven days a week! 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Joey’s is a family-friendly restaurant that has been serving breakfast to locals and visitors of Western North Carolina for decades. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey’s is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

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

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 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.

KANINI’S 1196 N. Main St., Waynesville.

828.452.5187. Lunch Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., eat in or carry out. Closed Sunday. A made-from-scratch kitchen using fresh ingredients. Offering a variety of meals to go from frozen meals to be stored and cooked later to “Dinners to Go” that are made fresh and ready to enjoyed that day. We also specialize in catering any event from from corporate lunches to weddings. kaninis.com

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.

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT 2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout,

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

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections. Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE 101 Park St., Canton.

828.492.1422. Open Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Southerninspired restaurant serving simply prepared, fresh food sourced from top purveyors.

Located riverside at Bearwaters Brewing, enjoy daily specials, sandwiches, wings, fish and chips, flatbreads, soups, salads, and more. Be sure to save room for a slice of the delicious house made cake. Relaxing inside/outside dining and spacious gathering areas for large groups.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska.

Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano.

Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along with all the fixings, $11.95.

Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available.

Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of

local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400.

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville.

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

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays.

TAP ROOM BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.3551. Open seven days a week serving lunch and dinner. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, the Tap Room Bar & Grill has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

828.369.9890. Established here in in 1998. 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!)

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0927. Open Monday through Friday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 10 p.m.; Sunday noon to 9 p.m.; closed Tuesdays. Opened in May 2016, The Waynesville Pizza Company has earned a reputation for having the best hand-tossed pizza in the area. Featuring a custom bar with more than 20 beers and a rustic, family friendly dining room. Menu includes salads, burgers, wraps, hot and cold sandwiches, gourmet pizza, homemade desserts, and a loaded salad bar. The Cuban sandwich is considered by most to be the best in town.

Mon/Wed/Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday/Saturday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tuesday

Sunday 12-9 p.m.

Sandwiches • Burgers • Wraps 32 Felmet Street (828) 246-0927

CALL FOR ALL YOUR CATERING NEEDS 828-507-6209

Serving all of WNC www.hitthepitbbq.com

twitter.com/ChurchStDepot

THANK YOU, HAYWOOD COUNTY,

FOR VOTING US

#1 BURGER! facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot

828-246-6996 429 Hazelwood Avenue Waynesville Monday, Tuesday Wednesday Thursday, Friday Saturday Sunday Brunch

7:30am to 4pm Closed 7:30am to 4pm 8am to 4pm 9am to 3pm

AT BEARWATERS BREWING Tue-Thurs 12- 9 p.m • Fri-Sat: 12- 10 p.m.

Sunday: 12- 9 p.m. • Monday: Closed

101 PARK ST. CANTON 828.492.1422 PIGEONRIVERGRILLE.COM

Wine • Port • Champagne Cigars • Gifts

828-452-6000

20 Church Street Downtown Waynesville

Smoky Mountain News

Award-winning BBQ, brisket, and ribs, all with sides made fresh daily.

MON.-SAT. 11AM- 8 PM

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505

September 11-17, 2019

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

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Handtossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch.

Casual family friendly atmosphere. Craft beer and interesting wine. Free movies Thursday through Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows & events.

country ham, pork chops and more.

Breakfast all day including omelets, pancakes, biscuits & gravy. facebook.com/carversmvr; instagram @carvers_mvr.

classicwineseller.com MONDAY - SATURDAY

10:00AM - 6:00PM

19

20

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN Backstage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Right: Ken Burns. (photos: Courtesy of PBS)

Ken Burns on new country music documentary, a life in filmmaking

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER locking in at over 16 hours, the new Ken Burns documentary “Country Music” is an extremely detailed and intricate look at the genre through the lens of our nation and the wide variety of its citizens that inhabit it.

The film lays down the foundation and continual evolution of country music. It’s a portal and rabbit hole into this never-ending melodic history and its artists, a true sense of discovery of self — of time and place — through songs about heartache and redemption.

Throughout his extensive life as a filmmaker, Burns has documented a gamut of subjects, whether it be our battles (“The Civil War,” “The War,” “The Vietnam War”), our landscapes (“The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” “The West”) or our cultures (“Baseball,” “Jazz,” “Prohibition”).

And with “Country Music,” Burns, now 66, has come full circle with another vast portrait of America, one showcasing the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s a mirror held up to our faces

C

as we currently navigate dark and uncertain times — the safe harbor just over the horizon so long as we don’t give up on each other.

Smoky Mountain News: What was your relationship with country music before this project?

Ken Burns: Well, my people come from the mountains of Virginia. There’s a Burnsville in Bath County. My granddaddy sang me songs.

My daddy sang me songs. But, I’m a child of rock and roll and R&B. I did work in a record store in high school and knew all the artists, all the genres and played them, and enjoyed them.

But, my tastes were that way.

So, I always understood though that — as I became a filmmaker dealing in American history — [country music] would be a great subject. And when a friend sort of reminded me about it in 2010, I just jumped at it with all my heart. And I’m now a complete convert in every way — I’ve learned so much. And rather than make a film in which I tell you what I already know — the last time I checked that’s homework — we get to share with you our process of discovery. And boy, it has been just wonderful.

SMN: So, then to the flip side of that, are you a country music freak now?

Want to watch?

The Ken Burns documentary “Country Music” will premiere at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept.

15, on PBS stations nationwide.

The 16.5-hour film will air at 8 p.m. on consecutive nights from Sept. 15-18 and 22-25. Check your local listings for more information or click on www.pbs.org.

KB: Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think we all know and agree with Harlan Howard that, “It’s three chords and the truth.” What it is saying is that this is a music that is elemental about the human experience. It’s capturing human experiences. It’s capturing human emotions and they’re emotions that everyone has, not just that white southerners have. It’s a music for everybody. Everybody experiences the joy of birth, the sadness at death, falling in love, being jealous, being angry, seeking redemption, being lonely — that’s the thing.

SMN: How does the story of country music fit into the larger story of America?

KB: Oh, intimately. And in every possible way. I’m a person who has the privilege of dwelling in a very, very privileged space

between “us” and the U.S. Every project I take exists in this sort of bouncing back between [“us” and the U.S.].

And nothing has been more powerfully emotional than the dive into country music.

It’s another way to understand the 20th Century. It’s another way to understand the genius of the country. It’s a way to expand it.

We’re all so divided now. We forget, for example, that the banjo is an instrument from Africa. We forget that Jimmy Rogers, A.P. Carter, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash all had an African American mentor who helped raise their chops to a new level.

People forget that when Ray Charles was given — and for the very first time in his professional life as a celebrated R&B soul singer — the chance to have creative control over an album, he records “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,” which is this huge million seller.

You know, it’s only us who create these artificial divisions of country music or jazz or R&B or red state or blue state. Wynton Marsalis — who’s a jazz great that’s in our country music film — says, “Art tells the tale of us coming together. Sometimes the culture will revert back to the primitive tribal instincts. But, art is the thing that unifies us. Art is the thing that reminds us that we are civilized. Art reminds

arts & entertainment

Johnny and June Carter Cash. Right: Bristol, Tennessee: the "Birthplace of Country Music." (photos: Courtesy of PBS)

“Everybody experiences the joy of birth, the sadness at death, falling in love, being jealous, being angry, seeking redemption, being lonely — that’s the thing.”

— Ken Burns

Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey — along with Ketch Secor with the fiddle — pay homage at the statue of Dolly Parton in Sevierville, Tennessee. Jonathan Austin photo courtesy of Smoky Mountain Living • smliv.com

S EE B URNS, PAGE 22

Smoky Mountain News

SMN: Your documentaries have always told the story of either America or Americans, but is there an overarching theme that connects all of those documentaries?

KB: The United States of America — “us” and the U.S. It’s as simple as that. I’ve said it for the very beginning, that we’ve made the same film over and over again. Each film asks a deceptively simple question, “Who are we?

Who are these strange and complicated people who like to call themselves Americans?” And that’s what we do. It’s all about who we are.

And you never answer the question. You just deepen it with each successive project.

That’s all that life is about. I guess I’m rather narrow and parochial because it’s all about American history, but these films go deep.

I was just talking to someone today about my very first film called “Brooklyn Bridge.”

And I remember changing a fundraising letter, I was always trying to raise $1,000 or $500. And I said that I wanted to be an “emotional archeologist.” that I thought it wasn’t enough to just excavate the dry dates and facts and events of the past — that was boring to people.

I wanted to be an emotional archeologist.

And that means I’m not interested in sentimentality or nostalgia — that’s the enemy of anything good, particularly good documentary films. But, I’m interested in emotion, higher emotions.

September 11-17, 2019

us that we have much more that we share in common than we have differences.”

And that’s what country music does. It mitigates these four-letter words of love and pain.

And it’s so deep that we have to joke about it.

We have to say, “Oh, it’s about pickup trucks and six packs of beer and my dog.” Yeah, it is about that. But, it’s mostly about love and pain — these four-letter words that are so difficult to admit, so difficult to talk about.

SMN: Well, the music itself is the soundtrack of the human condition.

KB: That’s exactly what it is. And that’s a really good way of saying it. And it’s not to exclude any other music. It’s just to say this one is a particularly vibrant and dimensional American soundtrack. And it does document the human condition. And that’s why this music travels. All you need to know is that you’ve got this guy Hank Williams singing, “Hear that lonesome whippoorwill, he sounds too blue to fly, the midnight train is — whining low, I’m so lonesome I could cry.” I mean, my God, that’s elemental, you know?

21

arts & entertainment

B URNS, CONTINUED FROM 21 And our founders thought that by being free, that would unleash higher emotions [within] the petty and ordinary stuff of daily life. And so, I’m after that.

SMN: Well, truth is always stranger than fiction…

KB: It is exactly that. When I made “The Civil War,” I was courted by Hollywood as if documentaries were some lower rung on a career ladder. And I don’t even believe in the word “career” — I say “my professional life.”

The poet Robert Penn Warren told me once, “Careerism is death.” And [he’s right], I’m not interested in that. I want to do my work.

And so, I didn’t look upon this courtship

by Hollywood as somehow leaving behind this lower job. No, I like this job. I reach tens of millions of people and I get to tell the truth. And the truth is, as you say, stranger than fiction.

September 11-17, 2019

SMN: With the film “The Civil War,” it essentially is putting a mirror up to America at that time. And when you take that film and put where we are today through the prism of that film, what’s your take away from that?

KB: Well, I think that people like to say that history repeats itself. It does not — nothing has ever happened again. “We’re not condemned to repeat what we don’t remember” — that’s very poetic, but it’s just not true either.

Mark Twain is supposed to have said that, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.”

That’s correct. I like Ecclesiastes, “The thing

that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

And what that means is that human nature never changes.

So, when you do a film like “The Civil War,” you’re talking about Charlottesville, you’re talking about race relations today. One of the last words in “The Civil War” series back in 1990 — 29 years ago — somebody said, “The Civil War is still going on. It’s still being fought. And regrettably it can still be lost.”

SMN: When you look through all that history that you’re not only researching, but also presenting to the world, are you optimistic about the future?

KB: Always optimistic about it. I think history is our greatest teacher. I’m disappointed that we live in a country that is so distracted by our devices that we think that we can get along not knowing the tides that brought us to this place. And thinking in a consumer society that if “I just wear the right brand of blue jeans or I drive this car or I smell this way, that the inevitable troubles of life won’t visit me.”

[The troubles of life are] going to visit everybody, and it’s going to be at that point that you’re going to have to fall back on history. You’re going to have to fall back on a song

by Hank Williams or Kris Kristofferson or Dolly Parton that’s going to help you get you through the hard times and hopefully they’ll be smart enough to know it’s there — knowing your history arms you in a very, very powerful way to understand and digest the present.

Johnny Cash. (photo: Courtesy of PBS)

“I’ve said it for the very beginning, that we’ve made the same film over and over again. Each film asks a deceptively simple question, ‘Who are we? Who are these strange and complicated people who like to call themselves Americans?’ And you never answer the question. You just deepen it with each successive project.”

— Ken Burns

Quality Trailers, Quality Prices

pricing starting at $499

Trailer Center

financing available, ask for details

Smoky Mountain News

HaywoodBuilders.com 828-456-6051 | 100 Charles St. | Waynesville

Estate Planning Estate Administration Trustee Services If you have limited mobility, contact us about an in-home visit.

The Law Offices of

Jeffrey W. Norris & Associates, PLLC

22

828-452-2221

Norris Professional Building 177 North Main St., Waynesville www.norrisandassoc.com www.norriselderservices.com

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Sunset in New Harbor, Maine. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

L

A fundraiser for the Appalachian Women’s Museum, the “Music on the Porch: A Celebration of Aunt Samantha Bumgarner” will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Monteith Farmstead in Dillsboro.

Asheville author Dale Neal will present his new ast Sunday morning, at novel Appalachian Book of the Dead at 6:30 p.m. the intersection of U.S. 1 Tuesday, Sept. 17, at City Lights Bookstore in and Route 27 in Sylva.

Wiscasset, Maine, I decided to turn right instead of going The 1970s are going to come roaring back with straight. the smash Broadway hit “Mamma Mia!” at 7:30 Instead of the usual drive p.m. Sept. 12-14, and 2 p.m. Sept. 15 at the down U.S. 1 to Interstate 95 Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. and back into civilization, The annual Macon County Agricultural Fair will along the highways that lead take place Sept. 11-14 at the Macon County me to my native North Fairgrounds in Franklin.

Country of Upstate New York, I chose Route 27 and pushed The Smoky Mountain Rollergirls will conclude its north into the desolate back2019 roller derby season with a double header woods of Maine. I had a lot on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Swain County on my mind and preferred the Recreation Center in Bryson City. scenic path. No need to rush back to my parents’ house.

Alex has been a soul brother of mine since I The day before, I found myself attending was 11 years old and he was seven. Our families a wedding of a dear childhood friend, Alex. rented cabins next to each other in New Harbor The ceremony was held at an old for summer vacations. He had a Boston Red Revolutionary Way fort tucked away in a Sox hat on, so did I. Sox forever. Traded some quiet harbor on the coast of Maine, the vilbaseball cards and formed a friendship, one lage of New Harbor to exact.

And always looming in the distance is the where our parents also became best friends.

Some 23 years later, we’re all back in the mighty and mysterious Atlantic Ocean.

Maine, in the same harbor of where we first Some 34 years into my existence and no met, now here for his wedding. We ate lobsmell in my memory provokes my utter joy ster and drank beers during an ocean sunset of the universe and its glory than the scent of the ocean on the coast of Maine at sunset. for the rehearsal dinner. A full circle moment, to say the least.

This is truth.

Carolina Local Art & Jewelry Sterling silver and beaded Turquoise jewelry 20% off When you mention this ad

828.944.0004 3073 Soco Road | Maggie Valley Wed - Sat 10am to 5pm ◆ Sun 10am to 3pm

Bookstore

Jamie Mason will present her new thriller on Saturday

September 14 • 3 p.m.

3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

Smoky Mountain News

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

in

September 11-17, 2019

When I pass by all the people say, just another guy on the lost highway

Crafted arts & entertainment

This must be the place

Lots of familiar faces in the crowd at the reception. Drinks with my father. Laughter with my mother. My 5-year-old niece is growing like a weed, my little sister a good and proud mother in her own right.

It hit me so hard and swift during the procession as to how fast time actually flies, and how much I haven’t been around for moments like these over the last decade or so, something anyone in pursuit of long-held dreams can probably attest to.

I’ve spent so much time and effort chasing after the written word — tens of thousands of miles down the lost highway — that I’ve ended up so far from where I began. And for that, I’m sincerely grateful: all the blood, sweat and tears to this point. No regrets.

And I keep chasing these dreams.

But, my heart was heavy at that moment being around the folks that I haven’t seen or talked to in a long, long time. Not by choice, it just happened. Following hugs and goodbyes with the wedding crew, I found myself on Route 27, eventually merging onto U.S. 2 through the dense forest of northern New Hampshire.

With the truck windows rolled down, the stereo blasting some fuzzy oldies from some radio station over the ridge, I came across an access point for the Appalachian Trail. I pulled into the Rattle River parking lot and threw on my running clothes seeing as the out and back to the nearest shelter was only 3.2 miles roundtrip.

It felt so serene and joyous just jogging through the White Mountains and along the cosmic energy of the AT. I kept thinking how crazy it is that this exact trail goes all the way down to where I live in Haywood County, North Carolina. All of those miles and all of those people: all on this route.

I even came across some thru-hikers, which made me remember the thru-hikers I crossed paths with down in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina when they were just beginning their AT journey in March and April.

When I arrived at the shelter, it was empty. I looked at it and the nearby fire pit, just picturing all those stories, experiences and nights shared together around the fire by countless individuals who jump on the AT for whatever personal and spiritual reason they may have.

I emerged from the trail refreshed with a sense of clarity that serendipitously occurs during runs into the depths of Mother Nature. Hopping up onto the truck tailgate, I decided that in five years I’m going buy a piece of land in Maine and build a cabin.

I’ve been talking about having a cabin in Maine since I was a teenager, an escape hatch by which the humble abode will offer a sanctuary to write freely and listen to scratchy vinyl records, perhaps breakfast for dinner if the mood is right. A piece of my heart and soul will always reside in these ancient woods and waters.

From that point forward, I also decided to be more present to my North Country family and friends, and all those loved ones above the Mason-Dixon Line. For what is a life well-lived without those who know you the best and love you the most?

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

23

arts & entertainment

On the beat Tribute show to Hank Williams

Jason Petty.

Jason Petty will perform his tribute concert, “Hank & My Honky Tonk Heroes,” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

Petty is the only actor to portray Hank Williams in New York City’s hit Off Broadway musical, “Lost Highway,” where he won an Obie and multiple nominations for his performance. Only Petty has portrayed Hank in “Lost Highway” at Nashville’s world famous Ryman Auditorium.

“I played with Hank for many years and I was his best friend. No one in my time has come closer to Hank’s look, sound and natural charisma than Jason. He’s the best, hands down,” said the late Don Helms (1927-2008), a member of the Drifting Cowboys (Williams’ band) Tickets are available online: www.highlandspac.org or by calling 828.526.9047.

Bryson City community jam

invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.

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

828.488.3030.

September 11-17, 2019

A community jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are

Appalachian Women’s Museum.

Smoky Mountain News

Beloved gospel group in Franklin

‘Music on the Porch’

A fundraiser for the Appalachian Women’s Museum, the “Music on the Porch: A Celebration of Aunt Samantha Bumgarner” will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Monteith Farmstead in Dillsboro.

It is a fundraiser to replace the 111-yearold roof. The event will feature multiple regional bluegrass bands performing live on the beautiful wrap-around porch of the 1908 Monteith Farmhouse (now the Appalachian Women’s Museum).

They’ll be honoring the memory and music of Jackson County resident “Aunt” 24 Samantha Bumgarner. In 1924, she became

the first woman to record country music for a wide audience and continued a long career until her death in 1960.

Musicians will include The Deitz Family, Susan Pepper, The BarnBillys and Kornbread Kreek.

Attendees can listen to the music while enjoying the food trucks from Brew Dawgz and Chili Chomper with a beer tent provided

by Balsam Falls Brewery. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door, children 12 and under free. Rain or Shine.

Purchase tickets online at www.appwomen.org/music-on-the-porch or by calling Rob Ferguson at 828.482.5860 for ticket locations around the region.

The Collingsworth Family.

A Grammy Award nominated contemporary gospel group, The Collingsworth Family will be performing at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 14, at Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Founded by husband and wife, Phil and Kim Collingsworth, The Collingsworth Family began as a duo in the mid-1980s before evolving into a family affair. In 2000, after performing and holding positions at numerous Christian organizations around the country, the group made the transition to a full-time concert ministry and began recording professionally.

As their ministry grew, so did their family. By the end of the decade they were

Open registration for Junior Appalachian Musicians The Haywood County Arts Council’s Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program will hold student registration at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.

JAM offers old-time mountain music to children in fourth grade and older. Lessons are $95 for the September through December session. Fees must be paid in advance. Classes meet from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Tuesdays through May 2020 at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville.

Sibling discounted fee is $50.

JAM instructors will be on hand to assist beginning students with their choice of instrument study. Instruments are avail-

joined by daughters Brooklyn, Courtney, and Olivia, and son Philip.

Over the last several years, The Collingsworth Family has released a string of successful praise and worship albums.

They have earned many awards including several Singing News Fan Awards and a Dove Award. Some of their fan favorites include “Live Like Jesus,” “That Day Is Coming,” “You’re About To Climb” and “Gotta Get to Jesus.”

Tickets start at $20 each with priority seating available. To purchase tickets and/or to find out more information, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

able for rental from Strains of Music in Waynesville.

Beginning its 19th year in Haywood County, the JAM program will teach students banjo, fiddle, or guitar in the traditional way mountain music has been taught for generations.

A string band class is offered to advanced students by instructor referral only. JAM instructors are Cary Fridley, guitar; Robby Robertson, string band; Travis Stuart, banjo; Bob Willoughby, fiddle; and, Maddie Mullany, advanced fiddle.

For enrollment questions, please contact Cary Fridley at caryfridley@gmail.com or by calling the Haywood County Arts Council at 828.452.0593.

For more information about JAM, as well as other programs or events, visit the Haywood County Arts Council website at www.haywoodarts.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/haywoodarts.

On the beat

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 12 and 19. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday and 80H Project Sept. 27 . All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host AcousticEnvy Sept. 13, John Dunkin Bluegrass Band Sept. 14, Cord Johnson 3 p.m. Sept. 15, Eddie G. Sept. 20 and Whiskey River Band Sept. 21. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday and a benefit concert for the Judy Moore Nursing Scholarship w/John Morgan (singersongwriter) 6 p.m. Sept. 13. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Maggie Valley Pavilion will host the Haywood Community Band at 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 15. Free and open to the public. All donations received by the band provide

• Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) will host Shane Meade & The Sound Sept. 20. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Pickin’ on the Square (Franklin) will host Cornbread Creek (old-time) Sept. 14 and Curtis Blackwell & The Dixie Bluegrass Boys Sept. 21. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday.

Free and open to the public. www.pub319socialhouse.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Diana Nouveau Sept. 13, Eric Hendrix & Friends Sept. 14, Mike Chaet Sept.

20 and Twelfth Fret Sept. 21. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

Once in a Life-time Opportunity

OFF 60% nothing held back 13,000 square feet store loaded with antiques

Selling to the bare walls

Over 50,000 items to liquidate Cash, Check or Credit Cards Accepted

Public & Dealers Welcome Monday thru Saturday 10 to 5 · Sunday noon to 5 (828) 586-8097 • 4704 U.S. Hwy 441 South, Sylva 4 miles south of Dillsboro, 25 minutes north of Franklin

facebook.com/smnews

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays, Mile High (classic rock) 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a Trivia w/Kelsey Jo 8 p.m. Thursdays.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host “Hoppy Hour” and an open mic at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and live music on Friday evenings. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• The Strand at 38 Main (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” night from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. 828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host Bluegrass Thursdays w/Benny Queen at 6:30 p.m.

Smoky Mountain News

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host Sept. 11, Thomas Strayhorn (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Sept. 11, Brad Byrd w/Rev. Justin Hylton and Gypsy & Me (Americana) 8:30 p.m. Sept. 11, Lawn Series w/Whistlepig (honky-tonk) 6 p.m. Sept. 12, Kyle Nachtigal (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Sept. 12, Jason McCue & Admiral Radio (Americana/indie) 6 p.m. Sept. 12, AmiciMusic (classical) 7 p.m.

Sept. 14, The Alien Music Club (classic rock) 8:30 p.m. Sept. 14, Pretty Little Goat (oldtime/Americana) 6 p.m. Sept. 15, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers w/Los Elk (funk/indie) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15, Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions w/Darren Nicholson Band 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Lawn Series w/Fwuit (retro/soul) 6 p.m. Sept. 18 and Brennen Leigh & Noel McKay (bluegrass/country) 7 p.m. Sept. 18. www.isisasheville.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Shayler’s Kitchen Sept. 13 and 20, Heidi Holton (blues/folk) Sept. 14 and Somebody’s Child (Americana) Sept. 21.. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

Old School HUGE Goin Out B in ANTIQUE MALL A Tre e H n !

SALE EVERY ITEM

September 11-17, 2019

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Sept. 11 and 18, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Sept. 12 and 19. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

scholarship assistance to local music students for college tuition and summer band camps. Covered seating is available inside the pavilion. Concertgoers may also bring lawn chairs and a picnic.

arts & entertainment

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Bill Vespasian Sept. 12, Trailer Hippies Sept. 13, Tessia Sept. 14, Wyatt Espalin 4 p.m. Sept. 15, Mike Bonham Sept.

19, Scott Stambaugh Sept. 20, Shane Meade & The Sound Sept. 21 and Chris Blaylock 4 p.m. Sept. 22. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host Bluegrass w/Nitrograss Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, karaoke on Thursdays and semi-regular music on Fridays and Saturdays. All events at 10 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

828.456.4750.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Seth Brand 6 p.m. Sept. 28. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 or www.whitesidebrewing.com.

Kindly RSVP by September 13th for you and a guest by calling Mountain Audiology 828-634-1710 or HealthWORKS 828-369-7878

25

arts & entertainment

On the street Waynesville’s Rock the Block’ The “Rock the Block” celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

14, in downtown Waynesville.

Live bands will perform on Main Street from 7 to 10 p.m. Classic car and truck show on Main Street from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shops, restaurants and eateries will be open. SWAT BBQ will be onsite at 6 p.m.

Artisan painter Dominick DePaolo will also host a sidewalk art demonstration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Haywood County Arts Council.

Sponsored by the Downtown Waynesville Association. www.downtownwaynesville.com 828.456.3517.

Folkmoot’s Cultural Crash Courses Patrick Parton photo

Ready for the Macon County Fair?

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

The annual Macon County Agricultural Fair will take place Sept. 11-14 at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin.

Join the celebration, which will feature a barbecue supper, best cake contest, Special Needs Livestock Show, harvest sale, festival foods, and more. Sponsored by Macon County Horse Association. www.themaconcofair.com or 828.369.3523.

26

Join local experts for Folkmoot’s new series, Cultural Crash Courses, featuring lectures on a variety of current cultural issues, including global politics, race, immigration, gender, climate change, technology, and multiculturalism.

Crash courses begin with Dr. Christina Reitz at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Content will be presented as a 45-minute community lecture followed by questions, answers, and discussion.

A professor at Western Carolina University, Reitz will talk about the compositional history of Jennifer Higdon’s opera Cold Mountain, a musical adaptation of Charles Frazier’s award-winning novel of the same name, which is set just outside

Asheville during the civil war. The opera received its world premiere at Santa Fe Opera in 2015 and Opera Philadelphia performed it in 2016.

North Carolina Opera and Minnesota Opera followed in 2017 and 2018. Higdon has won both a Pulitzer and a Grammy for previous works. Reitz’s analysis will focus on the unique challenges of adapting the original work “from page to stage.”

Reitz received a BM in Piano Performance from the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University where she was the recipient of the Mary P. Rigo Outstanding Keyboard Major.

She earned an MM in Piano Pedagogy and a Ph.D. in historical musicology, with external cognates in women’s studies and piano performance at the University of Florida where she received the John V. D’Albora Scholarship for Excellence in Graduate Research as well as the Outstanding Student Paper Award from the College Music Society, Southern Chapter.

Tickets are $10. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Cultural Crash Courses are sponsored by VisitNCSmokies.com, The Mountaineer and the Town of Waynesville. The full schedule with topics and speakers is available online at www.folkmoot.org.

FREE WINGS Tap Room in the

with purchase of any full-price round of golf for a limited time $45 weekday rate $55 weekend rate $32 twilight rate dine-in only

176 COUNTRY CLUB DRIVE

On the street

CASUAL FINE DINING WITH LIVE MUSIC COVERED PATIO

November 8-10 * Asheville * Ron Rash, Keynote Speaker

arts & entertainment

NCWN 2019 Fall Conference

LATE NIGHT MENU

Abigail DeWitt, Fiction

Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs, Poetry

f

KITCHEN 743

Smoky Mountain Rollergirls item for donation and receive tickets at the presale price of $5.

At the event, the junior team takes on the Columbia Junior Rollers with SMRG taking on the Soda City Jerks. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the first whistle blows at 4 p.m. to start the Lil’ Nemesisters’ game. The adults play at 6 p.m.

Purchase tickets presale from your favorite skater or our online store for $5 or get them at the door for $7 (ages 7 and under are free). Meet both teams at a family friendly after party located at Nantahala Brewpub in downtown Bryson City. doll making, making clay heart-shaped medallions, stamped card making, dance or music.

Free and open to the public. The “Cherokee Heritage Day” is the second Saturday of every month. For more information, visit www.visitcherokeenc.com.

Cherokee Heritage Day The monthly “Cherokee Heritage Day” will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

All day hands-on activities and fun for the whole family. Different activities each month that incorporate Cherokee culture, including storytelling, painting, corn shuck

The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 25 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park in Cherokee.

Sit by a bonfire, alongside a river, and listen to some of Cherokee’s best storytellers. The bonfire is free and open to the public. There will be no bonfire events in September.

For more information, call 800.438.1601 or visit www.visitcherokeenc.com.

743 HAYWOOD RD • WEST ASHEVILLE

ISISASHEVILLE.COM 828.575.2737

Readings * Open Mics * One-on-One Critique Sessions

NCWRITERS.ORG

Smoky Mountain News

Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling

AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE EVENTS

Jeremy B. Jones, Nonfiction

September 11-17, 2019

The Smoky Mountain Rollergirls will conclude its 2019 roller derby season with a double header on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Swain County Recreation Center in Bryson City.

Proceeds from the ticket sales for this event benefit The Giving Spoon of Swain County. The Giving Spoon is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide hot nutritious meals to our community in a caring environment.

This is a new endeavor to expand food resources and reduce hunger in Swain County. Please bring a non-perishable food

TUESDAY THRU SUNDAY FROM 5PM UNTIL...

SUNDAY BRUNCH 10AM TO 2PM

27

arts & entertainment

On the wall

Dogwood Crafters Co-Op will host a “Chai Spice Sugar Scrub” workshop from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Dillsboro Masonic Lodge.

Participants can indulge their senses while creating a natural skin care product using the warming spices of cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and more.

New Dogwood Crafter Kerri Rayburn will share information on how these favorite spices can be anti-aging agents, can sooth acne, stimulate blood flow, and much more.

All supplies are included in the $8 fee.

Register by Sept. 17. Register by calling Dogwood Crafters at 828.586.2248.

Creating Community Workshop

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

The Creating Community Workshop on “accordion book making” will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, in the Atrium of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

This style of book-making is easy to learn, but hard to master. Accordion books are extremely effective for journaling, col-

28

New exhibition explores environmental issues through sound

Chai spice sugar scrub workshop

lage, and simple pocket pages. All materials will be provided and the program is free of charge. The workshop is limited to 10 participants. Call the library to register.

Instructor Gayle Woody has lived in Sylva and Cullowhee for over 50 years. She is a retired art teacher from Smoky Mountain High School. She is a member of the Jackson County Arts Council and has won numerous awards for her art. She is married to Phil Woody, who retired from teaching at Scotts Creek Elementary School, and has four children and 12 grandchildren.

For more information, call the library at 828.586.2016. This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).

The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present, “Resounding Change: Sonic Art and the Environment.”

This exhibition will be on display through Dec. 6.

“Resounding Change: Sonic Art and the Environment” highlights contemporary artists who use sound to engage with environmental issues. Co-curated by Carolyn Grosch, Curator of Collections & Exhibitions at the WCU Fine Art Museum, and Tyler Kinnear,

Adjunct Instructor in the WCU School of Music, the exhibition features sound-based artwork that encourages visitors to listen more closely to the natural world and to think about how sound is being used in a time of environmental crisis.

The works in the exhibition, which range from a large-scale video installation to more intimate encounters with sound, ask us to consider humanity’s place in the natural world, aspects of environmental change, and the current conditions that shape our planet.

Featured artists include Cheryl Leonard, Raven Chacon, Andrea Polli, Lee Weisert, Matthew Burtner, and others.

One notable work in the exhibition is a three-channel video installation entitled

Grants to regional artists The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) is now accepting applications for North Carolina Arts Council Regional Artists Project Grants (RAPG) through Sept. 30.

The RAPG workshop for interested artists will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Jackson County Library in Sylva.

The grants will fund artists in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson and Macon counties at any phase of their professional development. Grants may cover equipment purchases, professional development training, marketing, and more.

Gauge. Created by Raven Chacon, a Navajo Nation artist, and six other collaborators, Gauge is an immersive gallery experience that combines sound and image.

The time-lapse video component of Gauge captures dramatic imagery of an ice mural, created by the artists on Baffin Island, as it rises and falls with the tide. Paired with Chacon’s field recordings of crunching snow, human tools, wind, and wildlife in the Canadian Artic landscape, this multisensory experience prompts reflection on human presence in the landscape, the cycles of nature, issues of climate change, and notions of geologic time.

Raven Chacon will visit Western Carolina University or a visiting artist reception and gallery talk from 5 to 7 p.m.

Sept. 5. A special day-time drum performance across campus is currently in development, more details about the exhibition and associated events at arts.wcu.edu/sonicart.

The WCU Fine Art Museum has a long history of collaboration and continues to serve as a site for interdisciplinary exchange. This exhibition is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the WCU Fine Art Museum and School of Music.

This exhibition is part of a series of WCU events and programs that dovetail with the University’s 2019-20 campus theme “Environment and Sustainability.”

Exhibitions, receptions, and associated programming at the museum are free and open to the public.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, with free parking available on site.

To learn more, visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Projects must occur between Dec. 1, 2019, and June 5, 2020. The deadline for applications is Sept. 30. Grantees will be notified by Oct. 31. Final Reports will be due Friday, June 5, 2020. For application information, visit www.haywoodarts.org/ regional-artist-project-grant. In the west, grant awards to artists generally range from $500 to $1,000 and follow a competitive application and review process.

Since 1985, the North Carolina Arts Council has provided funds for the Regional Artists Project program to support professional artists. The regional consortium of western North Carolina arts partners matches the N.C. Arts Council to create a pool of funds for the artists.

For more information, contact Leigh Forrester at 828.452.0593 or director@haywoodarts.org.

On the wall • The Weekly Open Studio art classes will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, Instructor will be Betina Morgan. Open to all artists, at any stage of development, and in the medium of your choice. Cost is $25 per class. There will also be a Youth Art Class from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. Cost is $15 per class. Contact Morgan at 828.550.6190 or email bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

• Fiber Sunday will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, at Cowee Textiles at The Cowee School Heritage Center in Franklin. Bring a textile project you are working on from spinning, knitting, weaving, rug hooking, baskets etc. If you have any questions, contact Teresa Bouchonnet at 828.349.3878 or bouchonnet@coweetextiles.com.

ALSO:

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has recently opened a major new exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters.”

It features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through next April.

• A call to artists for the Cherokee Indian Hospital is now underway. Deadline to apply for the nature photography project to be featured in the Crisis Stabilization Unit will be Sept. 15. For more information and/or to get the full criteria and guidelines for submissions, contact Jody Bradley of Legend Weaver Studios at 828.736.7059 or email legendweaverstudios@gmail.com.

• A “Beginner Step-By-Step” adult painting class will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. There is also a class at 6:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at Balsam Fall Brewing in Sylva. Cost is $25 with all supplies provided. For more information on paint dates and/or to RSVP, contact Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560 or wncpaintevents@gmail.com.

arts & entertainment

• Western North Carolina Woodturners Club Inc. will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday Sept. 14, at The Bascom in Highlands. Visitors are always welcome. The club meets in Highlands the second Saturday of every month between March and November. The meeting this month will focus on lathe, band saw and chainsaw safety.

Eat, Drink ,

&Be Merry

Mention this ad to receive 50% off your room rental fee Contact Shannon Jones @ 828.926.4832 for more info!

1819 Country Club Drive Maggie Valley, NC

M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M

On the table

Bosu’s tastings, small plates Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will continue to host an array of wine tastings and small plates.

• Mondays: Free tastings and discounts

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 14 and 21 at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

• Free cooking demonstrations will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturdays at Country Traditions in Dillsboro.

Watch the demonstrations, eat samples and taste house wines for $3 a glass. All recipes posted online. www.countrytraditionsnc.com.

ALSO:

smokymountainnews.com

mobile technology to help you get a lot less mobile.

Log on. Plan a trip.

And start kicking back.

Smoky Mountain News

There will be a barbecue and craft cider tasting from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, departing from Bryson City.

Board the GSMR and enjoy a steam train ride along with craft cider tastings, and your own basket of Southern-style barbecue goodness with hand-pulled pork slider, a couple pork ribs, and chicken drumstick accompanied by baked beans, house-made coleslaw, and apple cobbler.

Tickets start at $79 and include a souvenir tasting glass for three samples of finely crafted cider selections. Adults-only and family friendly seating.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 800.872.4681 or visit www.gsmr.com.

on select styles of wine that changes weekly.

• Thursdays: Five for $5 wine tasting, with small plates available for purchase from Chef Bryan’s gourmet cuisine in The Secret Wine Bar. • Wednesday-Saturday: The Secret Wine Bar will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Fridays: The Secret Wine Bar will be open for drinks and small plates from 5 to 9 p.m.

• Saturdays: Champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Secret Wine Bar will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m.

Dog friendly patio and front garden open, weather permitting. For more information and/or to RSVP for ticketed events, call 828.452.0120 or email info@waynesvillewine.com.

September 11-17, 2019

All aboard the BBQ, craft cider train

29

arts & entertainment

On the stage Hiplet Ballerina Company.

WCU welcomes Hiplet Ballerina Company

September 11-17, 2019

This year’s Arts and Cultural Events Series at Western Carolina University kicks off with a visit from Chicago Multicultural Dance Center’s select Hiplet Ballerina Company on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

The performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. The show is one of five ACE Series events scheduled for 2019-20.

The Hiplet Ballerina Company fuses classical pointe technique with urban dance that is rooted in communities of color. The Hiplet Ballerinas rose to fame in 2016 when their videos went viral on BuzzFeed, “Good

Morning America” and The Huffington Post.

Tickets for the Hiplet Ballerinas are $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff, and $15 for general admission. They can be purchased online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or by calling 828.227.2479.

The following events also are included in the ACE Series: • Lamberto Roque Hernandez, Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. in the A.K. Hinds University Center theater.

• “A Christmas Carol,” Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. in the UC theater.

• Holidays at the UC, Wednesday, Dec. 4, and Thursday, Dec. 5, at 5 p.m. in the UC. • The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. in the UC.

What Are Cannabinoids?

Cannabinoids are a group of closely related compunds that act on cannbinoid receptors in the body, unique to cannabis (or hemp). The body creates compounds called endocannabinoids, while hemp produces phytocannabinoids, notably cannabidiol.

Cannabinoids is traditionally used for pain, sleep, and fibermyalgia.

Alzheimer’s Migraines Asthma Breast Cancer

Smoky Mountain News

Diabetes Crohn’s Disease

Prostate Cancer Menstrual Cancer

CBD has traditionally been used for: Anxiety/Depression Seizures Pain/Fibromyalgia Nausea/Vomiting Sleep Tremors PTSD ADHD/ADD Autism

The Endocannabinoid System is perhaps the most important physiologic systerm involved in establishing and maintaining human health. Although the endocannabinoid system affects a wide variety of biological processes, experts believe that its overall function is to regulate homeostasis.

479 DELLWOOD RD. WAYNESVILLE 30

HART to present ‘Mamma Mia!’

828.452.0911 | facebook.com/kimspharmacy

The 1970s are going to come roaring back with the smash Broadway hit “Mamma Mia!” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12-14, and 2 p.m.

Sept. 15 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

“Mamma Mia!” by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson is filled with the music of ABBA, the legendary 1970s musical group.

The show premiered in London’s West End in 1999 and on Broadway a year later where it ran for 14 years, making it the ninth longest running show in Broadway history.

The show continues to run in London.

The story: a young woman’s search for her birth father. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother’s past back to the sunny Greek Island they last visited 20 years ago.

This slim story line provides the framework for songs such as “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me” and “Super Trouper.” The end of the show, once the plot is resolved, turns into a concert that often

leaves the audience dancing in the aisles.

“Mamma Mia!” is being directed by Mark Jones and features Alexa Edelman, Kristen Hedberg, Valerie Tissue, Michael Scott Thomas, Adam Lentini, Leif Brodersen, Georgia Reichard, Kiran Bursenos, Emily Warren McCurry, Caroline Ryan, Cody Benfield, Dillon Giles, Chris Martin, Evan McCurry, Maria Frost, Sarah Corbitt, Grizel Gonzalez-Jeuck, Jessica Garland, Mandy Wildman, Turner Henline, Riley Beaulieu, Larson Kapitan, Mia Sander, Noelle Frost, Kikiana Jones, Morgan Allen, Sabine Kapitan, Jenny Reading Winchester, Drake Frost, Ella Ledford and Chelcy Frost.

Harmons’ Den Bistro at HART is open for dining before all performances, featuring a Greek inspired buffet in keeping with the show’s setting. Reservations can be made for the show and the bistro by calling the HART Box Office from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 828.456.6322 or by going online to www.harttheatre.org.

• The STAR Ranch will hold a fundraiser with a Jeff Foxworthy and Elvis impersonators at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

21, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Tickets are $25 per person. There will also be a live auction during the show. All proceeds go to the Star Ranch Horse Rescue.

• There is free comedy improv class from 7 to 9 p.m. every Thursday at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. No experience necessary, just come to watch or join in the fun.

Improv teacher Wayne Porter studied at Sak Comedy Lab in Orlando, Florida, and performed improvisation with several groups.

Join Improv WNC on Facebook or just call 828.316.8761.

ALSO:

Books

Smoky Mountain News

‘Bookish Life’ is wry and very, very funny

Jeff Minick

“Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”

Probably no one really offered that epigram from a deathbed, but there’s some truth in the words, depending, of course, on the manner in which death comes calling.

One of the many pleasures of reading is stumbling across a story, a poem, or even a single sentence that brings laughter. When A Confederacy of Dunces came out, I chuckled and laughed my way through the adventures of Ignatius O’Reilly. Even now, after many visits to Writer that novel, some sentences still have enough juice to bring a smile.

Another example: Just today I picked up Kendall Hailey’s The Day I Became An Autodidact, a book I have treasured for years and taught a couple of times to high school students. It’s the autobiography of a teen who drops out of high school and forgoes college to learn on her own.

Hailey’s account of that transition is sharp, bright and filled with sketches of famous authors and her peers.

At one point Hailey’s upset that Matthew, a boy she loves, hasn’t returned her phone call.

She ends her paragraph on that disappointment by writing: “If I ever do marry him, the first thing I am going to do is punch him right in the mouth.”

That line brings a chuckle every time I read it.

Which brings me to Abbi Waxman’s The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (Berkley, 2019, 341 pages).

Nina Hill works in a bookstore, lives in a cottage in Larchmont, a Los Angeles neighborhood, and is an obsessive reader, a meticulous planner and daughter of a famous photogra-

pher. Her social life consists of trivia team competitions, book clubs and movies with friends.

Her most steadfast companion is her cat, Phil.

And she has never met her father. She knows nothing about him, not a single detail.

When that father, William Reynolds, dies, his lawyer tracks down Nina, explains that Dad was a wealthy man, that she is included in his will, and that he has left behind a slew of Nina’s brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, nearly all of whom live nearby and are anxious to met her. Slammed by this tsunami of relatives, and pursued by love-struck Tom, her opponent in a trivia contest, Nina finds her old life of routine, calm and order swept out to sea.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is about breaking out of the shell we sometimes build around ourselves and engaging with people and affairs outside of our comfort zone.

It’s also one of the funniest novels I’ve read in a long time.

Here, for example, is a description of Nina being driven at breakneck speed through L.A. by her cousin Lydia:

“You’re a craven coward and wouldn’t even emerge to defend your second favorite nineteenth century writer. For shame.”

Liz shrugged. “Ms. Austen needs no defense. You did fine, and besides, I’ve never forgotten a long conversation I had with that particular customer about LSD and the boundaries of consciousness.”

She straightened some copies of Roller Girl. “I thought I was asking her about her vacation, but it turned out she had stayed home and gone further than she ever thought possible …. There was a long portion about the deep inner beauty of yogurt when viewed through the lens of hallucinogens that put me off Yoplait for life.”

A shot of Nina in the early morning: “… Nina would get up and her head would hurt because she drank wine that was at least 30 percent sulfites or whatever it is that causes headaches. Her mouth would feel like the inside of one of those single socks you see on the street sometimes, and her hair would be depressed. She would stand slightly crouched by the coffee maker and shiver until the coffee was done …. Basically, until the first slug of caffeine hit her system, she was essentially in suspended animation, and she’d been known to drool.”

Nina on a good day walking to work:

“Here’s a useful tip: Driving through Los Angeles in a fast car with a genius researcher is not enjoyable, unless you are one of those people who drinks five Red Bulls and snorts coke before getting in the front seat of a roller coaster and sticking both arms in the air.”

Here is Nina making yet another to-do list, this one about ways to change her life: “OK, brain, keep it simple. She wanted to drink less wine and more water. Nina wrote that down, then refilled her wine glass. Baby steps.”

Here is Nina’s friend and bookstore boss Liz after a disgruntled customer has tried to return the copy of Pride and Prejudice. Liz hides in the stacks, leaving Nina to deal with the angry woman. Nina tells Liz:

Brews and books Local authors Don Hendershot and Brent Martin will host a casual reading/signing and conversation from 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, at Blue Ridge Beer Hub in Waynesville.

Martin spent the largest part of his adult life as a champion of the environment for organizations like Georgia Forest Watch, Land Trust of the Little Tennessee (now Mainspring conservation Trust) and the Wilderness Society.

Today, Martin and his wife, Angela Faye Martin, have created

“On the way to work, Nina felt pretty chirpy, and put in her earbuds and pretended she was in a movie …. She had this fantasy a lot, that her life was like The Truman Show, that audiences all over the world were enjoying her playlist and hairstyle as much as she was …. In public Nina was a quiet, reserved person; in private she was an all-singing, all-dancing cavalcade of light and motion. Unless she was a quivering ball of anxiety, because that was also a frequently selected option. She was very good at hiding it, but anxiety was like her antisuperpower, the one that comes out unbidden in a crisis. The Hulk gets angry; Nina gets anxious.”

If you’re looking for a story with a quirky main character, romance, family life, books, surprises and trivia knowledge, all conjured up by a woman with a wry wit and a sharp eye for detail, then pay Abbi Waxman and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill a visit.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com)

Alarka Expeditions an ecotourism and environmental education enterprise with a brand new storefront at 423 East Palmer Street in Franklin.

Martin has published several collections of poetry plus the book, Hunting for Camellias. He will be reading from his newest — a collection of essays titled The Changing Blue Ridge Mountains: Essays on Journeys Past and Present.

Hendershot’s column The Naturalist’s Corner has been in print since 1996. It has been a weekly and/or biweekly fixture in The Smoky Mountain News since 1999.

31

• Asheville author Dale Neal will present his new novel, Appalachian Book of the Dead, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Ron Rash said of the novel, Appalachian Book of the Dead is a novel whose excellence defies easy categorization. To call it a metaphysical thriller conveys only a part of the novel’s strengths, for the novel’s characters are as complex and vividly realized as we’d expect in more character-driven fiction. Dale Neal’s novel, once begun, will be hard for any reader to put down.” To reserve copies of Appalachian Book of the Dead, call City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.

ALSO:

• Author Megan Lucas will hold a book reading and signing for her latest work Songbirds & Stray Dogs from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Set on the coast of South Carolina and the mountains of Western North Carolina, geography and a sense of place are central to the book. This is a Southern story, born of sweet tea and the Bible Belt, chowchow and cornbread, shotguns and porch rocking. For more information, visit www.blueridgebooksnc.com or call 828.456.6000.

• Friends of the Marianna Black Library will host a talk by Beverly Collins, Western Carolina University Associate Professor of Biology, botanist and official autumn leaf color forecaster for Western North Carolina, at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at the library in Bryson City. Collins will discuss the science of why leaves change, how she makes her predictions and then make her 2019 fall foliage prediction. After the presentation, the Annual Book Sale of the Friends of the Marianna Black Library will begin. Members attending the event (and those that become members at the event) have the first pick at the used book sale and their first bag of books is just $2.50. The book sale continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21. Fill a shopping bag for only $5. Shopping bags provided.

828.488.0480.

Hendershot has written for local and national magazines like Our State, Smoky Mountain Living, Native American Journal and more. Hendershot has received awards from the Western North Carolina Sierra Club, Wild South and the International Regional Magazine Association. A Year from the Naturalist’s Corner: Volume I is his first book.

Brent and Hendershot have been friends for more than a decade and share a passion for wilderness, wild places and wild spaces but disagree vehemently on the virtues of IPAs versus stouts and/or porters.

32

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ometown hero Riley Howell’s legacy will live on in the form a 4-mile race through the streets of the town he once called home, with the event raising money to support victims of violent acts like the one that took 21-year-old Howell’s life on April 30.

The Mighty Four Miler will be held in conjunction with the Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon, which started in 2015 and added a 4-mile race in 2017. Neither race was held this year after event organizer Haywood County Chamber of Commerce decided to discontinue it, but endurance event company Glory Hound Events later took on ownership of the race.

Next year’s 4-mile race will benefit the Riley Howell Foundation Fund and replace the Gateway to the Smokies 4-Miler, but it will be held in conjunction with the Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon and follow the same route as the previously held 4-miler. Both races will step off on Saturday, April 4.

Local athlete Kevin FitzGerald, who had been instrumental in organizing the initial Gateway race, approached Glory Hound some time ago about potentially taking over the event, but it wasn’t until this past spring that Glory Hound owner Greg Duff made the decision to absorb the Gateway to the Smokies.

Not long afterward, a man walked into a Tuesday anthropology class at UNC-Charlotte, raised a pistol, and began to shoot. Howell reacted instinctively, tackling the gunman and successfully ending his rampage — but losing his own life in the process.

“I think everybody wants to do something in that situation, and this is just something we can do,” said Duff.

A few weeks after the shooting, Duff approached Howell’s grieving parents, who within a week of his death had established a foundation in their son’s honor to help other families affected by gun violence. Would they be interested in turning the 4-mile race into a fundraiser for the foundation, Duff asked?

“At the end of May Kevin (FitzGerald) and Greg (Duff ) came to me and said, ‘We’d like to do this. What do you guys think?’” said Thomas Howell, Riley’s father. “It was his (Greg’s) proposal to donate 100 percent of his race funds from that race. And that could potentially be a lot of money for him.”

Riley loved the outdoors, and while he wasn’t a running addict, per se, he enjoyed the sport, said Thomas — when he ran, he did it like everything else he put his mind to, 100 miles per hour. Riley was on the crosscountry team in high school, and around the age of 15 he and Thomas together completed the Lake Logan Sprint Triathlon, which is also a Glory Hound event. Thomas and Teddy, Riley’s younger brother, had once run the Gateway to the Smokies 4-Miler together.

“He knew that there was some emotional attachment there,” Thomas said of Duff.

“Otherwise he was altruistic in just wanting to benefit the foundation.”

H

Race to honor UNC Charlotte hero Mighty Four Miler will raise money for Riley Howell Foundation Fund A cluster of young runners gather at the finish line of a previous Gateway to the Smokies event. (Above) A young Riley Howell tries out his running legs during the 2002 Maggie Valley Moonlight Run. Donated photos

The 2020 race will be held about a month earlier than previous Gateway to the Smokies events, which had been offered in early May. But both races will retain their established routes, which begin on Main Street and end at Frog Level. The half marathon winds through town, out to Plott Creek and then returns to Frog Level, while the 4-miler stays in town to travel through Waynesville’s neighborhoods.

The foundation thought long and hard about what to name the 4-mile race, said Thomas. Friends sometimes said Riley looked like the Norse god Thor, because he was a big kid with blond hair — “The Mighty Four” was something of a play on words.

“He was a mighty kid. He was a big kid,” said Thomas. “What he did in Charlotte was pretty mighty as well.”

In 2018, 52 people ran the 4-miler and 151 people competed in the half marathon. But Duff expects that this new iteration of the race’s existence could cause those proportions to flip.

“I think the 4-miler will end up being a lot bigger than what the half marathon is,” he said.

Riley grew up in Waynesville, and his family still lives there. But he went to high school in Asheville, and college in Charlotte — both

within an easy day’s drive of Waynesville. The shooting and Riley’s heroic actions during it were national news. Duff said he wouldn’t be surprised if people from all around the region drove to Waynesville to run the 4-miler in Riley’s honor.

“I think we can make it more of a regional event than it was before,” he said.

While Duff expects the 4-mile event to surpass the half marathon in popularity and participation, he won’t make a cent from those registration fees. Glory Hound and the Riley Howell Foundation Fund will split the costs associated with putting on the event, but all the revenue from the 4-mile race will go straight to the foundation.

“It’s one thing to say, ‘a portion of the proceeds will benefit,’ but he wanted to do 100 percent,” said Thomas. “I think that’s extremely generous.”

So far, the foundation has raised $55,000 toward its mission of supporting organizations that benefit victims of gun violence by helping meet their immediate needs. Those needs include grief counseling, funeral expenses, costs related to missed days of work and travel, domestic care and longer-term health and wellness coverage.

It’s good to be doing something, said Thomas, though some-

Smokies species count reaches 20,000

outdoors

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reached a biodiversity milestone with the discovery and documentation of 20,000 species of plants, animals and other organisms in the park since the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory launched 21 years ago.

“Reaching this milestone is a testament to the curiosity, tenacity and dedication of the biological community,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “Each year, we have scientists who share their time and expertise to help us better describe, understand and protect the wonders of the Smokies.”

The ATBI, managed by the nonprofit Discover Life in America, has documented more than 9,500 new species records for the park and an additional 1,006 species that are completely new to science. Among the newest species records in the park are the giant bark aphid (Longistigma caryae), which is the largest aphid in the U.S.; the Blue Ridge three-lobed coneflower (Rudbeckia triloba var. rupestris), a handsome wildflower native to Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina; the frosted elfin butterfly (Callophrys irus), a rare butterfly whose caterpillars feed on lupine and indigo; and the yellow passion flower bee (Anthemurgus passiflorae), which exclusively pollinates the small flowers of the yellow passion flower. In addition, the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) was recently documented in the park for the first time.

Visitors can help the effort by recording species observations as part of the Species SnapIt & MapIt project using the phone app iNaturalist. More information is available at www.dlia.org/snapit-mapit.

Is Your Business Facebook Account More Than You Can Manage?

Ask How MSM Can Help!

A bee lands on a yellow passion flower. Katherine Parys photo

Get wise to black bears A pair of programs aiming to educate mountain residents about how to safely coexist with black bears will be offered in Sylva and Franklin this week. n 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. n 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Staff with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will deliver the presentation on the natural history of black bears in Western North Carolina and the new BearWise initiative, which provides ways to prevent conflicts, provides resources to resolve problems and encourages community initiatives to keep bears wild. www.ncwildlife.org.

September 11-17, 2019

During high school Riley Howell was a member of the T.C. Roberson High School cross-country team.

Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

times it can feel something like running in circles.

“You don’t really know where to go with a lot of this, and nobody knows the answer except just don’t shoot anybody,” he said.

So far, the foundation has been spent $6,000 to support traumatic grief counseling for people affected by gun violence, but in the future it hopes to support something that will more directly pay tribute to the person Riley was.

The Riley Howell Foundation Fund is currently in talks with North Carolina Outward Bound School to create a multiday program specifically for people who have been affected by gun violence. An initial version of the program was supposed to run in Western North Carolina this October but had to be cancelled when the timeline proved too short to gather and review applications.

“We all (at NCOBS and the Riley Howell Foundation Fund) knew it would be hard to fill a course in such a short time period, but we wanted to make the effort because we believe the course would be very impactful for the students,” said Rachel Lasky, student services representative at Outward Bound.

Despite the decision to cancel, said Lasky, Outward Bound saw “a lot of interest” in the program. Once it eventually launches in North Carolina, said Thomas, the hope is that the program will grow and replicate in other states as well, giving people across the country the opportunity to

828.452.4251 jeff@mtnsouthmedia.com

Run for Riley Registration is now open for both the Gateway to the Smokies Half Marathon and the Mighty Four Miler at www.gloryhoundevents.com. Through Dec. 31, the cost is $50 for the half marathon and $25 for the 4-miler. The half marathon will step off at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 4, and the 4-miler will begin at 8:15 a.m. the same day.

All proceeds from the 4-miler benefit the Riley Howell Foundation Fund. Donations to the Riley Howell Foundation Fund are tax-deductible. Those who don’t wish to run in April can donate online at www.rileyhowellfoundation.org/donate or by mailing checks with “Riley Howell Foundation Fund” in the memo line to CFWNC, 4 Vanderbilt Park Drive, Suite 300, Asheville, NC 28803.

heal from trauma through backcountry experiences in nature.

“It’s another angle that we do that represents Riley very well,” said Thomas.

a website to take you to places where there are no websites.

Log on. Plan a getaway.

Let yourself unplug.

33

outdoors

Screening planned for river heroes documentary

COMPLETELASERCLINIC.COM [828] 482-5030 ASHEVILLE & MURPHY OFFICES

A documentary about ordinary people who did extraordinary things to protect southern rivers will be shown at 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Terrace Auditorium at Lake Junaluska.

Presented by the Western North Carolina Climate Action Coalition, David Weintraub’s documentary, “Guardians of Our Troubled Waters” includes the stories of those who led the fight to restore the French Broad and the Pigeon rivers in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee from the impact of manufacturing plants’ waste dumping. Following the film, a panel will discuss current efforts in the community to protect natural resources.

Panel members will include the film’s producer and representatives from Haywood Waterways and Mountain True.

828.246.1609.

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

A paddler sails through a gate during a previous slalom event. WCU photo

34

Slalom the Tuck The 10th annual Cullowhee Canoe Slalom will offer a family-friendly paddling competition beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, on a calm section of the Tuckasegee River near Western Carolina University.

The competition will start at the Locust Creek put-in just downstream from the greenway bridge on Old Cullowhee Road, with the course including nine gates on flat but moving water and competitions for canoes, kayaks and paddleboards. Canoes, paddles and personal floatation devices will be provided, but because only a few kayaks and paddleboards are available, those paddlers may want to bring their own boats. All participants should wear closed-toed shoes, a water bottle and clothes that can get wet. A food truck will be on site.

The course will be open for practice from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20.

Advance registration is $8 per person, per event, and $10 on the day of. Register at learn.wcu.edu/canoe-slalom.

Hosted by WCU Parks and Recreation Management Program students and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. Proceeds benefit the Parks and Recreation Management Scholarship Fund.

Dahlias to dazzle Waynesville

Why wasps?

A program digging into the many species of bees and wasps that provide indispensible services to the world around us will be offered 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Waynesville Public Library.

Brannen Basham and Jill Jacobs, owners of Spriggly’s Beescaping, will deliver this crash course covering bees’ and wasps’ role in everything from pollination to pest control to increasing the genetic diversity and overall health of gardens and environments.

Free. Sponsored by Friends of the Library.

BILL LY Y CASE

Awarded Aw

CCIM Designatiion

Certified Commercial Investment Member The CCIM designation is awarded to commercial real estate professionals upon successful completion of a graduate-level education curriculum annd presentation of a portfolio of qualifying experience. CCIMs are recognized experts in commercial real estate brokerage, leasing, asset management, valuation, and invesstment analysis.

Native plant gardeners to speak The rewards of growing native plants for beauty, year-round interest and biodiversity will be the topic of the year’s third and final “In the Garden” lecture, slated for 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Stan and Mary Polanski will share what they have learned transforming their yard into a woodland garden, also displaying photos of their beautiful garden of wildflowers and other natives. The Polanskis are retired health professionals who live in the Oak Grove community and spend their time outdoors gardening, hiking, kayaking and trail running.

Stan writes “Grow Native,” a column that appears regularly in The Franklin Press.

Sponsored by the Franklin Garden Club, Macon County Master Gardeners and Otto Garden Club.

September 11-17, 2019

Congratulations to NAI Beverly-H Hanks’

outdoors

Dahlias will be on display this month with two upcoming exhibits planned in Waynesville. n Dahlias of every size and color will be displayed Thursday, Sept. 19, through Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Waynesville Public Library in an event organized by the Waynesville Garden Club. Anyone wishing to exhibit a dahlia can bring it by from 9 to 10 a.m.

Sept. 19. Garden Club members will provide containers. Call Sylvia, 828.926.5573. n The Carolina’s Dahlia Society Annual Dahlia Show will come to the Haywood County Extension Center Saturday, Sept. 21, through Sunday, Sept. 22.

The community is invited to come look at the flowers — which will include small singles, pompoms and extremely large flowers — and meet the growers, who are always ready to talk about their passion.

The dahlia was named after 18th-century Swedish botanist, Anders Dahl, who began breeding dahlias after a box of roots was sent from Mexico to the Netherlands. Only one plant survived the trip, but when it produced spectacular red flowers with pointed petals, Dahl and other European nurserymen bred the plant with others discovered earlier.

The results were the parent plants of all modern hybrids.

Stan and Mary Polanski. Donated photo

Billy Case, CCIM (828) 508-4527 | billycase@naibeverly-hanks.c com

Smoky Mountain News

Award-winning BBQ, brisket, and ribs, all with sides made fresh daily.

CALL FOR ALL YOUR CATERING NEEDS 828-507-6209

Serving all of WNC www.hitthepitbbq.com

35

outdoors

Fear of collapse causes shelter closure A beloved shelter on the Appalachian Trail near Roan Mountain is closed until further notice due to structural damage.

The Overmountain Shelter, located in Avery County, was originally a barn on a private farm that was acquired by the U.S. Forest Service in 1979 and later converted into an A.T. shelter by the Tennessee

Eastman Hiking and Canoeing Club.

The Forest Service closed the shelter after its engineers determined the building had become structurally unsound and unable to safely accommodate people.

Further evaluations will identify viable management options for the site. The fields around the shelter are still open for tent camping, offering beautiful views of the Roaring Creek valley. Campers are asked not to pitch a tent within 40 feet of the barn in case of collapse.

A young festivalgoer tries out an old-fashioned toy. NPS photo

Christmas in August

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

A Christmas llama was the most interesting item recovered out of the 500 pounds of trash volunteers recently pulled out of Scotts Creek in Dillsboro during a cleanup event Aug. 25.

The cleanup was part of a celebration of the launch of the Tuckasegee Blue Trail, which meanders for nearly 60 miles from the Tuck’s headwaters in Panthertown Valley through Cullowhee, Dillsboro and Bryson City before joining the Little Tennessee River. Blue Trails are stretches of river that enjoy special clean water safeguards and are destinations for fishing, Donated photo boating and other recreation. Just as hiking trails help people explore the land, Blue Trails help people explore rivers. www.americanrivers.org/tuckasegee.

A festival offering the chance to experience fall harvest activities ranging from apple butter making to blacksmithing will be held 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

21, at the Mountain Farm Museum near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Mountain Life Festival preserves the legacy of Appalachian mountain ways and is a tribute to the many families who lived

on the lands that would later become the national park, with the activities reflecting the spirit of cooperation that existed among the families and neighbors. The festival will coincide with the monthly music jam session held 1 to 3 p.m. on the porch of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on the first and third Saturday of each month.

Free, with support from the Great Smoky Mountains Association. 828.497.1904.

Hike Sam Knob

Let Us Sell Your House

The #1 Listing & Selling Team In Haywood County

Noland-Proben Team Brian K. Noland & Catherine Proben RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONALS

74 N. Main Street, Waynesville bknoland@beverly-hanks.com • 828.734.5201 cproben@beverly-hanks.com • 828.734.9157

36

Experience mountain life

An easy-to-moderate 2.2-mile hike through the Sam Knob area will step off at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 13, from the parking area at the end of Black Balsam Road, located off mile 420.2 of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will guide this hike known for its expansive, wide-open views of the surrounding mountain range and rolling hills. Participants should bring water, good walking shoes and clothing for changeable weather. For more information, call 828.298.5330, ext. 304.

Get schooled in stories Learn the stories of the Cherokee people during a Smoky Mountain Field School course offered Saturday, Sept. 21, on the Qualla Boundary.

Ila Hatter, a Bryson City-based naturalist, artist, storyteller, wildcrafter and gourmet cook, will teach the class, “Myths and Legends of the Cherokee.” A Cherokee/Scotch-Irish storyteller and his wife, a descendant of Pocahontas, will tell the stories that answer questions such as why the possum’s tail is bare, where rainbows come from and whether strawberries can save a marriage. The group will also sample some traditional Cherokee foods.

The four-hour course is $69. Register

Ila Hatter.

File photo

online at smfs.utk.edu. The Smoky Mountain Field School is a partnership of the University of Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Earn a boating safety cert A boating safety course will be offered 6-9 p.m. Sept. 18 and 19 at Haywood Community College, giving participants a shot at a certification required to operate vessels propelled by a motor of 10 horsepower or greater.

Participants must attend both sessions and pass a written exam. The free course is offered as a partnership between HCC and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

Register at www.ncwildlife.org by selecting the “Learning” tab.

The Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge is now open to the public for all uses for the first time since landslides on Saturday, Aug. 24, resulted in significant damage and blockages in the area.

A technical team assessed the river for potential hazards from the recent landslides Tuesday, Sept. 3, and did not find any areas of concern.

The landslides occurred following a severe deluge that dropped 3.5 inches of rain on the area, causing the closure of U.S. 19/74 while N.C. Department of Transportation cleared debris and repaired

outdoors

Nantahala Gorge reopens for national forest users Duke Energy released water on Saturday, Aug. 31. Duke had not performed any releases since before the landslides occurred in order to provide a safe environment for Forest Service contractors to perform debris removal operations.

They proceeded to release water through the long weekend in order to draw down lake levels and move back toward normal operation. Duke, DOT, Swain County Emergency Management Services and the U.S. Forest Service monitored the water release and did not observe any significant impacts.

Woody debris creates dangerous blockages on the Nantahala River in this Aug. 26 photo. Donated photo

@SmokyMtnNews

Clocks, jewelry,

flags, mailbox covers,

& so much more!

Smoky Mountain News

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, the U.S. Forest Service conducted some chainsaw work to remove potential strainers, downed trees in the river. This was followed up by a float trip down the river to identify and address any additional concerns. The float team included members of the Forest Service, Nantahala Gorge Association and American Whitewater. During the assessment, the team did not identify any additional obvious hazards.

“The landslide cleanup in the Nantahala Gorge has been a success,” said David Perez, Acting Nantahala District Ranger. “I appreciate the public’s patience with us as we worked through it. In the end, I couldn’t be happier and more grateful for all the support from Duke Energy, Swain County Emergency Management, N.C. Department of Transportation, Nantahala Gorge Association, American Whitewater, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and all the Forest Service employees that worked tirelessly.

Thank you all.”

Visitors should be aware that the landslides changed the river in some places.

Paddlers should use caution.

September 11-17, 2019

damaged portions, reopening the road Monday evening, Aug. 26.

Once the road opened, the Forest Service sent in a team to assess landslide impacts to the Nantahala River and the scale of the cleanup effort. In places, debris had created 90 percent blockages in the river, with water forming diversions around them. The Forest Service immediately closed the area to commercial paddling operations and then expanded the closure to include all use of Forest Service lands in the Nantahala Gorge.

Contractors were immediately mobilized and began to remove landslide debris from the Nantahala River on Aug. 28, after a field review and opinion from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Geological Survey. The debris removal operations in the river were completed by the end of Friday, Aug. 30.

Contractors worked 12-hour days with as many as nine excavators and nine dump trucks at any given time. Throughout the entire operation, approximately 7,600 tons of soil and rock and approximately 150 loads of woody debris were removed.

Affairs of the Heart 120 N. Main St. • Waynesville 828.452.0526 • affairsoftheheartnc.com

37

38

WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The annual Macon County Agricultural Fair will take place through Sept. 14 at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin. Join the celebration, which will feature a barbecue supper, best cake contest, Special Needs Livestock Show, harvest sale, festival foods, and more. www.themaconcofair.com or call 369.3523.

• The Jackson County Planning Board will meet at 6 p.m. on Sept. 12 in the Department on Aging Heritage Room in Sylva.

• The Smoky Mountain Roller Girls will host their final home roller serby of the season on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Swain County Rec Park in Bryson City. Bring your own chair. Juniors match at 4 p.m.; adults roll at 6 p.m.

Entry fee: $5 in advance (smokymountainrollergirls.weebly.com) or $7 at the door; ages 7-under free.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

Check out available cats at www.petharbor.com.

452.1329 or 550.3662.

• Cashiers Area Chamber is seeking feedback to improve visitors’ experiences to the area. Take the survey at: tinyurl.com/y6w4uqyo.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION

• Southwestern Community College will offer a High School Equivalency Boot Camp from Oct. 14-Nov. 22 at SCC’s Jackson Campus in Sylva. Complete high school credentials in just over a month. 339.4272 or d_wilson@southwesterncc.edu.

• The North Shore Cemetery Association will host the 44th annual reunion of families and friends associated with Fontana Lake’s North Shore from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sept. 15 at the Deep Creek National Park Access Area.

Facebook.com/northshorecemeteries.

• Registration is underway for a two-part “Retirement Planning Now” course, that will be offered from 5:308:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, Oct. 8-10, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Led by Joel Kelley, CFP®, and Jacob Sadler, CFP®. Fee: $79. Register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Rabies vaccines will be offered for $9 each by Haywood County Animal Services from 5-6:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday, Sept. 16-20, at the following locations: Monday at Jonathan Valley Elementary School; Tuesday at Canton Middle School; Wednesday at Riverbend Elementary School; Thursday at Bethel Elementary School and Friday at Waynesville Middle School. Info: 456.5338.

• Registration is underway for a High Impact Leadership Certificate Program that will be offered through Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from Sept. 16-20 at WCU’s Biltmore Park instructional site in Asheville.

Registration Fee: $849; nonprofit rate is $649.

Pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Dr. Beverly Collins, WCU Associate Professor of Biology, will present her fall color prediction at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Dr. Collins is a botanist and the official autumn leaf forecaster for Western North Carolina.

Following Dr. Collins’ presentation, the Annual Friends of the Library Membership meeting will be held with an opportunity to have first pick at a used book sale, which will be held the next day. 488.0480.

• NC MedAssist will have a Mobile Free Pharmacy Event on Sept. 21 at West Swain Elementary School. Must be at least 18, living in Swain County and need over-thecounter medications. www.medassist.org.

• A Car Safety Checkup Event will be offered from 10 a.m.-noon on Sept. 21, by nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians in partnership with Safe Kids Jackson County, Walmart in Sylva and Jackson County Department of Public Health. Info: 587.8225.

• The Drugs in Our Midst Annual Prayer Walk is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 29 on Academy Street in Waynesville.

• Registration is underway for Marriage Enrichment Retreats that will be offered three more times over the next year at Lake Junaluska. Led by Ned Martin, an expert in marriage counseling. Price is $699 per couple. Dates are Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in 2019. Registration and info: www.lakejunaluska.com/marriage or 800.222.4930.

• Jackson County Arts Council is accepting applications for Grassroots subgrants through Aug. 30. Financial support for Jackson County community groups and nonprofit organizations that offer programs and projects that enhance the arts for county residents. Application info: www.jacksoncountyarts.org or info@jacksoncountyarts.org. Info: 507.9820.

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health is seeking input from the community: http://health.jacksonnc.org/surveys. Info: 587.8288.

• Cat adoption hours are from noon-5 p.m. on Fridays and noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays at 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Adoption fee: $10 for cats one-year and older.

• Haywood Community College will offer boating safety courses from 6-9 p.m. on Sept. 18-19 on the campus of HCC, Building 3300, Room 3322. Must attend consecutive evenings. Preregistration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

• Learn stories of the Cherokee people during a Smoky Mountain Field School Course that will be offered on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Cherokee. Four-hour course entitled “Myths and Legends of the Cherokee” will be led by Ila Hatter, a Bryson City naturalist, artist, storyteller, wildcrafter and gourmet cook. Cost: $69. Register: smfs.utk.edu.

• Registration is underway for a Digital Marketing and Public Relations Certificate program that will be offered from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Fridays from Sept. 27-Nov. 8 at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Taught by Scott Rader, associate professor of Marketing & Entrepreneurship.

Registration: $640 for the full program or $119 for each individual workshop. Pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a Pharmacy Technician Program with a Clinical Externship that will be offered

by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 6-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Oct. 8-Nov. 26, in room 143 of the Cordelia Camp Building on WCU’s Cullowhee Campus.

50-hour program prepares students to work as pharmacy technicians. Registration: $1,099 (includes all materials). Go.wcu.edu/pharm-tech or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a Six-Sigma Whitebelt Training, which will be offered from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Led

by Dr. Todd Creasy, professor in WCU’s College of Business. Learn how to apply the five-step methodology of Six Sigma in product, process or service industries.

Registration: $249 (by Oct. 1) or $279 (after Oct. 1).

Info and register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for Western Carolina University’s High Impact Leadership Certificate Program that will be offered from Oct. 28-Nov. 1 at WCU’s Biltmore Park Instructional Site in Asheville. Advance registration is $759 (through Oct. 1). After Oct. 1, rate increases to $849. Nonprofit rate is $649. Info and register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will be starting a monthly documentary series called “DocuWednesday” at 4 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month. The movies will be shown in the beautiful movie theater in the Community Room. At the end of each movie, the staff member who selected that documentary will lead a short discussion with the public. If you would like to know what movie will be showing each month, please email Benjamin Woody at bwoody@fontanalib.org to be placed on an email list.

586.2016. www.fontanalib.org.

• Haywood Community College’s Workforce Continuing Education Department is offering a wide variety of courses. For a complete listing: www.haywood.edu. Info: 627.4669 or rgmassie@haywood.edu.

• The African-American Business Association Workshop & Meetup is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month at the Arthur R. Edington Education & Career Center in Asheville.

• Evening classes for anyone wanting to obtain a high school equivalency diploma are offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays at Haywood Community College in Clyde. 627.4648.

• The Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the HF Robinson Auditorium at the Western Carolina University Campus in Cullowhee.

• Concealed carry handgun is offered every other Saturday 8:30am-5pm starting at Mountain Range indoor shooting range. Lunch provided. Class $60.

452.7870 or mountainrangenc@yahoo.com.

• Small business owners can find materials and services to support business growth at Fontana Regional Library’s locations in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties. Computer classes and one-on-one assistance available. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

• A meeting of current and former employees of the Waynesville plant of Champion/Blue Ridge/Evergreen is held at 8 a.m. on the first Monday of each month at Bojangles near Lake Junaluska’s entrance.

• One-on-one computer lessons are offered weekly at the Waynesville and Canton branches of the Haywood County Public Library. Lesson slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Canton and from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. Sign up at the front desk of either library or call 356.2507 for the Waynesville Library or 648.2924 for the Canton Library.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS

• Tickets for Haywood Community College Foundation’s fourth annual Shine & Dine Gala are on sale. The event is from 6-8:30 p.m. on Sept. 13, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville; theme is “Simple as Black and White.” Buffet dinner, music and opportunity to support HCC through a wine pull and auction.

Sponsorship levels from $250-$5,000. Individual tickets: $75. Hccgalaevents.com or 627.4522. Sponsorship info: 627.4544 or pahardin@haywood.edu.

• Music on the Porch: A Celebration of Aunt Samantha Bumgarner – a fundraiser to help replace the 111-yearold roof in the Monteith Farmstead in Dillsboro - is set for noon-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the farmstead. Featured musicians include The Deitz Family, Susan Pepper, the BarnBillys and Kornbread Kreek.

Tickets: $10 in advance or $12 at the door; ages 12under admitted free. Purchase tickets: www.appwomen.org/music-on-the-porch or 482.5860.

• The STAR Ranch will hold a fundraiser with a Jeff Foxworthy and Elvis impersonators at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Tickets are $25 per person. There will also

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 be a live auction during the show. All proceeds go to the Star Ranch Horse Rescue.

• The Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center’s Annual Fundraising Banquet at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Franklin Covenant Church, 265 Belleview Park Road in Franklin. Guest speaker is Kirk Walden, who has 30 years of experience in the pro-life arena. RSVP: 349.3200 or smpccpartners.com.

• Registration is underway for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which is at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept.

21, at Pack Square Park in Asheville. Register and get info: act.alz.org/Asheville. Info: www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/nature/elk.htm.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• Tables are available to rent for the Jackson County Senior Center’s upcoming Yard Sales and Craft Shows, which are from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays, Sept. 14 and Oct. 13, at the Department on Aging building in Sylva. Cost: $10 for one table or two for $15. Info: 586.5494.

• The Jackson County Green Energy Park is seeking artists to join the 12th annual Youth Arts Festival, which is from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Dillsboro. Sign up: 631.0271 or chelseamiller@jcgep.org. www.JCGEP.org.

HEALTH MATTERS

• A Medicare 101 info session will be offered from 2-3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, in the Waynesville Library Auditorium.

• “Breastfeeding A-Z” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Sept. 12 and Nov. 14 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Focusing on techniques for proper latching and comfortable positions for a baby and mom to get started. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• A presentation on Understanding Alzheimer’s will be offered at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

• The International Essential Tremor Foundation support group will meet at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Jackson County Senior Center Room No. 135. Learn coping skills and available products to help. 736.3165 or teddyk1942@gmail.com.

• “PH Balance of our Body & A Health Immune System” will be presented from 6:45-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at Frog Quarters, which is at 573 E. Main St. in Franklin. Learn which foods help or worsen acid stomach issues.

• Restorative and Yoga Nidra with Beyond Bending Yoga will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. 524.3600.

• A Vision Workshop is scheduled for 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, in the Waynesville Library

Auditorium. Led by Donna Corso, certified Dream Builder Life Coach. Adults only. Registration required: 356.2507 or Kathleen.olsen@haywoodcountync.gov.

• An “Animal CPR and First Aid Class” will be offered from 1:30-5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Haywood County Animal Shelter at 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Led by certified trainer Lisa Monteith of K-9 Curriculum. $15 fee for the course book and certification. Register and find more info: www.sargeanimals.org.

• A Fall Ayurvedic Cleanse will be guided and supported by Ayurvedic Wellness Counselors from Sept.

23-Oct. 12. Revitalizing cleanse with a holistic wellness plan using Ayurvedic practices to reset your health. Includes a restorative yoga “Abhyanga & Nasya” class, silent hike and closing ceremony. Cost: $149. Sign up: 944.0288. maggievalleywellness.com.

• A “Preparation for Childbirth” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday from Oct. 3-24 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Pre-registration required: MyHaywoodRegional.com/ParentClasses or 452.8440.

• Gentle Yoga for Cancer is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville. Info: MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer or 452.8691.

• On the third weekend of each month, Maggie Valley Wellness Center hosts donation-based acupuncture appointments. $35-55. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

RECREATION AND FITNESS

• Buti Yoga + Bubbles will be offered from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, at Waynesville Yoga Center.

Get heart rate up, sweat then cool off with champagne or tea. Cost: $14. Register or get info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• A Merge Yoga Workshop: Finding Freedom in Movement will be offered from 1-2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $30. Register or get info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• A program entitled “Fall Equinox: Sound Immersion with Crystal and Tibetan Bowls” will be offered from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Cost: $20. Register or get info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

SPIRITUAL

• Registration is underway for Guided Personal Retreats, on Sept. 16-18 and Oct. 21-23 at Lake Junaluska. Lakejunaluska.com/retreats or 800.222.4930.

POLITICAL

• The Jackson County Republican Meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, at the

• Local authors Don Hendershot and Brent Martin will hold a casual reading, book signing and conversation from 5-6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, at Blue Ridge Beer Hub, 21 East St. in Waynesville.

• Asheville author Dale Neal will present his new novel Appalachian Book of the Dead at 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 17, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

• The “Coffee with the Poets and Writers” (CWPW) will feature Richard Montfort Cary and writer Marcia Hawley Barnes at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville. The event is free and open to the public. An open mic will follow the presentation. glendabeall@msn.com.

• The Southern Storytellers Supper Series will feature David Joy, author of the Edgar-nominated novel “Where All Light Tends to Go” (Putnam, 2015), from 69 p.m. on Sept. 26, at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. Tickets are $20 in advance, $10 for students and $23 at the door. 452.2997 or info@folkmoot.org.

• A used book sale will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the library in Bryson City.

488.0480.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES

• Senior Tennis Time is from 9 a.m.-noon every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Oct. 30 at the Donnie Pankiw Tennis Center at 128 W. Marshall Street in Waynesville. For ages 55-up; intermediate or higher skill level. $1 per person per day. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

KIDS & FAMILIES

• “Nature Nuts: Life Cycles” will be presented to ages 4-7 from 9-11 a.m. on Sept. 19 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• “Eco Explorers: Stream Investigation” will be presented to ages 8-13 from 1-3 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard.

Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• The Haywood County Arts Council’s Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program will hold student registration at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville. JAM offers old-time mountain music to children in 4th grade and older. Lessons are $95 for the September through December session. Fees must be paid in advance. Classes meet from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through May 2020 at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. Sibling discounted fee is $50. caryfridley@gmail.com or 452.0593. www.haywoodarts.org or www.facebook.com/haywoodarts.

• Officer presentations on “Hidden in Plain Sight: What every parent should know about their child’s bedroom” will be offered from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, and Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Presented by Renew Bryson City, the Marianna Black Library and the Bryson City Police Department.

• Registration is underway for the fall PGA Jr. League golf team at Lake Junaluska golf Course. League runs from September through October. Registration fee:

• “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, will be shown at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Shown at 1 p.m. on Sept. 11-12. Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• A Vintage Camper Show is scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Stonebridge Campground, 1786 Soco Road in Maggie Valley.

Tickets: $5 per person; 12-under free.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will offer a series of nature-themed films and documentaries shown at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of March in Highlands. For info on each show, call 526.2221.

• The eighth annual Cherokee Heritage Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Cherokee Homestead Exhibit, 805 Highway 64 Business in Hayesville. Hoop dancing, Cherokee artisans, demonstrations and more. 389.3045 or www.cccra-nc.org.

KIDS FILMS

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

A&E SPECIAL EVENTS & FESTIVALS

• The 2019 “Art After Dark” season will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. the first Friday of the month in downtown Waynesville. Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

• The inaugural Smoky Mountain Elk Fest is set for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Maggie Valley Festival grounds. Tours, guided hikes, trout race, elk bugling contest, photo contest, face painting, kids activities, timbersports exhibition and performances from musicians, Cherokee Indian dancers and cloggers. Admission: $5. www.visitncsmokies.com/smoky-mountain-elk-fest.

• The “Rock the Block” celebration will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, in downtown Waynesville. Live bands will perform on Main Street from 7 to 10 p.m. Classic car and truck show on Main Street from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Shops, restaurants and eateries will be open. SWAT BBQ will be onsite at 6 p.m. Artisan painter Dominick DePaolo will also host a sidewalk art demonstration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Haywood County Arts Council. www.downtownwaynesville.com or 456.3517.

• A classic car, motorcycle and truck show will be held from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sept. 14 on Main Street in Waynesville. Register: 804.586.7268.

• Fines Creek Dance Night is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Road in Clyde. Food at 6 p.m.; dance at 7 p.m. Costs: Dance $5, food is from $4-5 (hamburger or hot dog with chips and drink). Cake walk and 50/50 raffle. Live music featuring Running Wolfe and the Renegades (Traditional country and rock). Proceeds support scholarships, community needs and the MANNA FoodBank. Updates/info: www.fb.me/finescreekorg or 593.7042.

• The Mountain Life Festival is scheduled for 10 a.m.3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Mountain Farm Museum near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, two miles north of Cherokee. Preserves the legacy of Appalachian mountainways and serves as a tribute to families who lived on lands that later became the national park. Experience fall harvest activities including hearth cooking, apple butter making, blacksmithing, lye soap making and food preservation.

497.1904.

• Tickets are on sale now for the Fall Harvest Festival, which will feature bluegrass legends The Gibson Brothers at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Stecoah Valley Center. Info and tickets: www.stecoahvalleycenter.com. All concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in the air-conditioned Lynn L. Shields Auditorium.

FOOD & DRINK

• The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

21 & 22, Nov. 2 and Dec 31 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service alladult first-class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT

• The smash Broadway hit “Mamma Mia!” will be on stage at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12-14, and 2 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

• Pickin’ on the Square in Franklin will host Cornbread Creek (old-time) on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• A Grammy Award nominated contemporary gospel group, The Collingsworth Family will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets start at $20 each with priority seating available. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• Jason Petty will perform his tribute concert, “Hank & My Honky Tonk Heroes,” at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

14, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available online: www.highlandspac.org or 526.9047.

• Pickin’ on the Square in Franklin will host Curtis Blackwell & The Dixie Bluegrass Boys on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• The Haywood Community Band will have Mace’s Conducting Debut at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, in the Maggie Valley Open Air Pavilion, 3987 Soco Road.

If interested in joining the band: 456.4880.

• The Arts and Cultural Events Series will feature a visit from the Chicago Multicultural Dance Center’s select Hiplet Ballerina Company at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission.

Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS

• The Friends of the Haywood County Public Library will present “Reading Women’s Lives: Conversations from Fiction” featuring a discussion of “Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf from 4-6 p.m. on Sept. 12 at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Book is available at the library.

Discussion will be led by Dr. Lorena Russell.

Smoky Mountain News

• Yin & Tonic will be offered from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, at Waynesville Yoga Center. Long posture holds that release stress and improve flexibility; follow with a crisp beverage and chat with classmates. Cost: $14. Register or get info: 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS

• Author Megan Lucas will hold a book reading and signing for her latest work Songbirds & Stray Dogs from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. www.blueridgebooksnc.com or 456.6000.

• “Overcomer”, will be shown at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Shown at 11 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:30, Sept. 11-12. Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• The 10th annual Cullowhee Canoe Slalom will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, on a calm section of the Tuckaseigee River near the Western Carolina University campus in Cullowhee. Family-friendly paddling competition. Canoes, paddles and personal flotation devices provided. Limited number of kayaks and paddle boards. Registration is $8 per person in advance (learn.wcu.edu/canoe-slalom) or $10 on day of event. Info: 227.3845 or gdmiddleton@wcu.edu.

September 11-17, 2019

• “Your Amazing Newborn” class will be offered from 7-9 p.m. on Nov. 7 at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Waynesville. Focusing on abilities, behavior, appearance and reflexes of your new baby. Pre-registration required: myhaywoodregional.com/parentclasses or 452.8440.

• The Jackson County Democratic Party will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, at party headquarters at 500 Mill St. in Sylva.

$190. Register: www.pgajrleague.com/sign-up. Info: 456.5777 or ctcarswell@lakejunaluska.com.

wnc calendar

• The Recovery Club at Southwestern Community College will host a “Bridges” event from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, in the first floor of the Burrell Building at the SCC Jackson Campus in Sylva. Program aims to bridge gaps between people in recovery, service providers and colleges. L_clancy@southwesterncc.edu.

Cashiers Glenville Recreation Center on 355 Frank Allen Road in Cashiers. 743.6491.

39

wnc calendar

• Ceramic artist Julie Taylor will discuss her work at the Sept. 12 meeting of the Macon County Art Association, Uptown Gallery, 30 Main Street in Franklin. Program starts at 6 p.m. Info: www.franklinuptowngallery.com or 349.4607.

• Applications are being accepted for the Jackson County Citizens Academy, which begins at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 12. Opportunity for county residents to get an in-depth look at the functions of county government.

For info or to request and application: 631.2207 or jcfitzgerald@jacksonnc.org.

• Painting on Glass: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept.

12. Patricia Cowen, a long-time member of Dogwood Crafters, will cover the techniques of this decorative art form and participants will learn how to paint on vases, glasses, lamp globes, etc. She will provide one item and participants may bring other glass items to paint. Great gift ideas for the holidays. Cost is $1.

Register by Sept. 9.

• The Creating Community Workshop on “accordion book making” will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, in the Atrium of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. 586.2016.

• The Fines Creek Flea Market is scheduled for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays, Sept. 14 and 28, at the Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Road in Clyde. 550.6842 or 593.7042. Info: www.fb.me/finescreekorg.

• Folkmoot will offer Cultural Crash Courses starting Sept. 18 at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. First session is a lecture on the musical adaptation of Charles Frazier’s “Cold Mountain” that will be led by Dr. Christina Reitz, WCU professor. 45-minute lecture followed by questions, answers and discussion.

Tickets: $10. Series occur on monthly basis; full schedule at Folkmoot.org.

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

• “Beyond Beneficial: Bees and Wasps” will be presented from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium. Led by Brennan Basham and Jill Jacobs, owners of Spriggly’s Beescaping.

40

• Chai Spice Sugar Scrub: 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Sept. 24. Participants can indulge their senses while creating a natural skin care product using the warming spices of cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and more.

New Dogwood Crafter Kerri Rayburn will share information on how these favorite spices can be anti-aging agents, can sooth acne, stimulate blood flow, and much more. All supplies are included in the $8 fee.

Register by Sept. 17. Register by calling Dogwood Crafters at 586.2248.

• The N.C. ABC Commission will offer Responsible Alcohol Seller Server Training Classes on Sept. 24-25 at the following times and locations: 8-10 a.m. on Sept. 24 at Anthony’s Restaurant in Bryson City; 2-4 p.m. on Sept. 24 at Nantahala Brewing Outpost in Sylva; from 9-11 a.m. on Sept. 25 at Bear Waters Brewing in Canton; and from 2-4 p.m. on Sept. 25 at Elevated Mountain Distilling Company in Maggie Valley. Register: http://abc.nc.gov/education/rasp.

• Registration is underway for Choir Music Weekend, which is Oct. 18-20 at Lake Junaluska. For small and medium-sized adult choirs. Worship and specialized workshops. Lakejunaluska.com/choirmusic or 800.222.4930.

Authorized Motor Fleet Management Maintenance

• The Second Tuesday Movie Group meets at 2 p.m. in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. For info, including movie title: 452.5169.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

• Photo submissions are being accepted by Cherokee Indian Hospital for consideration of being on display in the Crisis Stabilization Unit. Deadline is Sept. 15.

Nature scenes such as waterfalls, streams and rivers.

Preference given to Enrolled Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Send to: legendweaverstudios@gmail.com. Questions: 736.7059.

• Applications are being accepted for artists who want their work included in monthly gallery exhibits or retail spaces through the Haywood County Arts Council. HaywoodArts.org or GalleryGifts@HaywoodArts.org.

• Art by Lynn Babiarz will be on display through the month of September at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. There will be a reception with the artist from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. Free and open to the public.

• An art exhibition entitled “High Art of the Lowcountry” will be on display through Sept. 15 at the Bascom, 323 Franklin road in Highlands. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. on Sundays. Info: www.thebascom.org or 526.4949.

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present, “Resounding Change: Sonic Art and the Environment.” This exhibition will be on display through Dec. 6. There will be a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22. bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has recently opened a major new exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters.” It features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through April 2020.

FILM & SCREEN

Outdoors • The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will present a program on the natural history of black bears in Western North Carolina at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library. Program will show you how to use the information provided to safely coexist with bears. 586.2016.

• The DuPont Trash Bash is at 9 a.m. on Sept. 21 at the High Falls Access Area in the DuPont Forest. www.dupontforest.com.

• Intro to Fly-Fishing will be offered to ages 12-up from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• Blue Ridge Parkway Rangers will lead a 2.2-mile, round-trip hike at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, through the Sam Knob area. Meet at the parking area at the end of the Black Balsam Road (Forest Service Road 816) at mile post 420.2. Info: 298.5330, ext. 304.

• Tony Ward, MountainTrue Western Regional Program Coordinator, will discuss the importance of native plants for ornamental/landscape at a public presentation from 2-3:30 p.m. on Sept. 14 at the Moss Memorial Library in Hayesville. Mountaintrue.org.

• Birdwatchers are invited to Chimney Rock State Park on Saturday, Sept. 14, for the annual “Flock to the Rock” event. Event starts at 11 a.m., includes bird demonstrations and N.C. Birding Trail. Park admission: $17 for adults; $8 for ages 5-15. Info: www.chimneyrockpark.com/event/flock-to-the-rock.

• The N.C. Department of Transportation is seeking volunteers to help clean up trash along roads during the Adopt-A-Highway Fall Litter Sweep from Sept. 14-28. https://tinyurl.com/yxaph58g. Haywood County – Karen Hurd (456.5633), Jackson County – Mildred Turpin (631.5599), Macon County – Bradley Pyle (524.2517), Swain County – Allison Edwards (488.3683).

M ONDAY-F RIDAY 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE P LAZA 828-456-5387 • WAYNESVILLETIRE . COM

• The Franklin Bird Club will have a bird walk along the greenway at 8 a.m. on Sept. 18 in Franklin.

Parking is off Fox Ridge Road, just south of Franklin Flea Market on Highlands Road. Franklinbirdclub.com or 524.5234.

• A lecture on “Botanical Resilience Strategies in an Age of Climate Catastrophe” is set for 6 p.m. on Sept.

12, at The Nature Center at the Highlands Biological Station in Highlands. Featured speaker is James R. Veteto, Executive Director, Appalachian Institute for Mountain Studies. Part of the Zahner Lecture Series. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2221.

“IT: Chapter Two”, is showing at The Strand on Main on Sept. 11 and 12 at 7 p.m. in Waynesville.

38main.com.

Tires Brakes Alignment Road Service Tractor Tires

• “The Pinnacle Hike” – part of the Yoga + Hike Series – will be from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Waynesville Yoga Center. 45-minute yoga class at the summit. Cost: $45. 246.6570 or WaynesvilleYogaCenter.com.

• Women’s Intro to Fly Fishing will be offered to ages 12-up from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 21 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• A Smokies Service Day is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Sept. 14 at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.

Flower bed maintenance. To volunteer: 865.436.1278 or Andrew_mentrup@partner.nps.gov.

• David Weintraub’s documentary “Guardians of Our Troubled Waters” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Terrace Auditorium at Lake Junaluska. Film is about ordinary people who did

• David Grasty will lead a “Wild Edibles Walk” at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14. Meet at Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Rd. in Clyde. Cost: $15. Proceeds benefit Fines Creek Community Association to support community needs, scholarships and the MANNA FoodBank. For ages 16-up. www.fb.me/finescreekorg.

• The Smokies Skiwalking School will be offered from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays through Oct. 21 at Smoky Mountain Elementary School in Whittier. Register and get more info: 586.4009 or 488.3848.

• “IT: Chapter Two”, is showing at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza at 1:30, 3:30, 5, 7, & 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 11-12. Visit www.fandango.com for pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

WAYNESVILLE TIRE, INC. • • • • •

extraordinary things to protect southern rivers and streams. 246.1609.

• Registration is underway for “Picture Yourself in the Smokies” event, which is Friday through Sunday, Sept.

20-22, at the River Terrace Resort and Convention Center in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Early bird registration until July 12. Info: lisad@gsmassoc.org or 865.436.7318, ext. 257.

• A Land Navigation Class will be offered at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Fines Creek Community Center, 190 Fines Creek Road in Clyde. Led by David Grasty, owner of WNC Bushcraft and Survival. Basic, easy-to-remember land navigation concepts.

Approximately 1-1/2-to-2 hours. Cost: $20.

Reservations: 400.5790. Updates: https://fb.me/FinesCreekOrg. • “Casting for Beginners: Level I” will be offered from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. For ages 12-up.

Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• A Hunter Education Couse will be offered from 6-9 p.m. on Sept. 24-25 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• The Franklin Bird Club will have a bird walk along the greenway at 8 a.m. on Sept. 25 in Franklin. Meet at Macon County Public Library parking area.

Franklinbirdclub.com or 524.5234.

• A National Hunting and Fishing Day program is from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

Puzzles can be found on page 45 These are only the answers.

• “Locally Grown on the Green,” the Cashiers farm stand market for local growers, will be held from 3-6 p.m. every Wednesday at the Village Green Commons on Frank Allen Rd. next to the Cashiers post office. info@villagegreencashiersnc.com or 743.3434.

• A “Backyard Birding By Ear: For Beginners” program is set for 9 a.m.-noon on Sept. 30 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. For ages 10up. Registration required: https://tinyurl.com/y53o5ddq.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take two leisurely, easy hikes to see the Wasilik Poplar and Big Laurel Falls on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Rock Gap. Total of three miles; elevation change of 400 feet. Info and reservations: 772.263.3478.

• The Franklin Bird Club will have a bird walk along the greenway at 8 a.m. on Oct. 2 in Franklin. Meet at Big Bear Shelter parking area. Franklinbirdclub.com or 524.5234.

• Carolina Mountain Club will take a 6.5-mile hike with a 1,000-foot elevation gain on Sunday, Sept. 15, on the Mountains-to-the-Sea Trail. Info and reservations: 857.756.3815, 508.308.6103 or billsnow123@gmail.com.

• Backpacking course, will be offered by Landmark Learning on Oct. 21-25. www.landmarklearning.org.

FARM AND GARDEN

• Registration is open for the 2019 Organic Growers School’s Farm Beginnings Farmer Training. On-farm workshops at the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy’s Community Farm in Alexander.

Applications accepted through Sept. 15. Apply: organicgrowersschool.org/farmers/farm-beginnings.

• Dahlias of every size and color will be displayed Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 19-21, at the Waynesville Public Library, at the Waynesville Public Library in an event organized by the Waynesville Garden Club. Anyone wishing to exhibit a dahlia can bring it by from 9-10 a.m. on Sept. 19. Garden Club members will provide containers. 926.5573.

• The Carolina’s Dahlia Society Annual Dahlia Show is Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20-21, at the Haywood County Extension Center. The community is invited to look at the flowers — which will include small singles, pompoms and extremely large flowers — and meet the growers.

FARMERS MARKETS

• The Swain County Farmer’s Market is held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. every Friday through October at the barn on Island Street in downtown Bryson City. 488.3848 or www.facebook.com/SwainCountyFarmersMarket.

• Jackson County Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com or www.jacksoncoutyfarmersmarket.org.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate four-mile hike with an elevation change of 300 feet on Sunday, Sept. 22, to Kimsey Creek in the Standing Indian Recreation Area. Info and reservations: 524.5298.

• Carolina Mountain Club will have a 13.1-mile hike with a 1,000-foot ascent on Sunday, Sept. 22, at Pink Beds, Buckhorn Gap and South Mills River Loop. Info and reservations: 606.1490, quilter290@gmail.com, 606.3989 or jqs290@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain club will have a 5.4-mile hike with a 1,300-foot ascent on Sunday, Sept. 22, at Trombatore Trail. Info and reservations: 516.721.6156 or karingarden@yahoo.com.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a strenuous eight-mile hike with an elevation change of 1,000 feet on Wednesday, Sept. 25, to Timber Ridge in the Standing Indian Recreation Area. Info and reservations: 772.263.3478.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will host an easy twomile family hike on Saturday, Sept. 28, on the Appalachian Trail to Moore Creek Camp. Reservations and info: 421.4178.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate-tostrenuous 7.5-mile hike on Saturday, Sept. 28, from Sweat Heifer to Kephart Prong in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Info and reservations: 456.8895.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate four-mile hike with an elevation change of 100 feet on Saturday, Sept. 28, to Lower Whitewater Falls. Info and reservations: 743.1079.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a strenuous nine-mile hike with an elevation change of 1,700 feet on Saturday, Sept. 28, off the Georgia Bartram Trail.

Info and reservations: 772.233.7277.

September 11-17, 2019

• A lecture on “Growing Native Plants at Home” will be presented at 10 a.m. on Sept. 21 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Stan and Mary Polanski will discuss the rewards of growing natives for beauty, year-round interest and the contribution to local biodiversity.

HIKING CLUBS

wnc calendar

• Friends of the Smokies is partnering with Navitat Canopy Adventures to offer one day each month through September where Navitat visitors receive a 10 percent discount, and a portion of sales will be donated to Friends of the Smokies. Next date is Saturday, Sept. 28. Navitat Asheville is located at 242 Poverty Branch Road in Barnardsville. Reservations and info: 626.3700.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take an easy, 1.5mile hike with an elevation change of 200 feet on Saturday, Sept. 28, to view 80-foot-high Rufus Morgan Falls. Info and reservations: 526.6480.

• Carolina Mountain Club will take a 12-mile hike with a 2,800-foot ascent on Saturday, Sept. 28, from Big East Fork to Shining Creek Loop. Info and reservations: 606.3989, jqs290@gmail.com, 606.1490 or quilter290@gmail.com.

• Haywood Historic Farmers Market is on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at the HART Theater parking lot and Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church overflow parking lot beside Exxon. waynesvillefarmersmarket.com or haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

• Carolina Mountain Club will take a five-mile hike with a 900-foot elevation gain on Sunday, Sept. 29, at Sam Knob Loop. Info and reservations: 384.4870 or stuengo@comporium.net.

Smoky Mountain News

• The ‘Whee Farmers Market is held from 3-6 p.m. on Tuesdays through the end of October at the entrance to the village of Forest Hills off North Country Club Drive in Cullowhee. 476.0334 or www.thewheemarket.org.

• The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon at 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville.

456.1830 or vrogers12@att.net.

• Franklin Farmers Tailgate Market runs 8 a.m. to noon, on East Palmer Street across from Drake Software. 349.2049 or www.facebook.com/franklinncfarmersmarket.

41

PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

LEAGAL ADVERTISEMENTS

MarketPlace information: The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:

■ Free — Lost or found pet ads.

■ $5 — Residential yard sale ads, ■ $5 — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $15 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad or colored background.

■ $50 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com

NEW UNITS READY TO

RENT

10’x10’

$

ONLY

65

PER MONTH

Great Smokies Storage Call 828.506.4112 greatsmokiesstorage.com

Conveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction

PUBLIC NOTICE OF AUCTION SELLS Mountain Projects Community Action Agency and Haywood Public Transit located at 50 Armory Dr. Canton NC 28721, authorizes the sale by public auction of the following four Transit Buses (1) 2009 FORD Model E-450 VIN# 1FDFE45S79DA67001 MILEAGE: 146,914 approx.

22 FT LTV with LIFT COLOR: WHITE LIFT: 4,815 approx.

(2) 2011 FORD Model E-350 VIN# 1FTDS3EL4BD31671 MILEAGE: 151,669 approx.

LIFT VAN COLOR: WHITE LIFT: 8,945 approx.

(3) 2009 FORD Model E-450 VIN# 1FDEEE3FS5BDA46254 MILEAGE: 185,588 approx.

20 FT LTV with LIFT COLOR: WHITE LIFT: 6415 approx.

(4) 2011 FORD Model E-450 VIN# 1FDEE3FL2ADA68719 MILEAGE: 188,268 approx.

20 FT LTV with LIFT COLOR: WHITE LIFT: 8,938 approx.

The auction will take place at 10:00am September 18th, 2019, in the Conference Room, Haywood Public Transit, 50 Armory Drive, Clyde, N.C. 28721 The high bidder for each vehicle must present at the auction a bid deposit of five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid, either in cash or a certified check. This deposit will be held by the Mountain Projects Community Action Agency until either Mountain Projects Community Action Agency rejects the high bid for the vehicle or, if the Mountain Projects Community Action Agency accepts the high bid, the closing of the sale. The deposit will be forfeited to the Mountain Projects Community Action Agency if the high bidder refuses to close the sale after the bid has been approved by Mountain Projects Community Action Agency.

After the auction, a BILL OF SALE will be reported to Mountain Projects Community Action Agency Mountain Projects Community Action Agency will accept or reject the bid within 30 days after the bid is reported to it.

No sale may be completed until Mountain Projects Community Action Agency has approved the high bid.

Once the bid is accepted the BIDDER has 15 days to submit BALANCE due to: Mountain Projects Community Action Agency Att.: Janice Cook - Assistant Finance Officer 2177 Asheville Rd. Waynesville, N.C. 28786 828-452-1447 ext. 107 Mountain Projects Community Action Agency reserves the right to withdraw any listed vehicle from the auction at any time before the auction sale of that property.

For more information please contact: Si Simmons - Transit Director - Haywood Public Transit 828-565-0362 ext. 302 ssimmons@mountainprojects.org

AUCTION

533 ACRES- AUCTION SEPT. 12th Halifax, VA. Available in its entirety or in 10 tracts ranging from 8 – 123 acres. Opening bids as low as $735/Acre! Bid live or online. www.Motleys.com. SVN/Motleys.

877-MOTLEYS. NCL5914 ABSOLUTE AUCTION Lake Hickory-1.035 Acres-Waterfront Plantation Pointe. 5200 Peninsula Drive #44 Granite Falls, NC Saturday September 14th, 2019.

11:00 Am Boyer Realty & Auction Col. James R. "Jimmy" Boyer NCAL#1792. 336.572.2323 Email: boyerrealty@skybest.com www.BoyerRealtyandAuction.com AUCTION: 15.6ac. Big Laurel gated, 4800 ft. ele. Horse friendly adjoins Nat. Forest, Purchase Knob, Cataloochee Divide. Oct 5,2019 11:00am. www.sunburstrealty.com. 147 Walnut Street, Waynesville, NC. Randy Flanigan, NCAL# 6421, 706.207.9436, 828.456.7376.

BANKRUPTCY AUCTION Of Vehicles, Tire Repair Equipment & Tools in Rockingham, NC, Online Only, Begins Closing 9/16 at 2pm, Bankruptcy Case #19-10263, ironhorseauction.com, 800.997.2248, NCAL# 3936 TAX SEIZURE AUCTION Saturday, September 21st @10am 201 S. Central Ave. Locust, NC. Selling 25 Vehicles, Tractors, (7) Forklifts, Zero Turn, other Mowers, (8) Jet Skis, Boat, Trailors, Power Yard Equipment, Vehicles from 1967-2016 Models! Visit: www.ClassicAuctions.com 704.791.8825 ncaf5479 YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- Over 100 NC newspapers for a low cost of $375 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips Visit the N.C. Press Association's website at: www.ncpress.com, 919.516.8009

BUILDING MATERIALS

PAINTING JAMISON CUSTOM PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Interior, exterior, all pressure washing needs and more.

Specializing in Removal of Carpenter Bees • New Product Guarantees Success - Save Your Home Before Its Too Late!

Cedar, Log Homes, Painted or Siding! Call or Text Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316

ENERGY SAVING NEW WINDOWS! Beautify your home! Save on monthly energy bills with NEW WINDOWS from 1800Remodel!

Up to 18 months no interest.

Restrictions apply. Call Now 1.877.287.8229 SAPA

BATHROOM RENOVATIONS. Easy, One Day Updates! We specialize in safe bathing. Grab bars, no slip flooring & seated showers. Call for a free in-home consultation: 877.661.6587 SAPA AFFORDABLE NEW SIDING! Beautify your home! Save on monthly energy bills with beautiful New Siding from 1800Remodel!

Up to 18 months no interest.

Restrictions Apply 877.731.0014

DISCOVER INTERNET INCOME Earn 5 Figures (+) Monthly Eliminate Traditional 9 to 5 Work Stress Opt-in To Learn More: get.webinnsite.com/wealth SAPA GET THE FUNDING FIRST! Build Your Business Next! Start Your Business First. Visit us at: www.startingmybusinesscredit.com We Can Help You! SAPA NEW AUTHORS WANTED! Page Publishing will help you self-publish your own book. FREE author submission kit! Limited offer! Why wait? Call now for more information 844.660.6943 SAPA

EMPLOYMENT AIRLINES ARE HIRING Get FAA approved hands on Aviation training. Financial aid for qualified students - Career placement assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866.441.6890

JONATHAN CREEK INN In Maggie Valley is Currently Hiring a Maintenance Worker, 20 - 25 Hrs. per Week, Valid NCDL & Reliable Transportation Required Pay $11 - $15 per Hour-D.O.E. For More Information Call 828.926.1232 FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Associate Degree Nursing Instructor Program Coordinator, Ford Maintenance & Light Repair Military/Veterans Services Specialist. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu An Equal Opportunity Employer EDUCATION/VACANCIES 2019-2020: Elementary Education, Special Education, School Psychologist, Middle Education, Biology, Agricultural Education, Mathematics, Building Trades, Business & Information Technology, English, Instructional Technology Resources. www.pecps.k12.va.us. Prince Edward County Public Schools.

Farmville, Virginia 23901.

434.315.2100. EOE

Juli Rogers, REALTOR 828.734.3668

JuliMeaseRogers@gmail.com 71 N. MAIN STREET | WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

828.564.9393

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10:30 am - 4:30 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

USE KENNEL DIP® To Treat Fleas, Ticks, Mange, Stable Flies & Mosquitoes Where They Breed. NC Clampitt Hardware, 828.488.2782, www.kennelvax.com

Carolyn Lauter

LOCAL NON-PROFIT SEEKS Part-Time Administrative Assistant for 21 Hours per Week.

Position Requires: Knowledge of Excel, Office Data Entry Skills, Positive Attitude & Attention to Detail. Send Resume to: director@haywoodarts.org FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Gunsmithing Instructor - Music Instructor -Network Management: Microsoft & Cisco Instructor. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com Human Resources Office Phone: 910.678.7342 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu.

An Equal Opportunity Employer.

BOATBUILDING CAREERS Bayliss Boatworks is Hiring!

Carpenters, painters, welders, electricians and CNC operators and programmers. Full-time work and great benefits. Visit: www.baylissboatworks.com/about/careers

REALTOR/BROKER CELL

828.734.4822

Carolyn@BHGHeritage.com

1986 SOCO ROAD HIGHWAY 19 MAGGIE VALLEY, NC

828.558.0607 CarolynLauter.com

BUDDY LOVE A CHIHUAHUA/RAT TERRIER MIX BOY ABOUT SEVEN YEARS OLD, WEIGHING RIGHT AT 10 LBS. HE IS FRIENDLY AND SWEET TO EVERYONE, ONCE HE GETS TO KNOW YOU, AND WILL BE A GREAT BEST FRIEND TO HIS NEW PERSON.

Climate Control FARLEY AN ADORABLE GRAY TABBY BOY ABOUT FOUR MONTHS OLD. HE IS FRIENDLY, AFFECTIONATE, AND VERY PLAYFUL! HE IS ALWAYS READY WITH A PURR WHEN ANYONE IS UP FOR A SNUGGLE.

Storage 48 SECURITY CAMERAS AND MANAGEMENT ON SITE

Sizes from 5’x5’ to 10’x20’

Climate Controlled

smokymountainnews.com

ROOFING: REPLACE OR REPAIR. All types of materials available.

Flat roofs too. www.highlandroofingnc.com From the Crystal coast, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Triad, and the Triangle.

252.726.2600, 252.758.0076, 910.777.8988, 919.676.5969, 910.483.3530, and 704.332.0555.

Highland Residential Roofing.

20 PEOPLE NEEDED!!

Ground Floor Opportunity! Experience History In The Making!! Free 3 Minute Recording Tells It All! 1.800.763.8168 or visit us at: www.healthyprosper.org

DRIVE WITH UBER. No experience is required, but you'll need a Smartphone. It's fun and easy. For more information, call: 1.800.655.7452 SAPA

EMPLOYMENT WORK FROM ANYWHERE You have an Internet connection.

13 positions available. Start as soon as today. As simple as checking your email. Complete online training provided. Visit website for details: https://bit.ly/2yewvor SAPA BROWN TRUCKING Is looking for COMPANY DRIVERS and OWNER OPERATORS. Brown requires: CDL-A, 2 years of tractor trailer experience OTR or Regional in the last 3 years, good MVR and PSP. Apply at: driveforbrown.com.

Or Call Brandon at 919.291.7416.

September 11-17, 2019

ELIMINATE GUTTER CLEANING Forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off and 0% financing for those who qualify.

PLUS Senior & Military Discounts.

Call 1.888.927.8649 SAPA

HAVE AN IDEA For an invention/new product?

We help everyday inventors try to patent and submit their ideas to companies! Call InventHelp®, FREE INFO! 866.783.0557 SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

WNC MarketPlace

HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

1106 Soco Road (Hwy 19), Maggie Valley, NC 28751

Call:

828-476-8999

MaggieValleySelfStorage.com torry@torry1.com Torry Pinter, Sr. 828-734-6500

Find Us One mile past State Rd. 276 and Hwy-19 on the right side, across from Frankie’s Italian Restaurant

43

WNC MarketPlace

Laura Thomas

BROKER ASSOCIATE —————————————

(828) 734-8478

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents

lthomas@beverly-hanks.com

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices/Great Smokys Realty - www.4Smokys.com Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com • Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com • Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com • Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com • Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com • Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com • Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com • Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com • Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com • Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com • Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com • Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com • Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com • Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com • John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com

Steve Mauldin

828.734.4864

smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St.,Waynesville

828.452.5809

beverly-hanks.com

September 11-17, 2019

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Scott Easler - seasler@kw.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com

Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com • Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

www.smokymountainnews.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest • Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com WNC Real Estate Store • Jeff Baldwin - jeff@WNCforMe.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 44

828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com

PROPERTY FOR SALE Build Your Dream Home Here!

4.6 Acres at 4,000ft. $44,500.

For More Information, Visit: www.WNCAwesomeViews.com RENT TO OWN Homes Available Now!! Why Rent When You Can Own! Bad Credit?

No Credit? No Problem! Call 844.275.0948. SAPA

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

• George Escaravage - george@IJBProperties.com ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com • Pam James - pjames@sunburstrealty.com • Marsha Block - marsha@weichertunlimited.com

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

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 GATED, LEVEL, ALL WOODED, 5+acre building lots, utilities available in S.E. Tennessee, between Chattanooga and Nashville. www.timber-wood.com Call now to schedule tour 423.802.0296 SAPA

Christie’s Ivester Jackson Blackstream

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com • Holly Fletcher - hollyfletcher1975@gmail.com • The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com • Ron Breese - ronbreese.com • Landen Stevenson- Landen@landenstevenson.com • Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com • Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net • Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net • David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com • Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

Ellen Sither esither@beverly-hanks.com (828) 734-8305

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 equal opportunity basis.

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

THREATENING FORECLOSURE? Call Homeowner's Relief Line now!

Free Consultation 844.359.4330 SAPA

WANTED TO RENT WANTED - HOUSE TO RENT Need 2 or 3 Bedrooms Furnished.

October 30th - January 31st Call 828.226.1501 If no answer, Please Leave Message.

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23

by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more information.

VACATION/ TRAVEL OFFER: Book Your Flight Today on United, Delta, American, Air France, Air Canada. We have the best rates.

Call today to learn more 1.855.613.1407 Mon-Fri:10:00am to 7:00pm Sat & Sun: 11:30 am to 7:00 pm (all times Eastern) SAPA

LAWN AND GARDEN BORING/CARPENTER BEE TRAPS No Chemicals, Poisons or Anything to Harm the Environment.

Handmade in Haywood County. 1 for $20, 2 or More for $15 each.

828.593.8321

CAVALIER ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR IMMEDIATE OPENINGS

Brian Noland

Offering 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments, Starting From $445.00 Section 8 Accepted - Rental Assistance When Available

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL PROFESSIONAL

bknoland@beverly-hanks.com

Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

828.734.5201

OFFICE HOURS:

74 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786

828.452.5809

Tuesday & Thursday 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.

50 Duckett Cove Road, Waynesville

Phone # 1-828-456-6776 TDD # 1-800-725-2962 USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender

FOR SALE

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

3 RIDING LAWN MOWERS 42 Inch Cut, Excellent Cond. $350 Each. Coleman 200 Scooter-brand new $375 Call 828.371.7629 WHEN YOU BUY A SMARTPHONE On AT&T Next Get A $250 AT&T Visa® Reward Card ! Limited Time Offer. More For Your Thing. (*Req's well-qualified credit. Limits & restr's apply.) Call US Now! 1.866.639.6524 or visit: www.250reward.com/NC SAPA

WANTED TO BUY CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash!

NEWER MODELS too! Call 1.866.508.8362. SAPA

ACCURATE & CONVENIENT Preventive health screenings from LifeLine Screening. Understand your risk for heart disease, stroke, and more before symptoms.

Special: 5 vital screenings only $149! 855.634.8538 FINANCIAL BENEFITS For those facing serious illness.

You may qualify for a Living Benefit Loan today (up to 50 percent of your Life Insurance Policy Death Benefit.) Free Info.

CALL 1.855.402.5487 SAPA METAL ON METAL HIP PATIENTS. Did you receive a metal-on-metal hip replacement? Have you had a recent revision surgery, or need one soon? Do you have questions about your legal rights? For a free, confidential consultation, call: Egerton Law, Greensboro, NC 800.800.4529. Ask for Attorney Lawrence Egerton or Attorney Emily Beeson www.EgertonLaw.com STAY IN YOUR HOME LONGER With an American Standard WalkIn Bathtub. Receive up to $1,500 off, including a free toilet, and a lifetime warranty on the tub and installation! Call us at 1.855.393.3307 or visit: www.walkintubquote.com/nc

SUDOKU

NEED HELP WITH FAMILY LAW? Can't Afford a $5000 Retainer?

Low Cost Legal Services- Pay As You Go- As low as $750-$1500.

Get Legal Help Now! Call Us at 1.855.982.0484 Mon-Fri 7am to 4pm (PCT) SAPA STILL PAYING TOO MUCH For your MEDICATION? Save up to 90% on RX refill! Order today and receive free shipping on 1st order prescription required. Call 1.866.577.7573 SAPA PUT ON YOUR TV EARS And hear TV with unmatched clarity. TV Ears Original were originally $129.95 - NOW WITH THIS SPECIAL OFFER are only $59.95 with code MCB59! Call 1.877.914.6068 SAPA WHEN YOU BUY A SMARTPHONE On AT&T Next Get A $250 AT&T Visa® Reward Card ! Limited Time Offer. More For Your Thing. (*Req's well-qualified credit. Limits & restr's apply.) Call US Now! 1.866.639.6524 or visit: www.250reward.com/NC

SUPER

CROSSWORD

DOUBLE-CHEDDAR ACROSS 1 Simple floater 5 Declare 11 Declines 15 Harvesting yield 19 Aruba, e.g.

20 Alfred E. -- (magazine mascot) 21 One-player card game 23 Pompom or megaphone?

25 Fine white gypsum 26 Actor Reeves 27 Cain or Abel, to Adam 28 Soft, white limestone used as cat litter?

29 Hen product 31 Give a casual greeting 34 Cup rim 35 Shortage of maraschinos in a busy cocktail bar?

42 It’s factual 46 Cyber-giggle 47 Dada artist 48 Act humanly 49 Petition 51 Golfer -- Aoki 52 Sothern of the screen 53 Roadies work on it 55 “This has me angry like a Prague native might be!”

58 It has pores 60 Poker option 62 Radio or TV spots 63 -- Rico 64 Certain Asian capital 66 Spay, e.g.

69 Fleur-de- -70 Slow-moving land reptile sitting on a recliner?

77 78 79 81 85 87 89 90

94 96 97 98 99 101 102 103 105 109 111 112 113

119 121 125 126 129 130 131 132 133 134 135

Arctic seabird Balances evenly Community hangouts “The King of Queens” actor Patton Mother of Cain and Abel Greek love god -- Le Pew (skunk toon) Areas where certain salad greens are grown?

Pet dog of Sgt. Snorkel Mailroom container Scented powder Brain tests, in brief “Well, how about that!”

“Say what?”

Walk- -- (brief roles) Fervency Map showing southern U.S. states?

Bit of A/V equipment Arrange Marshland Let some printed, glazed fabric fall to the floor?

Clandestine U.S. org.

Ghana’s capital Device used to store an electric charge Totally wild about grain husks?

Lifeless Sitting room Kemo -- (the Lone Ranger) How doodles are drawn Flies, to spiders Not alluring Special periods

DOWN 1 Singer Astley 2 Court king Arthur 3 Dog botherer 4 11th-grader, e.g., slangily 5 DiFranco of folk rock 6 Part of SLR 7 Actor Bela 8 Spring (from) 9 Tom yum -- (Thai soup) 10 With 43-Down, software buyer, e.g.

11 Morales of films 12 Door locker 13 Sheep’s call 14 Female seer 15 $1,000 award, say 16 Poet Dove 17 Dodger Hershiser 18 Exec’s extra 22 Unstated 24 Little ‘un 28 Model shop buy 30 Street cart sandwiches 32 Vostok 1’s Gagarin 33 Impair 35 Be at odds 36 Warn with a toot 37 Cause of odd weather 38 Orbiter in 1957 news 39 Apple’s Air, e.g.

40 Part of REO 41 3 R’s org.

43 See 10-Down 44 Social skill 45 Tubular snack cake 50 Molded jelly 54 Wishes one could undo 56 -- Gras 57 Like a really easy job 59 And not 61 Expected

65 67 68 69 71 72 73 74 75 76 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 88 91 92 93 95 100 104 106 107 108 110 113 114 115 116 117 118 120 122 123 124 126 127 128

Author Calvino Get narrower Rocker Brian African country Very unusual Mao -- -tung Deli sub Band blaster Fridge, old-style Broccoli-like vegetable See or touch Eight: Prefix -- -Pei Untamed Escort D-I link Rose holder Overfill Despite that Comic Jay Silvery fish “My, my!”

Mine vehicles Actress Christina Aunt’s son, informally Trinket Lest Orang’s kin 602, to Ovid -- McNally Pendant gem -- -TASS Memo Low card As sly as -Ruler of yore McEntire of music Fruit drinks PC’s core -- Solo Sob

ANSWERS ON PAGE 40

smokymountainnews.com

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 40 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

DISH NETWORK $59.99 For 190 Channels! Add High Speed Internet for ONLY $14.95/month.

Best Technology. Best Value. Smart HD DVR Included. FREE Installation. Some restrictions apply.

Call 1.855.419.7188 SAPA

September 11-17, 2019

FREON R12 WANTED: Certified Buyer Will Pay Ca$H For R12 Cylinders Or Cases Of Cans. www.refrigerantfinders.com, 312.291.9169

WELLNESS ADVOCATE mydoterra.com/blueridge wellness

SERVICES

WNC MarketPlace

SCENTSY PRODUCTS Your Local Independent Consultant to Handle All Your Scentsy Wants & Needs.

Amanda P. Collier 828.246.8468 Amandacollier.scentsy.us apcollier1978@gmail.com Start Own Business for Only $99

MEDICAL

45

Ancient Cherokees found protection from the cold

I

Smoky Mountain News

September 11-17, 2019

t’s only late summer but I’m already thinking about winter. We have heated and cooked with wood for quarter of a century now, so having a supply of kindling and firewood on hand has always been a priority.

Making it through most winters here in the Smokies region isn’t that big a deal. The lower elevations where most folks live (1,700 or so feet) don’t normally get a lot of snow and the temperatures only occasionally dip below zero. Even if we didn’t think it through, that’s part of the reason most of us chose to live in the southern extremities of the Blue Ridge. Once you get as far north as Boone or Blacksburg, Va., that scenario changes drastically.

The ancient Cherokees who settled in the Smokies and adjacent areas as well were no doubt well aware of the importance of winter weather and the stresses it can make upon a culture. Their settlement and housing patterns clearly reflect this awareness.

Charles Hudson, author of The Southeastern Indians (Knoxville: Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1976), has noted that “Although the winter temperatures drop below freezing in the Southeast, the Indians wore relatively little clothing ... and when they were outside they made it a virtue to

46

BACK THEN tolerate being cold and wet.” Oh how many times I have tried my very best to make a virtue out of being “cold and wet,” usually without any success whatsoever.

According to Jefferson Chapman’s Tellico Archaeology: American History (Knoxville: Tennessee Valley Authority, 1985), pre-historic Cherokee domestic Columnist buildings in the Smokies region were of three types: a small winter house; rectangular (often open-sided) structures attached to the winter house but designed for leisurely summer occupation; and sometimes, separate, rather large, rectangular (often partitioned) structures more substantial than summer houses but not as confining as winter houses. There were also townhouses (often situated atop ceremonial mounds), sweat lodges, storage buildings, menstrual huts, and corncribs.

Inside the winter houses were raised wooden seats or couches on which the inhabitants sat or slept. They were, as the Indian trader James Adair observed, “high enough that fleas could not reach them in

George Ellison

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in a September 2002 edition of The Smoky Mountain News.

one jump.” Each seat/couch was covered with split-cane mats and animal skins. A stone- or mud-lined hole in the center of the structure was usually excavated as a fire pit.

It was often the duty of the elderly, who remained inside more than younger members of the family, to maintain the fire throughout the day and bank it back at night. Fire tending was not an onerous task for the aged but a sign of prestige.

“Europeans who visited these winter houses complained of smoke and poor ventilation, but these buildings were able to maintain heat efficiently,” Hudson noted. “A small blaze or a few coals kept the winter house as warm as an oven. In fact, James Adair described the winter house as being like a ‘Dutch oven.’ Beneath their beds they stored pumpkins, winter squash, and other vegetables to protect them from frost.”

To my knowledge, the most significant description of Cherokee winter houses yet published was Charles W. Faulkner’s Origin and Evolution of the Cherokee Winter House, vol. 3, Journal of Cherokee Studies (Spring 1978), 87-93. Faulkner, a long-time archaeologist at the University of Tennessee, describes winter and adjacent summer homes excavated in Tennessee that date back to 75-440 A.D. Of interest are three winter houses that Faulkner calls “double-oven” winter houses because they were “unique” in that they each contained “two earth ovens on the floor

averaging 4.5 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep and filled with limestone blocks that served as a heating and cooking surface.”

The significance of these houses in general is that they are quite similar in relationship and construction to those subsequently built by people into the 18th century known to have been of Cherokee origin. The generally accepted date for the emergence of a distinctive Cherokee culture is about 1,000 years before the present in the Mississippian Period; so, if Faulkner was correct, that pushes their ancestral origins back almost 2,000 years before the present.

My guess is that Faulkner’s winter house builders do indeed represent a people who prefigured the Cherokees in this area. As with others, like anthropologist Roy Dickens, I have never fully bought into the concept that the Cherokees are a simply splinter group from the northern Iroquois Nation, who, for whatever mysterious reason, migrated south and became the “Cherokees.”

Linguistic evidence would seem to indicate some Iroquois input, but other material evidence indicates that the Cherokees are in part, at least, an amalgamation of people who had lived in the area for centuries.

At any rate, they were a people who had the good sense to come in out of the cold when winter arrived.

George Ellison is a writer and naturalist who lives in Bryson City. info@georgeellison.com

END OF SUMMER DEALS ARE HERE

2019 FORD RANGER 0% APR for 60 mos. +$1,500 Trade Assistance & $500 Bonus Cash Not all buyers will qualify for Ford Credit financing. 0% APR financing for 60 months at $16.67 per month per $1,000 financed regardless of down payment (PGM #21052). $500 Bonus Cash (PGM #13560) + $1,500 Trade-In Assistance Bonus Cash (PGM #37320). Vehicle must have arrived at dealer at least 61 days prior to the sale date. Trade Assist available to customers who currently own or lease a 1995 or newer vehicle who trade-in or have a lease expiring from 30 days prior to through 90 days after new retail delivery. Customer must have owned or leased the trade-in vehicle for a minimum of 30 days prior to the sale date of the new vehicle. Residency restrictions apply. For all offers, take new retail delivery from an authorized Ford dealer’s stock by 9/30/19. See dealer for qualifications and complete details.

0% APR for 72 mos. w/Ford Credit Financing +$1,500 Trade Assistance

2019 FORD ESCAPE Not all buyers will qualify for Ford Credit financing. 0% APR financing for 60 months at $16.67 per month per $1,000 financed regardless of down payment (PGM #21052). $1,000 Bonus Cash (PGM #13560) + $1,000 TradeIn Assistance Bonus Cash (PGM #37320). Vehicle must have arrived at dealer at least 61 days prior to the sale date. Trade Assist available to customers who currently own or lease a 1995 or newer vehicle who trade-in or have a lease expiring from 30 days prior to through 90 days after new retail delivery. Customer must have owned or leased the trade-in vehicle for a minimum of 30 days prior to the sale date of the new vehicle. Residency restrictions apply. For all offers, take new retail delivery from an authorized Ford dealer’s stock by 9/30/19. See dealer for qualifications and complete details.

I-40 EXIT 31, CANTON, NC

Smoky Mountain News

0% for 60 mos. +$1,000 Bonus Cash & $1,000 Trade Assistance

Not all buyers will qualify for Ford Credit financing. 0% APR financing for 72 months at $13.89 per month per $1,000 financed regardless of down payment (PGM #21062). Not available on Raptor. Trade Assist available to customers who currently own or lease a 1995 or newer vehicle who trade-in or have a lease expiring from 30 days prior to through 90 days after new retail delivery. Customer must have owned or leased the trade-in vehicle for a minimum of 30 days prior to the sale date of the new vehicle. Residency restrictions apply. Take new retail delivery from an authorized Ford dealer’s stock by 9/30/19. See dealer for qualifications and complete details.

September 11-17, 2019

2019 FORD F-150

828-648-2313 1-800-532-4631

www.kwford.com kenwilsonford@kwford.com

47

48

Smoky Mountain News September 11-17, 2019