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

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017 Vol. 19 Iss. 18

‘Haywood Five’ to face state GOP disloyalty charges Page 3 Vietnam vet reflects on service, new documentary Page 26

CONTENTS On the Cover: Legislators and industry experts recently spoke about the current state of the railroad business and how the future of railways could economically benefit Western North Carolina. (Page 6) A General Motors EMD GP-7 bearing the livery of the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad sits on a track in front of Canton’s Evergreen Packaging. Cory Vaillancourt photo

News ‘Haywood Five’ to face state disloyalty charges ........................................................3 Maggie Valley hosts vintage RV show ..........................................................................4 Macon Veterans Services to conduct Annual Stand Down ..................................9 Franklin meeting gets heated over ABC facility ......................................................10 Macon to receive $100,000 for community needs ..............................................12 Franklin doles out $40K in community funding ......................................................13 SCC launches weather balloon during eclipse ......................................................14 WCU total student enrollment tops 11,000 ............................................................15 Green air in the Blue Ridge ..........................................................................................16 Safety to improve at Bryson City intersections ......................................................18 Community Almanac ........................................................................................................21

Opinion Hand on heart or on bended knee — Americans all................................................22

A&E Vietnam vet reflects on service, new documentary ................................................26

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Highlands couple explores the outdoors ..................................................................42

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Paul Yeager (left) videotapes HCGOP Chairman Ken Henson as he walks in to a meeting of the HCGOP executive committee in August. Cory Vaillancourt photo

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Commissioners race; some local Republicans have in the past maligned Republican Commissioner Kevin Ensley for his votes on the Democrat-majority board.

Ensley, however, easily won re-election; Black finished dead last in the four-way race that also resulted in Republican Brandon Rogers winning the seat of retiring Mark Swanger, a Democrat, in a heavily Republican county that also saw a resounding Trump victory and losses by Dems across the board.

“The state party is obligated under its rules to prepare a report and, based on the evidence, present the evidence to the committee. We don’t have a choice in that matter,” Woodhouse said. “We anticipate that this matter will be dealt with in closed session of the NCGOP’s state executive committee — which has over 500 members — on Saturday, Nov. 11, at an already-planned meeting in Cary.”

Woodhouse added that any of the accused would be allowed to present a defense; Davis said he plans to, but hasn’t seen any of the evidence against him.

Yeager, on the other hand, may not get the opportunity to defend himself.

“It would be difficult to do so, as I have received a letter from NCGOP General Counsel Tom Stark banning me from all HCGOP meetings, HCGOP sponsored events, NCGOP headquarters in Raleigh, and all NCGOP owned or leased properties,”

“Everything the party has done surrounding this and general operations since the leadership change in February has been done in secret, closed sessions.”

— Jeremy Davis (pictured above), Haywood Republican Alliance

he said. “That would appear to make my appearance at that meeting grounds for a trespass charge.”

The letter from Stark titled “Notice of Trespass all North Carolina Republican Party properties and events” cites an allegation that Yeager was removed from the Haywood County Fairgrounds Aug. 24 after an incident with HCGOP Precinct Chair Ted Carr.

Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER harges of “political party disloyalty” first leveled by the Haywood County Republican Party this past May against a group of local Republican dissidents known as the “Haywood Five” will move forward to the state level, The Smoky Mountain News has confirmed.

According to documents obtained on condition of anonymity Sept. 20, North Carolina Republican Party 11th District Chairman Aubrey Woodard has asked members of the 11th District to sign and return “a District resolution in support of Haywood’s charges” against Eddie Cabe, Jeremy Davis, Monroe Miller, Richard West and Paul Yeager.

The district resolution sent by Woodard says that “the Haywood County Republican Party passed a resolution May 23, 2017, requesting that the North Carolina Republican Party take the “strongest possible action” against the five.

NCGOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse confirmed via phone Sept. 25 that the NCGOP had received a petition from the HCGOP alleging that a number of people had engaged in party disloyalty by supporting candidates other than Republicans in a general election.

The allegations center around supposed support of Democrat Robin Greene Black in last year’s Haywood County Board of

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

‘Haywood Five’ to face state disloyalty charges

“Your recent hostile behavior at the Haywood County Fair, directed at volunteers of the local party, necessitated your removal from these premises by the fair authorities,” the reads Sept. 19 the letter that confirms Yeager’s statements about where he is — and isn’t — allowed.

But a report filed by Haywood County Sheriff ’s Deputy Chris Strader says that Sheriff Greg Christopher, who was apparently present at the event, “advised Mr. Yager [sic] to stay away from Mr. and Mrs. Carr [sic] political booth to alleviate the need of banning him from the property.”

Carr’s civil case against Yeager has been continued to Oct. 4, but it’s not the first courtroom action between members of the groups; Miller had unsuccessfully brought suit against HCGOP Precinct Chairman Charles Douglas Wright after a confrontation last fall.

Miller was removed from his role as a HCGOP executive committee member earlier this summer on charges of gross inefficiency and political disloyalty; he refused to present a defense and walked out of his hearing after party officials told him he couldn’t record the proceedings.

These most recent political disloyalty charges against the Haywood Five are the latest episode in an increasingly acrimonious relationship between the mainstream county party and the faction now known as the Haywood Republican Alliance.

Members of the HRA insist the schism between them and the HCGOP isn’t about politics, per se; no one side lays claim to being more conservative, or more progressive, than the other.

It is instead a conflict fueled by strong personalities, personal animosity and concerns by the HRA about HCGOP transparency, especially after the members of what would become the HRA were ousted from HCGOP leadership this past winter, and scrutinized for disloyalty shortly thereafter.

“Everything the party has done surrounding this and general operations since the leadership change in February has been done in secret, closed sessions,” said Davis. “This is how the communist party handles business, not the GOP.” If the Haywood Five were to be found disloyal to the party, “they could be banned from engaging in party leadership for up to five years,” Woodhouse said Sept. 25.

Woodard’s resolution mailed to District 11 party members also specifically mentions “charges” brought by the HCGOP May 23 and asks the NCGOP to determine if the actions of Davis and the rest “rise to the level of party disloyalty.”

Sanctions handed down by the NCGOP could, in addition to the five-year ban, include banning any or all of the Haywood Five from holding party office, all the way from precinct level to state party chair.

The NCGOP could also deem the those named in the petition ineligible for support from the party should they run for state, local or federal election.

“It’s very frustrating, because no one has been more Republican red than me and the others charged,” Davis said. “I feel sorry for the district members that have repeatedly been lied to by the Haywood County Republican Party.”

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September is #FamilyMealsMonth – a good time to remind ourselves that enjoying a meal together as a family has many benefits, such as: 1. TALK - Encouraging communication and interaction between family members

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

2. TASTE – Eating a family meal at home means you are more likely to eat smaller portions and if you are cooking you can control nutritional intake.

3. TESTS – Studies show children who eat meals with the family often perform better on tests and do better in school.

HOW TO: 1. COOK – A family meal doesn’t mean you need to make your whole meal from scratch, just that you gather together around the table.

2. COMMUNICATE – Make it a “device-free” zone and spend time talking instead of texting or catching up on TV shows.

3. COMMIT – Commit to having a device-free

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family meal at

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least once a week.

Pick up the ingredients for your family meal at Ingles and make a date with YOUR family!

A 1968 Shasta 1500 appropriately named ‘Miss Daisy’ sits parked at the Stonebridge RV Resort in Maggie Valley Sept. 20. Cory Vaillancourt photo

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER loha. Aristocrat. Forester. Shasta.

Spartan. And of course, Airstream and Winnebago.

These iconic trailers all monikered with brand names evocative of a spirit of freedom, self-reliance and arboreal relaxation, but in the end of what they all symbolized was a piece of that middle-class American dream peculiar to the postwar period in American history.

That era saw an expanded Interstate highway system offer nearly limitless recreational opportunities to young working families who couldn’t afford airfare or a ticket on the Chattanooga Choo Choo, but could afford a small tow-behind with just enough room for the spouse and kids to sleep soundly after a full day of seeing the sights.

Today, vintage trailers are all the rage again; they’re affordable, practical and even fashionable, but it’s the camaraderie and the nostalgia that keeps these tin-can tourists together, and keeps them coming back to Maggie Valley’s Stonebridge RV Resort, year after year.

“We love vintage trailers. It’s just a really fun group of people to be around,” said Gatlinburg resident Jeff Hale.

Hale and travelling companion Lisa Bernard, of Norris, Tennessee, brought their vintage 1968 trailer to the Soco Road park to

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participate in the Southern Vintage Trailer Association’s “Fall into Vintage” rally Sept. 21.

“The great thing about this group is that when we do our public open houses, all of the money goes to charity,” Bernard said.

The event’s $5 entry fee allowed patrons access to a few dozen vintage RVs, trailers, campers and other such vehicles, with the money going for the fourth year in a row to local conservation group Haywood Waterways Association.

Haywood Waterways Executive Director Eric Romaniszyn characterized his organization’s relationship with the group as “great,” and that almost $2,500 was raised by the group this year — money that will be spent on youth education programs like Kids in the Creek.

“They keep coming back, and they like youth education,” he said. “Everyone I’ve met has been super nice.”

That amity seems to pervade even the vehicles themselves.

“It’s a camper, but it’s what she represents — it’s freedom, adventure, relaxation, connecting to nature and you get to see a lot of places a lot of people don’t get to see,” said Jody Bitzenhofer, who with her partner Joanna Payne owns a brilliant yellow can named “Miss Daisy.”

“She is a 1968 Shasta 1500 that we basically spent 18 months tearing down to the frame, and then built

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— Jody Bitzenhofer, “Miss Daisy” owner

Cory Vaillancourt photos

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

“Daisy’s very sentimental to us,” Bitzenhofer said. “She’s taken on her own persona. She even has her own Facebook page.”

It’s iconic, well-maintained trailers like Miss Daisy that draw the crowds that pay the entry fees, said Kimberly Hoke, a Spartanburg resident who serves as a coordinator for the group.

“This our eighth annual fall event, and our platform is to do this for charity,” she said of the group, which is not an actual business, charges no membership fee, and doesn’t even handle the charity cash. “That stays in the community, 100 percent of it.

We never touch the money. It all stays in the community.”

The allure, she said, is simple to understand.

“It’s nostalgia. It’s part of our history. My trailer is a 1969, and I also have a 1948.

When you walk in, you take a breath. There’s something about it, about stepping back into a time when life was just generally less stressful,” Hoke said. “I have people who come in to my trailer, and they’ll sit on the couch, and I’ll turn around and they’ll be in tears because a cup, or something reminded them of their grandfather, their aunt, or whoever. It’s not just about a trailer, it’s about a whole feeling.”

For more photos of some of the trailers at the Southern Vintage Trailer event, check out the photo gallery on www.smokymountainnews.com.

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FREE Oil Change & Service for Every Teacher in Macon County Just Our Way of Saying Thanks www.franklinford.net

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her up with my father,” Bitzenhofer said.

“We’ve taken her across country twice now, 10,000 miles per trip, and once before we rebuilt her.”

Miss Daisy was purchased for $2,900 but took another $10,000 to get her into her current immaculate condition; since then, she’s been everywhere from Banff to Maine, trips during which Bitzenhofer and Payne may spend up to five weeks living inside.

The barrier to entry for those hoping to experience the lifestyle Bitzenhofer and Payne share with Miss Daisy can be surprisingly low; currently listed on www.vintagecampertrailers.com is a fully restored1961 Trailblazer that withstood over 50 inches of rain during Houston’s Hurricane Harvey with no leaks.

Unfortunately its owners didn’t fare as well — the pink, orange and yellow trailer was “priced to sell fast” at $12,500.

Bitzenhofer and Payne also take Miss Daisy on about 15 shorter trips from her High Point home each year to regional destinations like Hot Springs, Myrtle Beach, and Jekyll Island.

“We even pull this out of our garage and sleep in it in the driveway sometimes, and have picnics in her,” Payne said. “If you’re having a bad day, it’s a great place to eat dinner.”

The interior of Miss Daisy has been lovingly restored to its period glory, including all the accouterments, like dishware.

“It’s a camper, but it’s what she represents — it’s freedom, adventure, relaxation, connecting to nature and you get to see a lot of places a lot of people don’t get to see.”

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A General Motors EMD GP-7 bearing the livery of the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad sits on a track in front of Canton’s Evergreen Packaging. Cory Vaillancourt photo

That light at the end of a tunnel may be a train Tourism, trade could grow with WNC railroad renaissance

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ong before the Oct. 3, 1880, arrival of the first scheduled train in Asheville, the American railroad has been romanticized in both story and song, on stage and on screen.

Trains took us to our baby, or away from our baby. Trains took us off to war, or home to peace. Trains opened vast swaths of the American West to settlement, bringing with them jobs, growth, trade and prosperity while quietly gliding over miles upon miles of cold steel rail.

But, when the last passenger train to leave Asheville lumbered eastward on Aug. 8, 1975, its lonesome whistle marked the end of an era in Western North Carolina.

Although nostalgic feelings for the old Asheville Special still endure, the advent of “just in time” shipping and ever-increasing locomotive efficiency has created a renewed focus on the economic and environmental benefits of ready access to rail networks.

Legislators and economic developers are 6

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eager to reap the economic benefits of the industry — as well as its effect on dependent industries and the communities they serve — but as with most things in mountainous Southern Appalachia, challenges with topography, timing and tender must be overcome if Asheville and points west are to see passenger and freight operations get back on track.

THE LAST TRAIN FROM ASHEVILLE When General Electric EMD-FP7 engine departed Asheville in 1975, it took with it more than just passengers — it also took with it a vital link to the outside world for Western North Carolina, which, west of Asheville, quickly becomes rugged, rural and remote.

The Southern Railway’s Asheville Special, bound for Salisbury, included a domed coach car that hearkened back to a more lavish, opulent age of American rail while simultaneously offering passengers stunning views of the landscape slowly rolling past the aluminum-framed windows.

But the decline of American manufacturing and the increase in economic stagnation during the 1970s had conspired to make both the domed car and the train itself symbols of a time that had long since passed.

Substantial aggravating factors also signaled the entire industry’s impending derailment.

“There had been a golden age of railroads, but as the interstate highway system developed, railroads began to lose market share,” said Paul Worley, former director of the Rail Division of the N.C. Department of Transportation and current vice president of Mott MacDonald, an engineering and development consulting firm.

During the robber-baron era of American railroading in the late 1800s, federal, state and local governments encouraged expansion by liberally granting to railroads huge parcels of land that could be used not solely for trackage, but also for stations, industries or, in some cases, entire towns.

In return, railroads were required to serve those communities, even at an operating loss.

Almost a century later, as boom towns dried up, stagnation set in, long-haul trucking expanded and the entire Rust Belt sank into a slow decline, many railroads could no longer bear the strain.

Communities began to suffer when railroads made service cuts that, as in Asheville, have yet to be restored.

But in the waning days of President Jimmy’s Carter’s sole term, he signed the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, named for West

Virginia Democratic Congressman Harley Staggers.

The Staggers Act dismantled significant portions of railroad regulatory structure, in place since the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887.

“That really began a change in the industry, and it has been very, very good for the industry,” Worley said.

Freed from the now-onerous requirement to operate in discord with market forces, railroads became more successful by abandoning unprofitable lines, in turn devastating smaller communities but preserving the core of the nation’s rail systems.

With those once-vital lines now hushed, railroads faced three options — sell them, rip them up, or let them lie.

Throughout the early 1980s, local governments fought abandonments, in essence begging railroads to remain.

“I think we went about 0 for 20,” Worley said.

A number of Western North Carolina lines were abandoned, in some cases forever; it’s estimated that today, more than 60 percent of all railroad track lain in the U.S. is gone.

But N.C.’s Rail Corridor Preservation Act of 1988 granted the NCDOT the ability to purchase railroads and preserve or revitalize critical rail corridors through condemnation.

NCDOT today owns over 100 miles of rail.

The Rail Division of NCDOT, where Worley served as director from 2013 until July 1 of this year, provides technical assistance to local governments and economic development groups to preserve freight and rail service to communities and customers across the state.

Current projects under the oversight of the Rail Division include a capacity-building project from Raleigh to Charlotte, including the construction of Raleigh’s soon-to-open Union Station and a maintenance facility in Charlotte.

Further state assistance is also available in the form of the Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Fund. First authorized in 2014, FRRCSI has provided $16 million in track improvements, $18 million in crossing and signal improvements, and $8 million in rail access improvements.

On a national level, the Federal Railroad Administration’s Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2014 requires states to compose a comprehensive rail plan every five years.

North Carolina’s most recent plan predates PRIIA, and should be updated within the next two years; the 2013 plan lists among its current goals for Western North Carolina preparing the Murphy Branch of the old Western North Carolina Railroad — built between Asheville and Murphy with convict labor from 1881 to 1894 — for increased activity related to agribusiness and economic development.

THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD Although the Norfolk Southern — successor to Southern Railways, which absorbed the Western North Carolina Railroad in 1894 — closed the Murphy Branch west of Dillsboro in the mid-

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Sen. Jim Davis (left) speaks during a panel discussion on rail in WNC with (left to right) Sen. Terry Van Duyn, Rep. John Ager and Rep. John Torbett Sept. 22. Cory Vaillancourt photo but Killian said he had briefed County Manager Ira Dove on the conference.

Killian cautioned that railroads wouldn’t expand their Haywood County presence until there is enough industry to support it.

One such place could be the former Lea Industries facility, located behind the new Ingles in Hazelwood, according to Mark Clasby of the Haywood Economic Development Council. He said that an old rail spur that had been torn up could be reinstalled relatively inexpensively.

He also said that passenger or excursion service would be most welcome and could revitalize Waynesville’s Frog Level district — something that would be great for tourism.

“We would like to see an excursion line come in to the area,” said Lynn Collins, executive director of the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority and member of the WNC Rail Committee. “Any additional rail service would be good for economic development.”

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad recently completed a restoration project on an old steam engine locomotive, which is already up and running and boasting the railroad’s number of excursions. File photo

1980s, it didn’t languish long; NCDOT’s first purchase after the Staggers Act and under the Rail Corridor Preservation Act was that portion of the branch.

That purchase continues to have economic consequences that endures throughout the region.

“The real game changer was the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad,” said Worley of the mostly-excursion carrier now based in Bryson City.

The GSMRR gained trackage rights between Dillsboro and Andrews from the NCDOT, but then purchased the track in 1996.

In 2014, Norfolk sold the Asheville to Dillsboro portion of the Murphy Branch to Kansas-based short line operator Watco, which also in 2014 created the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad.

Canton-based Blue Ridge Southern’s largest customer is also one of Haywood County’s largest employers, Evergreen Packaging. So close is their association that the BRSRR’s office is located practically on the grounds of the century-old paper mill.

“If they need something, they just walk across the street, bang on the door and we

service them,” said Darl Farris, general manager of Blue Ridge Southern. “Evergreen is a demanding customer, and they have every right to be. We’re an integral part of their business. We see them walk to work. We see them go. We hear the lunch whistle blow.”

“They’re of the utmost importance,” said Zeb Smathers, an alderman in Canton where the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad is based and serves its largest customer, Evergreen Packaging. “They’ve been a great community partner since they’ve been here.”

Watco is the nation’s largest private owner of shortline railroads, operating 37.

With 93 miles of track in WNC, its BRSRR connects with the NS in Asheville and also serves one of Jackson County’s major employers, Jackson Paper.

Around 34 employees work for the railroad; all are based locally.

“We’re part of this community,” Farris said. “It’s a lot more than a business. It’s a lifestyle.”

Excursion railroads like the GSMR also offer a lifestyle of sorts for rail buffs who trav-

BIG WHEELS ROLLIN’

Smoky Mountain News

To have a local senator chair the Senate’s Transportation Committee is a huge bonus for WNC, but the region is well represented in the legislature.

Asheville’s Democratic Sen. Terry Van Duyn is a member of Davis’ committee and was also at the event.

“I think for Americans, trains are in our DNA. They totally changed life in America,” said the Chicago native who once flipped burgers in her family’s train-themed restaurant.

Burnsville Republican Rep. Michele Presnell, who was not at the conference, lends further local influence in the House, where she co-chairs the Appropriations —

Transportation Committee.

Gaston County Republican Rep. John Torbett, who participated with Davis and Van Duyn, is one of four co-chairs of the House Transportation Committee, along with Cleveland County Republican Kelly Hastings.

The final panelist, Fairview Democratic Rep. John Ager, serves on the House’s powerful Appropriations Committee.

Asheville Republican Congressman Mark Meadows sits on the U.S. House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and wasn’t present, but did have a representative in the crowd.

With all that local influence in all the right places, WNC is nicely positioned to take advantage of opportunities to bolster its rail economy.

“Obviously the county’s interested in rail,” said Haywood County Attorney Chip Killian, who attended the conference.

Haywood County government doesn’t have a representative on the WNC rail committee,

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ne needn’t look further than industries like Sylva’s Jackson Paper, Canton’s Evergreen Packaging and Waynesville’s Giles Chemical for evidence of how rail access benefits the economy in small Western North Carolina towns.

Thus it’s no surprise that there’s a substantial group of regional players looking to maintain and expand its presence in the area.

“We’re trying to jump start the whole initiative of rail in the region,” said Ray Rapp, co-chair of the WNC Rail Committee, which is charged with promoting the improvement and expansion of rail in the region.

Rapp is a former mayor of Mars Hill and a former four-term N.C. House member who helped lead the WNCRC’s Railroads and Regional Economic Development Conference Sept. 22 in Asheville, where a group of almost 100 economic developers, nonprofit leaders and railroad industry executives — from companies large and small — joined local legislators to discuss transportation priorities in North Carolina.

“Swain County has the highest sales tax income of any county in my district, which is impressive,” said Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, who was part of a legislative panel discussion at the conference. “The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad has really put them on the map, and if you visited Bryson City 20 years ago, you’d be amazed today.”

Davis represents all counties west of

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Regional leaders work for rail growth

Buncombe and chairs the Senate Transportation Committee.

“I think that’s why Sen. Berger appointed me to the Transportation Committee — I do 630 miles a week on the highways,” he joked, referring to his drive from Raleigh to Franklin during the legislative session.

All freight, Davis noted, stops in Jackson County, with Jackson Paper in Sylva.

“Freight’s not economically viable due to millions needed in bridge and trestle repair needs,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean Davis is opposed to prioritizing transportation; he said he’s heading to Washington, D.C., soon to discuss federal funds for dredging.

“We have many transportation challenges. It’s fascinating to me. So much of our transportation challenges are data-driven,” he said, noting that as a practicing orthodontist, he prefers fact-based decision-making.

“I don’t like to spend money,” he said. “I like to invest money. Show me the data.”

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development projects requires rail, but the ones that do, really do.”

Van Derzee’s job is to help industries find and develop rail connections, and there’s plenty of opportunity for him to do so. CSX operates 21,000 miles of track across 23 states and the District of Columbia as well as in two Canadian provinces, and has access to two-thirds of the U.S population.

In North Carolina, CSX operates 1,800 miles of track and has major terminals in Hamlet and in Rocky Mount.

When rail-dependent economic development projects come to a community, Originally built in 1942 for service in World War II, Steam Engine 1702 is back in commission after Swain County they’re usually of the Commissioners voted to give the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad a $700,000 grant to help restore the engine. type that brings high Jackson TDA photo capital investment, a high employment count and relatively high wages.

RAILROAD, CONTINUED FROM 8 Such projects, however, need developable el to the region eager to re-experience — or, contiguous acreage, access to utilities and experience for the first time — what rail travproximity to interstate highways. el might have been like during the days of the “Railroaders like nice, straight, flat, level Asheville Special, the California Zephyr or heavily on grants and volunteers. The average land. We don’ t have that here,” he laughed. industry margin is just 6 percent. the Long Island Cannonball.

“When prospects come looking for a site, you The 2013 N.C. rail plan lists re-opening can’t say, ‘Well, I’ll find it for you.’ You have to David Huskins is the president of Ridgetop Associates and does governmental the currently unused Andrews to Murphy be ready, and the local economic developaffairs work for the GSMR; he says that a pre- portion of the Murphy Branch as a mid-level ment folks are always the ones who take the recession economic impact report by priority with a six to 10 year timeline and a Western Carolina University estimated $46 cost of more than $16 million, but Van Camp suggested Watco explore excursion trains on million in spending related to WNC rail.

With indirect spending in dependent and its own portion of the Murphy Branch.

“This industry is huge, and it continues to associated sectors like retail and tourism, that grow,” he said. figure swells to $62 million.

Robert Van Camp, creator and producer of the Emmy-winning public television series ONG TRAIN RUNNING Great Scenic Railway Journeys, attested to the economic opportunity present in excursion There are roughly 550 short line railrailroads. roads in the U.S., with maybe 20 in North “I’ve been covering this industry for 25 Carolina. While these short lines like the years, and when you combine passenger and Blue Ridge Southern often perform importourist railroad operations, the economic tant first mile-last mile service to customers, impact is tenfold depending on the location they still pale in comparison to the so-called and the operator,” Van Camp said.

“Class I” railroads.

There are over 500 tourist railroad museWithout these gigantic operators like the Shortline railroad Blue Ridge Southern proums in North America; Van Camp said the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe, Canadian vides a vital link between Evergreen attractions have experienced tremendous National, Canadian Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Packaging, its suppliers, and customers growth over the past quarter-century.

Southern and Union Pacific, short lines around the world. Cory Vaillancourt photo Special events like dinner trains or trips would be little more than a loose confederacentered around popular entertainment like tion of isolated corridors that don’t really the movie Polar Express or the television connect to anything else. lead on finding those sites.” show Thomas the Tank Engine also greatly As an example, Van Derzee cited a 350Class I carriers bear the brunt of traffic bolster the excursion industry. across North America; across North acre site in Cleveland County, near Shelby, “More than 72,000 people visited the Carolina, that traffic is borne by the NS and that was the focus of substantial investment GSMR in 2016,” Huskins said. “Those events CSX, meaning that the two carriers have a and endured many disappointments, but [like the Polar Express] also happen in the vested interest in attracting, maintaining and finally landed a major manufacturer and with slowest time in tourism here, which helps encouraging the growth of local industry. it that “big fish” many developers spend a keep up employment during the offseason.”

“Rail business is important from an eco- career courting.

Excursion railroading is a $2.5 billion nomic development standpoint,” said Jim Norfolk Southern, on the other hand, has industry for operators alone, but the majority Van Derzee, director of industrial develop- been a pioneer in intermodal operations — 8 of operators are nonprofit groups that rely ment at CSX. “Only one in 10 economic containerized loads that can move from rails

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

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to river to roads to regional airports without repacking.

“We have the most extensive intermodal network in the Eastern United States,” said Grant Cothran, manager of Intermodal Development.

With three regional hubs — Atlanta, Charlotte and Greensboro — the NS gives manufacturers that move commodities along its 20,000 route miles in 20 states an important competitive advantage.

Rail transport continues to be the most efficient means of moving freight across land; a ton can travel 450 miles on just one gallon of fuel. It’s four times more efficient than trucking, produces 75 percent less greenhouse gases and keeps more than 300 trucks from damaging county roads with their heavy loads each day.

That may be one of the biggest advantages in any nation’s rail infrastructure — the burden it lifts from the nation’s highway infrastructure.

The American Society of Engineers recently gave the U.S. transportation infrastructure a grade of D-plus; highway demand has reached or exceeded capacity in many areas, producing 7 billion hours a year wasted in traffic and $200 billion wasted in time and fuel.

The ASE estimates that it would take more than $4 trillion just to refurbish infrastructure to meet current demands.

“This system is not without its challenges and we all know that,” said Bill Henderson, chief commercial officer of Arrow Materials Services. “We’ve reached a point in this country where we’ve kicked the can down the road long enough.”

Arrow is in the business of transloading — moving commodities from rail cars to warehouses or other transportation modalities within the nation’s transport infrastructure of airports, highways, pipelines and seaports.

“Wall Street is demanding that Class I carriers reduce cost structure and optimize multimodal conveyance,” he said. “It’s precision railroading.”

While fracking and relatively cheap domestic energy have created a supportive environment for U.S. manufacturing and therefore the rail industry as well, the continuing decay of the nation’s transportation infrastructure may be what ultimately sidetracks the growth of a robust rail economy in WNC. In grading that infrastructure, the ASE gave railroads a B, but as with any such system so intricately interconnected, it’s only as good as its weakest part.

One of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises that may yet see strong bipartisan support is his $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, which would leverage $200 billion in direct federal spending into $1 trillion over the next 10 years.

“Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports and railways gleaming across our beautiful land,” he told Congress Feb. 28.

While Trump’s proposal alone may not bring back the days of the Asheville Special, Norfolk Southern’s Cothran is nevertheless optimistic about the future of railroading along the Murphy Branch.

“All of WNC is very well positioned to leverage that we’ve built,” he said.

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lies will be able to come in off the streets and receive basic social services from a variety of community and government agencies. These services include (but are not limited to): • Medical, dental and vision exams and care • Mental health and substance abuse counseling • Veterans and Social Security benefits identification and assistance • Employment housing and assistance • Legal assistance • Haircuts, hot showers, along with breakfast and a hot lunch • Podiatrist and chiropractor care “This year, we will be having two dental buses on site to provide dental care, doubling the number of veterans we were able to serve last year,” Tabor said.

The MCVSO noted the hot lunch would be provided by a group effort of local churches through the Macon Baptist Association. Additionally, the VA regional office from Winston-Salem will be on site to provide help with benefit claims and questions, “something we never had before,” Tabor said.

Veterans attending the Stand Down are encouraged to bring their VA identification card or DD-214 if possible.

“If you know of a veteran who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, who struggles to get by and cannot afford proper care, please encourage them to attend this event,” Tabor said.

For any other questions regarding the Stand Down, contact Tabor or Christie Black in the MCVSO at 828.349.2151.

Inc. for a free, in-person appointment at 800.627.1548.

Mountain Projects, Inc. has announced that effective Sept. 18, the Health Care Navigator program is again available to consumers.

Navigators were laid off in early September due to a cut in funding for the National 2017-18 grant cycle for federally funded marketplace programs, but now staff is available to serve the seven western counties as well as the Qualla Boundary.

Despite the drastic funding cuts, Mountain Projects will continue to ensure the best customer service in Marketplace health insurance enrollments and re-enrollments, year round assistance and exemptions.

Open Enrollment for 2018 has been shortened to Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.

Appointments will be limited and abbreviated to ensure as many people as possible can receive help. Now is the time to update your account and make an appointment to enroll for 2018 coverage.

Call a Navigator at Mountain Projects,

Veterans assistance available Oct. 4 The next Western North Carolina Veterans Resource Assistance Clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 4 at Western Carolina University (WCU) Education Outreach, 138 Camp Building, Cullowhee.

Veterans will be offered face-to-face explanations and assistance facilitating and expediting existing claims and appeals; help with filing new claims; information regarding benefit-related VA programs and answers to health care and eligibility questions.

For questions, visit http://www.benefits.va.gov/winstonsalem/ or call Megan Hekman Miller at 336.251.0362.

The clinic is presented by the Department of Veterans Affairs in cooperation with Western Carolina University, Jackson County and U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows.

• • • •

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BY KURT J. VOLKER CONTRIBUTING WRITER n cooperation with regional, state and federal veterans departments, the Macon County Veterans Services Office will conduct its fourth annual Veterans Stand Down from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building, 1288 Georgia Road, in Franklin.

Originally, in times of war, exhausted combat units requiring time to rest and recover were removed from the battlefields to a place of relative security and safety, hence the term “stand down.” Today, Stand Down refers to a community-based intervention program designed to help the nation’s estimated 200,000 homeless veterans “combat life on the streets.”

Since the nation’s first Stand Down in San Diego in 1988, the Stand Down concept has been duplicated across the country with approximately 200 Stand Down events held nationwide each year serving more than 42,000 of this country’s homeless and at-risk veterans, according to the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans.

The one-day event in Franklin is geared toward veterans in the seven most western counties (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain) and surrounding areas.

“While the program targets those veterans who are low-income, homeless, or ‘at risk,’ no veteran will be turned away,” said Leigh Tabor, director of the Macon County Veterans Service Office (MCVSO).

Set up like a military base camp, homeless and at-risk veterans as well as their fami-

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Macon Veterans Services to WAYNESVILLE TIRE, INC. conduct Annual Stand Down • Tires

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Franklin Town Council meeting got heated as the mayor and aldermen disagreed over what steps the town should take regarding the current lease on the ABC Store.

Alderman Joe Collins pointed out that now would be a good time to explore other location options for the ABC Store since the current building lease in the Macon Plaza expires in November 2018. With the current lease costing more than $100,000 a year, Collins said he’d like to explore less expensive alternatives.

“We have a year to explore opportunities — the space is great but it’s more square footage than needed by about 1,000 feet or so,” he said. “If we do nothing we can expect to get no better of a deal than what we have now.”

With the ABC Store needing a minimum of 5,000 square feet and considering building costs right now, Collins said he believed the town could find a lot to build on and have a new building that could be paid off in seven years with the $100,000 a year it currently spends on the lease.

Collins said he tried to raise the same issue last year and just the mention of it has the current landlord wondering what the town is going to do about the lease. His suggestion was for the town board to begin work-

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

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ing closely with the ABC board to consider other options.

“At the very least if no decision is made I’m satisfied it would be useful when it’s time to renegotiate,” Collins said. “If we don’t do something quick our hands will be tied and the landlord will have all the leverage.”

Todd Mason, manager of the Franklin ABC Store, said he had explored other options but none of them had been a good fit for the store for one reason or another whether it was location or cost.

The K-Mart shopping center has offered space but the cost is high for being in a location with relatively low volumes of traffic — same thing with the former Walmart shopping plaza.

“The current lease — do I think it’s a little high? Yes. Do I think its unreasonable compared to other lots — no sir, because I’ve checked,” Mason said.

Collins suggested appointing a town board member to serve as a liaison to the ABC board to begin discussions about the lease and other alternatives.

Mayor Bob Scott said he didn’t think that was necessary. Since the ABC board meetings are subject to public meeting laws just like the town council, he said anyone — including town council members — are allowed to attend and offer their opinions on the matter.

“If this board is willing to believe any one of us can go to a meeting and start working

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with them on other options that ain’t happening,” Collins said in a more forceful tone.

“This is way too much per year at a location that’s not going to be as good in the future as it is now.”

Scott said none of the town board members had a right to go to the ABC board meetings and make the board do anything, as it is a separate board appointed by the town council to conduct business.

Town Councilmember Adam Kimsey said he didn’t care if it was in the form of an official liaison but he would hate to miss the opportunity to begin the conversation with the ABC board members.

Collins insisted an appointment would be the best way to ensure the town is heard on the issue.

“Don’t say you can’t do it legally,” Collins said to Mayor Scott.

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The Franklin Town Council is discussing the possibility of finding a new location for the ABC Store currently located in the Macon Plaza.

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Franklin meeting gets heated over ABC facility

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“We instinctively know it’s not going to happen if we don’t appoint someone. If you don’t want to fight the battle, just say you don’t want to fight the battle.”

Scott replied by saying Collins was the one who wanted to take on the ABC Store “battle” back when he was mayor of Franklin.

“You were in favor of building a big building and the public got riled up about it,” Scott said. “I think we need some cooling off.”

Scott advised the town councilmembers to keep up with the issue and attend the ABC board meeting if they wished.

Mason invited Collins to attend the next ABC board meeting and that the board members would be happy to discuss any ideas for a new location. The ABC board meets at 8 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.

The ABC Store location issue has been a reoccurring one in Franklin. The store has been located in the Macon Plaza since 1994 and the last attempt to move the store back in 2012 failed. Under the leadership of former Town Manager Sam Greenwood and

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former Mayor Joe Collins, the town planned to spend $1.25 million on a new storefront next to the Super Walmart to increase visibility and drive more sales, which ultimately benefits the town coffers.

The plan drew criticism from many residents — some believed the price tag was too high and others thought a new store should be closer to a downtown area and not in a strip mall on the outskirts of town.

The plan was ultimately shut down when BB&T denied the town a bank loan stating that relying on liquor sales to make the monthly payments was too volatile to commit to a 20-year loan. The town board at the time, which included Scott, wasn’t willing to pledge tax revenue as collateral for the loan.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

With the ABC Store needing a minimum of 5,000 square feet and considering building costs right now, Franklin Alderman Joe Collins said he believed the town could find a lot to build on and have a new building that could be paid off in seven years with the $100,000 a year it currently spends on the lease.

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Macon to receive $100,000 for community needs

An artist rendering shows what the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin will look like when Macon County completes renovations. Donated photo

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Commissioners to put money toward community center 79 WAYNESVILLE PLAZA WAYNESVILLE

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR acon County will receive $100,000 to be used for “community purposes” thanks to help from Sen. Jim Davis, RFranklin.

County Manager Derek Roland recently explained to commissioners that during the last state budget negotiations, each senator was given $100,000 to put toward a nonprofit of their choice. As a former Macon County commissioner, Davis thought the Macon County Community Funding Pool committee would be the best bang for his buck since it awards funds to many local nonprofits.

However, the committee is not technically

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set up as a nonprofit — it’s an advisory committee appointed by the commissioners to award grants to community nonprofits providing services for county residents.

“Originally we thought this would be great for the community funding pool but as we got into the details of the contract we realized we can’t do that because the community funding pool (commitJim Davis tee) is an advisory board — not a fiduciary — so it can’t accept funds in that manner,” Roland told commissioners.

His second thought was to have the county enter into the contract with the State Budget Office so it could claim the funding and then use it for the community funding pool, but the contract stipulations for the county raised some red flags.

“The county would be responsible for the actions of the sub-grantees,” Roland said, adding that the nonprofits receiving funds from the $100,000 pot of money would be required to carry hefty liability insurance as well. “We felt like some of the people applying for funds would be able to meet those requirements, but others wouldn’t — so that was an equity issue that gave us some concern.”

Lastly, the organizations applying for money would have to be a 501c3 nonprofit and some of the organizations the county has supported in the past are not 501c3 charities but still assist Macon County residents.

With the contract complexities, Roland said he then turned toward looking to put the $100,000 into a project that benefits the entire county. During the budget process in May, the county commissioners allocated more than $600,000 of its fund balance to complete a renovation project at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building.

The building offers community space for public meetings and gatherings, youth sports, senior activities, gem mining shows, and more. The renovation project included a new roof and flooring, new energy-efficient lighting, new bathrooms, new equipment and furniture and improved sidewalks surrounding the building. The project also improved ADA accessibility in the building.

All that’s left to do is award a contract for the landscaping around the community building. After that work is done, Roland said the building should be ready for the public some time in October.

Roland suggested to commissioners that they use the $100,000 from the state to complete the work on the community building.

The county will receive the funding on a reimbursement basis after submitting the invoices to the state at the end of the quarter.

“I think that’s a good idea, but I can’t help but to think of other communities like Nantahala and Highlands who don’t benefit as much from the community building in Franklin,” said Commissioner Karl Gillespie.

After further discussion, the commissioners decided to use the state funding to complete the project instead of taking money from the fund balance. Commissioner Ronnie Beale advised the finance department to submit the invoices to the state as soon as possible as reimbursement could be a slow process.

Swain schools names interim superintendent The Swain County Board of Education has named Janet Clapsaddle as interim superintendent of schools after the retirement of Superintendent Sam Pattillo.

Clapsaddle, the current Director of Curriculum and Instruction with Swain County Schools, will begin her new role on Monday, Oct. 2. She has been with Swain County Schools for 36 years and has served in a variety of roles during that time, including a teacher’s aide, teacher, assistant principal, principal as well as the director of curriculum and instruction.

“I am both honored and humbled to have been selected by the board,” Clapsaddle said. “The most important thing for me is to continue the values and priorities that we are curJanet Clapsaddle rently pursuing in our school system.”

Pattillo gave his resignation notice Aug. 14 after serving as superintendent for four years and working for the school

system for nearly 30 years. He started out as a seventh-grade social studies teacher before moving on to serve as principal at West Swain Elementary School and then later coached and taught at Swain High School before being promoted to the central office.

Upon his retirement, the school board made it clear they wanted to fill the position with someone whose leadership mimicked Pattillo’s. Applications for the position were accepted through Sept. 15 and are still in the process of reviewing candidates.

Franklin doles out $40K in community funding

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR very year the Franklin Town Council struggles to meet the needs of the community with only $40,000 to spend on nonprofit requests.

This year, 13 local charities requested a total of $52,250, which meant the town board had to make some hard choices. Not every organization can get what it wants, but hopefully will get what is needed in the end.

One applicant’s request caused some tension and disagreement between the board and Mayor Bob Scott. Macon New Beginnings, a newer nonprofit working toward addressing the issue of homelessness in Macon County, requested $3,750 from the town to cover the rental fees on the community building at Memorial Park.

Macon New Beginnings President Bob Bourke told the board that the nonprofit rents the community building every Thursday night for its Serving Spoon program, which provides a free meal to anyone in the community.

However, Scott said he wasn’t sure if the board should commit the community building to one group for an entire year since the rental is suppose to be available on a first-

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come, first-serve basis. He also said the board would be setting a bad precedent by basically waiving the fee on the building for one group.

“If we granted this, how can we not waive the fee for any other group that comes to us?”

Scott asked.

Bourke said Macon New Beginnings wasn’t asking to waive the fee — it’s asking for funding from the town’s community pool to use toward paying the rental fees so the town would be getting the money right back.

When asked about who comes to eat every Thursday night, Bourke said an average of 34 people attend every week and different churches donate the meals. While there are no criteria of who can come eat, he said many people are the poor, elderly or disabled residents who come to enjoy a hot meal and fellowship with others in the community.

“It might be the only sit down meal where they get to chat with others — we’re helping them feel like part of the community,” Bourke said.

Town Councilmember Barbara McRae said she didn’t think it would set a precedent that the board couldn’t handle — anyone wanting a waived fee would have to come before the board and prove they were meeting a community need. However, she agreed that she didn’t think this instance was the same as waiving the fee.

“I don’t care how you’re putting it — you’re asking us to waive the fee and allow

you to use it every Thursday night — 50 Thursdays a year,” Scott said.

“If it’s to help people have a good meal I’m OK with that,” said Town Councilmember Joe Collins.

After further discussions, the town board decided to grant Macon New Beginnings $3,750 with the understanding the group would still need to reserve the space in advance to allow other groups the same opportunity. The funding can also be used to rent another space if the community building isn’t available.

The town board decided not to grant a $1,500 funding request from Mountain Mediation Services, an organization offering affordable mediation and conflict resolution services to the seven most western counties. The funds would have gone toward funding a Macon County coordinator position, but the town’s community funding policy does not allow for the funding of operational expenses.

The board also denied a $5,000 request from Men’s Teen Challenge of the Smokies, a Christian-based rehabilitation program for men struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

“It’s not located in town and it only serves men — I don’t know if it’s a good fit,” Scott said.

Town Attorney John Henning Jr. agreed that giving the nonprofit $5,000 could be

considered discriminatory since the program only serves men.

Lastly, the town board decided not to fund a $1,000 request from Streets of Franklin Heritage Association to purchase fall and spring themed light pole decorations to hang downtown.

While beautifying downtown Franklin is important to the town board, it just didn’t reach the level of helping people, which is what the community funding is geared toward.

“That was the one I’m less inclined to support,” said Town Councilmember Brandon McMahan. “… It’s less important than helping people out.”

At that point the board had narrowed down the requests to under $45,000. Collins suggestion was to approve the remaining requests at a reduced percentage across the board to meet the $40,000 threshold.

“I don’t have a vote, but I was hoping to avoid that this year — we’ve done it in the past — not sure that’s fair,” Scott said.

Collins made the motion anyway and the board voted in favor to approve all other requests at a reduced percentage. Nonprofits to receive funding include Appalachian Animal Rescue Center, Macon County Arts Council, Community Care Clinic, KIDS Place, Macon County Care Network, Macon County Historical Society Museum, Macon New Beginnings, Read2Me, Scottish Tartans Museum and the Literacy Council.

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Behind the scenes of SCC’s high-altitude weather balloon launch on eclipse day

BY J ULIA HARTBARGER SCC PUBLIC R ELATIONS little time has passed since the Great American Solar Eclipse on Aug. 21, but the memory will always be there for myself and millions of others who were fortunate enough to witness the celestial event of a lifetime.

While everyone was getting ready to view the eclipse in various places, I was in Anderson, S.C., with Southwestern Community College’s high-altitude weather balloon team snapping pictures as they prepared to launch about an hour before totality.

I had watched the team launch several times before, but this day felt different; SCC was one of only 50 teams chosen by NASA

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

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to launch tens of thousands of feet in the air to capture images and video of Earth’s shadow during the eclipse.

We arrived at TriCounty Technical College shortly before 10 a.m., and I took picJulia Hartbarger tures as the team laid out all of the equipment and tested the connection before they started filling the balloon with helium as the clock approached 1 p.m.

Only a few seconds after launch, the payloads broke off from the balloon and fell to the ground. The balloon kept going up into

the atmosphere, and my heart broke. The team had worked so hard and prepared for so long for this moment, and I thought it was ruined.

That’s when I looked over at the team, and they were already pulling a spare balloon out of their equipment box and filling it with helium. I was so impressed with how calm the team remained throughout the failed first launch and the impending second launch.

The second balloon took off without a hitch, and it was so rewarding to watch the balloon as it got higher and higher into the sky before it finally was out of view.

After we watched the eclipse, I left with the “chase team” to go retrieve the balloon.

This is when things got interesting. We were tracking the balloon’s GPS to see where it would land, and - from all accounts - it looked like the balloon had landed in the Lake Hartwell.

That meant the team would have an extremely difficult time trying to retrieve it. After driving around for about 15 minutes, we got a phone call saying that the payloads had been recovered and the people that found it would meet us at the dock.

We got to the dock and lo and behold retired NASA scientists who saw the payloads fall out of the sky and land in the water were the ones that retrieved the equipment.

They drove the boat over to the spot where the payloads landed (intact) and picked

everything up out of the water and saw SCC’s contact information.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

We talked to the scientists and their families, and the team explained how the launch was a NASA funded project as I snapped a few pictures of the group with the payloads and the remnants of the balloon.

Eclipse day was one of lots of ups and downs for the team, but it ended well and they learned a lot about the launch and made some new NASA friends in the process.

I am so fortunate to have been a part of not one but two amazing events, and I look forward to what the balloon team has instore for the future.

SCC was one of only 50 teams chosen by NASA to launch tens of thousands of feet in the air to capture images and video of Earth’s shadow during the eclipse.

Diane E. Sherrill, Attorney

Smoky Mountain News

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Macon RentalCo. WCU total student enrollment tops 11,000

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS AND VOLUNTEERS WITH THIS YEAR’S BIG SWEEP EVENT: Tennessee Valley Authority Town of Waynesville Haywood Community College Thank You to Our Volunteers: Haywood Community College Wildlife Club Haywood Waterways Volunteers Best Buy Associates Our volunteers removed 2,205lbs. of trash during this year’s Big Sweep event.

Trash in our streams is an ongoing problem.

Get involved with cleanups by adopting a stream or signing up for stream cleanup events!

Contact Christine O'Brien at 828-476-4667 ext. 11 or christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com

Smoky Mountain News

until after the 10th day of classes, referred to as “census day.” Even then, the numbers are not considered final until any errors have been corrected and the files have been submitted to UNC General Administration.

Census statistics also show that the total number of students taking classes in Cullowhee increased by 1.73 percent, up to 8,397 this fall from 8,254 last year.

Enrollment at WCU’s instructional site at Biltmore Park grew 11.48 percent, with 641 students taking classes in Asheville this semester compared to 575 in fall 2016.

Enrollment in distance education classes rose by 3.33 percent, to 2,046 students this year, up from 1,980 students last year.

While staff members in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions may be quietly celebrating yet another year of record enrollment, they are not resting on their laurels. Instead, with students at WCU now entering just their third week of classes, student recruiters already are sorting through applications for the 2018 freshman class.

To date, more than 3,600 applications for admission for next fall are in hand, said Mike Langford, director of admissions.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions encourages prospective students to visit campus, either through attendance at one of several Open House events held throughout the year or by participating in weekday campus tours, to see if WCU is the right fit for them, Langford said.

The first of four Open House events for prospective WCU students and their parents is set for Saturday, Oct. 7. Additional events at WCU are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 4; Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018; and Saturday, March 24, 2018.

Also, WCU representatives will be going on the road Monday, Sept. 18, through Wednesday, Sept. 20, to introduce WCU to prospective students during evening events in Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte. More information about Open House or WCU on Tour is available at the website visit.wcu.edu.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Records continue to fall by the wayside at Western Carolina University, as total student enrollment has surpassed 11,000 for the first time in the institution’s history and as the GPA of the entering freshman class has hit an all-time high.

WCU’s new total student count record of 11,043 comes just four years after the university’s total enrollment topped 10,000 for the first time back in 2013. The 2017 fall semester tally represents the fifth year out of the past six that WCU has seen enrollment increases – a track record that bucks a national trend of enrollment declines at colleges and universities across the U.S. since 2010, according to figures from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Total student enrollment at WCU this fall grew by 2.2 percent, up 238 students from last year’s total of 10,805. Over the past 10 years, enrollment at WCU has increased by more than 20 percent.

This year’s freshman class totals 1,980, also a new record, and the high school weighted GPA of this year’s freshman class also sets a high-water mark at 3.83.

The university received nearly 19,500 applications for enrollment in the freshman class for the 2017-18 academic year, with so many commitments from incoming students that WCU had to stop accepting deposits on May 1, which is national commitment day, Chancellor David O. Belcher said.

“This is a dynamic time in the life of Western Carolina University. We are enjoying a period of remarkable momentum.

Enrollment is soaring, and WCU has become a destination university,” Belcher said. “Not only are we getting more students, but they are coming to campus better prepared academically to meet the rigors of higher education.”

The enrollment numbers are from official census statistics compiled by WCU’s Office of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness. Although WCU classes began Monday, Aug. 21, enrollment is not official

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53rd Annual Waynesville Kiwanis Club BBQ

Green air in the Blue Ridge

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER report recently issued by the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition clears the air about Haywood County’s greenhouse gas reductions.

“We are definitely ahead of the game for a rural county,” said Bill Eaker, a Waynesville resident who is also the coordinator of the regional clean air campaign and the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition.

The coalition surveys communities in its five-county service area each year to find out what kind of fuel technologies and vehicles they’re using, who has charging stations and who has fueling stations for natural gas or propane.

It then takes that data, compares it to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, and calculates the amount of greenhouse gasses that weren’t released into the air.

“There are three entities in Haywood County that are using alternative fuel vehicles that we’re aware of,” Eaker said, noting that the data collected represents the 2016 calendar year and many not reflect upgrades, purchases, or sales made after that time.

The first, Haywood Public Transit, had in 2016 six vans that were converted to propane several years prior; comparable vans that don’t use alternative fuels would have pumped 6.1 tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere that year alone.

“We’ve had substantial savings on propane,” said Patsy Davis, executive director of local social services agency Mountain Projects, which oversees the transit program. “It’s been wonderful.”

Davis hopes to continue converting the other 15 or so vans in her charge.

The second entity, Haywood Community College, has been an early adopter of alternative fuels, according to Eaker.

“They have been using some electric drive vehicles for a number of years,” he said. “They were probably the first entity in Haywood County to begin the process of greening their fleet.”

Eaker said that HCC has three all-electric vehicles in its fleet — as well as a Camry hybrid electric and a Toyota Prius hybrid electric; the Prius is one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market, and Eaker himself is on his third.

“I think I was the second person in Western North Carolina to buy one, back in the early 2000s,” he said.

HCC’s vehicles, according to the report, prevented the release of 5.1 tons of greenhouse gases in 2016.

“At Haywood Community College, we do our best to reduce our carbon footprint and do what is best for our environment,” said Jessy Duque, marketing director at HCC. “We believe any time you can reduce your carbon footprint, you are creating a healthier environment for your community.”

Although Eaker did call the county “ahead of the game,” he reserved his biggest accolades for the town of Waynesville.

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Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

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“I can say that for a small town they’ve got to be one of the leaders in this country,” he said. “They have really done a good job for a small municipality. They have really been leaders — both the town board members and town managers have led this process, as well as the fleet staff.”

percentage propane fleet on the east coast.

As leaders in the green fleet movement, Waynesville officials like Foster are looked upon as authorities in the field.

“They not only come to our meetings to learn, but to share their experiences with the other fleet managers in the region,” Eaker

A propane fueling station sits just outside the Town of Waynesville’s Public Services facility on Legion Drive. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Alternative vehicles and fuels in Haywood County are not only leaving taxpayers’ wallets greener but also making the environment cleaner. A recent report says that more than 66 tons of greenhouse gasses weren’t released due to fleet management practices last year alone. So, how much is 66 tons? n One passenger rail car n 10 elephants n 30 granite statues n 120 sailboats n 1,000 Great Danes n 7,500 gallons of water

Eaker singled out Waynesville Public Services Director David Foster and Asset Services Manager Julie Gresty as examples of administrators who have pushed for successful implementation.

Foster’s only been with the town for about four years, but said that Waynesville began implementing alternative fuel vehicles in 2009 or 2010; since then, the town has grown to incorporate a total of 74 vehicles using alternative fuels of one variety or another — electric, biodiesel or propane — in its fleet.

“We’re proud of our program,” Foster said; he estimates that the vehicles save taxpayers about $85,000 a year in fuel cost.

Foster also believes that the town’s 29 propane vehicles give the town the largest

said. “And they’ve been very willing to share that information.”

That information comes from the regular usage of 42 biodiesel vehicles, seven of which are garbage trucks that log many miles each year; the town also uses 20 light duty police cars and seven light duty trucks, pickups or SUVs that run on propane.

“They also have two hybrid electric vehicles, both of which are a Toyota Prius, and two of what we call plug-in hybrid electric vehicles — one Ford Fusion and one Chevy Volt,” Eaker said.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are vehicles that can run on electric for a certain range. When that range is exhausted, they convert to a gas-electric hybrid car just like a Prius, utilizing regenerative breaking and coasting to recharge batteries once that initial range has been exhausted; the range of the Ford Fusion is about 20 miles and the Chevy about 50 miles.

The town also has another electric car, a Nissan leaf in service since mid-December 2016.

All together, the 74 alternative fuel vehicles in Waynesville’s fleet reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by an astonishing 54 tons in 2016.

LEAN AND GREEN Both the town and the county are ahead of the curve in reducing

F

Students raise funds for earthquake victims

Clampitt to hear from Cashiers constituents Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, will hold his third quarterly meeting for Jackson County at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Albert CarltonCashiers Community Library, 249 Frank Allen Road.

“We’ve are continuing our regular rotation of counties this month for Jackson County,” Clampitt said. “The purpose of the meeting will be for people to ask questions about what our office is doing in Raleigh, and to share any concerns and other matters on which we may be able to assist.”

Attend business startup seminar in Sylva

the U.S. Department of Energy called the Clean Cities Program.

“We get all sorts of technical and financial resources from the DOE to do what we do,” he said.

The service area of the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition includes Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties.

“We would like to see more use of alt fuels and advanced technology vehicles in Haywood County, and we are available to sit down with anyone — public or private sector — and discuss their fleet, their goals, the various alternative fuels and technologies and the pros and cons of each one. I can help them figure out what’s a good fit for their fleet,” Eaker said.

Fleet managers from the public and/or private sector may want to sit down with Eaker soon; the group can assist with grant funding and a huge opportunity, he said, is coming next year because of Volkswagen’s violation of the Clean Air Act. “North Carolina is going to receive $92 million for a grant program that will fund medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that can be converted to natural gas, propane or electric, and will also fund electric vehicle charging stations, school busses, shuttle busses, and transit busses to convert to alternative fuels.”

Smoky Mountain News

fleetwide greenhouse gas emissions, but that doesn’t mean that the vehicles can’t get greener and cleaner.

“Whenever a request for a new vehicle comes in, we always look for an alternative [fuels model],” Foster said.

As older gas-guzzlers are phased out, Foster has his sights set on saving the town additional cash.

“I’d like to see more electric vehicles,” he said. “After all, we’re an electric city.”

Waynesville is one of just a few dozen cities in North Carolina that purchases power from a generator and then resells it to customers. As such, it has a ready supply of cheap energy to pump directly into its cars’ batteries.

The town’s biodiesel usage could also stand to be ramped up.

“They have 42 diesel vehicles in their fleet that used bio diesel, what’s called a B-5 blend,” Eaker said.

That B-5 designation means that five percent of the fuel is biodiesel, and 95 percent is petroleum-based diesel. A grade of B-100 would be pure biodiesel.

“B-20 is the most commonly used blend worldwide, but some entities in Buncombe County use B-99,” Eaker said.

Eaker’s group is but one of around 85 different coalitions across the country doing the same kind of work, part of a program of

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly invite North Carolina high school stu-

Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center will be hosting a business startup series seminar from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 2, at the Jackson Campus.

The seminar, entitled “Marketing your Business,” will cover how to most effectively and efficiently use the many marketing tools available. Attendees will gain insights to understand their customers, analyze their industry and business environment and differentiate between branding, advertising and grassroots marketing techniques.

To register, visit http://bit.ly/ncsbcn.

Apply for Youth Legislative Assembly

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Tuscola High School’s English as a Second Language students and the International Club are teaming up with the owner of Luna Mexican Restaurant (old Pasquale’s) on South Main Street in Waynesville to raise money for earthquake victims in Mexico.

The students will wash cars from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Luna. In addition to the $10 car washes, the students and their mothers will be selling homemade tamales.

For more information, contact ESL teacher Lori McLeod at lmcleod@haywood.k12.nc.us.

dents to apply for the 48th Annual Youth Legislative Assembly.

“North Carolina’s Youth Legislative Assembly offers students a unique opportunity to learn first-hand about the legislative process and to develop leadership skills that will help them succeed in life.

The Legislative Services Office, under the North Carolina General Assembly, is now accepting applications for the conference to be held April 6-8, 2018, in Raleigh. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 11. The application can be found online at http://www.ncleg.net/ncgainfo/YLA.html.

YLA provides the opportunity for North Carolina’s youth to engage with peers from across the state in a structured, positive, youthfocused environment. The YLA program is open to students in North Carolina who are in good standing at a public, private, charter or home school.

Email erica.gallion@ncleg.net or call 919.301.1372.

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news Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017 Smoky Mountain News 18

Drug bust in Hazelwood On Sept. 7, the Waynesville Police Department’s TAC Unit along with Haywood County’s Multi-jurisdictional Drug Task Force, the U.N.I.T., executed a search warrant at 252 Camelot Street in Waynesville.

Upon doing so, approximately 50 grams of heroin, 90 grams of methamphetamines, 30 grams of cocaine, two firearms, and several thousands of dollars in cash were seized from the residence.

In the weeks prior to this search warrant, information was obtained and surveillance conducted in the area of 252 Camelot Street after citizen complaints, drug overdoses and arrests were made that linked back to this location. After the conclusion of this search warrant, the investigation continued. On Sept. 22, the TAC Unit, along with the U.N.I.T., conducted traffic stops on the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway near exit 100, as well as on Scates Street in Waynesville.

These traffic stops resulted in the arrest of six individuals. In addition, over an ounce of methamphetamines, 7 grams of heroin, ecstasy, and prescription medications were seized. These stops were the result of the ongoing investigation and surveillance on those connected and involved in selling and distributing illegal drugs from 252 Camelot Street and other locations in Waynesville.

This investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.

Safety to improve at Bryson City intersections

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Improvements may be coming to five intersections in Bryson City that would increase safety for drivers and pedestrians.

Anyone driving through town during the height of the tourism season can attest to the fact that trying to make a left or right turn can be dangerous because cars parked parallel along Everett Street can obscure a driver’s view of oncoming traffic or pedestrians.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently held an open house public meeting in Bryson City asking residents for feedback on a project to improve five intersections in town from Slope Street to Deep Creek Road. The five intersections being examined include Slope Street at Bryson Walk, Bryson Walk at Everett Street, Everett Street at Depot Street, Depot Street at Ramseur Street, and Ramseur Street at Deep Creek Road.

The DOT is proposing two different improvement options for Slope Street. One proposal would move stop signs from Slope to Bryson Walk after a traffic study showed most traffic at that intersection is on Slope Street and vehicles turning left onto Slope from Bryson Walk. The other option is to install a roundabout at the intersection to allow a continuous flow of traffic. The roundabout option would require more construction and right-of-way acquisition.

DOT is also looking to install a new traf-

Screenshot of Deep Creek Road and Ramseur Street intersection in Bryson City. fic signal at the intersection of Everett and Depot streets along with a new median running from the railroad to Fry Street. If that option is chosen, it would mean Fry Street would become a one-way street for those turning from Everett Street.

While the improvements would mean new sidewalk infrastructure around the high-pedestrian traffic area, it would also mean a loss of parking spaces now available on Fry Street and in front of several businesses.

The intersection that could see the most drastic change is the three-way stop of

Depot Street, Deep Creek Road and Ramseur Street. DOT is proposing to realign Depot to connect directly to Deep Creek Road. However, this type of change would mean a small church building on the corner would have to be removed.

NCDOT is still accepting comments on the project plans via phone, email or mail until Sept. 29. Comments will be taken into consideration before plans are finalized for the improvements.

Right-of-way acquisitions are scheduled to begin in late 2018 and construction isn’t set to begin until October 2019.

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Community Almanac Garden of Memory dedicated at Lake Junaluska The Lake Junaluska Columbarium and Garden of Memory was recently dedicated during a worship service in Memorial Chapel.

The Columbarium and Garden of Memory are sacred spaces for those wanting to make Lake Junaluska a final resting place for themselves or loved ones. The Columbarium is located in the Room of Memory connected to Memorial Chapel, expanding the chapel’s purpose to a fuller extent. A Garden of Memory (sometimes known as a scatter garden) lies adjacent to the Room of Memory as a place to inter ashes in the earth.

For more information about the Lake Junaluska Columbarium and Garden of Memory, visit www.lakejunaluska.com/columbarium or call the Development Office at 828.454.6680.

SECU funds a Habitat house in every county

Plaque placed to honor FUR founders

The State Employees Credit Union is working on an ambitious Mountains-to-Sea Challenge that aims to fund the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties, and the SECU Foundation has put up $10 million to make it happen.

Haywood’s Habitat home is already under construction in the Walton Woods subdivision in Waynesville. The SECU Foundation wouldn’t be able to fund this $10 million project without the support of its two million members who pay a $1 per month fee — or more if they choose — to support the foundation’s cause.

828.452.7960 or visit www.haywoodhabitat.org.

A plaque has been created and hung at the FUR of WNC Sanctuary to honor the founders of Feline Urgent Rescue in Haywood County. They are Rachel West, Judy Vail, Jamie Powell and Cynthia Henderson, who passed away last year.

“We wanted a way to recognize these four women for their vision and perseverance,” said Sydney Klocke, president of the board “and now their names will be forever on the sanctuary they envisioned and completed.”

In 2012, FUR was created by the four volunteers who shared a passion to save cats.

In addition the 2,600-square foot, State Certified Shelter was constructed through donations and volunteers. The sanctuary is located in Waynesville on 3.5 acres where rescued cats live in a cage free, two story haven. www.facebook.com/furofwnc, www.furofwnc.com or 844.888.2287.

Appalachian Access receives grant awards Appalachian Access is the recipient of three awards from the Evergreen Foundation in support of their services provided by Appalachian Community Services.

Through the awards, totaling $82,991, Appalachian Community Services will continue to eliminate transportation barriers and maintain quality services for the most vulnerable populations.

This year’s Evergreen Foundation awards to Appalachian Access include $20,000 to provide transportation home from inpatient and facilitybased services for individuals without other transportation options; $39,366 to provide crucial support to in-need individuals, specifically those without alternative insurance coverage and $23,625 to allow Appalachian Community Services staff to provide jail-based services in Cherokee, Clay, Macon and Graham counties.

WOW to hold calendar release party Women of Waynesville, a nonprofit raising money for the needs of women and children in Haywood , is inviting the community to a calendar release party from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

30, at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville.

For five years, WOW has published a seminude calendar featuring WOW members as a fundraiser and also as a way to empower women to love their bodies at any age.

The WOW calendar has raised more than $20,000 since the release of the first calendar in 2013 and all proceeds benefit local charities.

Come hear more about WOW, meet the models and photographers, see behind-the-scenes footage from calendar shoots and enjoy some

Smoky Mountain News

craft beer and live music.

The 2018 calendars will be available for purchase at the release party, the Apple Harvest Festival Oct. 21 in downtown Waynesville and online at www.womenofwaynesville.org.

Kiwanis names 2017 grant recipients The Kiwanis Club of Waynesville recently announced the winners of the 2017 Grants Program.

The club worked hard on signature fundraisers — the Annual Kiwanis Barbeque in the fall, Adult Spelling Bee in the spring and the Community Flag Program — to raise over $13,000 to provide funds for 15 projects that improve local schools and community.

Grant funding went to kiln equipment, media iPads, Lego education program, science safety equipment, farm fodder system, computer coding equipment agriculture tools, technology for special needs students, speech therapy books and more. These grants amounted to $25,000 this year, and are now injected into our community for the children of Haywood County.

‘Drive 4UR School’ fundraiser The “Drive 4UR School” Program is back in Jackson County from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, at Andy Shaw Ford in Sylva.

The popular program sponsored by Andy Shaw Ford of Sylva and the Ford Foundation provides much needed funding for our local high school.

Proceeds from this year’s event will be used to supplement the band, chorus, and visual arts programs at Smoky Mountain High School. For each of the first 300 test drives of a new Ford vehicle a $20 donation will be made by Andy Shaw Ford and The Ford Foundation.

Roberts named Chief Junaluska recipients Rev. Larry Roberts and his wife, Myrna (posthumously), were named the 2017 Chief Junaluska recipients during Lake Junaluska Associates Weekend.

“Larry and Myrna have given unselfishly to Lake Junaluska through labors of love, time and gifts, and have been Life Members of the Lake Junaluska Associates for 14 years,” said Rev. Jimmy Pennell, the 2016 Chief Junaluska recipient. “It is a personal pleasure for me to present them with this recognition.”

Larry and Myrna retired to Lake Junaluska and became active members of the community in 1999. Larry served as Vice President for Membership of the Junaluska Associates as well as the Chair of the Tent Committee, a boat tour guide, a member of the Junaluska Flea Market Committee, and much more. Myrna was a dedicated member of the United Methodist Women, the Lake Junaluska Associates and the Junaluskans.

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• Detention Officer Ashly Lauziere and Detention Officer Luke Green of Haywood County both recently graduated from the Detention Officer Certification Course at the Public Safety Training Center conducted by the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

• Macon County 4-H Market Lamb Club and the Macon County 4-H Steer Club showed at the 2017 Haywood County Fair. Lydia Holland received Grand Champion Showman for the Junior Division. Paige Watkins received Grand Champion Steer and Braxton Deal received Reserve Champion Steer.

ALSO:

• Haywood Pathways Center, Inc. thanks everyone that participated in its recent Charitable Golf Outing held at Springdale Country Club in Canton. The event raised $34,000 for Haywood Pathways Center, a nonprofit that provides short-term emergency housing for men, women and families and a halfway house.

• The Rev. Dr. Dana M. Bunn recently accepted an appointment as Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church Sylva. Bunn has formerly served United Methodist Churches in Randleman, Lenoir, Hiddenite, Seagrove, Asheville, and Mt. Airy.

Renovations made to Chestnut Park The Fund for Haywood County awarded a grant of $11,840 from the Mib and Phil Medford Endowment Fund to the Town of Waynesville for Chestnut Park in the spring of 2016. With these funds, the Town of Waynesville has completed several aspects of park renovation.

The grant provided plant materials, trees, benches, picnic tables and signage and helped the town replace and repair park amenities and to leverage other funding for park improvements.

Balsam Mountain Preserves raises $15,000 The Balsam Mountain Preserve Endowment for Jackson County, a local committee created by the residents of Balsam Mountain Preserve, raised more than $15,000 for charitable causes during its recent fundraising event, the Social Hour for Good. Since the fund’s inception in 2015, it has raised a total of $39,300 with additional donations still excepted. Balsam Mountain Preserve is a tightknit neighborhood that believes in supporting the local community and giving back to those in need.

The Balsam Mountain Preserve Endowment supports various charitable causes ranging from healthcare to educational outreach.

Opinion Hand on heart or on bended knee — Americans all Smoky Mountain News

This is what it means to be an American.

I’m talking about NFL players and coaches and owners uniting to protest during the national anthem because they disagree with our president after he called for team owners to fire every “son of bitch” kneeling during the anthem. I’m talking about black athletes at the Mexico City Olympic Games in 1968 raising fists in support of the Black Panther movement, of people who burn flags, even those who heckled Vietnam War veterans on their return home because they disagreed with the conflict.

It’s the story of so many Americans who refused to stand by in the face of what they consider injustice from their own country and their own leaders.

They’re Americans — just as much American as you or me.

U.S. citizens who perform deeds many find repulsive get the same rights as you and me.

And so this past Sunday, my wife and I and two friends — attending the New Orleans Saints-Carolina Panthers game in Charlotte — stood proudly during the national anthem, hand over hearts, doing as I’ve always done and will almost certainly continue to do for the rest of my life.

Park’s fire response was woefully inadequate To the Editor: Regarding the Chimney Tops 2 wildfire review article, my stomach clenched as I read quotes from the report: “no evidence of negligence,” “park employees did the best they could,” and “the fire was not typical of eastern Tennessee.” Then the clincher: Park Superintendent Cassius Cash “embraces” the findings. Oh, I’ll bet he did.

And a young mother, on a mild November evening, “embraced” her little daughters for the last time, as a racing inferno bore down on them in the pitch dark, with nowhere to run. Her name was Constance Reed, and her last act was wrapping herself around 9-yearold Lily and 12-year-old Chloe in an attempt to protect their innocent lives.

Cassius Cash also had the opportunity to protect innocent lives. But he had plans for his Thanksgiving vacation and some pesky little wildfire wasn’t going to interfere. So he didn’t request additional resources and crews early on, when containment or eradication was still feasible. Shocking, considering that the area was in the highest level of drought monitoring by the NOAA: D4-EXCEPTIONAL, or that the nearest point of civilization (Gatlinburg) was a mere five miles from fire origination.

If Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned, what was Cash doing while his forestland empire torched up? Probably eating and watching the game, thinking, “If this all goes horribly wrong I’ll just blame it on my Fire Management Officer, he’s on a pretty low rung of the ladder. Oh yeah, and the wind. I’ll say the wind caught us by surprise. That’s a good one.”

That’s the essence of this very important moment in our history. We are reminded once again that we are all free to say we don’t like what a president or our government says or does.

It’s one of the reasons I take my job so seriously, these privileges and rights that Americans sometimes take for granted that so few people throughout earth’s history have had.

I think I was in the 10th grade when I read Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” essay. Rather than pay taxes to the government that supported slavery and what he considered an unjust war in Mexico, Thoreau in 1848 went to jail. He argued that one’s most important allegiance is their conscience, not to a government.

For those who know history, it is Editor worth remembering that Socrates took his civil disobedience in Athens, Greece, a step further. He was imprisoned and sentenced to death, but a friend had enough money and influence to get him out. Socrates reasoned that it was morally right to accept

Scott McLeod

22

the decree of the city. He had enjoyed all the benefits of Athenian society for his entire life — freedom to debate other thinkers, education, safety, etc. It would be hypocritical and morally wrong, he argued, to now turn against the laws of the city for his own self-preservation. And so he accepted his death sentence, acknowledging that the whole of Athens society was more important than the mistake it made in finding him guilty.

Most of us know that those early Greek attempts at democracy were very influential in the thinking of our own founding fathers. The First Amendment to the Constitution made it perfectly clear that protesting against government would be protected and, in many cases, celebrated.

I’m certainly not equating millionaire jocks kneeling during the national anthem with all those great Americans whose lives and courage helped change our society for the better. But their protests point to a simple truth that is the essence of this country’s greatness — peaceful protest in the face of supposed injustice is a fundamental right and, in some cases, an ethical obligation.

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

LETTERS This “independent” review team, handpicked by the NPS, by the way, may have let park management off the proverbial hook, but the souls of the people who perished needlessly that night, (and there were many more than 14), and the traumatized individuals who fled from their burning homes with only the clothes on their backs, demand true accountability and a righteous apology, not more lies and excuses.

Mary-Frances Keefe Bryson City (formerly of Gatlinburg)

Immigrants need to assimilate To the Editor: A common sense response is necessary to the foolish arguments in a letter printed in a recent edition of The Smoky Mountain News.

One could argue plausibly that being proficient in English prior to migrating to the United states may not always be possible, especially if the immigrant is from a brutal Marxist dictatorship; however, it is inarguable that obtaining that proficiency as soon as possible would be a substantial benefit to both the immigrant as well as U.S. citizens.

Furthermore, it is also inarguable that newly arrived immigrants should be required to learn English since it is the language of our country.

As the letter writer well knew, no one fears immigrants who obey our immigration laws and work toward citizenship in order to adopt and accept American culture and traditions.

There is a most definite fear of massive, untraceable illegal immigrants who, especially

along our southern border, are overwhelming our infrastructure and generous taxpayer funded social welfare programs.

Many of us who are paying higher and higher taxes are tired of these people taking advantage of our system. We are fed up. That was what was reflected in the election.

Undocumented people are the same as illegal. It’s not just a matter of semantics — illegal is illegal. Making it sound softer does not diminish the effect these people have on our economy. Maybe you are one of the 50 percent of the U.S. citizens that don’t pay a dime income tax. No skin in the game; it doesn’t touch you. But it certainly touches the other half of the population.

While your paternal grandparents assimi-

lated, or tried to fit into the U.S. customs, and learned English, many now do not and will not. We have eased up on requiring immigrants (not through laws) to assimilate and look what it’s getting us: poor school performance from classrooms being forced to teach kids who don’t know English, overburdening our healthcare costs, overcrowding our jails, and so on. I suggest the letter writer do some research on the late writer Ted White. He was no conservative but he spoke out for the vital need for one unifying language so that the U.S. doesn’t become balkanized.

Look at the former Yugoslavia: three separate cultures hated each other so much that

S EE LETTERS, PAGE 23

Learning to let my emotions breathe

Susanna Barbee

I

the people went on a brutal killing spree in the 1990s? And perhaps you don’t know about the problems continuing to plague the French speaking Quebec.

Living here in the beautiful safe mountains gives you no idea of what’s going on in other countries unless you read and research.

Finally, there is nothing “ethnocentric” or “selfish” (meaning those “evil white people,” right?) about believing in and supporting a distinctly American culture that includes capitalism. Capitalism is why America is so great and envied; it also is why you get to enjoy setting up any type of business you care to! This is why people across the globe try there very best to enter our country in the first place!

James Devries Bryson City

‘Stranger Things” and DACA truth To the Editor: With all the news of DACA and how the changes will affect many people

ART AFTER DARK: Demonstration by Featured Artist

Jack Stern CELEBRATING 19

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

October 6 6-9 P.M.

YEARS IN BUSINESS !

“WHERE ART DANCES WITH NATURE” 98 NORTH MAIN ST. • WAYNESVILLE, NC • 828.456.1940

Smoky Mountain News

a big pot of chili. They would give the boys their treat bags and we would eat chili and finish up costumes and face paint before traipsing through Autumn Park.

Until last fall, I would schedule a festival or some other fall activity almost every weekend in September and October. But I’ve had such a heavy heart as of late, I can’t get into any type of seasonal spirit.

Grief and personal stress can certainly put a damper on the holiday spirit.

But, with all that being said, this time of year still cheers me up. Watching the leaves begin to turn, seeing scarecrows and bales of hay pop up in people’s yards and eating fresh apples from orchards are all pretty strong antidotes to a broken spirit.

I’ve been on a couple hikes in the past week and both have reminded me of the healing powers of nature. Oftentimes, just getting outside offers all the comfort a soul needs. And yesterday I came face-to-face with a doe. She was only about 20 feet from me and just stood there for the longest time. After a while, her two babies came out of the woods and frolicked around her.

As we looked at one another, I had two leading thoughts.

The first was how very much alike all mothers and women are. Whether human or animal, the bond is intense.

My next thought was, “How can someone shoot such a beautiful creature?”

This time of year is still my favorite, but the reasons have shifted. And I’m OK with that. I’m sure sometime in the future I’ll be back to my old self, planning a day at the Mountain State Fair or Hickory Nut Gap Farm or Eliada Corn Maze.

But, even without big outings or festivals, there’s so much to enjoy during a Blue Ridge Mountain fall. Just step outside and look around. We really do live in the most gorgeous place on earth.

I no longer perceive bouts of melancholy in a negative way. I view them as part of me and my overall personality. And I feel seasons of sadness allow me to connect more intimately with the world around me and people I love. They also give me perspective and make the joyous moments in my life so much sweeter.

There’s a Hindu proverb that says, “Whatever comes, let it come. Whatever stays, let it stay. Whatever goes, let it go.”

This has sort of become my life mantra.

I can’t always control what happens in my world, but I can control how I respond to it.

This mantra helps me relax and focus inwardly, which I find very therapeutic.

I’m learning more and more that if we’re not careful, we focus too much on comings and goings and not enough on the staying.

So, as the beautiful season of falls begins to unfold all around us, I’m going to let it come with all its bittersweet memories and healing powers. I’m going to stay in the moment as long as it will have me.

And when it goes, I’m going to take a deep breath and let it go.

(Susanna Barbee can be reached at susanna.barbee@gmail.com.)

including some family, I have been trying to decide where I stand on the issue. I wanted to write about the people who have lived here their entire lives and how this must seem.

This brings me to “Stranger Things,” the Netflix original hit show. In the show, an adolescent boy, Will, is taken from this world to another, which becomes known as “the upside down.”

Will is alone in the “upside down,” leaving his friends and family to search frantically for the friend they know, love and have grown up together. Then a mysterious stranger appears. A girl known only as Eleven. Soon, Eleven demonstrates she possesses supernatural powers and may be the key to getting Will home.

As the mystery unfolds it becomes apparent a secretive government experiment gone awry is behind all the chaos. I won’t completely spoil the ending for those that haven’t seen the show. My point is the people brought here as children and know America as home willingly gave the government their information.

And now in an experiment to “make America great again,” their information will be used to send them to another world.

Marcos Gutierrez Clyde

opinion

’ve always been prone to bouts of melancholy. I’m not sure if it’s a writer thing or a woman thing or just a thing with my own physiological make-up. These emotional phases once bothered me. I identified them as “depression” or “life stagnation.”

But, in recent years, I’ve learned to settle into these moods of mine.

A therapist once told me emotions need room to breathe. If you smother or ignore them, they’ll fight for air. The best remedy is to give them adequate space in the first place.

Now I just let the feelings come. I’ve realized my dark Columnist moods often inspire my best writing or lead me to pick up the phone and have a much-needed conversation with my sister or a friend. The feelings are deep and serve as powerful motivators if I let them.

From childhood, we’re conditioned to think sadness is bad and happiness is good.

But, I have learned, especially over the past year, sadness is only bad if we allow it to permanently damage us.

Traditionally, this time of year is my very favorite. I was an October baby, so I’ve always equated fall with my birthday month.

My sister is three years and four days older than me. Growing up, we had double birthday parties at the former Skate-a-Round USA in Woodfin. We all dressed in Halloween costumes and whirled around the rink in devil horns or cat ears or ‘80s rocker wigs.

My grandparents would drive up every Sunday from Travelers Rest, South Carolina During the fall, we would go to a park in Burnsville and collect baskets of colorful leaves to iron between wax paper and create leaf books. In the moment, I didn’t realize how fondly I would look back on such a seemingly insignificant experience.

My late mom loved this time of year too.

She would always say, “Look at those gorgeous fall colors. We live in the most beautiful place on earth.” And while she loved her Christmas sweaters, she also had tons of autumn and Halloween sweaters and shirts and brooches and earrings and socks.

For a number of years, my mom picked up my younger son at First United Methodist preschool in Waynesville.

During the month of October, they made daily walks through the pumpkin patch. I remember sitting at work and my phone pinging as she sent pictures of my little blue-eyed boy sitting beside pumpkins or on top of pumpkins or peeking out from behind pumpkins. I would smile down at my phone warmed by the heartfelt photos.

When the boys were little, we trick-ortreated in downtown Weaverville near my parents’ house. They would get their first candy from my parents before we headed out to knock on doors. When we moved to Haywood County, my parents would travel to Waynesville on Halloween. I would make

LETTERS, CONTINUED FROM 22

MON.-SAT.10-5:30 • SUN.1-4 • WWW.TWIGSANDLEAVES.COM

@SmokyMtnNews 23

tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 BLOSSOM ON MAIN 128 N. Main Street, Waynesville.

828.454.5400. Open for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Mild, medium, to hot and spicy, our food is cooked to your like-able temperature.

Forget the myth that all Thai food is spicy.

Traditional Thai food is known to be quite healthy, making use of natural and fresh ingredients, paired with lots of spices, herbs, and vegetables. Vegetarians and health conscious individuals will not be disappointed as fresh vegetables and tofu are available in most of our menu as well as wines and saki chosen to compliment the unique flavors of Thai cuisine.

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 per-

mitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Monday through Saturday. Dinner 5 to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, 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.

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Chef owned and operated. Our salads are made in house using local seasonal vegetables. Fresh roasted ham, turkey and roast beef used in our hoagies. We hand make our own eggplant and chicken parmesan, pork meatballs and hamburgers. We use 1st quality fresh not preprepared products to make sure you get the best food for a reasonable price. We make vegetarian, gluten free and sugar free items.

Call or go to Facebook (Breaking Bread Café NC) to find out what our specials are.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch menu every day from 12 to 2 p.m. Saturday

night will feature an evening cookout on the terrace, with choices such as steak and shrimp. On all other nights of the week, the chef will prepare dinner with locally-sourced vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. The evening social hour starts at 6 p.m., and dinner is served starting at 7 p.m. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations.

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

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

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.

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.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

WAYNESVILLE’S BEST BURGERS

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

LUNCH DAILY 11:30 A.M.-2:30 P.M. DINNER NIGHTLY AT 5 P.M. TUESDAY-SATURDAY Voted Best Steak in Waynesville

Smoky Mountain News

Wine Down Wednesday's 1/2 off bottle of wine

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

Classic local American comfort foods, craft beers, along with small batch bourbons & whiskey.

Vegetarian options available Closed Sunday & Monday 454 Hazelwood Ave • Waynesville Call 828.452.9191 for reservations

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

207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde

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

Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food

tasteTHEmountains 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.

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.

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

Open for dinner at 4:30 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open yearround. Children always welcome. Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality.

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.

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

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Handtossed pizza, steak sandwiches, wraps, salads and desserts. All made from scratch.

Beer and wine. Free movies Thursday trought Saturday. Visit madbatterfoodfilm.com for this week’s shows.

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

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.

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

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

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

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

Outdoor and indoor dining.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 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.

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

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

Located across from the Fire Station.

TAP ROOM 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.

TRAILHEAD CAFE & BAKERY 18 N Main Street, Waynesville.

828.452.3881 Open 7 days a week. You will find a delicious selection of pastries & donuts, breakfast & lunch along with a fresh coffee & barista selection. Happy Trails!

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

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

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.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 DOORS @ 8:30 COSTUME CONTEST BEFORE THE MOVIE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED

828.586.3555 • Downtown Sylva MadBatterFoodFilm.com

For each adult who buys a meal, 2 kids eat free from Kid’s menu!

3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

www.CityLightsCafe.com

Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Saturday 12 p.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tues.

Sun. 12-9 p.m.

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

Dine-In ~ Take Out ~ Delivery

An Authentic Italian Pizzeria & Restaurant from New York to the Blue Ridge.

Just to serve you!

243 Paragon Parkway | Clyde Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Open Sundays Noon to 8p.m.

828-476-5058 NEW LOCATION OPEN!

Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m • Closed Sundays

499 Champion Drive | Canton Present this coupon and recieve:

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OFF ENTIRE MEAL

128 N. Main St., Waynesville

WINE • BEER • SAKE Gluten-Free, Vegan & Vegetarian options

CRAFT ON D RAFT! Hours:11:30-9:00

Smoky Mountain News

Kids under 12 eat free on Mondays after 5pm

Real New Yorkers.

Real Italians. Real Pizza.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

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

828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy the lunch prices Monday through Sunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio.

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

(828) 454-5400 BlossomOnMain.com

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

The Huey Slick that crashed while delivering supplies, mail and ammunition during the Vietnam War. Waynesville resident James ‘Jim’ Joyce and another co-pilot were able to get the damaged helicopter safely back to the ground, with no casualties, as it clipped a tree and split in two. The film clip of the crash happening recently appeared in the new Ken Burns documentary, ‘The Vietnam War,’ during Episode 3 (at the one-hour and 14-minute mark).

THE FOG OF WAR Vietnam vet reflects on service, new documentary

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER You could see it in his eyes.

Sitting across from James “Jim” Joyce in his office in downtown Waynesville, his direct eye contact, and even more direct answers to questions, alludes to a man who has seen as much destruction as creation.

For the last three decades, Joyce has run his own company, Green Mountain International, which supplies polyurethane and epoxy products for the construction industry. He grew up in Chicago, went to college in Cleveland, and bounced around the country doing all kinds of work. At 75, he’s seen a lot of things, met a lot of folks, and found a lot of success. But, the thing he’s most proud of is his service as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War. For the better part of three years in the 1960s, Joyce served his country, and also made it home safely from the death and devastation that painted a bloody picture of Vietnam and surrounding countries. For many years after the war, not a day went by that Joyce didn’t think about his time in battle, his friends who never came home, the faces of those he fought against.

So, it was no surprise the images and memories that flooded his mind when a film clip of his helicopter crashing made it into the new Ken Burns documentary, “The Vietnam War” — a 10-part, 18-hour

odyssey now showing on PBS from the legendary filmmaker.

were trying to accomplish. We just went from mission to mission.

Smoky Mountain News: When someone says the Vietnam War, what’s the first thing that comes into your head?

James “Jim” Joyce: That I’m proud that I served. I joined ROTC when I was in college.

John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

I’m from Chicago. I graduated in 1964. And when you graduate with ROTC, that’s when you get your commission. So, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

SMN: Where were you based out of in Vietnam?

JJ: An Khe, which was the First Cavalry headquarters. [Camp Radcliff]. First Cavalry got to An Khe around July of 1965. Vietnam was a one-year tour for the Army. So, when their year was up, [I came in.]

SMN: Had you heard about what was going on there [in Vietnam]?

JJ: Very little. I went on active duty in January 1965. That’s when the big buildup was, when [President Lyndon B.] Johnson decided to commit. There was no question at that point I was going to Vietnam. I was scheduled to go to flight school, and flight school is a year long. I went through the fixed wing flight training, and they asked for volunteers to transition into helicopters, and I did that. So, I got to Vietnam in July 1966.

SMN: You get over there in July 1966.

What do they tell you when you get there?

JJ: We were totally in the dark. We had no idea of the big picture, of any strategies.

Even the battles we were involved in, we didn’t really know the end game, or what they

SMN: That was a pretty hot point, a launch zone for areas we as a country were just trying to get into…

JJ: Absolutely.

SMN: What was the first day like?

JJ: My first day, I got to my tent, and I went looking for a buddy who had been there two days before, that I went to flight school with. We were going to room together. I went looking for him and I ran into a captain and asked, “Where is [so and so]?”

And he said, “Oh, he was killed yesterday, Joyce.” Mostly it was sadness. I mean, you know people die, but not the first day. It was jarring.

SMN: You can train all you want, and get all the instruction possible, but I imagine nothing could prepare you for that first time in battle…

JJ: That’s exciting and scary. I had two

documentary. Our team of two helicopters came in. All we’re doing is bringing breakfast, ammunition and mail to troops in the field. I was in Vietnam about one week [when the crash happened].

SMN: So, explain to me how that whole incident went down. It’s a pretty jarring clip...

JJ: Yeah, it is. We dropped off the guys’ breakfast and the mail courier and the ammunition. We lifted up to take off. I noticed we were blowing sand on the troops trying to eat their breakfast. And I decided to move over closer to the tree line to give them some room, and I ran into a tree. As soon as we struck the tree, not very far in (makes a one-inch gap between his fingers), it broke every control in the ship, no control of the helicopter. We started spinning.

— Jim Joyce

SMN: What was the sentiment amongst your peers at that time, the spirit at that point in ‘66?

JJ: Morale was actually high. It didn’t dawn on any of us — at least to begin with — that we were fighting a losing battle, or a losing war. Only later, that I figure out, after about seven months, that if an election were held in Vietnam, all over the country, Ho Chi

Minh would win by a landslide. So, that was a little bit unnerving.

SMN: What would be a typical day for you over there?

JJ: You go to the flight tent and you get your mission for the day. And that could be as simple as flying food and mail out to the troops in the field, or going on a full combat assault. And with the combat assault, they would really brief us on how bad it was going to be when we got to the LZ. Sometimes they’d even tell us, “We expect casualties.”

SMN: Did you know the Ken Burns documentary was in the works?

JJ: Sure. My crash that shows up on his documentary was in a previous documentary that won the Emmy Award in 1967 (for “Best Documentary Film). It’s called “The Anderson Platoon.” A French documentarian followed Lieutenant [Joseph B.] Anderson around for a month. Anderson was an African-American West Point graduate, and this guy is following him around making the

SMN: You got out in 1967, but the war lasted another eight years…

JJ: As the war kept going, my feelings were enough is enough. Get us out of there, no matter what it takes. The way we’re fighting, we’re not going to win this thing.

SMN: The whole thing just collapses, just like a tin can getting stepped on…

JJ: Yeah. The first thing [going through my head] was, “Oh, shit, how’d that happen?” And then it was terror trying to get this damn thing on the ground before it gets too high in the air. There’s a thing called a “collective,” and that gets you back on the ground. The copilot and I were on [the collective] as hard as we could. The documentarian had no idea we were going to crash. This was this guy’s lucky day [to capture that clip.] My door gunner broke his thumb — that was it.

SMN: The helicopter crashes, then what?

JJ: We got through this tiny litThe cover of Joyce’s 2003 memoir about his military tle opening somehow — as fast as service. Joyce said once his story was on paper, and we could out of terror — to get out written for his family to remember his history, he was of it. We had a full tank of gas, able to stop thinking about his time in war, and move which was good, to keep it from on with his life. blowing up. Ran like hell back to the safety of the troops. I’ll never SMN: How has history treated how we forget the sound of that rotor blade hitting the tree, and then the two of us screaming at look at Vietnam?

JJ: Now, we’re the veterans. The World each other, “Get it down, get it down!”

War II guys are all essentially dead. The SMN: If you mind me asking, what sticks Korean War veterans are dying like crazy. So, we’re the ones carrying the torch as veterans, out most about battle? and I think with great respect from the genJJ: [Long, quiet pause]. That’s a tough eral population. I did not realize how much question. It’s going to sound weird, but accomplish the mission. Do what you’re here of this war was Kennedy’s until I watched [the Ken Burns documentary]. Now? I to do. Get these troops on the ground or get assume I’ll finish the series, but it’s getting these troops off the ground or, with the gunmore difficult to watch it, with all the bodies ships, get the fire in the right place. It was and brutality. Don’t fight a war you can’t just, “do my duty.” I flew Slicks for another win. Have an end game before you start. six months with the First Cavalry. I was in charge of a team of slicks just weeks after [the SMN: And not knowing your enemy crash]. I was damn proud of myself. before going in…

JJ: Oh, certainly that. Yes. Every SMN: There was no interest in re-upping American knows the blunders we made in (re-enlisting)?

JJ: Oh, fuck no. [Laughs]. Once is enough. the last 20 years going places we had no idea who the enemy was. Only God knows And you knew, that if you did re-up, you what’s going to happen here in North were going to go back to Vietnam. You Korea. But, that’s a different business. might get a year in Germany or some place, Nukes we’re talking about — a whole new but you were going to go back. And it’s dimension to this thing. amazing how many guys got their year off,

Smoky Mountain News

different duties in Vietnam. When I first started, I flew a Huey Slick, and that was to take troops into battle, take ‘em back out of battle, pick up wounded, pick up the dead.

Then, later in my time in Vietnam, I switched over to a Huey Gunship. I liked that better — you’re on offense instead of defense. Flying a slick into an LZ (Landing Zone), I mean, you don’t have weapons yourself, the door gunners have ‘em, but the pilots don’t. It was unnerving, but extremely exciting, especially when you got out of there in one piece. I was there a year, got out in 1967. My total commitment for the army was three years.

SMN: What do you remember thinking when you knew you were leaving Vietnam?

JJ: Tremendous relief to get out of there.

Get me out of here. Enough is enough. I did my duty.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

“Do what you’re here to do. Get these troops on the ground or get these troops off the ground or, with the gunships, get the fire in the right place. It was just, ‘do my duty.’ I flew Slicks for another six months with the First Cavalry. I was in charge of a team of slicks just weeks after [the crash]. I was damn proud of myself.”

and went to plush assignments [for a year], then back to Vietnam, and were killed the second time.

arts & entertainment

m .

James ‘Jim’ Joyce.

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arts & entertainment

The Edwards Bros In the Taproom

Friday, September 29th 8pm

Colby Deitz Band In the YARD Saturday, September 30th 8pm Mad Batter Food Truck • Low Country Boil • $15 188 W. MAIN STREET , FRANKLIN NC

Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

LazyHikerBrewing.com

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BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

‘Where do you think you’re goin’?’

The inaugural “Goodyacre Farm Festival” and firefighter fundraiser will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at the farm in Canton.

@SmokyMtnNews

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Smoky Mountain News

It’s the internal struggle.

Do you participate in life and soak it in like a sponge being A stage production of the Tennessee Williams dropped into a bucket of water, classic play “The Glass Menagerie” will be or do you simply walk to the side held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 5-7, and stay out of the way of the triand at 2 p.m. Oct. 1 and 8 at the Haywood als and tribulations hurled at Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. those who aim to find and achieve some semblance of sucThe Freeway Revival (rock/jam) will perform at cess?

5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Nantahala As a writer, I’ve questioned Outdoor Center in Bryson City. both sides of that coin mentioned above. Why do I put The 105th annual Cherokee Indian Fair will be myself through the bullshit of held Oct. 3-7 at the Cherokee Indian launching a career in the creative Fairgrounds. arts, and also in the newspaper Celebrating Scotland, Folkmoot will host a industry itself? Since day one of “Scottish Friendship Dinner” from 6 to 9 p.m. my writing endeavors, some 11 on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Folkmoot years ago, I’ve been told, time Friendship Center in Waynesville. and time again, that I’ll either never “make it” or that I was merit in pushing ahead in your dreams — going down a road that was a dead end. come hell or high water.

And I’ve heard it all, and all over again, I’ve given up a lot of things in trying to too: “Newspapers are dead.” “Writers don’t become a writer — good jobs, great oppormake any money.” “Can you even survive on tunities, and even better women. I knew that kind of salary?” “Nobody even reads (and know) that this is what I wanted to do, anymore.” “Is there even a paycheck so I keep doing it, day-in-and-day-out, with involved in what you’re trying to do?” “Why no real end game in sight, more of a pursuit don’t you just become a lawyer?”

There are nights I’ll be trying to get some of being able to somehow get away, perhaps under-the-radar, with getting paid to write sleep in the back of my rusty, musty pickup about whatever I want, enough money to truck — somewhere far away where there’s put food in the fridge and gas in my truck. action and adventure, anywhere that the But, it gets tiring, where there are those midnight oil burns — and I’ll gaze up and days you feel like you’re just spinning your out the back window, at the silent moon wheels, nothing is clicking, and you wonder along some highway or some buzzing fluoif you’ve wasted the last decade of your life rescent industrial light in a parking garage. I on something that isn’t panning out. wonder if any of my old cronies from high Luckily, that negative sentiment is quickly school or college would ever be caught dead fleeting. The road is long, and bountiful, for in these kinds of situations, or if they see the

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

those with eyes aimed forward, and also certain as to “what is” and “what could be.”

On Sunday, I found myself watching a one-day special screening of “Lucky” at the Grail Moviehouse in Asheville for “Art House Theater Day.” A simple story about an old cowboy trying to wrangle with the idea of death and the inevitable “void” after being an atheist loner most of his life, it stars the iconic, late Harry Dean Stanton, who died just days before the film’s release this week at age 91.

The plot is a struggle between the idea that there’s “nothing but blackness” after you die, so why participate in life seeing as nothing is permanent anyhow? As the film moves along, Stanton’s character, “Lucky,” finds peace and solace in being old, and with the notion of being a participant in the pleasures of life — love, friendship, and finding your true self in the chaos of the universe.

So, later that evening, on my couch, I go from a flick about an old cowboy loner who can’t deal with the general public on a daily basis, to a documentary about pop music queen Lady Gaga, a worldwide focus of attention who can’t deal with the silence of being alone with her thoughts and insecurities at the end of the day. The Netflix documentary, “Five Foot Two,” is a mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful portrait of Gaga — a young, poignant, once-in-a-generation artist, and a truly independent woman.

Even in real life, Harry Dean Stanton and Lady Gaga are two ends of the spectrum.

Stanton just dealt with whatever came his way, and never really pursued “blockbuster success,” though he will definitely be viewed as one of the acting greats, especially in terms of volume of work. And then there’s Gaga, who clearly sees these enormous obstacles in the music industry, and in her personal life as well, and moves the weight of these physical and emotional mountains with the sheer iron will of someone who won’t ever be told she’s “less than.”

But, both cultural figures have the most important thing in common with each other — they each knew exactly who they were, even if it took years, decades, and staggering hardships to finally recognize that face in the mirror, and what it’s capable of.

Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones once said, “You’re not grown up until the day they put you six feet under.” And I agree with good ole Keef. Always will. I see traits of myself in both Stanton and Gaga, and that’s not to say I’m on their “level of success.” Not even close, actually. But, I do understand the frustrations, and also the awe-striking nature, of pursuing something bigger than yourself, all within the realm of the arts.

I aim high, and I always will. For what else is there to do with your one journey that is life itself? This ain’t no dress rehearsal. Like the song “A World of Hurt” (Drive-By Truckers) says: “Remember, it ain’t too late to take a deep breath / And throw yourself into it with everything you got / It’s great to be alive…”

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

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On the beat Russ Kendrick Martin.

Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Singer-songwriter to play Sylva, Dillsboro

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The Jackson County Farmer’s Market will welcome singer-songwriter Russ Kendrick Martin on Saturday, Sept. 30, in Sylva. Martin will also perform later that evening at Lee’s at the Depot in Dillsboro.

Martin is a whiskey-throated singer with a ripped-from-the-headlines approach to his songwriting. He is a veteran of America’s smoky barrooms and beersoaked dance halls, and has performed on stages in the biggest music centers, including Nashville, Chicago and Athens.

Martin signed with Nashville-based Lower Broadway Records in late 2016. He’s currently working on an album for release this year. www.russkendrickmartin.com.

Cullowhee bluegrass show A bluegrass concert featuring Allie Burbrink and Frank Lee will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in the HFR Auditorium at Western Carolina University.

Lee and Burbrink will present traditional songs and tunes from the rural South with guitars, banjos, fiddle, and harmony.

A passion for traditional songs and tunes from the rural South has fueled Frank’s love of performing for the past 25 years.

As a founding member of The Freight Hoppers (out of Bryson City), Lee has shared this passion with audiences all over the United States and Canada as well as much of northern Europe. He presents a range of Old-Time music that spans from raw Blues from the Mississippi Delta to the hillbilly music recorded in the South in the 1920s.

Burbrink grew up a farm girl in the vast cornfields of southern Indiana. With her mom playing We Sing Fun & Folk cassettes and her dad blaring Nitty Gritty Dirt Band records, it was no surprise at age 14 that she picked up her mom’s old guitar to lead songs and entertain kids at church and camp. In high school and college, she loved

Mountain Faith to headline comedy revival

Summer Brooke & Mountain Faith.

The musical comedy revival “Smoke on the Mountain” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5, 7, 12, 14, 19 and 21 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Set in the 1930s, this musical tale introduces the singing Sanders family, who perform their traditional and bluegrass gospel songs for the members of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in celebration of their new electric light bulb. Consisting of almost 30 gospel tunes and the rich stories of the Sanders family’s history on the gospel

circuit, “Smoke on the Mountain” is full of laughs and toe-tapping bluegrass as the characters and the audience realize with a little bit of faith and a whole lot of heart, anything is possible.

A full two-act theatrical presentation, featuring Mountain Faith as the Sanders Family Band, will be presented by the Overlook Theatre Company.

Tickets are $12 for students and $17 for adults. To purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 866.273.4615.

‘Concerts on the Creek’ Allie Burbrink and Frank Lee. playing and singing anywhere from churches to dorm rooms to community events as a distraction from studies.

Intrigued by a friend’s clawhammer banjo playing, Burbrink stole from her mom again, taking her banjo down for a week of lessons at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. She now plays and tours both with Frank and The Whipstitch Sallies.

This program is free and open to the public. www.frankleeandallieburbrink.com or www.wcu.edu.

Tuxedo Junction will perform classic hits during “Concerts on the Creek” at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

The group plays selections, styles and group medleys from as far back as the late 1930s, up through the ‘50s to the ‘90s. Swing, classic to contemporary folk and folk-rock, country, Motown, eastand west-coast beach music, funk and R&B from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, and Top 40 tribute medleys.

Bring a chair or blanket. The event is free with donations accepted. The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department team up to produce Concerts on the Creek.

For more information, call 828.586.2155, visit www.mountainlovers.com, or like “Concerts on the Creek” on Facebook.

On the beat

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

within a hope that cultural understanding and the communal experience of beauty and sound rooted in tradition will lead the way to a richer existence.

Washburn met her husband, Béla Fleck, in Nashville at a square dance where she was dancing and he was playing. They married in 2010 and welcomed a son in May 2013. This began a new era in Washburn’s career as she was determined to keep the family together.

That’s when Washburn and Fleck began performing together. They began by making several public appearances as a duo collaboration. They released their first duo album a year later. It features only banjos and their voices and was recorded in their home. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and won them a Grammy for “Best Folk Album.”

Tickets start at $25 each. To purchase tickets, visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 828.273.4615.

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

Smoky Mountain News

Award-winning American banjo player Béla Fleck and his wife Abigail Washburn, a clawhammer banjo player and singer, will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

30, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

In 1981, Fleck was invited to join the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival. He continued to work on solo albums and released his ground-breaking album “Drive” in 1988. He also collaborated with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer and Mark O’Connor in an acoustic supergroup called Strength in Numbers.

In 1988, Fleck teamed up with a group of musicians to produce sounds for the PBS Lonesome Pine Series. The group’s first rehearsal was interrupted by a strong thunderstorm that knocked the electricity out for hours, but they continued with an acoustic rehearsal and were asked to perform live on the show. That performance became the first for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.

Fleck decided to finance a self-titled CD for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. It was dubbed a” blu-bop” mix of jazz and bluegrass. It became a commercial and critical success and earned the group a Grammy nomination. Their second recording, “Flight of the Cosmic Hippo,” followed suit and hit the number one spot on the Billboard Jazz Chart. The group shared the stage with the Dave Matthews Band, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, the Grateful Dead, and many others.

In 2011, Fleck was commissioned by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra to write and premiere his first stand-alone banjo concerto. In 2013, he joined forces with his wife, clawhammer banjoist and singer Abigail Washburn, for a very banjo-centric record-

arts & entertainment

Franklin welcomes Fleck, Washburn

ing and touring project.

Washburn performs and records as a soloist as well as with the old-time bands Uncle Earl and Sparrow Quartet, with experimental group The Wu Force, and as a duo with her husband. Having toured the world, Washburn is also armed with Chinese language ability and profound connections to culture and people on the other side of the Pacific. Washburn is one of the few foreign artists currently touring China independently. She completed a month-long tour of China’s Silk Road supported by grants from the U.S. Embassy in 2011.

In March of 2013, Washburn was commissioned by New York Voices and the New York Public Theater to write her first theatrical work. It’s titled Post-American Girl and draws from her 17-year relationship with China. Washburn was recently named the first U.S.-China Fellow at Vanderbilt University. Her efforts to share U.S. music in China and Chinese music in the U.S. exist

Log on. Plan a getaway.

Let yourself unplug.

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arts & entertainment

On the beat • Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will Allie Burbank (singer-songwriter) Sept. 29, Oktoberfest with 12-Gauge Persuaders Sept.

30, Liz Nance (singer-songwriter) Oct. 6 and Austin & Katie Coleman (singer-songwriter) Oct. 7. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. There will also be a “Bluegrass Jam with Heidi” at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Friday Night Live (Highlands) will host Mountain Dulcimer Group (Americana/bluegrass) Sept. 29 and The Johnny Webb Band Oct. 6. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.highlandschamber.org.

• Bistro 29 (Franklin) will host Melissa Ellis (singer-songwriter) at 6 p.m. Oct. 7.

ALSO:

• Bogart’s Restaurant & Tavern (Waynesville) will host Carolina Cudchewers (bluegrass) Sept. 28. All shows are free and begin at 6:30 p.m.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop (Waynesville) will host a jazz evening with the Kittle/Collings Duo from 6 to 9 p.m. every Friday. Free and open to the public. www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Cherokee Fairgrounds will host Lorrie Morgan (country) on Oct. 7.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Cindy McDermott (mandolin/vocals) Sept. 29, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) Sept. 30, The Moon & You (guitar/cello) Oct. 6 and The Russ Wilson Trio (jazz/old-time) Oct. 7. All shows are free (unless otherwise noted) and begin at 7 p.m. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Concerts on the Square (Hayesville) will host The Sarah Mac Band (Americana) Sept.

29. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.cccra-nc.org.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host an “Oktoberfest Party” all day Sept. 30. Shows are free and begin at 7:30 p.m. www.curraheebrew.com.

• The Cut Cocktail Lounge (Sylva) will host Georgia Johnson & The Sensations (blues) Sept. 30. There will also be an open mic night at 8 p.m. on Mondays. 828.631.4795.

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Smoky Mountain News

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

828.488.8898.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Lorin Walker Madsen (singer-songwriter) Sept. 30. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. There will also be a Community Rhythm Circle every Tuesday at 7 p.m. with free drum circle lessons at 6:30 p.m. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

NOC to rock out

• Guadalupe Café (Sylva) will host Folks’ Songs (world/fusion) from 7 to 9 p.m. on Fridays. Free.

Popular Western North Carolina act The Freeway Revival (rock/jam) will perform at 5 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30, at Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City. The show is free and open to the public. www.noc.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Sept.

28 and Oct. 5. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

will host a back porch old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 7. All are welcome to come play or simply sit and listen.

will host Brother Bluebird (bluegrass) 5 p.m.

Sept. 30 and Ol’ Dirty Bathtub (bluegrass/Americana) 7 p.m. Sept. 30.

• Pickin’ on the Square (Franklin) will host Sundown (classic rock) Sept. 30. All shows are free and begin at 7:30 p.m. www.townoffranklinnc.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.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host The Edwards Brothers (Americana) Sept. 29 and Colby Deitz Band (Americana/rock) Sept. 30.

All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing Company (Bryson City) will host Twelfth Fret (Americana) Sept.

30. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing Company (Bryson City) will host The Buchanan Boys (country/rock) Sept. 29 and The Hustle Sounds (funk/soul) Oct. 6. All shows are free and at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. There will also be an “Oktoberfest” all-day Sept. 23. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Karaoke with Chris Monteith Sept. 29 and Styrofoam Turtles (grunge/punk) Sept. 30. All shows are free and begin at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nonamesportspub.com.

• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Cherokee)

• Pub 319 (Waynesville) will host an open mic night from 8 to 11 p.m. on Wednesday with Mike Farrington of Post Hole Diggers. Free and open to the public.

• Tunes on the Tuck (Bryson City) will host Larry Barnett & Friends (bluegrass/Americana) Sept. 30 and Grits & Soul (Americana/bluegrass) Oct. 7 at Riverfront Park. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

• 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 an Open Jam with Rick 8 p.m. Thursdays.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Lorin Walker Madsen (singer-songwriter) Sept. 29. All shows begin at 10 p.m.

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

• Sneak E Squirrel Brewing (Sylva) will host line dancing every Friday at 7 p.m. and contra dancing every other Friday at 8 p.m.

828.586.6440.

• Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro (Sylva)

• Waynesville Pizza Company will have an open mic night at 7 p.m. Oct. 2. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0927 or www.waynesvillepizza.com.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will host the Frank Lee & Allie Burbrink (Americana/bluegrass) during the “First Thursday Concert” at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in the HFR Auditorium. Open jam session at 8 p.m.

There will also be a horn recital at 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 6 in the Coulter Building. All events are free. www.wcu.edu.

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arts & entertainment

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Beatles ‘All Audience Request’ show

Bryson City community jam A community music jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

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

Grampa’s Music in Bryson City.

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

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.

Smoky Mountain News

The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present The Billy McGuigan Band with “Yesterday & Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience” at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30.

The audience will make up the entire set list; this concert is “All Audience Request.” McGuigan developed the live request format for “Yesterday & Today,” complete with the requirement that all the band members memorize and be able to play on a second’s notice all 200+ songs in the Beatles anthology. No wigs or accents here, the show incorporates a 1960’s style set and modern day lighting scheme to create an extraordinary theatrical concert feel.

Tickets are available online at www.highlandspac.org or by calling 828.526.9047.

Billy McGuigan.

facebook.com/smnews Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

The inaugural “Goodyacre Farm Festival” and firefighter fundraiser will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at the farm in Canton.

Live music will be provided by Matthew Ryan & The Northern Wires (8 p.m.), 6 String Drag (7 p.m.), Aaron Burdett (6 p.m.), Chip Robinson (5 p.m.), and Scoundrel’s Lounge (4 p.m.). There will also be vendors, food trucks, photo booth, children’s activities, alpacas, goats, and more.

Tickets are $15 per person, which includes a shuttle fee. Kids ages 2 and under are free.

Shuttles will run every 20 minutes from festival parking at the Canton Town Hall in downtown.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.goodyacrefarm.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

arts & entertainment

On the street

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‘Where were you in ‘62?’

The Jackson County Genealogical Society, winner of Western Carolina University’s 2012 “Mountain Heritage Award,” will host its annual Cruise-In fundraiser from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, at the Sylva Plaza.

The event, which will include classic cars (1987 and older) current-day muscle cars and “rat rods” (custom creations designed to express the builder’s take on a retro junk vehicle) as well as music and food, pays tribute to the old Rebel Restaurant, a busy destination during the dozen or so years it operated. Located in front of what’s now Sav-Mor, the Rebel (1960-1972) offered breakfast, lunch and dinner but is best remembered as the place local teens went to see and be seen.

The event’s car registration fees, T-shirt donations and 50-50 raffle will raise money to help cover JCGS operating costs.

A half-century ago, teens out on a Friday night all ended up at The Rebel. It was the place to be, and it still holds a special place in the hearts of a generation of local highschoolers.

Those who remember nights spent circling the Rebel — the restaurant was located close to the highway with a big lot in

back — can recapture some of their lost youth on Oct. 1. In addition to enjoying the vintage vehicles, attendees can hear 1960s music provided by Bud Clayton and enjoy barbeque, hamburgers and hot dogs served up by Charles Allen.

Car owners will pay a $20 registration fee that includes them in raffles to win prizes donated by area auto parts stores and other merchants. Commemorative T-shirts featuring a vintage car will be available for a minimum $20 donation to the JCGS. A 50-50 raffle is planned, with the drawing set for 3:30 p.m. Prints of local artist Jane McClure’s painting of the old Rebel will be free with a minimum $5 donation.

Every penny of the money raised at the Oct. 1 event will benefit the JCGS, which has worked since its 1991 founding to bring together individuals interested in genealogy; to discover, research and exchange materials related to Jackson County genealogy; and to publish genealogical information on a regular basis. The society’s office is located in the Courthouse wing of the Jackson County Library and is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturdays by appointment.

For more information, find JCGS on Facebook, call 828.631.2646 during office hours, email jacksonvountygenealogy@gmail.com or visit www.jcgsnc.org.

Folk School ‘Fall Festival’

The annual “Fall Festival” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 7-8 at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

Visit over 240 fine craft exhibitors and watch more than 40 artisans demonstrate traditional and contemporary crafts. Fill your ears with bluegrass, gospel, folk, and Celtic music on both days. Tap your toes to clogging, Morris, and Garland dance performances throughout the weekend. www.folkschool.org.

On the street

$1504 Month 1,570 Square Feet $1050 Month 905 Square Feet $745 Month 596 Square Feet ColorFest will be held on Oct. 7 in Dillsboro.

The ninth annual ColorFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in downtown Dillsboro.

Featured in this year’s ColorFest are some of the best fine artists and fine crafters in Western North Carolina; plus many festival foods and great entertainment. Artisans will be displaying authentic Cherokee art, pottery, jewelry, photography, loom beading, handmade soaps, many kinds of needle work, Christmas ornaments, pine cone wreaths, candles, rustic furniture, chair caning, baskets and much more. Most of the artisans will be demonstrating their work and striving for the prizes awarded for first, second, third place (plus honorable mentions), sponsored

by Champion Credit Union in Canton.

The festival has many great visual artists this year that will be demonstrating their expertise. Sheila Bowers and Doreyl Ammons Cain hail from Tuckasegee and share their love of nature in completely different art forms. Bowers specializes in acrylic contemporary poured art, natural landscapes, and abstract fantasy. She also enjoys blending her love of artwork into jewelry making. Inspired by her beloved Smoky Mountains, Bowers enjoys caring for her farm animals and horse-

back riding as well as creating beautiful works of art.

Cain’s nature art is also a celebration of life. Using vivid colors she explores shapes, design and expression. Coming from a career in biological art, she enjoys exploring the endless forms of natural life. Painting in pastels, acrylics and mixed media on various surfaces, she creates commissioned art for books, exhibits, collectors and hand signed and numbered fine art prints for festivals.

Bob Robinette from Waynesville will also be demonstrating his love of acrylic. Dina Deason from Bryson City is another acrylic/mixed media artist.

The entertainment stage will be centrally located at the foot of Church Street.

Entertainers include Twelfth Fret, The Maggie Valley Band, J. Creek Cloggers, and The Elderly Brothers.

Besides the festival food offered, there’s also nearby restaurants: Kostas Family Restaurant, Jarrett House Restaurant, Haywood Smokehouse, Boots Saloon & Grill, Lee’s at the Depot, and the Well House.

For more information, call Connie Hogan at 828.586.3511 or visit www.visitdillsboro.org.

NEWLY RENOVATED Stonegate Office Park Downtown Waynesville

Call Ted Prosser 828-201-3423 Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Celebrating Scotland, Folkmoot will host a “Scottish Friendship Dinner” from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

The connection between Scotland and North Carolina dates back to the 17th century, when immigrants settled in the smoky mountains, far away from their homeland.

Making America “home” was made easier by the Scots bringing to the region their music style, craft making and storytelling, all of which have had a profound influence on the Appalachian culture.

The night begins at 6 p.m. with a traditional Scottish meal catered by Absolutely Yummy Catering and will feature Scottish meat pie, neeps and tatties and a dessert.

During dinner, a whiskey tasting will be available from Elevated Mountain Distillery. At 7 p.m., guests will move to the Sam Love Queen Auditorium to learn about the history of Scottish immigration into the Appalachia. Students and children are welcome to stay in the cafeteria to learn a Scottish dance, a song in Gaelic, and how to put on a kelt; participants are then invited to perform the Scottish dance for the audience in the auditorium.

Tickets for this event are $15 for adult $10 for students and can be purchased at Folkmoot.org or by calling 828.452.2997.

Limited seating is available. Purchase your tickets in advance.

Folkmoot’s year-round programming initiatives have been made possible by Haywood Regional Medical Center, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

Folkmoot is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating many cultures in one community. The Folkmoot Friendship Center is located in the Historic Hazelwood School at 112 Virginia Avenue in Waynesville. Staff can be reached by phone at 828.452.2997 or by email at info@folkmoot.org.

ColorFest returns to Dillsboro

arts & entertainment

Folkmoot ‘Scottish Friendship Dinner’

OFFICE FOR RENT

ESTABLISHED IN 1942 Visit the newly remodeled lounge for: • Local Ice Cream • Beer & WIne • Full Coffee Bar • Theater Snacks

SHOWTIMES

ALSO:

• Sneak E Squirrel Brewing (Sylva) will host the Jackson County Corn Hole Association on Monday evenings ($5 buy in, 100-percent payout), Karaoke with Captain Moose from 7 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays, Trivia at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and a Guitar Hero Tournament at 7 p.m. on Thursdays. 828.586.6440.

• There will be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m. Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 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.

• The Peanuts Pumpkin Patch Express will depart at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 6 and noon and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 7-8 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. On board the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, guests will hear a narration of Schulz’s “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” as the train travels to the Pumpkin Patch. Upon arrival, passengers will be greeted and have a photo opportunity with Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy. Activities to enjoy at The Great Pumpkin Patch will include: campfire marshmallows, a coloring station, temporary tattoos, trick or treating, bouncy house, hayrides and live musical entertainment. For tickets, visit www.gsmr.com or 800.872.4681.

The Lego Ninjago Movie Wed. 27th - 7pm Thurs. 28th - 7pm Sat. 30th - 1, 4, 7pm Sun. 1st - 1, 4, 7pm Mon. 2nd - 7pm Tues. 3rd - 7pm

Smoky Mountain News

• “Laughing Balsam Sangha,” a meeting for Mindfullness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, meets will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays at 318 Skyland Drive in Sylva.

Included are sitting and walking meditation, and Dharma discussion. Free admission.

828.335.8210, and “Like” them on Facebook.

Kids & Family Love The Strand!

For Latest Movie Times:

38main.com

Bring ad in for free kids popcorn!

35

Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

arts & entertainment

On the street Sarge’s ‘Furry Friends Benefit Bash’ The Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation’s ninth annual “Furry Friends Benefit Bash” will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville.

It’s an evening of fun, food, activities, music and live and silent auctions. Before the dinner, guests may enjoy bidding on silent auction items, including many dining, golf and spa packages, as well as unique items for people and their pets.

The live auction will include an overnight package at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, vacation get-a-ways and a special “tag-along work day.” The event will feature “Buy-It-Now” auction items auctions at a fixed price — first come, first buy — and will include specialty items, art pieces and the ever-popular rights to have the winner’s dog’s picture on the 2018 Sarge’s Dog Walk T-shirt.

The event will be a sit-down dinner with two entrées from which to choose — a beef tenderloin/chicken Francaise combination or vegetarian entrée, all with side dishes, salad and dessert. Menu selections must be turned in by Sept. 28. There will be a cash bar.

Sponsorships are also available for the event — visit www.sargeanimals.org/ furry-friends.

Tickets may be purchased for $75 per per-

Cherokee Indian Fair Country star Pam Tillis will perform on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Cherokee Indian Fair.

Symposium looks at healing, harmony The eighth annual “Rooted in the Mountains” symposium at Western Carolina University will have a theme of “Duyuk’ dv’ I,” which translates to “The Correct Way” in Cherokee, on Thursday, Sept. 28, and Friday, Sept. 29, in Cullowhee.

The collaborative meeting seeks to integrate indigenous and local knowledge with health and environmental issues. Sessions will be held in the conference room of Blue Ridge Hall on WCU’s Cullowhee campus.

The keynote speaker is Joe Gone, addressing “Healing Native Communities through Indigenous Paradigms.” Gone is a professor of psychology and Native American studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Highlights of the symposium include a field trip to Kituwah Mound, located near Bryson City. The outing will be led by Brett Riggs, WCU’s Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies. Enrique Gomez, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the university, will speak on healing through cosmological narratives, while Gwyneira Isaac with the Smithsonian Institution will discuss valuing traditional knowledge.

Conference sponsors are the Center for Native Health Inc. and WCU’s College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences, Cherokee Studies Program, Sequoyah Distinguished Professorship and Culturally Based Native Health Programs.

Registration is $75, with students and tribal elders admitted free. To see a complete schedule or to register, visit rootedinthemtns.wcu.edu or call 828.227.2164.

The 105th annual Cherokee Indian Fair will be held Oct. 3-7 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds.

Like the typical county fair, Cherokee invites a top-of-the-line carnival to provide amusements all week for the young and old alike. From games to high-tech rides, the carnival is always a welcome feature at the fair. Community arts and crafts exhibits, Miss Cherokee contest, live music by Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan, and more.

H For a full schedule of events, activities, and gate openings, visit www.visitcherokeenc.com. t

Early history of WNC presentation “The Spirit of a Mountaineer” will be the presentation for the meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center in Bryson City.

The presenters, brothers Roger and Tommy Bryant were researching their family history when they made startling discoveries that resulted in their co-authoring a historical novel, Secret in the Smokies.

Their presentation will include the story of adventurous mountain families who migrated from Germany in the later 1600s, descriptions of life in the Western North Carolina mountains in the late 1700 and 1800s, as well as life during the depression in Bryson City as

t s remembered by their mother Helen Beckg Bryant. In this web of history is also the intrigu-S ing story of Charlie Beck in a case of moonshineC and murder in Swain County in the 1920s.

Roger is a high school teacher and base-S ball/football coach. He has coached teamst that have earned seven North Carolina statec championships and has been awarded Coachv of the Year. His brother, Tommy, is a former police detective of the High Point Northm Carolina Police Department. While workinga in law enforcement, Tommy received aw Service to Mankind award for his work with children and has been a Parade magazine officer of the year nominee. He coached a youth baseball team and a youth football team to North Carolina state championships. Tommy currently works as a sportscaster.

Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. This is free and open to the public. www.swaingenealogy.com.

Bookstore

Open Mic Night Friday, September 29th at 7 p.m.

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son at Sarge’s Adoption Center, 256 Industrial Park Drive, Waynesville. Table sponsorships are available for $650, which will reserve a table for eight guests. Call 828.246.9050 or visit www.sargeanimals.org.

Attendees may purchase with PayPal or a credit card at www.sargeanimals.org/furryfriends or use the ‘Donate Social’ button on Sarge’s Facebook page.

3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

Granite, Quartz & Marble

62 Communications Dr., Waynesville • Hours By Appointment

(828) 452-4747 WWW.SSS-TOPS.COM

N

On the street

The Highlands Biological Foundation will host its annual Cajun celebration with “Highlands on the Half-Shell” on Sunday, Oct. 1, in the amphitheater behind the Nature Center.

The bayou comes to the mountains with a feast of oysters, gumbo, and other Louisiana delicacies under the canopy of Highland’s autumn flame-colored leaves.

Cashiers Leaf Festival

Smoky Mountain News

‘Highlands on the Half-Shell’

All proceeds will benefit the Highlands Biological Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been providing critical support for the Biological Station and it’s three facets: the Nature Center, Botanical Garden and Biological Laboratory since the Station’s founding in 1927.

The fun starts at 4:30 p.m. and will last until dark. Come dressed in your favorite “Cajun casual.” Tickets are $75 for members and $100 for non-members. To purchase tickets, visit www.highlandsbiological.org or call 828.526.2221.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Day, a free family-oriented festival that celebrates Southern Appalachian culture through concerts, living-history demonstrations, competitions and awards programs, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30, on the WCU campus in Cullowhee.

Named one of the top 20 festivals in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society, this year’s event will include additional musical acts, vendors and an expectation of more visitors.

This year’s festival is dedicated to the memory of Haywood County’s Steve Sutton, a WCU alumnus and stellar banjo picker who died Saturday, May 13. He was a fixture

arts & entertainment

Mountain Heritage Day returns

at Mountain Heritage Day, playing with Whitewater Bluegrass Company and participating in numerous Circle Tent performances and jam sessions over the years. He is remembered for helping young musicians and the sense of community he shared through the festival.

The festival started as Founders’ Day on Oct. 26, 1974, at the inauguration ceremony of WCU Chancellor H.F. “Cotton” Robinson and became known as Mountain Heritage Day the following year. Mountain Heritage Day has become renowned as a showcase of mountain music, family activities and the region’s finest arts and crafts, and vendors offering ethnic, heritage and festival food.

Rain or shine, the festival brings history to life and fun to thousands. Shuttles will operate throughout the day, with stops at designated free parking and attraction locations.

Mountain Heritage Day is part of the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina, with www.blueridgemusicnc.com an easy and convenient way to find festivals, concerts, jam sessions and plenty of singing and dancing to the traditional music of Western North Carolina. To learn more about WCU’s premier festival, visit www.mountainheritageday.com or call 828.227.3039.

The Leaf Festival will be held Oct. 6-8 on the Village Green in Cashiers.

Arts, crafts, food vendors, live music, and much more. Presented by the Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association.

Free admission. www.visitcashiersvalley.com.

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Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

arts & entertainment

On the wall Native American exhibitions, symposium In the WCU Fine Art Museum main gallery through Dec. 8 is the nationally traveling exhibition “Return from Exile: Contemporary Southeastern Indian Art,” curated by Tony A. Tiger, Bobby C. Martin, and Jace Weaver.

The exhibition features more than 30 contemporary Southeastern Native American artists working in a variety of media including painting, drawing, printmaking, basketry, sculpture, and pottery.

“Return from Exile” is one of the first major exhibitions to focus on contemporary artists from tribal nations with an historical connection to the Southeastern United States. These include the so-called Five Civilized Tribes, the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, and Muscogee (or Creek), and Seminole, all of whom were forcibly removed in the 1830s to present-day Oklahoma as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The title of the exhibition represents the return of these artists to their ancestral homelands.

The WCU Fine Art Museum received a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host this exhibition and organize a one-day symposium focused on contemporary Native American art. Speakers include artists with work in the exhibition as well as local artists. The symposium will be held on from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 10, followed by a reception honoring the “Return from Exile” exhibition from 5 to 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. The symposium includes a ticketed keynote performance from Canadian First Nation electronic music group A Tribe Called Red at 7:30 p.m.

For details, visit arts.wcu.edu/tribe.

The museum is also presenting “WCU Collects: Recent Acquisitions.” This exhibition showcases a selection of artworks recently given to the museum and includes

a number of artists not previously represented in the collection. The WCU Fine Art Museum stewards a collection of more than 1,500 artworks in all media — from painting and printmaking to book arts, sculpture, ceramics, and contemporary craft. www.wcu.edu.

Waynesville’s ‘Art After Dark’ The next “Art After Dark” will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, in downtown Waynesville.

Each first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and

Mickey Sizemore.

galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors.

Participants include Burr Studio, Cedar Hill Studios, Earthworks Gallery, Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts, The Jeweler’s Workbench, Moose Crossing Burl Wood Gallery, T. Pennington Art Gallery, Twigs and Leaves Gallery and The Village Framer.

“Art After Dark” is free to attend. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Balsam arts, craft show The eighth annual “Autumn Arts and Craft Show” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Balsam Fire Department.

The event will be outdoors with ample parking. On display will be local handmade items such as crocheted and hand-sewn items, matted/framed photos, hand-stitched and stamped greeting cards, oil paintings and prints, small hand-painted tiles, wooden spoons and other small hand painted pictures, pottery, ceramics, jewelry, homemade fudge, baskets and wooden items among many other crafts.

A portion of the entry fees will benefit the fire department. Contact number is 828.226.9352.

Open call for art grants 38

The art of broom-making

The Haywood County Arts Council is now accepting applications for North Carolina Arts Council Regional Artists Project Grants (RAPG) through Oct. 6.

The next Creating Community Workshop will be on broom-making at 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30, in the Atrium of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

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

Explore this Appalachian craft and the basics of broom making while making your very own cobweb broom. The cobweb broom is made to access hard to reach areas, including those pesky cobwebs in corners. Moderate hand and arm strength are needed to make the broom. It may be helpful to wear long pants. It is also recommended to bring an old towel or apron to wear. The class is limited to eight people.

This program is free of charge. For further information and to sign up for the class, 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 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. Projects must occur between Dec. 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018. The deadline for applications is Oct. 6. Grantees will be notified by Oct. 31.

For application information, visit www.haywoodarts.org/regional-artist-project-grant. In the west, grant awards to artists generally range from $500 to $1,200 and follow a competitive application and review process.

The Haywood County Arts Council is supported in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. The Regional Artists Project program is managed through a partnership with the North Carolina Arts Council and local arts organizations throughout western North Carolina working as a consortium. Consortium partners include the Art League of Highlands-Cashiers & the Greater Plateau, Cherokee County Arts Council, Clay County Historical & Arts

Council, Haywood County Arts Council, Jackson County Arts Council, and the Stecoah Valley Arts, Crafts & Educational Center, Inc.

‘Paint & Sip Workshop’ The “Paint & Sip Workshop” will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Gallery Zella in Bryson City.

Enjoy learning to paint with a buddy, daughter, son or even your sweetheart. Take home an incredible memory of your trip to the mountains — your own original painting on canvas. Enjoy a glass of wine (or soft beverage) and a light snack. Instructor Jon Houglum is known as the area’s best oil painting teacher. Students will be presented with various visual tools for suggesting background, middle ground and foreground colors which will give the sense of great depth in their paintings.

Cost is $50, which includes all materials. For more information, call 828.488.3638 or visit www.galleryzella.com.

On the wall

On the stage

HCC Crafts 40th anniversary show

• The “Meet the Artist” reception with Brian Hannum (pianist), Drew Campbell (photographer) and Jon Houglum (painter) will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Gallery Zella in Bryson City. For more information, call 828.488.3638 or visit www.galleryzella.com.

• Mad Batter Food & Film (Sylva) will host a free movie night at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• The Waynesville Fiber Friends will meet from 10 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of the month at the Panacea Coffee House in

Waynesville. All crafters and beginners interested in learning are invited. Keep up with them through their Facebook group or call 828.276.6226 for more information.

• “Paint Nite Waynesville” will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays (Oct. 5 and Oct. 19) at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Sign up for either event on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page or call Robin Arramae at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

ALSO:

• There will be a “Thursday Painters Open Studio” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Bring a bag lunch, project and supplies. Free to the public. Membership not required. For information, call 828.349.4607.

• A “Youth Art Class” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon every Saturday at the Appalachian Art Farm on 22 Morris Street in Sylva. All ages welcome. $10 includes instruction, materials and snack. For more information, email appalachianartfarm@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

‘Hamlet’ goes punk rock The 2017-18 Mainstage season of Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen will present “God Save Gertrude,” an offbeat punk rock riff on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The production will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, through Saturday, Oct. 7, and at 3 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 8, with all shows in the studio theatre of the Bardo Arts Center.

Written by Deborah Stein, “God Save Gertrude” is the story of a fading first lady and former punk rock star who performs one last time as her kingdom, in the final throes of political revolution, comes crashing down around her, said Jayme McGhan, director of the School of Stage and Screen.

“Part confession, part defense, part lament, Gertrude shares her side of the story in a tell-all punk rock show while hiding in a burnt-out theatre as the rebels takes down her husband’s totalitarian regime brick-by-brick,” McGhan said. With insight coming from Mama’s Boy and Daddy’s Girl, the audience is given front-row seats to a dictatorship coming apart from the inside out, he said.

The cast for the production includes four students – Ashley Huber (Gertrude), Adrian Beck (Mama’s Boy), Charlie Cannon (Man) and Callista Brown (Daddy’s Girl).

Understudies for those roles are students Tori Hadel, Ryan Albinus, Anthony Sims and Caroline Ryan.

The show band is composed of students

Cody Shanaberger (guitar) and Albinus (bass) along with local music professional Joshua Linhart (drums and percussion).

Ashlee Wasmund, coordinator for WCU’s programs in musical theatre and dance, is directing the production, while Kristen Hedberg, adjunct music faculty member, is music director. Four students serving on the production crew are Miranda Poindexter, assistant director; Lena Armas, stage manager; Michaela Ashe, assistant stage manager; and Albinus, production music assistant.

Faculty and staff members on the design/technical team are Spencer Burke, technical director; Kevin King, shop supervisor; Michael Mauren, assistant lighting designer and mentor; and Hannah Roten, shop supervisor. Students on the design/technical team are Kirsten Smitherman, scenic designer and props master; Kaitlin Jenks, assistant props master; Vincent Aycock, props crew; Stephanie Hurtado-Hoyos, fly crew; Kristin Wasko, costume designer; Erynn Vickery, assistant costume designer and wardrobe chief; Bailey Ball, wardrobe crew; Holly Records, hair and makeup designer; Megan Sullivan, lighting designer; Trystan Heck, master electrician; Sylena Lewis, board operater; Jonathan Partin, sound designer; Avery Mills, sound technician and sound board operater; and Autumn Bryson, assistant house manager.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for WCU faculty and staff, and seniors. For tickets or more information, call 828.227.2479 or click on bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

39

Smoky Mountain News

• Local artist and crafter Lawrie Williams will offer another in her series of “Wire Art Jewelry Classes” from 12:30 to 3 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva. Williams is a skilled jewelry maker and will be teaching participants how to wire wrap stones to showcase them as earrings or pendants. The cost is $10 and you’ll need to bring your jewelry pliers if you have them, otherwise all materials and tools will be supplied. Please call the Sylva Extension Office at 828.586.4009 to register.

penned a memory play that is in some aspects autobiographical drawing on the characters of Williams himself, his histrionic mother and his mentally fragile sister Rose.

Williams, whose real name was Tom, learned to his horror in 1943 that in his absence his sister had been subjected to a botched lobotomy which left her institutionalized for the rest of her life. It is this episode that inspired the story of the haunted character Tom in the play. Williams would leave the bulk of his estate to provide for Rose’s care.

For tickets, call 828.456.6322 or visit www.harttheatre.org. Dinner is also available before the performances at Harmons’ Den Bistro.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Currently on display, the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) welcomes a juried show from alumni and faculty of the HCC Professional Crafts Program.

Like the Haywood County Arts Council, the HCC Professional Crafts Program is celebrating 40 years of building a creative community in our region. Held at HCAC’s “Gallery & Gifts” showroom in downtown Waynesville, the show features 16 former students and four current faculty, showing work in clay, jewelry, fiber and wood.

HCC offers a two-year, degree and diploma seeking intensive course of studies in clay, fiber, jewelry and wood. Through a unique blend of studio experience, classroom education, and hands-on business

experience, degree students achieve the skills necessary to become viable independent studio artists or to become valuable, skilled employees in the expanding craft industry.

HCC offers continuing education classes and workshops in clay, fiber, metals, wood, painting, drawing, and music as well as design and computer classes. These classes are year-round and open to the public. Free business seminars such as Marketing for the Craftsperson are offered throughout the year to prepare students and serve the community with the information necessary to develop or participate in successful craft businesses.

“We’re so pleased to host the HCC Professional Crafts Program in the gallery this month. HCC is a wonderful community partner to us, and they produce some of the finest craft artists in our region. This show is a can’t miss look back at 40 years of art,” said HCAC Executive Director Lindsey Solomon.

The exhibit is open through Sept. 30.

A stage production of the Tennessee Williams classic play “The Glass Menagerie” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept.

29-30 and Oct. 5-7, and at 2 p.m. Oct. 1 and 8 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

The play premiered in Chicago in 1944 and was championed by critics Ashton Stevens and Claudia Cassidy. They succeeded in attracting New York producers and later that year it opened on Broadway with Laurette Taylor as Amanda Wingfield, one of the stage’s most memorable characters.

Williams was instantly catapulted from obscurity to international fame. The play won the Drama Critics Circle Award and entered the canon of classics. Williams

arts & entertainment

HART presents ‘The Glass Menagerie’

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

Miss Julia’s saga is well worth the read iss Julia Springer lives in a small town near Asheville, where she is mourning the death of her husband of 44 years and trying to settle his affairs, including the enormous estate he has left her. On this particular hot day in August, Miss Julia — she goes by this title despite her long marriage — discovers that she has one last affair to face: her husband’s years-long adultery with Hazel Marie Puckett, a scanWriter dalous relationship known to nearly everyone in town except for Miss Julia.

She becomes aware of her husband’s infidelity only when his mistress, Hazel Marie Plunkett, rings her doorbell, informs her that the skinny bespeckled nine year old boy at her side is Wesley Lloyd’s son, that she is off to beauty school in Raleigh, and that she will return in six weeks to reclaim her son. She then dashes off to her car and speeds away, leaving Miss Julia stunned and Wesley Lloyd Junior weeping on the porch.

So begins Ann B. Ross’s novel Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind (William Morrow Paperbacks, 2000, 273 pages). Before taking a look at this comedy, let me explain the publication date. Most books reviewed here in The Smoky Mountain News are relatively new, and I could have reviewed Ross’s latest Miss Julia Weathers The Storm, which is the seventeenth novel in the saga of Miss Julia and which made its way into print just this year. It made more sense, however, to read the first volume of this series that, I confess, was completely unfamiliar to me.

To return to the book: Miss Julia, a devout Presbyterian, an upright Southern lady, and a childless woman who has devoted her life to her husband and home, now faces other dilemmas besides Wesley Lloyd Junior. Her minister claims that Wesley Lloyd Senior had wanted to leave a wad of money to the church,

Jeff Minick

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a fortune with which he intends to build a family life center. Some of Hazel Marie Plunkett’s relatives, including a crooked

preacher named Brother Vern, also want to avail themselves of Miss Julia’s fortune.

Meanwhile, assisted by Lillian, who is her maid, cook, and best friend, by Deputy Bares, who rents a room in her home, and by Sam, a

Program on ‘true mountain man’ Noted outdoors writer and Great Smokies enthusiast Jim Casada will present “The Legacy of a Mountain Man: True Adventures in the Smokies” at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, in the Hunter Library at Western Carolina University.

The program will be held in the Special Collections Reading Room of the library. Casada will discuss the life and times of famed mountaineer Sam Hunnicutt, a Swain County resident known for his wilderness prowess prior to the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Hunter Library’s Special Collections has published a reissue of Hunnicutt’s rare, regional classic, Twenty Years of Hunting and Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains, first published by S.B. Newman &

close friend who has always loved her from afar, Miss Julia must contend with the sadfaced little boy fathered by her husband and the scandal raised by his sudden appearance.

Though she first fears that her reputation is forever ruined, Miss Julia decides to face up to the townspeople and acknowledge forthrightly that the boy she takes to the barbershop and shopping for clothes is the progeny of her stiffbacked husband.

The paragraphs above sound stiffbacked themselves, given that Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind is one of the more amusing books I’ve read in a good while. The scene where Miss Julia, Lillian, and Hazel must abduct Wesley Lloyd Junior from Brother Vern, who has himself kidnapped Wesley; the moment when the sixtyish Miss Julia fears she has become a nymphomaniac once that disorder is explained to her; the machinations of Pastor Ledbetter: these and a dozen other incidents should keep readers chuckling throughout the story.

Miss Julia, the story’s narrator, provides most of these laughs. As she proceeds to han-

Company of Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1926. The new edition also contains an introduction by Casada, an award-winning writer and photographer from Bryson City and retired Winthrop University professor.

“Samuel Jeter Hunnicutt was a man of the high hills to the core, but even in an era note for producing rugged individuals and distinctive characters, he stands apart,” Casada said. “He knew the rugged fastness of the Smokies with an uncanny degree of familiarity, and as a sportsman, prospector and ‘sanger’ (ginseng hunter), he took shank’s mare to remote places known to few and visited by even fewer. He knew the agony of being struck by a rattlesnake and the ecstasy of locating a patch of ginseng covering more than an acre, and he managed to squeeze moisture from the sponge of life in a fashion most of us can only envy.”

Hunnicutt’s favorite haunt was the wild, remote and sprawling

dle one disaster after another, she not only speaks her mind, but also grows a spine. She sticks up for herself and the new people in her life — Hazel and Wesley Lloyd — and by her wit and sharp tongue demolishes her enemies and entertains the rest of us.

Ann B. Ross lives and writes in Hendersonville. Her eighteenth Miss Julia novel, Miss Julia Raises The Roof, is due for release in April 2018.

••• In The Letter (Headline Publishing Group, 2013, 396 pages), British author Kathryn Hughes gives readers parallel stories of love and connection. Tina Craig works in an office and volunteers on her days off in a charity shop, mostly to avoid her alcoholic, abusive husband.

Half a century earlier, in the months just before World War II breaks out, Billy Sterling falls in love with Chrissie, the daughter of a loving mother and a doctor who rules his family with an iron rod. Despite the doctor’s hatred of him, Billy pursues Chrissie. When she becomes pregnant, the doctor explodes, sending his daughter into exile and banning Billy from the house. Billy persists in his attempts to see Chrissie, finally writing her a letter explaining how much he loved her.

This is the letter that Tina finds unopened in the pocket of an old jacket in the charity shop. She breaks the seal, reads the letter, and decides to try and hunt down its author, Billy Sterling. Her adventures and trials — her marriage has its ups and downs during this search — test her persistence to the limit, lead her into a friendship with a young American, and teach her the meaning of love as opposed to what her husband claims to feel for her.

To say more would spoil the story for readers. Suffice it to say that this magical tale of love and of connections made and missed contains entertaining twists in the plot and some thought-provoking ideas about fate and circumstance.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher.

Minick 0301@gmail.com.)

drainage of Deep Creek, almost all of which now lies within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Casada said.

“With the possible exception of his close hunting and fishing buddy, legendary angler Mark Cathey, no one has ever enjoyed greater familiarity with this backside of heaven,” Casada added. “In more than two-score tales, all told with a straightforward simplicity totally devoid of literary pretense and singularly lacking in both grace and grammar, he also left posterity a treasure in the heretofore exceedingly rare book.”

The event is free and open to the public. A reception will be held following the event. Anyone who joins or renews a membership with Friends of Hunter Library at the event will receive a free copy.

For more information, call 828.227.7474 or email specialcollections@wcu.edu.

History of the Plott Hound Author Bob Plott will host a reading and discussion on his new book Plott Hound Tales: Legendary People & Places Behind the Breed at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

The Plott Hound has reached worldwide fame through the contributions of many colorful characters from the Southern Appalachians. An author and breed expert, Plott reveals the fascinating people and places that have shaped the history of the Plott Hound, which has historical roots in Haywood County and is the North Carolina State Dog.

• Author Louise Nelson will hold a front porch reading and discussion on the history and heritage of Western North Carolina from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Shelton House in Waynesville. Light refreshments will be served. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the Shelton House Barn.

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Smoky Mountain News

In his new book, The Life of Mikey — A Memoir, a bittersweet coming-of-age memoir about growing up in rural Appalachia, Michael K. Willis examines the changing culture and ever-present history of his childhood home in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Willis spent his most impressionable years in Southern Appalachia, much of it in the North Carolina counties of Macon and Haywood and in Asheville’s Oakley community. In his eye-opening new memoir, he perfectly captures the local culture of 1960s rural North Carolina. Willis’s memoir shows both the unique heritage of the region and his personal struggles as a young man growing up in an abusive family.

The mountains of North Carolina serve as a deterrent to outsiders, but the locals embrace the beautiful scenery and rugged isolation. This isolation serves to make Mikey’s life a living hell. Even in the wild beauty of the mountains, he can’t escape the violent actions of his parents. If his father isn’t missing, he is beating young Mikey.

But his neighbors know Mikey’s father only as the pastor of the local Baptist church. As Willis explores this early-childhood trauma, he also chronicles his encounters with southern gospel music, baptisms, and revival meetings.

Willis received his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Western Carolina University and his master’s degree in public administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He currently lives in Asheville.

The Life of Mikey is available on Amazon and at most bookstores.

Smoky Mountain Sanctuary

Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News 828 | 452 | 4251

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Wildlife through a lens Highlands couple explores the outdoors one photograph at a time

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he years since retirement have been anything but dull for Highlands residents Ed and Cindy Boos. From Ecuador to Kenya to destinations across North America, they’ve traveled the world — camera bags in hand.

The resulting catalogue of photos, primarily depicting wildlife but also featuring plenty of landscapes, includes everything from a young elephant feeding from its mother on an African Savannah to a Smokies black bear giving a wave as it rolls on the ground.

“We won’t pass up a good portrait, but we really like to get behavior,” Ed said.

That’s where Ed and Cindy, ages 70 and 68, make a good team. Ed specializes in still photography, while Cindy focuses on video footage. Together, their images tell a story.

But being in a position to tell that story is often a story in itself. Grizzly bears don’t show up on request to demonstrate trout-eating or cub caretaking for eager photobugs.

Birds don’t hold their poses when performing courtship rituals until the perfect shot is snapped.

“You have to have a lot of patience because you can get to a site and you never know what’s going to happen,” Cindy said. “You have to be patient, bring a drink, bring a snack and wait it out. Maybe it will materialize, maybe it won’t, but you still have that anticipation of what’s going to happen.”

Once, Cindy recalls, she and Ed were in Yellowstone National Park when they heard that there was a grizzly bear nearby feeding on a carcass. They pulled over where they saw all the cars stopped along the road and began walking up the ridge atop a thick layer of icy snow, Ed going first as he usually did, “so that if there’s a snake it will bite me first.”

But, unbeknownst to Ed, Cindy fell through the top layer and into waist-deep snow. It took her some time to get out, and when she did she got herself to a spot on the ridge that looked down on the Yellowstone River — and there was the grizzly, eating away.

“I was able to get such awesome footage of that,” she said. “Just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

The grizzly finished feeding, turned around and walked back up the hill on the other side of the river. Ed and Cindy reunited and were walking out when they ran into a National Geographic photographer who was also looking for the grizzly — but unfortunately for him the window of opportunity had closed.

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“I said, ‘I’d be happy to sell you some of my footage,’ which did not go over very well,” Cindy laughed.

Over the years, Ed and Cindy have gone to great lengths to get some of the shots that are most important to them. They once waited 11 hours to get images of sandhill crane chicks hatching. Another time they hiked 5 miles roundtrip — in sand — to reach a sinkhole pond in Florida that holds as many as 150 alligators at one time.

And once, they traveled all the way to Maine so they could take a boat to Machias Seal Island, an uninhabited island full of puffins that includes a set of blinds with holes for camera lenses, just feet away from the birds.

“That’s something we wanted to do really bad, for a really long time,” Ed said.

But, after driving all the way from North Carolina, they discovered that bad weather had resulted in a three-day small craft advisory — they couldn’t go out at all and had to drive back south with zero puffin pictures.

“We’re pretty lucky with the weather and usually we are successful, but that was the one time we had no success at all,” Ed said.

Still, they were determined. So last year they flew up to a different puffin photography hotspot, this time in Newfoundland, Canada.

Conventional wisdom is that during the summer months in that region, there will only be about 10 days combined when it’s not foggy and rainy. But during the two days they were there, sunshine prevailed.

“We were really lucky there,” Ed said.

Both Ed and Cindy were into photography long before their 2002 wedding. Ed did sports photography, often shooting images for a small newspaper in the Tampa Bay area, and during the 1970s and 1980s Cindy worked in black-and-white photography. But for both of them the hobby had fallen by the wayside by the time they met, when both were working for the Polk County, Florida, school system.

But, upon retirement 13 years ago, they picked it up again with a particular focus on nature and wildlife.

“We both share a love of nature and we would rather be doing that than anything,” Cindy said. “It’s just our passion, and we love to share with other people. That’s why we go to all the effort.”

Ed and Cindy are members of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society and frequently give presentations to that group and other birding groups in the area. They consider themselves amateur birders, but their patience and persistence in

Great-horned owl chicks perch in their nest. Ed Boos photos

A pileated woodpecker returns to its nest to feed hungry chicks.

A Smokies black bear appears to wave from its place in the grass.

outdoors

Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center photo

Colorful fall predicted for Western North Carolina This year’s autumn display is likely to be a colorful one, according to Western Carolina University fall foliage forecaster Beverly Collins.

“The warm, wet spring and most of the summer has been ideal for photosynthesis,” said Collins, a professor in WCU’s biology department. “Under those conditions, plants make abundant chlorophyll and associated leaf pigments, such as yellows, oranges and reds, to produce sugars.”

If typical fall weather featuring bright,

sunny days and cool nights continues through September with a cold snap in early October, bright fall colors are likely.

Peak color around Western North Carolina could arrive in the second and third week of October, depending on elevation.

Several variables are still at play in determining foliage vibrancy. If the active hurricane season delivers a windstorm that knocks leaves off trees and thins the canopy, color could be patchy. In addition, continued warm temperatures can slow down color change.

50K trail race returns

Stock the Pigeon

capturing images and video of the avian world has paid off by showcasing behaviors that are news to birders much more knowledgeable and experienced than Ed and Cindy.

“That’s kind of exciting to be able to show people who know a lot more about birds than you do things they’ve never seen,” Ed said.

But those results are a direct result of time put in — talking to other photographers, researching locations and just getting outside. During the four-month period they

live in Florida each year, Ed estimates that they spend 70 to 75 days out on photography expeditions.

“The easy, fun part is getting out there and doing it,” Ed said. “The hard part is having to review all that stuff and pick out the images. That’s a chore.”

But for both of them, the work is well worth the reward.

“It’s just being out there and seeing the things that you see — that most people never see,” Ed said.

Smoky Mountain News

Trout fans are invited to help the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and Trout Unlimited Cataloochee chapter stock the West Fork of the Pigeon River, 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6.

Volunteers are invited to bring a clean 5-gallon bucket, trash bags and friends to help stock at least 1,500 pounds of fish. Waders are also recommended. The job will take about three hours to complete.

It’s the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s responsibility to stock the river, but having a volunteer force to help allows the fish to be dispersed more evenly along the river, resulting in a more enjoyable fishing experience.

The group will meet at a parking lot that’s past Lake Logan and before Sunburst Campground off of N.C. 215, across from the shooting range.

Ron Gaddy, tucataloochee427@gmail.com.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

There’s still time to sign up for the grueling Naturalist Trail Race, a 25K or 50K tour of Franklin and the Bartram Trail that features brutal climbs and fantastic views.

The race, held Saturday, Oct. 7, will be offered in conjunction with the Outdoor 76 Fall Celebration, which features three bands throughout the day along with 18 draft craft beers and a special selection from Oscar Blues Brewery North Carolina for post-race celebrations.

All runners will leave from downtown Franklin at 8 a.m. and travel to the Bartram Trail area on Wallace Branch to make the grueling climb to Wayah Bald, about 11 miles away. The 25K features more than 7,000 feet of climbing and the 50K includes more than 10,500 feet of climbing. $65 for the 25K and $80 for the 50K. Space limited. Sign up at www.ultrasignup.com.

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outdoors

Fall hike to Purchase Knob, Hemphill Bald Lumberjacks, weavers and wood carvers to converge

Smoky Mountain News

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Forestry students, entertainers, craftsmen and exhibitors will gather at the Cradle of Forestry in America to celebrate forests and forest heritage Saturday, Oct. 7.

The day will feature the 23rd annual John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s Meet, a lumberjack competition organized by Haywood Community College. Several colleges will compete in crosscut sawing, archery, axe throwing, pole climbing and more.

Meanwhile, wood carvers, weavers and other demonstrators will present their skills and craftsmanship along the 1-mile Forest Festival Trail to commemorate Forest Festival Day. Midday, a wagon ride will run to carry participants to and from a falconry program. $6 for ages 16 and up; $3 ages 5-15; free ages 4 and under. America the Beautiful and Golden Age passes accepted.

The Cradle of Forestry is located in the Pisgah National Forest along U.S. 276 near Brevard. 828.877.3130.

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Catch the colors of autumn from the ridge tops of Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tuesday, Oct. 10 with Friends of the Smokies’ Classic Hike. This 7-mile out-and-back hike ascends 1,500 feet from Purchase Knob to Hemphill Bald.

The group hike will feature spectacular views and a stop at Ferguson Cabin, which was built in 1874 and is the highest log cabin in the Smokies.

Hikers will also be treated to a brief presentation from national park rangers about the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center.

Beth Ransom, accomplished hiker and Smokies supporter, will lead the hike. Ransom has hiked many trails both inside and outside the park, and recently completed the Camino del Norte, a pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain that travels several hundred miles.

Meeting locations for the daylong excursion will be in Asheville, Waynesville, and at the trailhead. Monthly guided day hikes in the Classic Hikes series are $20 for members. New and renewing members may join Friends of the Smokies and hike for $35.

Visit hike.friendsofthesmokies.org.

Hike the Pinnacle A challenging 7-mile loop up Fisher Creek will yield a stunning view from Pinnacle Peak during a hike 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in Sylva.

Paul Carlson, the founding director of Mainspring Conservation Trust, will lead the hike and discuss the intricacies involved in protecting water quality for thousands of people. The hike traverses the drainage of Fisher Creek, one of four municipal watersheds Mainspring was instrumental in conserving in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Free, with space limited. RSVP by Sept. 29 to Sharon Burdette, 828.524.2711, ext. 301.

Art meets science in Highlands outdoors

The Carolina Gallery of Fine Art will feature a new exhibit titled, “Where Art & Science Meet” featuring works from local artists who spent the summer painting and sculpting in the Highlands Botanical Garden.

These nature-inspired pieces will be on display from Sept. 30 to Oct. 28 with a closing auction on Oct. 28 benefitting the Highlands Biological Station. Throughout the duration of the exhibit, the Gallery will host events at 4 p.m. each Wednesday, including a. Oct. 18 lecture

by HBS Executive Director Dr. Jim Costa.

More than 20 artists participated in HBS’s “Artist in Nature” program this summer. Their time spent in the lush Highlands Botanical Garden inspired many creations including paintings and sculptures. These works will be on display at the new Carolina Gallery of Fine Arts located at 411 N. 4th Street in Highlands.

Get updated on protecting the parks

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

Wildlife photos, conservation effort and doings in D.C. will all be part of a program 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Waynesville Public Library.

Jeff Hunter from the National Parks Conservation Association will present on his work in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In addition to describing his efforts in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway, he’ll discuss his colleagues’ efforts to protect other special places and their work in other regions, including Capitol Hill.

Hunter will also show some wildlife images captured in Haywood County through the Candid Critters program that provides loaner camera traps to the public.

Free. Sponsored by Friends of the Library and the NPCA.

Sylva Garden Club to meet Smoky Mountain News

The Sylva Garden Club will be holding its October monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church of Sylva. Refreshments will be served prior to the start of the business meeting.

Guest speaker will be Dr. Roger Clapp, executive director of the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River (WATR).

The Sylva Garden Club is a non-profit, educational, and philanthropic organization open to all who have an interest in gardening. A “green” thumb is not required. Come learn about gardening and participate in the club’s various projects.

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outdoors

SMART START BASKETBALL PROGRAM

Smart Start Basketball is open to children ages four and five with age as of October 1, 2017.

Parents or another adult must be able to attend one parent meeting on October 9 at 5:45 pm and six one-hour sessions with all players. No teams. No games. Just skill-building between parents and their child.

Twenty spots available on a first come, first serve basis. Deadline to register is Monday October 9, at 5:45pm $55 registration includes: mini basketball for dribbling, teslon basketball for passing/catching and shooting, practice cones, equipment bag, participant manual, and free t-shirt. Begins October 26 at the Waynesville Recreation Center and will be held from 5:45 to 6:45 pm every Thursday night for six weeks.

Register at the Waynesville Rec Center

WAYNESVILLE

PARKS AND RECREATION For more ino please email Donald Hummel Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

828.456.2030 at dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov

{Celebrating the Southern Appalachians}

Celebrate National Public Lands Day Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a volunteer trail maintenance workday on Saturday, Sept. 30 in celebration of the 24th annual National Public Lands Day. Participants are invited to participate on a trail rehabilitation project along the Clingmans Dome Bypass Trail from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Volunteers will perform trail maintenance including installation of drainage features, rehabilitation of trail surfaces and removal of brush. While jobs may vary in complexity, volunteers must be able to hike at least 2 miles and safely perform strenuous manual labor. Volunteers should be

comfortable lifting heavy objects and using hand tools. Minimum age of participants is 16. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible parent or guardian.

Volunteers should wear long pants, long sleeves, sturdy closed-toed shoes, and appropriate layers for cool weather. The park will provide gloves, safety gear, and tools for the day. All participants should bring lunch, water, and rain gear. Interested participants should contact Trail and Facilities Volunteer Coordinator Adam Monroe at 828.497.1949 or adam_monroe@nps.gov for more information and registration.

Give back to the Cradle Admission will be free at the Cradle of Forestry in America during National Public Lands Day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30.

Participants will have the chance to participate in any of several service projects, such as invasive species removal and gardening projects. Groups and individual volunteers are welcome, but registration is required with Devin Gentry or Courtney Long, devin@cfaia.org or courtney@cfaia.org.

The Cradle is located along U.S. 276 about 35 miles south of Waynesville.

Smoky Mountain News

Celebrate angling heritage A festival celebrating the rich fly fishing heritage of Western North Carolina will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in downtown Bryson City.

Vendors will set up next to the train depot on Fry Street to display and demonstrate all types of fishing equipment. Meanwhile, the delayed harvest trout waters of the Tuckasegee River will flow just one block away.

Tuckasegee Fly Shop, 828.488.3333.

Smoky Mountain Living celebrates the mountain region’s culture, music, art, and special places. We tell our stories for those who are lucky enough to live here and those who want to stay in touch with the place they love.

Subscribe or learn more at smliv.com MAGAZINE

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See pro fly tyers up close The Smoky Mountain Hook, Hackle and Rod Show will display some of the best fly tyers and rod builders in the Southeast Oct. 6-7 at the Swain County Recreation Center in Bryson City.

The event will include silent auctions, educational booths, casting and fly tying demonstrations and easy access to some of the best fly fishing in the region.

Free. Presented by the Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians and the Swain County Chamber of Commerce. www.flyfishingmuseum.org.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Western Carolina University will host a Global Spotlight Series event about water scarcity from 4-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 27, in the Multipurpose Room of A.K. Hinds University Center. 227.3860 or jsschiff@wcu.edu.

• Folkmoot will host a Scottish Friendship Dinner from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. Traditional Scottish meal, whiskey tasting, presentation on the history of Scottish immigration to this region, demonstrations and dance lessons. $15 for adults; $10 for students. 452.2997.

•The Cherokee Bonfire & Storytelling will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 28 at the Oconaluftee Islands Park. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

• Applications are now available for the Waynesville Christmas Parade, which is at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4, on Main Street. Registration ranges from $20-30. info@downtownwaynesville.com or 456.3517.

Applications are due by noon on Friday, Nov. 17.

• Folkmoot is organizing a trip to Greece that will depart Dec. 26 and return on Jan. 3. To register or get more info: http://folkmoot.org/Greece or 452.2997.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center will host a “How to Find Your Customers” seminar from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Regional High Technology Center in Clyde. Part of the Business Startup Series. For info or to register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center will offer a general business seminar entitled “Time Management Tools for the Busy Entrepreneur from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, at SCC’s Jackson Campus. Register: http://bit.ly/ncsbcn.

• Short semester registration is underway through Oct. 4 for classes at Haywood Community College. Classes start Oct. 11. Applications available at haywood.edu/apply or visit Student Services at the campus in Clyde. haywood.edu/shortsemester or 627.4500.

• Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center will host a “Choosing Your Legal Structure” seminar from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct 5, at the Regional High Technology Center in Clyde. Part of the Business Startup Series. For info or to register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• A Hunter Safety Course will be offered three times from 6-9:30 p.m. on Oct. 2-3, Nov. 6-7 and Dec. 18-19 on the Haywood Community College Campus, Building 3300, Room 3322, in Clyde. Participants must attend both nights to receive certification from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Preregistration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

• A financial education class on “How to find extra income in your day-to-day life” will be offered by OnTrack from 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Preregistration required: 452.7960.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Smoky Mountain High School’s “Drive 4UR School” fundraiser is scheduled for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, at Andy Shaw Ford of Sylva. For each of the first 300 test drives, a $20 donation will be made by Andy Shaw Ford and the Ford Foundation to the band, chorus and visual arts programs at Smoky Mountain.

586.0900 or andyshawford.com.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• The Jackson County Genealogical Society will host its annual Cruise-In fundraiser from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1, at Sylva Plaza. Classic cars (1987-older), modern muscle cars and “rat rods;” music and food. Tribute to “The Rebel” restaurant (1960-72). 631.2646 or www.jcgsnc.org.

• United Christian Ministries will have fundraisers at the following days, times and locations – with 10 percent of all proceeds going to help Jackson County families in need: all day on Thursday, Oct. 5, at South of Philly in Sylva; from 5-10 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 9, at Zaxby’s of Sylva; from 4 p.m.-closing on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at Sazon in Cullowhee; 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Half Past of Sylva; 5 p.m.-closing on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at Wendy’s of Sylva; 4 p.m.closing on Thursday, Nov. 9, at Coach’s in Dillsboro; and 4-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Pizza Hut of Sylva.

• Tickets are on sale now for Sarge’s ninth annual Furry Friends Benefit Bash, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. Silent auction and dinner. Menu selections due Sept. 28. Tickets: $75. Sponsorships: $650. www.sargeanimals.org, 246.9050 or stop by Sarge’s Adoption Center at 256 Industrial Park Dr. in Waynesville.

• The Crabtree-Iron Duff Fire Department will have its annual auxiliary barbecue from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7. $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12.

Entertainment and 50-50 drawing. Proceeds to go community education scholarship program. 627.3138.

• Food4kids Haywood is collecting easy-to-prepare food items and financial gifts - for children lacking food stability in Haywood County at 10 a.m. on Oct. 7 at the Harvest of Hope Tractor Parade in downtown Waynesville. Bring five items and receive treat card for a free chicken sandwich or eight-count nugget from Chick-fil-A. • Tickets are on sale now for a 3 Doors Down performance as a fundraiser for the Better Life Foundation on Oct. 21 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. Tickets available at ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Booths are available for the Autumn Leaves Craft Show, which is Oct. 12-14 at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin. 349.4324.

• The Haywood County Special Olympics program is seeking volunteer coaches for golf, soccer, basketball and bocce. The Fall Games Celebration is at 9 a.m. on Oct. 14. Info: tpetre@waynesvillenc.gov.

HEALTH MATTERS • Southwestern Community College will host a health fair from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, at its Jackson Campus in Sylva in the Burrell building. All 15 of SCC’s health sciences programs will be represented as will regional healthcare vendors. Information booths, demos, door prizes, raffles and more. Yoga on the lawn from 12 to 12:30. Flu shots will be offered, and the Blood Connection will provide visitors an opportunity to donate blood. s_seibert@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4305.

• Randy Doster and Mark Stein of The Meditation Center will be featured at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Stein and Doster will present a personal, non-religious experience that helps one relax, reduce stress and encourage other health benefits. 586.2016.

Smoky Mountain News

• The eighth annual “Rooted in the Mountains” symposium at Western Carolina University will have a theme of “Duyuk’ dv’ I,” which translates to “The Correct Way” in Cherokee, on Thursday, Sept. 28, and Friday, Sept.

29, in Cullowhee. Registration is $75, with students and tribal elders admitted free. rootedinthemtns.wcu.edu or 227.2164.

• A diabetes management education opportunity for senior citizens will be offered from 4-6 p.m. on Mondays from Oct. 2-Nov. 6 at First Baptist Church of Waynesville. Info: 356.2272.

• Macon County Public Health will hold influenza vaccination clinics from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Highlands First Baptist Church and from 3-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Macon County Public Health. $30, and insurance will be filed. Appointments also available. 349.2081.

• A community health fair is scheduled for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Oct. 7 at Long’s United Methodist Church in the Center Pigeon/Bethel Community at 1097 Coffee Branch Rd. in Canton. Info: 648.0380 or awilliams1@wnccumc.net.

• Appalachian Community Services will hold its Balsam Center Open House from 1-4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at 91 Timberlane Road in Waynesville. RSVP by Oct. 3: 454.1098, ext. 2878, or Tabatha.Brafford@ACSwnc.com.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • The High Mountain Squares will host their High School/College Colors Dance from 6:15-8:45 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, at the Memorial United Methodist Church in Franklin. Western-style square dancing, mainstream and levels. 342.1560, 332.0001 or www.highmountainsqures.com.

POLITICAL • N.C. Rep. Mike Clampitt of Bryson City will have a quarterly meeting from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, at Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • Jim Casada will present “The Legacy of a Mountain Man: True Adventures in the Smokies” at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 28, in the Hunter Library at Western Carolina University. 227.7474 or specialcollections@wcu.edu.

• Longtime Haywood County resident and author Louise Nelson will discuss and sign her books from 10 a.m.noon on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Shelton House in Waynesville. www.sheltonhouse.org.

• Wiley Cash will launch the national tour for his latest book, “The Last Ballad,” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Special guests include Charles Frazier and Shannon Whitworth. events@unca.edu or 251.6853.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1:30 p.m. each Tuesday at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 926.6567.

• Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina – an effort to help area residents commit to a healthier lifestyle, will meet from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.

• Haywood County Senior Resource Center is looking into starting a weekly Euchre Card Group. If interested, contact Michelle Claytor at mclaytor@mountainprojects.org or 356.2800.

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Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings • A Silver Sneakers Cardio Fit class will meet from 1011 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 60 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members.

456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Book Club is held at 2 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800 • Senior croquet for ages 55 and older is offered from 9-11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Vance Street Park in front of Waynesville Recreation Center.

Free. For info, contact Donald Hummel at 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

KIDS & FAMILIES • Smart Start Basketball program will be offered for 4 and 5-year olds in Haywood County this fall, and a mandatory parent meeting is at 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 9, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. $55 registration.

Skill-building program runs from 5:45-6:45 p.m. for six weeks starting Oct. 26. Info: 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• A kids’ nature discovery program will be offered to ages 3-5 and kindergarten through third grade through the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.

Younger ages will meet at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays (Oct. 25, Nov. 15 and Dec. 20) at Cullowhee Recreation Center and at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays (Oct. 4, Nov. 1 and Dec. 13) at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center.

The older ages meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays (Oct. 25, Nov. 15 and Dec. 20) at Cullowhee Recreation Center and at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays (Oct. 4, Nov. 1 and Dec. 13) at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center. $10 per child. Pre-register: www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Registration is underway for Lake Junaluska’s winter youth retreats, which start Dec. 29. Registerat 800.222.4930 or www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth.

ONGOING KIDS ACTIVITIES AND CLUBS • A Tuesday Library Club for ages 5-12 meets at 4 p.m. each Tuesday (except for the fifth Tuesday on months that occurs) at the Canton Library. Hands-on activities like exercise, cooking, LEGOs, science experiments and crafts. 648.2924 or kpunch@haywoodnc.net.

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

• Stories, songs and a craft are offered for ages zerosix (and caregivers) at 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

• A program called “Imagine,” an art program for children 8-12 meets at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Program contains art, writing, and drama. 586.2016.

wnc calendar

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hour-long storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays at the Canton Library and at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. For ages zero to six. 648.2924.

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hourlong storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 11 a.m. on Fridays at the Canton Library. For ages zero to six.

648.2924.

• A Lowe’s Build and Grow session for ages 3-and-up is scheduled from 10-11 a.m. on Saturdays at the Sylva (586.1170) and Waynesville (456.9999) Lowe’s stores. Free.

• Library Olympics will be held at 2 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. Children age 5 and up get active through relay races, bingo, mini golf.

586.2016.

• Art classes are available for kids 10 and older from 4:15-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. $15 per class. 787.2865 or www.thebascom.org.

• Get Moving, a program for children ages 5-12 to encourage children to live a healthy life through exercise and healthy eating, will be held on the first Tuesday of the month at 4 p.m. at the Canton Public Library. 648.2924

• Art Adventure classes are taught for ages 5-10 from 3:30-4:45 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Bascom in Highlands. Theme: metal. Instructor: Bonnie Abbott. $20 per month. 787.2865.

• Storytimes are held at 10 and 10:40 a.m. every Thursday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• After-School Art Adventure will be on from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Tuesdays at The Bascom in Highlands.

For ages 5 to 10, Art Adventure is a class that explores the creative process of drawing, painting, printmaking, clay, sculpture, fiber art, and crafts by utilizing a variety of media. The students will investigate some of the most popular techniques and theories in art history and will be exposed to contemporary as well as folk art traditions. Tuition is $40 for a fourclass package. www.thebascom.org.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

• Fun Friday, everything science, is held at 4 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

Smoky Mountain News

• Michael’s Kids Club will be held for ages 3-and-up from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at Michael’s in Waynesville. $2 per child for 30 minutes of creative crafts. 452.7680.

• Crafternoons are at 2:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• Family Story Time is held on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 0-6. Stories, songs, dance and crafting. 648.2924.

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• A Teen Advisory Group meets at 4 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month to discuss YA books and teen program events at Canton Library. http://haywoodlibrary.libguides.com/teen or 648.2924.

• Teen Coffeehouse is at 4:30 p.m. on the first, third, and fourth Tuesday at Jackson County Public Library.

Spend time with other teens talking and sharing. 12 and up. 586.2016.

• Rock and Read is at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

• WNC Martial Arts will hold karate classes from 67:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at the Old Armory in Waynesville. For more info, contact Margaret Williams at 301.0649 or mvwilliams39@gmail.com.

• Story time and kids can make their own piece of art from 10 a.m.-noon every Saturday during the Family Art event sponsored by the Jackson County Arts Council at the Jackson County Farmers Market located at the Community Table, downtown Sylva. On the first Saturday of each month, there is a scavenger hunt with prizes. 399.0290 or www.jacksoncountyfarmermarket.org.

• Free, weekly, after-school enrichment classes are offered by the Bascom and MCAA from 3-5 p.m. on Thursdays at Macon Middle School through a grant from the Jim McRae Endowment for the Visual Arts. To register, contact Bonnie Abbott at 743.0200.

•A Lego club will meet at 4 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Library provides Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up. Free. 488.3030.

•A community breastfeeding information and support group meets from 10:30 am.-noon on the first Saturday of each month in the main lobby of the Smoky Mountain OB/GYN Office in Sylva. Free; refreshments provided. For information, contact Brandi Nations (770.519.2903), Stephanie Faulkner (506.1185 or www.birthnaturalwnc), or Teresa Bryant (587-8223).

• Science Club is held at 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of each month for grades K-6 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Macon County 4-H Needlers club, a group of youth learning the art and expression of knitting and crochet crafts, meets on the second Tuesday of each month.

For information, call 349.2046.

• A Franklin Kids’ Creation Station is held from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturdays at uptown Gallery in Franklin.

Snacks provided. $20 tuition. 743.0200.

• SafeKids USA Blue Dragon Tae Kwon Do School offers defense training with after-school classes Monday through Friday and Saturday mornings.

627.3949 or www.bluedragontkd.net.

• A Lego Club meet the second Wednesday of the month at 5 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library.

743.0215.

• A Lego Club meets at 4 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Legos and Duplos provided for ages three and up.

488.3030.

• Homework Help, 3 to 5 p.m. Mondays for students in grades 2 through 6, Canton Branch Library. Former schoolteacher turned Youth Services Librarian Katy Punch offers homework help on a first-come, firstserved basis. Katy, 648.2924.

•Teen Advisory Group, first Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. For ages 13-18. Teens can enjoy snacks while discussing popular young adult books, help plan events and displays for children and teens at the library, and participate in community service projects.

Canton Library, 648.2924.

• Crazy 8 Math Adventure Club on Tuesdays 3:30 p.m.

- 4:15 p.m. for grades K-2 at the Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Culture Club on the second Wednesday of the month, 1 to 2 p.m. for K-6 graders. Guest speakers, books, photos, crafts and food from different countries and cultures. Macon County Public Library. 524.3600.

• Children’s craft time, fourth Wednesday, 3:45 p.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215

KIDS FILMS • “The Lego Ninjago Movie” is playing at 7 p.m. on Sept. 30 & Oct. 1 and 7 p.m. on Sept. 25-28 and Oct. 2-5 at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. www.38main.com.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

KIDS STORY TIMES HAYWOOD • Mother Goose Time, a story time for babies and toddlers (5 months to 2 years) and their parents/caregivers, is held at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Waynesville Library. 452.5169 • Family Story Time, 11 a.m. Wednesdays at the Waynesville Public Library. Stories, songs, crafts.

452.5169.

• Movers and Shakers story time is at 11 a.m. every Thursday at the Waynesville Library. For all ages.

Movement, books, songs and more. 452.5169.

• A Lego Club meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 4 p.m.- 5:30 p.m. at the Macon County Public Library. 526.3600.

• Family storytime with crafts, second Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. at the Waynesville library. 4525169.

• A Lego Club meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 4:30 p.m. at Jackson County Public Library. 5862016.

• Family story time for ages zero to six years old is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. each Tuesday at the Canton Library. 648.2924.

Puzzles can be found on page 54.

These are only the answers.

JACKSON • Baby Storytime is at 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Jackson County Public Library. Songs, fingerplays and stories for infants through toddlers. 586.2016 • Kid’s story time Saturdays, 11 a.m., all ages at City Lights in Sylva 586.9449.

• Kids story time, Fridays 11 a.m., Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. at Jackson County Public Library. Story time includes books, puppets, finger plays, songs and crafts. 586.2016.

• Pre-school story time, second Wednesday, 11 a.m. at Cashiers Community Library. 743.0215.

• Rock and Read storytime, 11 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016

SWAIN • Preschool Story time, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., Marianna Black Library. After a book or two is read, the children participate in games, songs, finger plays, puppet play and make a craft to take home.

488.3030.

MACON • Paws 4 Reading, a family story time, will be held from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Macon County Public Library. Children can read to a therapy dog. (grades K-6). 524.3600.

• Toddlers Rock, Mondays, 10 a.m., Macon Public Library. Music, movement and instruments (Designed for children 0-24 months, but all ages are welcome).

• Family Story Time is held at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

524.3600.

• Family Story Time for ages 0 to 7 years is held at 10 a.m. on Thursdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 524.3600.

• Bilingual Story time – 6 to 6:30 p.m., on Thursday, Nov. 10. Program reads a children’s book in English and Spanish at the Macon County Public Library.

526.3600.

A&E FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • The inaugural “Goodyacre Farm Festival” and firefighter fundraiser will be held from noon to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30, at the farm in Canton. Live music will be provided by Matthew Ryan & The Northern Wires (8 p.m.), 6 String Drag (7 p.m.), Aaron Burdett (6 p.m.), Chip Robinson (5 p.m.), and Scoundrel’s Lounge (4 p.m.). There will also be vendors, food

• Mountain Heritage Day is Sept. 30 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Celebration of the music, dance, arts and crafts of Southern Appalachia. www.BlueRidgeMusicNC.com, www.mountainheritageday.com or 227.3039. www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.

• “Art After Dark” will be from 6 to 9 p.m. the first Friday of the month (May-December), in downtown Waynesville. Each 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.

• The 105th-annual Cherokee Indian Fair is Oct. 3-7 at Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Cherokee Indian Fair Parade is Oct. 3 in downtown Cherokee. 359.6492.

• Tickets are on sale now for Oktoberfest, which Oct. 1 at Lake Logan. Authentic German 5-course meal and cooking demonstrations by Chef Paul Young, German music, games and beer. Tickets are $60. www.lakelogan.org/special-events or 646.0095.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Lorin Walker Madsen (singer-songwriter) Sept. 30. Free and begins at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. There will also be a Community Rhythm Circle every Tuesday at 7 p.m. with free drum circle lessons at 6:30 p.m. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Pickin’ on the Square (Franklin) will host Sundown (classic rock) Sept. 30. Free and begin at 7:30 p.m. www.townoffranklinnc.com.

• Concerts on the Square (Hayesville) will host The Sarah Mac Band (Americana) at 7 p.m. on Sept. 29. www.cccra-nc.org.

• Award-winning American banjo player Béla Fleck and his wife Abigail Washburn, a clawhammer banjo player and singer, will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Tickets start at $25 each. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 273.4615.

• Russ Kendrick Martin, the “Rust Belt Troubadour,” will perform at the Jackson county Farmers Market on Saturday, Sept. 30, in Sylva. www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org or www.russkendrickmartin.com.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • The N.C. Humanities Council will present “The Way We Worked” – a collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute Traveling Exhibition Service – through Nov. 7 at the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. A celebration of 150 years of America’s Workforce. www.nchumanities.org.

• Applications are being accepted through Oct. 6 for Regional Artist Project grants through the N.C. Arts Council. Eligible projects include creation of new work,

• The Glenville Area Historical Society will hold its fall meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Glenville Community Center. 743.1658 or historicalsocietyglenvillearea@yahoo.com.

• The Gem & Mineral Society of Franklin meets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Masonic Lodge at 50 Church Street.

• The “Paint & Sip Workshop” will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Gallery Zella in Bryson City. Cost is $50, which includes all materials.

488.3638 or www.galleryzella.com.

• A broom making workshop with Mickey Sizemore is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, in the atrium of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Info and register: 586.2016.

• The eighth annual Autumn Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the Balsam Fire Department. A portion of entry fees benefit the fire department. 226.9352.

• “The Spirit of a Mountaineer” will be the presentation for the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center in Bryson City. Presenting will be brothers Roger and Tommy Bryant. www.swaingenealogy.com.

• The ninth annual Dillsboro Fine Arts & Crafts Fair is scheduled for 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Oct. 7. Displays, demonstrations, food and entertainment. 586.3511 or www.visitdillsboro.org.

• Sign-ups are underway for the 26th annual Haywood Arts Regional trip to broadway, which is May 10-13.

Cost is $1,575 per person. $500 deposit due by March 1; balance due April 1. HART, P.O. Box 1024, Waynesville, NC 28786.

• Waynesville Fiber Friends welcomes fiber artists of every kind: crochet, knitting, cross-stitching and more, from 10 a.m.-noon on the second Saturday of each month at Panacea Coffee House in Waynesville.

276.6226.

• Appalachian Art Farm will host a free art session from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Community Table in Sylva. 273.9682 or MyriahStrivelli@gmail.com.

• The High Country Quilt Guild meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the First Methodist Church in Waynesville. www.highcountryquilters.wordpress.com.

• The Bryson City Lion meet at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month at the Iron Skillet in Bryson City.

• “Paint Nite Waynesville” will be held at 6:30 p.m. every other Thursday at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. There will also be “Painting at the Porch” at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Southern Porch in Canton. Sign up for either event on the Paint Night Waynesville Facebook page (search event: Brush N. Brew) or call Robin Smathers at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• There will be a “Thursday Painters Open Studio” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Bring a bag lunch, project and supplies. Free to the public. Membership not required. For information, call 828.349.4607.

Smoky Mountain News

• Tickets are on sale now for Western Carolina University’s Homecoming Concert featuring country singers Brett Young and Carly Pearce. The concert is at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center in Cullowhee. Purchase tickets at ramsey.wcu.edu.

• Local artist and crafter Lawrie Williams will have a Wire Art Jewelry Class from 12:30-3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva. $10. 586.4009.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

• A stage production of the Tennessee Williams classic play “The Glass Menagerie” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 5-7, and at 2 p.m. Oct. 1 and 8 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org. Dinner is also available before the performances at Harmons’ Den Bistro.

purchase of equipment, professional development workshops, travel and development of promotional materials. Application available at: www.haywoodarts.org, or email director@haywoodarts.org.

wnc calendar

trucks, photo booth, children’s activities, alpacas, goats, and more. Tickets are $15 per person, which includes a shuttle fee. Kids ages 2 and under are free.

Shuttles will run every 20 minutes from festival parking at the Canton Town Hall in downtown. For more information or to purchase tickets, click on www.goodyacrefarm.com.

• Coloring Club will be hosted on the second Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. at Canton Library.

Color pencils and color pages supplied. For ages 8 to 108. 648.2924.

• Beginners Chess Club is held on Fridays at 4 p.m.

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wnc calendar

at the Canton Public Library. Ages 8-108 invited to participate. 648.2924.

• Cribbage is at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Maggie Valley Inn. 410.440.7652 or 926.3978.

• An Antique, Vintage & Handcrafted Flea Market starts at 8 a.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 3029 Soco Road in Maggie Valley. Bring your own table/tent. Spaces rent for $10 a day or $25 for all three days.

• The Adult Coloring Group will meet at 2 p.m. on Fridays in the Living Room of the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. An afternoon of creativity and camaraderie. Supplies are provided, or bring your own.

Beginners are welcome as well as those who already enjoy this new trend. kmoe@fontanalib.org or 524.3600.

• Haywood County Arts Council is inviting artist members to participate in its annual Artist Member Show.

Download a show contract/inventory sheet from www.haywoodarts.org. Send completed forms to gallery@haywoodarts.org or P.O. Box 306; Waynesville, N.C. 28786.

• The Jackson Rangers Camp 1917 will hold monthly meetings at 6 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Barkers Creek Community Center.

Members are being sought to participate in honor guard graveside events and honor Confederate soldiers. The Confederate Rose, a ladies auxiliary group that supports active members, meets at the same time and location. 736.6222 or jrcamp1917@hotmail.com.

• “Stitch,” the community gathering of those interested in crochet, knit and needlepoint, meet at 2:30 p.m. every first Sunday of the month at the Canton Public Library. All ages and skill levels welcome. www.haywoodlibrary.org.

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

• The Sew Easy Girls meet from noon-3 p.m. on the first Monday of every month at the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office’s conference room. Learn how to sew. 586.4009.

• A community art group meets at 10 a.m. every Wednesday at the Hudson Library in Highlands.

828.526.3031.

• A writer’s group meets at 1 p.m. every Thursday at Hudson Library in Highlands. 526.3031.

• Free one-on-one technology help is offered every Tuesday and Thursday morning at Hudson Library in Highlands. Call 526.3031 to make an appointment.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES

Smoky Mountain News

• The “Meet the Artist” reception with Brian Hannum (pianist), Drew Campbell (photographer) and Jon Houglum (painter) will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Gallery Zella in Bryson City. For more information, call 828.488.3638 or click on www.galleryzella.com.

• The Haywood County Arts Council is presenting a juried show from alumni and faculty of Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts programs through Sept. 30 at 86 N. Main Street in Waynesville.

452.0593, info@haywoodarts.org or HaywoodArts.org.

• The art of MaryEtta Burr and Dane Burr will be featured during the Art After Dark event on Friday, Oct. 6, at Burr Studio in Waynesville. www.downtownwaynesville.com.

• In the WCU Fine Art Museum main gallery through Dec. 8 is the nationally traveling exhibition “Return from Exile: Contemporary Southeastern Indian Art,” curated by Tony A. Tiger, Bobby C. Martin, and Jace Weaver. The symposium will be held on from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 10, followed by a reception honoring the “Return from Exile” exhibition from 5 to 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. The symposium includes a ticketed keynote performance from 50 Canadian First Nation electronic music group A Tribe

Called Red at 7:30 p.m. arts.wcu.edu/tribe.

The museum is also presenting “WCU Collects: Recent Acquisitions.” This exhibition showcases a selection of artworks recently given to the museum and includes a number of artists not previously represented in the collection. www.wcu.edu.

• A new exhibition titled “Within the Margins: Contemporary Ceramics,” curated by Steven Young Lee, will be on display at Penland Gallery off Penland Road near Spruce Pine in Mitchell County. 765.6211 or penland.org/gallery.

• New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

FILM & SCREEN • “The Hero” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. 586.3555 • “Wonder Women is showing at 7 p.m. on Sept. 29 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. 586.3555 • “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” will be shown at 9 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva.

586.3555 • Free movies are shown every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva.

Madbatterfoodfilm.com.

Outdoors • Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library will host “The Legacy of a Mountain Man: True Adventures in the Smokies” presented by Jim Casada at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28. Casada will discuss the life and times of famed mountaineer Sam Hunnicutt, a Swain County resident known for his wilderness prowess prior to the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 227.7474 or specialcollections@wcu.edu.

• An exhibit entitled “Where Art & Science Meet” will be on display from Sept. 30-Oct. 28 at the Highlands Biological Foundation in Highlands. Nature-inspired art. 526.2221, highlandsbiological@gmail.com or www.highlandsbiological.org.

• Highlands Biological Foundation will have a “Highlands on the Half-Shell” program at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 at the Meadow at Highlands Biological Station. $75 for members; $100 for nonmembers. www.highlandsbiological.org or 526.2221.

• Registration is underway for Hunter Safety Classes that will be offered Oct. 2-3 at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Participants must attend both evenings from 6-9:30 p.m. More classes will be offered Nov. 6-7 and Dec. 18-19. Preregistration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

• The Tuckaseigee River Chapter 373 of Trout Unlimited meets at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at United Community Bank in Sylva. Dinner is $5.

• Mainspring Conservation will have a Pinnacle Peak from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Oct. 5 in Jackson County. http://tinyurl.com/y9wuqp8d.

• Jeff Hunter of the National Parks Conservation Association will make a presentation on “Protecting Our National Parks” from 2-3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Waynesville Library. www.nccandidcritters.org.

• Trout Unlimited Cataloochee will have its first stocking of the delayed harvest season at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 6, at the West Fork Parking Lot. Bring a clean five-gallon bucket.

• The Smoky Mountain Hook, Hackle and Rod Show is scheduled for Oct. 6-7 at the Swain County Recreation

Center in Bryson City. Silent auctions, educational booths, casting and fly tying demonstrations. www.flyfishingmuseum.org.

miles and use more technical trails than the beginner’s ride. Organized by Motion Makers Bicycle Shop.

633.2227.

• A festival celebrating WNC’s fly fishing heritage is scheduled for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, in downtown Bryson City. Vendors and demonstrations.

488.3333.

• New this year is the Sunday Gravel Ride, which will leave from Motion Makers in Asheville at 8 a.m. all summer for a 40-mile ride on paved and gravel roads to Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard. Organized by Motion Makers Bicycle Shop. 828.633.2227.

• Forestry students, entertainers, craftsmen and exhibitors will hold a celebration of forests and forest heritage during the 23rd annual John G. Palmer Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s Meet on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Cradle of Forestry in American near Brevard. $6 for ages 16-up; $3 for ages 5-15 and free for ages 4younger. 877.3130.

• A “Winged Wonders” butterfly exhibit is on display through Oct. 29 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. http://www.ncarboretum.org/event/winged-wondersstep-world-butterflies/all.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club holds a Saturday Work Hike on the fourth Saturday of each month. 369.1983.

• A cycling ride leaves at 8 a.m. on Saturdays from South Macon Elementary School. Routes vary with distances typically 15-25 miles. Road bikes only. A no drop ride. Organized by Smoky Mountain Bicycles, 828.369.2881 or info@smokymtnbikes.com.

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to assist the Trails Forever trail crew for a rehabilitation project on the Rainbow Falls Trail from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Sign up or get more info: 497.1949, Adam_Monroe@nps.gov or https://friendsofthesmokies.org/trailsforever/volunteer.

• North Carolina residents are invited to participate in the “NC’s Candid Critters” – the largest camera trap survey ever. Residents of Jackson, Macon and Swain Counties can participate in a brief online training process then borrow a camera trap from any Fontana Regional Library location. Info: NCCandidCritters.org or www.fontanalib.org.

• The Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council meets at 10 a.m. every second Tuesday at Rathskeller Coffee House in Franklin. Franklintraildays.com.

• A cycling ride leaves at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from Smoky Mountain Bicycles in Macon County.

Routes vary with distances typically 15-25 miles.

Road bikes only. A no drop ride. Organized by Smoky Mountain Bicycles, 369.2881 or info@smokymtnbikes.com.

• A 25-mile cycling ride covering the back roads from Sylva to Balsam leaves at 6 p.m. Tuesdays from Motion Makers Bicycle Shop in Sylva. The route includes 1,600 feet of elevation gain. Organized by Motion Makers, 586.6925.

• An easy cycling ride aiming to help people ease into a healthier lifestyle through cycling is offered Thursday mornings in the Canton area, typically covering 8-10 miles. Road bikes are preferred and helmets are required. Nobody will be left behind. A partnership of Bicycle Haywood N.C., the Blue Ridge Bike Club and MountainWise. For specific start times and locations: mttrantham@hotmail.com.

• A ride for cyclists at the intermediate level and above will be offered at 6 p.m. on Thursdays, with starting points alternating between the Waynesville Recreation Center and the Canton Recreation Park.

The season starts April 27 with a ride leaving from Waynesville. Cyclists regroup as necessary and typically cover about 20 miles over the course of an hour and a half. Bob Clark, bobclarklaw@gmail.com.

• A beginner-friendly social cycling ride for women will begin at 6:15 p.m. on Mondays from the Bent Creek Ledford Parking Lot, covering 5-to-8 miles of mountain bike trails. Organized By Motion Makers Bicycle Shop. 633.2227.

• A training cycling ride for women who know how to handle a mountain bike but want to go faster will start at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesdays from the Ledford parking lot at Bent Creek. The rides will cover 8-to-12

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Registration is underway for the 11th annual Power of Pink 5K Walk and run, which starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. Register at www.HaywoodHealthcareFoundation.org or www.gloryhoundevents.com/event/power-of-pink.

• Sign-ups are underway for the Naturalist Trail Race, a 25K or 50K tour of Franklin and the Bartram Trail that features brutal climbs and fantastic views on Oct. 7. $65 for the 25K or $80 for the 50K. www.ultrasignup.com.

FARM AND GARDEN • The Sylva Garden Club will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 3, in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church of Sylva. Guest speaker is Dr. Roger Clapp, executive director of the Watershed Association of the Tuckaseegee River.

• Garden tours are available on the first Tuesday of each month (through October) at Southern Highlands Reserve, a nonprofit native woodland garden dedicated to sustaining the natural ecosystems of the Blue Ridge Mountains. www.southernhighlandsreserve.us.

• “More in My Basket at the Market” classes are offered in September at the Cooperative Extension Service in Waynesville. Learn benefits of shopping at the farmer’s market. Info and to register: 456.3575.

• Local farmers can stop by the Cooperative Extension Office on Acquoni Road from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every fourth Friday to learn about USDA Farm Service Agency programs in the 2014 Farm Bill. Info: 488.2684, ext. 2 (Wednesday through Friday) or 524.3175, ext. 2 (Monday through Wednesday).

FARMERS MARKET • The Jackson county Farmers Market is from 9 a.m.noon each Saturday at Bridge Park on Railroad Ave. in Sylva. www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.

393.5236.

• A community tailgate market for local growers is open from 3-7 p.m. every Wednesday at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers. 734.3434, info@villagegreencashiersnc.com or www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

• Haywood Historic Farmers Market is held from 8 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the parking lot of HART Theatre in Waynesville. haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com, www.waynesvillefarmersmarket.com or www.facebook.com/HaywoodHistoricFarmersMarket.

• The Original Waynesville Tailgate Market is from 8 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville (behind Bogart’s).

456.1830 or vrogers12@att.net.

• The Jackson County Farmers Market will be on Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon at Bridge Park located in Sylva. Info: 393.5236. jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com or website jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.

• The ‘Whee Farmer’s Market is open from 4 p.m. to dusk every Tuesday at the University Inn on 563 N. Country Club Drive in Cullowhee, behind the entrance to the Village of Forest Hills off Highway 107 across from Western Carolina University. 476.0334. www.facebook.com/CullowheeFarmersMarket.

PRIME REAL ESTATE Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

AUCTION

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.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 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

Great Smokies Storage 10’x20’ $

92

20’x20’ $

160

CONST-TRK-AUCTION 10/3/17 8:00 am Lumberton NC NCLN 858 10% Buyer’s Premium.

See: www.meekinsauction.com OCEAN ISLE BEACH Vacation Special. Receive $25.00 off any 2017 vacation rental. May be combined with any advertised special. Limited time offering.

1.800.NCBEACH. 1.800.622.3224 www.cookerealty.com AUCTION Construction Equipment & Trucks BID ON-SITE & ONLINE! 9/26 @ 9 AM, Richmond, VA. Excavators, Dozers, Road Tractors, Loaders, Dump Trucks, Trailers & More!

Accepting consignments through 9/22 3600 Deepwater Terminal Road. www.motleys.com 804.232.3300 VAAL#16 HUNT YOUR OWN LAND Or Build Dream Cabin 68 acres on Hwy. 21 Alleghany & Wilkes Co., NC Selling: Sat, Oct. 14 @ 11am NCAL#685 336.789.2926 RogersAuctionGroup.com SOLD!! ADVERTISE YOUR AUCTION In over 100 newspapers across the state for only $375. Call Wendi Ray at N.C. Press Services, 919.516.8009.

AUCTION

SOUTHPORT, N.C. FOR SALE, Waterfront resort hotel condominiums. Pre construction prices.

Amazing views. Private fishing pier. Full kitchens. Waterfront swimming pool. Cooke Realty 910.616.1795 or visit: contactcooke@gmail.com TAX SEIZURE & BANK REPO Auction. Saturday, October 7th @ 10am. 201 S. Central Avenue Locust, NC. Kubota & John Deere Tractors, Farm Equipment, Turf Maintenance Equipment, Golf Carts, Dump Trucks, Cars, Tools.

704.791.8825 ncaf5479 www.ClassicAuctions.com

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

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WE ARE KNOWN FOR HONESTY & INTEGRITY 828-734-3874 18 COMMERCE STREET WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA 28786 WWW.FROGLEVELDOWNSIZING.COM

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The Affordable Solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1.800.615.4064 for FREE DVD and brochure.

DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, 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

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CARS AUTO INSURANCE Starting at $49/ Month! Call for your fee rate comparison to see how much you can save! Call: 855.970.1224 CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!!

Top Dollar Offer! Free Towing From Home, Office or Body Shop. All Makes/Models 2000-2016. Same Day Pick-Up Available! Call Now: 1.800.761.9396 DONATE YOUR CAR TO CHARITY. Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or not!

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BUSINESS FOR SALE RETAIL/RESTARAUNT BUSINESS For Sale, located in Maggie Valley, NC. Call 828.734.1665 for more information.

www.smokymountainnews.com

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

WNC MarketPlace

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

A PRIVATELY OWNED TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY Is seeking applications/resumes for an Installer/Technician.

The successful applicant will need the following: • Able to climb utility poles • Good driving record •The ability to operate and handle hand tools, power tools, hydraulic eqpmnt., ladders, etc.

• Some computer experience would be helpful • Self-motivated & dependable with the ability to work independently • The ability to deal with difficult customers and members of the public in a professional, courteous manner • Be able to handle multitasking and stressful situations in a professional manner • Be available for “On Call” Duty on weekends and overtime as needed with little notice • Be able to pass a drug test and background check This person will be responsible for the installation of telephone, cable, and internet service from the utility pole into a customer’s home, will install and set up modems, digital equipment, etc. in a customer’s home, and be able to detect, troubleshoot, and fix problems as they occur with the services offered to a customer.

Salary is dependent on exp.

Benefits are available Anyone interested should e-mail their resume to: sanders@ccvn.com or fax it to 828.536.4510.

Resumes/applications will be accepted through Friday, September 22, 2017.

Equal Opportunity Employer Veterans encouraged to apply AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING – Get FAA Technician certification..

Approved for military benefits.

Financial Aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866.724.5403 SAPA AUTO BODY Part-Time, must have experience in auto body, welding and metal fabrication. Waynesville, Call Pat 828.456.3915

FRONT DESK/OFFICE MANAGER Full Time or Part Time: Maggie Valley Cabin Resort Seeks a Versatile, Energetic & Experienced Front Desk Employee. Customer Service & Computer Exp. Req. Weekends, Nights & Holidays a Must! Call 828.926.1388 BROWN TRUCKING Is looking for COMPANY DRIVERS and OWNER OPERATORS. Brown requires: CDL-A, 2 years of tractor trailer experience OTR or Regional (Multiple states) in the last 3 years, good MVR and PSP. Apply: www.driveforbrown.com. Contact Matt 704.927.6440.

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Is recruiting for a Social Worker in Child Protective Services. This position works with foster children and their families. The work requires limited availability after hours and on weekends on a rotating basis. The starting salary is $39,310.99 depending on education and experience. Minimum qualifications include a four year degree in a Human Service field.

Preference will be given to applicants with a Master's or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and/or experience providing Social Work services. Applicants should complete a NC State application form (PD-107) and submit it to Jackson County Social Services, 15 Griffin Street, Sylva, NC 28779 or the Sylva branch of the NC Division of Workforce Solutions as soon as possible.

FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Assistant Registrar/Curriculum, Chemistry Instructor, Digital Media/Simulation & Game Development Instructor, English Instructor, PC Support & Services/Database Management 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

95

18

with service appointment

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EARN $500 A DAY: Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Wants Insurance Agents • Leads, No Cold Calls • Commissions Paid Daily • Agency Training • Life License Required. Call 1.888.713.6020 SEEKING AN INDIVIDUAL To Provide Direct Client Services for Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence, to Create and Support a Fundraising Plan for Jackson County Victim Services, and to Develop and Implement Education, Marketing, and Outreach Materials. If Interested, Please Submit a Resume to REACH of Macon County, PO Box 2287 Franklin, NC 28744 or Send to: reach@reachofmaconcounty.org NUCLEAR POWER TRAINEE Paid Training, great salary, benefits, $ for school. Gain valued skills. No exp needed medical/ dental, vacation. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419 GOT CANDIDATES? Find your next hire in over 100 newspapers across the state for only $375. Call Wendi Ray at NC Press Services, 919.516.8009.

HOME WORKERS!!

Easy Legitimate Work, Great Pay! Assemble Products At Home And Other Mystery Shopping Opportunities Galore - No Experience Needed.

For More Details, Send $2.00 With A Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope to: Publishers Market Source, P.O. Box 1122, Merrillville, IN 46411

SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR Canton Full-Time Must have background in Social or Community Service working with Elderly and Diverse Populations. Food Service/Nutrition preferred. Must have good verbal and written communication, record keeping skills, problem solving, computer skills, Valid NC Driver’s License required.

Please submit applications at: www.mountainprojects.org Mountain Projects, Inc. 2251 Old Balsam Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786. EOE/AA

YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE With Bad Credit and High Interest Rates! Get a FREE Consultation Today, and Start Improving your Credit Now. Call 855.705.7246 Today! SAPA

FURNITURE

PETS SERVICES & SUPPLIES USE PATENTED HAPPY JACK FLEA Beacon to Control Fleas in the Home without Toxic Chemicals or Expensive Exterminators. At Tractor Supply. Fleabeacon.com SAPA

COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

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LAWN & GARDEN JAMISON TREE SERVICE AND DEBRIS REMOVAL The Feeling of Fall Cleanup is in the Air! No Job Too Big or Too Small! Call or Text Now for a Free Estimate at 828.508.9727 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

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday, 12 Noon - 6 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

FINANCIAL BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA BUYING A HOME Need a mortgage? Or, have a home and want to lower your monthly fees and refinance? Getting a mortgage is quicker and easier than ever. Call now!

844.251.5563 DO YOU OWE $10K+ IN IRS Tax Debt? Take 60 seconds for a FREE Consultation to end IRS collections. Call now! 877.824.0649 SAPA SOCIAL SECURITY Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1.800.670.4805 to start your application today!

MAGGIE- SAINT BERNARD MIX, 9YRS OLD. SHE & HER HOUSEMATE, DAISY, WERE SURRENDERED TO US THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. MAGGIE IS A LITTLE SHY, AND THE LESS CONFIDENT OF THE TWO, BUT SHE HAS ADAPTED WELL TO LIFE AT THE ADOPTION CENTER, AND SHE'LL BE EVEN HAPPIER IN A COMFORTABLE, LOVING HOME OF HER OWN. CORNELIA- A LOVELY SIAMESE KITTY 4 YRS OLD. SHE WAS SURRENDERED TO THE COUNTY SHELTER WHEN HER OWNER HAD TO GO TO A NURSING HOME. SHE IS SWEET & FRIENDLY, & ALTHOUGH SH’S ADAPTED TO SHELTER LIFE, SHE'LL BE MUCH HAPPIER IN A HOME OF HER OWN WITH A SPECIAL PERSON TO LOVE.

SFR, ECO, GREEN

cproben@beverly-hanks.com

74 N. Main St., Waynesville, NC

860 Tunnel Road, Asheville, NC

52

LOCAL DRIVERS WANTED! Be your own boss. Flexible hours.

Unlimited earning potential.

Must be 21 with valid U.S. drivers license, insurance & reliable vehicle. Call 855.750.9313

FINANCIAL

Cell: 828-734-9157 Office: 828-452-5809

Includes Free Multi-point Inspection

(828) 298-4911

COOK/TRANSPORTER Jackson County Part time Must be willing to work Early Mornings, have working knowledge of a kitchen. Be able to lift 60lbs., stand for long periods of time, good cleaning skills and Valid NC Driver’s License required. Please Submit Applications at: www.mountainprojects.org Mountain Projects Inc., 25 Schulman St., Sylva, NC 28779 or 2251 Old Balsam Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786 EOE/AA

EMPLOYMENT GOT YOUR EARS ON? Find your next driver by advertising statewide in over 100 newspapers for only $375. Call Wendi Ray at NC Press Services, 919.516.8009.

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EMPLOYMENT

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147 WALNUT STREET • WAYNESVILLE

828.506.7137

aspivey@sunburstrealty.com

www.sunburstrealty.com/amy-spivey

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

LAND FOR SALE? Reach buyers across the state in over 100 newspapers for only $375. Call this newspaper or Wendi Ray at NC Press Services, 919.516.8009.

HUNT YOUR OWN LAND Or Build Dream Cabin 68 acres on Hwy. 21 Alleghany & Wilkes Co., NC Selling: Sat, Oct. 14 @ 11am NCAL#685 336.789.2926 RogersAuctionGroup.com

——————————————

GEORGE

ESCARAVAGE BROKER/REALTOR

—————————————— 28 WOODLAND ASTER WAY

ASHEVILLE, NC 28804

828.400.0901

GESCAR@BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

Beverly Hanks & Associates

BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

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.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Offering 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $420.00 Section 8 Accepted - Rental Assistance When Available Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

Judy Meyers 26 N. MAIN STREET • WAYNESVILLE (O) 828-564-9393 (C) 828-734-2899 JAMEYERS@CHARTER.NET

remax-waynesvillenc.com

Committed to Exceeding Expectations

Marilynn Obrig

Phone # 1-828-456-6776 TDD # 1-800-725-2962 Equal Housing Opportunity

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Ann Eavenson R B A ROKER

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RE/MAX — Mountain Realty • • • • • •

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beverly-hanks.com Pam Braun - pbraun@beverly-hanks.com Pauletter Childers -paulettechilders@beverly-hanks.com Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com George Escaravage - gescar@beverly-hanks.com Billie Green - BGreen@beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy - michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig - marilynnobrig@beverly-hanks.com Steve Mauldin - Smauldin@beverly-hanks.com Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com Brooke Parrott - brookeparrott@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

Residential Broker Associate

ESIDENTIAL

OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday & Thursday 8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m.

50 Duckett Cove Road, Waynesville

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

CAVALIER ARMS APARTMENTS

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

WNC MarketPlace

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REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

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Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017

WNC MarketPlace

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54

CROSSWORD

PET NAMES ACROSS 1 “Seinfield” actor Alexander 6 Per normal procedures 13 Lemon drink 16 “The Big Bang Theory” airer 19 Surfing site 20 Actress Dillon 21 24-hour time 22 Pilot’s fig.

23 1998 film with Joseph Fiennes as the Bard 26 Stew morsel 27 That ship 28 Tennis divider 29 Poem form 30 1987 Dustin Hoffman film 32 Whom you might have had your first kiss with 39 Pallid 41 Beige shade 42 Otherwise called, briefly 43 Magnate Onassis 44 Dodged, as a duty 47 “Li’l” Al Capp character 49 Gerbils, e.g.

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answers on page 48

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Answers on Page 48

The naturalist’s corner

A kettle of migrating broadwinged hawks along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Don Hendershot photo

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

A wall can’t stop these migrants egrettably a wall through desert and riparian lowlands along the MexicoU.S. border will have terrible effects on terrestrial fauna whose home range includes both sides of an imaginary line in the sand.

However other migrants will, likely, never notice a wall unless, of course, it is lit up like an airport landing strip.

The fall migration of neotropical migrants back to their wintering grounds in Central and South America is in full swing.

The skies are full of migrating birds. Raptors — like hawks and eagles — migrate during the day when the sun’s heat creates thermals (updrafts of warm air) so they can glide towards their destinations in Central and South America. Songbirds, like warblers and thrushes, etc., migrate at night. No one knows exactly why but prevailing theory is, they are safer from predators at night and they use celestial objects like the moon and bright stars to find their way.

An admission here — I’m a birder and fall migration excites me a bit. There is no other time in the region when one can see

R

thousands of broad-winged hawks circling in a kettle and drifting south or southwesterly, or catch shorebirds looking for a break at places like Hooper Lane and/or Rankin Bottoms. I have managed, over the past couple of weeks to slip away for a day or two, to see what’s in the air, and I haven’t been disappointed.

I made it up to Ridge Junction Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sept. 17. The gap here at Ridge Junction (adjacent the entrance to Mt. Mitchell) must create a vortex — migrants just stream through. I saw, in the span of two or three hours, a hundred or so Swainson’s thrushes, nearly that many rose-breasted grosbeaks, 40 to 50 Cape May warblers and dozens of more birds, both resident and migrant including red-crossbill, red-breasted nuthatch, blue-gray gnatcatcher, yellow-throated vireo, blue-headed vireo, Tennessee warbler, black-throated green warbler and many others including more than 30 ruby-throated hummingbirds.

A few days later I snuck back up to the parkway, this time much closer to home around mile-marker 437, to a place I’ve long suspected would be a good spot to find migrating broad-winged hawks. Over the years I have seen the occasional kettle of

broad-wings but I got really fortunate the other day. My hawk watching time was limited due to my kid-taxi duties and I was beginning to think the trip was going to be a bust when I saw a lonely broad-wing rise out of the valley. It drifted across the parkway and streamed off to the southwest.

There was nothing for about 10 minutes, then another solo broad-wing drifted up and over the parkway, then nothing, again. It was getting close to time to leave when I noticed a dark bullet powering it’s way towards me. I got my binoculars on it and could see it was a small dark barrel-chested falcon – a Merlin! I watched as it sipped

across the road and when I turned back it was as if someone had opened the floodgates. There were dozens of broad-wings circling lazily up from the valley – kettling.

And the kettle continued to grow till there were more than a hundred birds in it.

Another large kettle followed right behind with some smaller groups streaming overhead. Within 20 minutes I counted around 450 migrating broad-winged hawks and I had to leave to shuffle kids around, so I don’t know what may have followed.

(Don Hendershot is a naturalist and a writer who lives in Haywood County. He can be reached at ddihen1@bellsouth.net)

Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 2017 Smoky Mountain News

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