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November 18-24, 2015 Vol. 17 Iss. 25

Younger generation changing Franklin Page 10 Incinerator moratorium sought in Haywood Page 26

From Our Family To Yours,

CONTENTS On the Cover: Hailed by some as an innovative example of turning waste into beauty and derided by others as a money pit tossing taxpayer dollars at an unnecessary venture, the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro draws strong opinion on both sides. Following a board of commissioners that largely opposed county contribution to the park, Jackson’s current board of commissioners has increased the park’s budget and is mulling an expansion that would add ceramics studios to the mix of offerings — as well as plenty other considerations for the park’s future. (Page 6) Holly Kays photo

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News Maggie Valley approves first distillery ........................................................................4 Ghost Town rebrands old western town ..................................................................5 Waynesville slowly rolls out smoking ban ................................................................9 Younger generation changes face of Franklin ......................................................10 Haywood works toward centralized EMS center ................................................12 Whittier farmers likely to set up shop at Drexel .................................................... 14 Incinerator moratorium sought in Haywood ..........................................................16 Bryson City gets new FM radio station .................................................................. 18 New property tax values coming to Jackson ........................................................19

Opinion If it’s good vs. evil, only one outcome is tenable ..................................................23

A&E Giddens, Holt, Balsam Range to play WCU ........................................................ 28

Outdoors November 18-24, 2015

SCC expands training for future NPS officers ....................................................40

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Distillery approved for Maggie Valley

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR aggie Valley Board of Aldermen welcomed Dave Angel to town Monday night after approving his request for a special exception permit to operate Elevated Mountain Distillery.

The company will be Maggie Valley’s first manufacturer and also its first distillery.

Angel plans to open his new business venture in the former Carolina Nights dinner theater building located at 3732 Soco Road to produced craft spirits, including corn whiskey, bourbon, flavored moonshines and vodka. While the main business is manufacturing, there will also be a retail and tasting room component.

Even though the property is zoned commercial, Angel had to request a special exception because a distillery is not a specific use listed in the town’s land development ordinance. However, all the board members, staff and many residents said it would fit perfectly with Maggie’s moonshine making heritage and tourism economy.

“When I look at the tourist industry, this project is important because it’s the newest and most innovative business to come our way,” said Maggie Valley native Amy White, who is also a friend of Angel’s. “Dave is focused and dedicated to his career and family and I feel like he’d give the same amount of dedication to this valley.”

The town’s special exception process requires a semi-judicial public hearing process where the details of the project are laid out and the public has a chance to weigh in before the board makes a decision. Town Planner Andrew Bowen said he worked closely with Angel on ironing out details and feels confident the project would not cause adverse effects on the valley, which is what must be shown to issue the special permit.

“Alcohol sales and consumption is truly not what we’re here to talk about,” Bowen pointed out. “If someone put a sprinkler system in that building they could open a bar or night club without having to get special permission from the town. We’re here more to talk and consider the manufacturing side of this industry.”

The building is located in a mixed-use area with several abutting residential properties behind it, a church adjacent to the property and other commercial businesses across the street. Bowen said the state requires distilleries to be at least 50 feet away from any religious institution. The distillery would be 212 feet away from the Maggie Valley First Baptist Church’s fellowship hall and 470 feet away from the main sanctuary. Salty Dog’s Seafood and Grill across the street has a bar and has been operating 380 feet away from the church for many years. Angel has spoken to all the

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Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

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ed that the board of aldermen approve the permit.

“The distillery will not adversely affect the public interest — it’s in a commercial district and tourism is a large part of Maggie’s economy,” Bowen said. “It’s vital in any small town economics to diversify the economy.”

Angel, a Tuscola High School grad who moved back to Waynesville about three years ago, said he’s been working on this project for more than a year. While he was originally looking to locate in Waynesville, he said the late Mayor Ron DeSimone encouraged him to look at the Carolina Nights building and become a part of the Maggie Valley community.

“I had the wonderful opportunity to meet him the day before his accident — he made such an impression on me,” Angel said. “He said, ‘Dave, the Carolina Nights building meets all your requirements, but that’s not why you want to come to Maggie.’

He talked about history and traditions — making moonshine and whiskey is a deep part of tradition in Maggie Valley.”

Maggie Valley’s natural resources were also a selling point for Angel.

“The aquifer that forms Campbell Creek has the most pristine water you can imagine,” he said. “Where you find the world’s best water is where you make the world’s best whiskey and spirits.”

Dave Angel, owner of Elevated Mountain With the booming bourbon trail in Distillery explains the renovations he plans to Kentucky and the growing popularity of the newly formed craft distillery trail in North make to the former Carolina Nights building Carolina, Angel is confident that his busiin Maggie Valley. Jessi Stone photo ness can attract new tourists and also extend the stay of tourists already coming to Maggie Valley for other anchor “The aquifer that forms Campbell Creek has the most pristine attractions like Wheels Through Time and Cataloochee Ski Resort. water you can imagine. Where you find the world’s best water Of all the people who spoke is where you make the world’s best whiskey and spirits.” during the public hearing, only one resident was against having the — Dave Angel, Elevated Mountain Distillery distillery. Walter Davis, who has lived in town since 1994, said he adjoining property owners and received pos- was glad a buyer had come forward for the and spent grain from production will be building that has been vacant for so long but itive feedback on the project. donated to farmers. All of the utilities he didn’t agree with the use.

Based on Bowen’s findings, he said the needs — water, trash and sewer — can easi“I don’t know why we’d be Maggie Valley Planning Board recommendly be supplied by the town.

Bowen said Angel had a detailed business plan and financial projections and planned to do major renovations to the interior of the building to make it suit his needs.

Traffic volumes will not be a problem with the 93 available parking spots on the property. Bowen said it would probably generate much less traffic counts than Carolina Nights did when it operated.

As for environmental concerns, Bowen said there was no evidence or concern that the distillery would create nuisance noise or smells during production. All refuge will be contained and shielded from the public eye

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Ghost Town rebranded

because it was tourism related, which is the driving force to the town’s economy. As for the concerns about alcohol, she said the residents had the same kind of concerns in the 1970s when the town began allowing alcohol sells through the ABC stores. Even with opposition from many, she said she supported it because alcohol was already in Maggie Valley — it was just done illegally.

“People are going to drink — we’re not going to stop it,” she said. “I would rather see it here the way David’s going to do it.”

After brief discussion from the aldermen, the board approved the distillery’s request unanimously. Alderman Phillip Wight thanked Angel for coming to Maggie Valley.

“I’m excited you’re here. I think it’s a perfect fit with year round potential,” he said.

Angel hopes to close on the property by the end of the year and renovations will be under way through March. If all goes as planned, he hopes to be open by summer 2016.

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Source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ "Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms"

Smoky Mountain News

proud to have a distillery here,” he said.

“We have people who say we need change but sometimes we get change we don’t want.”

North Carolina law only allows distilleries to sell one bottle to one customer once a year. People who come to tour the facility will be able to taste up to six of the products, but only in quarter-ounce cups. The distillery would only be able to sell bottles of its product during hours when the ABC store is open — meaning the distillery can’t sell on Sundays.

Wayne Burgess with the Baptist church next door said the church would work with Angel and wanted to be a good neighbor.

Since children at the church often play in the empty lot between the Carolina Nights building and the church, he said they might want to work together to build a fence to prevent children from wandering up on the loading dock.

Shirley Pinto, who lives behind Carolina Nights, said she supported the business

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November 18-24, 2015

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Ghost Town in the Sky will no longer be a western-themed amusement park come next summer, according to a recent announcement.

The mountaintop park in Maggie Valley, which has been known for its western town façade with choreographed gunfights and saloon dancers since it opened in the late 1960s, will be turned into Ghost Town Village.

Ghost Town’s Facebook page is already promoting the new brand with plans to open to the public June 1, 2016. According to information on the park’s website, visitors will still be able to ride the chairlift to the top of the mountain, but tickets will only be $10 instead of the $25 tickets the park has been charging the last couple of years.

The Ghost Town In The Sky Museum will be on level two as visitors get off the chairlift and will offer a guided tour of what the park was in its glory days as well as a 15-minute movie. An arcade, photo shop and paintball course is also promised for level two.

Once upon a time Ghost Town offered many amusement park rides, including a mountainside roller coaster, but the rides haven’t been in operation for about 10 years. While many people would like to see the rides back in service, the expense is too much for Ghost Town’s owner Alaska Presley to handle, especially with declining visitors.

“To replace the existing rides would cost more than $15 million and still would not compete with Dollywood, Six Flags, etc,” the website states. “The highest and best

use for the property was to re-brand it as a mountain Appalachian village with local artisans & entertainment.”

The western town on level three of the mountain will be converted into an Appalachian Village featuring retail shops, restaurants and live entertainment.

“The gunfights will remain but with a new story line. It will not be western as much as ‘moonshiners’ robbing the bank.

The Village Theatre and the Moonshiners Playhouse both will have live entertainment as well as street performances,” the website states. “Can Can girls will be incorporated in one show as a take of the 1880s, but the entertainment will be updated for todays audience.”

As for level four, Presley has had plans to turn it into a Christian-themed park similar to Holy Land in Florida. Presley’s dream of Resurrection Mountain is to walk visitors through the life of Jesus Christ and offer a place for church groups to worship. The crown jewel of the project is Presley’s desire to place a 150-foot cross on top of the ridge, but the state’s ridge laws seem to have stalled that structure. According to Ghost Town’s website, the ridgeline survey for the cross was recently completed.

Even with the rebranding, Resurrection Mountain is apparently still in the works, but the area will be more of a convention center for banquets, wedding, revivals and more. There will be outside walking gardens to the tomb, hiking and horseback riding trails as well.

Chris Chagnon, a local Realtor who served as Ghost Town’s general manager in 2014, has assisted Presley in the rebranding effort. When contacted for more information, he said he was not available for an interview by press time.

For more information, visit www.ghosttownvillagecom.

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Theme park to become Appalachian Village

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Trash or treasure?

Jackson leaders discuss future of the Green Energy Park

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER et off the U.S. 74 exit for Dillsboro, descend the steep hill to the light, turn right for a 1-mile drive down Haywood Road and you’ll soon notice a bright-colored sign announcing that you’ve reached the turnoff for the Jackson County Green Energy Park.

Up the hill, the steel-framed building — once the warehouse for Webster Enterprises — comes into view. A gallery housing works of pottery and blown glass, all made on site, occupies part of the building. The remaining space is home to workshops for the blacksmiths and glassblowers whose work is in the gallery.

“It’s the only place that’s doing this,” says a soot-covered J.R. Small, taking a quick break from the blacksmithing forge to do an interview.

Small, a 27-year-old from New York City, is in the midst of a two-month blacksmithing internship at the park. As Small told Jackson County Commissioners during a public comment session this month, he could have gone anywhere in the country to take the next step in his blacksmithing career, but he chose Jackson County. Home to the world’s only metalworking shop fueled with landfill gas, the park fits both Small’s personal beliefs surrounding the environment and his love of the craft. And besides, Jackson County is just a nicer place to live than New York. He’d like to move here permanently some day.

The Green Energy Park opened in 2006 after Jackson County closed down its aging landfill in 2000. County commissioners at the time wanted to do something different than the typical approach of flaring the methane gas that results when trash decomposes, and so they envisioned a project that would harness the gas’s energy to turn trash into art. Specifically, metalwork, blown glass and pottery.

“I probably would not have blown glass again if this wasn’t here,” said Judy McManus, 62, who went through the glass program at Western Carolina University before it was cancelled. “They have everything here.”

For the past five years, McManus has been a regular at the Green Energy Park’s glassblowing shop, keeping a sporadic schedule that might hover around 10 hours per week.

She sells her work in the park’s gallery, to word-of-mouth buyers and to a few other galleries in the area — but she still has a closetful of work at home.

“It brings me joy,” she said.

The barrier of entry into a trade like blacksmithing or glassblowing is high, but to use the facilities and equipment at the Green 6 Energy Park, artists need only a basic work-

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

G

ing knowledge of the craft and the means to pay an hourly fee. Getting started becomes a lot easier.

STRUGGLES WITH REVENUE While those who use the park undeniably appreciate it, there’s certainly not a waiting list to get in.

In fact, the park has caught flak for its sometimes-low rent revenues. In the 2014-15 budget year, the park brought in just $2,265 from studio rent — an average $189 per month, and just 1.5 percent of the overall budget. Adding in other revenues, such as donations and fees for classes, brings the park’s total revenue for that year to $9,754, about 6.5 percent of expenses.

Last year’s revenue was an all-time low for the park, however, with rent revenues topping $10,000 every other year since 2009-10.

The peak for revenue was 2010-11, when the Green Energy Park pulled in a combined $21,398 from rent, classes, gallery commission and donations.

But even the 2010-11 revenue represents just 10.6 percent of expenses, and to some, those numbers are proof that the Green Energy Park is nothing but a drain on county coffers.

By the numbers • $2 million — amount Jackson County has given to the Green Energy Park since its creation in 2006.

• $267,000 — construction cost for the Green Energy Park.

• $374,000 — estimated cost to build the Arts Center ceramics workshop and artist studios.

• $14,481 — average revenue produced from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

• $94,650 — projected annual revenue after the proposed Arts Center is completed.

• $189,111 — budget for 2015-16.

• $250,000 — projected annual cost following completion of the Arts Center.

• 4.8 micrograms per liter — level of the contaminant dichloroethene detected in 2013, down from the 1999 level of 31 micrograms per liter and well below the water quality limit of 6.0.

• 1.7 micrograms per liter — level of the contaminant benzene detected in 2013, down from the 2002 level of 14 micrograms per liter and just above the water quality limit of 1 microgram per liter.

• 750 gallons — amount of waste vegetable oil recycled to fire the Green Energy Park’s existing pottery kiln.

Source: Jackson County government

Judy McManus works a piece of blown glass at the Green Energy Park. Holly Kays photo

“[Artisans] need affordable places to go to, to make their art and retail shops to sell the art.

I just feel that the Green Energy Park has that potential.”

— Mark Jones, Jackson County commissioner

Others see it differently. The park hasn’t realized its full potential, they say, because it’s still waiting on its final phases of construction — a new building for ceramics and artist studios.

“When the Arts Center is finished, I think those income levels will be a lot larger,” said Green Energy Park Director Timm Muth.

The reason? Well, Muth said, basically every university and community college in the area has some kind of a ceramics program. But when it comes to metalworking and especially glassblowing — Haywood Community College actually does have a metals program — there’s not much around.

“What they (ceramics program grads) need is a safe place where they can come in, rent a studio place, have access to some equipment so they can develop their business and once they get a strong enough business — well, then they probably will want to move on and have an actual storefront somewhere,” Muth said.

The proposed Arts Center — commissioners have just approved a $35,000 architecture and engineering study that will help them decide whether to fund the project, estimated at $327,000 — would add a ceramics shop with four benches. An addition with 14 open artist studios is planned for later.

“The artisans are out there. They are,” said Commissioner Mark Jones, a longtime

supporter of the park who was on the board when it opened. “They need affordable places to go to, to make their art and retail shops to sell the art. I just feel that the Green Energy Park has that potential.”

But would completing the project really cause the park’s yearly revenue to jump from the five-year average of $14,481 to $94,650, as Muth projects? And even if it does, the county would still be facing a hefty gap between the park’s income and its budget needs. If the Muth’s right that the park’s operating expenses would increase to $250,000 per year following the expansion, then the projected income would represent 37.9 percent of budget — a much greater proportion than currently generated, though certainly not close to self-sustaining.

So, county leaders must ask, is the best use of county resources to expand the park, maintain the status quo, or some third choice?

THE QUESTION OF SELF-FUNDING

The board of commissioners serving prior to the 2014 elections went with the “some third choice” option. That majority on that board had seen the park primarily as a financial drain on the county, incapable of paying for itself or even progressing, however incrementally, toward that goal. The board began slicing away at the park’s funding, with the county contribution falling from $264,530 in 2010-11 down to $134,000 by 2012-13. When a new board of commissioners was elected in 2014, they hiked funding for the 2015-16 budget year to $178,461 — a 33 percent increase over the previous year.

Jack Debnam, who served as commission chairman from 2010 to 2014 before losing his seat to current chairman Brian McMahan, stands by his board’s actions.

“As long as the county’s pouring money into it, there’s no incentive for anybody (to move toward self-sufficiency)” Debnam said.

“It just seems like they think if they come ask

ber one I think for making it a productive facility is having signage on the road directing them (tourists) to it.”

Muth doesn’t disagree with that criticism.

He knows the park should be doing more in the way of advertising, but the budget for that kind of thing has just been too small, he said.

“I didn’t really have anybody (on staff ) who could focus on marketing efforts other than myself. With someone on staff who can focus more on that and a slightly bigger advertising budget, we are going to be able to increase our market penetration,” he said.

Currently, he’s working to get an ad in Our State Magazine and planning to start talks with the N.C. Department of Transportation to get a highway sign installed — a process fraught with red tape, he said. Muth also had the chance to talk with a Raleigh marketing specialist earlier this month when Jackson County Economic Development Director Rich Price brought him to the area.

“We’re trying to do a better job of that,” he said.

But it’s not like no one ever visits the park, Muth said. For instance, there’s the MINIs on the Dragon Mini Cooper club that comes by every year, touring the facility and paying Green Energy Park artists to make them a keepsake. The park has had visitors

The Green Energy Park launched in 2006, hailed as an innovative way to turn trash into art. As garbage decomposes, it releases methane gas, so when Jackson County closed its old landfill, it had to develop a plan to manage the output.

Typically, small landfills like Jackson’s simply pump the gas out and burn it before releasing it into the air, but commissioners at the time decided to try something different by creating the Jackson County Green Energy Park, which harnesses the gas to power the bulk of energy needs for blacksmithing forges, a foundry and a glassblowing workshop. A kiln powered by waste vegetable oil and trash wood is also on site.

The next phase of the park’s master plan is creation of an Arts Center, to be built on an existing concrete foundation using the existing metal beams. The new building would house four benches in a ceramics workshop, and pottery equipment purchased with grant funds is already in county possession. Once the ceramics phase is done, the county may consider building the final phase of the park, an addition with 14 open studios that artisans and artists of all stripes could rent for an affordable rate.

While Muth wants to see use increase, making self-sufficiency the bar for success is basically setting the park up for failure, because its value isn’t best measured in dollars, he said.

“Certain people make a big deal about how much money we’ve made this month,

ART AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

but we are a governmental service facility, so we’re supposed to provide services,” he said.

McMahan agrees.

“The only department in county government that is self-funded is the register of deeds office,” he said. No one expects the Sheriff ’s Office to cover its budget by writing tickets, or the Health Department with fees, or the Permitting and Code Enforcement Office with permits. So why should the Green Energy Park be any different?

“Has it come with no cost and is it all selfsupporting? No,” he said. “But I think there’s a cost to anything you do, and in the long term when we look down the road, I think the benefit of it is there.”

Which basically brings the debate down to a difference in philosophy. Is the Green Energy Park simply an innovative service the county offers its citizens — just as school buildings, recreation centers and a health department are services — or is it a superfluous endeavor too expensive for its relative importance to county function?

“I think maybe we’re a little overspending on it right now,” said Commissioner Charles Elders. “It could be a good thing, but it’s not showing to me much profit as of yet.”

“It was a money pit, and it still seems to be a money pit,” Debnam said, adding that in his opinion, it’s not fair to compare the park to a rec center or a school. Both of those facilities serve a lot more people than the few artisans who rent space there.

As for the concrete-and-steel skeleton slated to become the new Arts Center, why not “kill two birds with one stone “ and turn it into the new animal shelter the county needs so badly, Debnam asked. The building could still be powered with methane gas, allowing the “green” moniker to stay.

McMahan, meanwhile, sees the Green Energy Park as a chance for Jackson County to show rather than just tell. He believes the

Building the Arts Center would bring another dimension to the project as well, supporters say — economic development.

Colleges all around the region have ceramics programs, each year spitting out graduates with plenty of talent and desire but no capital to start their own shop.

“I turn out probably three potters a year at SCC (Southwestern Community College) who get their certification, and they graduate and still take classes out there because there’s nowhere for them to work out here, and they don’t have the means to get their own studio,” said McKee, who in addition to owning a studio teaches pottery at SCC. He’d like to see the Arts Center materialize, because it would give fledgling artists a place to practice their craft, produce some work to sell and build up the resources and clientele to open their own shop.

“I don’t see that as subsidizing,” Muth agreed. “I see that as fostering the creation of private-sector jobs.”

Nearby Dillsboro sells itself as a little town rich in artisans and artists, putting on festivals throughout the year that highlight its heritage. Most recently, the WNC Pottery Festival brought about 40 potters to town, a critical mass of artists that brought thousands of visitors and prodigious sales, McKee said. If something like the Arts Center project made it easier for more potters to set up permanent shop in Dillsboro, that would help everyone.

“The more potters we can get in town, the better our business does,” he said. “If it will bring even five more potters to the area, it would be awesome because it gives people a choice, a variety, and puts the town on the map as far as pottery goes.”

Smoky Mountain News

What is the Green Energy Park?

A DIFFERENCE IN PHILOSOPHY

park serves an important educational purpose that shouldn’t be minimized.

“There’s this educational component, which to me is the most important — just being able to teach people and to see what is possible,” he said. “I’ve used the terminology ‘turn trash into treasure.’ Obviously you’re taking rotten trash that’s creating a gas and instead of blowing it off into the stratosphere, why not use it to benefit somebody?”

Muth agrees. He loves taking groups of school kids through the park, letting them experience firsthand the three different kinds of heat transfer — convection, conduction and radiation — at the blacksmith forge. Or welcoming Western Carolina University’s strength and materials class, showing them how the crystalline structure of various metals changes with the heat.

“That’s real, hands-on education that most engineers never get,” said Muth, an engineer himself.

November 18-24, 2015

The Jackson County Green Energy Park has the world’s only blacksmith shop powered with landfill gas. All work sold in the park’s gallery is made on site. Holly Kays photo

from 15 foreign countries, and it hosts school groups from elementary through college on a regular basis, averaging one educational tour per week.

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for it, they deserve to get it, and there’s a bunch of other people around that think the same thing that aren’t getting it.”

By cutting the budget, Debnam said, the board was trying to encourage park staff to ramp up their efforts to increase revenue.

For instance, he said, the Green Energy Park could be doing a much better job of advertising its presence. Sure, there’s a sign at the entrance on Haywood Road, but a tourist passing through Dillsboro or cruising U.S. 74 would never know to drive that direction.

“There’s not even a sign to tell you there’s a Green Energy Park if you’re on the main road (U.S. 441 or U.S. 74),” Debnam said.

“That was always disappointing to me.”

Debnam isn’t the only one who would like to see the Green Energy Park do more to get the word out.

“One of the things about the Green Energy Park, which I don’t think has been done yet, is tying it more into the town of Dillsboro and the craft community there,” said Commissioner Vicki Greene. “Yeah, it’s a mile or so outside of town limits, but I think it could be done.”

Joe McKee, co-owner of Tree House Pottery, agrees.

“You got to know where you’re going to get there,” he said. “That would be step num-

CONSIDERING A NONPROFIT But all that costs money, which brings the argument full-circle. Pretty much anyone you ask will say it’s doubtful that the park could

S EE G REEN E NERGY, PAGE 8 7

G REEN E NERGY, CONTINUED FROM 7

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

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ever become fully self-funded, so where does that leave the county?

For his part, Muth would like commissioners to consider his request to form a nonprofit arm of the Green Energy Park.

“What we keep running into is the fact that because we don’t have a 501c3 nonprofit, it really limits what (grant) programs are available,” he told commissioners at an October work session.

If the county kept up with the landfill remediation and gas extraction side of things, he said, a nonprofit could manage the studio rental, class planning and grant-seeking side.

Hopefully, that would result in grant dollars largely replacing county contribution to the Green Energy Park.

“It might make some people more comfortable with it, because they wouldn’t feel like they’re supporting someone else’s salary who does art classes (with tax dollars). They could consider whether or not they want to contribute to a nonprofit or don’t have to,” Muth said.

Commissioners weren’t really buying Muth’s pitch, though, raising questions about whether a nonprofit with as strong a tie to the county government as this one would have would actually get any interest from funders.

“If it could be spun off and greatly reduce the county’s contribution to it (the Green Energy Park), I think it would make me very happy, but if I were a funder and it was owned and operated by a local government with taxing capabilities, I wouldn’t give it a second glance,” said Greene, who before running for commissioner was heavily involved in the grant seeking and awarding process at the Southwestern Commission, where she worked for 36 years.

True, the Jackson County Library has a nonprofit arm — Friends of the Jackson County Library — that fulfills a similar function to what Muth has in mind for the proposed Green Energy Park nonprofit. But the library isn’t technically a county department, Greene said — it’s a part of the larger Fontana Regional Library, which Jackson County supports from its budget — so a funder would see the two differently.

But in the world of grants, different funding organizations have different perspectives.

“It really sort of depends on the circumstance,” said Philip Belcher, vice president of programs and grants for the Community Foundation of WNC, a nonprofit that awards grants using dollars from the many funding organizations it works with. “And it depends on the funder. I’ve known foundations who won’t give to any government entity. I think that’s rare. They’re more often than not looking for the right entity.”

Sometimes it’s just easier for a nonprofit, rather than a government entity, to be in charge of the grant-seeking process. Most funders understand that, Belcher said, though adding the caveat that he’s not familiar with this particular project.

There are also plenty of variations when it comes to what kinds of projects funders want to fund, Belcher said. Some might want to give toward capital projects, ensuring that 8 their money will go to create something tan-

gible. But the old rule of thumb that grants shouldn’t fund overhead and salaries isn’t so true anymore, Belcher said.

“The fact is that most nonprofit work happens because of the workers who are in the nonprofit, so it’s really a myth that overhead is bad,” he said. “You have to have people in order to get most of this kind of work done.”

But plenty of considerations besides ease of finding funding surround any potential nonprofit formation. For instance, are there enough people with enough commitment to the Green Energy Park to volunteer their time on the board and move the project forward?

What, exactly, would the division of responsibility be between county and nonprofit? Is it really such a wise idea to turn the day-to-day of a project on which county leaders have worked long and hard over to an as-yetunknown board of directors?

For his part, McMahan believes the park should remain under county control. Beyond the artisan-related functions, education is a big part of his vision for the park. He’s got ideas for its future and wants the county to take the lead on exploring them.

In the 2014-15 budget year, the park brought in just $2,265 from studio rent — 1.5 percent of the overall budget.

Adding in other revenues, such as donations and fees for classes, brings the park’s total revenue for that year to $9,754, about 6.5 percent of expenses.

“I feel more comfortable with it (the organizational structure) remaining as is,” he said.

Meanwhile, Muth sees the nonprofit as a buffer between the project and any future political changes on the board of commissioners. While the current board supports the project, the last one did not, and who knows what turnover coming elections might bring?

“In part I’m also trying to figure out how to establish the longevity of the project so all the work we’ve put into it is not all of a sudden wiped away in one fell swoop,” he said.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE The Green Energy Park itself cannot always remain as is, however. Though production is strong right now, the methane in the landfill won’t last forever. At some point, that power source will run out, and the park will have to rely on other means of electricity if it is to continue.

Initial projections had put the life of the landfill’s methane production at 20 years, meaning it would run out between 2020 and 2030. But more recent thinking has changed that estimated life to the 30- to 50-year range,

Standing on the foundation of what he hopes will become a new Arts Center, the park’s director Timm Muth is a strong believer in the department’s mission. Holly Kays photo

Cleaning up the environment Decomposing trash releases more than just methane. Nasty chemicals such as dichloroethene, dichlorobenzene and benzene are also wrapped up in the rot, and the operation at the Green Energy Park gets rid of them, too.

“When we draw a vacuum on the hill to get the methane out, we’re also getting many contaminants out,” said Timm Muth, director of the park.

Those contaminants get wrapped up in the stream of gas that goes to the metal forges and glass shops, and in the blazing hot temperatures required to do those crafts, the harmful chemicals are destroyed, breaking down into mostly carbon dioxide and water.

“We really are having a positive effect on the environment in addition to just pulling the methane out of the ground,” Muth said.

The numbers tell the tale.

In 1999, dicloroethene levels clocked in at 31 micrograms per liter, more than five times the water quality limit. The 2005 reading for dichlorobenzene was 19 micrograms per liter, more than three times the limit. And in 2002, benzene clocked in at 14 micrograms per liter, 14 times the limit. By 2013, those measurements had dropped to 4.8, 1.8 and 1.7 micrograms per liter, respectively.

Muth said, with suggestion that closed landfills should be monitored for 100 years.

“I think it’s very safe to say we have another 20 years of gas coming out of our hill,” Muth said.

But the gas will eventually end, and McMahan would like to see the county look into solar power to carry the park forward.

That idea fits with his own philosophy of environmental responsibility.

“It’s one thing to tell somebody they need to do something, but it’s another thing when you can show and live by example,” he said at a work session last month. “I think we need to find ways to use alternative energy sources, and I think this is something we need to explore a little further.”

If the county installed solar panels atop the closed landfill, it could sell the power back to Duke Energy to offset its own power consumption, the panels keeping the “green” spirit of the park even after the methane gas is gone. If the entire 3.5 to 4 acres on the old landfill were covered with solar panels, it would be the largest such farm west of Canton.

It would also be expensive, likely costing

more than $1 million to install with a 20-year payback on energy costs, Muth said. Unless the county could find a third party to help shoulder the cost, it wouldn’t be a good idea to pursue, he told commissioners.

A more affordable option might be to install rooftop arrays on the Green Energy Park buildings. Instead of being sold back to Duke, that power would offset onsite demands, providing 40 to 75 percent of the park’s energy demands, depending on how much area the array covered. The Green Energy Park currently spends about $850 per month in electric bills.

“I think it would make sense in terms of energy security because it does kind of protect us against rising energy costs,” Muth said.

Whatever the future holds for the Green Energy Park, the discussion is likely to continue with strong opinion on opposing sides, because ultimately it comes down to a question of opinion.

“You can twist it how you want to,” Jones said. “If you’re an advocate, you can make it sound wonderful. If you think it’s a waste of taxpayer money, you can make it sound like a waste of taxpayer money.”

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“How comfortable are they speaking with those customers? If they aren’t, who do they call?” Phillips said.

Owens plans to visit merchants over the next couple of months to answer those questions.

“We would like to take an individualistic approach to this,” Owens said.

The town will give merchants brochures to keep on hand to give out.

“If they have a problem with folks congregating in front of their doors smoking they will have a brochure they can go hand them,” Onieal said.

PRESSURE POINTS The town didn’t set aside any designated smoking areas as part of the ban. Smoking is allowed on private property, but there are few islands of private turf in the heart of downtown, especially on Main Street.

“The focus is not to penalize smokers or those using tobacco but for this to serve as an educational opportunity.”

FROM THE TRAILBLAZER NEXT DOOR Nearby Canton can claim the trendsetter title as the first town in the region to pass a smoking ban for public places. Canton’s went into effect last fall. But it’s not as stringent as Waynesville’s.

Unlike Waynesville, Canton’s ban doesn’t apply to sidewalks. There simply wasn’t as big a need.

“We don’t have issues like Waynesville with hundreds of people on the sidewalks,” Canton Town Manager Seth Hendler-Voss said.

Canton’s ban mostly notably applies to town parks and rec complexes — including the pool, walking paths, outdoor concert venues and ball fields.

Unlike Waynesville, Canton carved out designated smoking areas in the parking lot of the rec park.

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— Amie Owens, Waynesville town clerk

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Smoky Mountain News

Once you step out the door of a bar or restaurant, you’re instantly on the sidewalk.

The sidewalk serves as the de facto smoking section for bars on Main Street from nightfall to closing time. Smokers will now have to cram against the entryway to stay on the bar’s side of the property line.

For Suriano, she’ll now be more likely to choose bars with private outdoor seating where you can smoke instead of the Main Street bars.

“It would be a factor,” she said.

Clay Wilson, 46, suggested lifting the ban after 8 p.m. so it doesn’t impact the nightlife scene.

“When the sun goes down, it is basically all adults. The kids aren’t out — and those are the ones we’re trying to protect,” said Wilson, a former smoker.

Aside from the bar scene, street festivals will pose another hurdle for the smoking ban.

Waynesville has around three dozen street events downtown a year.

Alongside the vigorous lineup of parades and festivals, there’s block parties, square dances, art strolls, race after-parties, mass dog walks, holiday festivities, and lesser known events from the pumpkin catapult (a post-Halloween launching of jack-o-lanterns) to the wine race (pitting waiters hefting trays

Business of the Month!

November 18-24, 2015

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER smoking ban in public places took effect in Waynesville last week, making it illegal to light up a cigarette on town sidewalks.

The smoking ban became official with little fanfare. You won’t find smoking police stationed at downtown street corners, blowing their whistles at offenders. You won’t even find no smoking signs — at least not yet.

“We are doing a slow roll out on this,” said Town Manager Marcy Onieal. “It will be a gradual education process, not a hammer. This is sort of ‘as we see a need we will address it.’”

The smoking ban was passed in May, but a six-month grace period was built in for people to get used to the idea and for word to get around. The ban includes chewing tobacco and vaping.

It applies to all town property — from the public works garage to greenways. But the ban carries the most punch downtown, where smokers are left with few places to partake now that sidewalks are off limits.

Some smokers believe there will be repercussions for downtown merchants.

“This is such a tourist community. People smoke, and if you ban smoking on the sidewalk it will hurt the businesses,” said Allyson Suriano, 39, who was smoking with friends over a late afternoon beer on the back deck of Frog Level Brewery.

“Women will start spending less because their husbands who can’t smoke will be like ‘hurry up,’” added Bethel Morales.

Town leaders contemplated that when passing the ban, but in the end decided it would be a negligible factor — and that it might even add to the town’s appeal.

“We feel like this could be part of the marketing for our area,” said Amie Owens, Waynesville’s town clerk and special projects coordinator. “It is a bold step for a town to do this.”

Downtown Waynesville Association Director Buffy Phillips said most merchants are fine with the ban. The big question they have is how it will be enforced.

Owens said the town will use a light touch and hopes it seeps into the public consciousness.

“The focus is not to penalize smokers or those using tobacco but for this to serve as an educational opportunity,” Owens said.

Ideally merchants will be partners in the education campaign. If someone is smoking on a bench outside their store and it bothers them, they now have grounds to ask them to move on.

The same for a mom at the park who is irked by the teenagers smoking in front of her kids.

“This is to empower everyone in the community to educate others,” Onieal said.

It’s unclear at this point what the recourse is if someone is bothered by a smoker but too shy to say something themselves.

“We decided to provide some safe havens for people who did want to smoke,” Hendler-Voss said. “We tried to provide some level of convenience for smokers.”

When the ban went into effect in Canton, getting the word out took patience.

“We were constantly having to enforce it at first,” Hendler-Voss said.

The biggest effort was no doubt Pickin’ in the Park, the Friday night mountain music series that draws hundreds of people. Two town police officers walked the park telling anyone who lit up that they had to take it to the parking lot.

Hendler-Voss soon realized a bigger splash was needed at first to get the word out more efficiently, so the town pressed the police departments mobile lighted speed boards — the kind that flash your speed from a hundred yards away — and programmed them with a no smoking message to set up for the night.

Hendler-Voss said they really didn’t get any pushback but that people willingly removed themselves to the parking lot rather than smoking from their seat like they used to.

Waynesville has ordered 100 signs to put around town, including parks, public parking lots, downtown, and town premises like town hall.

They are an attractive steel blue, with a green tree and mountains flanking the town’s logo. Instead of “no smoking” the sign uses positive messaging, inviting the public to enjoy a smoke-free Waynesville. It includes the 1-800 quit line for good measure. They will begin showing up next month.

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Waynesville bans smoking on public sidewalks, subtly and with a smile

loaded down with wine glasses).

Protecting the masses from the annoyance of a smoker in the crowd was one of the drivers behind the town’s smoking ban.

“We understand people have different lifestyles, but we are saying this is uncomfortable for people to do on the public sidewalks where people are crowded together,” Onieal said. “Our hope is people will be considerate of each other.”

The county recently banned smoking on the historic courthouse and justice center grounds, so the parking deck has become a popular place for smokers to congregate.

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Younger generation changing the face of Franklin

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR oung people growing up in a small town usually have one main goal — to get out.

They want to leave to find opportunity, adventure and success, but the millennials in Franklin, whether they are natives or newcomers, are now finding all that and more closer to home.

It’s hard not to notice a renewed sense of energy in town lately with more young people getting involved in the community either by starting businesses, promoting local initiatives and running for public office in Franklin. This is a major shift for a town that has long been known as a quiet retirement community. So what’s causing the swing toward a younger audience?

“I’ve found opportunity here,” said Matt Bateman, a young Franklin businessman.

“I’m an entrepreneur at heart, and that is where Franklin’s growth is going — more people are taking a leap of faith in a community that supports them.”

According to the U.S. census numbers, the 25-34 age group in Macon County has increased by more than a third from 2010 to 2014 population estimates and the 35-44 age group makes up another 10 percent of the population. While still in the minority, a groundswell of young residents are taking an active roll in preserving what they like about the town while trying to build upon it.

Brandon McMahan, a 33-year-old elementary school teacher in Macon County, just got elected to the town board of aldermen, and he’s happy to be part of the exciting change in his hometown.

“I definitely feel that the people of my generation are becoming more involved in Franklin. There’s no denying it, when you look around and see all of the young people who are deciding to stay in Franklin, to raise their families, open their businesses and plant their feet here,” he said. “It’s extremely exciting. It’s a beautiful thing and makes me quite proud that my hometown is becoming more and more a place that people are proud to call home, and are excited to be a part of.”

Finding the ability to make a living is important, but work isn’t everything for the millennial generation. Finding a balance of work and play is also a deciding factor when younger people start looking for a place to settle down and raise a family.

Macon County’s natural resources and access to outdoor recreation give people a high quality of life while also allowing them business opportunities.

The shift hasn’t happened overnight though. It’s been a gradual change. Younger downtown business owners have moved in, high-tech industries have brought in younger professionals and more people are leaving the cities for mountain life, but two recent events have really opened people’s eyes to Franklin’s future.

On Oct. 30, Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine announced that Franklin was named the 10 ‘Top Small Town” of 2015, which gives the

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

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Owner of Crabtree General Store Tim Crabtree joins Maddi Shuler behind the counter to serve coffee to new customers. Crabtree General Store is just one of many new businesses in downtown Franklin. Jessi Stone photo town a lot of great regional publicity for its outdoor opportunities.

Secondly, the residents of Franklin made it clear they wanted younger voices in leadership roles when they voted to elect McMahan and Adam Kimsey to the Franklin Board of Aldermen. The two 30-somethings were able to unseat the two incumbents — Joyce Handley, 74, and Verlin Curtis, 80, — and significantly reduce the average age on the town board.

Everyone agrees it’s an exciting time for Franklin — feeling like they’re right on the cusp of something great.

TIMES THEY ARE A’CHANGING Bob Scott, mayor of Franklin, moved to Franklin in 1967 for a job opportunity with Nantahala Power and Lighting Company.

Even though the job wouldn’t last forever, his love for Franklin has never wavered. He doesn’t see himself ever wanting to leave these mountains.

“At the time, it was a town time had sort of forgotten,” Scott said. “But it was one of the things I loved about it — it was like walking back into the 1940s or 50s.”

Scott says most of the change he’s seen throughout the years has been positive — more cultural diversity among the population, a more diverse economy and more openness to new and innovative ideas.

High-technology industries like Drake Enterprises and other entrepreneurial businesses have attracted a new demographic of residents to Franklin.

“The secret is to find your niche here and capitalize on it,” Scott said.

That’s exactly what Cory McCall and Rob Gasbarro have done with their business Outdoor 76 in downtown Franklin. McCall grew up in Franklin and got a degree in hos-

By the numbers Macon County’s population by age group in 2010 • 20-24..............................................2,450 • 25-34..............................................2,227 • 35-49..............................................3,622 • 50-64..............................................4,347 • Total population...........................33,922 Macon County’s population by age group in 2014 • 20-24..............................................1,630 • 25-34..............................................3,260 • 35-44..............................................3,440 • 45-54..............................................4,628 • Total population...........................33,875 SOURCE: US Census data pitality and tourism from Western Carolina University in 2004. Realizing the importance of Macon County’s natural resources, he and Gasbarro opened their outdoors retail store five years ago. At the time, Franklin was in the midst of a recession and struggling to fill the downtown storefronts, but now there has been an influx of new and diverse businesses.

“If someone had said five years ago that Main Street would look like it does now, I wouldn’t have believed them,” McCall said.

Even at 33, McMahan remembers Franklin before big box stores like Walmart and Kmart moved in and he’s seen many mom and pop stores go out of business. He’s seen the passage of laws allowing alcohol sales and he’s seen Franklin get its first brewery this year.

“I’ve seen a lot of Main Street businesses come and go and I’ve seen Main Street begin to flourish and develop a new identity — an identity that I believe appeals to a younger, more modern demographic at

times, but that still adheres to the expectations that we all have for what makes Franklin great,” he said.

While Scott said he is happy to see positive growth and change in Franklin, he hopes the town never loses its unique charm and that some of the past can be preserved since it’s what brings many people to the area.

Bateman hopes the Top Small Town designation from Blue Ridge Outdoors will shine a brighter spotlight on the outdoor recreational opportunities that have always been available in Macon County.

“We’re an outdoor town smack dab in the middle of the Nantahala National Forest,” he said. “We have to figure out how we can take advantage of all our natural resources without abusing them.”

While some people can’t see how outdoor recreation tourism can translate into more jobs and industry for Macon County, Bateman sees plenty of opportunity for larger outdoor businesses and perhaps even a recreational manufacturer of some sort.

McCall hopes the new title will spur more marketing of Franklin as an outdoors destination to bring in more tourism dollars.

The town is already an Appalachian Trail Community and is an important stopover for thru-hikers.

Franklin, like many small outdoor towns in the region, is always looking for ways to set itself apart.

“The award is a big deal for us and we’ll get a direct impact, but we need to use this as a launching pad to continue to showcase all we have here,” he said.

EXCITED ENTREPRENEURS Owners of Outdoor 76, Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub, Lazy Hiker Brewing, Crabtree General Store & Coffee Vault and The Bowery Restaurant are a few examples of a budding, younger generation of business owners in downtown Franklin. They are hardworking, social media savvy and community-minded — a combination that has proven successful for them.

“What we’re seeing is a good thing — there are several new businesses in town and most of those are a new generation of entrepreneurs,” said Tommy Jenkins, economic development director for Macon County.

“Every community needs a new shot of adrenaline from time to time, so this is an exciting time for Franklin.”

McCall said Outdoor 76 recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. During that time they’ve experienced tremendous growth and support. After year three, they were able to expand their business from 1,600 square feet to 5,000 square feet. Not only do they offer outdoors gear but the shop has a bar in the back with at least 12 craft beers on tap at all times. McCall said he wanted more than a business — he wanted a place of community.

When people come off the street and sit down for a drink together, they meet other residents and they chat with tourists and make them feel welcome.

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The store offers local honey and jams, classic toys and candy. The old bank, which has been vacant for six years, was completely renovated and of course no southern general store would be complete without a wraparound porch and rocking chairs. He says it’s a great time to own a business downtown.

“Businesses in Franklin are growing, and I see a lot of new faces getting involved,” Crabtree said. “Right now we’re moving into the slower season but there’s still a lot of people on Main Street.”

From what he sees, the tide is turning for small towns all over the country, with the emphasis on supporting small businesses and shopping local to improve the local economy.

It’s not just about being successful for these up and coming leaders — it’s about making Franklin successful for future generations. Instead of complaining and being frustrated that things weren’t progressing the way they wanted them to, they got involved to make it happen.

“It’s hard not to notice the shift in priorities and a shift in vision lately,” Bateman said. “I’ve been a big proponent of my hometown and it just takes getting involved to make those changes.”

Bateman helped started the Venture

Outdoor recreation economics NORTH CAROLINA • $19.2 billion in consumer spending • $1.3 billion in state and local tax revenue • $5.6 billion in wages and salaries • 192,000 direct jobs • At least 48 percent of North Carolina residents participate in outdoor recreation each year.

NATIONALLY • $646 billion in consumer spending • $39.7 billion in state and local tax revenue • $39.9 billion in federal ta revenue • 6.1 million direct American jobs SOURCE: Outdoor Industry Association Local Franklin, a grassroots initiative to encourage people to shop local and invest in their community. Venture Local Franklin has so far put together 27 cash mob events at local businesses to help boost their revenue and so far they’ve been extremely successful

in raising awareness and money.

“People may think it doesn’t help but it does help — it helps people pay their lease,” he said. “It also helps people better understand what options they have for shopping at home before they buy online.”

He also helps promote Franklin online through his website www.stayandplayinthesmokies.com. If someone searches for the hashtag #FranklinForward on social media, they can see a host of positive news going on in town.

“Franklin forward is a phrase we’re all buying into — there’s a lot of good content about our town being shared,” Bateman said.

McCall said Outdoor 76 has always tried to incorporate a sense of community into its business. It is actively involved in promoting the town by encouraging people to vote in the “Top Small Town” competition and participating in community events.

One thing he’s noticed is that the younger generation of business owners has finally accepted that if they want things to change and they have the resources to make it happen, they need to step up to do it.

“We would get frustrated because we wanted to see things change, but we realized we needed to be the ones to lead it,” McCall said.

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Smoky Mountain News

Noah McIntee, head brewer at Lazy Hiker Brewing, has found the same to be true just down the street. Lazy Hiker, which opened in May in the former town hall building on Main Street, is Franklin’s first craft brewery.

“It’s been good — the community has been very responsive,” McIntee said.

“We’re trying to create awesome beers for a broad market and a place for the community to gather.”

The new brewery also offers additional nightlife for Franklin with an outdoor stage for live music. McIntee moved his family to Franklin from Buffalo, New York, to take the head brewer job at Lazy Hiker. His wife Jennifer McIntee also started her own business on Main Street — Beyond Bending Yoga.

“It’s a great environment to be in — we have a lot of natural resources and we’re easily accessible to different markets,” he said. “Things just continue to build upon each other.”

Tim Crabtree, owner of Motor Company Grill in downtown Franklin, recently opened Crabtree General Store just across from the Macon County Courthouse. Just like the old town hall building was turned into a brewery, Crabtree turned a vacant bank building into an old-timey general store with a full coffee bar.

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“It will put the spotlight on us and there’s a potential for growth that will have a ripple effect,” he said. “And we’ll need to be prepared for that.”

During election season, Mayor Bob Scott said he was excited to see younger candidates running for office to bring different perspectives and ideas to the board. He also feels like the town has been working to engage younger residents by putting younger people in leadership roles. The town hired new town manager Summer Woodard about two years ago.

The 30-year-old holds a master’s degree in public administration from Western Carolina University, and so does Chad Simons, the town’s clerk.

“When we took on the new town manager, she brought a new attitude to town,” Scott said.

When asked what impact the younger aldermen might have on the town’s direction, Scott said, “I think it’s a little too early to tell.”

Even though two members may bring new ideas to the table, they would still need to convince the other four board members to go along with it. Scott knows from experience that a candidate can have plenty of plans, but they quickly realize that making those plans come to fruition can be more difficult than expected once elected.

“Once you’re on the other side of the fence, it’s different,” he said.

McMahan agrees that things may not go exactly how he expects it to, but on the other hand, he and Kimsey really didn’t make any bold promises other than to be an open and unifying voice for the town.

“No one knows what the future holds, no one knows how Adam and I are going to do as aldermen, but they believed in us enough to vote us in,” he said. “That says to me that the people of Franklin are excited to participate in a grand experiment and give change a chance.”

November 18-24, 2015

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR veryone was a bit surprised on Nov. 3 when the election results came out in Franklin — even the candidates who were elected.

No one was shocked that Joe Collins, a former mayor and alderman, was put back in office, but many were pleasantly surprised to see Brandon McMahan and Adam Kimsey elected to fill the other two seats on the board.

McMahan was the top vote-getter with 230 votes and Kimsey came in third with 168 votes.

Not only did McMahan and Kimsey replace two incumbents, but also they significantly reduced the average age on the town board. McMahan, 33, and Kimsey, 30, replaced incumbents Joyce Handley, 74, and Verlin Curtis, 80. While it may be that voters wanted younger representation, it was definitely a clear sign that the residents of Franklin were ready for more change.

“I think that these election results are partially due to a certain set of Franklin’s young people becoming more active and involved in their communities, but I think that just as much, these election results reflect an ideology that is becoming more pervasive in our town,” McMahan said. “Regardless of age, the idea that Franklin is an amazing and beautiful town, but that it can grow into something even better, and that change and growth are to be embraced and encouraged.”

This year’s election was a continuation of

Matt Bateman, an active community advocate and local businessman, said he was glad to see some younger folks in Franklin stepping up to serve and voters who were willing to give them a chance.

“Two years ago people wanted some fresh ideas but there were too many people running and it watered down the vote,” he said.

“But during the last two years, there were a few issues that people got worked up about and it spoke to the root of the problem — it definitely had an effect on how people voted this year.”

McMahan said he would like to see improved communication and cooperation between the various groups that have a vested interest in the town. He also wants to see the town be friendlier to bike and foot traffic and continue to improve the town in any way possible to make it more welcoming for new businesses and for individuals.

“We all want to see Franklin grow and succeed, and while we don’t all have to have the same viewpoint, we do need to make an attempt to understand and respect each other’s viewpoints and be willing to compromise with one another,” he said.

Cory McCall, co-owner of Outdoor 76 in downtown Franklin, said having younger, more progressive voices in town government will hopefully be a great opportunity to address issues previous boards didn’t. He would like to see a better marketing plan for Franklin to attract outdoor enthusiasts and young families who can enjoy the natural resources and downtown businesses in the county.

McCall said Franklin’s new designation as the “Top Small Town” in Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine could help the town attract visitors and potential businesses. If that happens, he said the town government needed to be thinking about future services and infrastructure needs.

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Franklin elects fresh faces to town board

the changes voters wanted in 2013 when they elected two new board members — Barbara McRae and Patti Abel — and kept longtime member Billy Mashburn. Mashburn will be the only incumbent left on the board when Collins, McMahan and Kimsey are sworn in next month.

McMahan and Kimsey are representative of a bourgeoning group of business owners and community leaders in Franklin. At one time they co-owned The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in downtown, but now McMahan is an elementary school teacher while Kimsey and his wife continue to run the business. As natives of Franklin, they both have a vested interest in the Brandon McMahan town’s future.

McMahan said he thinks the election was about more than age.

While he’s sure many of his and Kimsey’s peers voted for them, he also knows of many older residents who supported them as well simply Adam Kimsey because they agreed with their positions on the issues. As an alderman, McMahan said he wants to represent all residents’ best interests.

“I can say that I did not specifically target any demographic with any of my campaigning.

I just talked to everyone, and let everyone know how I felt,” he said. “I think a few of the older folks just voted for us to ‘give the young guys a chance.’ I think it made people happy — younger people and older people — to see two members of my generation who were excited to be involved so deeply in local politics.”

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BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER comprehensive public safety campus is coming into shape in Haywood County with the construction of a new EMS and emergency management headquarters beside the sheriff ’s office in Hazelwood.

The new EMS and emergency management headquarters will provide a centralized home base for emergency operations, something that is now lacking. Ambulances, quarters for crews, office space for managers and supervisors, and supply storage are currently housed in myriad locations around the county, adding a layer of complexity to the finelytuned coordination of providing fast and efficient emergency response.

Emergency services have expanded by necessity over the past three decades to keep up with the growing population. EMS goes on 10,500 calls a year.

It not only takes more public safety workers to meet that demand, but they are outfitted with more equipment and technology than they used to be.

Finding a place to stash it all — both the additional staff and additional equipment — has been carried out in a hodgepodge fashion.

“It is all parked here and there,” said Greg Shuping, emergency management director.

Haywood County EMS currently operates six ambulances countywide. It has four back-up ambulances it can press into service during heavy call volumes or use in a pinch if one breaks down or just needs an oil change.

But there’s only garage space for one of the four back-up ambulances. The other three back-up ambulances are kept outside, which means they can’t be kept stocked with supplies.

“Every ambulance we operate has drugs and IV fluids on it that are very temperature sensitive. We spend a lot of time putting stuff on trucks and taking it off trucks because if we leave it on the truck it would become a victim of temperature extremes,” EMS Director Jim Pressley said.

Having enough bays for the spare ambulances will solve that problem.

“We will have the ability to park everything in a heated bay out of the weather,” Pressley said.

But that’s not the only hassle ambulance

A

drivers currently face when it comes to stocking their supplies. There’s no space to store supplies at the current ambulance garage and staff quarters, so every time they need to restock they have to trek across town to an off-site storage location.

“We will finally have an EMS building where the supplies will live in the same building as our people,” Pressley said.

The same benefits hold true for emergency management services.

During a disaster or emergency — whether it’s a simple search-and-rescue or major landslide evacuation — Shuping deploys a mobile field base set-up to coordinate the efforts of firefighters, police, medics and rescuers.

The quicker Shuping can get a mobile communications trailer and mobile com-

“This will be the first new Haywood County EMS and Emergency Management base ever constructed. We wanted to make sure we did this right.”

— Dale Burris, Haywood county facilities director

mand post trailer set up at the scene, more organized the response will be.

Since the trailers are parked outside, the equipment that outfits them has to be taken out and stored separately inside somewhere.

“We can’t store $20,000 of computer equipment in a trailer that’s sitting outside,” Shuping said.

And from a practical matter, the cold would zap the radio batteries.

Simply getting en route to an emergency requires an “organized scramble” to round everything up, Shuping said.

“All the technology that goes on these trailers is in my office somewhere in various rooms. The trailers are behind the county garage. The pole light tower and generator trailer are in

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Rendering by Padgett & Freeman Architects

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the sheriff ’s impound lot. The four-wheeler for hauling responders into remote areas are kept in the parking deck,� Shuping said.

The new bank of equipment bays at the emergency operations headquarters will finally provide inside conditioned space for the trailers, so equipment can be stored in them ready to go and in one place. “It will avoid the controlled chaos we have now,� Shuping said.

The new emergency management headquarters will be built on the site of an old —state prison that was closed several years ago and acquired by the county for $1.

Dale Burris, the county facilities director who’s led the design process, thinks the central headquarters will help response times. “Sometimes people don’t think about it, but five minutes can make all the difference in the world,� Burris said.

EMS and emergency management have arguably gotten used to the makeshift spaces they’ve been using, but that makes the new headquarters an even more significant milestone. “This will be the first new Haywood County EMS and Emergency Management

base ever constructed,� Burris said. “We wanted to make sure we did this right.�

Burris, who is actually on the emergency management incident response team, held regular round-tables with Shuping and Pressley to program the space and layout in concert with the architect.

In addition to ambulance and equipment bays, the 13,000-square-foot building includes office space for emergency management staff and EMS supervisors, sleeping and living quarters for ambulance crews, and storage.

Burris estimated the price tag will be under $3 million. The county will put the project out to bid next month.

NEW 911 CENTER In a separate but related project, a new $2.7 million 911 dispatch and communication center is being constructed inside the sheriff ’s office next door to the emergency services headquarters. It’s being paid for entirely with grant money. Over half the price tag is for 911 equipment and technology, including a new radio tower to carry signals

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A new headquarters for Haywood County emergency medical services and emergency management will improve the appearance of Hazelwood along one of its major thoroughfares.

It will be located beside the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office on Brown Avenue, on the site of the former state prison.

The rendering shown above is what you’d see off to the left if driving down Brown Avenue toward Hazelwood.

The attractive L-shaped building with a long bank of ambulance and equipment bays will screen the ramshackle collection of cinderblock buildings behind it — from the Pathway Center homeless shelter dorms to the animal shelter to county maintenance sheds.

construction will get underway soon.

Aside from the improved physical space, there’s intangible benefits of having a centralized campus for emergency services, 911 and law enforcement, Shuping said. “Yes, this is a building but what it is really doing is it will put all of us on the same campus,� said Shuping, Emergency Services Director. “If I need to speak to 911, I can simply walk a couple hundred feet, or if the sheriff needs to speak to us.� “It makes it all more cohesive,� Haynes said.

from the dispatchers to the network of emergency responders across the county.

Dispatchers are currently squirreled away in a cramped satellite basement across town.

Housing dispatch in the same building as the sheriff ’s office will be improve response, according to Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes. “It will tie up loose ends and gaps and provide a great efficiency,� Haynes said. “It will streamline the process by bringing them in under the roof and increase the continuity.�

Local contractor Clark and Leatherwood won the bid for the 911 dispatch center and

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Whittier farmers likely to set up shop in Drexel building Commissioners express support for packaging center idea

November 18-24, 2015

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What is the Drexel property?

For more than 30 years after its 1964 construction, the Drexel Heritage Furniture Plant operated in Whittier next to where the Pepsi-Cola warehouse is now.

But the plant eventually closed, and in the early 2000s the county bought it as part of an economic development initiative. The wood components manufacturer Clearwood LLC briefly leased the 82,000-square-foot building, but since that company moved out the property has sat vacant.

Then the Southwestern North Carolina Resource Conservation and Development Council started working to develop an agricultural center on the site. But cost issues — a building assessment revealed it would cost $1.7 million to bring the structure up to code — coupled with restrictions due to the property’s siting on a flood plain and atop a Cherokee historical site — sidelined the effort. Since then, discussion of alternative futures for the property has abounded.

It’s simpler for the county to work through a lease — especially, at $40 per year, a discount lease like the one Ward proposed — with a nonprofit, and the grant-seeking process will be easier that way.

The proposal asks for a 10-year agreement with an option to renew for another 10 years, also asking for an early termination option.

Commissioners were in favor of the early termination question, bringing up the point that if some great economic development opportunity came their way that hinged on use of the Drexel plant, they’d want the chance to get that space back.

“Is 10 years the magic number? Could it be five?” asked Commissioner Mark Jones.

“It could be, but five is real short because

when you’re doing something like this you have so much lead-in time, then you have a little time here to see if it’s going to work or not,” Ward said. “Five would be the minimum.”

So, there will be some details to iron out before the two parties reach a final agreement, but all five commissioners indicated that they’d like to keep moving down this road with the Thomas Valley group.

Which is significant, because the farmers aren’t the only ones to have expressed interest in using the old factory.

In September, Cashiers resident Frank Smith approached commissioners with his vision for a for-profit enterprise that would purchase the property

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER group of Whittier farmers hoping to turn the vacant Drexel factory into an agricultural resource got a nod of support from Jackson County commissioners this week.

At their work session Tuesday, commissioners delivered a consensus that they want to move further down the road to a formal agreement with the farmers, who first approached commissioners with the idea in August. At that time, the idea had been a rough concept more than an actual plan, brought to commissioners’ attention somewhat hastily when the farmers heard that the board was considering giving the property away.

As it turned out, such a decision wasn’t on the immediate horizon, but the farmers wanted to bring themselves to commissioners’ attention as an option. The August discussion ended with an agreement to wait until the harvest season was over and farmers had some planning time before making decisions on the property’s future.

That’s what Joe Ward, a cattle farmer who’s been working for years to steer the property toward a productive future, had in

hand when he approached commissioners this week.

“We hope to have it up and running for the 2016 growing season, which is getting closer than you’d think already,” Ward said.

The “it” in question was Thomas Valley Agricultural Producers, LLC. The five Whittier farmers with a stake in the company — Ward, William Shelton, Kent Cochran, Nathaniel Darnell and Brian Bumgarner — would do the work and foot the bill to remake part of the building as a place to house equipment for packaging produce for sale, and for storing produce for wholesale to retail outlets. The site could also host agricultural events such as tractor pulls and fairs, as well as educational and cultural opportunities.

The group would look at forming a nonprofit alongside the LLC to carry out some of those functions not related to agricultural operations, Ward said.

Commissioners told Ward they support what the farmers were trying to do but thought they should revise the organizational structure before moving forward. In particular, they said, it would be best for them to forget the LLC idea and make the whole thing a nonprofit.

“As a commissioner looking at this, I think you need to go back and name yourself the Thomas Valley Agricultural Producers — forget the LLC and we’ll expect to hear back from you as a nonprofit,” Commissioner Vicki Greene told Ward.

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As she leaves the podium at the Webster Veterans Day Ceremony, former Webster High School student Barbara Bennett finds out from World War II Army veteran Ralph Fields that her fallen uncle William Guffey had died while delivering supplies to Fields’ unit. Holly Kays photo

“I gave my word to the farmers,” Commission Chairman Brian McMahan said.

Smith had said that he didn’t see his plan and the farmers’ as mutually exclusive — he likely wouldn’t need all the space at once and would be open to leasing some of it to the group. However, as Smith’s proposal involved purchasing the property and the Thomas Valley group is now talking through the particulars of a lease from the county, commissioners won’t consider Smith’s proposal any further unless something falls through in the agreement with the farmers.

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— which includes the 82,000-square-foot building and 21 acres — for $500,000. He would foot the bill for renovations, which are estimated at well over $1 million, and create a production center for eco-friendly homes, a music venue, business incubator and marketplace for local crafts and food products.

Because the property would then be privately owned, it would go back on county tax rolls and generate property tax.

But commissioners told Smith he’d have to wait for an answer until they’d heard back from the farmers.

Remembering the fallen

November 18-24, 2015

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hen William Guffey’s name was first etched on the stone face of the monument outside the old Webster School — along with those of his 10 fallen classmates — the year was 1951, the wounds of World War II were fresh and his niece Barbara Sutton Bennett was a senior at the school.

Part of the senior class that collected money to erect the monument, Bennett well remembers the day — Feb. 18, 1944 — a telegram arrived informing the family that Guffey was dead. It was devastating. The monument was one small way she could do something to commemorate his life.

The monument was installed 64 years ago, and last week more than 200 people gathered for Veterans Day to rededicate it, cleaned-up and relocated to be more accessible on the property. As speakers, including Bennett, shared memories of wartime at Webster High School and veterans were honored with roses and poppy pins, the past didn’t seem so far away.

For Bennett’s family, it was a plane crash that brought grief to their doorstep. Guffey’s crew was tasked with dropping supplies to troops in southeast Asia, and when his plane went down over Burma, only two of the eight crew members survived.

The story resonated with Ralph Fields, a WWII Army veteran who grew up in Alabama.

When Guffey died, he was on his way to bring supplies to Fields’ unit, Fields said.

“They brought us food, weapons, anything like that,” Fields said. “That was the only way we got anything.”

As Bennett wrapped up her comments at the podium, Fields, who now lives in Jackson County, approached Bennett. He leaned in and told her how important Guffey — though he and Fields had never met — was to his survival. Bennett opened her mouth in shock and then spread her arms wide for a hug.

“That’s amazing,” she said when the embrace ended. “Thank you for telling me.”

As former Webster High School student Joe Rhinehart said, “Webster School is not a school. It’s always been a family.”

So too, last week’s gathering showed, is this nation’s community of veterans and the people who love them.

“It is not something that is hollow,” U.S. Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, said at the event in reference to military service. “It is something to be honored and cherished and preserved.”

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Incinerator moratorium sought Recycling center opponents are unlikely land-use planning allies

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER proposed recycling clearinghouse in the Haywood County industrial park outside Canton has been nixed, but a handful of residents haven’t given up their fight.

Opponents appealed to county commissioners again this week — their fourth appearance before commissioners in two months — this time asking for a countywide moratorium on waste incinerators.

“The swiftness with which our community and county came together is incredible,” said Debbie King, a leader of the opposition movement against the recycling sorting plant.

But King said it was too soon to declare victory. King fears the people behind the controversial recycling clearinghouse could still have their sights set on Haywood County — not just for an operation that mines recyclables from the waste stream but also for an incinerator that would burn the waste left over after the sorting process.

And while the industrial park is now off the table, there’s nothing to Debbie King stop such an operation from locating somewhere else in Haywood County given the lack of land-use regulations.

King asked commissioners to impose a moratorium on waste incinerators to allow for a study period.

Commissioners were unreceptive to the idea, however. Commissioner Kevin Ensley said the notion of an incinerator was a red herring concocted by a handful of opponents as a rumor to whip up opposition to the recycling center in the Beaverdam industrial park.

“There was never, ever, ever going to be incineration, gasification or a waste dump in Beaverdam. We were never, ever going to do that,” Ensley said. “I don’t know how it got turned…I do know how it got turned…but it was wrong.”

Some opponents feared an incinerator was a secret part of the plan for the recycling clearinghouse all along.

The front man for the proposed recycling plant had pitched a waste incinerator a few

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

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16

Debbie King, a leader of the opposition movement to the controversial recycling clearinghouse in Haywood County, appealed to county commissioners to impose a moratorium on waste incinerators this week. But public outcry witnessed by large crowds at earlier public hearings (above) hasn’t translated to the new cause. Becky Johnson photo years ago in Transylvania County, and critics feared that he would do the same thing in Haywood to get rid of the waste left over after sifting out recyclables.

Ensley took issue with that theory.

“This was just a big metal building where they took recyclables and dumped them in a big hopper and ran them along conveyor belts,” Ensley said. “That’s all the project ever was.”

Commissioner Mark Swanger said the opponents’ request for a moratorium on incinerators was flawed. The speakers wanted the moratorium to include biomass, gasification and waste-to-energy conversion.

Swanger said the broad terminology would apply to anyone who burned firewood and to Evergreen Paper mill, which produces a portion of their electricity by burning scrap wood chips. It would also apply to the process used at the old county landfill that converts built-up underground methane into electricity.

“There’s a lot that goes into this beyond buzz words. There’s a lot of real life things that go into a moratorium on such a broad stroke,” Swanger said.

Swanger also questioned whether the county could legally impose a moratorium under state statute in the absence of as tangible threat.

“We don’t have any conditions. We have rhetoric. We have people talking about it. But we have no specific conditions that exist that would warrant a moratorium,” Swanger said.

Pam Bailey, who also spoke at the commissioners meeting this week, said the resi-

Haywood less progressive than neighbors in regulating high-impact industry Most mountain counties lack comprehensive land-use regulations known as zoning, instead using a suite of ordinances tailored to address a singular problem.

Haywood County has rules for cell towers, helicopter sight-

“There was never, ever, ever going to be incineration, gasification or a waste dump in Beaverdam. We were never, ever going to do that.”

— Kevin Ensley, Haywood County commissioner

dents of Haywood County dodged the bullet this time, but what about next time?

“There will be others interested in purchasing land in Haywood for harmful and undesirable types of industry,” she said. “We want our county to be protected from harm and developed into a place where we can all live, work and play without a fear of what might happen next.”

But Swanger said such a proposition was a “slippery slope” to zoning.

“I do not intend to support a moratorium,” Swanger said.

“Nope,” Ensley added.

PANDORA’S BOX The debate over the recycling center has been laced with unspoken political overtones.

Leaders of the opposition movement have

seeing operations, billboards, adult entertainment, trailer parks and steep slope construction, but it has nothing on the books that governs heavy industrial use.

Jackson and Macon counties have had ordinances regulating “high-impact uses” and heavy industry for over a decade, however.

Macon County’s governs a dozen specific operations including air strips, saw mills, slaughterhouses, race tracks, mining, asphalt plants and incinerators.

Jackson’s is more sweeping, governing the much broader category of “heavy industry.”

been vocal political adversaries of county government over the years.

The large crowd that joined their outcry over the recycling center seemingly evaporated overnight.

Opponents numbered over 150 at the first public hearing. This week, only five spoke up for a moratorium.

The fickle nature of the opposition — which emerged only when their own backyard was on the line — is telling. The recycling center controversy that just a few weeks ago gave rise to impassioned pleas to protect the rural character of Beaverdam could have been a catalyst for a larger discussion about land-use protections, but instead rose and fell like a one-shot wonder.

County Planner Kris Boyd said it would be unusual for a county to single out just one heavy industrial use like incinerators.

Counties that have high-impact use ordinances address a host of industries that some would consider offensive — due either to noise, fumes, dust or light.

“It would be difficult to single out one certain industry to regulate. Why is this one particular industry so bad you would want to prohibit it?” Boyd said. “If you were going to explore the issue, would you probably not also explore some of the like entities instead of just one?”

But that’s apparently not what those calling for a moratorium on incinerators intended.

“I am not in favor of big government. I feel like we have too many ordinances,” said Richard West, who nonetheless advocated for a moratorium on incinerators.

When asked whether his concern over incinerators applied to other industries that could pose a nuisance for neighbors, West said ‘no.’

“I do not want comprehensive anything. I would rather use a rifle than a shotgun. You get a lot more collateral damage with a shotgun,” West said.

There are no rules in Haywood County, except in town limits, on what type of industry can go where. The only reason the county had a say so in the recycling plant was because county industrial park land was involved.

Jeremy Davis, another recycling plant opponent, was stumped when asked whether there should be more regulations to keep uses like this from happening elsewhere in the county.

“Zoning is a tough issue,” said Davis. “I am a big believer in individual property rights — my property my way.”

He wasn’t sure how to square his overarching philosophy with his opposition to the recycling center.

“That’s a tough one. It’s some-

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The ordinances in Jackson and Macon stipulate that highimpact uses have to be a certain distance from their neighbors, ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 feet. That means finding an awfully big tract to comply with the minimum separation.

Realistically, it could be tantamount to a ban if such a parcel couldn’t be found.

“There probably aren’t a lot of areas where an industry coming to town would be allowed,” said John Jeleniewski with the Jackson planning department. “I don’t think it bans it.

Those tracts do exist. You would have to look for the appropriate parcel.”

The Haywood County Child Support Office is holding an Amnesty Day in an effort increase collections for the children in the county.

On Nov. 20, any non-custodial parent with — an outstanding arrest order may come to the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency to resolve the matter. Every arrest order issued stipulates a purge amount that must be paid in order to be released from incarceration.

In order to resolve the arrest order, a noncustodial parent will be required to pay a negotiated purge amount; this is not a get out of jail free card. The non-custodial parent will also be placed under a Conditional Release Order, which requires them to make all future payments in full and on time.

Contact Patricia Conklin, Child Support Supervisor, Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency at 828.356.2366.

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thing I would need to think about,” Davis said.

Adam King, who spoke out at a commissioner meeting two weeks ago, said just because he opposed the recycling plant in Beaverdam doesn’t mean he wants land-use regulations governing what kinds of heavy industries can go where.

“That gets into zoning issues. Nobody wants to go whole hog on zoning,” King said.

The debate over land use — whether development should have guidelines or be solely up to free enterprise — often shakes out along party lines.

Democrats are more likely to believe in land-use planning while Republicans are more likely to have a laissez-faire philosophy.

But the discussion playing out in Haywood has been a party role reversal. West, Davis and King — advocates of a moratorium on incinerators — are leaders of the local Republican Party.

The commissioners who rejected the idea of a moratorium are mostly Democrats.

November 18-24, 2015

After six months of developing a Community Revitalization Plan to guide the region’s economic future, local leaders have unveiled the plan, which will determine whether the region will advance in the America’s Best Communities competition for a chance to win a $3 million grand prize.

The comprehensive plan coordinated by the Southwestern Commission aims to continue ongoing efforts to establish a recognized brand for the region, support and assist in the expansion of existing business, create an environment which supports and fosters entrepreneurship, promote and expand regional tourism opportunities, reduce isolation, revitalize and strengthen communities and expand community capacity.

Clay, Graham, Macon and Swain counties are one of only 50 communities across the country that advanced into the quarterfinals of the America’s Best Communities competition. A panel of expert judges will now review the revitalization plans, and the best proposals will be awarded additional funding in the next rounds of the competition.

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Swain County to get first FM radio station tation manager Robert Lowe hopes to have Swain County’s first FM radio station up and running by next week.

While he’s still waiting for the engineer to install the broadcast tower, he anticipates launching the radio station from Bryson City at 5 p.m. Nov. 27. The broadcast facility will be co-located with Grace Christian Academy at 498 Arlington Avenue.

“The studio space has already been constructed and more of our equipment is arriving on a daily basis,” Lowe said.

Lowe also said that the mission of WTIJ Radio would be to provide community-centered programming to the citizens of Swain County. Going beyond local weather forecasts and community announcements, WTIJ plans to accomplish its mission in several ways, first, by providing “Fridays at Five,” a weekly, faith-based, communityaffairs program.

A large portion of the daily programming schedule will be available to area churches. With both a performance area and an auditorium available for the station’s use, there will be plenty of opportunities for the live broadcast of local musicians.

Daily reports from the local agricultural extension office and Federal-State Market News will be heard.

Several “Radio Days” will be donated throughout the year to community organizations such as the Lion’s Club. Finally, WTIJ plans to develop and begin broadcasting news programs several times daily that focus on happenings within its coverage area.

“WTIJ’s vision is to increase community awareness and showcase the relevance of community broadcasting in the 21st century,” Lowe said. In addition to the objectives put forth in its mission statement, WTIJ hopes to become a “learning lab” of sorts, “a good opportunity, especially since the station is located within an educational institution,” Lowe said.

WTIJ-FM was approved for 100 watts one year ago during the 2013 annual filing window opened by the Federal Communications Commission. This was to license low-powered, non-commercial FM stations to nonprofit organizations. Since that time, funds have been appropriated to complete the construction of the radio station.

According to preliminary maps, WTIJ will cover most of Swain County and part of Jackson County, including Bryson City, Cherokee and Whittier.

Although WTIJ missed its initial projected launch date in October, the station should be on the radio dial at 100.7 FM by

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the end of November.

Lowe said the station would broadcast music that is “uplifting and encouraging” as well as every moment of Swain County High School sports. WTIJ is currently broadcasting online at www.swaincountyfm.com.

BRYSON CITY AM RADIO CHANGES HANDS Five Forty Broadcasting Company has signed a lease agreement with Lighthouse Broadcasting Company for the temporary operation of Bryson City Radio Station WBHN. The agreement allows the station to be operated by Five Forty Broadcasting Company until the Federal Communications Commission approves the transfer of the station license from Lighthouse Broadcasting Company to Five Forty Broadcasting Company, based in Sylva.

Temporarily, the formats will remain the same during testing, installation of new equipment, completing programming contracts and identifying elements for the stations. In the immediate future, the WBHN Radio format will undergo significant changes to include more communityfocused programs and coverage of local events. Tradio, Five Forty Focus, and several other programs will air on both stations.

In 2009, the radio station suspended its operations for financial reasons. At the time, two competing groups began scrambling to save WBHN and get it back on the air before the FCC revoked its broadcasting license. If a station goes dark for more than 365 days, the license to broadcast on that frequency is revoked by the FCC. Lloyd Brown, pastor of Spruce Grove Baptist Church in Bryson City, ended up purchasing the radio station in 2010 and has been slowly working to revive the AM frequency.

While Brown couldn’t be reached for comment, the radio station’s website stated that the station had to go off the air because of financial difficulties. In a previous interview, he said it cost $2,000 a month to keep the nonprofit station afloat.

“Due to the current economic conditions, WBHN has been unable to secure the necessary funding through advertising to continue operations. It is with great regret and with no alternative that this decision has been made,” Brown said.

The station has served Swain County since 1967. To listen, tune your radio dial to 1590 AM, and tell the station what music and programming you want to hear by calling 828.488.2682.

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New property tax values coming to Jackson

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER The yardstick Jackson County will use to calculate property values next year is up for discussion at a public hearing 5:40 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Jackson County Administration Building.

The county’s schedule of values is a massive document that delineates how different characteristics of a home — square footage, neighborhood and type of foundation, for starters — affect its value.

“Once adopted, this is actually the basis for any evaluations until our next revaluation, whenever that is,” said County Manager Chuck Wooten. “That’s why this is a really very important step.”

Come January, property owners will get a piece of mail declaring their home’s adjusted value, and on average that number is set to go down. Bobby McMahan, the county’s tax assessor, isn’t done crunching all the numbers, but on average the decline will likely be in the 20 percent range.

The last revaluation was done in 2008, when Jackson was at the height of its housing boom. Shortly thereafter, the recession hit and market values plummeted. Because

On average, home values in Jackson County will drop when the county revaluation takes effect next year, but different homes will be affected differently. Donated photo

lower assessed values mean a smaller property tax base, the county put off revaluation until 2016, at eight years the longest gap legally allowed. County commissioners have said they’ll be looking to maintain a revenue-neutral budget, meaning they’ll likely up the tax rate so that the overall revenue coming from the decreased home values will be the same as what the county’s been taking in with the inflated values.

While the average tax bill won’t change under this plan, the situation will vary for individual homeowners. High-value homes,

for instance, saw the biggest jump in price during the boom and the biggest drop in value afterward, so these homeowners could see a lower tax bill following the revaluation and increased tax rate. Meanwhile, lowervalue homes didn’t see as much swing between boom and bust, so owners of those homes might see a higher tax bill after the revaluation and increased tax rate.

Though values now aren’t what they were at their height — and quite possibly never will be — the situation is better than it’s been since the recession, McMahan said.

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Hearing scheduled on calculation method

Want to go?

What: Public hearing on Jackson County’s new schedule of values.

When: 5:40 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 Where: Room A201 of the Jackson County Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road in Sylva Why: The schedule of values will be used as a measuring stick with which to determine tax values for homes and other properties across Jackson County. Oral comments are limited to three minutes. The 233-page document is online at www.jacksonnc.org/PDF/agenda/november05/20151105-item3.pdf.

“I don’t know that it’s 100 percent there (recovered). I’d say no,” McMahan said. “But is it way, way better than it was three years ago or even two years ago? Absolutely.”

Going forward, the county will likely plan another revaluation before eight more years elapse. Shorter gaps mean less work per revaluation for McMahan’s office, as well as capturing increased market value in property taxes.

“As we start our budget process come the first of the year, we can start thinking about going to a four-year cycle if we need to,” said County Commission Chairman Brian McMahan.

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BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER eaders of Lake Junaluska and the town of Waynesville are weighing whether to try once again to push a merger bill through the General Assembly next year, or whether they are better off staying outside the political arena for a while.

“We each have to decide collectively whether to pursue annexation again in the short session,” said Waynesville Town Manager Marcy Onieal.

To be clear, both the town and the lake are still for it.

“The needs of Lake Junaluska have not changed nor have the benefits to the town of Waynesville changed,” Onieal said.

The Waynesville town board still unanimously supports the merger in principle, including one new town board member who will take office next month following the town election.

Lake Junaluska homeowners still support it, too.

“We continue to decisively support the issue of annexation. Looking at the benefits and where we want our community to be five, 10, 20 years from now — this is the course of action that will allow us to do that,” said Ed LaFontaine, head of the Lake Junaluska Property Owners Organization.

But simply put, trying again could be pointless unless the cast of characters in Raleigh changes.

The merger has been stymied for three years in a row. It seems destined to play out that way yet again unless there’s a gamechanger at the ballot box next fall.

The merger has been repeatedly blocked

by N.C. Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville.

Presnell initially worked behind the scenes to scuttle the merger bill from being

Conference highlights importance of tourism Creating vibrant downtowns and a robust economy for North Carolina’s 26 westernmost counties was the focus of the LEAD:Tourism conference recently held at Western Carolina University.

The conference drew some 100 attendees from across Western North Carolina, including government officials, business leaders and cultural heritage representatives. Topics included strategies for downtown revitalization, best practices for small town main street development, turning local assets into community pride and tourist spending, and the role of creative arts in downtowns.

Morse presented the “Tourism’s Economic Impact on Western North Carolina 2014” report, containing detailed county-spe-

approved. Her subversive role working against the merger was strongly suspected but difficult to prove beyond innuendo from other General Assembly political insiders.

Her opposition became apparent this year, however. Twice the merger bill was on the eve of passage when Presnell spoke out against it in front of witnesses, bending the ear of the House leader both times to pull it.

“She walked right up to the speaker and asked him to pull the bill,” said Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, recounting what went down at the end of the last legislative session.

“People are extremely frustrated that yet again it has been obstructed, and they wonder — will it ever come to pass? All I can tell them is you never give up.”

The merger bill would have merely granted the town and Lake Junaluska permission to hold a formal election on the merger issue.

The merger would occur only if residents of both the lake and the town approved it.

LaFontaine said the community is at a loss to understand why a bill giving the community the right to self-determination was blocked.

“Clearly the expectation was we would be supported in finding a democratically determined outcome,” LaFontaine said. “Most of us operate in some kind of assumption that decisions are made through an understandable process. In this case we don’t really know what went on behind the scenes that led to the bill not being allowed to be voted on.”

NEXT STEPS Both the town and the lake have been in operational holding patterns to various degrees over the past three years. Both held staff positions open or postponed equipment purchases assuming a merger was just around the corner and would bring a consolidation of resources.

The holding pattern has become financially unsustainable for Lake Junaluska. The lake doesn’t currently collect enough in homeowner fees to adequately cover the cost

cific analysis on the impact of tourism on local economies. The report is designed to illustrate the impact of spending of tourists and travelers on the tax base and job creation throughout the region.

The next tourism conference will have a focus on outdoor adventure, outdoor recreation and public lands, Morse said, with date and location for the spring 2016 event to be determined.

828.227.3386 or scmorse@wcu.edu.

Harris, Swain hospitals to hold job fair A job fair will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 in the main lobby of Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva.

Clinical and non-clinical positions on all

of the residential services being provided, from trash pick-up to street repairs.

Nor does it charge enough for water and sewer to begin tackling needed water and sewer line upgrades.

If it merged with Waynesville, residents would become town taxpayers, and in exchange the town would provide those things.

But if the lake remains a stand-alone community, there seems to be no choice other than to raise homeowner fees, water and sewer rates and fire assessment.

“It is more expensive to provide those things now than it was 10 years ago,” Lafontaine said.

Next year, Lake Junaluska leaders will have to decide whether to keep waiting or bite the bullet and proceed as if the merger won’t happen — which would mean raising fees.

“We definitely need to be planning as if annexation is not going to take place,” said Jack Ewing, director of the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

Ewing said frank dialogue will take place next year leading up to a decision on fee and rate increases.

“We want our community to understand the condition of our community and what it is going to cost us as a community to be at a standard that we would all like it to be,” Ewing said.

The decision won’t be made until fall, with any fee adjustments going into effect starting in 2017.

“We are disappointed in the General Assembly not bringing this to a vote,” LaFontaine said. “It is very disappointing in the sense we remain in limbo.”

Waynesville and Lake Junaluska leaders are doubly frustrated that Presnell does not even represent Lake Junaluska or Waynesville. Those geographic areas are in Queen’s legislative district.

“It is a shame that even in spite of factual information to the contrary, Ms. Presnell chooses to disseminate patently false information in order to defeat a bill, in a district in which she has no constituents, a local bill which has the support of a majority of residents impacted, of the elected representatives of that district, and of every elected official in Haywood County,” Onieal said.

shifts are available. Representatives from hospital departments and physician practices will be available to provide information and conduct on-the-spot interviews. In some cases, conditional offers may be made.

For a complete listing of career opportunities visit www.myharrisregional.com and www.myswaincommunity.com.

828.586.7102.

Relay for Life to hold Haywood kick off

The Relay For Life Of West Haywood will hold its 2016 kickoff at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Sagebrush Steakhouse in Waynesville.

Dinner will be provided. Come and learn about what you can do to fight cancer.

Call 828.788.3525.

Health Harris diabetes program attains ADA recognition The American Diabetes Association recently awarded Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva a recognition certificate for the quality diabetes self-management education program provided to patients served by Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital.

The Association’s national education recognition certificate assures that educational programs meet the national standards for Diabetes SelfManagement Education Programs. These standards were developed and tested under the auspices of the National Diabetes Advisory Board.

To make an appointment for diabetes selfmanagement education call 828.586.7950.

Harris Women’s Care expands, moves to new facility Harris Women’s Care has expanded by welcoming Sabine Kelischek, MD, and Kathy Walsh, NP, to its staff.

Kelischek and Walsh join Mila Bruce, MD, and Megan Metcalf, MD, in providing obstetric and gynecological services to women in the region.

Harris Women’s Care has also moved in to the space across the street from Harris Regional Hospital at 70 The Village Overlook in Sylva. Smoky Mountain OB/GYN formerly occupied the building. It is conveniently located near the hospital and Harris Medical Park, home of the women’s diagnostic imaging center and Harris Pediatric Care.

828.631.8913.

LifePath Hospice to hold open house In recognition of national Hospice and Palliative Care month in November LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care will hold an open house 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 30, at the LifePath office located at 81 Medical Park Loop, Suite 204, next to Wellspring Family Practice in Sylva.

The event is a drop-in and will provide an opportunity for the community to learn about the services LifePath provides. LifePath serves

Smoky Mountain News

patients and families in Jackson, Macon, Swain, Graham, Cherokee and Clay counties, with hospice and palliative care in the home, nursing home or assisted living setting, as well as in the hospital at Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital.

LifePath will also hold its annual Tree of Remembrance ceremony at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3 in the Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva cafeteria and private dining room with an opportunity for memorial and honorary ornaments to be placed on the tree. Hot chocolate, coffee, cider and desserts will be served.

828.631.1702.

Ingraham appointed to mental health task force Gov. Pat McCrory has appointed Brian Ingraham, the CEO of Smoky Mountain LME/MCO, to a new state task force charged with making recommendations to improve the lives of residents with mental illness and substance use disorders.

The 24-member N.C. Mental Health and Substance Use Task Force will seek to reduce stigma and encourage people to seek help before their sitBrian Ingraham uation becomes a crisis.

“Serving on this task force is not only an honor for me — it’s also a golden opportunity to effect real change and improve a public service delivery system that facilitates care for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians,” Ingraham said.

Smoky Mountain LME/MCO is a local government entity that manages public funds for mental health, substance use disorder and intellectual/developmental disability services in Western North Carolina.

Harris, Swain hospitals honor employees A lunch ceremony was held last month at Harris Regional Hospital to honor 29 employees for their years of service on the Harris, Swain and Franklin campuses.

The employees were recognized for milestones ranging from five to 40 years and collec-

• Carmine Rocco, public health director for Haywood County, recently retired after serving the Haywood County community since January 2006. Patrick Johnson, the agency’s Director of Nursing, has assumed the position of interim public health services director at that time. Haywood HHSA will begin the recruitment process for a permanent director in the near future.

ALSO:

• Patients enrolling in health insurance marketplace can receive assistance this year by Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital. All benefits advisors have

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Macon County Health warns against bird flu Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in commercial and backyard poultry flocks, wild birds, or captive wild birds in 21 States. With the last case of the spring outbreak identified in June 2015, a total of 211 commercial and 21 backyard poultry premises had been affected.

This resulted in the depopulation of 7.5 million turkeys and 42.1 million egg-layer and pullet chickens, with devastating effects on these businesses, and a cost to Federal taxpayers of over $950 million.

Raising backyard poultry is a growing trend across the United States and Macon County in particular. It is very important for all backyard poultry owners to know the signs of Avian Influenza, as well as the basic “biosecurity” steps you can take to protect your birds.

Signs/symptoms to look for in birds include: • Lack of energy and appetite; • Decreased egg production or soft/mistively represent 330 years of service to the hospitals, outpatient areas, and physician practices.

Employees recognized this quarter were: • 5 years: Adam Ranke, Raymond Baldwin, Douglas Buchanan, Lauren Davis, Kristine Estes, Leslie Hall, Troy Jenkins, Amber Lambert, Cortney Patrick, Joyce Rogers, Kelly Sawyer, Kurt Wamsley, Kathy Wyder, Abigail Yearick • 10 years: Kristen Bryson, Aleta McCleskey, Kimberly Morgan, Gabe Peterson, Aimee Quillen • 15 years: Donna Barnett, Barbara Barker, Heather Dills, Doreen Gingrich • 20 years: Kimberly Jamison, Debra Lucas, Janet Millsaps • 25 years: Aletha Rish, Deloris Cochran • 40 years: Judy Aikens

Lung Cancer Screening offered at HRMC Low Dose Lung Cancer screening for High Risk individuals is now being offered at Haywood Regional Medical Center Outpatient Care Center. Medicare covers the cost if a

received an additional level of training and certification. Open enrollment began Nov. 1. To reach support at Harris Regional Hospital call 828.586.6264 or 828.586.7355. For Swain County, call 828.488.4055 or 828.488.4218.

• American Red Cross will hold the following blood drives: CANTON — 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 23 at Center Pigeon Fire Department, 2412 Pisgah Drive.

CULLOWHEE — noon to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Western Carolina University-Health and Human Science Building, Hwy 107.

FRANKLIN — 12:30 to 5 p.m. Nov. 19 at First Baptist Church Franklin, 69 Iotla Street.

shapen eggs • Swelling of the head, eyelids, and comb; • Purple discoloration of the wattles, combs and legs; • Stumbling, falling down, diarrhea; • Sudden death.

By following good biosecurity practices, you can reduce the chances of a disease being carried to your farm, your backyard, your flock, or your pet birds, by people and animals. The six basic steps for protecting your birds include: • Isolate your birds from visitors and other birds; • Prevent germs from spreading by cleaning shoes, tools and equipment; clean vehicles and cages; • Avoid sharing tools and equipment with neighbors; • Watch for early signs to prevent the spread of disease; • Report unusual signs of disease or unexpected deaths.

919.733.7601.

patient is deemed high risk for Lung Cancer based on the criteria set below: If your patient meets the following criteria you should make an appointment with the patient to review the program (serial screening) and get the patient’s agreement to be in the program. The patient must also agree to be willing to address any findings that may occur that need further imaging or treatment. This screening uses only 20 percent of the ionizing radiation as a routine chest CT exam and only takes a few minutes to complete.

If a patient does not meet all of the criteria, they can still receive the exam at a self-pay flat rate of $200, which includes the imaging exam and the radiologist reading.

Criteria for Medicare payment coverage: 1. Age 55-77 2. Smoking history of at least 30 pack years 3. If not currently smoking/has quit within the last 15 years 4. Receive a written order from a physician or qualified non-physician practitioner Call LDCT Coordinator at 828.452.8929 for more information.

BRYSON CITY — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 27 at United Community Bank, 145 Slope Street.

CHEROKEE — 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Cherokee Indian Hospital, Hospital Road.

• Harris Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine will offer a free educational event on ‘boomeritis, orthopaedic conditions affecting the Baby Boomer population, at noon Friday, Dec. 4 in the Harris Regional Hospital boardroom on the second floor of the hospital in Sylva. Lunch will be served. Please call 828.631.8889 and leave a message to register.

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Smoky Mountain News November 18-24, 2015

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

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If it’s good vs. evil, only one outcome is tenable W

which would certainly create a new geopolitical reality.

Perhaps we will send ground troops, though President Obama says that’s not likely in the near future. Ground campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq have not rid those countries of pockets of rebel armies and terrorists. We’ve had successes, but tangible problems persist. As it is now, ISIS is known to have pockets of supporters in at least half a dozen Arab countries, so rooting them all out will take years.

Much of the work will be done by intelligence agencies instead of armies.

And the European Union — with its Editor open borders, huge population of people of African and Middle Eastern descent, and the current refugee crisis — will struggle more than the U.S. to fight the kind of terrorism ISIS is promulgating. At least one of the suspected terrorists was a Belgian national of Moroccan descent, not a foreigner.

We should support a stepped-up campaign to destroy ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Here in the U.S. and in Europe there will be more police sweeps and more suspects banned from entering certain countries. I’m certain wiretaps and surveillance will increase, as

Scott McLeod

hen terrorism strikes like it did this weekend in Paris, the first reaction to the horror is shock from the utter senselessness of intentional violence against innocent people. Most of us don’t understand how anyone could do something so innately evil.

But then, as the dozens of news reports and politicizing of the tragedy wash over me, I begin to worry. Not about further terrorist attacks — which we all know are coming and unfortunately are part of the world in which we live — but for the coming epidemic of ignorance, grandstanding and bellicose chest thumping.

Just as much as the act of terrorism is incomprehensible, the immediate primal urge to begin bombing and killing those responsible for this most recent tragedy is perfectly understandable. I want someone to pay for what ISIS and its supporters did in Paris this weekend, for what they had already done in Beirut, in Egypt, in Turkey, and for what they have threatened to do to our own citizens in Washington, D.C. There just has to be a way to annihilate this enemy.

And then, mixed with anger, comes the sobering reality that this war likely won’t be won with air strikes and probably not with ground troops. We have already begun the bombing campaign, the U.S., France and Russia destroying known targets in Syria and Iraq. Perhaps we will forge some kind of alliance with Russia,

will European spending for security and intelligence agencies.

I’m betting many of us will complain that civil liberties are being compromised — at least temporarily — but I think in the long run the courts and elected officials can find a middle ground in that arena. What I fear, though, is that our anger will lead some to try and make us too much like them. By that, I mean our response must protect innocent people. That’s what separates us from them.

The only way to win this war is to prepare for the long term and not lose sight of the ideals that set us apart from the terrorists.

Some have called for only letting Christians immigrants come into the U.S. while others are already decrying efforts to help Middle Eastern refugees who are indeed fleeing for their own lives. Yes, we have to be careful, but we can’t condemn hundreds of thousands of people to death or torture because they worship differently from us or because they look different. We must remember this is not a war against Islam, and making it seem like one will assuredly make the terrorist problem worse.

Fear is a powerful emotion, but we can’t let it knock us off the moral high ground. If there is justice in this universe, then the terrorists, eventually, will be vanquished. That’s really the only outcome I can believe in and hope for at this point.

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

When a part of you goes missing

M

to get my bearings with Mike. He was all over the place, tail wagging like a windshield wiper set at high speed. He snapped at bees in the yard, ran the length of the yard back and forth for no apparent reason other than to work off some energy, and repeatedly pounced on my feet as if they were a pair of rabbits trying to get away from him.

Already, I could feel my icy resolve melting Columnist in the warm summer sun. I had about 24 hours to find him a home or else no one would ever be able to take him away, not over my dead body. I made him a pallet on the deck and spent the next day doing everything I could to get him a home. It was pointless. I had a new dog, and that was that.

After two or three days, I finally introduced him to Russ, who promptly snarled and then lunged at him, causing Mike to retreat a few steps and assume a puzzled look, first at Russ, and then at me, as if to say, “What is WRONG with her?” It would be nearly a year before Russ overcame her hard-wired skepticism and accepted Mike into the family.

Afterwards, they were best friends for life.

Mike grew into an enormous dog, nearly a hundred pounds of pure muscle, but Russ was always jumping on his back, gnawing on his ears or neck, swiping at his legs, anything to pester him, which he loved. He would stand there stoically, tail wagging, seeming to laugh at her feeble efforts to annoy him. Finally, he would put

Chris Cox

ike and I were not exactly a match made in heaven. In fact, I didn’t think we were much of a match at all. At the time we were “introduced,” I lived in a tiny rented house with an equally tiny yard, and I already had one dog, a skittish collie named Russ, who was skeptical of anything new, especially other dogs. I barely had room for Russ, and barely got the bills paid each month. The very last thing I needed or wanted was another dog.

So when a relative called and said a cute little black puppy, “the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen,” had wandered into her yard a couple of days ago and now refused to leave, I said “no” before she got to the inevitable pitch.

“But he is so cute,” she said, pressing forward.

“No, no, no,” I said, feet planted firmly.

“If you could just see his face.”

“I don’t want to see his face. Why don’t YOU keep him?”

“You know I can’t keep him. I guess if I can’t find a home for him, he’ll wind up at the pound, as much as it kills me.”

Checkmate. I knew I had been had. I told her I’d take him, but only long enough to find him another home and that was final. I immediately began making flyers to put up around town and started making calls to everyone I knew, more or less resorting to the same sorry emotional blackmail that had been used on me. I was desperate to relocate Mike before he even arrived.

The next day, Mike arrived. He couldn’t have been more than three or four months old, with his little pot belly, a shiny black nose, eyes brimming over with mischief, and needle teeth. I sequestered Russ in the basement long enough

one of his giant paws on her neck and gently push her away. They played this game every day, for years.

From the beginning, Mike was literally by my side all the time. If I was in the kitchen making dinner, he would sit in the kitchen and watch. When I was in the living room, listening to music or watching television, Mike was curled up at my feet, or even on the sofa with me, listening to music or watching television, too. At night, he always slept next to the bed, as if he were guarding me.

For nearly 14 years, he was a friend I could always rely on, even in the loneliest of times. In other words, we shared a life. I bought my first home, got divorced, got promoted at work, lost my father, published a book, lost Russ to a sudden illness, met someone new, started a family.

Mike was there for all of it. During hard times, we literally clung to each other. More than once, I put my arms around his neck and cried my eyes out. I did everything I could to cheer him up after Russ died, but he was never the same afterward. Still, he persevered, and remained by my side until his arthritis reached a point where he could literally no longer walk, or even get up on his own without help.

We put him on a blanket and took him to the vet, where they tried everything they could to get him back on his feet. They kept him a couple of days and did manage to get him on his feet, but he could neither get up nor walk without assistance.

When the veterinarian went to get his file, I sat with him in one of the rooms and stroked his head. He wouldn’t really look at me, not directly.

I knew he was telling me goodbye. Normally,

when we go to the vet, Mike trembles and relies on my calm to get through the visit — shots, or whatever treatment he needs. This time, I was the one trembling, and Mike was the calm one.

One last time, he was helping me get through a hard time, one of the hardest ever.

As I sat there with him in those last minutes, our life together flashed before me in a rush of images. Oddly, I thought of the train. We lived near the railroad tracks, and that damned train came blasting through town every few hours.

The train’s whistle was loud and shrill — the better to warn away approaching vehicles or the occasional kid playing on the tracks — but for a dog, well, imagine replacing your alarm clock’s beeper with a police siren. You would howl, too.

I don’t think Mike appreciated how much I was amused by his howling like a wolf, but when the train rumbled through I would stand at the kitchen window and watch him in the back lot, his snout thrust toward the sky, his deep bass note of protest in full bellow. Sometimes I would howl along with him.

Now the train’s chorus is gone. The next morning, for the first time in the 12 years I have lived in the house, the train came through with its whistle splitting the silence like a log, and there was no counterpoint, no howl, not even a whimper of protest. It was an awful, sick silence.

There was an emptiness in the yard, in the house, in my life, that was like an amputation, some vital part of me gone. Just as I felt the trembling about to set in again, I felt something tugging at my pants. My son, looking up, puzzled, pulling himself into standing position, arms stretched up. It seems like wherever I went, he wanted to go there, too.

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

tasteTHEmountains

Thanksgiving by the fire, not by the stove.

Turkey with dressing, ham, wild rice, candy roaster puff and other Ranch favorites. And, of course, a bountiful selection of delicious homemade desserts.

As always, our Thanksgiving dinner will be accompanied by a blazing fire in the main Ranch house, and by warm, welcoming smiles from the whole Ranch family. Just call (828)926-1401 for reservations. Your place at the table is waiting.

Cataloochee Ranch 119 Ranch Drive, Maggie Valley, NC. Seatings available at 12:00 & 7:00pm.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997.

Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slowsimmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

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

AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.

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

Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert. The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

APPLE ANDY'S RESTAURANT 3483 Soco Road, Maggie Valley located in Market Square. 828.944.0626. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Wednesday and Thursday. Serving the freshest homemade sandwiches, wraps, and entrees such as country fried steak and grilled flounder. Full salad bar and made from scratch sides like potato salad, pinto beans and macaroni and cheese. www.appleandys.com APPLE CREEK CAFE 32 Felmet St., Waynesville. 828.456.9888.

Traditional Lunch Monday-Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Family Style Lunch Sunday

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m.

Closed on Sunday. We specialize in handcut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

November 18-24, 2015

Noon-6 p.m.

Adults $20.99 • Kids $9.99

FAMILY STYLE DINNER Mon.–Sat. 4:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

FAMILY STYLE DINNER Sunday Only 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED ALL ABC PERMITS

Hwy. 19 • Maggie Valley 828-926-1817

Reservations Suggested Other menu favorites available

Our Christmas tree will be up!

Come enjoy the holidays in our beautifully decorated space

WINTER HOURS: Sunday Noon-8 • Open for Dinner Wed.-Sat. at 4:30

Country Vittles RESTAURANT

& GIFT SHOP

Holiday 32 FELMET STREET

OFF N. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE

TO GO ORDERS: 828-456-9888

AppleCreekCafe.com

Hours:

CLOSED: Sun. Nov. 22- Thurs. Nov. 26 RE-OPENING: Nov. 27 Wed.-Thurs. 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Fri.-Sat. 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sun. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. CLOSED MON. & TUES.

BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER

Featuring a Full Menu with Daily Specials PRIVATE DINING ROOM AVAILABLE FOR EVENTS

3589 SOCO RD. MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.1820

319-01

Mon.–Fri. 10:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

Smoky Mountain News

11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Family Style Dinner Monday-Saturday 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Home to an extensive build your own sandwich menu as well as specialty salads, soups burgers and more. With local ingredients and made-from-scratch recipes using a variety of good-for-you ingredients Apple Creek Cafe is sure to become your favorite spot.

COMPLETE THANKSGIVING MEAL

TRADITIONAL LUNCH MENU

24

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

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

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

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. We serve three meals a day on Friday and Saturday, and some Sundays.

Join us for family-style breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. – with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and oatmeal, fresh fruit, sometimes French toast or pancakes, and always all-you-caneat. Lunch from 12 to 2 p.m. In the evening, social hour begins at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 7 p.m., with entrees that include prime rib, baked ham and herb-baked chicken, complemented by seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer.

So come enjoy mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Please call for reservations and more dining information.

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

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through

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

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

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

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

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

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

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,

319-45

tasteTHEmountains dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more.

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

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

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

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.3551. Reservations recommended.

4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 2 pm. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Chef Ed Kaminski prepares American cuisine from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.thewaynesvilleinn.com .

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

828.926.1820 Open Wednesday and Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses

11-3 Monday-Saturday

CALL IN YOUR ORDER:

319-13

MEDITERRANEAN

ITALIAN CUISINE

STEAKS • PIZZA SEAFOOD CHICKEN & SANDWICHES 1863 S. Main Street • Waynesville 828.454.5002 Hwy. 19/23 Exit 98 LUNCH & DINNER TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

319-59

Eat. Sleep. Hike. Repeat.

CREEKSIDE DINING CRAFT BEER & FULL BAR Daily Specials

——————————————————

OUR CUSTOMERS

Say It ALL

SATURDAY BLOODY MARY BAR Serving Food until 10 p.m. Weekdays and until 11 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays Closed Mondays

828.586.1985

438 Skyland Drive • Sylva Exit 85 to Skyland Dr., two blocks from McDonalds

—————————————————————

“Best restaurant in the Waynesville Area.”

D.B. - Customer

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

“Inviting Atmosphere, excellent food & service.”

Veronica C. - Customer

VOTED BEST STEAK & DINNER MOUNTAINEER READERS’CHOICE AWARD

2014

454 HAZELWOOD AVE. WAYNESVILLE | 828-452-9191 Lunch 11:30am - 2:30pm | Dinner Nightly starting at 4pm | Closed Sundays

319-77

Smoky Mountain News

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

COUNTRY INN

November 18-24, 2015

REEKSIDE COYSTER HOUSE & GRILL

42 Montgomery St. Waynesville

Lodging & Dining Available.

Call for Reservations.

Waynesville, NC

800.789.7672 • TheSwag.com 25

PIN HIGH

Traditional Thanksgiving Buffet 11:00 - 2:00 Open to the Public

Reservations are required

828-926-4848

tasteTHEmountains will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

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

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

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

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

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

ern 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.

Wednesday-Saturday dinner starting at 4:30 p.m.; Sunday Noon to 8 p.m. 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.

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

828.926.0212. 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 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

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

828.586.3555. Open 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.

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.

ORGANIC BEANS COFFEE COMPANY 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

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

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

1819 Country Club Drive, Maggie Valley, NC

November 18-24, 2015

We invite you to join what has become a tradition in these parts...

breakfast at

Starting @ 11 a.m. $16.95/person 828.944.0626

Winter Hours: Open 9-5 Closed Wed. & Thurs.

Smoky Mountain News

or

Contact Brenna Moore at

828-926-4816

4309 Soco Rd., Maggie Valley

(828) 926-0212 Reservations Accepted

800.438.3861

1819 Country Club Drive Maggie Valley, NC

MAGGIEVALLEYCLUB.COM

Serving top notch breakfasts coupled with good old fashioned customer service since 1966

319-16

WINTER HOURS: November - February Open Fri. - Mon. 7 am until 12 pm

facebook.com/smnews

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

www.CityLightsCafe.com

319-57

Holiday Party Private Event!

%

3483 SOCO RD. MAGGIE VALLEY

It's Never too Early to Book your

26

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

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

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.

PAPERTOWN GRILL 153 Main St., Canton. 828.648.1455 Open 7 days a week 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Serving the local community with great, scratch-made country cooking. Breakfast is served all day.

Daily specials including Monday meatloaf, chicken and dumplings on Thursdays and Friday fish.

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

Family oriented business.

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

Reservations appreciated.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400.

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

Using only the freshest ingredients in homemade soups, salads and sandwiches. Come in and see for yourself why Smoky Mountain Sub Shop was voted # 1 in Haywood County.

Locally owned and operated.

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

SOUTHERN BOOT, LOUISIANA CUISINE 67 Branner Avenue, Waynesville.

828.246.0053 Lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Closed Wednesday & Sunday. Southern Boot serves delicious Louisianian food while providing a friendly music venue for musicians of all ages. Feel at home no matter where you’re from. Greeting

all customers at the door with a smile.

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

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

Located across from the Fire Station.

TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.

TWIN MAPLES FARMHOUSE 63 North Hill Street, Waynesville.

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

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.

319-30

November 18-24, 2015

APPÉTIT Y’AL N L BO

Twin Maples F•A•R•M•H•O•U•S•E

Serving Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Noon-3:30 p.m. $28/person Plus tax & gratuity ~ LIMITED SEATING ~ CALL FOR RESERVATIONS

828-456-1997 blueroostersoutherngrill.com

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

63 N. HILL ST.

828.452.7837

3 blocks from Main St. in Waynesville

Café

Nutrition Facts

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serving size : ab out 50 p ag es

Open 7 Days A Week

All You Can Eat Buffet Served Every Day • Open All Holidays

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Lunch Buffet $7.99 - Dinner & Sunday Buffet $10.99 DINE-IN OR CARRYOUT BUFFET OR MENU

www.asian-king-franklin-nc.com 109 Commons Dr., AK

Next to the new Super Walmart & Verizon

828.349.9800

Calories 0 % Daily Value * Tot al Fat 0g

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Outd oors

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

Family-Style Thanksgiving Dinner

Nov. 26 • 4 p.m. $25.95/PERSON LIMITED TO 28 PEOPLE. MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS BY MONDAY NOV. 23.

CALL FOR DETAILS

319-28

Franklin, NC

Am ount per Serving

Smoky Mountain News

THE BEST PLACE TO EAT IN FRANKLIN.

Sunday Brunch — 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Sunday 9-3 Monday-Friday 8-3

6147 Highway 276 S. Bethel, North Carolina (at the Mobil Gas Station)

bbcafenc.com • 828.648.3838

27

28

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

THE SOUNDS OF APPALACHIA

Giddens, Holt, Balsam Range to play WCU Balsam Range.

“David Holt’s State of Music — Live” will take to the stage from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Acts scheduled to join Holt, an icon of traditional music and storytelling, are international sensation Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, award-winning bluegrass favorites Balsam Range, emerging ballad singer Josh Goforth, and the AfricanAmerican gospel duo of Wilbur Tharpe and Lena Mae Perry, performing as The Branchettes.

The afternoon performance will be videotaped as a companion piece to the PBS series of the same name. The show is an exciting opportunity to see modern masters of oldtime music share their stories and tunes.

“This is not only the first time all these artists will be on stage together, but it will be the only time they will get together,” said George Brown, dean of WCU’s College of Fine and Performing Arts. “Rhiannon Giddens is completing an international tour to come back for this special event. Balsam Range, homegrown and a favorite everywhere they play, were honored as the 2014 International Bluegrass Music Association ‘Entertainer of the Year’ and ‘Vocal Group of the Year.’ This much talent at one time and in one place is extraordinary.”

The performance also celebrates 10 years of the Bardo Arts Center at WCU. The $30 million facility opened in 2005 and was named for former WCU Chancellor John Bardo in 2011. Its elegant 1,000-seat per-

Through “David Holt’s State of Music,” TV viewers are introduced to traditional music of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. formance hall, with fine-tuned acoustics and state-of-the-art lighting system, is a premier venue for concert and theatrical productions, and ideal for this old-time music show, Brown said.

Through “David Holt’s State of Music,” TV viewers are introduced to traditional music of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Recipient of four Grammy Awards, Holt has filled the roles of musician, storyteller, historian and TV and radio host over a career that has spanned more than three decades. The PBS series sprang from an hour-long UNC-TV special in January on the music of Southern Appalachia, and has been expanded for a nationwide audience with six 30-minute segments.

The WCU show is sponsored by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, with support from WCU’s Friends of the Arts and the College of Fine and Performing Arts. Admission is $45 for orchestra seats and $35 for club and balcony seats. www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 828.227.2479.

David Holt

Rhiannon Giddens

t 69 years old, Holt is a four-time Grammy Award recipient, with his most notable win being for “Best Traditional Folk Recording” in 2002 for the album “Legacy,” which was a collaboration with the late Doc Watson — a legendary Western North Carolina banjoist whose face would most definitely be found on the Mount Rushmore of traditional music.

The epitome of a jack-of-all-trades, Holt founded and directed the Appalachian Music Program at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, the only program of its kind in the country. He also has hosted the program “Riverwalk” on public radio, as well as television shows “Great Scenic Railway Journeys” and “North Carolina Mountain Treasures.”

Rhiannon Giddens.

Traveling the world Michael Weintrob photo over, he exhales the fresh, pure mountain air in performance and in person, with his blood flowing in excitement like the wild rivers circulating through the bountiful body of Southern Appalachia.

ot only one of the biggest female names in string music, Rhiannon Giddens is also simply one of the main torchbearers of old-time roots and mountain music. Lead singer of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, an all African-American string group, which formed in Durham.

Giddens, a Greensboro native, also hit the national spotlight as part of the 2014 record “Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes,” which was a modern interpretation of never before released Bob Dylan songs that included collaborations with Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Jim James and T-Bone Burnett.

Alongside her highly-anticipated 2015 full-length album “Tomorrow Is My

A

Smoky Mountain News: For you, as someone who has spent a lifetime playing and preserving Appalachian/ string/bluegrass music, why is it important, socially and culturally, that this music get perpetuated into the next generation?

David Holt: Because it’s good medicine. Traditional music comes to us from our ancestors, and imbedded in it are rhythms, sounds,

N

Turn,” Giddens will release a follow-up EP, “Factory Girl,” which will be available on vinyl on Nov. 27 for Black Friday “Record Store Day” (Dec. 12 for digital).

S EE HOLT, PAGE 31

“The music will continue to evolve and change, as it always has. But the younger folks respect tradition as well. I feel comfortable knowing they will bend it, but they won’t break it.”

— David Holt

Smoky Mountain News: What is it about Appalachian music that makes it so unique?

Rhiannon Giddens: To me, it represents America and what American music is. The mix of cultures, so much strife and conflict in our history and our music is an example of the beauty. It shows me where we came from, and what we could be as a country.

SMN: And also about what it means to be from North Carolina, too.

RG: It’s something I learn about more and more, about the music and how it shaped the state, the deep musical history we have. The idea that the culture of it makes you realize who you are and what you are. It’s a cool thing to be part of that

S EE G IDDENS, PAGE 31

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Smoky Mountain News: With The Wildabouts, do you feel like the third time is the charm?

Scott Weiland: Yeah, I do. We’re heavy and we’re tight. It’s a different music business environment than it used to be.

When Velvet Revolver released its debut album [in 2004], it went to number one on the Billboard charts and sold six million records, I mean, that’s impossible now. Rock bands, unless you’re like U2, don’t sell anymore. I mean, The Rolling Stones don’t even sell records anymore.

Rock icon and former Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver front man Scott Weiland will play Asheville on Nov. 22. Jamie Weiland photo

SMN: During interviews, you’re one of the most truthful and open musicians out there, and yet why are you also the most misunderstood?

SW: It started with “Core” and how that album skyrocketed to fame so quickly. And I’ve always had to answer to that, always had to answer for everything from that point forward. The times in my life when I was doing drugs and getting busted, it kind of made me a regimental outlaw. So, there was a lot of controversy that surrounded my celebrity existence, and that shadow still follows me.

SMN: Even though you’ve never hid behind any excuses, too.

SW: Yeah, I mean it has been 13 years since I lived that way and I still have that tag on me. But, they still do the same thing with Keith Richards [of The Rolling Stones].

SMN: Where you’re in a dreamlike state?

SW: Yeah, exactly, like where I can just write three songs in one night.

SMN: What’s the biggest misconception about you?

SW: That I’m a lazy sod.

“At every meet and greet, there are people that come to tears, saying how my music changed their lives, how it got them through truly difficult times. It affects me in a major way — it brings tears to my eyes.”

— Scott Weiland

SMN: Through all the ups and downs in your career, was it all worth it?

SW: It was. It was all worth it. I learned life lessons — what to do, what not to do, what to tell my kids to stay away from, what to tell them to go for.

SMN: And nowadays, you’re looked upon as one of the torchbearers of rock, one of the statesmen.

SW: It’s wild. At every meet and greet, there are people that come to tears, saying how my music changed their lives, how it got them through truly difficult times. It affects me in a major way — it brings tears to my eyes.

Editor’s Note: Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts will be performing on Sunday, Nov. 22, at The Orange Peel in Asheville. The show begins at 8 p.m. with Biters and Jeff Santiago & Los Gatos opening. Tickets are $28 in advance, $30 day-of-show. Ages 18 and over. www.theorangepeel.net.

@SmokyMtnNews

Smoky Mountain News

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

SMN: Now that you’re approaching 50, do you see any change in your thought process?

SW: Well, I wouldn’t say I’m nearing 50.

I’m still in my 40s. [Laughs]. I don’t tour like I used to. I don’t chase around looking for drugs, looking for groupies, or anything like that. I’m happily married and in love with my wife. Given a healthy measure of my wants and pleasures that there are, it’s different now. It’s about the music and rocking out with the band.

SMN: Can you still create good art if you’re happy?

SW: Yeah, you can, but I’m not happy all the time. I’m happily married, but it doesn’t mean I’m happy all the time. I’m bi-polar and I have to take medication for that. Sometimes I fall into stark places, and I think I write better music when I’m in those places. And sometimes I write better music when I’m on a high, not a narcotic high, but an actual high, a bipolar high.

November 18-24, 2015

Catch him if you can.

For the better part of the last 25 years, Scott Weiland has been a moving target with“David Holt’s State of Music — Live” will take in the music industry. to the stage at 3 p.m. Nov. 22 in the Bardo Lightning struck twice for the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western singer, as a front man for both Carolina University.

Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, two of the most sucNew York Times bestselling writer Kate Alcott will cessful rock acts in the modern present her book A Touch of Stardust at 3 p.m. era. And yet, with success, Nov. 28 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. comes a price.

The Polar Express themed train will celebrate Amid arena tours, platinumthe holiday season Nov. 20-22, 24-25 and 27selling albums and millions of 29 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad fans, the spotlight grew hotter depot in Bryson City. on Weiland, where his every action and motive — from drug No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have The Dirty addiction to controversial stage Soul Revival (rock/blues) at 9 p.m. Nov. 20. antics, marital traumas to band conflicts — was scrutinized, vilified, and, ultimately dismissed Western Carolina University and Warren Wilson as just another casualty of the College will join forces for a concert of scene. Yet through it all, he has Indonesian music at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 in the landed on his feet, stronger and recital hall of the Coulter Building at WCU. more determined than ever, like a cat with nine lives, one whose fierce loyalty rock juggernaut, the sound of their debut record “Blaster” is heavy and supremely conand curiosity is balanced with a need for fident. Wave after wave of guitar riffs and freedom and independence.

And though he’s always had a solo outlet, thundering kick drums push through the speakers with a monumental force. With Weiland’s latest project, The Wildabouts, such vengeance pouring out of the album, seems to be his most seamless and comfortone wonders if, after all the ups and downs, able to date, onstage and in the studio. A

SMN: And now you have to rely more on touring, which gives no down time to the creative process.

SW: And that’s my favorite part of being an artist, is the art part, which is making records.

SMN: And Rolling Stone magazine recently did a cover story on Keith. He’s 72 and still kicking ass. Do you see yourself doing the same at 72?

SW: I don’t know about 72, maybe 65.

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

that it is Weiland who has gotten the last laugh — a signature voice echoing a sentiment of purpose, a sense of self attained when the only way you can go is up.

29

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HOLT, CONTINUED FROM 28 words and help us appreciate life and enjoy it. The music is built around community. It gives us a feeling of connectedness — a sense that everything isn’t commercial. It is genuine depth and joy.

SMN: What is it about Appalachian and string music that sets it apart from other genres? What pulled you in, and continues to pull you in when it comes to this unique sound and scene?

DH: There is so much variety. There’s everything from blues to ballads to bluegrass. We just finished filming a piece of guitar player and builder Wayne Henderson and pianist, Jeff Little. Jeff plays the old time fiddle tunes on the piano and he absolutely rocks the house. It is amazing. You have never seen anything

SMN: What do you see as the next step for this music as it pushes further into the 21st century? What’s the current landscape looking like, and where is it going?

DH: There are many fine young musicians. I think the future is in good hands.

The music will continue to evolve and change, as it always has. But the younger folks respect tradition as well. I feel comfortable knowing they will bend it, but they won’t break it.

lineage, and how vibrant it is these days, with more and more people getting into it, with the older generation, though they’re passing away, able to pass on their knowledge for the next generation.

SMN: Americana, bluegrass and string music seems to be going through a revival lately, as it does every 20 years or so. But, nowadays, I feel though we live in a “connect-

“The mix of cultures, so much strife and conflict in our history and our music is an example of the beauty. It shows me where we came from, and what we could be as a country.”

— Rhiannon Giddens

ed” world, we’re actually as disconnected as we ever have been. What do you see out there?

RG: It kind of remains to be seen, we have this generation now that’s been raised on this pop music which has less and less of a message. I hope that people can make that sea change. People are searching out. My audiences still remain mostly made up of the older generation. But that’s my question — where is the youth going? It’s a ying and a yang. Radio has had such a stronghold on us, where it’s getting consolidated and being put in fewer and fewer hands. In a way it’s always been like that, but it’s getting worse and worse. I think people are starved for real content, for real connections, connections to a real story that isn’t repackaged.

November 18-24, 2015

SMN: In a fast-paced modern world, there now seems to be an increase in the popularity and interest in string music, what do you see as why that is?

DH: I think we continue to look for our roots, individually and as a society, perhaps more so now than at any other time. Today we are so distracted with so much information coming at us. To learn to play an instrument or dance or sing really well you have to really dedicate yourself. You can’t multitask

or chat on the Internet at the same time you are learning a musical skill. It takes concentration and willpower. I think it is good for you, in every way — mentally, physically and spiritually.

SMN: With North Carolina in particular, what about the people and geography here made for this incredible music, and also made is very distinguished compared other hot bed music spots in America?

DH: There have been lots of musicians in North Carolina for hundreds of years. The blending of the music from the British Isles with the music of African-Americans is a very powerful and disDavid Holt. tinctive sound. It is a hybrid that affects almost all other forms of American music. We were also lucky to have outstanding musicians that were dedicated to keeping the traditional music before the public. Folks like Bascomb Lunsford and Doc Watson along with many other greats created interest in the music.

G IDDENS, CONTINUED FROM 28 arts & entertainment

quite like it. He is playing the same tunes you hear on fiddle and banjo but Jeff plays them in an almost barrel house piano style. I love the variety of mountain music. I love it all.

Smoky Mountain News 31

arts & entertainment

On the beat

A GUAR ANTEED G R E AT N I G H T O U T TRACY MORGAN : PICKING UP THE PIECES FOR MATURE AUDIENCES 21+

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Western Carolina University and Warren Wilson College will join forces for a concert of traditional and contemporary Indonesian music at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building at WCU. A gamelan is an orchestra of tuned metal percussion instruments, including various sizes of gongs and chimes, drums and bamboo flute. Two types of gamelan will be heard on the concert. Warren Wilson College students will perform on a Central Javanese gamelan in slendro tuning, while WCU students and community members will perform on a West Javanese gamelan degung. A special feature of this program will be the premiere of two short works for

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

• BearWaters Brewing Company (Waynesville) will have Somebody’s Child at 7 p.m. Nov. 20 and Calvin Get Down 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21. www.bwbrewing.com.

32

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have ‘Round the Fire (Grateful Dead tribute) Nov. 19, Bob Zullo (pop/jazz) Nov. 20, Joe Cruz (piano/pop) Nov. 21 and 28, and The Blue Ribbon Healers (swampy-tonk) Nov. 27.

All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m.

828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

Bring

Nature’s Essence Inside

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will have Small Town Jonathan Martin (singer-songwriter) Nov. 20, Jacked Up Joe Nov. 21, Guitar Man 7 p.m. Nov. 27 and Southside of the Tracks Nov. 28. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.454.5664 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Nov. 18 and 25, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Nov. 19 and 26. All events begin at 8 p.m. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden (Waynesville) will have Summer Jones Band (pop/acoustic) 9 p.m. Nov. 19. Free.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will hold community music jam from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19. 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.

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• Mixers Bar & Nightclub (Franklin) will have Broken Glass Nov. 21 and Longshot (rock) Nov. 28. All shows begin at 9 p.m.

828.369.9211.

gamelan by WCU students Alex Day and Jordan Wilson.

The event is free and open to the public.

At the conclusion, the audience will be invited onstage to try out the instruments firsthand.

828.227.3258 or wpeebles@wcu.edu.

• No Name Sports Pub (Sylva) will have The Dirty Soul Revival (rock/blues) Nov. 20, Shane Meade & The Sound (Americana/rock) Nov. 21, Pat Reedy & The Long Time Goners Nov. 27 and a Karaoke/Dance Party Nov. 28.

All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m.

• A back porch old-time music jam will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee. All welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub will have Joe Cat (singer-songwriter) Nov. 20 and Tom Johnson (singer-songwriter) Nov. 27. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and 8 p.m. on Fridays, and Mile High at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. All events will run through the month of November. Marc Keller will also perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 21.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will have Jimandi (folk/rock) every Wednesday at 7 p.m. and a rotating series of local performers on Fridays at 9 p.m. 828.482.9794 or www.satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) will have Red Leg Husky (Americana) Nov. 20. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. www.tippingpointtavern.com.

• Tuck’s Tap & Grill (Cullowhee) will have a “College Night” with DJ X at 10 p.m. Nov. 19 and WCU “Battle of the Bands” 9 p.m.

Nov. 20.

• Waynesville Public Library will host The Signature Winds (jazz/classical) at 3 p.m.

Nov. 21. Free.

On the beat

Country singers Kaitlyn Baker and Reagan Boggs will host a viewing party for the Baker/Boggs episode of “Song of the Mountains” at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, at the Tap Room Sports Bar & Grill in the Waynesville Country Club.

Baker and Boggs, both of whom are originally from Pound, Virginia, taped the nationally syndicated public television concert series “Song of the Mountains” last year.

Their episode will premiere on the UNC-TV network throughout North Carolina at 6 p.m. Nov. 22.

The singers plan to help raise money for “Song of the Mountains.” The show’s host, Tim White, will also be in attendance. White, who also hosts the nationally syndicated “Tim White Bluegrass Show” on radio, has been hosting “Song of the Mountains” since 2005.

Baker has started to attract national attention, with the release of her songs “Burn” and “Coal Train,” the latter of which was included in the 2015 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards ZinePak, a compilation featuring songs by superstars and emerging artists. Her most recent project is a new version of the classic holiday

song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

Boggs’ 2014 album, Quicksand, emerged at No. 35 on the Americana Music Chart in its third week. Her songs have been likened to the writings of Darrell Scott, Dave Alvin

Kaitlyn Baker will appear with Reagan Boggs for a “Song of the Mountains” episode Sunday, Nov. 22 at the Waynesville Country Club.

arts & entertainment

Baker, Boggs bring country, TV premier to Waynesville

and Buddy Miller. She has been referred to as a “Throwback Artist.” No Depression compared her to such legendary singers as Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris.

A donation of $5 is suggested, with all proceeds going to “Song of the Mountains.”

Food and beverages will be extra. Admission will be on a first-come basis, until the venue has reached its capacity. www.kaitlynbaker.com and www.reaganboggs.com.

The Dirty Soul Revival (rock/blues) will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Free.

Joe Cat (singer-songwriter) will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin. Free.

Donated photo

November 18-24, 2015 Smoky Mountain News 33

arts & entertainment

On the street

Christmas comes to Franklin

All aboard the wine and cheese train The Rail Line Wine Experience “MacNeill Uncorked” will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in the Bryson City Train Depot.

The event is a specialty train experience featuring wines selected by French Broad Vignerons to pair with your meal. Full service all-adult first class ride in the MacNeill car. A narrator will be onboard to discuss the six wines selected to accompany an exclusive sampling of local cheeses, a freshly made entree and a chef-selected dessert. All passengers receive souvenir stemless wine glass and tote bag. The Cottage Craftsman, located across from the depot will have all of the sampled wines available for purchase. Age 21 and over only.

Tickets are $109 per person. www.gsmr.com or www.greatsmokies.com.

Open call for WinterFest The Franklin Christmas Parade will be held Nov. 29 in Main Street.

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

An array of Christmas and holiday festivities will take place Nov. 28-29 in Franklin.

The annual tree lighting “Winter Wonderland” ceremony and candlelight service will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 28 on the town square, with free cider, cookies, wagon rides and live music. The Christmas Parade will be 3 p.m. Nov. 29 in downtown.

828.524.3161 or www.franklin-chamber.com or www.holidaysinfranklin.com.

Vendor applications are now being accepted for WinterFest Smoky Style. The event is set for Feb. 26-28 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

The festival will feature an array of activities to do in the mountains during the winter, and will highlight a sled dog exhibition, mountain art/craft vendors, timber sports,

outdoor sporting exhibits, K-9 and first responders, food and entertainment.

The weekend rental fee is $75 for applications received by Dec. 15, $100 thereafter.

The nonprofit fee is $50. For vendors who require electrical service, the fee is $125. The fees cover a 10-foot by 10-foot grassy area.

Vendors are required to bring their own tents, tables, chairs and other display materials.

For more information, contact Denise Seay via email at seaycharlesl@yahoo.com.

This event is sponsored in part by the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority.

Christmas spirit hits Bryson City

The Bryson City Spirit of Christmas celebration will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 28 at the corner of Mitchell and Everett Street.

Join friends and neighbors for caroling from the train caboose to the town square for the town Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Afterward enjoy a Christmas concert on the square or stop by the visitor's center for hot cocoa and cookies, letter writing to Santa and a visit with St. Nick himself. In the true spirit of Christmas, bring a canned good to donate to the food pantry or a new unwrapped gift for the local toy drive.

828.488.3681

THE FAMILY CARE CENTER The holiday season is right around the corner.

Have you ever wanted to treat yourself to a “healthy new you”?

We can help you set your goals and reach them at the Family Care Center.

Call 828-554-5565 to make an appointment.

34

77 Painttown Road (Hwy. 19) • Cherokee, NC

Dr. Michael Toedt

On the street • There will be a “Tasty Tuesday: Winter Seasonals” at 7 p.m. Nov. 24 and 30 at Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden.

G R E AT D I N I N G AT

• A Blue Plate Special fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 25 at The Community Table in Sylva. Different specials are catered by different restaurants each month. $5 minimum donation, dine-in or carryout.

828.586.6782 to place your order. All proceeds benefit The Community Table’s mission to provide nutritious meals to our neighbors in need in a welcoming environment.

• The Polar Express themed train will celebrate the holiday season Nov. 20-22, 24-25 and 27-29 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in Bryson City. The classic children’s book comes to life as the train departs for a special visit at the "North Pole." Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. The train arrives to find Santa Claus waiting.

Santa boards the train, greeting each child and presenting them with their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the depot. www.gsmr.com or 800.872.4681.

THE BEST PLACE

ALSO:

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

Nov. 18 and 25 at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 828.452.6000.

FOR FUN

arts & entertainment

• A Thanksgiving celebration of bingo, games and food will be Nov. 26 at The Cut Cocktail Lounge in Sylva. All welcome.

On the stage

S T U FF YO U R S EL F O N F L AVO R

• The classic Noel Coward comedy “Blithe Spirit” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18-21 and at 3 p.m.

Nov. 22 in the Hoey Auditorium at Western Carolina University.

The story describes the conflict when mystery writer Charles Condomine accidently brings his dead wife back into an earthly sphere while researching a new book.

Then his ghostly wife attempts to lure him away from his new wife and into the afterlife with her. Tickets will be $16 for adults; $11 for senior citizens, faculty and staff; and for students, $10 day of show or $7 in advance. 828.227.2479 or www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Selu Garden Café Brunch Buffet is available from 11am to 3pm. Chefs Stage Buffet is open from Noon to 10pm.

Caesars.com

ALSO:

Smoky Mountain News

The performance of “Tuscola Loves Broadway, 50 Years of Celebration!” will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 and 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 22 at the Tuscola High School auditorium in Clyde.

Presented by the Tuscola High School Choral Department, the will feature romantic Broadway hits. They will perform several group numbers including "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from Lion King and "Seasons Of Love" from Rent. There will be individual performances from many Broadway shows including Phantom of the Opera, Annie Get Your Gun, Les Miserables and Wicked.

Tickets are $10 and include a dessert and drink at intermission. They are available at the door, through any Summit member or by calling the school at 828.456.2408.

When purchasing tickets, you can name your favorite Summit student and

they will receive a portion of the ticket sale to be used for their trip to Disney in December where they will sing at Epcot's Candlelight Procession with 200 other voices from around the country.

828.456.2408.

November 18-24, 2015

Tuscola brings Broadway to Haywood

Feast on two delicious Thanksgiving options.

Selu Garden Café features a delectable Thanksgiving Brunch Buffet with deep-fried turkey, honey-baked ham and all the trimmings for $21.99.

Chefs Stage Buffet features hand-carved turkey with many seasonal selections including seafood for only $25.49 when you present your free Total Rewards® card.

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

35

arts & entertainment

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Bookstore

Look for Our Holiday Catalog Insert

On the wall

Stecoah ‘Drive About Tour’ Elizabeth Ellison Watercolors is one of the featured studios on the Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour. Donated photo

in This Week’s Edition of Smoky Mountain News

3 EAST JACKSON STREET • SYLVA

828/586-9499 • citylightsnc.com

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

The 14th annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 27-28 in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville.

With their studios open to the public, the self-guided driving tour highlights artisans who have built a livelihood with their creative talents. Media include pottery, bee's wax lanterns and pillar candles, original paintings and drawings, fiber, quilts, photography, artisan cheeses and more.

The tour includes the Charles Heath Gallery, Elizabeth Elison Watercolors, Pincu Pottery, Sleepy Hallow Farm, Wild Fern Studios & Gallery, Bee Global Studio Gallery, Stecoah Artisans Gallery, Yellow Branch Pottery & Cheese, Hunting Boy Wood Carving, Wehrloom Honey & Essentials and Taylor’s Greenhouse The Schoolhouse Café at Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center will be open during both days of the Artisans Drive About. The Hub and Lynn’s Place in Robbinsville, and the Cork & Bean and The Filling Station in Bryson City will also be participating, with tour brochures available at their locations. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

assistance of a resident artist, participants will work with molten glass to create a unique and beautiful piece of glass art. Cost is $30.

828.631.0271 or www.jcgep.org.

Handmade Holiday Sale at WCU

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Want to make your own glass ornament?

A “Glass Ornament” class will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.

Time slots are available throughout the day, with each lasting 30 minutes. With the

The annual Handmade Holiday Sale will be held from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, in the Star Atrium adjacent to the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University.

Purchases can be made by cash or check, with a portion of proceeds going to support Fine Art Museum programming. The sale will feature high-quality gift items from WCU students, staff and alumni, such as scarves, ceramics, jewelry, knitted wear and books. Live music and snacks will be shared during the event.

Admission and parking are free.

828.227.3591 or dmbehling@wcu.edu.

• A “Nolen’s Tote” basket class with Joanne Nolen will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Nov. 21 at the Cooperative Extension Building in Franklin. Bring webbing, pail, sponge, hand towel, snips or old scissors, ice pick or awl, cloth tape measure and sack lunch. Fee is $25. Register by Nov. 17 by

‘Hard Candy Christmas’ returns to WCU The 28th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” Art & Craft Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 27-28 in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

The event features authentic crafts from the hands of 100 regional and local artists and craftsmen. The idea for the show originates from the depression days in the mountains, when Christmas was still celebrated, no matter how lean the year had been. Santa always left stockings stuffed with apples, oranges and hard candy. The best gifts were handmade with love.

There will be selections of clay art, woodcrafts, master jewelers, folk art, glass art, and specialty sweets and breads.

Collectors of Old World Santa’s, heirloom ornaments and miniatures always find something new. The mountain beekeeper will bring honey, bees wax candles and wax ornaments. Purchase a fresh mountain greenery wreath or scented dried fruit rope for your house. Order a Christmas quilt and meet the artisan who made it.

Admission is $4.50 for adults, children under 12 free. www.mountainartisans.net or djhunter@dnet.net. calling 828.524.ARTS. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• A Scherenschnitte class (German art of paper cutting) will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva. Talented instructor and paper artist Lawrie Williams will be teaching how to create Holiday ornaments and Tablescapes with this unique craft. A light egg salad sandwich lunch will be provided by Williams.

Contact the Jackson County Extension Office at 828.586.4009 to register and for the supply list. Cost is $5.

ALSO:

• The films “Terminator: Genysis” (Nov. 19) and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” (Nov. 20-21) will be screened at Mad Batter Food & Film in Sylva. Showtimes are 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Thursday through Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee also on Saturday. Free. For a full schedule of dates and times, click on www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• “Mr. Holmes” will be screened at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 and 20, at 2 and 4 p.m. Nov. 22 and 7 p.m. Nov. 24-25 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. Tickets are $6.50, with a $3.25 matinee pass for 2 and 4 p.m. showings. www.38main.com or call 828.283.0079.

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Books

Smoky Mountain News

Rash’s poetic prose infuses new novel “How near at hand it was If they had eyes to see it.”

—G.M. Hopkins y first conversation with Ron Rash was at the tail end of the 20th century. I had just returned from a second summer spent in Laugharne, Wales, home of Dylan Thomas. We talked then and afterwards primarily about Welsh poetry.

He had a love of Welsh literary forms and poets and was writing in these ancient Welsh literary forms such as cynghanedd — a strict form featuring stress, Writer alliteration and rhyme and meaning “harmony — used by the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, whom he admired.

Since then, Rash has moved from South Carolina and a teaching job at a community college to Western Carolina University where he is the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Studies, and from writing primarily poetry to becoming one of the planet’s most revered fiction writers. His latest book Above the Waterfall, among other things, is a testament to his lifelong and literary journey.

True to form, Above the Waterfall begins with a reference and a quote from Hopkins quickly followed by a passage referencing Taliesin — the 6th century Welsh bard — setting up the style and the voice of one of his main characters, a park ranger named Becky Shytle.

Thomas Crowe

M

“Taliesin in the coracle, the salmon of knowledge: all the world’s wisdom waterborne, water born. Welsh notions Hopkins would have known …

Foxglove … the same yellow as Van Gogh’s sunflowers. Vincent’s thick paint. Like Hopkins’ thick sounds. Such grace-giving from supposed failed priests. I think of reading Hopkins in those days ...”

With passages like these that are even more poetic and nature-based (“the nature of

soak of sun and stone, the human in me unshackling.”

While the descriptions of landscape and nature are truly some of his best writing to date — in metaphoric lines such as “branches forked like stalled lightning” —Waterfall is not only about the poetry but also the inspired Southern Appalachian language and aphorisms that Rash uses so often as part of his rural North Carolina palette. Phrases such as “like a Southern Baptist calling for backup” (referring to a St. Christopher medal) and “if it gets any drier the catfish will be carrying canteens,” or “it was like putting a metal washer in a vending machine and it falling straight into the change box.” This book is full of Rash’s “inscape of words” in passages and phrases too numerous to count, a trademark that gets richer still.

The book’s plot revolves around the characters of Becky, the ecologically-minded park ranger, and Les, a middle-aged small-town sheriff in a present-day Southern Appalachian landscape where crude meth labs and crystal meth have replaced moonshine and marijuana as a means of traditional and rural ScotsIrish livelihood. Reading like a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery, Rash’s novel moves like water cascadAbove the Waterfall by Ron Rash. Ecco/Harper Collins, ing downstream and over precipitous 2015. 252 pages. falls.

As Les is trying to clean out his once, Rash has abandoned the darkness of the sheriff ’s office and contemplate what he’s going to do during his retirement, and as genre of Appalachian Noir and taken his immaculate skills into the luminescent land of Becky is trying to keep the public forest lands pristine and recreationally pure, both become the living, the light. preoccupied with a crime against nature Not that there are no dark moments or involving a fish kill that has polluted the falls story lines in this book, but when all is said above one of the county’s most luxurious and done this book is about love. Love of lanvacation fishing and hiking resorts. guage, words, nature, and, yes, romance. Or In a place where “if you’re born in the as he phrases it in the text: “the swoop toward mountains, you can’t feel at home anywhere thicker light,” as further indicated in the else” and “in a county this rural, everyone’s Hopkins-like poetic line, “I too feel the heatwords”), Rash builds the character of Becky who is the environmental conscience in a book that might crudely be referred to as Sherlock Holmes meets William Bartram. For

connected, if not by blood, then in some other way,” it seems as if both Les and Becky are constantly swimming upstream where meth and money seem to rule and where memory (“It touches the before of what I feel passing, like a memory of something that hasn’t yet happened.”) and family are more a liability than a comfort. While Becky writes long Muir-like poetic passages in her journal as she hikes the trails of the Parkway and defends the believed innocence of her friends, Les is inundated with meth lab busts and detective work trying to discover the culprit of the county’s latest vindictive hate crime. And so the story goes, until its conclusion. But unlike Rash’s other novels, this one isn’t like riding in a Model T Ford along a bumpy road, but instead is paved with touches of literary brilliance couched in a kind of reverence for the place where he was raised and now lives.

Rather than the usual dark tome consisting of “all light skystarved,” Above the Waterfall is written with “stilts of sunlight stalking the ground.” Where murmurations of flocking birds paint moving pictures in the sky and in our minds. And where Rash sends much needed rain to the roots of his characters. A world where Rash writes through the mind of his re-inhabitory character Becky: “I lean forward, palms on knees, and take deep steady breaths. I slowly raise my head. The meadow and trees have returned. It is here, and I am here … a world become … where wind and water pass past …”

And, as readers, we are left with the “somuch of memory.” “Good memories that even now can heal.”

Thomas Crowe is the author of the award-winning book of autobiographical non-fiction Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods and more recently of Crack Light, a collection of poems and photographs reflecting the countenance and the cultures of the Western North Carolina mountains. He can be reached at newnativepress@hotmail.com.

Singleton’s new short story collection George Singleton will present his new collection of stories at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Calloustown, Singleton’s seventh collection, finds the author at the top of his game as he traces the unlikely inhabitants of the fictional Calloustown in all their humanity. Whether exploring family, religion, politics, or the true meaning of home, these stories range from deeply affecting to wildly absurd and back again in the blink of an eye.

828.586.9499.

Story time with Browning Anna Browning will host a special story time at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at City Light Bookstore in Sylva.

She is the author of Tanner Turbeyfill and the Moon Rocks. Tanner has always wanted his own moon rocks. One night, while documenting a full moon from his tree house observatory, Tanner notices the moon starting to brighten into a blue color. What will this mysterious light do? Find out how Tanner gets to the moon and back, and see if Tanner is able to finally collect the moon rocks he has always desired.

828.586.9499.

Book examines rural landscape transformation Professor and cyclist Jimmy Guignard will present his book, Pedaling the Sacrifice Zone, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Living on seven acres above the Marcellus Shale (an active gas play in Pennsylvania), Guignard has witnessed the gradual transformation of the rural landscape his family calls home into an industrial sacrifice zone. In his new book Pedaling the Sacrifice Zone: Teaching, Writing, and Living above the Marcellus Shale, the English professor and experienced cyclist grapples with the meaning of place and the power of words.

828.586.9499.

• New York Times bestselling writer Kate Alcott will present her book A Touch of Stardust at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. From the author of The Dressmaker comes a novel that takes you behind the scenes of the filming of “Gone with the Wind,” while turning the spotlight on the passionate romance between its dashing leading man, Clark Gable, and the blithe, free-spirited actress Carole Lombard.

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• Author Tiffany Ehnes will discuss her work I am Soulshine from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 21, at Books Unlimited in Franklin. Writer Debra Jenkins will present her book In the Midst from 5 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 28.

Farwell, Nicholas to discuss Appalachia speech

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Smoky Mountain News

Hal Farwell and Karl Nicholas as the talk about the making of their book, Smoky Mountain Voices: A Lexicon of Southern Appalachian Speech Based on the Research of Horace Kephart, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Smokey Mountain Voices is a dictionary of Southern Appalachian speech based on Kephart’s journals and publications; it is also a compendium of mountain lore. The authors have compiled not only quaint and peculiar words, but jokes and comic exchanges. Many of the “ordinary” words that comprised an important part of the language of the mountaineers are preserved here thanks to Kephart’s meticulous collecting.

Farwell and Nicholas are both retired English professors from Western Carolina University and are now renowned as ringers on the pub trivia circuit.

November 18-24, 2015

• A poetry night will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 24 at The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin. Open-mic. All welcome to share original or favorite works.

We’re

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40

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Hitting the ground running SCC the first to host expanded training for future NPS officers

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER “I just don’t want to take any chances,” the hard-hatted contractor tells the officers as they get out of their flashing police car.

The hotel he’s working on has been getting threats from a group of environmental extremists, and caution kicked in when he caught sight of someone slipping around the corner of the building as he pulled into the driveway after hours. He’d come back to pick up a paper he’d left behind, but nobody else was supposed to be there.

The lead officer, Blake Salter, asks a few follow-up questions, thanks the man, and approaches the site. A woman’s frame becomes visible in the crack between the two small structures on site, and Salter orders her to come forward.

“Dammit,” she says, frustrated. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

She meets the officers in front of the building, surrendering her backpack when they ask to search it. The bag holds a sampling of literature espousing her environmentally extreme point of view, as well as a can of spray paint.

As Salter takes down her information, the woman — Dolores Litchford — becomes increasingly agitated.

“My roommate and I have very similar backpacks, and I picked hers up by accident,” she tells the officers. “I guess she has spray paint, but it has nothing to do with me.”

“I’m a decent citizen,” she continues when the officer keeps writing rather than answering her statement. “I just care about our environment and wildlife.”

Salter says he cares about the environment too, and that’s why he’s a National Park Service officer rather than a municipal police officer. But being that she’s trespassing on a construction site — and, though he can’t prove it, was likely planning to tag the place — Salter issues her a citation for trespassing charges and escorts her off the property, warning her there will be a lot more where that came from if her group keeps trying to interfere with the project.

MAKING IT REALISTIC It wasn’t Litchford’s first encounter with law enforcement that day, but she won’t wind up with any kind of record. All of her supposed misdeeds, like those of other actors scattered around the campus of Southwestern Community College’s Jerry Sutton Law Enforcement Training Center that day, were

part of scenes created to prepare the newest crop of prospective Park Service law enforcement officers for the real world.

“I like to make it as realistic as possible so they’ll be ready for what can possibly happen,” explained Leah McCall, a scenario evaluator for SCC who’s also a retired highway patrol officer. “If we’re going easy with them here, that means they don’t go home in real life.”

Her conversations with students after they wrapped up the role-play scenario with Litchford certainly reflected that goal.

TEACHING IT BETTER The Seasonal Law Enforcement Academy in which Verhegge and his classmates are enrolled prepares students to take a job as a seasonal law enforcement officer in the National Parks System. Until recently, that had been a 400-hour course, a curriculum far shorter than the 650 hours required of their year-round counterparts.

Seasonals and permanent officers would be ”working side-by-side in the parks working the exact same job,” said SCC’s SLET coordi-

Officer-in-training Stephanie Obernesser and her partner ‘arrest’ a suspect in an assault scenario. Holly Kays photos “You’re doing like some of the others and really relying on your cover officer for a lot stuff,” she told Salter. “It’s OK, but you have to be thinking about what if I were by myself.”

For Park Service officers, self-sufficiency is required far more often than in other law enforcement agencies. Many national parks are large and remote, with a low ratio of officers per square mile. Help could be an hour or more, away. Even getting the word back to dispatch could be difficult, as topography and distance play tricks on radio and cell service.

“We don’t always have the privilege to have backup there right way,” said Ryan Verhegge, a student in the course. “You have to be on your toes and know how to work with people to de-escalate a situation as soon as possible. You really have to know how to handle yourself in a situation as nonviolently as possibly.”

nator Don Coleman, but the seasonals would have far less training to call upon.

The Park Service is looking to fix that problem by upping the seasonal training program to 650 hours — and it’s chosen SCC to pilot the new curriculum.

According to Mark Cutler, the Park Service’s branch chief of seasonal law enforcement training, SCC “consistently demonstrates a high standard and delivers a high quality of instruction,” and has the resources to pull off the revamped program “They’ve met or exceeded all criteria we set out.”

Coleman, himself a graduate of SCC’s program who came into his current job only a year ago, after a career in Park Service law enforcement, is excited about the schools’ selection to pilot the program, but not surprised.

“We have and have had for many years a

reputation for excellence,” he said, with SCC regularly exceeding the bare minimum requirements set forth by the Park Service.

Even the 400-hour course, he said, was not really 400 hours. The school would always pad the training with extra hours to give students the tools they would need to do the job, and the 650-hour course will, in all likelihood, be more than 650 hours.

SCC is also is among the cheapest of the nation’s seven training programs, with the school managing to keep tuition for the expanded program at the same level it was for the 400-hour course, though fees for materials and housing will likely rise.

“We make it affordable because these kids are paying for it out of their own pockets,” Coleman said. “The National Park Service is not paying them to come here.”

Students have been going to school six days a week, working to fit all the extra training in with just one week added to the calendar. In the spring, when the nation’s six other SLET programs adopt the new program, the term will go to 18 weeks with class five days per week.

“It’s long, it’s hard, and they test your limits,” said student Stephanie Obernesser. “They push you and there are a couple of times where it’s like, holy cow, I don’t know if I’m going to pull this off — but you do, and it’s a great.”

For Obernesser, one of the most challenging parts of the course so far was getting sprayed with mace. The peppery spray was terrible to experience, but instructors didn’t just line them up, spray them and call it a day, because that’s not how it happens in real life.

Students had to receive their spray and then play out an intense scenario.

“They make you throw kicks and punches and arrest someone while you’re going through an awful chemical reaction at the same time,” she said.

The training’s been hard for everyone, but as the only female in the class, Obernesser’s challenge had another dimension. Law enforcement is a “testosterone-driven” industry, she said, so while she has nothing but good things to say about the guys in her class, she’s been conscious of the need to work hard and make sure she’s matching her male counterparts.

“Part of me coming here wasn’t so much like ‘this is what I want and I know I’m going to fit,’” said Obernesser, whose parents both spent entire careers in the Park Service. “It was partly that and it was also ‘does this work for me and am I capable of doing this job.

Now that I’m here, I know I can.”

THE LEGAL SIDE The challenge isn’t all physical.

“They’ve really emphasized the importance of the regulations, knowing your job — especially in today’s law enforcement climate, which may not be the most positive,” said Ethan Palmer, a Navy veteran for whom being a park ranger is a

XX outdoors

Wilderness Society photo

Rare salamander found in new area The rare green salamander had never been documented in the Highlands area before, but a September excursion to the Overflow Wilderness Study Area in the Nantahala National Forest resulted in an exciting discovery.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission verified the find, reported by Kyle Pursel of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. Pursel had been hiking the area with staff from The Wilderness Society, specifically looking for green salamanders.

Green salamanders “seem to be pretty sensitive to disturbance, so having a largely

pristine and undisturbed place is great for them,” Pursel said.

North Carolina is home to more than 65 species of salamanders, 50 of which live in Western North Carolina. The Southern Appalachians as a whole contain the world’s greatest diversity of salamander species.

Though the green salamander occurs in other Southern Appalachian states, in North Carolina it’s found in only two distinct population clusters — along the Transylvania/Henderson county line and at the junction of Macon, Jackson and Transylvania counties.

November 18-24, 2015 Smoky Mountain News

Amendment Fund will supply one.”

He’s actually within his rights to have the weapon, Coleman says. As of 2008, though hunting regulations vary, weapons are legal in all national parks according to whatever laws are on the books in the state where the park is located.

But, he said of the scenario situation, “for many people that would cause concern, so we’re teaching our guys how to deal with that situation.”

In this case, the student asks the man — An actor playing a contractor on who said he was just a hotel site tells student Blake waiting for his friend to Salter about a suspicious per- pick him up to do some son he saw lurking about. target shooting elsewhere — if he’d mind putting the gun in his car until his friend arrived. The man conpair that knowledge with action at a sented, and the scenario wrapped up. moment’s notice.

The course will wrap up Dec. 4, paving Students practiced one such example the way for the nation’s seven SLET training with a scenario in which park visitors programs to launch the new curriculum in reported a man with a gun pacing the parkJanuary. But for a rough run, SCC’s proing lot. The ranger-in-training approaches gram is pretty great, students say. They’re the man, who’s got a (fake) gun slung across ready to be officers. his shoulder. He asks to see the weapon, “It’s one thing to sit in the classroom and the man grudgingly hands it over. Then and take notes and talk about these things,” he asks for the man’s ID, runs his history.

Obernesser said, “but really getting out “I really hope I’m not going to be arrestthere and saying, ‘I’m going to run some ed, because if so you’re going to hear from guy down and pull my gun out,’ it puts into my attorney,” the man mutters. “I won’t perspective that’s what I’m learning to do.” even have to pay for one. The Second “dream job.”

A park ranger has to know the tangle of regulations he deals with — park rules, the relationship between federal and state law on park land, legal issues surrounding investigations and arrest — and be able to

41

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Lend a voice during Paris climate talks As world leaders gather in Paris for the United Nations Climate Talks, Nov. 31 to Dec. 11, climate advocates will gather in Asheville to bring awareness to the issue. â&#x2013; 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 29, at Grove Park on Charlotte Street, climate advocates will hold a candlelight vigil in support of a transition to 100 percent renewable energy.

Sponsored by 350 Asheville and The Green Grannies. â&#x2013; 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, at the pavilion at Carrier Park on Amboy Road, an interfaith crowed will gather for a 2-mile walk â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Â signs and banners in hand â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from Carrier Park to French Broad Park. The route will include stops at the river, a wetland, a contaminated parcel being cleaned up and an electric power substation for stories of the sites accompanied by music, poetry and prayer.

Some materials will be provided to make signs starting at 1 p.m. Sponsored by Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina.

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

Federal bill could change funding for outdoor rec projects

42

If a bill recently introduced to Congress passes, a federal fund used to support parks and open spaces across the nation could be dismantled.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund lapsed on Sept. 30 when Congress failed to reauthorize it. The program had set aside $2.46 million per day to fund projects such as trails, playgrounds and recreation centers in nearly every U.S. county.

Some Republicans opposing reauthorization argue that the law needs overhauling. A significant portion of the funds should go to state and local projects, they say, and the money should be used mainly to maintain existing park infrastructure rather than to purchase more land, which they argue takes away from the local tax base.

U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, has introduce a bill that would extensively rework the program, angering many environmental groups. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Americans in virtually every county of the United States enjoy trails, playgrounds and recreation centers paid for by the Land and Water Conservation Fund and overwhelmingly support the continuation of the program as is,â&#x20AC;? said a statement from The Wilderness Society.

A map of projects funded by the Land and and Water Conservation Fund â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including many in Western North Carolina is available at www.wilderness.org/mapping-land-and-water-conservation-fundlwcf.

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

Color run comes to Franklin after Thanksgiving

outdoors

A 5K “color run” organized by Franklin High School Future Business Leaders of America will take off at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Parker Meadows Sports Complex in Macon County.

Runners will wear white T-shirts and get colored powder tossed on them at stations along the route, resulting in vibrant photo opportunities and a keepsake T-shirt at the finish line.

Kids will have a chance to compete in a second race starting at 11 a.m.

Proceeds support Relay for Life and student participation in FBLA competitions. $15 for youth 18 and under; $25 for adults. www.fhsred.com/activities/fbla. 828.421.2850.

Skiers gather for an early-season run at Cataloochee Ski Area. SMN photo

Hike away Thanksgiving pounds Hikers explore the Bartram Trail.

Donated photo

A 7-mile hike along the Bartram Trail — from Wine Springs to Saw Mill Gap in Macon County — will offer views to the south of Siler Bald Saturday, Nov. 28, right after Turkey Day. The Nantahala Hiking Club is organizing the hike with Gail Lehman as hike leader.

RSVP to 828.524.5298.

Thanksgiving events planned at Fontana A week of fall fun will celebrate Thanksgiving at Fontana Village, with a schedule of events including hiking, hunting and dancing from Wednesday, Nov. 25, to Saturday, Nov. 28.

Here are some highlights: ■ Wednesday, Nov. 25: A 7 p.m. campfire and marshmallow roast will offer a combination of comfy and cool.

■ Thursday, Nov. 26: A 2.5-mile hike around Fontana Village’s trail system will depart at 11 a.m. The evening will include clogging lessons, a hayride and a dance, with events starting at 4:30 p.m.

■ Friday, Nov. 27: A pontoon boat ride around Fontana Lake will take place from 2-3 p.m. $15 adults; $7.50 ages 5-12.

■ Saturday, Nov. 28: A shooting range turkey shoot competition will start at 9:30 a.m. www.fontanavillage.com.

A survey to find out what can be done to make walking and biking in Franklin easier and safer is now online.

The town is currently developing a bicycle and pedestrian plan to guide future investments in facilities, which could include everything from expanded sidewalks to bike lanes to signs. A grant from the N.C. Department of Transportation is supporting the initiative, with matching contributions from the town.

Information and a link to the survey are available at www.bikewalkfranklin.wordpress.com.

Cataloochee Ski Area opened for the winter last weekend, kicking off the first run of the season at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 15.

The opening is a little later than the past few years due to a warmer fall. Cataloochee opened Nov. 2 last year — the third earliest opening day in history — and had a total 141 skiing days. The ski area’s average is 127 days of skiing and riding each winter.

Cataloochee’s robust snowmaking operation makes it one of the first ski areas in the country to open each season. Each year Cataloochee continues to invest in its snowmaking infrastructure and technology.

“Staying current with advances in the industry has enabled us to make snow more effectively in the early season. This allows us to open earlier each year as the weather cooperates.” said Chris Bates, Cataloochee’s vice president and general manager.

Cataloochee Ski Area is located off of Fie Top Road outside Maggie Valley. Snow reports and other information is available at www.cataloochee.com.

Diane E. Sherrill, Attorney

Is a Will Enough?

Our dance classes are full of women laughing and growing stronger in body, mind, and soul. Come let your guard down, try something new, and just dance.

First class is free!

84 N. Main St. Waynesville

waynesvillebellydance.com

Nov. 18th & Dec. 9th 11:30 AM

Best Western River Escape Inn Dillsboro, NC

828.586.4051

319-71

Smoky Mountain News

Come Dance With Us!

FREE LUNCHEON SEMINAR

November 18-24, 2015

Franklin wants help with bike and pedestrian planning

Ski season starts at Cataloochee

nctrustlawyer.com

28 Maple St. • Sylva

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outdoors

License plate grants open for A.T. projects A total $30,000 in grants for Appalachian Trail related projects in North Carolina is up for grabs thanks to proceeds from the Appalachian Trail specialty license plate.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy will accept applications through Jan. 8.

Projects could include work on the trail and its facilities, natural heritage, environmental monitoring, education, partnerships and public service projects.

Funds must be spent in North Carolina, and individual requests can’t top $5,000.

Last year, A.T. license plate sales in North Carolina generated $115,000, supporting the grant program, land acquisition and work in the ATC’s Southern Regional Office. www.appalachiantrail.org/plates.

Former Congressman Taylor recognized for forestry career

Trout Unlimited donation will help Smokies trout Fish habitat and the brook trout populations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got a $19,000 boost thanks to a donation from the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, based in Maryville, Tennessee.

The money will support brook trout restoration efforts and internships with the park’s fisheries management crew. Due to destructive logging practices in the early 20th century and competition from nonnative rainbow and brown trout, brookies have taken a beating over the past century.

Since 1987, the park has actively worked to restore the native trout to its historical range, restoring more than 27 miles of habitat in 11 streams since that time.

“Trout Unlimited continues to be a champion of the Smokies fisheries program,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash.

“We are grateful not only for this generous donation, but also for the countless hours of hands-on volunteer labor served in the park.”

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

@SmokyMtnNews

Winter Break Mini Camp December 21st-23rd & 28th-30th

7:30 am to 5:30 pm.

Ages current pre K to seventh grade!

Activities will include environmental education with a focus on seasonal natural happenings, hopefully playing in the snow, hiking and as always, swimming

$65 for members $80 for non members

A photo-illustrated talk on the birds of Lake Junaluska will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Bethea Welcome Center.

Local naturalist and renowned birdwatcher Don Hendershot will give the talk, accompanied by his own photos, with a question and answer session at the end.

Free. Part of the Junaluskans’ regular “Live and Learn” program.

A $248,000 grant will help low-income families in five North Carolina counties — including Haywood and Jackson — learn how to make farmers market produce into affordable, nutritious meals.

Given to the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service through the USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — formerly known as food stamps — the grant will fund the extension’s “More in My Basket at the

(PER CAMP)

For more information email tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov

WAYNESVILLE

Charles H. Taylor stand in one of the family tree farms in 1963. Donated photo

Meet the birds of Lake J

Farmers markets to feature food prep education

Market” program.

“We want to make it a simpler and more inviting process to use SNAP benefits at a farmers market,” said Carolyn Bird, a principal investigator on the project.

In each of the counties selected, extension agents will offer tours of the market and provide education and food demonstrations. Anyone attending a demonstration will receive a cookbook containing recipes for healthy meals that cost less than $4 per person.

The grant is part of a USDA-wide effort to strengthen local and regional food systems, which are already on the rise with a 75 percent increase in American farmers markets since 2009.

Prescribed burns planned for national forests

RECREATION CENTER

550 Vance St. • Waynesville • 828.456.2030 44

Former Congressman and Brevard resident Charles H. Taylor was recently named 2015 North Carolina Tree Farmer of the Year by the N.C. Forestry Association in recognition for a long career in forestry.

Managing tens of thousands of acres of forest and cropland worldwide — but especially in the Southeastern U.S. — forestry has been a family tradition for the Taylors for more than 100 years. During the 16 years Taylor represented Western North Carolina’s 11th District in the U.S. Congress, he was the only licensed forester in Congress.

He has been a proponent for conservation, with the family giving the Conservation Fund of America thousands of acres of land in Transylvania and Haywood counties through a bargain sale, to be managed as multipleuse state forestland. Taylor is an advocate of timber use as a sustainable building material.

“As the world’s population increases, we must continue to use our best science to rely on renewable resources as we conserve our finite resources,” he said.

townofwaynesville.org

319-27

A pair of prescribed burns in the Nantahala National Forest in Graham County will be the first of several the U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct over the next few months in North Carolina.

Once weather conditions are suitable, the Forest Service will burn 15 acres of the Cheoah Point Recreation Area on Lake Santeetlah to reduce leaf litter and debris, and 250 acres at Nolton Ridge.

Prescribed burning is a common management tool to improve habitat for wildlife, reduce the risk of wildfire and restore species that depend on fire to persist.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Hawthorn Heights Open House is scheduled for 11 a.m.-6 p .m. on Nov. 19 at 656 Black Hill Road. Tour the new facility, meet staff, donate items for the new house, get involved to help abused and neglected teens in WNC. 488.6512.

• The annual Duke Citizenship and Service award will be presented at a party from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at Comfort Inn of Sylva.

• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will hold a community music jam from 6-7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19. 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. 488.3030.

• An “Amnesty Day” will be offered by the Haywood County Child Support Office on Nov. 20. Any non-custodial parent with an outstanding arrest order may go to the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency to resolve the matter. For details, contact Patricia Conklin at 356.2366.

• A back porch old-time music jam will be held from 13 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee. All welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• There will be a “Tasty Tuesday: Winter Seasonals” at 7 p.m. Nov. 24 and 30 at Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden.

• Light Up the Night: A Vigil for the Paris Climate Talks is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 29, at Grove Park on Charlotte Street in Asheville.

• Qualla Boundary Historical Society meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Everyone is welcome.

• Tickets are on sale for the N.C. Arboretum’s secondannual Winter Lights exhibit, which runs from Nov. 20Jan. 2. Three-acre nightly walking tour featuring more than 200,000 lights. http://tinyurl.com/nerqsq9.

• “Brown Bag at the Depot” – an opportunity to gather with neighbors – is at noon every Friday at Sylva’s newest park at the corner of Spring and Mill Street along Railroad Ave. For info, contact Paige Dowling at townmanager@townofsylva.org.

• Graceann’s Amazing Breakfast is 8-10 a.m. every Tuesday in the Sapphire Room at the Sapphire Valley Community Center. $8.50 for adults; $5 for children.

Includes coffee and orange juice. 743.7663.

• There will be a free tasting and cooking demonstration from 5-7 p.m. every Saturday at Country Traditions in Dillsboro. Try a wide variety of wines while a gourmet chef prepares delicious treats that are available for purchase. Free. www.dillsborowineandgourmet.net.

• “Wine on Wednesday” is set for 6-8 p.m. at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. Free wine tasting with dinner ($15 minimum) or $6 per person. 452.6000.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • RSVPs are being accepted for the Cashiers Area Chamber Annual Meeting & Celebration, which is Thursday, Nov. 19, at Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center. $45 per person includes arrival beverage and dinner. 743.5191 or info@cashiersareachamber.com.

• The Village Green is inviting businesses and organizations to sponsor a Christmas tree with LED lights or decorations during the holiday season. LED lights and weather-resistant decorations can be installed Nov. 2025 in Cashiers. Trees will be lit on Friday, Nov. 27.

Lights and decorations must be removed by Monday,

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 Jan. 4. info@villagegreencashiersnc.com.

• Preregistration is underway for NC Safe Plates: A required food safety course for food service establishments across Western North Carolina. The class is offered Nov. 23-24 at a cost of $130 (including lunch and snacks) at the Historic Cowee School in Franklin.

586.4009 or sherrie_peeler@ncsu.edu.

• The Haywood Chamber of Commerce will host “Issues & Eggs” from 8-9 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. Guest speaker is Dr. Dean Russell of Executive Performance and Solutions, Inc. • A free Quickbooks-Processing Payroll Seminar will be presented by the Small Business Center at Haywood Community College from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1, in the HCC Auditorium in Clyde. Presenter if Jeffrey Weathers of Integrity Bookkeeping Services.

SBC.Haywood.edu or 627.4512.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Volunteers are being sought for the N.C. Arboretum’s second-annual Winter Lights exhibit, which runs from Nov. 20-Jan. 2. Three-acre nightly walking tour featuring more than 200,000 lights. http://tinyurl.com/ov5cjka.

• A benefit raffle is currently underway at the Canton Senior Center. The prize is a gift basket valued at over $1,000, filled with gift certificates and other goods.

Funding, in general, has been cut over the years, with proceeds from the raffles going to their numerous programs. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the Canton Senior Center and the Haywood County Senior Resource Center. Drawing is Dec. 9 and you do not have to be present to win. 356.2813.

• Contributions are being sought for the Glenville Area Historical Society’s historical museum, which plans to open next year. historicalsocietyglenvillearea@yahoo.com or 743.1658.

• Tickets are on sale for Balsam Range’s performance at the sixth-annual Festival of Trees dinner and auction, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. The event is a fundraiser for KARE. Tickets available at www.karehouse.org. 456.8995. 454.0463.

• The Relay for Life of West Haywood will hold its 2016 kickoff event at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Sagebrush Steakhouse in Waynesville. Dinner provided.

788.3525.

• A fundraiser breakfast for the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center is scheduled for 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Waynesville.

452.7358.

• A Blue Plate Special fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 25 at The Community Table in Sylva.

Different specials are catered by different restaurants each month. $5 minimum donation, dine-in or carryout.

828.586.6782 to place your order. All proceeds benefit The Community Table’s mission to provide nutritious meals to our neighbors in need in a welcoming environment.

Smoky Mountain News

• A Christmas Tea & Crafts event will be hosted by the Sylva Garden Club from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 at First United Methodist Church of Sylva. Hors d’oeuvres, sweets and beverages. Specialty pecans, silent auction and raffle for door prize. Suggested donation is $10 per ticket; available from SGC members and at the door. Proceeds go to fund SGC beautification projects. www.facebook.com/SylvaGardenClub.

• Tickets are available for a charity concert supporting Hospice House Foundation of WNC. Featured act will be Emporium, a six-piece band from Asheville, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Highlands Performing Arts Center.

Tickets are $30. www.highlandspac.net. For info on Hospice House Foundation of WNC, contact Michele Alderson at 524.6375 or 421.2831.

• Cullowhee Mountain Arts will hold its second annual benefit celebration at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, in the Western Carolina University Center Grand Ballroom in Cullowhee. “Gala Imaginé” will benefit CMA, a grassroots non-profit committed to nurturing the arts throughout the region. Decorations, artisan wine and beer, chef-inspired dinner, artist-designed greeting cards, door prizes, drawings and more. $60 per person.

Purchase at www.cullowheemountainarts.org/GalaImagine or by calling 342.6913.

HOLIDAY GIVING • Operation Christmas Child, an effort to deliver shoeboxes filled with toys and goodies to children around the world, is attempting to collect 20,000 boxes throughout Western North Carolina. Local collection sites include First Baptist Church in Bryson City, Canton First Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Waynesville and First United Methodist Church in Sylva.

Boxes due by Nov. 22. Info: wncocc@yahoo.com or samaritanspurse.org/occ.

• The Maggie Valley Lodging Association is accepting donations for its annual Turkey Drive at Thanksgiving. A $25 donation provides a full Thanksgiving meal for a family that would otherwise go without. Donations can be mailed to P.O. Box 1175, Maggie Valley, NC 28751 or www.visitmaggie.com (press donate button at bottom of the page).

• Operation Christmas Box is being organized to benefit homebound elderly Jackson County residents. Giftwrapped boxes with pop top canned goods, paper towels, soap, personal-care items, non-perishable food items and more will be accepted through Dec. 1 at the Jackson County Department on Aging. 631.8041 or 586.8562.

• Toys for Tots drive on from 3 to 9 p.m. Dec. 10 and 11 at the Smoky Mountain Holiday Bazaar located at Barkers Creek Community Building. Free admission.

Bring an unwrapped toy to be entered into a raffle. Door prizes, drawing contest for kids, face painting, food samples/vendors, holiday displays from local crafters, and several more free activities. More information on facebook.

HEALTH MATTERS • The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from noon-4:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 at Western Carolina University’s Health and Human Science Building in Cullowhee. 800.733.2767 or redcrossblood.org.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive 12:30-5 p.m. on Nov. 19 at First Baptist Church in Franklin. 800.733.2767 or redcrossblood.org.

• Swain Community Hospital, a Duke LifePoint hospital, will hold a job fair from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, in the main lobby of Harris Regional in Sylva. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments. 586.7102, www.myharrisregional.com and www.myswaincommunity.com.

45

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

• Project Lazarus meets at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Genealogy Conference Room on the second floor of the Jackson County Public Library. The group will not meet in December.

• A support group for those affected by essential tremor will meet at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Mission Community Church in Sylva. Group serves individuals in Jackson, Macon, Swain and Haywood Counties. If interested, contact Ted Kubit at 631.5543 or tkubit@frontier.com.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 2-6 p.m. on Nov. 23 at Center Pigeon Fire Department in Canton. 800.733.2767 or redcrossblood.org.

• A multiple sclerosis support group meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Nov. 24 at Jackson County Senior Center in Sylva. Sponsored by the North Carolina chapter of the National MS Society. 293.2503.

• The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Nov. 27 at United Community Bank in Bryson City. 800.733.2767 or redcrossblood.org.

• In observance of national Hospice and Palliative Care Month, LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care will hold an open house from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 30, at its office located at 81 Medical Park Loop, Suite 204.

• A refresher training for Emergency Medical Technicians is scheduled for Dec. 2-4 in Cullowhee.

Program meets core National Registry of EMT’s requirement for recertification. 293.5384 or main@landmarklearning.edu.

• LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care will hold its annual Tree of Remembrance ceremony at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 3, in the Harris Regional Hospital cafeteria and private dining room with an opportunity for memorial and honorary ornaments to be placed on the tree. Hot chocolate, coffee, cider and desserts will be served. 631.1702.

• The Macon County Cancer Support Group meets at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, in the cafeteria of Angel Medical Center in Franklin. Light refreshments and free gifts.

• Senior Life Solutions at Swain will offer a two-part educational series titled “Holiday Challenges – Dealing with Depression and Anxiety” from noon-12:45 p.m. on Dec. 17 and Dec. 19 at Swain Community Hospital in Bryson City. 488.4044.

• 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.

• Al-Anon, a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who believe their lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking, meets at 10 a.m. on Saturdays at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

356.2800.

• “Health on Wheels” road ride, a relaxing social ride supporting physical and mental recovery from illness or injury – as well as anyone who hasn’t ridden in awhile – starts at 10:30 a.m. every Thursday at Canton Rec Park. For info, contact Michelle Trantham at mttrantham@hotmail.com or Melissa Rockett at mrockett@mountainwise.com/

wnc calendar

• 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.

• Brain Health Workshop is being offered on Monday afternoons through Nov. 22, at the Haywood Senior Resource Center. Contact Michelle Claytor at mclaytor@mountainprojects.org or 356.2813.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • A ballroom dance is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde.

Refreshments provided. $10 for admission. 734.8726.

• Fitness Challenge Closing Celebration is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, in the multipurpose room of the Waynesville Recreation Center. Prizes to be given away include memberships and classes at participating Fitness Challenge gyms.

• Pickle ball is offered from 8 a.m.-noon on Mondays through Fridays at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

456.2030 or www.waynesvillnc.gov.

• A high-impact fitness class entitled “Pump It Up” will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. High energy, quick pace. Fee is daily admission or membership. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• A high-impact fitness class entitled “FIT 25” will be held from 5-5:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Coreconcentration exercise. Fee is daily admission or membership. 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• A 25-minute, full-body workout class is held at 5 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Waynesville Recreation Center. Cost is daily admission or membership. For info, call 456.2030.

November 18-24, 2015

• A lunchtime fitness class will be held from noon-1

p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Waynesville Recreation Center. Melissa Tinsley is the instructor.

456.2030.

POLITICAL CORNER • North Carolina Rep. Joe Sam Queen will have a reception to kick off his 2016 re-election campaign from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Balsam Mountain Inn. • Jackson County Republican Party meets at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, at Ryan’s in Sylva. Senator Jim Davis, Mickey Luker (candidate for Jackson County Board of Commissioners) and candidates for the NC House Aaron Littlefield and Mike Clampitt are expected to speak. 743.6491 or jacksonctygop@yahoo.com.

• Occupy/WNC General Assembly meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every second and fourth Tuesday at Dogwood Wellness Center. GPS address is 114 West Hemlock Street, Sylva NC 28779 but location in Dillsboro. 7439747.

THE SPIRITUAL SIDE • A presentation on the importance of movement will be given at 7 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the Open Door Center for Spiritual Living in Sylva. 477.4380.

• Faith speaker Lysa TerKeurst will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, at the Smoky Mountain Center of the Performing Arts in Franklin. Musical guest is Michael O’Brien, Christian musician known for being lead singer of NewSong. Tickets start at $15. www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

• Winter Shabbat Services are held at 10:30 a.m. on the first and third Saturdays of each month by Congregation Bamidbar in the Fellowship Hall of Andrews Methodist Church in Andrews. 369.9270.

• First United Methodist Church of Sylva’s meeting times will be 9 a.m. for contemporary worship service

DAVID HOLT’S

and 11 a.m. for traditional worship service. On Nov. 29 the two services will be combined. 586.2358.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • “The Literary Hour” featuring poetry and prose readings is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at John Campbell Folk School. Poets and writers Janice Townley Moore and Marcia Hawley Barnes will be featured readers.

• Hal Farwell and Karl Nicholas will discuss the making of their book “Smoky Mountain Voices: A Lexicon of Southern Appalachian Speech Based on the Research of Horace Kephart” at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Library in Sylva. Free. 586.2016.

• Haywood Community College’s Creative Arts Visiting Artist Program will host a lecture by professional writer Katey Schultz at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, in Clyde. Schultz will share perspective on what it takes to attract positive exposure, how to obtain features in major publications and more. Free; open to the public. 627.4672.

• The Coffee with the Poet series will continue with Holly Dunlap at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Dunlap will present her first book, “Feet to Water.” 586.9499.

• Banned Book Club meets from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

For those who enjoy literature and intellectual conversation. 456.6000, blueridgebooks@ymail.com.

• Author Tiffany Ehnes will discuss her work I am Soulshine from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Books Unlimited in Franklin.

• Anna Browning, author of “Tanner Turbeyfill and the Moon Rocks,” will host a story time at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at City Light Bookstore in Sylva.

586.9499.

• Professor and cyclist Jimmy Guignard will present his book “Pedaling the Sacrifice Zone” at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

586.9499.

• George Singleton will present his collection of stories at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 586.9499.

• A poetry night will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 at The Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub in Franklin.

• Writer Debra Jenkins will present her book “In the Midst” from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28 at Books Unlimited in Franklin.

• New York Times bestselling author Kate Alcott will present her novel “A Touch of Stardust” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

456.6000, blueridgebooks@ymail.com or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

• Banned Book Club meets from 10 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

For those who enjoy literature and intellectual conversation. 456.6000, blueridgebooks@ymail.com or www.blueridgebooksnc.com.

• A “What Do I Read Next” event is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, at the Waynesville Library Auditorium.

• New York Times bestselling author William R. Forstschen will present his book “One Year After” from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Books Unlimited in Franklin. 369.7942.

• Waynesville Book Club on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. at Waynesville Library Meet to discuss books, which are chosen by each member (taking turns) and provided by the library. New members are welcome.

For more information, 356.2507.

• Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville now has a used

LIVE ON STAGE

STATE OF MUSIC

Smoky Mountain News

Sunday, November 22, 3 P.M. Bardo Arts Center Bardoartscenter.wcu.edu

Rhiannon Giddens 46

Balsam Range Josh Goforth The Branchettes A proud sponsor of the Arts

book section and is accepting books in exchange for credit on other used books, and a free book is available from the giveaway cart for anyone who buys three or more.

• 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 10 a.m. on Mondays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

• 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.

• Pinochie game is played at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2813.

• Hearts is played at noon 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 • The Polar Express themed train will celebrate the holiday season Nov. 20-22 and 24-25 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in Bryson City. Set to

wnc calendar

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • A weekly manipulation card game group is forming through the Haywood County Senior Resource Center. If interested, contact Michelle Claytor at mclaytor@mountainprojects.org or 356.2813.

the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the story. The train arrives to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa boards the train, greeting each child and presenting them with their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the depot. www.gsmr.com or 800.872.4681.

• The Robot Zoo, an opportunity to see how real animals work by exploring biomechanics of robots, is on display through Jan. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. www.ncarboretum.org.

• A “Furry Fun for Wee Naturalists” program is offered as a self-guided time and craft through Nov. 24 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. www.ncarboretum.org.

• Wednesdays in the Stacks, “WITS”, a new program for children in grades 3-6, on the third Wednesdays of the month from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Macon County Library. WITS will include lots of fun games, prizes, and hands-on activities. This club replaces book club previous held on the third Thursdays of the month. 526.3600.

• Fun Friday, everything science, is held at 4 p.m. on Fridays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Family Fun Night is at 6 p.m. on Thursdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Just Write is at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Teen Coffeehouse is at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Jackson County Public Library. 586.2016.

• Youth Outright meets every Sunday from 4 p.m. -6 p.m. at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville for ages 14-20. Youth Outright is a youth advocacy and leadership program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in 18 counties in Western North Carolina. www.youthoutright.org.

November 18-24, 2015

A

bi-monthly magazine that covers the southern Appalachian mountains and celebrates the area’s environmental riches, its people, culture, music, art, crafts and special places. Each issue relies on regional writers and photographers to bring the Appalachians to life.

In this issue:

PLUS ADVENTURE, CUISINE, READING, MUSIC, ARTS & MORE

SUBSCRIBE:

Smoky Mountain News

Fresh Spins on Time-Honored Craftsmanship Heritage Apples Bear Fruit for Appalachian Farmers The Haunting Story of Rugby, Tennessee Pumpkin and Persimmon Fall Recipes

www.smliv.com OR

866.452.2251

47

wnc calendar

• Rock and Read is Tuesdays at 11 a.m. at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

adults; $7.50-ages 5-12); and a turkey shoot (9:30 a.m. on Nov. 28). www.fontanavillage.com.

• Teen Coffeehouse meets Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. at Jackson County Public Library. 586-2016.

• The Bryson City Spirit of Christmas celebration is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 28 at the corner of Mitchell and Everett Street. Christmas Tree lighting ceremony and concert; visit from Santa. Bring a canned good or unwrapped new toy to donate.

488.3681.

KIDS MOVIES • “Inside Out” is being shown for free on Saturdays in November at noon and 2 p.m. at the Strand in Waynesville. 283.0079.

• Family movies will be played at 1 p.m. on Nov. 23, 24, & 28 at the Macon County Library. Call the library for titles. 524-3600.

• A family movie about a reclusive inventor and relentlessly curious teen who begin a perilous quest to unlock secrets of a magical world will be shown at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. For info, including movie title, call 488.3030.

• The Franklin Christmas Parade is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Nov. 29. 524.3161 • The annual tree lighting “Winter Wonderland” ceremony and candlelight service is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 28 in Franklin. 524.3161, www.franklin-chamber.com or www.holidaysinfranklin.com.

• The Canton Christmas Parade “Miracle on Main” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Dec. 3, starting with the tree lighting at 5 p.m. at Sorrells Street Park in downtown Canton. The Town will provide free hot chocolate as long as supplies last. Food trucks will also be onsite for food purchases. To participate in the parade call 235-2760.

• The Highlands Christmas Parade is scheduled for Dec. 5.

A&E HOLIDAY PARADES AND CELEBRATIONS • A Thanksgiving celebration of bingo, games and food will be Nov. 26 at The Cut Cocktail Lounge in Sylva. All welcome.

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

• Thanksgiving at Fontana Village will feature a campfire and marshmallow roast (7 p.m. on Nov. 25), a 2.5-mile hike (11 a.m. on Nov. 26), clogging lessons, a hayride and a dance (4:30 p.m. on Nov. 26), a pontoon boat ride (2-3 p.m. on Nov. 27; $15 for

• The Waynesville Christmas Parade “Joy to the World” is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Dec. 7. To apply go to downtownwaynesville.com by noon on Friday, Nov. 20.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • The classic Noel Coward comedy “Blithe Spirit” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. from Nov. 18-21 and at 3 p.m. on Nov. 22 in the Hoey Auditorium at Western Carolina University. The story describes the conflict

• ‘Round the Fire (folksy American rock, blues, reggae, swing, original music) performs at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 452.6000.

• Bob Zullo (vocals, guitar) performs at 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 452.6000.

• Signature Winds will perform as part of the Friends of the Library Concert Series at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Waynesville Branch. Free.

HaywoodArts.org.

• Tuscola High School’s Choral Department will present “Tuscola Loves Broadway, 50 Years of Celebration!” on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21-22, in the high school auditorium. Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10 and include a dessert and drink at intermission.

Tickets are available at the door, through any Summit member or by calling the school at 456.2408.

• Waynesville Public Library will host The Signature Winds (jazz/classical) at 3 p.m. on Nov. 21. Free.

• Joe Cruz (piano, vocals) performs at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 452.6000.

• A back porch old-time music jam will be held from 1-3 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee. All welcome to come play or simply sit and listen to sounds of Southern Appalachia.

• Country singers Kaitlyn Baker and Reagan Boggs will host a viewing party for the Baker/Boggs episode of “Song of the Mountains” at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Tap Room Sports Bar & Grill in the Waynesville Country Club. $5 donation is suggested; all proceeds go to “Song of the Mountains.” Food and beverages extra. www.Kaitlynbaker.com and www.reaganboggs.com.

• A concert of traditional and contemporary Indonesian music will be presented by Western Carolina University and Warren Wilson College at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building at WCU. Free; open to the public.

Afterward, audience members can try the instruments firsthand. 227.3258 or wpeebles@wcu.edu.

A million miles away is just down the road. visitnc.com

48

• The Sylva Christmas Parade, “The Songs and Sounds of Christmas” is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Dec. 5. Parade starts at the Sylva fire department with a rain date of Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.

when mystery writer Charles Condomine accidently brings his dead wife back into an earthly sphere while researching a new book. Then his ghostly wife attempts to lure him away from his new wife and into the afterlife with her. Tickets will be $16 for adults; $11 for senior citizens, faculty and staff; and for students, $10 day of show or $7 in advance.

828.227.2479 or www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

• “David Holt’s State of Music – Live” will take the stage of John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center from 3-5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Featured acts are Holt (traditional music and storytelling), Rhiannon Giddens (bluegrass), Balsam Range (bluegrass), Josh Goforth (ballad singer) and The Branchettes (African-American gospel duo). Tickets start at $35. Bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• The Blue Ribbon Healers perform “Swankytonk” (old-timey Gypsey, blues and jazz vocals) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 452.6000. www.classicwineseller.com.

• Joe Cruz (piano, vocals) performs at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 452.6000.

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • Dance lessons will be offered in three-week sessions, Nov. 19-Dec. 10 through the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Instructors will be Herb and Sally Roach. Classes meet at 7 p.m. $30 per person for a three-week session. More info at 456.2030 or tplowman@waynesvillenc.gov.

• A free photo-editing class will be taught by retired WCU professor Roger Bacon at 5:45 p.m. on

Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Bacon will show participants how to use GIMP, a free software. Free. Register by calling 586.2016. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

• A Scherenschnitte class (German art of paper cutting) will be held from noon-4 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva.

Talented instructor and paper artist Lawrie Williams will be teaching how to create Holiday ornaments and Tablescapes with this unique craft. A light egg salad sandwich lunch will be provided by Williams. Contact the Jackson County Extension Office at 828.586.4009 to register and for the supply list. Cost is $5.

• The annual Handmade Holiday Sale is scheduled for noon-7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, in the Star Atrium adjacent to the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University. Admission is free. Sale features scarves, ceramics, jewelry, knitted wear and books. Live music and snacks will be shared. 227.3591 or dmbehling@wcu.edu.

• An Indoor Flea Market is scheduled for 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Old Armory in Waynesville. $10 per booth for selling items.

456.9207.

• A “Nolen’s Tote” basket class with Joanne Nolen will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Cooperative Extension Building in Franklin. Bring webbing. pail, sponge, hand towel, snips or old scissors, ice pick or awl, cloth tape measure, and sack lunch.

Fee is $25. Register by Nov. 17 by calling 828.524.ARTS. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• Mountain Artisans will present the 28th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” Arts & Crafts show from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Nov. 27-28 at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center in Cullowhee. $4.50 for adults; 12 and under are admitted free. www.mountainartisans.net or djhunter@dnet.net.

• The 14th annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Nov. 27-28 in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville. Self-guided. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• Shop Small Saturday is Nov. 28.

• The Rail Line Wine Experience “MacNeill Uncorked” will be held from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in the Bryson City Train Depot. Features wines selected by French Broad Vignerons to pair with your meal. Age 21 and over only. $109 per person. www.gsmr.com.

• As part of Native American Heritage Month (November), The Museum of the Cherokee Indian will host “Ancient Skills: Learn Fire-Making, Atlati, Blowgun, Chunky Game” with Cherokee Friends from 1-4 p.m. on Nov. 28 in Cherokee. $20 for adults; $10 for children ages 6-13; children must be accompanied by an adult. 497.3481, ext. 300, or www.cherokeemuseum.org.

• As part of Native American Heritage Month (November), The Museum of the Cherokee Indian will host Cherokee Heritage Trails – Quala Boundary and Blue Ridge Parkway Tours with certified trail guide Mike Littlejohn from 1-5 p.m. on Nov. 21 in Cherokee. $20 for adults; $10 for children ages 6-13; children must be accompanied by an adult. 497.3481, ext.

300, or www.cherokeemuseum.org.

• A “Nolen’s Tote” basket class with Joanne Nolen will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Cooperative Extension Building in Franklin. Bring webbing, pail, sponge, hand towel, snips or old scissors, ice pick or awl, cloth tape measure, and sack lunch.

Fee is $25. Register by Nov. 17 by calling 828.524.ARTS. www.franklin-chamber.com.

• A “Glass Ornament” class will be held from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Nov. 21 at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. $30. 631.0271 or www.jcgep.org.

• Annual Haywood County Master Gardener Wreath-

wnc calendar November 18-24, 2015

Smoky Mountain News

49

wnc calendar

Making event is Saturday, Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville. $20, includes materials. Reserve spot by calling 456.3575 or mgarticles@charter.net.

• As part of Native American Heritage Month (November), The Museum of the Cherokee Indian will host free storytelling with Jerry Wolfe, Beloved Man of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, from 1-2 p.m. on Fridays in Cherokee. 497.3481, ext. 300, or www.cherokeemuseum.org.

• As part of Native American Heritage Month (November), The Museum of the Cherokee Indian will host free arts and crafts demonstrations as well as primitive skills demonstrations on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons in Cherokee. 497.3481, ext. 300, or www.cherokeemuseum.org.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • The Haywood County Arts Council’s “It’s a Small, Small Work” will run from till Dec. 26 at the council’s Gallery & Gifts in downtown Waynesville. Most prices will be between $50-$125, with nothing over $300.

Supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division or the Department of Cultural Resources. www.haywoodarts.org, info@haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

• The 10th Annual Autumn Juried Group Exhibit of the Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association Asheville Region entitled “Southern Appalachian Splendor Through the Seasons,” will be hosted through the New Year by the Green Sage Cafe in Asheville. www.cnpaasheville.org.

• Fine Feathered Friends and Flowers, oil paintings by Mary Webster, will be on display at the N.C. Arboretum through Jan. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. www.ncarboretum.org.

Smoky Mountain News

November 18-24, 2015

• Haywood County Arts Council will host artists from the Haywood Art Studio Tour at the Gallery & Gifts Space in Waynesville. www.HaywoodArts.org.

• The Mountain Heritage Center is hosting the exhibit “Collecting for the Community,” an exploration of the diversity and variety to be found in Western North Carolina. Visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, with extended hours until 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

• A contemporary exhibit is open at the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

The exhibit is intended to challenge the way beliefs about the natural world are formed. Entitled “Connections: Diane Fox & Beauvais Lyons,” the exhibit pairs photographs by Fox with lithography by Lyons. An artists’ talk and reception is set for 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19; the exhibit remains at WCU through Friday, Jan. 15. The museum is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays with extended hours to 7 p.m. on Thursday. Admission and parking are free.

227.3591 or fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.

• “It’s Teatime” – an interactive art installation by artist Leigh Ann Parrish, a Master in Fine Arts Candidate at Western Carolina University - will be featured through Nov. 24 at WCU’s Fine Arts Museum in Cullowhee. Three teatimes per day, Monday through Thursday, for guests. www.leighannparrishphotography.com.

FILM & SCREEN • Mad Batter Food and Film will screen “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (Nov. 19-21) in Sylva. Showtimes are 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee also on Saturday. Free. For a full schedule of dates and times, click on www.madbatterfoodandfilm.com.

• A screening of “Mr. Holmes” will be held at Nov. 18-20 at 7 p.m., Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and Nov. 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

• Adult movie time, 6:30 p.m. Mondays at Jackson County Public Library. Call for title of movie.

586.2016.

• A new movie with Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts will be shown at 2 and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. Movie is set in Victorian England and is about three different suitors pursuing the same lady. PG-13; 1:59. 524.3600.

• A classic movie with Ray Milliland and Maureen O’Sullivan will be shown at 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. A career-oriented magazine editor finds himself on the run when he discovers his boss is framing him for murder. 1:35. 524.3600.

Outdoors • Keep Swain Clean & Pristine is from 6-7:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 in the Fellowship Hall at Bryson City United Methodist Church.

• Local naturalist and birdwatcher Don Hendershot will speak about birds found on or around Lake Junaluska at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

• A program on outdoor cooking will be presented by the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Nov. 21. Learn how to prepare a tasty meal over an open wood fire or charcoal briquettes. For ages 12 and up. Register at www.ncwildlife.org/Learning. Info at 877.4423.

• The Highlands Plateau Greenway will conduct its

• Haywood Historic Farmers Market is held from 8 a.m.-noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the parking lot of HART Theatre in Waynesville. 280.1381 or haywoodfarmersmarket@gmail.com.

• The Jackson County Farmers Market is held each week until Christmas indoors at the Community Table on Central Avenue next to the pool and Poteet Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Info: jacksoncountyfarmersmarket@gmail.com or jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.

FARM AND GARDEN • “Holiday Gifts for Gardeners” will be presented by Master Gardener volunteer Jim Janke from 1-2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Waynesville Library auditorium. Eighteen gifts from $5-200 will be shown and discussed. Refreshments and door prizes provided by Friends of the Library. 356.2507.

• Jackson County Cooperative Extension will hold a workshop designed to help provide area farmers with tools for reducing food safety risks while meeting marketing requirements from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20, at the Jackson County Extension Office. $25.

488.3848 or 586.4009.

COMPETITIVE EDGE • Cold Turkey 5k & Little Turkeys Fun Run/Walk in Franklin to be held on Nov. 25. Little Turkeys starts at 9 a.m. with 5K starting at 9:30 a.m. Register by Nov 22 for $25 or at the race for $30.

Raceentry.com/races/cold-turkey-5k/2015/register.

• The FBLA 5K Color Run is scheduled for Nov. 28 at Parker Meadows Sports Complex in Franklin. Funds raised will support Relay for Life and FBLA competitions. Race starts at 9:45 a.m.; children’s race is at 11 a.m. $5 meals served. $15 entry fee for 18 and under; $25 for adults. 421.2850, 524.6467 or http://fhsred.com/activities/fbla/.

HIKING CLUBS • A Full Moon Hike is scheduled for Nov. 21. Register

by Nov. 19 at the Cullowhee Rec center or the Cashiers/Glenville Rec Center. $5 per person. Meet at Cullowhee Recreation Center at 6 p.m.

• Nantahala Hiking Club will have a six-mile hike of Bee Cove Falls on Saturday, Nov. 21, in South Carolina. For info, call leaders Mike and Susan Kettles at 743.1074.

• Nantahala Hiking Club will host a seven-mile hike with an elevation gain of 800 feet on Saturday, Nov. 28. For more info, contact leader Gail Lehman at 524.5298.

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 • Carolina Mountain Club will have a nine-mile hike of Butter Gap Loop on Nov. 28. Elevation gain of 2,000 feet. For more info, contact leader Amy Treverton at 216.3914 or athikerbabe@gmail.com.

OUTDOOR CLUBS • The Jackson County Poultry Club will hold its regular meeting on the third Thursday of each month at the Jackson County Cooperative Extension Office. The club is for adults and children and includes a monthly meeting with a program and a support network for those raising birds. For info, call 586.4009 or write heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

• The North Carolina Catch program, a three-phase conservation education effort focusing on aquatic environments, will be offered through May 15. The program is offered by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Free for members; daily admission for non-members. 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Cold Mountain Photographic Society is a camera/photography club for amateurs and professionals who want to learn about and share their knowledge of photography with others. Must be 18 or older to join. Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the second Monday of each month in the conference room of MedWest Health and Fitness Center, 262 Leroy George Drive in Clyde. More information at www.cmpsnc.org or info@cmpsnc.org.

• The Cherokee Runners meets each month on the 1st and 15th of the month (if the first falls on Sunday, the group meets on the 2nd), at the Age Link Conference Room.

Group runs are being held each Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Flame. www.cherokeerunners.com.

• Mountain Wild, the local chapter of the N.C. Wildlife Federation works to preserve and increase wildlife and wildlife habitat of the region. Free programs and guest speakers held periodically at the WNC Nature Center in Asheville. Call 338.0035.

• Free Fly Fishing Classes are offered at River's Edge Outfitters in Cherokee every week. Participants of all ages and skill levels are welcome and encouraged to attend. Classes will be approximately an hour and half long. For more information contact Rivers Edge Outfitters at 497.9300.

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WNC MarketPlace

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We Offer Training and Certifications Running Bulldozers, Backhoes and Excavators. Lifetime Job Placement. VA Benefits Eligible!

1.866.362.6497 DRIVER TRAINEES Paid CDL Training! Stevens Transport will cover all costs! No Experience Needed! Earn $800 per week!

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1.888.748.4137 drive4stevens.com AVIATION GRADS Work with JetBlue, Boeing, Delta & others - start here with hands-on training for FAA certification. Financial aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance.

877.300.9494.

November 18-24, 2015

$1000 WEEKLY!!

Mailing Brochures From Home.

Helping home workers since 2001.

Genuine Opportunity. NO Experience Required. Start Immediately. www.MailingMembers.com SAPA

EMPLOYMENT FULL CHARGE BOOKKEEPER Sylva, NC based not-for-profit organization is seeking a fulltime bookkeeper to handle all accounting functions including general ledger, payroll, accounts receivable and account payable.

Applicants should have accounting education and several years hands-on accounting experience.

Good working knowledge of Excel and Word are required.

Please send resume to: sylvaresume@gmail.com HELP WANTED Looking to become a wonderful addition to a dental office? We are searching for a certified Dental Assistant to be the one to complete our amazing team. Send resume to: apply2assist@yahoo.com You will enjoy this great group and our awesome patients we are privileged to serve.

THE NAVY IS HIRING Top-notch training, medical/dental, 30 days vacation/yr, $ for school. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri 800.662.7419

SUMO - A ONE-YEAR-OLD GREAT DANE/LABRADOR RETRIEVER MIX BOY. HE IS BIG HAPPY DOG, A LITTLE RAMBUNCTIOUS, SO WILL DO BEST IN A HOME WITH OLDER KIDS AND ADULTS. HE SURE IS HANDSOME AND VERY SWEET NATURED AND WILL BE A GREAT FAMILY COMPANION.

www.smokymountainnews.com

BLINK A YOUNG FUZZBALL KITTY WITH LOVELY TABBY STRIPES. HE'S A BIT SHY AT FIRST, BUT QUICKLY WARMS UP ONCE HE KNOWS YOU ARE A FRIEND.

317-46

EMPLOYMENT NEED MEDICAL BILLING TRAINEES! Doctors & Hospitals need Medical Office Staff! NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed.

Careertechnical.edu/nc.

1.888.512.7122 HEAD START PRESCHOOL TEACHER - JACKSON COUNTY Must have BK or BS in related field. This position requires computer skills, ability to work with diverse populations & community partners, 2 yrs. experience in classroom, responsible for classroom/paperwork and have good judgement/problem solving skills and time management skills.

This is a 10 month position with benefits. Applications taken at Mountain Projects, 2251 Old Balsam Rd., Waynesville or 25 Schulman St., Sylva or at: www.mountainprojects.org EOE/AA FTCC Fayetteville Technical Community College is now accepting applications for the following positions: Computer Information Technology Instructor. Paramedic InstructorContinuing Education. Automotive Systems Technology Instructor.

Programmer/Analyst. Grant Writer.

Health & Physical Education Instructor. For detailed information and to apply, please visit our employment portal at: https://faytechcc.peopleadmin.com/. Human Resources Office. Phone: 910.678.8378 Internet: http://www.faytechcc.edu.

An Equal Opportunity Employer.

IMMEDIATE OPENINGS NOW! Home Every Week. Excellent Pay w/Benefits, 100% No Touch Freight, 75% Drop & Hook. Class A CDL w/1 Yr. Exp. Req. Call Today Call 888.219.8039.

MONEY FOR SCHOOL Potentially get full tuition & great career with U.S. Navy. Paid training, medical/dental, vacation. HS grads ages 17-34. Call Mon-Fri Call Now for more information 800.662.7419.

SAPA

EMPLOYMENT WANT TO FLATBED? Call us! - Free Healthcare! Hiring Class A CDL Drivers for Regional & OTR. Pay starting at 40cpm. Call 864.649.2063 or visit drive4jgr.com EOE.

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 SELL YOUR STRUCTURED Settlement or annuity payments for CASH NOW. You don't have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1.800.316.0271.

SOCIAL SECURITY Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1.800.371.1734 to start your application today!

FURNITURE COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

LAWN & GARDEN 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 MTD YARDMASTER RIDING MOWER 36” 14hp B&S. Runs and Mows Fine, Needs Routine Maintenance.

Cowl Removed but Available. $250 Call 828.648.4372, leave message.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT PUBLISHER’S NOTICE All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All dwellings advertised on an equal opportunity basis.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT 67 ACRES OFF PRESSLEY CREEK IN CULLOWHEE NEAR WCU. Includes 2/BR 2/BA, 1600 sq. ft. house, workshop & garage.

Property borders Forest Service and offers long range views to the Parkway. Good road system in, several potential additional house sites, very private, good potential family compound, ideal for conservation easement.

Reduced to $345,500 Details at: www.918gapbranch.com or Call 828.586.0165 MOUNTAINS OF NC Located near Chimney Rock. Cabin on 2+ acres with loft, stone fpl, large deck, pict windows, mtn views. Only $154,900. Call 828.286.1666 LEASE TO OWN 1/2 Acre Lots with Mobile Homes & Empty 1/2 Acre + Lots!

Located Next to Cherokee Indian Reservation, 2.5 Miles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

For More Information Please Call 828.506.0578

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor, Locally Owned and Operated mcgovernpropertymgt@gmail.com McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400 Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

Hours:

Tuesday-Friday, 12 Noon - 6 pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962 Equal Housing Opportunity

Mike Stamey

mstamey@beverly-hanks.com

828-508-9607

SFR, ECO, GREEN

147 WALNUT STREET • WAYNESVILLE 74 NORTH MAIN ST. • WAYNESVILLE, NC

www.beverly-hanks.com

www.sunburstrealty.com/amy-spivey

319-05

52

828.506.7137

aspivey@sunburstrealty.com

ROOMMATE WANTED

EXECUTIVE LONGTERM RENTALS PROPERTY RENTAL ON CASCADING CREEK Sophisticated and distinctive in its beauty, this 3/BR, 3.5/BA Lodge Styled Home creates a new experience with every open door.

Surrounded by the luscious mountain range that gives the Great Smoky Mountains it’s name, its hard not to feel at home. Newly custom reconstruction embraces the authentic feel that the handmade furnishings

by High Country Furniture gives.

Accompanied with a full finished basement-turned pool room, the possibilities are endless in this ideal mountain vacation home.

Less than 8 min. to I-40. $1,850 per month plus utilities.

Also Available for Sale!

Motivated Seller Reduced Price of $379,000, Taking Offers.

Fully Furnished. For more info 865.603.8167

CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE FOR YOU 1 Month Free with 12 Month Rental. Maggie Valley, Hwy. 19, 1106 Soco Rd. For more information call Torry

828.734.6500, 828.734.6700 maggievalleyselfstorage.com

COMM. PROP. FOR RENT OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT Approx. 450 sq. ft., Kitchenette with Microwave, Sink and Undercounter Fridge. 2 Seperate areas for 2 Offices and a Storage Room in Back. All Heat, AC & Util. are Included at $695/mo. High Traffic Area at 850 N. Main St. Waynesville. Contact Sharon 828.421.8812

10 Minutes to Asheville 20 Minutes to Waynesville

CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

Single Family Courtyard Homes & Townhomes

Clubhouse, Pool & Fitness Center

828.667.0770 | 61 Westfield Way Candler, NC 28715

www.VistasofWestfield.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates • • • • • • •

WANTED TO BUY OLD KAWASAKI, HONDA, SUZUKI, BMW, And Harley Motorcycles Wanted! 1903 to 1983. 500, 750, 1000 and Larger CC. Call or Text 1.408.202.6481 SAPA

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Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lifestyle Properties — vistasofwestfield.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices • Margie MacDonald - margie@4smokys.com

MTD YARDMASTER RIDING MOWER 36” 14hp B&S. Runs and Mows Fine, Needs Routine Maintenance.

Cowl Removed but Available. $250 Call 828.648.4372, leave message.

GOT KNEE PAIN? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a pain-relieving brace at little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients Call Health Hotline Now! 1.800.480.7503 SAPA HEALTH INSURANCE IS REQUIRED. You might be paying too much.

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Haywood County Real Estate Agents

George Escaravage BROKER/REALTOR PO BOX 54 | 46 SOUTH MAIN STREET WAYNESVILLE | WWW.EMERSONGROUPUS.COM

828.400.0901 • 828.456.7705 george@emersongroupus.com

beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy - MichelleMcElroy@beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig - MarilynnObrig@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - MikeStamey@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - EllenSither@beverly-hanks.com Brooke Parrott - BrookeParrott@beverly-hanks.com Randy Flanigan - RandyFlanigan@beverly-hanks.com Pamela Williams - PamelaWilliams@beverly-hanks.com

Emerson Group • George Escaravage — gke333@gmail.com

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com • Amy Spivey — sunburstrealty.com

Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com • Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Sam Hopkins — samhopkins.kwrealty.com

Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Home Properties

319-42

mountaindream.com • Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com MOUNTAIN REALTY

Mieko

Thomson ROKER/R /R BBROKER

EALTOR®® EALTOR

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

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

MOUNTAIN REALTY Steve D. Mauldin smauldin61@charter.net

828.734.4864 MOUNTAIN REALTY 26 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28785

828.564.9393

• • • • • • •

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 Ron Breese — ronbreese.com Dan Womack — womackdan@aol.com Catherine Proben — cp@catherineproben.com

smokymountainnews.com

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.

FROM THE HIGH $200’S

November 18-24, 2015

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT

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

WNC MarketPlace

NICE PLACE TO STAY Looking for a live-in, To do light housework. Compensation of Room/Board. 2/BR in a nice neighborhood. For more info call Donnie at 706.335.6496.

MAINTENANCE-FREE LIVING

FOR SALE

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com • Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net

sMauldin.REMAXagent.com

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

www.smokymountainnews.com

November 18-24, 2015

WNC MarketPlace

Super

54

SUPER DUPER MOVIE

CROSSWORD

66 Total change 67 Riddle, part 4 ACROSS 71 “Do I need to draw 1 Army vehicle you —?”

5 Outlines of plans 75 Future man 13 Peyote-producing 77 Sanctioned cacti 78 Pointy tool 20 Climax 79 1958’s Best Picture 21 Makes a call to a and Best Song radio talk show, e.g.

80 Nun’s garb 22 “No, really!”

83 Totally fulfill 23 Start of a riddle 85 Pumps, e.g.

25 Tanning booth fixture 87 Coll. senior’s test 26 “Help!,” asea 88 Rock’s Rose 27 — sci (college maj.) 89 Riddle, part 5 28 “— be silly!”

94 Don of talk radio 30 Latin jazz great 96 Short slumbers Puente 97 Balloon filler 31 Riddle, part 2 98 More thickset 38 Prescription specifi- 99 Richard of cation “Moonraker” 40 “— Whoopee” (1929 100 Thurman of hit) “Jennifer 8” 41 Three R’s org.

101 Shore of “Up in 42 “When all — fails Arms” ...”

103 The Big Board: Abbr.

43 Feeling of vague ill104 End of the riddle ness 110 Bic Round — (pen 47 Stimpy’s TV pal brand) 48 Env. notice 111 Actresses West and 49 Muckraker Jacob Clarke 50 Riddle, part 3 112 How-to part 54 Busy little insect 113 Operate 55 Note hastily 116 Chile’s — Desert 56 Relative of a 118 Riddle’s answer gazetteer 123 Russian ruler 57 Submission encl. before Anna 58 Elaine on “Seinfeld” 124 Ship overseas again 60 Blood type, briefly 125 Downhill gear 62 Mount, as a jewel 126 Market before offi63 Full of a certain cially launching grain 127 Poet — Rich 65 The “sum” of 128 Regarding Descartes

DOWN 1 Spielberg film 2 Tunnel effect 3 Deprived of strength 4 Home animal 5 Tape holder 6 — Vista, California 7 “Not just the physical” medical philosophy 8 Cut off 9 Intersected 10 Blond shade 11 Linked (with) 12 “Did — that make sense?”

13 Plant to kiss under 14 Tall bird 15 Actress Berger 16 Gun barrel statistic 17 Eastern Turkey native 18 VIP vehicle 19 Motor oil additive 24 Sgt.’s inferior 29 Thirds of thirds 32 Lab gelatin 33 Sagan and Sandburg 34 Swedish retail giant 35 Happen on 36 — -pedi 37 Tryouts 38 Key with two sharps 39 Dee Dee or Joey of punk 44 Nest egg fund, briefly 45 Acts indifferently 46 Lamprey hunter 48 Quite — off (far) 51 Information 52 Swedish port on the Baltic 53 Start-up loan org.

59 Net ‘zine 61 Asian desert

63 In tune 64 Veneration 65 Most inactive 68 Wee bits 69 Hilary of the violin 70 “Star Wars” critters 72 Anaheim’s NHL team, formerly 73 Concurs 74 Canada’s Trudeau 76 Giants great Mel 80 Japanese poem 81 Colorful carpet with a cut pile 82 Part of a U.S. election map 83 Cyber-junk 84 Llama kin 85 Politico Palin 86 — Canals 90 “Movin’ —” (old sitcom theme song) 91 Agony 92 Nuptial band 93 Ex-senator Sam 95 Floodgates 101 — the dirt (gossiped) 102 Actress Anjelica 105 Terrify 106 Neon — 107 Strict 108 Entertainer Midler 109 Mo. in spring 114 “MADtv” bit 115 Non-U.S. gas brand 116 iPad extra 117 Plastic film thickness unit 119 Suffix with rocket 120 Nero’s 1,011 121 Lemur’s kin 122 “When — good time?”

answers on page 50

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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

Chinquapin among our most interesting, graceful plants

I

George Ellison

n 1900 about 35 percent of the deciduous forest in the Southern Appalachians was comprised of American chestnut (Castanea dentata).

But chances are you won’t be eating chestnuts roasting on an open fire or any other sort of fire for the holidays, unless you cheat and pick up some European or Chinese chestnuts at a roadside stand.

As everyone knows, the blight introduced during the early part of the last century has just about eradicated that species from our flora, except for root sprouts that rarely flower and fruit before they die back after a few years. But Columnist if you have chinquapin (also spelled chinkapin) trees growing on your property or being marketed at a stand in your vicinity, you can have a reasonable facsimile of the real thing.

For my money “the little brother of the chestnut” — as it’s sometimes called — is one of our more graceful and interesting plants, especially when their fruits have ripened. They occur as shrubs four to 15 feet high or as small bushy tree more than 20 feet high. During the flowering period, June-

BACK THEN July, small yellowish-green flowers are produced on graceful elongated tassels.

Chestnut and chinquapin leaves are similar in general appearance. The latter can be easily distinguished by its shorter length and whitish-pubescent undersides.

By early fall, the branches are hung with numerous spiny burs that crack open to reveal lustrous dark brown nuts. Despite their smallish size, chinquapin’s sweet nuts — 45 percent starch, two and a half percent protein — are very palatable to both humans and many species of wildlife Chinquapin bears an Algonquian name signifying “great seed.” The first published report was made

by Capt. John Smith in 1612: “The Indians have a small fruit growing on little trees, husked like a chestnut, but this fruit is most like a very small acorn. This they call ‘checkinquamins,’ which they esteem a great daintie.”

Allegheny chinquapin (Castanea pumila) has a widespread distribution from central New York to north Florida to east Texas. (Two varieties have been recognized based on differences in the fruiting burs.) The closely related Florida or trailing chinquapin (Castanea alnifolia) is found primarily in southeastern South Carolina and north

Florida, but also appears in scattered areas from Georgia to Louisiana. Ozark chinquapin (Castanea ozarkensis) is found primarily in northwest Arkansas, east Oklahoma, and southwest Missouri, with scattered locations also reported from Kansas, Louisana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

During the week that Hurricane Opal roared out of the Gulf of Mexico into the Southern Appalachians in the fall of 1995, I was teaching at a camp and conference center near Highlands just north of the Georgia line. The damage in the general area was considerable, with trees, telephone poles, and power lines down in every direction.

Little Scaly Mountain, the site of the conference center, is an exposed rock dome at 4,200 feet with thin soil that supports a population of dwarf white oaks, Allegheny chinquapins, and various other low-growing species like Table Mountain pine that have also adapted to the high winds such exposed areas periodically endure. Gusts of up to 175 mph have been recorded north of Asheville at Grandfather Mountain.

The velocity of the winds that struck Little Scaly Mountain before dawn on October 5, 1995, weren’t recorded, but they were fierce at times. I may have just imagined that the cliff-side cabin I was staying in lifted a few inches off of its foundation several times; but then, it may not have been my imagination.

The dwarf white oaks (Quercus alba) on Little Scaly have been core-sampled by foresters from Clemson University. Despite their small size, some were growing on this site before Columbus discovered America.

The fact that many were twisted and torn asunder by Opal is a sure indication that the winds were exceptional. The so-called “Blizzard of the Century” that struck the Southern Blue Ridge in March 1993 did little damage to these oaks.

On the other hand, when I ventured out into the bright sunshine shortly after the hurricane had passed through, the chinquapins looked positively serene, as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.

Even their leaves were in place. Growing as shrub-like trees in the under story of the dwarf white oaks, they didn’t offer as much wind resistance as the oaks. And their limbs are far more pliable. For them, it had been just another windy day in the mountains.

As mentioned, I’ve always thought that the chinquapin is one of our most graceful small trees. In the wake of Hurricane Opal, I developed a newfound respect for their resilience when placed under great stress.

And in lieu of American chestnuts for the holidays, maybe I’ll happen upon a roadside stand with a hand-painted sign reading: “Chink-a-pins $5 Qt.” (George Ellison is a naturalist and writer.

He can be reached at info@georgeellison.com.)

November 18-24, 2015 Smoky Mountain News 55

AutoStarUSA.com AutoStarUSA.com Chris Eckert Sales S ales C Consultant onsultant

Chris Chris Eckert Ecker t recently recently joined the W Waynesville aynesville A Automotive utomotive team team as a Sales Sales Consultant.

Consultant. EEckert cker t g grew rew up in O Ocala, cala, Florida Florida where where he aattended ttended B Belleview elleview High High School School and worked worked at at a small dealership detailing cars. cars. When When he g graduated raduated high school school,, EEckert cker t joined the M Marine arine C Corps. orps. After After four fo our years years of ser service, vice, EEckert cker t mo moved ved tto o Japan, wher where e he liv lived ed ffor or another four o four years years before bef ore moving moving to to North Nor th Carolina Carolina where where he decided to to get into into the car business, business, like his father. father.

Although A lthough EEckert cker t has only been at at W Waynesville aynesville for fo or four four o months, m months, he has definitely definitely made his mar markk at at the dealership dealership.. A After fter ccompleting ompleting his tr training aining and ccertification er tification in July July,, Chr Chris is w won on SSalesman alesman of the Month Month in A August. ugust.

280 Hyatt Hyatt Creek Creek Rd., Rd., Waynesville, Waynesville, NC 28786

285 Hyatt Hyatt Creek Creek Rd., Rd., Waynesville, Waynesville, NC 28786

Eckert Ecker t sa says ys his fa favorite vorite part par t of his job is getting to to meet and interact interact with new people every ever y day. day.

“It’s “It ’s like a big family here,” here,” Eckert Ecker t said said.. “I “Itt doesn’t doesn’t have have that that big ccompany ompany ffeel, e eel, it it’s ’s home home-like, -like, they genuinely care care about the people who work work here here and they treat treat their customers customers the same way way they treat treat their employees.” employees.”

November 18-24, 2015

Although Although his schedule keeps him busy busy,, when he isn isn’t ’t w working, orking, Eckert’s Ecker t ’s hobbies include playing playing basketball and riding riding dirt dir t bikes. bikes.

“Sometimes “Sometimes I sleep, sleep, but I’m I’m usually w working, orking, tha that’s t ’s m myy goal rright ight no now, w, tto ow work ork and be successful,” Eckert Ecker t said successful,” said..

Next Next time yyou’re ou’re in the mar market ket for fo or a new or used vehicle, vehicle, stop stop in to to Waynesville Waynesville Automotive Automotive Chris assist you you with all of your your car buying questions and needs. needs. and let Chris

*Excludes additional shop supplies & hazardous waste fees. Excludes synthetics, diesels & some specialty vehicles. Not combinable with other of offers. fffers. See Service Advisor for details.

CAN CANTON TON

S SYL SYYLLVA VA

ASHE ASHEVILLE VILLE

ASHEVILLE OUTLET OUTLET MALL

750 Champion Drive Canton, NC 28716

1188 West Main Street Sylva, NC 28779

2 Westgate Parkway Asheville, NC 28806

835 Brevard Road Asheville, NC 28806

(828) 492-0631

(828) 586-0202

(828) 581-0136

(828) 633-6681

Smoky Mountain News

CERTIFIED CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED PRE-OWNED SPECIALS

22008 008 FFo Ford orrdd EEE-1 E-150 -115 150

22008 008 LLexus eexxuuss EES S 3350 50

22006 20 006 JJe Jeep eep W Wra Wr Wrangler rraangle gglleer X 44x 4x4 x4

22013 201 20 013 0113 D Do Dodge oddge dgge C Challenger halleengeer ha

STK # A2851

STK # A2793

STK # P2782A

STK # H2836

*Prices do not include taxes, title, license or $499 doc fee. See dealer for details. Subject to prior sale. Artwork for illustration purpose only.

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