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

October 19-25, 2016 Vol. 18 Iss. 21

Hipps and Davis race once more for Senate seat Wilderness debate goes to the government Page 15 Page 8

CONTENTS On the Cover: With early voting under way this week, The Smoky Mountain News editorial staff hit the streets to hear what people have to say about this year’s presidential election. The overwhelming majority of those interviewed say they we’re excited to vote for either candidate, but some will head to the polls anyway while others plan to sit this one out. (Page 3)

News Voters unhappy with presidential candidates ............................................................3 Challengers want change in Swain County ................................................................6 Hipps and Davis race once more for state Senate seat ........................................8 Early voting kicks off Oct. 20 ........................................................................................12 ‘Dangerous Faggot’ tour brings alt-right punditry to WCU ................................13 ‘Little Biltmore’ taken over by Hollywood film crews ..............................................15 Mountain Projects latest victim of USDA funding fiasco ......................................18 Wilderness debate goes to the government ............................................................15

Opinion Relishing common ground ............................................................................................23

A&E Halloween events in WNC ............................................................................................28

Outdoors Resurrecting the Jubilee Forest ....................................................................................42

Back Then

October 19-25, 2016

Robin redbreasts are a perennial favorite ..................................................................55

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Vox Populi — the voice of the people

Trump supporter Doug Smith waves to traffic on Soco Road in Maggie Valley. Cory Vaillancourt photo.

Voters express indecision, dissatisfaction with candidates, parties

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Trump supporter Elizabeth Waldroup, 32, and her son Lucas stand in the parking lot of Walmart in Sylva. Holly Kays photo.

“This one’s been more — it’s funny, it’s like a comedian battle really,” she said. “Most of the presidents, like Hillary and Donald, they don’t talk about what they’re going to do for us, they talk about what they’re going to do for each other. They’re just battling each other.

It’s hard to true up, to really listen to them.”

Thirty-five-year-old Sylva resident Jonathan Reed was standing outside his truck in the parking lot and reinforced the prevailing opinions of the day.

“It’s definitely different, no question about it,” Reed said of the current election

One unique aspect of Western North Carolina is the presence of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians — a sovereign nation within a nation that still votes in local and national elections.

Given their two centuries of history interacting with the federal government — much of which has not been exactly positive — members of the EBCI typically give thoughtful consideration when electing their leaders, both tribal and federal.

Una Sampson, a 53-year-old tribal member, usually votes Democrat, but as of Oct. 13 she was still undecided.

“It’s scary, that’s for sure. It’s just all … I don’t see neither one of them in there for the people,” Sampson said from outside the Cherokee Food Lion. “I just see them in there for more of their own gain. In my look at Trump, Trump’s not an Indian person.”

Sampson explained that Trump cares only about his casinos and his money, but that Clinton wasn’t much better.

“Hillary — I don’t know about her either,” she said. “Yeah, she is a woman and we know how that is being a woman but yeah, still yeah. I can tolerate listening to her a lot more than I can Donald Trump.”

James Soap, 26, is also a tribal member who is leaning toward Clinton.

“I don’t really think neither one of them’s really worth it,” he said. “If I had to pick one I would pick Hillary. She’s really not the honest one but she is more — she works with others

S EE VOX POPULI, PAGE 4

Smoky Mountain News

There are few better ways to place one’s fingers on the pulse of small-town America than in the parking lot of the local Walmart.

As far as towns go, they don’t get much smaller — or much more American — than Sylva, tucked away in rural Jackson County, with a population of 2,603.

Residents from all imaginable socioeconomic backgrounds rely on superstores like Walmart to supply everything from basic needs to Christmas ornaments, meaning that the likelihood of accessing a broad cross-section of voters is high.

Richard Livesay is one of them. Smoking and shirtless in his truck, 60-year-old Livesay cast some light on that portion of

CHEROKEE VOICES SKEPTICAL TRIBAL MEMBERS WRESTLE WITH INDECISION

PARKING LOT POLITICS ARE LOCAL SHOPPERS BUYING WHAT POLITICIANS ARE SELLING?

cycle. “I think there’s more riding on this election in terms of the choice that we have with not only the infrastructure surrounding us directly, but also directly from a world perspective. There’s going to be a lot of large decisions that have to be made from a standpoint of global economics — we’re going into a different era now.”

Reed, who is white, said that his daughter is mixed race and his wife African-American; he said he plans to vote for Clinton despite being a Republican.

“I’m actually concerned, if he wins the election, for my family,” he said. “We both talked about it, and Trump’s outlook and a lot of the things he’s said over the years have unfortunately been sexist and racist.”

Hannah Sink, 19, of Kernersville, and Kayla Thomas, 18, of Atlanta, are both Western Carolina University students who were walking out of the store with their purchases.

They’re also both Clinton voters because, they giggled, “She’s not Trump,” although both said they wished former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was still in the running.

“I liked Bernie Sanders a lot,” Sink said.

October 19-25, 2016

BY SMN STAFF s Jonathan Creek Road meanders south from Interstate 40 some 17 miles hence, it forms a “T” with Soco Road.

There, at that busy three-way intersection linking Maggie Valley and Waynesville with the outside world, sat Doug Smith.

Perched on a guardrail on a Sunday afternoon around 4 p.m., Smith waved to traffic while clad in a short-sleeved cotton buttonup shirt made to look like an American flag.

With white stars set atop the dark blue union on his right shoulder — his waving shoulder — and the red and white stripes resplendent across the rest of his torso, the grandfatherly Smith said he’d arrived around 1 p.m. after church, and would remain until he couldn’t sit anymore.

Next to him was a large piece of plywood that he’d painted to read, “Let’s be great, vote again” and adorned with Trump/Pence stickers.

As yet another car honked and its drivers smiled and waved, Smith said that this was his first time ever being politically active in any way.

Diagnosed with leukemia, Smith was given only months to live more than a year ago. Like many Americans, he feels that November’s election may be the most important in recent history, and like many North Carolinians, he’s doing something about it.

“The Lord’s kept me around for something,” he said. “And this isn’t really a spiritual thing, I just feel I’ve got to do it.”

Another honk punctuates the warm fall air, and another driver waves back to him. So far, only one driver — “A lady in a big white car,” he said — has given him the finger.

“I think Trump’s getting a bad rap from the media on his past. This man, he’s not groomed for politickin’, but he never said he was. He loves this country and he wants to spend $100 million of his money to get elected and to get rid of the crime syndicate we got in there now,” he said. “I don’t like rough language, and I don’t like jock-type language.

But if the Lord can forgive us some stuff, I’m sure we can forgive his mouth.”

Smith is just one of more than a dozen people who recently talked to The Smoky Mountain News about the election. Ranging from young to old and liberal to conservative, their views will go a long way in determining the next President of the United States and the next Governor of North Carolina, as well as their next congressman, councilmen and commissioners — and the next 40-odd years of growth or decline in Western North Carolina. Here’s what they had to say.

the population that is utterly uninterested in this year’s election.

“I’m not going to vote for neither one of them because I don’t think either one of them is capable of being president,” he said. “Not gonna vote this year.”

Sylva’s Barbara Hoyle was waiting for a bus nearby, and said she felt “disgusted.”

“Thoroughly disgusted,” Hoyle elaborated. “With both parties. I don’t really think either candidate is fit to serve as president. I did vote for Hillary Clinton. I voted absentee, but I did it with very little enthusiasm.”

Elizabeth Waldroup, a 32-year-old from Whittier, was leaving the store as she pushed her 1-year-old son Lucas in her cart. She agreed with Hoyle’s assessment, but she backs Trump.

“I don’t really agree with either one of the people that we’re supposed to elect,” she said.

“I’d rather go with Donald just because I agree with some of his stuff that he has said.”

Waldroup, who said she voted Republican last time but splits her vote regularly, brought up some common anti-Clinton themes when pressed for an explanation.

“Hillary’s lied in the past, and I really don’t agree with her,” she said. “Donald — he’s said some sexist things and stuff like that, but he’s for the most part been right on.”

Still, she recognizes the unusually combative nature of this year’s contest.

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Composition of the electorate 10/25/2008 DEMOCRAT 21,007 12,376 8,843 4,630

REPUBLICAN 12,262 7,306 10,158 2,592

LIBERTARIAN 10 9 7 4

UNAFFILIATED 9,104 7,473 6,145 2,645

WHITE 41,366 24,260 24,511 8,011

BLACK 401 485 188 62

AM. INDIAN 92 1,381 38 1,662

OTHER HISPANIC MALE FEMALE TOTAL 206 186 19,550 22,725 42,383 190 139 12,418 14,178 27,164 113 89 11,558 13,499 25,153 70 20 4,667 5,189 9,871 https://enr.ncsbe.gov/voter_stats/results.aspx?date=10-25-2008

19,469 11,502 7,912 4,424

12,542 7,230 10,002 2,619

89 87 42 22

10,988 9,444 7,155 3,073

41,900 24,201 24,311 8,049

427 539 153 93

105 1,600 46 1,792

656 242 19,804 23,056 43,088 1,923 236 12,481 14,464 28,263 601 140 11,492 13,412 25,111 204 36 4,762 5,354 10,138 https://enr.ncsbe.gov/voter_stats/results.aspx?date=10-27-2012

HAYWOOD JACKSON MACON SWAIN

17,360 10,452 6,900 4,147

12,950 7,177 10,079 2,640

199 144 97 32

13,012 10,118 8,193 3,585

42,064 23,744 24,371 8,230

469 633 175 106

105 1,524 52 1,830

NC

2,689,045 2,044,281 30,310

HAYWOOD JACKSON MACON SWAIN

10/27/2012 HAYWOOD JACKSON MACON SWAIN

10/08/2016

2,005,606 4,725,712 1,508,895 55,462

883 1,990 671 238

October 19-25, 2016

PARTY PEOPLE Smoky Mountain News

LOCAL DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN PARTY OFFICIALS OFFER STREET-LEVEL OBSERVATIONS The annual Apple Harvest Festival sprawls down Waynesville’s Main Street each October, drawing dozens of thousands of visitors from across the county, region and nation.

As such, the apples aren’t the only things that are ripe — so are the opportunities for candidates and political parties to gain massive exposure.

Candidates including Rhonda Cole Schandevel, D-Canton, and her opponent for the N.C. House District 118 seat Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, both pressed the flesh, the latter taking pictures of people posing with a life-sized Donald Trump cutout.

Haywood County’s Democratic and 4 Republican parties also established a major

19,978 12,266 11,591 4,908

23,272 14,335 13,485 5,476

43,521 27,891 25,269 10,404

479,173 157,338 3,037,166 3,602,006 6,769,242 https://enr.ncsbe.gov/voter_stats/results.aspx?date=10-08-2016

VOX POPULI, CONTINUED FROM 3 to deal with her problems. I guess she’s more understanding than Donald Trump would be. Donald he’s just — I don’t know, I don’t want to say ignorant, but he sees problems and doesn’t want to deal with them the way other people would want to.”

Soap said Trump’s attitude toward and disrespect of women also pushed him towards Clinton.

Tribal member Dee Wike, 43, didn’t have much kind to say about either candidate.

“Hillary wants to take away the guns, and Trump just is crazy,” said Wike, who usually votes Republican. “He ain’t got no sense to be president.”

Wike thinks that Clinton may be a slightly better choice, especially because she’s married to one of her predecessors.

However, Wike plans to vote only in state and local races this year, and is far more certain about her choices in those races.

314 356 211 49

Cherokee tribal member James Soap, 26, says he’s leaning toward Clinton. Holly Kays photo. presence at the event, answering questions, distributing flyers and giving away yard signs and stickers.

“I think there’s more energy and enthusiasm than there’s been in several years, than I have felt since maybe 2008,” said Myrna Campbell, chair of the Haywood County Democratic Party.

The out-of-state visitors she encountered while manning the Dems’ tent were obviously interested in the national candidates, she said, but were also interested in Deborah Ross, D-Raleigh, who is locked in a tight race with incumbent U.S. Senator Richard Burr, RWinston-Salem.

“Even though they can’t vote for her, they are asking about her because she’s getting a lot of attention,” Campbell said.

Locally, Campbell was frank but hedged when asked about her party’s chances.

“The culture in Haywood County has changed so much in recent years — it’s more conservative than it used to be,” she said. “Ted Cruz won Haywood County in the primary, and I think Hillary has gained momentum. I don’t know if I’d go so much as to say it’s a toss-up right now, but I think she has more of a chance of winning. But it won’t surprise me if Haywood County goes for Trump.”

Nationally, however, Campbell has no doubt about the outcome.

“I think Hillary’s going to win,” she said.

Eddie Cabe, a precinct chair for the Haywood County Republican Party, predictably disagreed with Campbell.

“Overwhelmingly it’s been Trump,” he said of the people visiting the party’s tent.

Like Campbell, he said they’d come from both near and far. “Another thing that’s come up consistently — people that have driven in, one in particular drove in from Alabama — they commented they didn’t see any Hillary signs, only Trump signs. That’s been a common comment we’re getting.”

Cabe’s primary reason for supporting Trump was a bit more far-sighted than most.

“I think it’s the most important election in our lifetime,” he said. “I think the person who picks the next one, two, three Supreme Court judges is going to determine the future of our children and grandchildren.”

Ralph Slaughter wasn’t at the festival, but he has served as the chair of the Jackson County Republicans for almost eight years.

Slaughter, who is in his 70s, has been a registered Republican since he was 18 years old and has been active in politics since that time.

“It is quite different than any other election year I’ve experienced,” he said. “I think that we have two candidates running for president that are quite controversial.”

Despite the understatement, Slaughter says he’s seen support for Trump in Jackson County since “day one,” even from some Democrats.

“On occasion I’ve had a chance to talk to these people and what they tell me is ‘Not Hillary.’ The biggest thing I’m hearing for Trump is that they are very, very concerned with the appointment of justices to the Supreme Court,” he said, echoing Cabe’s comments about how they next president will likely affect the future.

Slaughter admits what much of North Carolina already believes — two rather unlikable candidates are running for president,

but the state’s legislature is also suffering from low popularity.

“They’re the only ones with a rating any worse than these two people,” he said. “Usually in a presidential election, in the parties themselves, 70-plus percent of them agree with their candidate. That is not what is happening now.”

Slaughter’s counterpart, Jackson County Democratic Party Chairman Frank Burrell, agrees with Slaughter, calling this year’s election “the most polarized” that he’s ever seen.

“It’s so polarized and people are so dedicated to their own cause that it’s really phenomenal, and it’s scary in a way,” he said.

“We’d always like to think that after the election people can come together and work for the good of everybody, but goodness, it’s gotten so polarized I’m not sure if that can happen or not.”

Burrell also sounds an awful lot like Slaughter when he says that he’s seen some unfamiliar faces around lately.

“We’re getting a lot of people through headquarters, it seems like more than we normally do, and we’ve certainly had some Republicans through looking for information,” he said. “I wouldn’t say a great amount, but we’ve had some. I think there have been some people that have not traditionally taken a part in politics so to speak — they are coming by getting information on it.”

Those new voters, Burrell said, will also make choices at a local level.

“We’re probably in some ways less impacted by that (presidential race) than we are the state,” he said, “but the things that happen there will ultimately impact it all the way down.”

At the same time, Burrell downplays the down-ballot effect that the presidential candidates will have on those races, due to the disappearance of straight-ticket voting and the large number of registered independents.

“Now you have to vote for each person all the way down the ballot when it used to be you could just pull the lever and that got you all the people in that particular party,” he said. “I think that we have a big number of independents that haven’t indicated a party. I suspect that some of them will vote on the split tickets. I’m not sure how many of the hardcore Democrats and Republicans will, but there will be some split-ticket voting among your independents.”

Gwen Bushyhead, chairwoman of the Swain County Democratic Party, said this year’s presidential election has been an embarrassment both at home and abroad.

“No matter who is elected, a large number of people will believe the election apparatus is broken,” Bushyhead said. “It’s the first time that we know of that a foreign power has tried to influence the vote.”

Despite all the controversy and the media feeding frenzy, Gwen and her husband Ben Bushyhead, a sitting Swain County commissioner, have continued to follow the candidate campaigns closely. However, Gwen said they are able to have more civilized debate about it with their friends than what they’ve witnessed during the presidential debates.

“I am a registered Democrat, and have Republican and unaffiliated friends,” she said. “We talk politics in a reasonable way and do not talk over each other. There is no

CANDIDATES RATE CANDIDATES THOSE IN OFFICE, RUNNING FOR OFFICE HAVE TO VOTE, TOO

because of the important races for state offices and local commissioners’ races. She knows from past elections that a high voter turnout can make all the difference for the Republican Party.

“Obama got in there the last time because 39 million Christians didn’t get out and vote — that would have made a big difference,” she said.

The one Democrat Bair said she’d be voting for this November is incumbent county commissioner David Monteith, meaning she won’t be voting for Rick Bryson, 71, who serves on the Bryson City Board of Aldermen and is running against U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, for Congress.

“I think the presidential candidates are like two cats with their tails tied together thrown over a clothesline,” Bryson said.

He predicts that the bickering between the candidates and the daily accusations on both sides may turn people off and keep them from getting to the polls. Depending on which party has more people sitting out this year, the election could swing either way.

“I think it could suppress the vote to some extent, which means many people may not vote in the local races too,” Bryson said.

Even though he isn’t running for office this year, Franklin Mayor Bob Scott said he’s concerned about the effect of heated political rhetoric on potential voters.

“I’m absolutely appalled that Donald

Trump could be the nominee of one of the two major political parties,” Scott said. “He touts himself as a businessman but what the public doesn’t realize is government isn’t a business — it’s a service. In my opinion, Trump has no concept of what government is at all. Mrs. Clinton has some faults, as we all do, but at least she understands how government works.”

This election cycle has been disheartening for Scott, who says he’s never seen so much hatred and bitterness between people in the nearly 50 years he’s lived in Western North Carolina. He says people on both sides of the political spectrum are so angry and divided and he can’t help but to blame Trump’s hateful oratory.

“We’ve always had differing opinions but this is different — it’s frightening,” he said.

“Everything is so partisan — there’s no more working together.”

While out in the community, Scott has heard many people say they don’t even want to vote this year but he encourages them to cast a ballot anyway, even if they skip the presidential race and only vote for state and local candidates.

“I tell them you’re not obligated to vote but you owe it to the nation to study the issues and vote,” he said. “I’m just as concerned about the state elections as I am anything else.”

As a small town mayor, Scott said the symbiotic relationship legislators once had

Holly Kays, Jessi Stone and Cory Vaillancourt contributed to this story.

(828) 524-2156

Smoky Mountain News

Franklin Ford agrees to sell every new Ford at actual dealer factory invoice cost! www.fordoutlets.com

October 19-25, 2016

One subset of voters finds itself in a unique position to make choices at the ballot box this fall — because those voters are candidates for election themselves.

Sure, they hoist their party flags and campaign for themselves, but at the end of the day, they have an inside look at the workings of their parties and their opponents’ campaigns that provide particular insight into the election as a whole.

Carolyn Bair, 68, is running again for Swain County commissioner as a Republican after losing in 2014.

While many people feel like they’re forced to choose between a lesser of two evils, Bair is enthusiastic about the chance to cast her vote for Trump. f “I’m excited about it — I want to get Obama out of there,” she said. “I know Trump can be a loud mouth and made smart-mouth comments 10 years ago, but you can’t hold that against him. He’s got a good head on his shoulders or he wouldn’t have all that money.”

Bair said she thinks North Carolina will have a good voter turnout this year, not only because of the presidential election, but also

An old-timey campaign advertisement by Macon Commission candidate Karl Gillespie sits in downtown Franklin. Cory Vaillancourt photo

with local governments has gone by the wayside. It seems like the state government keeps taking away local control, whether it’s through revoking a town’s right to issue a business privilege license or issuing numerous unfunded mandates.

“It’s something I live with on a daily basis, and I don’t understand what’s happened. We used to have a friendly relationship between legislators and local communities.”

Charlie Leatherman is a former Republican Macon County commissioner who is running again this year as a Democrat, though he’s says he doesn’t truly fall into either category.

“I’m like most average people in WNC in that I think it’s almost an embarrassment that the political process in the United States has served up these two as choices to run the federal government,” he said. “Most people I’ve talked to are not excited about either one of them. I know it’s a worn out phrase but it’s like you’re not voting for someone of your choice — you’re voting against someone else.”

Leatherman, like Scott, is concerned that many people will throw up their hands at the entire flawed process and not even bother to vote, especially with polls and news media already predicting a Hillary Clinton victory.

“And when they do that at the federal level then yes, that hampers the process all the way down to school board level,” he said. “But people may also become so angered that they turn out to vote against the other person.”

What’s more discouraging for Leatherman, who is a retired teacher, is that young adults who are just now able to vote are already disillusioned with the process and the endless rhetoric on TV. “This is what they know now — it’s what they’ve seen and unfortunately some of them — unless their parents are politically involved — think its just the way things are,” he said.

On the other hand, when Leatherman was growing up in the ‘60s, he said the controversies heard today about the presidential candidates would have shocked people.

“I would have said it’s unbelievable but today it’s just another ordinary day, which is an indication of how disenchanted average Americans have become with the whole process,” he said.

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bullying, unlike what one can see on TV.” Gwen said she is excited to vote for Hillary Clinton just as she was excited to vote for President Obama in 2008 and again in 2012.

For her, Clinton is the candidate who has the experience and knowledge to keep the country on the right track.

“I admire Bernie Sanders for his passion, but favor a more pragmatic approach to presidential leadership,” she said.

Though the Swain Democratic Party is working hard to get out the vote, Gwen said there’s no real way to predict voter turnout or how it might affect local and state races. She encourages everyone to vote whether they like their choice for president or not, because the local races have an even greater impact on people’s lives.

“We vote in every election. I particularly value my vote in local elections because that is where it has the most power,” she said.

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Challengers want change in Swain County Meet the candidates Carolyn Bair (Republican challenger) • Age: 68 • Hometown: Born in Alabama, raised in Rome, Georgia • Background: Retired from retail/fast food service, works part-time at a retail shop in Cherokee • Political experience: Ran for Swain County commissioner two years ago but lost • Why are you running? “To see if I can make a difference in our community because I see some things that I don’t think have been handled right.”

Smoky Mountain News

October 19-25, 2016

David Monteith (Democrat incumbent)

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• Age: 69 • Hometown: Bryson City • Background: Graduated from Swain High School. Retired, former Ingles Market manager, and currently drives a school bus for Swain County Schools • Political experience: Commissioner for 18 years • Why are you running? “I’ve served on the board of 18 years and there are still projects I would love to see finished for Swain County, and I just enjoy serving the people.”

Steve Moon (Democrat incumbent) • Age: 65 • Hometown: Bryson City • Background: Graduated Swain County High School, Southwestern Community College. Retired, former owner of Steve Moon Tire Company • Political experience: Swain County commissioner for 10 years.

• Why are you running? “I’ve been on the board for 10 years and there’s a lot of things going on I’d like to see come to fruition.”

Kenneth Parton (Republican challenger) • Age: 38 • Hometown: Swain County native • Background: Parton has lived and worked in Swain County his entire life.

He works in the construction industry, mainly with septic systems, and with his family’s stonework business.

• Political experience: None • Why are you running? “I’ve been a part of the county workforce and I grew up here — I know how unique the county is — so I started gong to commissioners’ meetings about a year ago to get involved.”

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR n this year’s commissioner election, Swain County residents will have to decide whether they are happy with the work done by the two incumbents running for reelection or if they want to give two newcomers a chance to make a change.

Longtime Democrat incumbents David Monteith and Steve Moon are running for another term while Republicans Kenneth Parton and Carolyn Bair want to challenge the status quo.

Swain County commissioner races are atlarge elections, which means residents can vote for any two of the four candidates running for the two open seats. The two highest vote getters will be elected for four-year terms.

Monteith has been a commissioner for 18 years and takes an active role in county business whether it’s traveling to Washington, D.C., to lobby the federal government for funding or meeting with school board officials to see what their needs are. When it comes to politics, he says he’s willing to work with anyone — Republican or Democrat — to get what Swain County needs.

“I am active in a lot of issues — I don’t just sit at the meetings and vote,” he said.

“I’m the most non-political commissioner you’ll find in Swain County — I use the federal government and state government a lot to get grants.”

Moon has served as a commissioner for 10 years and served on the board of education for six years before that. He says the current board of commissioners is working well together and he hopes to continue progress if he and Monteith are re-elected.

“We’re in good shape financially and we have a great team of commissioners now — I’d like to see us stay together and work together build toward the future,” he said.

Bair, who has lived in Whittier for about 10 years, is taking her second run at commissioner after losing two years ago. In the 2014 election, she received the least amount of votes — 1,679 — out of six candidates.

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She wants a chance to assert her priorities, which vary slightly from the current board’s agenda, and also bring more transparency to the public.

“The board’s not being as open as they should be,” she said. “Everything’s always hush-hush, but more of the public needs to be informed about what’s going on.”

Bair would also like to see a woman serve as commissioner for once and hopes she can be the one to upset the status quo on the board. While she supports Monteith’s re-election because she feels he does a lot for the community, her hope is to unseat Moon.

“I would like to see Steve off there — half the time he sits there with his arms crossed half asleep like he don’t care,” she said.

Political newcomer Kenneth Parton said he started attending county meetings about a year ago after one commissioner told him no one ever comes to the meetings to get involved in county decisions. When Lance Grant dropped out of the race not long after signing up to run for commissioner, Parton got a call from the local Republican party asking if he’d be interested in running. If elected, he said his main goal is to make sure the county is spending money wisely and fairly throughout the county.

“There’s certain things I’d like to see them do — they should be more focused community wide,” he said. “Right now they seem to put more money toward certain areas than others.”

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The economy is still one of the most important topics of conversation in Swain County.

Residents want to see more industry and more living-wage jobs, but tourism continues to be the biggest economic engine for the county.

Love it or hate it, Monteith said tourism is growing and bringing more money into the county, which lessens the tax burden for locals.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Nantahala Outdoor Center have created jobs

and attract tourism dollars to the area.

“I want more industry too, and I think we’ll see more small business in the future, but like it or not tourism is our number one industry,” Monteith said. “It’s the boat that’s floating so we got to use it.”

Parton said tourism should not be the commissioners’ main focus — that’s the job of the Swain County Tourism Development Authority that spends the room tax revenue.

He said commissioners need to remember everything comes with a price — more tourism means the county has to spend more for law enforcement, infrastructure and services.

“I don’t believe tourism is the only means of making money for Swain County,” he said.

“I believe we have limited resources for growth.”

Moon has been supportive of tourism but also wants to see a more diverse economy with more industry for Swain County.

“I want to see more industry with better jobs and higher pay and benefits but I also really appreciate what we’ve got now,” Moon said. “The tourism industry is vital to this area — some like it and some don’t — but I’m thankful for it because it sends a lot of money here and enables us to do a lot of things for Swain County while keeping the tax rate low.”

When it comes to other industry, Bryson City has a thriving downtown made up of small businesses, Shaw Industries and ConMet have created hundreds of manufacturing jobs and a FedEx distribution center is opening soon with a promise of immediately creating up to 20 jobs.

While Moon and Monteith are optimistic FedEx will expand and create more jobs in the future, Bair and others have been critical of the project and the county for supporting it.

“The county gave them a tax break for building that big building and they have less than 20 jobs — I would have shut it down,” Bair said.

However, Monteith said the county was never even approached by FedEx when the company began looking at purchasing the property next to ConMet. He said the county has not given the company any tax breaks or incentives.

“We tried to help them find workers but that’s it — I think they’re going to grow in the future though,” Monteith said.

Commissioners are limited in power when it comes to creating jobs in the private sector. Besides offering a tax break to industries looking to locate in Swain County, the commissioners’ hands are tied. And when the federal government owns 87 percent of the county, there isn’t much public land for industries to pick from either.

While the county shouldn’t do anything to deter businesses from opening in Swain County, Parton said, it isn’t the county’s responsibly to create jobs in the private sector either. However, he isn’t against giving incentives to a company if it follows through with creating the jobs it’s promised.

Having enough people in the workforce is also another factor limiting the number of

BUDGETING AND TAXES

PICKING PROJECTS

“The community would be well served with a state-of-the-art library we can be really proud of,” he said. “It would be a shame if we missed the time limit and we lose it.”

Parton said he could see both sides of the library issue. The county can’t be on the hook for a $7 million loan if the library committee can’t fundraise a large percentage of the project, but he would like to see a new library for the community. He would like to see the commissioners and the library committee work together to reach a compromise.

“I’d rather see money put toward a library than other things money is being put toward because it’s more community based but if we don’t have money to give we can’t commit to it,” he said.

NORTH SHORE ROAD SETTLEMENT Carolyn Bair

David Monteith

The North Shore Road is the issue that first got Monteith involved in local politics about 20 years ago, and he and the other commissioners are still dealing with the issue today.

When Monteith was first elected commissioner, the board was dealing with whether to hold out for the federal government to rebuild the road as it originally promised or to accept a settlement agreement. Monteith was the only commissioner against taking the settlement, but he was out-voted and says he’s been fighting to get the settlement money ever since.

Steve Moon Kenneth Parton The federal government made the first payment of $12.8 million to Swain build a new and larger facility.

County in 2010, but the county hasn’t “It’s not a top priority for me right now,” received a dime since. With only a few years he said. remaining on the settlement agreement, comBair suggested using some of the $12 mil- missioners voted in March to sue the U.S. lion the county has sitting in an account from Department of Interior for the remaining the North Shore Road settlement fund for the $39.2 million. shelter, but Moon and Monteith said that Monteith and other commissioners have money is restricted and the county can only made countless trips to Washington, D.C., use the interest earned on the money. lobbying their legislators for help in recoupWhile the animal shelter seems to be on ing the money owed to Swain County since the backburner, the clock is ticking on the Fontana Dam was created in the 1940s. construction of a new Marianna Black Monteith and Moon are still hopeful the Library. Don and Toni Davidson purchased 9 money will come through before the deadline acres between downtown Bryson City and and can’t help but to think how the money Swain County High School for $350,000 in could help Swain County.

2014 and donated the property for a new “It would be tremendous for Swain library facility. However, if the new library County if we use it the right way,” Monteith isn’t at least under construction by 2020, the said. land will revert back to the Davidsons.

“I think we’ll get it eventually if we stick While a library committee has been plug- with it,” Moon said. “The federal government ging away at fundraising for the proposed $7 has broken so many promises in the past and million new facility, commissioners haven’t continues to do so.” made a financial commitment to the project.

Bair and Parton both wish they could go “The library is something we need back in time and change the county’s mind whether it’s expanding what we have or build- about taking the settlement agreement and ing a new one,” Monteith said. “It’s an ideal they aren’t so optimistic about ever seeing spot they have but we’ve got to find some fed- that money. eral money to use for that purpose because I However, it’s still an important issue for won’t raise taxes to make it happen.” residents who have loved ones buried at Moon said the Davidson family donation cemeteries that they can’t access without takwas a tremendous gift that shouldn’t go to ing a boat out on Fontana Lake and walking waste and he hopes the commissioners will to the gravesites. Much of Swain County’s make some kind of commitment to the early heritage remains underwater or is inaclibrary construction soon. cessible without the North Shore Road.

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Smoky Mountain News

Several infrastructure projects are currently being discussed in Swain County and candidates have their opinions about what should be funded and what needs to stay on the backburner for now.

Commissioners formed a committee more than a year ago to analyze the need for an animal control ordinance.

The committee’s recommendation included the construction of an animal shelter if and when the county has funding available.

Bair said she is very much in favor of the county building a new animal shelter.

“We need to turn our concerns to a new animal shelter — the one we have isn’t big enough to handle all the animals that need help,” she said. “I was raised on a farm so I have a heart for animals.”

Moon and Monteith don’t see an animal shelter as an immediate need. Even if the county could come up with the revenue needed to build and maintain a facility, Monteith said the county doesn’t have much available or suitable land for one.

“We got to come up with the money and it can’t come out of tax base — I won’t support increasing taxes for something like that,” Monteith said.

Moon said the shelter is definitely a need, but it’s not on the top of the priority list yet.

An animal control facility is expensive to build, maintain and staff. Haywood County recently approved spending about $3.5 million for a new shelter while Jackson County is also looking for property for a new shelter.

“Whether we can afford it is a thing to consider — we don’t want to go into heavy debt for it,” Moon said.

Parton attended many of the animal control committee meetings and has several concerns about the proposed ordinance — he doesn’t want to violate people’s private property rights or affect hunters’ ability to let their dogs roam free without a leash.

Parton said he could see where the proposed

ordinance would create more problems between neighbors.

“I don’t want an animal control ordinance getting out of control,” he said.

As for a shelter, Parton said he wasn’t sure if it’s needed — and even if it is, the county doesn’t have the money to pay for the construction, upkeep and staff needed to run the facility. He would suggest working closely with the nonprofit shelter PAWS to help them

October 19-25, 2016

Swain County’s tax rate hasn’t budged since 2013 when commissioners had to increase it from 33 cents per $100 of valuation to 36 cents to cover a $500,000 budget deficit.

The current board of Democrat commissioners has been conservative when it comes to budgeting and spending money on new projects. Monteith said he always searches for state and federal grants first before spending county money since only 13 percent of the county land is privately owned and taxable.

A state grant has recently helped Swain County upgrade its sanitation department with new trash compactors that will hopefully help save the county money in the future.

The county is also applying for a historic preservation grant that would allow it to take over ownership of the federal building in downtown Bryson City. If awarded, the county will get new office space for a minimal cost while the state court system will be able to take over more space at the current administrative building.

Bair said she wants to help keep taxes low for residents but couldn’t specifically say what she would want to cut from the county budget. She said her top priorities were funding public education and the sheriff ’s department.

Even with a tight budget, commissioners approved a 2-percent cost-of-living raise for county employees and increased funding for Swain County Schools by $220,000 this year.

Commissioners still realize the schools need more money for capital improvements and operations, which is why the board approved having a referendum appear on the Nov. 8 ballot. The referendum will ask voters whether they approve increasing the sales tax from 6.75 percent to 7 percent with the rev-

enue going specifically for Swain County school projects.

“I’m glad to see it put up to a vote — if the people want to use it for education that’s what it will go toward,” Monteith said.

Bair said she is all for spending money on improving education, but she isn’t in favor of the sales tax referendum unless there is a for sure promise the revenue will go to the local schools.

“Unless they can prove it will go to schools, I don’t want the sales tax,” she said. “If they want me to sign off on it, they’ll have to prove that to me.”

Moon said they can’t control what future boards do, but the current board has committed to using the revenue for education.

“The money is strictly for schools,” he said. “It’s a possibility that could change with a new board but hopefully that will never happen.”

Parton says he has no objections to increasing the sales tax if it’s needed for school projects.

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industries moving into Swain County. Parton said Shaw and ConMet are advertising for job openings and can’t fill them fast enough. If another large industry moved in, he said most of the jobs would have to be filled with people from outside the county.

“It’s a bad sign when we have people on welfare not taking those jobs — I don’t know how to fix that,” Parton said. “Maybe people need to be educated on the jobs available here.”

Monteith said the county is working to create jobs where it can and without passing the cost onto the taxpayers.

For example, the county recently authorized the purchase of 8 acres in Inspiration Park to be turned into an outdoor event space for county fairs, concerts, carnivals and festivals. The $300,000 property will be paid for with room-tax revenue, which is paid by every visitor staying in a hotel or cabin in Swain County.

Bair said she wasn’t in favor of the county purchasing the festival ground property — mostly because the public was not made aware of the project before the board approved spending the money.

Parton said he didn’t have a problem with the county purchasing the festival grounds land as long as the TDA repays the loan with room tax revenue.

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Hipps and Davis race once more for Senate seat Education, tax policy and economic development key issues

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ranklin orthodontist Jim Davis has held the District 50 seat in the N.C. Senate since 2010, when the legislature flipped to a Republican majority for the first time in more than 100 years. But if Jane Hipps, a retired educator and certified nurse practioner from Haywood County, has her way, she’ll be the one representing District 50 come January.

This is not the first time that Hipps has tried to unseat Davis. The two ran against each other in 2014, when Davis earned 53.9 percent of the votes compared to Hipps’ 46.1 percent. That translates to a margin of 4,846 votes out of 62,794 cast.

To oust Davis, Hipps will clearly have to do better this time around, and to look at a map of county outcomes from 2014, the divide between Hipps and Davis voters appears to be pretty clear. Hipps won the three easternmost counties in the district — Haywood, Jackson and Swain — while Davis won the four westernmost — Macon, Cherokee, Clay and Graham.

That makes sense, as the western four counties typically vote Republican and the eastern three typically vote for Democrats.

The fact that Davis, a former Macon County commissioner who lives in Franklin, likely has more contacts than Hipps in those farwest areas, helps his cause. And the fact that Hipps, is a longtime Waynesville resident who has been active in Haywood’s schools and community, helps hers.

In 2014 Davis won the counties he carried by a decisive margin, 1,000 votes or more. His most decisive victory came in Cherokee County, where he took 5,975 of the 9,337 votes cast — 64 percent. Hipps, meanwhile, lacked the same degree of victory in the counties she won. Her most decisive victory came in Jackson County, where she took 5,653 of the 10,811 votes cast — 52.3 percent.

However, two years ago Hipps was in her first run and had the gargantuan task of making herself known to an electorate who had become familiar with Davis over the course of his 14 years in local government, including four as an incumbent of the office he still holds. This time around, the electorate is likely more familiar with both candidates and the messages they’re working to spread.

There is another variable in the mix — this year’s presidential election, with a ballot bearing the names of two historically unpopular candidates. Turnout is typically higher in presidential election years, with candidates of the same party as the presidential winner often finding themselves buoyed to office on the coattails of the new chief execu8 tive. It’s hard to tell who will win the presi-

Smoky Mountain News

and supporter of Second Amendment rights.

Davis supporters claim she’s anti-gun because she didn’t fill out a candidate survey from the National Rifle Association. Hipps wouldn’t elaborate on her reasons for opting not to fill out the survey — Davis has the NRA endorsement — but said she has been endorsed by the N.C. Police Benevolent Association, whose president expressed his faith in Hipps’ support of Second Amendment rights.

For Davis, the election boils down to whether voters want to take a chance on someone peddling promises that sound good or to keep someone in office whose record is proven and public.

“I would say my results have been extremely beneficial to North Carolina and especially my district,” he said. “Talk is cheap.”

Hipps, meanwhile, would argue that Davis’ record is not nearly as beneficial has he claims and says she’s the choice that will give voters an advocate who’s committed to governing the state toward a brighter future.

“I’m an independent thinker,” she said.

“I’m not beholden to any group. I want to leave a better community for our children and our grandchildren. I want to leave them with clean air and clean water and good opportunities for education here and good opportunities to stay in this region.”

On the issues:

October 19-25, 2016

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dential race, and it’s also hard to tell how many people who would typically vote in that race might stay home, too dismayed by their choices to cast a ballot either way.

The District 50 race has also become heated at times, especially in regard to a series of flyers sent out on Davis’ behalf.

Paid for by the North Carolina Republican Party — though not endorsed by Davis — the flyers claim that Hipps will increase taxes on the middle class and restrict Second Amendment gun rights, painting her as a clone of Hillary Clinton. The flyers have led Hipps to accuse Davis of lying.

Davis, meanwhile said that he did not approve the messages on the flyers and that he’s not legally allowed to coordinate with the groups sending them. However, he doesn’t denounce their content.

“She seems to stand for a lot of the things that Hillary stands for,” he said of Hipps. “What’s the problem?”

“I’ve never met Hillary Clinton — we’re two different individuals,” Hipps responded.

“And I don’t plan to raise taxes on the middle class.”

Hipps also said that she’s a gun owner

EDUCATION

Jim Davis Party: Republican Residence: Franklin Age: 69 Background: A practicing orthodontist, Davis has lived in Franklin for 42 years and been married for 44. He has two sons and two granddaughters.

Political experience: Prior to being elected as District 50 Senator, Davis served on the Macon County Board of Commissioners for 10 years. He’s been a senator since 2011, ousting Democratic incumbent John Snow in the 2010 elections.

Reason to run: “We’ve been involved in some historic tax and regulation reform, and it’s paying off big-time in the Carolina comeback, and I want to continue that work. I’m very interested in drug abuse, both legal and illegal, and working on the controlled substance reporting system, just another tool to help us combat the abuse of drugs in our state.”

The basics: Since taking the majority in the 2010 elections, the Republican legislature has made myriad — and often controversial — changes to education. The cap on charter schools, formerly set at 100, was lifted and legislation giving kids from low-income families access to scholarships helping defray the cost of private school attendance was passed.

Starting pay for teachers increased, but overall the state’s ranking for teacher pay fell from 36 to 42. Per-pupil spending increased, but the proportion going for expenses other than personnel — like textbooks and professional development — fell. And the number of teachers assistants funded by the state dropped from 18,227 to 14,618. However, overall spending on public education rose, increasing from $9.79 billion in the 2010-11 fiscal year to $10.48 in 2015-16.

Davis’ take: Davis takes issue with the Democratic party’s narrative that the Republican legislature is at war with the education system, pointing out that actual spending on education has increased by nearly $700 million. And he stands by the changes the legislature has made to diversify education. North Carolina currently has 167 operating charter schools, including Shining Rock Classical Academy, which became Haywood County’s first charter school in 2015, and the online N.C. Virtual Academy.

The Opportunity Scholarship Program,

which provides scholarships of up to $4,200 for low-income students to attend private schools, was expanded so that nearly 36,000 students could receive scholarships yearly by 2028-29.

“I’m strongly in favor of charter schools, opportunity scholarships, early college, the North Carolina School of Science and Math,” Davis said. “I think competition is good and a diversity of options for parents and students is good for education.”

While the public schools in Western North Carolina are generally good, he said, that’s not the case everywhere in the state. It’s only fair to give parents and students other options to put their tax dollars to use. True, he said, most charters and private schools don’t provide auxiliary services such as transportation, meals and afterschool care, but the pros of diversifying the education landscape outweigh the cons, especially because nobody forces families to take advantage of those options. Attendance is by choice.

“There are limitations,” he said. “There’s no question about it. But they are minor compared to the opportunity that we give students for options.”

Hipps’ take: Hipps doesn’t buy the storyline that there’s more money for education now than ever. Textbook funding has fallen and since 2010 the state has lost 5,258 teaching assistants. That all needs to be rectified — educational opportunity, Hipps said, is one thing the government just should not mess with.

“I don’t feel like our children now are getting the quality of education that I got or my children got through public school,” she said.

She also believes that much more accountability is needed for charter schools and for private schools receiving state funds through vouchers.

“If we’re giving state money, we need to know how that money’s being used and what kids are getting for their education,” she said.

While charter school students are required to take state achievement tests and private schools must give a nationally normed test to students in third, sixth and ninth grade each year, they are not subject to all the requirements that public schools are.

For instance, charter schools aren’t limited to hiring certified teachers only, and they aren’t required to gain accreditation from an organization like the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Hipps also worries about whether diversifying public education could lead to division along lines of economics and ability level. If charter schools — because of issues like lack of busing and after-school care — are less accessible to low-income families, she asked, then will schools tend toward selfsegregation?

“What is going to be left in the public school? Is it going to be the kids who have behavioral problems and learning problems?” she asked. “Are we creating a great divide in education over time?”

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Join the Smoky Mountain News Editorial Staff this Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center, 122 Virginia Avenue in Waynesville, for a Haywood County Commission candidates forum.

Scheduled to appear are all four commission candidates — Robin Greene Black, Steve Brown, Kevin Ensley and Brandon Rogers.

Admission is free; a reception will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., allowing candidates to mingle with voters, who will also have the opportunity to tour the Folkmoot building and enjoy light snacks.

At 7 p.m. any candidate on a Haywood County ballot in the upcoming election (except county commission candidates) may address the audience. State legislative candidates will have five minutes and others will have up to two minutes.

At approximately 7:30 p.m., moderator and Smoky Mountain News Staff Writer Cory Vaillancourt will begin the forum, which is expected to take 100 minutes.

The questions all revolve around a simple concept: the past, present and future of Haywood County.

Residents of Haywood County will have the opportunity to submit questions in advance of the debate. The Smoky Mountain News editorial staff will accept submissions via email, Facebook, fax, letter, phone or Twitter until Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Haywood Candidate Forum

Davis’ take: Davis would like to see North Carolina go to a tax system based primarily on a consumption tax. Doing so would allow the state to pull from a broad base of revenue sources while keeping rates low.

Sales tax is a more predictable source of revenue than income tax, he said, and it captures more people, such as out-of-state visitors who aren’t paying North Carolina income tax but will pay sales tax on that souvenir T-shirt and fancy dinner out.

He takes issue with the assertion that a consumption-based tax is bad for poor people, pointing to the fact that, when it comes to poverty rankings, states with a consumption-based tax don’t sit at the bottom of the barrel. Of the 10 southeastern states, two operate without an income tax — Tennessee and Florida. Of the 10, Florida has the second-lowest poverty rate and Tennessee is right in the middle, at fifth place, according to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Davis also defends the recent fee hikes.

“Some of these fees haven’t changed since the ‘90s,” he said. “Our view on fees is to cover the cost of issuing a license plate, a title.”

ENVIRONMENT

The basics: Many in the current legislative majority favor transition to a “flat tax” — eliminating income tax and instead instituting greater taxes on purchases and fees for services. To that end, they’ve decreased the income tax rate for corporations from 2013’s level of 6.9 percent to a 3 percent rate effective January 2017 and lowered the rate for individuals from more than 7 percent in 2010 percent to 5.499 percent effective January 2017. Meanwhile, they’ve expanded sales tax to apply to a variety of previously exempt purchases such as automotive repair, concert tickets and mobile homes, also increasing fees for some services.

The basics: The current legislature has made substantial changes to environmental policy and, most notably, set up a framework to allow hydraulic fracturing — commonly known as “fracking” — to take place in the state. Opponents would say that the legislature has gutted environmental legislation, while proponents would say that they’ve decreased regulation to a more reasonable level, encouraging business and commerce.

Hipps’ take: Hipps does not support the flat tax concept, viewing it as a burden on the poor and a gift to the rich. From her perspective, tax policy under the current majority has served only to deepen the divide between the haves and the have-nots.

“When you talk about a flat tax it sounds very fair, but when you implement it it’s a tax that becomes a burden on the middle class and hardworking people,” she said.

Davis’ take: Davis said he believes environmental regulations are good and necessary but that the government should be careful to avoid making them onerous. A sponsor of the fracking bill, he’s on board with the changes the current legislature has made.

“I don’t think that we should leave it up to private business or corporations or individuals to set their own environmental regulations,” he said. “I think the government has a responsibility to protect the environment. But I also think they have a responsi-

S EE DISTRICT 50, PAGE 10

WHEN ELECTED,

MY PROMISES TO YOU ARE: • to be committed to a fair & balanced judicial system • to be prepared • to listen attentively

• to apply the law to the facts before me in a sound, reasoned & unbiased manner • to ensure every individual in our Community has access to equal justice regardless of who you are or who you know.

Paid for by Friends to Elect Kimberly Carpenter Endorsed by the North Carolina Women Attorneys Association

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TAX POLICY

In order for our judicial system to work for everyone, court proceedings must be fair and balanced and a judge must treat all parties with respect, courtesy and patience. I have lived by these values my entire life, I have practiced by these values my entire career and I will sit on the Bench using these values.

October 19-25, 2016

Who: Candidates for state offices and county commission.

Where: Folkmoot Friendship Center auditorium, 122 Virginia Ave. When: Reception at 6 p.m., forum begins at 7 p.m.

Lower-income people spend a greater percentage of their income on necessities like food and clothing, so under a consumption-based tax they’re taxed on a greater percentage of their income than richer folks, Hipps reasons. For instance, she said, this year when she paid her car registration it was about $6 more than the year before.

“It’s not going to matter to someone who is bringing in big earnings that they have to pay six more bucks, but when you add that up to everything that has been affected that you purchase, it’s a big burden to the hardworking people — and everything has gone up,” she said. “It’s a situation where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”

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SMN candidate forum this Thurs.

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DISTRICT 50, CONTINUED FROM 9

Hipps’ take: When Hipps looks at the current legislature’s record on environmental policy, she sees a legacy of weakened protections. In particular, she and Davis differ acutely on the risk-benefit of fracking.

“It’s not the panacea that we expected it to be when you look at water being polluted, when you look at earthquakes taking place,” she said.

In general, she said, the legislature has shown itself to be on the side of the polluters, referencing a provision of the multifaceted Regulatory Reform Act of 2015. The provision grants immunity from civil penalties for some environmental law violations, provided the violater meets criteria such as initiating action to resolve the violation and reporting the violation within two weeks of its discovery.

“You can now pollute and just come back and say, ‘I’m sorry, I’ve created this

October 19-25, 2016

Jane Hipps

bility to do it in a responsible manner — not with unreasonable regulations or with regulations that don’t make sense or are not scientifically valid.”

He believes the fracking bill accomplishes that. Fracking is an “energy revolution” that has “contributed to America becoming energy independent,” he said — even California has legislation allowing the practice. Davis said that, to his knowledge, there’s been no evidence of fracking harming an aquifer and lauds North Carolina’s fracking legislation as the strictest in the country.

FEATURES

Party: Democrat Residence: Waynesville Age: 71 Background: Hipps spent her career in education, working in a variety of positions in Haywood County Schools including school psychology and developing the program for Haywood’s gifted and talented students. She spent 14 years working for the State Department of Public Instruction as a science coordinator and afterward ran her own consulting business in science and math that took her to 38 states. In her 60s, she earned a master’s degree and passed boards to be a nurse practioner. She is currently retired.

Political experience: Hipps ran against Davis in the 2014 Senate race and has seen the political system at work through the eyes of her late husband Charlie Hipps, who was a District 50 Senator, a Waynesville alderman and the district attorney during his career.

Reason to run: “I look at politics as a way you can help people and make their lives better, to build a better Western North Carolina in terms of the economy, in terms of better educational opportunities for our children, from pre-K to the university level.”

problem,’ and you don’t have to go through civil prosecution for that,” she said. “It makes it too easy.”

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The basics: Economic development can be tricky in the mountains, where resources are fewer and topography makes basic infrastructure such as internet, roads and water/sewer connections more expensive.

Young people, in particular, can have a hard time finding careers in their fields without leaving home.

Hipps’ take: Education should sit on the front lines of the crusade to improve economic opportunity in the mountains, Hipps

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said. Strengthening already strong vocational and entrepreneurship programs is key.

“Right now in this region our greatest export is our children, and I want our children to be able to stay here,” she said.

Infrastructure development is also key to bolstering the Western North Carolina economy. Hipps supports Corridor K, for instance, a road project that, if built, would result in a four-lane road stretching from Stecoah to Andrews.

“We need Corridor K,” she said. “I don’t think it’s fair to isolate Graham County as we have. There’s an environmental issue there, but there are also economic issues.”

But for Hipps, the most important aspect of insfrastructure development is improved broadband internet. It’s hard to get in the mountains, and lack of it keeps people from moving here and starting businesses. Expanding broadband tends to be cost-prohibitive for private businesses because there are too few customers to make the investment worthwhile.

“It doesn’t look economically feasible, so we need to either get grants or government assistance to have that in the far reaches,” she said.

Davis’ take: Davis believes the current legislature has made “tremendous strides” in spurring economic development, including lowering the corporate tax rate and reducing “burdensome, unnecessary regulations.”

He’s also proud of bills he’s sponsored, including securing $12 million in grant funding to help Evergreen Packaging’s Canton paper mill comply with new Environmental Protection Agency regulations and another bill allowing live dealers at Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians casinos. Together, he said, those two measures kept or created 3,000 jobs.

On the infrastructure side, Davis concurs that Corridor K is needed and noted that in this year’s budget the General Assembly stopped the transfer of Highway Trust Fund money into the general revenue account, which will leave more money for road projects.

Broadband is the other big issue, but fixing it could be next to impossible.

Significant grant funding will be needed to address the problem.

“I’m hopeful that technology is going to save us from that one,” Davis said. “Maybe

before too many years we’ll be able to have a satellite dish with sufficient power to satisfy a lot of these.”

VOTER ID The basics: In 2013, North Carolina enacted a voter identification law that would have required voters to display ID at the polls beginning in 2016. It also disallowed sameday registration and pre-registration for 16and 17-year-old high schools students, and it decreased the number of early voting days while keeping the number of hours the same.

In July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down the law, writing that it targeted African Americans with “almost surgical precision.” General Assembly leadership has announced that it will appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hipps’ take: Hipps says voter fraud hasn’t been proven to be an issue and that the law does more to restrict voting rights than to guarantee their integrity. She agrees with the Fourth Circuit ruling.

“Our democracy is based on the access to the ballot box. I think when you restrict that you’re diminishing a democracy,” she said. “I was very concerned when the voter ID law came into North Carolina.”

Davis’ take: In Davis’ view, an ID is necessary for basic day-to-day life anyway, so requiring people to have one isn’t imposing a hardship on them. And he questions the view that voter fraud wasn’t a problem in the first place — if nobody’s looking, he said, how do you know?

He strongly disagrees with the Fourth Circuit ruling.

“How racist a statement could you have?

He’s presuming that African Americans don’t have the ability to get a photo ID. I do not accept that,” Davis said. “I think they’re just as capable as anybody else.”

HB2 The basics: On Feb. 22, the city of Charlotte passed an ordinance that, among other provisions, allowed transgender people to use whichever bathroom aligned with their gender identity while in the city. One month later, the N.C. General Assembly passed House Bill 2 in a one-day

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Davis’ take: Davis stands by the legislature’s decision. He sees it not as an argument about transgender rights but rather as a discussion about constitutional limits of power. Charlotte stepped outside its bounds of authority when it passed the ordinance, he said.

“They don’t have the authority to tell private businesses what they can do regarding bathrooms,” Davis said. “They don’t have the authority and our attorney general did not strike (the Charlotte oridnance) down, which he should have done.”

of expansion costs for the first three years and 90 percent after that until 2022.

Hipps’ take: Hipps believes the legislature should have expanded the program. It would have extended health care to those who have none, but it also would have created jobs at local hospitals and boosted the economy.

Davis’ take: The existing Medicaid program is already experiencing cost overruns, and the state needs to get a handle on those before it can think about expanding, Davis said. The 10 percent of the cost that North Carolina would be required to cover would still amount to about $1 billion.

“If you believe the government is always going to honor its promises, I would point you to the Road to Nowhere in Swain County,” he said.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT The basics: Davis, a former county commissioner, prides himself on being an advocate of local government. However, the current legislature has been criticized as undermining the authority of local governments, including attempts to redraw voting districts in some cities against the wishes of local elected officials. Davis was among those who supported a state bill that would have changed Asheville city council elections from at-large to districts, but the bill was eventually defeated.

The basics: The Affordable Care Act allows states to expand Medicaid to insure people making less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level, but North Carolina is one of 19 states that has not expaned, leaving a group of people who are not covered by the existing program but also don’t qualify for a subsidy on the insurance marketplace. The federal government would pay 100 percent

Hipps’ take: Hipps believes that the current legislature has overstepped its boundaries when it comes to interfering with local decisions, referencing instances such as HB2, redistricting the Greensboro City Council and abolishing municipalities’ ability to charge business license fees — and especially in regard to fracking.

“I think local governments have lost their power and authority,” she said.

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Haywood County ■ Senior Resource Center 81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville Thursday, Oct. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 21 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 25, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 26, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 27, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 8:30 a.m. to noon; Monday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 4, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday Nov. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Canton Public Library 11 Pennsylvania Ave., Canton Thursday, Oct. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 21, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 25, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 26, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 27, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 8:30 a.m. to noon; Monday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 4, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday Nov. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Clyde Municipal Building 8437 Carolina Blvd., Clyde Thursday, Oct. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 21, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 25, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 26, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 27, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 8:30 a.m. to noon; Monday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, Nov. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 3, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 4, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday Nov. 5, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Jackson County ■ Board of Elections 876 Skyland Dr. #1, Sylva Thursday, Oct. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 21, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24 through Thursday, Oct. 27, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 4, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

■ Savannah Community Building 4752 U.S. Highway 441, Sylva Thursday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Macon County ■ Board of Elections 5 W. Main St. #127B, Franklin Thursday, Oct. 20 and Friday, Oct. 21, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24 through Friday, Oct. 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31 through Friday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Highlands Civic Center 600 N. Fourth St. #1, Highlands Thursday, Oct. 20 and Friday, Oct. 21, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 22, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24 through Friday, Oct. 28, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31 through Friday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Swain County ■ Birdtown Recreation Center 1212 Birdtown Rd., Cherokee Thursday, Oct. 20 through Saturday, Oct. 22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24 through Saturday, Oct. 29, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31 through Wednesday, Nov. 2, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 3 and Friday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Board of Elections 1422 Highway 19 South, Bryson City Thursday, Oct. 20, through Saturday, Oct. 22, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 24 through Saturday, Oct. 29 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31 through Wednesday, Nov. 2, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, Nov. 3, and Friday, Nov. 4, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Smoky Mountain News

MEDICAID

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER esidents of Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties wishing to vote in advance of the Tuesday, Nov. 8, election in have multiple times and locations to choose from, beginning Thursday, Oct. 20, until early voting ends on Saturday, Nov. 5. For more information, visit www.ncsbe.gov.

■ Cashiers Recreation Center 355 Frank Allen Rd., Cashiers Thursday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 4, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Cullowhee Recreation Center 88 Cullowhee Mountain Rd., Cullowhee Thursday, Oct. 27, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 4, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ Cherokee Wolftown 27 Long Branch Rd., Cherokee Thursday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct 31, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

■ WCU University Center 245 Memorial Dr., Cullowhee Thursday, Oct. 27, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 28, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Monday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 4, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

October 19-25, 2016

Davis’ take: Davis says that one of the “saddest days” of his time in government was when he arrived in Raleigh and learned about Dillon’s Rule. North District 50 constituents have had mailboxes full of two- Carolina is a “Dillon’s Rule sided mailers from the N.C. Republican Party praising Jim state,” he said, which basically Davis and painting Jane Hipps as an untrustworthy clone means that local governments of Hillary Clinton. Though Davis did not pay for the fliers can do only what the state has or inform the content, he agrees with the messaging, expressly authorized them to do.

“I believe that strongly stiwhile Hipps decries them as lies. Scott McLeod photo fles innovation and creativity, but that’s the Constitution we Hipps’ take: Hipps believes that the bill was have,” he said. passed too quickly and without any of the When it comes to fracking and the procareful consideration of impact that it vision of that law that prevents local govdeserved. Moreover, she said, it was unnecernments from restricting the industry, he essarily distracting from the real issues facsays the restriction was necessary because ing North Carolina. oil fields “don’t know county boundaries.”

“It was not a law that we needed,” she “We thought it was extremely important said. “There are already laws on the books that businesses had a standardized regulato protect women and children from predation in which to operate so they didn’t have tors in the bathroom. That bill is a bill of to go from one county, one municipality to power and it’s a bill of fear.” another and wonder what regulations they were going to be subject to,” he said.

Early voting begins Thursday

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special session. The new law effectively repealed Charlotte’s ordinance. It requires people to use the bathroom corresponding with the sex noted on their birth certificate and also nullifies any local ordinances around the state that would have expanded protections for the LGBT community. HB2 elicited a strong public reaction and caused a variety of businesses to drop plans to locate in the state and prompted many sports and entertainment events to cancel their plans to hold events in North Carolina.

The law is currently the subject of a lawsuit.

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news

Smoky Mountains Veteran Stand Down Thursday, October 27, 2016 9am - 2pm Robert C. Carpenter Community Building 1288 Georgia Road Franklin, NC

Cullowhee Fire Department’s 40th Annual

Eastern Style

Barbecue

If you know a veteran who is homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, who struggles to get by and cannot afford proper care, our community will come together October 27th, 2016 to offer the following free services.

Haircuts • Dental • Optometry • Veteran’s Benefits Education • Legal • Housing • Medical Mental Health • Social • Veteran Family • Ministry Breakfast & Lunch provided

SATURDAY, OCT. 22

Please bring your VA ID card or DD-214 if possible

3-8 p.m. $10/plate

for more event information please contact:

Macon County Veteran Services 828-349-2151 Leigh Tabor ltabor@maconnc.org Christie Black cblack@maconnc.org

Cullowhee Valley School Cafeteria

Caring for our North Carolina Veterans in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.

Dessert Donations Appreciated

www.facebook.com/SMVSD

Smoky Mountain News

October 19-25, 2016

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Yiannopulos stressed the importance of voicing those opinions, especially on college campuses.

“People can’t say, do, or be what they want, express themselves how they want, use the language they want — and the place that this stuff starts is college campuses,” he said.

“It matters more on college campuses because this is where people form their views on what is acceptable and not acceptable, where they start to form political opinions. And campuses are of course overreported by the press, so the national debate kind of happens on college campuses.”

Controversial activist Milo Yiannopoulos addresses WCU students Sept. 12.

Cory Vaillancourt photos

S EE M ILO, PAGE 14

ENERGIZING THE OVERSEAS ECONOMY

Working hard to outsource our jobs to Mexico, India and China. Giving tax breaks to companies that are shipping jobs overseas.

BAI MUM

Raleigh Jim voted to give tax breaks to companies shipping your jobs overseas.

He even gave our tax dollars to companies forcing North Carolina workers to train their foreign replacements.

DAVIS RAISED TAXES ON...

AMMO [HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9/16/15]

COMPUTERS & SCHOOL SUPPLIES [HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9/16/15] [HB 998, Conf. Rpt., 7/17/13]

APPLIANCES [HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9/16/15]

COLLEGE SAVINGS [HB 998, Conf. Rpt., 7/17/13]

TELEVISIONS CABLE & SATELLITE [HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9/16/15]

NEWBORNS & CHILD CARE [HB97, Section 12E.12.[a], Signed 9/18/15] [HB 998, Conf Rpt, 7/17/13]

AND STILL TAXING

Smoky Mountain News

He cites as evidence what he calls a large movement of mischievous dissident “free speech fundamentalists” who are mostly Libertarians but also come from the ranks of disaffected liberals.

“They think their own party is wandering into too much control, too much policing, too much interfering and nannying,” he said. “The combined constituency of people who think the government and media and entertainment industry kind of hector and bully and nanny us too much is probably most of the population.”

While he admitted that he was “pushing at an open door,” he also lamented what he says is a liberal bias in schools, and in both traditional and social media.

“The problem is you can’t really express opinions like that in many mainstream media platforms or in academia. So there’s been a groundswell building, and Trump has sort of given people a pressure valve in politics. I’m trying to do the same thing on campuses and in education,” he said.

Although disturbances have marred his events in the past — including a September appearance at Florida Atlantic University that was cancelled due to what authorities called a credible bomb threat — Yiannopoulos’ appearance at WCU was noticeably quiet; no protestors appeared outside or inside. Visitors were wanded at the entrance, and a bomb-sniffing dog sat silently near the entrance, gazing longingly at all who entered.

Yiannopoulos’ topic for the near-capacity crowd at WCU was “Feminism and Islam:

The unholy alliance.”

True to form, he began skewering the progressive left from the outset, prompting four young women clad in WCU purple to leave the room less than three minutes into his presentation.

The rest of the audience — mostly young, mostly white and judging by the lack of disruptions mostly supportive of Yiannopoulos — sat rapt as he drew connections between what he calls the repressive natures of third-wave feminism and Islam; both, he said, devalue women, stifle dissent and encourage punishment for non-adherents.

As a prime example of how he communicates his ideas, Yiannopoulos — a gay Catholic — remarked on how cracking a joke about Islam is especially dangerous, and then proceeded to do so.

“It’s a self-evidently hilarious religion. I mean, the women look ridiculous. And, they’re incredibly homophobic, yet five times a day they all put their asses in the air,” he said.

But with that, he also cited a 2012 poll claiming that 33 percent of American Muslims think that when the Constitution and Sharia law conflict, Sharia should take precedence, and 58 percent think that criticism of Islam or Muhammad is not protected speech under the First Amendment.

Yiannopoulos does share some ideology with Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump, but his speeches have been mostly devoid of the chest-beating rah-rah sloganeering associated with the “Make America Great Again” mantra.

Indeed, part of Yiannopoulos appeal is that he supports his claims through facts, though some might disagree with his conclusions.

Tenae Turner is originally from Burlington, North Carolina, and like Snedegar also studies political science at WCU, with an aim to serve in the U.S. Senate one day. A mentor in the Honors College and secretary of the Black Students Union, Turner helped create some of the most memorable moments of the evening when she spoke to Yiannopoulos during the question-and-answer segment, just after he’d finished his presentation.

“I’m the current president of our NAACP chapter. I just have a few questions,” she said. “During your entire presentation I noticed that you failed to mention that feminism is the belief that men and women are equal. So, do you not think this?”

Yiannopoulos, who likely answers questions like this several times a week, took the opportunity to vigorously rebut Turner’s assertions.

“Women don’t believe you,” he said, stating that fewer than one in five American women describes themselves as a feminist,

J I M D AV I S

October 19-25, 2016

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER eminism is cancer. Patriarchy is good for everyone. The wage gap is a myth.

Islam is not a religion of peace. Fat shaming works.

These are the controversial opinions altright political pundit and self-described cultural libertarian Milo Yiannopoulos brought with him recently to Western Carolina University in Cullowhee as a part of his “Dangerous Faggot” college campus tour.

British-born Yiannopoulos started off as a tech writer but began covering political issues during the Gamergate scandal of 2014, in which it was alleged that a female video game developer had received unduly positive reviews from gaming media because of the lack of women in the tech industry.

The next year, he joined Andrew Breitbart’s conservative Breitbart News Network, where his work expanded into the broader scope of social justice issues.

As a result, Yiannopoulos’s unique, professorial and at times humorous delivery of opinions backed with facts that run counter to the mass-media narrative has resonated with segments of the American right who feel that politically correct language obscures truth.

Bolstering his credentials, he’s earned the ire of both Hillary Clinton and Twitter, from whence he was permanently banned in July after a feud with actress Leslie Jones — star of box-office flop “Ghostbusters 2” — during which he called her “barely literate” and a “black dude.”

“I am dedicated to the destruction of political correctness in all of its forms,” he said of his current tour, which began in September and ends in February.

Benjamin Snedegar is a Covington, Va., native and sophomore political science student at WCU. Also the chairman of the WCU College Republicans, Snedegar reached out to Yiannopoulos’ agent, who accepted the group’s invitation to speak in Cullowhee. No speaking fee was requested

by Yiannopoulos.

“Milo to me is an advocate for free speech,” he said. “I think he’s great, because he will passionately express opinions that are not mainstream. I would say honestly that probably a great deal of people, maybe even a majority of people, don’t necessarily agree with him and I think that is more of what we need — not necessarily those ideas, but people willing to voice their opinions passionately and meaningfully.”

RALEIGH SENATOR

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Contentious ‘Dangerous Faggot’ tour brings alt-right punditry to WCU

www.JaneHippsForSenate.com PAID FOR BY FRIENDS FOR JANE HIPPS

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Smoky Mountain News

October 19-25, 2016

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M ILO, CONTINUED FROM 13

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despite more than 85 percent expressing the belief of equality between the sexes.

“Why?” he continued. “Because they know that feminism has become something different now. They know that the feminism you’re talking about — it’s very convenient, isn’t it? To treat men like shit and then when people say, ‘I’m not a feminist’ say, ‘Oh, but feminism is about equality!’ That’s not what feminism is about. It’s not what feminism is anymore. Feminism is a mean, vindictive, spiteful, nasty, man-hating philosophy that has very little to do with equality of the sexes and a lot to do with man-hating.”

“It was crap,” Turner said after she’d left the event. “He failed to mention what feminism is, what it aims to be. He just goes off of what’s portrayed on social media, which isn’t always right. There was a lot of comparison between Islam and feminism, and it‘s wrong, because feminism is not Islam. It’s not this radical thing. It’s something that aims towards empowering women, and empowering men to see women as equals.”

Turner said she wasn’t surprised by what she’d encountered at Yiannopoulos’s event.

“I expected a lot of speech that would aim to trigger people like me that believe in equality, justice, things that obviously our College Republicans and Milo does not stand for,” she said. “He strives on getting people riled up on college campuses. That’s one of his main objections (sic). So it’s not like he’s come to educate, it’s not like he’s come to change my mind on certain sub-

for our College Republicans to bring him shows the bankruptcy of their intelligence level and it shows that they take their political party as a complete joke. They brought him to represent them, and they’re a joke.”

Snedegar — chairman of the group that Turner called “a joke” — felt that WCU was right to offer students the opportunity to hear differing opinions and decide for themselves.

“I’m not too surprised,” he said of WCU’s cooperation with his group; although WCU didn’t have to pay Yiannopoulos for his appearance, they did have to pay staff to monitor the event. “I feel that they would do that for any Tanae Turner (right) asks Milo Yiannopoulos a question as another speaker, regardstudent awaits her chance. less of their opinions. The university has been very transparent wall for everyone to see. He threw direct shots, he threw things up in his presentation throughout this entire process. They’ve made sure that I understand and that everythat do not abide by our community creed. one understands that this is not an endorseIt clearly states right there, ‘I will respect the ment of his beliefs or any of his opinions rights and well-being of others. I will live by whatsoever.” high standards of personal integrity.’ And

jects. He came specifically to get us riled up.”

And Turner was riled up; she went so far as to claim dissatisfaction with WCU administrators allowing Yiannopoulos to speak, inadvertently proving one of his points.

“It disappoints me,” she said. “It shows that our administration doesn’t live by the community creed that we have here on this

WCU has been at the center of academic free-speech issues as of late — a $2 million donation by the ultra-conservative Charles Koch raised eyebrows and ire amongst concerned faculty and university watchdogs; critics were concerned the gift would be used to push Koch’s libertarian economic philosophy, and supporters felt that refusing the gift would, in effect, censor legitimate albeit non-mainstream ideas.

Several university task forces were formed to ensure balance between the two, apparently to the satisfaction of most of those involved.

Yiannopoulos’s appearance at WCU was yet another example of the administration’s attempt to maintain balance in all things academic; they hosted a sold-out lecture by famed activist, journalist and women’s rights pioneer Gloria Steinem — who Turner admitted to being ignorant of — in 2014.

The de-facto spokeswoman for second-wave feminism in the 1970s, Steinem is a seminal figure in the history of equality in America.

While Yiannopoulos certainly isn’t there yet, and may never be, he’s insistent in his mission to call attention to what he sees as rampant hypocrisy in modern American political discourse.

“I don’t want to hypnotize people into anything,” Yianopoulos said. “I want to hypnotize people out of believing in insane and batty conspiracy theories about the patriarchy, and the wage gap or the Black Lives Matter nonsense. I think there’s been a bit too much hypnotism, particularly from the progressive left.”

‘Little Biltmore’ goes Hollywood

‘Masterminds,’ the drive-thru version

S EE ‘MASTERMINDS,’ PAGE 17

STILL TAXING MOUNTAIN FAMILIES

MOVIE TIX & STATE PARK ADMISSION [HB 998, Conf. Rpt., 7/17/13; HB97, Section 14.11.[f]; Signed 9/18/15]

SMALL BUSINESS [HB 998, Conf Rpt., 7/17/13]

LICENSES, TITLE,TAG & REGISTRATION [HB 97, Section 29.30.[g]; Section 29.30.[a1]; Section 29.30.[c]; Section 29.30.[f]; Section 29.30.[l];Signed 9/18/15]

FARM EQUIPMENT [HB 97, Section 29.30.[o]; Signed 9/18/15

MOVING VANS, SEMIS, & TRAILERS [HB 97, Section 29.30.[l]; Section 29.30.[o]; Signed 9/18/15]

YARD CARE [HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9/16/15]

AND STILL TAXING

Smoky Mountain News

as an entertaining and amusing romp.

J I M D AV I S

October 19-25, 2016

ing millionaires.

Jacque’s bedroom was outfitted with a tanning bed and her fireplace flanked by ceramic greyhound dogs. The foyer staircase was covered in a tiger striped carpet.

And a pink marble statue of the couple stood in the entryway.

Jacque said a friend who saw the movie was astounded.

“She said ‘I never in a million years would have thought someone would make your house look tacky, but they have truly succeeded,’” Jacque recounted.

Even the Morgans’ yard was transformed with a false stone wall and imported sod.

Their pool was decked out with a giant Neptune statue.

The Waynesville estate of Thom and Jacque Morgan was invaded by Set crews even built a Hollywood two years ago for the making of the movie Masterminds, gate across their which just released in theaters this fall. driveway for a car to crash through.

It was one of several stunt scenes filmed at their house. The most dicey was a Molotov cocktail being tossed from a moving car at another vehicle parked in the Morgans’ driveway.

“They had to practice throwing it over and The movie “Masterminds” — starring over and over to get it to land on the hood just Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakas, Kristen right where the explosives were rigged,” Wiig — is a crime caper comedy that folJacque said. “They had to have a certain speed lows the real-life story of the Loomis Fargo on this car to get the effect they wanted, and armored car heist in Charlotte in 1997. they knew they would only get one shot of the An inside job by novice criminals, the scene once they rolled.” $17 million score was the second biggest When “Masterminds” was released three bank robbery ever in America. weeks ago, Morgan rented a theater in The real-life story was perfect script Asheville for a private showing. He filled the fodder, a comedy of errors laced with theater with friends and locals who’d gotten foibles and double-crosses, from a comical gigs as extras or somehow intersected with get-away to lavish living after scoring the the filming operation. millions.

“When the first scene with our house The armored car worker played by showed up on the screen, the whole theater Galifianakas was duped into the heist by a started clapping,” Morgan said. “That’s the cool work crush and a married couple he was part really is seeing the things you recognize.” friends with. The married couple try to off The road in front of Morgans’ house got a the armored car worker and claim all the lot of traffic during the filming weeks, with dough for themselves, however. They trade dozens of people stopping and watching from in their trailer for a mansion and begin livafar, hoping to get a glimpse of the stars. ing extravagantly, but are lousy at launder“It was kind of a big deal for Haywood ing the loot or hiding their newfound County,” Morgan said. wealth.

The movie makers would have paid to put Scenes from the mansion and trailer the Morgans up in a condo or vacation home park were both filmed in Waynesville. during the filming. But instead, they moved In addition to the main stars, the movie into guest rooms on the second floor that boasts a deep bench of celebrities in the weren’t being used for the filming. comedy genre, including, but hardly limitMorgan was on a first-name basis with ed to, Kate McKinnon and Jason Sudeikis. the set crew, scene designers, various and Rated PG-13, it has gotten decent reviews

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BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER Thom Morgan isn’t the type to be star struck.

When a location scout approached him two years ago about filming a major movie at his mansion in Waynesville, the agent hoping to sell him on the idea ticked off the famous comedians in the playbill for “Masterminds,” a true-crime comedy about an armored car heist in Charlotte in the late 1990s.

But Morgan drew a blank.

“I kept replying, I don’t know who that is either,” Morgan said.

Only Owen Wilson sounded vaguely familiar.

But Morgan agreed to turn over the keys of his estate to the movie makers anyway.

Ultimately, it was the art and science of movie making that piqued Morgan’s interest.

“I was more interested in the behind-thescenes component and the business aspect of making a movie,” Morgan said.

A successful businessman, Morgan was intrigued by movie-making apparatus and exactly what went on in the filming process.

His wife, Jacque, took a little more convincing, however.

The first time Morgan talked to the location scout about the prospect, Morgan leveled with him.

“I said, ‘I’m going to tell you right now, my wife isn’t going to want to do it,’” Morgan recalled. “But I told her I wasn’t going to let her talk me out of it.”

She wasn’t the only one who was skeptical.

“I had to call my homeowners insurance company, and of course, they weren’t wild about it either,” Morgan replied.

Over the course of the following week, the Morgans met with an entourage of movie representatives, eventually culminating in a visit from the director himself, Jared Hess.

Their top concern: would they recognize their home when it was all said and done?

“They conveyed to me they would respect it and that they would make sure it was the same way it was when they left,” Morgan said. “This particular film company did everything they said they would do. They protected our home, they restored it, cleaned the carpets, painted it. It was like a total refresh.”

The only unforeseen damage was charred shrubbery from an explosion scene, but that was replanted without question.

During the height of the six-week production period in the summer of 2014, the Morgans essentially became guests in their own home.

“Between the extras and the movie crew and production people, we had 200 people in and out of here. It was a zoo,” Morgan said.

The main floor of their house was stripped bare of the existing furnishings and replaced with the gaudiest, tackiest and overthe-top décor the set designers could get their hands on — in keeping with the real-life story behind the movie, where trashy rednecks forsake their trailer for an elaborately decked out mansion after suddenly becom-

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Luck of the draw: how a Waynesville mansion made the silver screen aywood County was abuzz with excitement during the filming of the major motion-picture “Masterminds� two summers ago, but exactly how the directors set their sights on a local mansion for their movie location has been a closely held secret until now.

Thom Morgan, whose estate on the outskirts of Waynesville served as a key set in the movie, was barred from talking about the filming at the time. After a prolonged post-production delay, “Masterminds� was finally released this fall — and Morgan could at last share the story of his brief brush with stardom. “On a daily basis, there was probably 100 crew people, almost 100 extras and probably a dozen celebs on the grounds,� Morgan said of the movie-making mayhem.

His stately knoll-top mansion is known among locals as “Little Biltmore,� with a winding entrance road and classic stone architecture that’s indeed reminiscent of the Biltmore House.

But exactly how the producers stumbled on Morgan’s off-the-beaten-path abode is a

October 19-25, 2016

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classic tale of coincidence.

Movie-makers had chosen Asheville as their filming headquarters mainly because the actors and directors wanted to bask in its uber-cool hipness for the summer.

Location scouts were then dispatched to find the right sets for various scenes. In the quest for a large mansion with a pool, a scout began scouring ritzy neighborhoods around Asheville, including The Ramble, an exclusive, upscale subdivision. The entrance is gated, so the scout camped out one day waiting for someone to come along. He stopped a crew of construction workers as they were leaving and asked them if they knew of anything inside that fit the bill. “One of the guys said ‘What you are really looking for is Thom Morgan’s house,’�

Morgan recounted.

The scout — who had also been on the ground when “Last of the Mohicans� and the “Hunger Games� were filmed in Western North Carolina — took the construction worker’s lead to heart and headed over to Haywood County.

When he saw Morgan’s house from the road, he knew it was perfect. The only challenge was convincing Morgan to bite.

While parked outside the Morgans’ gate one day, the scout encountered Morgan’s mother-in-law on her way to the mailbox and passed her his card.

Morgan, who still keeps the card in his wallet as a souvenir, wasn’t sure what to think at first. Morgan is a careful man. His business acumen is evident in the empire of Mountain Energy convenience stores and

commercial properties he built in the region and the small fortune he amassed along the way.

Clearly not one to get duped, Morgan wanted to be sure he wasn’t getting played by a huckster or scoped out by a thief. After a few calls, including to the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority’s film aficionado Becky Seymour, he realized it was the real McCoy. The Morgan estate was ultimately taken over for six weeks by the “Masterminds� entourage.

“On a daily basis, there was probably 100 crew people, almost 100 extras and probably a dozen celebs on the grounds.� — Thom Morgan

The movie makers also ended up filming a secondary scene in Haywood County at a trailer park below Wall Street near downtown Waynesville.

While Asheville raked in the lion’s share of the economic boon from the movie run — including hotel rooms, restaurants, office leases, cleaning and catering services, supplies, and so on — Haywood County got a modest share, too, thanks to the location

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scout’s eureka moment and Morgan and his wife, Jacque, agreeing to go along with it.

A few dozen locals were among the extras who got gigs as guests during a lavish pool party scene filmed over the course of a week at the Morgan home. A group of workers from the Maggie Valley restaurant industry scored parts playing chefs during the party scene, one of the more exciting roles since the grill they cooked over explodes during the dramatic climax of the movie — although stunt men took over for that part.

Merchants also picked up sales when the set crew needed supplies for their scene-setting magic, whether it was paint from a local hardware store or potted shrubs from a family garden center.

Morgan gave shout outs to several people and businesses who helped during the filming, including surprise meal donations from restaurants like Bocelli’s and Bojangles. “They got to experience real mountain hospitality,� he said. “They weren’t used to that.�

The Saunooke Volunteer Fire Department even got in on the action, standing by during scenes that involved car crashes and Molotov cocktail explosions.

Hazelwood Elementary School, down the road from the Morgans’ house, served as a staging and rendezvous site for the actors and crew. Locals were hired to work the breakfast and lunch buffet line in the school cafeteria, including a Hazelwood school bus driver who learned how to make the perfect seaweed smoothie for the actors that summer.

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CARS, TRUCKS & AUTO REPAIRS [HB 97, Section 29.30.[l]; Signed 9/18/15] [HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9/16/15]

GRAND OPENING DAY Ingles Markets on Brevard Rd. Asheville Thursday, October 20th - 6:00am Help us welcome our newest store and experience the "Ingles Advantage"! Many of our local vendors will be there throughout the day with samples: 8 -11am - New Sprout Organic Farms (Black Mountain)

GASOLINE [SB 20, 3rd Reading, 2/12/15]

TAXIS & UBERS [HB 97, Section 29.30.[l]; Signed 9/18/15]

MORTGAGES & RENOVATIONS [HB 998, Conf. Rpt., 7/17/13; SB 20, Signed, 3/31/15] [HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9/16/15]

HEALTHCARE [HB 998, Conf. Rpt., 7/17/13]

October 19-25, 2016

12-3pm - Postre Caramel Sauce (Woodfin) Ally's Bars (Mills River) Harvest Farm (Marion)

ELECTRICITY [HB 998, Conf. Rpt., 7/17/13]

Hickory Nut Gap Meats (Fairview) City Bakery (Asheville) 4 - 8pm - Munki Foods (Asheville)

CARS FOR VETERANS [HB97, Section 29.30.[l]; Signed 9/18/15]

Firewalker Hot Sauce (Asheville) Sunburst Trout (Waynesville) Annie's Breads (Asheville)

FURNITURE [HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9/16/15]

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sundry directors, costumers, caterers, grips and technicians.

One day during the first week of filming, Morgan was waiting in line at the fully stocked food trailer parked in his driveway to serve actors and crew on breaks, from cucumber water to grilled paninis.

As he made small talk with the woman in front of him, he asked what her role with the movie was. It turned out she was the lead actress, Kristin Wiig.

Morgan’s favorite place to be during filming sessions was looking over the shoulder of the cinematographer’s computer screen, watching the various camera angles and cuts in real time.

“They film the same thing over and over and over to make sure they have it from every aspect and every angle,” Morgan said.

Filming occurred at such a snail’s pace, a lavish pool party scene that took six days to films lasted just three minutes on the screen.

Despite playing out over several days, the scene had to look exactly the same every second of the filming so it could stitched together later. An elaborate pool-side buffet spread had to be precisely recreated by a caterer daily.

During breaks, crew assigned to the extras playing the guests of the pool party ran about applying sunscreen on them so they wouldn’t get sunburned as the filming wore on.

Morgan was amazed by the sheer number of people on the set.

“They all have their specialized duties,” Morgan said. There’s the costumers, the electrical technicians, the set designers — it took a crew of four guys just to manhandle giant net screens around the yard all day to shield outside scenes from direct sunlight.

A giant portable air conditioning unit took up residence in their driveway to offset the heat of movie lights during inside filming.

“Your house air conditioning can’t keep up so they were piping it in,” Jacque said.

The Morgans loved meeting so many people from different walks of life and from so many places around the country.

“What made it a positive experience was that they were all so friendly,” Jacque said.

Of course, Morgan had made sure of that.

“When they started, I told everyone ‘Now you look after Jacque,’” Morgan said.

“And they did — I had three to four guys at my beck and call,” she said.

One of the more unusual acquaintances they made was the real-life thief David Ghantt, the vault manager who played a role in the armored car heist and served as a consultant on the script and filming. The Morgans were both actually fond of him, and believe he was conned into participating in the heist by the other people involved, including a girl he had a crush on.

“My take on him was he was a very gentle person who got manipulated by others and that was probably the only criminal act he ever did,” Morgan said.

The Morgans said people have often asked them if they would do it again.

“I would probably be on the fence,” Morgan said. “In hindsight, it was a fun experience. I thought it was a novel and unique thing, something you could talk about with your friends and grandkids for years to come.”

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Mountain Projects latest victim of USDA fiasco

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ast month, the town of Canton’s highly anticipated municipal pool project hit an unexpected snag when it was learned that a 40-year United States Department of Agriculture loan would not be available as part of the complex, 10-part financing package town leaders created to pay for the project.

But Canton’s pool is not the only local project now facing difficulties due to the evaporation of what should have been an easily attainable loan.

Social services agency Mountain Projects currently occupies a leaky, cramped, 100year old facility on Old Balsam Road that it has been in since the mid-1970s; on June 13 it made an offer on the old Haywood County Health Department building on Asheville Road, which Haywood County Commissioners accepted.

Mountain Projects was eyeing a closing date in early November, but on Sept. 12 Executive Director Patsy Davis received a letter from USDA Area Director Pam Hysong informing her that the loan would, like Canton’s, not be available.

“I think we both got the same kind of letter,” Davis said.

That letter states that as of Sept. 1, there was more than $503 million remaining in a

now scrambling to maintain project deadlines and line up funding for these commitments.

Seth Hendler-Voss, Canton’s town manager, said that he’s been soliciting quotes from commercial lenders to fill the $1 million hole in the $2.2 million pool project.

“We’ve had to back up and punt, but we’re still in the game,” Hendler-Voss said,

that can now borrow from the USDA’s pool of funds with an interest rate currently capped at 2.75 percent. However, there is no rate cap on what these re-lenders can charge loan recipients.

Hysong’s letter went on to say that USDA Rural Development field staff was “blindsided” by the news, much like leaders in Canton and at Mountain Projects, who are

adding that with a good project bid, some extra fundraising and good interest rates, Canton’s town administration and board were hopeful the project would be finished in time for next summer’s swimming season.

“We’re maintaining a positive attitude,” he said.

An unexpected silver lining may yet reveal itself for Canton; although a commer-

cial loan would carry a higher interest rate than a USDA loan, commercial terms are typically 20 or 30 years, compared to the USDA’s 40-year term.

Although a 20-year loan would require higher monthly and yearly payments, in the long run the loan would be paid off earlier, resulting in a substantial savings on interest.

Mountain Projects has no such luxury.

Currently, there is no mortgage payment on the Old Balsam Road facility, so taking on a large payment for a 20-year commercial loan puts Davis in what she said was an “uncomfortable” position.

“We are proceeding with caution,” she said.

Mountain Projects offered Haywood County $325,000 for the Asheville Road building, but estimates around $800,000 in rehabilitation costs to bring it up to code.

Commissioners accepted Davis’ request for an extension on the closing date to March 1, giving her time to reapply to the USDA — if funding is even allocated — or to line up commercial financing and augment current fundraising.

Haywood County’s new $3.75 million animal shelter also utilizes USDA funding as part of its financing package, but according to County Manager Ira Dove, the county’s loan application was well underway before USDA funding was reallocated.

October 19-25, 2016

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USDA Community Facilities loan allocation for 2016, but that money would instead be used to fund a new program called “Uplift America.”

Uplift America allows the USDA to make loans to re-lenders called Community Development Financial Institutions, who in turn loan funds to applicants.

CDFIs are private financial institutions

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Wilderness debate goes to the government

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

hen the forest planning process for the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests kicked off more than two years ago, it didn’t take long for the question of wilderness designation — whether and how much more acreage should be recommended, which areas should make the cut — to rise to the top of the stack of contentious issues.

With a draft plan expected to come out in spring 2017, the conversation is heating up once more — in homes, at public meetings and in the boardrooms and legislative chambers of government. A plethora of bills and resolutions are currently in play to address the wilderness issue, but this week The Smoky Mountain News highlights four that are drawing ample discussion among wilderness stakeholders in Western North Carolina.

W

PULLING THE TRIGGER ON WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS

GIVING COUNTIES THE POWER

WILDERNESS, PAGE 20

STILL TAXING MOUNTAIN FAMILIES

RIGHT NOW IN NC YOU PAY MORE TAXES ON A MOBILE HOME THAN YOU DO ON A YACHT! [HB 998, Conf. Rpt., 7/17/13]

Someone should tell Raleigh Jim that we don't have any yachts in these mountains.

Raleigh Jim took campaign contributions from Duke Energy and gave tax breaks to country clubs and millionaires buying private jets and yachts.

HB 998,Conf. Rpt., 7.17.13; HB 97, Conf. Rpt., 9.16.15

“We need a level playing field with an economy that works for ALL North Carolina families.”

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THE BILL: Sen. Thom Tillis, R-Huntersville, introduced the Tillis Amendment as an addition to the much-larger Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015. The singlesentence amendment simply states “The Secretary shall not designate any land in the Nantahala National Forest or the Pisgah Thom Tillis National Forest in the State of North Carolina as a wilderness study area unless each affected county approves the designation.”

STATUS: Originally introduced as a House bill on June 4, the bill made its way to the Senate on July 13. Tillis’ amendment was added in September, and on Sept. 19 the bill was placed on the Senate’s legislative calendar. It has already passed in the House.

According to Tillis’ office, the senator introduced his amendment following feedback from county officials who were concerned that new wilderness designation would negatively impact their economies and didn’t feel the U.S. Forest Service was taking their concerns into account.

“My amendment will help ensure that North Carolina counties ultimately decide whether to designate new land as wilderness, empowering local officials and hardworking taxpayers with a key say in the decision-making process,” Tillis said in a statement.

Wilderness areas require congressional designation, and Tillis said his goal was to ensure that the federal body didn’t place the restrictions that come with wilderness land if local people didn’t want them there. The amendment has gained applause from some involved with the forest planning process for

J I M D AV I S

October 19-25, 2016

THE BILL: H.R. 6156, introduced by Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, would amend the Wilderness Act and Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to require the U.S. Forest Service manage wilderness study areas for multiple use until Congress can consider whether or not to designate the areas as full-fledged wilderness.

STATUS: H.R. 6156 was introduced on Sept. 22 and since then has been referred to multiple committees. On Oct. 4 it made its way to the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands for consideration, where it still sits. Meadows has said that he does not foresee the bill as written becoming law under the existing Congress.

Meadows introduced Mark Meadows the bill following a pair of listening sessions he held with county leaders in his district Aug. 30 and 31. Many counties in Meadows’ district have passed resolutions opposing additional wilderness, and county leaders also expressed concern with wilderness study areas — areas that were flagged as potential wilderness areas, often decades ago, that Congress has yet to take final action upon. The upshot is that the Forest Service manages them as de facto wilderness.

“I think it’s time that we take the political capital and invest it to say yes, either we’re going to designate it, or we’re not,” Meadows said. “I think this fits into a broader discussion that we need to have as a country.”

Wilderness supporters and wilderness skeptics alike seem to agree that wilderness study areas were not meant to remain in limbo forever. However, they disagree on whether Meadows’ bill addresses the issue in a constructive manner.

According to Hugh Irwin, landscape conservation planner for The Wilderness Society and a member of the Stakeholders Forum for the Nantahala and Pisgah Plan Revision, the bill overlooks the fact that the decision whether to designate land as wilderness is Congress’ decision, not the Forest Service’s. If the problem is that study areas are hanging in limbo, Irwin asked, then why does Meadows not introduce legislation to make a decision rather than legislation that dictates action to the Forest Service amid what is already a contentious forest planning process?

“It would again kind of supersede the Forest Service planning process by mandating that they go toward multiple use rather than going through the Forest Service planning process to decide whether they’re recommended again for wilderness or whether they’re assigned to other management categories,” Irwin said.

In the meantime, he added, mandating multiple-use in wilderness study areas could degrade the qualities that merited those places wilderness designation in the first place, thereby impacting the final decision as to whether they become full-fledged wilderness areas.

Meadows objects to those criticisms.

For one thing, he said, there is “zero chance” of the bill being ratified as written today. He introduced it mainly to get the conversation going and is not that committed to the language as introduced. He’s willing to adapt it as the conversation unfolds.

“I’m more in the information-gathering mode,” he said.

Right now, he said, he simply doesn’t know enough to say whether any particular area should be designated as wilderness and believes the discussion resulting from the bill will help him make that decision. He believes that something should be done to break the practice of keeping areas in the study designation “in perpetuity” and sees the bill as a start toward that goal.

In response to Irwin’s comment that pas-

sage of the bill would degrade the areas, he pointed out that the Forest Service has “zero money” in its budget for new roads and said that the areas in question aren’t up for timber, so there’s little to no chance that structures or roads would be built there even if multiple use were the law of the land.

“There’s not even enough money in the budget to maintain the existing roads that we have, so to suggest that it’s going to further exacerbate an existing issue is not accurate,” Meadows said.

Meadows’ bill seems to have the support of folks who generally oppose additional wilderness designation, though they, like Meadows himself, aren’t necessarily sold that requiring multiple-use is the best way to accomplish the goal of making a final decision on WNC’s wilderness study areas.

“I would prefer to see it voted up or down or a sunset provision put on it,” Jim Gray of the Ruffed Grouse Society in Franklin said of wilderness study areas. “I don’t know the thinking behind why Meadows worded his legislation the way he did, but I’m sure he has good reasons.”

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Federal bills and county resolutions contribute to wilderness discussion

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October 19-25, 2016

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WILDERNESS, CONTINUED FROM 19

20

the Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest. One result of the finished process will be recommendations for new wilderness areas.

“I think it represents the counties, which haven’t necessarily had a voice,” said David Whitmire, a hunter and outfitter who is a member of the Stakeholders Forum for the Nantahala and Pisgah Plan Revision.

However, the amendment has also garnered its share of criticism from wilderness advocates who say that the counties’ handling of the issue thus far is not something to be emulated. There is a cohesive, diverse group working to come to consensus on the forest plan — including wilderness recommendations — and Tillis’ amendment undercuts that process, they say.

“If the county resolutions had also been debated within the county, discussed so that everybody, a large group of people in the county are aware, that would be one thing, but a lot of these county resolutions popped into county commissioner meetings without a lot of notice, without people from all sides speaking to the issues,” said Hugh Irwin, landscape conservation planner for The Wilderness Society and a member of the forum.

Of the seven westernmost counties, all except for Jackson have passed resolutions blanketly opposing additional wilderness designation, though the town of Franklin has passed a resolution supporting new wilderness, as has Buncombe County.

Irwin also says that the amendment ignores the fact that national forests belong

to everybody in the nation, not just people in the adjacent counties. Perhaps, for instance, there’s someone in Georgia who loves the Nantahala National Forest and has strong opinions about wilderness designation. That person did not vote for the Macon County Commissioners, so are that person’s rights being violated by leaving the final say-so to a body they did not get to vote for?

But the flip side of that argument is that local people are the ones who are most directly affected by land management decisions in the national forest, and when it comes to search and rescue efforts counties find themselves on the hook financially as well.

“I realize it’s a national forest and it belongs to everybody in America, but the decisions that need to be made need to be made by the folks that know exactly what is out there on the ground – sportsmen and local mountain bikers and other users that see this land many times a year,” Whitmire said.

Opponents also point out that the amendment does not stipulate what constitutes county approval or disapproval. Would already existing resolutions made without public input, for example, count as approval?

“The amendment doesn’t define the process for approval, which means the Forest Service can work directly with counties to establish an appropriate path forward,” said Daniel Keylin, spokesperson for Tillis’ office.

Haywood County Commission Chairman Mark Swanger, who was quoted in a Tillis press release supporting the amendment and helped his board pass a resolution opposing new wilderness, said that he would want to

What is wilderness?

Created under the Wilderness Act of 1964, wilderness areas require Congressional designation and are intended to be places where “the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

Certain restrictions apply to wilderness areas. No mechanical or motorized equipment — the definition covers everything from bicycles to chainsaws to automobiles — is allowed. Structures cannot be built, nor can temporary roads. Aircraft cannot be landed.

see a stipulation for public hearing and input before a county board made any kind of binding decision under the amendment as written.

“These are often generational decisions that are made and they can affect people long after I’m gone, so I think public hearings and that sort of thing, workshops — good government will make those things happen,” he said.

EXPLAINING WILDERNESS OPPOSITION THE RESOLUTION: Last year, the Haywood County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution opposing any additional wilderness designation in the county, citing concerns related to search and rescue efforts,

tourism and wildlife. They have now approved they approved an explanation of that resolution, a seven-page document explaining, with photo documentation, why the board believes that areas under considering for wilderness recommendation in Haywood County should not go through. On Feb. 2, 2015, More than a year later — Sept.

19, 2016 — STATUS: The original resolution was passed Feb. 2, 2015, and the explanation was passed Sept. 19, both unanimously.

Commissioners revisited the wilderness resolution in an effort to clarify their earlier stance and make sure the U.S. Forest Service really understood where they were coming from, said Chairman Mark Swanger. Outdoor tourism is a big industry for Haywood, and search and rescue efforts from adventures gone wrong are a big expense, he said.

“As the trails become less managed and less maintained, signage and so forth deteriorate, people get lost and then they call Haywood County to rescue them. We believe that the designations that exist now offer a very good balance for the public to be able to enjoy the mountains and enhance tourism,” Swanger said. “If you allow areas to become unusable through being overgrown and so forth, there’s no point in having them.”

The commentary on the resolution points out that the wilderness extensions under consideration in Haywood County include areas that are heavily used, have existing amenities not consistent with wilderness or include well-

F

RE-ELECT COMMISSIONER

VICKI GREENE Jackson County Voters:

It has been my honor to serve you as District 3 Commissioner since December 2012. I look forward to continuing as your Commissioner and addressing the many challenges that still face our county.

CAREER • One term as Jackson County Commissioner, District 3 • 36 years at Southwestern Commission, a seven-county council of governments that includes Jackson county, retiring in February 2012 as Assistant Director.

Responsibilities included - workforce, infrastructure, & housing project development and administration.

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THE RESOLUTION: Buncombe County became the first Western North Carolina county to pass a resolution endorsing additional wilderness when its board unanimously approved a resolution asking that Congress designate the expanded Craggy Mountains Wilderness Study Area — also known as Craggy/Big Ivy — as wilderness.

STATUS: The resolution passed unanimously Sept. 20 following a public hearing that drew about 30 speakers in favor of passage and none opposed.

Buncombe County currently has no designated wilderness within its boundaries, but the current board of commissioners hopes to change that with a resolution passed unanimously last month, asking that Congress designate the Big Ivy/Craggy Mountain area as wilderness.

“We think it would be a wonderful asset to our recreation needs and desires, and kind of swimming against the tide,” said David Gantt, chairman of the Buncombe County Commissioners. “A lot of other counties have said, ‘Never, never, we don’t want this.’ But we actually had no opposition.”

Not a speaker, not a phone call, not an email opposed, Gantt said, and the board that passed the resolution is composed of four Democrats and three Republicans.

Unlike boards of commissioners further west that passed resolutions opposing additional wilderness, Buncombe County called a formal public hearing before taking a vote.

That’s not a standard practice for all resolutions, Gantt said, but he felt it was warranted in this case.

That process drew praise from some, including Hugh Irwin, landscape conservation planner for the Wilderness Society, a member of the Stakeholders Forum for the Nantahala and Pisgah Plan Revision, and a Buncombe resident.

“I thought it was not only a great resolution but a great process. The county commissioners were very open to hearing testimony from the public, encouraged it, made time for it,” Irwin said.

Even people who typically have little good to say about wilderness applauded the process and expressed support for Buncombe’s community-supported decision.

“If they want it, I think that’s fantastic,” said David Whitmire, a hunter and outfitter in Transylvania County who’s also a member of the forum. “I think that’s something we could get behind and actually see a designation come out.”

Designation would require congressional approval, which would start with legislation introduced by Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers. Meadows indicated that he’d be willing to take Buncombe’s desires seriously.

“Having the county commissioners for Buncombe County support Big Ivy and wilderness designation in those two areas, it weighs very strongly on me,” he said.

October 19-25, 2016

Haywood shouldn’t have passed the resolution without calling a public hearing to get input from a diversity of constituents, Martin believes, and the resolution itself interrupts a careful, long-term collaborative process that knowledgeable stakeholders of varying perspectives have been engaged in to come to agreement on wilderness.

However, the areas in question — the Graveyard Ridge Extension, Sam Knob Extension and Middle Prong Extension, all in the Pisgah National Forest — are mostly not suitable for wilderness designation, Martin said.

“I would completely not want to turn Graveyard Fields into a wilderness area,” agreed Jill Gottesman, conservation specialist for the Wilderness Society and a Haywood resident. “I’ve been there on a beautiful blueberry picking day.”

It’s a busy place for flip-flop-wearing tourists, and it’s certainly not a place to find the solitude that a wilderness area should have in abundance.

The one place The Wilderness Society disagrees is in regard to the Middle Prong extension. They’d like to see a subset of the area — about 1,200 acres — added as wilderness.

The smaller area would avoid spots like the F.S. 97 corridor and land near the Cold Mountain Shooting Range, areas that aren’t compatible wilderness values and maintenance restrictions. Swanger said he’d be happy to talk further about that idea.

“We’re ready and willing to engage in further dialogue,” Swanger said. “We want to reach a decision that everybody’s happy with if we can.”

ASKING FOR MORE WILDERNESS

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used roads in their boundaries.

Naturalist Don Hendershot, a Haywood resident who also does contract work for the Forest Service, doesn’t buy the argument.

“I can’t understand what they’re saying,” Hendershot said. “Are they saying that simply because there are other amenities in proximity to wilderness areas that you shouldn’t have wilderness areas there?”

However, The Wilderness Society, one of the most vocal groups in support of additional wilderness, sees Haywood’s point —mostly.

“We agree with Haywood County on about 90 percent of this,” said Brent Martin, regional director for the Wilderness Society’s office based in Sylva. “I don’t think the resolution is helpful still and I don’t think this resolution is necessary, but we’re on record as not asking for these areas to be designated for wilderness or recommended for wilderness.”

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Opinion Relishing common ground amid the political divide I Smoky Mountain News

Chris Cox

am at the salad bar, evaluating the freshness of the broccoli and spinach, deciding whether I want croutons or sunflower seeds sprinkled on top, when I perceive a short, stocky man with dark hair sizing me up from the other side. I can already sense what is coming. Am I a confederate? Or, shudder, a liberal?

Maybe apolitical, though how could I be — how could anybody be — with so much at stake in this election? He approaches, and I turn to acknowledge him just as I spear my second radish.

“That damn Hillary Clinton is out to ruin this country, you know it?” he says, leaning in a little. “If she gets in, we won’t recognize America two years from now.”

Columnist I am trying to frame a response, although feigning a sudden illness is also a possibility. But I wait a beat too long.

“One thing I know for sure is that she will take your rifle,” he says. “She will take every gun in your house if we don’t stop her now. I’ll be damned if she’ll take mine.”

I know I have to get out now because I know where this is going. The government is coming to take our guns, and we must be prepared to fight. This man believes in a well-regulated militia, except for the part about “well-regulated.” He believes that a showdown between the government and its citizens — the ones who will not kneel — is inevitable, especially the way things are going.

Now he waits for an answer. Will we bond or will we fight?

“Do you know if this ranch dressing is fat-free?” I say. “I’m diabetic.”

He shrugs and walks off, his salad teetering on the tray. I guess we’ve called a truce somehow.

Negativity is infesting our politics To the Editor: The greatest problem facing our country today and in the future is not from abroad but from within. It is the use of hate that is gripping the “far right” and it is growing and spreading among our population.

In the older days, each party built their platform on how to better help the nation and its people. In the early sixties, this “far right” element entered the Republican Party and changed things. They tried attacking their opponents in every way possible and forgot about things to help the people. It became known as “negative politics.” It has worked and has continued over time to grow until now it is no longer “negative politics” but has become “hate politics.” This hate is now being spread by some of its “far right” promoters who even use parts of the scripture to promote it.

Our Constitution forbids the mix of church and state; however, we must also remember that Christ taught only love and forgiveness. While the Bible is used to illustrate the sins of the opponents, is hypocrisy not the greatest sin of all?

As a nation, where will this hate lead us? If

I would like to say and believe that I have had my last argument over politics before this election, made my last snide remark, stayed up too late for the last time reading — sometimes even engaging in — those tedious Facebook political wars, even though I long ago came to the conclusion that the people who will vote for Hillary and the people who will vote for Trump do not just disagree on issues. The issues are, in a weird way, beside the point. We now live in completely different realities that have nothing in common.

If you scratch the surface, I bet you would find that Trump voters, the majority of them anyway, do not really believe that he is qualified or capable of being President of the United States.

They are as appalled by his disgusting remarks about women as anyone else. They see that he is a blowhard and if they squint hard enough this can be seen as a condemnation of the political correctness they hate so very much, but they know that’s a stretch. They wouldn’t want him around their daughters, and they wrestle with their support for him. The main thing he has going for him is that he is Not Hillary.

Conversely, there are many Hillary voters who have had to persuade themselves that she is “not that bad” and that her mea culpa regarding those deleted emails is genuine, and not just a political calculation. She’s basically a centrist, too conservative and hawkish for old guard lefties, too liberal on social issues for the blue dogs. Sure, she has experience and has accomplished some things, but she makes a lot of voters squeamish, and many of the Bernie Sanders voters just cannot make the leap to her, even with Bernie himself out there stumping for her day after day. The main thing she has going for her is that she is Not Trump.

Then there are the conspiracy theorists, who inhabit yet another reality. Hillary and Trump, they’re in it together. From the very beginning, Trump was a pawn to get Hillary elected. In

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786. we study history, we learn that the angry man was what eventually led the Nazis and Hitler to power, along with Stalin and the Soviets.

What kind of nation will we become and what do we leave for our children if this aforementioned hypocrisy “hate” is not stopped?

According to national polls, it seems that everybody is mad at our country. Although not perfect, it is still the greatest country on earth. They blame Obama for their anger, but truly our economy has come a long way under his guidance considering what he inherited. It would have been done even better had he not had to deal with our other president (John Boehner?).

ISIS must be happy.

If this sounds like the “negative politics” I’m trying to fight, it is. It is the only thing left

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return, he gets the greatest promotional campaign in history for his latest get-richer scheme, Trump TV. For the citizens of this strange and unsettling land, Trump’s surrealistic meltdown over the past two weeks is intentional, and not the antics of a desperate narcissist who sees the writing on the wall. He was never supposed to win, see?

At this point, still three weeks before the election, I just want to get away from all of it. I feel contaminated enough already.

Outside, the mountains are ripening by the minute, the red and golden hues sweeping the ranges under a sky that remains blue and perfect and indifferent to all of our pitiful flailing and posturing.

All of that majesty spread out before you, and then at your foot, a single red maple leaf, almost the size of your face, so red that it seems ready to burst into flame. You pick it up and hold it at arm’s length to admire it, and from across the street it looks as if you are offering a flower to an invisible lover.

I need to watch baseball, my beloved Dodgers, bedraggled and fashioned out of used parts like an old jalopy, hanging in there in the National League Championship Series against the fearsome Cubs, with the winner advancing to the World Series.

I need to enjoy my daughter learning to drive, driving her mother crazy with her unpredictable behavior at intersections. I need to enjoy my son playing fall baseball, brandishing a new bat and hoping for a fat one over the plate. I need to relish my neighbors: one walking her dog at dusk, another one in his driveway under a dune buggy trying to get that rattle out of the front end, and one more keeping an eye out for the coyote we’ve been seeing lately, in case he starts getting a little too close.

In these things, we are united. In this place, we can talk and understand each other again.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com.)

to do. Nothing else has worked to stop it. As a farmer would say, “it’s time to grab the bull by the horns,” and as firemen know sometimes you have to fight fire with fire!

This thing on gun control has finally come to the top where it should have been years ago. Just look at the lives that could have been saved.

Tommy Boyd Haywood County

Raleigh ‘magicians’ must be held accountable To the Editor: A key skill for magicians is misdirection.

Look this way so you won’t see what I’m actually doing. For four years, our legislators in Raleigh have shown that they are exceptionally talented magicians. They have passed legislation that enflames their base, while the real point of the legislation was either against federal law, harmful or ridiculous.

The magic has been to keep attention on the most inflammatory components of the bills while slipping the really dangerous components through with little scrutiny.

Consider fracking. This bill was a waste of time and your money spent in hearings, argu-

ments and exploring for gas deposits. Because natural gas was abundant and cheap, fracking was not going to happen in North Carolina.

Why on earth would a company drill into unproven and, at best, marginal reserves under those conditions?

What this bill was really about was stripping local governments of the ability to manage their own resources. In Western North Carolina we depend on tourism and recreation for significant parts of our economy. We need exceptionally clean water to support that economy. That bill also prevented private landowners from stopping fracking on their own land.

Next came the Voter ID law. Again, the legislature addressed a non-existent problem, but generated a lot of angst. What this bill was really about was preventing a lot of elderly, minority and student voters from voting. As the legislators were told ahead of time, this law was ruled unconstitutional.

Now we have HB2. The financial damage to the state is in the hundreds of millions.

What this bill was really about was preventing Charlotte from experimenting with a higher minimum wage to see whether it would help their economy. The ‘bathroom bill’ also prevented employees from suing for discrimina-

S EE LETTERS, N EXT PAGE

opinion

LETTERS, CONTINUED FROM P. 23 tion in state courts, forcing them to take their issues to federal courts that are backlogged because the U.S. Senate will not confirm judicial appointments. There is not much doubt that HB2 will be ruled unconstitutional.

Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, voted for all of these laws that bring ridicule to our state and limit your rights. Magically, he has not yet been held accountable for the damage.

John Gladden Franklin

Twenty questions for America’s citizens

October 19-25, 2016

To the Editor: The future of the American system of representative government is under attack, and who is heeding the call to defend it?

Are a generation of young Americans ignorant of our democratic traditions and/or disinterested in the survival of our political democracy? Are many Americans more interested in their computer games and TV shows than in voting and participating in our political system? Do many Americans view the presidential election as just another reality TV show? Do they care that special interests are able to spend huge sums of money to buy candidates’ elections to public office who will support their interests and not the needs of the American public?

Why are many American citizens oblivi-

ous to the fact that, for the first time in our history as a nation, a foreign power is attempting to influence the outcome of our presidential election? Are American voters aware that overwhelming evidence proves Russia, under the dictatorship or Vladimir Putin, is hacking the emails of the Democratic Party and the its presidential election campaign? Doesn’t anyone wonder why the Russians are not hacking the Republicans and their presidential election committee?

Do voters care that WikiLeaks is relaying illegally obtained information to the American press? Do they understand this is an effort to discredit Hillary Clinton and hope she will lose the presidential election?

Why would Putin, and the business oligarchs that support him want Trump to be our next president? What motivates Donald Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the evidence that Russia is behind the hacking of the Democrats?

Could it be that Trump has business interests in Russia and releasing his tax returns would reveal this? Is it because he is a great admirer of Putin and praises his leadership as a dictator? Is Trump using Putin as his role model in his call to jail his opponent Clinton, an event that is unprecedented in our history as a democratic country?

Do younger Americans understand the meaning of representative democracy? Do they know that the right to vote is the cornerstone of a free republic? Will many Americans abandon the right to vote that so many in our history have fought and died to achieve? Will special interests and foreign

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LOOKING FOR OPINIONS The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. Send to Scott McLeod at info@smokymountainnews.com., fax to 828.452.3585, or mail to PO Box 629, Waynesville, NC, 28786. powers subvert our republic? What will we tell our children and grandchildren?

Margery Abel Franklin

We are all going to be losers this election To the Editor: Thank you for your honest opinion regarding Trump running for our highest office (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/18589). I respect your bravery to be open about how you feel, and wanted you to know that there are many of us who tried to be fair, give him an opportunity even though he has no political experience, but he has pushed the limits too far for any sensible person to even consider voting for him.

That is a scary thought when you see hundreds of normally reasonable citizens turning a deaf ear/blind eye to what he is saying and doing. I have never felt so sick about a political personality having the opportunity to be our president. Even though there were many I did not feel would be the right choice, it never scared me like this one does. This time I feel that there is not a good choice, there are issues with both candidates and despite who is the winner, we are going to all be losers.

I appreciate your comments, and thank you.

Nancy Shay Whittier

This certainly is not politics as usual To the Editor: I have been a political junkie since the Kennedy-Nixon race, but this letter is not about partisan politics, it is about the future of our democracy. This election is far from politics as usual. It is about whether we continue to have the form of government our forefathers created.

There is a candidate running for President of the United States who has attacked, at one time or another, every branch of our government. He has questioned the judicial system by claiming the ancestry of a judge disqualifies him. He has claimed that presidency is part of a global international conspiracy. He is at war with a very Republican Congress because many will not support him.

In addition, many of the “policies” he proposes are clearly unconstitutional, such

as a religious test for immigrants, the use of torture, mass surveillance and limitations on a free press.

Some may consider all of the above as “politics as usual.” But no candidate since the Civil War has questioned our ability to conduct free and fair elections. And no American presidential candidate has ever threatened to throw his opponent in jail.

Donald Trump has made it very clear that “the election is rigged against me.” He is not talking just about media bias, he is saying there is grand conspiracy to miscount the votes. Through the use of fear and repetition, millions of his followers are now convinced that their votes will be stolen. There is no telling what he or his followers will do if he is defeated. Many have suggested a “Second Amendment solution.”

He seems willing to attack the very fabric of our democracy for his own personal benefit.

A belief in free and fair elections, and the peaceful and orderly transfer of power, are cornerstones of our democracy. We believe in the will of the majority and the protection of the rights of the minority. Without trust in the electoral process, the system fails.

History tells us what usually comes next is some form of dictatorship.

Louis Vitale Franklin

We need real change in this country To the Editor: Are you an emotional voter letting the media and others tell you how to vote? Or an intelligent voter capable of looking beyond all the hype from both nominees and others and choosing the one whose common sense proposals make the most logic to improve the sluggish economy which will motivate the private sector to create jobs for the millions of our fellow Americans desperately looking for work to feed their families.

This is not a sporting contest; it is serious business. Perhaps it takes an outsider who owes no allegiance to either political party or lobbyists except the American people to try to straighten our current mess out. We have some people working two separate 29-hour jobs because their employers cannot afford to pay the increased insurance costs.

Last year the CBO says more jobs failed and went out of business than were created.

Are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution? Both political parties and most of the media have demonstrated they are interested only in their own interests. Look yourself in the mirror and ask do you really care about our country or just your party and your ego. We need real change not change like happened over the last 7.5 years.

Jack Hogan Franklin

Let’s ask Rep. Presnell to step down To the Editor: As we face a drought, Rep.

‘Get the hell out’ is not an answer

Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, not only vigorously supports fracking (hydraulic fracturing) in North Carolina, she instructs her aides to give callers a speech about the safety and benefits of fracking when they call her office. I called on another matter, and was told about how great fracking would be. Presnell voted yes for SB 786, to fast-track fracking, a bill which also extended big government, pre-empting local ordinances that would let communities make critical decisions about water.

Fracking isn’t safe. Operations in other states have contaminated groundwater, according to findings from Duke University, and have also caused adverse health impacts.

Water is vital to our national security and to our lives. Rep. Presnell is ready to jeopardize

our water through fracking, actively opening the way for out of state companies to drill for export. Like Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, she pushed legislation without adequate time for study, and without requiring companies to disclose chemicals used in fracking operations — putting fire department and first responder volunteers at risk. The industry’s own estimates show that fracking would create only about 400 jobs in North Carolina.

Rep. Presnell’s irresponsible choices regarding fracking put drinking water at risk. She is up for election this fall, and it’s time to ask her to step down at the voting booth.

Autumn Woodward Canton

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Smoky Mountain News

the old country song said, are we “strong enough to bend?” Does Ditka not value equality enough to allow (or maybe even support) the efforts of those who would strive for the uplifting of all people?

Who had the right to vote in America’s early years? Certainly not everyone. Women and minorities were excluded along with those who did not own land and/or could not read and write. That was certainly not a perfect union. Those who had been systematically left out had to protest and push for their rights as citizens. We have since changed voting laws to include more people. Even now, however, some politicians seem hell-bent on turning the clock back and denying some people the right to vote.

Let’s hope Americans will always have the legal right to push for freedom for all. We claim that we fight for freedom for people all around the world. Let’s make sure we provide for all Americans along with our international efforts.

Maybe Ditka will soon see fit to use his notoriety and influence to provide assistance to Kaepernick as he works for “a more perfect union.” The flag only symbolizes America. But, it still symbolizes the need for change now just as it serves as a reminder of our forefathers’ battle for freedom from unfair governance by the “mother country.”

These beautiful words from the Declaration remind us that we have a civic duty to work for the betterment of our neighbors as we work for our own freedom: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

Let’s not let a red, white and blue symbol take precedence over those words adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Let’s not suggest that people “get the hell out” if they believe our country needs to be made more perfect. Instead, let’s provide an opportunity for them to make a country that inches closer to the perfect union our constitutional framers envisioned.

(Dave Waldrop lives in Webster and can be reached at dewaldrop@frontier.com.)

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

October 19-25, 2016

BY DAVE WALDROUP GUEST COLUMNIST egendary former Chicago Bears head football coach Mike Ditka has now joined the chorus of protesters who bash San Franciso 49’ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick for his peaceful protest against racism in America today. His protest is by kneeling (in prayer) while the national anthem is being performed prior to National Football League games.

Ditka may have forgotten that another famous Chicago Bears football player named Gayle Sayers was, sadly, a victim of racism as he struggled for acceptance in the National Football League. Sayers, who was black, wanted the opportunity to fulfill his enormous potential as a running back in pro football.

It seems so strange that the descendants of Africans (who were brought to America against their will as cheap labor) are now told to “Get the hell out” for their efforts to secure equality in the country that is dedicated to “liberty and justice for all.” We are supposed to be a beacon of freedom to the entire world. Ditka’s ancestors came to America, like mine, to seek freedom that was not readily available in the mother country. His remarks are a slap in the face of freedom. He is quoted in USA Today as saying, “I think it’s a problem, anybody who disrespects this country and the flag. If they don’t like the country, they don’t like our flag, get the hell out.”

America has never been perfect. Our forefathers (and foremothers) set out to establish “a more perfect union.” We fought a civil war over the fact that our union was far from perfect. We have endured riots and protests from many groups in their attempt to “establish a more perfect union.” We have enacted laws intended to provide for equality of opportunity. Still, we are not perfect. Therefore, people must push for equal rights in the country that was designed to allow for people to plea for redress of grievances.

So, what does Ditka really mean when he says “they?” Is he insinuating that it is a specific group which seeks redress of grievances? Am I in the group he refers to because I tend to agree that Kaepernick has a right to his protest? As

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tasteTHEmountains ture a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer.

The evening social hour starts at 6 pm, and dinner is served starting at 7 pm. So join us for mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations.

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.

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

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

October 19-25, 2016

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Family-style breakfast seven days a week, from 8 am to 9:30 am – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-can-eat. Lunch every day from 12:00 till 2 pm. Evening cookouts on the terrace on weekends and Wednesdays, featuring steaks, ribs, chicken, and pork chops, to name a few. Bountiful family-style dinners on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herb-baked chicken,

Smoky Mountain News

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,

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.

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

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

Open nightly for dinner at 4 p.m.; Friday through Sunday 12 to 4 p.m. for lunch. Daily luncheon special at $6.99. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome.

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

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26

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.

desserts. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday night at 7pm. www.classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

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

Mon.-Thurs.

11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Closed Tues.

Sun. 12-9 p.m.

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

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Cataloochee Ranch 119 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, NC 28751 | CataloocheeRanch.com | (828)926-1401

tasteTHEmountains JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. Open daily 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., closed Thursdays. Joey’s is a family style restaurant that has been serving breakfast to the locals and visitors of Western North Carolina since 1966. Featuring a large variety of tempting pancakes, golden waffles, country style cured ham and seasonal specials spiked with flavor, Joey's is sure to please all appetites. Join us for what has become a tradition in these parts, breakfast at Joey’s.

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

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

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

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

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

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

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

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.

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

SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive. Canton 828.646.3750 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.

SALTY DOG'S SEAFOOD & GRILL 3567 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.9105. Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Full service bar and restaurant located in the center of Maggie Valley.

Featuring daily $6 lunch specials and daily dinner specials such as $1 Taco Tuesdays and 45¢ Wednesday Wings. Backyard Bar is open every weekend thru October. Join us for every NFL game.

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.

SMOKEY SHADOWS LODGE 323 Smoky Shadows Lane, Maggie Valley 828.926.0001. Check Facebook page for hours, which vary. Call early when serving because restaurant fills up fast. Remember when families joined each other at the table for a delicious homemade meal and shared

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 MondaySaturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 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.

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

www.CityLightsCafe.com 367-12

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

828.246.0927. Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday. 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.

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Smoky Mountain News

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

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.

October 19-25, 2016

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.

stories about their day? That time is now at Smokey Shadows. The menus are customizable for your special event. Group of eight or more can schedule their own dinner.

Real Local Families, Real Local Farms, Real Local Food

jukeboxjunctioneat.com 27

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

• The “Pumpkin Patch” will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. Donation of $1 recommended for aged 3 to 10. 828.293.3053.

2:30 p.m. with signup running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The winner receives a cash prize. Other highlights of the day include a screaming contest, costume parade/contest, pumpkin pie eating contest, along with arts and crafts, food vendors, and live entertainment for all ages. PumpkinFest is made possible by the Franklin Main Street Program, Town of Franklin, Franklin TDA and Macon County TDC. www.townofranklinnc.com or 828.524.2516.

“Halloween in the Park” will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, at the Macon County Veteran’s Memorial Park.

Presented by the Macon County Parks and Recreation Department. For additional information, contact 828.349.2090.

The Deals Farm Corn Maze. Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To visit on Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., call ahead to make an appointment. $5 for ages 6 and older, ages 5 and younger free. Ticket includes corn maze and hayrides.

828.524.5151 or www.dealfarms.com.

The “Ghosts of Franklin” presentation will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at the Macon County Public Library. Jim Rose and his southern states paranormal research group, co-hosted by Franklin historian Gregg Clark, will be presenting evidence and photo documentation of hauntings in multiple locations in Franklin. www.fontanalib.org.

There will be a Halloween themed story time and trick or treat costume parade at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Macon County Public Library. Children are encouraged to come to story time dressed in costume. After story time, children will trick or treat through the library. Library staff will hand out candy and community members are encouraged to come and assist. The library will provide the candy.

This program is geared for children aged 10 and under. Story times are held at the library every Tuesday at 10 a.m. For more information, please call the Macon County Public Library in Franklin at 828.524.3600.

DILLSBORO

HIGHLANDS

• “Trick or Treat in Dillsboro” will run from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, in downtown. Children can trick or treat around downtown, with games at Dogwood Crafters and hayrides provided by Jarrett Memorial Church. Free. www.visitdillsboro.org.

• A pumpkin blown glass class will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 and 29 at the Jackson County Green Energy Park.

Classes are 30 minutes. Cost is $40.

828.631.0271 or www.jcgep.org.

• Downtown All Hallows Eve Celebration will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. Safe, family friendly fun. Trick or treating, snacks and live music. www.highlandschamber.org.

• The “Halloween Enchanted Forest” will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Highlands Biological Station. Costumes are encouraged for everyone, meet some of the critters that live in gardens as you make your way through the trails.

All ages are welcome and encouraged to dress up. Cost is $1 per person. www.highlandschamber.org.

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$20 per victim. Free parking. Cash only. www.pinheadsgraveyard.com or 828.670.8228.

Carolina Chills

As the leaves change and the air becomes crisp, the mountains of Western North Carolina transform into a landscape of mystery and mischief. In the spirit of ghouls, ghosts and everything creepy and crawling, communities around Southern Appalachia will celebrate Halloween with an array of local and regional events, for kids and parents alike.

BETHEL

• The Cold Mountain Corn Maze is now open.

Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

All inclusive ticket is $10 for ages 4 and older, ages 3 and younger free. Hayride, bonfires, snacks, and more. 828.648.8575.

BRYSON CITY

• “Downtown Trick or Treat” will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. With the streets closed, children can go trick or treating around to downtown merchants. There will also be a costume contest, with the winner receiving a gift certificate to Soda Pops. Free.

800.867.9246 or www.greatsmokies.com.

• The Darnell Farms Corn Maze will be open through Nov. 1 on U.S. 19 at the Tuckasegee River Bridge. Besides the maze, there will also be a pumpkin patch, picnic area, farm fresh products, hayrides, and other activities.

The farm will also host a “Plow Day & Harvest Festival” from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 29. The free festival will include hayrides, crafts, music jam, old-time

farming demonstrations, and more.

828.488.2376.

• The Peanuts Pumpkin Patch Express will depart at select times Oct. 21-23 and 28-30 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad train depot. Peanuts characters in costume, children’s activities, and more. For more information, departure times and ticket rates, call 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

• The “Witch’s Brew” Halloween release party will be at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Nantahala Brewing Company. Live music from Jamie Kent. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• A Masquerade Dinner Train will hit the tracks at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in downtown.

800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

CANTON • Pinhead’s Graveyard will run from dark until 10 p.m. Thursday and from dark until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Known as “Western North Carolina’s Premier Outdoor Haunted House,” the graveyard showcased an array of classic horror characters, and more. Located on U.S. 19-23 between Canton and Candler.

CASHIERS • Goblins in the Green will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 28, at The Village Green. Costume contest, trick or treating, spooky inflatables, hayrides, and more. Free. 828.743.3434 or www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

CULLOWHEE

FRANKLIN • The 20th Annual PumpkinFest will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in downtown. During this event you can take part in some traditional and some very non-traditional fall festivities. Bring your pumpkin or purchase one downtown (limited supply) and sign up early for the World Famous Pumpkin Roll. The “roll” takes place from 10:30 a.m. to

•

SYLVA • “Treat Street” will be from 6 to 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 31, in downtown. Everyone is invited to wear their costume and trick-ortreat at downtown businesses. Presented by the Main Street Sylva Association. Free.

S EE CHILLS, PAGE 31

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Milo Yiannpoulos speaking at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee on Oct. 12.

Garret K. Woodward photo

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October 19-25, 2016

I’m entering hostile waters here, folks.

So, bear with me as I bring up this ideology I recently heard, which is that feminism and Islam Mountain Faith will perform at 7 p.m. are both “set on destroying the Thursday, Oct. 20, in the auditorium of American way of life.”

Haywood Community College in Clyde.

Sitting in the back row in the Chicago’s renowned comedy troupe Second University Center at Western City will be coming to Western Carolina Carolina University one recent University at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, evening, I watched and listened as as part of the university’s Arts and Cultural Milo Yiannpoulos gave an hourEvents series and Homecoming week activities. long presentation comparing feminism and Islam, and how each The Haywood Art Show will be exhibited promotes authoritarian agendas through Oct. 30 at the Haywood County Arts and censorship, with Milo echoCouncil’s Gallery & Gifts in downtown ing his interpretation of the supWaynesville. The Studio Tour will be from 10 posed Islamic battle cry, “When a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28-29 around the county. in Rome don’t do as the Romans do. When in Rome, demand beneThe “Hot Air Balloon Fundraiser for New fits and rape people.”

Library Campaign” will be held from 5 to 7 Now, of course, these are p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at Darnell Farms in harsh words. As a longtime politBryson City, weather permitting. ical satirist, shock artist and The Antioch Baptist Church will hold their social commentator, Milo, a gay annual Missions Fair from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. man from London (and senior Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Haywood County editor at Breitbart), descended Fairgrounds in Lake Junaluska. upon WCU with his speech, titled “Feminism & Islam, The Unholy Alliance.” I went partly out of curios- England and in the United States that believe that you should be put to death or that it’s ity, but mostly as a journalist trying to make OK to use violence when you insult Islam. sense of a presidential election cycle that is Then, there was his take on feminism, unlike any other before it in the 240 years where he stressed the differences between the we’ve been a country. first wave of the movement in the 1960s and Entering the Illusions room in the UC, where we are today. He noted the first wave of there were around 100 or so students sitting the Gloria Steinem-era of feminism focused quietly, respectfully listening to what Milo on liberation and equality for women in a had to say, regardless of what side of his male-dominated world, whereas now, since argument they may fall on. Throughout his women have made huge leaps in leveling the presentation, Milo threw out innumerable playing field, that feminism has become more statistics about rape culture or immigration, “militant” and “man hating” in recent or the high percentages of Muslims in

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

decades, seeing as it was the only direction to go to keep the movement alive since it had made real progress, something Milo noted wouldn’t have flown in the first wave.

And yet, he also noted the countless bombing and violent acts carried out by The Weather Underground (a radical left-wing organization in the 1970s), where many of those members are either still on the run or now, perhaps, teach and influence students at universities around the nation.

So, what was the essence of what Milo was getting at? Well, from my perspective, a lot of what he was doing and explaining was a “man behind the curtain” expose on how what you’ve thought or known your whole life may not actually be inline with your own self-interest.

“It’s just different excuses for authoritarian [states and practices],” Milo noted at the foundation of his case for similarities in motives and actions of feminism and Islam.

Sure, the presentation was quite jarring at times, especially when cartoons depicting bestiality and images of violence and protests against “America and freedom” appeared on the large screen behind Milo.

But, the slideshow was no worse or gruesome that what we’re already seeing on 24hour news outlets. What the real shocking factor was came in the form of how much of an anomaly Milo is — a gay English conservative who waves the American flag with pride, all while trying to get you to stand in a different direction and ask yourself the same questions you’ve been asked from your lifelong stance on social issues that have defined our world, for good or ill.

If everything you’ve just read above seems like a whirlwind, well, it is. Even a day after attending Milo’s speech, I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I witnessed.

In an era of political correctness, sound bites, and utter chaos at the drop of a hat, it was interesting to sit there and comprehend the unique viewpoint of Milo, how it applied to what I’ve seen at the recent Trump rally in Asheville, and what we’ve all been exposed to in this down and dirty election year.

Is some of what Milo says truly offensive?

Yes. Is it any worse than anything else being plastered and shouted across social media and the news these days? No. From my perspective, his conundrum of being a gay conservative — an outspoken and controversial one, at that — really brings his presence into that national and international spotlight, especially with his tech savvy ways of reaching and engaging audiences. But, what one must remember that old adage, “I may not agree with what you say, but I defend your right to say it.”

Truthfully, part of me thinks Milo is Milo for the mere fact of being a devil’s advocate for the powers that be and ideologies that dominate the social dialogue in our country.

He provides this counterbalance — albeit dark in nature — to the current state of banter and confusion that has swallowed up this presidential election, and also our everyday lives as we keep staring at our smart phones, keep staring at the television, keep staring at our computers, all while the lines between appearance and reality become more and more blurred.

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29

October 19-25, 2016

arts & entertainment

On the beat Hayes brings country hits to Franklin Country star Wade Hayes will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Beginning with his signature No. 1 hit “Old Enough to Know Better” he’s cut a path through the country music landscape with top tunes “I’m Still Dancin’ With You,” “What I Meant to Say,” “Don’t Stop” and “The Day That She Left Tulsa.” He was named Billboard Magazine’s Top New Country Artist in 1995, and in 1997 was chosen the Male Star of Tomorrow by TNN Music City News.

Franklin High School’s Future Business Leaders of America would like for you to join us in the fight against colon cancer, of which Hayes is a Stage IV survivor.

Tickets are $20, with a limited number of $40 VIP tickets available. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

Angela Faye Martin.

Folk, rock in Sylva The Jackson County Public Library will host singer/songwriter Angela Faye Martin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the library in Sylva.

Martin calls her haunting songs “mountain folk-rock.” Her latest album “Anniversary” came out in 2012. It was inspired by the deaths of good friend Mark

Linkous, aka Sparklehorse (a collaborator of Dangermouse, David Lynch, and Daniel Johnston) and the great Athens songwriter Vic Chesnutt. Martin also derives her inspiration from the mountains of Western North Carolina, where she lives with her poet and conservationist husband, Brent.

The event is free and co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. www.fontanalib.org.

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On the beat arts & entertainment

MOUNTAIN FAITH AT HCC Acclaimed bluegrass act Mountain Faith will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in the auditorium of Haywood Community College in Clyde. The show will be a benefit for The Open Door, a nonprofit soup kitchen in Waynesville. Tickets are $12 per person, at the door. For more information, call 828.452.3846.

CHILLS, CONTINUED FROM 28

WAYNESVILLE

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Bookstore

THURSDAY, OCT. 20 • 10:30 A.M.

Coffee with the Poet featuring Ray Whitaker

SATURDAY, OCT. 22 • 11 A.M.

Children’s Storytime

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Smoky Mountain News

• Treats of the Street will be from 5 to 7 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 31, in downtown. Sponsored by merchants and the Downtown Waynesville Association. Stroll downtown during a fun family event celebrating all things Halloween. www.downtownwaynesville.com. • The annual “Spookmootâ€? will be held Oct. 28-29 at the Folkmoot Friendship Center.

Participants will get face-to-face with the ghouls and spirits that reside in the school along with frightening internationallythemed characters who danced at Folkmoot Festival and refused to go home. Frightening folk tales come alive in the halls of Haunted Hazelwood School from 8 p.m. until midnight. This experience will feature the haunted school walk, popular food trucks, games of corn hole and pumpkin catapults in the back of the building, while you wait. Scares include several adrenaline junkie favorites and folklore characters that will make your blood run cold. Tickets with set tour times can be purchased in advance for $15 at www.folkmoot.org or by calling

CLC’S HORMONE PELLET THERAPY FOR WOMEN

October 19-25, 2016

• There will a “Pumpkin Centerpieceâ€? class from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Jackson County Extension Center. Please bring 12 canning jar rings and a glue gun and glue if you have them. Wide mouth size rings work the best and the rustier the jar rings the better. The cost of the class is $5. Please register with the Jackson County Extension Center by calling 828.586.4009.

828.452.2997. Haunted Hall participants must be 12 years old or older. Parking is best in back of the school. • The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will end its 2016 season with a Halloween treat, “The Mystery of Irma Vep.â€? The production will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21-22, 27-29 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 23 and 30. The plot involves a trip to Egypt, resurrecting the mummy of an Egyptian princess, a curse, werewolves, vampires, and family disputes, all played out by two actors portraying eight characters. There will be as much happening off stage as on in this quick-change romp that requires elaborate Victorian costumes. The show is the brainchild of Charles Ludlam who helped found the Ridiculous Theater Company in the 1960s. Ludlam was one of the original actors in “Vepâ€? but died a year into the run in 1987. By the early 1990s “The Mystery of Irma Vepâ€? was the most produced play in the United States. It helped inspire a range of other quick-change shows including “Greater Tunaâ€? and “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Abridged.â€? Patrons can also plan to dine at Harmons’ Den Bistro in the Fangmeyer Theater prior to the performance on HART’s Performing Arts Center stage. To make reservations for tickets and for the bistro, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 or visit www.harttheatre.org. • The “Halloween Partyâ€? will be held on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden. Live music by Werewolves from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. with a DJ from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Costume contest at midnight.

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arts & entertainment

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October 19-25, 2016

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Smoky Mountain News

N O V E M B E R 19

32

CELTIC WOMAN : HOME FOR CHRISTMAS TH E SYMPHONY TOUR

A I R S U P P LY J A N U A R Y 13

DECEMBER 9

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

Caesars.com

Show(s) subject to change or cancellation. Must be 21 years of age or older to enter casino floor and to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. An Enterprise of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. ©2016, Caesars License Company, LLC.

On the beat • Andrews Brewing Company will host 12th Fret Oct. 21, Megan Saunders & The Driftless Oct. 22, Heidi Holton (blues/folk) Oct. 28 and artist to be announced Oct. 29. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• BearWaters Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host live music at 6 p.m. Oct. 20 and 27. www.bwbrewing.com.

• CJ’s Grille (Bryson City) will host a karaoke night Oct. 22. All events are at 8 p.m.

828.488.9880.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Joe Cruz (piano/pop) Oct. 20, 22 and 27, James Hammel (singer-songwriter) Oct. 21 and Flea Bitten Dawgs Oct. 28. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. There will also be a Duke Ellington tribute show with Wendy Jones and her band at 7 p.m. Oct. 29, with tickets for dinner and music at $36.99 per person. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

ALSO:

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

828.488.8898.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Scoundrel Lounge 8 p.m. Oct. 22, Chris Minick (singer-songwriter) Oct. 28 and Laura Thurston (Americana/folk) Oct. 29. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Oct. 19 and 26, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Oct. 20 and 27, PMA (reggae/rock) Oct. 22 and 31, and Jared Smith Oct. 29. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host David Beam Oct. 21, Calvin Get Down Oct. 22, Karaoke with T&J Entertainment Oct. 28 and Andalyn Oct. 29. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden (Waynesville) will host "Octoberfest 2.0" with Magnolia Justice from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 22.

Free.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host a community music jam from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop

by and listen. Free. 828.488.3030.

• The Music in the Mountains (Bryson City) concert series will host Blue Eyed Girl (roots/acoustic) Oct. 22 and Chris Monteith as “Elvis” Oct. 29. All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Nantahala Brewing Company (Bryson City) will host Fireside Collective Oct. 21 and Jamie Kent Oct. 29. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will host Drunken Cuddle (punk/outlaw) Oct. 19, The Driftless (Americana/rock) Oct. 21, Dead Farmer (roots/rock) Oct. 22, Log Noggins (rock) Oct. 28, Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) Oct. 29 and The Hooten Hallers (blues/hard rock) Oct. 30. All shows are free and begin at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.nonamesportspub.com.

• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Cherokee) will host a back porch old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 15. All are welcome to come play or simply sit and listen.

• The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Rachel Stewart (singer-songwriter) Oct. 21, Wyatt Espalin Oct. 28 and Eric McQuitty Oct. 29. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company (Sapphire) will host a jazz brunch with Tyler Kittle & Friends from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sundays. 828.743.0220.

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

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

828.526.8364 or www.theuglydogpub.com.

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host Husky Burnette (rockabilly) Oct. 21, Partin’ Ways Oct. 22, Humps & The Blackouts (psychobilly) Oct. 28 and a Halloween Party with A.P.E. (rock) Oct. 29. All shows begin at 9 p.m. 828.456.4750.

• Western Carolina University (Cullowhee) will host the concert choir Oct. 25 and the Fortress Brass Quintet Oct 26. Both events start at 7:30 p.m. and are in the Recital Hall of the Coulter Building. Free. www.wcu.edu.

@SmokyMtnNews

On the beat arts & entertainment

Mayday Parade to headline WCU Homecoming Mayday Parade.

Mayday Parade will perform with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Rescue Party at Western Carolina University’s Homecoming Concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.

Mayday Parade, a Tallahassee, Florida, pop-rock quintet, released its fifth album, “Black Lines,” in 2015, and its latest project, “Tales Told By Dead Friends,” is expected to be released Nov. 11. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is an alternative rock band from

Jacksonville, Florida, while Rescue Party, also an alternative rock band, was formed in 2015 in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now.

For WCU students, tickets are $8 and $12 in advance, $12 and $16 the day of the show.

For all others, tickets are $14 and $18 in advance, $18 and $22 the day of the show.

They can be purchased at the Ramsey Center box office or online at ramsey.wcu.edu.

Visit HarrahsCherokeeJobs.com or call 828.497.8778

Ten-time International Bluegrass Music Association ‘Fiddle Performer of the Year’ Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. For tickets, visitwww.highlandspace.org or call 828.526.9047.

October 19-25, 2016

Your Y our o R Roadmap to Success Begins Here!

MICHAEL CLEVELAND TO PLAY HIGHLANDS

Smoky Mountain News

WE W EA ARE RE LO LOCATED CATED A AT T 777 CASINO CASINO DRIVE. DRIVE. APPLICANTS APPLICANTS CAN CAN PARK ON ON LEVEL LEVEL 1 IN THE CASINO G GARAGE. ARAGE.

If you have already submitted your application, it will be considered active for 6 months from the date of application. To qualify, applicants must be 21 years or older (18-21 years eligible for non-gaming positions), must successfully pass an RIAH hair/drug test and undergo an investigation by Tribal Gaming Commission. Preference for Tribal members. This property is owned by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, managed by Caesars Entertainment. The Talent Acquisition Department accepts applications Mon. - Thur. from 8am - 4:30pm. Call 828.497.8778, or send resume to the Talent Acquisition Department , 777 Casino Drive, Cherokee, NC 28719 or fax resume to 828.497.8540.

33

Smoky Mountain News

October 19-25, 2016

arts & entertainment

On the street

34

WCU to celebrate Homecoming 2016 T he Western Carolina University community will come together under the theme “Purple Reigns” to celebrate Homecoming 2016 with major public events planned from Wednesday, Oct. 26, through Sunday, Oct. 30.

Activities include a comedy show, poprock concert, golf tournament, parade down Main Street in Sylva, performance by WCU’s Inspirational Choir and football game pitting the Catamounts against the Mocs of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

Chicago’s renowned improvisational group Second City will perform for the annual Homecoming comedy show at 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Second City’s performance is titled “Free Speech! (While Supplies Last)” and is an irreverent look at America’s electoral insanity (see page 38).

The action will shift to the nearby Ramsey Regional Activity Center the next day, Thursday, Oct. 27, with the annual Homecoming concert at 8 p.m. Mayday Parade, a pop-rock quintet from Florida, will perform along with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Rescue Party (see page 33).

Events on Friday, Oct. 28, begin with the annual Alumni Scholarship Homecoming Golf Tournament at 11 a.m. at Maggie Valley Golf Club. The cost is $100 per person. RSVPs are

required by Friday, Oct. 21, to WCU’s Office of Alumni Affairs at 877.440.9990 or 828.227.7335, or by emailing bbusby@wcu.edu.

Also on Oct. 28, WCU’s Homecoming Parade will begin at 6:30 p.m. in downtown Sylva. University alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends are invited to cheer as community and student floats, Catamount cheerleaders, the Homecoming Court and the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band march and roll down Main Street.

Activities on Saturday, Oct. 29, will begin

with the Zombie 5-K Chase Race at 9 a.m., with proceeds going to support the WCU Physical Therapy Pro Bono Clinic.

More information can be found at the “Zombie Run 5-K Chase Race” Facebook page and registration is available at www.active.com.

Also on Oct. 29, the Chancellor’s Brunch and Alumni Awards ceremony is set for 10 a.m. in the Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center. Honorees are Terry Welch, Distinguished Service Award; Richard Starnes, Academic Achievement Award; Alan Parham, Professional Achievement Award; and Mitchell Hutchings, Young Alumnus Award. The cost is $15 per person and business attire is requested.

RSVP by Oct. 21 by calling the Office of Alumni Affairs or by emailing magill@wcu.edu.

Football tailgating will begin at noon Oct. 29, and Catamount fans will gather at E.J.

Whitmire Stadium at 3:30 p.m. for the Homecoming game versus UT-Chattanooga.

Halftime activities will include recognition of the Homecoming award winners and court, plus an announcement of this year’s Homecoming king and queen. Tickets to the game are available from the WCU athletics ticket office at 800.344.6928.

Postgame activities will include the African-American Alumni Reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Peele, Westmoreland Suhre, Hartshorn Hospitality Room at the Ramsey Center. RSVP by Oct. 21 by calling the Office of Alumni Affairs or emailing magill@wcu.edu.

After the football game, students and alumni are invited to the University Center Grandroom for an 8 p.m. concert featuring Mario, a rhythm-and-blues artist and Billboard Music award-winner. WCU students will be admitted free with a Cat Card.

Admission for all others is $5.

Homecoming activities on Oct. 30 include a concert by WCU’s Inspirational Choir in the University Center Grandroom at noon. More information is available by calling WCU’s Department of Intercultural Affairs at 828.227.2276 or emailing ica@wcu.edu.

To see a schedule of Homecoming events with a student focus, visit homecoming.wcu.edu and click on “Event Schedule.”

For a schedule with more of an alumni focus, go to alumni.wcu.edu and click on “Homecoming.”

JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL EVENT

On the street

Philosophy Lecture Series The Jackson County Public Library will be hosting a Philosophy Lecture Series that continues at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, in Sylva.

The lectures will cover Ancient Metaphysics (Thales, Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Plato — and some Aristotle if there’s time) and also Modern Metaphysics (Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant). The Lecture Series will continue Nov. 1 and 8. It will be led by Western Carolina University Professor John August.

August is a process ontologist that is dedicated to the cultivation of the appreciation for time and its role in the development of mind and body. He is a Ph.D. can-

ALSO:

• The next “STIR” (socialize, talk, interact, remember” Sylva Block Party will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in downtown. Door prizes, food vendors, networking, shopping, and more. To RSVP, contact the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce at 828.586.2155.

• The Antioch Baptist Church will hold their annual Missions Fair from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Haywood County Fairgrounds in Lake Junaluska. Flea market, youth baked goods, barbecue, new and used furniture, and more. Proceeds go to fund mission projects through the organization “Life Together Nicaragua.”

• A couples ballroom dance class will be held at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 at the Qualla Community Building, located at 184 Shoal Creek Loop in Whittier. Cost is $10 per person, per class. All proceeds will go to the Qualla Community Club (a nonprofit organization) for maintaining the Qualla Community Building. If you have any questions, please call 828.497.9456.

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

Oct. 22 and 29 at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. $5 per person. www.papouswineshop.com or 828.586.6300.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 and 29 at Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville. www.waynesvillewine.com or 828.452.0120.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host a wine tasting on Wednesdays and a craft beer tasting on Thursdays. Both events run from 4 to 8 p.m. There will also be tapas from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. www.classicwineseller.com.

• 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.

• There will be a LEGO Club meeting at 4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. The library will provide Legos and Duplos for ages 3 and up, the only thing area children need to bring is their imagination. 828.488.3030.

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Smoky Mountain News

• The 18th Annual Spirit of the Smokies Car Show will be held Oct. 29 on Front Street in Dillsboro. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Sylva Rotary Club and the Smoky Mountain Cruisers. All proceeds benefit local nonprofit organizations. Categories include: Classic Cars, Motorcycles, Special Interest Vehicles, Modified Street Machines, Trucks, Street Rods, Farm Equipment. Registration that day begins at 9 a.m. For information on how to register, visit www.sylvarotaryclub.org/page/spirit-of-thesmokies-car-show.

• The “Roktoberfest Release Party” will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at Heinzelmannchen Brewery in Sylva. Brats, kraut, chocolate stout cake. Live music from 6 to 8 p.m. by Henry Wong (guitar/mandolin).

Suggested donation of $10, which goes to benefit The Community Table.

October 19-25, 2016

• The “Hot Air Balloon Fundraiser for New Library Campaign” will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23, at Darnell Farms in Bryson City, weather permitting. Chester and Karen Bartlett of Re/Max Awenasa Realty have arranged with the parent company to bring one of their hot air balloons to help raise enthusiasm and funds for a new Marianna Black library in Bryson City. For a minimum $10 per person donation, folks can climb into the gongola and be lifted up to the end of a 40-foot tether for a panoramic view. Inflation of the balloon begins at 4 p.m, with lifts thereafter.

didate at the philosophy department at SIUC, where he contributes to the academy through his attempt to make subjective experience objective. In the role of a process ontologist, he is primarily concerned with the realization of healthy communities. August’s recent inquiries have included investigations into the origin of dignity, the origin of the desire to create borders, and the effects of interpreting divine objects as personal within the Brahminical devotionalist traditions.

For more information, call the library at 828.586.2016. This free event is cosponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. www.fontanalib.org.

arts & entertainment

f

ARTIST JACK STERN WILL BE DEMONSTRATING IN THE GALLERY SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 10-4

Franklin Franklin ((828) 828) 349-8284 angelmed.org

35

Haywood Art Show, Studio Tour The Haywood Art Show will be exhibited through Oct. 30 at the Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts in downtown Waynesville. The Studio Tour will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28-29 around the county.

The show will offer a sampling of the work from 21 local artists who will open their studios to the public. A number of these artists will be hosting other artists who live in hard-to-reach areas of the county, forming small cluster groups and enriching the tour experience. Visitors are encouraged to stop in the Haywood County Arts Council’s gallery, pick up a Haywood Art Studio Tour map and begin planning their routes to see the wonderful art Haywood County has to offer.

The 2016 Studio Tour has been organized by a dedicated group of Haywood County artists. Participants work in diverse media including clay, A work by Haywood County fiber, wood, jewelry, glass, mixed painter Nick DePaolo. media, sculpture, and two-dimensional applications. The show complements the full tour, offering visitors a generous taste of what they’ll experience in late October and helping them choose which studios they would like to visit. www.haywoodarts.org.

• The Western North Carolina Carvers annual “Woodcarving Competition & Exhibition” will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 29 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Folk Art Center at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville.

• There will be an art gallery reception for nature photographer Beverly Slone from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. Free.

828.356.2800.

• A showcase on the life and times of Horace Kephart will be on display through March 31 in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University. In 1904, a 42-year-old librarian named Horace Kephart came to Western North Carolina looking for a fresh start in the southern Appalachian wilderness. Over the next 27 years, his numerous articles and books captured a disappearing culture, provided practical advice for generations of outdoor enthusiasts, and spearheaded the movement to establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Mountain Heritage Center’s Kephart Collection is composed of 127 objects, including Kephart’s tent, sleeping bag, backpack and the writing desk. The exhibit

ALSO:

will display many of these objects in a campsite setting. 828.227.7129.

• There is a call for crafters to sell their wares during the craft fair on Oct. 22 at the Bethel United Methodist Church. $10 per table. Contact Pat Taylor at 929.235.9360.

• Paint Nite Waynesville will be held at 7 p.m. on Fridays at the Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden. Grab a pint of craft beer and get creative. $20 per person. Group rates available. Sign up at Mad Anthony’s or call host Robin Smathers at 828.400.9560. paintnitewaynesville@gmail.com.

• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will host live music, hors d’ouevres, wine and newly unveiled art collections. Artists featured from 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 28 are Jo Ridge Kelley, impressionist painter; and Diannah Beauregard, jewelry designer. $25 per couple, which can be applied toward purchase of $100 or more. www.greatsmokies.com.

• Laurey-Faye Dean will be the featured artist with a live demonstration and discussion at “The Potter’s Wheel” series from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at The Wild Fern in Bryson City.

October 19-25, 2016

arts & entertainment

On the wall

188 W. Main Street Franklin, NC

Smoky Mountain News

828.349.BEER October 21 David Beam

October 22 Calvin Get Down

October 28 Karaoke 36

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On the wall

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WORK OF PHOTOGRAPHY PIONEER ON DISPLAY AT WCU

October 19-25, 2016

The “Photography of Bayard Wootten” exhibit will be on display through Nov. 23 in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Wootten was a female pioneer in the field of photography from the early 1900s to 1950s, when men dominated the field. All 35 photographs in this exhibition are of North Carolina subjects, which are on loan through from North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives at UNC-Chapel Hill.

• “Art Beats for Kids” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Oct. 20 and 27 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.

ALSO:

• “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.

Smoky Mountain News

• 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 828.524.3600.

37

Smoky Mountain News

October 19-25, 2016

arts & entertainment

On the stage New Haywood dance initiative It has been over 10 years since the Haywood County Arts Council brought the Atlanta Ballet to Haywood County to showcase classical dance, but this tradition will soon be renewed. The council is creating an annual dance artist residency to serve as a new platform for professional classical and contemporary dance.

Called “Dance ARĪS” (pronounced “arise”), which stands for Artist Residency in the Smokies, the residency will include performances as well as classes and outreach activities to schools and underserved communities in the region.

To give a taste of what is to come in 2017, they invite the community to attend this year’s inaugural fundraising performance, and to take advantage of the workshops and master classes that will be offered by the artists.

The council will offer “Spark: An Evening to Benefit Dance ARĪS” at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, in the Fangmeyer Theater at Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville. There will also be a pre-show gala catered by Harmon’s Den. The performance showcases three distinct dance styles rarely featured in combination: ballet, contem-

porary modern, and classical Indian dance. Tickets will be $25 for the performance alone, $60 for the gala and performance package, and a $10 discount on all tickets for students 18 and under (or with valid ID).

On Saturday, Oct. 22, the dancers will offer a variety of workshops and master classes at Folkmoot’s Friendship Center in Waynesville, which you can sign up for.

This year’s artists are all professional or pre-professional dancers, and most are from or reside in Haywood County.

Kendall Teague, Sky Byrd and River Byrd will perform classical and contemporary ballet pieces like those some may remember from the Atlanta Ballet. Erin Owen and Kendall Teague will perform contemporary modern dance works by worldrenowned choreographer Doug Varone.

Aparna Keshaviah and Nisha Pai will present a modernization of Bharatanatyam — a south Indian classical dance style with theatrical roots over 2,000 years old.

Each of the featured dancers were influenced by artists who visited their home towns when they were young, and through this performance, they hope to help build a program that will inspire a new generation of artists.

For details, updates and tickets, visit www.haywoodarts.org/dance.

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WCU welcomes comedy troupe Second City

Second City will bring its legendary improvisational comedy to the Bardo Arts Center on Oct. 26.

Chicago’s renowned comedy troupe Second City will be coming to Western Carolina University to present “Free Speech!

(While Supplies Last),” an irreverent look at America’s electoral situation, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

The sketch and improvisation performers will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, as part of the university’s Arts and Cultural Events series and Homecoming week activities.

Over the years, Second City has been a launching pad for some of the most famous names in comedy, including John Belushi, John Candy, Stephen Colbert, Chris Farley,

Tina Fey, Mike Myers Gilda Radner, Joan Rivers and Amy Sedaris.

WCU students will be admitted free to the show. Tickets for others are available at the Bardo Arts Center box office and online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or by calling 828.227.2479.

Tickets purchased in advance are $5 for non-WCU students; $13 for WCU faculty and staff; $18 for general admission; and $15 per ticket for groups of 20 or more. On the day of the show, regular ticket prices apply: $10 for non-WCU students; $18 for WCU faculty and staff; and $23 for general admission.

MET OPERA ‘LIVE VIA SATELLITE’ The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present ‘Live via Satellite from NYC the MET Opera’s production of ‘Don Giovanni’ (Mozart)’ at 12:55 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22.

Tickets available at www.highlandspac.org, at the door or by calling 828.526.8084.

Sharpe to stage Carden drama Kay Sharpe will perform the monologue “Birdell” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.

“Birdell,” a dramatic monologue by famed Appalachian storyteller Gary Carden, is the story of a defiant mountain woman forced off her land by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

After the play, Carden, the playwright

and award-winning author, will dialogue with the audience about the development of the character Birdell and the history around the play. Carden, a native and resident of Jackson County has written and published many other plays and books, several of which have become movies. His albums and books will be available for purchase at the performance.

Tickets may be purchased at the theatre for $10. This is a fundraiser to benefit the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society and the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre.

On the field arts & entertainment

HOW ‘BOUT THEM BEARS?

Pisgah wins 50th anniversary rumble

October 19-25, 2016

It was the tale of two halves as the Pisgah Black Bears went toe-to-toe against their Haywood County rivals, the Tuscola Mountaineers.

The two high schools celebrated their 50th anniversary of the legendary rivalry on Oct. 14 at Pisgah Memorial Stadium in Canton. Coming into the 53rd matchup, both teams were undefeated, both in search of a state title. And yet, even with that state championship in their crosshairs, the real victory would be over each other, which has become one of the premier games each season — in the entire Southeast and beyond.

At kickoff, there was an estimated 14,000 people in attendance underneath the “Friday Night Lights.” Traveling from the next town over, Tuscola headed into the first half of the matchup ready to battle, holding a lead of 17-7 at the start of the third quarter. But, as the clock ticked down in the fourth, Pisgah kicked a field goal and retrieved the onside kick, with the score tied at 17-17 at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Tuscola kicked a field goal, but the Black Bears answered with a touchdown, ultimately coming out with a tight 23-20 victory over the Mountaineers.

The all-time record between the two teams now stands at 26-26-1, as Pisgah Head Coach Brett Chappell is 4-0 in his tenure against Tuscola in the “Big Game.”

— Words and photos by Arts & Entertainment Editor Garret K. Woodward

Smoky Mountain News 39

40

Books

Smoky Mountain News

A reviewer must learn to roll with the changes ave you ever experienced one of those moments when you look at what you are doing and where you are and realize how ridiculous you appear?

I’m in one of those situations as I write this column, and I would burst out laughing except I am in middle of a library. I came here to write a review of three children’s books. Accompanying me are my 9-year-old twin granddaughters.

Maggie is coloring with crayons provided by the library and Annie is roaming the stacks, and they are Writer with me because they are quiet and wellbehaved and I knew I could write my review while they enjoyed the books, puzzles, and crayons. The plan was for them to stay in the children’s library and for me to sit at one of the tables in the library’s vestibule drinking coffee and writing my review. The plan was simple and solid, but like so many simple, solid plans it veered off the road and into a ditch.

You see, being quiet and well-behaved in this library doesn’t count unless you are past the age of 10. The library requires an adult with to oversee children under 11. Because of this regulation, the vestibule with its large tables, my coffee cup, and view of the mountains is no longer an option. Consequently, I am writing these words seated coffee-less in a plastic yellow chair at a small table with an orange top. Five feet away a pregnant mom is overseeing two toddlers, and in the nearby activity room three boys with auburn hair are fiddling around with Star Wars light sabers.

It’s reasonably quiet, and I learned long ago to write in many different settings, but composing a review of children’s books surrounded by children and ensconced at a table made for children strikes me as hilarious.

On the table beside my laptop are three books for young people I originally intended

Jeff Minick

H

Grandparents, uncles and aunts, godparents, friends: the Magic Tree House books are wonderful for third- to fifth-graders. The stories grab the attention of many young readers and are designed to introduce them to history, mythology, and famous people.

Whether you’re looking for a gift for a lit-loving granddaughter or trying to entice your nephew into reading, you ought to give these books a shot.

Reading aloud to youngsters is another way to bring them to books.

This past week, the twins and I have read Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, a book new to them. James and the Giant Peach makes a great readaloud story. The reason is simple: Dahl knows precisely when to end a chapter, leaving readers in suspense and driving them toward the next chapter.

In James and the Giant Peach we meet James Henry Trotter, an orphan placed in the care of two wicked aunts, Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge. One day an old man gives James a paper bag filled with “thousands of tiny green things.” James accidentally drops the bag, the green things wiggle their way into the earth, and the boy falls into despair.

But then a peach on the garden tree begins growing ... and growing ... and growing. Soon James is aboard the Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern. Harper, 2016. 230 peach, along with an assortment of giant insects: an earthworm, a glowpages. worm, a centipede, a grasshopper, and a ladybug. Their adventures together commence when the enormous peach begins just while to bring to your attention the books and movies chosen by my two junior partners. rolling downhill and drops into the ocean, crushing Aunts Spiker and Sponge in the For the pre-school siblings in their home, process.

Annie and Maggie have picked up a couple of David Allmond’s Skellig was new to me. I classic books, Green Eggs and Ham, and Babar checked it out of the library after reading Nick On Paradise Island, and two movies, “Where Hornsby’s review in Ten Years in a Tub. As The Wild Things Are” and “Come Ride The promised by Hornsby, Skellig brings readers Rails With Thomas the Tank Engine.” For great gifts: fine writing, a fast-paced plot, and themselves, they are toting home seven Magic wonderful characters.

Tree House books and two movies, “Anne of Michael and his family move to a new Green Gables” and “Stuart Little. “ to review here. Beside them is the stack of books and videos selected by Annie and Maggie. Inspired by their choices, I am changing the direction of my review, winging it for a

house, but the illness of his newborn sister saps the strength of the family. She appears to be dying and spends much of the book in the hospital. Michael knows his parents love him, but feels abandoned in this new location. He has his friends from school, but they are now far across town.

Then in the old broken-down garage behind the house he finds a creature, Skellig, a being who first appears to be an old man, then metamorphoses into a young man, then into a bird or angel. While cares for this creature, Michael meets his neighbor Mina, a homeschooler wise in mythology and the ways of nature. As they nurse Skellig back to health, the two young people find themselves drawn into a close friendship. In this enchanting story, Allmond reminds us of the mysteries behind the world in which we live, mysteries of the heart and mind.

Cammie McGovern’s Just My Luck (Harper, 2016, $16.99, 230 pages) gives us fourth-grader Benny Barrows, whose father’s brain aneurysm and consequent incapacity have thrown the family into a hard place.

Inept at bike riding and sports, and with his best friend having moved away, Benny struggles in school and at home. He tries to follow his mom’s theory that when bad things happen, you should try to help other people, but Benny can’t quite figure out to help people in need. Or so he believes.

I’m halfway through with Just My Luck, which I picked from a library shelf last week knowing nothing of the book or the author.

It’s a book about an outsider, a boy with a good heart trying to find his way in adverse circumstances. The story is real and warm, and a true pleasure.

The boys with the light sabers are gone, the pregnant mom with the patient face has moved with her toddlers and a friend into the activities room, the twins are busy at a crafts station featuring glue, paper, scissors, and more crayons, and I am finished writing and ready for a cup of coffee.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher.

Minick0301@gmail.com.)

A story of first love, letting go Adam W. Jones will present his novel Fate Ball at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The book is a Southern novel about first loves, growing up, and letting go, following the tragic love story of young Able and Ava. When Ava’s devil-may-care spirit comes to inject a destructive side into to their relationship, the youthful love story becomes Able’s determined quest to save his first love from herself.

Born in Raleigh, Jones has had children’s and travel stories published in a variety of local and regional magazines throughout the years, but this is his first novel. Early versions of Fate Ball sat on the shelf collecting dust for years until recently when he became determined to finish it. He now lives in Chapel Hill with his wife and two daughters.

‘Coffee with the Poet’ welcomes Whitaker The “Coffee with the Poet” series will continue with Ray Whitaker at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Whitaker has written two collections of poetry, Acknowledgement: Poems from the ‘Nam and 23, 18. Born in an Air Force family, he traveled with this family on this father’s assignments all over the world.

He has been writing poetry since he was 17.

The series is co-sponsored by the NetWest program of the North Carolina Writers Network and gathers the third Thursday of each month. For questions about the series, call the bookstore at 828.586.9499.

Behind the badge in times of crisis Asheville author Mike Krecioch will read and discuss his new book Convict Lake: Behind the Badge at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

At this time when law enforcement is being judged about every aspect of interaction with the public, wouldn’t it be interesting to know what is going on in the heads of police officers as they work? In Convict Lake, fellow officers share such information around a campfire while enjoying some leisure time on an annual fishing trip.

Humor, murder, tenderness, decapitation, fire, sadness, indifference, anger, thievery, family disputes, stabbings, shootings, riots, serial killers and human stupidity is the world behind the badge. Journey with five LAPD veteran officers to California’s High Sierra as they discuss the politics, cases and eccentric personalities of the Los Angeles Police Department.

828.456.6000 or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

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• The N.C. Writers Network West will sponsor The Literary Hour, a program of poetry and prose reading featuring Mary Michelle Keller and Lucy Cole Gratton at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

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City Lights story time Susie Bell will host a story time as she reads her book Oliver the Dragon Finds a Friend at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Oliver is the youngest dragon in his family and he is very lonely. Join Oliver on an adventure as he explores the world looking for a friend, where he learns that sometimes friends can be found in the most unlikely of places.

To reserve a copy of Oliver the Dragon Finds a Friend, call City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.

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• Dr. Lisa Verges will host a book review at 10 a.m. Oct. 19 in the Harrell Center at Lake Junaluska. Verges, a geriatric psychiatrist and spiritual director, will review the book When Breath Becomes Air. Verges works at MemoryCare, a nonprofit clinic in Asheville and Waynesville, providing treatment for individuals with dementia and guidance for their families. She is also a spiritual director for those who seek meaning amidst the struggles of life. When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi, is a true story by a physician who faced one of the greatest struggles and challenges life can present. A gifted writer and a person of strength and insight, his story is a gripping one.

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October 19-25, 2016

• Author Dayo Olopade will discuss her journey of discovery and her perspectives as author of The Bright Continent at 7 p.m.

Oct. 26 in the UC Grand Room at Western Carolina University. The talk will be followed by a reception and book-signing event. onebook.wcu.edu.

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42

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Resurrecting the Jubilee Forest Daughters of the American Revolution brings forgotten forest to light

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he sun had barely risen over the Pisgah Ridge, but the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Devils Courthouse pull-off was teeming — mainly with women, mainly older, wearing pins and clad in skirts and stoles and scarves, some of which were made of bona fide mink.

They were the Daughters of the American Revolution, and they were excited to commemorate an achievement of their predecessors, the Daughters of nearly a century before.

“These ladies were here 76 years ago,” said DAR member Anna Melvin, of the Cabarrus Black Boys Chapter near Charlotte. “It’s just amazing that we’re here on the same ground.”

Shortly after she spoke, a pair of charter buses rolled to a stop, opening their doors to release a total of 81 DAR leaders from across the nation. The women wore wide blue and white sashes across their chests, decorated with the pins they’d accumulated throughout their years of service. Those already in waiting reoriented themselves toward the new arrivals, applauding and greeting them as they made their way toward the crowd.

The occasion? The rededication of the DAR Jubilee Memorial Forest, an accomplishment of the World War II-era DAR that had been all but forgotten.

T

DAR leaders from across the country disembark at Devils Courthouse for a ceremony commemorating the Jubilee Memorial Forest. Holly Kays photo

REDISCOVERING THE FOREST Back in the 1930s, the U.S. Forest Service launched the Penny Pine Program in an effort to reforest areas that had been logged excessively during the early 20th century. The program allowed groups to purchase trees — a penny apiece — to restore the forests. The DAR became a staunch supporter of the program, with the 1939 President General Mrs. Henry M. Robert charging each chapter across the country to plant at least one acre of seedlings. The Civilian Conservation Corps carried out the actual planting and care of the baby trees.

The Jubilee Memorial Forest, outlined in black overlay, is best visible when looking back from the path leading up to Devils Courthouse. James Lewis photo

See the forest The Jubilee Memorial Forest is best visible from the path up to Devil’s Courthouse, located at mile marker 422.4 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s located on the opposite side of the Parkway from Devil’s Courthouse. Its borders clearly stand out from the deciduous forest surrounding it.

The N.C. Daughters in responded well above the call of duty, planting 50,000 red spruce trees over a three-year period to cover 50 acres across the Parkway from Devils Courthouse. The forest was dedicated on May 15, 1940, as the Jubilee Memorial Forest, the place marked by a bronze tablet. But the recognition was short-lived.

“That marker was misplaced, the war came along. The foliage grew up and the forest was forgotten,” said Molly Tartt, of Brevard, vice chairman of the rededication project and by all accounts the mastermind behind its successful conclusion.

“After the plantation work was done in ’43, it fell out of institutional memory, in large part because of World War II,” added James Lewis of the Forest History Society, who helped with the project.

The DAR had wanted to install a brass marker, but brass was going toward the war effort. Nearly the entire globe was embroiled in the deadly conflict, and marking a stand of trees simply was not the priority.

But last year, Tartt was given a job. DAR State Regent Elizabeth Candler Graham charged her with the task of forming a committee to locate the forest, get a new marker produced and organize a ceremony.

“It has been a huge job,” Tartt said.

Tartt had to work with the Forest Service and the National Park Service. She had to do a lot of historical research. She contacted Lewis to help her delve into the archives and map exactly where the forest is located. She hiked the area on foot, traveling to the forest three different times.

“She worked hard, and she’s not a kid,” said Deborah Burkhart, also of the Waightstill Avery Chapter based in Brevard. “She’s one of

Did you know?

■ Just down the Blue Ridge Parkway from where the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated its 50-acre Penny Pine forest in 1940, the United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated a 125-acre forest in 1943 in recognition of the 125,000 soldiers that North Carolina supplied to the Confederacy.

■ This far south, red spruce forests are found only at the highest elevations and are home to some rare species, including the endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel.

■ When wearing their DAR pins, members are required to be dressed in either a skirt or a pantsuit.

■ Back in the 1940s, it cost just $5 to plant an acre of spruce seedlings.

■ In total, DAR chapters across the nation caused 4 million trees to be planted in memorial forests to aid in reforestation, responding to 1939 President General Mrs. Henry M. Robert’s challenge that each chapter plant at least 1 acre of seedlings. The DAR exceeded that challenge by 1.5 million trees.

the little old ladies. Except she’s not little. She deserves a lot of credit. Without her work we wouldn’t be here today.”

AN ARBOREAL LEGACY And without the DAR, the forest itself wouldn’t be here today. Both the Forest Service and the Park Service were represented in the crowd and the speaker lineup present to celebrate rediscovery of the forest, expressing their gratitude for the DAR’s role in reforesting the Parkway’s stunning viewshed.

“When they planted the trees so many years ago, the whole area had been deforested, essentially, in so many places,” said Mark Woods, superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway. “For them to have replanted it at that time affords us an incredible opportunity today.”

It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t fast — at least as far as growing went. The seedlings were just a few inches high when they were first planted, a far cry from the 80- to 100-foot trees on display today. Evidently the DAR was concerned about the trees’ progress after they were planted, at least judging by a letter that D.J. Morris, forest supervisor at the time, wrote to the group.

“Please assure those of your membership who were apprehensive of the success of the venture due to the slow growth of the trees that this is perfectly natural, that everything possible is being done and will continue to be done to maintain the growth, and in time visible spruce forest will occupy the valley at the memorial marker,” the letter reads.

DAR members laughed as Lorie Stroup, acting district ranger for the Pisgah National Forest, read it aloud.

The trees did indeed grow, and

F

Have a forest-filled Halloween A naturally haunted Halloween will commence 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at the Highlands Nature Center with the Halloween Enchanted Forest trick-or-treating event.

Guided tours of the Botanical Garden will lead trick-or-treaters around the trail to meet native animal characters offering candy and facts about themselves, but beware — the last half hour will turn from “enchanted” to “haunted,” with animals more into tricks than treats. After trick-ortreating, kids can come to the Nature Center for activities such as face painting or to check out the bone collection. $1 per person. 828.526.2623 or www.highlandsbiological.org.

outdoors

A runner makes his way along the grueling route of the Naturalist race in Franklin. Mark Zemmin photo

Beat the zombie apocalypse

Locals make strong showing in grueling trail race Local athletes figured prominently in the top places for the Naturalist Epic 25K/50K race held Oct. 8, a grueling undertaking that routed athletes through downtown Franklin and along the Bartram Trail for a total 7,000 feet of climbing in the 25K race and 10,500 feet of climbing in the 50K race.

While Chattanooga resident Daniel Hamilton, 28, took first place in the 50K with a time of 4:50:49, Franklin resident Canyon Woodward, 23, took second with 5:45:01 and Cherokee resident Seth Holling, 36, took third with 5:59:41. Chad

Hallyburton, 47, of Cullowhee, took sixth place; Jeffrey Vickery, 49, of Cullowhee, took seventh; William Meyers, 38, of Franklin, took eighth; Thomas Howell, 46, of Waynesville, took ninth and Chelsea Zacher, 23, of Lake Junaluska, took tenth.

The field included 28 people from North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.

The 25K drew 38 competitors from six states, and Otto resident Charlie Ledford, 32, took first place with 2:24:58. James Oocumma, 42, of Cherokee, took fourth, and Chad Cooper, 44, of Cherokee took seventh.

in their 76 years they’ve survived an astounding amount of change in the world around them, Stroup said.

November 3rd 4:00-7:00 pm

October 19-25, 2016

DROP-IN MEETING PUBLIC at the Waynesville Rec Center for Waynesville Parks & Recreation Master Plan

Final Public Meeting for 2016 Comprehensive Master Plan this meeting will focus on Vance St. Park & Recreation Park

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‘And those (Forest Service) uniforms — they have still not changed, and they still are made for a man,’” Stroup added, eliciting a laugh from the flawThe color guard stands at the lessly dressed ready during the commemoration crowd. ceremony. Holly Kays photo The sun had risen to a mid-morning tilt when the ceremony closed out with a rendition of “Taps.”

The crowd dispersed and the charter buses rolled on, but the forest remained. In all likelihood, it will do so for many more decades — red spruce trees can live to more “Since these trees were planted 76 years than 400 years. ago, we have come a long way in things like And that, according to Burkhart, is a tescivil rights, women’s rights and forest mantament to the grit and impact that define agement,” Stroup said. “I think that if these the DAR. trees could talk they would have many sto“They’ve just taken on so many projects ries to tell.” that are so beneficial to this country that so Stories of the reforestation, stories of the many people don’t know anything about,” people who made it possible and stories of she said. “They think we’re just a bunch of the emerging presence of women in natural snooty women, and that’s definitely not the resources management roles. case.”

“I think the trees would probably say,

The zombie apocalypse will hit at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, with the start of the Zombie 5K Chase Race at Western Carolina University.

The course itself is remarkably flat and fast, with the route covering crushed limestone paths, grass and some asphalt, but the “zombies” charge — in full costume — with stealing runners’ flags to end their quest to reach the finish line “alive” Runners avoid ‘zombies’ during the will make things more Zombie 5K Chase Race at Western difficult. Anyone who Carolina University. Donated photo arrives at the finish line without at least one flag left will be considered a member of the walking dead.

Proceeds from the race will help provide physical therapy services to the community and support research sponsored by the American Physical Therapy Association. $25, with everyone signed up by Oct. 20 guaranteed a race day T-shirt. www.active.com.

RECREATION CENTER 550 Vance St. • Waynesville • 828.456.2030

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outdoors October 19-25, 2016 Smoky Mountain News

High fire danger prompts burning caution in Western N.C. Fire danger is increasing throughout the forests of Western North Carolina, necessitating caution for any kind of outdoor burning.

Some rain fell with the passing of Hurricane Matthew, but it wasn’t widespread or heavy enough to alleviate dry conditions resulting from low rainfall over the past several months.

Forest fuels will readily burn if ignited, and fire danger is predicted to remain high for the rest of October and into December.

Even debris burning is discouraged under current conditions, but those who do burn debris should be prepared with water, a shovel and a phone; stay until the fire is completely out; know local burning laws; obtain a permit from the N.C. Forest Service; and avoid burning on dry, windy days.

Campfires should also be approached with caution. Allow wood to burn completely to ash; pour enough water on the fire to burn all embers, not just red ones; pour until the hissing sound stops; stir campfire ashes with a shovel; scrape sticks and logs to remove embers; use dirt if water is not available; and do not bury the fire, as this will allow it to continue smoldering and eventually catch roots on fire. www.smokeybear.com.

Smokies celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month The Smokies came to the Latino communities of Knoxville this month in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, with more than 100 Latino people attending an event at Sugarlands Visitor Center where attendees were offered a chance to learn about the park New Junior Rangers are sworn in. Donated photo in Spanish.

Called “Se Encuentre Su Parque” — “Find Your Park,” in English — the event let participants make old-time toys, learn about Smokies animals, search for terrestrial invertebrates, explore the visitor center, hike to Cataract Falls and find out how to “Leave No Trace” while visiting the park.

Thirty-six children became Junior Rangers.

“The success of this event was one small step in helping the park better engage with a diversity of park audiences to share the amazing resources and stories of the Smokies,” said Acting Education Branch Chief Joy Absher.

Donors to Friends of the Smokies, Great Smoky Mountains Association and the National Park Foundation made the event possible. www.nps.gov/hispanicheritage.

Livestock producers prepare for hay shortage Drought is continuing and frost has ended the growing season in much of Western North Carolina, so hay could be in short supply over the winter for livestock producers. Hay Alert, a special website set up by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, aims to address that issue.

The site brings farmers in need of hay together with those who have it available for sale

quality of needed hay versus what is available, considering alternative feedstock and thinking about depopulation — if supplies are short, open or old cows might be prioritized for cull with feed resources focused on animals that are better investments.

The Hay Alert site is located at www.ncagr.gov/hayalert/. Producers can also call their local extension agent for information.

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or forage. The site lists names and contact information for both parties, with buyers and sellers then negotiating the sales themselves once connected. The site offers a search option by county to narrow results.

Jackson County Cooperative Extension is encouraging livestock producers to take other feeding management considerations into account, such as inventorying the quantity and

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outdoors

The upcoming Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Fishing Tournament will offer $10,000 in payout to top teams. SMN photo

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Fish for cash Grab a fishing buddy and test your skills against the best anglers around with the Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Fishing Tournament, slated for Oct. 28 to Oct. 30 in Cherokee.

The contest will take place on Cherokee’s trophy waters, Raven Fork, with contestants fishing catch-and-release with hopes of earning a payout higher than their

$225 entry fee — a guaranteed payout totaling $10,000 will be given to top teams.

A Cherokee fishing permit is required to enter, with a list of locations available at www.fishcherokee.com. Register by phone or where fishing permits are sold. $225 entry fee includes lunch and dinner. Open to all ages.

800.438.1601 or travel@nc-cherokee.com.

Forest Service to temporarily close visitor lobby

Hone your swimming skills Kids 5 and up will have a chance to sharpen their swimming skills with classes offered 6:25 to 7:15 p.m. Oct. 24-26 and Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at Western Carolina University.

Swimmers will be divided into two groups, with the beginner group focusing on skills such as bobbing, breathing underwater, rhythmic breathing and floating. The advanced beginner, intermediate and advanced group will use techniques such as front crawl, back crawl and breastroke.

Classes are taught by Michael Creason, a retired WCU faculty member who has been a swimming instructor for 40 years. $59. Register with the Office of Continuing and Professional Education, 828.227.7397 or visitswim.wcu.edu.

A hike through the old-growth forest, streams and historic structures of the Buggerman Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be offered Saturday, Oct. 22, in Cataloochee Valley.

The 7.4-mile loop is rated as moderate in difficulty, gaining 1,040 feet. Joseph Guseman, a Western Carolina University student and avid hiker, will lead the hike.

The event is part of Haywood Waterways Association’s “Get to Know Your Watershed” series of outdoor recreation activities designed to raise awareness of Haywood County’s natural beauty. Free for members and $5 for nonmembers, with memberships starting at $25.

Space is limited — RSVP by Oct. 20 to Christine O’Brien, christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667. www.haywoodwaterways.org.

Smoky Mountain News

Hike the Buggerman

120 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC • 828.452.0526

October 19-25, 2016

The U.S. Forest Service office in Asheville will close its visitor lobby during the week of Oct. 24 due to renovations. The office is expected to re-open Oct. 31, with visitor services available at Forest Service district offices during that time.

Contact information for other Forest Service offices is available at www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc.

Affairs of the Heart

—————————————————————————————

Get your Ultimate on Ultimate Frisbee games will warm up the evening 5:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays at the Cullowhee Recreation Park.

Organized by Jackson County Parks and Recreation, the games are pick-up style and free to play.

828.293.2053 or www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

45

outdoors

Map publisher donates to maintain Tsali trails

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Diplomate

A new map of Tsali Trails not only creates a better guide to the nationally known trail system on the Swain/Graham county line — it will generate revenue to pay for maintenance of Tsali Recreation Area. Publisher Milestone Press will donate a portion of the proceeds for the purpose.

Milestone published the new map on April 1 and made its first donation from map sales this month. “We’re happy to be able to give something back to a local trail system that has provided so much enjoyment to so many outdoor adventurers,� said Milestone owner Jim Parham, who lives in the Almond area of Swain County.

Parham presented the check to the Nantahala Area Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association, which shoulders the responsibility of maintaining the popular mountain biking network. “Our next major purchase will be a trailer to carry our heavy trail maintenance

tools. This donation will go a long way toward helping with that,� said Andy Zivinsky, Nantahala SORBA’s president.

The map, which is waterproof and tearproof, retails for $9.99. It shows all four trails at Tsali Recreation Area, detailing the alternating use schedule for bikes and horses and information about Tsali’s U.S. Forest Service campground. Available at a variety of local bookstores, bike shops and outfitters. www.milestonepress.com.

Grab your waterfall calendar and support WNC Seasonal images of Western North Carolina’s most exquisite waterfalls adorn a newly published calendar set to raise money for the Blue Ridge Natural Heritage Area Partnership.

Photographed and produced by Mark File, owner of www.romanticasheville.com, the calendar offers 12 waterfall photos and 365 suggestions of things to do in North Carolina’s mountains and foothills — one for each day of the year.

A limited number of calendars are available for $10 apiece, with all proceeds benefiting the BRNHAP’s mission to protect, preserve, interpret and develop WNC’s unique natural, historical and cultural resources.

Purchase online at www.blueridgeheritage.com or contact Amy Hollifield, 828.298.5330, ext.

303, or amy@blueridgeheritage.com.

Environmental, economic leaders converge at WCU More than 100 leaders from across Western North Carolina came together at Western Carolina University this month to talk about how to grow the regional economy without negatively impacting the mountain environment.

The daylong conference, called “Advancing our Economy, Preserving our Environment,� was the latest in a series sponsored by WCU to get regional leaders and thinkers working collaboratively to solve regional issues.

Speakers hailed from both the public and private sectors.

The morning was devoted to transportation, manufacturing, health, creative arts and education topics. Among others, Stan Cross, CEO of Brightfield Transportation Solutions in Asheville, shared data predicting that electric vehicles will cost about the same as traditional vehicles by 2022. Alec Burkle, engineering manager for Eaton Corp. in Arden, described his company’s efforts to decrease its negative impacts and increase its positive ones, and Timm Muth, director of the Jackson County Green Energy Park, talked about the park’s use of

landfill gases as fuel for artisans — encouraging economic development while protecting the environment.

Lauren Bishop, WCU’s chief sustainability officer, and Lane Perry, WCU director of service learning, tag-teamed on a presentation about the role of the university in providing graduates who are not just thinkers but also doers, using the university as a laboratory to address issues facing the region.

The afternoon moved on to issues impacting outdoor tourism and the environment.

David Brown, executive director of American Outdoors Association in Knoxville, Tennessee, called for the elimination of bureaucratic barriers to outdoor outfitters seeking permits to operate on public lands, while Nantahala Outdoor Center CEO Sutton Bacon emphasized the changing demographic of first-time users of public lands and the importance of getting youth involved in outdoor activities early.

Mike Wilkins, head ranger in the Nantahala District of the U.S. Forest Service, wrapped up the session by pointing out that two of the top five most-visited national forests in the U.S. are in Western North Carolina — Pisgah and Nantahala. “If you were to take away the ski areas in Colorado, we’d be talking about No. 1 and No. 2,� Wilkins said. www.wcu.edu/engage/regional-development/leadwnc/index.html.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The “Ghosts of Franklin” presentation will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Jim Rose and his southern states paranormal research group, co-hosted by Franklin historian Gregg Clark, will be presenting evidence and photo documentation of hauntings in multiple locations in Franklin. www.fontanalib.org.

• Mike Wolf, Frank Fritz and their team are excited to return to North Carolina. They plan to film episodes of the hit series AMERICAN PICKERS throughout the region this fall. If you or someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the pickers can spend the better part of the day looking through, send us your name, phone number, location and description of the collection with photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 855.old.rust.

• Limited edition prints of the “Golden Threads” Shindig mural, which is outside Pack Square Park in Asheville, are available for sale with a “Stories of Mountain Folk” CD. Proceeds benefit Shindig on the Green and the Catch the Spirit of Appalachian Scholarship program facilitated through Southwestern Community College. 293.2239.

• The Smoky Mountains Veteran Stand Down is scheduled for 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. If you know a veteran who’s homeless, at risk of being homeless, struggles to get by and cannot afford proper care, inform them of this event that will offer the following services: haircuts, dental, optometry, veteran’s benefits, education, social, veteran family, ministry, mental health, medical. Breakfast and lunch served.

349.2151.

• The Darnell Farms Corn Maze will be open through Nov. 1 on U.S. 19 at the Tuckasegee River Bridge in Bryson City. Besides the maze, there will also be a pumpkin patch, picnic area, farm fresh products, hayrides, and other activities. 488.2376.

• Cruise in Maggie Valley event is held from 1-5 p.m. every Sunday at 2771 Soco Road. Vendors: $10 per space. Cruising@MaggieValleyAntiques.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. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 8-108 invited to participate. 648.2924.

• Oconaluftee Indian Village is now opened for the 2016 season through November, located next to the Oconaluftee Visitors Center in Cherokee. Witness the challenges of Cherokee life at a time of rapid cultural change. Tour guides help you explore the historic events and figures of the 1760’s. Visitors can interact with villagers as they participate in their daily activities. The village also hosts live reenactments, interactive demonstrations, and hands-on Cherokee pottery for kids classes. The village is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday through Saturday. www.visitcherokeenc.com.

• Qualla Boundary Historical Society meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Everyone is welcome.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Hunter Safety courses will be offered by Haywood Community College and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission from 6-9 p.m. on Nov. 14-15 at HCC’s Campus, Building 3300, Room 3322, in Clyde. Pre-registration required: www.ncwildlife.org.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer a seminar entitled “How to Price Your Product or Service” from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 18, in Clyde.

Part of the Business Startup Series. 627.4512 or SBC.Haywood.edu.

• A class on Twitter will be offered at 5:55 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the Jackson County Public Library. Register or get more info: 586.2016.

• A “Women’s Business Networking Luncheon – Social Media Savvy Women in Business” is scheduled for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, in the Haywood Community College Regional High Technology Center Lobby. Presented by HCC’s Small Business Center and the Western Women’s Business Center at the Support Center. Register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• A public comment session is planned for the Western Regional Meeting of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, at Tuscola High School. Feedback sought from educators, parents, students and other stakeholders on the state’s K-12 Education Plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act. www.dpi.state.nc.us/succeeds.

• A Self-Assessment and Career Exploration Workshop is scheduled for 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at Waynesville Library. Sign-up required: 356.2507.

• A Social Media Marketing Summit will be offered by Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center from 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, at HCC in Clyde. Seminars will cover LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Register: SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

• One-on-one computer lessons are offered weekly at the Waynesville and Canton branches of the Haywood County Public Library. Lesson slots are available from 10 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Canton and from 3-5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Library. Sign up at the front desk of either library or call 356.2507 for the Waynesville Library or 648.2924 for the Canton Library.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • The Skinner Round-Up presented by Cessna is back in 2016 to benefit Hope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit focused on restoring self, family and hope for post-9/11 service members, veterans and military families, will take place near Lake Toxaway in the mountains of North Carolina on Oct. 20-21. For schedule details, to purchase tickets or register for events, please visit www.mikeskinner.com/roundup. Additionally, fans at home can get involved and show their support for Hope For The Warriors through the silent auction, which will feature online bidding. Bidding is currently open, with all items available at www.501auctions.com/skinnerroundup.

• “Spark: An Evening to Benefit Dance ARTS” will feature three distinct dance styles on Friday, Oct. 21, at the Fangmeyer Theater at Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville. $60 for gala and performance; $25 for performance alone. Dancers will offer workshops and master classes on Oct. 22 at Folkmoot’s Friendship Center. HaywoodArts.org/dance.

• The Antioch Baptist Church’s Annual Mission Fair is from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, in the lower building at the Haywood Fairgrounds. Flea market items, crafts, bake and canned goods, furniture, tools, books, rummage and more. Smoked BBQ pork lunch for $6.

• A hot air balloon fundraiser for the new Marianna Black Library campaign is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. on

Smoky Mountain News

47

Sunday, Oct. 23, at Darnell Farms in Swain County. $10 per person.

• Sagebrush of Waynesville is donating 10 percent of sales from 4 p.m.-close on Thursday, Oct. 27, to the Spring Valley Fire Department. 452.5822.

• The Relay for Life of Franklin Kick-Off Event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Macon Middle School’s Cafeteria.

• Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is now offering smaller, single replicas quilt trail blocks for purchase. A portion of the cost of each block will go to the Friends of the Haywood County Animal Shelter to construct a new, much needed animal shelter. The 16x16 inch blocks will feature either a cat or dog will be available in four background colors — blue, purple, brown, and green. The blocks are priced at $65 each with 85 percent of the proceeds being donated to raise funds to build the new Haywood County Animal Shelter.

944.0761 or stop by 1110 Soco Road in Maggie Valley.

VOLUNTEERS • STAR Rescue Ranch is seeking volunteers to help with horse care, fundraising events, barn maintenance and more at the only equine rescue in Haywood County.

505.274.9199.

• Volunteer Opportunities are available throughout the region, call John at the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center today and get started sharing your talents. 3562833 • Phone Assurance Volunteers are needed to make daily or weekly wellness check-in calls for the Haywood County Senior Resource Center. 356.2816.

HEALTH MATTERS • A support group for those affected by essential tremor meets at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16, at Mission Community Church in Sylva. 631.5543 or tkubit@frontier.com.

• Dr. Lisa Verges, geriatric psychiatrist, will review the book “When Breath Becomes Air” by Paul Kalanithi at 10 a.m. on Oct. 19 in the Harrell Center at Lake Junaluska.

• A program on “How to get a good night’s sleep … naturally!” is set for 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Waynesville Library. Leading the conversation will be Dodi Christiano, local licensed professional counselor.

• A Tuesdays to Thrive program will focus on nutrition at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 at the HHS Building on Western Carolina University’s Campus in Cullowhee. Light refreshments. Register: 844.414.DOCS. • A Tired Leg/Varicose Vein educational program will be offered at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde. Led by Dr. Al Mina, MD, FACS, and Dr. Joshua Rudd, DO. RSVP required: 452.8346.

• The “Eat Smart, Move More, Maintain, Don’t Gain!

Holiday Challenge” will start with a kickoff event from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Macon Extension Center.

• Participants are being sought for a clinical trial for those overweight with knee pain. Directed by Dr. Kate Queen of Mountain Medical Associates. wecan@wfu.edu or 558.0208.

• A support group for anyone with Multiple Sclerosis, family and friends meets at 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Heritage Room at the Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva. Sponsored by Greater Carolinas Chapter of National MS Society. Info: 293.2503. Offered in cooperation with the Southwestern Commission Agency on Aging.

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 monthly grief support group sponsored by The Meditation Center meets at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at The Meditation Center at 894 East Main Street in Sylva. Info: www.meditatewnc.org or 356.1105.

• Inner Guidance from an Open Heart will meet from 68 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at The Meditation Center at 894 East Main Street in Sylva.

Info: www.meditate-wnc.org or 356.1105.

• Dogwood Insight Center presents health talks at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month.

• Free childbirth and breastfeeding classes are available at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Classes are offered bimonthly on an ongoing basis. Register or get more info: 586.7907.

• Angel Medical Center’s diabetes support group meets at 4 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month in the AMC dining room. 369.4166.

• A free weekly grief support group is open to the public from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at SECU Hospice House in Franklin. Hosted by Four Seasons Compassion for Life Bereavement Team. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• A monthly grief processing support group will meet from 4-5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month at the Homestead Hospice and Palliative Care in Clyde.

452.5039.

• A Men’s Night Out will take place at 6:30 p.m. on the third floor of the hospital. on the first Wednesday of each month at The Meditation Center at 894 E. Main St. in Sylva. www.meditatewnc.org or 356.1105.

• A free, weekly grief support group will meet from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at the SECU Hospice House in Franklin. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized

by Jackson County Extension and Community Association – meets from 9-10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. It’s an effort to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. 586.4009.

• A Tuesday Meditation Group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • Waynesville Wellness offers a wide variety of classes on a weekly basis. Fitness Challenge eligible. http://waynesvillewellness.com/classes or 283.0173.

• Indoor soccer is available during Futsal Open Gym nights, 6:30-9 p.m., on Fridays, Oct. 21 and Nov. 4 and 18 at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. www.smokiesinformation.org/info/branch-out-programs-fall.

• Ultimate Frisbee games are held from 5:30-8 p.m. on Mondays at the Cullowhee Recreation Park. Organized

by Jackson County Parks & Recreation. Pick-up style.

293.2053 or www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

wnc calendar

• Dance workshops and master classes will be offered by the Haywood County Arts Council from 10:15 a.m.1:45 p.m. on Oct. 22 at Folkmoot in Waynesville.

Classical dance.

• The Greenway 3K Walk-Run is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, at the new Greenway Bridge off Old Cullowhee Road. Register at the Jackson County Senior Center: $12 for senior center participants; $15 for all others.

• Bubble Soccer Night is from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Recreation Center in Cullowhee. $5 for unlimited play. Must be 18 or older.

• The Wednesday Croquet Group meets from 10 a.m.noon at the Vance Street Park across from the shelter.

For senior players ages 55 or older. 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Pickleball is from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays at First Methodist Church in Sylva. $1 each time you play; equipment provided. 293.3053.

• Cardio Lunch class will meet from noon-1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members.

456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Flexible Fitness class will meet from 4:30-5:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Pump It Up class will meet from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. For ages 16 and above. Cost is regular admission fee to the rec center or free for members. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

October 19-25, 2016

• The Canton Armory is open to the public for walking from 8-10 a.m. on Monday through Friday unless the facility is booked. 648.2363.

• Pickle ball is offered from 8 a.m.-noon on Mondays through Fridays at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

456.2030 or www.waynesvillnc.gov.

POLITICAL • Macon County Commission candidates Karl Gillespie, Charlie Leatherman, Paul Higdon and Bobby Kuppers will participate in a forum at noon on Oct. 20 at Tartan Hall. Organized by the League of Women Voters.

• The Swain County Democratic Party WhittierCherokee Precinct Meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 51 Kenneth Cooper Road in Whittier. Directions: 736.0704 or 497.9498.

• A Moral March to the Polls event, organized by the Haywood County NAACP, is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, at Harris Chapel A.M.E. Zion in Canton.

• A lunch-and-discussion group will be held by the League of Women Voters at noon on the second Thursday of each month at Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. RSVP for lunch: lwvmacon@wild-dog-mountain.info or 524.8369.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • A conference for young ladies and women on “Discovering How to Revive the Beauty of Biblical Womanhood” is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28-29, at South Macon Baptist Church in Franklin Registration deadline is Oct. 22: www.tomorrowsforefathers.com/store/conferenceregistration.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • John Campbell Folk School will host “The Literary Hour” – an hour of poetry and prose reading – at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, at Keith House on the JCFS

campus in Brasstown. Reading will feature poets and writers Mary Michelle Keller and Lucy Cole Gratton.

• The “Coffee with the Poet” series will continue with Ray Whitaker at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The series gathers the third Thursday of each month.

586.9499.

• Susie Bell will host a story time as she reads her book Oliver the Dragon Finds a Friend at 11 a.m.

Saturday, Oct. 22, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

To reserve a copy of Oliver the Dragon Finds a Friend, please call City Lights Bookstore at 586.9499.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • A horseback riding trip will be offered by the Jackson County Senior Center on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Nantahala Horseback Riding Stables. $20 per Senior Center participant; $25 for non-participants.

Pre-registration required by Oct. 21: 586.5494 or drop by the lobby of the senior Center.

• A senior trip to look at fall foliage will depart the Waynesville Recreation Center at 8 a.m. on Oc.t 27. $18 for members; $22 for nonmembers. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• 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.

• A Silver Sneakers Cardio Fit class will meet from

10-11 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.

• A Hand & Foot card game is held at 1 p.m. on Mondays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Senior Sale Day is on the third Friday of every month at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Patrons 60 and older get 20 percent off all purchases.

Proceeds benefit the Sylva Library.

• Pinochle game is played at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

• Hearts is played at 12 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

KIDS & FAMILIES • A “Youth Swim Refresher” course will be offered through Western Carolina University from 6:25-7:15 p.m. on Mondays through Wednesdays, Oct. 24-26 and Oct. 31-Nov. 2. $59. Ages 4-up. Taught by Michael Creason, retired WCU faculty member. Register: 227.7397 or visitswim.wcu.edu.

REAL FAMILY FUN on a REAL FAMILY FARM HAYRIDES, Open y CORN MAIZE & Dail

PUMPKIN PATCH! Come down and U-Pick your own pumpkin straight from the field!

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October 29 10am - 10 pm

Horse & Mule Plow Demos, BBQ, Live Music, Clogging, All Local Crafters & Vendors Welcome

HAUNTED HAYRIDE & MAZE Oct 20-23 & 27-31 8pm - midnight

$10 per person Bring your ur e yo camera & haven on picture tak lay! our fall disp

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48

828.488.2376 C Find us on Facebook

242-154

• Registration is underway through Oct. 28 for youth basketball through the Jackson County Recreation Department. $50. For girls and boys in second through seventh grades. Games will be played at the Cullowhee Recreation Center and the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center.

• Registration is underway for the Haywood County Youth Recreation Basketball League. Age groups range from 5-6 to 11-12. Age cut-off is Aug. 31. Games start Dec. 17. Register anytime at the HCRP office in Waynesville. 452.6789 or drtaylor@haywoodnc.net.

• 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.

• 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.

KIDS MOVIES • A children’s animated movie about a vampire family will be shown at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. Rated PG; 89 minutes.

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• 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.

• A youth photography program will be offered for ages 12-16 on Tuesday afternoons in September and October at The Bascom in Highlands. Private lessons are also available. For complete listings of dates, times and topics, or to register, click on www.thebascom.org or call 526.4949.

• “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.

• A “Junior Ranger: Smoky Mountain Elk” ranger-guided program will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Sundays through Oct. 23 at the Palmer House at Cataloochee Valley.

• A “Junior Ranger: Porch Program” is offered at 1 p.m. every Friday through Oct. 28 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center Porch near Cherokee.

• 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.

• Rompin’ Stompin’, an hourlong storytime with music, movement and books, is held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursdays and at 11 a.m. on Fridays at Canton Library. For ages zero to six. 648.2924.

• Crafternoons are at 2:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month at Hudson Library in Highlands.

• 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.

• Full STEAM Ahead, a program for children ages 5-12 to allow them to explore science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics through fun hands-on activities. Program open to the first 15 participants, at 4 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at Canton Public Library. 648.2924.

• 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.

• Rompin’ Stompin’ Story Time is held on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. and Fridays 11 a.m. at the Canton Public Library. Ages 0-6. An hour long story time full of music and movement. 648.2924.

FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS • The 20th Annual PumpkinFest will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in downtown Franklin. During this event you can take part in some traditional and some very non-traditional fall festivities. Bring your pumpkin or purchase one downtown (limited supply) and sign up early for the World Famous Pumpkin Roll. The “roll” takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with signup running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.townofranklinnc.com or 524.2516.

• Western Carolina University will offer a number of public events including a comedy show, pop-rock concert, golf tournament, parade and more as part of its Homecoming celebration from Oct. 26-30. Complete listing of events: http://homecoming.wcu.edu.

FOOD & DRINK • Heinzelmännchen Brewery will have its Roktoberfest Release Party from noon-9 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, in Sylva. Brats, kraut, live music and black forest chocolate cake for a suggested donation of $10.

Proceeds benefit Community Table, which provides nutritious meals to neighbors in need.

FI RE SI DE CO LL EC TI VE

• MountainTrue will hold its annual Fall Gathering from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at New Belgium Brewery’s Brewhouse in Asheville. Live music from the Midnight Plowboys.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Acclaimed bluegrass act Mountain Faith will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in the auditorium of Haywood Community College in Clyde. The show will be a benefit for The Open Door, a nonprofit soup kitchen in Waynesville. Tickets are $12 per person, at the door. For more information, call 452.3846.

• Auditions for HART’s holiday production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” will be held at 2 p.m. on Oct. 22. Performances are Dec. 10-11 and 17-18. www.harttheatre.org.

• The MET Operas production of “Don Giovanni” (Mozart) will be presented live via satellite at 12:55 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. Tickets available at highlandspac.org, at the door or by calling 526.8084.

Smoky Mountain News

• 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

A&E

October 19-25, 2016

• 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.

wnc calendar

• Glass Pumpkin Classes will be offered on Oct. 29 at Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. 30-minute time slots are available from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $40. Ages 13-18 may participate with parent present. 631.0271 or jcgep.org.

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wnc calendar

• The vampire comedy “The Mystery of Irma Vep” will be presented on Oct. 21-23 and Oct. 27-30 at HART Theatre in Waynesville. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 21-22 and 27-29 and at 7:30 p.m. on Sundays, Oct. 23 and 30. Reservations: 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.org.

• Country star Martina McBride will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Harrah’s Cherokee. Her latest album, “Wreckless,” debuted at number two on Billboard’s Top Country Albums Chart in April. For more information on tickets, click on www.harrahscherokee.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

• “The Sunshine Boys,” a play by Neil Simon, will be on stage Thursdays through Sundays, Oct. 23, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center. Directed by Lance Trudel. 526.8084 or highlandscashiersplayers.org.

• Second City will perform for the annual Homecoming Comedy Show at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee. Part of the 2016-17 Arts and Cultural Events Series. Free for students; $20 for all others.

Preregistration required for students: tcbowers1@catamount.wcu.edu. For others: hensley@wcu.edu.

OUTDOOR MUSIC • The Music in the Mountains (Bryson City) concert series will host Blue Eyed Girl (roots/acoustic) Oct. 22.

All shows begin at 6:30 p.m. www.greatsmokies.com.

• The Oconaluftee Visitor Center (Cherokee) will host a back porch old-time music jam from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 19. All are welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

ART SHOWINGS AND

Smoky Mountain News

October 19-25, 2016

GALLERIES • “Purpose Bound,” an exhibition of photos by David Pickett, will be on display from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, in the Blowers Gallery in UNC Asheville’s Ramsey Library. Some photos were taken at UNCA and in downtown Asheville. Exhibition will be on view through Nov. 4. library.unca.edu.

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

• “Porch Talk – Salamanders of the Smokies” – a ranger-guided program – is offered at 2 p.m. on Mondays through Oct. 24 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center Porch near Cherokee.

• A ranger-guided Smokemont History Walk is offered at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays through Oct. 25, near Cherokee.

• A “Logging in the Smokies” ranger-guided program is offered at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays through Oct. 26 at the Smokemont Nature Trail in the Smokemont Campground.

• The Haywood Art Show will be exhibited through Oct. 30 at the Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts in downtown Waynesville. The Studio Tour will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28-29 around the county. www.haywoodarts.org.

• A “Beyond BOW: Introduction to Fly Fishing” class will be offered to women 18-up from Oct. 21-23 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. $125 per person includes equipment, materials and meals.

Register: 919.218.3638. www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/EducationCenters/Pisgah/ EventRegistration.aspx or 877.4423.

• A program on dehydrating foods for storage is scheduled for 10 a.m.-noon on Friday, Oct. 21, at the Waynesville Library. Presented by Julie Sawyer, Haywood County extension agent. Sign-up required: 356.2507.

• The Freestylers (variety) will perform at the opening of the George Evans Photography Exhibit at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Swain Arts Center.

488.7843 or rlackey@swainmail.org.

• An outdoor drama entitled “The Legend of Tommy Hodges” is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2122, at the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah Forest.

877.3130. www.cradleofforestry.com.

• Laurey-Faye Dean will be the featured artist with a live demonstration and discussion at “The Potter’s Wheel” series from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at The Wild Fern in Bryson City.

• Rumble in the Rhododendron Fly Fishing Tournament is Oct. 28-30 in Cherokee. Catch-and-release. $225 entry fee includes lunch and dinner; guaranteed payout totaling $10,000 given to top teams. Cherokee fishing permit required to enter; locations: www.fishcherokee.com. Open to all ages. 800.438.1601 or travel@nc-cherokee.com.

• An art reception featuring the photography of Beverly Slone is scheduled for 3-5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• The exhibit “Emissaries of Peace: 1762 Cherokee & British Delegations” features Cherokee clothing, feather capes, beads, and other artifacts. It is currently on display at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and also available for travel. www.cherokeemuseum.org or bduncan@cherokeemuseum.org.

• Downtown Waynesville is home to a new gallery and working artists’ studio at 163 South Main Street.

Celebrated contemporary plein air painter, Jo Ridge Kelley, and precious metal jewelry artist, Keri Kelley Hollifield, have combined their talents in one historic

Outdoors

• A three-month ceramics exhibit at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum is currently in Cullowhee. Fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or 227.3591.

• A two-hour stroll through Bradleytown will show participants how the area transformed from a forested haven to a barren wasteland and back again, beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday Oct. 29. Led by park volunteer Dick Sellers. 497.1905.

• “Contemporary Clay,” curated by Heather Mae Erickson, is an exhibition that examines the evolving, expanded field of clay and ceramics. It will run through Dec. 16 in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University. www.wcu.edu.

• A Fly Rod Building class will be presented by Tommy Thomas, former president of the National Chapter of Trout Unlimited, from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from Oct. 18-Dec. 15 at Haywood Community College. Register: 565.4240.

We are proud to accept insurance plans from these local employers:

FARM AND GARDEN

• The Haywood County Plant Clinic is now open at the Haywood County Extension Center in Waynesville.

Master Gardeners will answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees, ornamental plans, disease, insects and more. 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).

• A Halloween “Howl at the Planets” event is scheduled for 8-10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, at Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman. Telescopes will scan the sky for five planets, the largest asteroid and other objects in our solar system. Reservations required: www.pari.edu or 862.5554. $15 per person; 10-under are free. schappell@pari.edu.

• The Macon County Poultry Club of Franklin meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Cooperative Extension Office on Thomas Heights Rd, Open to the public. 369.3916.

• A “Women’s Introduction to Fly Fishing” class will be offered to ages 12-up from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Oct. 29 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in Brevard. www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/EducationCenters/Pisgah/ EventRegistration.aspx or 877.4423.

• The Pumpkin Run 5K will provide a mid-fall run at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, on the Little Tennessee Greenway in Franklin. Held in conjunction with the same-day PumpkinFest downtown, the run will benefit the Macon/Jackson County Habitat for Humanity. $20 online registration, with day-of registration beginning at 8 a.m. www.active.come.

• “Benthic Blitz” will be presented by Haywood Waterways the week of Nov. 1. Four-day event to sample all of Haywood County’s SMIE (Stream Monitoring Information Exchanging) sites. Visit Richland Creek, Raccoon Creek and Ratcliff Cove on Nov. 1; Cataloochee Creek, Pigeon River and Crabtree Park on Nov. 4; Jonathan Creek and Fines Creek (Nov. 5).

476.4667, info@haywoodwaterways.org or www.haywoodwaterways.org.

• The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians will host its inaugural Smoky Mountains Hook & Hackle fly-tier’s weekend event on Nov. 4-5 at the Birdtown Complex east of Bryson City. Forms available from fearnofish@gmail.com or at the museum.

• The Tuckaseigee River Chapter No. 373 of Trout Unlimited meets at 6:30 p.m. on first Tuesday of each month from September through May at United

COMPETITIVE EDGE

• The Conquer the Mountain Half Marathon will be held Saturday, Nov. 5, from the Tassee Shelter of the Little Tennessee Greenway in Franklin. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center to fund medical needs at SMPCC clinics and other needs to allow the organization to carry out its mission. $45 or $60 for a two-person team. David Linn, 828.421.7637 or briningit2life@gmail.com.

HIKING CLUBS • Carolina Mountain Club will have a 10-mile hike with a 1,800-foot ascent on Oct. 19 from Daniel Ridge to Caney Bottom and Cove Creek Falls Loop. For info or to sign up, contact leader Stuart English at 384.4870 or stuengo@comporium.net.

Puzzles can be found on page 54.

These are only the answers.

Call today to learn more about your specific coverage

50

• Franklin Bird Club will have a bird walk along the greenway at 8 a.m. on Oct. 26 in Franklin. Meet at Salali Lane. 524.5234 or https://franklinbirdclub.com.

Community Bank in Sylva. Dinner is $5.

• “Looking for the ‘Good Ol’ Days,’” a ranger-guided program, is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sundays through Oct. 23, at the Mountain Farm Museum at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.

• A “Fear No Art” Exhibition will be on display throughout October in the Rotunda Gallery of the Jackson County Library Complex.

• The Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University is hosting the exhibit “The Language of Weaving: Contemporary Maya Textiles” at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. Exhibit runs through Nov. 11. Fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.

• Franklin Bird Club will have a bird walk along the greenway at 8 a.m. on Oct. 19 in Franklin. Meet at Macon County Public Library parking area. 524.5234 or https://franklinbirdclub.com.

828.456.3211 smokymtneye.com

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

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ABSOLUTE AUCTION Tues. Nov. 15, 16 @ 8am - Lumberton, NC (35) Dump Trucks (36) Road Tractors Day Cabs 100 Const Items - 10% BP - www.meekinsauction.com NCLN 858 AUCTION 81 Guns, Signs, Clocks, Coins, Pottery. Saturday 10/22 @10AM. 9497 N. NC Hwy 150 Clemmons, NC. Leinbach Auction & Realty 336.416.9614 NCAL5871 AUCTIONZIP.COM #5969 AUCTION: PSNC Energy Utility Equipment & Trucks Backhoe Loaders, Trenchers, Service Trucks, Pickups & More 10/29 @10AM o Gastonia, NC On-Site & Live Online Bidding www.motleys.com 804.232.3300x4 NCAL #5914 MULTI-PROPERTY AUCTION 7 Houses & 3 Mobile Homes. Scotland County. Sales Site: Jerry's Deli & Grill, Laurinburg, NC. Saturday, October 29, 11 AM, Damon Shortt Auction Group, 877.669.4005.

NCAL 7358. damonshorttproperties.com.

HOME IMPROVEMENT AUCTION Saturday, October 22 @ 10am 201 S. Central Ave. Locust, NC Cabinet Sets, Doors, Carpet, Tile, Hardwood, Bath Vanities, Windows, Lighting, Patio Sets, Trim, Appliances, Name Brand Tools. NC Sales Tax applies. www.ClassicAuctions.com 704.507.1449 NCAF5479 JOB COMPLETION AND FLEET REDUCTION AUCTION Saturday, Oct. 22nd. 279 Crescent Rd., Blairsville, GA 30512. Farm Tractors & Equipment, Construction Equipment, Trucks, Trailers & Support Equipment. Information or Consign: 864.940.4800 or 706.781.4808. www.joeymartinauctioneers.com. GA2627 AUCTION Central NC Home on secluded 5+/Acre Farm. 10+/- minutes to I85/40. Building used as warehouse w/apartment, Hillsborough, NC Bid Now - October 27th United Country-Rogers Auctioneers, Inc. www.RogersAuction.com 919.545.0412 NCFL7360

BUILDING MATERIALS

HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

ACORN STAIRLIFTS. The Affordable Solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & Save. Please call 1.800.291.2712 for FREE DVD and brochure.

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control.

FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217 BATHTUB REFINISHING Renew or change the color of your bathtub, tile or sink. Fiberglass repair specialists! 5 year warranty.

Locally owned since 1989. CarolinasTubDoctor.com. 888.988.4430.

DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, IFree 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 SAFE STEP WALK-IN TUB. Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation. Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch Step-In. Wide Door.

Anti-Slip Floors. American Made.

Installation Included. Call 800.807.7219 for $750 Off.

MOTORCYCLES

CRAZY BOB’S BIKER STUFF Jackets, Chaps, Vests, Helmets, Rain Gear, Saddlebags, Sissy Bar Bags, Tool Bags, Stickers, Patches. We also got you covered with 50 Sizes of Tarps: Heavy Duty Silver, Brown & Green, Blue & Silver, Blue & Camo.

1880 Dellwood Rd., Waynesville 828.926.1177

CARS -

A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR For Breast Cancer! Help United Breast Foundation Education, Prevention, & Support Programs. Fast Free Pickup - 24 Hr Response - Tax Deduction 855.306.7348 SAPA CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!!

Top Dollar! Free Towing From Home, Office or body Shop. All Makes/Models 2000-2016. Same Day Pick-Up Available! Call Now: 1.800.761.9396 SAPA HIGH RISK DRIVER? Had a DUI? Stop paying too much for R-22, FR-44, or similar HighRisk Car Insurance! Call our FREE hotline today & SAVE money!

888.591.1852 STOP PAYING FOR Expensive Auto Repairs! Get discounted warranty coverage from the wholesale source, and don’t pay for expensive covered repairs!

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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 LOWEST HOME MORTGAGE Rates & Fast Approvals by Phone!!!! Programs available for Good & Bad Credit. Call 910.401.3153 Today for a Free Consultation.

SELL YOUR STRUCTURED Settlement or annuity payments for CASH NOW. You don't have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1.800.316.0271.

SOCIAL SECURITY Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1.800.670.4805 to start your application today! SAPA STRUGGLING TO PAY THE BILLS? FDR could reduce your CC debt.

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WNC MarketPlace

PETS GOLDENDOODLE PUPPIES CKC Registered, Uncommon Black or Chocolate Partis. Standard Size, Shots, Dewormed, Optional Microchipping, Well Socialized. Ready to Adopt by Oct. 22. $1,500 Call for more information 828.506.5623 HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

Hours:

www.smokymountainnews.com

October 19-25, 2016

Tuesday-Friday, 12 Noon - 6 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ATTENTION FACEBOOK & TWITTER Users! Earn 3K+ per month for just using what you already use for free! For details follow this link: tinyurl.com/MoneyOnSocialMedia SAPA BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! Publications sold at all major secular & specialty Christian bookstores. CALL Christian Faith Publishing Now for your FREE author submission kit.

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EMPLOYMENT 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.

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LOWDER - APPARENTLY A MIX OF AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER AND BASSET HOUND. HE HAS A HUGE HEAD, WITH BIG ROUND EYES, MAKING HIM LOOK SURPRISED AT ALL TIMES. BUT HIS MUSCULAR STOCKY BODY WITH TURNED OUT FEET ARE CLEARLY BASSET HOUND. HE'S BUILT PRETTY MUCH LIKE A TANK! HE HAS QUICKLY WON OUR HEARTS! TREASURE - A LITTLE BLACK FLUFF BALL ABOUT FOUR MONTHS OLD, AND A LITTLE SMALL FOR HIS AGE. HE IS A REAL CHARACTER, AND ENTERTAINS US ALL WITH HIS PLAYFUL ANTICS AND SHENANIGANS. HE'LL BRING A LOT OF JOY TO HIS NEW FOREVER FAMILY.

PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS Meridian is seeking Peer Support Specialists to work within a number of recovery oriented programs within our agency. Being a Peer Support Specialist provides an opportunity for individuals to transform their own personal lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges into a tool for inspiring hope for recovery in others. Applicants must demonstrate maturity in their own recovery process, have a HS Diploma or GED, valid driver’s license, reliable transportation and have moderate computer skills. If you are seeking some basic information about the role of Peer Support Specialists within the public behavioral health system, please go to NC Peer Support Specialist Certification Site: http://pss.unc.edu/ You do not have to be a certified peer support specialist prior to employment. For further information about these positions, visit the employment section of our website at: www.meridianbhs.org If interested, apply by completing the mini application and submitting your resume.

TRAIN AT HOME For A New Career As An Accounting Assistant! Call for more Info about our Online Training Program! Learn to process Payroll, Invoices & more! Job placement assistance when completed! HS Diploma/GED required. 1.888.407.7063 WEATHERIZATION SPECIALIST Mountain Projects Inc. is currently accepting applications for a full-time Weatherization Specialist in Haywood County.

Must have experience with weatherization rehab, general carpentry, plumbing and Electrical experience in construction industry is needed. Please apply at MPI 2251 Old Balsam Rd Waynesville, NC 28786 or www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR Mountain Projects, Inc. is currently accepting application for a full-time Construction Supervisor in Haywood County. Must have experience in construction as a General Contractor. Building code, carpentry and weatherization Knowledge of Electrical & Plumbing. Applicants must have valid driver’s licenses an ability to work with diverse populations.

Please apply at Mountain Projects, Inc. 2251 Old Balsam Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786 or www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Coordinator for Military Business Center Deadline: Oct. 17 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 GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS RAILROAD IN BRYSON CITY Is currently hiring! We currently have vacancies for Retail Sales Associate, Property Maintenance Worker, Reservationist, & Special Event Staff for the POLAR EXPRESS. Earn train passes, retail & food discounts, passes to area attractions and more!

Full Job Descriptions and Applications are Available at: www.gsmr.com/jobs You may also get an application from the Bryson City Depot.

CDL A or B DRIVERS Needed to transfer vehicles from area customers to various locations throughout U.S.-Noforced dispatch- We specialize in connecting the dots and reducing deadhead. Safety Incentives! Call 1.800.504.3783 or apply at: www.mamotransportation.com/driv eaway-jobs-transport-driverswanted/.

DELIVERY/STOCKROOM ASSOCIATE - PART-TIME: Individual needed to work 20 hours per week in Thrift Store.

Valid Driver’s License with No Points required. Must be able to support or lift a minimum of 50 pounds. Applications available at Pathways Thrift Store, 3740 US 74E, Unit #10 Sylva, NC 28779. Call Shirley at 828.631.5533 for more info.

HIGH-TECH CAREER With U.S. Navy. Elite tech training w/great pay, benefits, vacation, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34.

Call Mon.-Fri. 800.662.7419 B.H. GRANING LANDSCAPES, INC Now hiring for the position of crew member - the grass is growing and so is our business come join our team. Full-time year round work, competitive wages, good work environment.

Please call 828.586.8303 for more info or email resume to: roger.murajda@bhlandscapes. com MEDICAL BILLING & CODING Training! Become a Medical Office Specialist now! NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED! Online Training can get you job ready! 1.888.512.7122 HS Diploma/GED & computer needed. careertechnical.edu/nc CNA’S NEEDED Canton Area. Monday - Friday 8a.m. - 4p.m. and Monday - Fri. 4p.m. - 8p.m. In-Home Care.

Sign-On Bonus. For more info 828.524.6444 ADVERTISE YOUR Job Opening, Event, Items For Sale, Auction etc. in this newspaper plus 100 other newspapers across the state for only $375. For more information, contact the classified department of this newspaper or call NCPS 919.516.8018, email: ads@ncpress.com ENTRY LEVEL Heavy Equipment Operator Career.

Get Trained - Get Certified - Get Hired! Bulldozers, Backhoes & Excavators. Immediate Lifetime Job Placement. VA Benefits.

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EMPLOYMENT

YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $375 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! For more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at: ncpress.com

FURNITURE

COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

LAWN & GARDEN BORING/CARPENTER BEE TRAPS No Chemicals, Poisons or Anything to Harm the Environment.

Handmade in Haywood County. 1 for $20, 2 or More for $15 each.

828.593.8321 HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com SAWMILLS From only $4397.00- Make & Save Money with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship! FREE Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com.

1.800.578.1363 Ext.300N

HOMES FOR SALE

BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

RUTHERFORDTON, NC. Log on to: mywesternnchome. vpweb.com. See my beautiful home in western NC. a few miles from the Tryon Equestrian Ctr. priced for quick sale, asking $350K due to spouse death

365-73

365-70

Mike Stamey mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

828-508-9607

74 NORTH MAIN ST. • WAYNESVILLE, NC

www.beverly-hanks.com

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EMPLOYMENT

Mountain Realty

ROB ROLAND 828-400-1923

Ron Breese Broker/Owner

RROLAND33@GMAIL.COM

2177 Russ Ave. Waynesville, NC 28786 Cell: 828.400.9029 ron@ronbreese.com

Find the home you are looking for at www.robrolandrealty.com

www.ronbreese.com

Each office independently owned & operated.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT

OUR HUNTERS WILL PAY Top $$$ To hunt your land. Call for a Free Base Camp Leasing info packet & Quote. 1.866.309.1507 www.BaseCampLeasing.com

PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

NEAR TRYON, NC EQUESTRIAN Center, 7.84 acres of pasture, creek frontage, partially fenced $59,900. Also Mtn View acreage w/paved access starting at $24,900. 828.286.1666

MOBILE HOMES FOR RENT DOUBLE-WIDE FOR RENT In Franklin, $650/mo. First & Last Required. For more info call Curtis Rhoades at 706.994.6720

SFR, ECO, GREEN

147 Walnut Street • WayneSville

828.506.7137

aspivey@sunburstrealty.com

www.amyspivey.com

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE FOR YOU 1 Month Free with 12 Month Rental. Maggie Valley, Hwy. 19, 1106 Soco Rd. For more information call Torry

GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23

by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

FLAGLER BEACH FLORIDA Oceanfront Vacation Rental, Tripadvisor Award, Furnished Studio, 1-2-3 BR’s, Full Kitchens, WiFi, TV, Pool. Seasonal Specials.

1.386.517.6700 or www.fbvr.net

WANTED TO BUY

Dan Womack BROKER

243.1126

828.

OFFICE HOURS: Monday & Wednesday 8:00am - 4:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Phone# 1.828.273.3639 TDD# 1.800.735.2962 This is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - EllenSither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - MikeStamey@beverly-hanks.com Pamela Williams - PamelaWilliams@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com • Rick Boarder - sunburstrealty.com EXP Realty

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

26 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC • 828-564-9393

——————————————

GEORGE

ESCARAVAGE BROKER/REALTOR

—————————————— 7 BEAVERDAM ROAD - SUITE 207

ASHEVILLE, NC 28804

828.400.0901

GESCAR@BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

MOUNTAIN REALTY

Mieko Thomson ROKER/R /REALTOR EALTOR®® BBROKER

Cell (828) 226-2298 Cell

mthomson@remax-waynesvillenc.com mthomson@remax-waynesvillenc.com www.ncsmokies.com www.ncsmokies.com

2177 Russ Avenue Waynesville NC 28786

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Sam Hopkins - samhopkins.kwrealty.com

Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Home Properties mountaindream.com • Sammie Powell - smokiesproperty.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

Realty World Heritage Realty realtyworldheritage.com • Carolyn Lauter realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7766 • Martha Sawyer realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7769

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com • Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com • Mieko Thomson - ncsmokies.com • The Morris Team - maggievalleyproperty.com • The Real Team - the-real-team.com

smokymountainnews.com

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

• • • •

Keller Williams Realty

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400

beverly-hanks.com Ann Eavenson - AnnEavenson@beverly-hanks.com Randy Flanigan - RandyFlanigan@beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy - MichelleMcElroy@beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig - MarilynnObrig@beverly-hanks.com Brooke Parrott - BrookeParrott@beverly-hanks.com

Haywood Properties - haywoodproperties.com • Steve Cox - info@haywoodproperties.com

CASH FOR UNEXPIRED Diabetic Test Strips! Free shipping.

Best Prices & 24 hr payment! Call 855.378.1147 TestStripSearch.com Habla Español. SAPA

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

• • • • •

• George Escaravage - george@emersongroupus.com

MOUNTAIN REALTY

VACATION RENTALS

Beverly Hanks & Associates

Emerson Group

828.734.6500, 828.734.6700 maggievalleyselfstorage.com

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

October 19-25, 2016

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on an equal opportunity basis.

AVAILABLE FOR LEASE: Cherokee, NC. Commercial property to be used as a Restaurant; 0.31 acres in Prime Commercial Location. Offered by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians via Request for Proposal Process.

The subject is being offered by the Tribe’s Building Rental Program exclusively for the operation of a For-Profit Commercial Restaurant Operation. Formerly the TeePee Restaurant. Contact Cameron Cooper, 828.359.6713, for RFP Package.

WNC MarketPlace

LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578

COMM. PROP. FOR RENT

• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com • Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

www.smokymountainnews.com

October 19-25, 2016

WNC MarketPlace

Super

54

CROSSWORD

77 Lyric penner Gershwin 5 Savor 78 Pulls down 6 Attack tactic 79 Jorge’s “this” 7 Noel ACROSS 80 Hawkish god 8 Wapiti 1 Display shimmering 81 One telling fortunes 9 Govt. agents milky colors by gazing into artificial 10 Train track supporters 9 Reinforcing eyelet 11 Well-timed 16 Shapes of parenthe- light sources?

84 Equally billed head12 Orbitz listing ses liners 13 Old AT&T rival 20 Like a Williamsburg 88 Alternatively 14 “Twilight” rock gp. district 89 “— pity!”

15 Olympic ideal 21 Eyeglass 91 Working properly 16 Sky color 22 0 95 Bistro that’s beautiful 17 Expose 23 Sharp-witted and also has great food? 18 Wrinkle response from a creep?

101 “I see now!”

19 Really wet 25 Eye part 104 “It’s — of words” 24 Corp. shuffle 26 Energy-filled 105 They counter nays 28 Oat husk 27 Provide (with) 106 Ill-fated whaler 29 Sign- — (approvals) 28 Hiatus 107 What it used to take 30 Mishmash 29 Gut-punch response to get word in prehistoric 31 — beans 32 Mello — (drink times? brand) 33 Helped out 111 8-pointer in 34 Like someone doing 35 Tolkien villain Scrabble an oil change under a 36 Seek to win 115 They cross rds. car?

37 Wildebeest 116 Fiery fits 38 Plane part 39 Energy-filled 117 Steer snarer 40 Gaelic language 41 “Ciao” 119 Nautilus VIP 42 Columnist Barrett 45 Yule tree 121 Hot-rod rod 43 Took charge 46 Outdoor gear retailer 44 Sale on items having 122 Lament from some- 47 Suffix with 20-Across a quintet of hanging dec- body who wants one of 48 “— better be good!” their sons to be named orative threads?

49 Yell at from a dis51 Suds-filled after director De Palma? tance 52 Bible bk. before Job 129 Mad, with “off” 50 Three: Prefix 53 Siesta, e.g.

130 Indian oven 54 Come in 57 Greatest importance 131 Oil conduit 55 Startle 59 One-sixth of a foot?

132 Water swirl 56 Violent sorts 64 Circumspect 133 Novelist Sabato 58 Mollycoddles 67 Hula — 134 Endeavoring anew 60 Least comfortable 69 Open, as a bolted 61 U.K. channel door DOWN 62 “— -di-dah!”

70 19th Greek letter 1 Suffix with hill 63 Hosp. areas 71 Palette part 2 “Lenore” poet 64 As long as 72 Hold PC fixers dear?

3 Brit’s brew 65 Ear-relevant 76 Work unit 4 Extended 66 Stationery store units REORDERING PARTS

68 Marital beginning?

72 Artist Gerard — Borch 73 Comic Charlotte 74 Age 75 Flee from 80 Humane org. of the U.S. 82 Fence (in) 83 Slowing down, in mus.

85 Blast cause 86 Craft 87 San Luis — 90 Speaks volumes 92 Spa sighs 93 — all possible 94 Yanks’ foes 96 Klutzy ones 97 A pair 98 Honey holder 99 Vase type 100 Indian noble 101 Make fizzy 102 Humbugged 103 Used a hook and line 108 Sordid 109 Rub away 110 Tippling types 112 Film festival flick, often 113 Sprang 114 Dying fire bit 118 Trainee 120 Airport near Paris 122 Manhattan chaser?

123 Way-off 124 Red Roof — 125 Busy mo. for the IRS 126 VI / II 127 Raggedy — (doll) 128 Like some nos.

answers on page 50

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YARD SALES

INDOOR YARD SALE IN FRANKLIN Thurs., Fri. & Sat from 9a.m.-4p.m.

Located at 80 Heritage Hallow (Yellow Building behind Gazebo’s).

Designer Clothes Sizes 8-24, Shoes, Linens, Christmas Items, Decorating Items, Artwork, Jewelry & Misc. Hope to see you there!

WEEKLY SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Answers on Page 50

Robin redbreasts are a perennial favorite

O

George Ellison

ur elementary school primers were populated by robins pulling worms out of holes. They appeared on television screens on Saturday mornings, hopping about in Disney cartoons that represented “the idea of a bird.” We know what a robin looks like in outline, but do we know much about the real thing?

The common name is short for “Robin redbreast.” The origin of the second part of the name is obvious, but in reality a mature female’s breast feathers are reddish orange.

“Robin” is, of course, the diminutive of Robert. The name was initially applied to the English robin Columnist (a warbler with a red breast) and transferred by the early settlers to America’s redbreasted bird.

When I started observing birds, I was surprised to learn that both the robin and the bluebird are members of the thrush family: birds that are large-eyed, slender-billed, strong-legged, and often display spotted breasts. Robins aren’t spot-breasted when mature, but the family characteristic is quite evident when the birds are young. The first time you spot a plump young robin display-

BACK THEN ing its grayish-black spots, you might have identification problems; that is, until its mother makes an appearance.

Formerly a woodland bird, many robins have now abandoned their forest abodes to nest near human residences where shrubs and scattered trees provide protection and easy access to lawns. In winter, you can easily locate the large nests that the female constructs in the crotch of a small tree or on the horizontal limb of a larger tree. Inside the nest, you will observe a mud cup lined with dry grasses and other vegetation.

Robins feed upon various insects, fruits and berries, but their preferred food — just as the school primers and cartoons indicate — is the lowly but nutritious earthworm.

They have been observed using small sticks to rake aside leaves in order to expose worms and insects, an instance of “tool use” not normally associated with birds. They breed throughout North America, from Mexico into northern Canada. According to the Birds of North America web site: “Massive seasonal migrations occur across large areas of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico as individuals respond to the seasonal availability of soil invertebrates in spring and of fruit in fall. Conspicuous migratory flocks appear in early spring on temperate lawns, the classic harbingers of spring

OCTOBER 29 at 3:30 PM HOMECOMING

For tickets: order on line at CATAMOUNTSPORTS.COM or call 800.34.GOWCU

(especially northern) areas.”

A flock that frequented our cove for several winters during the early 1990s may have numbered a thousand birds. They roosted in a stand of large white oaks high on the ridge above our house so as to catch the first warm rays of the morning sun. Then they would

Hall of Fame Senior Day Smokey Mountain Youth Football Day

NOVEMBER 5 at 2 PM

Smoky Mountain News

Pre-game concert

by Matt Stillwell

American Robin. wikipedia.org photo

gradually work their way down the slopes into the valley as the sun lightened and warmed up the slopes.

In Birds of the South (1933), Charlotte Green noted that, “The greatest migratory flock of robins ever known was seen near New Hope, Gaston County, North Carolina.

Game Warden Ford estimated that there were several millions roosting in the pines. For over a week they wheeled about in the sky, coming to rest in the woods, and in flight they appeared like dark clouds.

This great flock was the nearest approach of modern times to the flocks of passenger pigeons which, only a few generations ago, were so numerous that they darkened the earth during their migratory flights … May the day never come when our robin red-breasts will likewise fail to be numbered among the winged travelers of the skies.”

(George Ellison is a naturalist and writer.

He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

October 19-25, 2016

vs

throughout much of the Midwest and eastern U.S. Restless migrant and overwintering flocks are seen in many new areas within the geographic range of the breeding population, where there is either damp soil or fruit resources. Overwintering numbers may vary significantly from year to year in many

vs 55

CANDIDATE FORUM

Thursday, October 20th at the Sam Love Queen Auditorium in the Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Avenue, Waynesville

RECEPTION

FORUM

6-7 p.m.

7-9 p.m.

Mingle with candidates.

Candidates for the General Assembly have

been invited to speak for ďŹ ve minutes.

Tours of the renovated

October 19-25, 2016

Folkmoot Friendship Center by Folkmoot board members & staff.

Light hors d'oeuvres.

Smoky Mountain News

begins after legislative candidates speak.

Commissioners will answer questions developed by The Smoky Mountain News staff & questions submitted via social media.

Haywood County School Board hopefuls

Moderated by Cory Vaillancourt, The Smoky Mountain News

56

County Commissioner candidate forum

and candidates running for every ofďŹ ce on the Haywood County ballot have been invited to attend the reception and forum so attendees will have the chance to meet those candidates.

Sponsored by The Smoky Mountain News in cooperation with Folkmoot USA.